MEALS 2/4

QUINOA AND AMARANTH STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Sometimes it’s tough to brainstorm new recipes that are tasty, but also provide all the great nutrients you want to nourish your family with. I made these Quinoa and Amaranth Stuffed Peppers for lunch yesterday, and maybe this is the answer you’ve been looking for! Its quite a regular dish in our home as its a family favorite and of course low in carbs and full of nutrition. It’s been flavoured with wonderful herbs like mint, parsley and coriander, alongside some pistachios for a nutty crunch and raisins for slight sweetness. The peppers, when baked in the oven, take on a lovely sweetness which bind the whole dish together!

It’s topped with a dash Parmesan, but you can replace it with vegan cheese or omit the cheese entirely to make it vegan. This dish is an absolute wonder as its not only a vegan dish packed with nutrition but its gluten-free and Keto friendly too!

I bet you know all about how fantastic quinoa is, and amaranth is equally packed with qualities. It’s a wonderful superfood, and amongst other seeds and grains, it has one of the highest protein quantities, is great for those who have arthritis, is rich in essential oils that are especially good for controlling cholesterol, and many other vitamins and minerals.

All of the ingredients in this dish are super healthy and nutritious, but what’s really wonderful is that they’re all encapsulated inside easy-to-serve individual portions of the pepper halves. You can either serve it as a main or as a side.

And those hands you see serving the dish - that’s my son, very sweetly he accepted to become a hand model for me 😄 Or maybe he was very eager and was trying to snatch one of the peppers?? Hmm... we’ll never know!

Please do write the feedback and post comments in the comments section below the recipe. It means the whole world to me to know someone out there is trying out my recipes. You can tag me on my Instagram page: instagram.com/simranskitchenoman/

PREP TIME: 30 minutes COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

BAKE TIME: 1 hour SERVES: 5-6

INGREDIENTS

8-10 small to medium size bell peppers/ capsicum (red and yellow mixed)
3/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup amaranth
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 fat cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch piece ginger, chopped
1-2 green chillies, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
2 tbsp golden raisins
1/4 cup pistachios, roasted and chopped
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
2 tbsp mint, chopped
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

For Topping:

20g parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
2 tbsp virgin olive oil

METHOD

Preheat the oven at 240°-250°C.
Cut the bell peppers in half, keeping the stalk intact. Remove seeds and core.
In a large baking dish, drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil and coat the base well. Place the bell peppers in it facing the cut side up. Cover with the aluminium foil and bake it in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. In a medium saucepan, cook quinoa adding one and a half cups of water. Once it come to boiling point reduce the heat. Cook on low heat until fluffy and soft, about 12-15 minutes.
In another small saucepan, cook amaranth seeds adding 1 1/4 cup of water. Once it starts boiling reduce the heat and cook on low flame until soft, about 15-20 minutes.
In a wok, warm remaining olive oil, add onions, ginger, garlic and green chilli. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent, add chopped tomatoes and salt, sauté until they collapse, about 3 minutes.
Add cooked quinoa and amaranth, stir to mix. Add pepper, stir and taste seasoning, add if need more. Remove from heat, add chopped pistachios, raisins, coriander, mint and parsley.
Now remove aluminium foil from the empty baked bell peppers, drain out the water accumulated from each pepper. Using a table spoon, fill the bell peppers with the stuffing.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and parsley on top of each pepper, drizzle with olive oil and bake further for 25-30 minutes at 240°C, until lightly charred and wilted, and soft to touch.
Serve as a main or as a side along with other grilled proteins.

COOK'S NOTES

I used superfoods like quinoa and amaranth for the stuffing but you can always make these stuffed with cooked rice. Use the same method, just replace the quinoa and amaranth with cooked rice.
It can also be stuffed with meat stuffing to make it a non-vegetarian version.
I used smaller or medium sized bell peppers to cook faster and enjoy the thinner charred skin than the larger peppers. But you can use any peppers even the longer sweet pointed red peppers goes so well in this dish.
Pistachios can also be replaced with any nut of your choice, sometimes i make this with pine nuts, which are my favourite.

#stuffedpeppers #dolma #quinoastuffedpeppers #amaranthstuffedbellpeppers #amaranth #quinoa #bellpeppers #stuffedpeppers

THAI RED CURRY CHICKEN

My love for Thai curries went to the next level when i visited Phuket, Thailand couple of years back for my birthday retreat. I have always loved the intense bold flavours of these Thai curries and particularly this classic red curry. Its a perfect amalgamation of hot, sweet, citrusy, salty and creamy flavours which makes it irresistibly delicious.

