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Showing posts with label Zero oil recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zero oil recipe. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Zero Oil Spinach and Lentil Pulao

"Have you taken the iPill ?"

For a few seconds, I thought I had heard it all wrong. Here I was bleeding profusely and withering in pain, and not in the least expecting a question about emergency contraception. I repeated my words once again. "It has been 16 straight days and my period shows no signs of abating....".

The gynecologist smiled coolly and reiterated the offending query. This time I got her point and replied in the negative. While it seemed very weird to me, it was a rather normal question for her given the rampant abuse of iPill. Apart from hastening or delaying the period by up to a week, the pill does causes heavy bleeding in some women by messing up their normal hormonal cycles.  And if one happens to be among the 20 percent of Indian women who suffer from PCOS, one has more reason to stay away from the pill.

Anyways, my tests ruled out anything abnormal except for a few nutritional deficiencies and the doctor prescribed me some medicines to stop the bleeding. But the whole process rattled me. Blame it on the hours spent in the reception, I got enough time to ruminate over the underlying issue. From an instrument of women's empowerment, the iPill has now been reduced to being a mere contraption for entertainment by some folks. More precisely, the types that keep on iterating that sex is more pleasurable without a condom. Sadly, a majority of the educated folks still think that all the action is happening 'down there' when much of it is taking place 'up there' in the temporal lobe. Anyways since I don't judge people or sermonize on their behavior, the whole point of putting this on a food blog is just to create awareness about the side effects of the iPill. To all the sisters reading this, please do remember that awareness is the first step towards empowerment.

Just like sex, diet too is an individual's personal choice and responsibility. So while it is important to enjoy it, it should not jeopardize one's health in the long run. This nutritious one pot meal is packed with protein and prepared without using a single drop of oil. No need to starve oneself when you have such healthy options available.

Read on for the recipe -

















Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -
  • 1 cup rice ( i used small grain jeera rice )
  • 1 cup chopped spinach (lightly packed)
  • 1 cup boiled mixed lentils ( Bengal gram, garbanzo beans, whole red lentils, kidney beans )
  • 1 large ripe tomato
  • 6-7 almonds
  • 8-9 raisins
  • 2 inch cinnamon
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 6-7 peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/4 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/4 tep coriander powder
  • 2 pinch turmeric
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi
  • salt to taste
Preparation - Blanch the tomato and the almonds.  Peel the almonds and put it in a blender along with the tomato and the raisins . Grind into a smooth paste.

Cooking - Put a cooker on a flame. 

Add the dry spices and roast till fragrant.

Add the tomato, raisins and almond paste to the same cooker. Cook for 4-5 mins on a low flame.

Add the chili powder, turmeric and coriander powder and cook for 2 more mins.

Add the washed rice, boiled lentils and chopped spinach. Add 2 cups of water and salt as per taste.

Close the lid and cook for 9-10 mins or for 2 whistles.

Keep aside till steam escapes. 

Open lid and serve with yogurt.























Note - cooking time will differ according to the rice variety used. 

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Zero Oil/Butter Shahi Paneer ( Zero Oil Series )

I am back after a hiatus with yet another worthy Zero Oil recipe ! Yes, I would to make it more frequent but it takes time and patience to perfect the formula. And that too with a energetic five year old running around. This time it is a vegetarian recipe as I have cut down on the intake of non-veg in my quest to lose weight and make my periods more regular. During my last chat with the gynec, I came to know that lifestyle is the primary reason why women suffer from PCOD and related problems. So, it is important to eat right and keep working out !

Shahi Paneer is a dish that instantly elevates the level of any meal . Though it is not a difficult dish to prepare, the richness and aromatic nature of the ingredients used makes it seem all the more special. While it definitely does not need the additional garnishing of fresh cream or butter that lots of restaurants love to put in, I went a step ahead and excluded the oil as well. And to keep those flavors intact during the cooking process, I choose to do it using the 'dum' method .

Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients -


  • 200 gm paneer (Cottage Cheese )
  • 1 medium sized onion
  • 4-5 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 inch ginger
  • 8 almonds
  • 1 tsp char magaz (melon seeds)
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 green cardamom
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi
  • a pinch of saffron
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • salt to taste


For marinating the paneer -


  • 1/4 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp coriander powder
  • 2 pinch garam masala
  • salt to taste
  • 3 tsp milk

Preparation - Blanch and peel the almonds.

Take the red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the milk and make a paste. 

Cut the paneer into cubes or triangles and add to the bowl. Slather the marinade all over the paneer pieces. 

Cooking - Heat a nonstick skillet and add the whole spices. Roast till you get the aroma. Remove and keep aside.

Next add the chopped onion, ginger and garlic. Keep roasting on low till a little browning is to be seen and the raw smell goes off.

Transfer to a blender jar along with the roasted spices, almonds, poppy seeds and lemon seeds. Make a smooth paste out of the ingredients.

Now take the marinated paneer, onion paste, hung yogurt, saffron and kasuri methi in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and toss everything together. Add 2-3 tsp water if you think it looks too thick.

