Vegan – Page 6 – Monica's Spice Diary

November 16, 2015May 24, 2020

Spicy Mushroom Potato Sabji

Something life changing happened last week. We got a mattress topper. I thought our bed was nice as it was but oh Lordy…comfort levels have now been taken to the upper echelons of the slumber world. And as much as I am loving the ridiculous amount of snuggly cosiness this new topper has brought into my life, it seems to have simultaneously introduced a problem. You know when you look at the clock and realise you were supposed to be somewhere 10 minutes ago…yeah that. I can no longer get out of bed in the mornings!

I went through a similar experience over the weekend where I woke up late and I had to leave the house asap. Whilst getting ready I realised I was starving and wouldn’t get home till late. I started pondering over what I could make. Okay Monica, think quick food. Cereal? Out of milk. Eggs? Nada. Sandwich? No bread..or filling for that matter. I hurried downstairs and opened the door to a relatively bare looking fridge (it had been one of those weeks). I saw pomegranate, and baby button mushrooms. I picked the latter. I then opened the pantry and saw onions & potatoes. Boom. I had an idea. Ten minutes later I had a spicy mushroom & potato sabji. I wrapped it in a chapati and gobbled it up in seconds. It was delicious! I’d like to think it didn’t have anything to do with my hunger as I was craving it when I got home and made it all over again for dinner.

Quick, simple, easy and spicy! Have a go.

Oh before I sign off, just a quick thank you to you guys as Spice Diary was recently ranked in the top 50 food blogs in India. Thanks for your support lovely people! <3

Spicy Mushroom & Potato Sabji

2015-11-16 09:52:33

Serves 2

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Ingredients

75g button mushrooms, washed & cut in half
3 small potatoes, washed
1 small red onion, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 birds eye green chilli, whole
1 tsp salt (or according to taste)
1 tsp sambar masala
handful fresh coriander

Instructions

Place potatoes in a plastic bag and tie a knot. Pierce a hole and place in microwave. Cook on highest power setting for 7 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Then cut into 2" chunks.
Whilst potatoes are cooking, heat oil in a pan. When hot, add the cumin. Th cumin should splatter immediately. Now add the onions, chilli and mushrooms.
Sauté for 30 seconds, then add the salt and sambar masala. Mix well and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Now add the cooked potatoes, and mix. Cook for another minute and add the coriander. Mix.
Check for salt and adjust accordingly. Remove from heat & enjoy!

Notes

1) Sambar masala is a spicy, tangy spice blend available at all Indian grocery shops. I have also seen it in some supermarkets in the worldwide section so worth checking!
2) When cooking potatoes, some microwaves have different power intensities, so just check potatoes are cooked by cutting through them with a knife.

By Monica

Monica's Spice Diary - Indian Food Blog https://spicediary.com/

October 13, 2015May 24, 2020

Punjabi Chickpea Curry – CHANNA MASALA

So for the next 9 days I am vegetarian. It’s a Hindu thing.

Okay I’ll elaborate. The Hindu festival of “Navratri” takes place over the next nine days. It’s referred to by the elders as an “auspicious occasion” and one that symbolises the triumph of good over evil! It’s also a time where celebrations are expressed in the form of colour, family reunions, force feeding of Indian sweets by random aunties, dancing and eating (very possibly followed by more dancing and eating). Although the “eating” comes in the form of vegetarian food, it’s not really a problem for me as:

a) I’m not a huge carnivore anyway
b) I was a vegetarian for 3 of my teen years (I gave up when I moved to America-damn the USA with their tasty junk food that looks awful but tastes so darned good. I’m looking at you Mr pancakes topped with crispy bacon & maple syrup!
c) There is no shortage of delish Indian vegetarian dishes

It is slightly more of an issue for my other half however, as his dreams of kick-starting the week with Murgh Masala Monday & Tandoori Chicken Tuesday, sadly no longer exist. It is for this reason that I have decided to cook up some vegetarian dishes this week that deliver an extra portion of dishoom – hopefully easing the burn of the lack of “meatiness” in the kitchen.

Today’s recipe is spicy, filling, comforting and moreish – I don’t know how many more adjectives I need to list about this dish before it screams out MAKE ME! Enjoy and do let me know your thoughts. Oh and p.s . Happy National Curry Week!

