Courgette Rice

Courgette rice


I have tried making courgette rice before by making a spice powder but did not quite like it as the courgette itself is not an intensely flavourful vegetable and the spice powder was overwhelming. I then thought I need to keep flavours subtle so this time I tried a rather simple combination and it worked well. It is a very easy dish with few ingredients commonly available at home. Courgette is called zucchini in US and is rich in folic acid. Overcooking could destroy the folic acid so jus briefly sautéing will be enough. It can be served with some spicy vegetable preparation on the side. Here is the recipe...

1 big courgette, grated
Handful of coriander leaves
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander powder
Asafoetida
2 dry red chillies
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
Cooking oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger and garlic
1 cup rice, cooked so grains are separate

Heat some oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaf, dry red chillies and asafoetida and allow the seeds to crackle

Add the chopped ginger garlic and saute for couple of minutes

 

Add the courgettes and coriander leaves and sauté for 3 minutes or so until they all wilt. You do not have to overcook the vegetables.

Add coriander powder and saute for couple of minutes

Mix rice and required salt

Serve hot!

Variants:

You could squeeze some lime if you like a touch of sourness

You could sprinkle some grated/desiccated coconut if you like coconut flavour

Sprouted Mung Beans and Oats Dhokla

Sprouted Mung Beans and Oats Dhokla


For a long time dhokla remained a dish that was a failure in my kitchen. I have tried a few different ways of making them without using fruit salt and using very little soda bicarbonate. However, I hit a brickwall especially with dhokla with besan as I encountered two problems. One was it had a strange smell coming through and second it discoloured and had some sort of brown colouring on it. Both were not appealing. I then took the chance with mung beans and the problems were to a milder degree. It was not until recently that I figured out what the smell was due to. Believe it or not, it was because of a branded soda bicarbonate I was using. I could not find it and had bought supermarket brand and made some cakes which had no smell other than the aroma of the ingredients. Then I found this tub of branded soda I was using and thought I will use it up but only to find that the end product had that same strange smell. So, this time my dhokla was more or less defect free and nutrition rich as I made it with sprouts. I made this for breakfast and wanted to add some carbohydrate so chose to add oats. The dhokla was very nice and it would have been even better if I had eaten with tomato chutney. Green chutney may not be ideal as there are already greens in the dhokla.

1 cup mung sprouts
2 green chillies
2 teaspoons chopped ginger
2 tablespoon coriander leaves
Handful of methi leaves
2 tablespoon yogurt
½ teaspoon soda bicarbonate
¼ cup oats
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Grind together sprouts, chillies, ginger, yogurt and oats together. Add salt, coriander leaves and methi to the ground mixture

Add soda bicarbonate and mix lightly and pour into a greased plate. Cover and steam for 15-20 minutes. Cool briefly and transfer to a plate

Heat little oil and add the mustard seeds and sesame seeds and wait until mustard seeds crackle. Spread this on the dhokla and cut into slices and serve with chutney. You could add some coconut and curry leaves to the tempering as well

Walnut Pesto Sandwich

Walnut Pesto Sandwich


I am not a big fan of sandwiches although I every now and then I do fancy couple of sandwiches that I had when I was in the States. Somehow, untoasted bread does not really appeal to me so I prefer few grilled sandwiches. I came across a recipe for walnut pesto on a television porgram and thought it will be good on a grilled sandwich and make a quick and healthy breakfast. Walnuts are very nutritious and their shape reminds me of the brain and they are indeed good for the brain. They are said to improve memory and also have anti-inflammatory properties in addition to being anti-oxidant rich. The vitamin E in walnuts is said to be special as it is in a form in which it lends significant protection against cardio-vascular problems. Having said all this, I am not a fan of walnuts so any dish in which I cannot quite detect it would be ideal for me. This pesto was very good in that sense. I spread generous portion of it on wholemeal bread, slapped a slice of cheese, grilled and packed it for breakfast. The best part is that my husband liked it too. What a healthy dish that goes down well!

7-8 walnuts, broken to smaller pieces
1 pack of basil leaves (30g)
1 teaspoon black peppercorn
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste
Bread slices to make the sandwich along with some cheese slices if desired

Roast walnuts in a dry pan until it just begins to change colour. Also roast the black peppercorns

Grind together the walnuts, pepper, basil leaves, garlic, olive oil and salt to a paste without adding any water

Smear this on a slice of bread, slap a slice of cheese on it, close with another bread slice and grill the sandwich

Yum yum yum!