Less is More: The Round-up!

(Update in April 2023: I went through the post and removed all the broken links. Alas, many blogs no longer exist)

A couple of years ago, blogger Coffee started the Monthly Blog Patrol as a way for food bloggers to cook and learn from each other's recipes. This month, 64 bloggers from all over the world took up a challenge: choose a recipe that has five ingredients or fewer and show us how less is more!

Based on the entries that I have received, I have organized the round-up in a few different categories: you can grab a hot or cold beverage to begin with, and proceed to look at a delicious list of breads, condiments, small meals and entrees, vegetables and desserts, all made using only a handful of ingredients.


A Mug of White Hot Chocolate- pattern adapted from The A Team

White chocolate. Cardamom. Milk. Cardamom-scented White Hot Chocolate.
~ Bharti of Veggie Foodist; inspired by Delhi Belle

Chocolate. Milk. Arrowroot. Sugar. Orange zest. The Nun's Revenge.
~ Pavani of Cook's Hideout; inspired by Food For Thought

Mango. Yogurt. Sugar. Cardamom. Mango Lassi.
~ Siri of Siri's Corner; inspired by Mahanandi

Mango. Yogurt. Milk. Sugar. Mango Drink.
~ Rachel of Tangerine's Kitchen; inspired by One Hot Stove

Hibiscus. Sugar. Hibiscus Cordial.
~ Jyotsna of Curry Bazaar; inspired by My Kitchen Treasures

Pomegranate. Ginger. Honey. Pomegranate Juice.
~ Shreya of Mom's Cooking; inspired by Samaikalam Vanga

Cucumber. Yogurt. Ginger. Mint. Chaat masala. Cucumber Cooler.
~ Bharti of Veggie Foodist; inspired by Chatkhor


Sliced Bread- pattern adapted from Crochetville

Flour. Yeast. Basic Basic Basic Bread.
~ Arundathi of My Food Blog; inspired by Siri's Corner

Flour. Yeast. No-Knead Bread.
~ Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen; inspired by Jugalbandi

Flour. Yeast. Tomatoes. Onions. Herbs. Ladenia.
~ Renuka of Fusion; inspired by Tangerine's Kitchen

Flour. Yeast. Rosemary. Focaccia.
~ Meera of Dindin Tonight; inspired by Delicious Days

Flour. Potato. Yeast. Margarine. Laadi Pav.
~ Vaishali of Holy Cow! inspired by One Hot Stove

Flour. Yeast. Onions. Sugar. Pepper. Caramelized Onion Bread.
~ Nupur of One Hot Stove; inspired by Baking Bites

Atta. Potatoes. Cumin seeds. Green chili peppers. Cilantro. Aloo Paratha.
~ vb of feed yourself; inspired by Manjula's Kitchen

Whole wheat flour. Potatoes. Cilantro. Cumin. Green chillies. Aloo Paratha.
~ Priti of Indian Khana; inspired by A Mad Tea Party

Pizza crust mix. Tomato sauce. Oregano. Baby Spinach. Cheese. Twirly Whirly Pizza.
~ Curry Leaf of Experiments, Emotions, Experiences with Food; inspired by Madhuram's Eggless Cooking


Strawberry- pattern adapted from Pezdiva

Strawberries. Sugar. Lemon. Cloves. Strawberry Jam.
~ Mandira of Ahaar; inspired by Arabic Bites

Blackberries. Sugar. Lemon. Blackberry Sauce.
~ Joy of The Spiral of Seasons; inspired by Kitchen Parade

Tomatoes. Raisins. Jaggery. Lemon juice. Tempering. Tomato Oambal.
~ TBC of The Budding Cook; inspired by Arundathi's Food Blog

Green tomatoes. Onion. Green chillies. Cumin. Tempering. Green Tomato Chutney.
~ Raaga of The Singing Chef; inspired by Flavors of Indian Rasoi

Sun-dried tomatoes. Fresh tomato. Chillies. Tomato Thokku.
~ Nupur of One Hot Stove; inspired by Delectable Victuals

Onions. Red chillies. Tamarind. Onion Chutney.
~ Nupur of One Hot Stove; inspired by The Budding Cook

Chillies. Mustard seed powder. Lemon juice. Turmeric. Raita Marcha.
~ Rajitha of Hunger Pangs; inspired by Kajal's

Toor dal. Tamarind. Red chillies. Cumin. Turmeric. Kandi Pachadi.
~ Sireesha of Mom's Recipies; inspired by Daily Meals

Sesame seeds. Toor dal. Cumin. Coriander seeds. Red chillies. Nuvvullu Podi.
~ Bharti of Veggie Foodist; inspired by Sailu's Kitchen

Peanuts. Onion. Red chillies. Tamarind. Tempering. Peanut Chutney.
~ Anita of A Mad Tea Party; inspired by Mahanandi


Open-Faced Summer Sandwich with Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes and Dill Pickles- pattern adapted from Craftbits

Snacks and Appetizers
Rice flour. Moong dal. Ajwain. Red chilli powder. Rice Flour Rings.
~ Trupti of Recipe Center; inspired by Talimpu

Puff pastry. Khari Biscuits.
~ Nupur of One Hot Stove; inspired by Enjoy Indian Food

Rice flour. Buttermilk. Red chillies. Tempering. Mor Kali.
~ Laavanya of Cookery Corner; inspired by Tasty Palettes

Urad dal. Chillies. Ginger. Curry leaves. Medhu Vadai.
~ Nags of Edible Garden; inspired by Tasty Palettes

Leftover rice. Besan. Chillies. Mustard seeds. Rice Bites.
~ Richa of As Dear As Salt; inspired by 365 Days of Pure Vegetarian

Paneer. Herbs. Yogurt. Green chilli. Onion. Hara Paneer Tikka.
~ Neha of Tasty Recipes; inspired by Tongueticklers

Brunch and Light Meals
Sago pearls. Peanuts. Sugar. Potato. Tempering. Sago Khichdi.
~ Sia of Monsoon Spice; inspired by One Hot Stove

