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.

Broccoli, Green beans and Kale saute for Sunday lunch.[ Rice and Roti free lunch.]

Today's lunch was rice and roti free. I had left over king mackerel fish curry. I cooked simple saute with broccoli, green beans and Kale. Also made raita with Kumato Tomato. This is first time I tasted Kumato which I got last week from Aldi's store. King mackerel fish curry was made with onion+Tomatillo base, use of Tomatillo makes curry sour and brings nice thick and smooth gravy texture due to its pectin content. Lunch combination was very satisfying, I didn't miss rice or roti. I am briefly explaining saute and Raita recipes which are cooked in a very simple manner.

How to prepare Broccoli, Green beans and Kale Saute

Prepping the Veggies: Slice 10-12 green beans into 1-inch long diagonal shape, take  4-5 broccoli florets, slice each floret  lengthwise into 3  pieces, i have used broccoli florets with  almost 2 inch long stems. Put sliced broccoli florets and green beans in the microwave safe bowl filled with water, cook  for 4-5 minutes, drain the water and keep aside. Slice 3-4 garlic cloves lengthwise, finely chop one green chili. Separate Kale greens from stem, thinly slice stem and chop the leaf.

Cooking saute: Heat 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil in a small saute pan. Add  sliced garlic and green chili, saute for one minute. Add sliced kale stem, continue to saute for another one minute. Sprinkle a pinch of asafoetida (hing) and turmeric powder, stir for 25 seconds, Now add chopped kale leaf, saute for  about 3 minutes by adding 2 tbsp water, once water evaporates, add pre-boiled and drained broccoli and beans. Stir to mix all well, sprinkle one generous pinch of salt. Increase heat to medium high, saute for one minute then put off the gas. Drizzle half teaspoon extra virgin olive oil before serving. (serves one generous portion.)

Kumato Tomato raita in Yogurt.

Cut one  Kumato tomato into 4 pieces, remove seeds, cut into 1 cm  chunks. Whisk 1/4 cup whole milk yogurt, add one pinch of salt and 1 tbsp finely sliced mint leaves. Mix well, garnish with more mint leaves before serving.

Kumato tomato, Kale leaf, Broccoli, Green beans, green chili,garlic.

Mix vegetable Salad with Raw Mango, Ginger, Parsley Chutney dressing. [Chayote+Sweet Potato+Persian cucumber+Cranberries]

Today I am sharing one more salad recipe that I had prepared in April month to pack  in the lunch box. This salad was made  with available veggies and herbs in my kitchen. Sliced tender Persian cucumbers, julienned Chayote and Sweet potatoes were generously soaked with quick home made chutney dressing. Raw mango brought for the Vishu  Festival initiated me to skip vinegar and  prepare zesty salad dressing chutney. I coarse ground parsley, raw mango, green chilies, ginger in extra virgin olive oil, added little light agave nectar. This salad dressing chutney gave unique flavor to the salad. If you want  refreshing change from vinaigrette dressing salads try this chutney over salad, for more aromatic kick add fresh mango ginger.

Salad Veggies :
(Salad quantity servers one single full meal or 4 small servings as side salad.)

• 2 small tender - Persian cucumbers ( sliced in two different shapes, rounds and sticks.)
• 3 inch long - Sweet potato piece ( julienned ,1/2 cup)
• 1/2 Chayote - seed removed, peeled and julienned, 3/4 cup)
• 2 Tb.spoon - dried cranberries
• 1 Tb.spoon - Extra Virgin olive oil

Ingredients for Salad Dressing chutney :
(Ingredients make little extra quantity dressing which can be used as chutney. I used it to make sandwiches.)

• 1 Cup - tightly packed chopped parsley leaves (chop including tender stems.)
• 2 green chilies - chopped
• 1.5 inch - ginger piece - chopped
• 1/4 cup - chopped raw mango pieces, heaping cup
• 1/4 T.spoon - fine sea salt ( a pinch or two more to adjust salt level)
• 1 Tb.spoon - Light Agave nectar or Honey.
• 1 T.spoon - Lemon juice optional (use if  raw mango lacks sourness.)
• 2 Tb.spoon - extra virgin olive oil

How to prepare Salad and Salad chutney dressing :
Preparing veggies.

