Mother Sathya Sai
Kitchen - Recipes
In the Kitchen with EWWT
Since readers enjoyed the raw food recipes we included a few issues ago, here are three more to try. Enjoy!
Bulgur Wheat and Tomato Salad
A raw-food variation of Middle Eastern tabouleh.
Ingredients
2 cups bulgur wheat
2 - 3 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1 small onion, diced
½ cup cashew nuts
1 chili, seeded and chopped
½ cup coriander, chopped finely
3 - 4 tsp. olive oil
juice of 1 lemon or lime
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Soak the bulgur wheat until soft; drain. Add vegetables, cashews, chili and coriander. Mix oil, citrus juice and seasoning, stir into salad.
Rainbow Tropical Fruit Salad
Ingredients
2 bananas
2 cups diced papaya
1 cup diced pineapple
1 orange, peeled and chopped
1 cup diced watermelon, deseeded
½ cup raisins (soak for one hour)
½ cup dates
1 cup fresh grated coconut (dried can also be used)
juice of 2 limes
2 tsp. Himalayan rose honey or mixed flower honey
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg, grated
Directions
Gently mix fruits and coconut together. Combine lime juice with honey and spices; drizzle over fruit salad mixture. Serve immediately.
Lime Pudding
Ingredients
2 cups avocado, mashed
1 cup lime flesh, without peel or seeds, pounded to a mash
2 cupped pitted dates, pre-soaked for 1 hour
3 Tbs. honey
Directions
Combine all ingredients and serve immediately.
---
Mexican cuisine with its unique blend of whole grains, varied fruits and vegetables, tongue-tickling sauces and creamy desserts, beckons all, but especially vegetarians. Corn and red kidney beans are the two main staples and appear in a variety of dishes in many distinctive ways. Chilies vary from the mild serrano to the fiery jalapeno and aromatic herbs and spices such as fresh coriander (cilantro), garlic and cumin flavor many an exotic dish.
We have selected a menu which includes most of these characteristic ingredients, and yet is simple to reproduce in your kitchen. The quesadillas can be customized to individual taste and the availability of vegetables. The guacamole is uniquely flavored with garlic that enhances the flavor of the avocado. The Guatemalan special rice has a rich and creamy texture and makes a great side dish. An eggless caramel custard rounds off the meal.
All Recipes Serve 4
Bean and Vegetable Quesadillas
1/2 cup red kidney beans, soaked overnight
2 Tbs. oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and cubed
2 medium potatoes, boiled
1 medium red bell pepper (capsicum)
1 onion, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 flour tortillas or chapatis (half cooked)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine (optional)
2 green chilies, chopped fine (optional)
Oil to shallow fry
Salt and pepper to taste
Season the kidney beans with just a little salt and pepper and boil or pressure cook till tender. Drain well and set aside. Peel and cube the potatoes. Deseed the bell pepper and slice it thin. Heat 2 Tbs. oil in a pan and add the garlic, chilies and onions and sauté for a few seconds. Add the carrots and stir fry for a minute. Cover and cook till half done. Add the potatoes and stir fry for a few minutes. Finally add the kidney beans and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Evenly sprinkle some cheese on 4 tortillas/chapatis and then spread some of the vegetable mixture on it. Sprinkle some more cheese and then top with the remaining tortillas. Heat oil in a frying pan and carefully shallow fry the tortillas till golden on both sides, and the cheese melts. Alternatively brush the tortillas with a little oil and bake them in a preheated oven at 350 F until done. Cut into wedges and serve hot with guacamole and salsa cruda.
Guacamole
1 large ripe avocado
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 green chili, finely chopped (optional)
Lemon juice to taste (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Loosen the stone with the tip of a sharp knife and lift it out. Strip off the skin with your fingers starting at the narrow end (you may need to use a small, sharp knife with the dark skinned variety as they do not peel easily). Chop the avocado coarsely and then mash to a smooth pulp with a fork. Blend in the garlic and chili and season to taste. Add the lemon juice, stir, and serve at room temperature with the quesadillas.
If not using lemon juice, cover the guacamole with a sheet of aluminum foil or plastic wrap or put the avocado pit in the guacamole to prevent it from darkening as it stands. Refrigerate until ready to use and stir before serving.
Salsa Cruda
2 -3 medium-sized ripe tomatoes
1 Tbs. finely chopped onions
2 green chilies, finely chopped
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. coarsely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
Drop the tomatoes into a pan of boiling water and simmer until the skin splits. Remove and run cold water over them. Peel the skin, remove the stem and halve each tomato lengthwise. Gently squeeze the halves to remove the seeds and juice and then chop them finely. Place the tomatoes with the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix them gently but thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
Salsa Cruda is best served fresh; however, it may be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for a few hours.
Guatemalan Special Rice
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup cooked corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
1- 2 cups fresh cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the above ingredients into a creamy mixture. Add cream gradually as required till the mixture has a porridge-like consistency. Serve warm or at room temperature as a side dish with the quesadillas.
Eggless Caramel Custard
3 cups milk
4 Tbs. custard powder or corn flour
1 cup sugar
A few drops vanilla essence
A few split almonds for garnish
Cook half the sugar in a heavy-based pan over low heat until it caramelizes. Pour the caramel into a metal mould and gently swirl it around till the caramel coats the sides and the base of the pan. Set aside.
Add 1 cup milk to the custard powder, mix well to a smooth paste and set aside.
Combine the rest of the milk and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, give the custard and milk mixture a quick stir, and slowly pour it into the pot of hot milk and sugar with your left hand, while simultaneously stirring the milk with a wooden spoon, with your right. Continue stirring and cooking the custard until it thickens to a smooth, lump free mixture.
If the mixture is too thick, add a little more milk and stir well to get a creamy, pouring consistency. Take off the fire, add the vanilla essence and stir well. Pour into the prepared mould and cool to room temperature or until firm to the touch.
To unmould, dip the base into hot water and leave for a couple of minutes. Invert the mould onto a serving platter and gently shake to release. Garnish with almonds and serve.
