Tomato Rasam

http://superfoodnotes.blogspot.ca/search/label/SoupsRasam is a tomato based spicy soup which is eaten separately or mixed with boiled rice and is enjoyed by all south indians in their everyday meals. It is traditionally prepared using tamarind juice and tomatoes as its base and there are so many different versions of it and each one has its unique taste and flavour of spices and seasonings. Eating a vegetarian thali served with rasam and sambar followed by a glass of soothing and cooling flavoured butter milk on a hot summer day is heaven indeed!

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 4 

Garlic cloves - 4 

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Cilantro chopped - 1 tbs

Tamarind - a marble sized ball

For tempering:

Curry leaves - a few

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Crushed garlic cloves - 2 small

Asafoetida - a pinch

Canola/Vegetable oil - 1 tsp

Method: 

1. Cut tomatoes into quarters, peel the garlic cloves and cook them with a little water in a sauce pan. Add turmeric, cumin and pepper powders. 

2. When tomatoes are soft mash them with the back of the spoon, add more water and let it simmer. 

3. Soak tamarind in a little water, extract its juice and add it to the pan.

4. Adjust the salt, strain the tomato rasam and add chopped cilantro.

5. For the tempering heat the oil, first add the mustard seed, when it splutters, add the crushed garlic and as soon as it turns golden brown (do not burn it) add the cumin seeds. When they start changing color add the curry leaves and a pinch of powdered asafoetida.

6. Immediately add the tempering to the rasam. The rasam is now ready to enjoy.

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Blueberry Yoghurt Popsicle

This quick and easy dessert can be created with greek yoghurt with different fruits - a very healthy choice to eating ice-cream outside. I used home made yoghurt made with 2% milk and no sugar at all, the blueberries and maple syrup sweetened it enough. And it was yummy! 

Ingredients:

Greek Yoghurt - 1/2 cup

Maple syrup - 3 tsp

Blueberries - 1/4 cup

Popsicle moulds

Method:

1.Make blueberry sauce by adding 2 tsp maple syrup and 1 tsp water to the blueberries and cook till they soften down. 

2. Whisk the yoghurt well with the rest of the maple syrup. 

3. Pour a little of the blueberry sauce at the bottom of the popsicle moulds, then alternate with the whipped yoghurt. Take a Popsicle stick and swirl lightly to create a marbleized effect.

4. Put in the freezer to set. Enjoy when it is ready. 

I used kulfi containers to freeze the pops as I don't have popsicle moulds. I put them in a zip lock bag and zipped it before putting them in the freezer.

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Bottle gourd coconut yoghurt curry

This is just one of my favourite side dishes to eat with rice. It is a very flavourful dish which is made with vegetables steamed in a coconut yoghurt sauce and flavoured with ground spices and tempering. A great vegetarian delight originating from Kerala but enjoyed by all the south indians. This can be made with pumpkin, bottle gourd, ash gourd, cucumber, white radish, beetroot and pineapple. Whenever I make this dish I wipe the pot clean, because it is so tasty. I just love it!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd - 2 cups
Turmeric      - 1/2 tsp
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies  - 2 small
Cumin seeds    - 1 tsp
Cilantro           - 1 tbs
Yoghurt           - 1/2 cup
Coconut oil / Canola oil       - 2 tsp
Water             -  1/4 cup

For Tempering:

Dried red chillies - 2 small
Curry Leaves       -  6
Mustard seeds      1/2 tsp  

Method: 

1. Peel the bottle gourd, cut it lengthwise into 2 halves, scoop out the pulp and cut it into small cubes.

2. Steam it with 1/4 cup water till it is just tender, do not over cook.

3. Grind together the grated coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies and cilantro with a little water to make a smooth paste.

4. Add this ground paste to the cooked bottle gourd along with the turmeric powder and simmer for a while till the raw smell vanishes. Switch off the stove.

5. Whisk the yoghurt to a creamy texture and add it immediately to the pot with the bottle gourd, mix well gently. Put it back on the stove on very low heat till it is hot enough. Remove from heat to add the tempering.

6. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when they splutter add the dried red chillies followed by the curry leaves. Immediately pour this over the bottle gourd coconut yoghurt gravy. Close the lid to retain the flavours. Serve hot with boiled rice. It is so yummy!

Tips:

1. Do not over cook the vegetables.

2. Do not boil the gravy after adding the yoghurt as it will curdle. Heat it only on low heat while stirring every now and then.

3. Use 3 day old slightly sour yoghurt. The sweetness of the coconut combined with the tangy  yoghurt balances the taste.

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OAT MEAL PORRIDGE

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Ingredients: 

Steel cut Oats - 1/2 cup

Water - 2 cups

Cloves, Cardamoms - 1 each

Cinnamon Stick - 1/4"

Fresh Mint leaves -  6

Onions chopped - 2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste - 1/4 tsp

Canola/Olive Oil - 1tsp

Method:

1. Boil 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and add 1/2 a cup of steel cut oats to it, give it a stir and let it cook for 20 mins. 

