Okra Rellenos: Fried Cheese-stuffed Okra in Coconut Flour Batter

Chili Rellenos comes a close second to Mirchi Bajji (Milagai Bajji or Molaga Bajji, colloquially), when done right. Okra Rellenos is just one step away from this, especially since Stuffed Baked Okra comes close, without the frying.

I am not an expert at frying foods. I invariably mess with the batter and ruin it, or not have patience to check the oil temperature and therefore either burn the outsides or get them soggy with oil. I think it is a subconscious defense mechanism: If I don't do it right, then I won't be eating a lot of fried foods, and that must be just fine.

Anyway, I do like to try out different batters, just for the fun of it. I like the tried and tested ones, no doubt. Since I had a big sack of coconut flour and chickpea flour, I wanted to see if the batter made with these two would turn out all right.

Stuffing is easy this time - just some cheddar and mozzarella sticks plus finely minced pickled jalapeno.

Ingredients
for the batter:
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ chickpea flour
2 Tablespoon fine cornmeal (optional - I like the gritty crunch it adds)
2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup buttermilk
1¼ cup water (plus or minus a few Tablespoons)
salt and chili powder or smoke paprika powder for seasoning the batter

okra and filling - cheese, jalapeno

Oil for deep frying

Preparation

1. Combine the dry batter ingredients in a bowl, add the buttermilk, then slowly add the water; try not to overstir; coconut flour absorbs water quickly so alternate adding water and stirring to get the batter to a pancake batter like thick yet flowing consistency
2. Slit and stuff the okra and keep it ready
3. Heat the oil for frying to medium
4. Dip the stuffed okra in batter and deep fry in batches
5. Serve warm with chutneys and dips

Green Papaya, Green Mango, Green Kohlrabi Spicy Chutney

There's something utterly delectable about the combination of tangy sour and peppery piquant with a touch of delicate sweetness that has made it universal. Cuisines around the world have come up with local versions of this combination leveraging the indigenous ingredients.

Raw green mango chutney and thokku are fairly common in Indian cuisine; and so is green papaya and kohlrabi. After the Purple Carrots, Purple Cabbage and Beet Relish, I was craving for more such combination chutneys and relishes.

There was enough green papaya left after the Green Papaya and Purple Carrot Thai Salad.

There was enough kohlrabi left from the big bunch I picked up at the Farm market.

There were two green mangoes I had picked up because I like mangoes and liked the price.

The stars practically scrambled to align themselves for this particular Green Papaya, Green Mango, Green Kohlrabi Spicy Chutney to come into existence.


Ingredients
2 cups grated green papaya
2 cups grated kohlrabi
2 cup grated raw green mango
2 Tablespoon finely grated ginger
4 green chilies, finely diced or minced (seeded first, if preferred)
1 whole lemon, zest plus the lemon sections finely diced

1/2 Tablespoon brown sugar (1 Tablespoon if the green mango is too sour)
½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup Pomegranate red wine vinegar

¼ cup coconut oil 

salt to taste

Tempering:

1 Tablespoon mustard seeds plus 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Preparation

1. Heat the ¼ cup coconut oil in a pan and add the grated ginger and all the rest of the ingredients, stir well, adjust salt to taste and allow to simmer in medium heat
2. Tempering: heat the oil in a small pan, when shimmering add the mustard seeds and allow to pop, turn off heat
3. Once the liquid has cooked up and the chutney has thickened to a spreadable consistency add the tempering, stir well and preserve in jar using the boiling water canning method
4. If not canning, allow to cool and refrigerate and use within ten days

Stuffed Kohlrabi in Coconut Milk Sauce

I was lovingly lingering over the brilliantly colorful vegetable array at one of the Sauvie Island farm markets the other day, coming up with recipes on the fly, exploring the different ways I could cook each of them, when I was jolted out of my reverie with a 2 minute warning from the other adult which meant, I am heading to the checkout and if you want anything you better add it to the basket now or forever hold your peace.

So I grabbed a big bunch of kohlrabi (at $1.99 a bunch it was unbeatable), some sweet corn on the cob, and a bunch of purple radishes and dashed. Cippolini onions, scallop squash, and apricots will have to wait till my next trip.

The kohlrabi bunch had six large bulbs plus oodles of earthy greens. The raised eyebrow quizzing What are you going to do with all this kohlrabi? from the other half was met with my own patented grin reassuring Oh tons of things, you'll see! 

