mayurisjikoni

Packed with protein  Like other legumes, green lentils or moong are low in fat and high in protein and fiber, and have the added advantage of cooking quickly. Moong have a mild, often earthy flavor, and they're best if cooked with assertive flavorings.  Lentils cook more slowly if they're combined with salt or acidic ingredients, so add these last. Moong can be cooked in many ways, with the traditional onion tomato gravy, on its own as a dry dish, if sprouted can be cooked as a dish to accompany kadhi or in salads. Most Indian families cook moong at least once a week if not more. Moong curry with a spoonful of ghee tastes very delicious. My recipe is khatta (sour) moong. I prefer to make this type of moong to give that slight different taste as I tend to make lentils practically everyday. The usual tomato onion gravy makes all the lentils taste the same. The first time I had khatta moong was when my kaki made them with just a lot of garlic. My version is slightly different. Kha

Salsa or salad, you decide!    Plums, the dark red Santa Rosa variety are once again in season in Kenya. Compared to the ones I have eaten in UK, these plums are very juicy and sweet and a bit tart at the same time. The skin also tastes a bit tart. One of my favourite fruits but unfortunately the season is very short, just about 3 to 4 weeks. Plums are rich in vitamin C and K, fiber and antioxidants. Dried plums are called prunes.While the season lasts, I have been busy trying out various recipes using plums. A quick and very easy recipe is plum salsa salad. Have it as a salad or as a salsa with tortilla chips. The sweetness from the plums, the tanginess from the tomatoes and a hint of chilli makes this an exotic salsa or salad. I love to have it a light meal or with sandwiches, soup etc. updated 14/01/2016 PLUM SALSA SALAD  for 2 as a salad 2 medium tomatoes diced or a cup of cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup of diced plums 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander or cilantro 1

goodness in  crunchy packets   Fresh, crunchy, sweet, just enough saltiness, tangy, a wee bit chilli, aromatic. Wondering if I am practising my adjectives? Well, you would too if you had these delicious lettuce cups. I first had this delicious treat when my kaki made them at her home. Since then I've had them in many Chinese restaurants. They are an exciting starter for vegetarians. Call them cups or wraps, whatever you like.  Let your imagination run riot and add whatever ingredients you want right from vegetables to meat. Lettuce cups are good as  starters or an innovative salad dish too. I prefer to use the iceberg lettuce but feel free to use chinese cabbage if you get some.  You can chop the vegetables and prepare the lettuce and dressing well ahead and keep it in the fridge. updated 21/04/2016 LETTUCE CUPS/WRAPS Filling is for 4 people Filling : 3 tbsp finely chopped onion, red or spring onion 3 tbsp  roughly chopped roasted cashewnuts 3 tbsp  finely chopped pepper, any colou

a meal on its own Writing about the virtues of a salad is just not enough. You have got to make it and serve it to believe it. Besides providing you with all the healthy nutrients, its a tummy filler, so you eat less of the main meal, its a perfect light meal on its own, very refreshing on a hot summer day etc etc. I could just carry on and forget to give you the recipe of the salad. What makes salads appealing are the colours. Let your imagination run riot and create art on a platter. Colours, colours and colours and everyone will be asking for more salad. MEXICAN SALAD Serves 4, for 2 as a meal. salad ingredients : 6 lettuce leaves, any of your choice torn into big pieces 1/2 cup boiled red kidney beans 1/2 cup grated carrot 1 big tomato cut into chunks or about 12 cherry tomatoes 1/4 cup boiled or roasted corn kernels 1/4 cup of roasted and chopped pepper (use either red, yellow or orange) 1/4 cup chopped spring onion 1/4 cup tiny cubes of cheddar cheese 2 tbsps chopped fresh corian