Chop off both the ends of two Persian cucumbers, Slice one into 3-4mm thick round slices. Another cucumber slice lengthwise into 6-8 pieces, then cut them into one inch sticks. Transfer to a bowl.

Take half Chayote piece, peel the skin, remove seed and julienne. Transfer to a bowl.

Take a  3 inch long piece of sweet potato, peel the skin, julienne. Transfer to a bowl.

Preparing  Chutney Salad dressing.

Roughly chop handful parsley leaves including  tender stems. Peel 1.5 inch ginger piece, cut into small pieces. Finely chop green chilies. Cut out small piece from raw mango, peel the skin, remove seed portion, cut into small chunks to fill heaping 1/4 cup.

In a small blender jar combine, 1 cup tightly packed chopped parsley, chopped green chilies, chopped raw mango pieces, ginger pieces, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 tsp sea salt. Puree all into a coarse paste. Add 1 tbsp agave nectar, pulse for few seconds. (If mild sweetness is preferred, add half tbsp agave nectar, you can add more after salad is assembled.) Check the taste, it should be sour, spicy and sweet. If sourness is mild then add some lemon juice, adjust salt and sweetness as desired.

Assembling salad.

Place 4-5 tbsp salad dressing chutney over cut veggies, pour one tbsp olive oil. Add 2 tbsp dried cranberries. Stir  and toss to combine all well. Finally adjust taste by sprinkling some salt, lemon juice and agave nectar.

Sauteed mix vegetables Salad with raw Persian cucumber for lunch box. [Mix and Match of onion, celery, chayote, cranberries, corn, carrots,Cilantro & Tofu]

Today I wanted to pack salad for lunch box  but there was no lettuce in the fridge so I made  salad by preparing  a  partially sauteed veggie base with onion, celery, julienned chayote, tofu, cranberries, corn,  carrots, cucumber. Over that I added raw  Persian cucumber slices, fresh cilantro leaves, chopped tender cilantro stems, celery leaves. I packed this in lunch box with very  little salad dressing. This salad is good enough to eat  by itself without any salad dressing or vinaigrette, partially sauteed onion and veggie base makes it very flavorful. I saved little  salad quantity to take image and record this salad recipe, after taking images my daughter  enjoyed  this plated salad.

Ingredients :-
Serves  one as full salad meal with some left over,  Or serves 4 as side salad.

• 1 small onion - finely chopped( 3/4 cup yield)
• 1 tender celery stalk - sliced half moon shape (1/2 cup yield)
• 1/2 Chayote - skin and seed removed , julienned. (3/4 cup)
• 1 carrot - julienned or sliced into small pieces (1/4 cup)
• 1 Persian cucumber - partly chopped enough to measure 1/4 cup. Slice remaining into rounds.
• Frozen corn - 1/2 Cup (use fresh if available.)
• 4 Tb.spoon - dried cranberries
• 1  green chili - finely sliced.
• Firm tofu block - around  80 gm, cut into  1/2 inch cubes (yield 1 cup) sprinkle tiny pinch of salt, toss to coat with salt.
• 1/2 cup - Mix of chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 3/4 Cup - celery leaves (pluck leaves off the stalk.)
• 1 T.spoon - cooking oil to saute onion and veggies.
• 1 Tb.spoon - extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over salad.
• 2 Tb.spoon - your choice of creamy salad dressing. (optional)

How to prepare semi-sauteed veggie Salad topped with raw cucumber.

1. In a small saute pan heat 1 tsp oil, add chopped onions stir fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sliced 1/2 cup celery, 1/4 cup chopped cucumber, 1 chopped green chili, 4 tbsp dried cranberries, continue to saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
2. Next add julienned chayote, sliced carrots, 1/2 cup frozen corn,  sprinkle one generous pinch of salt, continue to saute for 3-4 minutes over medium high heat, stirring often. Taste and adjust salt level.
3. Now add  salt sprinkled tofu cubes, gently mix all well.  Let it stay on stove for 2 minutes over medium low heat. Shut off the heat.
4.  Transfer sauteed veggie mix in a medium size bowl,  allow to cool. Add sliced  Persian cucumber, chopped cilantro leaves and stems, celery leaves. Drizzle 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil. Toss to coat.. Another way to serve salad is arrange sliced cucumber, celery leave, cilantro leaves over the top or at one side like I have arranged in the image. Serve with creamy  ranch salad dressing or your choice of  cheese or  just enjoy plain salad.

