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Showing posts with label low calorie recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label low calorie 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.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Pesto Daliya Upma

Yes, I am on a 5 day 'Daliya' challenge this week. And it calls for trying out a new recipe each time that is simple and low on calories. This is a really easy and tasty recipe that I created using some boiled daliya, homemade pesto sauce, lime juice and a bit of tempering.

Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -
  • 1/2 cup daliya
  • 2 tsp pesto sauce
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1/5 tsp mustard seeds
  • a pinch of asafoetida
  • 1 dry red chili
  • 1/2 tsp oil
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp lime juice

Preparation - Dry roast the daliya or cracked wheat till it gives off a sweet smell.

Cooking - Cook the daliya with 1 cup water and salt in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles. Keep aside till steam escapes. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds followed by the asafoetida, curry leaves and dry red chili.

Pour this tempering over the cooked daliya. Add pesto sauce and lime juice. Mix well.

Serve immediately.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Tomato Daliya

An easy daliya recipe to help one lose weight while eating healthy and starving oneself. Tried substituting cracked wheat for rice in the Andhra Tomato rice recipe. This one can be adapted to suit those kiddie tastebuds by skipping/reducing the quantity of chillis used and adding a tiny bit of sugar.

The proportion of water can be varied to give it a porridge or fluffy consistency. Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

  • 1/2 cup daliya
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1/5 tsp mustard seeds
  • a pinch of asafoetida
  • a pinch of turmeric
  • 1-2 green chilis
  • 2-3 garlic flakes
  • 1/2 tsp oil
  • 2 tsp roasted peanuts
  • salt to taste

Preparation - Dry roast the daliya or cracked wheat till it gives off a sweet smell.

Cooking - Cook the daliya with 1 1/2 cup water, turmeric and salt in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds folowed by the asafoetida, curry leaves, green chilis and peanuts.
Once the peanuts are done popping, add the garlic and fry to golden .

Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt over them. Cook till mushy.

Add the cooked daliya and mix in. Stir for 2 mins.

Remove from the flame and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serve hot.


















Note - I had some already roasted and crushed peanuts which I added at the end to retain their crunch.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Channa/Choley Masala ( Oil Free Recipe )

Last weekend was one of festivities and the feasting that goes with it, so there is little wonder that many among us would be still reeling with the fallout !! Today's recipe is just what the doctor prescribed for those suffering tummies and bloated waistlines. Yes, it is a recipe that is oil free (yippee) and very low on spices. Combine it with rotis made from multigrain atta and some delicious Nimbu Pani or Shikanji.

Read on for the recipe -



















Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

  • 1 cup kabuli channa/garbanzo beans
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin cubes (small ones) (this is optional)
  • 1 medium sized onion
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 5-6 garlic cloves
  • 1 dry red chili
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 tsp Choley masala of your choice
  • 1/2 tsp anardana powder
  • 2 pinch turmeric
  • salt to taste

For the garnishing -
  • freshly chopped cilantro
  • ginger juliennes
  • freshly squeezed lime juice


Preparation - Wash and soak the kabuli channa overnight .

Roughly chop the onion, ginger and garlic. Cut each tomato into 4 halves.

Cooking - Transfer the soaked kabuli channa into a pressure cooker along with 1 cup water, turmeric and salt to taste. Cook for 3 whistles or till it is cooked through but not mushy.

Heat a wok. Add the red chili, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and cloves. Dry roast till they give off a smell. Remove and keep aside.

To the same wok, add the chopped onions, ginger and garlic. Dry roast till the onions leave water and turn red. Add the tomato at this point.and stir fry till the tomatoes are mushy.

Transfer the whole spices ( after they have cooled down) to a grinder jar. Buzz to a fine powder. Add the roasted onion, ginger, garlic and tomatoes to the same jar. Blitz everything together to obtain a fine paste.

Add the choley powder (dissolved in 2 tbsp water) to a heated wok and fry for a minute. Add the pumpkin pieces and fry for 2-3 mins. Pour in the masala paste and the boiled kabuli channa into the same wok. Mix everything together and bring to a boil. Add some boiling water if it see,s too dry. Add the anardana powder and simmer for a while. Remove from flame once the curry reaches a semi-dry consistency.

Serve with a generous garnishing of fresh cilanto, lemon juice and ginger juliennes.
















Note - One can also add some amchur for that extra tang.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Two Step Chicken Curry (An easy chicken recipe)

Sometimes we are too tired to cook up a decent meal and yet are in no mood to order anything from outside. A piping hot chicken curry with some white rice/roti can save the day for the non-veg lovers amongst us. This curry is one of the easiest and tastiest ones that I have ever made. I have christened it as 'Two-step chicken curry' partly due to lack of any imagination and partly because it is a lazy curry that can be made in two steps.

