Madhu Knits and Cooks

Simple Quinoa and Vegetable Soup - Great for Comforting Winter Meals

Seeking more weeknight meal diversity, as well as a way to use up my big bag of quinoa in the cabinets, I decided to try a New York Times Hearty Quinoa and White Bean Soup recipe.  

This savory soup was flexible with modifications, of which I made many.  I didn't add in any beans, and instead slightly increased the quinoa to 1/2 cup and added in a handful or two of ditalini pasta two minutes after adding in the quinoa.  I also added in some thawed frozen corn, fresh thyme, and a full can of diced tomatoes - why not?

Perhaps because of the increase in quinoa and the pasta, the soup ended up more like a stew, which my husband liked a lot.  

With some final grated parmesan on the end, this soup had a pleasing creaminess and saltiness to supplement the vegetables and fragrant herbs.  I look forward to making it again!

New Weeknight Staples - Simple Indian Cauliflower with Peas and Cilantro Rice

I tried two new recipes this summer, both of which I think can become staples for a variety of meal combinations.  The first, from my new favorite Madhur Jaffrey Vegetarian India cookbook, is a cauliflower with peas that can be prepared entirely on the stovetop.  

The result is savory from the dried spices, slightly tart from the cooked down tomato, and the green peas add a nice sweetness.  The cauliflower is soft when you bite into it, despite retaining a pleasant, slightly firm exterior.  I could truly eat this dish all day.  And of course, per personal preference, I omitted the ground coriander.  

As pictured, I complemented this dish with a Milk Street cilantro rice recipe.  I halved the recipe, and it was much better than I was expecting.  The reason?  A tremendous lightness from the lime juice.  The pureed scallions similarly elevated this rice with a herby sweetness.  If I have a lot of extra cilantro on-hand, this a great dish for any Indian or Mexican meal (and that's just what immediately came to mind!).

Narrowing in on a Winning Deviled Egg Recipe - NYT "Classic" Approach

I'm so happy I am now inclined to finish up my expired eggs instead of sadly throwing them out en masse.  The mass egg preparation approach that has become my go-to is deviled eggs, which I made this summer for a party appetizer.  After experimenting with a few past recipes with varying success, I decided to try another new approach to narrow in on a winning consistent recipe.  

This NYT recipe featured dijon mustard to offset the mayonnaise - which generally is not to my liking in deviled eggs - and some dashes of Tabasco and chives for additional flavor.  Following some recommendations in the comments, and to further reduce the flavor of mayonnaise, I made a few modifications - added a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce, reduced the mayonnaise to 2 tbsp., and added 1/2 tbsp. of softened butter.  I also forgot to buy chives at the store, so inadvertently omitted those.

The final result was good, but not outstanding,  The flavor was subtle, certainly "classic," with not too much mayonnaise thankfully.  I think adding the chives and perhaps increasing the dijon will help punch these up a bit more.  

That being said, as prepared, these were a hit at the party I brought them to and I should have made more!

A New Mujaddara Approach and Delicious Korean Battered Squash (Hobak Jeon)

I recently had the opportunity to try two new recipes in one night - oh my!  One was a new version of an old favorite, mujaddara, and the other was an entirely new dish, hobak jeon.  

The Milk Street mujaddara was pretty good.  Not good enough to replace my standard recipe, but it did have some added flavorings I may play with in the future, including allspice and scallions.  I ended up making this dish twice because I burnt it the first time (really turn the flame to low once the rice is on!) and I used green lentils instead of brown.  The recipe definitely requires a drizzle of olive oil post-cooking for extra creaminess, but it's very good.

The Korean battered squash, hobak jeon, I made from Joanne Lee Molinaro's The Korean Vegan Cookbook.  I really liked that I could use plant-based milk, which I always have on hand.  I also used cornstarch instead potato starch because I couldn't find potato starch to use.  It was also pretty easy to batter the cut zucchini, though because of my second mujaddara attempt, I let the battered zucchini set a little too long before cooking.  The result was that some of the coating came off prior to the pan frying, but the final result turned out really well.  The turmeric was a great inclusion and added a nice earthy flavor to the crisp and smooth zucchini.  I will make this recipe again!

NYT Instant Pot Khichdi - Simple Recipe Repeat (with modifications)

Seeking an alternative from my standard stovetop khichdi, I recently tried a NY Times version.  Do you need a recipe for khichdi?  Not really, but here we are - and with pretty good results.

I halved the recipe, and then halved the water again because I was worried about the dish being too watery than cooked down - in hindsight, slightly more water probably would have been fine.  I reduced the coriander as well to use approx. one-third of the recipe amount, but moving forward, I would omit entirely because of personal preference.  

The recipe basically made itself in the Instant Pot, and I threw in some chopped up leftover spinach at the end as well which was a nice, healthy addition.  Moving forward, I will probably add some other vegetables and maybe some cilantro or other fresh herbs for more flavor diversification.  Otherwise, this dish as prepare was creamy, substantive, and nourishing.  Perfect cooking time as well.  

