Home-garden Zucchini Crispy Pan-fried

Summer was rather unseasonably hot here. Al fresco dining was a frequent option, to just hang out in the backyard and catch the evening breeze as the sun sets and the air cools a bit.

Fresh veggies and fruits, with minimal cooking was my goal. And this particular meal seemed to fit the bill perfectly, served buffet-style, a few weeks ago.

Some tender zucchini from the garden got made into these incredibly addictive crispy pan-fried slices. Coat the zucchini slices with some olive oil. Grate some Parmesan, combine it with some seasoning. Press the oiled zucchini slices into the seasoned Parmesan and pan-fry till both sides are crispy

Carrots and cucumber from the farmers market became Indian-style salads: Cucumber got tossed with some salt, cayenne pepper, lime juice and cilantro. Grated carrots got tossed with some grated ginger, salt, toasted cumin seeds, and lemon juice.

We had picked fresh blueberries at the farm, diligently working under scorching sun, thinking about seasonal migrant workers who usually take on this tedious job for minimal wages, and wondering all the costs that go into keeping the berries fresh when they arrive at the local supermarkets... Kids were truly appreciative of the labor and the incidental costs, which hopefully will make them more responsible and discerning consumers when they grow up...

Dolma: Stuffed Grape Leaf Snack with Brown Rice

Dolmas come about often in my kitchen, but in various avatars each time. Stuffed Kohlrabi dolma, or stuffed Swiss chard dolma, and even stuffed Collard greens dolma are fun to make.

Now that grape leaves are handy in the backyard, the traditional grape leaf dolmas come about on and off. Blanching the grape leaves is the first step: just dunk them in boiling water for a few minutes and then plunge them in ice water to make them pliable and ready for stuffing.

The stuffing/filling, sometimes, is just leftovers that works well. And sometimes, it is tailor-made, like this time: a mix of chewy brown and wild rice with onions and dried fruits and nuts and Swiss chard from the garden.

Additionally, I steam the tightly wrapped filled dolmas; if steaming is not an option, then, place them in a pan with about half an inch of water and allow the water to boil, cover or weigh them down, and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes before serving.

I like them better as leftovers the next day, served at room temperature or chilled, with some tahini-yogurt-based dip.

Beet Lentil Feta Burger Patties

It is comforting to recognize that I've always liked leftovers. Many fond memories surround the "new" foods I tried as a kid-- foods, as it turns out, that were reconstituted and repackaged leftovers, thanks to my mom who is quite adept at making dishes even more attractive each time she "recycled" them. No wastage in her kitchen.

And, no wastage in mine either. Although I tend to primarily serve portioned plated meals most of the time, there are some weekends that call for family-style meals to be savored over a couple of days.

The recent Injera bash with five sides certainly guaranteed some leftovers, which thrilled me to bits as I can find ways to repackage them.

Leftover Mesir wat (lentils), Zelbo gomen (kale), Yeqey Sir Qiqqil (beets) were perfect starting point.

Add in some leftover brown rice, some feta, and already it screams "Veggie Burger".

Since the leftover mesir wat and gomen can be a bit watery, best to strain out the liquids first, then add the brown rice and feta, minced garlic, and a generous sprinkling of berbere spice mix. Gently pulse to a coarse mass.

It still might need a binding agent to hold it all together. While eggs seem like the standard, I don't typically use it in my patties and cutlets.

So, I went with my favorite Coconut Flour.

Mix in just enough coconut flour to be able to shape the patties. Just for fun, some Panko breadcrumbs got pressed in till the patties were happy to hold their shape.

Pan-cooking them first to seal both sides and then baking them till firmly set seems to work well for me, but, if preferred, can grill it or pan cook it all the way through.

Who needs buns? Patties are perfect by themselves.

I can't seem to ignore the kale flowers from my garden, they sneak into every food photo I've clicked since they bloomed. They are short-lived, of course, so, soon there won't be any, but at least I'll have these pictures to make me smile when I miss them.

Lab-Lab Beans aka Hyacinth Beans Chundal

Chundal ('ch' as in chair, not choir) is a specialty around Navarathri time - the nine nights, ten days long Indian festival going on right now. Each of the nine evenings, a different chundal is on the menu along with a sweet dish.

Almost all beans and pulses and lentils are fair game for making this style of chundal, referred to as sundal by most Tamilians. Black chickpeas, green chickpeas, chickpeas, dried peas,  kidney beans, white navy beans, black turtle beans, black-eyed peas, as well as the top favorite Lab-lab beans aka hyacinth beans aka mochakottai.

