Hariyali Aloo-Soya Nuggets

Aloo and Soy Nuggets in Green Gravy

There are some food items which are "universal additions", as I would like to call them. They can take the masala/taste of any flavoring and go amazingly well with a whole lot of dishes. Aloo, paneer, soy nuggets are a few examples. Add these to any gravy/dry masala/rice items and they just blend it beautifully! It does make a lot of sense thus, to stock up on these items! Soy nuggets are a great source of protein, and a superb meat substitute for vegetarians. Some people do not like the taste of this however,if you are one of them, either skip the soy nuggets in this recipe (and make a Hariyali aloo :D ) or cut the nuggets into small pieces and watch them become an insignificant part of the curry! 

Collard greens are a nutritious variety of greens from the cabbage family with no strong prominent taste/flavor. They suited this dish just fine, adding body and a chewy texture to the spinach base. The best part about this dish was the mint/pudina flavoring! :) I bought a big bunch of mint and due to lack of better ideas of using it at once, made a paste of it with ginger,garlic,chillies and cilantro, put it in the freezer for future use. This seasoning went very well with the greens, potatoes and the soya and we enjoyed the dish thoroughly!

Hubby, not being a fan of either aloo or soya nuggets, relished it and I only had time for taking a quick pic of the subzi before he polished it off! :-D 

What you need:

1 medium Potato (Aloo) - cubed

1/2 cup soya nuggets (mealmaker)  

1 cup spinach chopped roughly

1 cup collard greens chopped finely

1 small onion finely chopped

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp Oil

Cumin seeds (Jeera) 

Garam masala powder

Salt to taste

Grind to a paste (to yield about 1/2 cup paste) - 

ginger, garlic, green chillies, mint(pudina) leaves, coriander leaves(cilantro/dhaniya patta) with water.

This pudina paste can be refrigerated/frozen to be used later in curries/rice! :)

Method:

1) Soak and wash the soya nuggets in warm water and squeeze out the water      2-3 times. Cut into small pieces or as you prefer it. :)

2) Heat oil in a pan, add jeera.

3) Add the onion and potatoes. Fry for 2 minutes.

4) Add the chopped greens and cook for 5 minutes.

5) Add tomato puree, green pudina paste, soya nuggets, salt.

6) Add water if needed. Cook for 5 minutes and add the garam masala powder.

7) Adjust seasoning and serve hot with Chapatis/rice. :)

Daliya (Broken wheat) transformed South Indian Style!

Daliya(Broken wheat) Bisi Bele Bhaat(BBB)

Technically this title/recipe name is wrong! Cos there is no rice/Bhaat in this Bisi Bele Bhaat. As most Indians know, Bisi bele Bhat is an extremely popular South Indian Dish made of rice and dal. Its basically rice and sambar mixed in one easy/healthy dish. Add veggies and the distinct bisi bele bhat masala and you get a super yummy one dish meal in itself. Bisi bele bhat is a hot favorite in any traditional meal for a special occasion - be it weddings or house warming or any other function that calls for a meal!

It tends to be a very heavy meal and when we were kids, we often called it cement concrete, cos after eating it you feel very full for a long time.. :-D I tasted this healthy version of BBB without rice, in my friend Ramya's lunch box. Her mom had substituted rice with broken wheat as a healthier option. 

Now I make this version of BBB pretty often as it is super quick to make and serves as a wholesome meal and a perfect lunchbox item! It takes about 10 minutes + pressure cooker time and is really really tasty. In office when I eat this in my lunchbox, I feel like it is the ultimate comfort food in this cold weather - warm, spicy and mushy! :) Ready made Bisi bele bhat masala is very easily available in any Indian store. I toss in the frozen veggies which makes my cooking time minimal. Try it! Its a super quick fix lunch/dinner.

What you need : (Serves 2 people)

-1/2 cup broken wheat/daliya
-1/2 cup dal (I use a mixure of toor dal/moong dal and masoor dal)
-Chopped veggies (beans, carrots, peas, corn, cauliflower, potato... any veggie u like!) Use frozen veggies!

