Moroccan Curry - My version

                                                   
                                                             MOROCCAN CURRY

This is the recipe I re-tweaked for my cookery show. An easy protein and mineral rich recipe for a healthy back-up.

All you need:

Chicke pea (chole): boiled 1 cup

chopped onion 1 medium

chopped garlic

seasonal vegetables, like eggplant(brinjal), squash, sweetpotato, potato, bottle guard, pumpkin : 1 cup

Tea water: boil 2tsf tea in 1 cup water. strain.

for seasoning

finely chopped basil

oregano

black pepper

chilli flakes

salt

oil 2 tsf

In a cooker, heat the oil. saute onion and garlic till caramelised. add vegetables. saute. add chick peas. season with above seasonings. add tea water. whistle 5 times in the cooker.

serve with tortilla, garlic bread, kulcha or steamed rice

one can see the recipe at below link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9_9EYsL894

Wholesome Salad

Wholesome salad

The culfest began with its all swirl. My Junior colleague Dr. Jinal Pandya who is always up for any bit of experiments is always a source of enthusiasm for everyone. I was in no mood to participate in the salad and cocktail competition but her excitement could not match my low. 

and best part we won first prize for the following recipe. Since it was to be judged by doctors only, a recipe has to be designed which is wholesome in itself. be its nutritional value, filling value. 

here it goes:

Tofu: 200gms finely cubed

Roasted dryfruits: cashewnut, almonds, walnut 200gm chopped coarsely and roasted in salted butter

fresh fruits: black and green grapes, diced into two. oranges peeled and chopped

Mukhwas : Pan flavored mouth freshner 1tsf

For Saffron sauce:

Few strands of saffron soaked in cold water

Milk 100ml

1tsf corn flour

1 tsf powdered sugar

Betel leaves to serve on.

preparation for Saffron sauce:

In a pan, boil milk, add corn flour, saffron, sugar. boil till it thickens.

on betel leaves:

put dry fruits, layer with tofu

add fruits in a circular fashion at the periphery of tofu.

sprinkle mukhawas.

serve with saffron sauce.

Soya Chunks : Chinese style

Soya Chunks : Chinese Style

A friend of mine is pregnant and going through the third trimester of pregnancy. She was recently diagnosed heavily anaemic. She was put on protein rich diet. Being vegetarian she was bugged of eating lentils each day.

The day she shared this, she asked me if I could make something interesting out of soya chunks available in markets.

Soya protein has 50gms of protein per 100gms (as per the nutrela box), but my research says it’s around 35gm/100gm.

Here I came up with the idea, a tangy version for my expecting lady. I made soya chunks in some Chinese style.

Here is the recipe:

Soya chunks  100gm

1 onion chopped

1 capsicum chopped

Soy sauce  ¼ tsf

Red Chilli sauce  2tsf

Vinegar 1tsf

Corn flour a pinch

1 tsf vegetable oil

Boil the soya chunks as per instructions on the box.

In a pan, heat the oil. Sauté the onion, capsicum till tender. Add the sauces and vinegar. In 100ml of water mix corn flour (make sure no lumps). Add it to the pan. Add boiled soya chunks. Wait for 5minutes. Season with iodised salt and cracked pepper. Serve hot.

Can be served with steamed rice.

KADDU KI SABZI (Pumpkin Vegetable)

KADDU KI SABZI

(Pumpkin Vegetable)

you my pumpkin pumpkin, hello honey bunny

After years of cooking, I still regret that I have never been able to produce the flavors my mom puts in her cooking. I know her main ingredient is love. Even if I follow the exact recipe and season ample amount of love, dedication and discipline in my food. At the end of the day, the recipe is not yet perfect.

My mom visits me twice a year, every time I request her to cook Kaddu ki Sabzi and Bharwa Paratha. She makes a perfect blend of sugar and tanginess of tomatoes.

Well, It started this way, that my friends planned a hangout at Drive-in cinemas along with dinner. One of my friend is little fussy about eating vegetables. I chose to prepare this recipe and asked him to trust me and try it. Amazingly he liked it. (considering he is a blunt man and gives only honest opinions. I am not gonna name him here, but il tag this link to his wall J).

Here goes the recipe:

Pumpkin medium riped 250gms (peeled & chopped in one inch cubes)

Tomatoes medium size 2 in number

2 tsf sugar

Quarter spoon fenugreek seeds (methi ke dane for tempering)

Salt, chilli flakes, turmeric powder for seasoning.

