Around The World On Your Plate

Udon Soup Ingredients: Soup Base: 2 cups vegetable stock 2 teaspoon miso paste 1 teaspoon red chilli paste (Korean) 1 teaspoon tahini paste Others: 1 Packet udon noodles (cooked per packet instructions) 1/2 cup onion sliced 1/2 cup mushroom sliced 1/2 cup cabbage shredded 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon minced ginger 2 teaspoon oil Scallions to garnish Sesame oil to taste Salt to taste Method: Saute all vegetables in oil on medium heat.  Add vegetable stock along with red chilli paste, tahini paste, and cooked udon noodles.  Simmer on low until everything is cooked.  Just before serving, add in the miso paste and turn off.  Garnish with scallions and serve hot.

Ingredients: 1 grated apple (optional) 1 onion finely chopped 1-2 teaspoon garlic minced 2 cups diced potatoes, bell pepper, sweet potato,  carrots etc Salt to taste Oil as needed Roux: 2 tablespoon vegan butter 2 tablespoon flour 1/4 cup water 1-2 teaspoon Japanese curry powder Red chilli powder and garam masala to taste Method: Heat a nonstick pan on low and melt butter, add flour and mix using a spatula or a whisk until well incorporated and cook until its light brown, next add water and mix well.  Add the curry powder and red chilli powder along with garam masala and mix well.  Keep stirring on low heat until aroma wafts from the pan.  Turn off, the roux is ready. In a separate pan, heat oil and saute onion and garlic until light golden in colour.  Next, add all the vegetables and saute.  Add the roux and desired amount of water and mix well.  If you find this spice blend to be spicy, a grated ap...

Serves: 2 Cooking time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 1 cup cauliflower florets 2 medium sized potatoes peeled and cubed 1 cup onion chopped 1-1/2 cup tomato chopped 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 1-1/2 teaspoon coriander powder 1 teaspoon garam masala Salt and sugar to taste Oil as needed Cilantro to garnish Dry fenugreek leaves to garnish Method: Heat oil on medium and fry onions along with ginger garlic paste until translucent.  Next, add the tomatoes and cook on low heat until tender. Once tomatoes are tender, add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and garam masala.  Mix well and cook until oil separates from the tomatoes.  Turn off and let it cool. Once cooled, puree and set aside. In the same pan, add oil followed by cumin seeds and let them splutter, next add the cauliflower florets and potatoes and saute until golden in color. Add the above pu...

Ingredients Vegetables: 1 burdock root, prepared 1 carrot, thinly sliced 1 potato, thinly sliced Others: 1/4 cup prepared dashi 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon cooking sake 1 tablespoon mirin 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 1-2 tablespoon of oil Instructions Cut vegetables into thin matchsticks. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.  Cook the vegetables until slightly tender, add rest of the ingredients and mix and cook on low until all the liquid is gone. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve. Notes: Preparing burdock root for this recipe takes a bit of work. The best way to do it is by peeling off the burdock root with a knife and shredding it to thin matchsticks.

Ingredients: Seasoning: 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon urad dal 1 teaspoon channa dal 1/8th teaspoon asafoetida 1 sprig curry leaves 2 teaspoon oil Others: 2 cups cooked rice 3/4 cup chopped bell peppers (green, yellow, red, and purple) 1 green chilli chopped Salt to taste Cilantro to garnish 1 teaspoon lemon juice Method: Heat oil on medium in a pan and add mustard seeds and let them pop, next add urad dal and channa dal and asafoetida along with curry leaves a saute for 20 seconds. Add in the green chillies and chopped bell pepper and saute. Once the bell peppers are just cooked, not too mushy, turn heat to low and add the cooked rice along with salt to taste and mix. Turn off heat and before serving some lemon juice and mix and garnish.

Ingredients: Vegetables: 4-6 baby potatoes peeled and halved 1 cup cauliflower florets 1 medium bell pepper cubed 1/2 cup carrot cubed Makhani (curry base): 1 cup onions chopped 1-1/2 cup tomatoes chopped 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste 2 green chillies, slit 2 red chillies 1-inch cinnamon stick 4-5 cloves 10 peppercorns 1 cardamom 2 bay leaf 10 cashew nuts 2-3 tablespoon oil/butter or as needed Others: Salt and sugar to taste 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) Cilantro to garnish Method: To prepare the curry base, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and saute onions and ginger garlic paste. Next, add all the whole spices along with green chillies and cashew nuts and saute. Add the tomatoes last and cook until tender.  Add salt and sugar as needed. Once the tomatoes are tender, turn off heat and let it cool in a separate bowl.  Puree once it has cooled. In the same pan, heat remaining oil and saute the mix vegetables ...

