Simple Indian Lemon Rice

Are you looking for a quick dish full of flavor and fresh ingredients? Whip up a simple batch of Indian Lemon Rice! It's the easiest way to use leftover rice and spice up any meal!

Simple Indian Lemon RiceYou are all about to love me. I'm about to share a super tasty, save the day, oh so quick recipe with all of you! My husband's family thinks it's hilarious how much I love this dish, but I can't help it!I love how simple it is and the fact that I can whip it up on a whim.There's even something that makes it better... My kids love it! All three of my boys will eat this and beg for seconds. Moms out there fully understand this one.Simple Indian Lemon RiceWhat is this delicious dish you ask?Lemon rice.It's a fresh Indian side dish, perfect to go along with your favorite chicken curry or daal. Every bite is fragrant and full of delicious spice.Simple Indian Lemon RiceOur house is always full of rice. It's a staple with just about every one of our meals and sometimes we have too much leftover. Lemon rice is perfect because you can use leftover rice from the night before.I love just about any dish that saves me time and money. This dish is definitely that. If you don't believe me, you need to whip some up tonight! Your family will thank you and so will your grocery budget.Simple Indian Lemon Rice[amd-yrecipe-recipe:32] 

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Simple Potato Curry Recipe

Evenings in my house are hectic to say the least. While some people are winding down for the night, my family is just getting started. My kids have had their second wind from nap time and are bouncing off the walls.They jump from couch to couch, flipping cushions, pretending the floor is lava. Come on, why would it not be hot lava that forces them to jump all over my furniture and throw toys to fight the supposed lava beast... They even make sure to let me know how important their fight is because they're saving me of course.Far be it for me to stop them. I just sit there hoping they'll get all their energy out before dinner. It only backfires 5 times out of 10. I'd say that's pretty good odds for a parent...Needless to say, I'm always looking for simple hacks to help my nights run a little smoother. Otherwise my kids end up eating peanut butter and jelly more often than I'd like to admit. Lately, I've been letting Indian cuisine influence my meals plans and I've found the easiest dish you have to try!Whether you're making an Indian meal or trying to sneak an Indian side dish in, potato curry is perfect.Simple Potato Curry RecipePotato Curry Recipe

Ingredients:

6-7 boiled potatoes (quartered)1/2 diced onion1 tsp turmeric1 tbs black mustard seeds2 tbs butter or ghee1 green chili (halved)1 tbs salt

Directions:

Boil your potatoes until tender. Make sure they aren't too tender otherwise this will turn into Indian mashed potatoes! Set them aside.Heat a small pan on medium low. When the pan is hot, add the butter, onion, and green chili.Cook them for about 5-10 minutes until golden brown. Add in the turmeric, salt, and mustard seeds.Cook for two minutes. Add them into the boiled potatoes and mix.Simple Potato Curry Recipe

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Simple Potato Curry

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Intercultural Couples: Why Should You Cook For Your Loved One?

This post is sponsored by Saffron Fix. As always all my opinions expressed here are my own. 

As a wife in an intercultural relationship, I can tell you making food from a culture so new to me can be intimidating. When I first started making Indian food for our family, I had no idea what I was doing. The first time I made chicken curry was a disaster and to be really honest, I wasn't extremely motivated to keep trying. There are so many couples out there facing similar situations. They want to learn to make the food their loved one grew up with, but they're intimidated and tend to give up early. Homemade Chicken Tikka Masala with Rice and NaanTaking the time to learn how to make food from your loved one's childhood means more than you think. 

It shows your spouse you love them. 

When you take the time to learn something new, it reminds your spouse how much you love them. Sometimes, you need to go beyond just saying "I love you," and actually show them. 

It brings you and your spouse together. 

Food has always been the thing to bridge cultures and bring people together. Whether you're eating or cooking together, you're putting everything else on hold and making each other the priority. 

It reminds your spouse you want to blend cultures. 

