Carrot, Orange and Radish Salad

Whenever I have no mood for cooking, I go for salad. It is always simple and filling. Most of the time, I prepare it in the morning and pack it for my lunch. Carrying 3-4 boxes to office is my style and one can find some fruits, snacks or this kind of salads for sure. I still remember one of my colleagues used to tease me for bringing these many boxes like a school kid!!!



I got to know this African salad recipe from one of the magazine. After that, I prepared many times and served them with pita breads. But till now, I haven't tasted them with orange blossom water. Try yourself with orange blossom water if you have it in your pantry and enjoy the salad.

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Idle Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2


Ingredients:



Carrot - 1 no, large

Radish - 10 nos,

Orange - 1 no, large

Coriander leaves - 1 tablespoons

Olive oil - 1 teaspoon

Lemon Juice - 1 teaspoon

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Black pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Orange blossom water - 1 teaspoon

Pita wedges - 1 no, to serve

Method:



1) Slice carrot and radish to thin pieces. Peel orange and remove seeds from it.

2) Mix slices carrot, radish and oranges in large bowl.

3) Add olive oil and lemon juice.

4) Add cinnamon powder, black pepper powder and salt. Add orange blossom water, if you have.

5) Add coriander leaves and toss till all the ingredients combined well.

6) Serve immediately or cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.

7) After 30 minutes, serve with pita wedges.

Note:

1) Increase or decrease the seasoning according to your tastebuds.

Iru Puli Kuzhambu / Eruvilli Kuzhambu

A very new dish to me and I got introduced to it after I got married. It happens to be one of the favorite kuzhambu of my DH. This kuzhambu is a typical Tirunelveli dish. It is called "Iru Puli" since it has two tangy ingredients added into it. The term "Iru Puli" gradually evolved to be called eruvilli kuzhambu..One is the tamarind pulp and the other is the buttermilk. It serves as a great accompaniment to Idli, Dosa and can be best enjoyed with rice. There are different veggies that can be added to this. Some veggies commonly used are white pumpkin, okra, carrots, chayote, drumsticks or taro root.

Here is how you make it.

Ingredients:

For the Ground Paste:


Chana Dal - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek/ Methi Seeds - 1- 1 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies - 4-5
Curry leaves - A few
Grated fresh coconut - 1 cup
Butter milk - 1 cup

For the Sambar:

Tamarind Pulp - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - A pinch
Veggies of your choice - 1 1/2 cups
Salt - To Taste

For Tempering:


Ghee / Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chana Dal - 1/2 tsp
Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a Few (optional)
Cilantro - For Garnishing

Method:

• Cut the veggies of your choice into 1 inch sticks. I used carrots as we all love that in this kuzhambu.

• In a pan, dry roast the chana dal and the fenugreek seeds until a beautiful aroma comes out of it.

• Also dry roast the red chilies and the freshly grated coconut until golden brown. You can also dry roast the curry leaves.

• In a Mixie Jar add all the above ingredients and then add buttermilk and grind it to a slightly coarse paste.

• In another vessel, dissolve the tamarind pulp in 1 1/2 cups of water.

• Add the veggies and bring it to a boil until the raw smell of tamarind disappears and the veggies get tender.

• Add a pinch of asafoetida and add salt to taste.

• Once the water has come to a boil and the veggies have become tender, add the ground paste and simmer it for a while for about 5-7 minutes.

• Garnish it with generous amounts of cilantro.

• For the seasoning, add ghee / oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal and jeera. Once the Mustard seeds start spluttering, and both the dals turn light brown, add them to the kuzhambu / sambar to temper it. You can add curry leaves and asafoetida too at this stage though it is optional.

• Iru puli kuzhambu / Eruvili kuzhambu is ready to be enjoyed hot with rice.

• Try out this unique kuzhambu and let me know what you guys think!!

Notes:

• You can use one kind of veggie or you can use different kinds of veggies at the same time.
• Feel free to be creative with the use of veggies.
• Use of curry leaves while grinding and for tempering it is optional. You can use it in both stages or use it in one or eliminate it completely.
• Be careful while adding salt. Since there is a lot of tanginess  from the tamarind and the buttermilk,you may want to reduce the amount of salt.
• You can use freshly grated coconut or frozen shredded coconut depending upon the availability.
• Make sure that the paste to be ground is neither too coarse nor too smooth.

Pumpkin Quinoa Dhal Pulao | Indian Quinoa Recipes

As I had mentioned in my Pumpkin cranberry scones recipe, I did make another dish with the leftover pumpkin. It was last Sunday when I made this Pumpkin and quinoa dhal like a pulao. Quinoa is an easy and healthier replacement for rice. Almost all Indian rice dishes can be replaced with quinoa and you wouldn't miss the rice at all. I am trying to use quinoa atleast twice in a week in the form of