Cream of Broccoli Soup (Without Cream)

With the onset of Fall, I gravitate to the hearty and comforting soup-bread routine. That pretty much sums up the dinner at times. I searched for various cream of vegetable soup recipes online and most of them used roux - the classic base for any white sauce and cream which I prefer to skip. I replaced the roux with potatoes (you will still get close-to-creamy texture) and added milk instead of cream. This may not be a classic cream of broccoli recipe but serves the needs (calories) and nutritional requirements of my family. 

The body of the soup is more often than not, very thin and finely blended. To build it up, I created a good base with Celery and Onions. For a touch of green, I added few sprigs of Arugula popularly known as Rocket. All this brought together with a pat of butter (its about 25 calories) and milk. We enjoyed the soup with Garlic Crostini made out of soft Baguette.

In Summer this year, I watched a documentary narrated by Anthony Bourdain, incidentally one of my favorite food writer and travel narrator, suggesting the method followed by Chefs in French cuisine  for Cream of Veg. soups of any kind. The restaurant style pureed soups are apparently strained through a sieve multiple times for a silky, smooth texture. I didn't bother to do that, besides it leaves your soup with coarse home made flavor.

~ Cream of Broccoli Soup ~
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
Broccoli (cut into tiny florets) - 4 cups
Warm Milk (reduced fat) - 1 cup
Celery (finely chopped) - 1 and 1/2 cup
Red Onions (finely chopped) - 3/4 cup
Potato (medium sized, diced) - 1
Arugula (coarsely chopped) - 1 cup
Whole Black Pepper (coarsely crushed) - 1/2 tsp
Olive Oil
Butter (unsalted) - small pat
Hot Vegetable stock - 2 cups
Salt

For Garnish -
Red Chilli flakes - a pinch
Bread croutons - 4-5 per serving

Contraption needed -
Immersion Blender/ Heavy duty Blender 

Method:

Cut two large heads of Broccoli into tiny florets. Remove the tough fiber from the stem and chop the tender core and add to the florets. In a separate utensil, bring to boil the reserved vegetable stock. 

In a deep bottomed non-stick vessel, heat a pat of butter and splash of olive oil together. This prevents butter from burning. Saute red onions and celery. Let it wilt and cook to reduce in size. This process takes around 10 minutes. 

Add the Arugula, Potatoes and Broccoli now, season with salt and pepper. Add the hot vegetable stock and bring to boil. Warm up 1 cup of milk and add to boiling broth. Simmer and bring the veg. broth to boil, cover with lid on and let it cook till vegetables have fall-apart texture. This takes roughly 15 minutes. Turn off flame and allow to cool. Once semi-cool, blend it to a coarse puree. Serve warm or bring to boil before serving. Add more/less milk as per texture desired. I prefer to have thick consistency. Add a ladle of soup in a soup croc and garnish with red chilli flakes and croutons. Serve hot with hunks of toasted Peasant Bread/ Baguette. 

Weekday Tomato Sandwich

Few weeks back, I committed myself to a resolve to write down few of Ma's signature recipes lest I forget them. For me, Ma's signature recipes evoke lot of happy emotions and pleasant thoughts. A few weeks back, I had blogged about My Ma's Mixed Vegetable Kurma which is very dear to me.

The second on the list is Weekday Tomato Sandwich. I cannot decide whether I like this Sandwich more or I am simply smitten by the tangy bites of tomatoes slathered with Chaat Masala, bits of onions and coriander leaves with an occasional spicy surprise of green chilli bits thrown in. This Sandwich was typically made on a weekday at my home. The ingredients are simple and can be put together in a snap. They need to be eaten hot, straight from the pan and turn soggy very fast hence are not ideal for lunchbox meals. I adore the taste of this yummy, crunchy Sandwich with a hot cup of filter coffee.

If you are serving the Sandwiches for kids, substitute green chillies with red chilli powder or simply omit it. For best results, use a Cast Iron pan for golden crust formation.

