Shalgam Ke Kebab | Vegan Turnip Chops [Video]

Shalgam ke Kebab or Turnip Chops are crumb coated pan fried patties made from fresh seasonal turnips and mashed potatoes, flavored with spices. Perfect for winter evening tea !!

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It feels so good to eat seasonal!!

I cannot remember the last time I ate turnips. Being seasonal, turnips start coming into the market around this time, and because the demand isn't so high I guess, they tend to be available in very few shops across Bangalore. I'm lucky I found them in my vegetable store. 

I haven't cooked much with turnips in the past. But this year, I've been buying them every week. I made a dry curry with grated turnips, I added them to sambar, I made parathas, and lastly, I made these delicious, crispy kebabs.

Here are the details.

Since, they are called Shalgam ke Kebab, they have to taste of Shalgam (turnips). Turnips are slightly sharp or bitter in taste, but they are much milder than the daikon radish. At the peak of the season, they are actually sweet, which would be the best time to cook with them. You can either boil the turnips and use in this kebab or you can grate them like I did. Boiling them dilutes the flavor slightly as they combine very easily with the other ingredients. I grated them because I wanted the turnip flavor to be dominant in the kebabs. So, peel the turnips and grate them. Make sure you squeeze out as much water as you can from the turnips, this will prevent the kebabs from getting soggy on the inside.

We need binding agents to make the kebabs. And here, we are using two of them - potatoes and gram flour (besan). Use just enough to bind the mixture.

I mildly spiced the kebabs with turmeric powder, red chilli powder and some homemade garam masala. I added coriander leaves, because, well, I add coriander to pretty much everything. I love the freshness it adds. You can skip it or replace it with herbs like dill or parsley. 

In the absence of an egg wash, because I don't eat eggs, I made a simple plain flour slurry. This helps in crumb coating the kebabs. If you want to use eggs, you can.

The crumb coating - I ran out of bread crumbs, which would have been ideal, so I replaced them with coarsely powdered rolled oats. What can I say, it was fantastic. The oats behaved more like panko bread crumbs and they gave the kebab a nice crunchy outer layer. And may be made it feel a little healthier too. 

I shallow fried the kebabs until they were nice and brown. I've never tried baking them, so I don't know if that will work. But if you have already baked something similar, I'd say go ahead and bake them. If you do, leave me a comment so it helps out other readers who may want to bake.

Top the kebabs with some chat masala or squeeze some lime juice on them while eating. 

These Shalgam ke Kebab also go fantastically with green chutney. 

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Shalgam ke Kebab Recipe

Shalgam ke Kebab or Turnip Chops are crumb coated pan fried patties made from fresh seasonal turnips and mashed potatoes, flavored with spices.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     15 minutes
Total time:     30 minutes
Yield:                5

Ingredients:

3 small Turnips
1 boiled Potato
2 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
2 Tbsp Gram Flour (Besan)
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
0.5 tsp Garam Masala
2 Tbsp Plain Flour (Maida)
0.5 cup Bread Crumbs or coarsely powdered Oats
Oil to fry
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

1. Peel and grate the turnips. Squeeze out as much water from the turnips as possible.
2. Mash the boiled potato and add it to the turnip.
3. Add in ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, chopped coriander leaves, garam masala, gram flour and salt.
4. Mix well until completely combined.
5. Divide the mixture and shape into kebabs or patties.
6. Mix together flour with 2-3 Tbsp of water to make a thick smooth slurry.
7. Dip the kebab into the slurry and coat it fully.
8. Dip the kebab into bread crumbs or powdered oats and coat it completely.
9. In a shallow pan, heat up oil.
10. When the oil is hot, add the kebab. Keep the stove on medium heat.
11. Fry until one side browns, then flip over and continue to fry until the other side browns.
12. Remove from the pan onto paper napkins.
13. Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.
14. Demould and serve hot with chutney or sambhar.
15. All rottis may not puff up completely, but do not worry, they are still cooked.
16. Serve the rottis hot/warm with curry.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Banana Blossom Cutlets

Vegetable Cutlet

Millet Cutlet

Sabudana Vada

DAhi Kebab

Instant Paneer Tikka

Read more ...