Blending cultures in your food is a great idea because it means you're both experiencing it together. Every bite you have and every minute you take to prepare the dish, is another moment you're blending cultures in your family. ---You can see how important it is to blend cultures in your family meals, but don't let it intimidate you. All you need to do is ask for help. If this is you and you're looking for a little help to learn how to make authentic dishes for your family, Saffron Fix is the answer._MG_6655Saffron Fix is a meal-kit service that will send you everything you need to make delicious Indian dishes in no time! All you need to do is go to their site, choose from mouth watering recipes, and checkout. They'll send you a box full of pre-chopped ingredients, authentic spices, and the recipes. All of the meals are ready in under thirty minutes!Whether you want to learn how to make authentic Indian dishes or need quick and easy meals throughout the week, Saffron Fix is for you. snappa_1458441676

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Family Fridays, Food Family Fridays, Food

Family Fridays #10 Pretzel Cake

sirley bio picIt's that time of week again. Family Fridays! Sirley is here to share a delicious recipe with all of us. Sirley is a lifestyle blogger at Love Ley and she writes about being a mother, food, DIY, and her life. Be sure to check out her blog and follow her on Facebook!pretzel cakeYeast dough:2 cups all-purpose flour mixed with 2 tbs of instant yeast1/2 cup of butter2 egg yolks2 tbs sugar1 tsp salt1/2 cups of warm milkFilling:1/2 cup of soft butter mixed with 5 tbs of sugar1 cup of raisins (soak these in hot water for 10 minutes) mixed with 1 tbs of flour andcinnamonGlaze:2 heaping tbs of baking cocoa6 tbs sugar3 tbs milk2 tbs butterMethod:Mix together sugar, egg yolk and salt so that it’s slightly frothy.Add warm milk to the mixture. Add the flour and yeast mix and melted butter bit by bit.Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to proof for 20 minutes. Once the dough has had a chance to rise divide it into two equal parts.Roll the dough out. Cover both pieces with the raisin-cinnamon mix and roll into a long roll. Twist the two rolls and arrange into a circle. Use a knife to cut slits into the dough at regular intervals. That ensures that the glaze will cover the pretzel nicely.Cover with a tea towel and leave for an additional 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes then turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and bake for the remaining 25 minutes.While the pretzel is baking mix together the glaze ingredients. Once the pretzel is out of the over, let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then cover it with the glaze.Thank you Sirley for sharing this post with us! If you want to hear more from her follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

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Family Fridays, Food Family Fridays, Food

Family Fridays #9 Edamame and Carrot Burgers

This week Priya has come to share a special recipe with you for family Friday! She blogs over at Cookilicious. Be sure to follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest

Who taught you how to make this dish? 

My mom used to make sandwiches back home and that formed the basis for me. She occasionally made aloo tikkis to go in the sandwich which would totally uplift the dish.What makes it special to you and your family? Me and my husband are healthy eaters for the week and cheaters on weekends. I think burgers can be extremely nutritious and healthy if made the right way.Do you have a special memory making this dish, learning to make it, or enjoying it?I think I was the happiest when I created this burger totally from scratch. It was an instant hit. Proud of my creation.Have you shared this dish with your spouse/loved one?What did he/she think? Oh yes, my husband is my tester. He tastes it all and gives me honest feedback. He loved this burger and was begging for more

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Ingredients:2 cups cooked Edamame1 cup grated Carrots1 cup brown bread crumbs4 tbsp. oats powder4-5 garlic cloves, minced1 tbsp. ginger paste½ cup chopped spinach½ cup Dill leaves, chopped½ cup cilantro, chopped1 cup onion greens3-4 tbsp. Sriracha sauceSalt as requiredWhole wheat burger bunsFat free goat cheeseMustard sauce as requiredOil as requiredBlack sesame seeds for sprinkleLettuce, slices of onion and tomatoDirections:Coarsely pulse edamame and add it to a mixing bowl. Add carrots, ½ of the breadcrumbs, oats powder, garlic, ginger, dill leaves, cilantro, onion greens, sriracha sauce and salt. Mix it all well. Make medium size burger patties. Roll them over the remaining bread crumbs. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes at least.In a grill pan, pour some oil. Shallow fry the burger patties evenly on both the sides. Sprinkle sesame seeds as well.Warm the burger buns in microwave for 15 seconds. Spread some almond butter evenly on them. You can use regular butter as well. Place a lettuce on one side and the Pattie on the other. Place few slices of onions and tomatoes. Sprinkle some cheese, mustard sauce, sriracha sauce. Close the bun and enjoy your burger.Do you have a recipe you would like to share with us? If so, here is what you need to do!

