Scrambled tofu

Prep time - 20 mins
Cooking time - 15 to 20 mins
Complexity - Easy
Servings - For 3

Ingredients :-

• Extra firm tofu - 150 gms
• Onion, finely chopped - 1, medium size
• Tomato, finely chopped - 1, medium size
• Ginger, grated - 1 tsp
• Garlic, grated - 1 tsp
• Green chilies, finely cut - 2
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1 1/2 tsp or acc to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Olive oil/ vegetable oil - 1 tbsp
• water - 1/4 cup

Method :-

Mash tofu and put it aside. Meanwhile put a pan on medium heat and add oil to it. Add grated ginger and garlic to the oil once its hot. Add chopped onion to the pan once ginger and garlic turn a little red, approx. after 1 min. Once onion starts turning red, approx. after 5-7 mins, add chopped tomatoes and green chili to onions. Put turmeric powder, sugar, coriander powder and garam masala to the pan. Mix everything well until tomatoes are all mushy.

Add scrambled tofu to cooked tomatoes and mix everything properly. Put water to the pan and let tofu cook until there is no water left in pan, approx. 7-9 mins.

Scrambled tofu is ready. Enjoy it with hot chapatis or paranthas.

Zucchini kofte

Prep time - 15-20 mins
Cooking time - 40-45 mins
Complexity - Medium
Servings - for 4

Ingredients :-

For Kofta :

• Grated zucchini - 1/2 cup
• Gram flour - 7 tbsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Vegetable oil - for deep frying

For Gravy :

• Green chillies - 2
• Onion paste (use mixer or grinder to make paste) - 1 medium size onion
• Tomato - 1 1/2, thinly sliced
• Salt - 1 tsp (you can increase or decrease salt acc to your taste)
• Minced ginger - 1 tsp
• Minced garlic - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Olive oil/ vegetable oil - 2 tbsp 

Method :-

For kofta :

Put oil in a heavy bottom pot and put it on medium heat. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients except oil.

Once oil is hot, take a spoonful of kofta mixture and put in it the hot oil for deep frying. Repeat this process until all the mixture is used. Depending on the oil, you can put 5-6 kofte in one go.

Keep turning the sides so that kofte can be cooked properly from all the sides.

Once golden red from all the sides, take out all the kofte. Kofte are ready.

For gravy :

Put oil in a heavy bottom pan and put it on medium heat. Once it is hot, put ginger and garlic. After 2-3 mins, when ginger and garlic are turned slightly red, add onion paste to it. Let onion cook for another 10-12 mins (or till the raw smell of onion is gone and oil is getting separated from the paste). Add tomato, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, green chillies and salt. Mix properly and let it cook for another 7-8 mins till oil gets separated from the paste. Once its done, add 1 1/2 cup water to it. Let it cook for another ten mins or till the water starts boiling. Gravy is ready.

Whenever you are ready to serve the curry, just add kofte to gravy and heat it for 5 mins. Do not put kofte to the gravy well in advance otherwise kofte will soak up most of the gravy and you will be
left with drier curry. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Enjoy Kofte with plain white rice or jeera rice or chapati.

Fried arbi (Colocasia)

Prep time - 25-30 mins
Cooking time - 10 mins
Complexity - Easy
Servings - 3-4

Ingredients :-

• Arbi (colocasia) - 7 to 8
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1 tbsp or acc to taste
• Lime juice - 2 tbsp
• Carom seeds (ajwaain) - 1/2 tsp
• Green chilli, thinly sliced - 2 (optional)
• Vegetable oil/ olive oil - 3 tbsp

Method :-

Boil arbi (colocasia) in a pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles on medium heat (it takes 20-25 mins). Once it's done, let arbis cool down until you can handle them.

Peel the arbis and slice them horizontally. Do not worry if one or two arbis are boiled really soft and gets mushy while slicing.

Now add oilve oil to a non stick pan and put it on medium heat. Once oil is hot, add carom seeds. Add turmeric powder, green chillies, red chilli powder  to oil once carom seeds starts spluttering.

Mix everything and add sliced arbis to the pan. Sprinkle arbis with salt and flip them so that they are coated with masala from both sides. Once masala is mixed, let arbis cook for 2-3 mins from one side. Flip arbis after 2-3 mins so that they get cripsy from the other side as well. Turn off the heat and add lime juice to the cooked arbi. Fried arbi is ready. Eat it hot with hot chapatis or paranthas or poori. Enjoy.

Palak kadhi (Spinach and yoghurt curry )

Prep time - 15 mins
Cooking time - 40 - 45 mins
Complexity - Medium

Ingredients :-

• Yogurt, beaten - 375 gms
• Spinach, thinly cut - 350 gms
• Gram flour - 4 tbsp
• Green chilies - 2 (slit lengthwise)
• Salt - 1 tsp or acc to taste
• Water - 1 cup
• Onion, thinly sliced- 1/2 cup ( optional )
• Ginger, grated - 1/2 tsp ( optional )
• Garlic, grated - 1/2 tsp ( optional )
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Whole black pepper - 5-8 ( optional )
• Dried red chilies - 2 ( optional )
• Bay leaves - 2 ( optional )
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Olive oil or vegetable oil - 1 tbsp

Method :-

 

Take the yogurt in a bowl and add water to it and beat it until water is mixed well. Now add sifted gram flour to it and beat it again using hand mixture or whisker. Once it is mixed properly, set this bowl aside.

