A Hint of Spice

A dish of international renown, couscous is the ambassador of North African cuisine and the epitome of the delicacy of Moroccan culinary art.Some people consider it as pasta and attribute its origin to China ;while some others claim its origin to East africa.Couscous granules are made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour. The finished granules are roughly spherical shape and about one millimetre in diameter before cooking. Different cereals may be used regionally to produce the granules. Traditional couscous requires considerable preparation time and is usually steamed.
               In many places, a more-processed, quick-cook couscous is available and is particularly valued for its short preparation time. Couscous is traditionally served under a meat or vegetable stew. It can also be eaten alone, flavored or plain, warm or cold , or as a side dish.

             
The first time I heard about couscous was from a friend who had lived for considerable time in Cyprus.She was describing Salad made from Couscous and I was intrigued.So the next time ,I was out in whole food store I went looking for it.
This is a easy and fast recipe for couscous salad and it goes well with Grilled Salmon,Grilled Chicken  or as a dish in itself.

Ingredients
1 cup Couscous
2 cups Vegetable Stock/Chicken Stock/Plain Water
1/2 tsp salt ( or more depnding on your taste)

3 tblsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup -1 cup chopped fresh parsely leaves(I like more of the parsley leaves,since they give a fresh earthy taste to the Salad)
1/2  red onion finely chopped
1 Zuchinni finely diced
1/2 Green Pepper(Capsicum) Finely Diced
1/2  Yellow Pepper finely diced
1  tomato finely diced
2-3 tsp olive oil
Black pepper(acc. to taste)

Directions
1.Boil 1 and 1/2 cup of liquid with 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp Olive oil.
2.Put 1 cup Couscous in  Salad Bowl.Once the liquid is boiled ,pour it over Couscous  and  cover the Salad bowl with a plate for about 5 minutes.
3.After 3 minutes have elaspsed fluff the Couscous using a  fork ,if couscous seems too dry add 1/2 cup of the remaining liquid.
4.Once the liquid has been absorbed,add the lemon juice,2 tsp olive oil,Black pepper and the finely diced vegetables and parsley leaves.
5.Mix well.Adjust the seasonings and lemon juie according to taste.
6.Serve Cold or at room temperature.
7.Serve with Salmon or Grilled Chicken.
'njoy!!

               Pakora are small fritters made by dipping various ingredients in spicy chickpea batter(besan batter) and deep frying them.Pakora are widely eaten throughout India and parts of Southeast Asia, where they are a very popular snack and street food, and they are a common offering in Indian restaurants outside of the Asian subcontinent. Pakora are also very easy to make at home, for cooks who want to put a quick Indian appetizer together.

There can be many types of Pakoras Eggplant,Onions,Potatoes,Cauliflower,Corn,Lentils(Daals),Chillies,Chicken,Egg,Spinach and Finally Paneer Pakoda.(Paneer is bland Indian cottage cheese.).Once deep fried, the pakora are eaten hot, and they can be eaten straight or dipped in a variety of dipping sauces, from creamy cucumber raita to spicy mint and cilantro sauce.These Pakoras are a treat on a rainy,cold day and so easy and quick to make.

INGREDIENTS
7 oz Paneer
1 cup Gram flour(Besan)
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Roasted cumin powder(Jeera Powder)
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
Coriander leaves, chopped
Salt
Vegetable oil(For Deep Frying)

DIRECTIONS
1.Put the oil fro deep frying in a Pan.
2.Mix Gram Flour,Red Chilli Powder,Roasted Cumin Powder,Garam Masala Powder,Chopped Coriander Leaves and Salt.
3.Add water in samll quantities to the above mix to make a thick and smooth batter.
4.Cut paneer into medium size thick square shape pieces.
5.Dip the Paneer pieces in batter and let it coat the Paneer & then Deep fry the Paneer Pieces(few pieces at a time) on medium heat till golden brown.
6.Drain the fried pieces on a plate covered with Paper towel.
7.Enjoy them hot with Coriander Chutney,Mint Chutney or Tomato Ketchup.Don't forget a hot cup of Tea.
'njoy!!!!

Tips
1.You can also use Extra firm Tofu ,instead of Paneer.Just remember to drain the tofu in the whey it is stored and pat it dry using Paper Towel.
2.To check if the oil is ready for frying, put a drop of batter in it. The batter should come up, but not change color right away.