And so it is that I've been making kohlrabi dish after kohlrabi dish, wishing I had grabbed another bunch at the farm market before rushing off.

After boiling it tender but firm, the innards can be scooped out and added to the stuffing to enhance the kohlrabi experience. The scooped out bowls of boiled kohlrabi can then be filled with the stuffing, ready for steaming and simmering in the sauce.

The stuffing can be anything, really - TVP, lentils, flavored brown rice or quinoa, barley or freekeh, mashed leftovers, ground meat... whatever the mood calls for.

This time, I wanted to make a vegetarian stuffing that can stand on its own as a side for another meal, so I went with Brown Rice + Barley + Mung Dal + Veggies, mildly spiced with cumin and caraway.

The easiest way to make this particular stuffing for me is to throw the barley, brown rice, and mung dal in the rice cooker, with some salt and enough stock and cook it till done. Meanwhile, chop the veggies, saute with cumin and caraway seeds, then add in the cooked barley+rice+mung mixture, stir well and adjust seasoning to taste.

Sauce can be anything from simple Bechemel to plain tomato sauce. I wanted to use the lemon grass from my garden so The Thai style coconut milk sauce came about.

Ingredients
2 or 3 whole kohlrabi

For the stuffing:
½ cup cooked barley
½ cup cooked brown rice
¼ cup cooked mung dal
¼ cup finely chopped red and orange peppers
¼ cup finely chopped red onions
¼ cup finely chopped red cabbage
¼ cup grated carrots
¼ cup grated zucchini
¼ cup chopped kale
1 Tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
the scooped out innards of the boiled kohlrabi
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
salt to taste

For the cooking sauce:

Some home-garden lemon grass plus dry red chilies and garlic cloves were mashed and pounded in a mortar and pestle to a coarse consistency
1 14 oz can or about 1½ cups of coconut milk
1 teaspoon coconut oil
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Slice the bottom of kohlrabi just a millimeter or two to make it sit on its bottom comfortably without wobbling
2. Nestle 2 or 3 such kohlrabis in a pot with enough stock or water to immerse them, cover and allow to boil for 20 minutes till a skewer inserted into the middle slides in smooth and tender
3. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing: heat the oil, add the cumin and caraway and the veggies, stir and saute, then add the cooked rice+barley+mung dal and fold it all in to make a uniform mixture
4. Remove the boiled kohlrabis, slice the top, scoop out the innards and add the innards to the stuffing and mix well
5. Stuff the boiled kohlrabis with the prepared stuffing
6. Sauce: Heat the teaspoon of coconut oil in the pot, add the crushed/pounded lemon grass+chilies+garlic and saute till aromatic, add the coconut milk; then gently place the stuffed kohlrabis, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes till sauce thickens
7. Serve warm or at room temperature with the sauce drizzled on, or on the side

Kohlrabi Stuffed Kale and Fennel Naan with Home-garden Lemon Cucumber Raita

The unassuming basic naan recipe lends itself well to boundless additions and variations.

Much like the Mint Fennel Garlic Naan, this recipe starts out with Fennel and Kale added to the dough; but, to take it a step further, sauteed and flavored kohlrabi is stashed into the dough when making the naan.

Instead of Kohlrabi, Daikon radish or Opo squash or Chayote squash can be used.

Peel and grate the kohlrabi finely; heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and saute the grated kohlrabi with salt and turmeric powder till cooked and fairly dry. Since this will be enclosed and folded in the dough, it cannot be runny.

Fennel and Kale being handy in the backyard garden, I went with those. I needed to find ways to use them up. But, any other herbs and greens can be used instead.

The naan dough is pretty much the same as Mint Fennel Garlic Naan, so, prepare as usual and let it rise. The only addition is grated sauteed flavored kohlrabi folded into the naan as it is rolled out for cooking.

My preferred method of making naan using gas stove:

1. Heat a cast iron skillet to high heat
2. Brush one side of the rolled out naan dough with water and place it water-side down on the hot skillet
3. Allow bubbles to form on the top surface
4. Transfer the part-cooked naan to a wire frame, flipped now so the uncooked side is down over the flame
5. Hold the naan on the wire frame directly over the flame till cooked through, shifting and moving it to cover all its surface
6. I prefer some mild charring as it adds character and flavor

Serve warm with vegetable curries,  chutney, and raita.


