Chickpea Curry | Ayurvedic Meal 3

I attended a cooking class by Dr Sujatha Kekada in Ubud Bali. Dr Sujatha is an Ayurvedic doctor who owns Amrta Siddhi an Ayurvedic clinic at Nyuh Kuning in Ubud. The five recipes she planned out for us that afternoon was a dosha balancing meal. So far I've only tried out 3 of them.

I never knew it can be so therapeutic cooking indian dishes especially the part where you have to grind your own spices. I learned so much about spices just cooking this one dish.

Chickpea Curry (Channa Masala) Recipe

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Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups chickpea (channa dhal) soaked overnight. Boil for 40mins in 4 cups of water on medium low heat or till soft.
  

PASTE

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsn fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup shallots

Blend the ingredients together with 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas until smooth.

SPICES (Garam Masala)

• 1 tspn cumin seeds
• 1/2 tspn fennel
• 2 tspn coriander seeds
• 5 cloves
• 1 cardamom pod
• 1/2 a star anis
• 1/2 stick cinnamon

Grind the spices with a mortar and pastel until it's really fine. Roast in a large pan for 10 mins on low heat till fragrant.

SAUCE

• 2 tbsn ghee
• 4 tomatoes chopped
  
• 1 tspn mustard seeds
• 15-20 curry leaves
• 1/2 tbsn tumeric powder
• a handful coriander leaves
  

Directions

1. Add mustard seeds into hot oil and fry till pop.
2. Add in curry leaves and fry briefly.
3. Add in tomatoes and tumeric powder and cook for 5 mins
4. Add in paste and cook for 5 mins
5. Add in boiled chickpeas together with the broth and cook for 10 mins
6. Add in the garam masala spices and coriander leaves and cook briefly
   
7. Salt to taste
   

Serves 6 people.

Mango Cashew Nut Rice | Ayurvedic Meal 2

I attended a cooking class by Dr Sujatha Kekada in Ubud Bali. Dr Sujatha is an Ayurvedic doctor who owns Amrta Siddhi an Ayurvedic clinic at Nyuh Kuning in Ubud. The five recipes she planned out for us that afternoon was a dosha balancing meal. So far I've only tried out 3 of them.

This rice dish was very much a comfort food. The ingredients blended so well together. Before I tasted it I thought it would taste a little sour because of the young mango in it but surprisingly not. It was oh so delicious!

Ayurvedic Mango Cashew Nut Rice Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup grated young mango
  
• 1/2 white large onion sliced
  
• 1 cup cashew nuts
• 15-20 curry leaves
• 1/2 cup grated coconut
• 3 cups basmati rice, cooked
  
• a handful of coriander leaves
  

Seasoning and oils

• 4 tbsp ghee
• 1 tspn mustard seed
• 3 tspn sea salt
• 1 tspn tumeric powder
• 1 tspn ground black pepper
  

Directions

1. Add mustard seed into hot oil till they pop.
2. Add in cashew nuts and fry till golden brown.
3. Add in onion, tumeric powder, curry leaves and fry till onion is soft
4. Add in mango, coconut and salt and fry briefly
5. Add in cooked rice and fry till all ingredients are mixed well
6. Chuck in the handful of coriander and fry for 1 min
   

Serves 6 people.

Beetroot Soup | Ayurvedic Meal 1

I attended a cooking class by Dr Sujatha Kekada in Ubud Bali. Dr Sujatha is an Ayurvedic doctor who owns Amrta Siddhi an Ayurvedic clinic at Nyuh Kuning in Ubud. The five recipes she planned out for us that afternoon was a dosha balancing meal. So far I've only tried out 3 of them.

This was the first dish, an appetizer to prepare the gut for a better digestion. We were all pretty reluctant to taste it at first as you must agree it is an unacceptable color for a delicious bowl of soup? But it turned out to be the yummiest homemade vegetable soup I've ever tasted. Those who said they weren't hungry, scraped the pot cleaned!

Ayurvedic Beetroot Soup Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1/2 kg beetroot peeled and halved
  
• 1 medium sized potato and halved
  
• 1/2 tspn thyme leaves
• 2 cloves garlic sliced
  
• 1/4 cup shallots sliced
  
• 2 cups water
  

Seasoning and oils

• 1 tbsp ghee
  
• 2 tspn sea salt
• 1 tspn ground black pepper
  

Directions

1. Boil beetroot and potato for 5 mins at medium heat.
2. Sauté the garlic and shallot
   
3. Pour beetroot and potato together with the stock into the blender. Add in garlic and shallot and blend until texture is smooth.
4. Pour the smooth paste into the pot and bring to boil.
5. Add thyme and ground black pepper.
   

Serves 6 people.

Dhall Curry

A friend from Malaysia recently visited Beijing and she brought me a packet of yellow split peas! Split peas can be found here, but I would have to go to specialty gourmet markets and they rarely have them in stock. 

