Chana ki dal

Dal chawal (lentils and rice) are the corner stone of Indian cuisine, and for me they are not only comfort food but a life saver as in my house they do double duty as both baby and adult food.

Ingredients (serves 4-5)

(For the dal)

2 cups of channa dal (washed and soaked for at least 30 minutes)

1onion

4 large cloves of garlic

1 inch pice of ginger

8 cups of water

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

(For the tarka)

1 onion

1 teaspoon of garam masala powder

Salt and chilli powder to taste

2 tablespoons of oil

Chopped corriander for garnish

Method

In a large saucepan or pressure cooker (if you have one) add the channa dal, along with the chopped onion, ginger, garlic, salt and turmeric powder with the water. Cook on a high heat, until the pressure cooker reaches full pressure of the contents of the saucepan come to a boil. reduce the heat and continue cooking for a further 3 whistles or until the dal is cooked through.

At this point, I set aside some dal for my little one, and blend it with some plain rice for a nutritious protein packed meal. 

For the adult version, I prepare the tarka by heating some oil in a fry pan and adding a chopped onion. Fry the onion on high heat, stirring occasionally to stop it from burning. The idea is to fry and brown the onion. Once the onion is golden brown, add the salt, chilli powder and garam masala. Turn off the heat and add the tarka to the cooked lentils. Add chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or flat bread and a simple salad of chopped onion, cucumber and tomato seasoned with salt and lime juice.

Tacos with lamb and kidney beans

I buy the normal super market variety of Tacos, making sure that no nasties or allergens have been added. In fact, the ones I buy do not even have salt added to them -  just corn flour, vegetable oil and water.

You will also need the following ingredients:

500 gms of minced lamb or lamb strips
1 cup of kidney beans (which I soaked overnight and boiled) or 1 can of kidney beans
2 medium sized onions
2 tomatoes
1 green capsicum
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno
Small bunch of salad leaves
Handful of coriander springs
1 avocado
1 lime
2 tablespoons of oil
salt and chilli powder to taste
1 teaspoon each of cumin and coriander powder
a little water

Method

Finely chop the onion, jalapeno and garlic. You can also use a food processor. Add oil to a frying pan/skillet. Once the oil is warm, add the onion, ginger, garlic and jalapeno chlli, and cook until the onions turn brown. Add the lamb and cook on a high heat to seal the meat. Add the two tablespoons of tomato paste with 3-4 tablespoons of water and mix well. Add the powdered spices and continue cooking on a low heat for 5 minutes. Add the capsicum and tomato (cut in small cubes or strips, to match the type of meat used) and cooked kidney beans and cook for a further 5 minutes. If using minced lamb, you can allow to simmer on a low heat, while you prepare the other ingredients. however, if you used strips, turn the heat off as overcooking will toughen the meat. Add the fresh coriander before serving.

Heat the tacos in a 180C oven for 5 minutes. Wash and dry the salad leaves. In a bowl, mash the avocado. Season and add the juice of 1 lime.

To assemble, add some salad leaves in the bottom of each taco; fill with the lamb mixture and top with the avacado. The salad leaves add crunch and protect the tacos from getting soggy too quickly and the avocado and lime add a refreshing, creamy zing.

Aloo methi (potatoes and fenugreek)

This is very simple and healthy Indian dry curry or sabji. The literal translation is potatoes and fenugreek leaves and since fenugreek leaves  (like most green leafy vegetables) are full of health benefits  and have the added advantage assisting lactating mothers, I try and have it at least a couple of times each month.

Ingredients
6-8 medium sized potatoes
1 large bunch of fenugreek leaves (you can also use a bag of frozen fenugreek leaves, which is what I have done in this instance)
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger
1 green chilli
salt and chilli powder to taste
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
oil for cooking

Method

Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. If using fresh methi (fenugreek leaves), pick out the leaves and wash them well. I generally grow the fenugreek in my veggie patch (weather and season permitting) as it is hard to find in Melbourne, but also keep a couple of frozen bags in the freezer, which can be found in most Indian grocers.

