Indian-themed Birthday Lunch

Tomato and Cashew Pilaf. Photo: Sharmila G.

Today is my mum's birthday so I tried my hand at making pilaf, with raita and sambal as sides. The main was tomato and cashew pilau:

Tomato and Cashew Pilau (from Quick and Easy Asian Vegetarian Recipes, published by Periplus)

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp ghee or oil
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cloves
5 cardamom pods
2 onions, finely sliced
3 green finger-length chillies, deseeded and slit lengthwise
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
2 1/2 cups basmati rice (washed and drained)
1 can (12 oz/350g) peeled chopped tomatoes
1 cup thick cocount milk
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsps salt
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup raisins
2/3 cup fried or roasted cashew nuts

Serves: 4-6

1. Heat the oil or ghee in a pan. Stir-fry cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, onion, green chillies, ginger and garlic paste until onion is golden brown.
2. Add the coriander and mint leaves. Stir in rice and mix well. Add remaining ingredients (except cashews and raisins) and mix thoroughly. (I did this in a rice cooker).
3. Cover rice cooker pot with lid and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the moisture has been absorbed.
4. Let rice cool once it is cooked. Stir in roasted cashews and raisins before serving.

Zucchini and Onion Raita

Zucchini and Onion Raita


Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups low fat yoghurt
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 zucchinis, thinly sliced
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsps chopped daun pegaga
salt to taste


1. Add cumin and chili powders, as well as salt to the yoghurt. Pour into a salad bowl.
2. Stir in sliced zucchinis, onions and chopped pegaga leaves.
3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tauhu Sambal

Tauhu Sambal (from Vegetarian Odyssey, published by ARK publications)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried chillies, 4 cloves garlic and 1/2 cup sliced shallots (ground to a fine paste)
1 tbsp tamarind and 1/4 cup water (extract juice)
1 onion, cut into rings
2 pieces of fried firm white tofu
3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp oil
salt to taste


1. Heat oil in a work and stir in chili paste. Keep stirring until oil bubbles up.
2. Stir in tamarind juice and bring to a boil.
3. Add onion, sugar and salt and let cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Stir in fried tofu and let it cook in the gravy for 2-3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and serve warm.