Pantzaro Salata - Roasted Beetroot Salad

Ever since I was diagnosed as having high blood pressure, I have become a close buddy of the beetroot.  According to Dr. Michael Mosely, the humble beetroot is good for the heart, it can help reduce blood pressure and keep the brain healthy.  As I started to consume more beetroot, I realised that this vegetable is also very tasty and it is so easy to consume on a daily basis.  So I try adding beetroot in different forms and ways into my diet and this is the Greek way. I first had a taste of the Pantzaro Salata in Athens - but a very no frills salad with what seemed like just a beautiful mix of yogurt and beetroot.

After arriving in Melbourne and researching on this salad, I came across the recipe for a sexier version in this site: https://www.foodbymaria.com/ 

This recipe is adapted from Maria's, and I added a little bit of something - and took away the garlic. The garlic was omitted for a guest who was allergic to them.

Aval Vilayichathu - Candied Rice Flakes

 A popular tea time snack in Kerala, candied rice flakes or aval vilayichathu is also one of my favourite "travel" and/or hostel snacks. Long train and bus journeys often called for snacks that could be easily stored and consumed.  The same held true for the hostel - except when you took snacks back to the hostel they would last may be a maximum of two days.  Those were the days! I hardly make snacks at home these days as I am mindful of my health and my weight.  However, I have been having massive cravings for this dish so I decided to indulge myself.

Usually this snack has a couple of tablespoons of sesame seeds.  I ran out of them so I used a tablespoon of cumin instead. And the sultanas are optional.

Baked Bitter Melon Crisps

 I am addicted to salty food.  Its easy for me to say no to chocolate, but give me an olive soaked in brine or a mango pickle and I cannot resist. I am now trying to cut out the sodium in my diet and consciously trying to avaid salt for health reasons. I happened to see this recipe on a reel in instagram and decided to make my own - salt and oil free. 

I made it today and though the salt is missing, the crunch factor is big and for that this will be a regular in my cuisine from now on.  Simply because it adds the interest to my bland meals of late., I guess.

Though I say it is salt free, I must admit there is a tiny bit of salt in there and also a tiny bit of oil.  But it is better than the amount of salt I normally add and definitely better than deep frying.

Idichakka Thoran - Green Jackfruit Stir Fry

 A few weeks ago, the family and I visited a "New Age" cafe where they were spruiking "pulled jackfruit" burgers as the new vegan go to food - that tasted even better than meat. The Keralite in me came out - and I decided I was going to order that, against my husband's wise advice. The pulled jackfruit was extremely disappointing leaving me craving for the real thing. I find it really annoying that people, including me, fall for such marketing ploys and then end up hating a perfectly great dish.

Of course, I could never hate the jackfruit - it is one of my favorite fruits.  And I know exactly what it could taste like if done properly.  

On that note, as I walked past my green grocer a couple of days back, I spotted green / unripe jackfruits. I immediately picked up a piece and brought it home. Finally my craving could be satiated.

On that note, let us move on to the Idichakka Thoran. Sure, it looks like pulled pork.  But this dish has been around for decades before pulled pork became fashionable. Most people in Kerala have a jackfruit tree in their back yard - and we did too. And this dish has been a staple of many households for decades.

Soy Garlic Tofu

I got addicted to this dish at a cafe in my place of work.  For the last few times, whenever we went there I would choose the tofu with garlic and soy along with fried rice. My friend Fiona is a great cook and when I asked her if she could give me the recipe for this particular dish, she pointed me to the site https://thefoodietakesflight.com/ and this recipe. I had all the ingredients in my pantry so I decided to try it out.

Making this dish at home is so much better - you can control the oil and salt that goes into it. And if you have the ingredients ready, the actual cooking takes less than 30 mintes.  You need pre cooked and chilled rice to make the fried rice - but the rest of the cooking takes a very short time.

My family loved the tofu - and I think this is one of those recipes that I will keep making over and over again. The sauce is so fresh and garlicky - it is delicious with the right blend of sweet, sour and hot.  Along with the fried rice, it was a satisfying meal 

Rizogalo - Greek Rice Pudding

 I tried my hand at making a very traditional rice pudding for my daughter's Greek family. I read a lot of recipes online, but this recipe from themediterraneandish.com rang true and authentic and I am so glad I trusted my instincts. Ruth Bardis is an Australian of Greek ethinicity and I must say that her recipe got me a lot of compliments from all the people who tasted it.