3.Make sure the temperature of oil is suitable for frying. If it's too hot the crispiness is lost and if it's not hot enough then the pakoras will be very greasy.

INGREDIENTS
6 cups vegetable broth or Chicken Broth
10-15 mushrooms, sliced thin (shiitake mushrooms)

DIRECTIONS
1.Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot.
2.Add all ingredients except scallions.
7.Add more soy sauce or hot sauce to taste.
8.Enjoy your soup with Spring rolls or egg rolls.
'njoy!!!

TIP
1.Always remember to mix corn flour in cold water,otherwise it will form lumps.
2.You can find bamboo shoots and water chestnuts in small cans in the International food aisle in the stores near the chinese(oriental) food.

This is one Chaat which is quick to make.Not much to do and very Tasty.

Ingredients:
2 cups boiled chickpeas - (kabuli chana) (You can also use 1 can of chickpeas)
2 boiled potatoes - cut into pieces
1 big Onion-finely chopped
1/2 Cup Papri
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped green chillies
1 teaspoon chaat masala
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
salt - to taste
1/2 tsp Jeera powder
1/4 tsp Rock salt (optional)
1/2 tsp or more Chilli powder
Sev to garnish

Directions:
1.Mix all ingredients together except the papri and sev.
2.Mix Papri and sev just before serving.

Tip: If you dont have Papri ready at home,just cut Flour Tortilla in diamond shapes and deep fry .It tastes the same as Papri.

This goes to Rachel for her event My Legume Love Affair and to Susan who is the creator of the MLLA event.
I am also sending this to Akila for her event Dish Name starts with:A

7 cups chicken, or vegetable stock
2 pounds fresh carrots, peeled
1 big yellow onion
1 leek, sliced in half lengthwise and thoroughly cleaned
4 stalks celery
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp Italian Seasonings(optional)
Salt and pepper to paste


1.Cut all the vegetables(except ginger) into 1/2 inch pieces.
2.Roughly chop or grate the ginger root.
3.In a heavy bottomed stock pan, over medium-high heat,1 tblsp of Olive Oil.
4.Saute vegetables with ginger and nutmeg for approximately 15 minutes, or until vegetables are browned.
5.Add remaining olive oil as needed.
6.Add vegetable stock to the vegetables and let them cook(covered) for 30 mins on medium heat.
7.Let cool to room temperature and then puree in a blender. Soup should be thick and smooth. If you like your soup velvety smooth, pour through a fine mesh strainer.
8.After straining the soup,pour it again in the stock pan and let it boil,add Salt,Black pepper,Red pepper flakes and Italian seasonings(optional).
9.Serve hot with Garlic Bread or for something hearty Bruschetta or Focaccia Bread.
'njoy!!!









This goes to Usha for her Healthy Inspirations Event and to Suma for her event "Healing Foods-Carrots" and to Siri who started this wonderful roundup.

Last night I wanted to make tomato soup.I had not made it in a long time.While taking out the ingredients from the refrigerator I saw I had one betroot hiding behind some other veggies and said "why keep one betroot?".Turns out it changes the color of soup completely...tomato soup turns from dark orange to almost blood red.Delicioso!!!!

GOOOOOOOOOOO Nuts!!!!

Not in literal sense !!!!People associate nuts with high calories,but eat them in moderation and they are high source of protein,fiber and antioxidants.So how to reap the healthy benefits of nuts....hmmm "Moderation" is the word my friends.Instead of adding nuts to your daily diet ,use them as a replacement for foods high in saturated fat and limit the intake of these nuts to 1-2 oz per day.
Now moving on from health talk......these spicy sweet nuts are really yummy,easy to make.Serve them as appetizer in a party and they'll be an instant hit.You can also use them as a in-between-meal snack.