Instant Oats Idli Recipe [Video]

Oats Idli is a steamed cake made of oats and semolina. It is a healthy take on the popular South Indian breakfast of rice idli.

So what have you guys been up to? I know I missed posting last week, but I won't make any excuses. I'm just happy I managed to get a post this week.

But in between we got a lot of new additions to the house. 

In came some mango wood wall shelves that helped us drag out all our travel memoirs. I'm so happy I now get to display all the souvenirs we've collected over the years. If you've missed reading about our recent travels, you can now read them here. 

We also finally got a dining table!!! Since we never ate at the table, I never missed having one. But now that I have one, I love it. We had so many discussions and measurements until we finalized on a teak rectangle four seater. I cannot believe we contradicted each other on pretty much everything about the table - the size, the color, the shape. I wonder how we ever buy anything!! Now all I have to ensure is that the table is clutter free.

Straying back to our recipe of the day - Oats Idli. If you've ever been around a South Indian, you have to know how much we love our idlis. Idlis are light fluffy steamed rice cakes made by steaming a batter made from fermenting ground rice and black lentils. While that is healthy too, I now have a healthier version for you, and on the plus side, a quicker version too. 

Raise your hand if you hate oats but still want to include them in your diet for all the health benefits it gives you. That is exactly what inspired me to make these idlis. Raj hates oats, he'll only eat them if he doesn't know it is in the dish. So these oat idlis were the perfect place to hide them. These idlis are made with oats and semolina (cream of wheat) instead of the rice and lentils. Sour yogurt or curd is used to give it the slightly fermented taste. 

To make the idlis light and fluffy, I used Fruit Salt or Eno. To ensure that you don't end up with hard idlis, always have the steamer hot and ready for steaming before adding in the fruit salt to the batter. Once you add the fruit salt, don't over mix, just make sure it is combined and add it to the plate or bowl you want to steam the idlis in.

While I used rolled oats this time, I have made it in the past with oat meal too. Use either one of them to get the same results - Soft fluffy healthy Oats idlis. Serve them with traditional coconut chutney and piping hot sambar for best results.

Psst... All the pics in this photo are clicked on our new table :)


If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Oats Idli Recipe

Oats idli is a steamed cake made from oats and semolina. It is a healthier version of the popular south Indian breakfast of rice idli. This is an instant recipe and does not require any fermenting.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:            South Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     15 minutes
Total time:     45 minutes
Yield:                10 idlis

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled Oats or Oat meal
0.5 cup fine Semolina (chiroti rava) or cream of wheat
1 cup sour Yogurt or curd
0.75 cup grated Carrot
2 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
10-12 Cashewnuts
1.5 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 finely chopped Green Chilli
1 Tbsp Chana Dal
1.5 tsp Fruit Salt or Eno
1 Tbsp chopped Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

1. Powder the oats until smooth.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
3. Once they splutter, add in chopped curry leaves and chana dal. Saute for 30-45 seconds.
4. Add in split cashew nuts and fry until the cashews brown slightly.
5. Add the semolina and saute for 4-5 minutes until the semolina is fragrant.
6. Add in the powdered oats and fry for 2-3 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
8. Add grated carrot, chopped coriander leaves, salt and whisked yogurt to the dry ingredients.
9. Mix well and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. If the batter feels very dry, add a little water. The consistency of the batter is slightly thicker than usual idli batter.
10. Heat up the steamer and grease the idli plate or small bowls.
11. Add the fruit salt and a little water and mix well until combined.
12. Pour spoonful of batter onto the greased idli plate or bowls.
13. Steam for 10-12 minutes.
14. Demould and serve hot with chutney or sambhar.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Paddu

Rava Idli

Battalu Kadabu

Read more ...

Fresh Fruit Tart with Mango Cream

Crispy gluten free tart shell made of oats and almonds, a fresh creamy mango cream topped with assorted fresh fruits.

