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Showing posts with label bachelor friendly recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bachelor friendly recipe. Show all posts

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.





Thursday, March 2, 2017

Bachelor's Egg Curry ( 1 tsp Oil Calorie Recipe Series )

 IMP - Bachelor's Egg Curry is an original recipe created by the blogger and has been published for the first time on oriyarasoi.com.


During the years spent as a bachelor, I have stayed at quite a few rented places. The furnished ones are always the first preference for most of us but sadly very few of them live up to their claims. A majority of the owners make it a point to provide the basic stuff and leave out small but useful appliances . A mixer-grinder is one such item that most flat owners like to classify as a luxury. While it is totally possible to cook a meal without using one, we Indians are suckers for curries steeped in onion-ginger-garlic gravy. But is it possible to make a decent gravy without the use of a mixer-grinder ?

Yes, it is entirely possible. As with a majority of our inventions (that we so lovingly label as 'jugaad'), this gravy was born out of necessity. I learnt to stir up a mean gravy without using any appliances and that too in record time. And it was made possible by the use of a pressure cooker !! Plus, the entire process helped me to cut down on the quantity of oil that I used to put in my curries.

Read on for the recipe -

















Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 medium tomato
  • 1/2 inch ginger
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 green cardamom
  • 1 inch cinnamon 
  • 1 dry red chili
  • 2 pinch cumin seeds
  • 2 pinch red chili powder
  • 1 pinch garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp kasuri methi
  • 2 tsp chopped cilantro
  • 2 pinch turmeric
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1 bay leaf (optional)


Preparation - Peel and cut the onion into 4 pieces. Chop the ginger and garlic into small pieces.

Transfer to a pressure cooker along with 1 cup water.  Add the remaining whole spices and tomato.

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

Drain the water into a cup and remove the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Crush the remaining ingredients with a back of a heavy spoon.

Cooking - Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the cumin and bay leaf.

Once the cumin seeds start spluttering, add the turmeric powder. Immediately add the onion-tomato paste.

Cook for 5 mins. Add the chili powder, garam masala and kasuri methi along with the saved water.

Bring to a boil. Break the eggs gently and add most of the whites to the curry. Stir the curry gently for about a minute.

Once they are cooked, add the yolks and close with a lid. Let it simmer gently for 2 minutes if you like them runny inside. Else cook for 2-3 mins more.

Garnish with cilantro.

















Serve hot with rotis/phulkas or even some white rice.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Bendakaya bhaath (Okra/Bhindi Rice)

A yummy variation of the very popular Vangi Baath from Andhra/Karnataka, this one simply replaces the eggplant with okra and throws in some garlic seasoning. The recipe is sure to find a lot of takers among the kids who usually shun the eggplant version. I personally love it as it is very easy to make and it is one of the best (and easiest) things that one can with leftover rice.

Read on for the easy breezy recipe  -


















Preparation Time - 15 mins ( if you have cooked rice else add time needed to prepare rice )

Ingredients -

  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 10-12 ladies finger
  • 8-10 cashews
  • 2 tsp whole urad dal (skinless)
  • 1/2 tsp thick tamarind paste
  • 1 red chilli
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • a pinch of fenugreek seeds (optional)
  • 7-8 curry leaves
  • 3-4 garlic flakes (crushed)
  • a pinch of asafoetida
  • 4 tsp cooking oil
  • 2 pinch turmeric
  • salt to taste

For the Masala

  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
  • 6-7 cloves
  • 2 red chilli
  • 1 marathi moggu
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp split urad dal
  • 1 tsp oil

Preparation - Cut the ladies finger into 1 1/2 inch long pieces.

Cooking - Heat 1 tsp oil in a frying pan. Add all the ingredients for Masala and fry till a  fragrance starts to fill the kitchen. Remove and allow to cool a bit. Grind into a fine powder.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the ladies finger pieces along with a bit of salt and turmeric. Fry till cooked.

Add 1 1/2 tsp of the Masala Powder ( I keep it less spicy ) along with the tamarind paste (diluted with 3-4 tsp water). Fry for 1 minute.

Add the cooked rice and mix in. Adjust salt.

Heat 1 tsp oil for the tempering. Add broken red chilli, asafoetida, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and urad dal. After urad dal turns a little brown, add garlic, cashews and curry leaves. Pour the tempering over the rice. Mix in.

Serve hot with appalam and papad.


















Note -

1. If you want to keep it more healthy, swap the white rice with brown rice/parboiled rice.

2. If preparing this for your kid, do remember to cut the okra into tiny pieces and go easy on the powdered masala.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Palak Paneer ( Cheese in Spinach gravy )

Palak or spinach is one of the most nutrient dense foods available to us in abundance and at an economical rate. Along with a high water content and soluble fibre content, it is loaded with vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, folate, manganese, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6. It’s a very good source of protein, phosphorus, vitamin E, zinc and copper. Also it’s a good source of selenium, niacin, and Omega-3 fatty acids.

But since it is loaded with pesticides and fertilizers ( common problem with most leafy vegetables as they grow so near to the soil ), one should prefer the organic version whenever possible. I myself buy the 'Gopalan' brand that is stocked by Bigbasket.com.

I try to keep on incorporating it my diet and often come up with new combinations. But today i am sharing a popular and all time favorite recipe 'Palak Paneer'. Read on :



















Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 350 gm paneer, 1 bunch of spinach ( 2 1/2 - 3 cups ), 2 medium sized onion, 1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1-2 green chillli, 1/2 teaspoon jeera-lanka powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 2 tsp Fortune Rice Bran oil, butter, salt to taste, turmeric.

Preparation - Cut the paneer into cubes.

Remove the stems from the spinach and chop roughly. Cut the onions into large pieces.


Cooking - Heat water in a pan. Add salt and turmeric and bring to a boil.

Add paneer cubes and boil for 5-6 minutes. Drain water and keep aside.


















































Boil fresh water in another pan. Add the spinach leaves and boil for 1-2 minutes. Drain the water and wash in cold water. Keep aside to drain off all the water.

Heat oil in a wok. Add half of the chopped onions and fry to translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the green chilli and spinach leaves with salt to taste. Fry for 3-4 minutes.

Transfer to a blender cup, allow to cool down a bit and grind into a smooth paste.


Add some butter to the same wok. Add the remaining onions and fry till translucent. Add the green paste prepared earlier with jeera-lanka powder and cook for 2-3 minutes.















Add paneer cubes and cook for 2-3 minutes.


















Serve hot with pulao rice/basmati rice/rotis.



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