Geetha's Kitchen

Lemon Pickles Lemon/Lime Pickles are quintessential to an Indian pantry and very quickly becoming so in non-Indian pantries as well. These delicious pickles spice up and brighten any meal with their cheery citrus flavor. They are of course second only after mango pickles to pair with the traditional Yogurt Rice  or Non-Dairy Yogurt Rice as well as any dosa, upma, other snacks and sandwiches. Yes, I really do mean sandwiches! We particularly love lemon pickles with grilled cheese, cream/cottage cheese, and nut butter sandwiches. Some friends love their crackers or rice cakes spread with almond butter and topped with the lemon/lime pickles ;-D - Yum! In India the citrus fruit variously referred to as "cheru naranga", "elumichai", or 'nimbu' in the languages of Malayalam, Tamil or Hindi are really Key limes and are often referred to as 'lemons' in English there. These and the many other types of citrus available there are made into vari...

Tom Yum soup is a clear hot and sour soup bursting with the citrus flavors of lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves, and lime juice. It is and should be on the assertive side so adjust the amount of heat by using more chilies or chili paste. We particularly love this soup on cold and chilly days or when under the weather. It does not take much time to remove the tails or roots of the beansprouts and I tail them for a more luxurious feel as well as a neater look as the stringy roots make the dish look disheveled. 2 Servings Ingredients: 2 cups lemongrass broth 4 slices Galangal 4 Thai Birds eye or Serrano chilies 2 large shallots 3 Kaffir lime or regular lime leaves 1 - 2 Tbsp Hot chili sauce 1/2 tsp Sugar 1/2 tsp Salt 4 oz Tofu 1 cup Baby bok choi 1 cup Bean Sprouts, tailed 4 - 6 fresh Button Mushrooms 2 green onions, sliced 1 lime, juiced a few s prigs, Cilantro Extra Hot chili sauce , to serve Method: Cut the tofu into large cubes; remove the stems from the mushrooms and cut the caps into...

Atho is another recipe that Amma passed along to us. Amma was an amazing cook - she took the greatest care in making even the simplest of meals and it showed. She also reveled in the joy of friendship and learning about different places and cultures - she had ample opportunities for both in her travels all over India and abroad. Her genuine love, simplicity, and gracious acceptance of everyone naturally made her very attractive to people. She made friends easily - better yet, cherished them. She also enjoyed tasting make new dishes and learning to make them. This is one such dish that she learned from her Burmese friends who migrated to India as refugees during World War II. Although traditionally made with field greens called "Bathua", spinach or other leafy greens work quite well. Greens are very important in a vegan/vegetarian diet as they provide calcium and protein in addition to lots of other vital nutrients essential for everyone regardless of the type of ...

Skillet Samosa with a Chapati These skillet samosas are tasty as well as healthy and are very easy to make. You can use other leftover curries also as stuffing - e.g. Zucchini w/besan , Sweet potatoes w/Lankan spices , Paruppu Usli , etc. or even Vegetable Caviar ! These samosas are great anytime; I even serve them as dinner. They can be eaten out of hand or with knife and fork - great for lunch boxes too. Samosas can also be made with leftover chapatis/whole wheat tortillas; place the filling on one side of a warmed chapati/tortilla and fold the other side over and proceed as for pita bread samosas. 2 - 4 servings Ingredients: 2 Pita Breads Potato Curry or Cauliflower Mince  or another veg curry 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded (optional) About 1 Tbsp oil or Ghee Gree n &  Sweet Chutneys, or Ketchup to serve Skillet Samosa using Tortilla and Pita bread Method: Combine the curry with the Parmesan cheese. Warm the pita breads a little so t...

I made this curry using Jaffna curry powder, a lovely and generous gift from Mae. Jaffna curry powder is hot, dark, and handsome;D - it is a unique blend of darkly roasted spices typically a bit hotter than other curry powders. Try sweet potato curry as an alternative to the traditional one using regular potatoes as a side dish or a filling for samosas or dosas. Although you can use any type of sweet potatoes, cream colored ones and the variety called Japanese Yam yield a drier curry more suitable for stuffing samosas. Or use a combination of the various types. For more on sweet potatoes and yams, see this post . Jaffna curry powder is available in the Sri Lankan section of groceries in Indian markets; but if it is unavailable, use another spice mix such as kuzhambu podi , sambar powder , or regular store-bought curry powder. Ingredients: 2 large Sweet potatoes 1 Tbsp Oil 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard seeds 1 Tbsp Chana Dal 1 Tbsp Urad Dal 1 stem fresh Curry Leaves, cut into a chiffonade 1 l...

Palak Shorva is a colorful and delicious new way to serve the traditional rice and dal. Typically dal is served over a mount of rice, but here the dal-based soup is topped with a scoop of the fragrant Basmati rice :D! It is practically a one dish meal as it has all the components for a balanced meal with dal, rice, nuts, and plenty of veggies. Cashews are the perfect complement for this soup; but peanuts or almonds may be used instead. 4 - 6 Servings Ingredients: 2 large bunches fresh Spinach (about 2.5 lbs total) 1 cup split Mung dal 1/2 tsp Turmeric 1 Tbsp Oil 1 large Onion 2 cloves Garlic (optional) 1 cup Thick Coconut Milk 2 Tbsp Dry unsweetened Coconut 1 Tbsp Coriander seeds 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds 2 tsp Cumin seeds 1 hot dry red chile 1 tsp Sea Salt 1 Lime/Lemon, juiced 1 - 2 cups cooked Basmati rice, for serving 1/2 cup roasted cashews, coarsely chopped Tomato Coulis or Carrot Salad for serving Method: Tomato Coulis: 4 ripe Plum Tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped, juice from 1...

