Ingredients:
2 cups green beans, cut diagonally
3 tbsp blanched almond slivers
2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
1 tbsp white sesame paste
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sake
2 tbsp soy sauce
Salt
Water
Method:
Bring lightly salted water to boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Put in the beans and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle the beans with 1 tbsp soy sauce and allow to cool.
Powder the almonds and sesame seeds in a food processor. Transfer to a small bowl and add the sesame paste, sugar, sake and remaining 1 tbsp soy sauce. Mix until the dressing is smooth. Pour the dressing over the beans and gently toss to get an even coat.
Serve dressed beans as an appetizer or side dish. Serves 3-4.
Gujarati Kadhi and Kichdi
Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1/2 cup whole green mung bean
2 tbsp gram (besan) flour
1 cup yogurt
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 curry leaves
1.5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp chopped coriander
0.5 tsp red chilly powder
0.5 tsp cumin seeds
0.5 tsp mustard seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
1 dry red chilly, torn
2 tsp ghee
Salt
Water
Ground black pepper
Method:
Kichdi: Wash the rice and the green mung together in cold water till the water runs clear. Add 4 cups water and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Once the pressure has released, transfer to a bowl, and mix in 1 tsp ghee, and salt and ground black pepper according to taste.
Kadhi: Beat the gram flour, yogurt, and 1.5 cups of water till smooth. Add the ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves, sugar, pinch of asafoetida, and red chilly powder and heat. Continue stirring while bringing the mixture to a boil. Once the kadhi starts thickening (within few minutes), reduce heat to low. Adjust salt to taste. Prepare the tempering by separately heating the ghee with cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and torn red chilly. Allow mustard to splutter and cumin to brown. Pour tempering over the simmering kadhi and mix in. Turn of heat and garnish the kadhi with chopped coriander.
Serve kadhi hot with kichdi. Serves 4.
1 cup rice
1/2 cup whole green mung bean
2 tbsp gram (besan) flour
1 cup yogurt
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 curry leaves
1.5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp chopped coriander
0.5 tsp red chilly powder
0.5 tsp cumin seeds
0.5 tsp mustard seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
1 dry red chilly, torn
2 tsp ghee
Salt
Water
Ground black pepper
Method:
Kichdi: Wash the rice and the green mung together in cold water till the water runs clear. Add 4 cups water and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Once the pressure has released, transfer to a bowl, and mix in 1 tsp ghee, and salt and ground black pepper according to taste.
Kadhi: Beat the gram flour, yogurt, and 1.5 cups of water till smooth. Add the ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves, sugar, pinch of asafoetida, and red chilly powder and heat. Continue stirring while bringing the mixture to a boil. Once the kadhi starts thickening (within few minutes), reduce heat to low. Adjust salt to taste. Prepare the tempering by separately heating the ghee with cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and torn red chilly. Allow mustard to splutter and cumin to brown. Pour tempering over the simmering kadhi and mix in. Turn of heat and garnish the kadhi with chopped coriander.
Serve kadhi hot with kichdi. Serves 4.
Indo-Chinese Vegetable Noodles
Ingredients:
1 packet Chinese wheat or rice noodles
1 big green capsicum, long thin strips
2 cups green beans, sliced French-style
1 onion, long thin strips
2 cups carrots, long thin strips
4 red chillies, chopped
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1/2 cup green peas, frozen
5 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and chopped
7 tbsp hot chilli sauce (e.g. Sriracha)
5 tbsp white rice vinegar
5 tbsp soy sauce
5 tbsp tomato sauce
1/2 tsp ground coriander powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin powder
Oil
Additional vinegar
Salt to taste
Method:
Cook the desired amount of noodles (approximately 1 handful/person) in boiling water till al dente. Drain and rinse immediately in cold water. Pour some oil and vinegar over the cold noodles, toss through and set aside.
Heat a generous amount of oil (approximately 1/3 of a cup) in a wok or skillet. Toss in the garlic, onion and chillies, and fry till golden brown. Add in the sauces and powders in the proportion mentioned above and stir till the liquid bubbles. Adjust to taste. Stir in the capsicum, carrot, beans and peas, one after the other, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes till the vegetables are cooked but retain some crunchiness. Turn heat down to medium and mix in the noodles. After the noodles are nicely coated with the sauce and beginning to dry out/brown, turn off the heat and mix in the spring onions. Add salt to taste.
Serve warm. Serves 4.
