Geetha's Kitchen

Stone Soup It is fun to make Stone Soup especially for a gathering. Everyone brings their favorite ingredient to add to the pot and shares the resulting soup. There is abundant soup for everyone to enjoy and lots for taking home too; win-win! I have made this "group soup" several times involving from about 15 to 30 individuals and although it varied, the soup turned out amazingly wonderful every time. I used every container that I could spare and once some people even went home to bring more containers so they could take home their share! Everyone was asked to bring about two cups of prepared vegetables, cooked beans, etc ready to add to the pot. If it was a small group, each one was asked to bring two ingredients; if it was a large group one was sufficient. Each brought their favorite, root, leaf, or above ground vegetables or those that started with the same initials as their first, middle, or last names, etc, etc. Make it as challenging or easy on your gues...

Simple Lemon Pickles These simple pickles are delicious with the wonderful flavors of hot green chilies and ginger. Young ginger is especially delightful and turns a lovely pink in the pickle. If you are not a ginger fan, just leave it out. Make it with just a couple of lemons or more, it takes just a few minutes to prepare and keeps well in the fridge. Once you taste these pickles, you'll want to keep a constant supply ready to serve. Just from my description of these pickles, one of my colleagues (who had never tasted Indian food until last year) was inspired to make them. Now you should see Nancy's snack/lunch - crackers spread with cream cheese with a healthy serving of lemon pickles on top :P! Lemons with their sweet, soft and thick succulent rinds do not require a long period of curing - Paji can attest to that as he is known to more than just sample the pickles on the day of preparation - he takes his job of testing very seriously :D! Limes - regular and Key...

It seems that I just cannot get enough Mung beans these days! When I made this stew/dal it got rave reviews from everyone. What's not to like - the wholesome beans packed with protein, vitamins and minerals are as tasty as they are nutritious. Whether you make it spicy or mild, it is sure to be a winner. Serve it over plain rice, jeera rice, pulav or with Indian flat breads and chopped salad . Delish! Cook the beans in a pressure cooker to shorten the cooking time or use the quick-soak method: bring the beans to a boil, cover and set aside for 2 hours to soak. Proceed to cook the beans until soft after soaking is complete. Ingredients: 1 cup whole Mung Beans 1/4 cup Kidney Beans 1 Tbsp Oil 1/2 tsp whole Cumin seeds 1 Tbsp grated fresh Ginger 1 hot green chili, cored and minced 1/2 tsp Turmeric 1 Tbsp each Ground Cumin and Coriander 1/2 tsp ground Red Chili (cayenne) 1 tsp Sea Salt or to taste 1/2 cup loosely packed Coriander leaves, finely chopped Lime/lemon wedges for garn...

Chettinad is a region in South India famous for their art and architecture as well as delectably spicy but wholesome cuisine. Simple ingredients like beans and vegetables are transformed into heavenly tasting treats with the addition of a few spices. This kuzhambu/stew made in the Chettinad style is utterly delicious, hearty, and nutritious. The mung beans cook up succulent and delectable. I knew it was a winner when Paji asked for leftovers! It can be prepared using young sponge gourd (tori or loofah), zucchini, bottle gourd aka lauki/dudhi/cucuzzi/opo squash; any greens like turnip greens, spinach, or Malabar spinach (Basella alba), etc. Tangy sorrel or Gongura leaves may be used instead of and/or in combination with the tamarind. I used red Swiss chard and a couple of French sorrel leaves this time. Just because the stems of the chard/sorrel look tough, don't discard them as looks can be deceiving! Do include the stems - the finely chopped stems need a little longer cooking t...

This green chutney is lovely to serve with meals as well as snacks. Shobha adds the extra ingredients for an extra delicious chutney :D. Ingredients: 1 bunch Fresh Cilantro (Coriander Leaves or Dhania) 1 small bunch Fresh Mint (Spearmint or Pudina) 3 or 4 Green Onions, white and green parts 2 hot green chili (Jalapeño or Serrano) or more to taste 1 tsp whole Cumin seeds, toasted 1 clove fresh Garlic 1/2 " piece Fresh Ginger 1 ripe Tomato, chopped 1/2 tsp Sea Salt or to taste 1 Lime or Lemon 1 pinch Sugar Method: Sort out weeds and yellow leaves from mint and cilantro and discard. Strip the leaves and tender tips of the mint and cilantro; discard the stems. Wash the herbs well in several changes of fresh water to get rid of sand and grit. Spin dry in a salad spinner or gently blot dry with paper/kitchen towels. Wash well the green onion and trim the ends and any yellow leaves. Chop coarsely. Wear gloves before processing t...

