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Indian Lentil Recipe (Masoor Dal)

Posted by roodonfood on October 16, 2013 in gluten free, Recipes, vegan
Dal-icious

Dal-icious

Masoor dal (lentils) are great for someone new to cooking Indian food. Unlike other lentils, they require no soaking and cook in 30-40 minutes.  These legumes are orange but change to yellow after cooking. Serve it hot with rice. Recipe is below. If you enjoy this recipe, check out other Indian recipes that go well with dal here .

Servings:  6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Ingredients
1.5 cups masoor dal
1/3 onion chopped small
½ tomato chopped small
1 t turmeric
1 t garlic
1 T ginger paste
1 T panch poran (equal parts cumin, black cumin, fenugreek, fennel, and mustard seeds)
1 T lemon or lime juice (alternately 1 T amchur mango powder)
chili to taste
salt to taste

cilantro (optional)
Method:
In one pot add in masoor dal and water. The ratio is about 2.5 to 1. Turn on to medium. In a pan add some oil and toss in panch poran, ginger and chillies if desired and cook for 2 minutes. Next add in your onions and cook until translucent. Put contents of pan into pot along with tomatoes, handful of cilantro and seasonings above. Cover with a lid. Cook on medium for around 30 minutes. Check it towards the end and adjust seasoning as necessary. If it needs more sourness add more lemon, lime or amchur. For more creaminess, add a bit of butter or substitute.

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Bengali Aloo Dum Recipe (Indian Potatoes)

Posted by roodonfood on October 15, 2013 in gluten free, indian, Recipes, vegan
Aloor Dum

Aloor Dum

Bengalis love potatoes mixed in with veggie dishes, meat dishes – pretty much everything. Aloo dum though is a dish which allows the ubiquitous tuber to be the star. Because the tomato and ingredients really cook into the potato it works best served with lucchis (pooris)/rotis/naan.

Ingredients
10 small red potatoes (skin on, chopped in half)
1 large tomato, chopped
1/3 onion, chopped small
1 T ginger paste
1 t garlic
1 t garam masala
1 t turmeric
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin seeds
3 cloves
3 cardammon
bay leaf
salt to taste

Method:
In a large pan or wok lay down some oil and add cumin seeds and allow to sputter till you get the fragrance. Next add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, ginger and cook for 3 minutes covered. Finally add in potatoes. Mix well. Brown a little on each side (totally around 10 minutes). Once they begin to brown throw in tomatoes and a little water. Most water will be absorbed. Serve hot.

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Apple Cider with Brandy Recipe

Posted by roodonfood on October 14, 2013 in Brooklyn, New York City, Recipes, vegan
Apple Cider

Apple Cider

It’s become traditional for me to get a jug of apple cider every week at the local farmer’s market at Grand Army Plaza. My stand of choice is Milford Farms. It’s delicious cold but now with the chill in the air, warm cider is even better. This classic recipe is perfect as long as you don’t over do it on the booze.

Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
16oz apple cider
2-4oz brandy (1-2 shots depending on your taste)
4 cloves
1 cinnamon sticks
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of allspice

Method:
Add all ingredients into a pan and cook on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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Gluten Free Halwa Recipe (Cream of Rice)

Posted by roodonfood on October 11, 2013 in gluten free, Recipes, Snacks, vegan
Cream of Rice Halwa

Cream of Rice Halwa

Sooji ka Halwa is a very popular Indian snack made of cream of wheat (sooji). This non-traditional version uses Cream of Rice for my gluten free lady friend. It’s served warm and is especially comforting on crisp fall days. Normally halwa is made with quite a bit of sugar and ghee. This recipe is a bit lighter so keep that in mind depending on how rich you like it.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: <5 minutes
Servings: 2
½ cup cream of rice
1 cinnamon stick
½ t cinnamon powder
1 bay leaf
3 whole cardamom pods
2 cardamom pods worth of seeds crushed
sugar (alternatives brown sugar, maple or honey) to taste
1 T smart balance (or butter or ghee)
2 oz milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
handful of crushed almonds, pistachios or cashews
raisins (optional)

Method:
Turn on a pan to medium. Add a little smart balance then your whole cardamom pods, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Roast for a 2 minutes or so. You should start to get the aroma. Now add in the cream of rice and toast for 5-7 minutes. This will help the grains from clumping too much. Next add in the crushed nuts, raisin, crushed cardamom and 1 ¾ cup water and ¼ cup milk. Mix everything well.

The cream of rice will plump up quickly. It will thicken within 1-2 minutes. All liquid should be absorbed. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve it hot.

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Durga Puja Sweets From Mumbai Grill

Posted by roodonfood on October 10, 2013 in indian, New York City, Snacks, Sweet Beat
So tasty

So tasty

Pictured in the background are besan barfi (2 pieces, made with chickpea flour). On the left side foreground is a kalakand (made with ricotta cheese and condensed milk). Right side foreground is a ladoo (white flour based). The store worker said the kalakand is easily their #1 seller.

Cutest Box Ever

Cutest Box Ever

Bengalis are notorious for loving sweets and Durga Puja provides the perfect excuse. Mumbai Grill Sweet Shop is located at 3733 74th St, Jackson Heights, Queens is my go-to because it’s sort of a hole-in-the-wall.  It’s also conveniently located by Patel Brothers.

If you haven’t tried Indian sweets before, ask for kaju katli (kaju=cashew, katli=slice) because they’re rich like fudge but not as sweet. Have a cup of coffee or tea alongside is helpful for contrast too.