Poha. Jaggery. Tamarind. Tempering. Gojavalakki.
~ Sunshinemom of Tongueticklers; inspired by Mane Adige

Thin pohe. Coconut. Jaggery. Pohe Masala. Kalavalele Pohe.
~ Mints! of Vadani Kaval Gheta; inspired by Aayi's Recipes

Rawa. Cucumber. Flax seeds. Cucumber Pancakes.
~ Meera of Enjoy Indian Food; inspired by Konkan World

Millet flour. Rice flour. Ragi Dosa.
~ Sunshinemom of Tongueticklers; inspired by Essence of Andhra

Rice. Plantains. Plantain Dosa.
~ Suma of Veggie Platter; inspired by Recipe Junction

Rice. Ripe bananas. Methi seeds. Banana Bread Dosa.
~ Anita of A Mad Tea Party; inspired by Recipe Junction

Bananas. Whole-wheat flour. Baking powder. Milk. Maple syrup. Whole-wheat Banana Pancake
~ PG of My Kitchen Stories; inspired by Delectably Yours

Entrees
Tamarind. Onions. Green chillies. Sugar. Pachipulusu.
~ Sireesha of Mom's Recipies; inspired by AkshayaPatra

Toor dal. Tempering. Tamarind. Jaggery. Goda masala. Amti.
~ Miri of Peppermill; inspired by The Cooker

Rajma. Onions. Tomatoes. Chilli powder. Dhaba Da Rajma.
~ Bharti of Veggie Foodist; inspired by Gopium

Basmati rice. Cumin. Bay leaf. Cinnamon. Cardamom. Jeera Rice.
~ Priti of Indian Khana; inspired by Illatharasi

Cooked rice. Onions. Lemon juice. Tempering. Garnishing. Lemon Rice.
~ Illatharasi; inspired by Niya's World

Whole wheat pasta. Canned tomatoes. Sun dried tomatoes. Garlic. Chickpeas. Pasta with Chickpeas and Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce
~ Bek of I Digress; inspired by One Hot Stove and Delectable Victuals

Flour. Eggs. Milk. Oregano. Spaetzle.
~ Nidhi of Sizzling Bites; inspired by Arundathi and Chez Teddy

Tilapia. Chilli powder. Tamarind. Turmeric. Fish Fry.
~ Priar's of Sena's Rasoi; inspired by Samayal Ulagam

10 simple South Indian dishes and 10 three-or-less curries from fellow bloggers
~ Ramki of One Page Cookbooks


Rad Radish- pattern adapted from BitterSweet

Arbi. Chickpea flour. Coriander-Cumin powder. Red chilli powder. Amchoor powder. Bhuni Arbi.
~ Rashmi of Delhi Belle; inspired by Anna Parabrahma

Asparagus. Almonds. Lemon juice. Asparagus Amandine.
~ Mrs. Ergul of Mrs. Ergul in the Kitchen; inspired by Closet Cooking

Beet. Carrot. Lemon juice. Orange juice. Walnuts. Beet and Carrot Salad.
~ Evolving Tastes; inspired by Chocolate and Zucchini

Bitter gourd. Chilli powder. Baked Bitter Gourd Crisps.
~ Cham of Spice-Club; inspired by Place for Authentic Indian Food

Broccoli. Onion. Garlic. Milk. Cream. Cream of Broccoli Soup.
~ Neha of Tasty Recipes; inspired by The Random Ramblings of a Working Mom

Carrots. Chillies. Peanuts. Lime juice. Tempering. Carrot Salad.
~ Neha of Tasty Recipes, with inspiration from Spicy Chilly

Carrots. Peas. Tempering. Kasuri methi. Tomato. Gajar Matar.
~ Ashima of Tummy Times; inspired by Taste Buds

Capsicum. Moong dal. Cumin seeds. Onion. Garam masala. Bharwan Simla Mirch.
~ A&N of Delectably Yours; inspired by Aayi's Recipes

Collard greens. Red chillies. Asafoetida. Soda bicarb. Kashmiri garam masala. Collard Greens Haak.
~ Enjay of Purplesque; inspired by A Mad Tea Party

Kohlrabi. Chana dal. Phodni. Tomato. Sugar. Simply Spiced Kohlrabi.
~ Manisha of Indian Food Rocks; inspired by Happy Burp

Lotus roots. Khoora kharam. Lemon juice. Baked Lotus Root Chips.
~ Dee of Ammalu's Kitchen; inspired by Jugalbandi

Mushrooms. Eggs. Cumin seeds. Turmeric powder. Red chilli powder. Spicy Egg Mushroom Rolls.
~ My Spicy Kitchen; inspired by What's For Lunch, Honey?

Okra. Toor dal. Pepper. Simply "Delicious" Okra.
~ Meera of Dindin Tonight; inspired by Tasty Palettes

Okra (vendakkai/lady's finger). Red chilli powder. Coriander powder. Turmeric. Tempering. Vendakkai Vadakkal.
~ Radhika of Tickling Palates; inspired by Cooking 4 All Seasons

Plantain. Red chilli powder. Turmeric. Tempering. Vazhakkai Curry.
~ Radhika of Tickling Palates; inspired by Saffron Trail

Plantain. Coconut oil. Vegetable oil. Red chilli powder. Baked Plantain Chips.
~ Madhuram of Eggless Cooking; inspired by Jugalbandi

Potato. Sesame seeds. Red chilli powder. Turmeric. Tempering. Bangala Dumpa Vepudu
~ Nupur of One Hot Stove; inspired by Masala Magic

Potato. Cilantro. Chipotle. Coriander Rosti.
~ Nupur of One Hot Stove; inspired by Sunita's World

Potato. Chilli powder. Garlic. Potato & Garlic Roast.
~ Cham of Spice-club; inspired by En Vittu Virundhu.