The distance between Palatka and Mombasa cannot be travelled in a day. So Arti and Kamaleshkumar, though we missed the surprise party, we too celebrated your 25th anniversary in our own style. A special treat for a special occasion..... plum tart. We had it with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream. Warm tart and cold ice cream, just perfect to waken all the taste buds. Heni for you, my first dessert recipe from me. Try it out and enjoy. PLUM TART  I got 6 pieces from this recipe. Oven temperature : 200°C 300g puff pastry 12 medium size plums 2 tbsps melted butter 3 tbsps sugar 1 tbsp milk 3 tbsps almond flakes Preheat the oven at 200°C. Remove the skin from the plums. Slice the plums thinly. Roll out the puff pastry approximately 12 by 10 inches. Cut into 6 pieces. Place the pastry on a baking sheet. Brush the top of each pastry with milk. Arrange the plum slices onto the pastry. Drizzle the melted butter over each pastry. Sprinkle the sugar on top. Bake the pastry for 15 to 20 minu

a spicy brunch treat Special Theme: Redo Old Posts BM#78 Week 4 Day 3     Go to any typical Gujarati family for breakfast on weekends and masala puri or tikhi puri with sugary masala tea will surely be served to you. The younger Gujaratis usually do not make them that often as they prefer to shy away from fried stuff, but they do relish them when someone else has made them. My Dad's favourite.... anytime can be tikhi puri time. If bhabhi makes dosas for the rest of the family, my dad is happy with tikhi puri and a mug of tea. There are 2 versions of the tikhi puri you can make, the soft type or the slightly crunchy type. The soft type is good to have on the same day whereas the crunchy type can be stored for 3 days or so. My father in law loves the crunchy type. Excellent travel food or tiffin food as its called. The recipe below is for the crunchy type. For the regular softer type of puri just add 3 tbsps of oil and avoid the fresh coriander or methi as it will prevent it from puf

green and red, a wonderful combination      Kenya is well known for its wonderful avocados. Soft, buttery emerald green fruits packed with vitamins E and  B, mono saturated fat and rich in potassium. In India avocado is sold as butter fruit. When I was living in Bangalore, during my first visit to the vegetable shop, I had a tough time asking for avocado. The poor guy just didn't understand what I wanted. He just shrugged his shoulders and helped me with my basket to the till. In other words he was perhaps trying to tell me 'please ma'am just leave the shop with what you have found and don't fry my bheja!' The following week I went to the super market Big Bazar and there these delicious fruits were sitting pretty on the shelf under the label BUTTER FRUIT! The hues of green from the avocado and lettuce, and the bright red of the beetroot just makes this salad mouth watering. updated 29/01/2016 lemon dressing AVOCADO BEETROOT SALAD  for 2 -3  1 avocado, peeled and sli

Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan as its called in Gujarat is the only festival which follows the solar calendar and falls every year on 14th January. This festival is celebrated by many states of India for different reasons. Its the beginning of the harvest season, its the end of the inauspicious phase which begins during mid December, its the end of the southeast monsoons. Mainly everyone celebrates this day because it marks the beginning of the transition of the Sun God from the southern  to the northern hemisphere. Many states fly thousands of colourful kites on this day as an oblation to the Sun. During Uttarayan different states make different sweets. In Gujarat the most popular is tal sankari or tal laddus. Made from jaggery and sesame seeds, it is eaten so that one does not suffer from coughs and painful joints during spring. The other significance of  making tal laddu is eat it and speak sweetly throughout the year! Tal sankari is very easy to make. Its

an easy peasy bread   Focaccia is an Italian olive oil bread. It is flat and can be of any shape - round, square, rectangle or as individual portions. The focaccia dough is much softer than normal bread dough. It has a cake like texture and doesn't need to be kneaded as much as the normal bread dough. A variety of toppings or fillings can be used to make focaccia. The most important ingredient besides olive oil is herbs. During our visit to Italy we were fortunate enough to taste different varieties of focaccia. Some with toppings of mozzarella and tomatoes, some even with aubergine. First time bakers, go ahead and try your hands at this simple but scrumptious bread. ROSEMARY, GARLIC AND OLIVE FOCACCIA about 8 pieces oven temp 200°C 3 cups of strong plain flour or bread flour 1-1/4 cup warm water 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 2¼ tsp active  dry instant yeast 3 tbsps olive oil topping or filling : 10 -12 olives black or green, sliced 1 sprig fresh rosemary - remove the leaves and chop 1 t