Vegetable curries for chapathi

[dev]

It would be great if someone can post vegetable gravies that can be used as sidedish for chapathis... I saw many recipes but most of it uses either coconut or cream to make the curry...Since I'm going on a diet,I need recipes that do not use coconut or cream...& it would be great if anyone can tell a good substitute for cocnut & cream & tips for thichkening gravies...

[R]

Hello Dev,

Have you made moong dal with vegetables like onion, tomato, capsicum, carrot, beans etc. ? This is a standard one in all Indian homes, guess!

And, while you are making gravies with onion and tomato, can substitute with veg., like okra, greens, egg plant if u dont want any grains. Can add either our regular milk or curd for taste which is harmless.

I even saw in TV, while making channa masala, they grind the quarter portion of the channa to make the gravy thicker or can add wheat flour for the same purpose.

What I do is while making gravies with veg., like zuchini, bottle gourd, will add more dal like channa dal and dont have to add coconut(rice flour to make the kootu thick, if needed) at all! I believe that there is nothing wrong in adding green peas or channa or whole moong or kaaramani with these veg., in lesser qty. which will also make the gravy thicker.

And for gravies with cream, I always use our regular milk which gives you some flavor than the plain one. Try and let me know.

Hoping that more people will participate in this discussion.

Bye.

[dev]

Hello R,

Thanks a lot for those tips...I do make moong dal & veg curry...& for kurma,i add soya chunks instead of coconut... Am planning to roast yellow moong dhal & grind it to a powder,so tht I can use it to thicken gravies...Will also try your tips abt substitute for cream & adding ground channa Dhal for making channa masala...Am sure dhals r better than coconut & cream...

Thanks again...

[R]

Hello Dev,

Adding moong dal-sounds a good idea. But, can u suggest me which one tastes better-adding pottukadalai powder or moong flour ? Any reason for adding moong flour?

Bye.

[dev]

Hello R,

I'm yet to try it...so will try & let you know the difference in taste...:)

Healthwise, I'm not very sure if there is any difference between pottukadalai powder & moong flour...Anyways,my husband is my diet guru...:) so will chk with him & let u know in a couple of days...

we r now going on a balanced diet where by i can take only a small quantity of dhal coz that itself will satisfy my protein requirement...though protein is good,if U consume too much protein consistently it can be hazardous... So now I'll 've to find some other substitute for thickening gravies other than these dhal powders else will have to reduce the dhal i normally consume... :roll: Any ideas r welcome... & any doubts abt diet too is welcomed...:)

[guy]

Hi

it would be very helpful if you could post a balanced diet for the whole day .what to take what not to take.

pls also post one r two gravy receipes since i am new to cooking.
thanks in advance

[dev]

Hello Guy,

Balanced diet depends on a number of factors like one's weight,activity level,age etc... I can give u a diet plan provided u give me some details like ur age,height,weight,gender&activity level...I would also like to know if u r a vegetarian or non-vegetarian... & to be on the safer side,I can plan the diet only for normal people without complications like heart problems,thyroid diseases,kidney,liver diseases ,BP,sugar etc etc... In case U have any such complications better let me know abt it & what the diet the doctor has advised...

Here r a few tips for U...
1. A normal,healthy person can take upto a max of 3 teaspoons (ie 15ml or 1 table spoon)of oil per day...This includes all forms of direct fat be it vegetable fat or animal fat like ghee...
2.Use lowfat or fatfree milk instead of full cream milk.Use the same for making curds.
3.Eat atleast 2 serving of veg & 1 serving(if possible 2) of fruits.
4.Keep salt to the minimum possible.
5.Avoid all tasty but junk food.This includes all fried food.
6.Most instant food & ready to eat food contain a high amount of sodium.So try to avaoid it.
7.A must avoid in Indian cooking is coconut & cream.U can have these once in a month or so .
8. Sugar is high in calories.so take only the minimum possible.
9.All kinds of nuts like groundnuts,cashewnuts etc etc can be avoided as they contain a huge amt of fat.
10.Egg yolk is to be avoided as it is full of cholesterol.
11.Chicken & fish cooked without (or using 1 tsp) of oil is the best form of protein for nonvegetarians.
12.All red meat r rich in fat.So avoid it.
13. Any meat should be cleaned off the skin as it contains most of the fat.
14. Low fat,high protein diet + exercise is the best way to reduce weight.
15. whatever the diet be,every adult should consume atleast 1200 calories .
16.Every person should have a balanced diet consisting of carbohydrates,fat,protein,calcium & fbre.
17.Excess carbohydrate that is not spent out gets converted into fat.So take only as much carb as requiired for ur age,weight & activity level
18.Never skip breakfast...Follow the old saying "eat breakfast like a king,lunch like a commoner & dinner like a poor guy" .
19.Have dinner atleast 2-3 hrs before u go to bed.
20. Exercise atleast 5 times a day.1/2 hrs of brisk walking will do.

