Peanut Chutney

My daughter is a total peanut fan.  She eats peanuts roasted, fried, boiled, in salads, asks for them in lemon rice, or if I am not looking, she gobbles them even raw! A jar of peanuts are never safe around her. To the extent that she is called the ‘ Li’l monkey’ of the house. She pouts and sulks when called so, and that tickles her big brother. So he runs her insane by chanting ‘monkey, monkey monkey’. Her dad calls her his fav  cute Li’l monkey – that did not seem to appease her either.
And then one day, I made this peanut chutney. Obviously, you cannot see the peanuts in them cos they are ground! Guess what? Her dad loved the chutney so much, he asked me, “What chutney is this? It pairs so well with idli” . My daughter was delighted. She ran to her dad, and told him “You are my favourite big monkey now, cos you like peanuts too! This is peanut chutney!” All of us had a hearty laugh. And peanut chutney came to stay forever at our home.
There are many versions of peanut chutney made, here is my unique combination of ingredients. I often add some coriander leaves, or mint leaves, a clove of garlic or even curry leaves to the mixture and then blend it up. You could try those variations too.
You Need

1. Raw peanuts with skin – 1/2 cup
2. Coconut, grated – 2 tbsp
3. Onion – 1, medium sliced
4. Green chilli – 4, cut in halves
5. Tamarind pulp – 1 tsp
6. Salt – 1/2 tsp
7. Vegetable Oil – 1/2 tsp
8. Drinking water – 1/4 to 1/2 cup for grinding

For Seasoning -

1. Vegetable Oil – 1/4 tsp
2. Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
3. Urad dal – 1/4 tsp
4. Curry Leaves – 4-5

To Assemble

1. Take oil in a fry pan / wok / kadai, Heat it.
2. Add whole peanuts to it, fry for 2 –3 minutes.
3. Next, tip in green chilli cut in halves, followed by onion slices, last comes the tamarind.
4. Fry well over medium to high flame, for 2-3 minutes more. Do not burn the ingredients. Stop frying when the peanuts look golden brown and the onions turn translucent.
5. Add salt and grated coconut to this mixture, switch off flame ( cool it if you have time) and blend in a mixie to a coarse-ish smooth paste. You may need to add some water, say 1/4 cup while grinding to get a thinner chutney.
6. Heat ingredients for seasoning, when the dal gets a warm golden hue, pour on top of chutney.
7. Enjoy with idli, dosa, use as sandwich spread, or even with hot steamed rice.

Please do read the allergy information before trying out this recipe, especially if you have never eaten peanuts in any form before or if you have noticed any other food allergy symptoms too.
IMPORTANT ALLERGY INFORMATION
Some people develop an allergy to several nuts including peanuts. Symptoms may range from itching around mouth or throat, skin reactions, digestive disturbances, or more serious symptoms like breathing trouble too. In such situations, please stay away from peanuts in all forms – whether raw, boiled, roasted or fried. However, refined peanut oil seems to be tolerated even by people with peanut allergy. Still, do consult with your doctor before attempting to include peanuts in your diet.
PEANUT NUTRITION INFORMATION
Peanuts are a high energy food, most of the energy coming from fats and protein. As we know, all fat is not bad fat, peanuts are cholesterol free, have omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.
To give a better picture, the total fats in 100 gms of raw peanuts is 49 gms, of which monounsaturated fats are 24 gms and polyunsaturated fats are 15 gms, while the saturated fats in peanuts are only 6 gms. They also have a high content of Omega 6 fatty acids – 15 gms / 100 gms.This makes it a valuable ‘good fat source’ in vegetarian diets.
Peanuts are also known to prevent cancer, help in weight control in moderate amounts and also have very valuable anti oxidants which have the heart health benefits and also prevent stroke. Regular consumption of peanuts also helps in preventing Alzheimer’s.
Peanuts are an inexpensive, ready to eat protein source, go ahead and enjoy it’s benefits.

Basalle soppu Kootu

 

Basella alba or Basale soppu as it is known in Kannada, is a very nutritious green leafy vegetable. It grows up to a height of even 10 metres! This green leafy vegetable has amazing uses.

Health Benefits of Basella alba

1. Topical anti inflammatory, anti fungal – helps to reduce freckles, treat acne, heal skin ulcers and reduce skin inflammation. Leaf juice mixed with butter used to heal burns, wounds.
2. Decoction of leaves used as mild laxative, cooked roots used to control diarhoea
3. Used to treat Pelvic inflammatory disease, sterility, threatened abortion, false labour
4. In Africa, roots and leaves used for reducing stomach pain after childbirth, and to increase mother’s milk.
5. The mucus from leaves if applied as a pack on forehead removes headaches and improves sleep, so used in Ayurveda for insomnia.
6. To treat Vitamin A deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia
7. The leaf has anti-oxidants - Beta Carotene, Xea Xanthin. This helps in free radical scavenging, hence has benefit on ageing or cancer cure.

