Geetha's Kitchen

Recipes tagged “Red Chili Powder”

Showing posts with the label Red Chili Powder

Mango Launji (Sweet & Tangy Mango Relish)

December 31, 2020

Mango Launji, a delicious, tangy, and sweet pickle or relish, is fabulous served with any meal; we love pairing it with Dosa, Adai, Roti, or Paratha, Rice or other grains, curries, and accompaniments. Delicious as a spread for toast or crackers with or without peanut/nut butters or vegan cheeses. Mango Launji with vegan cream cheese makes a tasty starter with crudit é s, warm breads, flatbreads, and crackers. It is very easy to prepare and is dairy, nut, oil, and gluten free. Although most delicious prepared with green mangoes, slightly ripe ones are fine too to make Launji. Store the Launji in clean airtight jars in the fridge or in the freezer for longer storage. INGREDIENTS: 1 firm Green Mango 2-3 tbsp sugar (to taste) 1 big pinch salt 1/2 tsp each fennel and kalonji seeds, 1/2- 1 tsp red Chile powder 1 Big Pinch Turmeric 1 tiny pinch Asafetida (Hing) METHOD: cut mango, add 2-3 tbsp sugar, a big pinch salt and keep overn...

Hot Lemon/Lime Pickles

June 29, 2011

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...

Roasted Broccoli With Mojo Sauce

June 15, 2011

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...

White Bean Dip (White Bean Hummus)

April 09, 2011

White bean dip is a delicious Italian alternative to the regular hummus made with garbanzo beans and is just as easy to make. It is fabulous as a dip or sandwich filling. Canned Canellini or great Northern beans may be used instead of the freshly cooked. I find that making this dip with the freshly cooked warm beans produces a superior result compared to that made with canned beans even without any oil added. Check this post on cooking beans if you like; cooking beans at home procduces delicious as well as economical results. Ingredients: 1 cup dry Canellini or Great Northern beans 1 sprig fresh Sage or Rosemary 1 Lemon/Lime, juiced 1/4 tsp Red pepper (Cayenne) + a little for serving 1 or 2 cloves fresh Garlic 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 2 Tbsp fresh Flat Leaf Parsley for serving 1 or 2 Tbsp Good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil + a little more to serve some Olives to serve Method: Sort the beans, wash and soak in plenty of fresh water. Drain the soaking water, ...

Mango Pickles (Manga Curry)

March 01, 2011

Mango Pickles Mango pickles are an indispensable condiment on the banquet as well as daily menus particularly in Kerala. In India, tart green mangoes are grown especially for pickling. There are many types of pickles made with mangoes - from tiny marble-sized to large mature ones. This particular one can be made with any green mango that has yet to think of ripening - they should be tart and not have even a hint of sweetness. Note: I have made this pickle with firm ripe mangoes ! Just goes to show that rules don't always have to be adhered to - especially in the kitchen :). My family adores the sweet and sour taste. I make this with a little less red chile powder and add a big pinch of citric acid. Citric acid is available in Indian Markets. Sesame oil is available in Indian markets. Green mangoes are usually available year-round in Indian, Asian, and Latino markets. Choose mangoes that are fresh looking, plump, firm and without any blemishes. If the mango was not...

Pakoda (Vegetable Fritters)

February 25, 2011

Pakodas with Sugar snap Peas Pakoda are delicious crunchy veggie fritters often prepared for afternoon tea time; they also make fabulous appetizers or starters for parties. These are also known as "killu pakoda" (literally pinched pakoda) to differentiate them from the "ribbon pakoda" a crisp chip-like snack. A friend used to make pakodas at a moment's notice whenever I visited her in the afternoons as an after-school treat. They are quick to make and ever so much quicker to disappear! If you do end up with leftovers, not to worry - they may be eaten at room temperature or added to yogurt or tomato based sauces to make a wonderful curry. The following is a basic recipe for pakodas. Other chopped veggies such as bell peppers, cabbage, green beans, zucchini, etc. may be added; sometimes I use green onions instead of the regular. When you add extra veggies, you may have to adjust salt and the cayenne. Coarsely crushed peanuts may be used instead of the cashews...

