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.
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.
My Amma (Mum) would never waste the stalks whether it is
cauliflower or radish greens. If we had cauliflower for dinner, the next day I
was sure that the stalks would be served up this way. When I was younger and
didn’t know better, I didn’t appreciate it at all. But now I am full of
appreciation for my Amma’s resourcefulness.
Cauli Stalks Koora
300 grams cauliflower stalks (peeled and cut into 2-3
centimetres)
Sesame seed powder or nuvvula podi (in Telugu) is like
dukkah for Andhras. We use it to sprinkle on hot rice or add it to vegetable
dishes to give extra oomph – flavour as well as nutrients.
Broccoli with sesame seed powder
1 large head of broccoli cut into florets and the stem
peeled and cut into 3-4 centimetre pieces
This is one of my favourite ways of cooking beans. This
method is popular in Andhra Pradesh and also in Tamil Nadu. It is simple, easy,
no fuss cooking.
500 grams green beans very thinly cut (about 2 millimetres
wide)
Eating root to shoot isn’t a new
idea. Long before it became a thing, my mother and grandmother were doing it. Growing
up, it was always drummed into me that we need to respect not only food but
also the farmers who produce and as a mark of respect, if it is edible, it is
not be wasted. So very often we would have the leaves served up one day and the
next day it was the stalks. This is a very traditional Andhra dish (the Telugu
name is in small) and you can use the same technique to cook amaranth stalks,
cabbage, radish or even plantains.
400 grams silverbeet stalks
(washed, peeled and cut into a 3 centimetre dice)
Did you know that this classic Italian dish has its origins in Campania, Sicily? People tend to associate Parmigiana to Parma in the north but now you know. There are several variations and you can do it with breaded meat but in our household we prefer the vegetarian version with eggplants. The process is long but I assure there is nothing technical or hard and the end result is very tasty. Remember good things take time!
Eggplant Parmigiana
3 large eggplants
Plain flour for dusting
100 ml of extra virgin olive oil
2 cups salsa di pomodori (recipe
below)
150 grams Mozzarella cheese
grated or sliced thin
50 grams of Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt
METHOD
Slice the eggplant lengthways
into 1 centimetre slices. You will have about 7 or 8 slices from each eggplant.
Don’t make them too thin as they will disintegrate when you fry. Sprinkle each
layer liberally with salt, as you place in a colander in a sink and leave for
about 2 hours.
Slice the eggplant lengthwaysSalting the eggplant
Preheat oven to 180oC
while you prepare the salsa di pomodori and the eggplant.
Pat dry with kitchen towel, dust lightly with flour.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a wide fry pan. Add the eggplant slices
and fry briskly until browned on both sides. Do not crowd the pan. Remove and
drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining oil and eggplant slices.
Layering the Eggplants with salsa di pomodori
Use a lasagne dish, with
alternate layers of salsa di pomodori, eggplant and Mozzarella cheese. Finish
the last layer with Parmigiano Reggiano.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to
40 minutes until golden. Serve hot as a main for four with crisp Cos lettuce
salad or as a side dish to accompany meat for eight people.
SALSA di POMODORI
500 grams of tinned plum tomatoes
1 onion finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive
oil
3 cloves of plump garlic finely
chopped
1 carrot diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
½ to 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
Salt and pepper
2 – 3 sprigs of fresh basil
METHOD
Heat a saucepan and when hot
enough add the olive oil, followed by the onion. Once onion is softened, add
the garlic, chilli flakes, sugar, tomatoes, carrot and tomato paste. Salt to
taste and grind plenty of black pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon to break up
the tomatoes. Add half cup water and bring to the boil. Partially cover and let
simmer for 15 -20 minutes. Remove from heat, blitz to form sauce. Stir in basil
if using.
400 grams of beans cut into 3
centimetre pieces (I use cut frozen beans)
300 grams of peas
1 large onion chopped finely (150
grams)
1 thumb size ginger, peeled and
grated
2 large tomatoes blanched, skin
peeled and chopped fine or use 1 plum tomato from a tin of plum tomatoes and squash
it up with fingers
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ to 1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
3 tablespoons ghee
Salt to taste
Squeeze of lemon
METHOD
Put the beans and peas into
separate bowls of cold water to thaw.
Heat a medium sized sauté or fry
pan. Add the ghee and once it melts, add the cumin seeds so they splutter. Fry
the onions until golden (about 10 minutes) and then add the turmeric, garam
masala and chilli powder. Fry off for about 30 seconds and then add the tomato
along with a tablespoon of water. While tomato is frying, squeeze out the
ginger juice (from the grated ginger) into the pan and mix it in. Now add salt
and the beans and mix to combine. Cover with a lid and reduce heat so the steam
cooks the beans for about five to seven minutes. Stir in the peas and cook for
a further 3 to 4 minutes. If you find there is too much water, then remove the
lid, turn to high and cook off for a minute or so until the water evaporates.
Just before serving, squeeze the lemon if using. Serve hot with rotis or pita
bread. Serves 4.
I have adapted this recipe from Atul Kochhar’s “Simple Indian” cookbook. He made this dish with baby turnips but I feel the pink table radish we get here are succulent prepared this way.
400 grams radish, cleaned and
trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 green chilli, chopped
2 centimetre piece of ginger
finely chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
5 grams root ginger julienned
Salt to taste
METHOD
Mooli Masala
Cut the radish into quarters.
Heat the oil in a sauté pan, add the nigella seeds, green chilli and ginger,
and sauté for 1-2 minutes until the seeds crackle.
Add the radish and powdered
spices, and sauté over a low heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and
salt. Cover and cook until the radish are soft.
Sprinkle chopped coriander and
ginger julienne over the radish and serve hot as an accompaniment.