Read on for the recipe -




















Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -

  • 500 gm chicken pieces
  • 1 medium sized onion (roughly chopped)
  • 1 small tomato (roughly chopped)
  • 12-14 garlic flakes
  • 1 1/2 inch ginger (chopped into small pieces)
  • 2 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
  • 2 inch long cinnamon stick
  • 3 nos green cardamom
  • 2/3 tsp cumin seeds
  • 4-5 dry red chillis ( low to medium heat Kashmiri or Byadgi chilli )
  • 3 tsp oil
  • 1/3 tsp turmeric
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp vinegar

Preparation - De-seed the dry chillis and soak them with vinegar and 2-3 tbsp hot water for 2 hours. Drain off the liquid and grind the chilies with 6-7 garlic flakes.

Grind the onion, ginger, 6-7 garlic flakes, tomato, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin seeds and coriander leaves into a fine paste.

Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly and marinate them with the above paste, salt and turmeric. Allow to rest for 30 mins.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chicken along with the marinade liquid (if any). Stir on high flame for 2-3 mins. Then reduce the flame and allow it to cook (without lid) till the  chicken is almost done (95 % cooked). 

Finally add the chili-garlic paste and stir fry on high for 1 min. Then add 2/3 - 1 cup boiling water, cover with a lid and allow to boil for 2 mins before switching off.

Serve hot with rotis/white rice/jeera rice.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Pasta with Kasundi Sauce (Low-calorie snacking !!)

Pasta and Kasundi ?? Whoever would have thought of such an unlikely pairing !! But let me tell you that it works incredibly well on my Indian taste buds. And even before you ask me why I thought of the combination, let me remind you that I have been looking forward to maintaining a healthier lifestyle from this year. That translates into cutting down of fattening food like cheese. Moreover, it being so cold these days, I wanted something hot and spicy to warm me up.

While I could have gone with a regular Marinara sauce, It felt like too much effort. Moreover, the flavors are heavier as compared to this recipe. Since I already had a bottle of tomato Kasundi (recipe at the bottom of this post) sitting in my fridge, it hardly took any time. The trick is to balance the flavors of the fresh tomatoes and the kasundi so that neither one dominates. And yeah, do not forget the peppers. I used the spicy Guntur variety which I personally prefer as compared to the Jalapenos and Habaneros. We do have a lot of good native varieties of peppers/chillis in India which are just waiting to be discovered. And they turn out to be quite economical as compared to the imported varieties.

Read on for the lip-smacking recipe -







Preparation Time - 15-18 mins

Ingredients -


  • 1 1/2 cup pasta (chifferi rigata)
  • 1 large fresh tomato ( chopped into small pieces )
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 red chili pepper (Guntur variety)
  • 1 tbsp coriander roots (finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp tomato kasundi (adjust as per preference)
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • salt


Cooking - Heat water in a large saucepan. Once it gets to a boil, add enough salt so that it tastes quite salty (almost like sea water). Throw in the pasta and cook on medium to high flame till al-dente (cooked yet firm). Retain 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.

Dissolve the kasundi in 2 to3 tbsp of pasta water.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chopped garlic, red chili and coriander roots. Fry till the garlic turns golden. Add the chopped tomatoes and cover with a lid for 30 seconds. Once the tomatoes get a little soft (but still chunky), add the cooked pasta along with the kasundi. Sprinkle some more pasta water if it gets too dry. Cook for 1-2 mins before removing from flame.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately.





















Note - Click here for the recipe of Tomato Kasundi. Adjust the amount of pepper as per preference. 

Friday, January 9, 2015

Sri Lankan Pumpkin Curry (Wattaka Kalu Pol)

Pumpkin Curry ??? No ways. Going by the way most people feel about this humble vegetable, I had actually put off posting the recipe. But leafing though my diary to sort out/refresh some of the low oil dishes that I have cooked over the years, I stumbled upon this gem of a recipe. I had first watched this curry being prepared by an old Sri Lankan lady on television but I could not catch all the ingredients that go into the making of this dish. So, when I searched for this recipe on the net, I stumbled upon Dani Venn's blog . She has a great collection of recipes and please do check them when you have the time.

