Thai Eggplant Curry

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If you workout regularly then you know that sometimes it can get a little more intense than planned, resulting in aching muscles. At least that's how it turns out for me sometimes, I decide to workout a little more than usual and my muscles protest the next day. I usually ignore it and make sure not to push too much the next few times I workout. I have never thought of using or including particular foods in my diet as a way to soothe sore muscles, frankly I was quite surprised to learn that there are some foods that can actually help in soothing sore muscles.

Curious about which foods help? According to an article I came across recently, the foods that are supposed to help are blueberry, tart cherries, pomegranates and ginger. Blueberries, cherries and pomegranates contain a lot of antioxidants that may help in warding off muscle fatigue. In case of ginger, it contains a lot of inflammation fighting compounds such as gingerols that may soothe sore muscles. Cool, huh? I am going to keep this in mind for the next time I have sore muscles from too much workout :-)

Moving on to the Thai eggplant curry.....it was just something I came up with for a quick dinner one day. I used a combination of some Indian eggplants and bell pepper along with red curry paste and served it up on a bed of plain steamed rice. The picture was taken in a hurry and doesn't do this curry any justice, but trust me the curry was way more delicious than it looks in the picture :-) I also loved how quick it was to put this curry together, the entire dinner got ready in something like just thirty or so minutes . So if you are looking for a quick curry and you like eggplant, maybe this curry is something you would enjoy :-)



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Ingredients and Method to make Thai Eggplant Curry
1 large red onion cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 large green bell pepper (capsicum/ koda molagai) deseeded and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
12 to 13 medium sized Indian eggplants cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 tbsp oil (preferably coconut oil)
1 inch piece of ginger minced
4 tsp red curry paste (or to taste)
salt to taste
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp red chili powder (optional) (or to taste)
1/2 cup coconut milk (or to taste)
handful cilantro cut fine (for garnish)
water as needed

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan, add onions and on medium heat saute the onions until they are transparent.

Add minced ginger and stir a few times. Then add green bell pepper, eggplant, salt to taste, soy sauce, chili powder (if using) , red curry paste and water as required to cook the vegetables until soft.
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When the vegetables are cooked, add coconut milk. Simmer for another couple of minutes until the flavors mingle.

Finally garnish with cilantro and serve hot with plain steamed rice.

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Oat Bran Muffin (Egg Free)

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Oat bran is the edible, outermost layer of the oat grain. Like oatmeal, oat bran contains a good amount of heart healthy soluble fiber. It also contains a considerable amount of minerals including magnesium, copper and manganese. Just as with oatmeal, oat bran is also said to help in reducing cholesterol and is said to help in stabilizing blood sugar.

For a while now I have been wanting to use more bran in my diet. During my last visit to the health store I finally picked up both oat bran and wheat bran intending to use them in my baking. Initially I started using oat bran in small quantities in my yeast breads. Then I moved on to using it in muffins. This muffin is the first kind that I made with so much bran and I have to admit, I was a little wary about the texture of the muffin. But the muffin turned out to be very soft,not too chewy and definitely not very dense either.This is a pretty filling muffin because of the fiber in it and would make for a good option for breakfast on the go, or a travel snack too. If you have some oat bran lying around in your pantry, give this one a try and tell me what you think:-)

 

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Ingredients and Method to make Oat Bran Muffins
Dry Ingredients
1 cup oat bran
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup plump dark raisins

Wet Ingredients
3 tbsp flax seed meal (alsi powder/ali virai)  + 9 tbsp water
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp orange extract

Pre heat oven to 375 deg F. Line a muffin tray with muffin liners and keep aside.

In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients, mix well and keep aside.

In a small bowl whisk flax seed meal and water until it becomes gelatinous. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then add oil to it and mix well.
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Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add milk to this mixture and mix gently. Finally  add orange extract, mix well.

Spoon mixture into the lined muffin tray until it is 3/4th full. Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until it turns golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Remove, cool and enjoy. Store in an airtight container and use up within a couple of days for freshest taste.
Yielded approximately 10 regular sized muffins.