Finely chop the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger. In a wok, add about two tablespoons of oil and add the onions, ginger, chilli and garlic. Fry for 3-5 minutes until the onions are translucent and add the potatoes. Fry for two minutes on high heat stirring to ensure all the potatoes are coated in the oil. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes on a low heat. Once the potatoes are semi cooked, add the salt, chilli powder and turmeric, followed by the frozen methi ( if using fresh, you will need to add it sooner). Stir and cook covered on a low heat for a further 5-7 minutes.

Serve warm, it is best enjoyed with flat bread

Gluten free flat bread

This bread is the result of necessity, being Indian, flat breads, be they Chappati, Paratha or Naan are a staple part of our cuisine. And though I do not miss wheat based bread as such, I did miss having flat bread especially with certain dry curries which cannot be served with rice and are perfect with flat bread.

This particular bread is inspired by the misi roti, I remember my grand mother used to make it, but I think  generally equal quantities of chick pea flour and wholemeal wheat flour is used.

So I tweaked the recipe and made it with rice flour and chick pea flour and while the results were pretty good (for a gluten free bread) I felt the end result could be improved. The bread could be softer and moister. So I experimented with potato flour, and I am really glad that I did as the results are superb. The dough is pliable, and the bread can be rolled out just like a chappati and is soft and moist.

Ingredients
1 cup of chick pea flour
1/2 cup of potato flour
3 tablespoons of oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
approximately 80 ml of water
1 teaspoon of ajwain (bishops weed, it adds a great flavour but is optional)

In a large mixing bowl, mix together both the chick pea flour and potato flour to ensure there are no lumps. Add the salt and ajwain (if using) and mix well. Then add the oil and the water gradually to bring the mixture together into a dough. You may not need all the water, on the other hand you may need a little more, it all depends on the moisture content in the flour. Once you have a smooth dough, set it to rest for 10 minutes, and then shape into small balls. Roll out each ball into a round shape on a flat surface with a rolling pin. Use some potato flour to dust the rolling surface to make the rolling easier and to stop the bread from sticking. You can do it free hand or use a round pastry cutter or bowl to get the shape you want. Pan fry in a tava (traditional Indian utensil for cooking flat bread) or crepe pan or fry pan cooking both sides. For a crispy result, use a little oil on each side when frying the bread.

Best enjoyed fresh and warm but can be stored for a couple of days in an air tight container and reheated before use.

Vegan, no cook halwa balls

This is the simplest halwa recipe ever. Whenever, I am craving a sweet treat but do not have the time or energy to make anything, I whip this up. These halwa balls are middle eastern inspired as the base ingredient is tahini -  sesame seed paste (which can be found in the health food section of most supermarkets as well as middle eastern grocery stores).

You will need the following

Tahini
Honey
Almond meal (optional)
Chopped nuts (optional)

Essentially, you are mixing equal quantities of honey and tahini together. You might think that this may not work as the tahini is a bit runny, but as soon as you start mixing in the honey it seizes. At this point I also add in equal quantity of almond meal, but you can leave it out if you want this to be nut free. Mix well, shape into little balls and roll them in chopped nuts or sesame seeds. For the quantity shown in the photograph, I used three tablespoons of honey, tahini and almond meal and rolled them in different nuts - pistachios, hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, mixed nuts and sesame seeds. If you prefer, you can completely leave out this step and serve them plain or rolled in toasted sesame seeds or shredded coconut. Refrigerate if possible, as this helps to set the halwa, but they can be eaten straight away as well.

Enjoy these easy and healthy (sesame seeds are full of calcium and great for individuals who are on a non dairy diet) sweet treats any time of the day.

Pumpkin rice

I generally make this rice for my baby, but it can easily be a family meal as well, just adjust the quantities, add some salt and pepper and pronto you have a cross between a kichdi (Indian savoury rice porridge/ congee) and risotto that everyone in the family can enjoy

Ingredients
1/2 cup of rice
1 cup of butternut pumpkin roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 small clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of chopped onion
3 cups of water
A pinch each of salt, turmeric and cinnamon.

