Pasta Pesto salad

This is a cold salad I made the other day using capsicums, sweet corn, pasta and pesto.
You can use any pasta that you may have at home, even spaghetti will do! But I wanted to use something small...almost the same size as sweet corn kernels..so it could be scooped up with or served in endive salad leaves. I found this pasta called cocciolette at the store....small shell-shaped pasta which is perfect.


Very easy to make, and delicious to eat on a hot and humid summer day!

Ingredients

1 cup cocciolette pasta (or any other)
1 can of sweet corn, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup or 1 small-sized red capsicum, washed and chopped small (about the size of sweet corn)
1/2 cup of 1 small-sized green capsicum, washed and chopped small (about the size of sweet corn)
1/2 cup or 1 small-sized yellow capsicum, washed and chopped small (about the size of sweet corn)
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
6-7 leaves of fresh basil
4 tbsp of pesto, or to taste (store-bought)
1 tbsp of peri-peri sauce (optional), or to taste
1 tsp of tabasco sauce, or to taste
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1. Bring to boil 6 cups of salted water (should taste like sea-water) in a big pot. 
2. When the water comes to a boil, lower the flame and add pasta a little at a time. Stir it and then add some more and then all of it. If you add all of it at once to boiling water, it tends to boil over instantly so be careful. 
3. Boil the pasta for 8 minutes until almost done. Do not cover the lid. 
4. Now, drain the pasta into a colander and rinse it under cold water to bring its temperature down and wash off the starch. Transfer into a bowl, add 1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and toss. This will prevent the pasta from sticking together. Let it cool down. 
5. Chop the capsicums and onion. 
6. Reserving one or two basil leaves for garnish, roughly tear the rest into small pieces. 
7. If you are not eating the salad right away, then you can prepare it up to this stage and store pasta and vegetables separately in the refrigerator. You can prepare this up to 1 day in advance. 
8. When ready to eat, mix the vegetables and pasta in a bowl.  
9. Drain 1 can of sweet corn into a colander, rinse under cold running water. 
10. Add sweet corn, pesto, peri-peri sauce, tabasco sauce, salt, black pepper, basil leaves and toss/mix well.  
11. Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings and sauces.  
12. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fresh basil leaves. It can be chilled in the fridge for a few hours before serving. 

• There are many different ingredients that you can use. Lima beans and cannellini beans are easy choices since they are available canned. Black eyes peas or lobia would be great too only they need to soaked for several hours before being cooked for 10-15 minutes. 
• Cucumbers, semi-dried tomatoes, olives, asparagus, artichokes, mango and thai red chillies are some others.

Pictures coming soon.....

Poha

The most basic recipe ever except for the use of lima beans in place of green peas. Lima beans are a good source of complete protein. Read all about them on WH Foods website.

Ingredients

2 cups thick poha
1 cup diced potatoes (1 medium size potato)
1/2 cup lima beans
1/2 cup cauliflower cut into small pieces (roughly the size of diced potato)
1/2 cup chopped onions
2-3 tsp olive oil
a pinch of hint (asafetida)
2 tsp mustard seeds
1-2 tsp skinless split udad dal (optional)
4-5 curry leaves
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
2 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
2 tsp lemon juice (or, juice of half a lemon)
1/4 to 1/3 cup water (60-80ml) water
Fresh coriander, chopped for garnish

Method

1. Put the poha into a colander and rinse under running water 1-2 times, drain all water and keep aside. Poha will absorb water and fluff up by the time you are ready to add it to the dish.Some people would like to season the poha at this stage with salt, turmeric and lemon juice but I prefer to leave it alone. 
2. Heat oil in a wide-pan (like a skillet or frying pan).
3. Add a pinch of hing, mustard seeds, udad dal and cover with a lid for up to a minute. Otherwise, you'll have only a few mustard seeds left inside the pan with the rest of it all over the kitchen. So have a lid ready in one hand. Or, take the pan off the heat for a minute. 
4. Next, add the curry leaves and onions and stir for a minute or two. 
5. Add the potatoes, lima beans, cauliflower, turmeric, chill powder, and fry for one two minutes. 
6. Add 1/4 cup water and salt. 
7. Cover with lid and cook on a slow flame until water has evaporated and potatoes are done. Add more water if needed. This should take about 10 minutes.  
8. Once done, add lemon juice and poha and stir gently to mix it in. 
9. Sprinkle chopped fresh coriander and give it a gentle mix. 