Curry leaves and Coconut Chutney with fresh Mango Ginger root. [Aromatic Sweet-Sour-Spicy Chutney for mini Uttapams]

This coconut chutney is filled with goodness of fresh Mango Ginger root (Curcuma amada/ Ambe Halad) and fresh curry leaves, two strong medicinal and aromatic ingredients are blended together in this sweet, sour and spicy chutney. I made this chutney to serve with  multi grain rice free mini uttappams. Scroll down to check the image of pot grown curry leaves my friend shared with me. Try this medicinal chutney to explore new flavors.

Manga Inji, Curry leaves infused coconut chutney with Uttapams.

Ingredients for medicinal Coconut chutney.

Ingredients :

• 1 Cup - fresh grated coconut
• 3/4  Cup - fresh curry leaves
• 1/4 Cup - sliced fresh Mango Ginger / Ambe Halad  root with skin.
• 3/4 Cup - water, add 1/4 cup more to adjust consistency.
• 2 Jalapeno chilies ( use tender chilies to avoid extreme heat, regular green chilies should be fine.)
• 1 garlic clove - sliced
• 2 Tb.spoon - chopped onion
• 1 Tb.spoon - Coconut oil
• 1.5 Tb.spoon - lemon juice
• 1/2 T.spoon - sugar
• 1/4 T.spoon - iodized fine sea salt

Method of preparing Curry leaves, Mango Ginger infused coconut chutney :

1. Clean and thoroughly rub Mango ginger root skin under running water, slice off bruised and bad patches, roughly slice and keep it aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in a small pan, add sliced jalapeno chilies, saute over medium high heat for 2 minutes, stirring often. Any other type of green chilies can be used. If using smaller chilies saute for one minute.
3. Next add 2 tbsp chopped onions and  one sliced garlic, saute for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring often. Add  3/4 cup curry leaves saute for two minutes then add 1 cup fresh grated coconut,  mix well and quickly shutoff the heat. Allow to rest for 6-7 minutes.
4. In a blender jar add curry leaf coconut mixture,  1/4 cup sliced fresh chopped Mango ginger root, 1.5  tbsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 3/4 cup water, (add more water if you don't like thick consistency.) Grind into fine paste.  Taste for sweet and sour balance, add 2-3 pinches of  sugar and  more lemon juice to suit to your taste, also adjust salt level.

Other method to prepare this chutney :  This chutney can be prepared in another method like we make traditional plain coconut chutney. Mix all listed ingredients except oil, garlic and onion in a blender, grind into fine paste, adjust sweet, sour, salt balance. Transfer chutney to metal or glass bowl. In a tiny pan heat 1 tbsp coconut oil, once hot add chopped onions, allow to sizzle for one minute or until onion pieces get slightly charred, quickly add sliced garlic, saute for 30 seconds. Put off the heat, pour tempering over chutney, mix well. (1/2 tsp Mustard seeds can be tempered before adding onions.) 

Serve this Chutney with idli, Dosa, uttappams or with daily meals. I used left over chutney for preparing sandwiches. I applied 1 tbsp chutney over each square slice of bread, stacked  thin sliced tomatoes and sliced onions. Sprinkled few finely sliced green chili pieces and shavings of Parmesan cheese. Pressed another bread slice over it. Sprayed oil over slices, pan roasted sandwich until both sides turned crisp and golden brown. Unique raw mango like  aroma of  Mango ginger  made these sandwiches very tasty.