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Family Fridays Family Fridays

Family Fridays #5 Okra Omelette

It's that time of the week again. Everyone is finishing up their last few things before the weekend can begin! Today, we're celebrating the weekend with a delicious new recipe!!Glee is the editor and founder of HappySis.com, a quarterly women´s magazine written by Christian women. She wrote the Happy Sister Devotional: 61 Days of Happiness and Inspiration to help women find happiness in having a close relationship with God. Visit her site to download your free copy.

glee and glenn
I don´t exactly know the name of this Filipino dish but I call it “Okra Omelet”. I learned it from a Home Economics class in second year high school when I went to an exclusive Christian boarding school for only a year.It´s a Seventh Day Adventist Academy in the Philippines, and yes, I´m an SDA. If you´re familiar with the SDA schools, they´re usually located away from cities, on top of mountains or hills, with lots of trees.I remember one quiet afternoon in 1996; we sophomore students were engrossed with our cooking group activity at the cafeteria, a small building located at the far back of the campus, almost isolated from the rest of the school buildings and facing a rich, virgin forest. It was on that afternoon when I was introduced to this quick but delicious dish which would later become one of my (future) husband´s favorite dishes.It´s really quick and easy to do, and yummy too! I bet kids would also love it.We don´t have an abundant supply of Okra here in Germany, so we have to purposely drive to a Turkey store and stock up on okra if it happens to be available. If we have enough Okra, we definitely make this dish, although lately I´m also learning to make the yummy “Okra Curry, Indian Style”.okra omeletIngredients:½ kilo Okra4 eggsHalf union1 big tomato (or 6 tiny tomatoes)Some cooking oilDirections:Chop the onion and tomato into small pieces. Beat the eggs (seasoned with salt, garlic + pepper powder) in a bowl.Boil the ladies fingers (okra) until half cooked. Then put the half-cooked ladies fingers (okra) on a flat plate. Season them with salt, and then flatten them using a fork.Mix the chopped onions, tomatoes, the beaten eggs, and the flattened okra in a big bowl.Heat a pan over medium heat. Fry the mixed eggs and okra on a flat pan until brown. Flip the okra to fry the other side.Serve with a small bowl of hot rice.Cooking isn´t my passion but since I got married, my cooking skills has improved a lot and I´m learning to love it. It´s one of the ways I express my love to my husband. I´ve learned and discovered many recipes and I´m open for more learning. There´s nothing like a tender “thank you” kiss from hubby after we said our grace, and before we enjoy a delicious meal.I mostly cook Filipino dishes, which, thankfully, my Filipino husband who grew up in Germany love. But when he´s not busy at work, he comes home after five, gives me a hug and a kiss, and tells me to relax for he´s taking over the kitchen. He´s a real great cook and he loves making his own recipes. He likes cooking German foods.But the Okra Omelet is a great dish to try. So if you´re ready to have something new, visit an Asian store, look for some Okra, and let me know how it goes. Enjoy.

