Orzo, Cauliflower Salad with sprouted Moong beans. [Orzo cooked with sauteed onions, garlic and Turmeric.]

I am sharing one more salad recipe that was  prepared for lunch box,   Orzo-Cauliflower  salad with sprouted moong beans. I cooked orzo after long time. I have previous blogged  this mint infused orzo salad recipe. This time I cooked orzo in the flavor base of sauteed onions, garlic and  turmeric powder. Cooked orzo was very flavorful, tasty to eat by itself. I added cauliflower, overnight sprouted Moong beans,Cranberries. Salad was seasoned with  sesame oil, rice vinegar, little agave nectar, chopped green chilies,  and sesame seeds. Final garnish was done with lots of fresh  flat leaf parsley. This spontaneously cooked nutritious and tasty salad combination  was worth repeating so  I quickly took two images  to share here.

Ingredients for Orzo-Gobi Salad : (serves two)

• 3/4 Cup - Orzo (Rinse in water before adding to onion base.)
• 200 gm - Cauliflower piece - broken into 1/2 - inch florets.
• 1 Cup - sprouted Moong Beans
• 1 small size onion - lengthwise sliced into 2  inch long pieces (1 Cup yield.)
• Turmeric powder - heaping 1/4 tsp.
• 4 garlic cloves - sliced lengthwise
• 1 Tb.spoon - Rice bran oil to saute onions, use any oil of your preference.
• 1 Tb.spoon - Sesame oil or any other oil of your choice. (I used separated oil from  Iraqi Tahini paste.)
• 1 tiny green chili - finely chopped, chop more for extra heat.
• 1 Tb.spoon - lightly toasted sesame seeds
• 5 Tb.spoon - dried cranberries rinsed in water and drained.
• 1 T.spoon - rice vinegar
• 1 T.spoon - Agave nectar or Honey
• 1.5 Cups - chopped flat leaf parsley

Cooking Orzo

Heat 1 tbsp rice bran oil or any other cooking oil in a minimum 2 quart pot. Add sliced onions, sliced garlic cloves, chopped green chili, saute for 6-7 minutes over medium heat, stirring often.  Add 3/4 cup rinsed orzo,1/4 heaping tsp turmeric powder  to the sauteed onions. Add 1.5 cups of water, little less than 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, continue to cook over medium high heat until water is almost absorbed by orzo, about 7-8 minutes. Stir often to avoid sticking at  the bottom. Reduce heat to medium add around 3/4 cup more water, cauliflower florets, continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes over medium heat. Put off the heat and drain orzo pasta and cauliflower, save the liquid to use in other recipes. (I use drained liquid to make chapati dough.) Pour half cup more water over pasta to drain off excess starch.

Final Salad assembly

Transfer  drained orzo and cauliflower into a medium size bowl. Drizzle 1 tbsp sesame oil or any other salad friendly oil of your choice, toss and gently stir to coat pasta with oil. I used separated oil from  Iraqi Tahini paste.

Next add 1 cup sprouted moong**, 5 tbsp rinsed cranberries, 1 tbsp lightly toasted sesame seeds, 1.5 cup chopped parsley, 1 tsp agave nectar or honey, 1 tsp rice vinegar or any vinegar of your choice. Mix and toss to combine, check taste to adjust sweet-sour seasoning. Sprinkle little salt to taste. If you need more heat, add small finely chopped green chili. Lastly you may add your choice of cheese, little creamy salad dressing before serving.I packed this salad in lunch box without adding cheese or salad dressing.

Note : **If you don't prefer to add raw sprouted beans, add to orzo pot  along with cauliflower to  get little tender.

Salad packed for lunch.

Tofu, Scallion, Kale protein balls for Salad.

