Chunky Halibut and Potatoes in Spicy Gravy

The rich aroma and flavors that come about when sautéing onions to the point of caramelization is irresistible. Throw in organic home garden sweet cherry tomatoes and some finely grated ginger and minced garlic, the combination is giddying.

That's how this Halibut and Potatoes dish started -- with a rich base for the gravy brought in by prolonged gentle sautéing of onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic, with a sprinkling of salt and turmeric powder.

Meanwhile, halibut was rubbed with Ethiopian Mekelesha spice powder and some salt, and allowed to marinate for a while. Chunks of potatoes were steamed just enough so they can finish cooking with the gravy.

When the onions are almost caramelizing, add in the halibut and potatoes, splash some water, cover and allow to sweat and simmer till fish is cooked and potatoes are fork-tender.

Drizzle some fresh lemon juice, garnish with spring onions and cilantro, serve with warm cooked pearl millet and Sprouted Moong Bean Salad.

Over the last few years, portioned plated meals for dinners has become the norm. I rarely do family-style meals anymore. However, I do make the portions quite small to start with so we can go for seconds to simulate family-style dining.

Fenugreek Leaves, Snap Peas, Purple Carrots, Chickpeas, Freekeh Bowl

Bowls! Bowls! Bowls!

What's not to love about them?

Bibimbap has always been a favorite, as is Donburi minus the raw fish.

The base doesn't have to be rice. Any combination of whole grains works. Not too long ago, bowls were so trendy. I suppose they still are.

In any case, this is a spillover from the previous recipe of  Freekeh, Pearl Millet, Wild Rice Tabbouleh. I had cooked enough of the grains to save some for later while I used some of it for the Tabbouleh. And it is these lefetover Freekeh, Pearl Millet plus Wild Rice that formed the base for this bowl.

Fenugreek is an amazing plant. Tender fenugreek leaves are quite the staple in Indian cuisine. As are the fenugreek seeds, which have interesting properties including being a natural galactagogue, which I diligently indulged in during post-partum days. Dried fenugreek leaves are available in Indian stores and are quite potent, a little goes a long way, and can be added to dressing or soups. The delicate fenugreek leaves from the garden seemed like a good addition to this bowl, sautéed with a pinch of salt and olive oil.

Some snap peas from the garden were handy as well. Before I get to pick them and use them in some interesting way, the older child gobbles them right off the plant. Of course, that was the idea when I planted these peas, to serve as a preferred snack for the kids. But, there was enough left to sauté and add to this bowl.

Some sautéed onions is always a good addition. Plus some julienned purple and yellow carrots. And of course, spiced chickpeas. Simply cook the chickpeas and then sauté in oil with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and salt.

Bowls are just like a filling salad, so, I prefer to drizzle some dressing. This time, as always, the dressing is a quick mix of some staples in my kitchen: Tahini, Sriracha, Bragg Liquid Aminos, Mirin, Apple Cider Vinegar, Grape Molasses, Red Wine Vinegar, Lemon juice, Ginger. A little of this and a little of that till it feels right.

Topped with some nigella seeds and sesame seeds, this makes a perfect meal to pack for office lunch.

Freekeh, Pearl Millet, Wild Rice Tabbouleh

Freekeh. Young green wheat. Cracked. Toasted. Chaff and straw removed. High fiber. Whole grain. Hearty.

Pearl Millet. High fiber. High Protein. Rich in B vitamins. Whole grain.

Wild Rice. Grass grains. Native to North America. Gorgeous color. Antioxidants. High fiber. Good protein.

Naturally, the three come together often in my kitchen. Not just as a rice substitute, but as a great base for salads and the ever-popular Bowls!

Any combination of fresh shredded/grated veggies would work, of course. This time, I put my trusty Salad Shooter to good use and made a small pile of shredded/grated veggies including celery, kale, flat-leaf parsley, carrots, and red onions. Some chopped dried fruits and toasted nuts went in as well - dates, apricots, cranberries, almonds, walnuts. Some chopped green apples too. Diced cucumbers. A generous block of Feta cheese got crumbled over the salad for that unbeatable texture and flavor.

The dressing is, as always, a fusion of international flavors: Lemon juice, Ethiopian berbere powder, mirin, apple cider vinegar, grape molasses, avocado oil, and a touch of sesame oil for the finish that leads by the nose.

I know, I should have measured and noted it all down properly. Sorry about that. Will try next time. Dressings come about quite fluidly and organically for me: add a little of this, taste and wrinkle nose, add a little of that, taste and nod with faith, a little of something else, taste and call it just-right.

Bisi Bela Huli Millet

"Bisi bela huli anna" translates to "hot lentils tamarind rice" in Kannada, a typical vegetarian dish that is out of this world when done right. Instead of the "anna" which is the rice part, this dish is made with millet.

