Low Calorie Dum Aloo Benarasi

People who dislike potato are hard to find. Though potato is a much favored veggie, I don't cook them often in my kitchen. I  rarely cook potatoes on its own. Mostly, its paired with other veggies so that I need to use only one. I buy only half a kilo of potatoes at a time. And that might last formore than a week or so. Here the vegetable vendor will double check if I wanted only half kilo since people usually buy more than a kilo at a time. When I come across baby potatoes in the market, its hard to resist. I invariably buy them. I make dum aloo which uses curd in it. Once I came across this recipe at Tarladalal's and wanted to try it. I did not deep fry it as in the original. Though there is some work involved in it, with little planning, it can be done easily and is worth all the effort that goes in.

Ingredients

• Baby potatoes - 12 nos
• Oil - 2 tblspn for shallow frying 

For the gravy

• Garlic - 3 cloves
• Ginger -1 inch
• Dry chillies - 6 nos
• Cashew - 2 tblspn
• Cumin/jeera - 1 tspn
• Saunf/fennel seeds - 1 tspn
• Tomatoes - 3 nos
• Water - 1.5 cups

Seasoning

• Butter - 1 tblspn
• Cardamom powder - 1 tspn
• Kasuri methi - 1 tblspn
• Sugar - 1 tspn

For Garnish

• Fresh Cream - 1 tblspn (optional)
• Chopped Coriander leaves

Method

Wash and scrub the potatoes clean. Boil the potatoes till fork tender. You can pressure cook for one whistle. Also you can microwave for 5 minutes. Prick the potatoes with a fork. Heat oil on a non stick pan and add the cooked potatoes. Shall fry till the skin wrinkles. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add all the ingredients for the gravy. Simmer till the tomatoes are cooked and turn pulpy. Cool and grind the mix to a smooth puree.

Heat butter. Add cardamom powder and the gravy.  Cook till the gravy simmers and the fat separates and floats on top. Then tip in the shallow fried aloo, kasuri methi and sugar.Cook till the gravy thickens and the potatoes have soaked in the flavors. Add a tablespoon of cream and garnish with coriander and serve hot with some phulkas/rotis.

P.S Though I have used 6 dried red chillies, the dish was not much on the spicier side. It could be the variety of the chilli. Adjust the chillies according to the variety you use and the spice levels that suit your palate.

Prawn Masala

Seafood is one of my favorites. I love to eat prawn both in gravy/semi gravy or just cooked with butter, salt and pepper and garlic with lime juice. Today I thought of making the masala prawn to go with the rasam I made. I very much like to eat prawns with rasam, which I think is a very good combination. I still remember in my childhood especially when I am sick with fever, mom definitely prepares rasam and this prawn fry or semi gravy. My mom used to feed me and once I ate all of the food she prepared. No one can beat a mom's love for their kids, my mom is not an exception. :-)

Ingredients:

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Little help on how to clean and de-vein a shrimp

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1 lb Prawn - De-vein, shelled and cleaned

2 Onions sliced

2 Tomatoes sliced

2 green Chilies slit

1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1/4 Cumin seeds

1/4 Caraway seeds

1/4 Fennel seeds

1/2 Turmeric powder

1 tsp Red Chili powder

1 tsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Black Pepper powder

Salt to taste

2 tsp Oil

1/4 cup Cilantro chopped

Method:

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1. In a pan add oil and when it's hot enough add cumin, caraway and fennel seeds. When they turn slight brown add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes off and it turns slight brown.

2. Now add onions and saute it until it turns brown.

3. Add tomatoes and all the spices except pepper powder and garam masala powder - turmeric, chili and cumin powder and mix well and cover and cook in medium high heat.

4. Make sure the masala powders are cooked well with the tomatoes.

5. Add Shrimp, mix well and cover and cook for about 5 mins.

6. Open and keep stirring adding salt, garma masala and pepper powder and cook for another min.

7. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with steamed rice or roti's.

Grilled Tofu with Asparagus, Snow Peas and Edamame Stir Fry

I am making Asian dinner today with all heart healthy veggies and tofu. I was till now not so happy in making tofu because it never came out good. But this time the recipe was only two ingredient recipe and I won. Shoj always says, when I put less effort on the recipe that is when it tastes good, so I can say that this is the best example.

Medicinal use of Asparagus:

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The second century physician Galen described asparagus as "cleansing and healing".

Nutrition studies have shown asparagus is a low-calorie source of folate and potassium. Its stalks are high in antioxidants. "Asparagus provides essential nutrients: six spears contain some 135 micrograms (μg) of folate, almost half the adult RDI (recommended daily intake), 20 milligrams of potassium," notes an article in Reader's Digest. Research suggests folate is key in taming homocysteine, a substance implicated in heart disease. Folate is also critical for pregnant women, since it protects against neural tube defects in babies. Several studies indicate getting plenty of potassium may reduce the loss of calcium from the body.

Particularly green asparagus is a good source of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps the body produce and maintain collagen, the major structural protein component of the body's connective tissues.

"Asparagus has long been recognized for its medicinal properties," wrote D. Onstad, author of Whole Foods Companion: A Guide for Adventurous Cooks, Curious Shoppers and Lovers of Natural Foods. "Asparagus contains substances that act as a diuretic, neutralize ammonia that makes us tired, and protect small blood vessels from rupturing. Its fiber content makes it a laxative, too."

Nutrition in Edamame:

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The United States Department of Agriculture states that edamame beans are "a soybean that can be eaten fresh and are best known as a snack with a nutritional punch".

Edamame and all preparations of soybeans are rich in carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients, particularly folic acid, manganese and vitamin K (table).

Edamame beans contain higher levels of abscisic acid, sucrose, and protein than other types of soybean, and may contain carotenoids.

Consumption of edamame should be avoided by people who are allergic to soy.

Ingredients:

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1 package Extra Firm Tofu sliced and cut crosswise to make a triangle shape

1 bunch Asparagus

1 cup Snow Peas, cut the ends

1 cup Edamame

1 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp Hoisin Sauce

1 bunch Green Onions chopped (white part separated from green)

1 pod of Garlic chopped finely

1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Butter

Method:

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1. Place the Tofu triangles on a plate and brush with 1 1/2 tbsp Hoisin sauce and marinate it for about 5 mins.

2. In a grilling pan grill the tofu slices on both sides until you get nice grill marks, probably about 2-3 mins on each side.

3. In a pot boil water, add salt and place the asparagus and cook it for about 5-6 mins, until the green color pops out but it should be still crunchy.

6. Remove the asparagus and place it in a cold ice water bowl. (to make cold ice water: In a bowl add ice cubes and fill it 1/2 with cold water). When you put the asparagus into it, it stops further cooking and retains the green color.

7. In the same pot of boiling water add snow peas and boil it for about 3-4 mins and put in the same cold water bowl.

8. In the same pot add edamame and cook it for about 5-6 mins and put the edamame also into the cold water bowl. Remove the outer skin of edamame by pressing at the end the seed will pop out.

9. In a pan add olive oil and butter and when it's hot enough add garlic and white part of the green onions and add the vegetables draining all the water out. 

10. Saute the vegetables with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp hoisin sauce for about a min to two.

11. Garnish with green onions and serve warm with grilled tofu.


Re-posting this recipe to participate in the event hosted by Krithi - Event Name: Serve it -Grilled