It lends itself to a delicious stir fry or ‘bhaji’, or tambli in Marathi cuisine,or to basale soppu saaru in Kannada cuisine. Here is my attempt to make a Tamil style kootu with these very healthy greens. You Need

1. Baselle Soppu – trimmed leaves, 4 heaped cups
2. Red Onion – 3 medium or 2 big, peel and chop fine
3. Tuvar dal – 3/4 cup, pressure cooked until soft
4. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
5. Grated fresh coconut – 1 tbsp
6. Green chilli – 1 or 2 depending on heat preference
7. Salt – 2 heaped tsp
8. Sugar – 2 big pinches
9. Fresh water – 1/2 cup

For seasoning

1. Any vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
3. Urad Dal – 2 tbsp
4. Dry red chilli – 1 –2 torn into halves

To Assemble

1. Wash the greens in several  changes of water until no trace of grits, sand or mud remains! I dunk the trimmed greens into my kitchen sink. This way, I can wash them very quickly. Drain for 10 minutes in a large colander. Chop them coarse. We do not want a slimy paste while chopping them fine.
2. Pressure cook the tuvar dal with turmeric powder until soft and mushy.
3. Whiz the fresh coconut with the trimmed green chilli to a coarse mixture. Do not add any water while blending, just dry whiz.
4. Heat oil in a wok / kadhai / fry pan.
5. Sizzle the mustard and urad dal; when dal browns, add the torn red chilli.
6. Tip in the diced onions, fry well for several minutes over high flame, keep stirring to avoid burning.
7. When the onions have changed from pink to translucent and light brown, toss in the chopped greens. Toss the pan well to incorporate the seasoning oil into the greens. After you see some wilt, add  sugar, half a cup of water and cook uncovered.               
8. The greens are usually done in 7-10 minutes depending on flame and quantity. Now add the cooked dal, coconut mixture, and salt. Mix well over medium flame to blend all components together.
9. Best served with steamed rice and a spicy sambar or tangy rasam.

Black Eyed Bean Salad

A very Happy New Year to all readers of Healthy Slurps. There is something about the air during New Year which is very invigorating and refreshing. Goodwill, cheer, positivity abound in everyone’s heart during this season. Here is my first recipe for this year which has packed in it, all the love and cheer of this season.
To kick start this New Year with more healthy recipes, here is a salad that I assembled today. As I have mentioned earlier, salads are created with available produce at my home without sticking to any recipe. The reason I am documenting them here is to share the recipe with myself as much as with all of you. For I find myself at a loss to remember all ingredients when I want to recreate that last great salad.


You Need

1. Black eyed beans ( Lobia ) – 1 cup, soaked for at least an hour
2. Cucumber – 1
3. Red Onion – 1 medium
4. Roma Tomato – 2 medium
5. Iceberg Lettuce – Roughly torn and measure 2 cups

For Dressing

1. Red Wine Vinegar – 2 tbsp
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 8 tbsp
3. Crushed Black Pepper – 1 tsp
4. Salt – 1 tsp
5. Granulated Sugar – 1 tsp

To Assemble

1. Whisk all ingredients for dressing together in a bowl.( I used a fork to whisk them,) quite simple really. Set aside.
2. Peel the lettuce leaves from the head and immerse in ice cold water.
3. Pressure cook the soaked beans until just done. I pressure cooked them by simmering the flame for 5 minutes after the cooker gave out the first whistle.
4. Peel and chop the other three salad ingredients in the same shapes – go with dice, slice or cubes. The only rule is to be uniform. That does give the salad a good appearance.
5. Drain the water from the cooked beans, if any. Do not discard but use in soup, sambar, or as cooking liquid for any vegetable too.
6. Toss all the ingredients and the dressing together in a suitable large bowl.
7. Chill for half an hour and serve.

Peanut and Peanut Butter

 

Peanuts / Groundnuts have been used in several cuisines in India and we do have a rich repertoire of dishes with peanuts. Who does not like Sabudana khichdi topped with roasted peanuts? Or peanut sundal or peanut chutney? Or what can beat the joy of munching on a peanut chikki square?

Peanut butter, on the other hand, is a recent entrant in India. United States leads in peanut butter production. Interestingly, India is the second largest producer of peanuts in the world and United States grows just a third of India’s peanut crop!

