Okra Pachidi / Vendakkai Pachidi

Pachidi / Pachadi, not sure how to spell it in English. It is a savory South-Indian sauce made with yogurt or buttermilk. My cousin recently taught me how to make this really really delicious pachidi with okra. This pachidi is Kerala / Palakkad style, so it has a flavorful spattering of coconut!

Highly recommended!

The okras came fresh from our garden! Double delicious :)

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup diced okra (wash the okra and dry them with paper towels before chopping)
2. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
4. 1/4 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
5. 1 tablespoon split urad dhal / dehusked split black gram
6. 1/3 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
7. 2 green chillies
8. 1.5 cups whisked, smooth yogurt

Preparation:

1. Grind together - coconut and green chillies with a sprinkle of water - to make a coarse paste.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. When hot, fry/cook okra on medium heat until crispy and tender.
3. Add coconut paste to okra and fry for a minute. 
4. Add yogurt and salt to it and mix everything. Heat for a minute - no more. Remove from heat
5. Garnish with this tadka - heat remaining oil in a pan. When hot, splutter mustard seeds, add hing and urad dhal and fry for a few seconds until urad dhal begins to change color.
6. Add tadka to pachidi and mix well

Serve as a side-dish with rice or roti. A really yummy pachidi!

Cabbage Chutney

Necessity is always the mother of invention. I had a little bit of cabbage slowly getting to the point of going bad and I wanted to put it to some use. We were having idlis that particular night and I thought - why not make a chutney with it along with some familiar flavors of tomato and onion? So, that's what I did. And the chutney came out pretty well. It tasted slightly sweet, with hints of cabbage and ginger flavor. I recommend the chutney if you like cabbage.

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 head of a medium-large cabbage, chopped or shredded (about 3 cups)
2. 1 onion, chopped
3. 2 tomatoes, chopped
4. 1 teaspoon minced ginger
5. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
6. 2 tablespoons split urad dhal / dehusked split black gram 
7. 2-3 dry red chillies
8. 2 tablespoons olive oil / vegetable oil
9. 1/4 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
10. 1.5 teaspoons salt, or as needed

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add urad dhal, turmeric, red chillies and hing. Saute on medium heat until urad dhal begins to change color slightly.
2. Add ginger and onions and saute until translucent. 
3. Add tomatoes and cook along with salt until they become soft and mushy.
4. Finally add cabbage and cook on low-medium heat until cabbage is fully cooked.
5. When cooked, remove from heat and cool. When cool, grind to a thick paste by sprinkling no more than 1/4 cup of water or as needed depending on the blender.

Serve chutney with dosas, idlis or rotis. You can even mix this with rice with a little bit of sesame oil or ghee. 

Creamy Broccoli Carrot Soup

Soups are my go-to meals most nights, especially on cold winter nights. This particular soup is so comforting and satisfying. It goes down creamy and soothing and warms you to the tips of your toes.

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

1. 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets. You can also reserve the stalks and add them.
2. 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
3. 5 cups 2% or low fat milk
4. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or just olive oil
5. 1/2 a red onion, finely chopped
6. 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
7. a dash of nutmeg
8. salt, as needed
9. cracked pepper corns, as  needed

Preparation:

1. In a heavy bottom soup pot/crockpot or dutch oven, melt butter or olive oil on medium heat. 
2. Add chopped onion and saute until translucent. 
3. Next add flour and whisk/ mix it into the onions and cook for a minute or two. 
4. Add milk and whisk well. Let it come to a boil and thicken into a roux. The creamy roux will form the foundation of the soup.
5. Add carrots and broccoli (even the stalk) to the roux along with salt and nutmeg. Stir well. Close the pot and simmer on low-medium heat until the vegetables cook. It takes about 20 minutes. Check the soup periodically and give it a stir ensuring the milk does not burn.
6. When the vegetables are cooked, blend the soup using an immersion blender until smooth. 

Serve hot with a fresh sprinkle of cracked black pepper.  And a hardy slice of bread on the side. Healthy, comforting dinner to battle the winter chills.

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

After a baking hiatus, I kick-started the holiday baking tradition with these cupcakes. Peppermint and mocha are part of winter for me. They are warm and soothing with a hint of minty coolness to remind you of the freezing temperature outside.

I adapted the recipe from here.

Ingredients:

1. 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
2. 2 large eggs at room temperature (if you forget to keep the eggs out, immerse them in hot (not boiling) water for 20-30 minutes before using)
3. 1 cup granulated sugar
4. 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5. 4 squares semi-sweet ghiradelli chocolate, chopped
6. 1 cup all-purpose flour
7. 1/2 cup strongly brewed coffee (I just dissolved 2 tablespoons of instant coffee with 1/2 cup boiling water)
8. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
9. 1 teaspoon baking powder
10. 1/3 cup thick yogurt
11. 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
12. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners (this recipe yields 10-12 cupcakes)
2. Melt the chocolate by heating it in 30 second intervals in the microwave until smooth. Reserve until it reaches room temperature. When it reaches room temperature, whisk it into the prepared coffee. Make sure the coffee is also at room temperature.
3. Mix the dry ingredients separately - flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa
4. Beat butter for a few seconds. Add sugar and continue beating for a couple of minutes until creamy. 
5. Add eggs and continue beating until pale and well incorporated. 
6. Add yogurt and beat until combined
7. Add the chocolate-coffee mixture and beat until combined. 
8. Stir in the peppermint extract and vanilla extract
9. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the batter
10. Transfer the batter into the cupcake pan - about 2/3 to 3/4 full in each slot. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 15-20 minutes until a tester comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool for 10 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

The cupcakes were moist and cool and pleasantly bitter-sweet with notes of coffee and chocolate in every bite.

Eggless Mint Chocolate Chip Pie

This was my Thanksgiving Pie for last year. My husband's company organizes an annual pie contest and bake sale during Thanksgiving to give the proceedings to a local charity. This was the pie that I presented at the contest/sale and surprisingly, it won second place. I'm glad some money could be raised. I also enjoyed making the pie - it was such a welcome distraction from all the work related stress. 

I didn't want to make a pie that was involved and laborious, simply because there wasn't enough time. So I found a wonderful recipe from here and I immediately loved it. I love the combination of mint and chocolate and the recipe sounded so good and yummy, I couldn't resist it. Bonus - you don't have to bake! Just prepare the crust, freeze, prepare the filling, pour into the crust and freeze some more, that's it! 

The crust is crunchylicious - it is made from crushed mint oreo cookies and melted butter that's pressed into the bottom and sides of the pie pan.

The filling is finger licking good - cream cheese, cool whip, cocoa powder, sugar, and milk are all whipped together and laced with crunchy and cool chocolate mints

To add to everything, the pie is served with a drizzle of chocolate syrup!

 

How can it not be good?! Although I never got to taste the pie, the proof is in the prize it won :). I highly recommend the recipe!