Fiesty Mango Salad and Spicy Chana Dal

Being Indian there’s nothing I love more than mangoes and like most Indians, when I get my hand on a mango, I use it in so many ways to ‘maximize’ my mango experience – jams, curries, dals, desserts, mojitos (yes, it’s a food group by itself) and even salads to name a few. I can even have a mango for breakfast (hellooo… the golden gorgeousness of a ripe mango on my oatmeal in the morning… ahh sweet heaven!)

Anyway I digress… today I bring you a gorgeous mango salad that’s not only easy to make but is very easy on the eye too. The contrast of the green coriander leaves against the golden mango is so so very pretty. It’s light, refreshing and perfect for summer.

Mango salad

What you need:

½ a semi ripe Mango

½ Cucumber

½ of a Small Onion

¼ bunch Coriander

Green Chilies to taste (you can even use red jalapeños to add color)

Roasted Peanuts as needed

Salt to taste

Lemon Juice to taste

A pinch of Sugar

Getting down to business:

Dice the mango and cucumber into small even sized cubes. Finely chop the onion, chili and coriander.  Combine all the ingredients except the lemon juice, salt and roasted peanuts. Add these three ingredients at the end just before serving.

Notes:

I prefer using a semi raw mango as opposed to one that is completely raw or completely ripe. I think the in between stage helps balance out flavors as something too raw would be too strong for some palettes while a ripe mango may end up breaking down too much.

I actually did not add any salt in my salad as I used salted roasted peanuts to begin with.

The reason I specify not to add in the salt before serving is that it can make the onions and cucumber ‘sweat’ which means it’ll extract all the water in your veggies and make your salad soggy!

You can add and delete vegetables from this salad as you wish – throw in some striking orange carrot or some shredded cabbage even.

Clockwise: Mango Salad, Chana Dal and Rotis

This is not a dal you mess with… its fiery but satisfying. For me, in addition to being tasty and comforting, it’s also oh so good for you – what more can you ask for? You can easily tone down the heat of the dal by omitting either of the chilies or even both or eliminate the red chili powder.

Masala Chana Dal

What you need:

1 cup Chana Dal (Split Chickpeas)

1 teaspoon Cumin/ Jeera

2 Red Chilies

½ big Onion or 1 small one

2 Green Chilies (leave them whole)

1 Tomato – puréed or crushed in a blender

A few Mint Leaves

11/2teaspoons Ginger Garlic Paste

3/4^th teaspoon Chana Dal Masala or ½ teaspoon Garam Masala– optional

3/4^th teaspoon Dhania/ Coriander Powder

½ teaspoon Jeera/ Cumin Powder

Chili Powder to taste

Dried Fenugreek Leaves/ Kasoori Methi

¼ teaspoon Turmeric

Salt to taste

A pinch of Sugar

A Squeeze of Lemon Juice

Minced Coriander Leaves to Garnish

Getting Down to Business:

Soak the chana dal for at least an hour before cooking (especially if your not going to pressure-cook the lentils as this will cut down your cooking time. I would the recommend you soak the lentils longer.). Drain and keep aside.

Finely mince the onion and chop the mint leaves. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker if you have one or in a heavy bottomed pan. Add in the cumin and red chilies. Follow this with the onions.

Sauté till the onions start browning. Add in the tomato and the ginger garlic paste with the green chilies. Sauté for a minute or two. Then add in the turmeric, chili powder, chana dal masala or garam masala, coriander powder and cumin powder. Add in the mint leaves.

Let it simmer till the whole mixture is shiny and seems as if the oil is separating from it.  Add in the dal. Mix well. Add in water to immerse the lentils and stand an inch above the mixture for a pressure cooker or if using a pan, add in water to cover the lentils. Add in a pinch of kasoori methi. Stir to combine.

Let it pressure cook for 3 whistles and then simmer for 10 minutes on a low flame. If using a pan, bring the mixture to a boil, turn the heat down to let the whole thing simmer and cover. Let it cook till the lentils are cooked through.

Once you’ve cooked the dal, add in the salt, coriander and sugar. Check seasoning and adjust if needed.  If needed add more water to loosen the dal or if you need to thicken it a bit, simmer till you get the desired consistency.

Just before serving, add a squeeze of lemon juice and serve hot with rotis or rice.

