Halushki with Fresh Flax Noodles

Ah, halushki (or haluski). This is a dish my grandma used to make, being of western Pennsylvania steel town stock. It is a cheap dish that is filling and delivers some great flavour. I added more ingredients than my grandma used to, but it still brought back all sorts of memories. I'll admit that I weenied out and made the noodles with my pasta maker. She used to roll them out by hand. Speaking of noodles, these are a great vegan version of egg noodles--tender, yet durable.

Fresh Flax Noodles
Makes 1 lb
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup warm soy creamer or soy milk
- 2 tbsp finely ground flax
- large pinch of tumeric (optional)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (I used black salt for an eggy flavour)
- 2 tbsp water (more as needed)

METHOD
1. Place flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Whisk flax into the soy creamer in a separate bowl. Let sit a few mins, then whisk again until thick and goopy. Whisk in tumeric (for colour).
3. Put flax mixture into the well, and sprinkle salt over top. Begin to mix together, adding water as needed to make a stiff but pliable dough.
4. Cut into four equal pieces and pass through a pasta roller up to number 7. Cut into 1/4 inch (or a bit bigger strips) and let dry on a towel for at least 2 hours.
5. When pasta is dry, cut into 4-5 inch lengths.
6. To cook, drop into boiling water, stirring to keep it from sticking together. You only need to cook for about 30 seconds after the water comes back to boiling.

Halushki
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
- 1 leek, white and light green part, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large carrot, finely grated
- 1 small head of cabbage, cored and sliced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp parsley, plus more for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp margarine
- cooked egg noodles

METHOD
1. Melt 2 tbsp margarine in a large saucepan over medium to med-hi heat. Saute leeks and onions for 5-7 mins, until soft and translucent. Add garlic, carrot, cabbage, and a few pinches of salt and mix well. Once sizzling, reduce heat to med-lo, cover, and cook for 10-15 mins, stirring regularly. You want the cabbage to be nice and tender, but not soggy. Add paprika and parsley, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from pan.
2. Add another 2 tbsp of margarine to the pan over medium to med-hi heat. Add egg noodles and gently stir to coat. Fry for a few mins, then add cabbage mixture. Stir to mix, adjust seasoning and serve.

Cabbage Rice Recipe

No story this time, not even the miniscule amount I write usually. Just a good bowl of hot cabbage rice, garnished with banana chips (or benana chips, as TH calls them, to tease the malayali accent that I supposedly have) and served with love (not so much for the afore-mentioned person though. Hmpff!)

What I Used:

1.5 cups cooked rice

1 cup shredded cabbage

1/4 cup green peas

1 small onion, chopped small (optional)

3 green chilies, sliced (adjust to taste)

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera / jeerakam

2 tbsp coriander powder / malli podi

1 tsp channa dal / kadala paruppu

A pinch turmeric powder

A few curry leaves

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

How I Made It:

1. Transfer the chopped cabbage, a pinch of salt, green peas and turmeric powder to a vessel. Sprinkle some water. Keep on low fire and cook closed until the cabbage is soft.

2. Heat the oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and channa dal.

3. When the jeera starts spluttering and the dal turns a light brown, add the green chilies, curry leaves and onion. Fry until the onions turn a light brown. (If using onions, of course)

4. To this, add the coriander powder and the ginger-garlic paste. Fry for 1-2 mins.

5. Now add the cooked cabbage and peas to the above. Add salt. Mix and combine well.

6. Remove from fire and combine the rice with the mixture.

Serve hot with papad.

Cabbage Poriyal Recipe

In a previous post, I had mentioned how I used think that poriyal is just the tamil term for thoran and then later realized there are subtle differences in the recipes. I have posted thoran recipes here before and that's a very common recipe for almost all thoran dishes I make. TH prefers poriyal since that's what he is used to. Cabbage poriyal is the most often made in my kitchen. 