Thick poha

Thick poha, fluffed up 

Lima beans

All veggies in

Along with the spices

Just after adding water

Ready to eat!

Notes:

1. I would love to add finely chopped fresh green chillies instead of red chill powder if I were making it just for myself. 
2. The other ingredients I like to see in poha are carrots, sprouted mung beans and sprouted kale chane (black chickpeas, or whole bengal gram). But these will require extra cooking time, especially kala chana. 
3. Its fine to use frozen mixed veggies too which normally include peas, sweet corn, carrots and green beans. 

Experiments with pizza

Experiments with pizza are fun when you have a bread machine. Dough is the hardest part of pizza and a bread machine does that for you. 

For the pizza dough

Ingredients

250ml Water (room temperature)

1 tbsp Olive oil

150g Very Strong wholemeal flour (for bread)

300g Extra strong unbleached plain flour (for bread and pizza dough)

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp active dry yeast

Method

1. Add 250ml water to the bread pan. 
2. Add 1 tbsp olive oil.
3. In a bowl, mix together 150g of Very Strong wholemeal flour and 300g of Extra strong unbleached plain flour. 
4. Now, sprinkle this flour on top of the water to cover it completely.
5. Add salt and sugar. 
6. Next, make a well in the center of the flour not going all the way down to the water.
7. Add yeast in the center and cover with flour.
8. Insert the pan back into the machine, and close the lid.
9. Switch power on.
10. Select program 13. You cannot set a delay start timer on this program setting.
11. Press start. Dough will be ready in 1 hour and 30 minutes.

For the pizza sauce

Ingredients

1 big brown onion, peeled and chopped

1 can of chopped tomato

2 tbsp of tomato puree (from the tube)

1 clove of garlic, chopped/minced/grated (optional)

1 tbsp, mixed Italian herbs/oregano/

1-2 tbsp red wine/white wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. In a deep saucepan with a lid, heat one tablespoon of olive oil.
2. Add chopped onions and fry for one minute until translucent.
3. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
4. Add the whole can of chopped tomatoes.
5. Add 2 tbsp of tomato puree.
6. Add the herbs, vinegar, salt and sugar, and mix together.
7. Cover the lid and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Cook without lid for another 10-15 minutes until the sauce is thick and spreadable. It should not have too much liquid in it. Nor be to dry. Thicker than pasta sauce.
9. If there is no tomato puree, substitute tomato ketchup.
10. Just before it is done, taste and adjust seasoning as required.  Sugar, Salt or vinegar.
11. Let it cool down for 30 minutes or so. This can be prepared up to a week in advance.

Roll out pizza

1. Take the dough out the pan onto a floured tray. (could be any surface).
2. Keep some extra plain flour out for dusting, if needed.
3. Pre-heat the oven for 10 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius.
4. Leave the baking tray on which you intend to bake the pizza in the oven to heat up. This will give a crispier pizza base.
5. Now, divide the dough into two balls. Cover one with cling-wrap and put it in the fridge. If using it same day and few hours later. If not, you can freeze it for up to one week.
6. Punch the dough that you are using a few times. And then shape it anyway you like…. square, round, or oblong. Use a rolling pin, or your knuckles and back of the hand or just lay it on the tray keep stretching and working it into desired shape.
7. Take the baking tray out of the oven and place it on a heatproof surface. Be careful it will be very hot.
8. Place the pizza base on top of the baking tray.
9. Brush with olive oil up to an inch of the edge of the pizza. This will help to crisp and brown the edges nicely. 

Toppings

There are so many toppings to choose from. Sometimes, I just use whatever ingredients I have at home. I love Spinach and know that it is healthy. So I use it as frequently as possible to rid myself of the guilt of having a pizza:) Below, I will note down all the various combinations as and when I try them out, which won't be often as we have pizza only once a week or in two weeks, and again I may not be feeling experimental every week. 

Number One

4-5 baby potatoes

4 fistfuls of baby spinach

half an onion sliced

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or mix of cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Increase or decrease the quanity of cheese, as you like it.

