Maple Chutney

Some where over the rainbow 🌈 today is the last day of the challenge and the idea was to lean into a monochromatic theme. I chose to play with green and I loved the way these grilled tofu lettuce wrap turned out. One of my goals this year was to try and make my feed more colourful and I am so glad this challenge has pushed me in that direction. Thank you and to the guest judges I guess you guys have your work cut out 😂

This week I have a lot of mixed feelings, I am almost 2 years postpartum with my second. My daughter was born during the thick of the pandemic when the world had just shut down for the first time. My early days of postpartum were extremely isolating. On my blog, I share my thoughts on postpartum, recovery and the ‘bounce back’ culture we are all too familiar with. This post is raw and jagged exactly how those initial few months felt like. And it took me a whole month to work up the courage to publish it. There are lots of opinions on child birth and recovery and this is mine, I am not claiming to be an expert but after birthing two wonderful girls, I have a thing or two to say. Also my intention is not to shame or criticize what is widely accepted and may be working for many new moms.
I am also sharing the recipe for this delightful coconut dal with spinach that comforted me during this phase, one I still make 2 years later. I am thankful to for teaching me how to make it, for allowing me to commiserate over our shared experience. Lastly, I will forever be grateful to the people in my life, for cooking meals for me, for baby sitting my older daughter when I had completely forgotten how to parent her, for simply hanging out in the front porch with me for a cup of chai, for rocking my younger one to sleep, for calling me everyday to check on me when I was an utter mess. You know who you are. I will always be postpartum for the rest of my life, but it looks very different now than it did soon after childbirth
Brace yourself for this long post, you can find the link in my bio.

It was an OTK Shelf Love sort of weekend in my house. I made so many recipes from this brand new cookbook. It was perfect for a mezze spread afternoon. I really loved the recipes in this book, everything I made was perfect for casual entertaining.
Here I have (swipe to see)
👉🏾Burnt Eggplant, Tomato and Tahini
👉🏾Smooshed carrots with cilantro pistachio pesto and pickled onion
I have been following and for a long time and I am a huge fan of the recipes they create for the guardian, so you will find a few of their favourites here. The recipes in this book really inspire you to look through your pantry and fridge and use up the ingredients that have been ignored. It feels like decluttering in a way. We all have something tucked away in the dark corners of our pantry and freezer that desperately needs to be used up. This book has so many recipes and ideas for that. Like all of Ottolenghi’a previous cookbooks I know this one is going to get a lot of love in my house! I also want to say the recipes in this book have been created by the super team of chefs at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen and they have all been mentioned in the book!
Thank you for a review copy! This one is a keeper.

I was so excited when I was sent a package from I have never tried wild rice blends and I really wanted to experiment. Here is my version of the South Indian Coconut Rice using their Jasmine Thai Trio blend.
The sweet savoury combination makes it delightful for summer. You can eat it both warm and cold so this would be perfect for a picnic or a backyard hang.

INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 cup Jasmine Thai Trio rice (300 g)
- 1 can coconut milk
- 11/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 3 cloves
- 3 cardamom (seeds separated)
- 1-inch piece cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 inch piece ginger
- 2 green chillies slit
- 10- 12 Curry leaves
- 3 tablespoons cashew

GARNISH
- 1 mango chopped
- Cilantro finely chopped

METHOD
Wash and add the rice to a pot. Add 1 can of coconut milk, water, and salt. Bring it to a boil, lower the heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice has cooked through. Spread the cooked rice out on a baking sheet and let it cool (or you can cook the rice the day before to avoid this step).

In a large sauté pan bring 1 teaspoon coconut oil to medium heat. Add thinly sliced onions and stir and coat it in oil. Lower the heat, spread the onions out evenly over the pan, and let it cook, stirring occasionally until the onions have caramelized about 8-10 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan and set them aside.

Return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add the remaining coconut oil. When hot, add mustard seeds, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom seeds, and stir. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add in all the aromatics - ginger, garlic, curry leaves, and green chillies. And saute till everything is fragrant, about a minute. Next, add in cashew and saute till it is golden, about 2 minutes.

Add the cooled rice and half of the caramelized onions. Stir till the rice begins to crisp up a bit, about 3-4 minutes. Garnish with remaining caramelized onions, chopped cilantro, and freshly cut mangoes.
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