Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Tag: Cooking — Vegan Recipes

  • Bendakaya — My Mother’s Recipe Definitely Works!

    Madhus_bendakaya

    The two things I learned from making this dish:

    • It will probably take more than 15 minutes to cook — more like 20-25 minutes.  But the good thing is that it requires little effort while cooking (just stirring every several minutes or so).
    • Don't be afraid to really salt it up toward the ending of cooking.  Even if you think it seems probably salted about 5 minutes before it's done, check before you are completely done to see if there really is enough salt because salt REALLY brings out the other flavors of the dish.

  • Don’t like Okra? You will after trying this dish: Bendakaya (Indian Style Okra)

    This is one of my favorite Indian dishes — and I have to admit, the person who makes it the best is my mother.  I haven't tried the recipe yet (can't find Okra yet) but I can't wait.   The recipe follows the picture:

    Bendakaya

    Ingredients:

    • 3 cups fresh Okra
    • 3 tbps. vegetable oil
    • 2 dried red chili peppers (can be found in any Indian grocery store)
    • 3/4 tsp. whole mustard seeds
    • 1/2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
    • 1/2 tsp. uridahl/white dahl (can be found in any Indian grocery store)
    • 1/2 tsp. channa dahl/yellow dahl (can be found in any Indian grocery store)
    • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
    • Salt
    • 1/2 tsp. chili powder (optional)
    • Cilantro to garnish (optional)

    1.  Wash the okra, either towel dry or leave out to air dry for a few hours before cooking.  It is important that the okra is drier when you start, so it gets crisp and not mushy when you cook it.

    2.  Cut the okra into 1/3 inch segments, discard the ends.

    3.  Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan

    4.  When vegetable oil becomes hot, break the two red chili peppers and throw them into the pan.  Also add the mustard seeds.

    5.  When the mustard seeds start popping, add the cumin, uridahl and channa dahl.  Let it simmer  for a minute or two.

    6.  Add garlic, and saute for two minutes — make sure the garlic doesn't brown.

    7.  Add okra, and stir while raising heat to a higher medium level.  Cook the okra uncovered, and stir every two minutes. 

    8.  After ten minutes or when the okra starts to get cooked enough that the okra pieces are not sticking to each other, add salt to taste (perhaps 3/4 of a tsp. to start).   Note:  Make sure you do not add the salt too early in the cooking process, it will make the okra gummy.

    9.  Saute another 5 minutes or so until the okra is a bit crisp.  Add chili powder if desired and more salt to taste.

    10.  Serve with rice or any Indian breads.

  • Alternative to Spaghetti and Jarred Tomato Sauce: Multigrain Spaghetti with Diced Tomatoes and Asparagus

    Sick of having spaghetti and tomato sauce for dinner when you are tight on cash?  Try this tastier alternative that is just as cheap and gets you a green vegetable:

    Pasta_with_asparagus_and_tomatoes

    4 servings cooked multigrain spaghetti

    1 28-oz. can of seasoned diced tomatoes

    2 cups of coarsely chopped asparagus (partially cooked — you can use frozen asparagus cuts as well)

    4 cloves of garlic, minced

    3 tablespoons of olive oil

    dried red chili flakes to taste

    coarsely chopped parmesan

    1.  Heat pan, throw in olive oil and garlic, saute until warm

    2.  Add partially cooked asparagus and saute for 1-2 minutes

    3.  Add diced tomatoes and warm until the garlic and olive oil flavors get into the mixture

    4.  Add red chili flakes to taste

    5. Toss with the cooked pasta and parmesan.

  • Roasted Red Pepper and Bean Dip — A Super Healthy Snack that YLS Students Love!

    So I made this Roasted Red Pepper Dip with the Quinoa Tabbouleh ( http://madhuknitsandcooks.typepad.com/madhu_knits_and_cooks/2006/09/quinoa_tabboule.html) and they worked really well together.  The dip goes very well with pita bread as well (preferably warm or toasted whole-wheat pita). 

    Roasted_red_pepper_and_bean_dip

    The dip is low-fat and a great source of protein because it has both tofu and beans (and trust me, that is a great combination — for those who don’t like tofu, there is no way you’ll know it’s in here!).   You can find the recipe at the Vegetarian Times:  http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/recipe_details.cfm?recipe_id=9707

  • Quinoa Tabbouleh — Suprisiningly Tasty, Filling, and Super-Healthy!

    So as the multiple categories for this post indicate, this dish can be consumed as an appetizer, snack or main course.  Quinoa, according to the box I purchased, is a super-grain that was widely consumed in the Incan empire.  According to Wikipedia, "Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete foodstuff" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa).  So why not make this fantastic dish AND give the gift of "a balanced set of essential amino acids" to those who are lucky enough to eat it?

    Quinoa_tabbouleh

    I got this recipe from the Vegetarian Times, and thankfully you can find it online:  http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/recipe_details.cfm?recipe_id=9866. 

    The variations to the recipe that I made:  I doubled the recipe, used a little extra garlic, and I used 1/2 the recommended fresh lemon juice.  The reason I used only half the lemon juice is that I accidently spilled the juice from one of the lemons I juiced, and I only had one lemon more so I could only get a little over 1/4 cup of fresh juice.  BUT I am happy that that was the case, because I think any more lemon juice would have made it a little too lemony. 

