Monthly Archives: October 2013

Guacamole


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There are countless Indian movies with story lines in which boy meets girl, girl hates boy, boy tries to woo the girl over and over and finally the girl falls head over heels for the boy and they live happily ever after 🙂 . Happened in my life too, except that the boy was the sexy green avocado. Long long ago, so long ago after listening to so many stories about the awesomeness of guacamole, finally came the day when I could actually taste it.  “Disappointment” doesn’t begin to describe how I felt that day. All I tasted was the avocado baby food, completely mashed with no identifiable flavors, I kept searching for some acid to cut the creaminess but in vain. I couldn’t help but wonder if there is something wrong with my taste buds as I was unable to appreciate this widely popular dip. I was cautiously staying away from it for a long time. But luckily it was one of those “first day, worst day” kind of deals. Since then, every guacamole I tasted has been better than its previous version. Over time I figured out the DNA for a good guacamole : chunky texture, lots of acid, spicy kicks and crunchy onions , and most of all, keeping it pure and not contaminating with sour cream and similar stuff.

I am always looking for new guacamole recipes and the latest one I tried was Alton Brown’s recipe. The cumin made me curious, I tried it , loved it and here it is 🙂

  • To add to the avocados , you’ll need :
  1. Red onions – 1 medium, finely chopped
  2. Plum tomatoes – 2 medium
  3. green chillies – 2, finely chopped
  4. Jalapeno – 1 , cut thin
  5. Lime – 1 (more if you like more acid)
  6. minced garlic – 2 tsp
  7. chopped cilantro

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  • The above quantities are for two ripe avocados. Scoop out the flesh of two ripe avocados.  Add the juice of 1 lime. Crush 2 tsp of black pepper and 1/2 tsp of cumin and 1/2 tsp of fennel (fennel is my two cents 🙂 ) and add to the avocados and also add salt.

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  • Gently mash the avocados with a fork (no baby food 🙂 ) and add the other ingredients to the avocados. Gently mix and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

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Thus, the guacamole I couldn’t stand once became my favorite dip for chips. I find tomato salsa to be too acidic , while guacamole offers the perfect balance of acid and creaminess.

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Wondering how you can use the familiar guacamole in a novel way ??  Check out MyFoodTapestry’s yummy guacamole sandwiches 🙂 .

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Vermicelli Upma (A lazy day meal :) )


I am sure you have days when you don’t want to do much of anything. Just a “take it easy”, “keep it simple” kind of  day.  I am sure you have an arsenal of quick recipes to survive such days…. you can add this one to that list too 🙂

If you have tried vermicelli before and have hated it, it is highly likely that you didn’t like the texture. Vermicelli is very unforgiving when it is overcooked. Al dente is a must, else it becomes gummy and not very appealing. Hope this quick recipe helps you to fall in love with vermicelli.

  • I am using roasted vermicelli – 1 cup. If you have only  the plain vermicelli, all you have to do is heat a tsp of oil in the skillet and toss the vermicelli in the oil for a minute in low heat, until it becomes golden brown.

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  • Veggies that you’ll need :
  1. onions – 1 small or half medium (sliced thin)
  2. carrots + green beans (french cut) + green peas – 1 cup
  3. minced ginger – 1 tsp
  4. chopped cilantro
  5. grated coconut – 2 tbsp
  6. lime juice – 1 tsp (optional)
  7. slit green chilles – 3 or 4  (replace with red pepper flakes)

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  • In a pot, heat a spoon of oil, and fry seasoning of your preference. I fried mustard seeds and urad dhal as I like the nutty flavors they bring. You can use cumin instead or garam masala (cloves, cinnamon and cardamon). Then saute the onions until translucent, and then the green chillies and ginger and the finally add the carrots, beans and peas. Add salt to sweat the veggies.

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  • When the vegetables soften, add 1.5 cups of water to the pot.  [ 1 cup of vermicelli : 1.5 cups of water] Usually the package says to add 2 cups of water, but 1.5 cups of water gives the right texture. Add salt to the water as needed and bring the water to boil.

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  • Add the roasted vermicelli to the boiling water and keep stirring. Reduce heat to medium.

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  • I timed it and it took exactly 3 minutes to cook 🙂 .

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  • Turn off the heat and add the chopped cilantro and grated coconut. You can add a tsp of lime juice for acid but its optional.

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And its done. The most time you will spend is in cutting vegetables, if you had pre-cut frozen vegetables , this becomes even quicker.

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Some variations :

1. You can add garam masala, ginger garlic paste and mint leaves to make it into vermicelli pulav

2. You can add shredded cabbage, soy sauce and green chilli sauce and make a chinese version of this.

3. You can add turmeric powder and lemon juice.

4. If you choose to add tomatoes, reduce the amount of water.

5. You can add toasted cashews or peanuts.

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