Tag: vegetarian

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Something new

I love ethnic foods from all over the globe.  I consider it a real treat when i get to experience something new.  Today, I decided to treat myself and went to an Indian restaurant.  The smells of curries, tandoori, masala enveloped my senses and I ate heartily.

One of my favorites is dosa masala, a vegetarian dish.  With several trial and error attempts, I finally perfected my recipe.  I hope you can try it too.

Crispy Masala Dosa is one of the most popular among the South Indian recipes. It is a typically eaten for breakfast and is rich in carbohydrates and protein. It is considered as the staple food in the South Indian region. In the rest of the country too, Dosas are hugely popular and Udipi restaurants serving them and other South Indian foods can be found in almost every suburb.

Dosa shell: Masala Dosa
2 cups – Idli rice or parboiled rice
1/2 cup – Skinless split urad daal* (skinless black gram)
1/2 teaspoon – Methi seeds (Fenugreek seeds)
1/4 cup – Poha (beaten rice)*
1/4 cup – Cooked rice
1/4 teaspoon – Cooking Soda
3 to 4 teaspoon – Sugar
1 tablespoon – Salt
1 handful – Chana dal (Yellow split peas)*

* many of these items can be  picked up in various ethnic food stores.

Add parboiled rice, methi, poha, cooked rice, yellow spilt peas into one large vessel containing sufficient water for soaking. Then soak urad dal in water in a separate vessel. Soak for 6-7 hours or overnight.
Then grind the contents from both the containers separately to a smooth paste adding water as required. After grinding the urad dal, add it to the main batter container and mix well. Add water as required until you get a pouring consistency.

Now add sugar, salt, cooking soda and mix well. Cover and keep aside in a warm place for at least 7 hours. During this time the batter raises and reaches approximately two and a half times the original volume. So make sure you use a big enough container for the dosa batter.

Masala Filling:
4 Potatoes, medium sized
1 to 2 Onions, medium sized long thinly sliced
12 Small green chilies, split at the center (optional)
1/4 tsp – Turmeric
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp – Mustard
1 tsp – split urad daal
1 1/4 tsp  yellow split peas or lentils
½ cup of chickpeas
½ tsp – Curry powder
2 tbsp – Coriander leaves or Cilantro
1 tbsp – Ghee or additional oil
2 tbsp – Oil

Cut the potatoes each into 2 pieces with the skin intact and cook them as if you were making mashed potatoes.  Once tender, peel the skin of the potato and roughly smash or squeeze them coarsely by hand and set aside.

Heat oil in large pan and add the mustard seed. When the mustard starts popping or bursting add split urad daal, chickpeas and the yellow split peas or lentils. Keep stirring for a minute and then add onion, curry, green chilies and turmeric. Sauté for around 10 minutes. Add Salt and 1/2 cup water and stir well. Add the mashed potato, coriander leaves, ghee and mix well. Now take the pan of the heat and the filling is done.

The filling is added to the dosa and wrapped like a cannoli.

Now, I like to eat the filling as a stand alone or with toasted pita or naan bread.  But you can make your own determination.   The cook can control the level of the spice by limiting the number of chilis to the dish.  In my version, they are not added at all.

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Black Bean Burger Recipes for my Gluten Free & Vegan Friends

I was recently at a barbecue party this past weekend with friends.  The typical choices were there – hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers.  But, some of my friends who were vegetarian (no meat) and gluten free were out of luck.

The veggie burgers had gluten added.  I suggested one of my black bean “burger” recipes and many asked that I post it here.  The first recipe is not a vegan dish as egg, sour cream, and cheese are added.  A vegan friendly recipe is posted as a second recipe below.

Ingredients

  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 6 tablespoons salsa, divided
  • 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  • 4 lettuce leaves
  • 4 slices reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
  • 4 gluten -free hamburger buns, split

Directions

In a large bowl, mash beans with a fork. Add the rice, onion, egg and 2 tablespoons salsa; mix well. Drop by 1/2 cupfuls into a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Flatten to 1/2-in. thickness. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until firm and browned.If grilling, spray some oil on to tin foil so that the burgers don’t stick to the grill and fall apart.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream and remaining salsa. Place a lettuce leaf, burger, sour cream mixture and slice of cheese on bun.