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What Makes An Intercultural Family Unique

guest post picAs you can see on the blog today, Linda from Linda Living In China has stopped by to share a delicious recipe from her family with us. I was also able to guest post over at her blog as well! Enjoy some delicious chai outside this morning and read both posts!Here is a little snippet from my post.“Intercultural families are very unique. Most couples have two people from different families come together and start a new family. While their families may have been different, they have a similar culture. The similarity helps hold them together. An intercultural family has two people from two different families and two distinct cultures. Intercultural families have to figure out how to blend two distinct cultures into one family.I met my husband in a program we were both doing with our church. We fell in love and were married one year later. Now, we have three children under four and six years of an intercultural marriage under our belts. Is our family just like everyone else’s?Read more here

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Food, Rice/Lentil Food, Rice/Lentil

Khichidi Recipe

IMG_3638The sun is here. It's here at last!! My kids run outside as soon as they see the sun. they took it a step further this week and decided to get the sprinkler going... In 60 degree weather! Hey, that's swimming weather in the Pacific Northwest. We sat outside all day. With my iced coffee in hand, I watched them run through the sprinklers and try to convince the dog to go with them!IMG_2582 IMG_2341Making a big, complicated dinner was out of the question. Instead we managed something a little more simple and tasty! What is it you ask? Khichidi. It's so good and really good for you. You know you want to try it out. IMG_2506Ingredients:

1 c. red daal
3 c. rice
1 small onion or small handful of chopped onions
1 green chile chopped
1 broken cinnamon stick
4-5 cardamom seeds
Palmful of salt
Butter
Optional: 3-4 curry leaves
 
Directions:
 
Add daal and rice to the rice cooker. Wash. Drain. Add 6 cups of water.
 
Heat a pan to medium heat. Add butter and oil (enough to cover onions). Add onions and saute until golden brown. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, curry leaves, and green chile. Cook 1 minute. Turn to low. Add ginger garlic paste and turmeric. Cook for 5-8 minutes. Mix in with rice and cook in the rice cooker. 
 
If you want the rice a little firmer add less water.
 
This is a delicious meal and you can serve it with a dollop of yogurt
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Food Food

Weddings and Comfort Food

IMG_1701This week has been full of wedding planning for our family. My cousin got married yesterday which meant a lot of our family got together. I love big events like this because family trickles in from everywhere. We have a pretty big family and we don't live as close together as we'd all like. IMG_7041If any of you have thrown a big family event, you know it's busy, busy, busy. Everyone was running around the day of the wedding, while the boys and I stayed home. Liam was in the wedding and we decided to keep them home and tried to stick to their routine as much as possible. IMG_6988Realizing it could be a stressful morning, I tried to think of something comforting I could do for everyone. So, what did I do? I made chicken curry and coconut green beans! It's by far my families favorite meal and it was perfect. Here are a few of our other favorite dishes. Here is our favorite rice dish, beef dish, lentil dish, snack, and dessert

What's your favorite, comforting meal? Share it in the comment section or tweet it using #almostindianwife

 

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Sunny Days and Play Dough

IMG_0841Warm, sunny days in the Pacific Northwest are beautiful. My husband, boys, and I could spend the entire day outside, exploring. My husband and I watch the kids pick up sticks and turn them into swords while Liam sings the theme song to Jake and the Neverland Pirates. This week was one of those great weeks. Just about every day has been amazing. Today, we played outside for most of the day. Then we came inside, every door and window open, and made some play dough. The kids were ecstatic. They were so excited to help mommy make something fun. There are so many recipes for play dough on the internet. Some are super easy and work out well and others are a waste of time. Out of all the recipes I've found, this has been the one we use time and time again. Another great thing about this is that everything is safe to eat. My little, troublemaking Levi always tries to sneak some. Using this recipe is great because I never worry. Ingredients:1 cup water1 cup flour2 tbs cream of tartar 1/2 cup salt2 tbs of oilfood coloringDirections:Mix all of your ingredients in a saucepan and cook on low. Continue stirring until all of your ingredients start to pull together and form a ball. Let it cool and then have fun!If you store it in a ziplock bag or airtight container, it will keep for about 4-6 months. **You can use any type of oil. The only thing you can't substitute would be the cream of tartar. It is the reason it keeps for so long.**

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