My CSA box this week overflowed with brilliant rainbow swiss chard, new potatoes, carrots, fresh coriander and two heads of green cabbage. I’m not sure about you but every time I see a head of green cabbage I immediately think of coleslaw or sauerkraut. Leafing through some recipes I searched for some new inspiration to transform this humble vegetable. I thought of pickled spiced cabbage but needed something quick and easy to make to accompany dinner. I decided to adjust an interesting cabbage raita recipe (instead of the typical cucumber raita) which has the feel of belonging to the Gujarati or Maharastrian kitchen due to its garnish of peanuts. Raita, like a pachadi, is the northern version of a cooling yogurt ‘salad’ or sauce accented with some vegetables or fruit. Serve it with a simple dal or grilled meat (beef or pork) or favourite curry.
½- 1 tsp cayenne powder (depends on personal 'heat' level)
1 tsp sugar
1 green chilli, finely chopped
Salt
Coriander for garnish
Instructions
Bring pot of salted water to boil. Turn off heat. Add diced cabbage, cover and let sit in warm salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and dry with towel or let air dry for 15 minutes, shaking off excess water. In a large bowl, mix cabbage with yogurt, most of the cumin seeds (save some for garnish), half of the peanuts, most of the cayenne, sugar and green chilli. Season with some salt and mix well. Place in a serving bowl and garnish with the remainder of the peanuts, cumin, pinch of cayenne and coriander.
This cabbage raita can be made up to a day in advance and refrigerated.
Notes
Recipe adapted from India; the cookbook by Pushpesh Pant.
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NOTE: This was originally posted in my blog India On My Plate on August 5, 2011
I have just returned from a lovely two weeks relaxing, and of course cooking, with family and friends at a couple of cottages. One day we left Horseshoe Island to check out the local farmer’s market. Strolling through the predominantly caucasian market we came upon an elderly Chinese women and her daughter selling mom’s garden harvest of Chinese chives and greens. I inquired about the red-purple and green amaranth and the daughter responded that she had no idea what it was but translated her mother’s directions on how to cook it. I was amused by her response but was slow in asking for a bunch as the last couple were snapped up by other eager cooks, and so I left empty handed. Later that afternoon my friend’s sister-in-law returned from her shopping with what she described as beautiful ‘red kale’ and asked me how we could prepare it. She had already decided to give our meal a Mediterranean theme so I taught her a quick Italian recipe with the rainbow swiss chard, not kale as she had thought.
While preparing dinner together I shared with her my amaranth market story and also how during the winter and monsoon seasons the wet markets of South India offer a similar variety of bright leafy greens (of which the above picture, by Jason Taylor, shows a Konkani woman shopping in the Karwar market). She was curious to hear that South Indian cooks enjoy adding green and red amaranth leaves to soups, dals, or even making fresh chutneys out of them. My market experience demonstrated that increasingly amaranth leaves are being grown and sold at farmer’s markets because they grow easily, are hardy and highly nutritious but cooks are unsure of how to prepare them. I told my cooking companion that if they are unavailable beet greens, swiss chard or spinach are wonderful substitutes. Excited to learn more recipes with leafy greens I promised to share with her a quick Indian dish which highlights their freshness. So here it is my new friend- something that Marty definitely cannot do!
Sautéed Amaranth Leaves with Coconut (Tamdbi Bhaji)
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 bunch (4 cups) red or green amaranth (beet greens, swiss chard, or spinach)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 green cayenne chillies, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Pinch of turmeric
Salt, to taste
⅓ cup grated coconut (fresh, frozen or dry unsweetened)
Instructions
Wash the amaranth leaves a couple of times in running water in order to remove any dirt or grit. Drain, cut off any of the tough bottom parts of the stalk and discard (if using swiss chard, chop finely the larger part of the stalks). Roughly chop the trimmed greens into bite sized pieces.
Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the onions are soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and green chillies to the pan and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Toss in the chopped amaranth and a pinch of turmeric. Mix well, cover and cook for about 4 minutes until the leaves are wilted and tender. If using spinach, the cooking time will most likely be halved. Remove the lid and continue to cook in order to allow any excess moisture to evaporate. Add the grated coconut, salt to taste, and sauté for another minute. Serve immediately.
Notes
Variations:
With Shrimp:
Many Konkani cooks like to toss in some sweet, tiny shrimp close to the end of cooking.