NOTE: When I make this for myself, I leave out the salsa and sour cream and eat with the lettuce leaves.

For my Vegan fans
This makes 6 medium-sized burgers:1 can black beans (about 16 ounces), drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder of choice
2 tbsp ground flax seed
(1 tbsp. corn starch, optional)Start by sauteing the onion in a tablespoon of water, just until they start to soften. Mash the black beans and add the peppers and onions and the other ingredients; mix well.Spray or brush a non-stick skillet with oil, and heat. Spoon the bean mixture into the hot skillet, forming patties. It’s best to do this by dropping spoonfuls into the skillet and using the back of the spoon to shape; they don’t do well if you try to form them into patties beforehand. Cook until well-browned on each side, turning once.  If you use a barbecue grill, place tin foil on the grill and spray some oil on the foil.  Cook the burgers on top of that.  It keeps them vegan safe and helps prevent them from falling apart.A note about the cornstarch: The cornstarch helps the burgers stick together, but if you use it, be sure you cook them thoroughly or you may taste the corn starch.

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Sausage Hash – Perfect side dish for Thanksgiving

This is the latest article from Renaissance Magazine.  It offers a great recipe for a side dish that is perfect for Thanksgiving that can be altered for the vegetarian family members.  Don’t let the name fool you, the vegetarian version is just as tasty.

Autumn is in full swing and soon the weather will cool and summon winter to come forth.  The fall and winter months herald several holidays that celebrate family, togetherness, and love.  The holidays also bring forth family feasts that help solidify relationships with family and friends.

As a child, my family’s holiday dinners usually consisted of the standard roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, and stuffing.  As an adult who likes to show off their culinary skills, I tend to cook less 20th century traditional recipes and cook more historical dishes; one of which is Sausage Hash.

Food image is credited to: Bill Moss, Moss Fotografica
Food image is credited to: Bill Moss, Moss Fotografica

This particular dish is a favorite among my family and friends and is extremely versatile and easy to make.  It can be used as a breakfast dish, a side item for a holiday dinner, or as an entrée.   During the holidays, I have been known to prepare this dish in mass quantities, package them up, and give them as gifts to my close friends, one of whom has been known to eat several pounds of this tasty treat in one setting.

This dish can also be altered for vegetarians or those who keep Kosher or Halal, as you will see from the recipe.

Ingredients:
Approximately 2 lbs of course ground country-style pork sausage or vegetarian sausage crumbles  (Morning Star Farms has a great product – if using the vegetarian sausage, 3 TB of olive oil will be needed)
1 large onion or 3 leeks (a mild onion flavored vegetable), diced
2 lbs of carrots, thick julienned (size of twig or finger, but not matchstick sized)
1 lb of sweet potatoes, peeled and thick julienned
3 lbs of red potatoes, thick julienned
4 gloved of garlic, minced
2 sprigs of rosemary
Fistful of fresh chives, minced and divided
Kosher or sea salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)

Using a large pot, begin to sauté the sausage on medium heat to brown.  While sautéing, break the sausage up into smaller pieces and add the onions and the garlic.  The higher end sausage such as farm made, Amish made, or home made sausage is best, but standard course ground sausage may be used as well.  Avoid using Italian or spicy sausage blends as it alters the flavor.  Additional spices or hot sauces can be added after serving to suit individual tastes.   Instead of the pork-based sausage, vegetarians or those trying to cut back the fat content, can sauté the vegetarian sausage in the olive oil to brown.

When the sausage with the onions and garlic has begun to brown, add the carrots and potatoes, stirring occasionally.  If you notice the pan has a low fat content, add a cup of water to assist in the cooking process.  When the potatoes and the carrots are nearly tender, remove the rosemary from the stems and add half of the chives.  Continue stirring to blend the ingredients.   Add a couple of pinches of salt and pepper to taste.   It is important that table salt is not used in this dish and only sea or Kosher salt is used.

When the vegetables are fork tender, pull off the heat while continuing to stir.  The left over chives should be used as a garnish sprinkled on top of the hash after serving.

This recipe can be duplicated as a vegetable hash by leaving out the meat or vegetarian sausage, and sautéing the same vegetables in the olive oil until fork tender.  This makes a colorful side dish for any family dinner or special event.