Now put a medium size pan on medium heat and add oil to it. Once oil is hot add cumin seeds, bay leaves, whole black pepper, dried red chili. As soon as the ground masala turns red add ginger and garlic. Add onions (and green chilies), once the garlic and ginger turns a little red. Fry onions till they become translucent and then add turmeric powder and coriander powder.

 Mix everything and add spinach to the pan.

Let spinach simmer for about 7-8 mins or until it starts leaving a little water and spinach gets a little mushy.

Add gram flour mixed yogurt to cooked spinach and start stirring the curry immediately. Keep stirring the curry until bubble starts appearing on the surface, this process might take 20-25 mins. Remember you can not stop the stirring process until curry starts boiling otherwise water will get separate from the yogurt (and dish will not be prepared well ); also keep the flam on medium-low.

Once curry starts boiling, add salt and garam masala, and mix it well. Stop stirring and let it cook for another 7-8 mins. Curry is ready. Serve it hot with plain white rice. Enjoy.

* You can also use half sour cream + half yogurt for extra creamy and rich taste.
 

Palak ka kapha ( Spinach curry pahadi style )

Prep time - 15 mins
Cooking time - 30 mins
Complexity - Easy
Servings - for 4

Ingredients :-

• Spinach, chopped (as shown in the pic) - 450 gms
• 
• Gram flour - 2 tbsp
• Grated ginger - 1 tsp
• Grated garlic - 1 tsp
• Green chillies, chopped - 2
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Olive oil/ vegetable oil - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - according to taste

Method :-

Put a heavy bottom pan on medium heat and add oil to the pan. Once oil is hot, add cumin seeds to it. Add ginger and garlic to the pan as soon as cumin seeds start cracking. Once ginger and garlic is turned red, add gram flour to the pan and turn heat on low. Keep stirring the gram flour till it turns a little red. Apart from the colour, gram flour also gives a nice aroma once it is properly roasted. This process will not take more than 10 mins.

Turn heat on medium and put turmeric powder, coriander powder and green chillies to the gram flour and mix everything properly. Add chopped spinach, salt to the gram flour along with 1 1/2 cup of water. Cover the pan and let it cook for 10 mins. After 10 mins, take the cover out from pan and let the curry cook for another 7-8 mins. Palak kapha is ready. Serve it with hot chapatis or white rice. Enjoy.

* This is a kumauni (from Kumaun region of Uttarakhand, India) dish and it is usually prepared in black iron pan or kadahi. 

Cabbage and tofu/paneer kofte

Prep time - 15-20 mins
Cooking time - 40-45 mins
Complexity - Medium
Servings - for 2

Ingredients :-

For Koftas :

• Grated cabbage - 1/2 cup
• Grated tofu/ paneer - 1/2 cup
• Gram flour - 3 tbsp
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Olive oil/ Vegetable oil - for deep frying

For Gravy :

• Green chillies - 2
• Onion paste (use mixer or grinder to make paste )- 1 medium size onion
• Tomato - 1 1/2, thinly sliced
• Salt - 2 tsp ( you can increase or decrease salt acc to your taste )
• Minced ginger - 1 tsp
• Minced garlic - 1tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Olive oil/ vegetable oil - 2 tbsp 

Method :-

For koftas :

Put oil in a heavy bottom pot and put it on medium heat. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients except oil and divide into 7-8 equal portions ( no of portions can be less or more depending upon how big or small you want your koftas to be ). Now try to shape all the portions in round balls.

Once oil is hot, put koftas in it for deep frying. Keep turning the sides so that koftas can be cooked properly from all the sides. Once golden red from all the sides, take out all the koftas. Koftas are ready.

For gravy :

Put oil in a heavy bottom pan and put it on medium heat. Once it is hot, put ginger and garlic. After 2-3 mins, when ginger and garlic are turned slightly red, add onion paste to it. Let onion cook for another 10-12 mins or when the raw smell of onion is gone and oil is getting separated from the paste. Add cut tomato, coriander powder, turmeric powder, green chillies and salt. Mix properly and let it cook for another 7-8 mins till oil gets separated from the paste. Once its done, add 1 1/2 cup water to it. Let it cook for another ten mins or till the water starts boiling. Gravy is ready.

Whenever you are ready to serve the curry, just add koftas to gravy and heat it for 5 mins. Do not put koftas to the gravy well in advance otherwise koftas will soak up most of the gravy and you will left with drier curry. Garnish it with grated paneer/tofu or coriander leaves.

Enjoy Kofte with plain white rice or jeera rice or chapati.

Mushroom masala

Prep time - 20 mins

Cooking time - 15  mins
Complexity - Medium
Servings - For 2

Ingredients :-

• Mushrooms - 175 gms, take stems out and cut mushrooms into half, lengthwise
• Onion - 1 medium size, finely chopped
• Tomato - 1 1/2 medium size, cut into square shape
• Green bell pepper/ capsicum - 1 medium size, cut into square shape
• Soya sauce - 1 tbsp
• Chilli sauce - 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - according to taste
• Olive oil or vegetable oil - 5 tbsp.

Method :-

Put 2 tbsp oil in a pan on medium heat. Add mushroom to oil and let them cook till their skin start turning golden red. This process will not take more than 10 mins.

Meantime in another pan, add rest of the oil and put this pan on medium heat. Add Onions and bell pepper, and let them cook for 7-10 mins.You need not overcook bell pepper. They should remain crispy, not tender. Add tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are mushy and mixed with onions and bell properly. Add soya sauce, chilli sauce, salt, and black pepper. Mix well. Now put cooked mushrooms in this gravy and sprinkle with garam masala. Cook 5 mins more. Your mushroom masala is ready. Serve with hot chapatis. Enjoy.