Dabeli with Manhattan

I don’t think I remember the last time I ate one and only vaguely remembered what it tasted like. An explosion of taste and texture, as V describes it. Dabeli is a popular street snack in Mumbai and Gujarat. Topped it with my favorite, Manhattan.

Recipe taken from https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/.

Tom Yum Soup

A rainy evening and a spicy Tom Yum Soup with enoki mushrooms, lemongrass and spring onions served in Urushi (lacquer bowls) we got from Kiso-Hirasawa. These bowls almost made us miss the last train back to Tokyo from our Nakasendo Trail Hike across Magome, Tsugamo and Narai (it was worth the sprint!).

Recipe taken from https://cooking.nytimes.com/.

Spring Ramen Bowl with Asparagus and Snap Peas

Half of this year was meant to be spent in Japan musing around. But since the stay was cut short (thanks to the “One Who Must Not Be Named”), how could I go 100 days without any Japanese food. The food I had in Japan (even as a vegetarian) was incredible. Going to small Ramen restaurants or Izakayas with smoke in the air, not knowing what to order, pressing random buttons on the machine obviously cannot be recreated.

Recipe taken from https://cooking.nytimes.com/.

Gatte ki sabzi

Since this was the 100th day, I thought why not try something more traditional – that would take me back to my roots. So I made Rajasthani Gatte ki sabzi (gram flour roundels). Reminded me of all the times that I have gone back home and this has been one of the few things that Ma would always make for me. It was close but not hers.

Recipe taken from www.vegrecipesofindia.com.

Puri Aloo & Grapefruit Martini

In the countdown to 100 days, I asked for suggestions from friends and families and this was one of them. From having never made a Puri in my life, I have now successfully made two phulo and obviously, they made it to the photo.

Recipe taken from www.vegrecipesofindia.com.

Portobello Mushroom Cheese Burgers

July 4th spent lying on the beach in the Spectacle Island, reading Common Ground and of course, a Burger sans the real Cheeseburger.

Recipe taken from https://cooking.nytimes.com/.

Mushroom Dan Dan Noodles with Paper Plane and Mezcal Sour

This was such a simple recipe – not sure why I hadn’t tried it before. Substituted sesame paste with Tahini and Toasted Sesame Oil, this was delicious!

Recipe taken from the Cookbook “Every Grain of Rice“.

Barley Salad with Griddled Broccolini and Za’atar

The first part of the recipe suggested roasting the tomatoes in the oven for 1.5-2 hours – that was enough for me to procrastinate making this salad, but the tomatoes were so flavorful. A burst of flavor with charred broccolini.

Recipe taken from the Cookbook “Persiana“.

Watermelon, Feta and Olive salad, Grilled Halloumi and Portobello Mushroom and Asparagus with Ginger and Coriander Martini

The Watermelon, Feta and Olive salad came as a suggestion from a friend but took some recipe hints from the Nopi cookbook to make it more exciting with marinated olives. A perfect dish for summer with the other summer add-on of Asparagus. Craving for Halloumi resulted in the Grilled Portobello dish.

The Cookbook Nopi also has recipe for cocktails and of course, we didn’t have all the ingredients they use so this was an amended version of Ginger and Coriander Martini. I think the coriander seeds they suggest in the recipe would have definitely enhanced the flavor.

Recipe taken from the Cookbook “Nopi” and https://www.lovethekitchen.co.uk/grilled-portabello-mushroom-halloumi/.

Urad Dal Puree with Hot and Sour Eggplant

The Nopi Cookbook starts with the disclaimer that these recipes are meant to be made in a restaurant kitchen. I obviously disregarded it – how hard could it be! But as with any Ottolenghi recipe, it had many steps and I messed up the most crucial one of deep frying eggplants. I didn’t pay attention to the towel lining the fried eggplants and since eggplants soak a lot of oil, I ended up with a pool of oil in my final hot and sour eggplant curry. So a good word of advice: soak as much oil as you can from the eggplants before you mix them with the rest of the masala. I didn’t have white urad dal but it tasted good (if I ignored the oil). Think folks back home would have called it khichdi but lets stick with Puree for now, since it was actually pureed in a mixer grinder.

Recipe taken from the Cookbook “Nopi“.

Vegetable Stew, Pepper Fry and Mango Shrikhand

Since the folks in Delhi were having an Appam Party with Vegetable Stew and Pepper Fry, we didn’t want to be left out, so this was our version sans Appams (no appam maker!). And since missing home in summer also means missing Alphonsos, we made Mango Shrikhand out of mango pulp.

Recipe taken from V’s Mother.

