Fresh shelling beans in tomato broth

Hope you are all having a lovely summer. Portlanders have been groaning about the unprecedented heat wave. I listened and commiserated, but then was forced to admit: I rather enjoy the heat; it reminded me of home.

And at home, when the weather is hot, you keep cool by eating and drinking hot foods. Totally contradictory but it works; hot tea quenches your thirst and a bowl of hot sambar or rasam makes your tummy happy. 

This is the perfect dish for a summers day when you don't want a salad but something warm but still light. 

You start with some shelling beans, pull up a chair, listen to some music, free the tender beans and feel zen. 

Enjoy the recipe and I will post again soon with our adventures in India.

Shelling beans like fresh Garbanzo or cranberry beans- as much as you are willing to shell. 

I had about a couple of cups.

Bay leaf- 1

Garlic- 1clove roughly smashed 

Tomatoes -a couple 

Chilly powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Olive oil to garnish

Cover the beans with water by half a inch. Add the garlic and the bay leaf, cover the pot partially and bring to a boil. Simmer till the beans are  just tender. It doesn't take long, just 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, chilly powder and salt to taste and cook till the tomatoes break down and the beans are fully cooked. Serve hot garnished with a little olive oil.

Bulgur and Lima bean pilaf

Summer is supposed to be over but the sun god has decided to shine on us Portlanders for a few days longer. Blue skies and warm weather in September- I think this can tide me through the winter. The combination of this weather and the start of school means quick one pot meals.

This Bulgur and Lima bean pilaf comes together quickly and is very comforting. The slight chewiness of the bulgur pairs well with the mellowed onions and Lima beans. I served it with a simple side dish of Methi Mushroom that I put together while the pilaf was cooking. Start to finish 45 minutes including cleanup - all the elements of a comforting and tasty week night meal.




For the Bulgur Pilaf

1 tbsp oil
1/4 of a big yellow onion, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 Serrano pepper, slit vertically 

2 cups medium grade Bulgur
1 cup frozen Lima beans
4 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a wide pot that has a lid. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. Wait for the cumin seeds to get aromatic and add the sliced onions and the pepper. Saute on a medium flame until the onions turn translucent. Add the Bulgur and stir to coat evenly with oil. Add the Lima beans, salt and pepper to taste. Add the water slowly. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Set your kitchen timer for 15 minutes. Turn off the stove when your timer buzzes and let the pot stand for at least 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Methi Mushroom

3/4 of a yellow onion
1 tbsp of oil
1 bunch Methi leaves (about a cup loosely packed)
6 to 8 giant white mushrooms, quartered
1 tbsp of hot Sriracha sauce (more or less depending on how hot you like it)
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup of frozen peas
salt to taste


While the Bulgur pilaf is cooking, slice up the rest of that yellow onion. Heat oil in a wok or kadhai and saute the onions. While the onions are cooking, pick the leaves from the Methi bunch. Wash and drain in a colander and roughly chop. Wash the mushrooms and quarter them.
Make sure the onions don't burn as you are parallel processing. Once the onions have turned a nice golden brown, add the Sriracha sauce and stir for a minute or two. Add the Methi leaves and the mushrooms. Turn the heat up and let the mushrooms take on some color. Add the chopped tomatoes, the peas and a little salt to taste. Cook until the peas are tender and the tomatoes release some water but still retain some shape. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Eat and enjoy with the Pilaf.

The simple Rajma

Gopium was  one of the first food blogs I got hooked onto in 2007  - for its writing. Part travelogue and part humor and recipe blog.

The very simple Rajma from this blog  is just that - simple, pure, classic and delicious.  (Rajma is nothing but red kidney beans. )

I have made one slight modification to the recipe with the addition of garlic.

2  cups Cooked red kidney beans - with cooking liquid

1 red onion thinly sliced into half moons

2 to 3 medium tomatoes  cored and diced.

3 cloves of garlic thinly sliced.

1/2 tsp of cumin seeds

1 tsp of red chili powder (or to taste) . Substitute Paprika

2 tablespoons of oil.

Lime wedges to serve.

To cook kidney beans:

Soak beans for a few hours.  Drain and rinse. Cook with plenty of water in a stock pot for 30 to 40 minutes or pressure cook.

For the Rajma:

Heat oil in a  dutch  oven or  large saucepan.  Add the cumin seeds.

When the cumin seeds  begin to change color, add the onions.

Fry the onions to a golden brown.

Add the red chili powder and stir to coat the onions.

Add the tomatoes and the garlic.

Cook until the tomatoes  start releasing some liquid.

Add salt to taste and cook until the tomatoes break down and the oil floats on top.

[Optional: At this point you can blend this  tomato onion sauce with an immersion blender.]

Add the cooked kidney beans and cook on a low flame to meld the flavors together for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Taste and adjust salt levels as necessary during this time.

Serve with a  simple rice pilaf  or bread.

Weekends, dips and butters

I am woefully behind on Vegan MoFo  posts so hopefully this one in three post will make up for some of that. Every weekend I make dips and spreads that go into lunches  for the week.   It is the perfect relaxation. This week's haul - Spicy Peanut butter, Black bean dip and Pear butter.

Spicy Peanut and Pumpkin seed butter

Yield - about a cup of nut butter

2 cups dry  roasted peanuts

3/4 cups hulled pumpkin seeds (Pepitas)

1/4 cup dry Kashmiri  red chilies

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

Pulse the nuts and the red chilies together in a food processor. Stop and scrape down sides often.  The nuts will form into a ball. Break down the ball with a spatula and continue pulsing  till you get the desired consistency. Add the olive oil and give it a final pulse.  Alternately you can use a Vitamix like blender .

The resulting nut butter is a luxurious red color with just a mild kick. 

* Kasmiri red chillies can be found in Indian grocery stores. They lend a beautiful red color to food and a subtle heat.

Pear butter (A great way to rescue overripe pears)

Yield - 8 ounces

5 medium  (almost overripe) pears

Juice of half a lime.

1/4 cup of water

2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar

2 pods of cardamom

Squeeze the lime juice into a thick bottomed skillet with straight sides . Peel, core and chop the pears into the skillet. Toss the pears with the lime juice  to prevent browning. Add the water to the skillet and cook on a medium flame.  until the pears break down into mush (about 15 minutes or so). If you are working on other tasks, turn the heat down to low at this point. Stir often and cook until the water has almost evaporated. Add the sugar  and cardamom pods and continue cooking on a low flame. The fruit should t urn to the consistency of a thick jam. This took me close to an hour(with multi-tasking).

Cool slightly and ladle into an 8 ounce jar. Store in the fridge for 3 weeks or in the freezer for  up to 6 months.

Black bean and pepper dip

 1 cup cooked black beans with a few tablespoons of cooking liquid

1 clove of garlic that was cooked with the black beans.

 2 roasted red bell peppers ( or a  TJ jar's worth)

1/2 lime juiced

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne.

1 teaspoon of garlic infused oil

1 teaspoon of olive oil.

This is one seriously good spicy dip - the addition of the garlic infused oil gives it an additional layer.

Add all ingredients except the oils  to a food processor and process until chunky. Add the oils and do one final pulse.  Serve at room temperature with toasted pita wedges and cucumbers.

To cook black beans: Soak black beans  in water for 8 hours or overnight. Drain, cover the black beans with water  an inch over the beans. Add 2 bay leaves and a clove of garlic (unpeeled). Cook in a pressure cooker.

Home cooked black beans really make a  difference here. If you are pressed for time and need to use canned beans - drain and rinse the beans and cook  for 15 minutes with the bay leaf and garlic.