    I also made the quinoa in a rice cooker, which I thought was a great time-saver while I was the chopping the parsley, etc.

    The next time I made it, I think I will also increase the amount of chopped parsley to the recipe to make it a little more "tabbouleh"-like, but I think that is just up to you and what you want to use the recipe for.  If you use it for a main dish, I would recommend increasing the amount of parsley, but if you use it as part of a Middle Eastern platter or the like, you probably don’t need to increase the amount of parsley because there will already be a lot of flavors in the dish. 

    I would really recommend trying it with the Roasted Red Pepper and Bean Dip (http://madhuknitsandcooks.typepad.com/madhu_knits_and_cooks/2006/09/roasted_red_pep.html ) because the combination of the warm quinoa tabbouleh and the cool dip make it not only a fun heat contrast, but the flavors go really well together as well.

    One final tip — make sure you fluff that quinoa once it is done cooking!  It really makes a big difference.

    Quinoa_tabbouleh_top_view

  • Mom’s Indian Broccoli Recipe

    I loved this dish growing up — I was one of the few children I knew who always asked for broccoli for dinner!  I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I.

    Broccoli_in_pan

    For 2 large servings, or 3-4 small servings

    2-3 cups of broccoli (I generally use around 16oz of frozen broccoli florets)– if frozen, only partially steam before adding to pan

    2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

    1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

    2 garlic cloves — coursely chopped into large chunks

    1/2 yellow onion — chopped

    3 dried red chilis, break them in half as you add them to pan (you can get at an Indian grocery store)

    1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (not ground cumin)

    1 teaspoon of uridahl / white dahl (you can get at an Indian grocery store)

    3/4 – 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

    Heat oil in a cooking pan (medium heat) and throw in mustard seeds and dried red chilis

    Once the mustard seeds start popping, add the cumin and uridahl and cook for a minute or two

    Add the garlic and let cook for a minute, but make sure the heat isn't too high that the garlic burns

    Add the chopped onion, and saute mixture for 1-2 minutes, until the onion cooks to where it is no longer raw

    Add partially steamed broccoli, and saute dish for 5-10 minutes, until cooked to your taste.  While sauteing,  add salt to taste *NOTE* Be liberal with adding the salt, it is the key ingredient to make all the flavors come out in the dish.

    If you are using fresh broccoli, you can cover the pan if you want to help the broccoli to cook.

    If you want to the dish to be spicier, you can add hot curry masala powder at the end.  You can find this at Indian grocery stores.  I like adding more onion and garlic, but that's because I like stronger flavors.  Let me know if you make any adjustments that you particularly like. 

    Serve with rice or any Indian breads.

  • Kitty Aunty’s Vegetable Biryani Recipe

    Here is the simple Vegetable Biryani recipe that Kitty Aunty taught me to use.  Enjoy!

    Vegetable_biryani_1

    For 4-5 large servings

    Ingredients:

    1 medium onion, chopped

    ½ teaspoon Shan Biryani Masala (packaged, can find at Indian stores)

    ½ teaspoon housemade masala

          6 cloves

          2 sticks cinnamon

          2 Indian bay leaves (can use regular bay leaves, but Indian is better)

    2 inch ginger stick, skin cut off, cut in large pieces

    ½ bulb garlic

    5 green chilies, finely chopped

    ½ cup yogurt

    1 teaspoon lemon juice

    Approx. 2 – 3 cups of day-old, separated rice (or just drier rice that can separate)

    1/8 teaspoon Ajino mote (Chinese – can omit if you choose)

    2 teaspoons cooking oil (Kitty Aunty used unfiltered corn oil)

    1 cup fresh or frozen cut mixed vegetables (if frozen, can defrost then cook in dish still when cold, they will cook in pan)

    ½ teaspoon saffron

    1-2 teaspoons salt

    If you do polished presentation:

    ¼ medium onion, thinly sliced

    Corn or vegetable oil

    Few drops yellow food coloring

    Chopped cilantro for garnish

    Directions:

    To make house-made masala:

          -Dry heat in a pan the cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves

          -After it becomes fragrant, remove from heat

          -Grind the spices in a coffee bean grinder

    To make biryani mix:

          -Heat oil in a large saucepan (medium heat)

          -Add Shan Biryani Masala, onion, and sauté

    -Add a little water after it simmers for a bit to make sure it doesn’t get too dry.  Onion should become soften, so cover the pan.

    -Blend ginger, green chilies, and garlic in a food processor, until very finely chopped.

    -Add garlic, ginger, and green chilies to the pan, sauté and let simmer

    -Add homemade masala

    -Let simmer, with some light stirring, and add water if too dry.  Be liberal with adding water, it will simmer away.

    -Let flavors settle in together

    -Add yogurt, lemon juice, vegetables, saffron, salt, and ajino mote, stir and let flavors get into each other

    Quick Finish:

          -Add rice and stir fry together

    More Polished Presentation:

          -Get serving/casserole dish, put vegetable mix at bottom of pan

          -Add layer of rice

          -Add layer of French fried onions (thin slices of onion cooked in vegetable/corn oil until

          crisp)

          -Then repeat layers

    -Final step:  Add a few drops of yellow food coloring to make some of rice turn yellow, and then throw chopped cilantro on top