Me and my family love these curries so much and eat it quiet often and that's why I always keep my red curry and green curry paste ready to use in my freezer...just cube them, unmould and preserve in ziplock bags. Use the number of cubes as per the quantity of the curry you are making. This advance planning saves me heaps of time and curry is fixed in minutes... Last week I made this red Thai curry in a jiffy as everyone was hungry and I just had small quantities of few assorted vegetables in my fridge. This curry was fixed in no time as my paste was already ready.

Kaffir lime leaf is another important ingredient for any Thai curry to enhance its vibrant citrusy flavours. If you don’t plan to use your curry leaves soon after it’s purchase...it can be preserved best in the freezer.

People also dry these leaves but I like to freeze my kaffir lime leaves to restore its aroma. They are best preserved in ziplock bags and can be kept up to 6 months. Use the number of leaves as you need to enhance the flavours of your soups or curries.

I freeze a lot of different things and use them when they are not readily available in market ...I would love to hear from you what raw food items do you preserve to use later. I’ll leave the recipe of my red Thai curry paste on my website for you to try. Will leave the link in my bio.

PREP TIME: 20 minutes COOKING TIME: 15 minutes SERVES: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

For red curry paste:

7-15 dried red chillies
1/4 cup shallots
3 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp chopped lemon grass
1tbsp chopped galangal
2 tsp coriander roots/ stems
1 tsp of kaffir lime skin(no pith)
1 tsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp white peppercorns, lightly ground
1 tsp kosher salt

For chicken curry:

500g chicken breast fillet, cubed
1 cup mixed bell peppers, diced
1 cup mushrooms, thickly sliced
2-3 kaffir lime leaves
1 lemongrass, bashed and cut into small 2 inch pieces
2 x 400 ml cans coconut milk, full fat
2-3 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tbsp coconut sugar/ palm sugar
3 tbsp sunflower oil/ coconut oil
2 heaped tbsp Thai red curry paste

For Garnish:

1 tbsp coriander leaves
2 kaffir lime leaves, julienned

METHOD

For Red Curry Paste:

Remove seeds from chilies, cut them into half and soak them in water for 3-4 hours or until softened.
Add these to a mortar and pestle along with salt and peppercorns. Grind it into a smooth paste.
Add coriander roots, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest, and galangal, pound them into a fine paste.
Add garlic, shallots and fish sauce, bring them all together to a fine paste.

For Making Curry:

Heat oil in a wok, add curry paste and kaffir lime leaves, sauté for 3-4 minutes on medium low heat until all raw flavours are gone.
Add bell peppers, lemongrass and chicken, sauté for 3-4 minutes, then add mushrooms. Sauté for another minute.
Add coconut milk, increase the heat and let it heat through but not boil. Add salt, lime juice and sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and julienned kaffir lime leaves.

COOK’S NOTES:

If you do not like too much heat in the curry, reduce the amount of red chillies or remove seeds completely.
I made the red curry paste in an authentic way which gives the best taste. But if you are in a hurry and don’t have time to soak the chillies and make the paste authentically, you can dry grind the chillies separately. Then grind all the other ingredients along with ground chillies in a grinder and make the paste.
If you like your curry less soupy then reduce the quantity of coconut milk and adjust the seasoning.
You can make the paste days in advance and preserve it in the ice cube trays and freeze if not using it immediately. Unmould and preserve the cubes in ziplock bags for later use.

#thairedcurry #thaicurry #thairedcurrychicken #lunch #Thaifood #chickencurry #Thaifood #curries #dinner

GOBI MUSALLAM

Musallam literally means whole or complete.

Gobi Musallam is a dish made with a whole piece of roasted cauliflower which is cooked with mildly spiced creamy gravy.

Gobi Musallam is a dish which is inspired by the famous stuffed chicken dish called Murg Musallam, where the whole chicken was stuffed with boiled eggs, keema(minced lamb meat), which is marinated and cooked in a rich makhni gravy, and delicately flavoured with whole spices. This dish gained its popularity because of its royal heritage as it was cooked in the imperial kitchens of Mughals. This dish is also a centerpiece of Avadhi lavishness. Awadh (which is now known as Lucknow) invented 'dum' style of cooking or an art of cooking on slow fire. So basically, Gobi Musallam is actually a vegetarian version created by adapting these two imperial styles of cooking. The whole head of cauliflower is blanched then tossed in oil to fry or is roasted and drenched in makhani gravy, cooked on slow fire and served whole.

You can serve this with usual Indian fixes of flat breads like naan, parantha, roti or even with the rice or pulao.

I was introduced to this dish when I got married; my mum-in-law would prepare this dish on special occasions. I learnt it from her and gave my own little spin to it. It certainly is an attractive center piece dish. I love to serve this stunning dish whenever I have a get together or a lavish dinner party as this is one of those dishes which always grabs my guests’ attention.

