EVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: FRESH WINTER VEGGIES RECIPE: TANDOORI GOBI/ ROASTED TANDOORI CAULIFLOWER What is Tandoori Gobi? Generally the word Tandoori is used for non vegetarian preparations like tandoori chicken, tandoori mutton, tandoori fish, etc. However, to cater for the vegetarians its common to find tandoori paneer, tandoori mushroom, tandoori gobi, etc on a menu. Tandoor is a clay oven. First the main ingredient be it vegetarian or non vegetarian is marinated in yogurt along with spices. Usually people have their specific recipe for tandoori spice mixture. The marinated food is then roasted or grilled in a tandoor. At home its not possible to have a tandoor, therefore an oven is used or its roasted in a pan. Winter Vegetables What type of vegetables…
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Continue ReadingRECIPE: KUE SERABI – INDONESIAN PANCAKES WITH COCONUT Kue Serabi are small coconut flavoured pancake like snacks that are popular in Bali and Java. Usually enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack they are easy to make. What is Kue Serabi? Kue Serabi is Indonesian Pancakes that are made with coconut milk, sometimes grated coconut is added and rice flour. Usually served with a coconut milk and palm sugar sauce. Traditionally, Kue Serabi are served without any fruit or topping as its sold as street food. However, these days you’ll find kue serabi sold in Warungs (roadside eateries), boutique hotels and at home stay places as a breakfast option with toppings. More About Kue Serabi As I mentioned above generally these Indonesian pancakes are made…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: STEAMED FOOD VEGETARIAN BAO BUNS What are Bao Buns? The first time I saw the Bao Buns was at the lounge of the Taiwan International Airport. Hubby and I were in transit and it was lunch time. A huge buffet was spread out and bao buns were among them. However, all the fillings were non veg. I took one plain one to taste and liked it. These steamed treats are super healthy and the best part is that one can use any filling. Traditionally a Chinese dish, the popular filling is pork belly. I searched several recipes to find what would work for me. Finally, I decided to use mushrooms as my main filling. A bit about the group: Members…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #222 MYSTIQUE MEDITERRANEAN What are Vegetarian Chickpea Gyros? Vegetarian Chickpea Gyros, so delicious, healthy and unbelievably easy to make at home from scratch. Usually Gyros have a meat filling. In fact, these Vegetarian Chickpea Gyros are a great alternate for vegetarians, are filling and perfect for picnics, garden parties or as a main meal any time of the day. What Are Gyros? Gyros, pronounced as ‘eeyros’ is a Greek popular street food which is like a sandwich but served on a flat pita bread. The fillings range from chicken, lamb to vegetables. For a vegetarian version, roasted vegetables, chickpeas, pulled jackfruit are used. Actually, let your imagination run riot and use any of your favorite filling. Meat or veggie is usually…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Tzatziki Tzatziki is a classical Greek cucumber and yogurt dip or sauce. It is easy to make, refreshing, flavourful and healthy too. Enjoy it as a dip with some pita chips, carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, etc or as a sauce. Generally, served as a sauce with grilled meats, or applied on the flatbread to make gyros. Makes an excellent sauce with souvlaki. Tzatziki is my go to dip to prepare in a jiffy as usually I have the basic ingredients ready at hand. All you need is some thick creamy yogurt, cucumber, fresh mint, dill, olive oil and the dip is ready within 5 minutes. It is a great way to enjoy some fresh veggies along with tzatziki as a starter or appetizer.…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #73 NEW YEAR RECIPE: EXOTIC FRUIT SALAD Exotic Fruit Salad is a delicious, healthy and satisfying naturally sweet treat to enjoy for breakfast or as dessert. Why exotic? Because I rarely find dragon fruit and I love it so much. FoodieMonday/ Bloghop Group To kick off 2017 on a happy note,FoodieMonday/Bloghop group decided on the theme New Year. For this theme which coincidentally falls on a Monday, we had to prepare any dish that we see fit to celebrate New Year. New beginnings mean celebrating with something sweet. However, after the wedding, Christmas, hubby’s birthday celebrations I really didn’t want to add more sugar into our bodies. Since I got really sweet strawberries, succulent pomegranate and dragon fruit, I decided to make something…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Mexican Bhel Mexican Bhel is actually like a Mexican Salad but with a slight twist. A bit of sev is added as that goes almost in all the chaat recipes. Also the salsa is prepared a bit more spicy as Indian green chillis (lavangi or jwala) are used. Add vegetables of your choice. The basic components are sweet corn, onion, tomatoes, beans either red or black, bell pepper and avocado. Adding carrots, cucumber, olives, cheese is optional. Mexican Bhel is a great addition to your party menu, for kitty parties, kids parties, as a light lunch, or as a different kind of chaat. It is amazing how India tends to ‘Indianize ‘ western dishes. Mexican bhel is an innovative way to serve the famous…
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Continue ReadingRECIPE GARLIC & RED CHILLI SAUCE Garlic & Red Chilli Sauce is an easy to make, versatile and fiery hot sauce made from fresh red chillis and garlic. It is my all time favorite as it goes well with anything from pakoras(fritters) to sandwiches. Add a bit to soups, dals or rice. Smear a bit on parathas, rotis. Its such a versatile chutney. What I like best about this chutney is that it stays for days in the fridge. Simple to make and you can make it according to your taste by by adding less or more chilis (peppers) or even the garlic. I prefer to leaves the seeds of the chilis to make the fiery hot sauce. Feel free to remove them if you…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Bean & Corn Quesadilla Quesadillas! Who doesn’t go mad over crispy tortillas stuffed with cheesy goodness? A versatile dish, one can stuff it with meat, seafood or vegetables. Serve it with guacamole, salsa or any dip or sauce of your choice. The possibilities are endless. Bean & Corn Quesadilla is a vegetarian option, filling and tasty. What Is Quesadilla? It is a Mexican dish where tortilla is filled with cheese and cooked on a griddle or skillet. Fillings like chicken, meat, beans, vegetables, etc are added to the filling to make it more wholesome. Traditionally corn tortilla is used but these days wheat or plain flour tortilla are commonly used. Queso means cheese in Spanish. Quesadilla date back to the 16th Century where corn…
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Continue ReadingBaked Veggie Empanadas Baked Veggie Empanadas, made using a wholewheat pastry with a filling of fresh red beans, potato and corn. Serve as a snack or as a meal with a salad and homemade Tomato Salsa. What are Empanadas? Empanada is one and several are empanadas. They are stuffed pastry or bread which are either fried or baked. Originally from Portugal, empanadas are made in several South American countries. The filling varies from region to region. Generally beef is the choice, but these days its easy to find chicken, fish, other meat, vegetables filled empanadas. Also sometimes a sweet filling is used like apples, cream cheese, jam, pumpkin, etc. Interestingly, they are similar to the Italian Calzone, but are smaller in size. Also yeast is…
