Tofu Masala

I've not been posting for quite sometime as life paused when we heard of the demise of one of our known friend.... Boopesh Kumar. I've known him for only a very short time, just for about four months.... but what was really shocking was the fact that I knew him right from the day he landed in this country. He came here for his studies with a lot of dreams to settle down in life and have a future ahead. As far as I know, he was a very good person.... calm, quite and soft spoken. He always kept to himself. The questions haunting me are.... 'Did life make him travel here to die?' 'Did his parents wave him at the airport at his departure here, to see him come back in a coffin?' 'Why was he saved, hospitalised, battled for life (actually for death) for five days and ultimately die?' 'Atleast if he had died on that drowning itself.... he needn't have had the prolonged suffer of pain' 'If somebody saved a person wasn't it meant that they had another chance?' My head is full of unanswerable queries.... I know it.... we all would have had such experiences.... must learn to live with it and move ahead..... 

Wheat Rava Idli

I saw 'Ennakul Oruvan' tamil movie this week end. Its not the old one of Kamal Hassan but the one featuring Siddharth, although both bear the same title. I liked it a lot. It was conceptually similar to 'Inception' but very well screen played for the tamil audience. It was a bold attempt and one such film which takes on the fascination of movie buffs to a level ahead. Though during the course of the movie, at times.... we feel tired.... but the climax was so neat and cleanly narrated to convince and park itself in the good movies shelf of cinema library. Hats of to the director for such an attempt. 

And by the way, did you watch the ICC semi-finals between the Black caps and South Africans? What a fight!!!!!!!!!! It was heartening to see Villiers shed tears on the ground as he gave his all in that fielding.... Yes sometimes... hard work always doesn't pay off!! Lets move on to the recipe.....

Flaxseed Moong Dal Bok Choy

I'm neither a cricket follower nor a fan. But yesterday's match.... especially the after match ceremony has made me slightly inclined towards the game. What a modesty was displayed by MS Dhoni when he said that the catch which made him have a big smile was because it was a fluke that he landed with that catch. He could have easily taken the credit for himself instead of admitting that it was a a surprising piece of luck though that wicket was badly needed to bring a turn to the match. Hats off to the Indian captain!!!!!!

OK now lets move on to this recipe. This is one interesting way to intake Bok Choy in an Indian way. Rather than always making sambhar with dal, this could be an interesting re placer....

Tofu Beans Bhurji

Tofu..... as I already said has become a weekly ingredient as a replacement for paneer. I am on a hunt for new Tofu recipes and this is one such find!!! As you all know, Tofu does not have a taste of its own.... it is quite bland, but when accompanied with spices and other veggies it goes on very well. This is a normal bhurji but since I had beans in hand I added them along.... For the first look its similar to an egg bhurji and also close to it in taste... So, lets move on to the recipe.....

Greens Stir-fry

Nowadays, I think I'm becoming obsessed by the term 'healthy'..... but must really get out of it. Not in any other sense but just be particular to have it in a corner of my mind rather than clouding my mind entirely with it. Its good to eat good food... but coining it with the term 'healthy' rather makes it irritating at times.... so I've decided to eat good and keep quiet, as everyone knows whats good for them and whats not.... So turning back to today's recipe.... its the greens stir-fry. I usually get these Asian greens only during the summer season here. Though plucking off the leaves might become the most difficult job as the end of the season approaches, as they start shrinking in size indicating this might be the last bunch you might have for this season!!!! But when you dump them in the kadai, the rustic flavour it emanates pays off for all the time spent plucking!

Kadai Tofu

I am an ardent fan of Paneer..... but when health issues popped in, there popped out a thought that paneer on a regular basis is not recommended. But once in a way...... its a big OKAY (atleast for me!!!!!) After googling a replacement for paneer, I found TOFU which had similar look and feel of paneer but it weighed heavily on the health basis though there was a certain amount of compromise on its taste. This is a paneer recipe in which tofu took its place.... Try it out and you will never regret it!!!! 

Palak Pulao with Sweet Potato

Spinach comes in on our menu very often. Due to its repetition, I always surf in for recipes with it. I came across this one which interested me. After a few additions and deletions I arrived at my Palak Pulao with Sweet potato. The taste was great and it was a wonderful way to push palak into everyone's tummy!! 

Ragi Dosai & Capsicum Chutney

Yeh!!!!!!!!! This is my 100th post....... I'm happy for this..... Thanks to all those who are viewing my posts.... I always try regular recipes with healthy replacements and this is one such try. The Ragi dosai went along very well with the capsicum chutney and the combo has become a great hit at home. The dosai was more likely like the regular one but remember this is a healthy version.... a guilt-free one!!! So when something is healthy and exotic why should you long for anything else...... 

Beetroot Pulao

After cooking the beet leaves, I had those beetroots still in hand. I always cook away the greens in a day or two of their purchase to extract their full richness. These roots tend to remain fresh for a week, so I always plan them towards the weekend. Today being a lazy day, I wanted to cook a one pot meal and then decided to do this beetroot pulao. Beetroot, naturally tends to be sweet, so in order to balance this, I added green chillies and increased the hotness.... This is rather a different way to intake beetroot rather than having the usual poriyal, So, do give it a try!!!!

Bok Choy Stir-fry

This is the first time I've ever bought this green! Every time I come across this Chinese leafy cabbage (locally called so...) in the market... I had inhibitions. But this week I overcame it and bought two bunches home. I've tasted this in Chinese restaurant noodles. They were crunchy and went along well with those flavors. I wanted to try a simple recipe in an Indian style to understand them better. They, like any other greens got cooked in no matter of time. While on the stove, there was an earthy aroma indicating its freshness.... and undoubtedly they are a low calorie veggie with abundant nutrients. Do include them in your daily routine intake!!

Beetleaves Dal Curry

Have you ever cooked with beetroot leaves? If not its high time, you add it to your regular healthy menu. Otherwise known as Beet leaves or beetroot greens, these are the healthiest greens recommended as they are very low in calories with low fat and zero cholesterol. They are a great host of vitamins and have lot more nutritional values. I was introduced to these greens by a friend of mine. At first I was hesitant but nowadays these greens get into my market trolley every week. If you are looking out for something with low calories and yet tasty, then this is it.... Do give it a try, you'll never regret it..... Now lets move on to the recipe......

Brinjal Masala

Aubergine, Egg plant, Garden Egg, Guinea Squash, Kathirikkai, Vangakaya, Badanekayi....... however it might be called, it carries with it loads of benefits to be delivered to the end user. Brinjal helps keeping diabetes in control,brings down the cholesterol levels helping heart beat better, facilitates weight loss, keeps chronic diseases at bay and more and more amazing benefits for skin and hair. Of course googling or wikipediaing can pour down abundant goodness of this fruit veggie. This brinjal masala is spicy and goes well with sambhar or curd rice. This Brinjal Masala is a must try recipe for all Aubergine lovers.....

Mushroom Biriyani

I am here after a long break.... yes the break was quite long enough that I actually wanted to pull myself back into blogging again. Hopefully there shouldn't and wouldn't be any more such long breaks. Blogging back after a long time, I thought that starting with a biriyani would be the most appropriate and perfect start. Mushrooms come with loads of health benefits.... and they also play an active role in weight management. Who cares about all these when they are so yummy!!!!!!!