Today's lunch box salad was enriched with Tofu-Scallion-Kale protein balls.  I prepared these protein balls with turmeric-hing seasoning, for binding Besan and  organic buckwheat flour  is used. Salad base was iceberg lettuce, locally produced cucumber from Porter farms, and black olives. No salad dressing was used except little drizzle of vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. After packing salad for lunch box I saved  few tofu balls to prepare one more serving for my lunch. Recipe for tofu protein balls has evolved from earlier made mix vegetable Tofu-Paneer koftas  which were  prepared for sattvik kofta curry. Later with some alterations and tweaks I  continued to create different tofu balls. Scroll down to see images of tofu koftas prepared earlier. These are Vegan and Gluten free tofu protein balls.

Tofu-Veggie ball salad I enjoyed for my lunch.

Salad packed in lunch box.

Ingredients for Salad with Vegetable Tofu balls :
Makes 12-15 Tofu balls / 2 Servings of salad.
Tofu Ball Ingredients

• 1 block - Firm tofu (8 oz.) , I cut half from 16 oz. slab of tofu.
• 1/3 Cup - Finely sliced scallion greens.
• 1/3 Cup - Tightly packed very finely sliced kale leaves.
• 1.5 Tb.spoon - Besan flour /gram flour ( roasted)
• 1.5 Tb.spoon - Buckwheat flour ( roasted)
• 1 Tb.spoon - fine rice flour to use while shaping tofu balls.
• 1 green chili - finely sliced.
• 1 pinch - Hing/Asafoetida
• 1 pinch - Turmeric powder
• 1/4 T.spoon - salt
• 3 Cups - Chopped Iceberg lettuce leaves.
• 1/2 Cucumber - sliced into thin half moon shape. (1.5 Cup yield)
• Black olives - 12-15 thoroughly drained and rinsed.( I used canned whole pitted olives.)
• 1 T.spoon - oil + 1/2 tsp more to roast flours.

Salad Ingredients : 
3.5 Cups - Chopped Iceberg lettuce leaves. ( about 100 gm)
1 Persian cucumber - 25-30  slices
1 green chili - finely sliced
1 Tb.spoon - Extra virgin olive oil
1.5 T.spoon - Vinegar
1/4 cup - Purslane leaves (optional)
1 tiny pinch - salt
1 pinch - sugar

 How to prepare Tofu protein balls for salad :

1. Preparing Tofu :Cut half portion from 16 oz Tofu block. Rinse under water, press block few times between the palms of your hand, pat with thick two layers of paper towel, absorb as much as water,  then place it in the bowl, break slab by using fork. Take a clean cotton cloth, place in all scrambled tofu, twist and tie cloth tightly, squeeze few times to remove all water content from the tofu. Give 4-5 minutes for water extraction, at least two times open the twisted cloth, move center part of the tofu towards bottom, squeeze again. This will drain out maximum water, I got around 1/2 cup drained liquid. Place water drained tofu back into the dry bowl.
2. In a small saute pan add  1.5  tbsp each of Besan and buckwheat flour, 1/2 tsp oil. Roast over medium heat, stirring constantly  until flour turns dry, slightly grainy and aromatic.This will take little over 3 minutes.
3. In a drained tofu bowl add very finely sliced 1/3 cup scallion greens, 1 tbsp roasted  flour, 1 sliced green chili, one pinch of hing and one generous pinch of  turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp salt. Mix all well.
4. Next add  finely sliced Kale leaves, mix well, sprinkle 1 more tbsp roasted  buckwheat and  besan flour. You can add kale leaves along with scallion greens, I added it later because initially I had thought about using only scallion. Mix and knead well, once smooth ball is formed, divide it into small size balls. I made assorted shaped balls but later I cut roasted bigger size protein balls into half.  It is better to make small bite sized balls because they will cook through quicker and more enjoyable in salads. While making balls first firmly press and create rough round ball, then hold it between the two palms and roll to achieve smooth rounds. If you feel stickiness, dust with rice flour, also oil greased palm will help.
5. Heat  saute pan by drizzling few drops of oil, Place all the balls, cook over medium heat for about 12-15 minutes. Flip the balls very often to get roasted all around. Also 2-3 times increase heat to medium high, heat pan for a minute then  hold pan handle and swirl around for  20 seconds so that tofu balls are cooked through well and form even roast marks around ball.  Next time I will experiment  to bake, grill and steam these tofu protein balls. For better  flavor I added rinsed whole pitted black olives in the  pan along with tofu balls when tofu balls were roasted half way through, after 7 minutes. Remove roasted olives and tofu balls from the pan, allow to cool.

