Egyptian Carrot Soup (with Dukkah Spice)

Dukkah is an earthy and deeply flavoured Egyptian spice mix made with nuts and herbs. It is easy to make at home as it requires few ingredients like freshly toasted nuts and seeds. There are many recipes for dukkah, but generally every mixture includes nuts (either pistachios or almonds or hazelnuts etc.either alone or in combination), sesame seeds, cumin and peppercorns or chilli flakes. Mostly, Dukkah spice is used as a crust for Paner and Tofu and also served as a dip (by adding Olive Oil) with bread. It can also be sprinkled on roasted vegetables, pasta, cheese cubes, and even on fresh fruits.

Egyptian Carrot Soup is a nourishing Soup. While roasting the carrots brings out its sweet taste, the Saffron brings in a subtle flavour and adds a lovely colour to the soup. What makes this dish warm and delicious is the crunchiness that comes from the Dukkah spice mix. 

Serving:  2-3 People

Approx. Time:  30 minutes 

Ingredients

For Dukkah Spice (Egyptian spice powder):
2 tbspns Pistachios
1 tspn Sesame seeds (Til)
1 tspn Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1/2 tspn Fennel Seeds (Saunf)
1/2 tspn Black Pepper (Miri)

For Carrot Soup:
2 tspn Butter 
2 roasted Carrots
Oil for brushing
1 cup chopped Onion
3-4 Garlic cloves
1/2 cup soaked Moong Dal (Petite Yellow Lentils)
4-5 cups Vegetable stock
10-15 Saffron strands (soaked in 2-3 tbspns Milk)
1 tbspn Dukkah spice powder
1/4 tspn Pepper Powder 
Salt to taste

For Garnishing:
Hung Curd
Dukkah Spice Powder

To serve with:
Pita Bread with butter and Dukkah Spice

Pre-preparation

1. Soak a little more than 1/4 cup of Moong Dal for minimum 2 hours in a cup of Water. 
2. Take 2-3 tbspns of milk in a cup and add 10-15 Saffron strands. Set it aside for 15-20 minutes. 

Method
To make Dukkah Spice Powder:
Preheat a pan on low flame. Take Pistachios in a pan. Dry roast the Pistachios on low flame for 2 minutes. Transfer it in a bowl and keep it aside for cooling. Then transfer the balance spice mix ingredients in a preheated pan. Toast the ingredients till they start releasing aroma. Keep aside to cool. Once cool, crush it in a mixer to make coarse powder.  

To make Soup Paste:
Grease the Carrots with Vegetable Oil or Butter. Roast it on direct flame till it gets some black patches. Chop the roasted Carrots and set it aside.

Heat a teaspoon of Butter in a pan. Add the Garlic cloves and chopped Onions and saute till the onions are translucent. Thereafter, add the roasted Carrot pieces and soaked Moong dal into it. Saute it for 2-3 minutes. Add a cup of vegetable stock and let the Moong dal cook. Once the dal is cooked, turn off the flame and let it cool for some time. Once cooled down, transfer the mixture into a blender. Blend the mixture into smooth puree. 

Again heat a teaspoon of Butter in a deep sauce-pan. Add Dukkah spice powder and saute. Then add the carrot puree and the remaining Vegetable stock and Salt to taste. Simmer it for few minutes and bring it to a boil. Finish it with Saffron milk. 

While serving, add a dollop of sour Hung Curd to the Soup. Garnish it with Dukkah Spice powder. Serve hot with Pita Bread sauteed in butter and garnished with Dukkah spice. 

Notes

1. You may add Cheese Spread or Cream Cheese to make this soup more creamy.

2. The moong dal may be substituted with 2 bread slices.

3. If the Hung Curd is not sour, you may add few drops of lemon juice, but it may suppress the delicate flavour of Saffron.