I love curries and that's one thing I sorely miss in Beijing. There are several nice Indian restaurants in the city, but boy are they expensive. It's understandable as spices and herbs such as garam masala and curry leaves are impossible to find here. 

Dhall, obviously, goes great with freshly baked naan but a nice loaf of crusty bread does just as well too.

Dhall Curry Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 cup of yellow split peas
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 1 small potato, diced
• 1 cup of chopped shallots or red onion
• 1 green chilli, cut into large slices
• 2 slices of ginger, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 cups of water

Seasoning and oils

• 1 tbsp of ghee plus 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp whole mustard seeds
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 2 cloves
• sea salt to taste

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine and moisten spices (mustard seeds, turmeric, cloves and curry powder) with a few tablespoons of water. I do this so it won't burn when I dry-fry them later. 
2. In a heavy pot, heat ghee and olive oil over medium-low heat.
3. Sauté shallots, ginger and garlic until onions are translucent, about 2-3 mins. Add in spices and continue sauteing until mixture is fragrant, about 2 mins.
4. Add water, split peas, potatoes and carrots and give a good stir.
5. Bring curry to a boil and let simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stir occasionally.
6. The dhall curry is ready when the split peas are soft and begin to break apart. You can add more water if curry is too thick. Check seasoning and serve with naan or hot rice.

Serves 2 people.

Amaranth Soup

Edible amaranth is a widely used vegetable in Southeast Asia and it is also referred to as Chinese spinach. Other names most commonly used are en choy (Cantonese) and bayam (Indonesian and Malay). When selecting this vegetable, look for young amaranth with stems that snap easily and do not bend. Edible amaranth is also great eaten raw mixed in salads.

Usually, this dish is prepared in a broth made with dried anchovies and shrimp. I like this dish primarily because it is such a clean tasting soup.

Amaranth Soup Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 bundle of edible amaranth
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 3 slices of ginger, julienned
• a small handful of wolfberries
• 3 cups of stock (or water)

Seasoning and oils

• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp mushroom seasoning
• sea salt to taste

Directions

1. In a wok over medium-high heat, heat sesame oil. When oil has heated, stir-fry garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 1 min.
2. Add stock to wok. When broth begins to simmer, add mushroom seasoning, wolfberries and season with salt.
3. Add amaranth to simmering broth and cover wok allowing it to simmer until amaranth wilts, about 2 mins.
4. Check seasoning and serve immediately.

Serves 2 people.

Curried Egg Scramble

For some reason, whenever I see long beans at the market, I'd immediately think of it with eggs. I probably have my mother to thank for putting those two ingredients together in my head as this recipe is a variation of a dish she makes which is a sort of a Chinese omelet with long beans. The long beans give a nice crunch to this egg dish and goes well with hot rice. 

When you make this dish, do remember to turn the heat off right before the eggs completely set to give it better flavour.

Curried Egg Scramble Recipe

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• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of chopped long beans
• 1 king oyster mushroom, diced
  
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Seasoning and oils

• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• salt to taste

Directions

1. In a bowl, beat eggs with sesame oil and soy sauce. Set aside.
2. In a wok over high heat, heat cooking oil until hot. Stir-fry garlic for 10 secs.
3. Toss in chopped long beans and king oyster mushrooms and stir-fry until longs beans turn bright green and mushrooms are tender, about 1-2 mins. Season with salt.
4. Add curry powder to vegetables and continue to stir-fry until ingredients are evenly coated. About 1 minute.
5. Pour in egg mixture and stir-fry, tossing vigorously, for 1 more minute.

Serves 2 people.

Spicy Organic Seaweed Noodle Topped With Garlic Crisps

I was so hungry and had nothing in my fridge except a bag of green beans and a packet of organic seaweed noodle. It's really tough grocery shopping for one and I love varieties. So when you're stuck with the same ingredients in your fridge for 3 straight days what do you do? You play with seasonings! Hehe

Organic Seaweed Spicy Noodle Topped With Garlic Crisps Recipe

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• Organic seaweed noodle cake
  
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  
• 1/2 cup green bean

Seasoning and oils

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp ghee or 1 cube butter
  
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
  
• 3 dashes chillie flakes
• 1 tbsp Braggs liquid aminos/ soya sauce
  
• Sea salt to taste
  

Directions

1. Boil seaweed noodle cake till soft, strain.
   
2. Heat oils in pan.
   
3. Saute garlic till golden brown, remove from pan.
   
4. Add in curry powder and chillie flakes and saute briefly.
5. Add in green bean, stir fry for 2 mins then add liquid aminos and salt.
6. Turn off heat and throw in noodles, give it a good stir.
   
