Favourite recipes, Main courses

Rajma Masala – red kidney bean curry

17 December 2020 Helle Møller

Soak 300 g kidney beans in plenty of water for at least eight hours. Discard soaking water, rinse, cover beans in water and cook for about an hour. Drain but preserve most of the cooking water.
Add 1 tsp salt the last five minutes of cooking

While the beans are boiling:

2 tblsp oil or ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
350-400 g (after trimming and peeling) red onion, chopped
1 tblsp each of chopped garlic and chopped fresg ginger
1 chili, chopped
2 tins tomatoes
1 tblsp coriander powder (preferably from roasted whole seeds)
1 small tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1.5 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1 bayleaf
A small handful of curry leaves
3 green cardamom and 3 black cardamom, slightly crushed
3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Suggested garnish (optional):

chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)
1 tablespoon ghee, drizzled on top
1 dollop of yoghurt
Some julienned fresh ginger, fried in ghee if desired

To a pan, add 2 tablespoons oil on medium heat. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle.

Add the chopped onion and cook till they turn a light colden – about five minutes on medium heat.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and green chili and cook for one minute

Add the pureed tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.

Add the rest of the spices, mix well and cook for about ten minutes on medium-low heat.

Add the kidney beans and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes on low heat. Occasionally mash some of the beans to give the curry and creamy texture. Add cooking water if needed.

Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous

Okra yoghurt salad

17 December 2020 Helle Møller

Inspired by the recipe for Okra Curd Salad in the book “Dakshin – Vegetarian Cuisine from South India”.

250 g okra, washed, trimmed, all water carefully wiped off, and sliced

3 dl yoghurt, whisked. (I prefer goat or sheep yoghurt).

2 tblsp oil or ghee

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tblsp black gram dal (black split peas, the smallest you can find) rinsed

1 red chili, halved (or a dollop of your favourite chili paste)

If available: a pinch of asafoetida powder

1 small handful curry leaves – dried, if fresh not available

Garnish (optional): fresh coriander leaves

Heat the oil and add all ingredients except okra and yoghurt and sauté till the mustard seeds start to splutter.

Add the okra and cook on low heat till the okra is tender. Add a splash of water if it starts to look too dry.

Season with salt and allow to cool.

Add the yoghurt, mix well, and serve at room temperature.

Main courses

Pumpkin and chickpea curry

15 November 2020 Helle Møller

1 pumpkin, about 1200 g when trimmed and deseeded (but not peeled) – cut in cubes
600 g cooked chickpeas with the cooking liquid preserved
4 cm piece of ginger (about 30 g) chopped
5 red onions (about 350 g after trimming) chopped
5 cloves of garlic (about 30 g after trimming) chopped
1 fresh red chili or to taste, in whichever form you have chili available
Ghee
1 tblsp mustard seeds
2 tblsp coriander seeds, roasted and ground
1 tblsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground
1 heaped tsp turmeric
Salt and pepper
1 bunch fresh coriander
A small handful of dried curry leaves
1 tin coconut cream

Heat the ghee and cook the onions at low heat for about 20 minutes. Add garlic and ginger after about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally – the onions should start to turn golden but not brown.

Add the mustard seeds, stir, cook for another minute.

Add the ground coriander and cumin, stir, cook for another minute.

Add the turmeric and the curry leaves.

Add the pumpkin, stir well.

Add the coconut cream and some of the chickpea cooking liquid, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Add the chickpeas, bring to a simmer, and cook till the pumpkin is cooked.

Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous

Beetroot, cheese waffles

15 November 2020 Helle Møller

Blend the following in a blender or food processor:

250 g of any kind of flour. I used half chick pea flour, and half oatmeal. If you are a gluten addict, you can of course use wheat flour. Next time, I will try amaranth and/or millet.

2,5 dl water

50 ml olive oil

1 large egg

2 cloves garlic

1 piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp sea salt

Remove to a bowl and stir in:

150 g cooked (boiled or roasted) beets, chopped or grated

75 g chopped onion

1 tblsp fresh herbs, chopped, or 1 tsp dried.

120 gram goat cheese, crumbled or grated

Big pinch freshly ground black pepper.

Mix well and bake in waffle maker for seven to eight minutes. Serve with for example a fried egg, a sauce made of goat yoghurt mixed with herbs, and caramellised onions.

Leftover waffles can be frozen and resiscitated in the toaster.

Eat More Oats

Pumpkin-potato-chili cakes with coriander-mint dip

8 November 2020 Helle Møller

1 tblsp nigella seeds

1 tblsp coriander seeds

1 tblsp cumin seeds

1 tblsp mustard seeds

Dry-roast the above and pulverise.

200 g potatoes

450 g pumpkin

120 g onions

1 or more garlic cloves

Trim and grate the above, mix together, and press as much liquid out of it as possible.

1 egg

75 g chickpea flour

30 g fine oats

Chili, in whichever way, shape or form you have available, to taste

Mix with the grated vegetables, salt, and the dry-roasted spices and shape the mixture into 12 cakes.

Bake in ghee and/or olive oil on medium heat till they are brown and crisp on both sides (turn them only once or twice – then they will not fall apart). Drain on kitchen towel.

Serve with a dipping sauce:

1 green chili (or any other form of chili you have available)

25 g fresh ginger

A big bunch of fresh coriander

A couple of mint and basil leaves

2 tblsp chopped cashew nuts or pine nuts

1-2 tblsp lemon juice

4 tblsp olive oil

2 tblsp yoghurt

Purée and season with salt and pepper.