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Quinoa Mung Dosai ~ Savory Indian quinoa crepes

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Although I  have used quinoa in everything from  cutlet to spice powder to potato curry and even in a cookie:-), still dosai (savory Indian crepes) remains my most favorite way to include quinoa in our diet. Not only because quinoa tastes excellent in dosais but also because quinoa lends a nice crispiness to the dosai and I love crispy dosai, especially if I can achieve that with very, very little oil  :-)

This time I combined quinoa and mung bean lentil and used cumin seeds, green chilies and ginger to add flavor to the dosai. The dosai tasted delicious even on its own and the only reason I served it with sambar was so that I could get in some additional vegetables and protein that way :-) This dosai is quick and tasty, does not need fermentation and works very well for a light dinner or as a snack/ tiffin or even for breakfasts. If quinoa is new to you, do check out this post to know more about quinoa and its health benefits.

 


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Ingredients and Method to make Quinoa Mung dosai
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1/2 cup raw rice (chawal/arisi)
3/4 cup split mung bean lentil (mung dhal/ payatham parappu)
1 inch piece of ginger (adrak/inji)
5 Thai or Indian variety green chilies (or to taste)
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
salt to taste
sesame oil as required to shallow fry the dosais

Soak the first three ingredients in a large bowl with sufficient water for about 3 hours.

Drain the soaked ingredients and grind in batches with cumin, green chilies and just enough water into a smooth batter. Add salt to taste to the batter and mix well.  The batter should not be too thick or too runny, in case of doubt err on the side of a thicker batter, you can always add more water later to achieve correct consistency.
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When making dosa, heat a flat pan/ tawa/ griddle on medium heat. Pour a little batter on the center of the pan and quickly spread into a thin circle.

Add a few drops of sesame oil around the circumference of the dosa. Cook until the lower side turns evenly golden, then flip over and cook the other side until it gets light brown spots on it.

Remove and serve hot with sambar/ chutney of choice/ molaga podi (spice powder) or even have it on its own, it  tastes pretty delicious :-)

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Lemongrass Chai Tea

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Here it is, the first post of  2012. As I mentioned last year I inadvertently started a tradition on this site of the first post of the year always being a tea post. Now why would I mess with tradition, especially one that pertains to tea :-) So here I am with this years first post, this time the tea is this lemongrass chai tea.

Ever tried lemon grass in tea or does that sound like a strange combination to you ? If you had asked me about 6 months back if I would use lemongrass in tea I would have probably thought it was some strange Thai fusion version of tea. I didn't know then, that I had been having lemon grass tea for years only I knew it as "Chai Patta" Literally translated chai patta means tea leaf. In Mumbai (then Bombay) in particular seasons you get chai patta in the market. Since I used to love the taste of it in my tea, I would eagerly look forward to the times when it appeared in the market.   I did not know then that the chai patta I enjoyed so much was actually lemon grass.

When I moved here, I was interested in lemon grass to use in my Thai dishes, but the only ones I noticed were the minced versions in the tube thingy. When I was looking up lemon grass online I learned that lemon grass was the very same chai patta that I enjoyed so much in my tea in the past.Once I learned that, I was very motivated to purchase a plant so that I could grow my own and use it in my tea whenever I wanted. Luckily one of the local nurseries in my area had it and ever since I got this plant I have been enjoying my favorite version of chai tea very often. 



Here is a picture of the lemongrass plant......



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Ingredients and Method to make Lemongrass Chai Tea
1 cup water
1 cup milk
2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
2 tsp black tea leaves
1 stalk of lemongrass (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
1 inch piece of ginger minced

Place water in a small pan and place on medium heat.

Heat milk in the microwave or in a separate container and keep aside.

When the water gets hot, add minced ginger, sugar and lemongrass to the water and allow to simmer for a few seconds until the flavors get infused.
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Add tea leaves and allow to simmer for a scant 20 to 30 seconds. Quickly add milk and allow the tea to come to a boil.

Remove from heat, strain and serve.
Makes two cups of tea

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New Year Wishes !!

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I would like to wish all the readers of Veg Inspirations a very Happy, Healthy,Joyous and Prosperous 2012.Hope it is a promising and fulfilling year for all of you :-)

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