Top 10 Food Memories of 2017 + Buttermilk Kootu Recipe (Vegetable Buttermilk Stew)

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Phew! there it is. an end of 2017. an end to an year I quickly want to forget and erase from my memory. Though the year started on a positive note, it quickly took a nose dive and by the end it felt like an unintentionally long and painful roller coaster ride. Amidst all this chaos, the blog took a big hit and I no longer felt like cooking or writing elaborate posts. I am super active on Instagram though and the only two positive things I will remember 2017 for are: my love for watercolor and how I found support from my bullet journal. Rest all let's say - it feels good to be forgotten. :-) 

There were a few moments though during the year, here and there where I took a few photographs of food and also tried a new recipe from Chandra Padmanabhan's book - Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine From South which you can find at the end of the post. As always, I have grand plans for self and for my hobbies in the coming year and only time will tell on how far I will be able to execute on them. For now, here are Top 10 food memories of 2017 I want to share with you all. 

Happy Holidays and Wishing you all a Joyous 2018 ahead! May the force be with you!

Happy Holidays! more watercolor artwork here on my other blog.

Mujadara [Mujaddara] | Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions + Spiced Yogurt Recipe

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I forgot the count on how many times I wanted to try making Mujadara at home. All the cookbooks and blog posts I read had the same underlying theme - this dish is the essence of comfort food in the Middle Eastern cuisine. After making it at home, now I know why. There is this deep color and sweetness of caramelized onions tossed simply with rice & lentils, which makes a heady combination of flavors. Some recipes add cumin or allspice but for me just salt & pepper will do. To serve, it needs some heat and the spiced yogurt will provide the dish just enough kick along with some nice creaminess. I can go on and on, on easy it is to make and how this would make an amazing one-pot meal. I will stop here though because I want you to read and then make the recipe at home, to discover & know for yourself that what all I said here is absolutely true. :-)

Amma's Recipes | Andhra Style Menthi Majjiga in 4 Steps and Less than 15 mins (Spiced Buttermilk with Fenugreek Recipe)

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Amma's recipes is one such column on this blog, which is very close to my heart. These are the recipes which my mother perfected over many many years and reflects how awesome a cook she is. It is also fun to just photograph once in a while, without thinking about what and how to make a recipe, worrying whether it would turn out well or not. She Cooks, I Photograph. That is the deal. :-) If you guys have any questions, do drop in a line or comment. My mom will be more than happy to answer all of them.

Of all the many recipes of my mother I try to copy diligently, today's recipe tops them all. Ask my sister and she will tell you how crazy I am about 'Menthi Majjiga'. Every time I drop my mom's place for lunch/dinner, this has to be made. It just goes without saying. When I first ate it a few months ago, I was simply blown away by its utter simplicity and sheer deliciousness. I am still salivating as I write this sentence. Ok, I will just stop my ranting right here and directly jump to the ultra easy 4 step process of making classic Andhra Style Menthi Majjiga which involves almost no cooking and take less than 15 mins.

{Make Broccoli Paruppu Usili, Mashed Amaranth (Keerai Masial) along with Instant Dosavakaya (Dosa Avakai) | Yellow Cucumber Pickle, hot rice and papads to make a complete South Indian meal :-)}

Enjoy!

1. Add turmeric, salt and fenugreek-cumin powder to yogurt

2. Whisk until creamy. Add water if desired for a thinner consistency

3. Heat oil in a small kadai and add urad dal, cumin seeds, red chilli, and mustard seeds. Once they start to splutter add hing, green chillies and curry leaves.

4. Add tadka to the yogurt mixture and mix well

Andhra Style Menthi Majjiga (Fenugreek Flavored Spiced Buttermilk)

Ingredients:

2 cups of yogurt
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt - to taste
1 tsp fenugreek-cumin powder***

For Tadka:

1 tsp each of urad dal, cumin seeds, mustard seeds
1 red chilli
few fresh curry leaves
a pinch of hing
2 chopped green chillies
1 tbsp oil

*** Dry roast fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds in equal amounts separately until light golden brown and grind together

Preparation:

Add turmeric, salt and fenugreek-cumin powder to yogurt. Whisk until creamy. Add water if desired for a thinner consistency. Heat oil in a small kadai and add urad dal, cumin seeds, red chilli and mustard seeds. Once they start to splutter add hing, green chillies and curry leaves. Turn off heat and let it sizzle for few seconds. Add to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Serve with hot rice or drink as a soup!

