Spiced Banana Breakfast Shake

Banana is versatile and nutritious, as we all know. And, when I was growing up in India, we always had bananas at home to be eaten as a snack, or even dessert. There were at least half a dozen varieties of bananas I remember, each with distinct flavor, look, and size - from the small "manjal pazham" (yellow banana) to my favorite "nendran pazham" (i have no idea what the translation or botanical name for nendran is - I guess I could look it up...).

While I relish bananas as-is, I also like this simple shake which is low fat with a hint of spice. This thick, cold, and hearty shake with bold banana flavor and a hint of allspice and cinnamon is a great way to start the day.

This Spiced Banana Breakfast Shake is for this month’s Jihva for Ingredients - Banana. JFI was started by Indira of Mahanandi, hosted this month by Mandira of Aahar.

Ingredients:
2 large medium ripe bananas
½ tsp allspice powder
1 cup 2% milk
6 oz Yoplait™ low fat banana creme yogurt
cinnamon powder for dusting

Preparation

1. slice 1½ bananas and leave in the freezer for about 30 minutes
2. slice the remaining ½ banana for garnish
3. when ready to assemble the drink, combine the milk, yogurt, frozen banana slices and all spice powder in a blender and blend to a smooth drink
4. garnish with sliced bananas stuck through a toothpick and dust with cinnamon, serve cold

The quantity listed above makes about roughly two 8 oz drinks as in the picture.

Capsicum Paruppusili

Last year, when my mom visited us, our garden was bursting with peppers, squash, eggplant and tomatoes. My mom was frantically trying to find different ways to cook up these veggies. That's how capsicum paruppusili came about.

And since this qualifies as the JFI ingredient this time around, I am dedicating this post to the same. JFI:Chilli Peppers event is hosted this month by my dear pal, the lovely and talented Nandita of SaffronTrail

Capsicum is a genus of plants from the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to Mexico, and now cultivated worldwide. Some of the members of Capsicum are used as spices, vegetables, and medicines. The fruit of Capsicum plants have a variety of names depending on place and type. They are commonly called chili pepper, red or green pepper, or just pepper in Britain and the US; the large mild form is called bell pepper in the US, capsicum in Australian English and Indian English...
...
The chili pepper, or more simply just "chili", is the fruit of species of the plant Capsicum from the nightshade family, Solanaceae.
The name, which is spelled differently in many regions (chili, chile or chilli), comes from Nahuatl via the Spanish word chile. The term chili in most of the world refers exclusively to the smaller, hot types of capsicum. The mild larger types are called bell pepper in the USA, simply pepper in Britain and Ireland, capsicum in Australasia and paprika in many European countries. -- Wikipedia

Paruppusili is basically, red gram lentils soaked with some dry red chilies, ground into a paste, steam-cooked and then pan fried and added to vegetable of choice, which in this recipe happens to be Capsicum. The procedure is the same as my Kovakkai Paruppusili. The only difference is, instead of Tindora/Kovakkai, substitute your favorite chilli peppers - in this case, it happens to be mild and sweet green and yellow bell peppers.

chilli thokku

Chillies - green or red, fresh or dry - have always been an integral part of my mom's kitchen. And now, chillies have a special place in my kitchen as well.

When I was growing up, there was very rarely a period when we didn't have home-made pickles and chutneys handy. In addition to regular food, that is.

Thokku is a form of pickle where the main ingredients are ground into a paste and preserved in oil and spices. The most common ones at home are tomato thokku, ginger thokku and chilli thokku.

This chilli thokku recipe is a bit different from how my mom usually makes it. The primary ingredient is, of course, chillies - both green and red - plus, I decided to throw in some dry hibiscus flowers that I had handy as I like the color and the mild flavor it adds. Now, I love the deep rich color and the smoky flavor of dry ancho-pasilla chilies, so, I went with them here. But, if this is not readily available, substitute any favorite dry red chilies - adjust quantity based on heat.



I usually make fairly small batches and store it in the fridge. It lasts for about 2 weeks (if we don't eat it all up, that is). But, sometimes, I can them and put them away for later. It tastes even better when it has had time to age gracefully and develop deep flavors.

And this chilli thokku recipe is my post for JFI: Jihva For Ingredients, started by Indira of Mahanandi fame, hosted this month by a dear pal, the lovely and talented Nandita of SaffronTrail
.

Ingredients:
6-8 dry ancho-pasilla chilies
15-20 green chillies
a handful of dry hibiscus flowers
--------------
plain white vinegar
brown sugar
salt
oil

Preparation

Soak the dry red chilies and hibiscus in some warm water for about 15 minutes.

Remove the stem and some of the seeds, if preferred, and coarsely chop the soaked chillies; in a blender or food processor, grind the three ingredients together.

Heat 4 Tbsp oil in a pan, add some mustard seeds and when they splutter, add the ground chilli paste. Add about ¼ cup plain white vinegar, about 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar, and some salt to taste.

Stir well, and keep stirring till the rawness of the chillies go away, all the liquid is evaporated, the oil starts separating and the thokku comes together. Taste and adjust flavors.

The tang from the vinegar and the sweetness of the brown sugar counter-balance the heat from the chillies and make this a wonderful condiment to have handy at home. The heat is not overpowering, killing the taste buds, so-to-speak...

How to use this chilli thokku?

