Lemon Coriander Soup - Vegan/ No onion No garlic

A bowl of hot soup with some vegetables added is definitely a comfort meal on a chill rainy evening.  As many of you may know , I am not much of a soup loving person and I hardly make it at home , but there are certain soups which I love to have while dining out . With the present scenario where eating out is a distant dream, we were craving for the hot lemon coriander soup which we would relish at our favorite restaurant Mainland China . 

Lemon coriander soup is a basically a clear soup which very midly spiced with a refreshing flavor of lemon juice and freshly chopped coriander.  The after taste of lemon keeps lingering in your mouth for a long time and it feels so fresh and warm to sip on this on a cold evening. 

There is no specific list of  vegetables that go into it , you can  add whatever you like . Today I  just added few French beans , carrots, frozen corn . You can add some cabbage , celery , bellpepper as well . But personally I don't like to add too much veggies and prefer to keep it clean and easy to sip on.  Homemade vegetable stock can be used if you have it ready or if it is an impromptu call like how I did today, normal water can be used .

How to prepare vegetable stock ?

• Take chopped  vegetables like cabbage , celery, few cauliflower florets, carrots , onions and boil in 4 cups of water with a little salt until it reduces to 3 cups.  Skip the onions if you don't eat them.
• Strain  this mixture through a juice filter and your veg stock is ready .
• Best is when used fresh else you can store in a food grade bottle for 2 to 3 days in the fridge and use it as and when you please .

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - 7 to 8 mins

Complexity- simple 

Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients 

8 to 10 French beans chopped finely

1 small carrot finely chopped (skip if preparing jain version) 

Handful of chopped cabbage 

Handful of frozen corn

1 green chilli finely chopped 

1 tsp  corn flour or maida (use rice flour  for GF )

1 tsp oil 

Lots of fresh coriander 

1 or 2 lemons 

3 cups water or vegetable stock 

Method 

• In a deep pan or kadai, heat the oil and fry the chillies and add in the chopped veggies and saute for 1 - 2 mins. You can also saute about 1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic.
• Slowly add in the vegetable stock or water with required amount of salt and let it boil for about 5 to 6 mins or until the veggies are cooked. I used plain water today as I was not having the stock ready on hand .
• Mix the corn flour or maida in 2 tablespoon water and make a paste without lump and add it to the boiling soup . This will give a little thickness to the soup . You can skip this if you want to have a pure clear soup .
• After adding the flour paste, make sure you stir it continuously till the raw flavor is lost and then turn off the stove . Stirring is important because there is a tendency for the flour mixture to settle down and stick to the pan and the taste of the soup will be bad and all the effort will be wasted.
• Finally , squeeze in the lemon juice and add freshly chopped coriander and serve it hot . 
• Remember to add the coriander just before serving else it will wilt and turn black in the heat of the soup .

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Veg Cheese Grill Sandwich | Grill Cheese Sandwich

I love sandwiches in any form, be it as a sub or the regular ones where veggies are stuffed between two slices of bread.  Toast them for an added taste and crunch and enjoy it hot - this is the way I like it .

Those who are familiar with the street foods of Bombay , will definitely know about the variety of sandwiches that are very famous. They have such amazing combinations and fusion sandwiches which one cannot even think off. There is a grilled cheese chocolate sandwich also on the menu which was a recent addition and I was literally blown when I read that combination of cheese , chocolate and bread .

 There is something special about the bread and paav that is available in Bombay,they are soft and fluffy and don't crumble easily.  

The street vendors prepare piping hot toast sandwiches using a hand toaster which is tossed around a traditional coal stove (sigdi) as it is locally called. It is a sight to see how quickly their hands and brain work in tandem and do multi tasking of chopping the veggies , buttering the bread, toasting it on fire and simultaneously serving the customers and collecting the payment.  All done single handedly and with utmost precision and perfection. Now a days the hand toasters are getting replaced with electric grills as the vendors are also turning to modern ways to improvise on their customer needs based on demand. 

You can check out the other famous variation of Toast Sandwich on my blog . 

As a child , I was never allowed to snack on these road side sandwiches because of hygiene factor and mom would dish out the same things for me at home and it was the best way for her to sneak in all the veggies that I won't eat into the sandwich and mask it with some cheese and butter and I would happily eat it and say "Amma yummy sandwich " . It was only later that I realized how smartly and tactfully she managed to hide the veggies I didn't eat in the name of sandwiches or parathas and fed them to me . Moms are always smart aren't they ??