Salad assembly -- I prepared two portions of salad, one I packed for husbands lunch and remaining portion  I ate for my lunch. Chop 3-4 iceberg lettuce leaves to make 3.5  cups quantity. Slice  half persian cucumber into round shape and remaining into half moon shape. Chop one green chili very finely. Mix Chopped lettuce, sliced cucumbers, chopped green chili into one bowl. Add  1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1.5 tsp vinegar, sprinkle one tiny pinch of salt and one pinch of sugar, Toss to mix all well. Serve or pack in lunch box topped with tofu protein balls and roasted olives.(Few larger tofu balls I cut into 2-3 pieces.) In lunch box I set lettuce, cucumber, tofu balls separately. In my salad I additionally added fresh plucked purslane leaves from the pot. If you prefer, season Tofu balls and olives with olive oil and vinegar before adding to salad.

Note : Any variety  of greens can be added along with additional seasoning of cumin powder, hint of garam masala, ginger, garlic, onion, herbs. More tweaking can be done with the use of seeds and nuts. Create variety of tofu protein balls/Koftas by mix and match of ingredients.

finely sliced kale leaves

Roasting whole pitted black olives along with tofu balls.

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Images of variety of Tofu balls made in the past.

mix vegetable Paneer+Tofu  koftas for sattvic kofta curry.

Fish+Tofu Koftas for Tava Pulao.

Non-Deep Fried version of Mix veg Paneer and Tofu Kofta.

Square shaped koftas done by using two piece rice cube.(These are pan roasted.)

Basil & Broccoli Paratha {Indian Roti / unleavened flat bread enriched with Broccoli and Thai Basil.}

I had fresh Broccoli and a big bunch of  fresh Thai Basil from local farms. I made parathas using these two good ingredients to pack in the lunch box. I have added some organic sprouted wheat flour with regular Indian chapati aata to boost nutrition. Crushed Onion, Garlic, Cumin  is added  to enhance flavor and taste.

Ingredients :
(Makes 6 Parathas/ Unleavened Flat breads.)

• 1 + 3/4 Cup -Wheat flour ( I took 1 cup Indian atta and 3/4 cup sprouted whole wheat organic flour)
• 5-6 small Broccoli florets along with tender stems - yield 1 Cup roughly chopped broccoli.
• 3-4 Tb.spoon whey or 1/4 cup yogurt
• 25-30 Thai Basil leaves along with tender stems
• 1/2 medium size onion - chopped - yield 1/2 cup
• 2 Green chilies - chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic - slice each into 2-3 pieces
• 1 T.spoon - roasted Jeera / cumin powder ( whole cumin or raw jeera powder can be used.)
• 1/2 T.spoon - Turmeric powder
• 1/2 T.spoon - Salt
• 1 Tb.spoon oil  +  more oil to drizzle over paratha.

Preparing paratha dough.

Yogurt / Dahi

How to make Broccoli & Basil Paratha.

1. Chop roughly 5-6 small size broccoli florets and stems, to  get one cup yield. Cut onion into small pieces to get 1/2 cup yield. Chop green chilies and slice garlic cloves into 2-3 pieces. Combine all ingredients with 6-7 basil leaves  in a small blender, crush to coarse texture without adding water. (In absence of blender use grater or microplane.)
2. Roughly chop 20  basil leaves, finely chop tender stem portion. Keep it aside.
3. In a medium size bowl add 3/4 cup organic sprouted wheat flour and 1 cup regular Indian chapati aata, roasted cumin powder, turmeric, chopped basil leaves and grated mixture of broccoli-onion, 1/2 tsp salt. (You may use plain organic flour instead of sprouted wheat flour or adding multigrain flour will also work.) Mix all together to make moist dough. Juices from herbs and broccoli won't be enough to bind the dough so add 3-4 tbsp yogurt whey or mix of whey and  yogurt to make dough. Once the dough is bound together, smear with 1 tbsp oil and knead  few more minutes to make  a soft dough.
4. Divide dough evenly into 6 balls, lightly dust with flour. Apply few drops of oil over palm, then  rotate  each ball  between palms to make smooth dough ball. Roll each ball into 5 inch wide circle.
5. Heat the griddle over medium heat. Place rolled paratha, after 30-40 seconds spray little oil over the edges of paratha, spray few drops in the center. Slow roast over medium heat, flip few times and fry until light brown spots appear over both the sides of paratha. Give 2-3 minutes fry time for each paratha.
6. Serve with thick creamy yogurt or sour cream or cream cheese. 