Cabbage Poriyal Recipe

Serves 2-3

What I Used:

Shredded cabbage - 2 cups

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup (fresh or frozen)

Dry red chillies - 2 to 3

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Chana dal / kadala paruppu / split chickpeas - 1 tsp

Hing / asafoetida / perungayam - a pinch (optional)

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Curry leaves - a few

Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, chana dal, curry leaves, red chillies torn into pieces and the hing. Keep the fire of low and make sure the chillies don't burn.  

2. Once mustard seeds start popping, add the shredded cabbage, grated coconut and turmeric powder to the above and cook closed on medium flame until almost soft. You can sprinkle some water if necessary. Make sure you check the water level in between. Cabbage gives out water when cooking so don't add too much to begin with.  

3. Add salt. Keep on low flame and stir occasionally until the water content leaves the cabbage and coconut and the dish becomes dry - about 4-5 mins. 

Serve hot with rice and kuzhambu. 

Cabbage Poriyal is my entry to Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Marija of Palachinka. You can find the event details on Haalo's site here. 

I also sending this to RCI - Jain Cuisine, the brainchild of Lakshmi, hosted by PJ this month. This recipe doesn't have any of the forbidden ingredients for Jains and is sattvic, just like the event demands :) 

Cabbage Rolls Again . . .

I just bought the world's biggest cabbage. Look at the size of that puppy! And only 99 cents! I love it when produce is local and in season. Of course, it means I am making a huge pot of cabbage rolls.

Potato-Cabbage 'Grindless' Gravy

I don't know how many of you have actually been over to Sra's blog to check out her unique event Grindless Gravies. I read through her instructions with great interest till I reached the line where it said 'It can't be all lentils or all curds...' Now that makes it really tough. So I put on my thinking cap.

It was a weekend and I had nothing to do except cook. Opened the fridge and saw an entire cabbage sitting there. Its very difficult to cook for one and I really hate that. This cabbage made me feel lonely because whatever I make, its going to be extra, and eventually will go to waste. I sighed and took it out, and then rummaged through my potato-onion-garlic basket kept in the kitchen. Most of the potatoes had small shoots coming out of it, a sign that it has spent one too may days in the kitchen, waiting to be cooked. Without thinking much, I chopped up the cabbage, peeled and halved the potatoes and dunked both into my pressure cooker.

Thus was born the idea behind this lip-smacking (?) aloo-cabbage gravy that's ridiculously simple and satisfies (phew!) all of Sra's conditions to qualify for her event.

Aloo-Cabbage 'Grindless' Gravy




What I Used:

Potatoes - 3
Cabbage - 200gm
Onion - 1
Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp or to taste
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 strand
Mustard seeds - for tempering
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Utentils I Used:

5 litres pressure cooker - 1
Thick bottomed aluminium kadai - 1
Wooden spoon to mix - 1
Serving bowl, so that the picture looks nice - 1
Small spoons to measure the ingredients during cooking - 2

Total cooking time : Not more than 30 mins

How I Made It:

1. Pressure cook the chopped cabbage and the halved, peeled potatoes for one whistle. You can coarsely chop the cabbage and save time that way.

2. Mash half of the potatoes and some of the cabbage to form a thick gravy around the other pieces.

3. Heat oil in the kadai, add mustard seeds and then fry onions till they become transparent.

4. Add the garlic paste, coriander, jeera, turmeric and curry leaves and fry for another 3 mins.

5. Add the aloo-cabbage mix to this and some water if its too thick.

6. When the gravy begins to boil, add the tamarind paste, mix well, adjust salt and remove from fire.

I had it with rice, but that same night, I realised it goes well with roties and chappathis as well.



This goes over to Sra as an addition to her list of Grindless Gravies that are going to do the catwalk on Dec 22nd, 2007.

Easy Vegetable Soup

I was feeling quite sad thinking I many not be able to take part in Meeta's Monthly Mingle - Liquid Dreams, since I did not have a fancy and pretty glass to photograph. (Yes, I can be quite silly at times). Anyway, there I was, mainly thinking of other events and trying to figure out when to cook what.

That's when it suddenly struck me that I need not make something that should necessarily go into a fancy glass. I can make something nice and hot, and simple too.

