Avocado Sushi Rolls

My son loves avocado sushi, whenever we go out for Chinese / Japanese food, the first thing he asked can we order avocado rolls? and he will just enjoy that. Looking at him and enjoying this so much, one day I got all the necessary ingredients/equipment to make sushi and surprised him with the rolls at home. He was like mom you made this? it's awesome, and believe me its very easy when you have sushi net at home. Without it, you can use a plastic sheet also but the wooden sheet is very handy and easy to work with. For this particular one, since he loves avocado only, I use avocado in it but you can use color peppers, cucumbers, pineapple too.

For rice you have to use short grain rice, don't try to use basmati to make sushi, you need very much gluten in it so it sticks together, make rice first and cool it and then its just 5 minutes, you can make rolls and ready to eat.

Ingredients : 

1 cup uncooked short grain rice
1 1/4 cup water
2 tbsp Rice vinegar
Salt as per taste
4 Sheets of Nori (Dry Seaweed)
2 Ripe Avocado
Wasabi
Picked Ginger as needed

Method : 

Combine the water and rice in a pan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer to low for 20 minutes or rice is cooked perfectly and water has been dry.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar and salt and let it cool.

Tak your bamboo sushi mat and put nori in it, wet your hand and take rice and spread it evenly on to the nori, leaving about 1/2 inch of seaweed empty at the corners.

Arrange strips avocado across the center of the rice.

At this time you can layer up with cucumber, peppers, pineapple.

Lift the mat and roll over the rice and avocado once and press down. Then roll again towards the end to make a long roll. You can moisten with a little water to help to seal at the end.

Set aside and make all the rolls.

Now take a sharp wet knife to slice the rolls into 6 slices.

Serve cut side up with wasabi and pickled ginger.

Enjoy.

Athela Jalapenos Marcha - Pickled Jalapenos Chilies - Indian Style

Here in the US, whenever you go to Swaminarayan temple, they sell a lot of snacks, sweets and other items, one of it is, Athela marcha, but its not from regular chilies, they use, Jalapenos to make this. I used always buy that whenever I am in that area, but for one small box and few chilies in it, cost more. So after two times, I stopped buying it and start making it at home. It's so easy to make and you can buy more jalapenos and make more pickle than store brought.

The recipe is nothing fancy, Wash, cut jalapenos and add it in spilt mustard seeds (rai na kuria) , salt, turmeric powder and done.  Go ahead and make this and enjoy it. Since we are cutting all the veins of Jalapenos there is no spiciness left. So you can enjoy it without worrying about spice.






Ingredients : 

9 Jalapenos
2 Tbsp Spilt Mustard seeds (rai na kuria)
1 tsp. Turmeric Powder
Salt as per taste
3 Tbsp Olive oil or Mustard oil or canola oil ( as per your wish I took Olive oil )

Method : 

In a container, mix oil, salt, turmeric powder and rai na kuria and keep it aside.

Cut the top of the Jalapenos and cut it in half. If your hands are sensitive, wear rubble gloves and work with Jalapenos.

Cut the seeds and veins from the jalapenos, wash it nicely.

Now depend upon jalapenos, cut 3 - 4 long matchstick slices and cut all of it.

when it's done, mix in oil mixture and keep it for 2-3 hours and it will be ready to eat.

You can enjoy it with your lunch or dinner.

Quick 10 minute Onion Pickle

If you like to eat onion but because of its strong taste, you skip it to add it in salads, burgers or in any toppings. Now don't. You can still enjoy nice mellow flavor of onions and its ready in 10 minutes. While you are preparing your mail dish , start making this pickle and by the time you are done with cooking your onion pickle is ready. This recipe is so versatile you can make with any vegetables, perfect for Jalapenos, cauliflower, carrot, ginger is a few. You can any flavor in this vinegar mixture, fresh herbs, ginger slices, whole garlic, whole spices and make it more interesting.

Best it goes with red onion and give nice bright color but if you don't have it you can use white or yellow onion too. Use regular white vinegar or rice vinegar, that will give you more flavor. You have to add sugar to balance sourness of vinegar. But honey or any other sugar substitute works fine too. Store in glass jar, canning jars are better. Metal will react with vinegar and spoil your pickle and plastic will absorb the pickling flavor. You can just put this in fridge and enjoy till it last.

So lets make it.

Ingredients : 

1 Medium red onion - slice it round or long thin matchsticks , its up to you
1/2 tsp sugar and salt
3/4 cup rice or white wine vinegar

Flavoring : fresh herbs, whole garlic, sliced ginger, whole spices.

