What an irony that this was the one dish I could not make for my own son. So, began my quest for the perfect allergy-friendly batter to coat these awesome vegetables. Join me on that journey…

Ingredients:

1. Mung Bean Flour: 1/2 cup
2. Rice Flour: 1/8 cup (brown rice flour or white rice flour works but white tastes even better)
3. Baking Soda: A big pinch
4. 1/2 a medium carrot thinly sliced, 10 – 15 bite sized broccoli florets, 1 small potato thinly sliced (use any medley of veggies that you are partial to or that is residing in your fridge ). Put the cut vegetables in a bowl of water so they dont dry up…
5. Oil for deep frying (any oil with a high smoking point like Canola or Corn Oil)
6. Freshly cracked black pepper: 1/4 tsp (Dont settle for store bought crushed black pepper because the difference in flavor is worth the extra effort!)
7. Salt to taste
8. 2/3 – 3/4 cup water

Method:

1. Mix the Mung Bean flour and Rice Flour. Slowly add the water while mixing the batter with a fork.
2. Add the salt, freshly ground black pepper and baking soda to the batter and mix it gently till it is well incorporated.
3. Heat the oil in a large, deep frier on a medium flame. Immerse the back end of a wooden ladle in the oil. If small bubbles immediately form all around the ladle – the oil is just the right temperature for deep frying (Rachel Ray’s tip!). Alternatively - drop a small amount of batter in the oil gently. If it sizzles and almost immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready to deep fry.
4. Hand dip each veggie piece in the batter and swirl it around to coat it well and slowly put it in the oil. If the batter seems too runny, add some more dry flour mix.
5. Add no more than 6 – 7 battered veggies at a time, else the oil temperature will come down and the tempura will come out soggy and oily. Fry both sides till it is a light golden brown:
6. Drain it on a paper towel for a couple of minutes.
7. Serve hot with a dip of your choice or with the coriander dip that will feature in my next blog post

http://www.epipen.co.uk/patient/how-to-use-video.html

As mentioned in the video, even if symptoms recede and you are feeling much better after an EpiPen shot, call emergency. In the US, that number would be ’911′.

Stay safe and always armed with an EpiPen…

However, meats are my little boy’s major source of proteins because he is allergic to many of the vegetarian sources of proteins like soy, eggs and dairy. So, when I whipped up this soup on a snowy evening and dad and sonny boy lapped it up like there is no tomorrow – I knew the soup was a sure winner If only my son had liked it then I would have put it down to all kids thinking that their moms are the best cooks in the world even if the mom is just warming up a frozen meal in the microwave but this had a discerning adult giving a thumbs-up too.  So – here is an Allergy Friendly Chicken Noodle Soup spiced up my way to add cheer to those long dreary winter nights. Am also delighted to be sharing this recipe on the blog-hop, ‘Allergy-Free Wednesdays’- a weekly allergy-friendly party hosted by 5 fellow bloggers like…

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup grilled/ baked chicken cut into small cubes
2. 1/2 cup pasta Sauce
3. 1/2 medium Onion diced
4. 2 cloves garlic grated
5. 1/2 cup cooked beans (black beans / kidney beans / italian beans etc.)
6. 1/4 cup rice noodle or pasta of choice (I used elbow pasta)
7. 1 small potato diced
8. 1 medium carrot diced
9. 10 string beans cut small
10. 1/2 tsp cumin powder
11. 1/2 tsp paprika powder
12. 1 tbsp oil (corn oil or olive oil or vegetable oil etc.)
13. 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
14. 4 cups chicken stock
15. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Boil the cut carrots, potatoes and beans in enough water.
   

   My boy was in no mood for string beans today

2. When the veggies are almost cooked add the pasta to it and cook till al dente.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy bottomed vessel on medium flame.
4. Add the onions, garlic and a 1/2 tsp salt to the oil and mix well.
5. Keep stirring intermittently till the onion softens and becomes translucent. 
6. Add the cumin powder and paprika powder and stir for 1/2 a minute.
7. Add the pasta sauce and mix well.
8. Now add the veggies, pasta, beans, chicken with 4 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Let the soup simmer for about 5 minutes so the flavors just mingle and pop out.
9. Garnish with your favorite herb – parsley, Italian parsley or my personal fav – cilantro
10. Serve it hot with a slice of toasted gluten-free bread with any AF (Allergy Friendly) spread. A big bowl of this AF soup with a slice of gluten-free bread baked by Mariposa – artisan-crafted gluten-free  with a dollop of Earth Balance soy-free, dairy-free spread  - sheer indulgence

This is truly the most wonderful time of the year and the happiest season of all Wishing everyone a joyous and safe holiday season from Allergy Foodie. This year was specially precious because I had an awesome time making Allergy Foodie gift baskets consisting of simple AF (Allergy Friendly) goodies! Organic, wholesome, nutritious and flavored with spices and herbs – perfect way to warm up a cold winter evening…

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds: Organic raw green pumpkin seeds, fresh lemon juice, chilli powder, salt with a dash of dark brown sugar!

