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Super Healthy Oats Upma

You Need (serves 2-3):

• 1 chopped onion
• Mixed vegetables chopped (carrots, peas, beans etc.)
• Curry leaves - 5-6 leaves
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cooking Oil 2-3 tsp
• Spices (red chilli powder, garam masala) - as needed
• Salt - as needed
• Lemon - 1/2
• Green chilli (finely chopped) - 1-2
• Quick cook oats (I used Quaker) - 1 cup
• Channa & Ural Dal - 1 tsp
• Water - 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Heat oil in a non-stick pan then add the mustard seeds, channa daal and urad daal and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the curry leaves and stir for about a minute. Then add the chopped onion and vegetables and let it all cook properly.

Add the oats, salt, spices and mix it all together. Then add about 1/4 cup water, mix it well, cover the lid and let it cook for around 2 minutes.
Remove the lid and add the remaining 1/4 cup water and squeeze the lemon, mix it well and again let it cook for 2 minutes with the lid on top.
This method ensures that the oats get cooked without becoming gooey.

Garnish with some chopped coriander and eat hot! Makes an excellent breakfast or evening snack.

Unusual Fruits from the South East

Having spent several months in the south east asian region, I’ve come across some interesting fruits which were earlier unknown to me. In this post I’m sharing the ones I ventured to try out:

Durian – regarded as the king of fruits by many, this one is the most popular in this region. The porcupine husk and overpowering smell are its most distinctive features. Some say the smell is pleasant while it’s disgusting according to others. To me, the smell lies somewhere in between. I’ve tried it once and surprisingly Durian tastes like a dessert rather than a fruit to me. Its yellow, sweet and creamy inside. Some say it’s an acquired taste but in my first sampling of this fruit, I hated it!

Dragon Fruit – I first got to try on a flight to Thailand. The fruit was served with the in-flight meal and was neatly cut and wrapped. I didn’t know it then that this was dragon fruit as its interior is so different from its vibrant exterior. Only later when I bought it from the market, peeled and cut it at home did I realize that I had already had it on that flight. I quite like this one. Tastes very similar to kiwi.

Mangosteen – now these look ugly on the outside and for a long time I shied away from trying it especially after my encounter with Durians. Then one day strolling by a fruit vendor, I requested if I could have just one to sample. The vendor obliged, picked one, peeled it and handed it to me smiling away. I picked one of the whitish bulbs and popped it into my mouth. To my surprise, the taste was quite nice, very similar to Lychee. Rightly, Mangosteen is regarded as the queen of fruits in this region.

Rambutan – this one is scary looking and I’m yet to try it out. Although, I’ve heard it’s a good tasting fruit.

Anyone aware of any other local fruits? How was your experience with some of the above? Do share!

Baked Cheesy Mushrooms

An extremely simple recipe for a great snack/starter.

You Need (Serves two):

• 4-5 Portobello Mushrooms
• ½ Bell Pepper
• ½ Onion
• ½ Tomato
• Cheddar Cheese
• Olive Oil

Preparation:

Finely chop the bell pepper, onion and tomato and lightly sauté in olive oil. Transfer the veggies in a bowl and add salt, pepper, any other seasoning you’d like.

Remove the stem from the mushrooms and coat them with a thin layer of olive oil.

Place the mushrooms upside down on a baking tray and top them with a spoonful of the sautéed veggies. Grate some cheddar cheese on top.

Bake for about 10 mins at 180 degrees.

Enjoy the mouthwatering cheesy mushroom snack.

Mirchi @ Esplanade

Location: Esplanade Mall, Singapore

Went to Mirchi – Taste of India at Esplanade Mall. Didn't know what to expect when we stepped into this restaurant but here is my experience at the place.

Ambiance: quite lovely. Good for both families and couples

Service: Not upto the mark. There was only one person to take orders, service the tables and prepare the bill for the entire restaurant. I think it was bit too much to handle for one person. Obviously the service suffered due to this reason.

