CATERING three meals daily can become an onerous task for any woman regardless of whether she has a career and other responsibilities to juggle.
When I first changed from working woman to stay at home mom, I went through a period when I detested entering the kitchen.
Time was short with a little baby to look after and my new job specs of being a full time mom meant I now needed to ask for grocery money.
The monthly budget did not stretch to accommodate exotic ingredients on a daily basis and cooking RDBS (roti-dal-bhat-subzi) was getting on my nerves, especially when my family wanted variety!
It had all begun to chafe.
But I learnt that I could have fun within parameters set by budget.
Here are a few dishes from around the world that use ingredients from our Indian kitchens.
Kabuli channa
Next time you make Chole or Chaat from Kabuli Channa, reserve a cup of the cooked channa and make Hummus, the protein rich Middle Eastern dip.
Serve with pita bread, clear soup, grilled chicken and carrot and cucumber sticks for a light healthy meal, brunch or snack.
Ingredients
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon cumin powder
2-3 green chilllies
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
Salt
Combine everything and process to a coarse texture. Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzled with paprika and Extra Virgin Olive oil. Serve with Pita bread.
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Daliya
Take Daliya out of your cereal bowl and into your Salad bowl. This substitution does not even require any cooking.
Tabouleh with Daliya
2/3 cup Daliya soaked, drained and squeezed dry
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
1-1/2 cups fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 large tomato, diced fine
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
2/3 cup green onions, chopped fine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt
For the cult-classic Tabbouleh toss squeeze daliya, tomato, spring onion, flat-leafed parsley and cucumber with the extra virgin olive oil, lemon, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Chill and serve with lettuce leaves to scoop it up with. For a spicy version add finely chopped chilies to taste.
Rajma
Like the Chickpeas, reserve a cup or two of cooked rajma the next time you make Rajma – Chaval and make this delicious bean stuffing for Tacos.
If you do not have tacos handy it is great on top of toasted bread as well. Freeze and use later as well.
2 cups cooked Rajma or Soya bean
1 teaspoon olive oil (or butter if you're feeling indulgent)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup tomato puree
½ cup each red yellow and green capsicum, diced
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 clove garlic chopped
½ cup grated cheese
To serve
12 taco shell
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
¾ cup sliced tomato
1/2 cup grated cheese
Salsa or Chilli sauce
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add, garlic, and onion and cook till onions are add tomato puree and cook till oil rises to top.
Add cooked rajma and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add oregano, cumin chili, mix and cook for two minutes.
Add cheese, mix well and serve. To make Tacos or Taco toast, spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture into each taco shell or onto toast, top each with lettuce, tomato slices, grated cheese and chili sauce.
Masoor
Who would thing that Masoor Dal would be popular in other cuisines but the fact is that Masoor or red lentils are a popular ingredient in a lot of cuisines, including Middle Eastern cuisine. Try this Turkish soup one rainy evening.
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Turkish red lentil soup
Ingredients
1 cup masoor (dhuli), washed and cleaned
4 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup mild onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup potato, peeled and diced
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp salt or to taste
Pepper to taste
Method
Place the washed and cleaned masoor in a medium pot with the stock, potatoes, onions and chili. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Cover loosely leaving slightly ajar so some liquid can evaporate. Cook until the dal is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer almost all except 1 cup of the soup in a blender and blend briefly. Return to the pot with the reserved cup of soup. Heat through and serve with good bread and green salad.
Minced Chicken
Mince chicken needn't be used for just Kheema or koftas. When it comes to salad-as-meal, few cuisines can beat Thai cuisine, where salads often reach main-course status as a complete meal.
Try making this spicy Thai Chicken Salad (Laab) for an interesting twist on salads. Laab, or Larb, is a common dish in Issan-North East Thailand and Laos.
It can be made with minced chicken or pork, but I usually use minced chicken meat. This salad combines the flavour and texture of minced meat with the flavour of toasted rice and fresh Thai herbs.
In Thailand this is served with Sticky Rice on the side and diners make small balls of the rice to pop into the mouth between bites of the salad.
I make sticky rice with red rice and chase it all down with a clear chicken soup.
Ingredients
250 grams chicken mince
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon fresh Thai Chiles minced (or to taste) Use a bit more if using normal green chilies
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 green onions
1 bulb lemon grass, minced
3 Kaffir lime leaves, chopped fine
6 sprigs coriander
6 sprigs fresh mint
1 tablespoon toasted rice
Mixed salad greens to serve
Method
Place mince in a bowl and mix well with half the lime juice. Heat oil in a nonstick pan or wok, add chilies and stir-fry for two minutes. Add the mince and briefly stir fry - it should just cook through, losing its pink colour and turning white but remaining moist and tender.
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Set aside to cool and drain off any excess fat. In a bowl combine lime juice and fish sauce, mix well and stir into the meat mixture. Add onions, green onions, half the coriander and mint to the bowl and toss well.
Wash dry and roughly shred salad greens and place in a large salad bowl. Top with meat mixture, garnish with the reserved cilantro, mint and toasted rice. Serve, with extra sauce such as I (fish sauce with green chilies mixed into it like Indian chili vinegar) steamed rice if you like.
Note: To make toasted rice. Place uncooked rice in small pan over a medium-high heat until it turns golden brown, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn. As soon as it is evenly golden transfer to a mortar, and pound it with a pestle until it's a crunchy powder. I usually do a larger amount of this toasted rice and keep on hand in a glass jar to use in various Thai dishes.
Nam Pla or fish sauce is available in all the large stores.
Courtesy: The author is a food critic and a devout foodie. Her work has appeared in a variety of magazines and publications. She also writes at her blogs a-perfect-bite.com.
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