Pot grown curry leaves

Kadipatta-Ambe Halad Chutney

Flaxseed meal and Ragi enriched roti with Aashirvaad multi grain Atta [Indian flat bread with reduced gluten - Healthy Roti formula - 2]

Recently I made rotis by adding Ragi flour to Aashirvaad multi grain aata. I tried to reduce wheat gluten by 50%, combined equal portion of Raagi and multi grain atta. I added Ragi flour by adapting  bhakari  dough making  method. I  heated water mixed with flaxseed meal, in that added  ragi flour, made a sticky dough, allowed to cool it for some time then added multi grain wheat flour.  Process of dough making, rolling, frying was easy. I made them few times to pack in lunch box. This formula worked well, roti tasted very good, just like bhakari. I left the dough  in refrigerator over night, next day roti  taste and texture was much better. These ragi enriched rotis are good  option to include healthy Ragi flour into daily diet, to know several health  benefits of Ragi check blogger sm's post.

Ingredients :-

(Makes 6 small size Rotis.)

• 1/2 Cup - Aashirvaad multi grain atta ( any other type of wheat flour can be used.)
• 1/2 Cup - Ragi flour ( also known as Nachani, Maddua, finger millet)
• 1 Tb.spoon - slightly heaped Flax seed meal (coarse powder of flaxseeds.)
• 1 Cup water + extra 4-5 Tb.spoons
• 1/4 T.spoon - fine sea salt
• 1 T.spoon - oil to add in the dough.
• 2-3 Tb.spoon all purpose flour - for dusting dough balls.

Method of preparing Ragi enriched roti :-

1. In a medium size  microwave safe bowl mix 1 tbsp flax seed meal with  1/2 cup water. Heat over high heat for 70-75 seconds.(make sure mixture don't overflows from bowl.)
2. Quickly add  1/2 cup Ragi flour to the bowl, mix with spoon. Allow to cool for five minutes. Add wheat flour, salt, remaining 1/2 cup room temperature water, mix with spoon until rough dough ball is formed. Add  4 tbsp water, knead the dough, you may add little more water to make soft dough based on your desired softness in handling dough. Once soft dough is formed smear some oil  around and knead for 2-3 minutes. ( For better results keep dough covered with plastic wrap for half an hour.)
3. Make 6 equal size balls. Slightly dust each ball with flour. Roll out each ball into 5-6 inch diameter circle. While rolling turn roti clock wise, flip two three times, if needed gently dust with flour. Roll with gentle pressure, maintain uniform thickness all over roti.
4. Fry each roti  for about 2-3  minutes by flipping two or three times. Maintain medium to medium high heat. Well rolled roti will puff  like balloon, also getting multiple puffs through out roti yields soft texture. Use roti press or ball of paper towel to gently press roti while frying. Place fried roti over paper towel lined plate, cover with metal or glass dome lid. Do wipe excess formed steam from inside the dome lid.
5. Serve these rotis warm with  vegetarian curries, subzis ,Chicken or Goat meat curries. Addition of raw onions, green chilies and different herbs adds lot of goodness to the meal. I like to make roti roll  wrapped with finely sliced raw onions, fresh herbs, sliced raw veggies, sour cream or  cream cheese.

Finger Millet (Nachani) & Wheat flour Indian Flat bread.

Chicken curry made with soy chunks.

Chicken and Nutrela Soy chunks curry, Ragi enriched roti.

 Chives tucked in sliced onions.

Post published on 11/22/2013
Previously blogged recipe of healthy roti formula.

Cabbage Cilantro Paratha made with self raising flour. {Tava fried Hara Dhania and Band gobi kulcha.}

These cabbage-Cilantro parathas were made in the morning to pack for lunch. Morning short time frame always stimulate me to create good  vegetable based recipes. This time I choose to use self raising all purpose flour instead of regular wheat flour. They are generously packed with fresh cabbage and cilantro, mildly seasoned with ajwain /carom seeds, for extra soft texture sour cream and vinegar is used. Preparing dough, rolling, patting needs some extra care and efforts due to good quantity  of veggies and herb in the dough. Result is good taste, nice Kulcha style appeal, I can also call them as Cabbage-Cilantro griddle fried Kulchas.
Published on june 17,2014.

