Quinoa seasoned with mustard, spices and onions

It's my first Christmas in Portland. I have lived here for 2 1/2 years now and never been in the city during Christmas. It's surprising to see how busy all the shopping malls are. Just today we went to one near our home which is rather small and could not find any parking at all, which is quiet surprising as there is usually lots of parking in the area.

I have been at the shopping malls a lot lately, thanks to my sister who is visiting from India. So when it comes to cooking I don't have the time and patience to cook. Rice is staple food in South India, where I have lived for most part of my life. It is easy to cook and does not require a lot of effort. I have been trying to replace rice with quinoa in a variety of different dishes. My mom makes amazing vagharela quinoa, which means seasoned quinoa. And I made a similar dish just last week, here is the recipe.

Recipe: Quinoa seasoned with mustard, spices and onions

Serves: 2

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup Quinoa
1/2 cup onion finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic sliced
1 green chili slit lengthwise
1 tsp Olive oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera
4-5 curry leaves

Spices

1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste.

 1. Wash the quinoa using a sieve and place in a pot with 2 cups of water on medium flame. Let it cook for 7-8 mins. Cook until the water has almost evaporated. Switch the flame off and close the pot and let it sit for 4-5 mins. This makes the Quinoa fluffy.

If you need detailed explanation on how to cook Quinoa, here are some good tips from thekitchn.com which I absolutely love.

2. To the cooled quinoa add all the spices and mix with a fork.

3. In a pan, add olive oil, mustard and jeera. Once the seasoning starts to splutter, add the green chili, curry leaves, onions and chopped garlic. Add a pinch of salt to let the onions cook faster.

4. Next add the quinoa with the spices to the cooked onions. Stir and let the quinoa cook until everything is blended perfectly. This would take 4-5 mins.

5. Garnish with chopped cilantro or spring onions and serve hot.

Pizza Kati rolls

Ahh, Kati rolls. Reminds me about my college days when I used to sneak away with my sister to get kati rolls from the vendor outside the big retail store. Kati rolls are said to have originated in Kolatta, where Kati kebabas were enclosed in a paratha. In India, Kati roll is a popular street food available at any mall and street corner. It usually comes with different fillings topped with cheese, marinated green chilies and spicy sauces.

Pizza Kati rolls

I made these Kati rolls using toppings from leftover pizza party at my house and its is like biting into a wrapped pizza! These wraps are easy to put together as u have the pizza sauce ready and vegetables sliced and chopped. They are perfect for a lunchbox meal at work, or an afternoon snack. You can even make a meal out of them by serving with a side of soup or salad.

The recipe is only a guide , please adjust the seasoning and ingredients to your liking.

Ingredients:

Left over pizza sauce - tomato, alfredo, pesto and sauce you might have.
Wraps - Rotis, Parathas
Left over Vegetable toppings
 - sliced mushrooms
 - sliced onions
 - green peppers
 - jalapeños
 - grated chesse
 - cubed paneer
Olive Oil
Soy Sauce
Hot sauce
Cilantro a handful - chopped finely
Chaat Masala

For the filling:

* In a pan add a tsp of olive oil and add all the vegetables and paneer. Cook on high for 3-4 mins. Add soy sauce and hot sauce and stir for another 2-3 mins.
* Switch off the stove and take the pan off the flame.

Assembly station:

* Create an assembly station by keeping a large chopping board on the table and arranging the  filling, sauce, Chopped cilantro and chaat masala around it.
* If you are using frozen parathas or rotis, it will be a good idea to cook them now and keep them ready.

* Cut a small rectangular piece of wax paper and place it on the chopping board and place the cooked roti/paratha on it.

* Spread a spoonful of the pizza sauce on the roti and spread the filling in the centre.

*Top it off with chopped cilantro , cheese and a dash of chaat masala.

* Fold 1/4 of the roti from the end toward you to the top, in such a way so to secure the filling from dropping out from below.

* Now gently fold the roti from the left and then the right. Roll the wax paper around and below the wrap.

* Repeat for remaining rotis.

This video shows another easier technique to fold the wraps, my wraps were too small for this technique.

Broken Wheat Vegetable Delight

How has your weekend been? Mine was good. We did quiet a few things, caught up with friends, went on a long hike after a long time, went shopping at IKEA and tried to watch a movie using Chromecast. Every time I go shopping at IKEA I have to buy a few more air-tight jars for my pantry. I have an obsession for jars, any size, shape and color jar and have quiet a collection in my pantry.

Broken Wheat also called Bulgar wheat, Fada, Dalia is high in fiber and is made from whole raw wheat kernels. I am not a big fan of broken wheat and enjoy it if its cooked the right way and eaten hot. This is an easy one pot meal. Broken wheat can be substituted with rice as well in this recipe.

I had a small cauliflower, one potato and one carrot lying in the pantry and were used up in this dish. The recipe is a good way to finish up leftover veggies and also eat healthy.

Recipe:

Serves: 2-3 adults

Time: 20 mins

Special Kitchenware: Pressure cooker or  Electrical Rice Cooker.

Ingredients:
1 cup broken wheat / rice
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 tsp ginger garlic paste *
2-3 green chillies
1-2 cup mixed vegetables ( potatoes, carrots, french beans, peas)
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chili powder/paprika
Cilantro chopped finely to garnish.

Tempering:
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Olive Oil

* If you do not have ginger garlic paste. Add finely chopped garlic and grated ginger where the recipe calls for this ingredient.

Broken wheat vegetable delight

• Wash the broken wheat thoroughly in a bowl and keep it aside. 

• In a thick bottomed vessel / pressure cooker add olive oil, mustard and cumin seeds. The mustard seeds will start sizzling in the hot oil. 

• At this time add the chopped onions, Sautee for 2-3 mins with a pinch of salt. The ginger-garlic paste should be added now. Cook until the raw garlic smell goes away. 

• Add all the vegetables along with green chillies to the pot now. Let them cook for a minute or two and then add the spices - turmeric, chili powder and salt. Stir until the spices and vegetables are blended together. 

• Now add two and half cups of hot water to the pot or pressure cooker. If you are using an electric cooker, transfer the mixture to the electric cooker now. For a pressure cooker cook on medium flame for 2 whistles.

You can see my reflection and that of the food on the spoon

• Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with papad or raita. Make sure to serve this dish hot ! 

Tell me how did you like the dish and also if you have a jar obsession like I do :).