Potato. Bread slices. Red chilli powder. Cumin powder. Coriander leaves. Aloo Tikki.
~ Jayasree of Experiments in Kailas Kitchen; inspired by Sindhi Rasoi

Radish. Chillies. Tempering. Lemon juice. Mujj Chatin.
~ Nupur of One Hot Stove; inspired by A Mad Tea Party

Spinach. Corn. Cumin seeds. Mustard seeds. Spinach with Corn.
~ Nupur of One Hot Stove; inspired by Arundathi's Food Blog

Spinach. Rice flour. Urad dal. Red chillies. Mashed Spinach.
~ Nupur of One Hot Stove; inspired by Saffron Trail

Summer squash. Garlic. Lemon juice. Vinegar. Grilled Marinated Summer Squash.
~ Joy of The Spiral of Seasons; inspired by Kitchen Gardeners International

Tendli. Garlic. Red chilli powder. Tamarind. Tendlya Talasani.
~ Rashmi of Delhi Belle; inspired by Enjoy Indian Food

Vegetables. Soy sauce. Sesame seeds. Sesame oil. Pepper. Roasted Vegetables.
~ Abbhirami of Soulful Creations; inspired by Kalyn's Kitchen


Vanilla Cupcake with a Cherry on Top- pattern adapted from BitterSweet

Wheat flour. Jaggery. Ghee. Cardamom. Nuts. Thambittu.
~ EC of Simple Indian Food; inspired by Mane Adige

Broken wheat. Sugar. Cardamom. Lapsi Halwa.
~ Alka of Sindhi Rasoi; inspired by The Cooker

Wheat flour. Almonds. Sugar. Ghee. Rose water. Aate ka Sheera.
~ Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi; inspired by Pedatha.com.

Yogurt. Sugar. Cardamom. Saffron. Almonds. Shrikhand.
~ Sangeetha of I Googled, I Saw, I Cooked; inspired by Aayi's Recipes and 365 Days of Pure Vegetarian

Milk. Condensed milk. Cardamom. Saffron. Oranges. Orange Basundi.
~ Nupur of One Hot Stove; inspired by Bong Mom's Cookbook

Mango pulp. Cream. Gelatin. Sugar. Mango Cream JellO.
~ JZ of Tasty Treats; inspired by Aroma

Almond butter. Sugar. Khoya. Cardamom. Almond Butter Laddus.
~ Madhuram of Eggless Cooking; inspired by Soul Food

Dates. Nuts. Dates Ladoo.
~ Priti of Indian Khana; inspired by Delicious Journey into Vegetarian Food

Besan. Ghee. Sugar. Cardamom. Raisins. Microwave Besan Ladoo.
~ Manasi of A Cook @ Heart; inspired by Bhaatukli

Ricotta cheese. Condensed milk. Cardamom. Saffron. Burfi.
~ The Cooker; inspired by Bong Mom's Cookbook.

Coconut flakes. Egg whites. Flour. Sugar. Lemon zest. Coconut-Lemon Macaroons.
~ Bhags of Crazy Curry; inspired by Alpineberry

Flour. Butter. Sugar. Cocoa powder. Chocolate chips. Granny Boyd's Biscuits.
~ ovenhaven; inspired by Amanda

Digestive biscuits. Peanut butter. Sugar. Butter. Dark chocolate. Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares.
~ Sowmya of Creative Saga; inspired by Lisa's Kitchen

Greek yogurt. Sugar. Vanilla. Frozen Yogurt.
~ Alanna of Kitchen Parade; inspired by 101 Cookbooks

Plums. Sugar. Lemon juice. Arrowroot powder. Heavenly Plum Sorbet.
~ Priya of Live to Cook; inspired by Simply Recipes

Whipping cream. Lavender blossoms. Chocolate. Egg yolks. Sugar. Lavender Chocolate Pots de Creme.
~ Suganya of Tasty Palettes; inspired by The Well-Seasoned Cook

Chocolate. Avocado. Maple syrup. Orange juice. Decadent Chocolate Avocado Pate.
~ Richa of As Dear As Salt; inspired by Diet, Dessert and Dogs


*** *** ***
Summer is coming to an end, and so is my vacation. My days of leisure are soon to be replaced by some serious work and study, so this will be my last post for a while. I am going on an extended blogging break. I'll be a food blog lurker for a change ;)

Potato Salad for Lunch, Honey!

Every month, Zlamushka, she of the spicy kitchen, selects one blog and opens it up for a widespread taste-test. Last month, my blog was lucky enough to be chosen and tried and tasted; a lot of pav bhaji got made, I can tell you that much! This month, it is the turn of Meeta's spectacular blog, What's For Lunch, Honey?


Meeta's blog and mine could not be more different if we tried! In my home, the question, "What's for lunch, honey?" usually has a fairly predictable answer- "Leftovers from last night's dinner, that's what!"...but in Meeta's home, the answer is something vastly more decadent and gorgeous. Meeta's blog is also the place for me to gaze dreamily at exotic and hard-to-pronounce desserts. She brings a professionalism and perfection to baking that is very inspiring to me.

This is the very first time I have tried a recipe from Meeta's blog. Usually, I only feast with my eyes there. For me, the metric measures that Meeta uses are a challenge, I must confess! I don't have a weighing scale in my kitchen, and I am too accustomed to the US style of recipe writing, with ounces and lbs, and more often, cups and teaspoons, and in my case, impossible measures like smidgens, pinches, and dashes! Today, I was looking for something light and summery and found something nice and lite; and proceeded to make it with my highly scientific measures, such as "handfuls".

Here's how I made Light Potato Salad, inspired by Meeta's recipe...

Mix together in a large bowl:
- Two medium-large potatoes (washed but not peeled) in some salty water and boiled until just tender, then drained, peeled and diced into medium cubes
- A handful of fresh/frozen green peas and 1 carrot, cut in small dice, cooked in the microwave for 1-2 minutes to get them barely tender
- 2-3 T minced onion, rinsed in cold water
- 6-8 minced slices of bread and butter pickles (sweet pickled cucumber) and 1 T of pickling juice
- 1½ hard-boiled eggs, diced*
- Dressing: ¼ thick low-fat yogurt whisked with 1 T of herb-garlic cream cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste

* Why 1½ eggs and not two? Because other people pay sales tax, and in this home, we pay Dale's tax. Every time we cook with the puppy's favorite people food (eggs, cheese, dosa etc.) , he gets a cut.

