All posts tagged: Food

Pumpkin and Lentil Soup

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October is a time for pumpkins. I am not a big fan of pumpkin pies or lattes, but I do love a good soup. This lentil soup is healthy and filling. It also tastes great and is easy to make. Ingredients: Makes 4 servings 2 cups boiled and mashed pumpkin (or squash) ½ cup boiled and mashed orange carrots 2 cups cooked yellow lentils (toor or mung dal) 2 cups vegetable stock (or water) Salt to taste 2 tbsp butter or oil for tempering 1 tsp grated ginger Coarsely ground pepper Roasted and ground cumin seeds Drizzle of cream to garnish (optional) Roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional) Method: Sieve the boiled pumpkin and carrot to remove seeds and fibre.  I usually take out as many seeds as I can before boiling the pumpkin. Then rinse it and roast it to use as a crunchy topping for the soup. Cook the pumpkin, carrots, lentils, and stock on medium heat till it comes to a boil. Add salt to taste. In a small pan, heat the …

colourful salad ingredients in a wooden bowl

Black-eyed Beans Salad

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We try to have salads as often as possible, but it’s a pain to wash and dry the salad leaves. This bean salad is filling and full of protein and other awesome things. It can be had as a meal in itself or with some garlic bread and soup on the side. Ingredients: For a meal for one ½ cup boiled black-eyed peas ¼ cup roasted peanuts  1 small tomato, cubed 1 cucumber, diced 1 small carrot, diced Few pieces of pickled radish or onion A few olives ¼ cup of semi-ripe mango, diced (or Totapuri mango), optional  2 prunes, cut into small pieces Coriander and Mint leaves to garnish Salad dressing I like the store-bought Sweet onion dressing for this one  You can also quickly make your own dressing with 3 parts olive oil to 1 part lemon (or vinegar). Add a teaspoon of honey or sugar. Mix well and pour over the salad. Enjoy your health boost for the day! Note: Some links are part of an affiliate program, which means that if …

colouful bowl with scoops of frozen yoghurt with fresh strawberries

Frozen Strawberry Yoghurt Treat

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Strawberry season is almost upon us. And even though the summer’s almost over, there’s no reason to skip on the frozen treats. This also lasts well in the freezer, so you can also save it for next summer. Ingredients 8-10 pieces of fresh strawberries (stalks removed) 200gm Greek yoghurt ¼ cup honey Method: Blend all ingredients in a mixer. If you like your frozen yoghurt a little chunky, then don’t blend too long. Transfer to a flat tray or dish and freeze for a few hours. You can also freeze them in popsicle moulds. Scoop and enjoy. Top with more honey, strawberries, or sprinkles. This sorbet is super easy to make and a much healthier option than store-bought varieties.

collage showing how to plant ginger

Kitchen Garden from Scraps

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Have you wanted your own kitchen garden but never knew where to start? Or do you think you don’t have the space for it? Fear not. To start your own kitchen garden, all you need is a small pot placed in a bright spot, and you’re ready to roll. Introduction to Kitchen Gardening A kitchen garden basically consists of plants you can eat or cook with. Among all the kitchen garden plants, herbs are the easiest to grow and take up the least amount of space. You don’t need to buy a large bunch when you just need a few sprigs. Just pluck a few fresh ones from your plant!   If you have a little space to spare, you can even try adding vegetables. Check out my post on how to grow your own food for your own kitchen garden ideas. For a kitchen garden window sills are a great option, especially in smaller spaces. You don’t use up any floor space and get plenty of sunlight on the ledge. Balconies in apartments can accommodate …

a Buddha Bowl of quinoa, roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, with hummus on the side

What’s in your Buddha Bowl

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There was a time when all food blogs were filled with pictures of Buddha Bowls of various kinds. They looked so lovely and fulfilling that I wanted to try something too. I don’t prefer the oatmeal or smoothie in a bowl kind, so I opted for something savoury. A Buddha Bowl is a dish that has five main ingredients:  Whole grains like rice or quinoa Protein like tofu or meat Vegetables Dressing Garnish such as nuts, seeds, or microgreens Here’s what went into my bowl: Quinoa cooked as per instructions Crispy chickpeas for protein Baked cauliflower Hummus Mixed seeds and mint leaves Instead of quinoa, any millet or grains like barley will do. Just rinse and cook in the pressure cooker. I also like to add a little salt and garlic for more flavour. You can make crispy chickpeas by seasoning boiled chickpeas and baking them in the oven or the air fryer. I also like some of the packaged ones available when I don’t want to put in a lot of effort. Baked cauliflower …