Basil, Broccoli ke Parathe.

Spicy shrimp curry with Sichuan peppers and Black peppers...Recipe with Indo-Chinese Twist - Schezwan Prawns with Garlic Tadka.

Fresh wild caught shrimps from NC coast were put on sale at local  grocery super market for $6.99 lbs. which are otherwise priced @ 15$ per lbs. They don't sell them regularly so very few times we get to enjoy wild caught shrimp, rest of the time farm grown prawns/shrimps  are available. I made spicy shrimp curry with Indo-Chinese twist. I have used whole sichuan peppers but cooked this curry in Indian manner, completed cooking with garlic tadka.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lbs - Ex. large 10 shrimp (I used wild caught from NC coast, any type of raw shrimp is ok.)
• 1 large size onion - finely chopped
• 8-10 cloves of garlic - thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 medium size tomato - diced (1 cup yield)
• 2-3 whole dry red chilies - cut into 1 inch size pieces ( 5-6 pieces)
• 1 Tb.spoon sesame oil + 1 T.spoon for Garlic tadka/tempering.
• 1 T.spoon - chili oil (optional - in absence you can increase sesame oil quantity in garlic tadka.)
• 1 T.spoon - red chili powder
• 20-25 whole sichuan peppers
• 1 T.spoon - whole black peppers
• 1 Tb.spoon - soy sauce
• 1 Tb.spoon - Vinegar
• 1/2 T.spoon - tapioca flour or Rice flour or cornstarch
• Any herb of your choice to garnish.

Cooking Method :

1. Clean and devein shrimp. Very lightly marinate with salt.
2. Combine black peppers and sichuan peppers - grind to fine powder.
3. Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a medium size saute pan. Add pieces of  dry red chilies, sizzle for 15-20 seconds or until chili color picks little darker shade. Add chopped onions, saute for 7-8 minutes over medium heat until onions turn soft.
4. Add black pepper and sichuan pepper ground  powder, 1 tsp red chili powder - mix well, saute for 2 minutes over medium low heat. If mixture gets too dry, spray little water.
5. Place marinated shrimp into the saute pan, increase heat to medium high. Mix well with onion-pepper mixture. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Add 1-2  tbsp water if mixture sticks to pan bottom.
6. Now Pour in 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp red chili oil  and 1 tbsp vinegar. Stir and mix well.
7. Add diced tomatoes - continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes on medium low heat covering with lid.
8. I kept thick gravy because this is very spicy dense curry, little is enough with roti or rice. You may add little water when you add diced tomatoes and to thicken the gravy add 1/2 tsp tapioca flour or rice flour or cornstarch dissolved in water. I had added 1/2 cup water and sprinkled little tapioca flour to get thick gravy. Check salt level,  add if necessary. I didn't add salt because soy sauce made it enough salty.
9. Finally heat 1 tsp oil in a small saute pan or tadka pan. Add lengthwise sliced garlic.Stir fry for 30-40 seconds until they turn slightly brown.  Take off the pan from heat, pour it  over shrimp curry. Mix well, garnish with your choice of herb. Enjoy with rice or roti. If you want to skip Garlic tadka / tempering step then add garlic after you finish sauteing onions, stir fry for one minute before adding pepper powder.