This potato salad really is light and tasty and utterly delicious. We enjoyed the potato salad with some home made bean burgers for a wonderful summer meal. With the potato salad recipe from Germany and burgers with Indian spices, this was a cross-cultural meal with international flair, a little bit like Meeta's blog!

This is my contribution to the July Tried and Tasted event; thank you for hosting this unusual event, Zlamushka.

*** *** ***

Today (July 25th) is the last day to get in your entries for the MBP: Less is More event. The deadline is midnight PST. Check back tomorrow for the round-up, and for an announcement of the winners of the giveaways!

Sweet. Sinful. Cold. Rich.

No, I'm not describing one of the Desperate Housewives; I'm talking about a wonderful dessert I made last weekend.

Chunks of tangy-sweet oranges dunked in thick cardamom-scented milk. This beauty of a sweet treat is called Kamlalebur Kheer and is a recipe shared by our favorite Bong Mom, Sandeepa. I would describe it as a delicious variation of basundi, with the fresh tangy taste of oranges contrasting with the cloying richness of thickened milk.

Milk + Condensed milk + Cardamom + Saffron + Oranges = Blissful Orange Basundi

To amplify the citrus notes, I added some orange zest, which perfumed the whole dessert with unmistakable orange flavor. I stirred in cardamom and saffron because I seem to be pathologically incapable of leaving these out of Indian desserts. The condensed milk was sweet enough for me and I did not need any extra sugar. In fact, the whole can of condensed milk was a bit too sweet for my taste; next time I will add a little less.

Here's how I made it, inspired by Sandeepa's recipe.

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine ¾ to 1 can sweetened condensed milk (depending on sweetness desired), 4 C 2% milk and 4 T non-fat dry milk powder. One could use whole milk instead of low-fat milk and milk powder.
2. Heat the mixture and bring it to a near-boil, then simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it reduces by a third or so (I did this for about an hour).
3. Stir in ½ t cardamom powder and a few strands of saffron. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
4. Take two oranges (I used Valencia) and wash them well. Zest the oranges, then section them.
5. Stir in the orange segments and orange zest into the milk mixture and chill thoroughly before serving. I think this yields about 6-8 reasonable portions; it is a rich and delicious dessert best enjoyed in small portions.

Sugary as can be, condensed milk is a very once-in-a-while purchase for me, but it is definitely a useful pantry item. With a can of condensed milk at hand, one can make
Quick Coconut Ladoos (condensed milk, coconut, cardamom),
Mango Kulfi (milk, flour, mango pulp, condensed milk),
Doodh Peda (butter, condensed milk, non-fat milk, cardamom, saffron)
Macaroons (fresh coconut, desiccated coconut, condensed milk, chocolate chips),
Chocolate Fudge (condensed milk, butter, chocolate chips, walnuts),
Dulce de Leche (milk, sugar, baking soda, vanilla),
Custard (condensed milk, sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla),
this very interesting Vietnamese drink (sparkling water, condensed milk, lime juice) and so many other "less is more" desserts.

Needless to say, this dessert is another entry for MBP: Less is More.

Sun-dried Goodness

Today's recipe is another one that is low on the number of ingredients but very high on flavor: Thakkali Thokku , a sun-dried tomato spread at Delectable Victuals. Sheela's creative touch in the kitchen and her enthusiasm for trying all kinds of global cuisines never fails to amaze me.

Sun-dried tomatoes + Dried chilli peppers + Fresh tomato = A finger-licking good Tomato spread

It is fresh tomato season here where I live, but I had a dozen little sun-dried tomatoes sitting in a jar from last winter's pantry stash that I was itching to use up. Sheela's recipe calls for dried chili peppers to add to the goodness (I have a stash of those too, a gift from a friend who brought them from New Mexico).

If you live someplace with plenty of sunshine and maybe a roof or courtyard to lay out stuff to dry, you can make your own sun dried tomatoes. The drying concentrates the sweet tomato goodness, and sun-dried tomatoes can be used to add wonderful flavor to a huge variety of recipes.

This is how I made the spread, inspired by Sheela's recipe

1. Place 10-12 sun-dried tomatoes and 2-4 dried chilli peppers in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and let them steep for 10-15 minutes.
2. Drain off the water and place the re-hydrated chillies and tomatoes into a food processor.
3. Add one chopped de-seeded fresh tomato, a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional) and salt to taste. Process into a smooth paste.
4. Heat 1 T oil (I used gingelly/untoasted sesame oil) in a small pan and fry the paste for a few minutes until it comes together.

Sheela offers many delicious ways to use this spread. The day I made this, I served it with dosas. The next day, I used the leftover spread in a sandwich with cream cheese and slices of fresh, ripe tomato. The tomato overload sandwich was such a perfect summer treat!

This goes to MBP: Less is More.


Some other delicious condiments with few ingredients:

Shyam's Quick Mango Avakkai (Green mangoes, Fenugreek seeds, Mustard seeds, Chilli powder)

Anjali's Lime Peel Pickles (Lime peel, Mustard seeds, Red chilli powder, Sambar powder)

Shilpa's Morambo (Mango/Pineapple, Sugar, Cardamom)

I'll be back in a few days with something sweet!

Caramelized Onion Bread

Today's few-ingredient recipe is a savory bread- Caramelized Onion Bread from Baking Bites.

Bread certainly is a miraculous food- powdery flour and plain ol' water coming together in a fluffy loaf with the help of millions of little bugs called Baker's yeast. Or our Indian breads- where you don't even need yeast. Just experienced hands that know how to turn out perfect flatbreads. In this recipe, Nic built in tremendous flavor right into the bread with the help of some beautiful browned onions. I halved the recipe to make a loaf of bread in a standard loaf pan, and used a mixture of bread flour and white whole wheat flour. Other than these two small variations, I followed Nic's recipe exactly.