Transfer to a pot or handi ( I used an earthen one ) and seal the mouth with foil and dough.

Heat a tawa and place the sealed pot on it. Let it cook on really low flame for 20 mins.

Remove and let it stand for another 10 mins or till you need to serve it.

Open the foil and serve with steamed rice/jeera rice or naan !!























Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Patra Ni Macchi ( Navroz Collaboration with ADollopOfThat & DelishPotporri )

The Parsi New Year Navroz or Nowruz literally means a new day or new light ! Celebrated on the first day of the first month of the Shehenshai calendar, it almost always falls on March 21st according to the Gregorian calendar. And just like everyone else, Parsis celebrate the day with new clothes and some great food. Of course there is the mandatory visit to the Fire Temple and the laying of the festive table with various items that symbolize the Parsi way to life. A copy of the Gathas, a lit lamp that symbolizes fire, a bowl with live goldfish, sprouted wheat, silver coins, painted eggs, flowers and sweets along with seven food items are some of the things that one can expect to find in every Parsi home on this day. Each one of these things is supposed to hold some kind of significance in life.

For the rest of us, it can be just about the food. While it does sound cliched, almost everyone thinks that Parsis are synonymous with great food. Of course they are but that is not all. Parsis are actually a very intelligent breed with an added sense of humor ( did anyone say Cyrus Broacha ) and immense business acumen ( Tata, Godrej, Wadia and so on.....). For an ethnic group with a population that does not even breach 6 digits, they sure have a way of making themselves seen and heard !

Getting back to the food (thank God for that), there are some favorites that feature on the Navroz menu every year. Prawn Patio, Ravo, Mithu dahi, Sev, Patra ni Macchi, Sali Chicken, Faludah are some of delicacies that are simple and yet sure to make one drool.

And simplicity was what I was looking for when I zeroed in on the 'Patri Ni Macchi' which literally means fish wrapped in leaves. Yup, it is a Pomfret or Ravas smeared in simple spices and very little oil, wrapped up carefully in tender banana leaves and steamed till done. That's it. Simple, rite ? But wait the best part is yet to come ! As one unfolds the leaves, a tantalizing aroma starts tickling the nostrils and as if one cue, the mouth starts watering. The final blow to the senses comes when one takes a bite of the succulent flesh. It can only be described as 'heady'. Trust me, I am not going to be thinking about grilled or fried fish for a long time.

But save some of that drool for there is more delicious to be sampled. Check out  Parinaaz's  and Saswati's !

Read on for the recipe of 'Patra Ni Macchi' -

















Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients -
  • 6 pieces of rawas (fillets)
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp oil
  • salt to taste
  • 2 banana leaves

For the green chutney -
  • 1 cup freshly grated coconut 
  • 1-2 green chilis
  • 1 cup coriander leaves (lightly packed)
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves (lightly packed)
  • 1/2 inch ginger
  • 5-6 garlic cloves
  • 2 pinch cumin seeds
  • 2 pinch sugar (optional)
  • salt to taste


Preparation - Wash the fish pieces and dry with a paper towel. Add 1 tsp lime juice and salt to taste. Mix and let it stand for 20 mins.

Take all the ingredients mentioned under 'green chutney' into a mixer jar. Make a smooth paste using as little water as possible. Mix the lime juice into this paste.

Wash the banana leaves and dry them. Remove the stiff middle spine and cut into decent sized squares for wrapping the fish.

Brush a little oil on each leaf. Place a teaspoon of the chutney in the center and a fillet over it. Heap the fish fillet with more of the green chutney till it is completely smeared with a thick layer.

















Fold each leaf individually and tie it up with a string. Repeat the process for each fillet.
















Cooking - Get a steamer ready . Place the parcels inside it and steam for 20 to 25  mins.

Transfer to the serving dish and remove the strings.





















Serve with the banana leaves. (To be opened just before eating)


















And before you set off to buy fish, just take a few minutes to go through these two delicious recipes !! Maybe it will save you another trip to the market ;)

Check out the delicious Mithu Dahi by Parinaaz on 'A Dollop Of That!'























and the luscious Lagan Nu Custard by Saswati on 'Delish Potpourri'.


Saturday, March 18, 2017

Zero Oil Methi Murg ( Guilt Free Indulgence for Real )

 IMP - Zero Oil Methi Murg is an original recipe created by the blogger and has been published for the first time on oriyarasoi.com.


How does one measure success ? Is it in terms of money alone or is it metered in terms of fame ? Or maybe both in balanced measure. While this hypothesis may hold true for the majority, a few people will always believe that true success is synonymous with bringing about a change. However small it may be.

I too believe strongly in making a difference in the lives of the people whom I come across in my everyday life. And my blog readers are one such group. It all started when I started putting up the recipes for 'zero oil matar paneer' and 'Bachelor's egg curry'. So many of you have written to me that you loved them and would love to try out more such low calorie recipes. Now I am all excited to experiment with regular recipes and bring out a zero oil (or atleast low calorie) version so that people can get to enjoy their favorite food but at a lower cost to their health.