This is Recipe 61 added to 2013 Recipe Archive. Check out the rest of the recipes too.

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For one more variation of Majjiga Pulusu/Mor Kuzhambu, try my mom's Chana Dal Wadi ki Kadhi (Lentil Dumplings in Yogurt Gravy)

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until next recipe,

{Easy Summer Recipes} Roasted Beet Salad with Yogurt Dressing

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I am a great fan of the juicy, natural sweetness that beets tend to offer. And a drizzle of a super simple yogurt dressing on the top gives a nice summery, cool twist to my favorite vegetable. Now, that's what today's recipe - Roasted Beet Salad with Yogurt Dressing is all about - as easy as simply tossing the beets in an aluminum foil to roast along with a spice marinade, cutting into wedges and serve some dressing on the side. The recipe is adapted from Modern Spice by lovely Monica Bhide. I owned this copy for quite a while and like many others on my cookbook shelf, I didn't get a chance to cook from it. Until today!

A word of caution - the photographs tend to get messier by the end as I couldn't stop myself from tasting the the gorgeous salad. I hope you wouldn't mind. Its definitely one of the quickest photo shoots I ever did for any recipe. :-) Now, You got to see how greedily I ate right? The below photograph is the proof...

Enjoy and make some today!

 Roasted Beets neatly arranged with Yogurt Dressing in the middle

{Recipe} Roasted Beet Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Serves 3-4
Source: Modern Spice by Monica Bhide

Ingredients:

For the beets -

4 medium sized beets, different colors if possible, trimmed. [I used only red beets]
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
2 tbsp olive oil (original recipe suggests vegetable oil)
1 tbsp coriander powder
few curry leaves (my addition)

For the dressing -

3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 220 C or 425 F. Wash the beets and pat them dry.

2. In a bowl, combine black pepper, vegetable oil, salt, coriander powder and curry leaves. Drop the beets and coat them well.

3. Place the beets in aluminium foil and wrap them tightly into individual pouches. (The original recipe suggests to wrap the beets in a large piece of foil as a single layer). Also if you are using different coloured beets, wrap each color individually. Place them in a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the beets are cooked thoroughly. The beets are cooked when they can be easily pierced with a knife.

I used the remaining marinade as a dip for my bread. It does taste yum with the coriander powder and curry leaves.

4. Take out the beets from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Remove from the foil and the skin should peel off very easily with fingers or a pairing knife. Gently scrape off any spice marinade on parts of beet. Cut them into wedges and arrange on a plate.

5. To make the dressing - Place all the ingredients listed for "dressing" above in bowl and whisk to combine. Add water if you wish to have a thinner consistency but donot add oil.

6. Spoon the dressing on the beets and Serve immediately.

Sometimes messy is so gooooooooooooood!

This is Recipe 25 added to my The 100 Recipe Challenge for Year 2013. Check out the rest of the recipes too!

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until next recipe,

{Easy Summer Recipes} Homemade Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt (using Plums)

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One of the many fun activities during my weekend grocery shopping while I was in US was strolling through the endless rows of products right from cereal to various kinds of sauces to fresh, exotic vegetables. Most of the times, I was on tight budget, so once the contents from my pre-made shopping list are in my cart, all I used to do was gape and make a mental note of stuff-I-want-to-buy-once-I-have-tons-of-dollars. You see, shopping frugally was never my cup of tea. I was desired for more. My sinister heart would coax me to buy much more than I wanted but my rational mind would stop me every single time!.

During such escapades, I discovered these down under yogurt cups from an australian company called Wallaby. I tried once and I was hooked. I never imagined fruit at bottom + yogurt on top can be such a delicious indulgence. From then onwards, I bought atleast 10 of these yogurt cups each week, on an average to eat one every day and rest of the three when I crave for more. This went on for couple of years until I moved out of Virginia in the summer of 2010.