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Granola Fruit and Seed Bars: Old fashioned oats, organic pumpkin seeds, organic quinoa, organic dark brown sugar, organic local honey, organic dried fruits (dates, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries)

Sugar  Cookies: Cherrybrook Sugar Cookie Mix beautifully decorated by my little one

Sugar Cookies

And, finally the Allergy Friendly gift basket…

Since, I just could not come up with a name for the dish in English that would reflect the true nature of the dish - I threw it out as a question to my Facebook friends.  So, this post is an ode to all the fun names they came up with…Niv, a most creative food blogger of Panfusine came up with ‘Kedgeree’, the British dish that traces its roots back to the India Khichri and uses fish and rice. Mohita, my high school pal, names it ‘Rictle’– Rice + Lentil, dear Indu called it the ‘Rice Porridge’, my cherished undergrad friend Helen wondered if ‘Rice Polenta’should be the way to go and Kamy coined a real cool name - the ‘Indypot’or Indian hot pot Finally, decided to stick with the original name as suggested by the guys. They made school a barrel of fun but stuck to tradition when it came to dish-naming – Navin, a grad school pal and Vivek, an undergrad friend  Thanks all – given the various names, even a first-time taster can hazard a guess as to what the dish is going to taste like…

Ingredients:

1. Yellow split mung bean: 1/2 cup
2. Rice: 1/2cup (preferably Basmati rice)
3. Oil: 1/2 tbsp
4. Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp (optional)
5. Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp (optional)
6. Curry leaves: 7-8 (optional)
7. Freshly crushed peppercorn: 1/4 tsp
8. Salt: to taste

Steps:

1. Wash and drain the mung bean and rice mixture.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed quart vessel. Add the cumin seeds and curry leaves to the heated oil and stire till the cumin seeds become a darker brown.
3. Add the rice and mung bean mixture and stir for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add 3 cups of water and the tumeric powder to the mixture. 
5. Bring the water to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer. Cover it leaving a ent for the steam to escape.
6. Stir the mixture every 5 minutes. It will be cooked in 25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup – 1 cup water more if a more gooey texture is desired.

Serve it hot with mashed potatoes.

If mustard oil is a heretofore unheard of ingredient, refer to my previous post – ‘Mustard Seeds, Mustard Oil and more…‘

Here goes…mashed potatoes aka ‘aloo ka chaukha’. Listening to one of my favorite Holiday classics, Santa Baby , Taylor Swift’s version as I whip up this delectable dish - perfect countdown to my son’s favorite day of the year  

Ingredients:

1. Idaho Potatoes: 2
2. Red Onion: 1
3. Mustard Seed Oil: 1 tbsp
4. Oil: 1 tbsp
5. Dried Red Chilli: 1 (totally optional)
6. Salt to taste

 Steps:

1. Boil and peel the potatoes. Transfer it to a large container ensuring that there is no moisture from the water used to cook the potatoes.
2. Roughly mash the potatoes with a fork or masher. Dont mash it too smooth because this type of mashed potatoes is best enjoyed rustic
3. Heat 1 tbsp of any AF (Allergy Friendly) oil in a small saucepan. Dice the onions and saute it in the heated oil till it becomes translucent. Add it to the mashed potatoes.
4. Now with a pair of Chef Metal Pincers, hold the stalk of the red chilli and roast it over the stove fire.
5. Add the roasted red chilli to the mashed potatoes. Remove the stalk and crush the chilli in the bowl.
6. Now, add the mustard oil and salt. Mash it all together – potatoes, onions and the crushed red chilli. Voila – gourmet mashed potatoes are all set to add to your table decor

Options:

• If mustard oil is not something you fancy, use any allergy friendly oil.
• Skip the red chilli if it is too much heat to handle!
• On the other hand, if you want to up the heat quotient saute 1  thinly sliced fresh jalapeno pepper or green chilli with the onions before adding to the potatoes.
• Use raw, diced onion instead of sauteed onions - of course, ensure that you dont have a hot date just after that  

Happy Holidays…

Spices and condiments enhance the flavor of a dish but are almost always entirely optional. A quick note about the difference between ‘spices’and condiments’-usually spices are used to season a dish during the process of cooking for e.g. cinnamon in baking whereas condiments are used at the table to suit individual tastes like ketchup. Also, spices are oftentimes a part of a plant/tree like seeds, bark, fruit for e.g mustard seeds or nutmeg while condiments are prepared concoctions like mustard that is made from mustard seeds.

Those with multiple food allergies should always be wary of any new ingredient even if it is used in minute quantities.  Furthermore, if you want to experiment with a new ingredient - talk to your allergist first and start with miniscule quantities.

