[Meatless Monday] H for Hara Bhara Kebabs (Spinach Patties) | H for Happy! + a chance to win one of three copies of "Rainbows in the Desert and Other Stories" book

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Learn how to make an easy vegan appetizer recipe that is sure to please your friends and family. 'Hara Bhara' literally translates to 'All things Green'. Though traditionally it is spinach that is used for this recipe, feel free to replace with any firm greens on hand. Taste will slightly vary and I recommend blanching them lightly before using in the patty mixture. As an accompaniment, try this killer no-cook coriander chutney (from BongMom's cookbook ). :-)

[Book Review] Bongmom's Cookbook by Sandeepa Mukherjee + Beguni (Spicy Eggplant Fritters) with Dhonepata Chutney (Coriander Chutney) Recipe

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Just when I thought that food memoirs are getting one-dimensional (read as boring), I stumbled upon Sandeepa's new book which she penned based on her childhood memories of being a bong. In her introduction page she says - "This is my story, but it might well be yours and may be even yours". That's so true to its every word.

Soft Scrambled Eggs at {The Beach Cafe by Lucy Diamond}

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 "Community is all about living with each other and for each other!". That's the feeling that stays with you, as you finishing the book - "The Beach Cafe" by Lucy Diamond, chosen by our virtual book club for the month of September. It is a delightful read which will brighten your day instantly. It certainly did for me. Within 24 hours and I was done reading it. Trust me, it doesn't happen , very often.

The story is about Evie Flynn, who has always been the black sheep of her family - a dreamer and a drifter, unlike her over-achieving two elder sisters - Ruth and Louise. Then there is a boring,  IT software guy Matthew as her boyfriend, who loves his spreadsheets more than anything else. Evie, who did a masters degree in drama is a jack of all traits - an aspiring actress, a passionate photographer and a singer. But, nothing ever worked out for her. Now, she is stuck in a humdrum life, dabbling between various temp jobs as she waits for her admission to join her teacher course, which she agreed to do after a lot of persuasion from her family.

Evie's life literally takes a U turn when her beloved aunt Jo dies suddenly in a car accident, leaving Evie an unusual legacy - Jo's precious beach cafe is a remote village in Cornwall, far off from her buzzing Oxford life. After a lot of deliberation whether to sell it or not and tired of her sexist boss and breaking up with her tame boyfriend - she heads off to Cornwall, determined to make a life out of one thing(cafe) which is completely hers. Quite unexpectedly she gets more than she bargained for - in terms of earning respect within her own family, friends, work and of course meeting the 'love of her life' - Ed.

It is my first Lucy Diamond's novel and honestly speaking, it was quite hard to put it down. Evie, her protagonist in the novel is a lovable character with her own flaws & imperfections. Don't we all have those moments when life throws a curve ball at us. It all depends how we overcome those difficulties and learn something valuable out of such experiences. Coming back to the book, Lucy writing style, though very much British is easy on the eyes and very much enjoyable. I must admit, it is quite a long read - 484 pages. and Evie reaches Cornwall by 200th page or so. 100 pages less, it would have been perfect. Having said that, I would highly recommend this book because of the inherent, honest story and its endearing characters, to whom you will start relating to, right from the start. A special mention about the setting of Cornwall - the beach, the romping waves, blue waters with sun-kissed surfers ;-). There are numerous references to food, especially pasties, cakes, sandwiches and many british breakfast classics.

Speaking of breakfast, mine is always heavy on eggs and Scrambled Eggs would top the charts anyday. It is so easy to make, which so many options as add-on. Serves as an wholesome side with bread toast or just ketchup and complete it with a glass of orange juice - there, you have a perfect head start for hectic day ahead.

What's so special about today's recipe is that - these are Soft Scrambled Eggs as it has a hint of cream in it made beautifully beneath a sheen of butter. I had seen Merill make it on Food52, long time ago and finally remembered to give a try. Verdict: sneakily delicious! I don't think I will ever make my eggs scrambled any other way, ever.

Soft Scrambled Eggs

Adapted from Food52

Ingredients:

Serves 1

2 eggs
1 tbsp cream (creme fraiche or mascarporne)
salt & pepper
knob of butter


Preparation:

1. In a bowl, whisk eggs with cream, salt & pepper.

2. Heat a non-stick skillet and add butter and wait until it melts. If the egg starts to cook right away, turn the heat as low as it will go. Add the egg mixture. Using a wooden spatula or spoon, stir the eggs constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan all over in a long, continuous motion. Do this for few minutes until its little custard-looking, but not runny.

3. Serve with bread toast and/or orange juice.

Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead.

until next time,

Book Review: Stir It Up with Spicy Fried Channa (Chickpeas)

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I love food fiction and read lots of them every month. But, there are very few who manage to bring a smile on my face at their very first page. Stir It Up is one such book written by Ramin Ganeshram. The writing is so fresh and evocative. It has recipes yes, but it has recipes for something you wouldn't find anywhere else. It gives you how to make a "Be Who You Are Bread", a recipe for "Ambition" and a recipe for "Redemption". :-)

It is a story of Anjali Krishnan, a 13-year old who lives with her Dad, Mom, Deema and her brother in Queens along with many other Trinidaddians and  Guyanese families. She loves food and aspires to have a show on Food Network one day. The story is all about how she struggles and sacrifices many things in her life to achieve the same.

We all dream. Don't we. and We all have  secret aspirations buried deep within us and we want them to be fulfilled in this lifetime. Anjali has the same determination and just like ours, her ride too to success is not smooth at all. Say for instance, Anjali's father who runs a Roti Shop wishes his children to do something different. Little did he know that Anjali had the same passion like he and Deema had and she would take the same route and carve her own destiny in it.

Ramin did an amazing job in bringing each of her characters to life and she managed to take the reader (me) to tag along Anjali's journey to become a Food Network Star. At the end of each chapter you have a recipe and each recipe will make you hungry. The book says it is teen-fiction, but I say it is for everybody. A fun-read and you would never know when the 176 pages are over.

I bookmarked almost every recipe from the book but chose to make "Spicy Fried Channa (Chickpeas)" as I was craving for something spicy and crunchy to munch on.

Spicy Fried Channa (Chickpeas)

As delectable as it sound & look-like, these fried goodies also very easy to make. If using canned chickpeas, the prep time will be reduced considerably. I used fresh ones while making this recipe. 

Here is what I did for chickpeas: Soak 2 cups dry chickpeas over night in filtered water and then pressure cook them with enough water on HIGH heat for 9-12 minutes. Let the pressure be released naturally and there you have boiled chickpeas ready for use. I normally cook atleast 5-6 cups and freeze them. When required, all you have to do is thaw them a bit.

Preparation:

In a small bowl, whisk together - (1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper + 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper + 3/4 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp onion powder + 1/2 tsp garlic powder). Keep aside.

2. Heat enough oil in a frying pan and carefully add the chickpeas by gently spooning  them into hot oil. Make sure to use a long-handled metal spoon and stay away from it as chickpeas tend to splatter and pop up while frying.

3. Allow them to fry for 3-4 mins or until light golden brown. Remove them on a pan with paper towels to drain excess oil. Transfer them into a deep bowl and sprinkle & toss the spice powder little by little so that chickpeas are evenly coated. I didn't use the entire spice mixture for this. I have saved the rest in an air tigh container to be used for the next batch.

Serves as an awesome snack and I bet, you cannot stop with just a few!

Follow Ramin Ganeshram on twitter and here is the FB fan page for Stir It Up.


Buy the hardcover edition of Stir It Up or download it on to your Amazon Kindle, like I did.

I can't wait to read Ramin's next already. Wishing her all the very best and Congratulations on Stir It Up's success. . Just the fact that this book had managed to sell 140,000 copies before it was even released in August speaks volumes about its immense popularity.

until next time,
Siri