I am really excited to share this beautiful finger-licking vegetarian dish which is deep, rich and perfectly balanced with harmony of spices blended together that elevates this humble cauliflower dish to a delicious gourmet standard.

Try making this dish following the step by step instructions given in the method, and I’m sure you will win the hearts of even your hardcore non-vegetarian eaters. Read the cook’s notes for a slight variation of cooking the recipe.

If you want to see all the processes in action, I've made an easy-to-follow tutorial as well for this royal dish, watch it below !

SERVES: 8-10

PREP TIME: 20 minutes

COOKING TIME: 45-50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For Blanching Cauliflower:

4 small cauliflowers
Large cooking Pot
Water for boiling
1/2 tbsp salt
2 tsp turmeric/haldi

For Tempering:

3 large onions, cut into eights
5-6 fat garlic cloves
2.5” piece ginger, peeled roughly chopped
3 large tomatoes, blanched, deskinned and puréed
1-2 green chillies, chopped
6 tbsp oil
4 cups oil for frying
1 tsp cumin/jeera
2 bay leaves/tej patta
1 cinnamon stick/dalchini
4-5 green cardamom, slightly bruised
2 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt or to taste
2/3 cup yogurt
3-4 tsp sugar
1/3 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup water
1 tsp kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
3-4 tbsp fresh cream (use coconut cream to make it vegan)

For Garnish:

2 tbsp chopped coriander
2-3 tsp fresh cream

METHOD

Wash and trim the green stalks or leaves from the cauliflowers. Remove the extra long stem, keeping intact some stem upto the base of cauliflower.
In large cooking pot, pour enough water to fully immerse the cauliflowers. Bring it to boil. Once boiled, add salt and turmeric. Immerse the cauliflowers in the water, cover the lid and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes, until they are par boiled.
With a slotted spoon, remove cauliflowers from the water, drain them on absorbent paper.
Now heat the oil for frying in a wok or deep pan, gently slide in the cauliflowers and deep fry until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside until used.
In a blender jar, add onions, garlic and ginger, blend to a coarse consistency.
Heat a large pot, then add 6 tablespoons of oil used for frying the cauliflowers, add cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, cardamom and bay leaves. Roast for few seconds to release the aromas from whole spices. Add blended onions, give it a stir for few seconds and then add green chillies. On a high flame, keep stirring in frequent intervals for about 7-8 minutes until well roasted and light brownish in color but not burnt.
While the onions are getting roasted, make the cashew paste. In a small blender jar, drop cashews along with 1/3 cup of water and blend to a smooth paste. Keep aside until needed.
Reduce flame and add salt, turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and stir for few seconds to roast the spices. Now add the tomato purée, increase the flame to high, stir and cook. After 5 minutes add tomato paste and keep stirring every now and then. Cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until tomatoes shrink down, all the water is evaporated from them and oil is separated from the masala.
Now whisk the yogurt and add it to the prepared onion and tomato masala. Add a little water (about 1/4 cup), and cook further stirring frequently for another 4-5 minutes until its nice thick and creamy. Add sugar and stir.
Pour the prepared cashew paste, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes on slow fire until its rich, creamy and thick in consistency. Add little water if it starts sticking to the bottom.
Add kasuri methi and stir. Reduce the heat, add cream and 1 cup of water. Stir to combine. Check seasoning, add more if required. Place the fried cauliflowers gently in the pot, spoon some gravy on top of the florets to coat them well. Cover the lid and simmer for 5-6 minutes on low flame.
With a flat wide serving spoon, gently remove cauliflowers from the gravy and place them on the serving platter. Pour the gravy on top of the florets using a ladle. To garnish, drizzle cream on top and sprinkle chopped coriander. Serve with paranthas, naan or roti.

COOK'S NOTES:

Do not over boil the cauliflowers as it will break apart when you cook it in the sauce and serve.
This dish can be prepared in advance but keep the gravy and cauliflowers ready separately. Just before serving, heat the gravy by adding little water, place the cauliflowers in the gravy and follow the rest of the recipe.
To make this vegan friendly, replace the cream with coconut milk.
Alternatively this dish can also be cooked by roasting it in the oven. Once the gravy is ready, place the cauliflower heads upside down in a baking dish, pour pour some gravy on them to deep through the cavities of the cauliflower head. Carefully turn them all around and pour the rest of the gravy on of all to cover them completely. Place in preheated oven at 200°C and cook for about 25-35 minutes depending on the size of the cauliflowers. For even roasting results turn the baking dish around halfway during baking.
To make it bit more appealing to the eyes, garnish with silver leaves and lightly toasted flaked almonds.

#gobi #fancy #dinner #dinnerparty #centerpiece #vegetarian #cauliflower #rich #royal #royalfood #indian #indiancuisine #musallam