Fried Mini Idlis

First off, yes these ARE mini idlis, not fried potatoes!

They make a perfect party food or a snack. And if you have extra idli batter on hand, they are super quick to make too. I made them recently for a picnic and they were a big big hit, even with the kids. You can adjust the seasoning to your palette.

Ingredients:

-  Steamed mini idlis, already prepared., cut in half.
-  couple pinches of cayenne pepper
-  1/2 tsp mustard seeds
-  1 tsp urad dal
-  1/4 tsp turmeric
-  5-6 curry leaves
-  1 tsp (non spicy) california chilli powder
-  2 Tbsp canola oil
-  1/2 onion small dice
-  salt to taste

Method:

In a sautee pan, first temper the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves in hot oil.

Next, sautee remaining ingredients over medium high heat tossing occasionally . When everything is combined well and the idlis have browned somewhat, remove from heat and serve.

Watermelon Gazpacho with a kick

So I'm slowly getting used to this crazy Texas heat. It reminds me of my childhood summer in Kuwait when there really was no point in checking the weather on a given day. 100? 103? 101? Just another hot and dry day.  But yet life goes on... We went out our daily activities, I went to school, spent evening after school at the apartment complex pool, maybe at a friend's place... you'd step outside and there really was no mistaking the HOT desert wind blowing in your face.

After leaving Kuwait, I honestly never thought I would face such weather again. But never say never right? ;-)

And so here in Texas, it's deja-vu all over again and I'm finding ways to cope with the heat.  I'm a huge fan of the traditional spanish gazpacho, which is a raw soup with a multitude of veggies all blended in with some herbs and lime juice. I found a watermelon version of this recipe on a few different websites and tried it out at  a dinner party couple weeks back. No I don't normally subject my guests to being guinea pigs for a new recipe but I felt confident about this one. ;-)

The key is in getting a really nice juicy, BRIGHT RED watermelon.

Ingredients:

-  2.5 to 3lb seedless watermelon, cut in chunks
-  juice of 1 lime
-  2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
-  1 serrano chilli
-  1 or 2 plum tomatoes
-  1 clove garlic
-  handful of mint (or basil or cilantro)
-  1 seeded cucumber, peeled
-  2 stalks celery (I didn't have this so skipped it)
-  salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  Blend all the ingredients in the blender or food processor.

2.  Season to taste

3.  Garnish with mint, lime wedge and some extra virgin olive oil.

4.  Chill for 2 hours and serve nice and cold.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

It's that time of year. The weather is a little nippy out and what better time than to enjoy some homemade soup. Not stuff from a box or a can. Tomato Soup and Grill Cheese. Mmmm. Mmmm. Mmmm. Classic combination. I wish I had thought of making grill cheese the other day when I made the soup. Instead I had made bread pizza with wheat French bread (that was store bought ;-) ).

Tomato soup is so classic.. and roasting the tomatoes with olive oil and fresh garlic really brings out the tomatoey-ness.. sweetness and the acidity. This one is a definite keeper.  And it so hapenned I had a pound or two of tomatoes in my fridge.  It takes a bit of time to roast the tomatoes and to let them cool, but the end result is so worth it.

Rachael (of Rachael Ray fame) would say "You ain't getting that flavour from out of a can".

Roasted Tomato Soup

(Adapted from Ina Garten's recipe)

Ingredients-

-  2 lbs roma tomatoes (that's what I had) cut in half- Vine tomatoes would be great for this too
-  3 garlic cloves cut in half
- Olive oil
-  Basil, preferably fresh
-  Dried thyme
-  Vegetable stock
-  1/2 medium onion
- 1/2 tsp red pepper/chill flakes  (optional)

Directions-

0. Preheat oven to 400 F

1.  Toss the tomatoes and garlic cloves in olive oil (2 or 3 good tablespoons), season with salt and pepper

2.  Roast for about 30-35 minutes.

The come out looking sparkly and begging to be pureed

3.  While tomatoes are roasting, sautee the onions for 5-7 minutes on medium heat. Use a large soup pot or dutch oven.

4. Add the tomatoes to the pot and add thyme, basil and chilli flakes. Save some basil for garnish!

5. Add a couple cups of vegetable stock and some water (depends on how thin you like your soup) and simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Blend the soup mixture.  Garnish with basil and some freshly ground black pepper.

Eat up!! (with or without slurping LOL)

Variations

- Toss roasted goodness over some pasta

- Add a bunch of red or green chillis, puree and turn into a spicy Indian-ized pickle.