Soups

0

Nutty Orange & Spinach Salad

Not only the summers but also winters is the perfect time to experiment with salads. Winter is also a good season for Salads due to abundant fresh vegetables and fruits flooding in the market. Nutty Spinach and Orange salad is a delightful green salad which has the right nutrients to keep our body healthy. 

Serving:  1 large bowl

Approx. Time:  15 minutes 

Ingredients

For Salad:
20-25 Spinach leaves (firm & fresh small sized leaves)
2 large Oranges 
8-10 Toasted Walnuts
6-8 Cherry Tomatoes
A sprig of fresh mint leaves
1 tspn toasted Sesame seeds (Til)
2 tbspns toasted Almond flakes

For Dressing:
1 tbspn Olive Oil
1 tbspn Vinegar
? tspn Soy sauce (preferably light)
? tspn Salt
? tspn Pepper powder 
1 tbspn Sugar (or Honey)

For Garnishing:
1 tspn toasted Almond flakes, 
1 tspn Sesame seeds

Pre-preparation

Lightly toast the Walnuts, Sesame and Almond flakes separately on medium flame for five minutes each or till you start getting aroma. Alternatively, you may microwave the nuts for 2 minutes. Set it aside for cooling. Ensure that the nuts are crisp.

Method

Soak the Spinach leaves in a bowl containing ice and water. Leave it in the water for approximately 15 minutes. Remove from water and pat dry on a kitchen towel. Remove the stems and tear into big pieces. 

Peel the Orange and remove fibres from each segment of the Orange. Also remove the seeds from each orange segment. 

Mix the Olive Oil, Vinegar, Soy sauce, Salt, Pepper powder and Sugar (or Honey) in a small bowl and whisk till the dressing turns slightly thick.

At the time of serving, take Spinach leaves in a large bowl and pour the dressing over it. Marinate the leaves for two to three minutes. Then add the Orange segments, toasted Walnuts, Cherry Tomatoes, Mint leaves, toasted Sesame and Almond flakes. Lightly toss the salad to mix well. Remove the salad into serving bowl or plate. Garnish it with toasted Almond flakes and toasted Sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Notes

1. You may substitute the Spinach with lettuce leaves or use combination of both.
2. You may also add citrus fruits like Kiwi, Sweet lime etc. to add texture and taste to the Salad.

Stepwise Pictures

Salads

0

Raw Mango Saar - 2

Saar means extract. Saar is a very tasty extract of the key ingredients. Roti and Rice is the main diet of Mahrashrian people and to accompany it, various liquid curries like Varan, Aamti, Kaalvan, Kalan / Kadhan, Saar etc. are made. It is made from local available ingredients. The consistency of these curries also varies from region to region. Raw Mango Saar known as Kairiche Saar in Marathi is popular in Konkan region of Mahrashtra. There are various methods of making this Saar, but amongst the various methods, two methods are popular i.e. one without Coconut milk and the other one is with Coconut as given here. 

This Saar can be served with plain Steamed Rice with a dollop of Ghee on it or can be served as an appetizer before / during the meals 

Servings: 2-3 Servings

Approx. Time: 20 mins  (excluding pre-preparation)

Ingredients

For Tempering

1 tspn Ghee

3/4 tspn Cumin Seeds (Jeera)

1/4 tspn Asafoetida Powder

8-9 Curry Leaves

For Raw Mango Saar

1/2 cup boiled Green Mango Pulp
5 cups Water
1/2 cup Rice flour Slurry (i.e. 2 tbspns Rice flour mixed in 1/2 cup Water)

Salt to taste

2 tbspns Sugar
3-4 Green chillies (chopped or paste)
1 cup Coconut Milk

For Garnishing:

Chopped Coriander leaves (Cilantro)

To Serve with:

Plain Steamed Rice

Method

Pressure cook 2 medium sized raw green Mangoes for 3 whistles. Remove the raw mangoes and peel it when it is warm. Scoop out the mango pulp and mash it. If the pulp is fibrous (has strings) then blend it into a smooth paste. 

