Quinoa Tabbouleh

by Deerga // March 24, 2016 // No Comments

Today’s recipe is another entry to my healthy eats category. We have been having Quinoa for quite some time now, probably for a year or so, and I am on the lookout for any new recipe that has Quinoa as an ingredient.

Recently, we went to a mediterranean restaurant and I came across a new type of salad made with Quinoa. I got hooked to it and was eager to try it out myself. The name of the salad is Quinoa Tabbouleh salad and that is the recipe I have posted here.

Quinoa Tabbouleh salad is very easy to make and very healthy as well. On days when you don’t feel like cooking or doing a take out, Quinoa Tabbouleh salad is the one to go for. Very few ingredients are needed to make this salad. Also, there is an accompaniment to the Tabbouleh salad called the Zough. It is a condiment relish made from green chili. The mild taste of Quinoa Tabbouleh and the spiciness of Zough make the perfect pair.

Quinoa Tabbouleh salad can be had as a light dinner or for lunch. Quinoa in general is rich in calories and having it as a salad will not get you full or bloated. Try this wonderful mediterranean salad in your home and let me know your comments 🙂

Tabbouleh

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Tabbouleh:

Red quinoa – 1 cup
Chick pea or garbonza beans or sundal – ½ cup
Olive oil – 3 tbsp
Lemon juice – 3 tbsp
Cucumber, finely chopped – 1 no (I used Persian Cucumber)
Tomato, medium, finely chopped – ½ no (2 tbsp)
Green onions, finely chopped – 2 tbsp
Carrot, finely grated – 2 tbsp (optional)
Cilantro, finely chopped – 2 to 3 tbsp
Salt as required

Zough – green chilli sauce

Cilantro – small bunch
Garlic cloves, small to medium – 3 nos
Lemon juice – 1 ½ tbsp
Olive oil – 1 ½ tbsp
Cayenne pepper – ½ tbsp
Pepper – ¼ tsp
Cumin powder –a generous pinch
Green chilli – 4 nos
Salt as required

Instructions

Soak chick pea overnight and pressure cook for 6 whistles adding enough water and salt. Drain the excess water and set aside.
Wash the quinoa thoroughly and drain them using strainer, pressure cook adding enough salt and 1½ cup water (not more than that) for 3 whistles. Or you could parboil them adding the same amount of water in a sauce pan, covered for 15 minutes. Drain the excess water if any.
Finely chop all the above given ingredients and keep them ready.
In a large mixing bowl, add olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Mix well.
Add cucumber, tomato, carrot, green onion and cilantro. Mix well.
Finally add quinoa and chick pea. Mix them well until well combined.
Have it right away or Cover and leave it at least for ½ an hour in the refrigerator and serve chill for better taste.

For making zough

Blend all the above given ingredients to a fine sauce without adding any water.
Have zough sauce as a side for yummy quinoa tabbouleh. Enjoy! :)

Chicken Lo Mein

by Deerga // June 24, 2015 // No Comments

Chicken Lo Mein is a Chinese noodles dish made with wheat flour noodles and chicken. Lo Mein is the Cantonese name for stirred noodles. Traditionally Lo Mein is a variation of another dish called the Wonton noodle soup. Lo Mein is a popular take-out in American Chinese restaurants. It is also sometimes called as Chow Mein but the preparation of this dish very different from that of Lo Mein since with Chow Mein, the noodles are made crispy by frying.

I love Chinese food but normally prefer fried rice and what not. I got hooked to noodles variety only recently. Like said in my earlier posts, I am always on the lookout for dishes from different cuisines which I can try in my kitchen. And now I had the opportunity to cook an authentic dish from Chinese cuisine. The Chicken Low Mein recipe I had given below is a very easy to make and the end result is totally worth the effort.

Chicken Lo Mein has a slight sweetness to it because of the brown sugar but also has spiciness as well at the same time. It is an apt dish to be served for both lunch and dinner. Try this popular Chinese dish in your home and let me know your experience 🙂

Chicken Lo Mein

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Chinese

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

For the sauce:

Sesame oil – 1 tbsp
Sriracha hot sauce – 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves, minced – 3 nos
Soy sauce – ¼ cup
Water – 2 tbsp
Brown sugar – 1 ½ tbsp
Cornstarch – 2 tbsp

For Chicken:

Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Broccoli, small – 1 no ( or 2 cups of florets)
Chicken thighs, cut to bite size pieces – 500 grams
For the Lo-Mein:
Lo Mein noodles – 4 oz
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Unsalted butter - 1 tbsp
Eggs, large, lightly beaten - 2 nos
Ginger, minced - 1 tsp
Red chilli flakes, crushed - ½ tsp
Carrots, shredded - ½ cup
Snow peas - ½ cup
Garlic, minced - 3 cloves
Green onions, sliced thinly – 2 nos
Salt to taste

Instructions

Step 1:
In a small bowl combine and whisk together sesame oil, hot sauce, garlic, soy sauce, water, sugar, and cornstarch; set the sauce aside.
In a large bowl, add many ice cubes and prepare ice bath for broccoli. So that the broccoli retain its color after blanching.
Step 2:
Bring water in a sauce pan along with little salt to boil. Add the broccoli and blanch them for 4 minutes. Immediately transfer them to the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Heat a large skillet with olive oil in medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook until changes to white/brown color. Add the blanched broccoli, reduce the flame to medium and add the sauce. Stir to coat ingredients and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Transfer it to a bowl.
Step 3:
Meanwhile bring water in the sauce pan along with little salt to boil. Add the noodles and boil for 10 minutes. Simmer it and cook for another 15 minutes or until the noodles are well cooked. Make sure the noodles don’t stick before adding to the water. Drain the noodles and set aside.
Step 4:
Heat the large skillet and add butter in medium low flame. Add the minced ginger and sauté for few seconds or until raw smell disappears. Add the crushed pepper and cook for couple of seconds. Add in the eggs, stir gently and cook for about 3 minutes or until well done.
Sauté carrot and snow peas with very little olive oil in a small flat skillet. And add it to the eggs.
Add the chicken and broccoli to the eggs as well.
Finally add the drained noodles to the skillet, stir until everything is coated well with the sauce. Sprinkle with green onions and serve hot.

