Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Tag: Cooking — Healthy Options

  • First Attempt at Indian Brussels Sprouts – Not Quite There

    I have had some great brussels sprouts curries in India, but unfortunately my first attempt to make such a dish in the U.S. was a bit of a mess.  The brussels sprouts were a bit too tough and undercooked, and the seasonings didn't fully come together with the vegetables.  

    That being said, I think I have a decent base from which to improve on.  I probably just need to figure out how best to cook the brussels sprouts down, and may need a longer, lower-heat cooking period which will help the spices incorporate as well.  As I continue to refine the recipe, please find the first-attempt steps below.

    Brussels Sprouts Curry for Lunch

    (Portioned for a work week lunch with paneer)

    Indian Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry

    Ingredients:

    • 2 – 3 cups of halved, small brussels sprouts
    • 1 tsp cumin
    • 1 tsp urad dal
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • pinch of hing
    • 1/4 cup chopped onion
    • 1 tsp ginger
    • 1/2 jalapeno, sliced 
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 2 tbsp vegetable oil 
    • 1/2 cup water

    Brussels Sprouts for Curry

    Brussels Sprouts Curry Ingredients

    Directions:

    • Heat oil on medium heat in a skillet, when hot, add spices.
    • When mustard seeds start to pop, add onion, ginger and jalapeno.  Cook until onions are translucent.

    Brussels Sprouts Curry Spices Tempering

    • Add brussels sprouts and turmeric to the pan, and increase heat.  Add 1/4 cup of water and cook until water evaporates, periodically stirring.  Continue to stir, adding water as necessary to ingredients do not stick to the pan.  
    • Cook until the brussels sprouts are to your liking, and add salt to taste before serving.  Covering the sprouts while cooking may also help them reach your preferred consistency.

    Brussels Sprouts Curry

  • Pati Jinich’s Cooked Tomatillo Salsa

    While I have a pretty good tomatillo salsa recipe that I've used for years, I recently decided to try Pati Jinich's cooked version of this simple salsa.  I have never heard of cooking tomatillo salsa before, but I think I am a convert to this new approach.  

    Pati Jinich Cooked Tomatillo Salsa Ingredients

    The main difference with this version and my standard version is that cooking down the salsa results in a thicker salsa immediately instead of waiting a few days for the mixture to thicken in the fridge.  In addition, the vegetable oil used to cook the salsa down adds a nice richness to the salsa.  

    Pati Jinich Tomatillo Salsa Ingredients v2

    I think this will be a great salsa not only for serving, but also for enchiladas and other baked dishes because of its thickness.  Look forward to making it more and more!

    Pati Jinich Tomatillo Salsa Blended

  • Madhur Jaffrey’s Mung Beans with Browned Garlic and Onions

    Trying to diversify my Indian protein mixes, I sampled a Madhur Jaffrey World Vegetarian recipe last year for "'Dry' Hulled and Split Mung Beans with Browned Garlic and Onions."  

    Mung Beans with Browned Onions

    It's a quick weeknight preparation – basically boiling yellow split mung beans and then adding some tempered seasonings with browned garlic and onions.  

    Mung Beans with Browned Onions - Dal

    Mung Beans with Browned Onion - Onions

    The result is equally simple – a dal with Indian spices and deep onion flavor.  I'm not sure if it stands a lot on it's own, but it's a nice, sweet onion-y alternative to other simple dals and can well complement a larger selection of Indian food.

    Mung Beans with Browned Onions and Green Beans

  • Summer Corn Soup – Simple Weeknight Meal

    As this post demonstrates, 2015 ended on a very busy note as I am still catching up on recapping summer 2015 cooking projects!  This post could not be more summer-inspired as it involves my favorite seasonal produce – sweet corn.  

