Parippu

Lentils of some form are an Indian staple. They are often simply prepared by boiling in water with turmeric and salt and then stirring in a tadka at the end. In northern India lentils are referred to as dal. Dal is the technical term for hulled and split lentils, but whole pulses are also used, or it is the term for the actual stew that is prepared. In the south lentils are called Parippu and are often cooked in coconut milk with a tarka of onion, mustard seed, cumin, and curry leaf. Tarka or tadka consists of a spice mixture and flavorings fried in oil and added at the end of the dish for flavor. Its ingredients vary depending on region and individual preferences. Cumin, mustard seed, curry leaf, ginger, chilies, and garlic are common ingredients.

for the pappu

1 c masoor dal (red lentils)

1 onion roughly chopped

1 large tomato chopped

1 c coconut milk

2 green chilies chopped

1/2 ts turmeric

1/2 ts ground cumin

1 1/2 ts ground coriander

Put lentils in heavy pot with 2 cups of water. Add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer and cook stirring occasionally until lentils are a soft mush, about 25 minutes. If water evaporates completely add a bit more until the lentils are cooked.

for the tarka

1 onion finely chopped

1 ts cumin seed

1/2 ts black mustard seed

10 curry leaves

coconut oil

Heat oil and add spices- allow seeds to pop then add onion and fry until golden brown. Stir into lentils. Season dish with sea salt, to taste.

Falafel on Grilled Spelt Pitas with Tahini Sauce

As the weather continues to warm up I continue to head out the door for meals. To the grill that is! When we bit into these pitas and falafel the other night I was in a state of awe...transported instantly to a warm, lazy, ceiling fan spinning, blue and white tiled speckled restaurant with its owners speaking their beauteous strange language in the background below the strumming Middle Eastern music. We devoured these. Perfect for a warm summer evening. Cool and light. Easy to prepare. Served on a platter with a simple salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion drenched in lemon, olive oil and oregano. You'll love it too. Give the ole chickpeas a chance, they will transport you away from your mid week slumber to a thick sandy place with swaying camels and sultans!

Falafel

1 cup dried chickpeas
2-3 cloves garlic
1 onion coarsely chopped
1 ts coriander seed- roughly ground
1 ts ground cumin
few pinches cayenne
1/2 c chopped parsley
1 ts baking soda
1 juiced lemon
sea salt and pepper
panko

Soak the chickpeas overnight in water with a bit of lemon juice.
Strain the chickpeas and reserve a bit of the water.
Put everything through the lemon juice into food processor with the strained chickpeas and chop into thick paste.
Add reserved water as needed if mixture is too thick being careful not to add to much- you want it to be as thick as possible.
Season the mixture with sea salt and pepper.
Form into patties or balls and roll in the panko.
Fry in oil until crisp, browned, and cooked through.
Stuff into a pita with toppings of choice(red onion, lettuce, sprouts, olives, tomatoes) or eat plain with sauce.

Grilled Spelt Pitas

sponge:

1/2 c bread flour

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 ts active dry yeast

1 c warm water

dough:

3/4 ts sea salt

1 1/2 ts olive oil

1 1/2 c whole Spelt flour

Sponge: Proof yeast in warm water then add bread flour and mix well. Cover and let rest fr 2- 4 hours.

Dough: Sprinkle salt over sponge, stir in live oil and mix well. Add 1 cup of spelt flour and stir well. Turn out and knead until smooth adding remaining spelt flour as needed to create a smooth and elastic dough (8-10 minutes). Only add enough flour to keep dough from sticking. Place dough in oiled bowl and cover. Let rise until double (about 1 hour).

Preheat the grill to high or 500 degrees if you have a gauge.

Fold and deflate the dough. Divide into eight pieces. Roll into balls and flatten. Roll out each piece about 6 inches in diameter. Brush pitas with a bit of olive oil and load onto hot grill. In 3-4 minutes they will balloon up. Flip and cook 3-4 more minutes.

Tahini Sauce

1/4 c tahini paste (toast 1 c sesame seeds and puree with a bit of olive oil if you want to make your own)

juice of 1 lemon

drizzle of olive oil

1 ts Mediterranean Spice blend

Blend and drizzle away.

