Date night with the boys!

Since hubby was traveling for work, it seemed the best excuse to make our time together feel special by treating kids to some of their favorite food.

Noodles and children are so synonymous that it really becomes easy to manage boys with Chinese for dinner!!  Many of you may be familiar with the “Indian” Chinese food concept. Based on my limited understanding it is simply the “indianization” of Chinese food by making it more spicy, tomato"ey", garlicky and adding a lot more cilantro in the mix. I remember many a times being regaled by my New Jersey family/friends about a new “Indian Chinese” place that had recently opened up and how it was worth driving all the way to Long Island from Princeton to check it out. This enthusiasm is not surprising considering my own first time experience of eating Chinese in America! I was completely taken aback by the limited number of vegetarian dishes on offer and the blandness of the dishes (please keep in mind that we did go to a chain restaurant and that too could have accounted for most of my disappointment :)).

So, of course, what is a gal to do except start entering the kitchen, surfing the net, watching HGTV and figuring out how to make that chicken peanut satay into a vegetarian feast…..

My boys (aged 5 and 3) have thankfully developed a liking for Tofu (soyabean protein) and that makes cooking for them really fun and experimental. Tofu somehow lends itself to so many variations and feels like the closest I can get to the “chicken-experience” as a confirmed vegetarian.

So we have noodles and tofu covered, what about the fibre/vegetarian bit? Is this sounding less and less like a date night and more and more like a “let’s-see-how-much-good-I-can-sneak-into-their-food” menu plan? I won’t blame you, if you answer, the latter :). 

Decided to check into the refrigerator and saw that I had fresh spinach, carrots, bell peppers and cilantro. The idea of a spinach and vegetable dish with cilantro gravy started taking shape in my head. I had seen/heard of parsley based Chinese vegetable dishes and thought that lets “indianize” the whole thing with cilantro (the quintessential Indian herb).

All in all, the menu should guarantee an interesting evening with the boys and if the food is a fiasco, then, well, there is always the “ipad” :).

 

Tofu with Peanut Sauce

 

Serves – 4




Note: Not all ingredients are shown here

1 packet Firm Tofu cubed

2.5 tbsp Peanut Butter mixed with ¾ cup warm water

½ cup chopped onion

4 tbsp chopped spring onion

2 tsp Ketchup

1 cup coconut milk (I used coconut milk powder mixed with water)

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp garlic minced

1 tbsp brown sugar

Red chili flakes to taste

Salt to taste

¼ tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp soya sauce

  Oil for cooking

Sauté the tofu with 3 tsp oil in a non stick pan till it becomes well cooked and slightly browned. Take it out in a bowl.
 



 

Heat 2 tsp of oil in the pan and add the red chili flakes, garlic, ginger and onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes till softened.


 

Add the soya sauce, brown sugar, cumin powder, salt, spring onion and the peanut butter mixture. Stir it together till well combined. Use a blender to puree the mixture. 

 Add the coconut milk to the pan and allow it to warm up. Combine the blended peanut paste to the milk and stir it well. Add the sauteed tofu.   

Heat till the dish starts to just simmer and then serve with a garnish or some cilantro and finely chopped spring onions.

Chinese-Style Vegetables with Cilantro Sauce

Serves - 4





Note: Not all ingredients are shown here



 1 cup cabbage chopped in 1 inch squares

¼ cup mixed bell peppers chopped in squares

¼ cup boiled and sliced carrots

½ cup finely chopped spinach leaves

1 tbsp cilantro ground to a paste

1 tbsp vinegar

2 tbsp soya sauce

2 tsp cornstarch blended with ½ cup cold water

Salt and Black pepper to taste

1 cup of vegetable stock or water

 1 tsp minced Ginger

1 tsp minced Garlic

  Green chili to taste

  1 tsp sugar

 ½ tsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Oil 



In a non stick pan, take 2 tsp of oil and add the green chili, ginger and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the bell peppers and continue to cook for another minute.

Add the cabbage leaves, carrots, spinach leaves and keep stirring as you add the salt, pepper, soya sauce and sugar. Cook for 2-3 minutes. 

 Add the vinegar, vegetable stock and the cilantro paste and allow the dish to come to a boil. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture while stirring the dish. The gravy will start to thicken instantly and you can take the dish off the heat.

Taste and adjust seasoning as per your palette. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve hot! 

Child Friendly Noodles

For the noodles, all I did was combine hot oil in a pan with red chili flakes, minced garlic and ginger and added spring onions, soya sauce, vinegar, and a fair amount of ketchup with boiled hakka noodles.

This was simply based on my past experience with the kids and their taste sensibilities……I am sure, you all have your own take on the above!

 

Kids grow up fast…….though we are told to enjoy every moment of this period with them…..any sensible parent will tell you….that is an impossibility :). To the extent we can, we try and make our lives interesting by ensuring that ordinary moments are made into extraordinary memories…..

Book club meets tonight....

One of my absolute favorite outing was meeting up with friends for book club evenings. It was a monthly get-together at someone's place and usually occurred after dinner. Lounging on sofas, drinking chilled white wine and munching on yummy snacks and desserts while discussing the pros and cons of Jhumpa Lahiri's stories in "Unaccustomed Earth" or figuring out the practical truth behind "Freakonomics" theories or better still, wondering about the life and times in Egypt as we chatted about Stacy Schiff's "Cleopatra" are truly blissful memories.

So what does one do when they miss a little bit of US in India? Well, I for one, created a book club of some of the most amazing women whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Bengaluru. It is a small group of 10 or so and we pretty much follow the same style as my US book club, except, instead of meeting at 7:30, we meet at 8:30 :). Dinners are always later in India......

The meeting tonight is at my place and other than planning the course of our book discussion, I also focus significantly on ensuring that I serve somewhat interesting snacks and desserts.

