Thai Curry topped with Green Pea Shoots

I first saw these tiny green pea shoots at San Francisco's Farmers' Market. I was wondering how to use them. As luck would have it, the very same day we dined at the "Plant" restaurant in San Francisco's Marina area. I had Thai curry and it came garnished with those same pea shoots. They reminded me of the small methi shoots known as vaLutli methi or samudra methi in Mumbai. I loved this combo.

At home, I grew my own pea shoots by planting dried green peas (hirve vataNe) in old mushroom containers. I generally, sprout the beans but this was actually making the seedlings. I then, used these pea shoots to garnish the curry.


Thai curry topped with green Pea Shoots
6 cups stir-fry vegetables, frozen
Salt to taste
1 can reduced fat coconut milk
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
1 tsp sugar

Tempering
1 tbsp dark sesame oil

Grind to a fine paste
1 bunch cilantro
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced lemongrass (I used from the bottle)
1/2 tsp galangal (I used from the bottle)
10-12 leaves of Thai basil
2 green chilies (use more for more heat)
1/2 tsp chopped kafir limes leaves (I used from the bottle)

Garnish
Lime wedges
A handful of green pea shoots, remove tendrils

Suggested Accompaniment
Plain Jasmine Rice

Method
1. Heat oil in a saucepan.
2. Saute stir-fry vegetables till they are cooked.
3. Add green paste, salt and sugar to taste
4. Add coconut milk. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Pour over a bed of plain Jasmine rice in an individual serving bowls.
6. Garnish with green pea shoots. Serve with lemon wedges on sides.

Note -
1. Sometimes I add potatoes, butternut squash to this curry.
2. Green Pea Shoots may be available in your local Farmers' markets.

Homegrown Green Pea Shoots

Credits
Recipe inspired by Plant Organic restaurant, San Francisco

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Bhoplya Mirchicha Kaayras - Bell Pepper salad

Frankly, I am not sure how to translate this dish in English. It's not exactly salad or chutney or dip or curry but it's an accompaniment with the main meal nonetheless. It is generally made as a part of a "saatvik" meal.


Bhoplya Mirchicha Kaayras
भोपळ्या  मिरचीचा  कायरस 
Bell Pepper Salad
Ingredients
3 medium green bell peppers, stemmed/cored, diced about 2 1/4 cup
1 medium potato, peeled & diced, about 3/4 cup
1/4 cup peanuts or cashews - raw & unsalted - soaked in water for 1 hour

Tempering
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tbsp white sesame seeds

Whish till no lumps in a bowl
1 cup water
1 tbsp tamarind pulp
1/4 cup jaggery powder
1 tbsp goda masala
1 tbsp roasted, unsalted peanut powder/daanyache kooT
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Garnish
1 tbsp freshly scraped coconut

Method
1. Heat oil in a saucepan.
2. Add asafoetida and sesame seeds.
3. As they splutter, add peanuts or cashews. Saute for about 2 minutes.
4. Add bell peppers and potatoes. Saute for 5 minutes. Cover with a lid. Pour some water on top. Cook till the vegetables are cooked just right. Do not let it overcook.
5. Now add tamarind -jaggery mixture. Let the mixture come to boil.
6. Switch the gas to low. Add coconut.  Let it simmer till it reaches desired consistency. It should not be very thin.
7. Serve as an accompaniment with the mail meal.

Note -
1. This kaayrus should not be runny. It should stay in place just like chutney or koshimbeer. But it needs to have a thick gravy.




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Phavva Upkari - Coconut Pohe

This is a simple "pohe" recipe from my grandmother's kitchen. I made it for the Janmashtami celebration this year. I generally make a pohe dish which does not have onion & garlic for this festival. This year I made "Phavva Upkari" & "Bhappa Doi". This recipe tastes the best with abundant use of coconut.

Phavva Upkari
Beaten Rice with Coconut
Ingredients
4 cups thin pohe
1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
salt to taste

Grind to a smooth paste without adding any water
1 1/2 cup coconut, freshly scraped
1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds, roasted
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds, roasted
4 byadgi chilies or 2 tsp mild chile powder

1/3 cup jaggery powder

Tempering
1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 sprigs of curry leaves, torn

Garnish (optional)
1/2 cup freshly scraped coconut

Method
1. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a wide, heavy bottomed saucepan. Roast thin pohe till they are crisp.
2. Sprinkle salt and mix well.
3. Heat another spoonful of ghee. Add the tempering ingredients. Pour the tempered oil over the pohe. Stir well. Set aside to cool down to room temperature.
4. Meanwhile, roast coriander seeds, cumn seeds and byadgi chilies one after the other.
5. Grind to a fine paste with freshly scraped coconut. Do not add any water.
6. After the paste is fine, add jaggery powder and grind again to make a uniform paste.
7. Add the coconut paste to the roasted pohe mixture. Mix well so the pohe flakes are coated with masala.
8. Add more coconut for garnish - if using.
9. Serve immediately.

Note
1. Use your clean hands for mixing pohe with coconut paste. Using spoon for mixing will not work well.
2. Instead of ghee/clarified butter, coconut oil can also be used.

