Pumpkin in Coconut Milk

This is a colorful dish which makes anyone happy plus it contains many nutritionlal values (Vitamin C, beta carotene and minerals) to boost immunity. It's perfect on a day when you need to pick yourself up.

I have incorporated beneficial spices such as mustard seed, fenugreek seed and fennel seed along with my favorite herb, coriander leaves and roots to makes this dish a favorite to any nutritionist while keeping the dish delicious and satisfying.

Ingredients

• 1/4 of pumpkin chopped into rough squares (1 inch squares)
• 3 shallots diced fine (or 1/2 red onion)
• 2 garlics chopped fine
• 1 cm ginger (julienne)
• 1 to 2 coriander roots sliced  thin
• 1 bunch corriander chopped
• 2 fresh red chilies sliced thin (adjust according to taste)
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/4 teaspoon mustand seed mix with 5 fenugreek seed and 10 fennel seed 
• 1/2 cup coconut cream 
• 1/2 cup water
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon oil

Directions

• Heat oil in pan.
• Add mustard seed, fenugreek seed and fennel seed mix.
• Add onion, garlic, ginger, corriander roots, chillies and cook till fragrant.
• Add the pumkin, tumeric and stir.
• Add a bit of salt and pour the water.
• Close with a lid and allow the pumpkin to cook and soften.
• Add a bit more water if dish is too dry.
• Once the pumkin is fully cooked and broken, add the coconut milk.
• Stir till everything is nicely incorporated.
• Take off the heat and add the corriander leaves to finish.

Best served with hot white rice or lemon rice and expect a smile back for the cook.

Happy cooking !

Long Beans Wrap

Long beans is a chewy and sweet vegetable which is rich of fiber, Vitamin C,  folate for DNA synthesis and minerals such as manganese, iron, copper and magnesium. The most important thing however, is that it taste GREAT!  This dish is again a 10 minutes express that can easily prepared after coming home from work with hundreds of ways to customize it. Though, I am making a vegetarian version today.

Ingredients

• 20 long beans - washed and cut into half centimeter length 
• 1 carrot diced
• 1/2 of onion diced
• 2 - 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 red chili chopped fine ( reduce or increased based on your spice tolerance)
• 2 eggs beaten, add a bit of salt and white pepper to it 
• 1 tablespoon of canola oil ( or sunflower oil)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 flatbread
• 1 tablespoon tahini

Directions 

For the beans

• Heat the oil in frying pan
• Add chopped garlic, onion, chili and cook till translucent
• add carrot and long beans, add a pinch of salt 
• Stir and cook for one minute
• Make some room for the egg in the pan and pour the beaten egg 
• Let the egg cook for 1 minute
• Then start stirring to get a scrambled texture
• Take the beans off the heat

For the roll

• Take a flat bread and spread with some tahini (alternatively roast sesame, crush it coarsely, add some salt, oil and lemon juice to form a paste for the spread - I love this version of the spread better than any bottled stuff)
• Place the beans (must be cooled first) in the center of the bread and roll it
• Place the roll in a baking tray with some olive oil drizzle and bake till crisp

You can also easily customize this dish with seafood or leftover roast chicken or meat for a twist.

Enjoy the dish!