Showing posts with label Soy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soy. Show all posts

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Soy Mushroom Pulao




The Lovely Pulao


What kind of a cook are you ? Are you the perfect kind, the ones who have perfected their techniques and recipes such that each time they make a Matar Paneer or Baingan Bharta, the outcome is exactly same. That the result does not vary if the quantity changes from 5 to 50, it remains exactly same day in and day out.

Me, I like to say I am a romantic cook, that sounds better than whimsical. I cook as my mood dictates, as the sun shines or the rain falls, as the kids torment or play happily. I will put a pinch of this here, a whiff of that there. I will put in ingredients that the recipe might not call for and skip something listed. I will smell and sniff and taste and depending on whether I have a cold or not, the dish might turn out to be
a) as delicious as last week
b) delicious but different from last week
c) un palatable.
Ok, just kidding, I will salvage most of the un-palatable ones but such things will happen.

It is blogging that has kind of restrained me, tried to straitjacket me, forced me to follow the recipes that I have jotted down here and so these days my Palak Paneer will turn out like before but only if the laptop has power and is not being used by the older kid.


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Take last week for example. Sometime around mid last week there was Saraswati Puja( more here), the day we pay our obeisance to the Goddess of Learning. Learning anything, something being BIG in Bengali households, the Goddess Saraswati is paid due respect in every home on this day. I had plans for the same but mornings being very hectic around here, I postponed it to evening.




Though we are talking Halwa, this IS a Pulao


Come evening I realized that to do the Puja I need to offer Prasad, after all what is a Puja without some sweet prasad. In haste I set off to make a Sooji(Rawa) Halwa. Now guys, sooji halwa is not exactly the thing you need to learn at Cordon Bleu. It is supposed to be easy peasy and you should be able to sail through the process and create an aromatic halwa even with a toddler hoisted on your hip.

So that is exactly what I did. I picked up the toddler who was trying to climb up her Mom's legs, a child eager to learn techniques of "making sooji halwa" early on and with her perched on my ample hip, I proceeded to make the halwa. Before even I knew it, I could sense the halwa was going the wrong way. It wasn't roasted to pale brown, it had a freaking white color, the sugar was not enough and the milk was slowly making it into a lump.

It was a halwa that would have scarred the genteel Goddess. It was so bad that the rawa must have been ashamed to find itself in such a state.

I was having doubts 'bout offering it to the academic Lady of Learning. Who cares I thought ? I have learned all my life's lessons and there isn't much that Goddess Saraswati can help me learn more anyway. But then you never know. What if MIT offers me a scholarship for research on blogging tomorrow, I wouldn't refuse, would I ?

So we got rid of that halwa and got some sweets from the store and appeased the Goddess, hope she didn't mind and shall continue to enlighten me.




There I told you it IS NOT about the halwa, it IS the Pulao


But this post is not about halwa. It is about a Pulao, a pulao that has turned out well almost always. A easy One Pot Dish that saves me on many busy days, days when I have time to blog but alas no time to cook.

I have made it as the Soy Peas Pulao earlier, a version based on Tarla Dalal's Recipe. But this time I made some changes as is my nature and added mushroom and vegetables along with soy chunks. If you notice keenly, I have also changed the spices a little. This made the dish Soy Mushroom Pulao and it tasted so very good. I made it again this week and again I made some changes, I added asparagus, next week we shall see...

Soy Mushroom Pulao



What You Need


Uncooked Rice ~ 1 & 1/2 cup of Basmati Rice
Soya Chunks ~ 1/2 cup of Nutrela Soya Chunks
Peas and Carrots (fresh or frozen) ~ 3/4 cup
Mushroom -- 1 cup sliced button mushrooms

Onions ~ 1 cup chopped

For tempering

Cumin seeds (jeera) ~ 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon (dalchini) ~ 1" stick
Cloves (lavang) ~ 2
Bay leaf ~ 2
Cardamom (elaichi) ~ 2

For masala

Turmeric powder (haldi) ~ ¼ teaspoon

Garam masala ~ 1/2 teaspoon or fresh Nutmeg Powder 1/4 tsp
Coriander (dhania) powder ~ ½ tsp (You can use 1 tsp of this, but I kept it low)
Cumin (jeera) Powder ~ 1/2 tsp

Oil ~2 tbsp
Ghee ~ ½ - 1 tsp to smear the rice (optional)
salt to taste
Sugar -- 1/4 tsp

To be ground into a chilli-garlic paste

3 fat cloves garlic
3 whole red chillies
1" ginger peeled and chopped

How I Did It

Prep

Wash 1 & 1/2 cups of Basmati rice in several changes of water and spread it out to dry for 15-20 mins.