Cabbage Kofte (Vegan Veggie Balls In Tomato Sauce)

December 01, 2010

Cabbage Kofte Cabbage Kofte are quite easy to make and it never ceases to amaze me how much everyone loves them! Although I used cabbage here, you can use pretty much any vegetable(s) you like such as zucchini, opo (lauki), or other summer squashes, to make these. For ease of preparation, prepare the kofte as well as tomato sauce a day or two ahead and reheat before serving. Cabbage Kofte are vegan and gluten-free (FYI: kofte - plural; kofta - singular). Besan (garbanzo bean flour) is the wonder flour to have on hand to make this dish. It contributes taste as well as nutrition to this dish and is indispensable for making many other dishes such as bajjis/pakodas , kadi, pancakes, veggie cutlets, and sweets. Besan (gram/garbanzo flour) and the spices/herbs including Kasoori Methi are available in Indian Markets. Kasoori Methi is a very fragrant herb (dried fenugreek leaves) but it may be omitted if not available. The kofte and the sauce can also be frozen; I like to freeze them se...

Potato Bonda (Spiced Potato Fritters)

October 21, 2010

Potato Bonda with Sweet and Green Chutneys Potato Bonda is probably Paji's all time favorite snack. It is a traditional afternoon tea-time treat all over Southern and Western India. In Mumbai area it is called "Batata Vada" and is a very popular street snack. Seasoned potato and vegetable balls are dipped in batter and fried to make Potato or Aloo Bonda. If you prepare the potatoes a day ahead, bonda making goes together pretty quickly. Ingredients: Potato Filling: 1 recipe Basic Potato Curry 1 recipe Bajji Batter Oil for deep frying Assorted Chutneys, ketchup, etc. to serve Method: Prepare the Potato Curry; make into 1 inch balls and set aside. Chill if made ahead. Potato Balls Prepare the batter: Mix the ingredients to make a fairly thick batter. The batter should form a thick coat for the potato balls. Heat oil for deep frying. When hot, slip in batter coated potato balls carefully without splashing the hot oil or crowding. Bondas are almost ready! Bits of Bo...

Jicama Salad (Veggie Salad With Lime)

January 25, 2010

Jicama Salad Jicama (pronounced "hic-cah-mah") is an interesting and nutritious root vegetable grown widely in Mexico and Central America. It sort of looks like a brown or tan turnip with mild, sweet, juicy, white flesh similar to that of an Asian Pear. Although it can be cooked, typically it is eaten fresh as snacks and in salads. It makes a lovely addition to crudites platter as it does not discolor upon exposure to air. Jicama makes a great alternative for water chestnuts in stir-fries retaining its crunch as well as mingling nicely with other ingredients. Jicama is low in calories, very low in sodium, has a goodly amount of Vitamin C , a good source of fiber and is available year-round. A half cup serving of Jicama (60 g) contains only 25 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g sodium, 3.2 g fiber, 5 g of carbohydrates and provides 20% Vitamin C needs of an adult based on a 2000 calorie diet. So go ahead and eat up - Jicama can contribute toward your 5 to 9 servings of fruits/veggies...

Stuffed Mushrooms With Cream Cheese

December 10, 2009

Here is a wonderful starter which is surprisingly simple to prepare and simply delicious. I have made it for so long that making it requires no thought at all. Although deceptively simple to prepare, rich tasting, and delightfully delicious, they always elicit lots of oohs and aahs whenever these mushrooms make their appearance. Ingredients: 8 oz. Button Mushrooms 4 oz. Cream Cheese. at room temperature 2 Tbsp Milk or Cream 1 pinch Red Chili Powder (Cayenne) or to taste 1 small clove Garlic, mashed or 1 pinch Asafoetida about 1 Tbsp unsalted Butter, at room temperature or olive oil Method: Bring the cream cheese to room temperature by keeping it out of the fridge for about 30 minutes. Mix the cream cheese, chili powder, and garlic/asafoetida with a little cream to make a soft (but not runny) spread. Remove the stems from the mushrooms by gently twisting and pulling them off. Wash quickly and dry the caps. Using your hands lightly butter/oil the outsides of the mushrooms and fill th...