Happy New Year to All!!! Hope this year is eventful, happy and healthy for all. This is probably the first time in my entire life that I started the first day of a new year all alone. But I am sure the year will be great. Just like every one else, there are hopes and aspirations with fewer new year resolutions that continue every year. One of my usual resolutions is to exercise and stay healthy. I am sure so many of us think about it every year but the challenge is how long does the resolution last??
All the Best to everyone for a Wonderful New Year 2011!!!
Cutlets are typically prepared using meat or vegetables and interpreted differently across international cuisines. In Indian cuisine, one of the popular appetizers being vegetable cutlets is made using potatoes, peas, carrots, onions, green chillies and spices. Both sides of the cutlet is dipped in an all-purpose flour batter (mixed with sufficient water) or eggwash and coated with breadcrumbs. It is lightly fried in hot oil. You can also shallow fry the cutlets to make it a much healthier option.
I like soy-based ingredients and use them frequently in my cooking...one such ingredient being edamame (shelled soybeans). You can use fresh or frozen edamame for this recipe. Mostly when I make these cutlets, I use soy nut powder (grind roasted soy nuts coarsely) for the coating. You can try different variations for the coating such as ground soy nut or coarse yellow cornmeal or just stick to the good old breadcrumbs. It can be served as an appetizer or also as edamame burger with onion, tomato & cheese slices on your favorite burger buns.
Ingredients:
12 oz edamame (frozen shelled soybeans)
1 large zucchini, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 spring/green onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp olive oil
Cooking spray, to shallow fry cutlets
1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal (for coating)
Method:
Cook the edamame according to the instructions on the package. Allow it to cool and grind the edamame (not too finely...its ok if you have some edamame pieces) to a coarse paste (slightly wet and sticky consistency).
In a pan, heat olive oil and add zucchini, red bell pepper and jalapeno. Sauté the vegetables until they are slightly soft.
In a bowl, add the ground edamame, sautéed vegetables, spring onion and cilantro leaves. Add paprika, garlic powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, salt and sunflower seeds and mix them to blend all ingredients.
Use the edamame mix to make medium-sized round cutlets and coat them on both sides with cornmeal. In a nonstick skillet, on medium-high heat, coat with cooking spray and place 4 cutlets at a time and cook until slightly golden brown on each side. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or chilli sauce.
Makes 12-14 cutlets.
Hot and Sour Soup is popular among asian cuisines and is prepared either using meat or meat-free. It is typically made hot using spicy red peppers and sour using vinegar. This soup can be categorized as an Indo-Chinese version that contains ingredients such as mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots and vegetables in a broth flavored with spices. It can be prepared thicker than the traditional Chinese versions by adding cornstarch. A recipe so simple and quick without any compromise on taste.
Ingredients:
5 cups vegetable broth
8 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup cabbage, cut finely
1/4 cup bamboo shoot, cut into strips (optional)
1/4 cup baby corn, cut into small pieces (optional)
4 oz soft tofu, cut into thin strips (optional)
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
6 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp chilli garlic sauce/paste (adjust to taste)
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch, mixed in 1/4 cup water until no lumps
1/4 tsp ajinomoto (optional)
1/4 cup spring onions, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Method:
In a stockpot, add the broth, vegetables and tofu and allow it to boil. Cook the vegetables on low heat until they are slightly soft.
Add the grated ginger, soy sauce, chilli garlic sauce, ajinomoto and vinegar. Adjust spices according to taste and add salt, if required.
Add the cornstarch paste to the soup and mix well. Allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes until the soup turns slightly thick. I prefer it on the lighter side but if you like it much thicker, you can increase the amount of cornstarch to 2 tbsp until you get the desired consistency.
Garnish with spring onions and serve hot.
Makes 3-4 servings.