..this was my favorite go-to-snack whenever I am low & need some pep up..and it always worked!

While in California, I did search for these, tried a few other fruit-at-bottom products but nothing came closer to the lusciousness of wallaby. I had to be content with flavored yogurts available at Trader Joes, like this one...

...I miss you Trader Joes...:-(

Now, after almost 2 years, on a whim I longed for my favorite indulgence. One night, I swear I even dreamed about these. Determined to make my dream a reality, I made some fruit-at-bottom-yogurt-jars today. The recipe is so darn simple and it came out perfectly in my very first try. Any combination of firm fruit can be used, if you want to refrigerate and use it over a week or so. I had few plums on hand, so I made of them for today's recipe. TH wants with strawberries next time around and off I am to get some berries tomorrow from our nearby fruit market. :-)

Enjoy..

...plums...oh..you..luscious plums..

..cornstarch water being added to cooked,mushy fruit..

plum compote... I have saved some for my toasted bread in tomorrow's breakfast..

[Updated on 21st July 2014] This is my entry to KitchenAid Contest, open exclusively for participants of Indian Food Blogger Meet 2014 scheduled to happen in Bangalore on August 1st and 2nd 2014. 

{Recipe} Home-made Fruit (Plums) at Bottom Yogurt 

Adapted from Simple Bites

Ingredients:

4 plums, chopped into small pieces or any other fruit
1 tsp of water
1 tbsp honey (or sweeten with 1-2 tbsp of sugar)
a pinch of salt
2 tsp cornflour
2 tsp cold water
1 cup plain yogurt (preferably not sour) sweetened with 2 tsp or more honey (to taste)

Preparation:

1. Making fruit compote: In a small pan, heat very finely chopped plums (or any other fruit), honey (or sugar) and salt. Add a tsp of water and bring it to simmer on low heat, stirring every now and then. In a separate bowl, mix cornflour with cold water. Once the fruit mixture becomes a little mushy, add the cornstarch water. Let it simmer for 5 to 8 minutes on low heat, until it thickens. Remove from heat and cool completely.

2. Whisk plain yogurt/curd with honey. To assemble, add 2 spoons of fruit compote at the bottom and then top with yogurt. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins before serving.

Note: The amount of honey or sugar to be added to plums (or any other fruit especially tart ones) and yogurt can be varied according to taste. To add some crunch, top with granola which becomes a great option for breakfast or whenever you crave for something sweet. When refrigerated, covered this will stay fresh for 1 week (if it lasts that long!).

This is Recipe 19 for my The 100 Recipe Challenge for Year 2013. Check out the rest of the recipes posted so far...

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Lauki Palak Ke Kofte (Kofta) Masala | Bottle Gourd and Spinach Balls in Tomato Gravy Recipe + winners for the giveaways

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The months of November and December were just like any other until a few years ago. They became a season of music, joy and merriment once I moved to US. the holiday baking, the beautifully decorated christmas trees, the snowmen, the brightly lit up reindeers in front of almost every house, the gifts, the carols dimly humming at all cafes, the deals to buy super cool stuff dead cheap, meeting friends & family and travelling - all these symbolize the holiday season now. After experiencing all these for 6 long winters, the memories come back to me, regardless of where I am right now, right this moment.

New York is a magical city and every time I hear this song - Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams, it reminds me of time I spent there. Awesome time, I tell ya which I will cherish forever, and ever!

 

Today's recipe too - Lauki Palak Ke Kofte (Kofta) Masala brings back loads of memories when my mother used to make this along with a simple Rice Cooker Biryani as our Sunday special. :-)

Scroll down to know the lucky winners who won the previously announced giveaways - Canon Powershot camera, 25$ amazon and olive garden gift cards.

Enjoy!

{Recipe} Lauki Palak Ke Kofte (Kofta) Masala 

Lauki Palak Ke Kofte

ready to be fried..

To serve as an appetizer, ignore the gravy and use as-is. Yum! 