Transfer the Raw Mango Pulp in a large mixing bowl. Add 5 cups water to it and mix well. Then add the Rice flour slurry into it. Mix well. Then add the Salt, Sugar and chopped Green Chillies. Set it aside.

Heat Ghee in a a pan. Add the Cumin Seeds and saute. Then add the Asafoetida and Curry Leaves. Then immediately add the green mango puree mixture into the pan. Heat the mixture till it gets a boil. 

At the end add the Coconut milk and let it simmer for few minutes. Garnish it with chopped Coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed Rice. 

Notes

1. From the tempering ingredients, you may substitute Ghee and Cumin Seeds with Oil and Mustard Seeds.

2. The quantity of Sugar may be adjusted according to the sourness of raw Mango.

3. Alternatively, you may prepare the tempering separately and pour it on the Saar. 

Traditional Marathi

0

Steamed Oats Muthia

Nowadays everyone tries to include Oats in their everyday diet, but gets bored due to the monotonous recipes. Adding Oats to the traditional Gujarati Muthias and steaming it instead of frying will add one more healthy recipe to your daily diet without compromising the taste. \

Servings: 2 - 3 people
Approx Time: 30-40 Mins 

Ingredients:
1 cup crushed Oats
1/2 cup Semolina (Suji / Rawa)
1/2 cup Besan (Chickpea flour)
2 tbspns Wheat flour
1 cup finely chopped Spring Onion Greens
1/4 cup finely chopped Onion
1 tbspn Green Chillies Paste
1 tbspn Ginger Paste
1 tbspn Sesame Seeds
1/2 tspn Carom Seeds (Ajwain / Owa / Ajma)
1 tspn Turmeric Powder
1 tspn Red Chilly Powder (or as per taste)
1 tbspn Coriander-Cumin Powder (Dhana-Jeera Powder)
3 tbspns Sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped Coriander leaves
2 tbspns Curds (Dahi / Yogurt)
2 tbspns Vegetable Oil
1 tspn Fruit Salt (Eno)
Salt to taste
1/2 Lemon Juice

For Tempering:
4 tbspns Oil
1 tspn Mustard Seeds
2 small Cinnamon Sticks
6-7 Cloves
1 tbsn Sesame Seeds

For Garnishing:
Chopped Coriander leaves
Chopped Spring Onion

To Serve With:
Pickle Masala (Methi Masala / Achar Masala ) and Raw Oil

Method:

In a large mixing Bowl, take crushed Oats, Semolina, Besan, Wheat flour, Chopped Spring Onion Greens, Chopped Onion, Green Chillies Paste, Ginger Paste, Sesame Seeds, Carom Seeds, Turmeric Powder, Red Chilly Powder, Coriander-Cumin Powder, Sugar, Coriander leaves, Curds, Vegetable Oil, Salt, Fruit Salt (Eno) and mix well. Knead the dough without adding any extra water. The dough should be of hard consistency. After the dough is ready, grease your palms with Oil and roll the small cylinders of  approx. one inch width (as shown in the pictorial below). 

Simultaneously, heat water in a Steamer. Grease the steaming plate with little Oil. Place the rolled Cylinders into the Steaming Plate. Ensure that there is enough gap between two cylinders as they get enlarged during the steaming process.Steam it for approximately 20 minutes. Remove it from the  Steamer and let it cool. After cooling, cut it into pieces. 

Then, heat the Oil in a pan for tempering.  Add the Mustard Seeds and let it splutter. Then add the Cinnamon Sticks, Cloves and Sesame Seeds. Saute and mix in the steamed Muthia cakes into the tempering. Cook it for two minutes and turn off the flame. Then add lemon juice. Garnish it with chopped Coriander leaves and serve hot with Pickle Masala & Raw Oil.