1-2 cups of pizza sauce

Prepare the toppings as follows:

1. Peel and wash 3-4 small potatoes.
2. Cut them into thin round slices and soak them in salty water for 30 minutes.
3. Drain off the water, rinse and squeeze out excess water or pat dry with kitchen towel.
4. Wash the baby spinach, spin it dry and keep aside.
5. Slice half and onion. (Optional)

Continuing from step 9 of Roll Out Pizza, assemble as follows:

1. Spread up to a cup and half of the sauce on top evenly.
2. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. Spread baby spinach. The spinach will settle down as it wilts in the oven.
4. Spread some onion slices.
5. Arrange slices of potatoes on top.
6. Sprinkle crushed black pepper on top.
7. Sprinkle some more cheese.
8. Put the pizza in the oven and cook for 9-10 minutes or until done. Cheese melted and crisp and brown edges.
9. Take the pizza out and let it rest for 5 minutes.
10. Transfer onto wooden chopping board and slice with pizza cutter.

Number Two:

4 fistfuls of baby spinach

2-4 eggs

half an onion sliced

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or mix of cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Increase or decrease the quantity of cheese, as you like it.

1-2 cups of pizza sauce

Prepare the toppings as follows:

1) Wash and spin-dry baby spinach.

Continuing from step 9 of Roll Out Pizza, assemble as follows:

1. Spread up to a cup and half of the sauce on top evenly.
2. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. Spread baby spinach. The spinach will settle down as it wilts in the oven.
4. Spread some onion slices.
5. Make a slight well in two or four places on the pizza. Break an egg into each well.
6. Sprinkle crushed black pepper on top.
7. Sprinkle some more cheese.
8. Put the pizza in the oven and cook for 9-10 minutes or until done. Eggs cooked. Cheese melted, crisp and brown edges. You can insert a toothpick into the egg yolk to check if it is done.
9. Take the pizza out and let it rest for 5 minutes.
10. Transfer onto wooden chopping board and slice with pizza cutter.

Number Three:

1 cup of white mushrooms, sliced

1 cup of green capsicum, sliced

½ cup of kalamata or black olives, halved or sliced

½ cup baby tomatoes, halved

½ cup onion, sliced

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, or a mix of cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, OR,
   1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese and 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1-2 cups of pizza sauce or you could even use basil-almond pesto (store-bought)

Prepare the toppings as follows:

1. Wash mushrooms or wipe them clean with a kitchen towel. Slice them thin, and keep aside. 
2. Wash green capsicum, cut them into quarters lengthwise. Slice them thin horizontally. 
3. Rinse the olives in water to rid of excess brine and either cut each into half lengthwise or slice them thin.
4. Rinse the baby tomatoes, and cut them into half lengthwise. 
5. Slice the onion thinly. 

Continuing from step 9 of Roll Out Pizza, assemble as follows:

1. Spread up to a cup and half of the sauce on top evenly.
2. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. Arrange mushroom slices.  
4. Arrange some onion slices.
5. Spread green capsicum, olives, and baby tomatoes.
6. Sprinkle some more cheese.
7. Put the pizza in the oven and cook for 9-10 minutes or until done. Eggs cooked. Cheese melted, crisp and brown edges. You can insert a toothpick into the egg yolk to check if it is done.
8. Take the pizza out and let it rest for 5 minutes.
9. Transfer onto wooden chopping board and slice with a pizza cutter. 

Number Four

Mulligatawany soup

I had this soup in a restaurant called Banana Leaf in Versova, Mumbai on my last trip to India. It was the first time ever I had it and totally loved it. Very satisfying, felt completely full and yet light. So I decided to make it at home. I browsed through a number of recipes on the internet, and finally I made it in the following way:

This recipe gives about 6 cups of soup depending on the consistency.

Ingredients

1/2 cup yellow moong dal
1/4 cup basmati rice
3/4 cup chopped carrot (1 small carrot about 6 inches long)
1 cup or 1 stick leek, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
4-5 fresh curry leaves
11/2 tsp curry powder (or you could even add 1 two curry powder and 1/2 tsp sambhar masala)
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
Salt to taste
6 cups vegetable stock (you can use store-bought, I made mine the previous day using my recipe below)
1 tbsp lemon juice (juice of one lemon)

Method

First, begin with preparing the rice, dal and veggies.

