Mashed Pumpkin

Thanksgivings is around the corner; the preparation, and the planning is at its peak. We do not have family here. We do not meet very many people during Thanksgiving. But all the celebrations and the preparations reminds me of house. Pumpkins and bitternut squashes are so plentifully used during this time of the year here. But back home we prepared mashed pumpkin almost round the year.

This is a very easy recipe, perhaps the most underrated of all the ways we prepare mashed pumpkin; this is not the kind of dish which would be ever written down. It was just an insignificant part of our everyday meals. Insignificant it was, but I like it! Using the fire cooked dried pepper was my mother’s signature touch. That distinct aroma of the fire cooked peppers and the mustard oil joint with the creamy yellow pumpkin to make everlasting memory.

On its own, mashed pumpkin is very law in fat and loves other brightly colored vegetables such as broccoli and carrots, rich in vital vitamins, antioxidants and beta carotene. The seeds are also an excellent source of fiber and minerals such as iron and zinc. Seeds in different forms—cooked, shelled, unshelled—are readily available in health food supplies and some supermarkets these days and prepare a healthy snack or a crispy addition to salads.

This simple recipe for deliciously buttery and lightly spiced mashed pumpkin is a best alternative to mashed potato. It is also the perfect complement to blander foods such as steamed greens or poached chicken.

Nutrition Information

Amount per serving: Calories—69, Calories from fat—31, Total fat—3g, Saturated fat—241mg, Trans fat—102mg, Sodium—973mg, Carbohydrate—10g, Dietary fiber—2g, Sugar—2g, Protein—937mg, Vitamin A—125%, Vitamin C—24%, Calcium—4%, Iron—4%, Potassium—1%.

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin

1 pinch turmeric powder

1 small marble size, tamarind

1 tea spoon salt

2 table spoon sesame oil

1 table spoon Bengal gram dal

1 tea spoon coriander seeds

4 red peppers +1 for seasoning

1 pinch asafetida

1 piece cinnamon

2 table spoons dry coconut gratings/copra

1 pinch mustard seeds

A few curry leaves

A few cashew nuts

How to make Mashed Pumpkin

Peel and chop the pumpkin into big cubes. Soak tamarind in hot water and extract the juice. Add turmeric powder and cook the pumpkin cubes in tamarind juice on medium flame. Add little more water if necessary to cover the vegetable.

In the mean while heat 1/4 tea spoon of oil and add cinnamon, Bengal gram dal, coriander seeds and red peppers. Roast till it becomes golden in color giving out a pleasant aroma. Add asafetida and switch off flame. Grind the cooked ingredients into a fairly smooth powder adding copra in the end. When the pumpkin is thoroughly roasted add salt and mash well using the back of the ladle.

Add the ground powder and cook for one minute till the spice blends well with the pumpkin and switch off flame. The consistency should be thick like gravy. Heat the remaining oil in a seasoning ladle and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter add the cashew nuts and fry till they become golden in color. Add one broken red pepper and the curry leaves and pour the seasoning on the tovvae.

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Mashed Brinjal

This is an age old favored which has seen changes in its recipe over a period of time. Presenting to you the modern method as well as the original recipe of the famous Bagun bharta.

I am not sure how to put the event as amusing or something I better forget! But whenever I remember the first time I prepared Mashed Brinjal, I burst out laughing!

Mashed Brinjal is a typical Bengali recipe. Traditionally it’s cooked over charcoal embers and that process gives it a very distinct flavor.

When I had this recipe at my friend’s home, I loved it and decided to prepare it at home. I was quite young and not at all adept at cooking. I got my father to bring home the big sized brinjal to prepare this recipe. The recipe turned out well.

In addition to our Bengali Cuisine, I am going talk about a very popular Vegetarian recipe from Bengali prepared of Brinjal / Eggplant called “Bagun Bharta” or “Mashed Brinjal Fry”. This recipe has become so popular that every region has its own version. Before going to recipe let me brief some nutritious facts of Egg plant. Despite its color and shape, eggplants are rich in Vitamin B1 & b6, Potassium, niacin and folic acid. Eggplants are excellent source of Phenolic compounds an antioxidant that can help prevent cancer. They are good source of Dietary Fibers that not only helps to keep our blood sugar in control but also to improve our intestinal function. As far the current research eggplant also has the probable to lower the total body cholesterol level. As far as the recipe is concerned, I would recommend every one to try it at least once. Believe me this is a very delicious recipe which goes well with Roti or Bread.

Ingredients

1 big brinjal

2 table spoons oil

1 pinch asafoetida

1/2 tea spoon cumin seeds

1 big onion

1 table spoon chopped ginger

1 tea spoon chopped garlic

1 tea spoon green peppers

1 big chopped tomato

1 tea spoon pepper powder

1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder

1/2 tea spoon garam masala

Salt

How to make Mashed Brinjal

Wash and wipe the brinjal, roast it over direct flame for a few minutes, turning it often so that it cooks evenly. Roast till the brinjal shrinks, blackens and starts peeling off. Cool, peel and mash the brinjal.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the asafoetida and cumin seeds and sauté till the seeds are light brown in color. Add 1/2 the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and green peppers. Sauté on a low flame for about five minutes, stirring continuously. Add the chopped tomato, mashed brinjal, pepper powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cook covered on a low flame for about five minutes.

Mash the brinjal thoroughly with the back of a ladle and add the remaining onion. Cook uncovered on a high flame for two minutes, stirring continuously. Add the garam masala and mix well.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and green peppers. Serve hot with Roti or Parata.   

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Mashed Yellow Split Peas

My regular blog readers might be waiting for post presenting on traditional various food. Sorry to tell you, the real various food is fish, meat, and vegetable so there aren’t too many interesting recipe to tell.

Mashed Yellow Split Peas can be a side recipe for many main recipes like lamp chop, deep fried fish, and kidney pies. Mashed yellow split peas could be the only green food on your plate and I always choose this than those hearty deep fried potato. However, mashed yellow split peas are not everyone’s favorite. But I prefer this recipe.

Although the central is very busy most days and nights, they are quite helpful and have great outside seating to people watch as you wait for your meal. The beer is icy cold and fish with mashed yellow split peas is outstanding! Mashed yellow split peas seem to be all the rage lately, but I have prepared a vegetarian recipe with a pea mash years ago, already!

This recipe can be prepared in about 20 minutes and serves four people. The mashed yellow split peas are also good as a dip with toasted pita bread or crackers—a great way to sneak in vegetarians.

Nutrition Information

Amount per serving: Calories—155, Calories from fat—76, Total fat—8g, Saturated fat—3g, Cholesterol—10mg, Sodium—760mg, Carbohydrate—16g, Dietary fiber—5g, Sugar—7g, Protein—4g, Vitamin A—40%, Vitamin C—29%, Calcium—5%, Iron—14%, Potassium—1%.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups yellow split peas

1 teaspoon salt

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 tablespoons jalapenos, minced

1 teaspoon fresh turmeric, grated

1/2 -1 teaspoon curry powder

2 tablespoons peanut oil or 2 tablespoons ghee

1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

1 lemon juice

Fresh cilantro (to garnish)

How to make Mashed Yellow Split Peas

In big pan boil the split peas in plenty of water for about 20 minutes until tender. If the water starts evaporating too quickly, add more as needed. By the end of the cooking time, the split peas should have the dry consistency of mashed potatoes, the majority of the lentils will have lost their shape and most of the water will have vanished.

Remove pan from range, drain the water from the lentils and stir in salt. Cover and set aside. Chop onion, and combine with the jalapeno, turmeric and curry powder.

Heat the oil or ghee over medium heat in a heavy sauté pan with lid. When oil is hot, carefully add the black mustard seeds. Stand back as they may pop up into your face. Cover the pan with the lid and continue cooking the mustard seeds until the exploding quiets down.

Now add the onion mixture to the pan and sauté until the onion is translucent and golden. Finally, stir in the cooked split peas. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Garnish each serving with minced cilantro leaves. Serve with basmati rice.

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Mashed Chicken and Potatoes

Freshen up your chicken routine with mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes on the top of creamy mashed potatoes. This easy, flavorful meal is low-fat, too! Now for this recipe we will be using a seasoning combination instead the “holy trinity” but the taste and essence will be the same as we are using dried herbs and interests that also came from the key vegetables itself. For the blend I adapted it from this site and here are the materials which I blended together using a food processor.

Nutrition Information

Per serving (136.0g): Calories—130, Total fat—4.5g, Saturated fat—1g, Sodium—480g, Carbohydrates—19g, Dietary fiber—1g, Sugars—1g, Protein—2g, Vitamin A—2%, Vitamin C—2%, Calcium—4%, Iron—6%.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

1.5kg chicken, cut into 8 pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

50g plain flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

110g butter

175g button mushroom

40g caster sugar

175ml white wine

350ml chicken stock

3 tablespoons tomato puree

Small handful fresh tarragon, half left as sprigs, half finely chopped

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

For the mashed potatoes

1kg floury potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks

110g butter

110ml full fat milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make Mashed Chicken and Potatoes

Season the chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and then dredge in the flour to coat.

Heat a great, deep frying saucepan over a medium heat. Add the oil and third of the butter and heat until the butter is foaming.

Add the chicken pieces and fry skin-side down for 1 to 2 minutes until golden-brown, then turn the chicken and fry on the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Temporarily, heat a separate frying saucepan over a medium heat and add another third of the butter. When the butter is foaming add the button mushrooms and fry, stirring infrequently, until golden-brown all over.

Add the mushrooms to the chicken saucepan.

To the saucepan used to fry the mushrooms, add the remaining third of the butter, the shallots and the caster sugar and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the shallots are golden-brown and caramelized.

Add the wine and bring to the boil, grating the base of the saucepan with a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits.

Pour the shallots and wine combination over the chicken, and then add the stock, tomato puree and whole tarragon sprigs. Bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat to simmer for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until the chicken is completely cooked through and the sauce has reduced slight.

Add the tomatoes, flat leaf parsley and the chopped tarragon and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer for an additional 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the mashed potatoes, place the potatoes into a saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Drain the potatoes and return to the saucepan. Place over a low heat for 1 minute to drive off any excess moisture.

Mash the potatoes well, and then add the butter and milk, beating well to from a smooth mash. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To serve, place 2 pieces of chicken onto each plate. Drizzle the sauce over each and place a dollop of mashed potatoes alongside.  

    

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Spicy Mashed Chicken

Spicy Mashed Chicken is ‘tasty’ chicken ‘mash’ type feeds that you can make up at home, using left over kitchen vegetable scraps, corn, pellets and bread- not to b confused with chicken and mashed ‘home cooking’ recipes for ours.

The only problem with preparing Spicy mashed chicken at home; is that if you have a compost heap, you’ll have to choose which vegetable and kitchen scraps are ‘saved’ for the mashed chicken recipe mixture, and which are going to be put on the nourishment heap! Also the amount of mashed chicken that you can prepare is obviously restricted to the amount of kitchen vegetable and bread waste that you make.

I prepared this Spicy mashed chicken recipe the other night and it had such simple flavors and lots of beautiful sauce so it ticked my boxes for a supplement of creamy mashed! It’s funny how when we cook we often keep adding things to prepare recipes better when in fact the simpler the recipe often means the best flavor.

This recipe was like that. I could have added lots of things to ‘improve it’—mushroom, capsicum, spinach or pancetta for example and whilst it would have changed the flavors it would not essentially have prepared it better. Simple, fresh flavors with no adornment. I like slow cooking too. Not only does it bring out the flavors, it’s best to cook something up early, pop it in the oven and have it ready when you are. Now we don’t often eat in front of the fire but a bowl of this and a crackling fire just looked to go hand in hand!

Nutrition Information

Per serving: Calories—268, Calories from fat—90, Total fat—10g, Saturated fat—2g, Cholesterol—49mg, Sodium—230mg, Total Carbohydrate—22g, Dietary fiber—8g, Sugar—7g, Protein—23g. Vitamin A—90%, Vitamin C—46%, Calcium—6%, Iron—23%, Potassium—2%.

Ingredients

250gm skinless, boneless Chicken

2 finely chopped big onions

1/4 green capsicum

1/2 finely chopped ginger

2 finely chopped tomatoes

2 green peppers

2 finely chopped garlic

1 chopped dry red pepper

1 teaspoon Kasoori methi

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon pepper powder

1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

2-3 tablespoons oil

Salt to taste

How to make Spicy Mashed Chicken

Cut the boneless chicken into very little pieces. Cut the capsicum into small cubes. Heat oil in a pan, add the onions, garlic and ginger and sauté until onion becomes soft. Add the capsicum and 7-8 pieces tomatoes and fry well for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken, mix well and cook until chicken starts to turn white in color. Add the remaining tomatoes and mix well. Add the dry red pepper, green peppers, salt, pepper powder, coriander powder, coriander leaves and kasoori methi, mix well. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the oil starts separating. Squeeze half of lemon juice and mix well. Remove from heat and serve with rice.    

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Mashed Radish

Welcome to my Mashed Radish recipe. I am very like it. I think you also like this recipe. I had to try a few times before I got it right. I have to surely cook mine to get the radish flavor completely out. I like them. Try this for a lovely replica of potatoes now and well beyond your phase two adventures. Many report that the men not on the diet will fall head over make good for cooked radishes. So even if he is not on the diet and someone else is…you can share this one or any of the other radish recipes together. Farmer’s Markets will have these in profusion so take advantage of this fresh vegetable while in season.

When I came across these radish and avocado canapés, I didn’t fully envision the amount of their tastiness. They are so good, I could eat them forever. If you’re feeling fancy, you can also top these crostini with a tiny lump crab salad, tossed in a little lemon juice, as they are imagined above.

Mashed Radish isn’t a typical mixture. I came up with this recipe when we ended up with an abundance of radishes from CSA share last year. The radishes add a spicy taste to the potatoes. Garlic and butter bring out both flavors in this mashed potatoes recipe.

The robust flavored root vegetable, radish can be mashed and frozen in order to reduce wastage by spreading its shelf-life. Radishes conserved in this from can be used in various culinary preparations by just de-frosting them whenever required. Scroll down to know the proper method of mashed radish at home. Here are a few simple steps.

A quick recipe for an easy side recipe to a steak dinner. Golden yukons have a  little sweeter texture than red or russet. You can also peel the skin off the potatoes if you wish, but I typically keep it on.

Nutrition Information

Per serving: Calories—20, Fat—0g, Cholesterol—10mg, Sodium—115mg, Carbs—3g, Sugar—2g, Fiber—2g, Protein—1g.

Ingredients

1 1/2 kg white radish

2 cups water

3 table spoons vegetable oil

2 cloves

3-4 dry red peppers

1/2 tea spoon ginger powder

Salt to taste

Asafetida a pinch

1/2 Tikka masala, crushed

How to make Mashed Radish

Scrape and wash the radish. Remove the ends and dice. Separate the leaves and chop finely. Heat the water in a heavy- bottomed pan. Put in the radish and the leaves. Cook for ten minutes or until soft. Remove from heat and drain the water. Blend the boiled radish and leaves. Keep aside. Heat the oil in a deep pan, add cloves and dry red peppers. Stir for a few seconds and then add the radish. Mix well and lower heat. Add the ginger powder, salt, asafetida, and tikki masala. Cook covered for five minutes more. Serve hot with steamed rice.

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