PPl may argue that in olden days our ancestors had lots of ghee,nuts etc etc but still were healthy.My reply to that would be 'if u r ready to do as much physical work as they were doing,go ahead with their diet'...:) The above said are a few common tips which many would've known already.... If u want to reduce or maintain

reg the recipes,would U like to have recipes using veg or dhals?....tell me any specifications that U have.... I too am not an expert in cook but I'll let U know whatever I know...

Hope this will help U...Any queries,pls post it....I'll be glad to tell U whatever I know...

[apps]

Hi
U can saute the onion,ginger,garlic and grind then add to the gravy.

[dev]

Hi Apps,

Thanks for the tip...I do saute onion,gin,gar & tomatoes & add to the curry sometimes. Can u suggest any vegetable except potatoes that can be mashed(ground) and added to the curry?...

[dev]

Hey Guy,

Scared at the big list,huh???!!!... was waiting for u togimme the details sotht i can plan a day's req for U...:)

[dev]

Hello,

Here is a healthy wholesome subzi...It's Spinach veg subzi...:)

Ingredients:

Yellow moong dhal : 50 gms
Spinach : 1 medium bunch or 1 cup( 1.5 litres cup)
garlic : 2
ginger : 1' piece
green chillies : 1
vegetables(carrot,cauliflower,yellow(sweet) corn) :500 gms
salt & chilli powder : to taste


Boil the veg in water seperately...there should not be any water left after cooking the veg...so add minimal water...

cook the moong dhal,coarsely chopped spinach,garlic,ginger & g.chilles in a cooker for 1 whistle...let cool & churn in a mixie to make a coarse paste(needn't be very smooth)...

add the spinach paste,salt & chilli powder to the veg & let it simmer for a minute...Serve hot with chapathis... the final product must be thick & not watery...So take care in adding water to the veg...

Variations:

1.can add tomatoes while cooking the dhal & add a bit of garam masala for a more spicier version...
2. can do the same using boiled eggs instead of vegetables...
3.spinach chicken will also be good...in this case make it a bit spicier to make it tastier...


Tip:

The bitterness of spinach varies...I've added dhal to mitigate the sourness...The traditional recipe uses cream instead of dhal & paneer instead of vegetables...In order to make it healthy,I've made these modifications...:)
The sweetness of the carrot & corn also helps in mitigating the sourness of spinach to some extent...U can vary the amount of spinach if u find it's bitter using the measurements given above...

Try it out & let me know...If U guys like my recipe,will post a few more...U'll not get the creamy texture as in the traditional recipe...But this is tasty for sure...:)

[dev]

forgot to mention...this curry with go well with dosas too...

[dev]

Hello R,

I found that hung curds & evaporated milk is a good substitute to cream... I managed to find lowfat evaporated milk...Hung curds made from lowfat or fatfree milk is good too...

[R]

Hung curd-sounds good. Will give a try.

Thanks for the tip, Dev.

Bye

[dev]

Hello R,

Try out this cuury that uses curds...Mushroom curry which i read from a cookbook...

Ingredients
10 large button mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
2 tablespoons onion paste
1 teaspoon tomato puree
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
3 tablespoons curds
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste
For garnish
2 tablespoons chopped coriander

Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the ginger-garlic paste and the onion paste and saute for some time.
2. Add the tomato puree and chilli powder and stir for some time.
3. Add the mushrooms and saute till they are tender.
4. Finally, add the curd, garam masala and salt. Mix well.
5. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with chapathi

Instead of onion paste,tomato paste & gin-gar paste i chopped everything & sauted onion,gin ,gar in 1 tsp oil...& then added tomatoes..cooked for a min...took off the flame & let cool...& the ground it with chilli powder & added back to the pan & let boil for a while with little water & proceeded as given in the recipe. This way we can reduce the consumption of oil.Remember not to cook for a long time afer adding the curd...just mix it & take off flame...

Can add frozen peas also...it'll look colourful...:)

[dev]

Make sure that the curd is not very sour...

[Vidya Pai]

Here is a recipe using dal and methi leaves.

Muddhi palya.

1/2 cup toor dal cooked and mashed,
2 bunches methi (fenugreek ) leaves, (sepearte the leaves from the stem and rinse well at least twice to get rid of any soil)
1-2 tbs grated jaggery,
2-3 tbs tamarind pulp (depeding on the sourness),
1-2 tsp chilli pow,
1tsp dhania pow,
1tsp jeera pow,
a pinch turmeric pow,
1 med oinion chopped fine,
1tbs (or less) oil,


In a kadai pour cooked dal, and methi leaves, salt, jaggery and tamarind pulp. Cover and cook till methi leaves r cooked. In another small pan heat oil. Add the chopped onion, when golden brown remove from heat and add all the masala pow ( it hepls to keep the chilli, dhania, jeera, haldi pow togeter in a small bowl) . mix the powder well the the fried onions. add this to the methi-dal mix. mix well and turn off the flame. keep covered for 10 mins.
Serve with roti, chapathi or jola roti.

