Burger With Sauteed Zucchini And Eggplant

          When I get bored of rotis and a little tired to do something else for dinner, I usually end up making something like a wrap or a burger like this. If I am really not in a mood to do anything, then it'll be a simple sandwich with cucumber and tomatoes, otherwise I saute some vegetable and use it as a filling. Yesterday, since I had a zucchini and eggplant ( the large one), I made this simple saute with it and used it in the burger. Since my daughter is wearing braces, I used some cheese spread along with it, you can actually use this filling with some mozzarella and make a panini. It was tasty, healthy and filling..

Need To Have
For The Zucchini Eggplant Saute

• Sliced Zucchini - 3 cups
• Sliced Eggplant - 3 cups
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

For The Burger

• Burger Buns - plain or whole wheat
• Cheese Spread - I used Happy Cow (Laughing cow) wedges
• Zucchini filling
• Tomatoes - 1 or 2, sliced

Method
For The Zucchini Saute

          Heat some olive oil, add the cumin seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the zucchini and eggplant pieces and mix. Add the asafoetida, turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt and mix. Cover and cook on medium heat till the vegetables are done, keep mixing at intervals. Once the vegetables are cooked, remove the lid and saute for 3 or 4 minutes and remove.

To Assemble The Burger

          Toast the burger buns, apply the cheese on one side, place a generous amount of the sauteed zucchini and eggplant. Top it with a couple of tomato slices, cover with the other half and enjoy.

Note
You can leave out the cumin seeds and asafoetida, turmeric powder and use some Italian seasoning instead.
The amount of filling made can be used to make 4 to 5 burgers.
You can use the same filling to make a wrap. 

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Green Tomatoes And Chana Dal/ Bengal Gram

          Today has been a long day, I could sit with my blog only now. Though I had taken the resolution to schedule my posts in advance, not to stay up late, it works only for a week and then I am back to square one, I don't know when I am going to be more organized. Well, coming to today's post, Green Tomatoes With Chana Dal, I had picked up these tomatoes from my vegetable vendor, with not the slightest idea of what I am going to do with it. In fact, I think, this is the first time, I even cooked something with it. I made this dal, using bengal gram and also added some fresh coconut paste for some extra flavor, it went well with both rice and rotis..

Need To Have

• Chana Dal/ Bengal Gram - 1/2 cup
• Green Tomatoes - 2 cups, chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 6
• Chopped Coriander - 2 tablespoons
• Salt - to taste

To Grind

• Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoons
• Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• White Poppy Seeds - 2 teaspoons

Method

          Grind together all the ingredients given under 'to grind' and keep. Pressure cook the chana dal with the turmeric powder.

          Heat some oil, add the mustard and fenugreek seeds, when it starts spluttering add the tomatoes and mix. Add the salt, chilly and coriander powders, mix for a minute. Now add about a cup of water, cover and cook till the tomatoes are done.

          Now add the cooked dal and the ground paste. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Finally garnish with the curry leaves and the chopped coriander and serve it warm.

Note
If you don't have a pressure cooker, soak the dal for an hour and then cook in a regular pot with water.
If the tomatoes are too sour then reduce to 1 and a 1/2 cup.
Soak the poppy seeds in little hot water for 10 minutes, so that you can grind it smoothly.

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Minty Creamy Vegan Pasta

          My daughter loves Italian food, I send her pasta for lunch at least once a week, but since I make it in the morning in a hurry, it's mostly pasta mixed with some pasta sauce and cheese. Only when I make pasta during the weekends, that I try out something different. Though I like cheese, I try to avoid it owing to the high fat, at the same time I try to bring the creaminess using other ingredients, this Minty Creamy Pasta is one such effort and it tasted really delicious. Since mint gives such a lovely flavor to pasta I  have added it, but guess what I have used for the sauce..

Need To Have

• Multi Grain Elbows - 11/4 cup
• Button Mushrooms - 3 cups, sliced
• Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped finely
• Ground Black Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
• Chopped Mint - 2 tablespoons
• Salt - to taste

For The Sauce

• Quaker Quick Cooking Oats - 2 tablespoons
• Cashews - 8
• Dry Oregano - 1/2 teaspoon
• Dry Basil - 1/2 teaspoon

Method

          Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Grind together all the ingredients given for the sauce, adding a little water.