Ingredients: Tapioca/Sabudana/Sago 1 cup Roasted crushed peanuts 1/4 cup 2 green chillies chopped 1 medium sized potato, chopped 1 tablespoon oil 1 sprig curry leaves 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder Salt to taste 1 teaspoon lemon juice Cilantro to garnish Method: Wash tapioca pearls and sprinkle about 1/4 cup of water and set aside for 5 hours.  Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, asafoetida along with green chillies and curry leaves and saute.  Next, add chopped potatoes and cook with little water until done. Next add in the tapioca pearls along with turmeric powder, salt, and crushed peanuts and mix everything well.  Stir well on medium flame.  Sprinkle water if it is too dry. Turn off heat, add lemon juice and mix. Garnish with cilantro leaves and some peanuts and serve hot.

Ingredients: 2 cups cooked rice 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 cup diced mushrooms 1/4 cup chopped carrots 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped onions 2 Green chillies slit (optional) 2 tablespoons green curry paste 4 tablespoon thick coconut milk Salt to taste 1 teaspoon soy sauce Thai basil and scallions to garnish Method: Heat oil and add garlic and green chillies and saute. Next, add all the vegetables one by one and saute on medium heat. Add rice along with soy sauce, coconut milk, and green curry paste and adjust salt to taste. Mix everything until well combined. Garnish with basil leaves and scallions and serve hot.

Serves: 2 Time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 5-6 slices of bread cubed (I used a baguette) 1 onion chopped 1-2 tomatoes chopped 1 green chilli chopped fine 1 teaspoon sambar powder or chilli powder salt to taste 1 tablespoon oil 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 sprig curry leaves Cilantro to garnish Water as needed Method: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and let them pop, next add curry leaves and green chilli and saute. Add in the onions and saute until translucent.  Next, add the tomatoes and sambar powder or chilli powder and cook until tomatoes are tender. Add the cubed bread and sprinkle some water to moisten it.  Adjust salt to taste and mix everything well. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Ingredients: 196 grams of all-purpose flour 76 grams of milk ( almond milk or any of your choice) 20 grams of water 10 grams butter (vegan butter) 4 grams salt 8 grams sugar 65 grams ripe sourdough starter 1/2 teaspoon yeast Method: Mix sourdough starter and milk and set aside. Mix flour and salt and set aside. To 20 grams of warm water add yeast and sugar and mix. Once the yeast is activated, add the yeast mixture along with sourdough mixture to the flour, add melted butter and knead into a soft smooth dough. Keep it in a greased bowl covered in a warm spot to double. Once doubled, punch down and divide the dough into 8 equal portions and roll them into balls. Place them on a greased baking sheet to double in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake them for about 20-25 minutes or until done. Serve hot.

Ingredients : 1 cup chopped lettuce 1 cucumber shopped 1 carrot grated 1/4 cup red onion chopped 1 tomato chopped 1 sprig cilantro chopped Salt as needed 2 teaspoon tamarind and dates chutney 1 teaspoon spicy coriander chutney 1/4 cup puffed rice Nilon sev to garnish Haldirams Moong dal to taste Nuts or fried green peas to garnish Method : Toss all the ingredients except the sev and nuts. Mix well and garnish with sev and nuts. Serve immediately.

Ingredients : 1.5 teaspoon of panch phoran or 5 spice ( cumin, mustard, fenugreek, nigella and fennel seeds) 1 tablespoon mustard oil or ghee 2 red chillies slit 1 medium onion chopped 1 teaspoon garlic minced 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder Salt to taste 1/4 cup toor dal (pigeon pea) 1/4 cup masoor dal (split red lentils) Water as needed Cilantro to garnish Method : Pressure cook toor dal and masoor dal with sufficient amount of water. In a high sided pan heat oil or ghee and add the panch phoran and let them splutter.  Next, add chillies along with onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add cooked dal along with turmeric powder and red chilli powder and salt and mix well. Add water to adjust to your desired consistency and bring it to a boil. Turn off heat, garnish with cilantro.  Serve hot with steamed rice.

Ingredients: 1/2 of medium sized pumpkin peeled and cubed 1 onion finely chopped 1 teaspoon garlic minced 2 green chillies slit 1 sprig curry leaves 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds 1 cup of coconut milk Salt to taste 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or coconut oil Spices: 1 teaspoon turmeric seeds 1 teaspoon red chilli powder or to taste 1 teaspoon dark roasted Srilankan curry powder Garnish: 1 teaspoon short grained rice and 2 teaspoons of desiccated coconut 1 sprig of cilantro Method: Heat oil in a pan on medium and add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and let them splutter. Next add curry leaves followed by onion, garlic and green chillies.  Saute until onions are translucent. Next add in the pumpkin along with all the spices and mix. Add the coconut milk and water if needed and stir and cook on low heat until pumpkins are tender. While this is cooking, dry roast rice and desiccated coconut and grind it. Once the ...