1 packet Chinese wheat or rice noodles
1 big green capsicum, long thin strips
2 cups green beans, sliced French-style
1 onion, long thin strips
2 cups carrots, long thin strips
4 red chillies, chopped
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1/2 cup green peas, frozen
5 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and chopped
7 tbsp hot chilli sauce (e.g. Sriracha)
5 tbsp white rice vinegar
5 tbsp soy sauce
5 tbsp tomato sauce
1/2 tsp ground coriander powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin powder
Oil
Additional vinegar
Salt to taste
Method:
Cook the desired amount of noodles (approximately 1 handful/person) in boiling water till al dente. Drain and rinse immediately in cold water. Pour some oil and vinegar over the cold noodles, toss through and set aside.
Heat a generous amount of oil (approximately 1/3 of a cup) in a wok or skillet. Toss in the garlic, onion and chillies, and fry till golden brown. Add in the sauces and powders in the proportion mentioned above and stir till the liquid bubbles. Adjust to taste. Stir in the capsicum, carrot, beans and peas, one after the other, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes till the vegetables are cooked but retain some crunchiness. Turn heat down to medium and mix in the noodles. After the noodles are nicely coated with the sauce and beginning to dry out/brown, turn off the heat and mix in the spring onions. Add salt to taste.
Serve warm. Serves 4.
Japanese Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup short-grain white rice
2.75 cups cold water
Black sesame seeds, toasted
Method:
Cooked Japanese rice is glutinous and easy to pick up with chopsticks. The key to shiny white and fluffy rice is to wash it in several changes of cold water till the water runs clear. Once the rice is washed, cover it with the correct amount of water mentioned above, and allow it to soak for 30-40 minutes. Transfer the rice with soaking water to an electric rice cooker and cook in the usual way. It takes approximately 18 minutes to cook rice using a microwave.
Scoop rice into mounds, sprinkle with toasted black sesame seeds and serve piping hot. Serves 2.
1 cup short-grain white rice
2.75 cups cold water
Black sesame seeds, toasted
Method:
Cooked Japanese rice is glutinous and easy to pick up with chopsticks. The key to shiny white and fluffy rice is to wash it in several changes of cold water till the water runs clear. Once the rice is washed, cover it with the correct amount of water mentioned above, and allow it to soak for 30-40 minutes. Transfer the rice with soaking water to an electric rice cooker and cook in the usual way. It takes approximately 18 minutes to cook rice using a microwave.
Scoop rice into mounds, sprinkle with toasted black sesame seeds and serve piping hot. Serves 2.
Pancake with sweet adzuki bean paste
Ingredients for sweet adzuki bean paste:
Method for sweet adzuki bean paste:
Rinse and soak dried adzuki beans in cold water overnight. Drain some water so that the beans are just covered. Pressure cook and allow to cool. Blend the beans with granulated sugar till smooth.
Transfer half the blended contents to a saucepan on high heat. Add a pinch of salt. Stir with a wooden spoon till the liquid starts to boil. Reduce heat to moderate and continue to stir till most of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer the mixture to a large plate and allow to cool.
Method for pancake:
Mix the flour and pinch of salt in a medium-sized bowl. Make a well in the centre. Add the egg and milk and whisk till smooth. Let mixture rest at room temperature for one hour.
Lightly oil and heat a non-stick frying pan. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of the batter and spread evenly. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, or until the underside is golden. Flip the pancakes over and cook the other side.
Thinly spread the sweet adzuki bean paste over the pancake and serve warm. Makes 20.
Variations: Serve some pancakes with lemon juice and spinkled sugar, or with green tea ice-cream and sweet adzuki bean paste.
1 cup dried adzuki beans
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
Ingredients for pancake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1.25 cups milk
Oil
Pinch of salt
Rinse and soak dried adzuki beans in cold water overnight. Drain some water so that the beans are just covered. Pressure cook and allow to cool. Blend the beans with granulated sugar till smooth.
Transfer half the blended contents to a saucepan on high heat. Add a pinch of salt. Stir with a wooden spoon till the liquid starts to boil. Reduce heat to moderate and continue to stir till most of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer the mixture to a large plate and allow to cool.
Method for pancake:
Mix the flour and pinch of salt in a medium-sized bowl. Make a well in the centre. Add the egg and milk and whisk till smooth. Let mixture rest at room temperature for one hour.
Lightly oil and heat a non-stick frying pan. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of the batter and spread evenly. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, or until the underside is golden. Flip the pancakes over and cook the other side.
Thinly spread the sweet adzuki bean paste over the pancake and serve warm. Makes 20.
Variations: Serve some pancakes with lemon juice and spinkled sugar, or with green tea ice-cream and sweet adzuki bean paste.
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