Flour + Yeast + Onions + Sugar (tiny bit) + Pepper = Fragrant Caramelized Onion Bread


This bread was delicious! Next time, I would make sure that I cook the onions thoroughly...this time, the water left behind in the cooked onions turned into little pockets of pasty dough in the bread. It still tasted wonderful.

I sandwiched thick slices of this bread with some cheese, popped the sandwiches into the toaster oven for just a few minutes to let the cheese melt a little, and served them with chilled tomato soup (tomato puree, flavored olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, fresh basil, salt, pepper)


Browned onions have saved many a day in my kitchen. With no other vegetables on hand, pantry onions can be browned and used in so many ways- as a stuffing for grilled cheese or quesadillas, to dress up a simple pulao into a special meal, to add to vegetable stock to make a quick soup, and so on and on. Barbara has a very detailed tutorial on browning onions so as to coax the maximum flavor from them without turning them into charcoal.

This is yet another entry for MBP: Less is More.

If you post an entry for this event, please don't forget to drop me an e-mail telling me about it!

Coriander Rosti...

...or how to kick up brunch a notch!

Last weekend, an old college friend dropped in for brunch and I got a chance to try a bookmarked recipe from Sunita. Sunita's world is a place full of luscious food, images of nature and glimpses of her family life. A visit to her world never fails to cheer me up! Sunita's recipe for Coriander Rosti called for the simplest of ingredients and resulted in the most tempting crispy nuggets (you have to go look at her pictures for yourself).

My minor tweak: I used chipotle flakes instead of pepper to give the potatoes a smoky flavor. One could make many variations of these patties by using red pepper flakes or finely minced fresh chillies or crushed peppercorns as the spice.

Potatoes + Cilantro + Chipotle = Breakfast Potato Patties that will wake up your taste buds.


(Inspired by Sunita's World)
1. Wash two large (I used the huge baking potatoes sold here in the US) potatoes and prick them all over with a fork. Boil them until they are only partially cooked.
2. Peel and shred the potatoes.
3. Add 1 packed cup minced fresh cilantro, salt and chipotle flakes to taste. Mix together.
4. Form patties and place on a sprayed baking sheet. Spray the patties with a little more oil.
5. Bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes, flipping over once in between until the patties are golden and crispy.

These spicy patties are going to MBP: Less is More.


I served the patties with some delicious vegetable-egg squares. You could call them crustless quiche bites- inspired by Kalyn's recipe, which in turn is inspired by another.

My only modification was that I used spinach instead of chard. This is a delicious way to start the day off with a big helping of vegetables; the recipe is endlessly flexible. I have added artichoke hearts before with delicious results.

Both recipes- the rosti and the egg squares- are wonderful to serve on a brunch buffet because they are both bite-sized and portable.

Also on the brunch menu, some hot buttered toast!

Khari biscuits

A few days ago, I was idly leafing through a food magazine while waiting somewhere and a boldly highlighted recipe caught my eye. It claimed to be 2-ingredient guacamole. Ever since I decided on this Less-is-More theme, I have been very interested in few-ingredient recipes, and I read the recipe eagerly. Only to find that the two ingredients were 1 tub of refrigerated guacamole and 1 tub of refrigerated salsa. And the method stated: Mix them together. Viola! I stared at this incredible "recipe" for several moments, trying to decide whether to laugh or to cry. In the end, I just shook my head and flung the magazine aside.

When recipes call for "convenience products", it sometimes can go to such hilarious extremes. Other times, though, I have to admit that short-cuts do make it possible to make meals even when life gets too hectic for all meals to be made from scratch. There certainly are many times in my life when a jar of pasta sauce or a bottle of Thai curry paste has made the difference between eating a slice of greasy pizza or chopping up some odd vegetables and eating a quick home-cooked meal.

Sometimes, a convenience product provides a means to that sweet wistfulness called nostalgia. At least, that is the feeling that crept up when I saw Meera's recipe for Short-cut Khari Biscuits. They are a one-ingredient wonder, made from store-bought puff pastry. I loved loved loved these khari biscuits ("khari" means salty) in India, as an accompaniment to afternoon chai. Nothing but melt-in-the-mouth flaky pastry. Even as they sighed over the fat content of this pastry, my parents gave in and bought khari biscuits from the local bakery every now and then. These plain khari biscuits are the ones I love best, but a new bakery that my parents frequent also makes methi khari biscuits (tinged with kasuri methi or dried fenugreek) that are simply delicious.

This is only the second time in my whole life that I bought puff pastry. With lashings of fat separating whisper-thin layers of dough, puff pastry is as sinful as it gets. In the interest of not undoing all of the huffing and puffing in the gym, I use it only for making vegetable puffs (a la Monginis) once in a blue moon. And now, khari biscuits! I used the all-butter Trader Joe's brand here. When buying puff pastry, I would suggest avoiding brands that contain hydrogenated vegetable fats (even small amounts of trans fats are extremely unhealthy).

(Inspired by Enjoy Indian Food)
Preheat the oven to 400F. Defrost a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Roll it gently to make it slightly thinner. Cut out rectangular shapes with a sharp knife. Twist each rectangle into a bow (that is the shape that I remember from my childhood) and lay it on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. You may have to play around with oven temperatures and baking times to be able to get the inside of the biscuit baked before the outside gets too dark.

Meera's blog is a remarkable resource for recipes, both old favorites and unusual regional ones. This khari biscuit recipe is part of a category called American Desi- these are Indian favorites made using American supermarket ingredients.

This is yet another entry for MBP: Less is More.

Less is More: Vegetables

Getting your 5 (or more) a day is easy and delicious when you find the right recipes...that's what I have been learning from the bloggers.

First up, a gorgeous and couldn't-be-simpler subzi from Arundathi. A mild hint of cumin and mustard allows the fresh colors and flavors of spinach and corn to shine through. Arundathi tells us that this is a recipe she carried with her as a student, and it is a nice reminder that such recipes are worth going back to even after the bare-bones pantry days are gone.