I guess you don't need a recipe for khichdi after all :-)

Uttar Pradesh Muslim-Style Moong and Masoor Dal - Very Good, Simple Dal

Madhur Jaffrey's Vegetarian India has a number of regional dal preparations, which I am slowly working through (as I am with all of her other great recipes!).  I was immediately drawn to her Simple Moong and Masoor Dal Cooked in the Style of Uttar Pradesh Muslims because it evoked a wonderful UP meal a friend's mother prepared for us recently.  

To prepare the Madhur Jaffrey dal, I halved the recipe and used the Instant Pot to cook the dal via 10 minutes of pressure coupled with a natural release.  My sense is that I used low pressure v. high pressure because that's what I usually do with dal, but I didn't take notes to confirm!

I then prepared the tadka on the stovetop and added it to the salted, cooked dal. 

The result was lightly spiced from the cumin, garlic, and shallot.  This is a simple side dal that is perfect when I don't have tomatoes or other dal flavorings at home. 

Would I make it for a dinner party to wow guests?  No.  But for a simple, protein-rich side for home meals, it's a good addition.  

Savory-Sweet Baked Sweet Potato with Lentils, Maple Butter, and Scallions

Hetty McKinnon, how I adore your To Asia, With Love cookbook.  The latest amazing recipe - baked sweet potatoes with lentils, maple butter, and scallions.   Super easy to prepare, incredibly filling, and a range of flavors and textures featured.

The warm sweet potato flesh melts in your mouth, complemented by the subtle sweetness of the melty maple butter.  The dish isn't all sweet with some nice sharpness from the fresh scallions and the simple prepared lentils which add more savory, salty notes.  The lentils and maple butter can be prepped while the sweet potatoes are baked in the oven, so it's a really easy and healthy weeknight meal.  

I've made this recipe twice so far.  The only downside is that once, the sweet potato skin was almost burnt, so I had to largely pick around the charred skin parts.  So depending on the type of sweet potato, I may need to adjust the temperature + cooking time (~50 minutes so far).

Hetty McKinnon's Cumin Tofu and Cauliflower - Work in Progress

Competing with Madhur Jaffrey's Vegetarian India for cookbook supremacy in my household is Hetty McKinnon's excellent To Asia With Love.

One of my latest recipe attempts is her Cumin Tofu Stir-Fry, which is a riff on the Western Chinese cumin lamb that nearby Xi'An Famous Foods is famed for producing in NYC.

I am really happy I tried this recipe as I love cumin and have often wished for a vegan / vegetarian version of this western Chinese favorite.  The recipe was packed full of ground cumin, and that strong flavor was nicely offset by the onions, cilantro, and sesame seed garnish. 

I think the one challenge with this recipe is that the dried spices - cumin, gochugaru - are added at the end of the cooking time and are added just dry, with no water or oil to make into more of a sauce.  As a result, the spices seems to get clumped in certain areas and were dry on the mouth in some bites.  I will experiment with either adding the spices earlier to the cooking time, adding some water or oil to the dry spices to make it more of a paste that gets added, and/or reducing the amount of spices added moving forward.  

I look forward to making this again and adapting it to my tastes!

Madhur Jaffrey's Excellent Saag Paneer

I think I've found a new recipe to displace my recent favorite saag / palak paneer.  The winner?  From Madhur Jaffrey's Vegetarian India, which has also become my favorite cookbook of late as well.  

This saag paneer recipe is also available online and features a deceptively simple approach to get a mouthwatering spinach flavor and consistency - blanching.  The spinach is quickly blanched prior to blending with other ingredients and cooking.  This approach results in the smoothest and creamiest sauce sans ghee / butter, which is a staple of my previous favorite recipe.  

I made just a few recipe modifications - omitted the coriander and used approx. half of the fenugreek the recipe calls for (~1 tbsp instead of 2).  The only downside of this recipe is the number of dishes it utilizes given the blanching, but it's worth it for a great base that I think can be combined with tofu, corn, or other proteins / vegetables.  

Cauliflower with Ajowan and Ginger - Earthy, Simple Indian Cauliflower Preparation

Madhur Jaffrey's Vegetarian India has become my new favorite cookbook with yet another solid, simple recipe. 

Jaffrey's Ajwainwali Gobi or Cauliflower with Ajowan and Ginger is based on the recipe from Aurobindo Ashram, a place we have visited before in India.  It was quite a surprise to find that connection in this cookbook, let alone a recipe that makes use of ajowan / ajwain, a spice I bought long ago to prepare Ethiopian food and have had yet to use!

I found the prepared cauliflower, which was just lightly steamed on the stovetop, very earthy and flavorful.  The ajowan had a lighter and slightly more herby flavor than cumin, and my husband got some caraway flavor notes (though I did not).  I would make this simple cauliflower again and again, similar to the great kalonji greens which have become a frequent homemade staple.