In the garden world spring is a magical time. It is still
quite cold but the plants got the memo that it is September and it means that
they all need to come out of dormancy and burst into tender green shoots. The deciduous
plants are still leafless but I can see them all busy, shooting out tiny
leaves. I have often wondered how plants sense that the days are getting longer
and they can come out of their slumber. This makes me more in awe of Nature.
I prefer red cabbage over green cabbage. It can be served
cooked or raw and during winter adds such a vibrant colour to the table. This
can be served as a light meal on its own or as an accompaniment.
Red cabbage and edamame salad with miso dressing
INGREDIENTS
½ small red cabbage, washed, dried and thinly sliced
Celeriac is not available in all supermarkets and yes it is
an ugly looking vegetables. Luckily I am too much of a curious cook to not
dismiss something based on looks.
Celeriac
You can say it is the unsung hero of the vegetable world,
knobbly and odd shaped. It has a celery flavour with a hint of lemon and is
nutty. I came across celeriac when we were living in Budapest and during winter
there was an abundance of this. Again another very versatile vegetable – try it
roasted or in soups and it will be easy to see why it is popular. You can mix
it in with potato to make a mash or on its own make a velvety, creamy puree to
go with your seafood.
I feel mung beans are little pockets of goodness and feel so
virtuous when I have a handful of homemade mung bean sprouts for breakfast. This
is cooked but very satisfying and filling as a snack or part of a meal.
I tend to use a lot of alliums in my cooking, be it the humble brown onion or the very French of alliums – the leeks. I use everything in between as well. Coming to think of it, I use about ten different varieties of alliums!
I was tossing up whether I should include this recipe or not
but decided to write as it is a no fuss recipe, few ingredients already
available in the pantry and to top it off, it is so pretty on the plate.
Blooming onions
INGREDIENTS
4 medium sized red onions
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Blooming onions
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Using a sharp knife,
trim off half a centimetre on the top. Trim the root. Peel the onions and cut
each onion into eighths, stopping about a centimetre from the bottom. Make sure
you haven’t cut it through as you want the onions to hold and stay intact.
Lay four large squares of aluminium foil on your counter
top. Place one onion root down on each foil piece. Drizzle the vinegar and oil,
then season well and fold the foil, pinching the edges to seal. Repeat with the
remaining onions.
Place the wrapped onions on an oven tray and roast for 30
minutes. Unwrap the onions and allow to cool slightly before transferring onto
plates for serving. If the onions don’t bloom naturally after you open the
foil, you can gently nudge and open the layers. Serves 4.
I am a great fan of vegetables and I am curious too. While
people walk past vegetables they don’t recognize the nerd in me is always
interested to know all the details of the said vegetables. Parsnip is one such
thing – agreed it looks like a white carrot but tastes nutty and it is so
versatile. I use it to make tray baked parsnip chips, in soups, in winter roast
vegetables and in gratin. Do give it a
try and you’d be glad you did. Anyway this is super quick and easy, and you can
eat on its own or serve as an accompaniment to a roast meal or steak.
You ask any person from India and they will tell you that
Indo Chinese cuisine is a thing. It is unique and every desi feels very
nostalgic about Indo Chinese. This soup is inspired by those memories and this
is easy to make a chicken or vegetarian version. Just need to have good
homemade stock and spend time cutting your vegetables fine which I find very
therapeutic.
Ingredients
100 grams green cabbage (an eighth of a cabbage) very finely
chopped
The night market culture did not take off in India. However
there are small eateries generally managed by three or four staff and serving
fast food. Fast food ranges from samosas, frankies, pakodis, pani puri to dosas
and vadas. The vendors do specialize in their offerings and there is no
cross-over. The turnaround time and the efficiency is very interesting to
observe.
Aloo bonda also called batata vada can be classed as fast
food but I have elevated it to “fancy” by the way I serve it with a mint and coriander
chutney and pickled radish.
