Oriyarasoi is on twitter !

Showing posts with label Broccoli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Broccoli. Show all posts

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Sorisa Broccoli ( Broccoli in Mustard Paste )

I have often been asked "Can simple food be good enough ? We have invited so and so for the dinner/lunch". And every time the reply has been "Of course, simple will be the best. That is why they also call it soul food. It ties up one's soul to those memories embedded in some corner of the mind. It does not stop at just appealing to the senses, it goes beyond and strikes a connection at multiple levels." And that is usually enough to shut them up ! Though a few keep grumbling afterwards, it is in the best interests of one's sanity to shut out such discordant notes.

However the term soul food, which is actually African American in origin, holds different connotations for different folks. For someone like me, bred on a diet of lentils, rice and a mind boggling variety of vegetables, any meal which includes the all three qualifies as 'soul food'. The whole idea behind soul food is to evoke that feeling of emotional well-being. Without getting high. Period.

Mustard paste is the most widely used ingredient (or sauce) across Odia cuisine. It can be used to flavor anything from stir fries, curries and even a few varieties of relish. Almost every indigenous vegetable barring a few can be cooked with a flavoring of mustard paste, garlic, green/red chili and some mustard oil. The best thing about such preparations, which employ low heat, is that it retains the original flavor of the main ingredient.

However, it is a bit of a challenge to adapt new vegetables to this method of cooking. It invariably takes the trail and error route. I have tried my hand at quite a few exotic greens and some have been disasters. This post is dedicated to the lone surviver, the one that passed with flying colors and no less. The broccoli turned out to be the clear winner in this desi-fication drive. Given that it has some inherent bitterness which can get enhanced by the addition of mustard paste, I added a bit of tang to balance out the flavors.

Read on the recipe -

















Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

  • 250 gm broccoli
  • 2 tsp big mustard seeds
  • 2 dry red chili
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1-2 tsp mustard oil 
  • 2 dried amchur pieces ( or 1/3 tsp amchur )
  • salt to taste
  • 2 pinch turmeric


Preparation - Cut the broccoli into medium sized florets. Blanch and keep aside.

Make a fine paste out of the mustard seeds, garlic and red chili. Dilute with 1/2 cup water and let it stand for 10 mins.

Slowly drain off the water into another cup while retaining the solids at the bottom. Throw away these solids which can sometimes lead to a bitterness in the curry.

Soak the amchur pieces in 3-4 tbsp of hot water for 10-15 min.

Cooking - Take the blanched broccoli, mustard water, soaked amchur, turmeric, salt and 1 tsp of mustard oil in a thick bottomed casserole (small size). Mix everything together before putting it on a low flame.

Let it cook for 10-12 mins or till the broccoli is done. There should not be any excess water in the casserole.

Remove from flame.


















Drizzle with raw mustard oil just before serving at room temperature. Goes best with a simple meal of dal, rice and a salad.

Friday, February 19, 2016

Broccoli and Tofu Salad

Yet another vegan recipe !! In my quest to give up meat and dairy, I am slowly and steadily introducing new recipes in our everyday menu. Though it is going to be kinda tough given the fact that both my husband and kid love their fish and poultry, I am not giving up yet. Rather I make it a point to try out alternate dishes for myself which can be prepared in a jiffy.

This recipe for example is simple and yet loaded with nutrients. Broccoli and tofu married with a mild seasoning of Asian flavours, this salad can serve as a major proportion of one's lunch. I prefer to have it with some soup or toasted brown bread.

Read on for this recipe -

















Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

  • 2 cups broccoli
  • 100 gm tofu
  • 2-3 garlic flakes ( finely chopped )
  • 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 3-4 dry red chilis
  • 1 tsp honey
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp canola oil / rice bran oil
  • 1/2 of 1 lemon
  • a dash of pepper


Preparation - Steam the broccoli florets.

Cut the tofu into thin long strips.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the dry red chilis and garlic. Fry till fragrant.

Throw in the tofu and soy sauce. Toss for 1-2 mins.

Add the broccoli florets. Season with salt. Toss for 2-3 mins.

Finally add the honey, pepper and lemon juice. Mix gently to coat the broccoli and tofu with the seasoning.

Remove from the flame and sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the salad.

Serve warm.



















Note - Additionally nuts and carrots can also be added to this salad to make it more interesting.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Almond Broccoli Soup

Almond and broccoli Soup. Just the mere mention of this name evokes a deliciously warm sensation in my mind. Sepia tinted memories of winters spent huddling under warm blankets, sitting around a wood fired oven and enjoying long chats over endless cups of steaming tea turn my otherwise practical self into this all mushy emotional idiot.