Ingredients :-

• 1 Cup -  heaping self raising all purpose flour
• 3/4 Cup - very finely thread like sliced cabbage -(1/2 - 1 inch long)
• 1/4 T.spoon - ajwain/Ova/Carom seeds
• 1 Cup - roughly chopped fresh cilantro,hard stem portion chopped finely.
• 2 Green chillies - finely chopped
• 1 Tb.spoon - heaping sour cream
• 1/2 T.spoon - vinegar
• 3 Tb.spoon - oil + more to drizzle over parathas.
• 2-3 Tb.spoon - water for kneading

How to prepare Cabbage Cilantro Paratha/Kulcha :

1. Take a small piece of cabbage, slice it into very thin thread like pieces not more than 1 inch long. Based on the size of cabbage piece you may get longer threads, just chop further into an inch size. This can be done either with knife or slicer. I have sliced it with the knife. Transfer to a medium size bowl.
2. Separate cilantro stem and leaves, roughly chop the leaves and finely slice hard stems into tiny pieces. Keep few tender stems 1 inch long for nice appeal over rolled paratha. Transfer chopped cilantro and stems into the bowl.
3. Add 1 cup heaping self raising flour, 1/4 tsp ajwain/Ova, 2 finely chopped green chillies, 1/2 tsp vinegar, 1 heaping tbsp sour cream to the bowl. Add only a pinch of salt because self raising flour contains good quantity of salt. Mix all well, merge into a ball, smear  1 tbsp oil around ball then start kneading again. Add 2-3 tbsp water and try to merge dough into smooth ball. If it is sticky, sprinkle some flour, knead again by coating dough ball with more oil.
4. Divide dough into 4-5 equal size  balls. Oil your palm and fingers, hold each ball between palms and roll to form smooth ball, lightly dust with flour, keep it aside.
5. Start rolling ball with light pressure, turn clock wise, if required very lightly dust with flour. Roll up to six inch diameter.
6.  place it over griddle. Start with medium low heat, after 30-40 seconds flip and fry for another 30-40 seconds. Fry by flipping 3-4 times. Pat edges and center with Chapati press or ball of paper towel  for even frying. Spray some oil over and around edges. Momentarily increase heat  to medium but don't let paratha get dark burnt spots. Maintain golden brown spots. It takes around 2.5 to 3 minutes to fry each paratha. Multiple actions will perfectly roast each paratha.  After frying stack them over paper towel lined plate, once they are cooled but still warm, cover with dome lid.
7. Serve with sour cream, yogurt, ranch dressing or pickle. Make it more interesting by garnishing paratha with chopped raw cabbage, sliced raw onion rings, fresh cilantro sprigs and sliced lemon wedge.

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.

Red Capsicum and Green onion paratha. {Veggie and Herb enriched Indian unleavened flat bread.} {Indian Lunch Box Recipe}

In my home vegetable parathas are regularly prepared to pack in the  lunch box. During morning rush hours I find it easier to make 5-6 wholesome vegetable parathas, it takes just half an hour time. Each time I  pair up  available veggies and herbs to get variety of flavors. Today's combination was  red capsicum and green onions with addition of  fresh chopped cilantro. I used Aashirvad multi grain aata to add some more nutrition. I didn't use any spices, dough was prepared in vegetable juices. These parathas are packed with natural flavor of veggies, onions and cilantro.

Ingredients :
(Makes 5 parathas)

• 1 heaped cup -  finely chopped green oinions
• 1/2  - portion of small size red Capsicum,(yield around 1/2 cup)you can use any type of capsicum.
• 3 - scallions (white onion portion)
• 2/3 cup - wheat flour (I used Aashirvaad multi grain flour)
• 1/4 cup - all purpose flour or rice flour for dusting or use the same wheat flour.
• 2 green chilies - roughly chopped.
• 1/4 cup - finely chopped onion
• 1 cup - packed chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 Tb.spoon - Oil + some more to spray over paratha while frying.