    As Alice Waters, the author of this recipe in The Art of Simple Food, notes "this is a no-fail soup as long as you have fresh sweet corn."  Her recipe requires 5 ingredients (butter, onion, salt, corn, and water) and could not be easier to make on a weeknight.  Pureed, it also had a nice, thicker consistency than an earlier corn soup I had improvised with a similar mild and sweet flavor.  I made some modifications to the soup when making it – using a leek in addition to onion and garnishing with scallions and Chinese hot sauce – and think generally this is a great base recipe that can be adapted to a variety of preferences.

    You begin the recipe by melting 3 tbsp. of butter in a pot (reduced by the 4 tbsp. called for in the original recipe):

     

     

    Corn Soup Butter Melting

    Then add the leeks/onions (I used 1/2 large onion, diced, and 1 leek, diced):

    Corn Soup Leeks Cooking

    While softening, shuck your corn (4 – 5 ears' worth):

    Corn Soup Corn Cobs

    When the onions are softened, add your shucked corn to the pot:

    Corn Soup Corn Cooking

    Cook for a few minutes, and then add 1 qt of water (or to your liking):

    Corn Soup Cooking

    Bring to a boil, then simmer until corn is cooked to your preference.  Puree in batches or use an immersion blender to get a smooth consistency.  You can also strain the soup to get rid of the harder corn pieces, but it's up to you.

    Corn Soup Blender

    Prepared Corn Soup

    Corn Soup in Bowl

  • Successful Soba Sauce!

    Several months back, I blogged about my first attempt to make soba and an accompanying sauce at home.  That attempt was unfortunately unsuccessful, with a result lacking in both flavor and consistency.  

    Following that result though, I was not deterred – I bought more dried soba a few weeks later, and went back to the internet to determine a v2.  I quickly settled on a Mark Bittman recipe that would also make use of the leftover tahini in my fridge.  

    Bittman Soba Served

    I followed the preparation directions pretty closely – which were quite easy to follow – but I modified the ingredients to what I had at home, to what flavors I thought I would like (more spice), and to the different soba quantity in my packet (8 oz. v the 12 oz. called for in the recipe).  The ingredients I ended up using for approximately 3 main course servings were:

    • 1 tbsp. sesame oil
    • 2 tbsp. soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
    • 1 tbsp. sugar
    • 1/2 cup well-stirred tahini
    • 8 oz. soba 
    • 1 serrano chile, chopped and seeded 
    • A few shakes of tabasco sauce
    • salt and black pepper
    • 1 medium cucumber
    • Scallions for garnish

    I think this quantity of sauce probably could work for 12 oz. of noodles, and I also really liked the tabasco addition, so might use more of that in the future.  I also may add tofu to this dish in the future as well to make it more substantial.

    Otherwise, this recipe is definitely a keeper – you can actually put together the sauce in the time that the soba boils, and it has rich, complex flavors with the tahini, vinegar, soy sauce and scallions – yum!

    Bittman Soba Ingredients

    Bittman Soba Boiling

    Bittman Soba Sauce with Chiles

    Bittman Soba Sauce without Being Thinned

    Bittman Soba Thinned Sauce

    Bittman Soba Sauce with Cucumbers

    Bittman Soba Mixed Together

  • Super Smooth Hummus at Home – The Ultimate Technique

    Hummus texture isn't really that big of a deal for me.  I like chunky hummus, smooth hummus, and thick or thin hummus.  But recognizing that some of you are in fact texture-focused when it comes to your hummus, I thought I'd pass along a great tip that comes from Cook's Illustrated via Yotam Ottelenghi.  

    The technique is to add a bit of baking soda to chickpeas either before they boil if using dried chickpeas for your hummus base or to rinsed, canned chickpeas.  

    If doing the latter, put the rinsed, drained chickpeas into a microwave safe bowl, sprinkle with 1.5 tsp. baking soda and microwave for a minute or two until hot.  Then rinse the chickpeas under running cold water while loosely rubbing the chickpeas with your hand(s) so that the skins detach and float away.