Health benefits of Peanuts

• Peanuts have high protein content (highest among nuts). It is a valuable source of protein.
• Peanuts are good for your heart. They contain anti-oxidants (even more than in fruits) and zero cholesterol.
• According to a popular myth “peanuts have too much fat.” The fact is more than 75% of the fat in peanuts is “good fat”,(MUFA and PUFA) needed for body functions, keeps heart healthy and maintains normal body weight.
• Roasted or boiled peanuts are great. However, fried peanuts are not. Fried peanuts have trans fats, hence not advised.
• High in fibre, higher than other edible nuts such as almond, cashew, pistachio, and walnuts. Also has Vitamins B & E, Manganese, and Magnesium.

Benefits of Peanut Butter

Peanut butter has both health and convenience benefits.

• Given the health benefits of peanuts, it is healthier than other table spreads such as cheese spread, butter, margarine, and jam.
• In a vegan / vegetarian diet, peanut butter can help fill in the gap of protein requirement.
• In a person who has normal body weight and is physically active, peanut butter is a healthy option as part of balanced meal.
• For sports people, peanut butter is a great energy-protein-fat source.
• Peanut butter was promoted as a super food in the United States about 100 years ago to feed starving people.

It is convenient in multiple ways. With its creamy spreadable consistency, it satisfies hunger with minimum bulk to a meal. It is a ready-to-eat food available in a jar. It has a long shelf life and needs no refrigeration. Hence it can be used on road trips, outdoor camping, etc. Peanut butter lends itself to several sweet or savoury meal options such as PBJ sandwiches, or as dip when combined with condiments, or as satay sauce, or salad dressing.

Caution before consuming peanuts and peanut butter

! If you are allergic to peanuts or any nuts, DO NOT consume peanuts or peanut butter. It can have mild to serious health consequences.

! If you are on a weight loss diet or on a special diet for kidney ailments, peanut consumption has to be carefully monitored.

! Presence of aflatoxins in peanuts can cause serious digestive disorders. Hence, always purchase peanuts and peanut butter from reliable sources.

Afterword

Recently I attended the “Health Workshop on Peanut Butter” conducted by Agro Tech Foods (makers of Sundrop brand of food products) at Bangalore . Dr. Swarupa Kakani, well-known nutritionist and head of Dietetics Department at Sagar Hospital, Bangalore led the workshop.

This inspired me to independently research nutritional value of peanuts and peanut butter. This post presents my views along with some of the material presented at the workshop.

Here are some recipes shared by Agro Tech foods with us at the workshop.

Apple, peanut butter, Granola sandwich

Ingredients

Any variety apple – 1 cored and sliced horizontally

Peanut Butter – 2 tbsp

Low fat Granola – 1/2 cup

Method

Spread1 tbsp peanut butter over an apple slice. Sprinkle some granola over the peanut butter.Top with another apple slice or serve as open – faced sandwich.

Peanut Butter Milk shake

Ingredients

Peanut Butter – 1 tbsp

Jam – 2 tsp (optional)

Milk – 1 cup

Vanilla Ice cream – 1 scoop

Method

Add all ingredients except ice cream to a blender. Whip until frothy.

Transfer to a glass. Top with Ice cream and serve.

Sweet Corn and Pomegranate Salad

Ingredients for a salad are never fixed at my home. Assembling a salad is a flexible exercise, often involving the bringing together of whatever is available in the fridge, and finishing it off with a dressing, which is most often a citrus-y one. This salad too was created similarly with foods present at hand. Sweet corn kernels and juicy pomegranate do a pretty tango here, with some worthy add-ons such as red onion and grated carrot thrown in to merrily add to the colour riot. I’ve noticed quite often that my kids need no coaxing to try a salad that is as vibrant in colour as this one.
Apart from being loaded with Beta Carotene from the vegetables and anti oxidants from the fruit, salads help to increase the dietary fibre of our daily meal.
As per the recommendations of the National Institute of Nutrition, an adult person must have 40 gm. of fibre in a day, which includes soluble and insoluble fibre. Dietary fibre is needed for

1. Proper bowel function,
2. To prevent Haemorrhoids
3. To prevent Coronary heart disease
4. To control diabetes and obesity
5. To reduce plasma cholesterol
6. To protect against colon cancer.