How to make spring onion and Lal simla mirch Parathas :

1. Rinse green onions, discard bottom root portion, roughly chop green portion and finely chop white onion portion, Keep aside.  Roughly chop red capsicum portion, around 1/2 cup. Chop handful cilantro, around 1 cup tightly packed. Chop small piece of onion to get around 1/4 cup chopped quantity. Combine everything along with 2 chopped green chilies in a small blender, pulse few times to get coarse mixture. Do not make fine puree. I got total 1/3 cup slightly heaped quantity.
2. In a small size bowl  place ground coarse mixture along with its juices. Add salt and around 2/3 cup flour or little more until mixture absorbs enough flour to bind the dough, knead the dough for 2-3 minutes, Once the dough is merged into soft ball apply oil all over and knead again to make smooth dough.
3. If dough handling feels sticky, apply oil over palms to make 5 round balls. Roll between palm, slightly dust with flour. Keep them aside.
4. Dust rolling surface with flour and roll around 5-6 inch diameter round paratha. This paratha dough  has  lot of roughage of veggies and herb particles so you may not get smooth edges. Hold spatula or knife vertically beside edges, pat to get smooth round edges. You can do this by using fingers and palm too. Dust off white patches of dusted flour by brush or pat with moist paper towel.
5. Heat griddle over medium heat, keep heat level to medium low heat before placing paratha.Roast slowly by flipping one or two times, drizzle some oil around paratha edges. While roasting increase heat to  to medium for few seconds, pat gently with soft ball of paper towel or chapati press. Give around 2 minutes of roasting time for each paratha. Transfer paratha over paper towel lined plate, cover with dome lid to maintain softness. Serve with mint infused yogurt, raw onions, fresh herbs, green chilies or whipped cream cheese or melt some butter over paratha and enjoy. These parathas are full of flavor, you can make a roll and eat without any seasoning.

 pat uneven paratha edges with spatula to get smooth edges.

Simla Mirch and kandyachya paati che parathe.

parathas prepared on 18th April, published on 13th May.

Sattvic sabji with Tender mini snacking cucumbers in Tomatillo and Cilantro stem dry gravy...Spiced with ginger and Serrano Pepper.

I got extra small snack sized cucumbers from Costco, these are grown in green house by Mucci Farms  and are marketed as "CuteCumbers" They are very crunchy and tasty. Today I made stir fry with these extra tiny cucumbers. I skipped use of onions and cooked this subzi  in Tomatillo  and ground Cilantro stem gravy, spiced it with Ginger and Serrano pepper. Tomatillos bring nice sourness to subzi, I added little brown sugar to balance sour and spicy taste.

Ingredients :

• 8-10 - Extra tender baby cucumbers, slice in round shapes ( 2 heaped cups)
• 4-5 - Tiny Tomatillos - chopped (1 cup)
• 1 - Tender Serrano pepper. chopped (any green chili can be used)
• 3/4 Cup - chopped cilantro stems
• 1.5 Cup - tightly packed chopped cilantro leaves
• 3 inch - piece of ginger - crushed to coarse texture.
• 12-15 - Curry leaves
• 1 Tb.spoon - Oil
• 1 Tb.spoon - jaggery or brown sugar

Method of preparation :

1. Combine chopped cilantro stems and 1 cup chopped cilantro in a small blender jar, crush to coarse mixture without adding water.
2. Combine ginger pieces and chopped Serrano pepper in a small blender jar, crush to coarse mixture without adding water, alternatively you can grate ginger and finely chop Serrano pepper. For less heat use regular green chili.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a open shallow saute pan. Add crushed ginger-chili mixture, 6-7 curry leaves, saute over medium heat for 1.5 minutes or until ginger slightly starts to turn brown. Next  add chopped Tomatillos, saute over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
4. Now add sliced cucumber rounds, little salt, mix well, continue to saute over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup water and cook until water evaporates and cucumber slices are cooked tender, do stir frequently.
5. Add mixture of cilantro stems and leaves,  remaining curry leaves, 1 tbsp brown sugar,adjust salt level, mix well .If required add 2-3 tbsp water, continue to cook for 3-4 minutes over medium low heat.
6. Garnish with remaining chopped cilantro and serve over rice or eat with rotis. If you want to enjoy  zesty Cucumber-Tomatillo chutney/spread  just grind this subzi in a blender for 1-2 minutes, drizzle extra virgin olive oil before serving.