Food: This restaurant offers mainly north Indian cuisine. We ordered Veg Seekh kebab for starters. For the main course we ordered Kadai Paneer, Veg Jalfrezi, Missi Roti and Garlic Naan. Everything was delicious and we really enjoyed the food.

Veg. Seekh Kebab

Spicy Curries

Two bread varieties

Price: Moderate to High

I read some negative reviews about the place but my experience was quite pleasant overall. I would say - go for it!

Eating it out @ Bali

Location: Bali, Indonesia

We visited Bali this September and I have to say the trip was great. We had good fun and it was a nice break from routine. The trip was of course highlighted with some great eating joints we tried. And yes, there WAS mouthwatering vegetarian available.  Here are three places I most enjoyed:

The Earth Cafe

The Earth Café:  This one is located in Seminyak and serves only vegetarian food. The menu is also complimented with super healthy drinks; classified as tonics, antioxidants, energy boosters etc.. The place is cheerful and has this earthy rustic feel, thus justifying its name. Several foreigners throng the place indicating a growing consciousness and preference towards vegetarianism. We went here twice and tried several items from their menu. Falafel with hummus was brilliant. Planet Platter was just okay but the stir crazy noodles was great. Black beans burrito was decent and their Spaghetti with some kind of vegetable balls was really good! And I loved their drink called ‘bali boost’. A must try if you fall in the vegetarian/health-conscious category. Service is good but you might have to wait just a little while before the food arrives at your table. Read reviews here.

Planet Platter

Super healthy drinks

Stir crazy noodles

Mykonos: This one serves Greek cuisine. Yes Greek and we managed to find decent veg options yet again. The ambience was pleasant and the service was very quick. Prices were low-average. We enjoyed here in their open air seating. Read reviews here.

Trying Greek at Mykonos

Sasa’Ristorante: We were famished and decided to give sasa a try. The façade looked inviting and we chose a corner table for two all set to enjoy our meal. While the food was great, the service was pathetic. It was extremely slow and the waiter failed to take our order correctly. However, I will give 5 stars to the food. The garlic bread was awesome. We tried the basic Margherita with extra mushroom and it was simply awesome! We had to cancel our order for the remaining dish we had ordered as it was taking them forever to get it. Had it not been for the bad service this could have been a great experience. Read reviews here.

I hope this was helpful for people planning to visit Bali sometime soon (esp. veg folks). If you have been to some good food joints in Bali, I’d love to hear from you. With numerous places to try, this is what I had for now. Cheers!

Related posts: Eating it out @ Pondy

Vegetables in Hot n Sweet Curry

You Need (serves 2-3):

• 6-7 tomatoes
• 2-3 green chilies
• 5-6 button mushrooms
• 2 white onions
• 1 capsicum
• 1 carrot
• 5-6 baby corn
• Tofu 150-200 gm
• Olive Oil
• Salt, Pepper

For the curry, we need to prepare the sauce and the vegetables.

Take the vegetables (capsicum, mushroom, white onion, baby corn) and tofu , chop them they way you like, sauté them and keep aside. Tofu would be square or rectangular pieces of equal size generally and the carrot will have to lightly boiled.

For the sauce, take 6 medium sized tomatoes, cut them into big pieces and keep aside. Add about two chopped green chilies and grind them in a mixer.

Take 2-3 tsb of olive oil in a non-stick wok. Add 2 large spoonful of ginger garlic paste and lightly fry it for 3-5 minutes. Add the tomato and green chilli paste to the wok. Add salt to taste and let it cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes.

Add about 3 large spoons of tomato ketchup and 3 large spoons of red chili sauce to give the sauce a hot and sweet flavor. Add the sautéed vegetables and tofu cubes to the wok. Add freshly ground pepper on top and let it simmer for 1-2 mins. The curry is ready!

Tastes good with steamed rice or basil rice.

Go ahead, try out this simple recipe and enjoy!