Long weekend plans got thrashed when Raj came home on friday night and complained of a body ache. Then came the fever and a massive headache. We really did not have any out of town plans thankfully. But I had just booked tickets to go watch the movie of the year - "Baahubali - The Conclusion" and I had no company!!! I actually got a cool discount on the already expensive tickets that made me less guilty about splurging so much for a movie. I was not gonna let that go. I though of putting up my tickets for sale online, but I've been waiting months for this movie!! So while I prayed he recovers, I also began searching for back up options on whom to go with. Luckily for me, my sis in law pitched in for her brother. What fun!!! Absolute entertainer, this movie. We were laughing for most of it. Sometimes you really need a melodramatic over the top movie to take you away from the craziness of the real world.

I had to cancel plans with friends and family because of the sick guy in the house. I haven't also been cooking too many things. Well, that's not true. I went a little overboard on Sunday and made this taste heavy Mahastrian Thali . Poor guy got to just eat the rice and dal, but the rest of us definitely enjoyed the rest of the meal. #MyWeekendThali is an instagram series I'm doing about my weekend meals. Go check it out!!

I have been rambling for three paras now, but I've still not reached my recipe of the day - Fresh Fruit Tart with Mango Cream. I did not make it this weekend. Not with all that bodyache and fever around. I couldn't deny that guy so much of dessert. I actually made this around a month ago, but the recipe was in drafts. Note to self --> Clean out drafts!!

So, while it may be a month ago, I remember the taste of this tart as if I'm eating one right now instead of sipping on my ginger tea. The base of this tart, the pastry shell is so simple to make AND it is gluten free and vegan. Oats, Almonds, Dates, Oil, Sugar, Cocoa. I tried to keep it refined sugar free, but the dates I have aren't too sweet and I ran out of them, so I had to add in a little bit of powdered sugar. You can totally avoid the sugar and keep it all natural. Cocoa powder is absolutely optional. Add it if you like a little bit of chocolate bitterness in your dessert. This pastry shell is nothing like the traditional pastry shell, it has a more cookie or biscuity feel to it. And may I suggest, make a little extra of the oats, almond powder, cocoa and dates powder? It tastes SO good!! You can eat spoonfuls of it just like that or may be throw in a little liquid something and make bars or balls of it. You can also store it in this form in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Add in the oil and mix when you are ready to bake. 

The Mango cream is simply paneer and mango pulp and of course, sugar. I made it fresh as it ends up being a little creamier when fresh. But you can always use store bought paneer (not the frozen kind) or cream cheese instead of making it fresh. Flavor with cardamom or vanilla if Mango isn't in season or if you want a more neutral cream. I'm a total sucker for Mango, so I use it everywhere when in season.

Once the pastry shells have cooled, spoon in the mango cream and top with assorted fruits. This is the fun part, you can use whatever you like and have fun decorating the tart. Let you kids do it so they feel they helped you make it. Chill chill in the fridge and then serve. If you plan on eating these after a day or two, I'd suggest to not spoon in the mango cream into the pastry shells but to keep them separately in the fridge and to assemble the tart either while serving or an hour before, else the pastry shells may become soggy.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life is there on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email (How convenient!!)

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Tender Coconut Ice Cream - 4 ingredient eggless Ice Cream made with Tender Coconuts.
• Maavina Hannu Seekarne - Aamras or flavored Mango pulp is a popular Summer dessert.
• No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake - This no bake Strawberry Cheesecake is egg and gelatin free.

Fresh Fruit Tart with Mango Cream

Fresh Fruit Tart with Mango Cream is a dessert with a n oats-almond crust stuffed with mango cream and topped with fresh fruits.

Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            International
Total Time:     2 Hours
Yield:                6 tarts

Ingredients:

For the Pastry Shell:

1/2 cup Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Almonds
4-5 Tbsp Oil
15 deseeded Dates
2-3 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Cocoa Powder (Optional)
Water as required

For the Mango Cream:

1 litre full fat Milk
1 Lime
1 Mango
5-6 Tbsp Powdered Sugar

To Assemble the Fresh Fruit Tart:

Assorted fresh fruits

Method:

To make the Pastry Shell:

Soak dates in hot water for 15 minutes.
In a mixer, powder both the rolled oats and almonds until fine.
Add cocoa powder, if using and pulse once so that it mixes with the oats and almonds. Cocoa powder gives a the pastry shell a slightly bitter taste after it is baked, you can skip it if you prefer a sweeter pastry shell.
Add dates and pulse until combined.
Drizzle in oil until you have loose dough. The dough is ready when you can roll a tablespoon of dough into a ball without it crumbling. Add more oil if it is very dry.
Add powdered sugar and knead until combined. If the dough feels very sweet already because of the dates, you can skip the powdered sugar.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
Grease the pie tins. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions.
Take one ball of dough and press it to the bottom of the pie tin. Using your fingers spread the dough so it is evenly distributed and well packed on the bottom and up the sides.
Bake the pastry shells for 10-12 minutes. The pastry shell will feel soft when hot. Remove them from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack. I baked mine for 12 minutes.

To make the Mango Cream:

Boil the milk until it comes to a rolling boil.
Remove from heat and add the juice of 1 lime and stir vigorously.
Allow the milk to curdle.
Once the milk has curdled and the milk solids have separated to leave a clear liquid behind, strain the milk using a muslin cloth or a fine mesh strainer.
Keep aside for 15 minutes until the liquid has drained.
Peel and puree the mango.
Blend the milk solids with 1 Tbsp of water until smooth.
Add the mango puree and mix well.
Add in powdered sugar by the spoonful until you have the desired sweetness.

To assemble the Fresh Fruit Tart:

Once the pastry shells have completely cooled, spoon in the mango cream.
Top with chopped fresh fruits.
Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Read more ...

Bircher Muesli | Overnight Oats

When temperature soars, a cold breakfast is welcome. This Bircher Muesli or Overnight Oats made with rolled oats, apple juice and yogurt is exactly what a cold breakfast should taste like...

I'll be completely honest, I was never one for a cold breakfast. Hot hot breakfast is what I am used to, and sometimes, I'll satisfy myself with food that is at room temperature. But chilled, just out of the fridge was something that never tempted me. Those rare times I eat cereal, I eat it with warm milk. But a couple of years ago when I went for a training to Hyderabad and was served cold Muesli in the buffet breakfast, I may have just converted a little bit. I still cannot eat cold breakfast every single day but when temperatures soar the way they have begun soaring, a cold breakfast is a relief!!

The first weekend I was back from the training, all I wanted to try was this Bircher Muesli... I couldn't wait to go out and buy rolled oats. I did go out, only to realize that the market is flooded with quick cooking oatmeal but there was no rolled oats anywhere. Gourmet super markets carried imported brands but they were super expensive. Finally, I tried making the muesli with oatmeal. While the taste was spot on, the texture really wasn't. Soaking oatmeal overnight gives it this pasty soft texture that is a total turn off. So if you really do make it with oatmeal, I highly recommend a shorted soaking time, maybe 2-3 hours.

Then I found this super affordable brand of Rolled Oats here. And luckily for me, just last week I found it stocked in an Organic store in Bangalore. Bircher Muesli it had to be.

This Bircher Muesli is till date the ONLY cold breakfast I eat. This muesli is all apple-y and yogurt-y, a flavor combination that tastes fresh and warm while being cold, um huh, you understand? If you are not a yogurt person, just replace it with milk and if you are looking for a vegan option, Almond milk goes great, but for me, it has to be fresh slightly sour yogurt.

This is a simple, no-cook recipe. But then, simple food always tastes the best, doesn't it?

To make this Bircher Muesli, soak the oats overnight in apple juice. In the morning add yogurt, lots of chopped nuts and lots and lots of chopped fruits. Sugar or honey for sweetness. Now this is something you can add or skip and it won't change the taste one bit - Basil Seeds. Basil seeds are the same family as Chia but are much more economical to purchase. They swell up when soaked in water just like chia seeds. You may know them as Falooda Seeds or Sabze ka beej. I soaked a few tablespoons of it in a cup of water and allowed it to swell while I cut fruits and chopped nuts. Once they had swelled up, I added them to the muesli. 

