Cauliflower Tahini

Cauliflower Tahini is one of the quickest and simplest dinner recipe. Tahini is basically Sesame seeds paste. My husband's stay in Cyprus has resulted in Middle Eastern dishes' regular presence in our Menu. Cauliflower Tahini is one of them. Its a very simple and quick recipe.

Cauliflower Tahini

Prep. Time - 2 mins
Cooking Time - 10-15 mins

Ingredients
1 cup Cauliflower florets
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4th cup Tahini Paste
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp Chopped Parsley
1 tsp Chopped Basil

Preheat the oven at 400 F /204 C.

Toss the cauliflower florets with little olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper and place them in the preheated oven for cooking. Cauliflower would be nice and crispy within 10-12 minutes. If they are not crispy, broil them for 1 minute.
Meanwhile put a small pan on medium heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil. Add Tahini, lemon juice, black pepper, salt and stir continuously. Adding lemon juice gives a nice foamy texture to tahini. Remove from heat. Add chopped Parsley and Basil.

Mix this with the baked crispy cauliflower florets and Cauliflower tahini is ready to eat :)

Quick and Easy Pongal with coconut chutney!!

I dread of Saturday mornings thinking what to cook! It was one of those Saturday mornings and while I was talking to my aunt over phone back home in India she told me that she has made Pongal and coconut chutney! Didn't miss this golden opportunity to take the recipe from her and in no time Pongal was ready for our Saturday brunch :D

Ingredients:

Rice                   - 1 Cup

Moong Dal        - 1 Cup

Peppercorns       - 1 Tbsp

Green Chillies    -  To taste

Ginger                - A small piece
                            (optional)

Salt                     - To Taste

Curry leaves       - 4-5 

Coriander leaves - 1-2 strands

Oil                       - 2 Tsp 

Ghee                    - 1 Tsp

Mustard seeds      - 1 Tsp

Cashew nuts        - To Taste

Turmeric              -  A pinch

Water                   - 4 cups

Instructions:

• Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker, once hot add mustard seeds, let it crackle then add turmeric, green chillies, peppercorns, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt and add 4 cups of water.
• Now wash rice and moong dal nicely and pressure cook everything for 4-5 whistles. 
• Open the cooker once it cools down. Mix everything well. Add more water if needed. 
• In a small pan, heat ghee and fry cashew nuts till golden brown and add it to pongal.

• Serve hot with coconut chutney or any other chutney of your choice. 

Khandvi

We miss Gujarati snacks (farshan) every now and then. Few days earlier, I was watching Masterchef India and in the elimination round contestants had to prepare Khandvi. That was enough to tempt me to make Khandvis. I am sharing with you all simpler version of Authentic Gujarati Khandvi recipe.

Khandvi

Prep. Time - 5 mins
Cooking Time - 10 -15 mins
Ingredients
For Batter
1 cup Chickpea Flour
1 cup thick Yogurt
2 cups water
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Ginger chilli Paste
Salt to taste
Pinch of Asafoetida
For Tempering
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp chopped Green chilies
few curry leaves
pinch  of Asafoetida
2 tsp Sesame seeds
Grated coconut -for garnish

The tricky part for Khandvi is the batter consistency.  Mix all the ingredients for batter and mix well to get a lump free batter.Grease back part of the plates or your cooking surface. You can even spread out an aluminium foil on a flat surface and grease it.

Start cooking the batter in a pan on medium low heat. Stir occasionally, to make sure no lumps are being formed and the batter is not sticking at the bottom of the pan.When the batter is thick (in around 8-10 mins) pour the hot batter on the greased surface and quickly spread the batter, with the help of a spatula. Spread the batter thin and evenly. Allow it to cool.   You need to spread the batter when its hot. If its cooled, the batter will not spread.

When cooled, cut the Khandvi length wise with around 1 1/2 inch width. Roll up gently starting from the smaller side. Repeat this for all other Khandvi's. Place the rolls in the plate.
For Tempering, heat oil in a small pan. Add Mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start crackling, add Asafoetida, Green chillis and curry leaves. Turn off the gas. Add Sesame seeds and pour the tempering over the khandvis.

Garnish with grated coconut. You may also use dessicated coconut.
Delicious, Mouthwatering Khandvis are ready for eating !! :)

Try this at your home and let me know how it turns out. I read somewhere, that it can be made in Microwave also. If you try, please share your experience !!