Method:

Boiled 2 -3 cups of water in pan.
Sliced your onions and keep it aside.
Mix your sugar, salt and vinegar and flavoring in the jar you are going to store it. Mix it nicely so everything dissolved.
take colander and put your onions in it and pour boiled water on onions.Let it drain and then add onions in the jar and stir in nicely to it coat with mixture.
Onions will be in ready in 10 minutes but will get more flavors after few hours.
Use fresh spoon or fork every time you take out some onions.

Kerala Style Mango Pickle

I love homemade pickles, it taste fresh and you can control oil and spices as per your choice and above all homemade is best, don’t you all agree? I had my share of Gujarati pickle but this time I wanted to try something different so got raw mango from Indian Grocery store and thinking to make which state I can go for the pickle. Then my mind went straight to South and did little bit research and asked one keralian friend about how you can make mango pickle and she told me and made it that way , now I am not claiming this is original recipe, but it might be from her home recipe so now sharing with you and yes we still get raw mango here so we can use it any time.

Ingredients :

1 big raw mango, cut in small pieces

3 tbsp. Pickle masala

2 tbsp. Vinegar

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 chopped green chilies

Few leaves of coriander leaves

4 tbsp. oil (this will depend upon how big is your mango, mine was pretty big so I needed 4)

Method:

Cut the mango , chili, garlic and keep it aside.

Heat a pan, add oil in it.

When it’s hot, add garlic , chili, curry leaves and cook till you get nice aroma from all 3 ingredients.

Then add mango pieces along with pickle masala and vinegar.

Cook on low to medium flame till mango pieces are nice and tender.

Check the salt level in pickle masala, if its salty enough you don’t need to add extra salt but if not then add salt.

Mine was perfect masala so didn’t add any salt in it.

Shut the flame off and let it cool completely.

Add store it in glass jar only and enjoy it with your meal. You can keep this bottle outside no need to put it in fridge but if it’s very hot then put it inside.

Hearth and Soul blog hop: December - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Green Apple Pickle

Did you see my  Apple and Sprouted Chana Aachar, now this is just regular pickle masala but with granny smith apple to replace raw mango in pickle. I like fresh pickle a lot so instead of making a big batch of it and never touch it after few times, I make it in small batches and finish it up fast. Try this in any season and enjoy it as a side dish to your dinner, goes very well with rice.

Ingredients : 

1 Granny smith Apple - cut it in small cubes
2 tbsp. rai na kuria - split mustard seeds
2 tbsp. Methi na Kurai - Split fenugreek seeds
Salt as needed
Oil 2-3 tbsp.
Few pinches of red pepper flakes for some kick


Method

Cut apple and put it in salted water so it doesn't go black till you done with whole apple.

In a one bowl, mix all the spices along with oil and mix it nicely.

Take the apple out of water, drain it and put it in spices.

Mix very well. and put it glass jar and leave it as it is for one day /night  for 8 -10 hours.

After that enjoy and finish it asap so you can make it again.

Merry Tummy

Basic Napa Cabbage Kimchi

Kimchi is nothing but fermented napa cabbage with spices. When you get it ready made it has very peculiar smell of fish sauce, which as a vegetarian I just can not stand it. So I tried to make it at home only so I can enjoy it whenever I want to and above all it's fermented food so he also can have it, that's the reason I didn't make it very spicy so my husband can enjoy it. If you can find it Korean red chili powder then use it otherwise regular Kashmiri chili powder is fine. If you are using fish sauce by all means use it and less salt than. And it want to add radish that also goes very well in this.

Ingredients 

1 medium head of Napa cabbage
1/4 cup salt
1 tbsp grated garlic
1 tbsp. grated ginger
1 to 5 tbsp. Korean red pepper flakes or kashmiri red chili powder
If you are using radish or daikon, peeled and chopped in medium cubes

Method:

Cut the cabbage in half then again half , remove the cores and cut it in 2 inch wide strips.Put the cabbage and salt in a large bowl, mix it with your hands so cabbage get little softer. Add water to cover the cabbage and put some plate on top and weigh it down with heavy stuff like some kind of jar or can or even water filled container.

Leave this way overnight. After that rinse and drain the cabbage and wash it under cold water for 2-3 times so all the salt goes away.Combine garlic , ginger, red chil powder according to your taste and mix it. Gently squeeze any water from the cabbage and add it in that spice mixture.  Mix it nicely with your hands if you can , otherwise use spoon because it's spicy and it will smell and burn too if you are not careful.Leave it in that container for one day and then put it in jar. 