Soak the dried lab-lab beans overnight. Drain and pressure cook with salt till cooked but not mushy. This is the tricky part as lab-lab beans is pretty tough to cook quickly. Sometimes, I've had to pressure cook it twice to get the right consistency - firm to the touch and holding shape, but soft melt-in-the-mouth texture when eaten.

Fairly quick and easy to make, with the main flavoring coming from tempering*, plus grated ginger and green chilies, this is a low-fat protein-rich snack that kids enjoy at home.

*Tempering: Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, add a teaspoon of urad dal; when it turns golden brown, add mustard seeds; when they pop, add some cumin seeds, torn curry leaves, grated ginger and finely sliced green chilies. Add in the cooked lab-lab beans, adjust salt to taste and serve warm. Optionally, fresh grated coconut can be stirred in as well.

Migas: Crumbled and Mixed Veggies and Corn Tortillas

I stumbled upon migas a few years ago when I was making Chili Rellenos and didn't think much of it as it seemed like a quick scramble of leftover bread.

However, after reading Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones with delightful and quirky illustrations by Katie Kath, I was inspired to make a version of migas myself.

Stale-old almost-stiff-as-a-board corn tortillas got a new life with some colorful peppers and jalapeños, plus chard ribbons.

Sometimes, there's eggs and cheese, plus a side of avocados. And, sometimes, I leave out the eggs and have just the crisped tortillas and veggies.

Ingredients
1 cup chopped colorful bell peppers
1 japapeño, chopped
½ cup red onions, chopped
1 cup chard, chopped into ribbons
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp brown sugar
salt to taste
3 tablespoons of oil
4 to 6 corn tortillas, cut into bite-size squares
2 to 3 eggs, beaten (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a shallow pan and crisp up the corn tortilla squares and keep handy
2. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a separate pan and saute the veggies, adding the spices
3. Add the beaten eggs, if using, with the veggies and scramble
4. Toss in the crisped corn tortilla squares with the veggies and the eggs, serve warm

Cheesy Sweet Potato and Cabbage Savory Bread

A thick slice of savory bread is perfect as tea time snack or as a quick lunch-mate for salads. While the sweetish cake-like zucchini bread and banana-blueberry bread and sweet potato bread get a huge raving endorsement, these savory breads are gaining in popularity as well with the kids lately.

The tiny wedge of purple cabbage that was relegated to the deep recesses of the crisper tray -- since I rarely throw away any vegetable before they are beyond redemption -- finally saw the light of day, but not for too long.

Why purple cabbage and sweet potato? asked the nicer half of the adult team at home.
Why not? I replied with conviction.

Ingredients
Wet:
1 cup finely chopped purple cabbage
1 cup mushed cooked sweet potato
2 eggs beaten
½ cup light olive oil
½ cup milk
1 cup grated cheeses - Parmesan and Colby jack or Cheddar
Dry:
¼ cup flax meal
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt (reduce if preferred)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 ° F
2. Combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl and stir till well incorporated
3. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, sifting the flour
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture stirring gently and folding it in
5. Pour into a greased standard loaf pan and bake in 350 °F oven for 35 to 40 minutes till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
6. Cool on a wire rack before slicing
7. Serve with plain whipped cream cheese

Steamed Lentil Balls with Parsnip, Rutabaga, Turnip

Served as snack or appetizer, these steamed lentil balls are packed with so much goodness that I can end up overindulging. And, when cooked in a curry sauce, it is the perfect side dish for naan or roti.

Petite French green lentils and split pigeon peas (tuvar dal), along with some bulgur (cracked wheat) is soaked in hot water till they soften a bit. Then ground up with some herbs and flavors.

Grated parsnip, rutabaga, turnip, and ginger bring in the earthy flavors.

Coconut flour, my latest obsession, is perfect to bring the dough together to shape into balls. High in fiber content, coconut flour helps bind the lentil paste and grated veggies. These balls can be steamed or deep fried or baked. I made a batch of steamed lentil balls and a batch of fried ones for kids's snack.

These steamed lentil balls are very much like the traditional South Indian Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu recipe, but with a boost of flavor from winter root vegetables.

The steamed lentil balls can be cooled and frozen for later use. Just thaw overnight in the fridge before incorporating in curries or other recipes.