~ Weekday Tomato Sandwich ~
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 Sandwiches

Ingredients:
White Bread Slices - 4

For Filling -

Tomato (ripe, chopped into tiny bits) - 1 large
Onion (chopped into fine bits) - 1/3 cup
Cucumber (peeled, deseeded, chopped into bits) - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Green Chillies (finely chopped) [optional] - 1 tsp
Chaat Masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Ghee - For frying

Contraption - Cast Iron pan

Method:
Chop all the vegetables into fine bits. Add salt and Chaat Masala few minutes before preparing the sandwiches. Mix well and spoon 2 tablespoon of the filling between bread slices.

Heat a Cast Iron pan. Drizzle ghee on the sides if needed. Roast the Sandwich on both sides. Use a flat steel spatula to flip them. Cut them into 2  triangle shaped servings with a bread knife and serve hot with filter coffee.

Tamarind Rice ( Puliyogare/ Pulihara/ Puliyodhare)

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi All!

Since the Ganesh Chaturthi and Gowri Pooja came around mid-week, it was a bit crazy and hectic. The mid-week storm, gusty winds and rainy day played truant but did not dampen my spirit. I was happy to find Plantain leaves (Keli Paan), Betel Leaves (Padi Paan) at Indian stores. I found a good bunch of sweet smelling Pink Carnations and Daisies in alluring shades of burgundy, yellow and purple. The fresh flowers adorning nooks and crannies of the pooja corner, scent of floral Agarbattis certainly added a sparkle to the festive atmosphere.

Now, I am not big on sweets neither is the husband. So, I decided to make a simple dish for the festival. It also was a good opportunity to replenish my Puliyogare Gojju stock which was almost over. In India, I never made Puliyogare from scratch and relied on the small North Karnataka store in Rajajinagar near a friend's house which supplies the best Gojju in Bangalore in my opinion. I never knew that the Gojju is available as a ready mix, until my friends Mom introduced me to the store. In US, the small packet of store bought MTR Puliyogare mix seemed a bit bland and more sweet and I enjoy my food when its spicy. Surprisingly, it didn't pique my interest and that's when I decided to make my own Puliyogare Gojju mix. For the longest time, I used Coconut powder (unsweetened) but now have begun using scraped pieces of Copra which are easily available at Indian stores.

I make a small batch of this mix and it comes handy for 5-6 meals. My Ma uses Black Sesame seeds and I use White seeds since I had them handy. The black seeds enable the dark brown color for Gojju. On weekdays when I don't have the energy to cook, I turn to this Gojju for serving a nourishing meal. The good thing is both of us are big fans of Puliyogare, so more reasons to enjoy this dish. Its an extremely portable dish and is our favorite for lunch box.

~ Puliyogare ~

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Puliyogare Masala Powder -

Copra (grated) or Coconut powder (unsweetened) - 4 tbsp

Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

White/ Black Sesame seeds - 1 tsp

Black Pepper corns - 2 tsp

Urad Dal - 1 tsp

Chana Dal - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - Just a pinch

Red Chillies (split into two) [Byadgi variety] - 8

*** Dry roast all of the above one by one and then allow to cool.

Grind to a fine powder ***

For Seasoning -

Urad Dal - 1 tsp

Chana Dal - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1tsp

Curry leaves - 2 sprig

Red Chillies (split into two) [Byadgi variety] - 2-3

Coconut oil - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - 1/2 cup

Puliyogare Gojju -

Tamarind pulp (very thick) - 1 cup

Jaggery (scraped into bits) - 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Puliyogare Masala powder

Seasoning Ingredients

Salt

Method:

To Make Puliyogare Gojju -

Microwave Peanuts for 3 minutes till they get toasty. Allow to cool till they attain a  crunchy texture. 

In a bowl, add warm water and soak the tamarind for 10 minutes. Extract the thick pulp and remove any fibre, residue from the pulp.

Heat oil and season with mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add the Chana Dal, Urad Dal, Red Chillies and Curry leaves. Add the Peanuts now and saute. Be careful and step back as they splutter rapidly once added in hot oil.

Add the Tamarind pulp now, add jaggery bits. The consistency will be thick like a sauce, bring to a boil. Adjust salt, add turmeric and red chilli powder. Once its par-cooked, add the powder mix. The powder absorbs the mixture quickly and the whole mass will come together like a thick chutney. Once oil oozes out, turn off flame. Store in an air-tight non-reactive jar for future use. It has a shelf life of 1 to 1 and 1/2 month.