Spinach + Corn + Cumin seeds + Mustard seeds = Spinach with Corn


I served this simple and delicious spinach-corn with rice and bhindi ni kadhi from Coffee. This okra kadhi is a superb recipe. I was almost tempted to eat the spicy stuffing with a spoon! My attempts at frying the stuffed okra were quite fruitless this time around; the stuffing leaked out :D Next time, I might bake the stuffed okra before making the kadhi.

Next on the list, an irresistible radish relish from Anita. The zingy flavors of radish are paired with bright lemon juice, with red chillies providing heat and color.

Daikon radish + Chillies + Tempering + Lemon juice = Mujj Chatin

I probably committed a cardinal sin in using peanut oil instead of mustard oil in this recipe. I don't have mustard oil in my pantry and when I look at the bottles of toasted sesame oil, raw sesame oil, peanut oil, and two kinds of olive oil in my pantry, I feel like I just can't bring home another one, hence the substitution. The mujj chatin, just like every other recipe from Anita's blog, was spot-on! It turned a dal-rice dinner into something mighty special.

We come to another spinach recipe- I'm getting serious about eating my greens! This one comes from Nandita. Her traditional lunch series is my absolute favorite, sharing those most precious recipes that make up the taste of home-cooked food. Nandita says, "This is a fine example of typical Tamil Brahmin cuisine, where less is always more and the flavours of the main ingredient are relied upon to the maximum without adding strong flavours like onion or garlic." Less is always more, you say? I had to try this recipe for my event!!

Spinach + Rice flour + Urad dal + Red chillies = Keerai Masiyal or mashed spinach.


Nandita got beautiful results with her traditional stone pot and mashing spoon; I managed with my heavy-duty le creuset casserole and a hand blender. My only tweak to the recipe: I added some lemon juice at the end. You have to taste this to believe it.

I served the mashed spinach with steamed rice and a sesame potato stir-fry from Latha

Potatoes + Sesame seeds + Red chilli powder + Turmeric + Tempering= Bangala Dumpa Vepudu.
Nothing more and nothing less! When I sat down to enjoy this meal, I could not take my eyes off the beautiful colors on my plate- the jade spinach and the golden potatoes.

Sure, ginger/garlic/ any one of a hundred different ingredients could be added to each of these recipes, but the truth is that they taste perfect just in this minimalist state. Needless to say, all these vegetables are being packed to-go, straight to MBP: Less is More.


Entries are already trickling in and I hope you will participate too! If you have a favorite few-ingredient recipe on your blog, leave a comment and I'll try and make it for this event.

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...and for dessert, another cupcake. The recipe comes from the ridiculously talented Hannah of BitterSweet.


Enjoy the weekend. Here's wishing my American friends a happy Fourth!

Onion Chutney: Less is More

Onions + Red Chillies + Tamarind = Zesty Onion Chutney.

TBC shared her mother's recipe for the simplest Onion Chutney. A few weeks ago, I made dosas and realized at the last possible minute that I had no coconut on hand for the accompanying chutney. That's when TBC's recipe came to the rescue!

My only tweak to the recipe was to add a bit of tamarind juice for some tang. This is how I made the onion chutney, inspired by TBC's recipe:

1. Heat some oil in a heavy skillet and add 3 coarsely chopped onions.
2. Saute for a few minutes until the edges start browning.
3. Add 2 dried red chillies and salt to taste.
4. Continue to saute until the onions are soft and browned.
5. Cool the mixture. Grind to a fine paste, adding 2-3 T tamarind juice along the way.

This post is my first entry to MBP: Less is More.


Piping hot dosas dipped into this sweet-tangy-hot chutney- it was an utterly delicious combination. The Budding Cook is a great resource for simple and tasty recipes like this one.

Onions are truly miraculous ingredients. They contain complex flavors hidden within all those layers, so when you cook with onions, you get a whole array of flavors for the price of one! More onion inspiration:

Some day I also hope to make IronStef's Onion Butter, a sweet and savory spread made from nothing but onions, salt, olive oil, butter (and slow heat). You have to read that post to see how Ironstef and Jack make onion butter from 12 lbs of onions!

And recently, I got to taste Pille's superb Onion and Orange salad- simply slices of oranges scattered with onions and peppercorns. I don't think I have even uttered the words "onions" and "orange" in the same sentence ever, but this dish truly works!

What's your favorite simple dish using onions?
I'll start by sharing mine: Mix thinly sliced red onion with white vinegar (yes, that cheapo kind more often used to clean clogged sinks), salt and red chilli powder (cayenne pepper). There you have it- a delicious relish for grilled foods. Like tandoori paneer. Mmmm...

A Quick Breakfast Fix

Raaga is hosting Weekend Breakfast Blogging this month with the theme Express Breakfasts. I wake up at all sorts of unearthly hours, and am usually famished by the time the normal breakfast hour rolls around. Usually, quick breakfasts in my home can mean oatmeal, eggs or buttered toast with a spicy chutney sprinkled on it. But in honor of Raaga's undying love for Upma, that's what I whipped up for her.

On the menu today is the popular Maharashtrian breakfast- tikhat sanja. It is a sibling of the upma, the lovely Southern Indian dish which resembles a risotto made with coarse semolina. A brief "Compare and Contrast" exercise between the way I make upma and tikhat sanja reveals that-
(a) Upma is a creamy mass while sanja is fluffier and "looser" (for lack of a better description!)
(b) Upma does not usually contain turmeric while sanja is brightly yellow with turmeric.
(c) Upma is made with traditional Southern Indian "tempering" that includes urad dal and chana dal; sanja uses a simpler tempering of mustard seeds and cumin seeds alone. Following my mother's footsteps, I spike my upma generously with minced ginger too.
(d) Both are wonderful with nuts tossed in at the "tempering" stage (cashews for the upma and peanuts for the sanja).
(e) Both make for hot hearty breakfasts using simple pantry staples.
(f) Both can be fortified with vegetables like potato, peas, carrots and itty bitty cauliflower florets. This makes both of these dishes perfect candidates for "breakfast for dinner" nights.