The Lazy Girl’s Take On Italian

I love pasta as much as I love rice… and for a South Indian that’s some serious love. However when I do make pasta, I find myself veering toward light flavorful versions as opposed to sauce drenched casseroles and stuffed pasta. Don’t get me wrong… there’s nothing wrong with stuffed manicotti or a lasagna occasionally.  Life Garfield would probably say… lasagna makes life better! So that would be another post. While my brother K and hubster R love any kind of pasta with a tomato sauce base, I like mine almost to be minimalist. This is especially true when you have amazing hand made pasta or fresh pasta… why mess with perfection?

Today let’s talk about whole-wheat pastas… for me, they were life changing! I actually no difference in taste between regular pasta and whole-wheat versions. I have the whole-wheat avatars in all shapes and sizes from elbows to spaghetti. I reach for them whenever I get a carb craving and don’t have to feel so guilty. So on that note, I would like to share with you one of those ‘lets just eyeball the whole thing’ recipes… enjoy!

Spaghetti with a Lemon Dressing Served with Broccoli and Walnuts

What you need:

2 servings uncooked Spaghetti

1 lemon

Garlic – I love mine garlicky, so I used 1-½ cloves

Salt

Red pepper flakes

Getting down to business:

Boil your spaghetti in well-salted water until done. Drain and keep aside. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water. In the same pot that you cooked the pasta, heat some olive oil and add in some minced garlic along with the red pepper flakes. As the oil heats up and you feel the garlic is softened, remove from heat and zest in the lemon. Follow with a squeeze of the lemon. I leave how much zest and juice up to you. Keep in mind that a little bit goes a long way. However please be careful that you remove the pan from the heat as lemon can turn very bitter when it comes in contact with heat. Don’t forget to add in the salt and whisk everything together.

Add in the warm pasta and toss well. If needed, add in some pasta cooking water to loosen up the pasta. Top off with some shavings of Parmesan and voila! You’re done!

I served this with

Broccoli Tossed with Walnuts

What you need:

Walnuts or pine nuts – lightly toasted

Salt

Red pepper flakes

Garlic, thinly sliced. I used 1 clove of garlic

Lemon zest

2 cups of Steamed Broccoli

Getting down to business:

Heat some olive oil and add in the garlic with the red pepper flakes. After a few seconds, add in the nuts followed by the broccoli. Next, season with salt and add some lemon zest. Toss well and your done!

Notes:

When zesting a lemon, ensure you do not grate the white part of the peel too. You only need the yellow surface peel.

You could add in some thyme to the pasta, as it would tie in with the lemony flavor.

This also travels well and tastes great at room temperature.

Back to the Lazy Girl’s Series-Easy Oriental Soup

I try my best to eat healthy although it really is an uphill battle for someone who dreams in Chocolate and Technicolor! I sometimes rustle up this easy broth when I’m in a hurry. It makes for a flavorful and tasty lunch that’s not to high on the calorie chart. The added bonus is that you can get all your veggies into one meal. I make this on gloomy days when nothing but a huge bowl of steaming broth is essential for some soul lifting…

I have no measurements for this recipe as it’s one of  those fridge magnet recipes where I throw in everything but the kitchen sink.

Egg and Tofu… very very good for you!

Life Is Always Better With A Bunny Bowl

Veggies With Noodles... So Slurp-alicious!

Easy Chinese Vegetable Broth

What you need:

Equal parts of chicken or vegetable stock and water

Evenly chopped vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, green peas, spinach, etc

Minced Garlic or Minced Ginger

Green Onions

Tofu - Optional

Eggs - Optional

Egg Noodles or any other whole-wheat alternative

Frozen Potstickers

Soy Sauce

Chili Flakes or if you wish for some added heat, you can use a splash of chili garlic sauce

Salt

Getting Down to Business:

Chop the green onions and separate the green parts from the white onion. Mix in the onion along with the remaining veggies you wish to use for the broth.

In a roomy pan, add in the stock and the vegetables. Also add in the minced garlic or ginger. Add in a little salt. Let the vegetables reach and boil and simmer till they’re cooked. You can also add the vegetables in a phased manner starting with the ones that take the longest to cook (like carrots and beans) and add in the ones that cook fast like green peas at the end.

If you are using a noodle of any kind, add it in when the vegetables are three fourths done and let it cook along.

