Tag Archives: Easy

FOOD

Indulging in samosa cravings with a pie

Leave a comment

Of course it had to hit when there was no easy way to fix it. I’m talking about the intense craving I had yesterday for samosas. All I wanted was the crisp crust and the melt in your mouth filling ASAP. But, I did not have the patience to order takeout or to make samosas from scratch. Staring at my freezer to see if I had any frozen samosas, I discovered a solitary roll of puff pastry waiting to be used. I also found half a cauliflower in my vegetable drawer. On went the oven and in less than an hour, I had a delicious fix that looked nothing like a samosa, but delighted the taste buds with mimicking the flavors.

Ingredients:

  • One sheet of frozen puff pastry roll, left on the counter to thaw for 40 minutes (I used one roll from a two pack of 17.3 oz dough from Pepperidge Farm)
  • One large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 green chilis, finely chopped
  • 2 cups small cauliflower florets (about half a cauliflower for me)
  • 1 small potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 2 tbsps oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
  • .5 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1.5 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp cilantro, finely chopped for garnishing (optional)
  • 1 green chili, finely chopped, for garnishing (optional)
  • 1 small cube of paneer, finely chopped, for garnishing (optional)
  • 1 springform pan (I used a 9 inch one) or a tray for baking the samosa
  • Parchment paper to prevent the base from sticking when baking

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the onions and green chilis and sauté, stirring occasionally till the onions start turning brown. This took about ten minutes.

3. Add the cauliflower, potato, salt, and turmeric powder to the onions, give the mixture a good toss and cook covered (give it a stir once or twice) till the cauliflower and potatoes are cooked and dry. The veggies should not turn mushy. This took about ten minutes for me on a medium flame.

4. Add the garam masala, mix well and set the mixture aside to cool a bit. It should feel warm to the touch.

5. Grease the springform pan or tray and line it with parchment paper.

6.Unroll the puff pastry dough and plop it on the pan or tray.

7. Mound the filling at the centre of the dough, and bring the dough from each side towards the centre leaving the filling exposed (see picture). It is okay to not have perfection here. All you want is the samosa filling to be encased partially in some yummy puff pastry filling.

8. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for about 30-40 minutes, till the puff pastry is a golden brown. Mine took 30 minutes.

9. Wait for ten minutes (this is the hardest part). Remove the base from the springform pan if using. Sprinkle the chili, cilantro, paneer, garnishing (if using) on the samosa pie. Slice into wedges and enjoy!

FOOD

It’s a peachy chutney

Leave a comment

I saw three farm fresh peaches call my name. I turned around and there was a hot round chili and a piece of ginger that did not want to be left behind. So I rounded them up with a few spices and out emerged this chutney with a perfect amalgamation of flavors – sweet, tart, spicy. I had this immediately as a side dish with rotis and vegetables, but tomorrow, this will be the spread on toast that will form the base for a slightly runny egg.

Ingredients:

  • 3 large peaches, skin and pit removed and cut into medium sized pieces
  • 1 jalapeño, round chili or green chili, finely chopped
  • ½ inch piece of ginger finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 dried red chili
  • 1 tsp urad dal or peanuts
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

How to:

1.Heat the oil. 

2. Add the mustard seeds, red chili, urad dal or peanuts.  When the mustard seeds stop crackling, add the curry leaves, ginger and green chilies.  Sauté for a minute. 

3. Now add the chopped peaches, salt and turmeric powder.  Cook for five to six minutes uncovered, smashing the peaches with a wooden spoon so they are blended with the spices. 

Enjoy!

FOOD

First blush of love with kohlrabi

Leave a comment

Yes, you might say that for someone who cooks often, I’ve been living under a rock.  I had never tasted kohlrabi and while I had spotted it at farmers’ markets, I had never adventured to cook with it.  But all that changed with a recent discovery – that it is a versatile vegetable that is low in carbs.

“What does it taste like?”, I asked my favorite farmer.  She said it had the slight spiciness of a radish married with the crispness of a green apple.  I proceeded to buy a bunch and cautiously tasted a slice.  The taste and the texture translated into my aha moment – this might be a good low carb substitute for potatoes in any number of dishes, enabling my husband to indulge in a version of some of his favorite high carb foods.

The stew that I created is a favorite from my childhood days.  Dad and mom made this concoction of ginger, green chilies, potatoes, onions and coconut milk which was the perfect accompaniment to steamed rice or fresh bread.  Out went the potatoes and in came the kohlrabis to make their debut in this simple, yummy comfort food which turned out to be a big hit.

Ingredients:

  • 3 medium-sized farm fresh kohlrabi, skin removed and chopped into cubes
  • 1 large red onion chopped into pieces the same size as the kohlrabi
  • 6 green chilies, 2 finely chopped and four sliced vertically (less if you can’t tolerate heat)
  • 1.5-inch piece ginger finely chopped
  • 1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • A few sprigs of curry leaves (optional)

How To:

1. Place all the ingredients except the coconut milk in a pan, cover the vegetables with water and cook covered till the kohlrabi is firm but done – a fork inserted should slide in easily, but the vegetable should retain its shape (about 15-20 minutes).  At this point, there will be some water in the pan, but it will not be watery.

2. Add the coconut milk, mix gently and simmer the mixture for a few minutes.

3. Turn off the stove and wait 10 minutes before serving the stew with steamed rice or bread.

4. The result is super yum and a gift for those on a low carb diet.

Tip 1:  You could also puree this and serve it as a soup and it tastes amazing, the combination of chilies and coconut milk playing a tropical dance on your tongue!

Tip 2: You could use cauliflower instead of kohlrabi for another lovely low carb version as well.

If you cook kohlrabi frequently, I’d love to hear your suggestions!