Devilled Eggs (A hearty quick meal to beat the autumn chill)



   Ingredients
 
   2 hard boiled eggs
   1 tb sp cooking oil ( a bit more if you like.)
   11/2 t sp chilli powder
   A pinch of oregano ( optional)
   Salt to taste
   Chopped  black olives
   Grated cheese to taste


   Method
  •  Cut the hard boiled eggs into half length wise.
  • Heat the oil in a fry pan till smoking.
  • Lower heat and add the chilli powder taking care not to burn it. The oil should turn a nice red colour.
  • Add the salt and oregano.
  • Place the egg halves in the hot oil  and let them colour lightly.
  • Flip them over and cook the other side as well. Total cooking time should not be more than 2 minutes after putting the  egg halves in the oil.
  • Place on a plate and sprinkle cheese and the chopped olives on top.
  • Garnish with any fresh green herbs of your choice.
  • Enjoy with toasted or plain bread which has been rubbed with the remaining chilli oil.
  • Will certainly hearten a cold gloomy autumn evening.
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Carrot Burst with Pine Nuts ( a refreshing summer salad)

 

  Ingredients

  2 cups grated carrots
  1/2 cup grated raddish(optional)
  1 1/2 tb sps mung daal (yellow lentils)
  1 tb sp roasted pine nuts
  1 t sp finely chopped ginger
  Chopped mint leaves
  few drops of lemon/lime juice
  salt to taste



  Method
  • Wash and soak mung daal for 3-4 hours or till its soft enough to eat raw.
  • Scrape ,wash and coarsely grate the carrots.
  • Scrape, wash and grate the raddish.
  • Toss all the ingredients together and season with salt and lime juice.
  • Cool and serve with rice and curry, rolls or simple bread and cheese.
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Sunny Yellow Daal Salad (A light nutrtious summer salad)

   Ingredients

  1/2 cup yellow mung daal
  2 tb sps finely chopped onion
  2 tb sps chopped tomato
  Finely chopped ginger (optional)
  chopped corriander and mint leaves
  1/2- 1 green chilly finely chopped
  1/4 t sp haldi/turmeric
  salt to taste
  1/4 t sp red chilli powder
  1/4 t sp whole jeera/ cumin seeds
  A pinch of hing/ asafoteda
  2 t sps ghee or clarified butter/  cooking oil



  Method
  • Wash the daal well till the water runs clear,soak it for 15 minutes and drain.
  • Add 1 cup of water, haldi and salt and cook in the pressure cooker till high pressure is reached.Switch off the heat and let the pressure reduce on its own. Open the cooker and check if the daal is cooked. Dry out excess water if any.
  •  If not using the pressure cooker, cook the daal in 1+3/4th cups of water.Reduce heat when it comes to a boil and cover with a lid leaving slightly open for the steam to escape.Stir after 5 minutes. The daal should be done when the water evaporates.It should have separate grains like boiled rice.
  • Put in a flat serving dish and garnish with onions, tomatoes,ginger, corriander, mint and green chilly.
  • Heat the ghee/ oil in a tempering pan till smoking. Lower heat, add  whole cumin  and bring to a splutter taking care not to let it burn. Take off the heat and quickly add red chilli powder and hing. Pour all over the garnished daal .
  • Serve at room temparature as a salad  or as an accompaniment to vegetables and rotis.

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Note: Another version is to mix olive oil and a few drops of lemmon juice to the cooked  and garnished daal instead of the ghee tempering.

Red Lady with Walnuts (A refreshing salad for the summer heat)

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  Ingredients
  1 cup red cabbage shredded fine
  Juliennes of 1/4 red pepper and 1/4 yellow pepper
  a few slices of zuccini cut very fine
  peeled segments of 1/2 an orange
  10 mint leaves chopped fine
  finely chopped ginger ( optional)
  2 walnuts broken into quarters

  Seasoning
  2tb sps malt vinegar
  1 t sp powdered jaggery or brown sugar
  salt to taste


  Method
  Mix all the ingredients in a salad bowl and refrigerate. add the seasoning just before serving.
  A very refreshing accompaniment with shammi kebabs, tangri kebabs cutlets or hard boiled eggs.