I had been wanting to try this recipe out when I finally got it -Yes! Only problem was, I could not find the black currants although I searched far and wide. Not to be stymied by a bit of fruit, I substituted other dried fruit (a mixture of dried blueberries, strawberries, and cherries) and also made it egg-less! I used a 9" round pan and it was just barely big enough to hold all of the batter. Although there were no spills with the 9" pan, a bigger pan such as a 9"x13" pan might be better. All said and done, the cake turned out great. The lovely surprise was the almost crispy golden crust it developed! If the proof of the cake is in the eating, then this cake definitely is a keeper as it disappeared rather quickly. The chunks of dried fruit contrasts deliciously with the sweet cake. It is a yummy cake and needs no topping or icing; besides, why would one want to hide the beautiful golden crust? But if you must have a topping, I would either just give it a...

I have wanted to make Red Velvet Cake ever since I heard the name - it sounds so luxurious and the color looked so lovely! But even the vegan recipes contained a huge amount of red dye much to my disappointment and when I found out that some of the dyes are made from crushed beetles (yikes!), I just could not stomach the idea of eating beetle juice any more than eggs. Until ............ I had the "Eureka" moment to make a healthy one with - Yes, Beets! I kept buying beets to make the cake but kept eating them up in salad or as thoran :P. Finally, I saved a few for the cake and decided to test out my theory by adapting an old zucchini cake recipe from King Arthur Flour with the beets standing in for the zucchini; I used 6 small beets. I also tweaked the ingredients to make it a vegan cake. To my pleasant surprise, the cake turned out quite successful. Although Keeshu insisted that he could taste the beets a little, it did not in the least discourage him from gobbling up ...

Lemony Soda Bread is a delicious addition to one's quick bread repertoire. It is vegan, easy to make, and healthy too; I have incorporated whole wheat flour to increase the nutrients. It is luscious with dried blueberries, strawberries, cherries or any combination; cranberries, raisins or currants may also be used. Since Soda Bread A l'Orange has been such a success, I have been wanting to try my hand at one using lemons. And on a spur of the moment I added some poppy seeds......... needless to say, I am pleased with the results :D! Fragrant and juicy Meyer lemons are perfect for this recipe; but if Meyer lemons are not available, other lemons will work also. Regular lemons are tarter than Meyer lemons which are on the sweet side - so soda bread using a regular lemon will have a more pronounced tart lemony taste. I have made this recipe using both types of lemons and love the tangy taste of regular lemon; but if you prefer, you could decrease the tartness by substi...

Fried rice does not have a specific recipe nor does it need one; it is a great way of using up cold rice that might otherwise end up chucked into the compost bin. Amma made it Indian style - transforming plain leftovers into delicious dinners with just a few ingredients. Use leftover cold rice and whatever bits and pieces of veggies you might have on hand - that's it, really quite simple! The basic ingredients needed to make good fried rice are: a large seasoned wok (overcrowding will not do - will result in messy as well as mushy results), leftover cold rice, a selection of vegetables, and some oil. The recipe below gives an idea of the types of suitable veggies for fried rice; use some, all, or others according to your taste. Your favorite cooked beans and/or tofu are welcome additions to boost the protein content. I often make browned tofu seasoned with a bit of garlic and soy sauce separately and either serve it alongside the fried rice or add to it. I generally t...

This is one delicious cake and how! It is essentially two cakes in one pan since Linola places apples on one half and cherries on the other. And even better, it is egg-less! It is Linola's adaptation of a recipe that she found on cookingclub.com. Absolutely to live for! Linola loves to pile drained canned dark sweet cherries on one half of the pan and as many apples as needed to fill out the other side depending on their size. Other types of cherries or fruits may be used instead - about 4-5 cups total amount. Linola prefers a glass baking dish for baking this cake because she can see if the contents come out completely when the pan is turned upside down. Without further ado, here is the much awaited recipe. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a 9"x13" cake pan by oiling or spraying with cooking oil spray. Fruit Layer: 1/3 cup unsalted butter 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1 tsp Cinnamon 3 cups pitted sweet cherries (canned or fresh) Chopped apples (about 4)...