1. Rinse the dal several times under running water until the water runs clear and soak it for 30 minutes to 2-3 hours.
2. Rinse the rice in the same way and soak it for 30 minutes.
3. Wash, peel, wash again, and dice the carrots.
4. Wash and remove the outer layer of the leek. Chop it roughly and soak in water to remove the dirt that may be trapped within the layers.
5. Peel, wash and chop an onion to get 1/2 cup.
6. Remove the outer layers of the cabbage that may be a bit wilted or spotted. Now, place the cabbage root side down and cut it along the middle into two halves. Since we need only 1/2 cup of cabbage, chop only a quarter section of the cabbage. Discard the hard stem bit.
7. One stick of celery will make about 1/2 cup. Cut out the ends that may be a bit brown, peel the celery as you would a carrot. This is to remove the strings. If the leaves at the top are fresh and green, then you may reserve them for garnish later. Otherwise, discard.
8. Wash the curry leaves and pat them dry.
9. Drain the water from the rice and dal and keep aside.

Now, begin cooking as follows:

1. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pressure cooker.
2. Add onions, carrots and leeks and stir-fry for a minute or two.
3. Add the rice and dal, and mix. Stir fry for another minute or two.
4. Add 4 cups of vegetable stock and salt to taste.
5. Cover the cooker, place the weight and cook for one whistle.
6. Turn the stove off and let the cooker cool down. If in a hurry, place the cooker under running water in the kitchen sink. Make sure the water does not go through the pressure valve.  
7. Add more vegetable stock up to 2 cups to the cooker if required. Blend the rice, dal and veggies together with a hand blender, use a blender if you don't have a hand blender. 

Now, for tempering the soup and adding any vegetables that you don't want blended into the soup:

1. Heat 2 tsps oil in a thick-bottomed soup/stew pot.
2. Add a pinch of hing, and 1 tsp mustard seeds.
3. When the mustard seeds start crackling, add the curry leaves.
4. Add celery and cabbage, stir together for a minute or two.
5. Add 1 1/2 tsp of curry powder, and 1/2 tsp of chill powder.
6. Stir for 2-3 minutes before adding the dal-rice to the pot. Pour the dal and rice into the pot facing away from you.
7. Give it all a light mix and adjust the salt if required.
8. Garnish with chopped celery leaves and/or coriander leaves.

Mulligatawny soup

Mulligatawny soup with my harissa as garnish 

My vegetable stock:

3 carrots, washed it well and chop it roughly (no need to peel)
3 sticks celery, washed well, topped and tailed, and chopped roughly
1 brown onion (the size of a tennis ball), peeled, washed and quartered
4-5 florets of broccoli (you could even use the hard stem part)
4-5 florets of cauliflower (you could even use the hard stem part)
1/2 fennel bulb (use the fronds, leaves if fresh), chopped roughly (optional)
8-10 whole black pepper
1 bay leaf
4-5 cloves
2-inch cinnamon stick
8 cups of water
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a deep stock pot big enough to hold 2 liters of water and the veggies.
2. Add black pepper, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick to the oil and fry for a minute.
3. Add the onion, celery, fennel and carrots and fry for two minutes.
4. Add broccoli, cauliflower and fry for another minute or two.
5. Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.
6. Simmer until the water is reduced to two-thirds or half the quantity.
7. Now, drain the stock through a colander. Discard the vegetables and spices.
8. Cool and transfer to a container that can go in the fridge.
9. Cool completely before storing it in the fridge.

Notes:

1. This soup is a complete meal with dal, rice and veggies.
2. Rice gives this soup a thick consistency. You could reduce the quantity of rice if you like or omit it altogether.
3. You can add any veggies you like really, and celery is optional. But I wanted to use the celery I had at home and did not want to blend it along with the dal, rice and veggies. So I decided to chop it fine and add it along with the cabbage in the end.
4. You can use plain water instead of vegetable stock. In which case, I would do either of these two things, one is to make a bouquet garni with 8-10 black pepper, 4-5 cloves, 2- inch cinnamon stick and in Step 13, instead of adding vegetable stock, you would add this bouquet garni and 4 cups of water to the pressure cooker. Discard it before blending the soup.
5. To make a bouquet garni, use a small cheesecloth bag (simple), or put these spices on a small piece of muslin cloth, fold up the corners and tie with a string to make a small bundle (simple enough..).
6. The other option is to make use of pepper water in Step 13. Add 8-10 black pepper, 4-5 cloves, 2-inch cinnamon stick and bay leaf to 8 cups of water and simmer until the water is reduced to 6 cups or 4 cups.