Notes:
1. You may also add few vegetable like grated Bottle Gourd, Spinach etc. to make it more healthy.
2. The lemon juice may be replaced with Aamchur Powder or Citric Acid. But in that case it has to be added in the dough itself before steaming. 
3. To make Pickle Masala, please refer the recipe of Mango Pickle.

Evening Snacks

0

Oats Spinach Dhokla

Dhokla is generally prepared with gram flour. However, a healthier version can be made by using Oats and adding some Spinach to it. Oats Spinach Dhokla does not require lot of pre-preparation. However, it does not become as fluffy as Khaman Dhokla. It a very useful recipe for people who are on a diet plan. This is because the nutritious combination of Oats, Spinach, Semolina and Curds gives all essential nutrients like Vitamins, Protein, Fibre, Calcium and iron to your body.

Servings: 14-15 pieces
Approx.Time: 30 Min

Ingredients:
2 cups Oats
1 cup finely shredded Spinach leaves
1/2 cup Semolina (Thick Semolina)
1/4 cup chopped Coriander leaves
1 tspn Ginger Paste
1 tspn finely chopped Green Chillies
Salt to taste
1 cup Curds (Sour)
1 tbspn Oil
1 tspn Fruit Salt (Eno)
1 cup Water (or as required)

For Tempering:
2 tbspns Oil 
1 tbspn Mustard Seeds
1/2 tspn Asafoetida
15-16 Curry leaves (I chopped it vertically)
1/2 tspn Chilly Flakes 
1 tspn Sesame Seeds
Oil for greasing

For Garnishing:

Chopped Coriander Leaves

Method:

Take the Oats, Spinach leaves, Semolina, chopped Coriander leaves, Ginger Paste, Green Chillies, Salt and Curds in a mixing bowl. Mix well and add a cup of water to the mixture. Rest the mixture for 10 minutes. Ensure that the batter is of pouring consistency, and there are no lumps in the batter (ad some water if required). Then add a tablespoon of Oil and whisk.  Simultaneously, heat the Steaming cooker by adding adequate quantity of water at the bottom of the vessel. Place a greased aluminium plate in the Steaming cooker and keep it ready. 

Once the water in the Steamer boils and starts releasing steam, add a teaspoon of Soda Bi-carb in the batter and whisk in a single direction. Pour the batter into the greased alluminium plate. Steam it for approximately 20 -25 minutes on medium flame. Once done, allow it to cool. 

To make tempering, heat Oil in a pan. Once heated, add the Mustard Seeds, Asafoetida, Curry leaves, Chilly Flakes and Sesame Seeds to the Oil. Turn off the flame once done.  Pour the tempering over the Dhokla and spread it evenly over the surface. Then cut it into square shape. Garnish it with Chopped Coriander leaves. Serve immediately with Green Chutney.

Notes:

1. You may add vegetables like grated Carrot, Sweet Corn etc. to the mixture.

2. .With the same batter, you may make mini Idlis.

3. Instead of pouring the Tempering over Dhokla, you may Saute the Dhokla in tempering on medium flame till the tempering is coated to the Dhoklas.

Evening Snacks

0

Zunka

Zunka (dry preparation of gram flour) Bhakari (Indian bread) is a very simple Maharashtrian recipe. This combination is a daily diet of people staying in rural areas of Maharashtra. Zunka Bhakari is served with raw onions, green chillies, garlic chutney and a dollop of white butter. 

In this post, I will share the recipe of Zunka. 

Ingredients :

For the Paste :
1 cup Gram flour (Besan)
1 tspn turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 cups water

For Zunka :
2-3 tbspns Oil
1 tspn mustard seeds 
1 tspn cumin seeds 
1/4 tspn asafoetida (Hing)
1/2 tspn ginger paste
1 tspn garlic paste
6-7 curry leaves
2 dry red chillies (broken into pieces)
1 cup onion (finely chopped)
Besan paste
Salt to taste

For Garnishing :
Chopped Fresh corriander (Optional)

To Serve with :
Jowar Bhakri
Chopped Onion
Fresh Green chillies
Garlic Chutney
Dollop of white butter

Method :

To make Paste :
Take Gram flour in a bowl. Add turmeric powder and salt to it. Add water gradually and whisk it to make a smooth paste. Ensure that there are no lumps in the paste.