Coming back to the recipe, I decided to stay true to the ingredients used (though I skipped the rice and desiccated coconut paste) but made some minor change in the order in which they go into the dish. Call it 'cultural conditioning' or whatever you like, but I could not understand the logic behind adding the tempering ingredients after frying the onion, ginger and garlic :). The curry turned out to be delicious (and amazingly aromatic) despite using so less oil.

Read on for the recipe -







Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients -

For curry powder -


  • 2 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 3 cardamon pods
  • 2-3 dry red chilis
  • Sprig of curry leaves
  • 1 1/2 inch long cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon rice
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder


Others -


  • 1 tsp rice bran oil
  • 1 medium sized onion(finely chopped)
  • 3 garlic flakes (finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp ginger (finely chopped)
  • 1 red chili (broken into small pieces)
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp fenugreek seed
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 sprig curry leaves
  • 2 pandan leaves, roughly torn into pieces
  • 500g pumpkin (peeled & diced into 1 1/2 inch cubes)
  • 2 cups thick coconut milk


Preparation - Heat a frying pan. Add the rice to it and roast for 2-3 mins. Then add all other spices (except for turmeric) mentioned under 'For curry powder' and roast till they give off their fragrance.

Remove from flame and allow to cool down. Grind into a fine powder and mix turmeric with it. Since this is more than what you need for the curry, keep the rest of it in an air-tight bottle in the fridge.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the broken red chili, mustard and fenugreek seeds to it. Once they start popping, add the onions. Fry till translucent.

Add the chopped ginger and garlic. Fry for 2 mins before adding all the powdered spices.

Fry for a minute and then add the curry leaves, pandan leaves and pumpkin cubes.

Add the coconut milk to the wok and let it simmer on a low flame.

Once the pumpkin is cooked, add 2 levelled teaspoons of the curry powder and mix it well. (Add more curry powder if you like it spicy).

Remove from the flame and serve hot with white rice and yogurt.



Sunday, January 19, 2014

Chuda Dahi (Beaten rice flakes with yogurt)

If there is one Odiya dish that will never make it to a cookbook (m keeping fingers crossed here), it is the very humble 'chuda dahi' or 'chuda chakta'. A mix of beaten rice (soaked), yogurt, ripe bananas, grated coconut (optional) ad sugar, it has been the staple breakfast option for many generations...that is till now. This inelegant dish is hardly a treat for the eyes which I believe is the only reason behind its failure to capture the nation's imagination. These days most people are being drawn to low calorie breakfast cereals and oats without even realizing that this wholesome dish is one of the healthiest breakfasts that one can have.

Beaten rice is commonly known as Poha or Chivda in India. It is a rich source of complex carbohydrates and high on the fiber content too. It is rich in iron and eleven essential vitamins too. Incidentally, this is one carb that has the amazing ability to soak up water/liquid three times of its volume thus elevating it to the status of a bulking agent (Good news for all those weight-watchers).

Five reasons why i simply love this dish :
1. It does not require cooking. Five minutes handiwork and lo....I can dig in.
2. It packs in carbohydrates, calcium (yogurt/milk) and some fruit (banana...and I do add apple sometimes) goodness too. Nutrition experts advice people to include one portion from each of the above in one's breakfast. So, its a complete breakfast in every way.
3. It is inexpensive.
4. Replace sugar with jaggery, or cut it out completely, either way it works for diabetics/weight-watchers. Ditto for the coconut. Skip if your cholesterol levels are on the higher side. For those with lactose intolerance/vegan folks , skip yogurt/milk (Add some soy milk/badam milk instead if you find it too dry).
5. It is free from preservatives. (now that is my latest obsession and the reason why I have chucked out the Read-To-Eat stuff from my kitchen cabinet)
6. It keeps me feeling full for a long time afterwards ( bless the complex carbohydrates/fiber in beaten rice ).

Read on for the recipe (Ha..ha, please excuse my calling it so):


















Preparation Time - 5 minutes

Ingredients - 1 cup beaten rice (use red one if you wish), 1 cup yogurt, 1-2 ripe bananas, 1-2 tbs fresh grated coconut, 1 tsp sugar/powdered jaggery, 1-2 tsp milk powder ( optional..but i love it).


















Preparation - Wash and soak the beaten rice. The soaking will again depend on the thickness of the flakes. ( Some varieties like Nylon chuda as not really suitable for this recipe, I prefer thick ones )

Drain all water and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add in the bananas, sugar/jaggery and milk powder. Mash everything and mix thoroughly.

Add the yogurt (some prefer milk instead...take your pick) and grated coconut and mix again.

Serve immediately . (The bananas may lead to blackening/discoloration if left to sit for sometime however it still remains fit for consumption)



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