Earlier blogged cucumber recipes :

1) Persian cucumber stir fry with Tofu cubes
2) Cucumber Paratha/ Kakdi Paratha
3) Dosakai+Pickling cucumber subzi with split green peas.

Parsley paratha enriched with flaxseed powder and teff flour, flavored with mild hint of few ground spices and spiced with Florida Hot green chilies. {Parsley flavored Indian unleavened flat bread.}

Today morning I prepared Parsley parathas / rotis to pack in lunch box. I had one bunch of parsley laying in refrigerator over one week, so decided to prepare parsley paratha. I enriched it with some flax seed powder and Teff flour, for a change I flavored it with freshly ground cloves, Kalonji, corriander and shahijeera spice blend. To bring the heat I used Florida Hot green chilies which are very long and appealing but exactly not too hot for Indian palate. Parsley is deep green, curly herb with  remarkable health benefits. This is my first attempt to prepare  Parsley paratha. Parathas were aromatic and full of  flavor.

Parsley Herb

Ingredients to make Parsley Paratha :

• 1.5 cup - wheat flour ( I used Indian chakki aata-Royal Brand)
• 4 Tb.spoon - Besan/ chickpea flour
• 3 Tb.spoon - Teff flour ( you can substitute with any other grain flour like jawar, bajra,ragi)
• 1 Tb.spoon -  flax seed powder/ Alsi powder
• 1.5 cup - extra finely chopped parsley
• 4-5  - garlic cloves
• 1 inch - ginger piece
• 1/2 cup - roughly crushed onions
• 2 Florida hot green chilies or regular 3-4 chilies.(for mild heat use 1 Florida Hot chili.)
• 1/4 cup - yogurt
• 1/2 T.spoon - turmeric powder
• 1/2 T.spoon slightly heaped - salt
• 5-6 Tb.spoon water
• 2 Tb.spoon oil + more to apply while roasting parathas.
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour/ Maida - to dust dough balls. (you can use rice flour or same wheat flour)

Spices to grind :

• 2 cloves
• 1/2 T.spoon - shahijeera
• 1 Tb.spoon corriander seeds
• 2 pinches kalonji 

Combine and grind to fine powder.

Note : You can change this spice blend with your choices of spices, even you entirely skip adding spices these parathas will taste good, only change I will suggest is  increase ginger and garlic quantity.

How to make Parsley Paratha/ Roti.

1. Roughly chop onion, garlic, ginger and green chilies. Combine all in a small mixer bowl, crush to coarse texture without adding water. Alternatively you can grate onion, garlic, ginger and finely chop chilies.
2. In a medium bowl combine 1.5 cup wheat flour, 4 tbsp besan, 3 tbsp Teff flour, 1 tbsp flaxseed powder, finely chopped parsley, coarse ground mixture of onion-ginger-garlic-green chilies, 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp salt, ground spice powder. Mix all together with wooden spoon.
3. Add 5 tbsp water, knead until mixture forms into dough. If  dough doesn't  form ball add 1-2 tbsp more water. Once dough is merged it  will be sticky so smear dough ball with 1 tbsp or little more oil  and knead again. Press several times with your fist to make smooth dough ball.
4. Divide the dough into eight balls of equal size. Dust each ball with little flour, roll  each ball  circular holding between your oil greased palms. Make perfect shallow round dough balls, dust  with flour, keep aside covered for 15-20 minutes. 
5. Heat griddle over medium low heat. Slowly roll out dough ball over flour dusted surface. You may experience some difficulty as we have lot of rough texture of crushed herbs. Pat cracked edges with spatula or fingers to  make edges smooth. Continue to roll paratha  by flipping  one or two times. Stretch up to 6 inch diameter. If  white flour is visible over rolled paratha, dust if off by using brush or wet paper towel.
6. Spray 2-3 drops of oil  in the center of the griddle before placing  rolled paratha.(Use home made oil spray, Take new plastic spray bottle, rinse with water, dry and fill with cooking oil.) After placing rolled paratha over griddle maintain medium low heat for 30 seconds then increase heat to medium. Spray some oil above and over the edges. Press with kitchen towel/ balled paper towel or wooden chapati press. After one minute flip paratha, again you may spray little oil and fry for 30-40 seconds. You may once again flip paratha and fry for few seconds to ensure it is rightly fried. Give around two minutes for each paratha and maintain medium low to medium heat.Don't let get dark browned burnt spots on paratha. Slow roast for more flavor.
7. As you finish frying each paratha, stack it on a  paper towel lined plate. Cover with dome lid to keep them soft. Do wipe out formed steam from dome lead with paper towel after stacking 3-4 parathas.
8. Serve hot with sour cream, mayonnaise, plain yogurt, whipped cream cheese or parsley infused yogurt like shown in the image. To make parsley infused yogurt - Take half cup yogurt, add salt and 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley.