Ingredients: 2 medium potatoes, cubed 1 medium onion, diced 2 medium green bell pepper, diced 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon olive oil/butter Salt and pepper to taste Fresh chopped parsley to garnish Method: Precook potatoes until just done and not too mushy. Heat oil/butter in a pan and stir fry onions, bell pepper and minced garlic.  Next add in the potatoes and stir fry until nice golden brown in color. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

Ingredients: 1 cup dry green peas soaked for 4-5 hours 2 potatoes cubed 1 onion chopped 2 tomatoes chopped 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste Cilantro to garnish Salt to taste 1 cup coconut milk Seasoning: 1 tablespoon oil 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 sprig curry leaves Spices: 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1-1/2 teaspoon coriander powder 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed powder 1 teaspoon pepper powder Method: Soak dry green peas in water for 4-5 hours and pressure cook it. Heat oil on medium and add mustard seeds and let them splutter.  Next add curry leaves, followed by onion and ginger garlic paste.  Saute the onions until translucent. Add the tomatoes and spices and mix and cook until tender.  Next, add in the cooked peas and potatoes and coconut milk.  Adjust salt to taste and cook until potatoes are done. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or chapati. Note: If using fresh coconut, grind it alon...

Ingredients: 1 cup basmati rice soaked for 30 minutes 1 cup mushrooms halved 1 onion finely chopped 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste 2 tomatoes grated 2 tablespoons of oil Salt to taste Water as needed Cilantro to garnish Spices: 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 2 teaspoon biryani powder 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon cumin seeds Method: Wash and soak basmati rice for 30 minutes and drain the water. Heat oil in a high-sided skillet and add cumin and bay leaf.  Next add in the onions and ginger garlic paste and saute until translucent. Add the mushrooms next and saute for a minute.  Add all the spices and mix.  Next add in the tomatoes along with salt and sugar and mix. Cook until oil separates from the mixture.  Add the rice next along with water as needed and cover and cook on medium heat until done. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup kidney Beans soaked overnight 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 1 medium onions finely chopped 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste 1/2 cup tomato puree or grated tomatoes Salt as needed Sugar as needed Cilantro to garnish Spices: 1-1/2 teaspoon coriander powder 1 teaspoon cumin powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder or to taste 1 teaspoon garam masala Method Wash and soak kidney beans overnight.  Drain and add fresh water and cook until tender.  Drain or reserve the cooking water. Heat oil and sauté onions till translucent.  Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Add tomato puree and mix.  Next add in all the spices and mix well and cook until oil separates from the mixture. Add kidney beans and reserved cooking water along with salt and sugar and mix and cook until the desired thickness is reached. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup Pigeon Pea (toor) dal cooked 1 tablepoon oil or ghee 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 sprig of curry leaves 2 red chillies slit 1 teaspoon turmeric powder Salt to taste Lemon juice as needed Cilantro to garnish Method: Heat oil/ghee on medium heat, add mustard seeds and let them splutter, next add red chillies, curry leaves and garlic and saute for a minute. Add the cooked dal and turmeric powder and salt and bring it to a boil. Turn off and garnish with cilantro. Add lemon juice to taste and serve hot.

Ingredients: 3 eggplants quartered lengthwise with the stem attached 1 teaspoon garlic minced 1/3 cup cilantro and parsley chopped 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 1 teaspoon cumin powder 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt as needed Canola or vegetable oil as needed frying Method: Slit eggplant lengthwise either half or to quarter depending on the thickness. Heat canola oil and shallow/deep fry the eggplant until completely cooked. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil. For the sauce: You can either add raw garlic and spices or saute it. If you wish to saute, just add garlic along with spices to a tablespoon of oil heating on a medium flame and saute until it's cooked. Combine cilantro, parsley, salt, lemon juice, olive oil and sauted garlic and spices and mix. Coat the eggplants with the mix and serve with some bread or couscous. Notes: I used Japanese eggplants for this recipe, but any eggplant with less amo...

Ingredients: For the dough: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup water For the filling: 3 medium-sized potatoes mashed/riced 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder Salt and pepper to taste Oil as needed Method: Mix salt and all purpose flour and form a well and add water in the center and knead into a soft dough.  Set aside covered and well greased. Boil and peel potatoes and either mash it or use a ricer.  Add green onions and all the spices along with salt and mix well. Divide the dough in 8 equal portions and roll it out into a round approximately 6 inch disc.  Place the filling on one side and fold it into half and seal the edges.  You can use water to seal the edges.  Leave it plain or make design using a fork or crimp it like a pie crust. Dust of excess flour if used and deep fry. Serve hot with yogurt or any dip of y...