Today, my kitchen is as bare as Mother Hubbard's cupboard so here is a bare basics version of tikhat sanja. The one essential for Maharashtrian "hot breakfasts" like poha and tikhat sanja, in my opinion, is a generous garnish of fresh coconut and cilantro, along with a squeeze of lemon juice. Luckily, I had some fresh cilantro at hand thanks to a little pot growing on the windowsill, so the recipe pulled together nicely.

Tikhat Sanja

Ingredients:
1 C roasted Upma rava (coarse semolina)
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 fresh chillies, minced
1 ¾ C boiling water
1 t sugar
salt to taste
Tempering:
1 t oil
1 t mustard seeds
1 t cumin seeds
1 pinch asafoetida
1 sprig curry leaves
½ t turmeric powder
Garnish:
2 t ghee/butter (optional)
Juice of half a lemon
2-3 T minced cilantro
2-3 T grated fresh/frozen coconut

Method:
1. Heat the oil and add the "tempering" ingredients. Stir in the onion and chillies and fry it for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the roasted rava, salt and sugar and stir around for a minute more.
3. Add the hot water (carefully!) and cook on a low-medium flame, stirring often, until the water is absorbed and the semolina fluffs up.
4. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and ghee/butter, if using. Garnish with coconut and cilantro and serve right away.

Tikhat sanja tastes fine just by itself, but you can also serve it with some namkeen/mixture or a scoop of yogurt or a dollop of pickles.

For those who like a little sweet something with their breakfast, here's a giant cupcake for you. It is fat-free, sugar-free and fiber-rich. Contains 100% fiber, in fact :D

Kohlrabi Sukke

Many thanks to all those who left me comments and e-mails asking if we are doing OK here in St. Louis. This region has been in the news lately because of the devastating flooding of the mighty Mississippi river and its tributaries. North of us, the swollen river breached levees/flood-banks and sent huge swatches of land under water. Many people watched helplessly as their homes were set adrift and tens of thousands of acres of farmland (that normally feeds much of the US) is now under water. By the time the river has come down to us in St. Louis, the damage has been done, the levels are under control (more or less) and we don't expect any flooding here.

All this leads me to wonder about the fate of our food supply this year. Flooding of farmland is a huge tragedy for farmers, and something that will affect everyone who eats, essentially. Last week, I was at the Farmers' Market and bought such wonderful local produce; I don't know about the coming months...

One of my finds last week was kohlrabi (called navalkol in Marathi). If I remember correctly, this vegetable was made only infrequently in my parents' home (usually as a raw koshimbir/salad) and I had never cooked with it either. I decided to tackle it one evening in the past week and decided on this Kohlrabi sukke from Shilpa's blog. If you want to fall in love with kohlrabi, this simple dish is it! Cooked kohlrabi is simmered in a flavorful coconut paste in this wonderful Konkani recipe. It is a recipe that is so typical of Shilpa's blog- home-style cooking at its very best. The kohlrabi that I bought had a nice top of fresh leaves, so I added them to the curry.

Kohlrabi Sukke

(Adapted from Aayi's Recipes)

Ingredients:
1 bunch kohlrabi
1 medium onion, diced
1 t turmeric powder
1 t oil
1-2 t jaggery (unrefined sugar)
salt to taste
For the paste:
1 heaped t urad dal
1 heaped t coriander seeds
1 t oil
½ C grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
2 dried red chillies (or to taste)
¼ C tamarind juice

Method:
1. Remove the leaves from the kohlrabi. Discard any discolored ones, wash the rest very well and shred them finely. Set aside.
2. Wash the kohlrabi and halve each one. Pressure cook them. They don't need prolonged pressure cooking. One whistle was enough in my pressure cooker.
3. Pluck off any tough stems from the cooked kohlrabi and cut them into small dice.
4. Meanwhile, fry the urad dal, coriander seeds and red chillies in the oil. Then blend these into a smooth paste with the coconut and tamarind.
5. In a saucepan, fry the onion until it is translucent. Add the shredded kohlrabi leaves and turmeric and stir-fry them until they are almost tender. Add the cooked kohlrabi cubes, coconut paste, jaggery, salt to taste and a little water if required and simmer the curry for 5-10 minutes.

This dish is a wonderful example of coastal cuisine- using a freshly made paste of mild and creamy coconut, tangy tamarind and a few carefully chosen spices to cook flavorful vegetable dishes. I am sending this post to Suganya for AFAM: Coconut and to Sig for JFI: Tamarind.

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MBP Update: We now have one more giveaway associated with this event!! Anjali Damerla of Supreme Spice has kindly offered to send a bottle of spice extract to each of three randomly chosen participants. The spice extracts that are being given away happen to be ones that I have tried and loved- Ginger, Tea Masala and Cardamom. Shipping of these will be restricted to the US. I have updated this new giveaway in the MBP announcement post.

Knitting Crochet Update:
When I told my friend Sujayita that I have started knitting, she said to me, "If you can knit, I don't see why you shouldn't learn crochet as well" and promptly sent me a crochet book- Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker (tee hee). Who am I to resist? Last week, I sat down and laboriously taught myself a few basic stitches from the book, and fell in love with crochet easily enough.

Here are my first two projects- baby steps towards becoming a bag lady!

Bracelet Purse: this is a cute pattern from Knotty Generation.

It is a tiny purse with one short and one long handle; the long handle slips into the small one and then onto the wrist as a bracelet.


It is just big enough to hold my keys and cell phone and go along on my wrist when I am out walking Dale. But my little hot blue purse had a near-death experience at the dog park the other day when a puppy thought it was a toy and snatched it from my wrist. I am happy to report that the purse survived and the poor puppy was chastised :D




I loved the pattern so much that I made three to give as gifts, including this one in "faded denim".


I also made a very big mesh shopping bag! It is a pattern that is wonderful for beginners, generously shared by Jill Chatelain. She aptly calls it the "Rust Goes Green" bag. Who needs paper or plastic when you have these nice reusable cotton bags?


Have a great week ahead!

Announcing the Monthly Blog Patrol for July 08: Less is More!