Make a smooth paste of
3 cloves of garlic,
3 Dry Red Chili( heat alert, use less if needed !!!),
1" peeled and chopped ginger
with little water

Soak 1/2 cup of soy chunks in hot salted water till the chunks swell and become soft. Once they are soft squeeze excess water out and keep aside

Start Cooking

Heat 2 tbsp of White Oil in a Kadhai or Saute Pan

Temper the oil with

2 Cardamom/Elaichi,
2 Clove/Laung,
1" stick of Cinnamon,
2 small Bay Leaf,
approx. 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds/Jeera

When the spices start dancing, add 1 cup of finely chopped red onion. Fry the onion till it turns a pinkish brown

Now add the chili-ginger-garlic paste and saute for couple more minutes till the wonderful garlic flavor hits you

Add 3/4 cup of chopped carrots and peas. I usually have a frozen mix of peas and carrots and use that. Saute for 2 minutes

Add 1 cup of sliced button mushrooms and follow with the soy chunks. Saute for next 2-4 minutes till there is no raw smell of the mushrooms and there is no more water released from the mushroom.

Now add
1/2 tsp of Cumin Powder

and 1/2 tsp of Corriander powder
and little turmeric.
With a sprinkle of water fry the masala till the masala coats the vegetables, mushroom and soy chunks. Note: Add more spices if you have more veggies and mushroom

Add the rice. Fry the rice till you get a beautiful aroma.

Now the rice needs to cook. For 1 & 1/2 cups of rice, I add about 2&1/2-3 cups of water. Add salt to taste. I also add about 1/4 tsp of grated fresh nutmeg. This lends a wonderful flavor. If you don't have Nutmeg add 1/2 tsp Garam Masala instead. Mix everything gently and let the rice cook .
Note: You might need little more water if the water has dried up and rice is not cooked.

When the rice is done, add 1/2 tsp of ghee to boost the flavor and 1/4 tsp of sugar and mix gently at low heat. Turn off the heat,cover and let it sit for 10 minutes and then serve with some cool raita.




Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Soya Peas Pulao on a PlayDay


Photobucket


Little S’s friend was to come over after school to spend an evening with her. They are in the same pre-school and same class and I do not understand their need to spend still more time after school together. Both of them had been pestering me about visiting each other’s home for some time now and finally I called up her Mom and we decided to do it once a week.

The weather having turned a beautiful warm a week back, I had planned to take them to the park in the afternoon and let them run free. But come the day of the meet and it was chilly, so the poor kids & of course poor me, had to be stuck inside the house. They played on their own though and didn’t bother me except for occasional call for snacks. Four year olds can be angels if they want.

Now this little friend speaks Kannada(language spoken by natives of Karnataka a state in Sothern India) at home and last time she was visiting, she had asked for Rice & Tuppa for dinner. Of course I didn’t understand and had plied her with Rice, dal, vegetables and yogurt. Only later did her mom tell me that she loves rice & ghee and that is what she had wanted.

This time I tried to play safe and asked Little S what her friend liked to eat. The morning of the their play-day she declared “Friend S likes Pulao”

So be it I thought, easy for me and convenient for the kids to eat too. I decided on a Soya Peas Pulao with soya granules instead of the chunks. I loosely followed Tarla Dalal's recipe. Since Friend S was a eggatarian, I served it with boiled eggs which were lightly fried to a golden yellow. This was a complete meal delicious, protein rich and yet very easy. Served with a bowl of plain yogurt on the side, there was little more the kids will ask for. Ideal to be packed for a school lunch also.

Little S finished of her plate happily while I had to force friend S to eat, though she said she liked it. Friend S turned out to be unfamiliar with boiled eggs though and was pretty much taken by the egg white, hated yolk. She likes omlettes, more homework to be done next time.

When little friend S's Mom came to pick her up, she brought me some steaming Upma from her kitchen, now this kind of play days I like.




