A light spring menu for the festive season: an asparagus and coconut soup is the starter, the main course is zucchini and rice rolls with spinach leaves and channa dal, and rhubarb crumble provides the sweet finale.
Asparagus and coconut soup
Ingredients:
750 g green asparagus 125 ml coconut milk 500 ml water 1 tsp vegetable stock 1 tsp lemon juice ½ tsp lemongrass 1 slice ginger 1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds 1 tbsp rice flour 1 tsp soy sauce 1 MS nutmeg white pepper
Preparation:
- Peel the bottom third of the asparagus and cut into slices about 1/2 cm thick.
- Heat the water in a pan. Cook the asparagus, ginger slices, fennel seeds, lemon juice, lemongrass and salt over a medium heat for 10 minutes until soft.
- Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil again.
- Add 1 tbsp of rice flour to half of the soup, puree finely with a hand blender and mix with the rest of the soup. Season to taste with soy sauce, white pepper and nutmeg.
Zucchini and rice rolls
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked rice 3 zucchinis 2 tbsp ghee or olive oil 1 spring onion 1/2 red bell pepper 1/2 yellow bell pepper 1 chilli pepper 1 clove of garlic 1 slice of fresh ginger 1 tomato 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp turmeric pepper, salt, curry ground coriander 1 tbsp lemon juice a little thyme, rosemary and basil
Preparation:
- Cut the zucchinis into rings about 5 cm wide and hollow out the inside of the zucchini pieces to create a tube. Heat a pan of water and blanch the zucchini tubes in the bubbling water for 5 minutes. Then rinse in cold water.
- Wash the rest of the vegetables and cut into small cubes.
- Heat the fat in a pan, add the cumin seeds, allow to pop, brown the chopped spring onion, garlic, chilli and ginger and then add the turmeric and the remaining vegetables. Sauté until soft.
- Add the cooked rice and simmer again. Now season the vegetable filling with pepper, salt and fresh herbs.
- Fill the hollowed-out zucchinis with the filling and place on a greased baking tray.
- Bake in the oven at 175°C for 25 minutes.
- Boil the inside of the zucchinis with a little water and season with lemon juice, salt, curry and a little ground coriander to make a light sauce.
- Spoon the zucchini sauce onto a large platter and arrange the rolls on top. Sprinkle with some fresh herbs.
Spinach with onions
Ingredients:
600 g fresh spinach 1 onion 1 slice fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic 2 tbsp ghee 6 cardamom pods 1/4 tsp chilli powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp coriander powder 1/2 bunch coriander greens 75 ml cream 2 tbsp yogurt Salt
Preparation:
- Thoroughly clean, wash and drain the fresh spinach. Cut into small pieces as desired. Peel the onions and cut into thin rings. Peel and finely grate the ginger. Peel the garlic and press it through the press into the ginger.
- Heat the ghee in a pan. Add the cardamom pods and fry briefly. Now add the onions and fry over a medium heat until brown. Add the ginger and garlic and fry a little.
- Add the chilli powder, cumin, turmeric and coriander and fry. Add the spinach to the pan in batches. When it has collapsed after about 1/2 min, add the next portion. Add plenty of salt. Cover and simmer the dish over a medium heat for about 15 minutes.
- Finally, stir in the chopped coriander, cream and yogurt.
Channa dal
Ingredients:
2 cups peeled and halved chickpeas 1 onion 1 clove garlic 1 red chili pepper 2 tomatoes 1 tbsp ghee 1 slice fresh ginger 1 tbsp cumin 1 MS hing 5 cardamom pods 1 cinnamon stick 1 star anise 1 tsp curry 1 tsp coriander 1 MS garam masala 1 tbsp tomato paste.
Preparation:
- Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. The next day, boil for an hour in plenty of water until soft.
- Heat the ghee in a pan and sauté all the spices in it. Finely chop or grate the ginger and break the cinnamon stick twice.
- Finely chop the onions, garlic and chilli pepper and cut the tomatoes into small cubes. Add to the spiced stock and sauté.
- Add the soft chickpeas to this stock, add the tomato purée and simmer everything together for another 15 minutes.
Rhubarb crumble
Ingredients:
750 g rhubarb 300 g rolled oats 100 g spelt flour 200 g whole cane sugar 175 g butter 1 packet vanilla sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon cardamom
Preparation:
- Clean the rhubarb and cut into 3 cm long pieces.
- Mix the rhubarb with the orange juice and 100 g sugar and place in an ovenproof dish.
- Preheat the oven to 195 degrees and cook the rhubarb for 10 minutes.
- Knead the rolled oats, spelt flour, butter, sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt into a crumbly dough.
- Place the oatmeal crumble on top of the rhubarb, put the crumble back in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, leave to rest for 10 minutes and serve with a little whipped cream.
Bon appétit and happy Easter from Kerstin Rosenberg.