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Talwala Masala Thepla

I am sharing a simple Gujarati flatbread with spices today. No more description, a busy work week ahead!!;-)

Talwala Masala Thepla - Count 12
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup wheat flour
1 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chili paste
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
2 tsp coriander-cumin powder
1 tbsp finely minced cilantro
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp mild chili powder
salt to taste
A pinch of asafoetida

1 tbsp oil

Rice flour for dredging
Oil for roasting

Suggested Accompaniment
Chhundo/Sweet mango pickle

Method
1. Mix all the dry ingredients. Add water gingerly and knead into a dough. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Make 12 uniform balls.
3. Roll into thin discs using rice flour for dredging.
4. Heat griddle or tawa. Roast each disc till brown spots appear on both the sides. Add oil as needed for roasting.
5. Save in a clean kitchen napkin till ready to serve.

Note -
1. A spoonful of sugar can also be added to the flour mixture.

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Indian American Jonnycakes

These pancakes go by both the names Jonnycakes or Johnycakes. They came out pretty well, when I tried them for the first time. However,  my tastebuds refused to accept them with the traditional Maple syrup or honey. I searched for my lasnichi chutney/fiery garlic condiment. So naturally, I had to make the spicy version next time. I used the leftover Idli batter to make this Indianized version.

Indian American Johnycakes
Ingredients
1 cup leftover Idli batter
1/2 cup Masa Harina
salt as needed
water as needed
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Stir in - (optional)
3 tbsp minced red onion
2 minced green chilies
1 tbsp minced cilantro

Oil for roasting

Method
1. Mix Masa harina into the Idli batter. Stir in water as needed to make a thick pancake like batter.
2. Adjust salt.
3. Add onion, chilies, cilantro - if using.
4. Heat pan or griddle.
5. Pour a dollop of batter. Drizzle some oil for roasting.

6. Cover and let it cook. Flip to cook on the other side.
7. Serve hot along with chutney or ketchup of your choice.

Note -
1. Do not make batter too thin.

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American Indian Jonnycakes or Johnycakes

These days, Gudiya has been reading "The little house on the prairie" by Laura Ingall Wilder. To keep up with the pioneer spirit that's been going on in our home, I decided to make some Johnycakes (or Jonnycakes) for breakfast. Now, why the prefix "American Indian", you may ask? Well, just because an Indian American version is coming up next!;-)

American Indian Jonnycakes
Ingredients
1 cup Masa Harina
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup hot water
1/2 - 3/4 cup cold water.

Oil for frying Jonnycakes

Method
1. Mix Masa Harina, sugar and salt.
2. Add boiling hot water. Stir well.
3. Now add cold water so there are no lumps. Adjust water according to the consistency of the batter. The batter should have thick pancake batter consistency.
4. Heat griddle or tawa.
5. Add a dollop of batter. Drizzle some oil for cooking. Cover and let it cook.

6. Flip to cook on the other side.
7. Serve hot johnycakes along with maple syrup, honey or agave nectar.

Note -
1. The batter should have thick pancake batter consistency.

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Mogrinu Bhart - Radish Stringbeans & Eggplant Bharta

 

Mogri - as we call Radish string beans in Marathi & Gujarati is a delicacy. I have never seen this vegetable at our local Indian or Farmers' markets, although this is readily available in the freezer section of the local Indian stores. I prefer this vegetable fresh so I sow radish seeds every spring to grow my own "mogri".  Typically there are two varieties of these string beans - purple & green. My mother-in-law pairs only green colored string beans with eggplant for making this bharit.

 

A word of caution - this vegetable has a very pungent flavor and smell. This may be an acquired taste.

 

Mogri nu Bhartu

Radish string Beans with Eggplant Salad
Ingredients

1 big eggplant, bharta variety

1 cup green mogri, cut into bite sized pieces

salt to taste

2 tsp coriander-cumin powder

 

Grind to a smooth paste

3/4 cup cilantro/coriander leaves

3-4 garlic cloves

3-4 green chilies

1" ginger, peeled

 

Tempering 1

1 tbsp oil

1/2 cup minced onion

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

 

Tempering 2

1 tsp oil

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp chili powder

 

Garnish

1 tbsp minced cilantro

Method
1. Broil, grill or roast eggplant. Remove the outer charred peels. Discard the stem. Mash the eggplant pulp and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add minced onion and turmeric powder. Saute till onion is soft.
3. Add green masala paste. Saute for about 10-12 minutes on medium flame.
4. Now, add mogri - radish string beans. Add 2 tbsp water. Cover with a lid and cook till mogries are cooked.
5. Add eggplant pulp, coriander-cumin powder and salt to taste.
6. Cook for 10 minutes.
7. Switch off the gas. Just before serving, heat oil in another small saucepan. Add garlic and saute till it changes a shade darker. Switch off the gas. Add chile powder.
8. Drizzle tempered oil over the eggplant.
9. Garnish with cilantro.

Note
1. Although, authentically speaking, only purple string beans are used in this recipe, you may substitute green radish string beans if they are available.
2. A word of caution - this vegetable has a very pungent flavor and smell. This may be an acquired taste.

Pretty Radish flowers that soon will turn into string beans - from my container garden

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