Ingredients
1 & 1/2 cup pecan halves
1 & 1/2 cup almonds
1 cup unsalted peanuts
4 tsp Salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp grated nutmeg(or nutmeg powder)
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper( or red chilli powder.You can increase or decrease the amount according to how spicy you want it.)
1 tsp allspice powder
1/3 cup maple syrup ( you can also use 1-2 tsp of sugar according to how sweet you want the nuts)


Directions
1.Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
2.Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray and spread the nuts .
3.Let them roast on for around 20 minutes.(Keep checking the nuts so that they don't burn.Gently stir the nuts.)
4.Take the nuts out from the oven and add Salt,Black pepper,Nutmeg,Cumin Powder,Cinnamon Powder,Cayenne Pepper,All Spice powder,Sugar(or maple syrup).Mix the spices well on the nuts and roast the nuts agin for around 10 minutes.
5.Allow to cool and store them in an airtight container.They Keep well for a month(if they don't end up in somebody's stomach before than.)
'njoy!!!

Note:-
1.Instead of using 1 & 1/2 cups each of pecans and almonds,you can try 1 cup of each and add 1 cup of walnuts or cashews.
2.Great hostess gift.Store them in air tight container and decorate with a ribbon bow.I gifted these in a christmas container ,to one of my son's therapists and she loved it.

Papad is a wafer thin disc made from ground lentils and legumes.They are served roasted or fried and make a great appetizer or even a side dish.This is a slightly different way of frying the papads without deep frying them.




Ingredients
2 Papads
¼ Medium Onion , finely chopped
½ Medium Tomato , deseeded and finely chopped
5 Sprigs Cilantro , finely chopped
1 Green Chili , finely chopped, to taste
½ tsp Lemon Or Lime Juice
½ tsp Chaat Masala
Salt , to taste
Red Chili Powder , to taste

Directions
1.Mix the vegetables for the toppings and also add the spices to the vegetable mix.
2.For prepping the papad you have many options,You can dry roast the papad in microwave for 1 minute.Another option is to dry roast the papad on a griddle (tawa).
For frying the papad,you can either deep fry them(not an healthy option) or the best way to achieve the deep fried taste without frying them is to put a teaspoon of oil on tawa and roast the papad on it.
3.Finally sprinkle the toppings generously on the papad and serve hot.
'njoy!!!
Sending this to Suma from Veggie Platter for her event Sidedishes other than Dals/Subzis.

Aloo tikki is a savory appetizer which can be eaten as is or in many different ways...Aloo Tikki Chaat,Cholle Tikki,Vegetable Burger(if the patties are little bigger),or as cocktail snack(if the patties are really small).One dish many ways to serve....yummmm.


As you can see above the tikki's are heart shaped...this was what I made for valentine's day.My DH just loves anything spicy..though we are trying to cut down on spicy and oily food...but I guess once in a while is allowed.Right???Anyways coming back to the recipe

Ingredients
6-8 medium sized potatoes-boiled and peeled
1-2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
salt according to taste
3-4 tblsp bread crumbs (see tips below)
Oil for Pan frying the tikkis( notice pan frying and not deep frying)
heart shaped cookie cutter-if you want to make tikkis in that shape(optional)

Directions
1.Mash the boiled potatoes and mix salt,red chilli and Garam masala.
2.Add the bed crumbs and mix well with mashed potatoes.
3.Shape the tikkis in round shape or if you want any other shape,keep the cookie cutter on the pan in which you plan to pan fry the tikkis and press the potato masala in the cookie cutter.Remove the cookie cutter and make the rest of the tikkis the same way.
4.Using Oil spray ..spray some oil on the pan and let it heat well.Once it is very hot put the tikkis in it and bring the heat to medium-medium low.
5.Wait patiently...less oil means cooking on low heat and for a little more time but the results are wonderful.
6.Once golden brown,flip and let it cook on other side.
7.Serve hot with cholle for cholle tikki.Top with finely cut onions,imli chutney,coriander and sev.
8.Alternately serve with yogurt poured on top of tikkis with imli chutney,coriander chutney,onions and sev for Aloo-Tikki Chaat.
'njoy!!!

Tips
1.If you don't have bread crumbs readily available..no problem.For every medium sized potato take a sandwich bread slice...any kind will work ..white bread,wheat bread.Soak it in water for few seconds and then mash it potatoes.It will do the work of binding.
2.If you dont have bread or bread crumbs...no problem again .If you have murmure (also known as puffed rice/kurmure/murmure/mamra) grind them coarsely in the mixer and mix with the potatoes.They work well.

Sending this recipe to Priya for her St.Valentine's Day Event and to Akila for her Event Dish Name Starts with-A