Images of Paratha Preparation steps.

Rolled Parsley paratha over rolling pin/ Latne /Belan

Indian unleavened flat bread infused with Parsley.

Spicy Cranberry Chutney in Mustard oil - flavored with Ginger and Rosemary.

Cranberries, unique American berries are promoted as super fruit because of antioxidant properties which may help prevent urinary track infections. During thanksgiving time I had picked up  one fresh cranberry / Bounce berry  packet from grocery store, this was my first  time  to cook with fresh cranberries. I prepared  spicy cranberry chutney in mustard oil with generous use of fresh ginger and pot grown rosemary. Chutney was spicy, tangy. Fusion of mustard oil, rosemary and ginger  infused  pleasant aroma in cranberry chutney.

Ingredients :-

• 1.5 Cup fresh Cranberries
• Ginger - 4 inch long piece coarsely crushed (yield -3/4 cup)
• 3-4 Garlic cloves
• 5-6 green chilies
• 1 Tb.spoon heaped - Fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 T.spoon heaped - Brown sugar
• 1/2 T.spoon salt
• 2 Tb.spoon mustard oil

Method for preparing spicy Cranberry Chutney :-

1. Pick vibrant, plump cranberries, wash and pat dry. Cut each cranberry into half or place cranberries in a zip lock bag , gently stroke with hammer/pestle, you just need to lightly crack/pound  each cranberry. ( I suggested cutting/ pounding Cranberries to avoid popping  in the cooking process) If you want to enjoy the fun of seeing cranberries popping then  avoid cutting/pounding but  stay safe as cranberries pop/splatter while cooking.
2. Combine green chilies, garlic, ginger and crush to a coarse mixture. Keep it aside.
3. In a small size saute pan heat 1 tablespoon mustard oil. Add  half tablespoon Rosemary leaves - sizzle for 20 seconds. Drop cranberries,  increase  the heat to high  and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt  and 1 heaped teaspoon brown sugar. Reduce heat to medium - cook  uncovered for about 10-12  minutes, stirring occasionally, while sauteing press cranberries with back of the spoon and bring chunky texture. Check picture below to see the texture and consistency of cranberry mixture. After it turns into  thick mass remove pan from heat and keep it aside.
4. Heat another small saute pan with 1 tablespoon mustard oil, to that add remaining half tablespoon rosemary leaves, sizzle for 20 seconds. Quickly add crushed coarse mixture of ginger+garlic+green chilies, mix and saute by frequently stirring, until mixture emits wonderful ginger+rosemary aroma, about 4-5 minutes on medium low heat.
5. Combine both mixtures in the first pan, saute for 2-3 minutes over low heat. Enjoy ginger infused cranberry chutney with meals or use it as spread in sandwiches also you can use this chutney in soups, curries, stir fries to bring sourness.

Note:-

I used rosemary leaves without chopping but later realized that I should have finely chopped to avoid rough texture of  leaves while eating. Salt and brown sugar quantity can be increased to suit to your taste.

Stir fried cranberries in mustard oil (L) and 
sauteed ginger, garlic, green chilies and rosemary (R)

Cranberry / bounce berry Chutney with Indian twist.

Spicy Cranberry and Ginger chutney.

Cranberry Chutney in Mustard oil

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