2tsf vegetable oil

In a pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add fenugreek seeds, sauté for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes. Stir occasionally till they get tender. Add sugar. Wait for a minute. Add the seasoning. In the last add pumpkin cubes. Mix well. Cover the pan with lid. No need to add water as pumpkin releases its juices. Wait for ten minutes with occasional stirring. The recipe is ready if the pumpkin is nicely tender and juicy.

Garnish with coriander.

Best goes with paratha, poori, thepla.

My notes:

My mom is the best cook ever.

You can avoid peeling the pumpkin, it adds roughage to recipe.

The correct blend of sugar, tanginess of tomatoes and exact amount of salt is learnt with time. (don’t get disheartened if it doesn’t turn out well in first trial)

Sticky Toffee Chocolate Pudding

Sticky Toffee Chocolate Pudding

A quick recipe I learnt from a friend came handy when my best friend from Delhi visited me last Sunday. On the short notice, I found my freeze stuffed with the ingredients of this recipe. And I loved her compliments like anything.

What you need is:

Dates 100gms finely chopped

Egg 1 in number

Refined flour 100gm

Refined sugar 100gm

Butter 50gm

1tsf baking powder

For sauce

Roughly chopped extra dark chocolate

100gms thick cream

Refined sugar 20gms

In a bowl, take roughly 50ml of boiling water and soak dates for two minutes. Drain the water (but save it). In a food processor, crush the dates; add egg, butter, sugar and flour. Add baking powder. Add the water (from dates) to make the consistency thick enough to flow.

In an oven bake it in ceramic bowl at 180C for 20min.

In a double boiler, melt chocolate, add cream and sugar. Mix well.

Take the bowl out of oven. Spread the sauce over the pastry. Bake it again for two minutes. Serve it hot.

Cottage Cheese and Spinach Balls

Cottage Cheese and Spinach Balls

Last Sunday, there was a dinner at my house for the close friends. I had planned a black and white menu theme for the dinner. My flour miller promised me that he will deliver me the buckwheat flour by 5pm. But it turned out, that the shop was closed a little early. The guest were expected at 7pm. I had to prepare the main course and there was no time to create an elaborate starter.

I came up with the idea of a quick starter from the ingredients out of my main course. It blew away my guest and so did me.

I made a quick starter from cottage cheese and spinach. No need to mention that it was rich in proteins, minerals and iron(good for anemic patients).

Another thing to mention here is that I steamed the balls instead of frying. Hence it was calorie free. ( ok! I am calorie freak).

Here is the recipe:

Cottage cheese: 200gms

Spinach: 50gms

One small onion finely chopped

Garlic one clove finely chopped

Green chilies finely chopped

Chaat masala

Salt

1 tsf vegetable oil

In a pan, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil till caramelized  Blanch the spinach and finely chop after removing excess water.

Switch off the heat, add minced cottage cheese, spinach, green chilies and spices to the pan.

Make small balls of the batter. Steam them for 5 to 7 minutes in a steamer.

Serve hot with coriander chutney or salsa.

Banana and cottage cheese pudding

Banana and cottage cheese pudding

Being a North Indian, I don’t feel satisfied if there is no dessert after meals. Years gone, this has been a ritual that I need atleast one sweet post my dinner.Following recipe is my innovation, in the sense, that it is less calorie enriched compared to the original one. I have fortified it with protein. Isn’t it good, a dessert packed with protein as well. 

Here it goes:

Digestive biscuits 1pack

Condensed milk 50ml

Cottage cheese 200gms

Dark chocolate (melted in double boiler) 200gms

One banana : sliced

In a bowl, crumble the cottage cheese and mix it with half the amount of chocolate (melted in double boiler). In another glass bowl, put a layer of digestive biscuits (crumbled to powdered form in a mixer). Apply gently the thick layer of condensed milk (make sure the layers do not merge). Gently make a layer of crumbled cottage cheese mixed with molten chocolate. Pour the rest of molten (cold) chocolate syrup on the cottage cheese layer. Garnish the top layer with banana slices.

I use banana, as it goes well with chocolate and condensed milk. Any fruit can be used.

Keep it in refrigerator for an hour to set in layers.

My notes:

This recipe looks good when set in layers. (Make sure you set the layers gently)

Masala Vermicelli

MASALA VERMICELLI

A morning breakfast or an afternoon snack, Masala or vegetable vermicelli is a good option to rely on. A quick ten minutes recipe I usually relish after my work hours. Sometimes my day  goes too hectic and I feel like munching something spicy after work. Being a diet conscious I usually avoid kachori and samosas.

