Pepper 'n Spice

Sprouted beans are touted to be healthier and nutrient dense than the beans. They are pretty uncomplicated. Soak the beans overnight and into the next day, changing the water 3 or 4 times. Drain the water and place them in a glass jar or steel container. Small tails will eventually form. They can be eaten raw in salads. The materials.. Sprouted mung beans - 1 and 1/2 cup Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup Shallots - 5 Green chili - 1 Salt - 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chili powder - 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds - a smidgeon The procedure.. Slice shallots into small pieces. Mince chili. Add the coconut, shallots, chili, salt, cumin seeds and chili powder into the grinder jar and blend for 2 seconds. Heat a deep-bottomed saucepan and throw in the sprouted beans. Make a well in the center by pushing some of the beans to the side of the pan and add the coconut hodgepodge in the center. Cover the coconut mishmash with the beans moved to the side of the pan and allow it to cook in the steam. After 2 to 3 minutes, stir t...

Rajma is made from red kidney beans. It is a well-liked vegetarian dish in North India. The term rajma chawal refers to rice served with rajma. We had mom's finger-licking curry with chapati. The contents.. Kidney beans - 1 cup (soaked overnight)   Rice bran oil - 1 tsp Cumin seeds - a bit Onion - 2 large Ginger - 1/2 inch Garlic - 3 cloves Tomato - 2 Turmeric powder - a tad Chili powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Tamarind juice - 1/4 cup Pepper - a sprinkle Sugar - a pinch Coriander leaves - a few   The method.. Boil the kidney beans, strain and keep aside. Chop onion, ginger and garlic into small pieces.  Heat a deep-bottomed pan and drizzle oil. Throw in the cumin seeds, ginger, garlic and onion. Fry them. Then cast in the roughly chopped tomato. After a few minutes, add the spices (turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt). Saute until the raw smell of the masalas vanish. Allow to cool. Grin...

This sourdough bread is a revamp of the sourdough oats bread . The all-purpose flour used is halved, replacing the other half with wheat flour or the atta used to make chapati. Sourdough bread needs only about a tablespoon of oil, but I was able to make do without it. It turned out nice and crusty.

Cooking without oil is simple and easy. Though it might sound difficult due to worries of taste, vegetables sticking to pan and browning, its actually quite straightforward. Vegetable broth or work works well as a substitute to oil. Why ingest something that is 100% fat and is highly processed?!   I followed the chow mein cooking method, only replacing oil with water. So I sauteed garlic and chili for a few seconds in the pan and when it started to stick, I added a splash of water. The chow mein turned out yummilicious. A doodle by my daughter :-)

 Sweet potato is a starchy root vegetable. In Kerala, it is oft boiled or pressure cooked and then peeled to be eaten with a spicy green chili chutney. The flesh is white in color, though in North America, the orange variety is more predominant and is called yam. This sweet potato chips is an inspiration from my two year old niece, Joanna, who loves them :-) The ingredients... Sweet potato - 1 medium size Salt - a sprinkle Kashmiri chili powder - a smidgeon The technique.. Wash sweet potato well under running water and peel off the skin. Cut into thin slices. Remove any excess water on the slices by dabbing on a dry towel. Sprinkle salt in a batch and chili powder in the other. Line a baking tray with baking paper and arrange the chips on the tray without overlapping. Preheat oven to 180C. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Halfway through, flip the chips so that they are cooked through and through. Enjoy them fresh and crisp.

Bottle gourd Calabash or bottle gourd is a light green vegetable with white flesh. The ones I have seen here are usually long and bottle in shape. But there are round ones too. The mature dried vegetable can be used as a utensil.  Celery It contains mostly water and so it is used in weight loss diets to provide dietary fiber without adding much calorie. Celery is eaten raw or cooked. Raw celery sticks are eaten alongside dips such as hummus, guacamole and peanut butter. It has a strong pleasant smell and taste. The constituents of the juice are... Bottle gourd - 500g Celery - 2 stalks with leaves Cumin seeds - a dash Spinach powder - a pinch Plant-based collagen powder - a bit Turmeric ginger powder - a little Salt - a tad Lemon - 1/2  Water - 4 glasses The process.... Immerse bottle gourd and celery in water with a touch of rock salt for an hour. This will remove any external pesticides on the vegetable and leaf. Wash them well. Peel the skin of the bottle gourd, discard the ...

Barfi is generally a milk based sweet made of nuts such as cashews, pistachio and almonds. It is often  served in weddings and religious functions. During the time of Diwali, they are oft given as gifts to family and friends. The barfi sometimes has an edible silver foil called vark stuck to the edges. The homemade barfi that you see here is made from nuts, figs and dates. The dates render it sweet.  The elements are... Dates - 13 Figs - 6 Almonds - 1/2 cup Walnuts - 1/4 cup Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup The process... Chop almonds, walnuts and figs into small bits. Deseed the dates. Heat up a saucepan. Roast the coconut for 1 or 2 minutes. Set aside. Now, toast the almonds and walnuts. Keep aside. Add in the dates and figs. Stir for 5 minutes until the dates seem to dissolve and form a lumpy mass. Cast in the nuts and coconut. Turn off the heat. Stir so that everything is merged well. Allow to cool.  With your hands, form the mishmash into 1 or 2 cylinder shapes. Cover tight...