Quinoa, Potato Falafel wrap

I like the Mountain Oat bread wrap which is great for wrapping up a lot of stuff like salad greens, cucumber, red onions, feta cheese and grilled veggies for a quick and easy snack or meal. Mountain bread has fewer calories than the traditional lebanese bread. You could use tortillas just as easily.

There are any number of things you can fill a wrap with, in fact just about anything and everything. Salad greens, cucumbers, red onions, french fries, beetroot, broccoli, fresh fennel, tabouleh, tzatziki sauce, hummus, fresh coriander chutney, harissa, dahi wadas or dahi bhallas, tabasco, peri-peri sauce, hard-boiled eggs, hash brown, tofu, sprouts like mung beans and alfalfa, mushrooms, stir-fried asian greens like pak choi, tung choi, any leftover veggie dishes, list is endless!

Today, I am going to wrap up the following:
1) Quinoa, potato falafels
2) Zucchini with onion and tomato
3) Guacamole
4) Romain lettuce
5) Sliced red onions
6) Sliced cucumber
7) Fresh coriander chutney

1) Quinoa, Potato falafel recipe

Ingredients

400g potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
salt to taste ( I added about 1.5 tsp)

Method

Cook Quinoa
1) Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh container under running water 2-3 times.
2) Heat a tsp oil in a pan. Add the quinoa and roast it for a few minutes.
3) Add 1/2 cup of water and a pinch of salt.
4) Cover with a lid and simmer on lowest flame until all of the water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked.

5) Add a little bit of ghee/butter/olive oil to the quinoa and fluff it up with a fork.

4) Put the mashed potatoes into a big bowl, add quinoa, red chill powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chopped coriander and salt. Mix everything together.

5) Divide the mix into 10 equal portions and shape them into flattened oval discs as shown below. These can be refrigerated at this stage for up to two days.

Quinoa & potato falafel/tikki

7) To deep fry, heat enough oil in a deep kadhai to fry about 3 falafels at a time. This is to avoid waste as I throw the remaining oil and do not re-use it for anything.
8) Slide 3 falafels one by one slowly along the edge of the kadhai and fry until crisp and golden on both sides turning them around occasionally.
9) Remove them on a kitchen-towel lined tray to soak up excess oil and keep aside.

2) Zucchini with onion and tomato recipe

Ingredients
1) 1zucchini 6-8 inches long, washed, and sliced
2)  a pinch of hing (asafetida)
3) 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4) 1/2 cup onion, sliced
5) 1/2 cup tomato, sliced
6) 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
7) 1/4 tsp red chilli powder

Method
1) Heat oil in a skillet.
2) When the oil is hot, add a pinch of heeng (asafetida powder), cumin seeds.
3) Once the cumin seeds crackle, add the onions and fry for one minute.
4) Add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp red chill powder. Fry for one minute.
5) Now add the tomatoes and zucchini.
6) Season with salt and cook uncovered on a low flame until the zucchini softens just a bit and becomes translucent. It will only take 5 minutes or so.

Zucchini with tomato & onion

3) Guacamole

    (If you don't wish to make guacamole, use freshly cut and sliced avocado)

Ingredients
1) 1 ripe avocado
2) 1 tbsp lemon juice
3) Salt to taste

Method

1. Cut the avocado lengthwise by going around the whole avocado up to the core. You will need a big knife for this. 
2. Hold the avocado in the palm of one hand and with the other hand, twist the top-half in a clockwise direction. Bit like opening the lid of a jar. The two halves will come apart easily. One of them will have the seed, and the other one a gaping hole!
3. Hold the avocado-half with the seed, in the palm of one hand the seed facing up. You must be very careful with the next step so you don't cut your hand. There are many websites and youtube videos that will show you how to cut and pit an avocado. So, gently but firmly strike the knife's blade on the seed, as if trying to hack it, just enough that the knife's blade gets slightly stuck into the seed. Now, when you twist the knife clockwise, the seed is dislodged and comes out easily. For your safety, you could place the avocado on a piece of cloth on top of chopping board.
4. That done, scoop out the flesh with a teaspoon. I insert it at one end of a avocado half and just dig in a bit deeper and go around the entire half and it just comes out in one piece.
5. There are two ways to make guacamole. One, blend it in a chopper with lemon juice and salt. Two, just mash it up with a fork for a chunky guacamole. Add salt and lemon juice right away to prevent discoloration. Avocado discolors very quickly. 
6. You could even blend in a garlic for extra flavor. Some people would add finely chopped tomato or red pepper to it in the end for extra color and crunch. 
7. Transfer to a dish, cling-wrap it and cover it tightly with a lid and refrigerate it. This can be made up to a few hours ahead.  