This may not be the conventional method of preparation here, but, this is what I like to do: Simply add the chopped veggies, lentils, millet, tamarind paste, spices, salt to taste, in a pressure cooker, with enough water to cook it through. When cooked and ready, add some fresh tempering and garnish, and serve hot, with a generous dripping of ghee.

Most of the time, I use my home-made Sambar powder for the spice mix and flavoring, but this time I went with store-bought mix of spice powders that are easier to find at the local grocery stories.

Ingredients
Pressure cooker:
3 cups assorted chopped veggies: eggplant, onions, squash, peppers, broccoli stems, carrots (optional: peas)
½ cup Tuvar dal (split pigeon peas)
1.5 cups pearl millet
2 Tablespoons tamarind concentrate (I use Vietnamese Sour Soup Mix)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon Madras curry powder
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon red hot chili powder (optional)
salt to taste
enough water to immerse the contents and build up pressure - about 5 cups

Garnish: ghee-roasted cashews

Tempering:
¼ tsp urad dal
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp mustard seeds
3 or 4 curry leaves
1 tsp vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. Pressure cook: Combine the ingredients for the pressure cooker and cook till done; the cooked dish will be mushy with a porridge-like consistency
2. Tempering: Heat oil in a small pan, add urad dal and allow it to turn a mild golden brown, add the mustard seeds and let them pop; cover with a perforated lid if preferred as the mustard seeds will spatter all over when they pop; add the fresh curry leaves, remove from heat and add to the bisi bela huli millet from the pressure cooker
3. Garnish: Heat some ghee in a small pan and roast some unsalted raw cashews till golden brown, toss in Curry leaves if available

Millet Meal Polenta Patties

Pearl millet ground up to a coarse meal is something I keep handy. It works great as a substitute for rice meal in some of the Indian dishes. This time, equal parts millet meal and corn meal came together with a dollop of ground lentils to make this polenta.

In case this is sounding complicated, the recipe is very close to Arisi Upma Kozhakattai, only, instead of 2 cups of rice idlee rava as called for in that recipe, I substituted 1 cup millet meal, plus 1 cup corn meal.

Once the thick porridge-like Upma/Polenta is made, roll into a log and pack it in foil, refrigerate it till it sets. I left it in the fridge the previous night, then cooked it for dinner the following evening.

Simply slice up this log when ready, pan cook both sides till brown and the insides are warm. Dust the slices with some chickpea flour before pan-frying to get the extra crispness and brownness, if preferred.

Saute some onions, peppers, tomatoes, and any other favorite veggies. Serve these Millet Meal Polenta Patties topped with the veggies, some feta, plus chopped kale, chopped celery leaves, and chopped spring onions.

Since some yellow pear tomatoes, red cherry tomatoes, kale, and spring onions are still alive in my home garden, now in mid-Autumn, I went with these, but, any combination of veggies would work just as well.

Quinoa, Millet, Barley, Soybean Dosai

I grew up with a steady dose of Dosai-- the versatile anytime crepe-like flatbread made from hearty urad dal and rice. I didn't think about it much, it was a staple and therefore taken for granted. I didn't bother to analyze its nutritional value when I was young, I didn't care to know much about it, except that the batter was always handy and my mom would make this simple dish without a second thought and serve it with any handy chutneys or leftover sambaror kozhambu.

Now that I am trying to feed my own kids, I find that this unassuming protein-packed Dosai is my best friend-- the kind I can take liberties with and not fall out. The kids love it with or without chutneys and dips on the side. And, these are second-gen enhanced non-traditional Dosai that tradition-loving puritans would probably frown at.

There is the 'ordinary' dosai that was favored by the kids when they were toddlers. A slight variation of it is the Brown Rice Dosai that always satisfies. And then, there is the Soy Bean Dosai which comes from a multipurpose batter that doubles as Idlee batter for steaming. On and off, I make the batter with a mix of barley and pearl millet with brown rice and urad dal which gives a wholesome Barley-Millet Dosai.

It helps to plan ahead: I typically soak the ingredients overnight on a Thursday evening, grind it Friday night, then allow it to ferment all weekend thanks to natural wild yeast in the air. In winter, I help it along by warming up the oven a bit, turning off the oven, and leaving the batter inside the oven to stay warm and ferment better. The batter is ready when it bubbles a bit when stirred and emits a pleasant sour odor.

The batter, once fermented, can be stored in the fridge for a week. I take out a little at a time to make a few dosais as needed for breakfast or dinner, as they taste best fresh off the griddle.

Anyway, there are umpteen variations for the batter - just add whatever grams and pulses are handy and see how it turns out. Sometimes, the texture is off and the batter tends to stick to the griddle making it tough to cook if the combination is not right, but over time, it is easy enough to gauge the outcome while measuring and soaking the ingredients.

