Soy Beans Dosai and Idlee

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 5/23/2013 2:58:00 AM

'I grew up on a steady diet of Idlee and Dosai. Along with the fallback "tiffin" of Upma,  the meals were mostly Sambar, Rasam and an array of vegetable sides. An amazing array.Anyway, possibly as a result of the intimate connection with Idlee and Dosai during my childhood, my affinity for them have increased since the kids arrived.Plus, I greatly appreciate what an easy yet healthy meal option it is for the kids: good protein, low fat, plus the goodness of wild fermentation; an(...)'

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Jackfruit Seed, Rhubarb, Radish Greens Koottu

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 5/22/2013 2:04:00 AM

'When the perennial rhubarb comes up every spring, I feel an urge to use it in as many dishes as I can. So, when I get past the usual rhubarb scones, rhubarb-strawberry cobbler, rhubarb chutney/relish, rhubarb sambar, I check the garden for what else can be paired with rhubarb for a wholesome dish.The last of the radish greens were waiting in the garden. Fresh jackfruit seeds and fresh coconut were handy. And so this Jackfruit seed + rhubarb + radish greens koottu popped into existen(...)'

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Smoked Eggplant Relish: Baingan Bartha

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 5/16/2013 4:19:00 AM

'With texture similar to Baba Ghanouj, smokiness close to Chutta Kathrikkai Pachadi, and flavor that is rich and deep, Baingan (eggpant) Bartha is a side dish that takes center stage every time I make it.The recipe here is tweaked to suit my taste: the masala paste can be made in advance and stored in ana airtight container in the fridge for a few days. Use it to make chicken curry or my favotire cauliflower korma.Ingredients2 long eggplant, roasted, finely chopped or mashed¼ tsp Tam(...)'

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Jackfruit Seed Hummus

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 5/7/2013 5:01:00 AM

'Recently, and rather unexpectedly, I found a huge 10+ pound Jackfruit on my kitchen counter.Rather than speculate on whether it is still raw and green, in which case I can savor the green jackfruit delicacies, or ripe and ready, in which case I can relish the sweet flesh and make jam, I decided to cut it open. More precisely, have it cut open by the handy sous-chef, the other adult in the household.The jackfruit we were beholding seemed a giant next to a large avocado. Amid discussi(...)'

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Zucchini Eggplant Kofta in Spicy Beet Sauce

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 3/30/2013 8:01:00 PM

'Koftas are fried (or baked) vegetable balls that are usually served in a rich curry. Fusion cuisine being my signature, I love to pair a variety of koftas with non-traditional curries, with flavors borrowed from ingredients around the world - or, at least the ones I can find in my local markets.Rather than the traditional balls, I went with patties this time, and rather than frying, just baked the 'koftas' before dunking them in a pot of gently simmering beet sauce. The cooked patti(...)'

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Mushroom and Paneer in Tamarind Curry

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 3/21/2013 3:56:00 AM

'Mushrooms and Paneer. Two of my favorites. No one else in the house likes these. So, I don't get to make it often. But, when I do, I relish it and am grateful for each bite.While I do make Paneer on and off with milk and lemon juice, more often than not I go for the store-bought Paneer blocks, just like Tofu blocks. They are firm and solid and hold up well in cooking.The curry gravy part is made-up, as usual. Which is the most compelling reason to share it here.Ingredients5 or 6 Cre(...)'

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Stuffed Mini Pepper Bites

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 3/15/2013 3:59:00 AM

'I seem unable to resist picking up a bag of colorful mini peppers whenever I see it at the store- especially when it is on sale. There are recipe ideas on the bag, which I adapt to suit my tastes. This recipe here was inspired by a recipe on the bag of mini peppers I bought a while back.The filling can be anything from a combination of cheeses to Indian style tamarind-and-mint or even potatoes-and-peas.I went with a combination of goat cheese and feta this time: 3 parts goat cheese (...)'

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Collard Greens Masiyal/Saag

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 3/6/2013 5:30:00 AM

'Keerai Masiyal (mashed cooked spinach) with spices and tempering was one of the staples I grew up with. Creamy mashed cooked spinach in North Indian style, known as Saag, as well as Spinach masiyal can be bland or spicy as they lend themselves well to combining flavors. Most greens can be made into masiyal, not just spinach.I had a few wonderful leaves of collard greens left over after making some Collard Greens Dolma, much like Swiss Chard Dolma. Collard greens need to be cooked lo(...)'

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Spargel with Cheese Sauce

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 3/3/2013 9:51:00 PM

'I had these dreamy white spears for the first time about 6 years ago during a visit to Germany where they enjoy an exalted status. It was served boiled in salted water and topped with a simple cheese sauce. It was best when eaten steaming warm and fresh off the stove, tender enough to cut with a fork, and not at all chewy and woody.Asparagus, a favorite, often just roasted and eaten right away, is usually green when grown above ground thanks to photosynthesis. White asparagus (Sparg(...)'

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Arugula Quinoa Citrus-y Salad

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 2/27/2013 5:30:00 AM

'I tend to sound like a broken record at times here - but, I do love the rice cooker. I use it a lot and not just for cooking rice. Anything from cous cous to polenta, steamed veggies, kichdi, and quinoa, I trust my rice cooker to help out. Of course, the first few tries of any new item is experimental, until I figure out the amount of liquid needed and whether one regular cycle is enough etc.Quinoa comes out perfectly in the rice cooker. I buy quinoa in bulk. Per cup of dry quinoa, (...)'