Notes

Soy sauce has a lot of sodium, so taste before you add any to the finished product.

Cauliflower fry

by Deerga // November 18, 2014 // No Comments

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that is not often found in South Indian palate (especially Tamilnadu). It is a low fat, low in carbohydrates but rich in fiber vegetable. Cauliflower fry is one of the many varieties prepared using this vegetable. I came across this recipe when searching for a supplement to our diet (and yes we start a diet system many times a year, but sticking to one is a different story 🙂 )

The main specialty about this Cauliflower fry is the way it is cooked. Though it is called a fry, I actually use a conventional oven to cook. It is a very tasty dish, trust me. When you are uncertain about what side dish to prepare for Chappati or Naan etc remember this wonderful Cauliflower fry.

For those who don’t have an oven, you can cook this dish using a stove as well. Try this simple, delicious and healthy dish in your kitchen and tell me your experience. 🙂

Cauliflower fry

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

To bake:

Cauliflower florets – 2 to 3 cups
Olive oil – 5 tbsp
Tomato paste or puree, thick – 4 tbsp (I used hunt’s)
Garlic cloves, minced – 1 tbsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Garam masala - ½ tsp
Salt – ½ tsp

For the seasoning:

Oil – 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – a sprig
Green chilli, slits – 4 nos
Ginger, julienned – 1 tbsp
Onion, big, slits – 1 no
Kashmiri red chilli powder – ½ tbsp
Red chilli powder – ½ tsp (optional)
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Dry fenugreek leaves or kasthoori methi, crushed – 1 tbsp
Spring onions or scallions – 1 to 2 tbsp

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and mix all the above ingredients in a large aluminium pan given under 'To bake'. Place it inside the oven and cook for 30 to 45 minutes until the cauliflowers are crunchy (stirring in between). For those who do not have conventional oven, just fry it in a pan on the stove until they are nicely done.
Meanwhile heat oil in a flat pan and season with mustard, urad dal, curry leaves and green chillies. When they start to splutter add onions and sauté until they turn translucent.
Add julienned ginger.
Add all the powders (coriander, chilli, salt, turmeric) and kasthoori methi. Add oven baked or stove cooked cauliflower. Sauté well and cook for 10 minutes.
Garnish with scallions and cilantro.

Notes

!To make tomato puree at home:
Roughly chop the tomatoes and sauté with little onion until they leave oil. Blend them to make a thick paste.

Chicken Cawla

by Deerga // October 23, 2014 // No Comments

Chicken Cawla, interesting name, right? I am not sure about the origin of this dish but I am immensely grateful to whoever came up with this recipe – it is that good. I came across Chicken Cawla while watching a talk show and was hooked the moment I saw it. It is one of my HB’s most favorite dishes ever (no surprises here ;))

Chicken Cawla is something of a new entrant in my kitchen and right now, one of our favorite dishes. It is healthy (grilled) and tastes heavenly. The actual recipe for Chicken Cawla uses mustard oil but I used olive oil (trust me, it does tastes good!). One small trick to this wonderful recipe is to crush or grind the peppers right before adding to the chicken. This gives a fresh aroma and taste to the recipe.

Try this wonderful recipe and let me know your experience. As for me, I am off to make Chicken Cawla, yes, typing this recipe has made me hungry for it 😉

Chicken Cawla

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Cilantro paste:

Cilantro – ½ a bunch
Curd – ½ cup
Green chillies – 2 nos
Salt – a generous pinch

To marinate :

Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Cilantro paste – 1 cup
Mustard oil or olive oil – 1½ tbsp
Salt as required
Chicken thighs – 5 pieces

Other ingredients:

Mustard oil or olive oil – 1 tbsp
Cooking oil – 1½ tbsp
Cloves – 4 nos
Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Garlic, crushed – 4 nos
Ginger, julienned – 1 tbsp
Whole red chillies – 2 nos
Onion, finely chopped – 1 no
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1 ½ tsp
Salt as required

Instructions

Step 1:

Grind together cilantro, green chillies and ginger garlic paste to a fine paste and mix them with curd.
Marinate the chicken with the above given ingredients and refrigerate it overnight or at least for an hour.
Chop onions, crush garlic and julienne ginger.

Step 2:

You can either tandoor the chicken in the oven or shallow fry them.

Tandoor method:

Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F.
Place the marinated chicken on the tandoori pan, spray cooking oil on top of the chicken and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the pan, turn over the chicken and brush them with little oil on top. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Stove top method:

Heat oil in a flat pan and place the chicken pieces one by one in the pan. Cook until the chicken is done on one side. When the chicken is done on one side, turn over the chicken pieces and repeat the same. When the chicken is well done on both sides, remove from the pan, filtering all the excess oil. Add the chicken to the masala we have made.

Step 3:

Heat oil (cooking & mustard) in a flat pan and add cloves, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, whole red chillies, crushed garlic and julienned ginger. Sauté well and add onions. Sauté until the onions turn brown. Add chilli powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder and salt. Add the grilled or shallow fried chicken to the gravy. Sauté well until the masalas are well blended with the chicken. Switch off the flame and serve hot.

Notes

I used olive oil to make this recipe.
Try to grind fresh pepper powder just before adding to the dish, as it enhances the taste of the dish.