Vegtable Koftas – Curried Zuchinni Balls

Koftas:

2 cups zuchinni, coarsely grated

1/2 cup pea flour

1 tsp garam masala

oil for deep frying

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl and mix into smooth batter. Heat oil in wok. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter into hot oil, a few at a time, and fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain and set aside.

Sauce for Koftas:

2 medium onions, minced

2 tbsp clarified butter

1/2 cup tomatoes, cubed

1 tsp garlic, crushed

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 tsp salt or to taste

3 1/2 cups water 1 tbsp fresh  cilantro, chopped for garnishing

In saucepan, fry onion in butter until translucent. Add next 6 ingredients and cook until butter separates from sauce. Add water* and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Add zuchinni balls and garnish with cilantro.

*Zuchinni balls absorb a lot of liquid so adjust about of liquid as needed.

Serve with plain paranthas or rice pilaf.

Roasted Carrot Soup

I can take no credit for this soup, it is the genius of chef/author Angela Tunner – you may think it looks simple, but you haven’t tried it yet. It turned my carrot hating husband into a believer. Try it. You will see.

Roasted Carrot Soup

Ingredients
10 carrots
1 entire Tetra pak of chicken broth (size??)
Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Olive or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)

Method
1. Cut up carrots into slices discarding the ends. Leave aside.
2. Heat up saucepan. Add in oil and garlic if desired. Add in carrots and toss in to lightly brown them alternatively you can roast them in a pan in the oven. * this step is very important because it changes the flavor of the carrots.
3. Add in entire Tetra pak of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until carrots are softened or about 20 minutes or more. Test carrots using a knife to test for doneness.
4. Take off the heat and blend using an immersion blender until carrots are completely pureed.
5. Garnish with chopped parsley and/or a dollop of sour cream. Serve and enjoy!

PS: Vegitarians out there can do vegtable broth instead of chicken.

Tea Scented Goat Cheese

You Will Need:

• 1 soft unripened goat cheese approx

4 oz (113 g)

• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) fragrant tea (natural

fruit tea, lapsang, souchon,

Genmai Cha, jasmine ,Earl Grey, etc.)

• Cheese Cloth(whatever that is)

To Do:

(Serves 4 apparently, which really means its enough for two reasonably sized people. Either way this sounds good enough to make loads. And I suggest it)

Wrap the cheese in a single layer of cheesecloth with very little overlap.

Place a piece of plastic wrap that is large enough to completely wrap the cheese, on your work surface. Spread 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of the tea lengthwise down the middle of the wrap. Place the curved edge of the cheese in the tea at one end of the wrap and tightly roll the cheese in the wrap, making sure that the tea is covering the side of the cheese all the way around. Place the cheese with one of the flat sides up and sprinkle half the remaining tea over the cheese. Enclose it tightly with the wrap. Repeat on the remaining side. You should end up with a piece of cheese that is almost completely covered in tea, tightly wrapped in plastic. Refridgerate for 24 hrs.

Remove the plastic wrap and cheesecloth from the cheese. Wrap in plastic wrap to store the cheese if you are not serving it right away. Like all cheeses, this one is better at room temperature.

The cheese marinated in jasmine, Earl Grey or a fruit tea would be good with fruit, while the nutty flavor of Genmai Cha or the smoky flavor of Lapsang Souchong would be good in a salad.