So here is my simple veggie soup, that comes to my rescue when I have left over vegetables, when I am too lazy to cook, and when I feel I should have something light and healthy yet filling.


What I Used:

Veggies
Carrots - 1 medium
Beans - 6
White cabbage - a small piece
Green chillies - 2
Spring Onions - 2 stalks

Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 8
Water - as needed
Salt - to taste
Soya sauce - one tsp

How I Made It:

1.Cut all the vegetables in tiny pieces, add sufficient water (approx. 1 cup) and boil till its cooked.

2. Once the veggies are done, keep the pan open and bring to boil on sim. Mix the cornflour with some water and add to this. Chop the garlic in tiny pieces and add to the mixture at this point.

3. Bring to boil, adjusting the water consistency. Add salt just before removing from fire.

4. Serve hot, mixed with soya sauce (I love the sour flavour it gives out)

I know this recipe seems very crude but I am always satisfied after a bowl of this. I know many of you out there are seasoned cooks, so all suggestions to make this better, is welcome (with more or less the same ingredients, please) :)

My humble contribution to this month's Monthly Mingle and to Super Soup Challenge.

An 'Eventful' Independence Day Lunch!

Oriyan/Odiyan Cuisine! I never imagined that I would actually try out anything so radical and actually emerge successful. I am very much in the learning stage as far as cooking is concerned and I simply had to contribute to this month's RCI. A search for a simple recipe started and I ended up with two! Jeera Pakhala and Aloo Cabbage Rasa. I actually came across some amazing examples and illustrations of cusine in Orissa. I hope I have done justice to their way of cooking.

This post is titled an 'eventful' lunch because I made a meal which will help me contribute to four events this month. The other three are:

Jeera Pakhala: sent for JFI - Rice

Jeera Pakhala, also sent for: Sunita's 'Think Spice... Think Cumin'

Litchy Lemon Cooler for AFAM. Recipe posted here.

Here is the meal that we are going to make.


Jeera Pakhala/Odiyan Jeera Rice

This recipe is very similar to the normal jeera rice. I slightly modified it and added sliced onions and chilly powder.


What I Used:

Basmati rice - one glass/1.5 cups
Thinly sliced onion - 1 small
Jeera seeds - 2 tbsp
Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Bay leaves - 1
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Wash rice and soak in water for 15 mins.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start spluttering, add the onions and fry until the onions turn transparent in color.
4. Then add cumin powder and chilly powder.
5. Add rice and salt & mix well.
6. Cook it in pressure cooker for one whistle.

Basic recipe from here.

I am also sending this entry to this month's JFI - Rice, hosted by Neivedyam.
and Think Spice... Think Cumin hosted by Sunita.










Odiyan Aloo Cabbage Rasa/Oriyan Dry Cabbage Curry

This is a very simple and easy-to-prepare curry that goes well with a variety rice dishes. The original recipe was for aloo-gerkins rasa but I changed it to cabbage cuz its been some time since I cooked the vegetable. I also thought it would blend well with the aloo gravy.


What I Used:

Cabbage - 250gm, finely sliced
Potatoes - 2, cubed
Oil - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin/jeera powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Bay leaves - 2
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

Fry cubed potatoes in hot oil in a wok until lightly browned.
Remove from oil and keep aside.







To the same hot oil in the wok, add cabbage, sprinkle with salt,
stir and cover and simmer for 5 minutes.





To the water given out by the cabbage, add the masala pastes.
Stir and fry until masala are well blended with the cabbage.



Next, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water - just sufficient to cook the potatoes. Stir and add potatoes. Adjust salt to taste.

Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are cooked and there is practically no gravy in the pan.

Finally, in a frying pan, heat oil, add the bay leaves and garam masala. Stir fry a couple of minutes and pour over the cabbage mix. Stir for 2 minutes and remove from fire.

Basic recipe from here.


Jeera Pakhala with Odiyan Aloo Cabbage Rasa - my entry to this month's Regional Cuisine of India hosted by Swapna of Swad.