Notes: 

1. For lesser calories, the bottle gourd-spinach balls can be baked with a brushing of oil.
2. If using tomato puree, use finely chopped onions and there is no need to grind into a paste.
3. Let the balls be dunked into the tomato gravy before serving so that they soak up all the lovely flavors.

Makes for around 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

For the Kofte -

1 medium sized lauki (bottle gourd) ~ around 2 cups of grated lauki
1 cup chopped palak
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
oil - for frying

For the gravy -

2 onions, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped (or you can use tomato puree as well)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt - to taste (Adjust little by little as the kofte have salt too)
1/2 tsp or more garam masala
a pinch of sugar
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp of beaten yogurt (optional)
chopped coriander, for garnishing

Preparation:

1. Grate bottle gourd. Taking some at a time, using a muslin or thin cloth and squeeze all the water out of it by pressing between the palms. Finely chop spinach.

2. In a bowl, mix in squeezed bottle gourd, spinach and rest of the ingredients listed under "For the Kofte". Donot use any water. The liquid in the chopped spinach is enough to make into a dough. Make small lemon sized balls.

3. Heat enough oil in a kadai and gently fry few balls at a time until golden brown. Drain excess oil on paper towels.

4. For the gravy - heat a tbsp of oil in a kadai. Add ginger garlic paste and onions. Let it cook for few minutes. Add tomatoes. Stir well and cook until mushy. Cool a bit and grind into a fine paste.

5. Add the tomato-onion paste into the same kadai and add all the spices & seasonings - salt, turmeric, garam masala and sugar. Add a cup of water. Cook until oil starts to separate. Stir in the yogurt if using.

6. Drop the kofta balls into the gravy. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander. Serve with rice, roti or any kind of bread.

Serving Suggestions: Home-made Coconut Milk Fried Rice , Perfectly Baked Brown Rice, Methi Pulao, Gobhi/Cauliflower Paratha, Palak Thepla and Roti Telur 

Now are you ready to know who won the three exciting giveaways announced for this holiday season. Here are the lucky ones -

The 25$ Amazon Gift Card goes to Comment # 94 which is from - Carolsue.

The 25$ Olive Garden Gift Card goes to Comment # 7 from Mary

One lucky Indian reader who won the Canon Powershot A810 Point & Shoot Camera (Choice of color - Black, Silver or Red) along with 4 GB SDHC Card is Comment # 22 from Lubna 

Hearty Congratulations to all winners and I will contact you pretty soon for your shipping details and Thanks all for enthusiastically participating in all the giveaways!

~~ Happy Holidays ~~


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Amma's Recipes: Nagori Poori | Puri with Paneer Korma

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“A mother's love is something we keep locked deep in our hearts; always knowing it will be there to comfort us.”  ~ Harmony Ferrario

Nagori Poori, all puffed up and ready to be devoured.

Yesterday was Mother's Day - a day that celebrates the essence of a mother, her importance in our lives, to cherish the everlasting bond we share with them and acknowledge their selfless love.

...well, if I may ask, do we really need a special day to express our feelings and make our mothers feel special? Honestly, all my mother would want is to hug her and plant a kiss on her cheek. That in itself is a mother's day for us. :-).  I have talked about her many times before and I never get tired of it. She is an inspiration to me and my little sister and would strive to be like her when I hit 50!

Make sure the dough is stiff.

uncooked poori.

Today's recipe - Nagori Poori is a recipe I bookmarked eons ago and the korma recipe is my mom's classic and a long time family favorite. It is very versatile and works best with any combination of vegetables, meat, eggs and paneer/tofu.

The weather here in Hyderabad is quite unpredictable these days. Durring one such chilly, gloomy days, my mother made these with spicy paneer korma on the side. Amidst some funny family conversations and while watching a old black & white Telugu movie, these pooris were devoured until the last morsel and gone in matter of minutes. :-)

Now, its your turn to enjoy! Buon appetito..

Paneer Korma. 