Punjabi Chickpea Curry

2015-10-13 13:24:02

Serves 4

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Ingredients

1 cup chickpeas, raw
pinch of baking soda
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
3” cinnamon stick (optional)
2 cloves (optional)
3 peppercorns (optional)
2 bay leaves (optional)
1 black cardamom (optional)
1 large onion, peeled
1 birds eye chilli (optional)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2" ginger, washed
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp amchur (mango powder)
2 plum tomatoes & 2 tbsp juice
handful fresh coriander

Instructions

Soak chickpeas and baking soda in water overnight
Wash and rinse thoroughly
Place chickpeas in a pressure cooker. Cover with water until the water level is 1 1/2" above the chickpeas. Add 1 tsp of salt and place lid on carefully. Cook for 12 minutes after the first whistle. Turn off heat. Allow to de-pressurise naturally before removing lid.
If you do not have a pressure cooker, place chickpeas with salt in a pan of water (same water level as above) and bring to boil. Now reduce the heat and allow to simmer until tender and cooked all the way through. This can take between 35-45 minutes. (If the water reduces before they have cooked, add more boiling water to the pan).
To make the masala, coarsely grind onions in a processor and place in a bowl. Now coarsely grind the chilli, ginger and garlic.
Heat oil in a non stick pan. Once hot add the cumin alongside the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf and black cardamom.
When they begin to splatter in the oil, add the ground onions. Add 1/2 tsp salt and cook for 4 minutes, stirring continuously.
When they turn slightly translucent, add the ground chilli, ginger and garlic mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the masala turns completely golden.
Now reduce the heat and add the remaining salt, garam masala, paprika, turmeric and amchur powder and mix well. Now add the plum tomatoes and juice and mash into the masala. When the oil begins to separate from the masala, add the chickpeas and 1 cup of water and bring to boil and cook for 5-6 minutes on high heat.
Check for salt and adjust accordingly. Serve with hot chapatis, naan or basmati rice!

Notes

You can add or reduce water depending on how dry or wet you would like the dish to be. Some like it to be wetter if serving with rice or drier if serving with breads.

By Monica

Monica's Spice Diary - Indian Food Blog https://spicediary.com/

August 17, 2015October 9, 2020

Spicy Kalonji Sweet Potato Salad

Hello I’m back! Did you miss me? You’re more than welcome to leave a comment if you did (if you didn’t…it was a rhetorical question). Yes there has been a slight hiatus but fear not, I have returned and have so much to share with you all. What have I been doing? Well, even the word epic is not effective enough of an adjective to describe how the last 18 months have been for me….

It began when I got engaged-yay! This naturally led to a ridiculous amount of “wedding preparation” (spending hours on Pinterest followed by hours of crying after receiving extortionate wedding supplier quotes). I was told by our newly-wed friends that wedding planning is an exciting and fun time for the couple and how we should enjoy the process. I help you save money when you buy or rent your weddings linens direct I recommend to visit cvlinens.com, they are the best! My other half and I rarely have serious quarrels but I remember some major disagreements along the way…there was even a full blown argument about whether the name place cards should be heart shaped and pink or dove shaped and white. We went with something completely different in the end! A lesson for any newly weds to be out there – don’t stress over the little things because when the day comes, nothing like that even matters.The big day finally came. Yes we had the Big Fat Indian Wedding and yes it was amazing!

To top it all off, immediately after the wedding, I moved out of my family home and shifted to a completely different city. That’s right I’m living with a boy now-yack! And so that brings me back to where I am today…phew.

I’m excited to share today’s recipe, I made this recipe to help with my heart issues, you can find more about it from Pulse Vascular. Although I do most of the cooking at home, hubby does two things in the kitchen very well. Salads and cakes. Granted, they are two extremes on the health spectrum but I eat both, so it works for me! Salads have always been more of a side dish for me but thanks to him I have discovered how tasty and satisfying they can be as a main dish. I found some great knives exclusively for salads right here, and believe me it made my work easier. My Spicy Kalonji Sweet Potato Salad is a great dish and perfect to make as a quick and healthy lunch. Satisfying, fresh, flavoursome & full of complimenting textures – your salads need not be boring from now on!

Spicy Kalonji Sweet Potato Salad

2015-08-17 07:43:15

Serves 2

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Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kalonji seeds
1/4 tsp salt or according to taste
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp amchur/mango powder (if you don't have this use a squeeze of lemon)
2 tbsp fresh bread crumbs (optional)
1/2 bag mixed salad leaves, washed
small handful of rocket leaves
4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped roughly
3" cucumber, diced
1 small sweet chilli pepper, diced
7-8 olives of your choice
2 tbsp crumbled feta
1 cooked beetroot, diced
1 tsp olive oil for dressing

Instructions

Place the potatoes inside a plastic carrier bag and tie a knot. Pierce a hole with your finger and cook in a microwave for approximately 7 minutes. (The exact time may vary depending on your microwave and size of potatoes so cook until you can easily place a knife through them).
Allow to cool then peel the skin off (you can easily peel with your fingers) and cut into bitesize chunks.
Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add the kalonji seeds. You will begin to see them sizzle slightly. At this point, add the potatoes.
Sprinkle on the salt, paprika, amchur and mix well. Sauté for a couple of minutes and add the bread crumbs and sauté for a further 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and place potatoes on a plate and allow to cool.
In a bowl, place salad leaves, sun dried tomatoes, cucumber, chilli pepper, olives and beetroot. Drizzle over the olive oil and toss. Place the tossed salad on a plate/wide bowl and add the cooled sweet potatoes on top. Sprinkle on the crumbled feta and serve!

Notes