Salads are the tastiest way to consume fibre in a meal. In addition, they provide colour, texture and variety resulting in a satisfying meal experience.
Go ahead and make this salad for yourself and share it with me too!
You Need

1. Sweet corn kernels – 1/2 cup
2. Pomegranate pearls – 1/2 cup
3. Carrot grated – 1/4 cup
4. Roma tomato, diced fine – 1 medium tomato

 For the dressing

1. Salt – 1/4 tsp
2. Pinch of sugar
3. Juice of 1 medium lemon
4. Crushed black pepper – 1/4 tsp OR Green chilli – 1 minced fine
5. Red onion, diced fine – 2 level tbsp

To Assemble

1. Steam the sweet corn kernels for 2 minutes in the microwave at high power. Set aside.
2. Remove the pomegranate pearls from the fruit, keep aside.
3. Combine all ingredients for dressing, mix well with a fork.
4. Bring all ingredients for salad together, toss well with the dressing.
5. Chill for half an hour in the fridge in a covered bowl.
6. Serve along with warm pulkas or freshly grilled garlic bread or as a side with tadka dal and steamed rice.

Spaghetti Kitchen’s Gusto d’Italia ~ Review

Italian cuisine is a hot favourite in our home. Last week, I received an invite to review the new lunch buffet menu at the Spaghetti Kitchen and agreed with great pleasure.
The restaurant has introduced the ‘Gusto d’ Italia’ – a scrumptious lunch and dinner buffet. The festival has come to Bangalore starting September 25th, after seeing great success in Chandigarh where it was first launched. The invite proudly stated that “Spaghetti Kitchen has bagged the Times Food Award in Best Italian Restaurant at Kolkata and Bangalore 2011”. This sounded promising, and I was eager to sample the newly launched buffet menu.
Overview
The buffet menu is exhaustive. With three rotating menus and great options to choose from each, one can truly indulge in plenty more than pizzas and pasta. At prices of Rs. 399 for the vegetarian and Rs. 449 for the non vegetarian lunch buffet, and with slightly higher prices for the dinner buffet, this is a fabulous Value For Money option. I have reviewed only the vegetarian menu.
Non–vegetarians do have ample choices from the menu. I found an equal distribution of vegetarian and non-vegetarian selection


Location and Ambience  10 /10
The Spaghetti Kitchen chain has secured a great location opposite the Forum Mall at Koramangala. Once inside, the large windows, cheerful home-like decor, and airy ambience look very inviting.





Upon Arrival  9 /10
Fresh ciabatta bread with dips and olives set the ball rolling. The smoked tomato soup with basil was just perfect. Diners have the option of custom-assembling fresh salads from the salad bar. I loved the freshness of the salad veggies and the choice of dressings on offer. I also enjoyed the fresh Caprese salad served at the salad counter.




Drinks  7/10
With the on-going Martini Festival, and Millers Time Bonus (ask your server for ongoing offers), tipplers have a choice. There were good mocktail options as well. I sampled the Orange and Peach Virgin Martini – fresh flavours and an unusual combination! Surprisingly, I could not locate a wine list.


 
Antipasti  8/10
Among the starters, I sampled the Parmesan Cream cheese potatoes, the Sicilian Garlic Cottage Cheese and Eggplant Parmiggiana. The Eggplant Parmiggiana was clearly the best. Nothing extraordinary about the potatoes or the garlic cottage cheese. I missed out sampling the risotto; well, reason to visit again!



Entrees  9 /10
I had thin crackling crust pizza served fresh at the table, by the slice – great when we do not want cold pizza slices waiting for their turn!
I was spoilt for choice with Fettuccine Pesto, Penne Arrabiata, Veg Lasagna and the Chef’s signature Penne Vodka (from the special cook-off held on that day), and sampled them all. It was difficult to pick a favourite from these dishes. In this four-way tie, the Fettuccine Pesto would win for the freshness and flavour of the pesto! Spinach and cheese stuffed ravioli in a tomato sauce was delectable too.



Desserts  6 /10
With each course outdoing the previous one, I had great expectations from the dessert menu! Too bad, only the Gelato and the Cassata lived up to my expectations. The Brownie was decent, not the best I’ve had; and I’ve been lucky to sample much better Tiramisu elsewhere.



The Cook-Off
The highlight of the day was the cook off by Chef Bill Marchetti.
Chef Bill Marchetti, previously with the ITC Group, has been the mastermind behind the Italian menus at Spaghetti Kitchen. He has lavished great attention to detail and opened up Italian cuisine far beyond Pizzas and Pasta for the Indian diner.
The Chef livened the scene with his humour, candour and enthusiasm. In what seemed like child’s play, he demonstrated three dishes – Spaghetti Amatriciana with Bacon, Fettuccine con Pesto and his signature Penne Vodka. All through the demo, the Chef was generous with his cooking tips and advice. ”Start with boiling pasta correctly. Use 1 litre water and 10 gm salt for every 100 gm dry pasta. Boil until al dente, drain, and do not rinse the pasta.” And more …
I sampled the Fettuccine and the Penne – both were outstanding! The fresh basil, fragrant extra virgin olive, toasted pine nuts and the Parmesan in the pesto gave the pasta a fresh flavour!




