Cabbage Kheer

 Kheer is nothing but a milk based sweet pudding dish with either rice or vermicelli traditionally. It is not as thick as pudding but thin in consistency. But as we have come to know to cook with more varieties of grains, the kheer has also evolved. Below are a couple of Kheer recipes.

Sabudaana seviyah kheer

Quinoa Kheer

The Kheer is made today is mainly made with Cabbage a little bit of vermicelli. Because there was vermicelli...the picky eaters in my family had no clue they were eating cabbage >:)

Cabbage Kheer (Cabbage cooked in sweet milk)

Cabbage Vermicelli kheer

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
2. 1 cup fine vermicelli (optional)
3. 1 tablespoon each of cashews, raisins, almonds
4. 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
5. 3 cups milk
6. 2/3-1 cup milk
7. 2 teaspoon ghee/clarified butter
8. 1 teaspoon rose essence or 2 cardamom crushed

Heat the ghee in a heavy bottomed pan add fry all the dry fruits, drain and set aside.

In the same pan add the cabbage and fry for 5 minutes. Add the milk and cook for 15 -20 minutes until the cabbage becomes tender. Add the sugar and cook further for 10 minutes. Add the rose water or cardamom and add the fine vermicelli if using. Give it a stir. Sprinkle with the dry fruits and poppy seeds and enjoy hot kheer on a cold winter day

Roasted Eggplant and Black Eyed Peas

 Its new year and inevitable every year there is always an article about what foods are eaten on Jan 1st for good luck. And in the South of the USA, Black Eyed Peas are eaten.

I have a couple of Black Eyed recipes from before

Black Eyed Peas and Cabbage

Turkey Sausage with Black Eyed Peas

But this time I made with the roasted eggplants and yum yum yum is all I have to say

Roasted Eggplant and Black Eyed Peas (Black eyed peas cooked with roasted eggplant with Indian Spices)

Roasted Eggplant and Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium eggplant horizontally sliced and drizzled with a bit of an oil and roasted on an open flame for 5 minutes on each side ( I roast them on my stove top flame)
2. 1 can black eyed peas drained or 1 cup dried black eyed peas soaked over night and cooked in a cooker for 3 whistles with 2 cups of water
3. 1 teaspoon each of salt, cumin, red chilli powder
4. 2 teaspoon coriander powder
5. 1 medium onion chopped fine
6. 1 teaspoon graded ginger
7. chopped fresh coriander/cilantro  for garnish
8. 1 tablespoon oil

Leave the roasted eggplant covered in a plate for 5- 10 minutes. Scrape the meat out of the skin and mash it so that there is are no big pieces or long strands of flesh.

In an pan heat the oil and add the chopped onions and fry until they start becoming brown. Add the ginger and give it a quick stir. Add the roasted eggplant and all the spices and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the drained black eyed peas and 1 cup water or the contents of the cooker. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy on a New Year's day with Roti or Rice

Creamy Thai Egg Yellow Curry

 There is this Chinese grocery store in Alabama which has the Thai curry pastes. The last time we visited this place, we got all the three colored curry pastes...the Yellow, Green and Red. 

Yesterday for dinner, I made a creamy egg curry with the yellow curry paste. It was very delicious. I served it with Roti...the Indian wheat bread

Creamy Thai Egg Yellow Curry (Beaten eggs cooked in Thai yellow curry gravy)

Creamy Thai Egg Yellow Curry

Ingredients

1. 3 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste
2. 1/3 cup frozen grated coconut thawed and ground to paste with 1/2 cup water
3. 4 oz fully cooked salad shrimp thawed (optional)
4. 4 eggs lightly beaten
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. salt as needed
7. 1 medium small onion finely chopped
8. 1 medium tomato finely chopped

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions until they start becoming brown. Add the Thai yellow curry paste and the tomotos and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and the coconut paste and stir to combine and cook for 5 more minutes. Raise the flame to high and let the curry come to a rolling boil. Add the beaten egg to the pot and cover and let cook for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and stir to combine. Let the curry boil further for 3-5 more minutes.

Give it a taste test and add salt if desired. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and enjoy with rice or roti