Vermicelli is generally used in kheer or desserts. But I usually make it full of vegetables like a pulao.

Here are the notes of recipe

What we need

Roasted vermicelli  200gms ( if you don’t get roasted one, you can roast it on medium heat in a pan with a tsf of oil). These days whole wheat vermicelli is available. It’s healthier than regular refined flour product.

Ajwain  1/4tsf

Chopped one onion

Ginger garlic paste 1tsf

Finely chopped vegetables: anything you like as capsicum, carrot, peas, beans etc

Chopped green chilli

Turmeric powder 1/4tsf

Cumin powder 1/4tsf

Salt

1 tsf vegetable oil

Lemon juice

Chopped coriander to garnish

In a non stick pan, heat the oil on medium heat, add ajwain. Once it gets golden brown, add onions, garlic ginger paste. Once the onion gets tender. Add all the spices, add vegetables. Sauté for a minute. Add vermicelli. Add 100ml of water. Be careful, don’t add excess water, it will make it soggy. Add lemon juice. Cover the pan for five minutes. Now switch off the gas and let the vermicelli absorb the juices.

Serve hot. Garnish with chopped coriander. To make it more chatpata: chat masala can be added.

Gajar ka halwa

GAZAR KA HALWA

Winters are about to say good bye, in a way that those colourful fresh vegetables won’t be  available in the market soon.  I went to my regular grocery this fine Sunday morning and got tempted by red carrots across the counter. I thought of yummy Gajar ka Halwa. Although it’s a very common Indian dish and my generous colleagues usually offer me a portion of their Halwa, that I dint think of cooking it this winters.

But the charm of my recipe is that it’s a quick 15minutes recipe. Especially for the people like us who don’t have the time to go through proper traditional recipe where the carrot is cooked in milk for hours.

The innovation in my recipe is that I used condensed milk instead of whole milk and mava ( khoya).  I have actually replaced khoya in my kitchen with condensed milk (milkmaid, mithai maid) because the market these days is flooded with adulterated khoya.

Here is the recipe

You need

Carrots  250gms (should be red, enriched with Vitamin E,A)

Milk 10ml (yes just ten ml.)

Condensed milk (50gms)

Cardamom powder a pinch

Shredded almonds, coconut and dry fruits.

Blanch  the carrots in hot water. (YESSS! I blanch them first. It saves the milk quantity, hance calories. And the blanched carrot is easy to shred as well) Grate them.

In a pan take milk. Add carrots, cardamom powder and condensed milk.  Heat till the milk reduces.

Garnish with dry fruits.

Trust me:

The recipe is quick and easy

Calorie count is reduced. Since we are using sweetened condensed milk, no extra sugar is needed.

Adulterated khoya (mava) is avoided.

It tastes almost same, except that u miss the flavour of Desi Ghee. Which can be added. 

Besan Chilla

Besan Chilla or Gram Flour Pan cake

Mornings are always beautiful if we get a full, healthy breakfast. The breakfast forms the integral part of our diet. The dietitian says that you can skip your lunch but a heavy breakfast to begin a day is must. I have seen my colleagues who don’t indulge in habit of having breakfast, cribbing and lazing out at work. I always say: Eat healthy, Stay fit.

A common recipe used in north Indian houses for breakfast is besan chilla  or we can say besan pan cake, as the recipe is quite similar. But the richness of protein derived from gram flour beats the refined flour used in pan cakes. They are the healthiest way to start a day.

Here is the recipe:

Besan (gram flour) 200gm

Onion 1 diced finely

Ginger garlic paste 1tsf

Coriander finely chopped

Cumin

Asafoetida

Green chilli

Fruit salt (baking soda)

Salt

Vegetable oil to cook.

In a bowl sieve the flour, mix all the ingredients. (You can use roasted cumin, but I like unroasted cumin here). Add 100ml of water. The consistency of batter should be flowy i.e. neither too thick nor too thin similar to pan cakes or dosa. The batter should be vigorously mixed as to avoid lumps and better turn out.

Put a non stick pan on medium heat, put one tsf of oil and spread the batter in round shape. Wait for two minutes. Flip to other side and cook again till golden brown. Instead of oil, butter can be used.

Serve with green chutney and ketchup.