Mushroom and Capsicum Omelette with Banana-Chocolate-Walnut-Dates Milkshake

One of those omelettes where you have leftover chopped green peppers from last night’s dinner and cheese and mushroom waiting to be thrown into something hearty.

Ma’s special Momos and Chilli Sauce

This has probably been the biggest challenge of the 100 days – more of a psychological one. I am yet to have any Momos that can match what my Ma makes at home and she makes it for ten people at any given time. Cooking for 2 felt like enough of an achievement!! I may have put a little bit more ghee than what would have been essential as the dough kept stretching and sticking but ultimately the fold didn’t break and the momos didn’t burst. The trick was to make sure you take out all the water from the vegetable filling by constant rinsing the vegetables.

In my opinion, a Momo is as good as the Chilli Chutney that accompanies it. V obviously needed a milder version. And since I made so much of it, they are now being preserved as ice cubes.

Recipe taken from Ma.

V also made his favorite Beer Bread, after two failed attempts of making Sourdough (not pictured).

Harissa Marinated Asparagus and Char-grilled Eggplant with Saffron Yoghurt, Parsley and Chilli and V’s cocktail concoction “Powder House Sunset”

Since the temperatures were finally rising to 30 degrees, we switched for a week to just salads and the Cookbook “Persiana” has some excellent recipes. The saffron yoghurt and harissa really did the trick.

Recipe taken from the Cookbook “Persiana“.

Black Pepper Tofu

This recipe might look a bit greasy but the just the simple flavor of black pepper, butter and soy sauce is a great combination for really firm tofu. I remember cooking it once before, but really enjoyed it the second time around!

Recipe taken from the Cookbook “Plenty“.

Puy Lentil Galettes

These are not the typical Galettes, but we used the frozen puff pastry shells instead (as suggested by the recipe). This was also my first time cooking Puy lentils and I tried hard to find the Indian equivalent to replace it. The reason (as suggested by internet) to use these are as they retain the form unlike the Indian pulses which lose form and shape when cooked. Even felt a little healthy given the spinach!

Recipe taken from the Cookbook “Plenty“.

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

When we saw Asparagus at the grocery store, I was thinking what could we make with it. There was also this desire to make a risotto since we hadn’t had that in a while. The result was so delicious. The lemon zest adds to the flavor and makes it a perfect summer recipe.

Recipe taken from https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/asparagus_risotto/.

Fattoush Salad

Fattoush salad always reminds me of my go to option when I have been stuck with a largely non-vegetarian menu while travelling. The colors of the salad are always pleasing to the eye.

Recipe taken from the Cookbook “Persiana“.

French Lentils and Quinoa Salad with Lemon and Sumac

Typically V and I are not a big fan of salads. Being a desi, I am always left craving for more, in need of carbohydrates. Since the temperature was rising, I pushed myself into a salad week; develop the taste and appetite for it. And to our surprise, we really enjoyed it and the week of salads was sustained (as you will see in my later posts). This was probably also my first time cooking quinoa. What I really enjoyed about this salad week was not just the lighter meals, but also cooking some grains and lentils that have never made it to my kitchen.

Recipe taken from the Cookbook “Persiana“.

Chole Chaat

What do you do when you have a tonne of boiled chickpeas left since you underestimated the amount of hummus that will be made? You turn into a chaat, of course!

Recipe inspired by leftovers in the fridge or lack of mental calculations while reading a recipe.

Jackfruit and Potato Biryani, Kachumbar Salad and Raita

At the Indian store, we were surprised to find some frozen Indian vegetables that I have never seen outside of India – parwal, kathal, kakdi. Looking at kathal (jackfruit), I was reminded of the time V’s mother had made it home once so I knew this was going to be theme for the day. The added benefit of using frozen kathal is that you don’t have wear protective gear while cutting it, so that was fairly simple. We added potatoes since it was lying around. It was amazing for a farewell dinner picnic with friends who were planning to abandon us to quarantine elsewhere. The cherry on the cake of this picnic was the little three year old exclaiming that she loved the rice. I was quite anxious that she might find it spicy but the raita came to the rescue.

Recipe inspired by the Cookbook “Persiana” and https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/ and Shan Biryani Masala.

Ghanaian Jollof Rice

A suggestion from our friend A, who obviously insisted that Ghanaian Jollof is far superior to its Nigerian cousin. Both V and I have spent time in Nigeria so had to take up the challenge! 20 days in Northern Nigeria when I had to explain that beef was not vegetarian, meant that I extensively relied on Jollof Rice for survival. So this was an ode to those days. Oh the spice level!

Recipe inspired by https://tasty.co/recipe/ghanaian-jollof-rice-as-made-by-tei-hammond (recommended by A).