{Recipe}  Nagori Poori with Paneer Korma

Adapted from here. NDTV Cooks

Makes 5-6 medium sized pooris

Ingredients:

1 cup maida/all purpose flour
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp yogurt/dahi
1/4 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
salt- to taste
1/2 cup or less water
oil - for frying

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, mix maida, ghee, ajwain, salt and yogurt. Add water little by little and knead to a stiff dough.

2. Make small lemon sized balls of the dough and roll out into small rounds.

Note: Click here for step by step pictures of frying a traditional poori.

3. Heat oil. Slide one-poori-at-a-time into hot (not smoking) oil and it almost instantly rises up. For puffy pooris, the trick is to press down slightly.  Fry until light golden brown. Drain all excess oil and drop them onto a paper towel. Serve immediately to enjoy them at their best taste.

Paneer Korma:

Cut paneer into small cubes and fry them in oil until light golden brown. Drain excess oil on paper towels. Follow this post for the korma recipe. Just add the fried paneer at the very end.

We all scream for poori!!!

Previously posted Amma's Recipes:

Instant Mango Pickle
Chana Dal Wadi ki Kadhi (Lentil Dumplings in Yogurt Gravy)
Cut Mirchi Bhajji (Double Fried Cut Chilli Fritters)

Kova Billalu & Kobbari Undalu (Ammama's recipe)

Eggplants stuffed with a Spice paste

Spice Powder for Dry Curries

Poori Bhaji/Poori Koora 

Coconut Chutney and Babycorn Kurma

Vegetable Biryani

Aloo/Tofu Kurma (Version 1)

until next time,

Amma's Recipes: Chana Dal Wadi ki Kadhi [Lentil Dumplings in Yogurt Gravy]

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Amma's recipes is one such column on this blog, which is very close to my heart. These are the recipes which my mother perfected over many many years and reflects how awesome a cook she is. It is also fun to just photograph once in a while, without thinking about what and how to make a recipe, worrying whether it would turn out well or not. She Cooks, I Photograph. That is the deal. :-) If you guys have any question, do drop in a line or comment. My mom will be more than happy to answer all of them. 

Dad & Mom in the year 1983

Both for me and my little sister, my Mother is the biggest inspiration in our lives. It baffles us how can she be so good at almost everything she does. and my Dad. He is the sweetest and one with most patience in our family.  He can go to any extent to get our wants and wishes fulfilled...and both of them make one helluva couple, I must say!

It is me in green and my sister in pink..

My mom was 42 when she did her MA in Economics. With a fulltime day job and two school-going kids at home, it was quite a task to balance out everything. It was my dad who used to help her in everyday chores, so that my mother could concentrate on her studies. That is the time when he also got promoted as sous chef in our kitchen. ;-).. He used to prepare the dal, vegetables, neatly cut into pieces, for my mom to quickly make a curry & a dal for our lunch & dinner. ..a decade later, they still work together in the kitchen, dishing out amazing family recipes for us and their extended families.

Chana Dal Wadi ki Kadhi, comfort food at its best..

Amma and Nanna are in Bangalore right now with me, for a short trip as Mr.TH is out of town, yet again. It is been a while that I updated this blog with any of her recipes, so we teamed up and made this absolutely decadent, easy-to-make 'Chana Dal Wadi ki Kadhi' for you all. The best part of this recipe is, it works well, even in parts. Make these wadis for a quick, evening snack or to pep any of those gloomy, rainy evenings. (or) Make the kadhi by itself for a comforting meal. Enjoy!

Soaked and ground Chana Dal paste, ready to be made & fried into wadis

these fried wadis taste delicious as-is.

Kadhi at the front and Fried Wadis at the back, ready to be mixed together 

{Recipe} Chana Dal Wadi ki Kadhi

Ingredients

For Kadhi -

thick yogurt/curd, 2 cups
green chillies, 4 medium ones
ginger piece, 1/2 inch
besan (chickpea flour), 2 tbsp
turmeric, 1/4 tsp
salt, to taste
few coriander/cilantro leaves, finely chopped

For Tadka -

red chilli, 1
urad dal (minapappu), 1/2 tsp
mustard seeds (avalu), 1/2 tsp
cumin seeds (jeera), 1/2 tsp
asafoetida (hing), little
curry leaves, optional
oil, 1 tsp

For Chana Dal Wadi -

chana dal, 1 cup soaked for 2 hours
green chillies, 2
ginger, 1/2 inch
salt, to taste
coriander powder (dhania powder), 1/2 tsp
oil, for deep frying

Preparation:

For making Chana Dal Wadis -

* Grind chana dal, green chilli, ginger, dhania powder and salt into a coarse paste without adding water. (as shown in one of the photographs above).

