CCC Rasam & Garlicky Eggplant

Nothing is more satisfying than a home-made lunch, a South Indian one in particular. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate thaali to make it comforting. A simple meal of hot rice, aromatic rasam, an accompanying veggie side dish, yoghurt and Ajji’s Avvakayi pickle…aahhhh bliss!

This afternoon, after a really long time, I made a new rasam which my mom-in-law told me about. It was a change from the usual rasams I make. Made with Cumin seeds, Corriander seeds and Coconut; hence the name CCC Rasam. To go along with it I made an Eggplant side dish.

You will need:

For the Cumin, Corriander, Coconut Rasam:

Pressure cook: (till dal is soft)

½ cup Tuar Dal

1 Tomato chopped

Dry roast:

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp Corriander seeds

5 Green chillies

¼ cup Coconut

Salt to taste

Few curry leaves

Chopped cilantro

A small piece jaggery

1 tsp Tamarind paste

Mustard seasoning: Mustard fried in a teaspoon of oil with a dash of asafoetida (hing)

Powder the dry roasted seeds in a blender. Add the roasted green chillies, coconut and coriander. Also add the boiled tuar dal and tomatoes. Blend together till the dal is completely mashed.

Transfer to a vessel and bring to a simmering boil on medium high heat. Add the jaggery, tamarind paste, salt and curry leaves. Bring to a full boil and then turn off heat. Add mustard seasoning.

Garlicky Eggplant:

1-2 long eggplants, washed and stemmed

½ tsp Mustard seeds

2 Garlic cloves, grated

1 tsp Chilli powder

2 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a non stick pan, add mustard seeds. Cut eggplant into bite size pieces. When they begin to splutter, add cubed eggplant and toss to coat with oil. Cook on medium heat till the eggplant is soft. Add the grated garlic, chilli powder and salt. Mix well and let the garlic cook for a while. Remove from heat.

This was a perfect meal for a lazy Saturday afternoon. I think its time for a siesta! (Yawn)..

Black bean, Red pepper and Corn Quesadillas:

My pantry is always stocked with different varieties of canned beans and of course canned yellow corn. I simply love the combination of black beans and yellow corn and have used it in various dishes in the past. This afternoon I made a simple Quesadilla using the ingredients I had on hand and I was pleasantly surprised how quickly lunch came together.

A Quesadilla is a Mexican snack usually made with corn tortillas and cheese. Various other fillings can be used including meat, vegetables and seafood.

Black Bean, Red Pepper and Corn Quesadillas:

You will need:

1 cup Black beans, from a can, drained and rinsed

½ cup Yellow corn, frozen or canned

½ cup red bell pepper, chopped

½ cup Red onions, chopped

2 tbsp Oil

½ tsp Cumin powder

2 tsp Hot sauce (I used Sriracha)

2 tbsp Chopped fresh cilantro

Salt to taste

6 Flour tortillas white/wheat

1 cup Sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the red onions and bell pepper. Sauté till the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes. Now add the corn, black beans, cumin powder and hot sauce. If using frozen corn, cook till corn is done. Otherwise toss to coat all the veggies with the cumin powder and hot sauce. Cook for a minute and turn off heat. Let cool slightly and then top with chopped cilantro.

Heat a cast iron skillet, place a tortilla and warm through 10 seconds on each side. Place tortillas covered till ready to use to prevent them from turning hard.

Take one tortilla, on one half of the tortilla, place about a ¼ cup of cheese and spread to cover the half. Place a spoonful of the bean mixture over the cheese. Flip the other half of the tortilla over the filled side. Slowly transfer to the hot skillet, and cook till cheese melts. This needs to be done on low heat, to prevent the bottom part of the quesadilla from charring. Once the cheese has melted, remove from heat. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Alternately, you could fill the tortilla while its on the pan, and press another tortilla over the filled one, basically sandwiching the cheese and bean mixture. Cook till cheese melts and then cut into wedges.

If you have left-over bean filling, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. You can toss it with cooked pasta or eat it just the way it is.

We had our quesadillas with a fresh tomato salsa. In a small bowl combine a chopped roma tomato, 1 tsp chopped cilantro, salt to taste and a chopped green chilli. Let sit for 30 mins and then spoon over quesadillas.

The colours are a feast to the eyes and the flavours...mmmm you would have to try it to savour it.

A healthy lunch in a snap!