Tofu Muttar sabzi

Tofu Muttar 

                                                      Tofu Muttar / muttar paneer sabzi 

I came back home to find that my fridge had peas, tofu, tomatoes. So I came up with an innovation of our regular muttar paneer sabzi. The recipe is same as authentic muttar paneer sabzi, just replaced paneer (cottage cheese) with tofu. Tofu is soya protein condensed in cubes. Its rich in protein, calcium, magnesium and other minerals.

Here is the recipe:

All you need is:

Peas 100gm

Tofu 100gm

Onions 2

Tomatos 5-6

Tomato puree 2tsf

Ginger garlic paste

Green chilli

Chilli powder

Coriander powder

Turmeric powder

Refined oil 4-5tsf(option to desi ghee)

Cream 1tsf

Home made garam masala a pinch

Salt to taste

In a blender, blend garlic ginger, onions, green chilli. Take a wok, heat the oil on medium heat, add the paste. Sauté till the paste starts leaving oil. Add few pepper, cloves. Blend the tomatoes. Add tomato paste and puree in the wok. Add all the masala. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add peas, tofu (diced in cubes). Heat for 20minutes in the covered vessel. The recipe is done once it starts leaving oil in the corners. Garnish with cream. Green coriander leaves.

Savor with roti, phulka, paratha, puri or rice.

Mooli ki bhaji (mooli ki burji)

Mooli ki bhaji (mooli ki burji)

The day was clumsy, I hate my physiotherapy sessions as they aggravate my pain contrary to the fact they will help me recover fast. I got a call from my dear friend that she has an exam near my residence and she wanna drop by afterwards for dinner. She asked for mooli ki bhaji (radish leaves) with chapattis. The request lifted my mood in a jiffy.

Mooli ki bhaaji is a common dish cooked in north Indian houses especially in winters. Though this dish is rich in minerals , I find it medically unbalanced diet. Hence I improvised it with fortifying it with some protein. Being a vegetarian i have limited options of adding protein to a savoury.

Here goes the recipe:

250gms of green leaves of radish (mooli)

1 stem of radish (white one is better as the pink is slightly stingy)

Soya chunks (soya wadi) optional, 50 gm

2tsf refined oil

Cumin (Jeera ) 1 tsf

Asafoetida (hing) a pinch

Lemon half

Garlic 7 cloves finely diced.

Salt, pepper,turmeric powder

Soak the leaves in saline water for an hour (it will clean the leaves, if infected with pests) drain and rinse with clean water. Finely chop the green leaves and radish. Boil the leaves,  radish and soya chunks  in 100ml of water until just soft. Squeeze the excess water from the leaves by putting between the palms. (the drained water can be used in kneading the dough for chapattis, or can be used in dal).

In a sauce pan, heat oil, sauté cumin, asafoetida, and garlic. Wait until garlic is almost burnt. Add salt, pepper, and a pinch of turmeric powder. Add the boil and strained leaves. Sauté for 3-4min. Add lemon juice.

Serve hot with chapattis.

Tofu and Vegetable Clear Soup

Tofu and Vegetable Clear Soup:

Tofu and Vegetable Clear Soup:

Soups are generally considered low calorie diet. Dietians often recommend soups for reducing weight. But they generally forget that soups are deprived of protein. Vegetable soups are generally rich in minerals (unless cream is added, which adds extra calorie and fat). I came up with the idea of fortifying a regular clear soup with extra calcium and proteins.

I recommend this soup especially  obese who have knee problems and trying to reduce weight.

Tofu is soya protein(paneer) which is rich in calcium and proteins.

Here is the recipe

All you need is:

1tsf of olive oil

Tofu 100gm diced in small cubes

Peas, cabbage, cauliflower,spring  onion, beans : 100 gms

1 tsf corn flour

500ml of vegetable stock

Salt

Oregano, chilli flakes

Garlic powder

1sf vinegar

In a cooker, sauté the vegetables and tofu in olive oil. Add salt, garlic powder,corn flour(dissolved in water), oregano,chilli flakes, vinegar and salt.

Whistle the cooker and wait for two whistles.

Handva

I always get fascinated by the variety of farsans (snacks) savored in Gujarati families. The names are endless, khakhara, handava, khandvi, dhokla, patra etc. and lemme tell you, they all taste unique and awsome.