The same recipe can be used with diff greens for variety.


P.S. : This recipe was given to me by my aunt who lives in belgaum. This is a traditionas dish that goes with Jola roti.

[dev]

Hi Vidhya,

Thanks a lot for the recipe...can U please let me know where I can find methi leaves in Singapore...I couldn't find it in Mustafa, coldstorage,E-mart,wholesale centre etc...

[Hemant Trived1]

ask any Tamil worker of Mustafa or opposite Murugan Temple as to where you can get VENDHI KIRAI.
You will be sure to get the same .

[dev]

Will do that Mr.Hemant...thanks a lot for the tip...:)

[Vidya Pai]

Bunches of Methi leaves are available at Mustafa (but not always) and at the Indian vegetable-n-grocery stores in Buffalo road (again not always). Buffalo Rd is close to 'Little India' Station when u take the NEL(north east line of mrt). And I promise u, even if u don't get methi leaves there on ur next visit u will surely have a great time shopping for all the authentic indian vegetable at these shop in little india. And I think the veggies in these shops r fresher and cheaper than mustafa and more imp u they r not prepacked so u get to select the best. I always end up buying a lot, since it is such a refreching change from the carrots-cabbage-brocolli of our NTUC, Cold storage...

[dev]

Thanks Vidhya...Will look into it... I usually go to little India only once in a month or so... Will look into it when I go there next time...:)

[lavsensuba]

Stuffed Capsicum
Capsicum - 6
Onion - 1 large-sized (grated)
Garlic - 1 medium-sized pod
Potato - 2 boiled and mashed smoothly
Tomato - 1 large-sized (chopped)
Sauf - 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Oil - 4-5 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 11/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Lime juice - 1 tbsp
Coriander Leaves - 3 tbsp
Butter - 3 tbsp
Cut the top part of the capsicums (where the stem is) and scrape and remove all the membrane and seeds. Soak this in salt water for 10 mins. Remove and wipe clean. Dry roast aniseed and coriander in a hot kadai and grind. Heat 2 tbsp of oil. Fry onions and garlic. once the onion browns add the tomato and fry until it turns mushy. Add all the powders to the kadai and fry for few sec. Add the potatos and stir well to mix. Switch off heat and add the lime juice and the coriander leaves. Cool the mixture. Fill the masala in the capsicum well. Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Place the stuffed capsicum onto a cookie sheet. Place 1/2 tbsp of butter on each capsicum. Bake until well done. Serve hot with chapathi's.

[lavsensuba]

Mixed Vegetable subzi
Carrots - 2 finely chopped
Coconut - 1/4 cup grated
Green Chilly - 2 finely chopped
Cabbage - 1 cup finely chopped
Beans - 1 cup finely chopped
Potato - 2 finely chopped
Beetroot - 1 finely chopped
Cauliflower - 1 cup finey chopped
Pea's - 1/2 cup shelled
Corriander leaves - 2 tbsp finely chopped
Urad Dal - 11/2 tsp.
Channa Dal - 1 tsp.
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp.
Karipattha - 1 sprig
Oil - 11/2 tbsp.
Salt as per taste
Heat oil in a kadai. Add the mustard seeds. Once they stop spluttering add the dals. When the dals turn light brown, add karipatha, green chilies and the chopped onion. Fry until the onion becomes translucent. Add the vegetables and stir well once and cover the kadai for 10 mins. After 10 mins add salt to the kadai stir well once more and cover. Reduce the heat and cook until the vegetables are well done. Switch off the heat, add coriander leaves and serve as a side dish for sambar or rasam or chapathi.

[guy]

hi dev

i am 50 yrs old man 181 cms 75 kgs vegetarian with sedantry work style with hypertension(for the last 11 yrs under check with drugs).can u now suggest me a diet table? i am staying alone due to professional compulsion. learning cooking and some how managing. shall be glad if you advice simple receipes.thanks in advance.
Guy

[dev]

Hi Guy,

Will surely give u a diet plan soon...Please give me 10 days time coz I'm bit busy these days...

[dev]

Hi Guy,

Good to know that you are interested in a diet plan. Following is an analysis of your health based on the information that you provided.