Well coming to today's recipe , this Monday's theme for our foodie bloghop Monday is  #MunchkinMeals; suggested by Narmadha of Nam's corner who wanted us to present healthy meals for kids .  Narmadha has some excellent baked goodies on her blog which are made using millets and I have bookmarked 

 RAGI cookies to try out.

While thinking on what to make for this theme, lot of recipes were going on in my mind which my mom used to make for me and finally I was reminded off Grill Sandwiches which were and are my favorite and since it makes use of 3 slices of bread per sandwich, lots of veggies can be stuffed into it . Grate some cheese on it , which obviously is every child's favorite and you can be a happy mom to see your little one empty his/her plate and probably ask for even one more :-) 

Some delicious sandwich varieties from my fellow bloggers which you must try. There are many more such varieties, but I will reserve them for an exclusive post on breads and sandwich. 

Veg Club Sandwich by Kalyani 

Hung Curd Sandwich by Poonam

Subway style veggie sandwich by Priya Iyer

The recipe is a little elaborate and requires some pre preparation, but it is worth all the time . 

Why only munchkins, even elders would love to feast on these sandwiches when served hot with chutney and tomato sauce . We can minus the cheese while making it for elders or reduce the quantity of cheese.  

Preparation Time :45 mins

Cooking Time : 15 mins per sandwich 

Makes  3 set of sandwiches 

Complexity: Medium 

Ingredients 

9 slices of bread (brown or white)

3 to 4 medium sized potatoes boiled and peeeled

1 large capsicum finely chopped 

1 salad cucumber cut into thin slices 

2 tomatoes cut into thin slices 

1 onion cut into thin slices (optional)

50gms Salted butter at room temperature 

2- 3 cheese cubes (25 gms chiplet) .

3 tablespoons green chutney/sandwich chutney 

Chat masala for taste 

Method 

Prepare the green chutney by following this recipe link .

Take 3 slices of bread and spread butter and green chutney on each slice evenly .

On the first slice , grate some potatoes, sprinkle a little chat masala and spread some finely chopped capsicum . Grate some cheese. 

** I couldn't get fresh brown bread hence used white. 

Place the second slice of bread over the base slice such that the chutney side faces up.

Arrange the slices of cucumber, tomatoes and onions (if using) on this second slice of bread . Sprinkle some chat masala and grate a little more cheese . You can skip this cheese if you want to avoid.  For one set of sandwich I have used 1/2 a cube cheese.  

Lastly , place the 3rd slice of bread with the chutney side over this 2nd slice and slightly press the assembled sandwich with your hand so that the veggies settle in place and it is easy to lift it up .

Heat a grill pan or electric grill and place this sandwich over it and roast it on both sides until crisp and golden brown .Add a little butter to the grill pan for crisp and golden brown toast.

Take it off the grill pan carefully and place it on a chopping board and cut them into triangles. 

If you like you may grate some more cheese over it while serving or serve as is with tomato sauce or green chutney. 

Notes 

1. Quantity of cheese used for the sandwich is purely your choice.  You may skip the cheese if you want a totally healthy version. 
2. Butter used for 3 slices of bread put together will be just 1 tsp . Make sure the butter is at room temperature so that it is easy to spread and quantity used is less .
3. Boiled and sliced beetroot can also be used in the stuffing.
4. There is sandwich masala also available in the market which can be used instead of chat masala.

Linking this post to Foodie Blog hop Monday week  #253 - munchkin meals

Sweet Corn Salad - Vegan

Salads are very healthy and refreshing and occupy a very important place as a part of any meal . Generally salads are made using fresh vegetables or fruits and served at room temperature.  There are some varieties of salads that are served warm or cold .

Summers are the time when we love to indulge in fresh fruit juices and fresh salads as it is easy to digest and takes care of the hydration of the body and easy to prepare without much hassles .

This month being peak summer in most parts of the world, Kalyani chose the theme as Summer Salads for our facebook food group shhhhh cooking secretly challenge. Check out this fresh watermelon feta salad on Kalyani's blog . It just looks so refreshing and delicious for this scorching summer. 

 This time I was paired with Aruna of Vasusvegkitchen to whom I gave coriander and peanuts with which she has whipped up a healthy salad with yogurt dressing .Try her Veggie and dry fruit salad without fail.  She gave me the secret ingredients pepper powder and lemon juice. We  both had to whip a salad with the ingredients  we gave one another and as usual our fellow bloggers had to guess what could be the secret ingredient in this salad ... isn't it fun to always play the guessing game ? We love that and this time Poonam guessed my secret ingredients in a jiffy .check out her recioe for flavorful Mango Chick pea salad . It looks so yummy and colorful .