Kid making rotis while his mom supervises

Kids in the Kitchen

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I am not fond of cooking. I cook for sustenance or because I happen to be craving something, rarely ever for enjoyment. I first saw the programme Masterchef Australia Kids before I had even thought of having kids. The show gave me a new perspective on how they could be helpful to have! Do men belong in the kitchen? Jokes apart, I was sure I wanted to raise a child who would be self-sufficient and independent. Especially as a mother of a boy in South Asia, I’d did not want him to grow up to be a man-child. I’d seen enough men who couldn’t find their way around a kitchen even to get a glass of water, and the women (mother, wife or sister) who found it funny or exasperating but never did anything to correct that behaviour. My husband has, over time, become pretty proficient in the kitchen. He took up more kitchen duties after our son was born. Our kid has not known a day when his dad hasn’t been part of the …

plate of 3 sesame and jaggery squares

Sesame and Jaggery Squares (Tilgud)

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Sesame and jaggery squares, or Tilgud as it is better known across India, is usually made in January when the harvest season begins in the region. I always look forward to eating it during this time. I’m not sure why I don’t make it at any other time of the year, but I guess the rarity also makes it more special. Ingredients: Makes about 8-10 square bites 1 cup white sesame seeds 1 cup jaggery 1 tbsp ghee ¼ cup roasted peanuts (skin removed) Method: In a flat-bottomed pan on medium heat, roast the sesame seeds. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn. As soon as it starts to brown a little, turn off the heat and let it cool. You could use black sesame seeds or a mix of both. Just be aware that they have a stronger flavour. Grind the roasted peanuts coarsely. I find it a big chore to roast and remove the peels from raw peanuts, so I buy roasted unsalted peanuts and keep in the freezer to …

Child with a curry leaves plant in home balcony

How to grow your own food?

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Have you ever thought about growing your own food? It doesn’t interest me, to be honest. It’s too much work. However, during the lockdown, I had some time on hand, and I wanted my son to experience the joy of growing something from seed then harvesting it to eat. We have a small balcony garden, so I wasn’t sure how to accommodate growing vegetables. We started small by growing some methi (fenugreek) from seeds from the spice cupboard. We just used a paper cup with holes poked at the bottom. They were quick to sprout, and the handful of micro-greens were enough to make one roti for my son. He was mighty pleased. Armed with some confidence, we turned an unused under-bed storage box into a flatbed by drilling holes at the bottom and filling it with soil. We planted some spinach and amaranth seeds.  Once they grew about 7 to 8 inches long, we harvested the leaves by cutting just the matured leaves and leaving the stem as is. This way, we got another …

Bowl of hummus with olives and paprika

Super Easy Vegan Chickpea Hummus

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My preference for recipes are ones that are fast and don’t require a lot of utensils. There are plenty of chickpea hummus recipes that call for making different aspects of it separately. I prefer to mix it all in one blender jar, and it’s done! I love how protein-packed this dish is. I don’t feel any guilt having this with a packet of nachos. Ingredients: Serving size: Makes a large bowl. Good enough to eat some and store or for a party 2 cups boiled chickpeas ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil Juice of ½ lemon 2 tbsp sesame seeds (or 1 tbsp Tahini if you have that lying around) 5 cloves of garlic (medium-sized) ¼ cup cold water  Spices: ½ tbsp roasted cumin powder ½ tbsp paprika Salt to taste Deseeded olives on the side (optional) Method: Please don’t buy a can of chickpeas. Get dry chickpeas, soak them overnight, and boil them till soft. Wait for it to cool. Add all the ingredients except for the spices and the cold water in the …

Pickled Veggies

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Pickled in the Indian context is very different from the Western one. I have never tried making Indian pickles because they are so readily available that I don’t feel the need to make the effort. I’m going to just list things you can pickle with a sugar and vinegar brine to be used in salads and sandwiches. Fermented foods are also a great source of good bacteria that aids better digestion. Ingredients for the brine: 1 cup water 1 cup vinegar (white or half and half with apple cider vinegar) ½ cup sugar ¼ tsp salt Method: Boil all the ingredients together and let it cool. Things you can pickle: Onions (cut into thins strips) Radish Jalapeno peppers  Cabbage (or purple cabbage shredded) Carrots (grated or sliced) Ginger (thinly sliced) Anything else that won’t turn into mush Method: Put the slices/strips into a lidded container and pour the brine enough to cover all pieces. Store in the fridge. It will last a few weeks. These taste great in salads and sandwiches, but also on cheese …