Eat More Oats

Pumpkin, oats, nuts Loaf

6 November 2020 Helle Møller

300 g pumpkin

2 tblsp olive oil

100 g dried unsweetened cranberries

2 onions

4 cloves garlic

A knob of fresh ginger

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tblsp garam masala

100 g walnuts

100 g cashews

2 eggs

250 g oats

Optional for the added nutrition: 2 tblsp flax- or chia seeds and 1 tblsp dried seaweed

Preheat the oven to 200 C

Cut pumpkin into or slices, drizzle over olive oil and season with salt. Bake for 40 minutes until golden and cooked through. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit.

For the last 10 minutes add the nuts onto the tray for toasting.

Dry-roast the oats on a frying pan, stirring constantly.

Allow to cool a bit.

Fry the onion with olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, smoked paprika and garam masala, and fry for another minute. Add the cranberries, stir, and take the pan off the heat.

Blitz all ingredients in the food processor till everything is properly combined but still has a bit of texture.

Bake in a well-oiled or -buttered bread tin at 180C for 40 minutes.

Eat More Oats

Sweet-Potato Oatmeal Muffins

3 November 2020 Helle Møller

These can be frozen for when you need to be able to grab a quick breakfast or lunch – hahahahaha – those were the days – perhaps they will come again some time.

250 g oats
60 g brown sugar or syrup
1 tblsp baking powder (I used a 16 g satchel)
1 (small) tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch sea salt
150 g sweet potato, coarsely chopped
250 ml milk of choice (dairy or plant-based) – I used oatmilk here
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tblsp almond or nut butter

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend to a fairly smooth batter, adding a bit more milk if it is too thick. It should be a batter rather than dough.

Distribute batter in 12 muffin tins till not quite full and bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 175 C or until a thin skewer comes out clean.

I baked these in hot-air mode, which was perhaps wrong.

Eat More Oats

Autumnal pie with pumpkin, mushrooms and caramellised onions

31 October 2020 Helle Møller

Use a 22 cm diameter plate. (As can maybe be seen in the photo, the one I used – 24 cm – was a bit too big).

This requires a bit more work than one – or at least I – would normally put into making a pie or quiche, but I found it well worth the extra effort. The caramellised onions go very well with the flavour of goat cheese.

The base:

100 g oat flour
100 g rice flour
1 egg
65 g coconut oil or butter
2-3 tblsp water
1 pinch salt

Filling:

200 g hokkaido in cubes
1 tblsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

2 large red onions and a sprig or two of thyme
1 tblsp butter
1 tblsp honey
1 tblsp apple cider vinegar

125 g mushrooms (e.g. chanterelles – or as in this case: 40 g dried shiitake, re-hydrated)
1 tblsp butter
1 sprig rosemary
Salt and pepper

2 eggs
125 g soft, well-ripened goat cheese

Mix all ingredients for the base and add water if needed. The dough is best pressed into the tin (24 cm). Bake at 200 C hot air for 12-14 minutes.
Mix the pumpkin cubes with oil, salt and pepper and place them in one layer on baking paper. Bake at 200 C for about 20 minutes.
Cut the red onions into thin wedges. Sizzle in butter with the thyme till they start to turn opaque. Add honey and apple cider vinegar and caramellise, about 8 minutes.
Trim and rinse the mushrooms and cut them in smaller pieces. Fry in butter with finely chopped rosemary till they soften and turn golden. Season with salt and pepper.
Whisk the eggs with the goat cheese and add freshly ground black pepper.
Spread the caramellised onions on the pre-baked base, then distribute the pumpking pieces and the mushrooms, and finally pour over the egg/goat cheese mixture and bake at 200 C hot air for about 15 minutes or till the filling sets.

NOTE: If you are chili freak like me, you can either add some chili flakes to the onion mixture while it caramellizes, or some form of chili sauce to the egg/goat cheese mixture.

Eat More Oats

Seeded whole-grain soda bread

31 October 2020 Helle Møller

NOTE: this needs to get started the night before baking.

50 g millet
50 g quinoa or whole buckwheat seeds
50 g amaranth
100 g oats
500 ml buttermilk, divided, plus more for brushing
1 tblsp vegetable oil or ghee, plus more for baking tin
500 g whole wheat flour
100 g all-purpose flour
50 g flaxseeds or chia seeds
50 g sesame seeds
50 g sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons baking soda
55 g butter, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons brown rice syrup or mild-flavored (light) molasses

Mix millet, quinoa, amaranth, oats, buttermilk, and 1.5 dl water in a small bowl. Cover and let sit 8–12 hours.
Preheat oven to 175 C. Lightly oil an 20 cm diameter baking plate, pan or tin.
Mix whole-wheat flour, flour, flaxseed, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and baking soda together in a large bowl. Work in butter with your fingers and add the “overnight porridge” and syrup.
Mix until dough is smooth, homogenous, and still slightly sticky.
Form dough into a ball and place in prepared pan. Cut a large x into the top, brush with buttermilk, and sprinkle sunflower seeds and oats on top. Bake until golden brown, 55–70 minutes.

2021 and earlier

A walk in Tegeler Forst

30 October 2020 Helle Møller

29 October 2020. I found this walk on Komoot’s list of most beautiful autumnal forests in Berlin: https://www.komoot.com/tour/275005256. Start and end S-Bahnhof Frohnau.