The India trip is exciting in many ways. Not only do I love being with my parents,  the travel but also the foods that I hardly get to see in my daily run in Sydney. However, it was getting to a point where the cooked foods were constant and I missed the simplicity of forking some salad for lunch. Invading into the kitchen garden, the bilimbi tree was almost as if it was waiting for me. This was the first time my daughter saw me climb a tree. She really did not believe I had the monkey in me. Anyway, now that’s proven!  we made a sour spicy salad to accompany the meals (just because amma won’t allow the bilimbi salad as a meal).

What is bilimbi?

A close relative of the carambola tree the bilimbi, Averrhoa bilimbi is a small tree that grows well in the tropics and a native of South East Asia.  Flowering as deep red inflorescence these turn into soft-skinned green fruit. This is bilimbi fruit that has a lot of culinary interest. The whole fruit is edible. The fruit grows in clusters from the stem. The fruit in local Indian names is irumban puli(malayalam) bimbuli (kannada), kamias(Tagalog). (Share with us more regional names if you have any for this fruit please).

What does bilimbi taste like?

The crunchy and firm fruit is actually extremely juicy to bite into. The fruit is highly sour and acidic with a slight metallic after-taste. Unlike carambola, the fruit does not turn sweet upon ripening. If eaten raw, best tasted with a pinch of salt mixed with cayenne. Choose the younger fruit if you like a bit lesser intensity for the sourness, especially for salads. For curries, the ripe fleshy ones are more suited.

Ingredients for the salad

Apart from young bilimbi, you will need other ingredients. A small red onion that is finely sliced and a green chilli to add spiciness. You can either pound the chilli with salt to mix it in the salad or chop it in.  I have added a handful of fresh moringa leaves as the mesclun. If you don’t have access to them, use arugula or spinach in their place. Use fine salt to the season only at the end as it draws out a lot of juice from the bilimbi making the salad soggy.

The recipe card below gives the proportion of the ingredients. From this recipe card, you can directly save onto your pin board if you need to find some of the fruit too.

Pairing the moringa bilimbi salad.

Since the salad is sour and spicy, it will be a fabulous side to protein-rich preparations. Ideally, it will taste awesome with sheek kebabs, rajma cutlets,cheela or cutlets. If you chop the bilimbi fruit smaller, you can mix it with a basic bhel mix to make a tasty snack. We did not wait for all that but had it just as such with a classic South Indian thali.

Stay connected

We love to bring you new ideas and recipes as we explore them. Hopefully, we will have more tree sorrel recipes I hope you like them too, rate us and leave a comment on your experience of our website. Check out our YouTube, Instagram and Facebook pages too.

Kothavarakkai poriyal is a basic stir fry made with cluster beans. Valued for its medicinal properties this cluster beans stirfry is a gluten-free, vegan addition to your everyday Indian meals.

The visit to Bengaluru this time has seen so many changes. My mother-in-law is finally hooked on blogger world. She is now curious about the new idea. She was talking about bloggers, YouTubers and plenty more who have daily appearances on her devices. So, the suggestion to be videoed while she was making the daily food was welcomed instantly. So as a start, we have kothavarakkai poriyal from her kitchen.

What is kothavarakkai?

The tender pods of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba are used as a vegetable known in regional languages as guar, gawarfali, the green seed pods that grow in clusters are the product of interest. Grown in crop rotation the guar plant notably provides the legume but also improves the soil by nitrogen fixation. The low-calorie pods are a good source of fibre and potassium.

Did you know?

The much-valued commercial flour improver guar gum is extracted from the endosperm of the mature dry seeds of this plant. This is used in breadmaking, the cheese industry and ice cream manufacture.

Ingredients for this kothavarakkai poriyal

This kothavarakka proiyal is made by my mother-in-law. It is one of the simplest stirfries yet very very tasty. Here is the list of ingredients you need to prepare this
Cluster beans or kothavarakkai is the main ingredient in this recipe. Wash and clean the beans. Remove the beans from the thick stalk. Pinch off the tail as it tends to be a bit chewy. Now slice the beans as thin as you like.
Tempering: the classic south Indian tempering is of mustard seeds that crackle to flavour the coconut oil, a touch of dals (split lentils ) for the crunch, followed by curry leaves and red chillies that further flavour the oil.
Seasoning: the recipe is usually just seasoned with salt. However, if you like it spicy use about half teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder can be added.
Garnishes: the final addition of the freshly grated coconut adds a lot of difference to the dish. Honestly, it doesn’t feel the same with the desiccated coconut. However, grated frozen coconut still manages a good bit of flavour.
Additional adds:
Shallots: sliced shallots can be added along with the curry leaves. This gives a wonderful aroma to the poriyal. However, this is not common in Tambaram kitchens so my mother-in-law doesn’t use it.
Cumin: if you don’t have mustard seeds, use cumin. The cumin (jeera) gives a different flavour to the oil.

