Tag: Tomato

Panzanella – Italian Bread Salad

Refreshing and flavoursome Italian bread salad
08/14/2016 4:06:58 PM vindhyadesai

Whenever we think of Italian food only pizzas and pasta cross our minds. Fresh Italian food is so much more than that. They give importance to fresh ingredients, local produce, Italian plum tomatoes for instance are the most flavoursome tomatoes I have ever eaten. We might not be able to procure ingredients from various places all the time but fresh vegetables that we get locally and seasonally are always the best. This salad is very simple, very tasty yet looks quite exotic. Fresh vegetables with a refreshing vinaigrette poured over bread cubes makes it quite filling yet light. This Italian salad is Dish 2 part of the World Cuisine Series all this week on Food Of Interest! ... “Panzanella – Italian Bread Salad”

Turai | Ridge gourd gravy

Easy ridge gourd/turai/heerekayi side dish for rotis/phulkas
07/30/2016 4:47:50 PM vindhyadesai

A simple gravy made with turai/ridge gourd/heerekayi. There is something about turai, I love the earthy smell and taste of turai. Here’s a simple North Indian style gravy to highlight the simplicity and taste of turai. I had tried this recipe from ‘Everyday cooking from Nita Mehta’ years ago and I love this recipe everytime I make it. An easy lunch box idea with rotis/phulkas or chapathis. ... “Turai | Ridge gourd gravy”

Bisi Bele Bhaat | Bisi Bele Bhath | How to make bisi bele bhaat

Favourite and festive bisi bele bhaat
06/27/2016 9:27:47 PM vindhyadesai

Bisi Bele Bhaat (BBB) is the default dish for a big function like weddings in South Karnataka. It is a crowd favourite dish and made for most festivals and grand celebrations. It is a thick rice and lentils dish with loads of vegetables, fragrant spices and topped with cashews and groundnuts. Very filling and super tasty, generally served with masala corn flakes, potato chips and mixed raitha. Use freshly made masala and your BBB will be a hit. BBB is probably one of those dishes which people like it best when homemade rather than hotel style. Not many restaurants serve good bisi bele bhaat. So, why not try making it at home.
There are quite a few steps, keeping everything organized makes it easy without making you feel overwhelmed. Make dry BBB masala previous day or first thing before starting bisi bele bhaat. I have learnt this recipe from many people each with their own proportions for masala but credit has to go to my friend’s mother who gave me her handwritten recipe which I tried with some variations. Enjoy! ... “Bisi Bele Bhaat | Bisi Bele Bhath | How to make bisi bele bhaat”

Tamatar Kaju Paneer

Lightly toasted paneer pieces in a thick creamy tomato cashew gravy
05/01/2016 12:34:59 PM vindhyadesai

A thick and creamy gravy made from tomatoes with lightly toasted soft paneer pieces to accompany rotis or naans. Tomatoes form a base for most gravies and generally never get highlighted. Thick, red, tangy and juicy, tomatoes add body and volume to any gravy. Here I have exclusively used tomatoes for the paneer pieces to float in and absorb all the flavour and tanginess. ... “Tamatar Kaju Paneer”

Tomato Bhaat | Tomato Rice

Mildly fragrant and tangy tomato rice
04/16/2016 6:35:03 PM vindhyadesai

A tasty and flavourful rice for that busy working day. Easy to make and liked by most, tomato rice can be served with any raitha or just plain yogurt/curd. When I have excess tomatoes at home I always make tomato bhaat or tomato gojju both South Indian style. ... “Tomato Bhaat | Tomato Rice”

Cream of tomato soup

A bowlful of piping hot cream of tomato soup served with croutons
04/09/2016 10:09:10 PM vindhyadesai

A bowl of piping hot tomato soup has to be one of the most popular dishes on a cold winter night. I make this very often and we gulp it down with croutons or grilled cheese (grin). Make this for an early evening supper/dinner or serve it along with a starter during lunch. This one is surely a crowd favourite and is bound to go down well amongst kids. There are so many variations of tomato soup. It comes in the form of powder, canned tomato soup, fresh soup sold in containers, tomato soup cubes, tomato soup in cartons and many more. Why not make fresh tomato soup at home. Easy available ingredients and very simple to make. I have tried many variations of tomato soup. I like this variation from ‘thepioneerwoman’ especially the cheese croutons. ... “Cream of tomato soup”

Rajma Masala

Cream and smooth rajma in rich tomato gravy. Goes well with rotis, steamed or jeera rice
04/05/2016 11:00:51 PM vindhyadesai

One of my favourite comfort foods. I make this for a Sunday afternoon with rice and we also eat it for dinner with rotis. The gravy is tangy because of the tomatoes yet creamy because of the butter and cream. Sounds quite rich. But one can even skip adding the butter and cream, they’re totally optional.
Rajma or red kidney beans are originally from Mexico. They use it to make Mexican chilli dishes. Rajma is very popular in North India especially in Jammu and Kashmir which forms a staple part of their food. Rajma is very high in protein. The most important thing to remember while cooking rajma is to soak them for atleast 10-12 hours. I usually soak them for 24 hours to reduce cooking time. You can pressure cook them or boil them in water till done. ... “Rajma Masala”