Note : Vegetarians can try this recipe with baby potatoes, Nutrela soy chunks, mix blend of frozen or fresh vegetables also this curry will taste great with any variety of koftas.This is very spicy curry, if you need mild heat  then skip adding red chili power and reduce quantity of dry red chilies.

Spicy Kadhai Chicken Curry with Chinese sauces and Banana peppers...Simple Rice & Chicken curry Dinner.

This quick Chinese style Kadhai Chicken curry  I cooked for dinner in March.  There were two banana peppers in the fridge that instantly reminded me of Tri Pepper chicken curry served in one of the local Chinese restaurant. Tri pepper is the combination of  Sichuan pepper corns, banana peppers and whole red chilies. This curry recipe was inspired by the restaurant served Tri pepper chicken. It took little over  half an hour to cook this curry. When I was done cooking, curry in Kadhai looked tempting  that prompted me to pick camera and take picture. It was last minute thought to note this recipe to share in the blog. Try this recipe when you seriously crave for some spicy Chinese chicken curry.
Note - Published on 3rd August.

Chicken curry rice dinner enjoyed on 15th March.

Ingredients :

• 1 lbs - skinless-boneless chicken thighs cut into 1/2 inch small nuggets.(any other chicken portion is fine but keep it in small chunks form.)
• 2 banana peppers - 6-7 inch long - cut into 1 inch pieces.
• One large onion - cut half lengthwise and  finely chop rest.
•  7-8 garlic cloves - finely minced
• 2-3 Tb.spoon - oil
• 1 Tb.spoon - black bean sauce
• 1 Tb.spoon -  teriyaki sauce
• 1 Tb.spoon - vinegar
• 1 T.spoon - soy sauce
• 1 Tb.spoon - Marsala wine
• 1 T.spoon - black pepper powder
• 1 T.spoon - red chili powder
• 1 T.spoon - crushed dry basil  or half cup fresh chopped basil leaves.( Fresh basil is better)
• 1 T.spoon - tapioca flour or replace with 1 T.spoon corn starch.

Method for Cooking Chinese Kadai Chicken Curry :

1. Marinate chicken nuggets in 1 tbsp marsala wine + 1 tsp soy sauce for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in small kadhai or saute pan. Add cut banana peppers in two batches, stir fry / roast each batch on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes until pepper skin is slightly charred. Taste little banana pepper for hotness. If it is hot then I suggest you to skip adding red chili powder and reduce quantity of black pepper powder too.  Drain roasted banana peppers  on paper towel.
3. In the same pan if required add 1 tsp oil,  stir fry onions for about 7-8 minutes until they get soft.
4. Add finely minced garlic, saute for one minute.
5. Add 1 tbsp black bean sauce, 1 tbsp Teriyaki sauce. Mix well.
6. Now add marinated chicken pieces. Discard liquid created from marination. Saute over high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
7. Sprinkle 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp black pepper powder, 1 tsp red chili powder, basil. Combine well, cover saute pan with lid and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes. Check  there is  enough liquid in the pan, if necessary add 2-3 tbsp water. Stir at regular intervals.
8. Next add roasted banana peppers. Stir gently to combine with chicken and gravy.
9. Add half cup water, sprinkle 1 tsp tapioca flour. (If you are using corn starch / corn flour, prepare paste by adding 1 tbsp water in 1 tsp corn starch) Stir and mix well. Check and adjust seasonings. Throw in some more fresh chopped basil leaves.  Leave it to simmer for 6-7 minutes over medium heat. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Note : This is quite flexible curry. Combination of banana peppers and chicken is the essence of this curry. It is o.k to skip few sauces. If you don't like sweetness in chicken curry then skip Teriyaki sauce because that brings mild sweetness to the dish. In absence of wine use vinegar to marinate chicken. If you are skipping one or two sauces then increase little soy sauce quantity. Taste and adjust soy sauce quantity as you cook. I didn't use salt in this curry because all these Chinese sauces have high sodium content.

Simple Dinner of Kadhai chicken curry and Rice.

Kadhai chicken Curry in chinese sauces.