Roasted Cauliflower soup

Ingredients

• 2 nos. cauliflower florets
• 1 cup chopped white onions
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp oil
• 2 tsp pepper
• 2 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 cups veg stock
• 1 2/3 cups heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Preheat an oven to 425F. Toss cauliflower, onions, and garlic together in a large roasting pan. Drizzle the vegetables with the oil, season them with the pepper and thyme, and toss lightly to coat. Roast the vegetables uncovered for 25-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they turn golden brown.

Place the roasted vegetables into a large saucepan with the  stock and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and salt; heat through. Puree the soup with  blender . Serve hot.

Mint Infused Strawberry Bisque

Ingredients

Strawberry         - 125 gms
Mint leaves          - 1 bunch
Sugar                    - 50 gms
Sour cream            - 3 tsp
Heavy Cream         - 25 gms

Method

Make a simple syrup with sugar and water
Wash the mint leaves and add to the syrup boil it together
Wash the strawberry and add to the syrup
Add the heavy cream and sour cream to it
Stir it and simmer it for 10 mins
Cool it and blend it

Potato and Leeks Soup

Ingredients 
 
Potato - 500 gms
leeks - 1 nos
onions-50 gms
milk- 250 gms
peppercorn- 2tsp
garlic- 3cloves
salt as required
oil or butter - 2tsp

Directions 

Peel and cube the potatoes
Heat oil in a pan add onions garlic and peppercorns
Once the onions becomes translucent add the potatoes and celery
Add water and bring to boil
Reduce the flame and simmer it
Cook it till the potatoes are well cooked
Coarsely crush the potatoes don't mash it well
Add milk and bring to boil
 adjust the seasoning

Carrot Ginger and Coconut Soup

Ingredients

Carrots -450 gms
Ginger -50 gms
Coconut milk -100 ml
oil    - 3 tsp
onions - 100 gms
garlic- 5 cloves
peppercorns- 1 tsp
salt as required
coriander leaves


Method

chop the onions and ginger
grate the carrots

Heat oil in a sauce pan then add the onion garlic and peppercorn
once the onions becomes translucent add the grated carrots and ginger
saute it in medium flame
cover it and cook it well
once the vegetables get soften add the coconut milk and water and allow it to boil
reduce it and simmer for 15 mins
cool it and blend in a blender
check the seasoning
heat it again
finish with coriander leaves

Quinoa Salad

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2013 as the "International Year of Quinoa"  in recognition of ancestral practices of the Andean people, who have preserved quinoa as food for present and future generations, through knowledge and practices of living in harmony with nature. The objective is to draw the world’s attention on the role that quinoa plays in providing food security, nutrition and poverty eradication

Quinao is a delicious whole grain that was prized by the incas for its nutritive value ,in fact its the only grain contains all the essential amino acids making it a complete protein 

How to Boil Quinao 

Rinse quinoa for about 2 minutes, using your hands to make sure all the saponins are removed.
Fill a medium pot with water, add quinoa and salt to taste and bring to a boil. When the water boils, reduce heat to low and cover; simmer covered 5 minutes. Removefrom heat and keep covered an additional 5 minutes without lifting the lid; then fluff with a fork and set aside  to cool.

Cover quinoa with water using at least twice the amount of water to quinoa. Soak quinoa in a bowl for 12 hours. Using running water, place the grains in a jar with a screen or cheesecloth lid; or use some other sprouting apparatus. Rinse seeds twice a day. Lay the jar sideways to give them room to grow. Cover the jar with a dark cloth loosely so that air can move through the lid. The grain is soft when finished, and best eaten in 2-3 days. 

Quinao Salad / Summer Salad 

Ingredients 

Quinao uncooked -2 cups

tomatoes - 2nos

onions-1 nos 

cucumber - 1nos

avacado- 1nos

jalapenos - 1nos

parsley - small bunch

mintleaves-06 leaves

dry cranberries - 50 gms

oilive oil - 4tsp

lemon - 2nos

lime- 2nos

Method

Cook the quinao as mentioned above

dice all the vegetables 

mix the quinao with vegetables 

whisk lemon and lime juice with oil and salt 

toss it with quinao 

adjust the seasoning if required 

serve cold 

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Sodhi / Thenga Paal Kulambu

Sodhi is a very popular South Indian  dish prepared using certain vegetables and coconut milk. 
Its a very mild flavored  curry and very easy one to prepare.
and  yet tastes so great
 It was almost like mor kozhambu that has a runny watery consistency.  
The curry is basically prepared with thin and thick coconut milk then flavored with cinnamon; and the addition of  lemon enhances the flavors. 

In Tamilnadu you can find a little sweet version and in Srilanka you can find it spicy 

Ingredients 

Coconut - one medium sized coconut 

Urad Dhal - 5 tablespoons 

Small onions - 5 to 8 

Carrots - 1 (cut in small cubes)

Beans - 10 (cut in medium sizes)

Potato - 1 (peeled and diced into small sized cubes) 

Drumstick -1 (cut in to small size)

Green chillies - 3 nos slited 

Garlic pod - 2 nos

Lemon - Juice from half of a lemon 

Curry leaves - A handful 

Cinnamon stick - 2 small pieces

Turmeric powder - 2 pinches 

Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp

Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp

Salt - As per taste 

Oil - 1 tablespoon 

Method 

Wash urad dhal and boil it . The dhal should be well cooked 

Grate the coconut and add water and grind again into a fine paste. Then strain using  a white cloth and squeeze out the thick milk. Set this aside, do not discard the ground coconut mixture, you will need it to extract thin milk. To extract thin milk pour some water to the coconut mixture mix well and extract thin milk from it and set aside. 