This Quinoa-Millet-Barley-Soybean Dosai is one such combination that turned out fine and was much relished by the family

Ingredients for the batter:
1 cup urad dal
1 cup quinoa
1 cup millet
1 cup barley
1 cup soy beans
2 cups brown rice

Preparation

1. Soak the ingredients for the batter overnight
2. Grind using a heavy-duty blender or wet grinder to a smooth batter with the consistency of pancake batter
3. Leave it in a warm place to ferment and rise - preferably cover with a cheese cloth or any breathable towel - anywhere from 24 to 48 hours
4. Add some salt and a little water if needed to make the batter spreadable on the griddle to make the crepes.
5. Cook much like pancakes-- brown one side, flip and cook the other side

Mint Thuvaiyal:

Here, I serve the dosais with red-chili chutney and home-made Mint Thuvaiyal- a pesto-like South Indian concoction. Mint is getting wild in the backyard, their runner roots taking over a small patch thanks to recent rains and warm weather.

Fresh mint leaves from the garden sauteed with toasted urad dal and chana dal, plus grated coconut, chilies, and tamarind paste come together to make this quick thick chutney-like blend referred to as Thuvaiyal/Thogayal in Tamil.

Millet and Lentil Stuffed Golden Danish Squash

I picked up a few Golden Danish/Acorn and Amber cup and Golden Kuri squashes at the farm market, hoping to make hearty roasted veggies and soups. But, the Golden Danish was perfect for stuffing and baking.

The Stuffing: 
Ingredients
1 cup millet
½ cup lentils
2½ cups stock or water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Cook millet and lentils in the rice cooker, adding salt/seasonings as preferred, plus some olive oil; fluff with fork when done and keep handy
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and saute favorite veggies - onions, red cabbage, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, grated carrots, adding favorite seasoning - I used lemon pepper seasoning plus some garlic powder and parsley
3. Stir in the cooked, fluffed millet+lentils and adjust seasoning to taste

The Baked Golden Danish:

1. Wash and clean the skin of the squash, cut it in half, scoop out the pulp and seeds; slice off a thin portion of the squash on its curved side so it will sit flat for baking
2. Lightly brush with olive oil, sprinkle some salt, and bake in a 400 °F oven for about 30 minutes, cut side down; then flip the halves so the cut side is up, and add a dab of butter to each half and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes; turn oven off
3. Remove from oven, stuff each half with the millet+lentil filling, top with Pepperjack or Cheddar cheese, return the stuffed halves to the oven and bake for a few more minutes till cheese melts - the residual heat in the oven is plenty for this, even if the oven is off
4. When ready to serve, top with feta and chopped spring onions, serve with a wedge of lemon

Brown Lentils, Pearl Barley, and Pearl Millet Dosai

What's not to love about flatbreads, right? It is a perfect universal food - for soaking up delicious dips and curries and chutneys; for loading up with veggies and wrapping up for easy consumption; for relishing the simple earthy goodness.

Dosai, a south Indian flat bread, is traditionally made from rice and urad dal. I have taken liberties with it making variations such as Brown Rice Dosai, Soy Bean Dosai, Adai Dosai Waffles, while relishing the simple and sumptuous traditional Mysore Masala Dosai, Adai Dosai, and Onion Rava.

Of course, there's the Ragi Dosai, (ragi is finger millet), which by itself is lovely for its rich color and flavor. But, this time, I went with a combination of brown lentils, pearl barley and pearl millet to make the dosai batter.

Dosai batter is typically allowed to naturally ferment before it is ready for cooking in the griddle into flat breads, crispy or spongy. To help it along, I add a dollop of home-fed, home-grown starter.

Grape Starter: A few grapes from the garden tossed into a mix of flour and water has been doing the magic for us. Wild yeast abounds in late summer early fall and it seemed like a great way to keep a bit of it to last us through the winter. So, since late summer this year, we have fed the starter and kept it going, in between periods of leaving it dormant in the fridge.

Using this grape sour dough starter to ferment the dosai, idli, injera batters adds a pleasantly sour taste and surprisingly quick results for fermentation.

Ingredients
¼ cup pearl millet
½ cup pearl barley
¼ cup brown lentils
¼ cup moong dal
¼ cup urad dal
1½ cups short grain brown rice
1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon grape sour dough starter

Combine all the ingredients except for the starter; soak overnight; grind to a smooth fine batter; add in the starter, cover and leave in a warm place for a few hours, or overnight. Stir every few hours to see if it is fermented to your liking. I like it bubbly and sour.

Salt the batter before making crepe or pancake like dosai on the griddle. Add finely diced onions, grated carrots, chopped chilies, chopped cilantro, even chopped kale to boost the dosai.

Enjoy with chutneys, sambar, curries.