* Heat oil in a kadai, make them into small flat balls and deep fry. Drain the excess oil by placing them on a paper towel (or old news paper works too!). Keep them aside.

For making Kadhi -

* Beat yogurt for 5-10 mins, by adding about 1.5 cups of water, little by little water.

* Grind green chillies and ginger into a fine paste. Add to the buttermilk with salt and turmeric.

* In a small bowl, mix besan with little water (no lumps) and add to buttermilk above.

* Put this buttermilk mixture on low-medium flame. Keep stirring continuously, till the liquid becomes thick and there is no longer the raw taste of besan.

* In a small pan, heat a tsp of oil and add all the tadka ingredients one-by-one. Add the tadka to kadhi.

* Add the chana dal wadis as well and let them soak in the kadhi liquid for some time. Garnish with cilantro/coriander leaves.

* Serve with hot rice.

Soak the wadis in kadhi for some time, so that they absorb all the flavours...

until next time,

Vegetarian Rogan Josh (with Cauliflower & Tofu) and Rice Cooker Biryani

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"Being a Vegetarian", Is it tough? How do you manage?

How can you NOT have meat?

Don't you crave for some?

You don't eat meat, but watch Food Network?

Oh! You are that ghass-poos types?

C'mom people, especially the meat-eating ones. Stop judging the vegetarians. If we, vegetarians can  be laid back and are non judgmental about your eating habits, then why are you?

Did you know what a guy called Neal Barnard once said -

"..The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined.  If beef is your idea of "real food for real people" you'd better live real close to a real good hospital..."... Yep, its true!

Ok, there I settled score with all of my meat-loving friends, who keep teasing me or questioning about my vegetarianism. It is choice of living I love, and No, I don't crave or would secretly wish, I was like you. :-)

I am not here to rant and start a debate or to promote that vegetarianism is better. I am just saying - One is free to choose what to eat and what not to eat. Don't be judgmental. Live & Let Live.

Now, shall we move on to today's post in "Free Spirit Blogging". and this month my dear blogging pal, DK chose the theme. Here are some basic cues -

1. The challenge is to take a classic (or famous) Non Vegetarian dish and give it a Vegetarian interpretation.

2. The final dish should look as close as possible to its Non vegetarian counterpart.

3. If you can also make the texture/taste similar then it would be awesome, although its purely optional.

3. Usage of store bought Mock meats (or mock anything) is not allowed.


I chose to make a classic, non vegetarian recipe called - "Rogan Josh", normally made with mutton and gave a vegetarian twist with tofu and cauliflower. I went with these two as the recipe involved marinating the meat and tofu & cauliflower have a tendency to absorb such flavors very well.

Vegetarian Rogan Josh (with Cauliflower & Tofu)

Sandeepa's Trivia: Rogan means oil in Persian, while Josh means heat, hot, boiling, or passionate. Rogan josh thus means cooked in oil at intense heat. Another interpretation of the name rogan josh is derived from the word rogan meaning color and josh meaning passion, hot or red. It is originally a classic meat dish which is red in color. I have used a tad bit less chilli as I was serving this for my cousin-brother who doesn't eat a lot of heat. Next time, I am gonna try for that authentic "red" color.

I have adapted this recipe from Bong Mom's Cookbook - Mutton Rogan Josh. Since I was working with Tofu and Cauliflower, which are very bland in taste as-is, I added some more spices in the marinade. The ingredients-list is effectively the same, it is just that I used them in a different order :-). Also, my version was a little on a dry-side. Simmer it in little more water would make this gravy-based.