Keep it outside till it becomes fermented totally, you can check for it by pressing down the vegetables with a spoon so all the brine will stay down. When its ripe enough , then put it in fridge. I started using it next day because I couldn't  wait but if you can give at least 3-4 days to ferment. You can have it as it is or with some burger or sandwich as a condiments.  Adopted from here.

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop: June 2nd week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

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Achari Potatoes with Yogurt

I am in love with my achari mix. So when in doubt what to cook and how to cook , just use it that spice mix and lovely dish come out. I so wanted to make this and made it, I didn't wanted dry one so instead of just sprinkling lime juice or vinegar for that achari taste, I added yogurt and it was just perfect, pair with fulka rotis and diner was done , of course with side of dal too. You can use it other vegetables too. But this time I just wanted to eat potatoes, simple.

Ingredients :

2 potatoes
2 tbsp. Achari mix
salt to taste
2 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. yogurt
1 tbsp. ginger, garlic, chili paste

Method:

Heat a pan, Add oil in it.
When its hot, add paste and cook it for 30 seconds
Add potatoes and cook on medium flame till its fry little bit.
Then add achari mix and salt and water , just to cook potatoes.
Cover it and let it cook.
When potatoes is done, add yogurt and cook for a minute.
Turn off the gas and enjoy hot and spicy potatoes with fulka rotis.

Quick and flavorful dish is ready so when you are in jiffy , make this and savour it.

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Sweet and Spicy Lemon Pickle / Limbu nu Athanu

Ok this pickle is my most favorite one in childhood. I can have roti and pickle for my lunch and diner. My mom used to make this in big batch in pickle season and we eat year around. Coming to US I didn't made in that big batch but at least that much I make so I can enjoy and cherish for  days. This is not instant pickle, you have to wait at least two weeks to eat it but outcome is amazing. Before even writing this post I already finish two slices of lemon from jar. You have to put slices in salt and turmeric powder for at least good seven days or depend upon how fast the skin turned its color. Best time to make this in summer so it works fast. But hey anytime is pickle time for me. I didn't had time in summer so didn't made it but I can use fall sun which I can use for my pickle. Use new red chili powder for nice color, old one makes dull color. So Keep this things in mind before you make.

Ingredients :

8 big Limes or lemons
2 cups of grates jiggery (depend upon sourness of lemons, you can decrease or increase sweetness)
1 table spoon red chili powder
1 tsp. turmeric powder
salt to taste

Method:

Cut limes in half and then again half. If its big then make it 3 slices.
Add salt and turmeric powder and shake it well.

Keep the lid on and put it in sun.

Day 1


Day 3

shake it every day  3-4 times.

Day 5 , see how skin changes it color

At day 7 , add grated jiggery and red chili powder. leave it again in sun till it melts in sun heat.

It will take how hot the sun is. Mine took 3 days to melt.

Once its melted , take it out in glass bottle and enjoy with your diner or lunch.

Pickle is now ready to eat.

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Vagharela Marcha / Instant Green Chilies Pickle

I love spicy food and this dish is my favorite. My mom used to make all kinds of green chilies to go with diner, she stuffed them , fry them  or just stir fry it in some spices and we just eat it with roti or khichdi. After coming to US I saw lot of varieties of chilies and I tried this dish with all kinds of chilies but best way I found this dish is this long green chilies. It says its spicy but its mildly spice not too hot like jalapenos or Thai chilies but not spice less like capsicum. You can use capsicum too if you don't want any kind of spiciness. This is perfect side dish with any curries or gravy dish or even plain khichdi. I never had problems with leftover chilies, because it will be gone in 2 to 3 days. So my guess is it will last in fridge in at least 5 days.

Ingredients :

3 long chilies

1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds (saunf)
salt to taste
2 tsp. oil ( I used olive oil)
pinch of aamchur or chat masala
pinch of turmeric powder

Method:

Cut the chilies as you like, rounds or slit in two parts and then cut it.
Heat a pan, add oil in it.
When its hot add saunf and mustard seeds.
Then add chilies and mix it.
Add salt and chat masala , turmeric powder and cover the lid and cook for 3-4 minutes.
BE VERY CAREFUL when you open the lid, don't stand near gas stove, all the air will come to your nose and you will suffocate with spicy air.
Mix it very well and remove from the gas.
Serve at room temperature with your main dish and rest store it in fridge.
Inspired from here.
                                  

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