Now place a  kadai on heat add oil crack mustard seeds ,fenugreek seeds and curry leaves  pour the second coconut milk into it and add the chopped onions, carrots, beans, cubed potatoes, drumstick slit green chilly, garlic pods, a small cinnamon stick, add salt, turmeric powder and cook on low flame.  

When the vegetables gets half cooked add the cooked dhal stir well. Check for salt and add if needed. 

Close the pot with a lid and cook until the vegetables are done. 

Open the pot and pour the thick coconut milk after the veggies gets cooked well, stir well. Remove from flame when it boils, do not cook further. Pour the lemon juice now and remove from flame.

Shrimp Biryani

Ingredients:

1 lb Shrimp cleaned
1 cup Basmati Rice
1 no chopped Onion
 Ginger  a small Piece 
2 cloves  Garlic
4 Green Chillies
2/3 cup Grated Coconut
2 tsp Garam Masala pwd

2 tsp yoghurt
1 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tbsp Cashewnuts
2 Bay Leaves 

2 nos cardamon

2 nos cloves

cinnamon stick a small piece
1/4 cup Ghee or butter
 Salt  to taste

Method 

• Soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes.
• Make a fine paste of green chilies, garam masala, ginger, garlic, cashew nuts & coconut.
• In a pan heat 3 tablespoons of butter or ghee and add half of the onions and fry until golden brown.
• Add the paste to the onions and cook it for about 5 minutes.
• Add the shrimps and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well so that all the shrimps are coated nicely with the cooked masala and cook on a low flame for 5 minutes Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a separate pan heat 2 tablespoons of butter or ghee and fry the bay leaves and add the remaining onions and fry until the onions are golden brown.
• Add the rice and stir fry for about 10 minutes.then add  1/2 tsp salt and 2 cup of water.
• Add lime juice and yoghurt mix it well 
• Put the lid on the pan  until the rice is almost done on a low flame.
• In a serving bowl mix the shrimps and rice together.
• Cover the bowl tightly. keep dosa thava in the flame and keep the bowl in top for 10 mins

South Indian Fish fry

Ingredients 

Fish cleaned -250 gms
chilli powder - 3 tsp

turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
salt- as required

To grind
Pepper corn- 2 tsp
fennel seeds-1tsp
cumin seeds-1tsp
curry leaves a spring
garlic -optional if you like 2 cloves

Method 

clean the fish
mix all the spices and the grind masala with little oil
marinate the fish in spices and keep aside for 30 mins
heat oil in a pan and add the marinated fish and cook them in medium heat
cook  till it gets crispy on both side

Prawan Pepper fry

Ingredients 

Prawns de veined -250 gms
onions                   - 100 gms
green chillies          - 4 nos
curry leaves           1 spring
ginger garlic paste  2 tsp
chilli powder           1 tsp
salt to taste
black pepper pwd   2 tsp
oil  as required 

For the Prawn marination:

Red chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric – a pinch
Garlic – 1 clove, minced
Salt to taste

Method 

I let the prawns marinate for an hour

Heat oil in a fry pan set to medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds seeds & sauté them.  then add the chopped green chilli’s & fry them for a minute,

Now add the chopped onions and sauté them till they turn light brown. Add a pinch of turmeric to the onions. Add some salt ,then add the ginger garlic paste

Add the  curry leaves to the onions & fry them. Also add the freshly crushed pepper corns and fry them.

Now add the marinated prawns & mix them well..

Lower the heat, cover for 5 minutes & let the prawns cook, but open the lid from time to time & toss them around. Check salt & adjust. Let them fry on low heat till the prawns are tender.

Sweet Potato Kara Kozhambu

Ingredients:

• onion  – 1 no
• Tomatoes – 2
• Sweet Potato -200 gms
• Ginger Garlic paste – 2 tbsp
• Green chilies – 3
•  oil – 4 tbsp
• Cumin seeds -  1tsp
• Curry leaves – a small bunch or 10 to 15 leaves
• Red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Garam masala – 1/2 tsp
•   cumin powder – 2 tbsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Shredded coconut – 1/4 cup
• Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
• Poppy seeds – 1 tbsp
• Tamarind water -  2 cups

Method of Preparation:

1. Peel Sweet Potato ,boil in salted water until its half cooked strain and cool it
2. Chop onion and tomato
3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a deep bottomed thick pan.
4. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, onions and slit green chilies. Fry till onions are translucent.
5. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a couple of minutes and then add chopped tomatoes.
6. Keep frying till tomatoes are cooked and mashed.
7. Add red chili powder, cumin powder, garam masala and salt.
8. Mix well, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water and let it come to a boil and leave it for 5 minutes.
9. Make a paste by grinding coconut, fennel seeds, poppy seeds and coriander powder in a mixer grinder by adding a little water.
10. In another cup of hot water add a small lemon size of tamarind, let it sit for sometime and extract the juice.
11. Add this juice to the boiling mixture in the pan and let everything cook and become a thick gravy.
12. Now add the ground paste and boiled potato let it cook for 5 to 8 minutes at medium heat.
13. Finally add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil and leave it for a minute and turn off the stove.
14. Kara Kuzhambu is ready.