Quick Tangy Masala Chips

I crave carbs like all the time and the one thing on a hot day that would hit the spot are these chips!! Not too unhealthy as they chips were baked and the sauce cooked with very little oil How …

Sagar Vegetarian Restaurant

A few days ago I went to review Sagar Restaurant, which specialises in Pure South Indian vegetarian cuisine. The menu allows you to explore other regional veg dishes especially infamous chaats from Mumbai!

My initial impression was that it was lovely.  The decor was simple, clean yet striking, a quiet and calming space, very zen like to be able to eat in peace and comfort. Traditional music was floating in the air which definitely added to the ambiece of the restaurant. 

The staff were extremely attentive, helpful and knew their dishes well. I fancied the Idli Sambhar, my mum who had accompanied me, was recommended to have the Medu Vada. 

These starters were truly incredible.
The idli were like soft clouds that just melted away on my tongue. The silky texture of onion in the sambhar and its consistency was spot on!

The medu vada, simple  crispy battered fried doughnuts, not greasy but cooked to perfection, was stunning when dipped into the coconut chutney and drenched in the tasty sambhar!

I was also pleasantly surprised having ordered an orange juice that I received a freshly squeezed sweet and tangy oj.

For my mains the Traditional Udapi thali was getting prepared and the chilli & onion Uttapam for my mum.

The thali is one of their best sellers and I can totally understand why and I agree! Presented well and all the individual dishes were named and shown to me by Shridhara the manager. 

I found all the elements of the thali complimented each other.  A mixture of curries, dry and saucy. Two types of dal to go with the heaped mountain of rice. The over generous puri/flatbread binded each portion together.

My favourite in particular had to be the dry cabbage bhaji. A soft, salty, crunchy dry curry. Extremely tasty and so very moreish! The creamy yogurt based coconut curry was amazing too!

“Rasam…ummmm!” Was how my mum described the thin almost transparent soup.  It was to her liking due to the chilli factor. It hit the back of your throat with a warming sensation!  I just loved how she reacted.

My siro, a sweet semolina pudding had started to disappear mysteriously.  Yes you guessed right, my mother couldn’t help herself.  She said she never eats siro unless it’s homemade but the look of Sagar’s siro tempted her.  I too loved it. Sweetly balanced, the cashews were toasted and cardamom notes stayed on my palette ~ Divine!!

Overall I can’t rate this restaurant enough.  I have to admit so far it is THE BEST SOUTH INDIAN restaurant I have been to and I have been to a few!

There’s no surprise that there are two more branches of Sagar in Central London.

If you fancy traditional South Indian food, good service and great prices, Sagar is the place to go!

I would sincerely like to thank Shridhara and Jay Kumar for awesome service and the management for having us over for the review

Please feel free to visit their website http://sagarveg.co.uk/ and try this yummy restaurant for yourselves 
Until next time, much love D x

If you would like me to review your vegetarian restaurant dishes in the UK, please feel free to message me on dhmakani@gmail.com

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Butter Bean, Kale & Tagliatelle Soup

A wholesome soup. Filled with some much goodness and the Kale just takes it to that super soup level!

INGREDIENTS

1 tin 400g butter beans drained
100g kale
100g tagliatelle
50g crushed tomato
800ml water
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste

METHOD

Place all the ingredients into a soup maker or in a saucepan on a medium heat to simmer.  Cook through until soft. 

Spicy, Savoury & Steamed Cake

A light airy, healthy snack known as Dhokla in Gujarati Indian cuisine.

Served with a chutney of your choice these make for a wonderful treat!

I used this recipe @ http://foodviva.com/snacks-recipes/rava-dhokla-recipe/

I was very impressed by the result! Have a go and please send me pictures of any dishes you make from my blog. Would love to see and share them here.

Email me @ Shivaaydelights@gmail.com

A Beetroot, Feta & Quinoa Salad

I have a tremendously healthy salad recipe for today. One that we had last night and has left me vitalised! Low fat, high in protein and fibre and so very tasty. I felt so good eating it and I still have some left over for lunch.

Perfect for a summer’s evening with a cheeky glass of crisp white wine if you want 😉 I’ll be experimenting and creating more salads this season. Can’t wait to share them with you all.

I will be serving some @ Angie’s Fiesta Friday Party

Have a terrific day! Much love D x

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa
1 raw peeled and grated beetroot
3 spring onions finely sliced
1 big tomato roughly chopped
1 tin roseca/borlotti beans rinsed & drained
Feta cheese crumbled (low fat)
Handful of sunflower seeds
1tbsp olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 tsp garlic granules
Salt to taste

METHOD

Put the quinoa to in a small saucepan and cook upon instruction. I tend to cook it like pasta. Bring the water to a boil and then simmer for 15 to 18 minutes. Drain and set aside

In a large bowl add the rest of the ingredients in order according to the pictures. Leaving the beetroot til the end..ish. This way you cab minimize the addition of the deep pink colour to the salad

Crumble in the feta last and fold in

Serve alone or with some buttered whole grain pitta bread

I will be serving some @

Spicy Edamame Beans

Himalayan salt is extremely new to me but I’m loving the benefits! I enjoy it in my food! I am now bathing in it and I also have a Himalayan rock salt lamp to calm me down at the end of the day. Nutritionally packed with over 80 healing minerals it’s an amazing addition to our diet and lifestyle.

I extremely enjoy it when it is sprinkled on edamame beans with various different spices.  Such a distinctive salty taste and very, very moreish!

I normally wait on them in restaurants but a few weeks back I spotted a frozen variety and I was ecstatic!  I haven’t stopped eating them since…

INGREDIENTS

200g Edamame beans in pods, cooked as per instruction
Himalayan rock salt to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chilli powder

METHOD

Sprinkle all seasoning on the cooked edamame bean pods

Make sure all covered in the salt and spices

Ready to pop them into your mouth!