However the nostalgic feeling that grips me is a mere eyewash as I discovered this soup quite recently during a Bangalore foodie meet @ The Bungalow, Whitefield. But such is the power of food that it is capable of evoking long buried memories in one's subconscious. That is the precise reason why Ayurveda lays so much of stress upon our eating habits. 'Sattvik', 'Rajas' and 'Tamas' are not merely categories of food but also the personality traits the arise when we embrace one of the former categories of food.

Coming back to this soup, I cannot stop gushing over the nutritional value of the ingredients that go into it. Broccoli and garlic have cancer fighting properties while almond and butter contain LDL and monosaturated fats. The great taste and ease of preparation is an added bonus. Read on for recipe -

















Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -


  • 1 1/2 cup broccoli florets
  • 5 almonds
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 of a small onion
  • 8-10 peppercorns
  • 1 tsp butter
  • salt to taste
  • 1 cup milk



Preparation - Blanch the almonds. Remove the peel.

Wash the broccoli florets thoroughly.

Cooking - Heat the butter in a pan. Add crushed garlic and pepper corn. Saute till garlic turns light brown.

Add the chopped onion and fry till translucent.

Add the broccoli florets and stir fry for 1-2 min. Add 1 cup water, almonds and a little bit of salt. Cover the pan. Cook till they turn soft.

Tip the contents of the pan into a blending jar. Blend into a smooth puree.

Transfer it back to the pan. Add the milk, about 1 cup water (as per desired consistency) and adjust salt.

Bring it to a boil on a slow flame while stirring constantly. Let simmer for 1-2 mins.

Serve hot . ( Add a little garlic butter on top for more taste  )

















In the mood for another yummy Broccoli soup, try THIS.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Broccoli Butter Masala ( Navratri Special )

When it comes to 'sattvik' or 'niramish' fare, i.e., cooking without using any onion or garlic, many of us have a mental blockade. "Will it taste good ?" or even "there can be no substitute for fish/chicken/or any other meat of your choice", are some of the common nags that I have come across. But over a period of time I have explored the sattvik fare from various regions of India and most of it has turned out to be delicious. For example, let us take the Monday/Thursday meals cooked in most households in Odisha. Rice, dal with veggies, minimal spices and a ghee tadka, a sweet-sour chutney kind of thing, stir fried veggies and greens (either stir fried or cooked with moong dal). Simple and, nourishing yet delicious enough to qualify for an everyday meal. People who prefer rotis over rice can opt for a simple 'vrat ke alu' or 'kachey kele ki subzi' with rotis or parathas made with Rajgire ka atta.

Having tackled the first question, let us move on to the second one. But what is one supposed to serve if guests drop in ? Well, there are 'no onion no garlic' versions of most curries like the Navratan korma, matar paneer and butter masala (and it is also available on my blog) along with delicious sattvik 'no onion no garlic' biryanis that one can choose from.

The 'Broccoli Butter Masala' is just an addition to this list and the fruit of my efforts to marry Indian cooking with exotic ingredients. Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients -


  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 2 medium sized tomatoes
  • 10 cashews
  • 15 raisins
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tsp fresh cream
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
  • a pinch of garam masala
  • 2 pinch turmeric
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 2 tsp oil
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi
  • few whole spices ( 1 green cardamom, 2-3 cloves, 1" cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 6-7 peppercorns )


Preparation - Boil sufficient water in a saucepan.Once it gets to a bubbling boil, add the broccoli florets and let it cook for a minute or two.

Remove and immediately dunk in cold water. Drain the water after 5 mins. This helps bring out the gorgeous green hue of the broccoli.

Soak the cashew and raisins in 1/2 cup warm water for 20 mins. Grind into a smooth paste.

Puree the tomatoes.

Make a paste out of the coriander powder, garam masala, red chili power and turmeric along with a little (2-3 tsp) water.

Cooking - Heat the oil and butter in a wok. Add the masala paste and fry for 2 mins.

Add the tomato puree and fry till oil starts to separate.

Add the cashew and raisins paste and cook for 3 mins.

Finally add the milk and 1/4 cup water along with the blanched broccoli florets. Sprinkle Kasuri methi on top.

Bring to a boil on low heat and let it simmer for a while till the broccoli turns soft and the gravy coats the florets evenly.

Add the cream. give it a mix and remove from flame.

Serve hot with puris or a simple pulao.










Monday, September 14, 2015

Broccoli and Chicken Biryani ( Easy Rice cooker method )

By now most of you would have guessed that I am still trying to get my family to embrace Broccoli ( and they keep running away this superfood which they regard as some green headed Hydra). But not one to give up so easily, I tried incorporating it in salads, pasta, stir fry and then finally the crowd favorite 'Biryani'.