To Make Puliyogare -

Cook Rice of choice. Heat a pan with little coconut oil, add the rice and mix well. Add the Gojju and mix well (2 tbsp of Gojju mix for 1 cup of cooked rice with 2 tbsp of coconut oil). Add salt only if required. A perfect tasting  Puliyogare is tangy, salty and sweet. Serve warm as a meal on its own.

Note - The Tamarind affects the quality of Gojju made. I use dark variety of Tamarind (the round blob variety) which I get from India. If the Tamarind has impurities, get rid of them before use, else the impurities will seep in, spoiling the Gojju mix. Use Copra if available instead of Coconut powder.

Prawn Rice with Coconut Milk | Goan Kolambi Bhaat

Recently, at our local grocery, I found small Prawns in the seafood section. Its a rare discovery considering that the usually sell the slightly bigger, plump ones which I don't fancy. I made Goan version of Prawn Rice with Coconut Milk. The taste was awesome and I relished it to the core. In US, Prawns are popularly referred to as Shrimps and they sell different varieties - the shelled ones, cooked ones, semi-seasoned ones, de-veined and peeled ones.

I grew up in a community of a seafood lovers and was probably the only vegetarian amongst my friends for the longest time. Shrimps are expensive in India (atleast while I was growing up) and for every birthday party there was Shrimp Rice with Peas. Since I was the only vegetarian I had limited choices but I often wondered why my friends were crazy after Shrimp Rice. They would perpetually haggle and argue over who got more shrimps on their plate. I now know why they did that.  :-)

In GSB Konkani, Shrimps are known as Sungat and Kolambi in Marathi. Few of my favorite Shrimp recipes are Sungta Phanna Upkari (a spicy broth of shrimps cooked in onions and red chillies, Prawn Balchao (a spicy Goan pickle made with Shrimps in a vinegar based sauce), Prawn Koliwada (deep fried spicy Prawns cooked Koliwada style), Shrimp Dangar (a Goan shallow fried cutlet made with Shrimps) and Kolambi Bhaat (Prawn Rice cooked in coconut milk).

One can substitute coconut milk with water, but the taste is a distant departure from the original one. This recipe is from my Maushi from Mapusa, Goa. The days you find a bunch of big Prawns from the fish market, fret not. Just chop them up once cooked. In addition, she adds Tomatoes and Peas which I avoided. A dash of Goan Garam Masala gives the red color. If you omit it, you will get a pale jade like green shade for the rice.

~ Kolambi Bhaat ~

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Shrimp (peeled, deveined and cleaned) - 15-20

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Lime juice - 1/2 tsp

Sea Salt/ Rock Salt

*** Marinate the cleaned Shrimp in all of the above and set

aside for an hour *** 

Rice (Long grain Basmati) - 1 cup

Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Coconut Milk - 1 and 1/2 cup

Red Onion (finely chopped) - 1 cup

Peas (cooked) [optional] - 1/2 cup

Tomato (finely chopped) [optional] - 1/2 cup

Cinnamon - 1" stick

Cloves - 3

Star Anise - 1

Goan Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Green Chillies paste - 1 tsp

Coconut oil 

Salt

 

Method:

Wash and rinse the Basmati rice. Soak in filtered water for 1/2 hour. Peel, devein and clean the Shrimps with sea salt to get rid of the smell. Pat dry and transfer to a zip lock bag. Add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and lime juice. Refrigerate for an hour.

In a non-stick pan, heat few spoons of coconut oil. Season with whole spices of Cinnamon, Cloves and Star Anise. Add very finely chopped onions and saute them till they turn reddish pink and wilt down. Add grated coconut now and roast it well. This process takes around 10 minutes. The flame should be on low-to-medium.

Add the ginger paste, green chilli paste and garlic paste now and saute till the raw flavor goes off. Add a hint of Turmeric powder for a golden glow. Add Goan Garam Masala powder and mix well. Add Peas and Tomatoes now and saute well. Fry this paste till the oil oozes off and it becomes semi-dry. Add the marinated shrimps now and toss to have an even coating of masala on the shrimp. Add Rice and toast it well, till you get a nutty aroma. Add 1/2 cup of water to coconut milk and mix well. Add this to rice and masala, mix well. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, till completely done. Fluff it gently with a fork and leave undisturbed with lid on for 5-8 minutes. Serve warm with Raita.