Ingredients
For the Lentil Balls:
1½ cups combined grated turnips, rutabaga, parsnip, ginger
⅓ cup coconut flour, more or less
to soak and grind to paste:
¼ cup split pigeon peas
¼ cup green lentils
¼ cup bulgur
3 or 4 dry red chilies (optional)
to flavor:
&frac14l teaspoon turmeric powder
&frac1 teaspoon chili powder
&frac1 teaspoon brown sugar
salt to taste

For the curry:
2 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp dark cocoa powder (optional)
2 Tablespoon tamarind concentrate (sold as Sour Soup Mix)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ cup finely diced onions
¼ cup finely diced red, yellow bell peppers
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
favorite spices - cumin powder, coriander powder, or ready-made taco seasoning, or even Ras al Hanout

Preparation:

1. Soak the split pigeon peas, green lentils and bulgur with optional red chilies in boiling hot water for about half an hour or up to one hour
2. Meanwhile, grate the parsnip, rutabaga, turnip and ginger and keep handy
3. Grind the soaked split pigeon peas, green lentils, bulgur, chilies to a fine paste, adding no more than a few teaspoons of water if needed -- the lentil paste needs to be thick not runny
4. Combine the ground lentils mixture, grated veggies, flavoring ingredients, add a little bit of coconut flour at a time and mix the dough to a stiffer consistency that will lend itself to shaping
5. Shape the dough into balls and steam for about 10 minutes
6. Meanwhile, start the curry simmering in the pot - simply combine all the curry ingredients and bring to a simmer, adjusting flavors
7. Drop the steamed lentil balls into the gently simmering curry and allow to cook for about 8 to 10 minutes to absorb the flavors
8. Serve warm with rice or roti or naan

Alternately, I saved a batch of lentil balls before steaming, and deep fried these for the kids. The steamed lentil balls can be deep fried as well, if preferred.

With some ketchup on the side, kids love eating up these fried balls not surprised at all by the fact that it has turnip, parsnip, and rutabaga which they typically avoid at all costs.

Japanese Yam "Fries"

With its rich deep magenta skin and white-ish insides, the Japanese yam looks quite stunning when cut open. The mildly sweet flavor and potato-like texture makes it an ideal candidate for making fries. Rather than deep frying in oil, it can be oven baked or pan-fried.

This time, as it was a small batch, and my pan was just the right size, I went with shallow pan-frying.

Peel and cut the yam, immerse in water and par-cook in the microwave for about 4 minutes, drain and pat dry.

Heat a tablespoon or so of oil in a cast-iron skillet, arrange the par-cooked yam pieces in a single layer, sprinkle with salt and chili powder, allow to sit and brown on one side.

Turn them over to brown the other sides as preferred.

Serve warm.

Japanese Yam, Green Papaya, Cauliflower Spicy Coconut Flour Kofta Balls

Unlike the supersweet sweet potatoes with orangish insides sold as "yams" in some grocery stores, the Japanese yam is mildly sweet with whitish insides, and has a flaky texture that somehow embodies both delicate and wholesome.

Kofta balls floating in spicy korma curries are quite a treat, especially with rice or naan. But, this time, I served these balls as an appetizer/snack with tomato chutney and cilantro-mint chutney.

Also, typically koftas are fried, but, these delicious goodies are baked.

One of my favorites to incorporate these days is the coconut flour, so, sure enough these kofta balls have coconut flour as well.

Ingredients
1½ cups combined, of grated Japanese yam, green papaya, cauliflower
2 chipote in adobo sauce chopped finely
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup chickpea flour
salt to taste
1 tablespoon sesame oil
vegetable oil for spraying

Preparation

1. Pre-heat the oven to 430 ° F
2. Combine the grated Japanese yams, green papaya, and cauliflower, and all the other ingredients and knead to a moist dough that can be shaped into balls. (Since grated veggies have enough water, I don't usually add water unless the dough gets too stiff)
3. Spray a roasting pan with oil, arrange the balls, spray oil on top as well and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes till outsides are crispy and insides are moist and well done, not too raw and doughy
4. Serve with dips and chutneys. Or, throw it in simmering pot of curry and serve immediately.

Purple Yam Ube Kachori and Mushroom Poblano Pepper Savory Kachori

Kachoris are stuffed fried breads from India, usually with savory filling, served with chutneys. Mung beans, chick peas, peas and carrots, potatoes are some of the popular stuffing. They are perfect tea time snacks and are good travel bread, much like parathas and rotis.