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - 5 mins

Serves - 3 to 4 

Complexity  - simple 

Ingredients 

2 cups frozen or fresh sweet corn

1 medium sized cucumber

2 medium sized tomatoes

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tsp pepper powder 

1/2 tsp chat masala

Salt as needed 

Fresh corriander for garnish 

Method

• Boil the sweet corn for about 5 mins and then drain the water and set aside. 
• Peel the cucumber and dice into small cubes 
• Deseed the tomatoes and chop them into small cubes.
• In a wide mixing bowl, add the cucumber, tomato and corn with salt, chat masala , pepper powder , lime juice and toss it gently .lastly garnish with fresh corriander and serve immediately. 

Note

Add salt and lime juice just before serving else the salad will tend to get soggy. 

Kunukku | Dal Pakoda | Lentil Fritters - Traditional south Indian snack

Kunukku or Kunuku as it is called is a very tasty and delicious snack made using different lentils.  An age old traditional snack of Tamil Nadu which used to be made to satisfy the cravings of some fried snack . Olden days eating out or junk food was something that was not encouraged and the elders at home would prefer to make some healthy yet tasty snack at home for the kids . Most common ones used to be Bajjiyas , medhu vadas or this kunukku. 

With the introduction of various snack options now a days , these traditional ones are slowly being forgotten . 

As 80s kids we never really bothered about eating less calorie food or no fried snack or bothered about something called dieting and losing weight . Running about and playing outdoors would burn all those extra calories and all our parents  bothered about was getting us to sit down to do our homework and studies as we would never like to come home after playtime .

This snack can be prepared using left over adai or idli batter or can even be made fresh by soaking and grinding the lentils.  

Today I will share the recipe of how to soak and grind the batter to make these kunukku .

There is no fixed recipe as such for this snack because it differs from home to home on how their family liking has been.

I shall share the version which has been liked in my place .

Donot forget to try out the Karamani Kunukku (lobia pakoras) on the blog which was my grandmother's specialty and also the traditional Moong Bhajjiyas which are a famous street side delicacy .

Soaking Time - 45 mins

Preparation Time -10 mins

Frying time- 20 mins

Complexity- medium

Ingredients 

3/4 cup channa dhall /bengal gram dhall /kadalai paruppu

1/4 cup thoor dhall /pigeon peas /thuvaram paruppu 

2 tablespoon rice 

2 tablespoon  udad dhall /ulutham paruppu (for softness)

3 to 4 dried red chillies

2 green chillies

1 tablespoon grated fresh coconut 

Salt as needed

Pinch of hing/asafoetida 

10 to 15 curry leaves /kadipatha 

Handful of finely chopped corriander

Method 

• Wash the dals and rice multiple times and soak it for 45mins to 1 hr . The water used for soaking should be 1 inch above the dhalls and rice after washing. Soak the dried red chillies also along with the dhalls. This will make the chillies soft and will grind easily. 
• After 45mins, drain the water and add it to a blender along with salt , grated coconut, asafoetida and few curry leaves.  Reserve the balance for adding to the batter .
• Add water little by little and grind to a semi thick batter . The batter has to be smooth and not very coarse and should not be very runny , else you cannot drop them into the oil for frying .
• Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl, add in the chopped corriander and curry leaves and mix well . You can some mint leaves or chopped onions also if you like . I have not added. 
• Heat oil in a kadai and when it is heated well, take some batter in your hands and drop them randomly into the hot oil. Reduce the flame to medium and fry until they turn crisp and golden brown. Donot crowd the kadai with many fritters as they wont get fried evenly.
• Drain it carefully and repeat another batch until all the batter is over . Serve hot with some chutney or it can be had as is with some piping hot filter coffee or masala tea.

Notes

1. Incase you are unable to prepare kunukku after soaking, drain the water and keep it in the fridge and you can grind it the next day and make kunukku. 
2. Never leave the soaked dals outside as it will ferment and give out a foul smell .
3. You can also grind the batter and keep it in the fridge and use it later for frying . Try to consume within 24hrs as the batter will begin to turn sour and the sour taste may not be liked by all .
4. Freshly ground adai batter can also be used to prepare this kunukku.

Jain Falafel - Video recipe

Falafel is a middle eastern/Lebanese delicacy made using chick peas/ kabuli channa/ kondakadalai .

These are deep fried balls or patty made by grinding the soaked chickpeas with lots of spices which are commonly used even in Indian cuisine. You can call falafel as a close cousin of our Dal Vada /Aam vadai /paruppu vada.

Falafels traditionally are served stuffed in  Pita Bread ;which is a pocket type bread with some pickled salad and dips like Tahini and Hummus ;which are also a Lebanese delicacy. 