Tina's Orbe'Mint Bruschetta Photo courtesy of Tina Here's an unusual but simple and delicious appetizer with a funny name :-)! When you see the ingredients, it becomes clear that the name "Orbe'Mint" stands for Orange, Beet, and Mint. Tina had this memorable morsel at a restaurant; she liked it so much that she recreated it for us. According to Tina, "this bruschetta is delightfully colored and has an unexpected mix of ingredients flavored with mint and garlic. It is sure to work up your appetite". I roasted two fresh beets until tender when pierced with a fork, to use in the bruschetta. Steamed beets may be used as well. I also used goat cheese instead of the ricotta. Yummy! 5-7 Servings Ingredients: 1 can beets 2 Oranges 1 clove Garlic (or use 1-2 tsp Garlic Pesto ) Salt to taste 3 Tbsp Soft Cheese 1/2 loaf Soft Italian or French bread, sliced 1/4 tsp Black Pepper 10-15 Fresh Mint Leaves Method: Slice the beets into 1/2" thick pieces. Peel...

Zucchini With Beasn Thanks to Paji's generous shopping, I had a never-ending supply of zucchinis a year ago. One might ask why he bought so many in the first place since they are not particularly one of his favorites (the reason I grate them into soups) - huh :)! I made molakootal , aviyal , roasted vegetables, raita , bajjis and soup (wow, all that!) ... and still had a few zucchinis left! It seemed that I had a veritable "akshaya patra" of zucchinis! The frugal part of me with the motto of "waste not..." riveted into my brain could not let them spoil nor toss them into the compost bin. As I was determined not to be beaten into utter submission by a bunch of veggies, I had to come up with a novel way to use up the cornucopia of the zucchinis :D. I had an idea to cook them this way - how could one go wrong with sweet, tender zucchini, and besan (garbanzo flour)? And not only did the zucchini disliking Paji love it, he avidly ate the leftovers (amazing...

Stir-fried green beans are a family favorite. Fresh or frozen green beans can be utilized to make this dish. Served over brown rice or other grains, it is a filling and nutritious dish. It is adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. Since we did not have hoisin sauce in my pantry, we devised a substitute. A quick hoisin sauce can be made from simple everyday ingredients if you don't have a prepared one in stock or cannot run out to the store to get one. It is surprisingly simple and quite good. We made it based on a recipe Chellu found on food dot com. Hoisin sauce does double duty as a condiment with snacks or as a stir-fry sauce. Enjoy! Kecap manis is a sweet, thick Indonesian soy sauce; kecap manis, chile sauce, toasted sesame oil etc are available in Asian markets and sometimes in supermarkets also. In case kecap manis is not available, use more of the soy sauce instead. Ingredients for Hoisin sauce: About 1/2 cup sauce 3 Tbsp each regular Soy Sauce and K...

If you have tofu and leftover rice, you can make a quick nutritious and delicious meal in no time at all. I happened to have a package of broccoli slaw (shredded broccoli stems with carrots and red cabbage) and frozen brown rice which made it very easy to incorporate veggies into this one-dish meal - great for a busy week-night. Harissa sauce seasons and compliments the dish perfectly - add a little or a lot according to your taste. Other veggies may be used instead of the ones listed here. Regular Cole Slaw mix with shredded green and red cabbage with carrots is another option instead of broccoli slaw. Another option is to use leftover  Roti/Chapatis /tortillas or bread to make this into a Kothu Roti ; tear or cut the bread into small pieces and use it instead of the rice! 4 to 6 Servings Ingredients: 1 block firm Tofu, about 14 oz. 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce 2 - 3 Tbsp Oil 1 medium Onion, sliced 1 pkg Broccoli Slaw 1 medium Onion 1 Tbsp fresh Ginger, minced 1 pinch...

This is a simple but absolutely delicious dish that can be served as a first course or starter. It is also fabulous served as a side dish; I love to serve it with pasta dishes. When Tina made this recipe, we devoured every piece in record time. She lovingly massaged the freshly chopped garlic and oil onto the broccoli spears to make sure every piece was properly coated and broiled them. But broiling is lots of work as one has to to constantly turn the food to cook evenly and keep an eagle eye out to make sure food does not burn. In the interest of time (and work), I make it with a little shortcut - just roast the broccoli and then coat it with a garlic oil sauce. I could not resist adding a pinch of ground red pepper (cayenne) to the garlic sauce almost at the end of cooking. Spectacular! Although I have been making wok-roasted veggies like this for a long time, did not know that the garlic sauce had a fancy name like mojo. Much to my surprise I found that apparently Spanish cui...

Sai Bhaji is a wonderful rich stew brimming with protein-packed dal, greens, and veggies. I still remember when we had Sai Bhaji years ago thanks to a Sindhi friend who cooked it for us. Our friend commented that her family used lots of tomatoes in their cooking as they liked their food robustly red. Isn't it amazing that a relatively new food has found such favor in so many cuisines all over the world? I wonder how people made do before tomatoes came from the Americas! I believe that this recipe would have delighted her and her family because the ruby red Swiss chard which makes it quite red :D. In India spinach (palak) or greens called "bathua" and Chukka/Khatta Bhaji are used to make this stew. Any leafy greens may be used in addition to spinach - chard, radish/beet greens, Malabar spinach , or kale. Gongura or sorrel leaves are good substitutes for the Indian Chukka/Khatta Bhaji which are simply sour greens. If sour leaves are not available, add more amch...