This recipe of the cauliflower blooms with the rustic flavors of almost roasted tomatoes and ginger cooked in the fragrant mustard oil.

I am back! Thanks to all of you for your emails and comments and concerns and for “being there” while I was not. It definitely feels wonderful to be a part of a community with so much understanding and concern where we have not even met one another… strong bonds. Thank you.

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We have a very dear friend who has helped me invigorate my kitchen with a very steady supply of Rosemary. He owns two big bushes, & all I have to do is call him to get a bagful of fresh Rosemary. Who can resist cooking with fresh herbs as aromatic as Rosemary?

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Labra: A Festive Combination of Vegetables & Spices

These 2 months of September & October make me extremely homesick. The cool air, clear skies and the while floating clouds spill out all the memories of the biggest religious festival of West Bengal: Durga Puja, the community celebration, and along with that-  very special food.

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Cabbage with Peanuts

  

Ingredients:

1. ½ Head fresh Green Cabbage shredded
2. ½ Red or Yellow Onion sliced very thinly into half moons
3. 1 Medium tomato sliced
4. ½ cup Shelled Raw Peanuts
5. 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
6. 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
7. ½ Lime
8. Salt to taste
9. 1 can of Mandarin Oranges drained (Optional)

To Garnish:

1. ½ tomato sliced
2. 1 Tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Preparation:

Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds.

When they start spluttering, add the Peanuts.

Just when the Peanuts start to brown add the sliced Onions.

Stir it around at low heat till the onions are just glazed BUT not browned.

Add the cabbage, salt and tomato and stir it to mix and cover it and let it cook at low heat.

Cook it for only about 5-10 minutes till the cabbages are glazed but still crunchy.

Pour it to the salad bowl and squeeze the juice of the lime and toss.

You can top it with mandarin oranges.

Garnish with fresh tomato slices and cilantro.

This can be served cold, but is best served at room temperature.

Greenbeans With Coconut

I love green beans, crispy fresh green beans. This dish is frequents our dining table very often, my kids love it too. It is quick to cook, fresh like a salad and as every one knows beans are full of Proteins. I have cooked this with frozen to save time on cutting them on fancy thin diagonals, but this could be done with any kind of beans.

This is being sent off to Sunshinemom’s FIC – Green – A Monthly Event representing the Color “Green”.

A Little Note: I forgot to mention that I made this with French Beans. Thanks Sunshinemom for bringing that to my attention. However any beans(Yellow, Broad..) can be used, but the cooking time and the texture might vary.

Ingredients:

1. 1 quantity -1lb packet of frozen green beans preferably cut French Style
2. ½  Onion very thinly sliced into half moons
3. 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
4. 2 Tablespoons Oil
5. 3 Tablespoon Shredded Coconut (Can use Frozen Shredded coconut)
6. 7-8 big Curry Leaves (leaves roughly torn in to halves)
7. 2 Green Chili/Serrano thinly sliced (This is optional)
8. Salt to taste

Preparation:

Heat Oil.

Add all of the mustard seeds.

When they start to splutter add the sliced onions and stir it around in medium heat till they are just glazed (do not brown them).

Add the green beans, salt, curry leaves and green chili.

Stir it around to coat the oil.

Cover and let it cook till they are soft but haven’t lost their green color. Might take about 5-10 minutes.

Add the shredded coconut and cover and let it cook for another five minutes.

Switch off the heat and let it stay covered for a couple of minutes.