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Tamarind Flavored Crunchy Roasted Bitter Melon

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 2/23/2013 9:59:00 PM

'Almond + Flax meal being a favorite alternative to bread crumbs, many dishes come into existence just because a thought popped into my head about combining a few favorites...Bitter melon (Chinese Fu Gwa) is a cucumber-shaped fruit which has a lighter skin and thicker flesh than the Indian bitter gourd which is typically smaller, darker, more ridged and textured and quite intensely bitter.I like bitter melon for some dishes and bitter gourd for some others.To reduce the bitterness, s(...)'

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Turkey and Soy Bean Meatloaf

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 2/22/2013 9:09:00 PM

'Mostly turkey, chicken, fish. Probably once a week. No beef or pork or other dark meat. So, not much meat consumption. Yet, there are some standard favorites. And this turkey meatloaf is one of them.Of course, lot of beans, lentils and vegetables, with quinoa and brown rice, plus delicious salads do make it easy to present a good variety as the 500+ recipes I've shared here so far reminds me...For texture and flavor that it brings, I prefer adding the cooked soy beans. I buy dry soy(...)'

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Ruby Chard, Green Chickpeas, Eggplant and Tofu

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 2/21/2013 10:15:00 PM

'Swiss Chard, Ruby Chard, Rainbow Chard... they have good flavor and go well with other vegetables.I had about half a long Chinese eggplant, a bunch of chard, some cooked green chickpeas and some marinated baked tofu. They came together to make a wonderful chunky and colorful dish that is just juicy enough, rather like a stew.The dish is flavored it lightly with some garlic cloves, coriander powder, paprika, sautéed in olive oil.Add the chard, green chickpeas, and eggplant chunks, so(...)'

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Baked Mushrooms with Chipotle Walnut Pesto

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 2/18/2013 10:01:00 PM

'Being the sole mushroom-lover in the family, I don't get to eat it often. And when I do, it is an indulgence, taking the trouble to make it just for me.My favorite is Portabella mushrooms; and the Baby Bella/Cremini as well. Just a touch of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper baked in a 425°F oven for about 10 minutes makes it perfect, depending on the size of the baby bella.This Chipotle Pesto is quite versatile - stir in a little into ground turkey to make baked(...)'

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Shahi Paneer Korma

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 2/15/2013 4:02:00 AM

'Paneer is the only cheese I had during childhood. It is a simple bag cheese made by curdling warm milk with some lemon juice. It is more common in North Indian cuisine so I didn't get to try it much in the typical South Indian meal my mom cooked.Shahi ("Royal") Paneer Korma is rich and creamy and fragrant and flavorful, befitting its name, or should I say, hence its name...It is rather easy to make if paneer is readily available. Else, plan ahead to make the paneer first. It is fair(...)'

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Turkey-Stuffed Red Pepper

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 2/13/2013 5:00:00 AM

'Stuffed peppers are easy and sumptuous. I prefer the red or the orange peppers for their mild sweetness, rather than the green peppers. And the stuffing depends on the mood and what's available.Purple peppers were the rage for a while if I could find it at the farmer's market. (Incidentally, Lesson Learnt: not wise to rely on free sites to host my pictures. Most of my food photos from the infancy of this blog are lost; and, I don't have a copy as I never did regular back-ups back th(...)'

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Chimichurri Sauce with Baked Chicken

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 2/10/2013 7:34:00 PM

'Chutneys were ubiquitous during my childhood. There were so many variations to the basic formula. Either coconut-based chutneys with toasted lentils, or tomato-based chutneys with ginger and red chilies, or purely herb-based chutneys of which my favorite was this cilantro-mint-chutney with tamarind and green chilies... the possibilities were endless. Despite almost-same ingredients, I am quite amazed at how many different flavorful chutneys came about in my mom's kitchen.Anyway, as (...)'

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Collard Greens and White Bean Casserole

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 2/7/2013 9:06:00 PM

'Greens. What's not to like about them, right? Packed with important nutrients and readily available, greens seem like the obvious choice for daily consumption. Of course, the tough part is learning which greens to eat, how best to cook them, or should we cook them at all, and is it true that eating greens raw is always better...Mature collard and kale and mustard greens and radish tops and such are so much tastier after steaming or light sautéing, and I'd rather not eat the woody st(...)'

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Chipotle Baked Turkey Croquettes in Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Dip

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 2/4/2013 9:44:00 PM

'Fried vegetable croquettes are a favorite once-in-a-while weekend snack. Any combination of finely chopped or grated vegetables and meat can be shaped into small 'fingers' and breaded and deep fried and presented as fancy croquettes with various dips and sauces.Rather than deep frying these Spicy Chipotle Turkey Zucchini Ginger croquettes are baked. And, rather than the usual bread crumbs these turkey croquettes are 'breaded' in seasoned almond meal.The chipotle chilies in adobo sau(...)'

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Cabbage & Zucchini Slaw with Spicy Citrus Dressing

Author : Sheela      Blog : Delectable Victuals      Date : 2/1/2013 10:16:00 PM

'Until a few years ago, when I stared this food blog, I hadn't bother to ponder on the origins of some of the culinary terms, especially the names of some of the common dishes enjoyed today. One of the first ones that stuck in my head is this: colis → koolsalade → koolsla → cold slaw → cole slaw, nicely summed up in See The Globe.Cabbage salad, cabbage borscht, home-made sauerkraut, home-made baechu kimchi, cabbage paruppusili, cabbage arachu vitta samba(...)'

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