2. When it is done remove from stove, add required amount of salt, throw in the fresh mint leaves and keep aside. 

3. Take another small pan and heat the oil. Add the cloves, cardamom and chopped onion. Stir till the onions become translucent and golden. Add the ginger garlic paste and quickly fry a bit with the onions. Switch off the stove, pour this tempering over the cooked oats and enjoy. 

 Tips: 

1. Add the tempering to the cooked oats as quickly as possible. The cooked oats tend to dry out quickly. It should be like a porridge consistency, neither too runny nor too dry. 

2. Another method of cooking the oat meal porridge is to fry the onions with the whole garam masala spices (cloves & green cardamoms), saute with the ginger garlic paste, add the water and when it comes to a boil add the oats and wait till they get cooked which is 20mins. 

3. The mint leaves should not be added to the tempering, but to the oats as a finishing touch to 

enhance the flavour. 

4. The same methods can be followed with Quick Cooking Oats as well. 

Servings: 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

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Buttery Garlic Shrimp

I ate these juicy buttery shrimps at this sea-food restaurant called Rayan in Ottawa and fell in love with them at first sight. Earlier I could not digest the fact of eating shrimps with their shell on, but I had to change my mind. I tried cooking them at home and they turned out just exactly the same as the restaurant style.  The best thing of all is that you can cook them in 3- 5 minutes. I have made this dish with jumbo tiger shrimps earlier, but these wild red shrimps from Costco are even better. I used pink salt for this recipe for its mild flavour, but you could just use normal salt. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Wild Red Uncooked Shrimp (big size) - 6 

Pink salt as required

1 Garlic Clove (large)

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 tsp Parsley chopped

2 - 3 tbs Butter 

Method:

1. Clean wash and drain the shrimp. They already come deveined with the shell on. So just trim the legs and do not remove the shell.

2. Melt butter on medium heat in a wok. Stir fry chopped garlic in butter till it leaves an aroma.

3. Toss in the shrimps, sprinkle pink salt and ground black pepper.

4. Turn over and cook for 3-5 mins till they turn opaque and start curling.

5. Add chopped parsley, toss and remove quickly. Do not over cook them as they will become tough and rubbery.

6. Serve hot with vegetable fried rice and enjoy!

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Saffron Flavoured Salmon

Ingredients: 

Salmon filets - 2 

Onions - 1 large sliced

Tomatoes - 1 small

Garlic cloves - 2 

Fresh thai red chilly - 1 chopped

Cilantro - 1 tbs chopped

Saffron - a pinch

Olive oil - 2 tbs

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Black pepper - to sprinkle

Paprika - 1/2 tsp

Lime juice - 1 tbs

Salt - to taste 

Method:

1. Clean, wash the salmon filets and towel dry them. Rub salt and leave aside.

2. In a sauce pan fry the onions in 1 tbs olive oil till golden brown.

3. Add chopped garlic, turmeric, paprika, salt and black pepper followed by tomatoes. 

4. Cook till tomatoes soften a bit and then with an electric hand blender, blend all the ingredients well to get a coarse paste. Add the fresh chopped thai red chilly and cilantro. 

5. Soak and crush the saffron threads in a little warm water and add it to the onion mixture. 

6. Smear this saffron onion mixture on the salmon filets, squeeze some lime or lemon juice and leave them to marinate for 10 - 15 mins. 

7. Heat a caste iron skillet add 1 tbs olive oil and place the filets in it till the bottom gets fried and is a bit crispy. 

8. Now remove from the stove and bake in the oven pre-heated at 400 degrees celsius for just 8 minutes. 

9. Remove from the oven and serve them hot with lemon wedges and a nutritious salad. I served it with Kale salad and sautéed black beans garnished with chopped cilantro. 

10. Do not over bake the salmon. It should be just done, which means crispy on the outside and juicy inside. Mine was perfectly done in just 8 minutes.

For the sautéed black beans: 

1.Boil 1/2 cup of black beans (soaked overnight) in a pot till soft. They should be al dente and not mushy. Or use canned beans instead. Keep aside. 

2. Heat 1/2 a tsp of vegetable oil in a sauce pan. Throw in 1/4 tsp of black mustard seeds and as soon as they start spluttering add 1/2 tsp chopped garlic followed by half a small chopped onion and fry till translucent. 

3. Add the cooked black beans to the pan and sauté with the onions. Give it a stir and remove from the stove. Drizzle some fresh squeezed lemon juice and enjoy.

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Nutritious Kale Salad

Ingredients:

Kale - 1cup

Romain lettuce -  1 cup

Kalamata olives - 6

Red/green/yellow peppers - 1/2 cup diced

Tomatoes - 1/2 cup diced

Walnut pieces - 2 tbs

Sun flower seeds - 2 tsp

For the Salad Dressing:

Olive oil - 1 tbs

Balsamic vinegar- 1/2 tbs

Dijon mustard - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste 

Black pepper - just to sprinkle on top

Method:

1. Mix together kalamata olives, yellow peppers, tomatoes - all cut into dices along with chopped kale and lettuce. 

2. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad. Top with walnuts and sunflower seeds and serve with the baked salmon fish filets: saffron flavoured baked salmon fish filets . Enjoy!

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