Pepper 'n Spice

  Noodles is an uncomplicated recipe to prepare on a lazy day, especially when you have chopped all the vegetables the previous night and stored them in the refrigerator.     The classy ingredients....   Noodles - 150 g Water - for boiling noodles + additional for microwaving corn and capsicum Baby corn - 200 g Capsicum, green - 1 Capsicum, red - 1 Capsicum, yellow - 1 Garlic - 3 cloves Green chili - 2 Red chili sauce - 1 Tbsp Soya sauce - 1 Tbsp Pepper - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Nutritional yeast - 1/2 tsp The method...   Cook noodles in boiling water with a pinch of salt. Wash with clean, cold water to remove excess starch. Strain noodles and set aside. Trim ends of corn and deseed capsicum. Chop corn into 1/2 inch small pieces and the capsicum into 1 inch matchstick like strips. Place the corn and capsicum bits in a glass bowl with some water. Microwave for 4 or 5 minutes so that they soften and are almost cooked.  Heat a deep-bottomed steel pan and throw ...

 Breakfast today is savory oats with leafy amaranthus thoran. Have you tried it?   The additives...   Red amaranth leaves - a big bunch Water - 1/4 cup   For the grind, Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - a tad Chili powder - 1/4 tsp Shallots - 3 Salt - 1/4 tsp           The modus operandi...   Wash the amaranth leaves and chop them small. Add in the melange of coconut, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt and shallots in a blender jar and grind for 2 seconds. Keep aside.   Heat a deep-bottomed steel pan. Cast in the leaves and water.                Cover with a lid  so that it cooks in the steam. The leaves will wilt and reduce in quantity.       After a few minutes, prepare a well in the center of the leaves by pushing most of it to the sides of the pan. Add in the coconut potpourri in the middle and cover with the leaves pu...

Zucchini or courgette is green or yellow in color and looks like a cucumber. These fritters are pan fried and require very little oil.    The elements are...   Green zucchini, grated - 2 cups Green chili - 1 Onion - 1 Ginger - 1/2 inch Garlic - 1 clove Coriander leaves - a few Salt - a smidgeon Nutritional yeast - 1 tsp Pepper - a bit Wheat flour - 3 Tbsp Olive oil, extra virgin - 2 tsp The mechanism... Add a pinch of salt into the grated zucchini, mix and let it sit for 10 minutes.          Squeeze the zucchini to remove excess water.     Mince chili, ginger and garlic. Slice onion into small bits. Pluck out the leaves of coriander. Throw in chili, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, salt, pepper, yeast flakes and wheat flour into the zucchini bowl and give a good stir.                 Heat a flat bottomed nonstick pan and dribble oil. Drop small spoonfuls of the batter onto the pan gently. Pan ...

Cashewnut is a rich source of healthy fats. This is a cheesy vegan sauce made from cashews, ideal as a veggie dip.  The contents are...   Cashew - 1/2 cup Nutritional yeast - 1 Tbsp Garlic - 1 clove Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp Salt - a pinch Pepper - a bit Water - 2 Tbsp The procedure...   Soak cashews in water overnight, to soften them. Strain water.         Fling in cashews, yeast flakes, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and water into blender jar.         Blitz until the texture becomes smooth and creamy.  Use the sauce as a dip or as a spread. Get high on the cheesy sauce!       A sketch by my daughter :-)

These nutrient dense pancakes made from oats and chickpea flour is called oats besan chilla. Any vegetable can be added to the batter that is used for preparing the pancake. I added zucchini and bell pepper. The chilla turned out soft and tasty.    The constituents are...     Rolled oats - 1/2 cup Shallots - 7 Ginger - 1/2 inch Turmeric powder - a pinch Chili powder - 1/4 tsp Nutritional yeast - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Pepper - 1/4 tsp Chickpea flour - 1/2 cup Water - 1/2 cup Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Carom seeds - a smidgeon Green chili - 1 Zucchini, grated - 1/2 cup Green capsicum - 1/2  The modus operandi...     Soak oats in water for an hour. This will soften them. After an hour, strain and wash the oats in clean water a couple of times. Cast the oats into a blender jar. Add in 4 roughly chopped shallots and ginger, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, pepper, yeast, chickpea flour and water.            Blend well into a ni...

 With the cyclonic rains, the sun is barely out these days. And the temperature is cool too. What better time to enjoy comfort food bereft of unhealthy calories. These are energy balls usually eaten in the winters in North India and during festivals because of the rich blend of dried fruits. The mild sweetness is from just the carrot, dates and raisins. The oat milk render the moistness that helps bind the laddu. Revel in the process of putting together the laddu on one of your halcyon days. The magical ingredients...   Semolina (rava / suji) - 1 cup Carrot - 1/2 cup Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup Dates, pitted - 5 Oat milk, homemade - 1/2 cup Raisins - 1/4 cup Pistachio - a handful Almond - 1/4 cup Cashew - a few Cardamom - 4 pods The procedure...   Roast rava on low heat, stirring oft, until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Toast coconut till it starts to slowly brown.  Chop cashews, pistachio and almonds into small bits. Toast these nuts along with raisins until ...

 These are guilt-free fries that you can relish as a snack. The preparation is undemanding that even a novice can handle. The contents... Carrot - 2 Salt - a pinch Pepper - a little Italian seasoning - a bit Lemon - a squeeze The recipe... Peel carrot, trim the ends and slice into long strips.          Sprinkle salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Also add a squeeze of lemon.          Arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper, without any overlaps. Preheat oven to 200C. Bake for 20 minutes. Delight in the crunchy chips.

 This is healthful and wholesome wheat pizza for you. Made from scratch...from the pizza base to the tomato sauce to the toppings; all prepared and baked sans oil. The elements.... For the dough, Wheat flour - 2 cups Salt - 1 tsp Yeast - 1/2 tsp Date sugar - 1/2 tsp Water, warm - 1/4 cup  For the sauce, Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Onion - 2 Ginger - 1/2 inch Garlic - 3 cloves Green chili - 2 Tomato - 3 Yeast flakes - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Pepper - 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning - 1/4 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Water - 2 Tbsp   For the topping, Bell pepper, yellow - 1 Bell pepper, green - 1 Cabbage - 1 cup Beans, haricot - 7 or 8 Water - 2 Tbsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Pepper - 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning - 1/4 tsp Mozarella cheese - 4 thin slices The modus operandi...   Prepare the dough ahead first. In a small bowl, put in yeast and date sugar. Add some lukewarm water. The yeast will become active and bubbles will form on the surface in about 10 minutes.  In a larger bowl, sieve flo...