Many months ago, Coffee started a popular food blog event called the Monthly Blog Patrol (MBP). The event revolves around browsing through our favorite blogs and choosing recipes to cook in our own kitchens. I am thrilled to be taking over the baton from Sia (you still have a few days to get your Street Food entries to her) and guest hosting MBP for the month of July right here on One Hot Stove.

The theme for July is Less is More! This means that you have to browse through your favorite blogs and your bookmarked recipes and choose those that have FIVE ingredients or FEWER to make for this event.



What is the idea behind this theme?
1. To explore minimalism in cooking.
2. To appreciate the pure taste of ingredients and flavors as themselves.
3. To understand the role of each ingredient in any recipe.
I will always love to both cook and eat elaborate creations, but sometimes it is magical to see how a handful of ingredients can come together into a great dish with the right recipe.

Less is More "rules":
1. The recipe (which should be from another blog) should have five or fewer ingredients.

2. In addition to your other ingredients, you are free to use the following three ingredients because they are so widely used in cooking. Salt, water (or stock) and fats (such as oil or butter or oil spray) will not be counted in the 5-or-less list, for the sake of this challenge.

3. If you want to count the basic "tempering" (tadka/phodni/popu) or seasoning used in Indian dishes (mustard seeds, cumin seeds, etc.) as one ingredient rather than list each component of the tempering separately, that is fine by me.

Once I decided on this theme, I began to see few-ingredient recipes everywhere! Look through your favorite blogs, and you will be sure to come upon some gems. If you get stumped, write to me and I'll be happy to help you out with some ideas.

The rules of the game:
1. Based on the theme of Less is More, you have to cook something from the posted recipe of a fellow blogger. This is the very premise of this event, to cook from the blogs, so the recipe has to be from another blog and not from some other cooking website or other source.
2. Post a pic of the final recipe on your blog linking it to the blogger (whose recipe you made), to this event announcement and to Coffee. Whether to make it a separate post or not is entirely your choice. You can just put a final pic or put step by step pics or if you have made any variations you might want to highlight that or post the whole recipe. It is entirely upto you. But one final pic and links to the blogger and this event is a must.
3. Email your
Your name,
Your permalink and
a permalink of the blogger from whom you made this dish
to my Email address (listed below my profile on the right sidebar). I will not need your pictures for this round-up.
Please use MBP July 2008 as your subject line.
4. The deadline is 25 July 2008. I like posting round-ups promptly so no late entries will be accepted.
5. Feel free to use the logo:

But wait- there's more! We have two giveaways for this event, just to make things even more fun.

1. I will pick two names randomly from the list of participants in MBP: Less is More and send you a couple of hand-knitted goodies. I can ship them anywhere in the world.

2. Anjali Damerla of Supreme Spice is kindly giving away one spice extract (Ginger/Cardamom/Tea Masala) to each of three randomly chosen participants. Shipping of this prize will be restricted to the US.

So, there's a small incentive for participating :)

I hope you enjoy this slightly off-beat theme for MBP. As for me, the whole month of July will feature only recipes with five or fewer ingredients here on One Hot Stove. Stay tuned!

Kizartma and Couscous

So often, a restaurant dish is my primary inspiration to head into the kitchen and try something new. This is especially true of cuisines that are new to me, some from countries that I would have trouble locating on a map. These experiments often result in happy discoveries of "keeper" recipes and new additions to the pantry. Today's recipe was inspired by an appetizer that I enjoyed at a local Turkish restaurant, Aya Sofia. Kizartma is a delicious dish of fried vegetables (how can you go wrong?) placed in a stack. Eggplant, potato, zucchini and peppers were included in the dish I ate at the restaurant, and I tried to replicate it at home. It certainly made for a delicious summer lunch.

Kizartma

Ingredients:
1 large potato
1 zucchini
1 large eggplant
olive oil for shallow frying
salt and pepper to season
Method:
Cut all the vegetables into half-inch rounds. Fry in olive oil in a cast iron skillet until golden brown on each side and cooked all the way through, sprinkling salt and pepper to taste. Stack up the vegetables. The kizartma could be served with either a warm tomato sauce or a cold yogurt sauce. I made both- just to give them a try.

Tomato sauce: Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Simmer crushed tomatoes in this mixture for 10-12 minutes. Add salt to taste. Spike with some red pepper flakes if desired.

Yogurt sauce: Mix thick yogurt with slivers of fresh mint, a minced garlic clove and salt to taste.

I served the kizartma with a simple sweet-savory side dish of pearl couscous, also called Israeli couscous or toasted couscous. Now, I don't know if these two dishes really are made for each other, but each is delicious and could be matched with other Middle-Eastern or Mediterranean dishes to make a meal.

Cinnamon-scented Pearl Couscous

Ingredients:
1 C pearl couscous
2 C vegetable stock
1 small onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 stick cinnamon
Handful of dried cranberries, chopped

Method:
1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Saute the onion, garlic and cinnamon stick until fragrant and translucent.
2. Add the couscous and toast it for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the stock, bring the couscous to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the stock is absorbed and the couscous is tender.
4. Stir in the cranberries, fish out and discard the cinnamon stick and serve.

These dishes go to Siri (girl, you are on an event-hosting roll!) who is AWED by Middle-Eastern cuisine this month.

Other Middle-East-inspired recipes on this blog:
Madhur Jaffrey's Lubia Polo (this dish is a must-try when green beans are in season this summer).
Roasted Garlic Hummus (a tasty way to snack while getting protein and fiber!)
Falafel
Two older posts...I haven't made these dishes for ages but I really should-
Mujadarah
Vegetable Moussaka

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Knitting Update-

My summer vest is ready! Look, Ma, I made an actual wearable garment :D
It is the Accidentally On-Purpose Drop-Stitch Vest from the book Stitch 'n Bitch Nation, in azure, a cheerful and summery shade of blue.


Another project- a quick and fun knit- Grr washcloth from Knitty. A lion with a big ol' loopy mane. Mine is cross-eyed and has a crooked smile. He won't bite!