The curiosity is in the process which is widely in use, these days because of diet awareness and increasing tendencies of obesity among Indians. they use the steam process for the preparation of variety of snacks like dhokla, patra.
Although the snacks are quite healthy and rich in proteins. but, the heavy tempering full of cotton seed oil ruins the charm of low calorie snacks. not to forget that tempering obviously increases the flavor of snacks.

Today I tried Handva (handvo) in my kitchen. I tried making it low calorie (being a diet conscious).
its a very healthy hearty recipe full of proteins and give a fuller effect on satiety. people sometime replace it with the meals. In some gujarati thali, its a part of platter.

Here goes the recipe:
Ingredients:

1 cups rice 

1/2 cup toovar (arhar) dal

1/4 cup urad dal (split black lentils)

1/4 cup moong dal (split green gram)

1/4 cup chana dal (split Bengal gram)

1 cup sour curds

2 1/2 cups grated bottle gourd (doodhi / lauki) other vegetables like carrots, potato can be used.

4 tbsp oil

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp soda- bi-carb

1 tbsp sugar(optional, for contrast)

1 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

3 tbsp green chilli-ginger paste

salt to taste

for tempering optional: 2tsf oil, hing(asafoetida), mustard seeds, sesame seeds, chopped green chilli, chopped coriander.

soak the rice and pulses for few hours. grind them in mixer. add sour curd and ferment for 3hrs (in summers,time for fermentation can be reduced). add the rest of ingredients in the batter. 
spread the batter in a baking dish. bake it on 180.C in preheated oven for 30-40min untill the crust becomes golden brown. 

after that, tempering can be done, in a pan, heat oil, add hing, mustard seeds, sesame seeds, green chillies. heat it untill the seeds start crackling.
another option is, that tempering can be mixed in the batter itself before baking 
garnish with coriander. serve with imli chutney.

Haldi ka doodh (Turmeric milk)

It’s been a fortnight I had an accident and damaged the shoulder.  I am succumbed to bed and mercy of lord. Though my kind and lovely friends are there, all the time to look after me. Yes am blessed with good friends. Some make me laugh, some keep me distracted from pain, few keep worrying about my health and there is one who doesn’t hesitate to apply his medicinal knowledge on me. These days, every morning am being fed with haldi wala doodh (turmeric milk). I googled the properties and medicinal benefits of turmeric in healing.Here are 20 reasons to add turmeric to your diet:1. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns.2. When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.3. Prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice.4. May prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to commit suicide.5. Reduces the risk of childhood leukemia.6. Is a natural liver detoxifier.7. May prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by removing amyloyd plaque buildup in the brain.8. May prevent metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.9. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects.10. Has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.11. Is a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor.12. May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.13. Has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression.14. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.15. Boosts the effects of chemo drug paclitaxel and reduces its side effects.16. Promising studies are underway on the effects of turmeric on pancreatic cancer.17. Studies are ongoing in the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma.18. Has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.19. Speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin.20. May help in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

I was having doubts about the recipe of turmeric milk i was given. I inquired with a colleague working in ayurveda section of my hospital. He told me there are various ways to make haldi ka doodh.Here is the recipe he told me for my healing:In a pan take 2tsf of desi ghee (pure ghee), heat it. Add 2tsf of turmeric powder. After 30 sec add 200ml of milk and sugar(as per your taste). Boil and serve.You can add ginger bud in ghee for sore throat.Add cardamom or saffron for flavourAdd ajwain for gastric problems.  

chick pea cutlet or diet cutlets

A heavy snack is what i crave for after a busy afternoon. They say snacking is not healthy for my knees. Well a health conscious foodie can be creative sometimes and make snacking lil bit healthier, rich in protein, low in calories and fats.

I came up with an idea of diet cutlets. Well the name diet has become rave these days and i have observed that diet food is not as delicious as fried crisp ahhhannn food.

Here i go with my chickpea cutlets.

Boil 100 gms of chickpea (chole) and 100 gm of desi channa(black pea). Mash them properly. Add chopped coriander, ginger garlic paste 1tsf, black pepper, chaat masala, salt (as per taste, mind well chaat masala has salt in it as well).  Mix properly and make a thick batter. Now make rolls of batters like cutlets (tikki). Take some oats (regular oat meal from your breakfast drawer) and sprinkle over the cutlets. (oats is healthier option than bread crumps. And they are more crispier than bread crumps).

Now shallow fry in regular vegetable oil on a pan. Or you can bake it as well.

Serve it with coriander chutney.