Soy Peas Pulao



What You Need

Uncooked Rice ~ 1 cup
Soya granules ~ ¼ cup of Nutrela Soya Granules(Note: Next time I am going to up this amount)
Green peas (fresh or frozen) ~ ¼ cup

For tempering

Cumin seeds (jeera) ~ ½ teaspoon
Cinnamon (dalchini) ~ 1/2" stick
Cloves (lavang) ~ 2
Bay leaf ~ 1
Cardamom (elaichi) ~ 2

For masala

Onions ~ ½ cup chopped
Tomatoes ~ ½ cup chopped
Ginger ~ ½ “ grated


Turmeric powder (haldi) ~ ¼ teaspoon

Garam masala ~ ¼ teaspoon
Coriander (dhania) powder ~ ½ tsp (You can use 1 tsp of this, but I kept it low)
Fennel (saunf) Powder ~ ¼ tsp

Oil ~ to cook
Ghee ~ ½ - 1 tsp to smear the rice (optional)
salt to taste

To be ground into a chilli-garlic paste – I did not use this since the pulao was intended for kids

3 cloves garlic
3 whole red chillies


How I Did It

Wash the rice and soak it for 10-30 minutes. Drain the rice after this and smear with ½ tsp of ghee.

Heat Oil in a Frying Pan

Flavor the oil with Bay leaves, whole cardamom, and cinnamon stick

Add ½ tsp of whole cumin seed

When the seeds crackle, add the onions and sauté till the onions turn golden brown.
If you are using chilli-garlic paste add it now

Add finely chopped tomatoes and sauté till they are soft

Add the green peas and soya granules and sauté for a minute

Add the turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder, fennel powder and salt and sauté for another couple of minutes

Add the Rice now and mix well with the masala. Sauté for 2 more minutes and add about 2 cups of water and cover and cook. If using a pressure cooker add 2 cups of hot water and pressure cook for 2 whistles


If not using a pressure cooker, check occasionally to see if rice is done. If not and water has dried up add a little more water (very little about ¼ cup might be needed) and cook till rice is done.

You can serve with boiled eggs, which I fried to a golden yellow because Little S likes the color. Also a bowl of yogurt on the side completed the meal.

Note: for younger kids you need to fish out the whole garam masala like cardamom, bay leaf, clove and cinnamon stick before serving

Other Recipes with Soya Granules:

Egg Paratha with Soya Stuffing

A recipe that could use soya granules or chunks:

Daliya Pulao


Reading List: Thanks for all of your inputs and enriching my reading list. I recently read Chitra Banerjee Divakurani's Palace Of Illusions, a feminist interpretation of the epic Mahabharata. I also read Cold sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. Enjoyed both the books. I am currently reading Anne Tyler's Digging To America. I had read her Breathing Lessons earlier, but had totally forgotten about her, thanks to RLM for the suggestion. Sadly the library didn't carry "Tales from FirozSha Baag" by Mistry



Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Tofu Burji



So the Valentines Day is over and here I have something for all your hearts which went through a lot on this day. So here’s to a healthier, better HEART --- Tofu.
Tofu Burji is something I learned recently from my wonderful friend S. The first time I had it , it tasted so good, I didn’t believe it was tofu, I was sure it was eggs. It is sooooooo tasty that you have to eat it to believe it and even if you are not a big time Tofu fan, I insist, yes insist that you try it at least once before giving a verdict.
Of course the fact that S is a great cook made the whole thing easier. She told me exactly what to do to make it simple yet very tasty. Thanks to S who is not only a great cook but also a entrepreneur, check out her business portal BombayAvenue

Tofu Burji, a very simple and easy recipe, healthy and yet delicious. This tastes exactly like egg burji or scrambled eggs. Only thing is it takes more time than to make egg burji, don’t try to rush it, doesn’t help. Since we are great “egg in all form” lovers ( Sunday ho ya Monday, roj khao Andey) but can’t have too much because of the cholesterol factor, this recipe was a delight. Now I make it enough and pack it for lunch often. You can have it with Roti or just by itself, what we end up doing most of the time. My daughter who is an egg fan too, eats this happily thinking its scrambled eggs and that is a big achievement I tell you


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Tofu Burji



What you Need

Tofu ~ 1 packet NaSoya soft tofu
Onion ~ 1 and ½ chopped fine
Tomato ~ 1 chopped in small pieces
Garlic ~ ½ clove chopped fine (not shown in pic)
Green Chilli ~ 4/ 5 finely chopped (not shown in pic)
Corriander leaves ~ quarter of a bunch chopped (not shown in pic)