Once your vegetables are uniformly cooked, add in the soy sauce, chili flakes or sauce, salt. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

Sprinkle on the reserved green leaves of the green onion and dig in!

Notes:

Add in the tofu if you are using it at the final stages of cooking to ensure it doesn’t disintegrate.

At the end, break in an egg if you wish into the broth and stir well. Ensure that the egg is cooked. To make things easier, you can beat the egg ahead of time and pour it into the broth for a shortcut to an egg drop broth!

If you wish to use pot stickers, or steamed wontons, add them in towards the end to avoid them breaking up. I love Trader Joe’s Gyoza and use them all the time. Do not let the potstickers thaw. Drop them in frozen and let them cook through.

If you wish to add chicken, slice the chicken meat into strips and keep aside. Heat some toasted sesame oil, add in the chicken and sauté for a few minutes. Following this step, proceed from the first step.

Avoid adding too many elements in your broth and overcrowding it… simple is best! You could do tofu and eggs or just the potstickers or wontons, etc.

Perfectly Crunchy Baked Onion Rings

I love fried food! I love the crunch of a well made onion ring or the crisp exterior and softness of the perfect salty French fry. What I do NOT like is frying anything at home. It’s messy and too much of a process. I also like to try to eat healthy when I can. (Please note: I said ‘try’!) So every time I crave something sinful, I try to find a lighter easy-to-make option. That’s how I came across the baked onion ring. Now what kind of person would I be if I didn’t share a great recipe with you? Perfect for a BBQ, lazy Sunday snack or even a rainy day.

Start with a hot plate :)

  

Pile on some crunchy onion rings

Now admire your handiwork, pick up a ring, open your mouth and pop one right in!

Perfectly Crunchy Baked Onion Rings

What you need:

1 1/2 cups Baked potato chips

1/2 cups Breadcrumbs

1 large Egg

1 cup Buttermilk (low fat if available)

1/4 cup All Purpose Flour plus 3 tablespoons extra

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper/ Chili Powder

Salt

Freshly ground Black Pepper

1 - 2 medium sweet onions, such as a Vidalia

2 – 4 tablespoons Oil

Getting down to business:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil and pour the oil onto the sheets. Keep aside.

Peel and slice onions into 1/2-inch rounds and separate into rings, keeping only large, whole rings (reserve rest of the onions for other uses). You should come out with about 12 to 14 intact rings. Place the three tablespoons of flour in a re-sealable plastic bag, then add onions, and shake to coat. Keep aside.

In a food processor, pulse baked chips and breadcrumbs until fine crumbs form, then transfer to a flat dish. Add in some salt and chili powder or cayenne pepper. Combine and keep aside.

In another flat dish, whisk together egg, buttermilk, flour, and chili powder or cayenne pepper. Also add in the salt and black pepper.

Pop the baking sheets into the oven and let the oil heat up for a couple of minutes.

Now create an assembly line of the onion rings, egg mixture and breadcrumbs mixture. Dip onion rings in egg mixture (letting excess drip off) and dredge in cornflake mixture; place on a large plate.

Remove the sheets from oven and tilt to coat evenly with oil. Arrange the onion rings on sheet. The hot oil starts the cooking process. Try not to pile too many rings on each other. Aim to spread them out evenly across the sheets.

Bake about 8 minutes and then turn the rings over. Bake again for another 8 minutes or until golden brown. Season with salt as soon as you pull the rings out of the oven.

Serve hot.

To Serve:

These rings are great served hot from the oven with a Creamy Garlic Aioli or some Ranch on the side. If nothing else, good ole ketchup will work as well. Dip Dip Dip and voila!

Notes: 

If you don’t have access to baked chips, use cornflakes.

Use vegetable oil or any oil with a higher smoking point (sunflower, grape seed, etc). Avoid using olive oil.

I stored the leftover rings in the refrigerator and crisped them up in an oven when I needed them.

If you need more of the crumb coating, mix up the chips/ cornflakes and breadcrumbs in a ratio of 3:1. You could even do half cups and pulse them.

If you’re making your own buttermilk, then it needs to be slightly thick.

If you don’t have access to a sweet onion, try blanching a regular red onion in some boiling water for a minute to take the edge off the strong onion flavor.

Modified from Martha Stewart’s and Ellie Krieger’s Oven Fried Onion Rings.