Weekday Mediterranean Delight Dinner

Try this menu to welcome the week. It's extremely quick, low prep and elegant dinner menu for two. Enjoy this meal with glass of red wine with some nice guitar in the background or with a spicy conversation with friends after a hectic day at work!

Here I have clockwise:
Homemade Grilled Chapati(Save time by using grilled store-bought Pita bread)
Moroccan Chickpea Mash
Grilled Aubergine Salad with feta-cheese and yogurt dressing

Moroccan Chickpea Mash

You can serve this as a main course, as a side, as a topping on your bread or filling in your sandwich! This is an absolutely versatile dish to have up your sleeve when you want something quick that involves 'no cooking'!!

Ingredients:
A can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans
Salt
Pepper
Sumac
Coriander Powder
Roasted Cumin Powder
Red Chilly Powder
Roasted Sesame Oil
One lime juice
Chopped Parsley
Chopped Spring Onion

Method:
1. Drain and wash the chickpeas. Mash half the chickpeas in a bowl.
2. Mix the mashed chickpeas with some salt, pepper, sumac, red chilly powder, roasted cumin powder, coriander powder, lime juice, roasted sesame oil, chopped parsley and chopped spring onion.

No cook main course is ready to be served with warm pita or rice pilaf!

Grilled Aubergine Salad with Feta cheese and Yogurt dressing

This is a fantastic side or a small meal by itself for one. If you don't like aubergines, you will start liking it after you try this recipe!

Ingredients:
One large aubergine
Feta cheese
Yogurt
Salt
Pepper
Sumac
Parsley
Spring Onion
Vegetable Oil

Method:
1. Cut aubergine into about 1/2" thick slices.
Note: If you cut it too thin then it will not maintain it's shape on the grill.

2. Brush one side of aubergine slices and put them face down on a hot grill pan. Cook on one side for about 4 minutes.

3. Brush the other side with oil and turn the slices. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the aubergines are cooked through.

4. In a bowl, mix the feta cheese, yogurt, some water, pepper, sumac, chopped parsley and chopped spring onions. Add salt only if needed since feta itself is pretty salty.

5. In a platter, arrange the grilled aubergines in a layer and drizzle with some yogurt dressing.

This dish can be enjoyed at room temperature as well!

Salmon marinated in tamarind sauce with millet

This was a spontaneous dish that I pulled together when I was missing my home during the days of navratri. My parents and grandparents used to prepare special meals rather humble feasts for us, all these nine days. Millet was a special part of our diet that we had almost  everyday - either for lunch or for supper. Here I tried to recreate something similar to what I had, with some of my twists.
First, instead of making a traditional sauce, I used my speed power and used a ready-made tamarind sauce and secondly, I added a little fish to the mixture to just make the dish more date-likey! :)

Ingredients:
Clarified butter
2 Potatoes
~3/4 cup Millet
~5 cups of water
6oz Salmon fillet
1 cup Maggie Tamarind Sauce
Some roasted peanut powder
Cumin seeds
Red Chilly Powder
Salt

Method:
1. Marinate: Marinate the salmon in tamarind sauce and a little clarified butter and set aside for about 15-20 minutes.

2. Millet: While the salmon marinates, cut the potatoes in small cubes. Heat some butter and saute cumin seeds and red chilly powder for a few seconds. Then add the potatoes, millet, salt, some roasted peanut powder and about 2 cups water. Cover and cook on low for about 20 minutes on medium to low heat.

3. Tamarind broth: In another pan, heat clarified butter and saute cumin seeds for a few seconds. Add tamarind sauce and remaining 2-3 cups of water. Mix well and set it to bubble on medium to low heat for about 10 minutes. After that add, some roasted peanut power and let it bubble on low until ready to serve.

4. Salmon: Cover and cook the salmon fillet in some butter for 12-13 minutes. After that, double wrap the salmon in aluminium foil and let it rest for another 10 minutes.

5. Assembly: use a bowl as mound and put the millet in the middle of the dish. Top the millet with flaked salmon. Gently spoon the tamarind broth on the side to create a moat effect.

Millet that I used for this dish