Olive Oil
Salt



How I Do It

Drain water from the soft tofu packet and crumble it with your hands. It’s very soft and will crumble easily
Chop onions real fine, chop the tomatoes in small pieces. Same as you would for egg burji
Heat Olive Oil in a Frying pan
Add the chopped garlic
As soon as you get the flavor of garlic, add the chopped onion. Fry till they turn a nice pink
Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté till the tomatoes are well cooked and mixed well
Add the green chillies if you want them.
Add the crumbled tofu.
Sauté till all the water evaporates. Since soft tofu retains a lot of moisture a lot of water may come out and so this step will take some time. You need to dry up all the water and by the end of this the tofu should be dry
At this point you may need to add a little oil, add a lttle to add a little more flavor
Add half of the chopped coriander, salt and mix well and sauté for some more time
Taste to see if it tastes like scrambled eggs, if not yet, you need to sauté a little more.
The end result would look like the pic below
Garnish with rest of the coriander and serve with Roti or enjoy by itself





Note: More Tofu Burji Recipes
Tofu Podimas from
PremaSundar

Update on May 2007: Did this with Firm Tofu and that turned out good as well



Trivia:The English word "tofu" comes from the Japanese tōfu which itself derives from the Chinese dòufǔ. Though Tofu is of Chinese origin in both languages it means "bean curd"

Friday, January 19, 2007

Dil Mangta -- Pasta



I am not a big Pasta fan, at least not the Italian way, give me Desi Pasta (if there is anything like it) and I would happily lick my plate. Yeah wipe that surprise off your face, there are people like me out there. I have had Pasta at Olive Garden, their soup and salad is great but the pasta, naaaaah nothing that I could fall for, then onto Macaroni Grill, their option of “Make Your Own Pasta” sounds great and the creation that I finally make is something that will send the Italians rolling their eyes at me(thank god the waitresses are much more tolerant). Maybe because I have had Pasta at only these chain places and not at an authentic Italian Bistro, I refrain from saying “Mamma Mia” when I see Pasta

No one would believe this and there would be more rolling of eyes, but the best Pasta I have eaten to date is in a restaurant called “Casa Picola” in Bangalore, India, you should eat it to believe it.
The next best pasta happened at home when D discovered Barilla Restaurant Creations, two jars that you mix to get the resultant sauce. He tried sugo alla napoletana and the pasta was divine. But sadly the Shop Rites and Stop & Shops (local grocery stores) carry it no longer and I think it is available only in select stores or online. So that had to go to.
Even S my lil’ one loves Macaroni Cheese and Noodles but Pasta in Sauce, no way, she claims that’s Pasta gone dirty !!!

So I end up Cooking Pasta like I would do Noodles and we all love it, no please, I see that smirk on your face , but I tell you there are people like me out there.
And then I found this Pasta in Mahanadi’s blog. The great cook that she is, trust her to throw a nice Indian touch to this dish. Get the Original Recipe Here.
I liked the idea of cumin and tomato paste as the base for pasta sauce. But the similarity ends there, almost… I did not have red bell peppers and did not want to use peanuts so I omitted them and added some of my own stuff to make it a little more healthy. But I loved what happened, the bold flavor of the cumin and dry red chillis made it smell just right. I also loved the blended soy chunks I used, they added a thickness to the sauce, something that would have happened if I added sausage


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Pasta in Tomato Cumin Sauce

What You Need

Whole Wheat Pasta ~ 3 cup. I used Barilla Plus Rotini
Soy Chunks ~ ½ cup . I used Nutrela Soy Chunks
Tomato ~ 1 and ½ finely chopped alternatively use Cherry Tomatoes
Tomato Juice from canned Tomatoes ~ 2 tbsp
Garlic ~ 2 cloves
Dry Red Chilli ~ 4
Cumin Seeds ~ 1 tsp
Mixed Vegetables ~ ½ cup. Other veggies should also do.

