Gazpacho

When you have an abundance of beautiful heirloom tomatoes, cucumber and purple capsicums in your garden and it is a hot Aussie Valentines day evening, what does one do? Well if you are me, then you make gazpacho - yummy, healthy, refreshing, super easy and quick to make with the perfect hues of pink to start your valentines evening.

This recipe is gluten free and does not have any bread and still has a lot of body and volume, however, you may choose to add some stale bread soaked in water if you prefer or alternatively add some almond meal.

You will need:

5-7 medium sized ripe tomatoes
1 lebanese cucumber or 1/2 a continental cucumber
1 small capsicum
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper or a few drops of tabasco sauce (optional)
Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Method:

Roughly chop the tomatoes, peeled cucumber and capsicum and add to a blender. You can also use a hand blender. Blend until all the chunks disappear, season with salt and pepper and add the olive oil. Briefly blend again and pour into glasses. Chill for 20 minutes and garnish with mint leaves and a drizzle of olive oil. You can also add ice cubes and serve it immediately.

Enjoy and happy valentines day!

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is another Indian fast food favourite.  The origins of the dish are from Bombay and hence it is sometimes also called Bombay Pav Bhaji, but its popularity has spread to other parts of India, especially Calcutta, where Pav Bhaji vendors do brisk business. The bhaji, which is essentially a spicy blend of many vegetables is pre made and is kept hot. The pav is similar to a dinner roll/ burger bun but is made out of milk and is slathered with butter and toasted on order. Served together you have Pav Bhaji, a finger licking, match made in heaven.

To make the bhaji, you can choose a combination of different vegetables of your choice. I use the following:

Ingredients for Bhaji (serves 4-6)

3 red onions
1 large green capsicum
1/4 cauliflower
3 large ripe tomatoes
4 medium sized potatoes boiled
1 cup of frozen peas
5 cloves of garlic
1 green chilli
1 cup of water
Salt and chilli powder to taste
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
2 heaped teaspoons of  shop bought Pav Bhaji masala
Juice of 1 large lemon
Butter or oil to cook

Method

Add two tablespoons of butter or oil (for a vegan version) in a large wok or skillet and add finely chopped garlic, green chilli and onions, saute on a low flame until the onions are tanslucent. Next add the chopped green capsicum and cook for 2-5 minutes followed by the finely chopped cauliflower, continue to cook for about 10 minutes stirring regularly. Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well and add the salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and Pav Bhaji masala (which can be bought in most Indian grocery stores). Add 1 cup of water and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes and then add the frozen peas and mashed boiled potatoes. The boiled potatoes help thicken the Bhaji, and if the consistency is too thick you can add 1/4 cup of extra water, but remember this is not a curry but a thick vegetable mix, similar in consistency to a slurry. Cook for another 5-10 minutes to ensure all the ingredients are well cooked and assimilated. Add the lemon juice and taste to ensure the seasoning is to your liking. Adjust as needed and garnish with a wedge of lemon and a small knob of butter.

The Bhaji is traditionally served with butter and toasted Pav bread, but you can serve it with dinner rolls, burger buns, gluten free rolls or even toasted sliced bread.

Enjoy!

Jhal moori - puffed rice salad

Speak to anyone who has lived or travelled to West Bengal in India and they have most definitely come across the cries of 'jhal moorie, jhal moorie' on railway stations and local trains.  Moorie, as it is also called around the city of Calcutta is so called after the main ingredient puffed rice which is called moorie in Bengali and the work jhal simply means spicy hot. It is a favourite street food and is sold at pretty much every street corner.

In fact, it is so popular that we had a 'moorie man' selling his delicious produce inside our very strict convent school compound. He would do brisk business everyday selling moorie to students and teachers alike from his little kiosk which he would set up on a wicker stand. At the end of the school day, he would just pack and carry his little stand and kiosk and set up shop somewhere else.

Having grown up eating this road side staple, I often make it at home, especially on hot days, when I do not feel like cooking. In all honesty, it is really simple to make, in fact it is nothing more than an assembly job and as with most street food in India, it is customised to ones preferences. Though, there is a list of ingredients which are usually added, you can omit some or add more or less of something depending on your taste buds.

You will need

Moorie (puffed rice)
Chopped cucumber
Chopped tomato
Chopped red onion
Chopped boiled potato
Handful of roasted peanuts
Chopped fresh coconut (can be omitted if unavailable or dried coconut flakes can be added instead)
Chopped coriander
Bhujiya (gluten free gram flour noodles)
Chana chur (gluten free mixture also called bhuja mix)
Chat masala
Ground cumin powder
Salt
Chilli powder
Black/ pink mineral salt (if available)
Lime or lemon juice (tamarind water can also be used)
Mustard oil
Green chilli (optional)

I have not mentioned the quantities as it will depend on how much you would like to make. Since my husband and I love it, I often make a large bowl and have it as a meal instead of dinner. I use 1 onion, tomato, cucumber and boiled potato each and finely chop them into a large bowl. Next, I add small handfuls of the chopped coconut, peanuts, bhujiya and chanachur, followed by the desired amount of spices. Next, I add 1 teaspoon of mustard oil and the juice of 1 lime/ lemon and the chopped coriander and green chillies, if using and mix well. I save the puffed rice for the very end as it goes soggy very quickly and the moorie must be served as soon as the puffed rice goes in and has been mixed well. The ratio of puffed rice I use is approximately equal to the amount of chopped onion, tomato, cucumber and boiled potato used. Though this can also be adjusted to your liking. Mix well, serve in large bowls, garnish with some coriander sprigs and bhujiya and enjoy immediately as it cannot be stored.

The moorie, and gluten free bhujiya and chanachur can be bought from any Indian grocery store.