The ingredients here have been dictated by things I have already introduced to my baby, or am trying to introduce, like the cinnamon. I also always try and add a pinch of turmeric due to its health benefits -  it is considered to be an anti inflammatory and anti bacterial however, you can choose to leave it out.

Method

Finely chop the garlic and onion. In a pressure cooker (makes life so much easier, if you do not have one, you may consider investing in one and the basic ones are very affordable and last a long time, if not, just use a saucepan and cook covered until all the ingredients are cooked through) add the olive oil and fry the onion and garlic for 1 minute. Add the pumpkin pieces, washed and soaked rice and stir for two minutes to ensure all the rice is coated in the oil. Add the spices if using and 3 cups of plain water. Close the pressure cooker and allow it to come to pressure on high heat. Reduce the heat and allow it to come to pressure again. Do not open the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to subside naturally, this ensures the rice keeps cooking and you end up with a thick, creamier dish similar to a risotto, without any of the hard work of adding and stirring in the stock one ladle at a time.

Open the the pressure cooker and stir the rice to break up the pumpkin pieces. If the consistency of the rice is not to your liking you can add some more water to thin it down or cook on high heat to thicken the rice.

Refrigerate or freeze any unused portion for later. If serving to adults, season with a grinding of salt and pepper, add some chopped chives and drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil.

Sweet and sour chicken

Sweet and sour chicken is a chinese takeaway staple, but generally it is greasy, laden with msg, loads of corn flour and who knows what else. My version is a healthier, lighter and delicious version.

The ingredients below will serve 4-5.

Ingredients

600 gms of chicken thigh fillets cut into strips

2 spanish onions sliced

1 green capsicum sliced

1 yellow capsicum sliced

4 small to medium carrots sliced

1 cup of fresh pineapple or 1 small can of pineapple 

6 cloves of garlic minced

Small piece of ginger finely chopped or grated

2 red chilies finely chopped

Juice of 1 orange

Juice of 1 lemon

3 heaped tablespoons of tomato paste

2 tablespoons of black strap molasses

1 tablespoon of raw/ brown sugar

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (or any other vinegar of your choice)

3 tablespoons of potato flour

3 tablespoons of oil

salt, chilli powder and pepper to taste

Method

Add the chicken strips in a mixing bowl and cover with the three tablespoons of potato flour. I also season the potato flour with a little salt. Once all the chicken strips are coated well, heat a non stick fry pan and add two table spoons of oil. Pan fry the chicken on high heat, cooking both sides, we are not after a lot of colour here. The idea is to seal the chicken and the potato flour helps to crisp it and then also thickens the sauce when added to the vegetable mix. Pan fry all the chicken in small batches ensuring that you never crowd the frying pan.

Once all the chicken has been pan fried, place it on kitchen towel and set aside for later.

In a wok or the same fry pan if it is big enough, add 1 tablespoon of oil. I always start with the carrots first as I like them a bit more cooked than the remaining vegetables, but you can choose to start with the other vegetables or with the ginger, garlic, chilli and onions.

Once, you have given the carrots a 3-5 minute head start, add the other vegetables (reserving the pineapple), stir fry on a high heat stirring occasionally to ensure the vegetables do not burn.

In a small mixing bowl, mix the tomato paste, molasses, vinegar, sugar, salt, chilli powder and pepper with 150 ml of water. Taste, to ensure the sauce is well balanced, if you need to add more of anything adjust it to your liking, though remember the orange and lemon juice are yet to be added. Once the vegetables have softened add the sauce and mix, add the chicken strips and pineapple chunks and ensure they are well coated. Next add the orange juice and simmer the sauce until it thickens and has the right consistency. Take off the heat and add the lemon juice and coriander. Serve immediately as the chicken will go soggy the longer it sits in the sauce.

I choose to serve it with plain rice.