This one is a simple low-calorie and high fiber version that I cooked in that magical appliance called the rice cooker. I have a Panasonic one and it is a life saver when BESCOM is not playing truant. Have to pick up the kid or run down to the nearest kirana for something (yes, I still do that in the age of apps like BigBasket, Grofers and Zopnow coz I am a human and very much susceptible to short term memory outages when compiling those mile long grocery lists) ? No probs. It switches off automatically when the rice /curry is done. Only catch is that, since it does not employ artificial intelligence, the 'done' thing is determined by the water content. So, if you put less water, it switches off rather than burning down the contents of the cooking pan.

Ok. Getting back to my recipe, it is just comprises of throwing in everything (except rice) into one big marinating bowl and then cooking it in the rice cooker. Saves time and effort. And it save Calories too. (I know I am being lazy but I have a stack of books that I badly want to complete)

Read on -























Preparation Time - 25 mins (plus 1 hr for marination)

Ingredients -


  • 1 cup chicken pieces (medium sized)
  • 1 1/2 cup Broccoli pieces
  • 1 1/2 cup Basmati rice
  • 1 medium sized onion (chopped into thin long pieces)
  • 1 1/2 tsp GG paste
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic paste
  • 1/4 cup thick yogurt
  • 1 medium tomato (finely chopped)
  • 4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 coriander powder
  • 2 pinch turmeric
  • whole spices ( 1 inch cinnamon, 1 green cardamom, 2 cloves, 1 bay leaves, a small piece of mace )
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp ghee
  • salt to taste



Preparation - Wash and cut the broccoli into medium sized florets. Put them under running water to wash away any insects and eggs. Then soak in warm water to which some turmeric has been added.

Wash the chicken pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the broccoli and all the remaining ingredients except rice, ghee and oil. Keep aside for 1 hour.

Cooking - Switch on the rice cooker. Add the oil and wait for it to heat up. Add the whole spices.

Once they release their fragrance, add the marinated chicken and broccoli. Cook uncovered till the chicken is half done.

Wash the rice and add to the rice cooker. Add 2 cups water. Adjust salt and ghee.

Close the lid. The rice cooker will automatically switch off when it is done.





Thursday, September 3, 2015

Broccoli Stir Fry ( Doing it the Odia way!!)

When it comes to exotic veggies, the culinary experts almost always advice folks to stick to the native method of cooking with a little tweak here or there. Subtle flavours, they say, get masked by the heavy use of spices which dominate Indian cooking.

But in the process, they render the veggies almost unpalatable. And this is especially true when it comes to the older generation. Try serenading your MIL with a zucchini boat or a broccoli soup. Chances are that they would blanch at the very mention of such a dish. 

However some of these veggies are quite loaded with mineral. For example, Broccoli scores quite a few points over cauliflower when it comes to the count of vitamins and minerals. So, I was in no mood to forgo the nutrition provided by this superfood. 

This is one great yet simple recipe where I have cooked Broccoli using a typically Odia method of preparation. Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 20 mins (Broccoli takes a little less time to cook as compared to cauliflower)

Ingredients -
  • 1 medium sized Broccoli
  • 1 medium sized potato
  • 1 large tomato
  • 2 small onions
  • 2 dry red chillis
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1/3 tsp garam masala
  • a pinch of cumin seeds
  • a pinch of turmeric
  • salt
  • 3 tsp rice bran oil

Ingredients - Cut the broccoli into medium sized bits. Dice the potato into 8 parts.

The onion should be cut into thin long strips. Chop the tomato into fine bits.

Cooking - Heat a wok. Add 2 tsp oil. Add the broccoli florets along with salt and turmeric. Stir fry for 7-8 mins on medium to high flame or till the florets are almost cooked. Remove from pan and keep aside.

Heat a wok. Pour the remaining oil into it. Add the cumin seeds and red chilli followed by the onions. Stir fry till the onions turn golden. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook for 3-4 mins till the raw smell goes off.

Add the chopped tomato. Sprinkle red chilli powder and a little salt. Cover with a lid and cook till the tomatoes soften.

Add the fried broccoli and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Cook for a few mins while taking care that the broccoli is not overcooked.

Add the garam masala and mix well. Remove from the flame.

Serve hot with rotis or white rice.


















Click here to read the original recipe using cauliflower.

Featured Post

Green Papaya Laddoos (SugarFree recipe)

Mom is undoubtedly the dessert specialist at home. God forbid, if she takes to blogging, she could give a lot of folks a run for their mone...