While I still believe that diet is only one aspect of one's fitness goals and there is no substitute for regular exercise, a gradual realization has began to set in that some of us may not be able to workout given certain restrictions. Plus a busy schedule also prevents people from working out regularly. Hence, it becomes important to adopt healthy cooking methods and recipes that utilize less oil and provide maximum nutrition.

This 'Zero Oil Methi Murg' recipe has been adopted from www.cookingwithsukhi.com recipe 'Methi Murg' which he claims to be his family's favorite. It turned out to be one amazing dish when I tried it out. And I decided to experiment a bit with it and transform it into one 'guilt-free' recipe. It took two trials to get it right but I finally nailed it.

Read on for the recipe - 

















Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients - 

  • 200 gm chicken pieces
  • 1 medium sized onion (roughly chopped)
  • 2-3 garlic flakes
  • 1/2 inch ginger 
  • 1 medium sized tomato
  • 3-4 tbsp thick yogurt
  • 1/2 cup fenugreek leaves (tighly packed)
  • 2 pinch cumin seeds
  • 1/4 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp coriander powder
  • 2 pinch garam masala
  • a pinch of turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp kasuri methi
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp sugar

Preparation - Heat a wok. Add the cumin seeds and allow to splutter a bit.

Add the roughly chopped onion to the wok, sprinkle a little bit of salt and cook on low flame till the onions get caramelized.

Cook the tomato, ginger and garlic in a pressure cooker along with 1/2 cup of water. Keep aside till it cools down.

Strain the solids and grind into a paste along with the caramelized onions. Retain the water as it will be utilized later while cooking.

Wash the fenugreek leaves and grind it coarsely in a mixer.

Wash the chicken. Marinate with salt and turmeric. Let it stand aside for 30 mins.

Cooking - Heat another wok. Add the paste and cook for a few minutes to get rid if the raw smell.

Switch off the flame and add the beaten yogurt. Stir it for 2-3 mins before returning to a low flame. 

Add the red chili powder and coriander powder. Cook for 2 mins.

Add the fenugreek leaves and chicken pieces. Turn up the flame a tad bit and cook till the chicken stops giving out excess water.

Now add the retained water to the wok and cover with a lid till the chicken is cooked through.

Rub the kasuri methi between your palms and add to the wok along with the garam masala and the sugar. Adjust salt if required.

Mix and remove from the flame.

Serve hot with roti or steamed rice and dal. 






















Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Zero Oil Matar Paneer ( A Women's Day Special )

"Do I look fat in this dress ?"

"If my hips were smaller, I could easily slip into size 30 jeans !"

"This orange saree is so pretty. I wish I were fair enough to wear it ."

Doubts, doubts and more doubts. I wish we women had a genie who could appear by magic during moments like this and make us slim/tall/fair/whatever. But since that seems so far fetched a true friend will just about do. Someone who tells us stuff like  "Hey no problem . Just buy the next size" or "This looks so nice on you. The orange actually compliments your burnished skin tones.".

But since it is emotionally taxing for another person to continuously address our insecurities, every women needs to learn to love herself irrespective of shape, size or skin color. Because only then will you be allowing your inner beauty to shine through. Beauty that is sublime and yet radiates from within. The kind of beauty that transcends the passage of time and is able to reach the core of even the most hardened of souls. The kind of beauty that has the power to transform. To bring about a change in the way we perceive and act.

This women's day is yet another occasion when we can help it happen. By appreciating and helping ourselves. Not by merely sprouting mere rhetoric but actually reaching out and helping other women in every possible way that makes a difference. However small.

Dedicating this 'Zero oil Matar Paneer' recipe to all the women. Not because they need to lose weight in order to meet someone's approval. But because they need to stay fighting fit. For, whatever be our position in life or society, women never have it easy.

Read on for the recipe -

















Preparation Time - 20-25 mins (plus 5-7 mins standby)

Ingredients -
  • 200 gm Paneer / Cottage cheese
  • 1 medium sized onion
  • 4-5 garlic cloves
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 1 mediun sized tomato
  • 1 cup green peas
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 1 green cardamom
  • a tiny bit of mace
  • 6-7 peppercorns
  • a pinch of fennel
  • 2 pinch cumin seeds
  • 1-2 dry red chili 
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi
  • 10 raisins ( else add 1 tsp honey just before taking off the flame )
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup milk (optional)

Preparation - Take all the ingredients except for the paneer, kasuri methi and milk in a pressure cooker. Add 1 cup water and a little salt.

Close the lid and cook for 2-3 whistles on medium flame.

Remove and keep aside till steam escapes. Open lid and drain the excess liquid into a cup . Once cool, puree the solids.

Add a small cube of paneer ( 1 inch ) to the blender jar and give another quick buzz.

Heat a wok. Transfer the puree to the wok along with the green peas and let it cook till any raw smell goes off (takes about 5 mins).

Add the reserved liquid and the milk to the wok. Rub the kasuri methi between your palms before adding them to the wok. Let the gravy simmer for 4-5 mins .

Add the paneer cubes. Switch off the flame immediately and let it stand for 5 mins before serving.

Taste great with Indian breads or steamed rice.





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