I had some ube purple yams and wanted to try Ube Kachori. But, rather than make it savory, went with the natural sweetness of the yams enhanced by flavorful coconut flour.

A sack of coconut flour has been lending itself well to some of the recipes and am liking the results so far.

For the savory kachori, a mash-up of mushrooms, Poblano and Anaheim peppers came in handy.

I prefer the dough to be seasoned a bit with salt and spices, or brown sugar for the sweet kachoris, but, that's optional.

The trick is to fry at medium-low heat, and usually I find that I am not the best person to deep fry anything. However, these turned out all right.


Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2/3 cup warm water (plus or minus a few Tablespoons)

1 Tablespoon white sesame seeds

1 Tablespoon red chili powder (optional)

Salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Filling:

Sweetish:

1 teaspoon coconut oil 

1/8 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup steamed and mashed purple

Savory:

2 button mushrooms

1 Anaheim or Poblano pepper

1/4 shallot

1/2 inch piece ginger

1/8 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon coconut oil

Preparation

1. Dough: Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, add the liquid a little at a time till a soft elastic dough forms; cover it and set it aside while getting the filling ready
2. Sweet Filling: Steam the ube purple yams, mash them, add coconut flour and coconut oil to be able to shape them into smallish balls about 1.5 inches diameter
3. Savory Filling: Finely mince the ingredients (except coconut flour and oil) and sautee it in coconut oil till rawness goes away; off heat stir in coconut flour and shape into 1.5 inch balls
4. Heat the oil at medium low to about 350 ° F
5. Divide the dough to make enough 2.5 inch diameter balls; flatten each ball in the palm while pressing the center to form a cup or a bowl shape; place a filling-ball and gather up the dough into a ball again with the filling enclosed; flatten this loaded dough ball with the side of the palm
6. Deep fry in oil till golden brown all over, on both sides
7. Serve warm with chutneys and dips

Beets and Purple Carrot with Brown Rice, Barley, Mung Bean Cutlets

What to do with leftovers might be a troublesome prospect for some. It happens to be quite an exciting enterprise for me.

About 1½ cups of stuffing for the Stuffed Kohlrabi in Coconut Sauce was leftover (on purpose). Also, some purple carrots and beets and red cabbage were handy. That's how these loaded Beets and Purple Carrot with Brown Rice, Barley, Mung Bean Cutlets came about.

Ingredients
1½ cups Barley, Brown Rice, Mung Bean prepared as shared in Stuffed Kohlrabi recipe
1½ cups combined grated purple carrots, beets, red cabbage, lightly sauteed with salt
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup fine corn meal
Up to 1 cup all purpose flour (a little at a time, as needed)
salt to taste
oil as needed

2 to 3 cups of Panko seasoned bread crumbs

Preparation

1. Combine the sauteed purple carrots, red cabbage and beets with the brown rice+barley+mung-bean filling
2. Add the corn meal and coconut flour and stir till incorporated
3. Add some all purpose flour, a little at a time, to make a thick dough-like batter that can be shaped into golf ball sized spheres
4. Have the Panko breadcrumbs hand on a plate
5. Heat a pan to medium high
6. Press each dough ball into the breadcrumbs and flatten a little; also, press in breadcrumbs to the topside so that both surfaces are coated
7. Place gently on the hot pan and cook; flip and cook both sides till breadcrumbs get crisp and golden and the cutlets hold together
8. Serve warm with favorite chutneys, including Green Papaya, Green Mango, Kohlrabi Chutney

Quinoa Fritters with Eggplant, Kale, Zucchini and Mushrooms

I had ground up some quinoa to stock up on quinoa meal, about fine corn meal consistency, to make vegetable porridge. And used some of it to make these griddle cake-like fritters loaded with veggies.

Of course, the outsides got a bit too well done on the cast iron skillet, but, the insides were moist and cooked; the taste was just fine, so we enjoyed it with some chutneys.

1. Finely grate eggplant and zucchini, squeeze out excess water and keep handy
2. Finely mince kale, onions, and mushrooms
3. Add seasoning to taste
4. Fold in the quinoa flour or meal, adding a little water as needed to make the batter about pancake consistency; alternately, keep water to a minimum to shape into patties
5. Cook on a medium hot cast iron skillet
6. Serve with tomato chutney and coriander-mint chutney

Scotch Potato Falafel

Things enveloped in things, enveloped in things... ad infinitum has been quite a tradition with the royalty around the world and through the ages.