          Heat some olive oil, add the chopped garlic and saute till it starts turning golden and gives a nice smell. Now add the mushrooms and salt and keep sauteing on medium heat, till all the water released by the mushrooms dries up and they are cooked.

          Now add the ground paste and mix, add about 1/2 cup or more of the water used for cooking the pasta and the pepper powder. Keep mixing for about 2 or 3 minutes, if it dries up, add some more water.

          Then add the cooked pasta and mix well. Finally mix in the chopped mint and serve it warm.

Note
Don't overcook the pasta, otherwise the whole dish will be mushy.
Always the final dish should have a slightly thin sauce, otherwise, as it cools the pasta will become too thick and dry.
If you want more sauce and less pasta, increase the sauce ingredients.
You can also add some red chilly flakes if you like.

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Jjajungmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

Apparently, Valentine's Day is celebrated by singles in South Korea by getting together and eating jjajungmyeon.  I asked a Korean friend about this tradition, and he said that it's because, like spaghetti, it's one of those dishes that you don't want to eat on a date because it can get really messy.  Good enough for me.

When I found out that some of my friends were going to go to a Korean restaurant to eat this last Thursday, I was like, you know it's really easy to make at home, right?  Which somehow turned into me making a last minute Asian grocery store run and hosting 4 single guys on Valentine's Day.  Sigh.

That same Korean friend pointed me to this recipe saying that it's pretty authentic except that he fries the sauce separately from the rest of the ingredients and then adds it in.  Which I guess is where the name of the dish comes from; it literally translates to "fried sauce noodles".  There's a Chinese version of this dish too, but it uses a soybean paste versus the black bean paste that's used in the Korean version.

The traditional noodles used for this dish are flat white wheat noodles, similar in shape to fettuccine.  If you can't find them, you can try substituting with fettuccine, but you'll want to cook the noodles past al dente so that they're pretty soft (but not falling apart).

 
Jjajungmyeon (adapted from Maangchi)
serves 6

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 medium daikon radish, diced into 1 cm cubes (about 2 cups worth)
2 medium zucchinis, diced into 1 cm cubes (about 2 cups worth)
2 medium potatoes, diced into 1 cm cubes (about 2 cups worth)
4 small onions, chopped
Heaping 1/2 cup of jjajung (Korean fermented black bean paste)
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Jjajungmyeon noodles, cooked

 
Heat a large pan on medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the cubed daikon and stir fry for about a minutes.

 
Add the diced zucchini, potato, and onions and stir fry until the potato is translucent, about 5 minutes.

 
In the meantime, in a small sauce pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.  Add the jjajung and stir fry for about a minute.

 
Add the fried sauce to the vegetables and add four cups of water.  Once the sauce is boiling, lower the heat, cover the pan, and cook until the vegetables are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

 
Mix the cornstarch and sugar in 1/4 cup of water.  Add to the sauce and stir until it thickens.  Add the sesame oil and mix.

 
Portion out the cooked noodles into large bowls.  Top with the sauce and mix well.

 
I think the best part about this dish is how cheap it is; I spent less than $15 to feed all five of us, plus I had enough leftovers for one more meal!

Three years ago:  Nutella Ice Cream
Four years ago: New England Clam Chowda and Homemade Oyster Crackers

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Zucchini Chutney

          Hope everybody is having a relaxed weekend, of course many of us also have a lot of chores lined up for those two days. During the weekdays, most of the time we have some sandwich or cereal for breakfast, but on weekends I make something other than sandwich, today we had idlis for breakfast and I made this Zucchini Chutney to go with it. My daughter likes zucchini, especially she loves this chutney. If you leave out the seasonings, this chutney requires only three ingredients, and it goes very well with idlis, dosas or even with rotis..

Need To Have

• Zucchini - 2 cups, sliced
• Tomatoes - 1 cup, chopped
• Dried Red Chillies - 3
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/ Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 6 or 7
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Heat some oil, add the chillies, saute for a few seconds and remove them. Now add the zucchini pieces, keep sauteing till they start turning slightly brown on the edges.

          At this stage add the tomatoes and the  salt and keep cooking till the tomatoes turn mushy.

          Cool this and grind it with some water, but don't make it into a smooth paste, it should have some texture. Heat some oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering add the asafoetida and the curry leaves and switch off. Mix and add this to the chutney and serve.