Note - Sprinkle sea salt on shrimps, mix well and rinse them thoroughly with water. This helps to get rid of the sea smell and you can proceed with cooking thereafter.

Black Beans Goan Style Curry (Black Beans Tonak)

The peculiar tasting daily curry made in many Goan Hindu homes - Tonak is a personal favorite. I usually make Tonak with Goan Garam Masala. The masala is very potent and flavors curries and gravies perfectly. This curry is popular in Goan homes for breakfast, lunch or dinner and goes well with Goan Pao, pillow-soft freshly baked and sold by the local Poder at the crack of dawn, hence the dear dish every Goan adores to bits - Pao Tonak.

Cooked Black Beans

Different vegetables used for Tonak are Adsaney, Mushroom (monsoon special umbrella variety) and Yellow Peas. For some reasons unknown, the quality of Yellow Peas I get at my Indian grocery is very bad and part of the reason why I never make this dish often. Recently, I got my hands on Black Beans and I was sold to the idea of making Tonak with these shiny, black jewels.

The Black beans are a staple and regular part of many Mexican dishes like Mexican Black Bean Rice, Burritos stuffed with bean rice and Tortillas stuffing. I am smitten by the creamy flavor of the beans. Pair them with some fresh homemade Phulkas and your senses are sure to be vowed.

~ Black Beans Tonak ~

Prep Time: 8-10 hours

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

Black Beans (soaked overnight, pressure cooked) - 2 cups

Red Onion (finely chopped) - 1 and 1/2 cup

Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Goan Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Salt

Coconut Oil

For Garnish -

Coriander leaves (chopped) - 2 tbsp

Method:

Soak the Black Beans overnight. The next day pressure cook them for couple of whistles with little salt. Drain and keep aside. 

In a Kadhai, heat few spoons of oil and saute chopped onions. Get them to a reddish pink color. Add grated coconut and roast this mixture together on a low-to-medium flame. Once the onions have wilted and are cooked down and the coconut gets a toasty texture, turn off flame and allow to cool completely. Save 1/4 cup of the onion-coconut mixture and keep it aside. Grind this to a paste with Turmeric powder and little water. Save the rinsed water to be added later to the curry.

In the same Kadhai, heat a tsp of coconut oil and lightly warm the 1/4 cup of onion-coconut mixture. Add the ground paste now and add enough rinsed water to make a broth. Add Goan Garam Masala, little Salt and cooked Black Beans and bring to a boil. Simmer on low flame for 5-8 minutes. Turn off flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Pao/ Phulkas.

Note - Use any Garam Masala of your choice if you don't have Goan Garam Masala. 

Guacamole - A Mexican Avocado Dip

Guacamole with crunchy Pita chips

Guacamole is a dip sauce made out of Avocado, a fruit native to central Mexico. It is one of my favorite go-to Mexican recipes. Mole is sauce in Mexican and hence Guacamole. Avocados get a bad reputation owing to the high-calorie content of the fruit pulp. The origin of Guacamole can be traced back to the times when Aztecs lived in Mexico, making it a food of choice owing to the 'good fats' found in bulk in this fruit. The healthy unsaturated fat in Avocado is a great energy booster and is a healthy substitute for spreads on toasted bread, warm tortillas, rotis and dips instead of  good old butter. Traditionally, the entire dip is mushed and mixed in a Molcajete, a traditional Mexican tool carved out of a single basalt lava rock. Avocados grow in plenty in California and are part of many dishes hailing from that region.

Halved Avocados with the pit

After coming to US, I found there are dozen different varieties of Avocados. The one I've used here is called Hass Avocados and grows in abundance in California. The pulp of this Avocado optimally suits the mole requirement. Its got a blackish green skin and has a firm to soft texture depending on the ripeness. It is the tiny baby among the different varieties of Avocado family. The Guacamole serves apt for dips aimed for quick entertaining. The flip side of using them is they oxidize very fast and have to be quickly mixed in before serving. A splash of lime juice prevents them from quick oxidation. I like to enjoy them with crunchy Pita Chips or multi-colored Corn Chips.