Scotch eggs come about in my kitchen on and off, especially since the kids and the other half like it with pasta and sauce. The usual Scotch egg I make for them is fairly standard, with only the flavoring customized.

While I am not a big meat fan, I don't mind occasional turkey or chicken, maybe salmon or halibut, that's about it. No red meat, no other exotic meats. 

So, to satisfy my tastes, I make Scotch eggs my way: instead of ground turkey, I use falafel batter for the outer coating. And, sometimes, I substitute the boiled egg with par-cooked largish new baby potato. That, in short, is the Falafel Scotch Potato/Egg. 

Turkey Enveloped Scotch Egg

Ingredients
For the coating layer:
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Bragg liquid aminos
1 tsp Shawarma spice mix
1 tsp Cajun spice mix
1 tsp celery seeds
½ tsp ground oregano
1 tsp demerara sugar

1 Tbsp oil

5 boiled eggs, peeled

Preparation

1. Combine the ingredients for the coating layer and mix well
2. Rub some oil in the palms and flatten a ball of meat mixture
3. Envelop the eggs with this seasoned meat mixture coating 
4. Bake in a 425°F oven for about 20 minutes; I prefer it well done rather than underdone so, I turn off the heat and leave it in the oven for an extra 5 minutes
5. Serve warm with salad or vegetable sides like green beans and peas and potatoes; my kids prefer it with pasta and sauce, or pasta salad with veggies

Falafel Scotch Potato

I try to keep the falafel batter envelop layer fairly thin for quick cooking; if the consistency of the batter is not just right, the outer layer will crumble easily. It has happened to me quite a few times - adding flour and baking powder per Bittman's recipe seems to work consistently well, especially if the batter is fairly thick to be able to shape.

Incidentally, veggie balls dipped in chickpea flour batter, called Bonda, is a favorite tea time snack in India. Any filling can be used, but, typically it is mashed potatoes, carrots, peas and onions. I remember "Egg Bonda" that a neighbor aunty used to make and share with me. Bonda is fried in oil. In that sense, this falafel wrapped baked eggs is much like the Egg Bonda from my younger days, only not as much oil involved.

Ingredients

1 to 1½ cups any standard falafel batter - I use soaked chickpeas ground, with added flavors like garlic, tomato paste, salt and cayenne pepper powder; Mark Bittman's recipe works well

a few par-cooked new baby potatoes 

a couple of boiled eggs

a tablespoon or so of oil

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F
2. Envelop the boiled eggs and par-cooked potatoes with the falafel batter
3. Bake in the 375°F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes turning it around, and turning the pan around as needed, depending on your oven
4. Remove from heat, allow to rest before cutting open to serve

Stuffed Cucumber Hors d'oeuvres

Perfect for summer, and hard to stop eating, these stuffed cucumber rings didn't start out to be stuffed cucumber rings. They were supposed to be cucumber sushi rolls. But, after sacrificing a cucumber or two, I decided to blame the knife for not doing its job and decided to enlist the trusty old spoon instead.


Inserted the back of a long spoon and scooped out the innards of the cucumber, leaving a fairly thick fleshy part to make up the hollow cylinder for stuffing.

Filling ingredients: Cream cheese, feta, grated carrots, shallots, and sambal oelek came together for a thick and creamy stuffing.

Stuffing/Filling can be prepared ahead and refrigerated till ready to serve. And, keep the stuffed cucumber refrigerated until ready to serve. Also, preferably, place the serving tray over ice, or, as I found out on a hot day, the filling likes to melt and ooze out before we were ready to eat.

Eggplant Roll Ups

So many ways to enjoy the incomparable eggplant, each with its own special merits.

These eggplant roll ups are easy to make. They work best with large globe eggplant, but I like making it with the long neon or japanese and chinese eggplant as well.

Eggplant Slices:
Slice the eggplant uniformly thin, brush with oil, sprinkle some salt and arrange in a roasting pan.
Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes in a 425 °F oven till soft and cooked but not falling apart.

Filling:
Anything goes. But here, I went with a mix of feta, cream cheese, chopped onions, chopped bell pepper, grated carrots, chopped olives, plus some red leaf lettuce for layering. Combine all but the lettuce and stir well to spreadable consistency.