1. mix a small amount with cream cheese and use it as a sandwich spread
2. spread a thin layer of this wonderful thokku on rotis or parathas (or even tortillas), roll them up and munch as a quick snack
3. mix a small amount with fresh hot rice and ghee and enjoy!

Stuffed Baby Eggplant

Eggplant, Brinjal, Aubergine, Vazhuthananga, Kathrikkai... whatever name it goes by, it has been one of my favorites since childhood.

I think a number of recipes I have collected here feature eggplant as the primary ingredient - be it Japanese, Malaysian, Indian or Italian recipes :-)

Original eggplants were white and about the size of a hen-egg apparently, hence the name... Then hybrids started defaulting to deep purple as they don't look as bad as the white ones when bruised ;-)

The lovely purple flowers the plant puts out early in the season in our garden is a sight to behold. And, as many would know by now, eggplant is a fruit, a berry in fact.

While calliopes, ichiban, black beauty and a few other varieties are just as good, my favorite has been what are called "baby eggplants" - what I call Indian eggplant or brinjal - that are a gorgeous purple, with smooth tender flesh, not too many seeds, about the size of a large hen-egg.

The best way to enjoy these "baby" eggplants in my opinion is to slit and stuff them with favorite spices and pan cook them as in this recipe :-)

And this is my post for JFI's Eggplant event hosted by Sangeeta at Ghar ka Khana

Ingredients
8-10 baby/Indian eggplant
3-4 Tbsp oil

for the stuffing:
4 Tbsp dry grated coconut
3 Tbsp chana dal
2 Tbsp urad dal
1-2 dry red chilies
1 Tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste

plus, 4-6 tbsp tamarind concentrate/juice


Tempering: 1 tsp coconut oil or canola oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, 1 tsp chana dal, 2 Tbsp dry grated coconut

Preparation

tempering: heat oil in a pan, when shimmering add the chana dal, when it turns golden brown add the urad dal, when it turns golden brown add the mustard seeds, and when they pop add the cumin seeds and dry grated coconut; sauté till coconut turns golden brown; turn off heat and keep handy for garnish

stuffing: dry roast the stuffing ingredients, then coarsely grind them to powdery consistency, then add a little tamarind concentrate at at time to make a thick paste

slit the eggplants in quarters, taking care not to cut all the way to the stem - leave them attached at the stem

stuff each eggplant with the prepared stuffing, taking care not to break them apart

heat oil in a pan, place the stuffed eggplants gently on the pan, add any remaining stuffing, sprinkle a dash of salt and a tablespoon or two of water (not too much), cover and cook on medium low till eggplant is cooked and the skin develops a slight crispness, turning once or twice to get the skin crisped all over

take care not to break the eggplant, try to keep them whole when handling :-)

Garnish with the tempering and serve warm with rice or roti.

collard greens "sushi" bites

When I was little I remember my mom used to make several types of greens (keerai, in local language) - some pungent, some pretty bland, and some leaving me craving for more...

Greens, whether in salad, or cooked up as soup, or served as bite-size snacks, seem to be a favorite at home. So, for the JFI-WBB Going Green with Green Leafy Vegetables event, I thought it would be fun to cook up some Collard Greens in two simple ways, combining the ideas from two of my favorite bite-sized treats - viz., Dolma and Sushi .

Collard greens belong to the cabbage family and apparently have higher nutritional value when cooked than when raw due to the tough cell structure.

Good to know, because I am not sure I can eat collard greens raw :)

Dolmas are with grape leaves, stuffed and steamed; and sushi is with toasted nori, rolled up with cooked rice, among other things. Drawing inspiration from these, and knowing I like collard greens, I made one set of bite-sized treats with just rolled up cooked collards and the other set stuffed with flavored rice.




Ingredients
6-8 collard greens leaves
for the flavor sauce:
2-3 Tbsp Ponzu or soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp Tabasco® sauce
1 Tbsp chipotle sauce
for the flavored rice stuffing:
1 cup raw jasmine rice
¼ cup raisins and dry cranberries
2 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp Madras curry powder
salt to taste
water as needed

Preparation

Bring water to a boil in a large pot; remove the thick stalk^** from collard greens, cut the leaves roughly in half and drop them in boiling water; cover and cook till collard greens are just cooked - they change color and get quite soft; remove from water and drain
^**I usually save the stalk for using in sambar or curries; similarly with broccoli, when i meed to use only the florets, I save the stalk for other dishes :)

combine the Tabasco sauce, ponzu or soy sauce and chipotle sauce in a bowl, stir well and keep this sauce handy

In a plate, add some of the blended sauce from above, layer the drained collard greens on the plate, add splashes of the sauce, and another layer of collard greens and so on; leave it to marinate while getting the rest of the things ready

In a pot, combine 1 cup raw jasmine rice with 2½ cups water, some salt, curry powder, the dry fruits and walnut, cover and cook till rice is done; taste and adjust flavors, keep handy for stuffing

For the Collard Greens Bites: Layer about 3 or 4 of the marinated collard greens, roll into a tight cylinder/log while squeezing out any of the marinade; cut into bite sized pieces and arrange in a serving plate

For the Collard Greens Sushi/Wrap: Place a marinated collard green leaf on a plate, add some rice stuffing, wrap it tight as you would a dolma, or a burrito; cut on a bias if desired before serving

Serve at room temperature or cold.