7. Garnish with garlic crisps
   

Serves 1

Dhall Curry With Multi-grain Brown Rice

This was an experimental dish that turned out pretty delicious and perfect if you're cooking for one person.

Dhall Curry With Multi-Grain Brown Rice Recipe

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Ingredients 1

• 1.5 ltr water
  
• 1/2 cup lentils (dhall) and mung beans
  
• 1/2 cup organic multi grain brown rice (soak for 1/2 hr)
  
• 1/2 japanese cucumber
• 2 slices ginger, shreded
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup green beans
• 1 tsp curry powder
• A dash of Braggs liquid aminos
• Sea salt to taste

Ingredients 2

• 1 tbsp ghee
  
• 5 curry leaves
• 2 dried chillies, roughly broken into few pieces
  
• 1 large onion, sliced
  

Directions

1. Put ingredients 1 into a deep pan over medium heat for 1hr. Depending on the multi grain, some takes longer to cook than others, just make sure it's really soft.
   
2. In a small wok or frying pan, saute ingredients 2 with ghee/ butter until onion turns golden.
3. When onion is golden, mix in lentils and cook for 5 mins.
   

Serves 1

Steamed Egg Custard with Tofu

This is very similar to chawanmushi, steamed egg custard served in little teacups, you often get at Japanese restaurants.

Every home has a version of this steamed egg recipe. For instance, my grandmother likes putting sweet pickled radishes in her steamed eggs. You can really add anything you like in it - sauteed mushrooms, pieces of cooked meat, seafood or nothing at all. Divide the mixture into individual bowls or serve family style in one large bowl.

Steamed Egg Custard with Tofu Recipe

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• 2 eggs
• 1 package of silken tofu, cut into small squares or chunks
• 1 cup of stock or water
  
• a few stalks of chopped scallions

Seasoning and oils

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin (Japanese cooking rice wine)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil

Directions

1. Lightly beat eggs and add 1 cup of water.
2. Strain egg and water mixture into a bowl.
3. Stir in soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil and add tofu chunks into mixture. Sprinkle chopped scallions over mixture and cover bowl with a lid or aluminium foil.
4. On high-heat, bring water in steamer to a boil then turn the heat down to medium-low.
5. Steam egg mixture until it forms into a custard, about 25-30mins. To check if custard is cooked, insert a toothpick or chopstick and it should come out clean when removed.

Serves about 3 people.

Spaghetti with Asian Mushrooms

I love making pasta dishes. Besides pasta being an easy one plate meal, I especially like how simple and versatile it is.  As long as you have fresh ingredients and a bottle of really good olive oil, there's no way you can go wrong.

Here's a pasta recipe that melds east and west. It isn't always practical making a pasta dish just like how the Italians do it when those wonderful mediterranean ingredients just aren't available here on the Asian side of the planet (well, there are, but it's way too expensive), so why not make it with the delicious vegetables we already have?

Spaghetti with Asian Mushrooms Recipe

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• 1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
  
• 1 cup chopped oyster mushrooms
  
• 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
  
• 1 small tomato, diced
  
• 1 large green chili, diced (or bell pepper)
  
• 2 stalks of elephant garlic, finely chopped (can be substituted with leeks and/or garlic)
  
• Spaghetti for 2 people
  

Seasoning and oils

• 2 tbsp of ghee (clarified butter)
  
• 5 tbsp of olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  
• salt and black pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Put a pot of water to boil for cooking spaghetti.
   
2. Place pan or wok over high heat and heat ghee until hot. Toss in elephant garlic (reserve some for later use) and mushrooms and stir-fry/sautee.
   
3. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper and cook until liquid from mushrooms have evaporated. Dish up mushrooms and set aside.
   
4. In the same pan or wok, lower heat to medium-low and add olive oil (do not allow oil to burn).
   
5. Toss into pan or wok diced tomatoes, chili peppers and the remaining elephant garlic. Cook until tomatoes have soften and chili peppers are fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.
   
6. Turn off heat and add the cooked mushrooms and chopped cilantro to tomato mixture. Stir and combine well.
   
7. When spaghetti is al-dente, drain and pour the cooked pasta into the pan and give a good stir.
   
8. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil.
   

Serves about 2 people.

Ginger Wine Soup With Rice Noodle

This is a quick no fuss meal.

Ginger wine soup with rice noodle recipe

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• 4 stalks of chinese cabbage, sliced
• White crab mushroom
• 1 1/2 inch ginger, stripped (can you tell I love ginger?)
• Rice noodle for 2
• 1 ltr of water

Seasonings and oils

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp of mushroom seasoning (or any vegetarian stock seasoning)
• salt or Braggs liquid aminos to taste

Directions

1. Boil ginger in water for 10 mins on low heat
2. Add in rice noodle and mushroom and boil until noodle is cooked
3. Add seasonings and oil

Serves 2 people

Stir-fried celery with walnuts

I recently bought too much walnuts. I can be such a sucker for bargains - if you buy nuts in bulk, you can get them for a pretty good deal at the market. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I've been looking for ways to finish them off quick before they begin to get moldy.