~ Guacamole ~
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Processing Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Avocado pulp (scored and pulp scooped) - 1 and 1/2 cup
Red Onion (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Red Tomatoes (cored and finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Green Chillies (thinly sliced) - 1
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Lime juice - 4 tbsp
Toasted Cumin powder - 1/3 tsp
Salt

Method:

In a pestle and mortar, crush the red onion, tomatoes, green chillies lightly along with salt and 1 tbsp of lime juice. Set aside. 

Just before serving, halve the Avocado. Score it with knife to form horizontal and then vertical incisions to form a criss-cross web. Take a large tablespoon and scoop out the pulp of the fruit. Add to the previously mixed ingredients. Add a dash of toasted cumin powder and the reserved lime juice and give a good mix with the back of a pestle. This will even out the chunks to form a gloppy paste. Leave a few chunks in the mix to add texture. Adjust salt and spice as per taste. Serve with crunchy Pita Chips.

Note: Add lime juice to the Avocados once you add them to the mixing bowl to prevent the pieces from getting oxidised.

Jackfruit Chips (Ghare Karo)

Jackfruit Chips are one of my childhood favorite snack items. These chips are made from a special variety of unripe Jackfruit kernels which yield good, tasty chips. The kernel of Jackfruit from which the chips are made are known as Gharo (in Konkani), Karo implies chips hence Ghare Karo. 

Growing up, my grandparents' sprawling backyard had few of my favorite trees easily touching 50 metres in height. We had a massive Jackfruit Tree which was used for Ghare Karo, a large Mango tree which bore tangy-sweet Kairi, a sweet smelling Champa tree (Champe) which blossomed with divine smelling Champa flowers of light orange shade, followed by a medium high Guava tree which yielded  pink, ripe Guava (Peru or Pear) during summer season. Needless to say, our favorite summer activity was to raid the trees. My Grandfather (Ajja) was the only one who supervised the tree and chose the Jackfruits to be used for these chips. He loved the tree and guarded it like a pot of gold. The tree was in demand just for the chips and a source of joy for all of us. With the onset of summer, all cousins and relatives would call us to book for a Jackfruit from the tree. Later my Grandparents moved from that home and the tree was chopped off, only to retain the trunk. Everytime I visit India, I make a point to visit the old home. Large buildings have mushroomed, but the tree stands tall with the trunk sans the foliage, a silent testimonial to an era gone by.

The chips were made by all the family members as a joint activity. Three, strong red and crimson Laterite bricks held a wide mouthed Iron Kadhai which was used once a year, specially lugged and hauled from the family attic, cleaned and sun-dried. The entire cooking was done in the backyard. The flames went high and the heat left us teary eyed all the time. All the kids had paper cones ready to enjoy the fresh batch of these fried chips. We squealed with joy when the salt water was added to the oil, the sound only indicating that we would be enjoying the chips soon.

The biggest chore in making these chips is separating the kernel from the bark of Jackfruit which is a super labor intensive activity. The entire family participated in the activity by oiling their hands and pulling out the kernels, de-seeding them and then slicing them for the chips. Once done, the chips have to be stored in an airtight container. The chips remain fresh and crisp for 2 weeks if stored well.

~ Ghare Karo ~

Prep Time: 60 minutes

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes for each batch

Ingredients:

Jackfruit Kernel (Gharo) (sliced into thin strips) - 4 cups

Oil

Salt Water Concentrate -

Water - 1 cup

Salt - as per taste

Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp

*** Mix everything to form a solution ***

Method:

1. Slice the kernels into thin strips and keep aside. If they are wet, air-dry them by spreading them on a paper towel.

2. Mix all the ingredients of salt water concentrate to form a salty yellow solution. If the salt is less, the chips will not catch the salty taste. Adjust salt as per taste.

3. Heat oil in a big Kadhai and let the oil be smoking hot. Pour a handful of sliced pieces of Jackfruit and stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking to each other. Once they are done (they will get a reddish-orange color and will become crispy), add 2-3 tbsp. of the salt water concentrate. Give a good stir and pull them off heat and transfer to a paper towel to absorb excess oil. 

4. Store in airtight container and enjoy.

Note: The chips are made from unripe Jackfruit kernels. Not all unripe Jackfruit kernels are suited for making these chips.