Food Fight! : Kathi Rolls with Chatniwale Alu Gobbi and Finger Licking Mint Dressing

Kathi rolls are a popular street vendor food in Kolkata, India. Yeah, Indian fast food burrito style! But I'll take a nice paratha rolled up with spiced veggies and/or meat any day over Taco Bell! Today for Fight Back Friday's I thought I'd contribute a little bit of fast food done right. Street vendor style wraps overstuffed with fragrant spiced turkey and oven fries with some kick. Top it off with a saucy green glob 'o goody goo and you're in for a treat. You can sub out any meat you would like here. I bet lamb would be mighty tasty! But give it a whirl and watch the kiddos gobble them up!

Kathi Rolls

1 chopped onion
2 ts minced ginger
2 minced cloves garlic
1 ts VF Masala blend
1/2 ts amchoor powder
6-8 curry leaves
1 hot chili
1 lb ground turkey
sea salt
pepper
1-2 T fresh lemon juice

parathas This is a basic chapati dough recipe. You can use any type of flour you like- I love to use whole Durum wheat when I can find it. If you can have dairy use whey in place of the water- it is really good! I always knead in spices after soaking all day- usually kasori methi and nigella and a bit of cayenne. Obviously here you won't cut your dough into strips like I did for the "dumplings". After you roll out the dough just cook on a hot griddle on both sides for abut 4-5 minutes. You can do this dry or brush with some Ghee. Just don't overcook- they'll be to crispy. You want a soft pliable bread.

Fry onion, ginger, garlic, chili, and curry leaves about 5 minutes. Add VF masala and amchoor and stir about one minute. Add turkey and season with salt and pepper. Cook breaking up the meat until no pink is left, about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon. Stuff parathas with meat and roll up. At this point you can fry them like egg rolls for crispy treats OR serve as is if you are in a hurry. They are excellent both ways. But defiantly top with the tasty green sauce that follows!

Chatniwale Alu Gobbi Oven Roasted Potatoes and Cauliflower

1 1/2 lbs new potatoes cut into quarters
1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
1 medium onion cut into chunks
2 cloves minced garlic
4 T olive oil
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1 ts ground coriander
1/2 ts ground cumin

1/2 ts garam masala

Preheat oven to 400. Toss the veggies with the oil and spices. Spread on baking sheet, pan, whatever. I used my stoneware pan. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour turning the veggies if you like(I didn't). When cooked til tender/crisp allow to cool for a sec then toss with some of the dressing that follows.

Mint Dressing

2 c mint leaves
handful coriander leaf
4 chopped dates
1 hot chili
1 ts tamarind extract
2 T lemon
2-3 T water
1/2 ts roasted cumin seed
1/2 ts garam masala

Blend it! Keep adding water to desired consistency if it's too thick. Sweet, Spice, Bright and Tasty! Sure beats HFCS laced condiments!

Sourdough Banana Bread

Yes, I fell out of blog land and into a big tasty piece of subtly spiced sourdough banana bread. But in case you were really wondering truth is...I've been busy! Last week I read this lovely post by Michele at Ripening On the Vine titled "Listening, Waiting, and Living for Him." Our family had been going through a similar busy and trying time and I was experiencing some of the same mental fatigue. I took her words to heart and we laid aside the books, the blogs, the business and took time to get regrouped, refreshed, and renewed. We're still working on that! I want to take a few minutes to give you a recipe....mmmm... and let you know there are more to come! I've been working on a chickpea leavened bread that is fabulous, some finger licking Indian style roasted cauliflower and potatoes with a mint sauce, and a killer falfel with savory grilled spelt pitas.

Sourdough Banana Bread

1/2 c coconut oil

1/4 c sucanat

1/4 c honey

2 eggs

2 c whole wheat flour

1 ts baking powder

1/2 ts baking soda

1 ts sea salt

1 ts cinnamon

1/4 ts fresh grated nutmeg

pinch cardamon

pinch ground cloves

1 ts vanilla

1 c fed and rested starter

3 mashed bananas

Cream together oil and sucanat. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Blend in honey and vanilla. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and spices. Add to wet. Mix together starter and bananas. Add to wet. If mixture seems to dry add a few splashes of coconut milk or orange juice. Pour into loaf pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Recipe doubles easy. Defiantly double it!