Tag: cashews

Upma

Upma is an Indian dish made with fine semolina. It’s commonly eaten in a number of Indian states, but everyone has their own spin on it. The South Indian version has ginger, Maharashtrians add turmeric to it, and Oriya upma has a bunch of veggies. I didn’t like upma when I was younger, except when my grandmother cooked it.

My grandmother’s upma was famous in our entire family. Nobody could come close to how soft, but rich and crisp around the edges her upma was. One day, she told me what her secret. It was so easy, I never could have guessed it on my own. It was just boiling hot water and a generous amount of fat. Since then, my upma has turned out perfect every single time. This particular recipe is our favorite, and it is not authentic to any single cuisine in India. It’s just my own take on the upma I remember from my childhood.

Servings: 2, Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooling time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • Fine semolina flour (suji/rava) 1 cup
  • Boiling hot water 1.5 cups
  • Whole green chili 1 medium
  • Ginger .5 inch piece
  • Salt as required
  • Curry leaves (kadhi patta) 6-7 leaves
  • Whole cashews 8 (optional)
  • Yellow moong dal 2 tsp (optional)
  • Clarified butter (Ghee) 4 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the green chili. Peel and grate the ginger root.
  2. Add 1 tsp ghee to a pan and allow to heat on medium heat
  3. Add the cashews and moong dal to the hot ghee and sauté till light golden. Remove to a plate
  4. Add the remaining ghee to the same pan and add mustard seeds once the ghee is hot
  5. Once the seeds have spluttered, add the curry leaves, grated ginger and chili pieces. Sauté for 2-3 minutes
  6. Add the semolina and sauté on low heat till lightly golden and fragrant. Make sure to stir continuously, or the semolina can burn
  7. Add salt and mix properly. It is important to add salt at this point since it is difficult to mix it in after adding water
  8. Slowly add the boiling water to the roasted semolina while stirring vigorously.
  9. Cook till all the water has been absorbed. Cover, switch off the heat and let rest for 4-5 minutes.
  10. Mix in the cashews and moong dal and serve hot!

Tips

  • If you like yogurt, add it right before adding the water. It will give a nice tang to the upma
  • Cashews and moong dal are optional, but provide a good crunch. In the picture added to this post, is did not add any and it tasted just as good!
  • Any kind of fat can be used, preferably one with a high smoking point. I prefer using ghee since it gives a good nutty taste and I always have it on hand
  • I finely chop the chili since we like a bit of spice, but large pieces can be added and removed before eating for a less spicy version
  • This recipe needs to be made with constant attention. The semolina burns really quickly towards the end of roasting if we don’t pay attention. Additionally, constant stirring makes sure the water is easily and uniformly absorbed
  • You can also add any veggies you want to the recipe, like carrots and peas. These should be added right before adding the semolina with a small pinch of salt. Cook them completely before adding the semolina.

This is a nice and easy breakfast recipe to have in your repertoire. It’s also very quick to make. We eat it at least once every two weeks! I hope you give this a try and let me know how it goes! 🙂

Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

I’ve recently discovered I get a weird stomach ache on eating dairy. I also get itchy all over on eating eggs, so its time to start looking for vegan options. I’ve always liked Eggplant Parmesan and it’s a great dish to feed a crowd.

Servings: 6 Prep time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

For processing the eggplants
  • Eggplants: 3 medium
  • Plant milk 1.5 cups (I used oat milk)
  • Cornflour 1 tsp
  • All purpose flour 1 cup
  • Breadcrumbs 2 cups
  • Dry mixed herbs 2 tsp
  • Ground black pepper 1 tsp
  • Salt as needed
  • Olive oil as needed
For the cashew ricotta
  • Cashews 1.5 cups
  • Hot water enough to cover cashews
  • Salt 1/4 tsp
  • Lemon juice 1/2 tsp
For the sauce
  • Tomatoes 2 medium
  • Tomato paste 1/4 cup
  • Water as needed
  • Basil leaves 5-6
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Shallot 1
  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Olive oil 2 tbsp
  • Sugar 2 tbsp
For assembling
  • Vegan cheese 2 cups (I prefer daiya since it melts well, but any cheese is fine)
  • Prepared eggplants, sauce and ricotta

Instructions

  1. Slice the eggplants into 1/4 inch slices
  2. Sprinkle both sides of the slices liberally with salt and let sit for at least 30 mins
  3. In the meantime, soak the cashews in hot water for 15-20 mins.
  4. Blend the cashews, salt and lemon juice to a smooth paste. Set aside till assembly
  5. Mix the cornflour and plant milk together in a bowl.
  6. In another bowl, mix the ground pepper and breadcrumbs
  7. Dab the eggplant slices to remove the moisture
  8. Spread some olive oil on baking trays to grease them
  9. Coat each eggplant slice in flour, then dip in the plant milk liquid. Coat the slices liberally with the breadcrumbs and lay on the greased sheets
  10. Drizzle some olive oil on top and bake in 400 F oven for 20-25 mins. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle salt on both sides
  11. Finely chop the garlic cloves, shallot and tomatoes
  12. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan and sauté the garlic and shallots until translucent
  13. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until just soft, maybe 5 mins
  14. Add the tomato paste and mix well.
  15. Add about a cup of water and the sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Coved and simmer for 15-20 mins adding water as needed.
  16. Finely chop basil and add to the sauce after removing from heat.
  17. In a deep baking pan, spread some sauce at the bottom. Arrange the baked eggplant slices above the sauce, then spread cashew ricotta on top. Sprinkle some vegan cheese on the ricotta. Repeat the layers till all the eggplant is used. Spread the remaining sauce and cheese on the top of the last layer of eggplant
  18. Bake in a 350 F oven for 20 mins or till the cheese has melted and everything is heated through

Tips

  • The ricotta and eggplant slices can be prepared up-to a day in advance. Just bake the eggplant slices when ready to assemble!
  • Please do not skip “sweating” the eggplant slices since this will remove moisture and reduce bitterness. Also do not forget to salt the slices once baked to make sure they’re seasoned well
  • The lemon juice in the ricotta is optional, but it gives a nice tang. You can also use white vinegar
  • Please simmer the sauce at least 15 mins. This helps the flavors to intensify. You can simmer it for up to 1 hour if you have the time.

This is definitely a long process, but this will feed at least 6 people. Once you get into the rhythm of coating the slices, it’s easy to prepare a whole bunch of them. Preparing some pans of this will ensure you can feed a whole party without too much effort! I hope you give this a try, and let me know how it goes!!