Con-TEMPEH-arary Indian Cooking

Working with Tempeh (the Indonesian fermented soy protein), we made Tempeh-do-pyaza. This was accompanied by a south indian style  okra stir fry (non-slimy), cardamom flavored brown rice and a carrot pudding stewed in almond milk.

Ingredient List for Tempeh Stir Fry recipe:

Instructions:

• Heat 2tbsp oil in a cast iron skillet, once oil is hot, add the dry spices - Cumin seeds, coriander seeds - let it splutter for a min, lower the heat and add dry red chilies, after lightly smoking them, add the tempeh and cook with occasional stirring, flipping so both sides appear fried.
• Remove tempeh and set aside in a bowl. Reduce the heat. 
• Next add remaining oil, add chopped onions, garlic and ginger and stir for 2-3 mins till they brown and release aroma. 
•  Add carrots and sprinkle some salt, turmeric and cook for few mins, then add bell peppers and also reintroduce the tempah in the skillet and toss around well so it's coated well with the spices and vegetables.
• Take off heat. Optional - Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and spritz with lime juice prior to serving (or provide a lime wedge with the dish). 

Jordan working the tempeh!

The finished meal

Some of the appetizers we had prior to the meal

bourbon

Papads and chickpea-spinach hummus dip

Okra cury

Happy diners!

Caprese and Chhole

Mixing up Italian and Indian is not something to be done lightly. I will stop with political humor there (Indian politics), but get to briefly describing what I made for a Labor day barbecue event hosted by a British friend of mine in the US.

A simple caprese salad appetizer,easy hand held food.

A simple to make,but complex flavored chickpea rice dish. (Chana masala + sauteed veggies + basmati rice)

Sliced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, fresh leaf basil, Virgin olive oil drizzle.

Saute the veggies in a small amount of hot oil. Red chili powder, salt, cumin powder go well here.

Note: the general procedure for most "curries" involves roasting cumin seeds in hot oil, let crackle, then add chopped red onions, sauteing those for 2 mins on mediumheat, add garlice, ginger finely chopped pieces, saute for a min, then add veggies,saute for 2 mins,add tomatoes, sprinkle turmeric and red chili flakes - cook for a min or two, then add chickpeas.

Throw in drained chickpeas (I used a can).If you cook chickpeas fresh, then drain and add.

Mix in the already cooked rice. I used basmati rice, added a spoon of ghee for flavor.

Mix it up to coat the rice well and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves or provide them at table for garnishing on serving plate.

Dietary Guidelines for Indians

I am a follower of the Chef at Home (CAL) blog/facebook group. I was checking out their server revamp and clicked on this link: http://www.chefatlarge.in/health/nutrition/how-should-indians-eat-64674

The page has a table (which I hope they revise soon) - (Table 1 in this blog, page 86 in the NIN Report pdf) that shows amount of calories and recommended portion sizes. Now, it is to be used in conjuction with another table.. (see Table 2 here, Page 117 in the NIN Report pdf)

Table 1: Shows portion sizes of balanced diet. There are multiplication factors to be used for adults. Typcally 4 for adult males and females. Can go up to 6x for moderate exercising folks, by 11x for heavy exercising people.  Don't starve yourseve on just 4 g of sugar per day. It it good to reduce it to that much though, if you can! :) 

Table 2: Balance diet for adults depending on activity levels (multiply the g/portion with numbers under the Men or Women). For e.g ~20 g of sugar for sedentary male, can be increased to 24 g sugar for moderately active male.

For the actual example of a guideline diet as a food  pyramid see:

I should definitely thank Sid and Sanchita for posting this at CAL. However, I thought the numbers were too low so I decided to go to the source document once these questions came up in my mind.. 1) Meat substitute: Now, did they also have an option/guidance for people on substituting the 50 g meat with anything else.. ie is it just more pulses or split half in leafy veg and pulses?

They actually discuss this as guideline with pulses first and then ask non-vegetarians to replace one serving of pulses (~30-50g with a serving of meat). Page 87 report pdf
2) Sugar and oils for daily basis are much higher in our diet so this is interesting. Sugar just 5 g per day?? See answer to Q 3 below.
3) Third.. was this for normal, office going, sedentary type person ? This is answered well in page 86 in the report pdf

For e.g ~ 15-20 g of sugar for sedentary, can be increased to 24 g sugar for moderately active ((my assumption) ie. 45 min exercise per day x 5 times a week) and 44 g for heavy exercise (athlete type people, or (my assumption) if you exercise over 75 mins X 5 times a week )

4) Any difference between male adult /female adult mentioned in guidelines? Covered in Table on page 86 in report pdf.

Ok, it is also interesting that in their detailed document they basically say "Abstain from alchohol" -- haha..no mention of moderation or anything.. Page 73.. (they actually say refrain from excessive drinking).


I might update more, but this is a quick post! http://ninindia.org/DietaryGuidelinesforNINwebsite.pdf

Lentil Lunches

Raw lentils and rice to whip up a quick meal
Ingredients:
Lentils - mung beans or yellow split lentils or red lentils etc. - shop
1 teaspoon cumin seeds - shop
1 tbsp - Garam masala (indian spice mix) - shop
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped carrots or some bell peppers (if you like them)
Few cilantro leaves (fresh is ideal), dried or frozen work ok too.

rice and dry lentils

Rinse the lentils and rice and let them soak in lukewarm water for 10-15 mins.

Tip: Sometimes it is better to rinse them separately (lentils first) then add to pot or rice cooker.

Measurement thumb rule: 
1 cup raw lentil  will expand to 2 cups cooked lentils.
1 cup lentil, needs 2 cups + 1 tbsp water.

If cooking in an open pot, then bring water to boil with 2X water, then turn heat to simmer, cover with a lid and cook for another 10-15 minutes till it is well cooked. Add a spoon of butter at the end and let it melt in. Check occasionally with a fork or spoon.

If using rice cooker add 2X water, add 1 tbsp butter and pinch of salt.
Eat with Yoghurt for simplest of meals. Or you can spice up your meal lightly with these additions:

Cooked and ready to eat dish (only the brown dal and rice). You can eat this with another stir fry dish (link) or mix it with an Indian spice powder like curry leaf powder or groundnut spice powder and serve with chips (kids like this). For adults you can also add some steamed veggies on the side or freshly chopped onions and tomatoes and add a dollop of plain yoghurt, along with the spice powders.

Seasoning the rice dish - you can heat up a skillet, add one TBSP oil, add  1 teaspoon cumin seeds - let them sizzle, then add some chopped onions, then chopped carrots after 2-3 minutes and once these vegetables cook, season further with garam masala powder (2-3 teaspoon) and little salt, finally topping off with some kasoori methi or cilantro. You can add the rice and mix it lightly, then serve immediately.

See other variations/related recipes here: http://spicetruck.blogspot.com/2012/06/colorful-food-is-appetizing.html

Cooked rice and lentil mix

You can also "cheat" and use spice mixes like this one by MTR (get them online or at your local Indian grocery store).

Seven Major Indian Spices

http://magazine.fourseasons.com/travel-food-style/food-restaurants/gourmet-food-recipes/seven-seasonings-the-key-spices-of-indian-cuisine


One tip.. a splatter screen is a must if you are using mustard seeds regularly!!

Indian Cuisine Map - Working Edition

This is a simple map that I am making in Google maps to record some of the places that have influenced my cooking style as well as places with amazing food that I still cannot make in my kitchen.

If you want to know more about India and the rich food that changes a lot over the whole subcontinent, do explore further!