So here goes, I am going to start with a post about the source of one of my favorite spices, the mustard seed. Obviously the mustard seed comes from the mustard plant – the two parts of this plant that are commonly used in cooking are the seeds and the leaves. Some common forms of culinary usage mustard seeds

Mustard seeds: As Wikipedia puts it these are ‘small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about 1 or 2 mm in diameter. Mustard seeds may be colored from yellowish white to black. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard (Brassica nigra), brown mustard (B. juncea), and white mustard (B. hirta/Sinapis alba).‘ I usually use brown mustard seeds in my recipes as a spice. Mustard seeds are rich in proteins and oil (and the much talked about Omega 3 fatty acids). In Asian cooking these seeds are often used to season dishes by adding a small amount to hot oil and letting them splutter hence releasing flavor before adding the vegetables, meat etc.

Ground Mustard Seeds: Mustard seeds can also be ground and used in various dishes. Brown mustard seeds is coarsely ground at home to enhance the flavor of vegetables, fish, chutneys, pickels and more. Commercially, a variety of products are available made from ground mustard seeds including dear old bottle of yellow mustard or honey mustard that graces almost every American fridge

Mustard Oil: The oil extracted from this seed is used in large parts of South Asia and has recently become the choice of some gourmet chefs in some dishes in the United States too as this article elucidates: ‘American Chefs Discover Mustard Oil’ :-) It is a dense oil with a low smoking point and strong pungent smell and is used to sauté, deep fry and even as a finishing oil in the raw form. The high euricic acid in Mustard Oil helps contribute to it the pungent albeit flavorful smell. The detrimental health effects of high euricic acid in oil has been much debated upon but has not been substantiated without a doubt in humans. It has remained in the realm of experiments on lab rats. However, in response to this fear – low euricic acid and 0 % euricic acid mustard oil is commercially available for use in cooking. One such brand conveniently avaliable on Amazon is Mondo Food Mustard Oil.

Mustard Seed Allergy

Yes – one could potentially be allergic to anything and seeds are particularly notorious for being allergenic. The major allergens in mustard seeds are heat resistant so cooking does not make it any safer. Those with multiple food allergies should be particularly careful before they start using any new ingredient including mustard seeds. France has the highest incidence of mustard seed allergy. The European Union and recently Canada has recognized sesame and mustard seeds as major allergens. In the US, statistics is not available for mustard seed allergies because it is relatively rare but not unheard of. Hence, there has been a push towards including sesame seeds and mustard seeds in the list of top food allergens. I found these articles particularly informative: ‘Allergy to Mustard Seeds‘  and ‘Why add sesame and mustard seed to food labeling‘.  

For further reading:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_(condiment)
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_seed
3. http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/mustardhistory.htm
4. http://nopeanutsplease-com.blogspot.com/2007/08/dont-pass-mustard.html
5. http://www.indiacurry.com/spice/mustardoilcooking.htm

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cup(s) of Raw Rice
• 1/4 cup(s) of Hulled Matpe Bean
• 1/4 cup(s) of Split Mung Bean
• 1 cup(s) of Hulled Pigeon Peas
• 1/4 cup(s) of Black Eye Peas
• 3 cup(s) of Grated Seedless Cucumber
• 8 tbsp. + 1 tsp. of any oil
• 1 tsp. of Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp. of Bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tbsp. of Sugar
• 1 tsp. of Paprika Powder
• 1/4 tsp. of Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp. of Black Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp. of Salt

1. Wash and soak the rice, pigeon peas, Mung Bean, Matpe bean and Black Eyed Peas for 4 hours. Soak it in enough water so that even after the mixture absorbs water and swells up, it still remains almost submerged in water.
2. Drain out the excess water and grind it to a fine paste in a food processor adding a little water at a time if needed.
3. Pour it out into a container leaving atleast 2 inches of empty space on top. Keep the container overnight in a warm dry place and let it ferment. The fermented dough will rise and become light and fluffly.
4. Add the grated cucumber to the batter along with 4 tbsp of  oil, lemon juice, sugar, paprika powder, turmeric powder, baking soda and salt. Mix the batter thoroughly.
5. Grease the bottom and edges of a 9″ by 13 ” baking pan with 1 tsp of oil. Pour the batter into this pan.
6. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 4 tbsps of oil on low to medium flame. Add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start making the spluttering sound remove from fire and pour it evenly over the batter. Use a spoon to spread the seasoning to ensure that the top of the batter is evenly coated.
7. Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Depending on the oven, baking times will vary a little but essentially the crust should become a beautiful golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in the center should come out clean.
8. Let it cool down before cutting it. Serve it with tomato ketchup or coriander chutney!

 Options:

• Season it with cumin seeds instead of mustard seeds. Wait for the cumin seeds to brown before pouring the seasoning on the batter.
• Use grated zucchini or bottle gourd instead of cucumber.