1 cup small raw shrimp (or medium shrimp roughly diced) cleaned and deveined
Add the shrimp at the same time as the grated coconut and cook until the shrimp has changed colour and is just cooked through.
With Chickpeas
If you have some extra cooked chickpeas, black eyed peas, or kidney beans leftover in the fridge, toss in about a half cup of them into the pan when adding the greens and then continue accordingly.
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NOTE: This was originally posted on my blog India On My Plate on August 4, 2011
When visiting India most people want to try and see the majestic Taj Mahal. Second on their list should be a journey to Amritsar to visit the Sikh holy site, the Golden Temple. What amazed me the most was that such serenity and peacefulness could exist while outside of its gates the cacophony of rickshaws horns and the systematized chaos that is Amritsar and India. Also, that the langar, the canteen which feeds delicious vegetarian meals to all visitors at most Gurdwaras, operates on such a scale that it feeds anywhere from 20,000 to over 100,000 visitors daily. I wrote about my time there for the online magazine Zester Daily. Click here for the link.
Jason Taylor and Chintan Gohil of the Source Project created this wonderful video about the langar at the Golden Temple
Walking through the narrow lanes of Old Delhi in the summer heat is a tiring affair. Rarely, I would visit Old Delhi in the summer but when I did I was always on the lookout for something to drink or eat to help cool down and rehydrate. Most of the time it would be some sort of lassi. One day walking down the main road, Chadni Chowk, I saw a streetfood vendor selling watermelon chaat. Large chunks of watermelon were sprinkled with some chaat masala, chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime juice. It was simple, refreshing and satisfying. The following recipe, inspired by this street side delight, is my own, but in the form of a salad. It is easy, quick, requires no cooking and, thus, perfect for those extremely hot days of summer. Cut and prepare this salad at the last minute as once it is mixed it tends to give off some liquid. It goes well with any type of grilled meat, fish or seafood.
The annual abundance of snap peas has started. I love their crispness and versatility in that they can be used, either raw or cooked, in so many styles of cuisine. On a visit to Chennai I was fortunate enough to meet a fantastic cook and author, Viji Varadarajan. She spent the afternoon with me explaining the subtle nuances of a pure vegetarian Brahmin kitchen and household. For lunch she presented a sumptuous feast of close to 20 different dishes served on a large banana leaf. There were so many standout bites but one in particular summarized her style of cooking. A simple long bean kari, accented with curry leaves, grated coconut and a few spices. It was vibrant, full of life, understated yet complex- much like Viji herself. Although this vegetarian recipe calls for snap peas, green or yellow beans, snow peas, or many other vegetables can be used to prepare this quick and easy recipe.
Remove tip of each snap pea and pull string from side. Cut each snap pea into half inch pieces.
Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare an iced water bath.
As the water comes to a boil, heat ½ teaspoon of oil over medium high heat in a medium sized pan. Cook the chile for a minute or so until slightly crispy and toasted. Remove from pan and place the chile, coconut, cumin seeds and 1 tablespoon of water in a small food processor or mortar and pestle. Blend or pound to get a coarse mixture. Set aside.
Add cut snap peas to the water and cook for a couple of minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove from the pot and immediately chill in the iced water bath. After a few minutes, drain and set aside.
Heat the remaining ½ teaspoon of oil in the medium sized pan over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to pop add the curry leaves, blanched snap peas, blended coconut paste and a pinch of salt. Cook for 30 seconds or until warm. Serve immediately.
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NOTE: This was originally posted on my blog India On My Plate on July 7, 2011
My CSA box this week overflowed with brilliant rainbow swiss chard, new potatoes, carrots, fresh coriander and two heads of green cabbage. I’m not sure about you but every time I see a head of green cabbage I immediately think of coleslaw or sauerkraut. Leafing through some recipes I searched for some new inspiration to transform this humble vegetable. I thought of pickled spiced cabbage but needed something quick and easy to make to accompany dinner. I decided to adjust an interesting cabbage raita recipe (instead of the typical cucumber raita) which has the feel of belonging to the Gujarati or Maharastrian kitchen due to its garnish of peanuts. Raita, like a pachadi, is the northern version of a cooling yogurt ‘salad’ or sauce accented with some vegetables or fruit. Serve it with a simple dal or grilled meat (beef or pork) or favourite curry.