The first time I had these falafel was at a restaurant in Mumbai called Srinathji which specializes in serving delectable multi cuisine menu without using Onion and Garlic . I liked the taste and crunchy Falafels but soon forgot about it until I tasted it again at a proper Middle eastern restaurant during my stay in the US .

This time for our foodie blog hop Monday event  week #252 ,the theme was  Chana Time by Mayuri  and we had a choice of brown channa or chick peas to select as our main ingredient.  The moment she suggested these two , I jumped with joy and decided then and there that Falafel it is . I have tried to make the Jain version sans Onion and garlic but I shall give the method to prepare the regular Falafel also.  Check the notes section for the details .

Donot forget to check Mango Sriracha Hummus on Mayuri's blog which can be a perfect accompaniment for these falafels. 

Also, don't miss out some lipsmacking recipes from my blog made using chickpeas .

Chataka Chole 

Channa Pulao 

Chickpeas Vathakuzhambu (south Indian delicacy) 

Brown channa Sundal 

Jain Chole Masala

 

Srinathji's have outlets in major cities, so do try visiting them once the lockdown is over and restrictions have been lifted .

For those in  Bangalore , you can try Srinathji's at Indiranagar on Krishna temple street .

 (Not a sponsored post )

Soaking Time - 8 to 10hrs 

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Cooking Time - 30 to 40 mins

Makes 15 to 20 Falafels 

Ingredients 

250 gms white chick peas/kabuli channa

1/2 bunch finely chopped coriander

1/4 bunch finely chopped parsley (optional)

15-20 mint leaves 

2 tsp pepper powder 

2 tsp roasted jeera powder 

3 to 4 green chillies 

Salt as needed 

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Method 

Check the video recipe on my YouTube channel given below and donot forget to subscribe to my channel.

• Wash and soak the chickpeas for 8hrs or overnight in sufficient water. 
• Drain the water and wash it once again .
• In a blender add all the ingredients and grind into a fine paste . Add water little by little and grind . Donot add too much water else the batter will become runny.
• We need a thick batter so that we can make balls easily.
• Transfer this ground mixture to a mixing bowl and add 1 tablespoons white sesame seeds and mix it well.
• Refrigerate it for 20 mins before frying .By doing this we can make balls easily and the  balls wont disintegrate while frying.
• Heat the oil and make small balls and drop the balls in hot oil and fry on medium flame until they turn crisp and golden brown.
• Serve with hummus or any dip of your choice. 

Notes 

1. You can add 1 finely chopped onion and 2 to 3 garlic cloves while grinding for making the non satvik version .
2. Instead of balls you can shape them as bullets or cylindrical  shape and fry. 

Linking it to foodie Monday blog hop week #252 channa Time 

Jaljeera | Jaljira

Jaljeera is an Indian drink which is served as a starter before any meal and a very tasty appetizer.  This drink helps in digestion as well a very good source of hydration in peak summer. 

Jal jeera loosely translates to cumin water.  Cumin as we know has lot of medicinal properties and plays a vital role in aiding digestion and preventing stomach disorders .

Jaljeera is flavored with fresh herbs and spices like black salt, rock salt, ginger ,  fresh mint and some lemon juice to make it all the more tasty .

This drink can be easily prepared at home and relished during summers.  We can make a big jar of this healthy and tasty drink and refrigerate it .

Instead of sugar , I have added jaggery powder which makes it all the more healthy.

Jaljeera can  be served in various ways . Some love to have the drink topped with lot of boondi while some like it with a fizz by adding club soda instead of plain water .

Preparation Time : 5 mins

Cooking time : Nil 

Makes 3 to 4 glasses 

Complexity: simple 

Ingredients 

10 to 15 mint leaves 

Small piece of ginger  chopped

2 tablespoon  jaggery powder 

1 lemon

Small piece of ginger  

2 tsp roasted jeera powder

1 tsp chat masala 

1/2 tsp black salt 

1 tsp salt 

500 ml chilled water 

Method 

• In a blender jar , add the  mint leaves, ginger ,jaggery powder , jeera powder , salt, black salt, chat masala and grind into a fine paste with little water .
• Strain this using a strainer and collect the extract in a big vessel .
• Add in the chilled  water to this extract and the lime juice squeezed from the lemon.
• Stir it well and serve chilled. 

Notes

1. Adjust jaggery if you want it a little more sweet .
2. Store bought jaljeera powder can also be used to prepare this drink . In that case, skip the additional usage of chat masala, black salt and roasted jeera powder. 

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