    Cook's Illustrated Baking Soda Hummus

    The result is super smooth hummus without the chickpea skins that can otherwise add a course texture to the dip.  My co-workers loved this new hummus approach so much that I thought it might be worth passing along.  Hope you will find this useful!

  • Another Attempt at Vegan Thai Green Curry – Closer, But Still Not Perfected

    Six (!) years after my first Thai green curry attempt, I finally determined myself ready to take on this recipe again.  The result was much better than my flavorless first attempt, but the flavors and texture didn't quite come together the way green curry can taste at my favorite Thai restaurants.  I think it'll probably take a few more attempts for me to perfect my technique.  So, based on my track record, maybe check back in 12 – 18 years when I may have made more progress?  :-)

    In the mean time, below is my latest effort for Thai green curry, which resulted in a spicy, hearty and somewhat tangy curry, but without the subtlety of complementary spicy, sweet, and sour flavors.  In addition, the tofu became slightly crumbly during the cooking, so I might pre-cook or steam the tofu before using in the future.

    The notable changes from my first attempt were to use canned green curry paste, instead of homemade; to use the entire can of green curry instead of just 1 – 2 tbsp.; add in rice vinegar; and to use the vegetables I wanted instead of those prescribed by the Nancie McDermott recipe.

    Thai Green Curry v2 Cooked

    Vegan Thai Green Curry v.2

    For 4 – 6 main course servings

    Ingredients:

    • Entire 4 tbsp. tin of green curry (vegetarian)
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 14 oz. light coconut milk
    • 1 tbsp ginger, minced
    • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
    • 1/2 onion diced
    • 1 can chopped baby corn
    • 1 cup green beans, cut into 1/2 inch segments
    • 1 carrot, coarsley chopped
    • 1 tbsp. olive oil
    • 1 tsp. brown sugar
    • 1 tsp. rice vinegar 
    • 1 tsp. soy sauce 
    • 1 package extra firm tofu, drained and squeezed of excess liquid and cut into 3/4 inch cubes.

    Thai Green Curry v2 Ingredients

    Directions:

    1. In a large pot, add olive oil and bring heat to medium.  When oil is hot, add ginger, garlic, and onion and saute until onion is softened, approx. 4 – 5 minutes.
    2. Then add the vegetables, cooking for 4 – 5 minutes or until partially cooked.  Then add the tofu, periodically stirring until tofu is warmed through. 
    3. Add the curry paste, stirring to coat the vegetables and tofu.  Cook for approx. 1 – 2 minutes or until the curry is fragrant.  
    4. Mix in the coconut milk and water, and bring pot contents to a boil.  
    5. Then turn down heat and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, periodically stirring.
    6. Finally, add the brown sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce, and simmer for an additional 3 – 4 minutes.  
    7. Season with any additional salt or pepper, and serve with cooked rice.

  • Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley – Decent Way to Spice up Quinoa

    I am swimming in quinoa – I have containers upon containers of the "super grain" from some aggressive bulk quinoa purchasing several months ago.  I haven't really gotten that creative with utilizing all of this quinoa – rather, I just boil it and serve it on the side of Indian dishes or stews.  

    To break this quinoa monotony, I turned to the internet to find some recommendations on combining quinoa with scallions and parsley (two herbs that I happened to have on hand).  Not surprisingly, I found several recipes for "Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley" as well as similar types of quinoa salad.  

    I decided to keep it simple and largely follow a Food & Wine Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley recipe.  I halved the recipe, and cooked the quinoa as I usually do (2x water to quinoa ratio, bring to a boil, and simmer until tender).  As I was cooking the quinoa, I quickly chopped the herbs.

    Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley - Cut Herbs

    And then quickly sautéed the garlic and scallions until tender and fragrant:

    Quinoa Scallions and Parsley - Scallions Cooking

    When the quinoa was done cooking, I simply put it in a serving dish:

    Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley Cooked Quinoa

    Then stirred in the scallion mixture and parsley:

    Quinoa with Scallions and Parsley Cooked

    When I garnished the dish with salt and pepper, I went a little nuts with the salt so ended up adding some lemon to break up the saltiness.  The lemon juice (approx. 1/2 tsp.) definitely helped lighten up the dish.

