Geetha's Kitchen

Healing Soup is based on the fact that the combination of carrots, celery, parsley and spinach is very healing and promotes vitality. It has all the nutrients one needs and is easily digestible. The creaminess of the dal and the grated veggies make for a soft and soothing soup. Although it will not be as nutritious, this soup is equally good without the dal/barley as well. Ingredients: 1/4 cup Barley 1 cup yellow Mung dal 4 sprigs fresh Thyme 1 sprig Sage 2 sprigs Marjoram 1 small stalk Celery, finely chopped 4 medium Carrots, grated 1 large bunch Parsley, chopped 1 bunch Spinach, chopped 1 large Potato, grated 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 small bunch Garlic Chives or green onions 2 coin sized slices of Ginger, minced 2 medium Zucchini, grated 1 cup Corn kernels, fresh/frozen 1 tsp Turmeric 1 clove Garlic, crushed Sea Salt to taste 1 tsp Sambar Powder 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil Freshly ground Black Pepper Lime/Lemon wedges to serve (optional) Method: Sort the dal and barley f...

You don't have to be Irish to enjoy Soda Bread :D! This is a delicious vegan version of the soda bread that Kate bakes for her family on St. Patrick's day. The original recipe called for eggs and buttermilk. I took the liberty of "vegan"-izing the recipe so even our vegan friends could enjoy it and on a whim added orange juice and zest. It is actually quite good and everyone (including non-vegan friends) loved it :D! This is no dry, crumbly soda bread; the orange juice, zest, and the cranberries make Soda Bread quite moist and delicious. It may be served warm on its own, with Deepa's Strawberry Jam or other preserves, or as a dinner accompaniment for Irish Stoup (sic) - this is not a typo but a word to denote a combination of stew/soup. Note: A microplane is a very handy tool for zesting the orange - hold the trough side of the microplane up to process and the zest will collect into the trough without falling everywhere and creating a mess. Ingredients: 3 cu...

Deepa sent this recipe in her Thathi's memory; Thathi was always game to try new fruits or veggies and would have loved this beautiful jam. Strawberry jam is quick and easy to prepare - it is ready in minutes! Fresh strawberries are incomparable for exuding the essence of spring but if fresh strawberries are unavailable, use frozen. It is delicious as a topping for biscuits, muffins, scones, etc. Ingredients: 1 box of Fresh Strawberries (2 cups), diced 2 Tbsp Butter 3-4 Tbsp Sugar Method: Heat butter and sugar together in a small pan until melted. Stir in the strawberries, mix well and cook covered over low heat for about 5 minutes. Serve hot over pancakes or spread on toast. Enjoy! :D

This delicious chili-tomato chutney just might replace ketchup and other condiments! You can use ready-made ground red pepper or grind up red chilies in the coffee/spice grinder to make fresh chili powder for this. Chili-Tomato Chutney is delicious served with bajjis , sandwiches, roasted vegetables, vegetable cutlets, corn cakes , etc. Keeshu loves a dollop of it on his fried rice! Ingredients: 1 Tbsp Oil 3 Shallots, minced 3 large cloves Garlic, minced fine 1/2 tsp Sea Salt or to taste 1 Tbsp Red Chile Powder 3 fresh Tomatoes, pureed Method: Heat the oil in a small pan over low/medium heat and cook the garlic and shallots with a pinch of salt gently until they are lightly colored but not really browned. Mix in the chili powder and cook for just a few seconds. Add the tomato puree, stir well, and simmer over low heat until sauce thickens for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and serve hot, cool or cold. Keep any leftovers in a clean jar in the fridge. Enjoy!

Upma can be baked instead of the traditional stove-top method! The procedure is the same as in preparing the traditional Upma up to cooking the veggies; then just put everything in a casserole and bake! You can use the hands-free time to attend to other duties in the kitchen. For a delicious change of pace or a gluten-free treat, upma can be made with polenta instead of the traditional cream of wheat. Polenta (coarse corn meal) is usually available in most markets; cream of wheat, Chana Dal, Urad dal, asafoetida, curry leaves and mustard seeds, etc are readily available in Indian markets. Carrots, corn kernels, bell peppers, peas, green beans, potatoes, zucchini, etc will work well. 4 Servings Ingredients: 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 Tbsp Ghee (clarified butter) OR Earth Balance (butter substitute) 1/4 tsp Brown Mustard seeds 1 Tbsp Chana dal 1 Tbsp Urad dal 1 pinch Asafetida (Hing) 1 Tbsp fresh Ginger, 2 or 3 coin sized slices 1 or 2 green Chilies (Serrano or Jalapen...

Tomato Pachadi is easy to prepare; it takes just minutes. It adds sparkle to a simple meal especially if the dishes are mild flavored. Tomato pachadi is delicious with sandwiches, upma, dosa, yogurt rice, all types of dals, molagutal, poricha kuzhambu, etc. I used hot Serrano chilies; you can use other chilies - even milder ones or make it hotter by adding more hot chilies. Ingredients: 4 ripe Tomatoes, coarsely chopped 2 hot green chilies, cut into thick slices 1/2 tsp Sea Salt a few curry leaves, chopped 1 tsp oil 1 pinch brown mustard seeds 1 small pinch fenugreek seeds 1 tiny pinch asafetida Method: Heat the oil in a stainless steel pan. Add the mustard and fenugreek seeds. When the seeds pop and become fragrant, quickly add asafoetida and then the green chilies and stir. Be careful when adding green chilies as the moisture in them might sizzle and splatter when they come in contact with the hot oil. Stir in the tomatoes and the sal...

Poricha Kuzhambu is a comforting classic stew served over steamed plain rice. This nutritious and delicious everyday fare can also be served with other grains such as Quinoa, couscous, soft polenta, Bulgar, etc or chapatis. Poricha Kuzhambu is somewhat similar to Molakootal , another classic stew we loved while growing up. Traditionally Poricha Kuzhambu is prepared in two basic ways: with or without tamarind; but then there are many variations - with Toor/Mung dal or a combo of the two, with Sambar Powder, with raw or roasted spices, with/without fresh or toasted coconut, thick/thin, with fewer vegetables or a mixture etc, etc. Whoa, that's a lot to think about! Whichever of the endless variations you are inclined to make, the basic ingredients needed are: dal and a few veggies. The traditional favorites for making poricha kuzhambu without tamarind are: all types of mild flavored veggies such as summer squashes, moringa pods, carrots, green beans, green bananas, sprouted be...

Peppers and Onions ready for roasting Peperonata is simple but versatile as a filling, topping, or sauce for which you will find many uses. It is delicious as an appetizer on toasted breads and as a sauce for pasta, pizza, polenta, etc. I also make a tomato-less version especially suited for making sandwiches (less juicy = no sogginess). Peperonata is particularly beautiful when prepared with colorful peppers - red, yellow, orange and green; I typically use red, orange and yellow. Ingredients: 8 Assorted colors of Bell Peppers (Capsicums) 2 Red Onions, slivered 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tsp Sea Salt or to taste 1 clove Fresh Garlic, minced 2 small sprigs Fresh Marjoram, chopped a handful of Fresh Basil, torn 1/4 cup Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes 4 large Tomatoes Method: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry the peppers; remove seeds, stems, and pale colored ribs inside. Slice into strips lengt...