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Besan Ladoo Recipe

Posted by roodonfood on October 9, 2013 in Atlanta, gluten free, indian, Recipes, Snacks
Besan Ladu/Ladoo

Besan Ladu/Ladoo

Durga Puja marks the beginning of festival season for Bengali Hindus. (Diwali is also coming on November 3). With this is mind I wanted to share this recipe with you good folks. Ladoos are a ball-shaped sweet popular throughout India. A favorite of Ganesh, these treats can be made from white flour, wheat, sorghum, or in this case, chickpea flour (besan). My cousin demonstrated this recipe when we visited my parents down in Atlanta.

This version is gluten free though not vegan. It’s actually really un-vegan because of the heavy dose of ghee (unclarified butter). It’s rich but not super sweet. My cousin advised that once you add ghee, these can last for up to a month.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 20-25 ladoos
Ingredients:
1 lb pd package of ladoo besan flour
1 cup sugar
½ cup ghee (for later)
¼ cup pistachios crushed small
¼ raisins

Method:
Add the ¼ cup ghee, flour and sugar to a pan. Mix in well. Cook in the pan, stirring frequently. The besan should darken noticeably in 8-10 minutes. Taste to make sure it’s cooked and to mix in the raisins and pistachios. Leave some raisins and pistachios aside for garnishing on top if desired. After the mixture cools, grab about about a half palm’s worth and form into a ball. Repeat this until you’re done. Let the ladoos cool for a few hours before serving.

Besan, sugar, ghee mix in the pan

Besan, sugar, ghee mix in the pan

Besan after roasting for a few minutes darkens.

Besan after roasting for a few minutes darkens.

Ladu Finished Product

Ladu Finished Product

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Goober Peas by Burt Ives and Johnny Cash

Posted by roodonfood on October 8, 2013 in Song of the Month

The song Goober Peas dates back to the American Civil War. It’s a silly song on the surface but indicates how desperate Confederate troops were. The South at the time was very dependent on other regions for food. Crops like tobacco and cotton were king. As the Northern blockade tightened, peanuts became one of the only sources of nutrition for Southerners. According to this article in Smithsonian magazine, peanut paste, mixed with milk and sugar was even used as a coffee replacement. The nickname goober is derived from the Bantu (Angolan) word “n-guba.”

Peas, peas, peas, peas, eating goober peas
Goodness how delicious, eating goober peas
Peas, peas, peas, peas, eating goober peas
Goodness how delicious, eating goober peas

Think my song has lasted almost long enough
The subject is most interesting but rhymes are mighty rough
I wish this war was over, when free from rags and fleas
We’d kiss our wives and sweethearts and then we’d gobble goober peas

The song was record by several artist over the years including the Kingston Trio, Burt Ives. According to Wikipedia, the first sheet music goes back to 1866 by A.E Blackmar. “Blackmar humorously lists A. Pindar as the lyricist and P. Nutt as the composer.” Pindar was also a nickname for peanut.

A. Pindar and P.Nutt

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Cholar Dal Recipe Featured in Khabar Magazine!

Posted by roodonfood on October 7, 2013 in Atlanta, indian, Recipes

I wanted to share a bit of good news. My cholar dal recipe (or really Ma’s recipe) was published in an Indian American magazine called Khabar. It’s festival season for Hindus so Khabar was looking for foods that evoke this time of year. I chose cholar dal because it’s not the type of dal you’ll find in a restaurant. More likely you’ll have it when invited to someone’s home.

One of the reasons to love it is that it’s creamy and uses coconut flakes. Who doesn’t like coconut? It reminds me of having lunch with family during Autumn. It’s usually eaten with lucchis (also known as pooris).

In the coming weeks I’ll be bringing you some Diwali and Durga Puja related recipes, so please stop by frequently if you like Indian Food. :>

Here is a link to the post in Khabar magazine.

Here is the original recipe posting in RoodonFood.

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Vegan Black Metal Chef: A RoodonFood Interview

Posted by roodonfood on October 6, 2013 in Uncategorized

The show name “Vegan. Black. Metal. Chef.” is growled. The video begins with a steady low-tuned guitar and blast beats. The kitchen is a dark room and the cutting board features a pentagram. It’s a different sort of cooking show with episode names like “Soupapocalypse” and “Green Bean Holocaust.” Brian Manowitz, AKA the Vegan Black Metal Chef dresses up in full black metal gear complete with corpse paint. In each episode the instructions are sung (captions appear) to music composed and performed by Manowitz. Even if you don’t have interest in this type of music the show is fun and the recipes are actually quite good.

I’ve been a fan of Vegan Black Metal Chef since hearing about him on ABC’s Nightline and through some old metal head friends. It’s great to see a sense of humor in the subgenre. His wildly popular Youtube channel has over 40,000 subscribers and the first episode on making pad thai has been viewed well over 2 million times.

The Orlando based VBMC was nice enough to answer some questions about veganism, black metal and Orlando. His official youtube channel can be found here. Here is a link his official website.
Continue Reading »

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Post-NFL Eating Habits – Pass Me the Salad

Posted by roodonfood on October 5, 2013 in Pop Culture

If you’ve had a stressful day it’s a natural instinct to eat something rich and unhealthy. Foods like candy immediately provide pleasure. According to a study from the INSEAD business school in France, the same holds true for when your favorite sports team loses a game.

Tracking NFL fans, they found that “Overall calorie consumption went up by 10 percent after losses….” In cities like Green Bay, people ate 28% more saturated fat. What’s surprising is that when that team was victorious, fans tended to eat healthier. After a win, respondents ate 5 to 10% less saturated fat. So while they’re not exactly eating salad, they are eating better.

I don’t associate watching sports with eating healthy in general. In fact, it’s often an excuse for me to indulge in unhealthy but tasty foods. Are you a sports fan? Does this match your behavior?

Source: NPR’s the Salt

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