Since starting this blog (all of 1 day ago!!!), I realized that I need to take some pictures of my cooking process and the ending results to truly create the excitement that I hope my recipes encourage out of you (meaning - I need to make this and eat this RIGHT NOW).

The menu was planned around the book - its called "The Extras" and is based on the somewhat pathetic lives of two Bollywood "extra" artistes. Not a very exciting book, however, an Indian based menu seemed somewhat appropriate...

So we are having -

·         Vegetable Kababs

·         Spicy and crispy parathas

·         Mint and Yogurt dip

·         Chocolate and Orange Mousse

·         Warm Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies

·         Assorted Chocolates

All served with an accompaniment of Rose, Chenin Blanc and a Shiraz.

So, what are your thoughts? In case you are wondering how the desserts qualify as being "Indian" influenced? Well, chocolates are a must and a chocolate trio (warm, cold and room temp) sounded too tempting....and as they say - "my house, my rules" :).

 

Vegetable Kababs

Makes : 12 pcs (approx.)

2 medium sized par boiled potatoes grated

1/2 cup carrots grated

1/4 cup green beans chopped very fine

1/2 cup cauliflower florets grated

1/4 cup onions chopped

1/4 cup boiled peas (roughly mashed up)

1/4 cup boiled corn (roughly mashed up)

1/8 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup gram flour (besan)

1/4 cup Chopped Coriander leaves

1/8 cup cashew nut paste

Minced garlic and ginger (to taste)

Salt to taste

2 tsp Chaat Masala

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp Garam Masala

Chopped Green Chilies (to taste)

1/2 tsp Whole Jeera

Oil for Cooking
 

I realize that the list of ingredients may appear daunting at best - but truly you can choose to add/subtract any ingredient above based on your pantry's situation :)

 

 

In a pan, heat 2 tbsp oil and add the whole Jeera till it splutters. Add the ginger, garlic and chopped chillies and stir a few seconds. Then add the onion, bell peppers, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, salt, garam masala and cilantro. Cook for 5 mins. Then add the peas and corn together with the chaat masala. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes.

 

 



Make a small hole in the middle of the mixture by moving the mix to the sides of the pan. Add the gram flour in the middle and roast it in the pan, making sure the mixture does not get over cooked or burned. It is best to keep the flame at medium to low level. After the gram flour is roasted for 2-3 minutes, mix it into the remaining mixture in the pan. Add the lemon juice and cook for another 5 mins.

In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, cashew nut paste and the cooked mixture.

 

 

 

Divide the kabab mixture into small portions and ensuring that your palms have a little bit of oil coating them, start putting the mixture into small sized skewers and pressing them together into a log like form. Heat a regular pan or a barbecue griddle and oil it well. Start putting the kabab sticks in the hot griddle and cook over medium to low flame.

 

 

 
Ensure that the kababs are well cooked throughout and then serve them hot with the mint and yogurt dip, some lemon juice and a sprinkle of chaat masala on a bed of crunchy onion rings.

Are you salivating yet? If not, the below pic should do it :).

 

 

And just to further whet your appetite....here are some of the other pics of the food from the book club menu. These recipes are sure to appear in my future posts....so stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

So, go with the motto - eat well, read better and stay in great company!!!



 

Start of a New Chapter....

So why does one become a blogger? Is it out of an odd sort of a need to express oneself and get ratification from others on our thoughts/opinions or is it for the simple pleasure of expression for the sake of communication with like-minded/wider reaching audience?

For myself, I can say, that the name of the blog gives a pretty good hint on why I am here...."diva" and "delicious"......sort of my motto in life......
 

After living in Minneapolis for slightly over ten years, we decided to move back to India....the city of choice was Bangalore or Bengaluru as it is now called. It has been close to three years since the move and I am discovering the joys of living in a city which offers the best of most culinary delights.

 

Food has always been inspiring for me, but, I realized that its a lot more satisfying when accompanied with scintillating conversation between friends and new acquaintances. Entertaining family and friends with uniquely flavored dishes, well thought out menus and listening to interesting escapades and impromptu witty remarks make me feel truly happy.

 

Entertainment happens for a variety of reason - special occasions, lets-just-catch-up-since-its-Sunday, book club meetings, pot-luck get together and so many more. I am just thankful that we are blessed with friends who range in age from 30-65, and have varied tastes (from being avid painters to wine connoisseurs, to closet singers etc.), and grateful that they all seem to appreciate our company!

 

A good start to this blog would be with me sharing a recipe that was always a hit - whether in the US or here......

 

     Mango Avocado Salsa
 

2 large sized ripe avocados or 3 small ones (roughly chopped)

1/2 cup chopped ripe mango

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
 

      3-4 tbsp onions - chopped fine

     3 tbsp green bell pepper - chopped fine
 

2 tbsp cilantro - chopped fine
 

2 tbsp lemon juice

1-2 cloves of crushed garlic
 

1/2 tsp de-seeded jalapeno - finely chopped (to taste)
 

1/4 tsp of cumin powder

pinch of cayenne pepper
 

salt and crushed black pepper to taste

 

Mix all the ingredients in a colorful bowl and presto...your appetizer is ready. All you need to do is surround the salsa/dip with your favorite tortilla chips (my favorite combinations were either the extra cheesy variety or the spicy tomato one).

Whereas the above is a very basic recipe, you can always modify the same with the following options:

· Substitute the mango with pineapple and add red chili powder instead of the black pepper powder

 

· Add 1/4 cup pomegranate and a pinch of sweet paprika powder to replace the black pepper powder
 

· Serve with chilled, crunchy, sliced and peeled cucumbers instead of chips

 

Serving food in a creative and fun way is just as important, as enjoying its taste and aromas!

Happy entertaining!