Pepper 'n Spice

 The essential contents are... Spinach - a big bunch Mint leaves - a big bunch Ginger - 1/2" Garlic - 4 cloves Green chili - 1 Lemon - 2 Water - a splash Salt - a smidgeon  The mechanism... Soak spinach and mint leaves in water with a bit of vinegar and salt for an hour. This helps remove pesticides. After that, wash well under running water. Break off and discard stem.  Peel ginger, garlic and mince them. Slice chili into bits.  Throw in spinach, mint, ginger, garlic, chili, salt, lemon juice and water into a blender and blitz for a minute or until all the leaves are crushed. Have a whale of a time, enjoying the chutney alongside crisp dosa.

 This dish was cooked by daughter. The fundamental elements are... Wheat noodles Green capsicum  - 1 Cabbage - 1 cup Onion - 1 Salt - 1/ 2 tsp Dark soy sauce - 1 tsp Vinegar - 1 tsp

  The elements of this uncomplicated dish are... Beans - 500g Drumsticks - 2 Onion - 1 Salt - 1/2 tsp Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp Nutritional yeast - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - a smidgeon Water - 3/4 cup The modus operandi... Wash beans and drumstick well. Trim ends of beans. Chop into thin rounds. Cut open the drumstick and scrape out the insides. Microwave beans and drumstick seeds with some water and a tad bit of salt for 3 minutes. The vegetables will soften. In a deep-bottomed steel pan, throw in chopped onion and a splash of water. Let it cook for 5 minutes.  Fling in the vegetables. Allow them to soften on slow heat. Add in salt, pepper, turmeric powder and yeast flakes. Give it a good stir. Cook until the vegetables dry up. Platter and serve alongside rice or quinoa. Have a whaling time savoring the wholesome food.

 The building blocks of the steak... Chicken breasts - 500g Salt Apple cider vinegar Pepper (whole) Black pepper powder Chili powder Ginger garlic paste Olive oil - 1 Tbsp Wash chicken well under running water. Cut each breast into two halves lengthwise. Slash it on top many times. This is so that when it is heated, the insides will be cooked thoroughly.  Marinate with salt, vinegar, whole pepper, pepper powder, chili powder and ginger garlic paste. Store in fridge overnight.  In a nonstick pan, dribble oil. Place the steak pieces gently. Cook on low heat, turning often; for half an hour or until nicely browned on both sides. Savor as such or as a sandwich with tomato and spinach leaves. Recipe adapted from here  .

 The ingredients...... Brown chickpeas - 1 cup Onion - 1 Ginger - 1/2 inch Garlic - 4 cloves Nutritional yeast - 1 tsp Chili powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Tomato - 1 Water - for boiling chickpeas and cooking onion Spinach- 1 big bunch The recipe... Pressure cook chickpeas in water with little salt for 4 to 5 whistles.  Peel onion, ginger and garlic. Chop onion into thin slices. Mince ginger and garlic. In a deep - bottomed saucepan, fling in onion, ginger, garlic and a splash of water. Allow the onions to soften. Spoon in yeast flakes, salt, coriander powder and garam masala. Stir for a minute for the raw smell of the masalas to disappear. Add in roughly chopped tomato. Give a good stir so that the tomato blends in. Turn off heat. Wash spinach leaves well by soaking it in water with a dash of salt and apple cider vinegar for an hour. Clean well and break off stems. Throw in the masala mishmash,  spinach leaves and some water into a bl

 Green peas belong to the legume family. Here is an unembellished recipe from a paper cutting I had saved long back. The nuts and bolts of the dish are... Basmati rice - 1 and 1/2 cups Water - 2 cups for cooking rice + 1/2 cup for cooking onions and peas Onion - 1 Ginger - 1/2" Garlic - 4 cloves Nutritional yeast - 1 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Green peas, frozen - 1/2 cup     The procedure...   Soak rice in water for half an hour. Wash rice and strain. Pressure cook with 2 cups water and a smidgeon of salt. Defrost green peas. Wash them. Microwave peas with little water and a pinch of salt for 3 minutes.  Peel onion, ginger and garlic. Mince garlic and ginger. Chop onion into thin slices. Heat a deep-bottomed saucepan and throw in onion, ginger, garlic and a splash of water. Cook for a few minutes or until the onions soften. Add in yeast flakes and salt. Stir well. Fling in the cooked green peas. Spoon in rice. The awesome dish is ready to be served.

  Cabbage is a pale, light green vegetable that needs very little cooking time. It is crunchy and can be eaten raw in salad dishes.     The elements of the simple platter... Cabbage - 1/4 kg Onion - 1 Ginger - 1 inch Salt - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - a tad Water - 1/4 cup The preparation method... Peel ginger and onion. Chop ginger into small bits. Cleave onion into 1/4" pieces. Cut cabbage also into 1/4" pieces. Fling in onion and ginger into a deep-bottomed pan along with water. When the onion becomes soft, throw in the cabbage and spoon in the spices. Allow the vegetable to cook in the remaining water and steam. As all the water evaporates, give the mishmash a good stir and spread it to the edges of the pan. Turn off heat. Plate it and serve hot!