Assembly:
Lay a slice of baked eggplant on a plate. Place a layer of lettuce leaves. Spread some of the filling mixture. And roll up the eggplant slice. Seal the end with some of the cream cheese filling.

Serve with tahini yogurt dressing.

Multigrain Puff Bread

We just coined that term at home for the biscuit-style soda bread I make for a quick soup accompaniment. Rather than just all purpose flour, I use a combination of flax meal and Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Pancake Mix. Can substitute regular all purpose flour instead of the 10 grain pancake mix and increase the baking powder from 1 Tbsp to 2 Tbsp for this recipe - won't be "multigrain" puff bread anymore...

Each batch is flavored differently - garlic and herbs, just salt, cheese and olives... but the most favorite with the kids is the Cinnamon Raisin Multigrain Puff Bread I pack for school lunches and sometimes for morning breakfast.


Ingredients
½ cup flax meal
½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Pancake Mix (or any generic multigrain pancake mix from bulk foods store)
1/8th teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 Tbsp baking powder
¼ cup Smart Balance Omega Butter Light
¼ cup raisins
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp 1% milk

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F
2. Combine the dry ingredients; then cut in the butter and mix till breadcrumb consistency
3. Add the milk a little at a time and knead gently till the dough comes together
4. Turn dough onto a floured surface, knead a little more and roll it out to ¼ inch thick
5. Cut out circles and place in a greased sheet pan and bake in 425°F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes till done on the inside (I usually test one to make sure)

Spread some more butter once it comes out of the oven, and serve warm.

For the garlic herb bread, same as above, except, no cinnamon powder or raisins or brown sugar; adjust salt to taste.

Spicy Kale Crisps

Lightly coated chickpea and rice flour provide the perfect crunch for this favorite snack of Kale Crisps.

Adjust the seasoning and spices to taste. Sometimes I use cumin and coriander powder with a hint of paprika for the seasoning, and sometimes just plain kale with no flavors or flours except a sprinkling of salt.


Ingredients
5 packed cups coarsely chopped kale leaves
¼ cup rice flour
¼ cup chickpea flour
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F
2. Wash the chopped kale and drain; place in a large enough container
3. Drizzle the oil, then sprinkle the flours and seasoning; toss well till a thin layer of the flours adhere to the kale leaves
4. Place the coated kale leaves on a greased roasting pan and roast in the 350°F oven for about 12-15 minutes
5. Check partway and flip the kale to crisp uniformly; turn the pan if needed; if the kale is not done to desired crispness, leave it in the oven for another couple of minutes; watch closely so as not to char
6. Remove and serve warm; or, allow to cool completely in a rack and store in an airtight container

Home-made Arisi Vadaam (Crunchy Rice Discs)

Ready-made chips and packaged crunchy munchies were not handy back in the days... but, the love for such tidbits was always there. So, of course, there were so many ways to make fried chips and snacks at home, perfected and polished over a few centuries.

Vadaam and Appalam are two typical South Indian crunchy accompaniments to meals, so much so that many would consider a meal incomplete without these. Of these two, my favorite has always been Vadaams of various kinds.

Both Vadaam and Appalam can be made with rice or urad flours, maybe sago/tapioca sometimes. I remember my mom explaining the main difference between the two: Vadaam is when the batter is cooked, shaped, and then dried, whereas Appalam is when the dough is shaped and dried without cooking. Appalam is otherwise known as Pappadum or Pappad.

In blazing hot tropical summer days of my youth, my mom used to assign me the task of spreading spoonfuls of tapioca concoction spiced with lime and chilies on large plastic sheets laid out on the terrace floor. Scoops of steaming, gooey batter flattened into 2 or 3 inch circles bask under the sun for 2 or 3 days until they are bone-dry and ready to be stacked and stored in an airtight container.

When the mood called for it, we would take out a few of these stored dry discs and deep fry in oil to have  scrumptious vadaams either for snack or as a meal side.

Adding flavors for these concoctions used to be a favorite experiment for my mom-- chilies and lime, of course, perhaps some crushed tomatoes, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, crushed black peppercorn... they were all so good.

The fun thing about vadaam is that they don't have to be flat discs, they can be star-shaped, even small balls as long as the batter can hold the shape and dry completely.

Anyway, of all of these, the simplest is the Arisi Vadaam - made out of rice flour. (Arisi = Rice), whereas the most relished is the Javvarisi vadaam made out of tapioca.

I recently got a brand new Vadaam Stand as a birthday present and was thrilled to use it to make my own vadaams!