Why Go To Spaghetti Kitchen?

• The spread of Italian Cuisine in Bangalore (or probably in India) cannot get better!
• Unbeatable prices for the awesome buffet spread.
• A great bonus is the wide vegetarian choice in the menu. Nowhere through the meal did I feel deprived of delectable vegetarian options.

Score card – On a scale of 1 to 10
Hygiene  9 / 10
Food  8 / 10
Service  8 / 10
Value for Money  10 / 10
Suggestions

• Please keep the good work going.
• Would love to see dessert choices that live up to other courses in the menu!

Location
Spaghetti Kitchen - At Hosur Road, Opposite Forum Mall at Koramangala.
Also at: 100 ft Road, Indira Nagar in Bangalore.
Special Thanks
Chef Bill Marchetti, for the lively cook off, for spending time with us and answering our queries on Italian cuisine patiently.
Sonia Praveen from PR Pundit for organising the day and helping with pictures too!

Corn dalia upma

 

A few months ago, I was browsing the aisles of my usual supermarket and found a new product. Always one up for trying anything new, I picked it up right away. Toying with several recipe ideas using the product, I finally decided to play safe and use it to make upma. Clicked pictures as usual and then put up a teaser on my facebook page inviting guesses on the ingredient used and the dish made. There were several close guesses. The first person to get the guess totally right was Lubna Karim who blogs at http://www.kitchenflavours.net. She was so happy to guess the correct ingredient with only the picture on the facebook page for a clue. I was awed by her guessing skills.

In honour, I am dedicating this blog post to Lubna Karim.

Lubna is a multi talented person, and so modest about it to boot. Loving wife, caring mom, super cook, amazing photographer, the list goes on…Lubna recently completed five years of food blogging - hearty congrats to you dear! Do head over to her blog for amazing recipes and pictures that entice you to try out each dish right away!

So the ‘new ingredient’ is Corn daliya – or Broken Corn Kernels similar to Broken Wheat. Also called corn grits in several parts of the world, it is either used to make polenta or cooked into a porridge. Here is how I used the corn frits to make upma that day. This quantity serves 5 - 6 people. Halve the measures to serve 2 – 3.

What’s good about Corn dalia?

Corn dalia, is a low cholesterol, low sodium cereal. Being gluten free, this dalia can replace wheat dalia in upma, khichdi, porridge or any dish – a boon for gluten intolerance disorders, such as Celiac diease, or even Malabsorption Syndrome.

Corn is a fair source of Calcium, Phosphorus and Iron too. The cereal has a better contribution to vitamin A and dietary fibre when compared to rice, wheat or oats.

You Need

1. Corn Dalia – 2 cups
2. Fresh drinking water – 6 cups
3. Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
4. Red onion – 1/2 cup, chopped
5. Tomato – 1 cup, chopped
6. Carrot – 1 cup, grated
7. Green chilli – 3 - 4 finely chopped
8. Ginger – chopped, 1 tbsp
9. Curry leaves – 8 -10, torn roughly
10. Mustard seeds – 1 heaped tsp
11. Urad dal – 2 heaped tsp
12. Salt – 2 level tsp

To Assemble

1. Clean, and prepare vegetables as mentioned in ingredients list.
2. Measure out 6 cups of water and set to boil.
3. Heat oil in a broad kadai / heavy bottomed pan.
4. Add mustard seeds and urad dal.
5. When mustard crackles, add green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, saute for a minute.
6. Add onions tomatoes and the carrot. Stir fry for a minute on high flame.
7. Pour the boiling water into the kadai, add salt.
8. When the water reaches a rolling boil, pour the measured corn dalia in a steady stream into the pan. Keep stirring steadily to avoid any lumps.
9. After all the dalia is incorporated into the water, simmer and cover the pan with a fitting lid. Let cook on the lowest flame for 12 – 14 minutes.
10. Fluff up and serve with onion raita or chutney of choice.

Notes

• Corn Dalia cooks for longer than wheat dalia, so the same upma can be assembled in a pressure cooker also.
• Other interesting uses could be in recipes like khichdi, bisi bele bhath, corn bread, porridge, soups.