Note
Always taste a small piece of each zucchini used, some of them taste very bitter and will spoil the entire dish.
The red chillies that I use are less spicy, use yours accordingly.

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Strawberry Lassi/ Strawberry With Yogurt

          Few years back, strawberries were hardly seen in India, especially in Chennai, very difficult to get them. But now, I see a lot, not only in the big shops, the local vegetable vendor brings them too and they taste good too. Though we are happy to have them plain, as such, my daughter also likes to have it with some melted chocolate and we also like to have it in this lassi. It's not much of a recipe, just blending together the strawberries with yogurt and sugar..

Need To Have

• Strawberries - 10 medium size, chopped
• Curd/ Yogurt - 1 cup
• Sugar - 5 teaspoons or to taste

Method

          Blend the strawberries smoothly along with the sugar. To this add the yogurt and blend it well. Chill it and enjoy.

Note
Can replace sugar with honey.
I didn't add any other flavoring agent, you can add some cardamom if you want.
The above quantity is good for 2 servings.

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Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu/ Lentil Balls In Tomato Coconut Gravy

          The last few days have proved to me, how much I am attached to my blog, I had lost my internet connection last Saturday and got it back just an hour back, I felt so lost without it. Though I have taken breaks from blogging, this is the first time I was forced to do it because of this internet problem, made me so sulky and irritated. Coming to today's dish, Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu, basically it's deep fried lentil balls in a tomato-coconut gravy. There are a couple of versions of this, I follow my mother's recipe, the lentil balls soaked in the gravy tastes so delicious, simply love it with some plain rice or even as a side dish for idlis, dosas or rotis, a must try dish..

Need To Have
For the Urundais/ Lentil Balls

• Chana Dal/ Bengal Gram - 1 cup
• Dried Red Chillies - 3
• Fennel Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup
• Curry Leaves - 10, roughly torn into small pieces
• Salt - to taste

For The Gravy

• Onion - 1 medium chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 big chopped
• Garlic - 5 cloves
• Grated Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Green Chillies - 2
• Tamarind - a small marble size
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 3 teaspoons
• Cinnamon  - 1" stick
• Cloves - 2, coarsely crushed
• Fennel Seeds - Coarsely Pounded , 2 teaspoons
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 2 tablespoons
• Curry Leaves - 10

To Grind

• Grated Coconut - 3 tablespoons
• Cashews - 5

Method
To Prepare The Urundais

          Soak the chana dal/ bengal gram for 2 hours and grind it with the red chillies and fennel seeds without adding any water ( using the pulse button in the blender).

          To this, add the chopped onions, coriander, curry leaves and salt and mix it. Make lemon sized balls with it.

          Heat some oil for deep frying. Add the lentil balls, five or more at a time (depending on the amount of oil you are using for deep frying) and deep fry them. Don't wait for it to turn brown, remove it when you see it changing into a light golden color. Drain and keep them.

To Prepare The Gravy
          Grind the grated coconut and cashews and keep. Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup hot water, extract the juice and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the crushed fennel seeds, cinnamon and cloves. When it starts sizzling, add the chopped onions, green chilli, garlic and ginger, saute for 2 minutes till the onion turns pink in color.

          Now add the tomatoes and saute till it turns mushy. Then add the turmeric, chilli and coriander powders and mix for a minute. Add the tamarind extract and about 2 cups of water, salt, bring it to a boil and simmer it for 5 minutes.

          Now add the ground coconut-cashew paste and boil it for a couple of minutes. At this stage, add the deep fried lentil balls/ urundais and simmer for another 2 or 3 minutes. Add the chopped coriander and curry leaves and switch off. Leave it for 5 to 10 minutes for the balls to soak in the gravy, then serve it.

Note
If you fry the lentil balls too much, they will not soak up the gravy.
When you add the fried balls at the end, the gravy should be slightly thin, otherwise, once the urundais soak the gravy, it'll be really thick and without any gravy left.
Though I used 1 cup chana dal, I made only 15 balls and used in the gravy, the remaining I saved up for making vadais.
If you make more urundais, increase the gravy.
Can leave out the tamarind and use only tomatoes for this gravy, add one more small tomato or a tablespoon of crushed tomatoes instead of the tamarind.
Can double the amount of coconut for a much more richer gravy.

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