Guacamole

4) Romain Lettuce

Wash, and soak in water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and shake off excess water and keep aside. A spinner work excellently. Roughly snip by hand into 2-3 pieces.

5) Red Onions

Peel the onion and slice lengthwise.

6) Sliced cucumber

Wash, and cut the cucumber into two lengthwise. And then, slice it as shown below.

Sliced lebanese cucumbers

7) Fresh Coriander chutney 

See recipe here

Now for the assembly into a wrap,

1) On a dinner plate or a chopping board, lay out one bread wrap.

Oat bread wrap

2) Arrange 2-3 pieces of lettuce leaf on the right hand side of the wrap leaving 2-3 inches at the right and the bottom. You could press the leaf in the middle to flatten it.

3) Next, arrange cucumber slices and top with guacamole and coriander chutney.

4) Next, a layer of zucchini on top followed by 2 quinoa-potato falafels that have been pressed open slightly.

5) Arrange onion slices on top.

6) Make sure to leave 2-3 inches on the right and at the bottom.

7) To fold into a wrap, first lift the bottom edge (this will close the wrap at the bottom end). Next, lift up the right side of the wrap and fold it all the way to the end neatly. This is how the wrap looks after it is folded.

Now, that's a wrap!

Quinoa, Potato, Soya nuggets patties/tikkis

Ingredients

For the cutlets/tikkis

400g potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup quinoa
8-10 soya nuggets
1/2 tsp red chili powder or 1tbsp fresh green chillies, chopped
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 two dry mango powder
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
Oil to fry

For serving:

1) 1/2 cup yoghurt, beaten lightly to a smooth pouring consistency. Add water if needed.
2) 1/2 cup onion, chopped finely
3) 1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped
4) Meenthi Sonth (see recipe here)
5) Green coriander chutney (see recipe here)
6) 1/2 cup Nylon sev
7) salt

Method

1) Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh container under running water 2-3 times.

2) Heat a tsp of oil in a saucepan. Add quinoa and roast it for 2-3 minutes.

3) Add the water and pinch of salt. Simmer covered on a low flame, until it is cooked and all water has been absorbed. Takes about 10 minutes during which you can check on it once or twice.

4) Once quinoa is done, turn the gas off.

5) Meanwhile, soak the soya nuggets in hot water for 5 minutes.

6) Soya nuggets will absorb water and fluff up.
7) Drain the water and cool the nuggets in cold water.
8) Squeeze out excess water from the soya nuggets.

9) Mince the soya nuggets in a chopper.

10) Put the mashed potatoes into a big bowl.

11) Add quinoa and minced soya nuggets to it.

12) Add red chilli powder (or fresh green chillies), garam masala, dry mango powder, roasted cumin powder, chopped fresh coriander, salt to taste and mixed everything together.

13) Divide the mix into 15 equal parts and shape them into flattened oval discs as shown below.

14) Heat a heavy-bottomed griddle or a fry-pan and spray it with some oil.
15) Arrange as many tikkis on the griddle as possible leaving enough space between the tikkis to allow you to flip them.
16) Cook on one side until crisp and then flip them over to cook on the other side. Add more oil if necessary.

17) Take them out on kitchen-towel lined tray.

18) To serve, arrange 3 tikkis on a plate. Spoon yoghurt and some salt on top to your taste, chopped onions on top. Next sprinkle meenthi sonth and green coriander chutney, nylon sev and garnish with chopped coriander.

19) Serve with some salad on the side.

The tikkis were so good and we were so hungry, that we forgot to take the final pictures. Another day when I make the same dish I will post the pictures here. Hopefully soon!