Ingredients:

200 gms of tofu (I got mine from M K Ahmed, Bangalore - Ka Kim's variety)

1 medium cauliflower, washed and cut into florets.

For the marinade:

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp ground cumin powder (jeera powder)

1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi)

1 tsp coriander powder (dhania powder)

salt - to taste 

1/4 cup of water

For tempering

1 tsp butter

2 medium sized onions, chopped

3 tbsp oil

1 bayleaf (tej patta)

2 cardamom pods (green ones), crushed

2-3 cloves (laung)

1 inch cinnamon stick (dalchini)

1/2 tsp pepper powder

1/2 tsp fennel powder

1 tsp chilli powder (The original recipe asked for Kashmiri Mirch, which enhances the red color. I didn't have any on hand, so used normal red chilli powder)

1/4 tsp garam masala

1/2 cup beaten yogurt

Preparation:

Dry Fry Tofu: Dry frying is one way to prepare tofu to remove the moisture and  in turn helping it to soak up the flavors of a marinade or sauce. One important thing to remember is to use a well drained tofu with a non-stick pan. (Source)

Place the tofu on a cutting board and a bowl with half filled water on it (for 10-15 mins). Make sure the pressure is not too much which can crumble the tofu. Cut them into small chunks (as shown below). Heat a non stick pan on medium heat. Once hot, place the tofu chunks on it. No oil required. Remember, we are just dry frying. Occasionally, keep turning the sides so that it is evenly, lightly browned.

Prepare the Marinade: In a bowl, mix ginger garlic paste, ground cumin, turmeric, coriander powder with salt and water. Whisk the contents well. Divide the marinade into two separate bowls and put the tofu pieces into one and cauliflower florets into the other. Carefully, mix so that sauce coats them properly.

Cover and Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.

After about an hour and half into marination, you can start the following steps.

Melt butter in a kadai and add chopped onions to it. Sauté until thoroughly browned. This adds significant flavor to the dish. Please be patient and don’t skim on the sauté time. :-) Cool down a bit and grind into a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Heat oil in the same kadai and add bayleaf, cloves and cinnamon. Once it starts to sizzle, add fried onion paste. Next comes the dry spices - fennel powder, pepper powder and chillo powder. Add a little water and fry the masala until oil separates. 

Next add marinated tofu and cauliflower florets. Mix well, lower the heat, add the yogurt little by little, mixing in the middle. Let it simmer for 1 min. Add 1-2 cups of water and adjust salt and spices if necessary. Cover and cook on low heat, giving it a careful stir for every 5 mins until the cauliflower florets are fully cooked.

Finally, sprinkle some garam masala and it is ready to serve.

You ask, what to serve with? Hmmmm, how about I share a very very simple biryani that can be made in a rice cooker.

Rice Cooker Vegetable Biryani

I end up making this biryani (which I learnt from my mom) atleast once in a week with a spicy gravy dish on the side, just for the fact that it is so easy to make.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Basmati Rice. (Sona masoori variety is fine too)

3 cups of water

few mint leaves

1 cup mixed vegetables. (I used frozen - a combo of peas, cauliflower, tiny carrot pieces and beans)

salt to taste

3 tsp oil

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 bayleaf

1 tsp garam masala

Preparation:

Wash rice and drain water, completely. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai, add bay leaf, ginger garlic paste and mint leaves. When it starts to sizzle a bit, add the mixed veggies. Saute them for 4-5 mins. Add the salt & garam masala. Finally the rice and Mix once or twice.

Empty the contents of the kadai into a rice cooker. Add 3 cups of water. (rice:water ratio - 1:1.5). Cover and cook until it shifts to - "Keep Warm". 

Isn't it one easy-peasy recipe? Just stick to the rice to water ratio - to not to end up a sticky biryani..

Here is what other FSB member have cooked for you -

DK - Vegetarian Meatball Sub Sandwich with Seitan

Deepti - Grilled Veggie Seekh Kabab 

Lataji -  Xacuti - Vegetarian Mutton 

Mads - Cottage Cheese Chops with delicious looking Potato cream dip

Anu - Sweet and Spicy Orange Paneer

Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead.

until next time,
Siri