Vadam Stand is one of those brilliant devices, like the Electrical Idlee Steamer that has made life so much easier for lazy cooks like me. Not to mention demystifying the process and allowing me to bring my childhood favorites to my children, one small batch at a time. And, this one folds down to be stowed away neatly, no fuss.

Soak a cup of brown rice overnight and grind to a fine thick scoop-able batter adding very little water (can always thin the batter to required consistency as needed). Of course, white rice should be fine as well.

Get the steamer ready - a large pot with a tight-fitting lid into which the Vadaam Stand can fit easily. And start some water boiling in it.

Thin the batter with water, just enough to be able to spread it, almost like crepe batter. Add flavoring ingredients -- cumin seeds, chili paste, sesame seeds, salt to taste.

Spread the batter in a thin layer, on each of the plates of the vadaam stand apparatus. Stack them up carefully and assemble for steaming.

Steam for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Lay out the plates to cool just a bit.

Peel each cooked rice batter rounds carefully and lay on a plastic sheet under the sun to dry completely.

Repeat the process in batches till all the batter is used up. 1 cup raw rice made into batter yields about 30 vadaams roughly 3 inches in diameter.

Since we don't get much sun around these parts, I laid them out on cookie sheets and left them in a 190°F oven for about 30 to 45 minutes or until they seemed completely dry. The time and temperature will need to be experimented with. And if left for too long they curl up and crumble easily.

Store them in an airtight container until ready to fry.

Of course, being allergic to deep frying, I "fry" the vadaams in the microwave -- i.e., heat it up till it cooks through. Again, depending on power settings of microwave and size of vadaam, it takes anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute to "fry" up a small batch of 5 or 6 vadaams at a time, no oil needed.

I'll have to work on better pictures next time... poor natural lighting is my excuse for being sloppy with the pics this time.

Zhima Qiu: Glutinous Rice Balls with Surprise Fillings

A popular Chinese snack, Zhima Qiu, Ma Tuan, is something we indulge in about twice a year or so. And each time, we savor it, trying to come up with different fillings.

Hot, crunchy, chewy, mildly sweet, these glutinous rice balls seem to be a staple at Dim Sum restaurants as I gather. But, neither the kids nor I are fond of the red bean paste filling.

So, we tried a couple of different fillings: sweet lemon curd, small peanut butter chocolate ball candy, peanut butter+jelly, bananas, dry cranberries.

And, since there was no outer indication of what the filling might be, it was fun to bite into one and find the surprise inside.

The recipe for the shell is a standard one available on the web. Glutinous rice powder is available in most Asian stores.

For the outer shell:
3 cups glutinous rice powder
½ cup sugar
1 cup water

Oil for deep frying.

1 cup white sesame seeds for coating

Filling as needed.

Preparation

1. Mix sugar and water until dissolved. 
2. Add the glutinous rice flour and knead to a smooth dough.
3. Roll the dough into a long roll/log and cut into 20 pieces.
4. Flatten one piece at a time, make a concave depression holding the dough in the palm of one hand.
5. Add a small amount of filling in the center of the concave well.
6. Gather the edges and pinch to close, roll into a smooth ball, making sure filling is sealed in.
7. Dip the ball in water and coat with sesame seeds.
8. Deep fry in medium heat till golden brown.
9. Drain and serve warm.

Rutabaga and Sweet Potatoes Baked Fries

A quick web search will extol the many virtues of Sweet Potatoes, a nutritional powerhouse. Steamed or boiled, sliced or mashed, with a touch of Olive oil or other favorite fat seems to be the recommended method of preparation for maximum health benefits.

And, Rutabaga seems to have much nutrition to offer as well.

This Rutabaga and Sweet Potato Fries dish comes about on and off in my kitchen as kids seem to like it so far. And, since it is baked, not fried, with a touch of olive oil, it offers a nice option to round out a meal.

Ingredients
1 sweet potato
1 rutabaga
1 medium onion
1 to 2 Tbsp Olive oil
salt to taste
smoked ground paprika (optional)

Preparation

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450°F
2. Chop the sweet potato and rutabaga into uniform sticks, slice the onions thick 
3. Toss the olive oil, salt, paprika with the chopped sweet potato and rutabaga, spread into a single layer in a roasting pan
4. Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes till outsides are crispy and insides are done; check midway and if the onions start charring, remove them
5. Serve warm