Showing posts with label Sidedish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sidedish. Show all posts

3/23/12

Tofu Butter Masala

First day of the Blogging Marathon , which is in the 14th Edition and I have chosen Vegan Dishes. As mentioned in my previous post, it is quite tough to make the Indian dishes, which are already vegan so wanted to concentrate mostly on Paneer, which can be replaced by Tofu .

So here I am with the preparation of Tofu Butter Masala.

Ingredients : 

Tofu - 1 packet
Butter  2 tbsp
Onion  1 no.
Tomato  2 nos.
Cashew nuts  1/2 cup
Ginger small quantity
Garlic  small quantity
Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder  2 tbsp
Garam Masala powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying



Method: 


Squeeze out the water in tofu and cut them into small cubes. 
Shallow fry them in Butter and set aside in a kitchen towel
In the mean while soak the cashew in hot water for about 30 mins and make a paste our of it
Microwave tomato, garlic, ginger and onion for 4 mins in high

Puree the sauteed onion and tomato into a smooth paste using a blender
In a wide skillet add a spoon of butter
When the butter is hot, add the tomato onion puree
Followed by the various powders mentioned above
Add the cashew paste to it at this stage.
Let the puree , powders and cashew blend well.
Add salt to taste


When the mixture comes to a curry consistency, add the fried tofu to it


Keep stirring till you feel the Masala has taken shape.


Serve it with Hot Chapati or Rotis
Healthy Tofu Butter Masala ready to be eaten. 
I had packed it to office for lunch

Check out what my fellow marathoners are cooking here

4/19/11

Okra - Onion Stir fry ( Bhindi Do Pyaaza ) - BM #4

Thanks friends for all your comments it was very encouraging.Am discussing certain Myths about Diabetic diet, which I stumbled upon when I was trying to read about Diabetic Diet and Management


Myths and facts about eating to prevent or control diabetes


MYTH: You must avoid sugar at all costs.


Fact: The good news is that you can enjoy your favorite treats as long as you plan properly. The key when eating dessert or a sweet treat, is to make sure that it is part of a healthy meal plan, or combined with exercise.


MYTH: A high-protein diet is best.


Fact: Studies have shown that eating too much protein, especially animal protein, may actually cause insulin resistance, a key factor in diabetes. A healthy diet includes protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Our bodies need all three to function properly. The key is a balanced diet.


MYTH: You have to cut way down on carbs.


Fact: Again, the key is to eat a balanced diet. The serving size and the type you eat are especially important for carbohydrates. Focus on whole grain carbs since they are a good source of fiber and they are digested slowly, keeping blood sugar levels more even.


MYTH: You’ll no longer be able to eat normally. You need special diabetic meals.


Fact: The principles of healthy eating are the same—whether or not you’re trying to prevent or control diabetes. Expensive diabetic and “dietetic” foods generally offer no special benefit. You can easily eat with your family and friends if you eat in moderation



Some Do's and Don'ts for a hassle free diabetic diet




  • Drink plenty of water. Water is important for everybody, but especially for diabetics because decrease of the hydration-level can cause serious health problems

  • Try to choose low or non-fat varieties over full-fat dairy products, as they are lower in saturated fat and cholesterol.

  • Try to switch to herbal tea rather than caffeinated tea.

  • Current recommendations for diabetics are to take plenty of fruits and vegetables, as naturally occurring fruit sugar (fructose) is more slowly absorbed than sucrose, and raises the blood glucose to a lesser extent. Very sweet fruits (mango, banana, chikoo etc) can be taken in small portions, along with a meal to reduce the spike in blood glucose.

  • It is very important to never skip any meal. It is easier to keep blood sugars stable if you eat your meals at the same time everyday.

  • Avoid eating or drinking anything containing a lot of sugar likes cakes, sweets, chocolate etc

  • Stop eating fried or fatty foods. Try baking or broiling the food instead of frying.

  • Avoid eating large quantities of lots of rice, potatoes, bananas as these can raise your blood sugar level.

  • You can take dairy products like milk and yoghurt but avoid fatty products like butter, cheese, ghee etc. It is better to use low fat milk or skimmed milk

  • Diabetes can put you at increased risk for hypertension and cardiovascular complications. Try to reduce the intake of salt in your food.

  • Don’t overeat at any time of the day


Onions play an very important role in the diet of a diabetic person. Onions contain properties that actually fight against diabetes. It also aids digestion besides serving as a diuretic. Lady' s finger is another vegetable which is not a No - No veggie for Diabetic patient. So the combination of these two is Bhindi Do Pyaaza. My favorite side dish for chapati and rotis

Ingredients:



  • Lady's Finger - washed , dried and cut into 1/2 inch pieces ( I used 300 gms of Lady's finger)

  • Onion - 3-4 cut into 1/2 inch pieces

  • Red chillie powder - 2 1/2 tsps

  • Coriander powder - 1 tsps

  • Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

  • Amchur Powder - 1/2 tsp ( This is used to remove the sliminess of Okra/Ladys finger)

  • Salt to taste

  • Oil


Method:




  • Wash the lady's finger and pat them dry using a kitchen towel

  • When dry cut them into 1/2 inch pieces

  • Cut the onions also into 1/2 inch pieces

  • In a non stick pan add oil

  • When the oil is hot add cut lady's finger and saute for 3 - 5 minutes

  • Add the dry powders except Amchur powder at this stage ( Amchur powder can be replaced with tamarind water or lime juice)

  • Keep sauting for 2 minutes

  • Add the chopped onions at this point

  • Adjust for salt and keep stirring

  • Add the amchur powder and stir well at a low flame

  • Serve hot with Rotis or Chapatis


Check out whats cooking in my fellow bloggers kitchen today ....



9/27/10

Mixed Veggie Subzi


Last saturday, I wanted to make rotis with some different subzi. Was actually bored of the usual ones. The fridge had some french beans, carrots and tomato in store. So I started to make mixed vegetable subzi. It turned out to be very tasty and spicy. One thing which I loved about this subzi is the color, very attractive.
What you need :
Beans - 1 cup
Carrot - 1 cup
Potato - 1 cup
Green chillies - 2 slit into two
Oil - 2 spoons
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger/ garlic paste
To grind:
Onion - 1 cut
Tomato - 1 cut
Red chillies - 2
Green chillies - 1
Method:
Cut all the veggies into long pieces and boil them in a microwave. I do this to retain the color of the veggies. In the mean while grind the ingredients listed under " To grind" with minimal water.
Heat oil in a wok and add cumin seeds. As they sputter add the ground paste followed by the boiled veggies. Adjust salt as per taste. Simmer till it becomes a nice gravy and serve hot with rotis.
I love the color of the subzi .. this is due to the ground red chillies.. Loved it ..a lot.

7/31/07

Avarakkai Poriyal

Ingredients

1/2 Kg - Avarakkai
1 chopped Onion
1 tsp - Red chili Powder
Salt to taste
Oil,Mustard seeds and curry leaves for seasoning

Preparation

Cut the avarakkai into small pieces and steam them in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Drain the vegetable and keep aside. In a pan heat a little oil , season with mustard seeds and curry leaves. To this add the boiled avarakkai , 1 tsp red chili powder and salt for taste. Saute till the smell of red chili powder vanishes and then garnish with curry leaves.

This curry goes well with Melagu Rasam and curd rice.

Popular Posts