The only effort required for this recipe is to whisk the milk / rice mixture consistently and almost constantly.  It takes around 45 minutes, but the results were awesome. 

Kesari or Semolina Halwa

 Both my husband and daughter love this simple Indian dessert that can be served at weddings or at home.  When it is served at weddings or functions, it is made with ghee and saffron (kesar) - and hence the name Kesari. It is usually made with an orange food colouring but I try to refrain from using food colouring unless it is natural.  So though my kesari looks quite brown, but you can definitely taste the saffron.  It is entirely up to you if you wish to use food colouring and I will include it in the recipe as an option. The beauty about this dessert is that you can make it vegan very easily too.

Basic Chicken Biriyani - Rajam's recipe

 For most Indians, biriyani is an emotion. There are so many different varieties of biriyani in India and the one you had growing up generally ends up being the winner. The reason is obviously it brings back so many fun memories, and secondly, it is a taste that gets embedded in the ridges and grooves of your brain. Nothing anyone makes is even remotely close to that taste that you know is possible and you strive hard to find it everywhere. I found many Indian restaurants in Melbourne cook the rice and the meat seperately and then layer it in and call it biriyani. Of course it made me mad because for me the meat and rice must be cooked together for it to have the status of biriyani.  Yes, biriyani definitely has a status, if the meat and rice are cooked together in a delicious conglomeration, then the status is definitely at the top.

The trick to getting a perfectly cooked rice and meat dish is 1) excellent quality biriyani rice, 2) infinite patience and 3) careful measuring.  I use India Gate "classic basmati rice extra long" because it never fails me. India Gate basmati rice cooks into a fine long grain, fluffy and beautiful and I know the ratio is 1 cup of rice means two cups of liquid. 

My mother used to make biriyani at home for special occassions and that is what I have tried to create today for you. This is not a very hot dish, but by all means reduce the number of green chillies if you feel it might be too hot for you.  The red chilli powder I have used is Kashmiri chilli powder  which is not hot. 

Also, my mother never used to marinate and seal the chicken when she made chicken biriyani.  However, the chicken she used were organic and small sized where as the ones I see here are huge and have very little flavour - even if they are supposedly organic.  So that is a variation that helps with increasing the flavours of this dish. 

Lets get to the recipe without further ado!  This recipe calls for marination of the chicken and I do it the day before I am planning to make the biriyani.

Lamb Shanks

 After a long hiatus of nearly 5 months, I am back again! During the 5 months I had been busy preparing for my daughter's wedding, a cruise, the actual wedding, a trip, visitors and finally back to me and my old phone taking pictures and my familiar lap top...writing up another recipe!  This recipe is dedicated to the wonderful lamb I had in New Zealand, my friends and family at the multi cultural wedding and all the rejoicing and reconnecting that happened in the last half year. It is also dedicated to the wedding and the welcoming of new members of the family and the joyous celebrations associated with it! To my friends and family who have been encouraging me to get back to blogging, this one is for you too.  I love you all.

To the butchers at Preston market and the Publique French Bakery, thank you for the produce and the best olive sour dough baguette!

Let's get down to the recipe - I wanted this to be a relaxing day so I actually put the lamb shanks on the stove and went to the local shopping centre to do my weekly shop and get a coffee before coming back to check on the meat. It was two and a half hours all up but the meat was tender and I didn't need a knife to cut it at all.

Paneer Bhurji - Scrambled Indian Cottage Cheese

 Today was a busy day at home - clearing up my son's room. Then a quick run to the green grocer to get some essentials for the week. I found some lovely yellow capsicums at a great price, so I picked up a few. I also had left over paneer from last week, so it is going to be a quick and easy Sunday night dinner with some Lebanese bread and Paneer Bhurji.

I will take the left overs for lunch tomorrow in my sandwich and toast it. Very versatile dish, and the capsicum is my own addition -which you do not normally find in Paneer Bhurji. I added it in as I have so many of them! Back to the grind tomorrow!