To make Zunka :
Heat the oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let it splutter. Then add asafoetida, ginger paste, garlic paste, curry leaves and pieces of red chillies.  Saute it for few seconds. Then add chopped onion and saute till it is transculent. 

After sauteeing onion, add paste into the pan. Stir it continuously till the mixture thickens. Now cover the pan. Cook it on low flame for 5-6 minutes. Remove the lid and saute till it starts releasing oil from the sides. Serve hot with Bhakari.

Notes :

You can dry roast the Gram flour may before using it for Zunka. Doing this, releases a nice aroma.
You may substitute red chillies with red chilly powder.

Vegetables

0

Hummus

Hummus is a very tasty dip from Middle-East. The word 'Hummus' means 'chickpeas' in Arabic.  This is generally served with Pita bread. I love this even with chips.

Ingredients :

For the Tahini paste
1/4 cup Sesame seeds 
1/2 lemon juice
1 tspn garlic paste (or chopped garlic)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

For Hummus :
1 cup Chickpeas (Kabuli Chana)
1 tbspn garlic paste
1/2 lemon juice
2 tbspns Tahini Paste
Salt to taste
2 tbspns Olive oil
2 tbspns Curd

For Garnishing :
Red Chilly powder / Paprika / Chilly flakes
Olive Oil
Fresh Corriander Leaves / Parsley

Method :

To make Tahini paste

Dry roast the sesame seeds on a griddle for 2-3 minutes. Allow it to cool. Then add all the remaining ingredients and blend it in a mixer to  smooth paste.

To make Hummus :

Soak the chickpeas for 8-10 hours. Add a pinch of soda-bicarb to the water while soaking. Once soaked, rinse the water and boil chickpeas in fresh water till they are soft.

Transfer it into a bowl. Add garlic paste, lemon juice, Tahini paste, salt to taste, olive oil and curd. Blend it into a smooth paste. Add some warm water to facilitate smooth blending, if required. After blending, transfer it into a serving bowl. Sprinkle some red chilly powder or Paprika or chilly flakes over it. Then drizzle some olive oil over it. Lastly garnish it with fresh corriander leaf. 

Notes :

1. To make Hummus more creamier, the peels of chickpeas should be removed.
2. The process of blending should be done when the chickpeas are warm.
3. Baking soda may also be added to the water while boiling chickpeas.

Side Dishes

0

Carrot & Raisins Salad

In today's age where people are becoming more and more aware about their health and fitness, I thought let me share a healthy salad with you. This recipe is not only easy to prepare but is also very appealing in terms of colour and texture. I am sure you will love this salad and can easily wipe off a bowlful in one go, just as I did.


Ingredients:
For dressing :
1/2 Lemon's juice
2 tbspns Honey
1/4 tspn Pepper powder
1 tspn chopped Basil leaves
Salt to taste

For Salad :
1 cup grated Carrot
3 tbspns Black Raisins (Soaked in hot water for 15 minutes) 
1 tspn roasted Sesame (Til)
Salad dressing (as given above)
Salt to taste

Method:
To make dressing :
Squeeze out fresh lemon juice in a bowl. Mix honey, pepper powder, chopped basil leaves and salt into it. Set it aside to use it in Salad.

To make salad :
Take grated carrots, black raisins,  roasted sesame in a mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over it. Mix all the ingredients and serve immediately

Notes:
In the dressing,  basil leaves may be substituted with fresh mint leaves
Preferably red carrots should be used

Stepwise Pictures:

My Doodle recipe is a part of Easy Doodle Recipe contest at BlogAdda.com in association with TastyKhana.com

Salads

0