-Onion chopped

-Capsicum chopped (optional - but I really like the taste it adds!)

-1 medium Tomato chopped

-Curry leaves - 3 to 4

-1 tsp tamarind paste (optional)

-2 to 3 tsp Bisi bele bhat masala

-Red chilly powder and salt to taste

-Jaggery - little bit

-Oil, mustard, cumin seeds, hing, turmeric for tempering.

Method :

1) Mix the daliya and Dal in a bowl and wash it well. Rinse about 2 times. Drain the water.

2) In a pressure cooker, heat oil. Add the ingredients for the tempering in that order.

3) Add curry leaves. Toss in a few peanuts if you like.

4) Add the onions and capsicum. Saute for a minute.

5) Add the chopped veggies and tomato.

6) Next add tamarind paste, masala, jaggery and the dal mixture. Mix well.

7) Add about 3 cups of water. Add salt and red chilly powder to taste.

8) Pressure cook for about 4-5 whistles.

Adjust the water and number of whistles depending on how mushy or dry you want your Bisi bele bhat to be.

The above recipe yields a soft and smooth consistency. (Yum :D )

Enjoy when its hot with some ghee on it!!! :) Goes well with raita/salad/papad/chips.

Make your own Burger!

Veggie Burger patty

Frozen and ready to eat foods have revolutionized the lifestyle of students and working population who do not find time to cook! One can find a wide array of Ready to eat foods, all in a packet - from elaborate curries to rasam rice. The parallel market here, is of frozen foods! 

The most popular and convenient form of frozen food, I feel, is the burger patty. Its good to have a heavy snack/lunch waiting in your freezer. I thought of making my own burger patty and freezing it for future use. Advantages include : customize to your taste, add a lot of healthy veggies and minimize the use of oil! :)

During the year end break, when all I did was sleep- read-eat, I thought I should do something useful that will help me once the office drill starts. I accomplished a couple of useful things like making chutneys for chaat and the frozen patty. I'm hoping it will save me the trouble when I'm too tired/bored to cook and resist the urge to eat out! I made about 8 burger patties and froze them. Added kidney beans and lots of spinach to make it healthy. The best part of course is that you can use your imagination and add in any veggies/spices that suit your palate.

What you need :

Potatoes 2 medium sized

Kidney beans - about 1 cup 

Chopped spinach leaves

Corn kernels - 2 tbsp

Ginger garlic paste

Mint/cilantro finely chopped - for flavor

Salt

Chilly powder

Garam masala powder

Corn starch - 1tbsp or more for binding.

Oil - 1/2 tbsp.

Other optional ingredients : finely chopped mushrooms (sauteed or cooked in the microwave oven)/ other varieties of beans/ grated carrots/ cooked green peas/ cooked soya chunks....... 

Method :

1. Pressure cook the potatoes and kidney beans with minimal amount of water. Once cooked, get rid of the water - u can reuse this in some curry. Mash the potatoes and beans to make a lumpy mixture. 

Useful tip here is to let the potatoes stay for a while after cooking them this rids the potatoes of extra moisture and enhances binding property of potatoes. The patty will be easier to shape. This applies even while making Alu parathas. My sister told me this trick where you boil the potatoes and put it in the fridge and use it later. The mess of stuffing leaking out while rolling out parathas is avoided :)

2. Microwave the chopped spinach sprinkled with water for about a minute till it wilts.

3. Microwave frozen corn kernels till soft.

4. Mix all the veggies with spices, salt and chopped cilantro/mint. Add cornstarch to bind the mixture.

5. Make patties of this mixture. Shallow fry the patties in minimal oil on a non stick griddle.

6. Once cooked, use it in a burger right away or freeze for future use.

I packed the patties in plastic cling wrap and stored in the freezer. Today evening, got back from office super hungry and we enjoyed masalewale burgers! Yum! :)