Here I serve it with a simple Indian chickpea curry called Cholay, and a yogurt-based raita made with home-garden lemon cucumbers.

For the Lemon Cucumber Colorful Raita:
1 Lemon cucumber,grated
½ Green apples, diced
¼ Red onions, sliced thin
Orange and Yellow Mini Peppers, chopped finely
Green Spring Onions, chopped on a bias
Thai green chilies, slit and chopped on a bias
Cilantro for garnish
Greek Yogurt

1. Cut the lemon cucumber in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp and grate finely
2. Chop some mini orange and red peppers, red onions, green apples, spring onions, and Thai green chilies if preferred
3. Combine the grated lemon cucumbers and all the finely chopped veggies, along with thick Greek yogurt and stir well; season to taste
4. Garnish with chopped cilantro

Kohlrabi Greens with Home-garden Chard Coconut Cumin Kalonji Mung Bean Koottu

The kohlrabi greens along with fleshy, juicy kohlrabi bulbs came together with some home garden chard and mung beans for this simple koottu with cumin, Nigella sativa seeds, coconut and chilies as the primary flavoring.

Although it looks pretty involved with a lot of ingredients, it is actually a very simple, earthy dish. As always, flavors and spices can be adjusted to taste. Since the greens and kohlrabi are fairly bland, the layering of flavors helps develop this dish. The starter flavor of garlic, chilies and mint brings an appetizing aroma, and the finish with the flavoring coconut+cumin+nigella paste rounds out the dish.


Ingredients
1 kohlrabi plus a small bunch of kohlrabi greens with stems
6 to 8 large chard leaves with stems
1 medium vine tomato, diced
½ cup split yellow mung beans
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tablespoon coconut oil

1 whole lemon
salt to taste

Flavoring Paste:
1 Tablespoon Nigella sativa (aka kalonji) seeds
1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
4 Tablespoons dry grated coconut

Starter flavor to be crushed in mortar/pestle:
3 green chilies
12 mint leaves
3 garlic cloves

Tempering:
1 teaspoon coconut oil
½ teaspoon urad dal
½ teaspoon mustard seeds

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the Starter flavors crushed, a pinch of salt and turmeric, and saute till aromatic
2. Add the mung beans, 4 cups of water, chopped kohlrabi, tomatoes plus the greens
3. Sprinkle salt, stir well, cover and simmer till kohlrabi and mung beans are cooked
4. Meanwhile, combine the Flavoring Paste ingredients and grind into a fine powdery mixture
5. Optional Tempering: heat the oil in a small pan, add the urad dal, when it turns golden brown, add the mustard seeds, when mustard seeds pop remove from heat
6. When kohlrabi and mung beans are cooked, stir in the Flavoring paste, stir in freshly squeezed lemon juice, top with tempering, and serve warm with basmati rice or naan

Almond Panko Encrusted Baked Stuffed Okra

Sometimes, the work involved to get the finished product seems worth the effort. Sometimes, not. I think this dish is worth the time and labor, although that depends on how many okras one wants to prepare at a time in this manner.

Nutty, crispy coating, along with spicy stuffing makes these quite the versatile finger food. I decided to make just about 15 to 16 okras at this time, just enough as an appetizer for the two adults. Kids will take the sole courtesy bite per the house rule and declare it delicious but unsuitable for them at this time.

Stuffing can be anything that will fit in the slit - grated cheese, sliced onions, jalapeno, even any cooked meats as long as it is minced or chopped small enough to fit. I went with simple mint chutney and thinly sliced red onions.

Ingredients
16 medium sized okras
1 cup seasoned Panko bread crumbs
1 cup ground raw almonds, seasoned
1 cup buttermilk
Stuffing: store-bought mint chutney, red onions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425 °F
2. Slit the okra but not slice it all the way through
3. Push a thumb through the slit to get the sides separated enough to make a smallish pocket
4. Slather some chutney and push in a small amount of stuffing
5. Leave the stuffed okra in a shallow bowl of buttermilk 
6. Mix the ground almonds and Panko seasoned crumbs together and keep it handy in a plate
7. Take a few okras at a time out of the buttermilk, press into the almond+panko crumb, turn to coat all sides
8. Place in a greased roasting pan; fill the roasting pan with these prepared crusted okras
9. Drizzle with oil and bake for about 20 minutes till okra is done and the crumb coating is crisp and golden brown
10. Remove from heat, serve warm with dips and chutneys