Use this recipe as a guide to make your perfect Bircher Muesli or Overnight Oats. I added fruits that my family loves and what are in season here - Apples, Pears, Bananas and Pomegranate (of course, pomegranate). You can use whatever you have. I'm a total "nut" case too, so I always have a variety of nuts and dry fruit stocked up to snack on. Use what is locally available to you.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life is there on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email (How convenient!!)

Bircher Muesli | Overnight Oats

Bircher Muesli or Overnight Oats is a cold breakfast made by soaking rolled oats in apple juice overnight and adding yogurt, nuts and fruits in the morning.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:            International
Total Time:     20 minutes (excludes soaking time)
Yield:                Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

2 cups Rolled Oats
2 Tbsp Basil Seeds 
400 ml Apple Juice
3-4 Tbsp chopped Nuts (Almonds, Pistachios, Walnuts)
4 cups whisked Yogurt
3 Apples
2 Bananas
1 Pear
1/2 cup Pomegranate seeds
1 cup Water
Powdered sugar to taste

Method:

Soak the rolled oats in apple juice overnight.
In the morning, peel and grate 2 apples and add to the oats.
Add whisked yogurt and powdered sugar to taste.
Soak the basil seeds in 1 cup of water and allow them to swell up and then add to the muesli.
Top with chopped fruits and nuts and serve.

Read more ...

Wholewheat Tomato & Basil bread

I often miss having the Mediterranean veggie sandwich at Panera bread for lunch. Since we don't have any Panera Bread's out here, I cannot enjoy their tomato and basil bread. Which is what set me on a path to create my own. I found several recipes on the net, but I modified them to suit me. I am not so keen on cooking with maida(flour) so I use atta (whole wheat flour) more often. I also had no parmesan cheese as the recipes asked for. Also, I added the oats and the fennel just as an experiment which worked successfully. This was a yummy breakfast today morning with oodles of butter....



Tomato & Basil bread



Before first rise

After first rise

After baking

Crust & crumb

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour / Atta – 1.5 cups

Oats – ½ cup

Tomato – 1

Basil leaves – 10-12

Fennel seeds / Saunf – 1 tbsp

Olive oil – 1 tsp

Active dry yeast – 1 tsp

Red chilli flakes – 1 tbsp

Tomato ketchup – 1-2 tbsp

Water – ¼ cup

Salt – ½ tsp

Method:

Puree the tomato and mince the basil

Warm the water and dissolve the yeast in it

Add the tomato puree, basil, crushed fennel seeds, red chilli flakes, tomato ketchup, oats and salt and mix well

Add the flour and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. I kneaded for around 15 mins.

Grease a vessel with olive oil and place the dough in it. Turn the dough so that it is covered in oil. Cover the vessel and allow it to proof for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Knead again for 1 min and place in the loaf tin or the baking sheet and allow it to rise for another 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 240 degree Celsius.

Bake for around 20-25 mins.

Read more ...

Oats Upma

Sweet oats were never meant for me... I cannot bring myself to eat them. I prefer corn flakes to sweet oats. Now savory oats is something worth eating. Until recently we never got savoury oats all nicely packed, ready to eat. Even then, the packaged savoury oats do contain certain ingredients that are not so healthy like corn starch and cashew nuts. This is an easy way to prepare savory oats at home.

Ingredients:


Onion - 1 (chopped)
Tomato - 1 small (chopped)
Plain Oats - 1 cup (I use Quaker)
Curry leaves - 5-6
Green chili - 1 (chopped)
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder or haldi - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp (chopped)
Lime juice - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Water

Method:

Heat oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds.
Once the seeds splutter, add curry leaves, onion, chili and fry.
After the onion is cooked and translucent, add the tomato and fry for 1-2 mins.
Add water (enough to cook the oats - read instructions on the box)
Add oats
Add haldi and salt.
Remove from heat once the oats are cooked (Appx 3-5 mins)
Add lime juice and coriander. Serve hot.

Read more ...