    I think this would be a good side to a Middle Eastern dish because the parsley adds a nicely complementary flavor.  I would not make this as more than a side dish though because the flavors aren't that interesting or complex enough to carry a main dish.  So back to the drawing board on new quinoa recipes!

  • Middle Eastern Stew of Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Carrots – A Hearty Dish to Last the Week

    I aspire to make large meals and snacks every Sunday that will help last at least part of the work week, ideally for lunch, dinner and mid-day snacks.  

    Unfortunately, two problems usually arise with this strategy.  First is that I get tired during my Sunday cooking process and will not end up tackling my entire ambitious cooking plan.  Second is that even when I do make a number of items – or a few large dishes – I'll get bored eating them during the week, and sometimes they will go to waste (or the freezer).  

    I think I have found at least a partial solution to problem number two, which is in the form of a Madhur Jaffrey World Vegetarian recipe for Middle Eastern Stew of Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Carrots.  I don't remember why I decided to try this recipe several weeks ago – it may have been its simplicity, the excess of chickpeas cans in my cupboard, or something else entirely.  

    In any case, what I found was an easily adaptable recipe that was packed with flavor – such that when I was eating the leftovers for weekday lunches and dinners, I was actually sad when we ran out of the stew after a few servings!

    Middle Eastern Stew of Chickpeas, Potatoes and Carrots

    I altered the recipe by substituting two cans of chickpeas for the cooked, dried chickpeas; a clove or two more of garlic; and an entire can of fire-roasted, diced tomatoes.  I also didn't have dried thyme on hand, so I used dried oregano instead, which was perfect for the middle eastern flavors in the dish.  

    I otherwise followed the directions as is – browned the onions and garlic, and then simmered all the other ingredients until the flavors had melded and the vegetables had cooked.  

    Middle Eastern Stew Onions Cooking

    This is definitely a dish that can be made ahead of time for a small crowd, and doesn't require much active cooking, so great for Sunday cooking.  I'll definitely be making this tangy stew in the future, and likely pairing it with Mujaddara, another low-touch hearty dish.

    Middle Eastern Stew Completed

  • Sage Pasta – The New Weekday Lunch That Wasn’t

    The New York Times has been rolling out a revamped cooking section over the past several months, with beautiful pictures, daily emails of seasonal and favorite recipes, and an easier-to-navigate website.   It really is a treat to receive daily cooking stimulation, and a personal effect has definitely been increased usage of NY Times online recipes.

    My latest NY Times recipe attempt though didn't result in the success I was hoping for.  Instead, my try at the Mark Bittman Pasta with Butter, Sage and Parmesan was a bit of a bland, disappointing mess – but in the process I think I learned that I just don't like sage that much.  Sure, it makes for a great cookie addition or butternut squash accompaniment, but otherwise, I'm not sure if it's quite thyme, rosemary or other herbs that I really do like.

    Ok, on to the recipe attempt.  Basically, you saute sage in melted butter:

    Sage Pasta Fresh Sage

    Until it crisps up:

    Sage Pasta Sage Cooking

    And then you add the partially cooked pasta to the mixture, add some hot pasta cooking water, and let the sauce and pasta cook to completion.

    Sage Pasta in Pot

    Unfortunately, the sauce just ended up being not that flavorful and also too watery – the latter probably from my messing up the water amount that I put into the dish, and from putting the cooking water in the sage/butter mixture before the pasta.  

    Sage Pasta packed for lunch

    While I still packed the leftovers into work-appropriate containers, this dish wasn't the weeknight meal/work lunch combo I was hoping would be a new favorite.  Oh well, on to the next NY Times recipe!