This dish would go well with any type of nut. I think roasted cashews would work especially well. As with all stir-fries, it is best served with a bowl of hot rice.

Stir-fried celery with walnuts recipe

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• 3 stalks of celery, sliced into 1" strips
  
• 1 red italian sweet pepper or red bell pepper, sliced
  
• a handful of walnuts
  
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  
• 1/2 cup of water
  

Seasonings and oils

• 2 tbsp sesame oil
  
• 1 tsp of mushroom seasoning (or any vegetarian stock seasoning)
  
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Toast walnuts in a pan until fragrant. Set aside.
   
2. In a wok over medium-high flame, heat sesame oil until hot but not smoking.
   
3. Add garlic and toss for a few seconds, then add celery, peppers and walnuts. Toss for 1 minute.
   
4. Add mushroom seasoning, salt and pepper and some water. Toss and allow it to simmer for about a minute, until celery is tender.
   
5. Dish up and serve.
   

Serves 2 people

Hot and Spicy Crunch

Lemon grass, galangal root and lime leaves, the trio of flavors is the most favored ingredient in Thai cooking. Though lemon grass is easy to find, galangal root and lime leaves are not so easy. They can be substituted with ginger root and lime juice.

Hot and Spicy Crunch Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 baby corn sliced
• 4 water chesnut peeled and quartered
• 1/2 carrot cut into strips
• 10 green pea pod halved
  
• 3 kaffir lime leaf daun jeruk
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Chillie Paste
If using mortar and pestle, pound Group A till ingredients are mushy then add Group B and pound until smooth.

• 2 tablespoon grapeseed oil or any cooking oil of your choice

(Group A)

• 4 fresh large chillies
• 1 inch galangal lengkuas
• 1 inch ginger root
• 2 sticks lemongrass serai
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• Salt to taste

(Group B)

• 5 cloves garlic
• 5 small shallots

Directions

1. Pound the chillie paste ingredients with a mortar and pestle till soft. Alternatively you can use a blender but it's not going to give you that juicy, elegantly textured and flavorful paste compared to the good old granite.
2. In a wok or a small, heavy skillet, dry-fry the chilie paste over medium-low heat until they darken and become fragrant, 3 mins, stir frequently.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients in and stir fry for a further 5 mins. Dish out into a black claypot and serve with steamed fragrant Siamese rice.

Serves 2 - 3 person

White bean stew with burdock

At the grocery store the other day, the produce guy was bailing out stalks and stalks of burdock which was on sale. I bought several stalks because I just can't resist a freshly stacked pile of anything that might be good. I got home and unloaded the burdock on the counter and realised I had no idea what to do with this root vegetable.

I've heard of burdock before. I knew it was used in Chinese cooking and I've probably had it when my mum makes her herbal concoctions for me, but I've never cooked with it before. A quick look on wikipedia revealed that burdock has many medicinal properties and is widely used in Asian cooking.

The most obvious solution for me was to put it in a stew and it worked out well. The burdock gave my stew an Asian flair and added sweetness to the broth. Great served on a cold day with a big piece of crusty bread.

White Bean Stew with Burdock Recipe

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• 1 cup of white beans
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 small potato, diced
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 1 cup of leek, sliced
• 1 cup burdock, diced
• 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
• 3-4 cups of stock
• Toasted pine nuts to garnish (or you could use grated cheese)

Seasoning and oils

• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp ghee (optional)
• crushed red pepper flakes for garnishing
  
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. The night before, soak white beans in a bowl of lukewarm water overnight.
   
2. In a soup pot, heat oil over medium low heat and saute onions until slightly translucent. Add diced potatoes and ginger. Continue to cook until onions have caramalized and potatoes are browned.
3. Add soaked white beans, carrots, leek, burdock and give a good stir. Then add stock, bay leaf and some salt and pepper . Cover pot and let it simmer until beans are tender. About 1 - 1.5 hours.
4. When beans are about done, add cabbage and check the seasoning. Allow to simmer for 15 more mins. Turn off heat and let the stew rest for about 20 mins before serving.

Serves 2 - 4 people

Egg Salad Sandwich

Egg salad sandwiches are simple and satisfying. So it's saddening when I pay good money at a cafe for two sad pieces of bread with some mashed egg in the middle and a few slices of soggy cucumbers.

Well, there isn't much else I can say about the humble egg salad sandwich. It's just good!

Ru likes her egg salad with:

• 2 hardboiled eggs
• finely chopped red onion, carrots, cucumbers and cilantro
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp cream cheese
• pinch of crushed red pepper
  
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste