Rice and Lentil Indian Pancakes

Rice and Lentil Indian Pancakes

Here we go again. More Indian savory pancakes, this time a spicy and filling thin pancake made with a seasoned rice and dal or lentil batter. Easy to make, easy to eat and easy to keep. Delicious on their own or with yogurt, sour cream, or your favorite chutney. I pretty much make a batch of crêpes or pancakes once a week to keep me going for breakfast and snacks for a few days.

My thanks again to Raghavan Iyer who inspired this recipe from his most excellent cookbook, 660 Curries. More recipes will continue to be forthcoming from one of my favorite Indian cookbooks. Readers who enjoy Indian food will be missing out if they don't have this essential book. I can't heap enough praise upon Mr. Iyer — I wish I could visit his kitchen. His efforts are certainly appreciated in my home and my friends and family always give a nod to his creations that I am fortunate to recreate with my own spin on the dishes.

Rice and Lentil Indian Pancakes

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from 660 CurriesCuisine: Indian Published on August 26, 2012 Spicy and filling Indian pancakes made with a seasoned rice and dal batter. Ingredients: 1/2 cup basmati rice 1/4 cup channa dal or yellow split peas 1/4 cup whole mung beans 1/4 cup toor dal 2 teaspoons coriander seeds 4 - 6 dried whole red chillies 3 - 4 fresh green or red chilies, seeded and chopped 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 cup plain yogurt 1 small onion 1 large tomato, finely chopped 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped generous handful of dried curry leaves 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt or rock salt 1/2 teaspoon asafetida sesame oil for frying Instructions: Thoroughly rinse the rice, dals and beans under cold running water and transfer to a large bowl. Add the coriander seeds and dried chilies and cover with water. Cover with plastic wrap and let soak overnight. Drain the rice and dal mixture and rinse. Transfer to a blender along with 1/2 cup of water, fresh chilies, cayenne and cumin. Purée, stirring as necessary and adding another 1/2 to 2/3 cup of water until you have a fairly thin batter. Transfer to bowl and then stir in the yogurt, onion, tomato, parsley, curry leaves, salt and asafetida. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Heat a teaspoon or so of oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. When hot but not smoking, ladle in 1/2 cup of the batter and shape it into a 6-inch circle with the back of the ladle. Cook the pancake for 5 minutes, until little holes form on the top. Sprinkle a little oil over the top of the pancake and flip, cooking for another few minutes until both sides are a light golden brown. Transfer to a plate and keep warm in a 150° oven covered with some foil. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, brushing the pan with more oil as needed. Refrigerate leftover pancakes in aluminum foil and reheat at 300° for 10 minutes. Makes 12 to 14 pancakes

Saag Aloo (Spinach and Potato Curry)

Saag Aloo (Spinach and Potato Curry)  

Unbelievably, after a conversation with my best friend Basil, I realized that I had yet to document and share a recipe from my kitchen for saag aloo here on my space. As this potato and spinach curry is one of the most popular North Indian vegetable dishes around the globe, I am rather ashamed to just be sharing a favorite version from my kitchen just now — and that after 7 1/2 years of blogging with particular attention to Indian cuisine! I've shared many classics over the years but somehow this earthy and spicy vegetable classic got lost in the shuffle. That oversight is now corrected.

Gently baked and then pan-fried until golden, the potatoes then arrive back in the scene after aromatic spices are simmered with lemon, tomato and luscious fresh spinach. This curry ought not to be too soupy as you want the potatoes to absorb the flavors in the dish, but you also don't want to turn the potatoes to mush. Patience is key here — simmer the spinach to the point where is very little moisture left in the pan for the consistency that I find is signature to this dish.

Saag Aloo (Spinach and Potato Curry)

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Indian Published on July 28, 2014 Classic dry Indian curry of potatoes and spinach simmered in tomatoes and spices. Ingredients: 4 medium potatoes, baked or boiled until just fork tender and cooled 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon garam masala 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon asafetida 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or brown sugar juice from 1 lemon (3 tablespoons) 2 tablespoons water 5 tablespoons ghee or sesame oil 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 to 3 fresh green chilies, seeded and finely chopped 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced or grated 1 medium tomato, finely chopped 1 lb (900 g) fresh spinach, trimmed, and roughly choppped 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt Instructions: Remove the skin from the potatoes and cut into small wedges. In a small bowl, whisk together the spices, sugar, lemon juice and water. Heat the ghee or oil in a large heavy-bottomed non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the potatoes and fry until they are golden brown, gently stirring often, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and add the mustard and cumin seeds to the pan. Fry, stirring often, until the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to splutter and pop. Toss in the chilies and ginger and stir for another minute. Now add the ground spice mixture and continue to stir for another few minutes until most of the water has evaporated. Now add the tomato and simmer for another 5 minutes or until the tomato has thickened and the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the spinach a few handfuls at a time, until each handful is slightly wilted. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, stir in the salt and cook for another 5 minutes or until most of the liquid from the spinach has evaporated. Reduce the heat to low, gently stir in the potato wedges, and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve hot as a vegetable side. Makes 4 to 6 side servings

Inconvenient Culinary Truth #22
From The American Vedic Association

 A series of 42 slides illustrating the relationship between our food choices and a healthy environment.

Inconvenient Culinary Truth #22
From The American Vedic Association

 A series of 42 slides illustrating the relationship between our food choices and a healthy environment.

Inconvenient Culinary Truth #21
From The American Vedic Association

 A series of 42 slides illustrating the relationship between our food choices and a healthy environment.

16 Million People in the US are Now Vegan or Vegetarian!

By: Heather McClees TRFW News on Oct. 9, 2014

Photo Credits: dishbydish.net

Vegan patties with potatoes and salad.

In 2009, a tiny one percent of the US population reported eating vegetarian or vegan. Now, 5% of the United States population is vegetarian and half of those people are vegan. The rates have skyrocketed over the last five years and studies show the rates are climbing. So why are people continuing to go veg? The reason seems to involve a mix of various factors, with the largest impact coming from how much we have learned about commercial farming and animal treatment over the last five years.

Why the United States is Going Veg…

To think that 16 million people in this country eat absolutely no animal products is pretty amazing, considering the degree to which meat has an impact on most of our culture. Approximately 42% of those who do not eat animal products say that they went vegan after they saw an educational film. Sixty-nine percent said they chose to eat a vegan diet to support the ethical treatment of animals. Forty-five percent say they transitioned into veganism over time and of all those who are vegan, 52% say they have been eating vegan for less than 10 years. This could be an indicator of the way the country has become more knowledgeable about our food supply over the last five years. (2)

Which Other Factors Are Involved?

Of all these vegetarians and vegans, the vast majority are women. (2) In fact, in 2009 when only 1 million people were veg*n, a whopping 79% of those were women at the time. Now, out of 5% of the population, one million people report eating vegan and the rest vegetarian. Women still make up 79% percent of the vegan group and 59% of the vegetarian group. (2)
But veganism isn’t just for women. Many men have made the change as well and as of 2012, meat consumption was down a massive 12.2% from 2007. In fact, people aren’t just eating vegan, they’re also more curious about this way of life too. Google reported a three-fold increase in vegan searches from 2007 to 2014! A search for “vegan 2007″ showed over 1,600 results while a search for “vegan 2014″ showed over 24,000 results! (3)
Celebrities also make up a significant portion of those who are vegan or vegetarian.  Athletes, talk show hosts, millionaires, and even political figures are now turning to a veggie-based diet or a completely vegan diet. Restaurants are also changing by either offering a vegan or vegetarian entree and many new exclusive vegan restaurants are open now that weren’t around five years ago. Supermarkets now cater to vegans and offer more vegan or vegetarian products and the online raw vegan food industry has been thriving the last five years and only continues to grow. In fact, it’s now estimated that by 2050, America may be a “vegan country”, at least by a large percentage! (3,4)
No longer is veganism the diet for hippies and health nuts; according to statistics, it’s now just a smart way to live that can help decrease our ecological footprint and works our compassion muscles. Kale, anyone?