How to make the poriyal?

As a part of this new journey, we have made a short mature video of how the poriyal is prepared. My mother-in-law is the one who is making this so the measurements in the video are approximate. However, you can follow the recipe card below to get the exact measurements and step-by-step instructions. Hope you will like and share this video too. 

Serving suggestions

Kothavarakkai poriyal paired with steamed rice, quinoa or millets with a classic gravy like sundakkai thengaarachukozhambu or podipotta sambhar is a perfect South Indian meal.
To make an easy wrap use a spinach phulka as the base and fill up with this poriyal. If you have cooked potatoes mash add it up to give a  filling wrap.

Meal prep and storage

The poriyal can be made and saved for about 3 days if refrigerated. If storing for a week, I avoid adding the coconut. Since the coconut added is fresh add it after thawing. The cluster beans stirfry is not the best to be frozen. It turns a bit rubbery if texture.

Stay connected

As we are exploring new ideas this year, hope you stay with us by subscribing to our newsletter. When you try this recipe don’t forget to let us know in the comments how you like it and rate the recipe with a 5-star rating. We will love to stay connected with you. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook to receive updates more often.

A fantastic vegan alternative, walnut mushroom mince is a filling textually satisfying alternative to faux meat. Try out this simple gluten-free, low-oil recipe that is keto-friendly.

Walnut mushroom mince is one of my favourite fillers for tacos and to add to pasta or fill up a sandwich. The idea was developed as just veggies as filling in a taco was never filling, nor gave depth to that dish. When the recipe was meal prep friendly it was one that my friends loved too. Usually, this mushroom mince is what I go for if there is an omni potluck in which I participate. Throw in some store-bought tacos, a simple pico de Gallo and some shredded vegan cheese, and the plan sounds easy and achievable, doesn’t it?

What mushroom is best for this mince?

There are two mushrooms that work well with the mushroom mince. Portebella and the cremini. If you like a meatier version go with portabello. The cremini gives a nicer mouth feel with the walnuts. You can have a mix of mushrooms too. Baby Bella is not too bad, but it makes the mince much softer. Shimenji and enoki are not suitable for this recipe. I have not tried oyster mushrooms for this vegan mince. If it works for you, leave us a comment so we can try it.

Why walnuts?

Walnuts in this vegan mince provide that oily, crumbly texture. Plus it is a good bit of protein with crushed walnuts. The slightly bitter flavour of the walnuts complements the earthiness of the mushrooms. While mincing the walnuts make sure they are not overprocessed. The powdery walnuts leave the texture too soft.

Ingredients for walnut mushroom mince

This recipe is for a basic vegan mince. The flavour profile you want to develop depends on what you want to use it for. The recipe card below gives the measurements and step-by-step instructions to follow. 
Walnuts
Mushroom
Cumin
Oregano
Cayenne

Salt

Flavour variations
The walnut mince I make is predominantly used for taco filling and nachos, hence I have added flavours that taste towards it in my basic vegan mince. However, the mince base takes up flavours based on how you prefer to spice it up. You can add while cooking rosemary, oregano and thyme if you are just planning to be used in pasta or pasta salad. If making an Indian-based curry add to the mince some grated garlic, garam masala powder, some turmeric, cumin and coriander powders and chopped cilantro before cooking and then cook them. So it is up to your tastebuds how you like this walnut mince flavoured.

Serving the mince

Just as discussed above in this post this is a fantastic recipe to share with any of your vegan friends.
Taco platter: Put up a build-your-own taco with pico de Gallo, cheese, lemon and some soft wraps.  In addition, you can add it to salads or top up your nachos platter with it.
Make a sandwich: onto your slice of bread add some creamy Mayo (vegan-friendly ones are so tasty) a whole heap of the walnut mushroom mince, and some cheese and press it down with another slice of bread. Grill it or use a sandwich press and it is a filling sandwich on the go.
Build a burger: if you have leftover mince, mix it with breadcrumbs and some mashed potatoes so they hold shape. Now make them like a patty and this is your quick and easy mushroom burger patty.
Add some to your pasta: I would totally fork this on pasta to make this a wholesome meal. Mix it into the ragu or add it on top of your prepared pasta it tastes really good.
Make a good Indian curry: if you have some mince, thaw a small batch of buna masala and add the mince to it. Now Cook them together with a bit of water to bring them together. Adjust salt if needed. Garnish with julienne ginger, lemon juice and lots more coriander leaves. Keep the naan ready to mop up the curry.