How I Did It
Soak soy chunks in water and microwave for 1 minute or more till they are soft. Let them cool
Meanwhile chop tomatoes and garlic
In blender add soy granules, tomatoes, garlic, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, 2 tbsp tomato juice and make a fine paste
Cook pasta al dente according to instructions on the box.
Rinse cooked pasta with cold water and toss with 1 tsp of Olive Oil
Heat Olive Oil in a Frying pan
Add 2 tbsp of onion paste
When the onions turn pinkish brown add the prepared paste and sauté till the sauce is cooked
Add about ½ cup of mixed vegetables. I use frozen mixed veggies which I Cooked in the microwave. You can use steamed veggies if you want.
When the veggies are cooked add the pasta.
Mix till the sauce coats the pasta well
The Rotini pasta retain the spices in their crevices and I like that. Served it with a home made strawberry-banana smoothie to offset the red chillis. Though to be truthful this was not at all hot for my spice level
For my daughter, omitted the red chillies and made the sauce

The good thing about this was that a plateful makes a hearty meal and the way I did it it was a quick mid week dinner. Thanks to Indira but you should really follow her recipe as I am sure that would be much more tastier.
This also goes to my blogger friend Coffee's Monthly Blog Patrol, see you there.
Trivia:Pasta existed for thousands of years before anybody ever thought of putting tomatoe sauce on it. Cortez, a Spanish explorer, brought tomatoes back to Europe from Mexico in 1519. Even then, nearly 200 years passed before spaghetti served with tomatoe sauce made its way into Italian kitchens.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Egg Paratha with a Twist


Saturday Morning Breakfasts at our home are usually my husband’s affair, he is in charge, whipping up a warm breakfast different from the toast-omelets or cereal-milk kind. This does not mean that he does not lapse from his routine, after all he is a man , but even if I take 52 Saturday mornings – 12 lapses – 4 traveling Saturdays – 4 Vacation Saturdays, the answer is 32, way better than 42 (!!!).
But this Saturday was different, to add a nice twist to the breakfast for WBB#6 Breakfast with a Twist at Nandita’s Saffron Trail, I woke up bright & early and donned the chef’s hat, relegating my hubby to the position of the sous-chef.
So I started with the Original Recipe of my Mom. She used to make Dimer Paratha or Egg Paratha which was a breakfast delight in itself and still is a favorite at our home not only for breakfasts but also for evening snacks. I added a twist by making a stuffing of soy chunks for this paratha, which made the paratha look like a wrap or a roll. I also make the stuffing with Keema if I am making this as an evening snack. For my breakfast I prefer the Soya as it is lighter and a more healthy way to start the day with.



What You Need

For Paratha

All Purpose Flour/Maida ~ 2 cups
Eggs ~ 3 (you can also make do with 2)
Milk
Onions ~ ½ finely chopped
Chillies ~ 2/3 chopped
Salt

For the stuffing

Soy Chunks (Nutrela) ~ ½ cup -- you can try with soy granules too
Onion ~ ½ grind to a paste
Garlic ~ 1 small clove finely chopped
Maggi Hot & Sweet Tomato Sauce (any suitable alternative)
Salt

How I Do It

Mix together flour/maida, eggs and milk in a big bowl to make a batter. Stir till smooth. The thickness of the batter should be same as that needed for a pancake or say to make utthapam.
Add the chopped onions and chillies, and salt to this batter and mix well.
Grease your frying pan with Olive Oil.
Pour a scoop of this batter in the frying pan and spread it out (same as for cooking pancake)
Cook until golden in color and then flip and cook till golden on the other side too.
You can go ahead and eat it at this point, it's yummy


My li'l one loves to eat this with jam




For the stuffing





Soak the soy chunk in water and microwave for 2 minutes. Let them soak in the hot water for 1 more minute
Once they are soft put the chunks in the blender and mince them, so that they look as in the picture (left side).
In a frying pan heat Olive Oil.
Add the chopped garlic
Add the onion paste
Fry till they have browned and add the minced soy
Add Maggi Hot & Sweet Tomato Sauce or any suitable tangy alternative and cook till the soy is nicely cooked as in the picture (right side)
Add little salt.

To Serve

Put this stuffing in the center of the Egg Paratha, add sauce/ketchup, you can also add lettuce, tomato if you want. Roll it and serve hot.

Note: Instead of Soy you can use Keema/minced meat. Mix the keema with little yogurt, ginger paste and garlic paste and keep aside for 2/3 hours. Then cook same way as the soy.

Trivia: Nutrela soya chunks are made from fully cooked soybean and is a brand name for Textured Vegetable Protein(TVP) ,marketed by RSIL. "Meal Maker" was another brand available in India , I am not sure about it's existence in the present days.