(Himalayan salt picture courtesy of Thesnowfairy.com)

Mature Cheddar Soufflé with Tefal

It is difficult making soufflés but what if I told you, I have a machine that will not only mix the ingredients but cook the base of the soufflé and all you have to do is follow the simple instructions and place the soufflés to bake.

INTERESTED?  I’ve caught your attention right?!

Ok, so I’m going to take you back to August last year when I was approached by Tefal to trial out a new kitchen product, and what a product it is!  I am now allowed to show this wonderful piece of apparatus as it is about to be on UK shelves in September this year.  It proved to be a very popular and extremely useful tool in the kitchen.

It cooks, chops, mixes, whisks.  Making all types of dishes from your simple sauces to exquisite sweet delicacies. Not forgetting hearty meals that can be prepped and cooked in the one machine, especially for those Autumn and winter nights approaching.  You are able to plug this in, follow the recipe, set the Cuisine Companion, then sit back with a large glass of vino

I will be making many more recipes with the Tefal CC but for now I will indulge your eyes and tastebuds with these mature cheddar cheese soufflés!

INGREDIENTS

40g plain flour
30g butter
500 ml milk
150g grated mature Cheddar cheese
4 eggs
Salt & pepper to taste

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°c.  Place the flour and milk in the cuisine companion food processor with the mixer attachment.  Season with salt and pepper then mix at speed 7 for 1 minute,  Add the butter, launch the sauce programme for 8 minutes, set at 90°c speed 4

In the meantime separate the egg whites from the yolks.  At the end of the program, throw in the grated cheddar, mix for 1 minute at speed 8.  Combine the yolks in to the mixture and mix for 45 seconds

Pour the cheese mixture into a large bowl and wash the food processor bowl

Place the egg whites into the cleaned bowl, fit with the mixer attachment again.  Start the food processor at speed 7 for 7.5 minutes without the stopper

Grease 6 to 8 small glass ramekins, gently fold the egg whites in to the cheese mixture.  Pour individually up to the top of each ramekin.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, without opening the oven door.  The soufflés will be ready when risen, golden brown and still have a little wobble to them.  Eat immediately for a fluffy sensation

To make soufflés by hand see http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4805/cheese-souffl-in-4-easy-steps-

Spicy Peppered Cassava

Last week my parents popped round to my home. With lots of food as always but my Dad had an ominous looking small stainless steel container which was warm to the touch.

I took it over to my kitchen, took a spoon, opened the lid and delved in…
Ummm spicy cassava and now I’m sharing this wonderful recipe with you!

Dad, you never cease to amaze me!

Thank you, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 frozen packet cassava steamed until tender. (Slice into small chunks)
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 tsp ginger puree
1/2 tsp minced fresh green chilli
1 tbsp sunflower oil
Black pepper and salt to taste
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Freshly chopped coriander to garnish

METHOD

In a large shallow saucepan, heat up the oil on low. 

After a couple of minutes, gently add the steamed cassava along with the garlic, ginger and chilli

Stir fry for a few minutes making sure the cassava is coated in the oil and ingredients

Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Combine well

Eat straight away as a starter or a side. Enjoy!

Eggless Vegetable Fritters

A gooey cheesy fritter without egg!.. Loaded with vegetables of your choice.  I preferred courgette, sweetcorn and spring onion.  You could use tomato to give it a bit more and some chili to jazz it up a bit!

Simply done…quickly eaten! Enjoy friends..Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 grated courgette
1 tin sweetcorn drained
100g mature cheddar cheese grated
1 spring onion sliced
Handful of chopped chives
4 tbsp plain flour
200ml milk
Paprika
Chilli powder
Salt
Oregano to taste
Olive oil

METHOD

Combine all ingredients except milk and flour, mix well into a large bowl

Whisk the milk and flour. Slowly add this mixture to the large bowl

Heat up a little olive oil in a non stick frying pan.  Place a heaped table spoon of fritter mixture into the pan and flatten to make a disk

Gently flip over. Making sure both sides are golden brown

Serve with a coriander chutney

The Indian Onion Soup

Forget the french onion soup! For a second.  Take it to the next level, spice it up, masalafy it and transform it into the Indian curried onion soup.  You are bound to have these ingredients in your pantry , so no extra shopping!   A quick fix with some fresh crusty buttered bread or even some khichdi (rice and split mung bean dish)

I had a large sweet white onion and in contrast a red onion to use for this soup.  However I will never really understand why a red onion is a RED onion ? It is very much purple/magenta in colour?…any how…I love onions, I eat them raw in salads, find them delicious paired with a mature cheddar cheese sandwich!  I just love them!  Most of my cooking will involve onions in some way or another but today we are focusing solely on the onion.

This soup can be cooked in under 20 to 25 minutes.  Is very tasty, slightly sweet because the onions are caramelized in the spices and then you get a hint of heat on your palette at the very end from the red dried chilli flakes.

I know all onion lovers will adore this and it may even convert non onion lovers to loving them.  Hope you have a wonderful day…I’ll see you soon! Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 large white onion sliced
1 large red onion sliced
1 tsp sunflower oil
Pinch of cumin seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp cumin/coriander powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1-2 tsp garam masala
1 tin finely chopped tomato
Salt to taste
1 cup water

METHOD

In a large saucepan, heat up the oil on a medium heat with the cumin seeds. Once the oil starts to sizzle are the onions and mix well

Add all the seasoning and spices making sure all the onion is coated. Cover, reduce to a low heat and cook for 5 minutes

Pour in the tin of chopped tomatoes with the cup of water, stir well, bring to a boil and gently simmer for 15 minutes

Serve up with a dollop of natural yoghurt and fresh bread