Meal prep and storage for the mince

The mushroom walnut mince stays good on the fridge for a week. So if it is a busy week the mince will hold up your need for something filling and quick. Keep in an airtight box and use as needed. The mince can be frozen and thawed as needed, however, once you do that the texture changes slightly as the mushrooms are now a bit fibrous.

Stay connected

The walnut mushroom mince takes a bit of effort to make, yet is one of the handiest meal preps I have ever done. When Shh cooking secretly group placed the theme for vegan dishes this time, this mince is the one I wanted to share. Working with Anu Kollon as my partner, who was so easy to convince to do this, the recipe is now yours too. Let us know in the comments and by star rating how we are doing with our recipe. If you have not subscribed to our content yet, don’t miss out. Follow the arrow below to keep new ideas coming your way.
Stay safe, meal prep and have a lovely week. 

Enjoy a delightful yellow tomato salad bursting with summer flavour. Make it a celebration of your homegrown produce with this salad with the best citrus dressing. Make some, share some and enjoy the sun.
It certainly feels so special when your garden provides you with a few good summer produce. Since it is a rainy summer this year, we have planted a few tomatoes. One of the varieties we have is the yellow pear tomato instead of the cherry tomato. These are smaller and sweeter and sunshine yellow in colour. To our surprise, this started fruiting as most as soon as the first rains started. So here are showcasing this beautiful produce with summer fresh cabbages and cucumbers.

Ingredients for the easy summer salad

Yellow tomatoes: these are a variety of cherry tomatoes. They are sweet with a burst of that tomato flavour. You really don’t have to go looking for these, cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes will also do the job. If you have extra squishy ones, try our cherry tomato soup recipe.
Cabbage:  sweet and crunch cabbage forms the leafy base for this salad. It doesn’t matter if it is the red cabbage or the sweet white one. You can swap this for lettuce, arugula or mesclun.
Cucumber: Lebanese cucumbers are the plain complement to yellow tomatoes. Since they are water laden, there are lovely to have during summer, especially in a salad.
Seeds: mix the crunch part is the one that makes the salads more appetising. My go-to mix is flax, chia, sesame seeds and hemp. Depending on what you have at hand, just go with the flow. Popped quinoa tastes brilliant in this salad.

Herbs: Herbs add a good freshness to any salad. Since we are picking up some from the garden we have spring onions, gotugola ( Brahmi) and mint from the garden. So today’s batch pick-up goes right into the salad. You can add what you have at hand to brighten up the flavours. 

For the citrus vinaigrette.

Summer certainly is for those strong citrus flavours. This basic citrus vinaigrette has lemon zest, lemon juice, whole grain mustard, grated garlic and grated ginger along with salt. It has no oil added, you can add a teaspoon of olive oil if you like. Do you really need a dressing for this salad, maybe just lemon and salt will do, but it is far nicer with this basic lemon vinaigrette. Since we are using sweet tomatoes,  I have not added sugar or date syrup to them. If you are using this dressing for, say, coleslaw or basic garden salad mix, add a tsp of date syrup.

Putting together a meal

Option 1: The salad is actually a fantastic idea to serve at a BBQ or lunch. Make some crusty toast, and creamy cheese to add to a platter. Don’t forget to keep some chocolate crackles for desserts
Option 2: Pop some vegetable sheek kebabs on the barbecue. Toast up some flatbreads. Whip up some cacik sauce and roll up a kind of Greek gyros.
Option 3: Keep light to follow up with a cold drink, like berry kombucha and then serve some chocolate dessert brownies to make it up.

The recipe card below carries step-by-step guidance to make this easy summer salad. You can directly pin this onto your board to make during the tomato season. Share with us how you feel making this recipe in the comments below with a rating of upto 5 stars

Stay connected

As a home gardener, I get very excited when I see produce come up and the garden active with bees and butterflies. These have an emotional connection to the fruits kind of a sense of joy in their own way. Try your green thumb, you didn’t always have to get it right, but don’t give up.
When you make this yellow tomato salad, whatever type of tomato hope you enjoy the experience. Let us know in the comments how you feel about it and rate the recipe. Don’t forget the citrus dressing is perfect for kidney bean salad or edamame salad.
Stay with us for more, enjoy reading the blog and stay subscribed.