Height = 181 Cms
Weight = 75 Kgs
Age = 51
Lifestyle : Sedentary. I would say that your activity ratio = 1.0

Activity ratio depends on your lifestyle. Activity ratio calibration goes like this:

Sedentary = 1.0
Low Activity exercises 3 days in a week= 1.3 (Walking / stretching for 30 mins to 1 hr )
Moderate activity exercises 3-4 days in a week = 1.5 (Jogging/ Cycling for 30 mins to 1 hr)
High activity exercises 4-5 days in a week = 1.7 (Running/ Aerobics / Swimming for 30 mins to 1 hr)
Very High activity exercises 6 days in a week= 2.0 (Intense swimming / Weight lifting for 30 mins to 1 Hr)

One very good news to you - Your weight is ideal for your height. You don't have to reduce your weight. Maintain it, but make sure that you are fresh and energetic by having a good diet. Given your height and weight, you can go for 1800 Kcal diet to maintain your weight at current levels.

A good balanced diet should be having a minimum of 15% of protein, a maximum of 15% Fat and the rest Carbohydrates - usually range from 65 % - 75 %. Fibre content should range from 25 grams to 35 grams everyday and calcium should be around 500 mg.

I would assume that you take Lentils, Rice, Wheat, Whole meal bread / Cornflakes, most vegetables, milk and milk products and fruits. Based on this assumption, here is your daily diet plan:

60 Grams of Lentils would approximately provide 200 Kcal energy, 13 Grams of Protein, 1 Gm Fat, 37 Grams of Carbohydrates and 15 grams of fibre.

150 grams of Rice would approximately provide 550 Kcal energy, 11 Grams of Protein, 1 Gm Fat, 120 Grams of Carbohydrates and 2 grams of fibre.

50 grams of Wheat would approximately provide 170 Kcal energy, 7 Grams of Protein, 1 Gm Fat, 36 Grams of Carbohydrates and 6 grams of fibre.

300 grams of vegetables (Starchy, Fibrous and Leafy vegetables in equal proportions) would approximately provide 125 Kcal energy, 6 Grams of Protein, 1 Gm Fat, 30 Grams of Carbohydrates and 8 grams of fibre.

250 Grams of fruits would approximately provide 150 Kcal energy, 1.5 Grams of Protein, 1 Gm Fat, 41 Grams of Carbohydrates and 4 grams of fibre.

60 Grams of Cornflakes / Bread would provide 170 Kcal energy, 4 Grams of Protein, 2 Gm Fat, 36 Grams of Carbohydrates and 6 grams of fibre.

300 Grams of Low fat Milk / Low fat Yogurt would provide 160 Kcal energy, 8 Grams of protein, 5 Gm Fat, 13 Grams of Carbohydrates and 0 (note ZERO) grams of fibre and calcium 400 mgs.

Traces of Calcium would be found in other food products and this would ensure that you meet your Calcium requirements.

On top of this, you would be using Sugar, Salt, Spices and Oil in your food preparation.

Sugar 20 grams = 80 Kcal
Oil 10 Grams = 90 Kcals
Coffee / Tea, Salt and Spices 30 grams = 80 Kcals.

Drink 2 litres of plain water (no aerated drinks please) to maintain good hydration level in your body.

This would ensure that you meet all the Macro and Micro nutrient requirements. Summing up, the above diet would provide 1775 Kcal energy, 54 Grams Protein, 22 Grams fat and 353 Grams of carbohydrates, 41 grams of Fibre and 500 Mgs of calcium. This would mean getting around 13% Proteins, 11 % Fat and 80 % carbohydrates. If you notice, you are slightly short (by 2 %) on Protein requirement and slightly more ( by 5% ) on the carbohydrates. This diet though very good, still gives room for improvement.

There are a number of ways to better balance your diet, One way would be to reduce rice by 15 grams and add, either 2 Egg whites or 15 grams of De-fatted soya chunks. At this moment, i am not sure whether you would be open to have these 2 products in your diet. We can balance it even without this but, it would take a little more effort like reducing rice by 50 grams and replace with 50 grams of Wheat. You can start with this and then once you feel good with this diet, we can modify it slightly depending on your feedback.

I would suggest you to distribute your intake, through the day, like this:

550 Kcal for Breakfast, 600 Kcal for Lunch, 250 Kcal for evening and 400 Kcal for Dinner. You can prepare whatever food that you wish using these ingredients in the quantities i have suggested.

Here is a how you can plan a day's diet:

Breakfast : 60 gms corn flaks with 250 ml milk or 3 slices of bread with a few salad vegetables & 150-200 ml milk.
Lunch : Rice,Dhal preperation(40 gms)(like sambar),vegatables(200 gms),50 gms curd
Snack : Tea/ coffee/ fresh fruit juice
Dinner : Chapathi/wheat dosa with dhal (20 gms) & vegetables(100 gms), fruits 250 gms.

Every Human body is unique and it's always good to consult your physician before embarking on any diet plan because personal physicians would be aware of your body better and might have some suggestions.

Wish you all the very best in your dieting. :)

Dev.

[dev]

Hi Guy,

I've assumed tht U r an Indian & given a diet tht suits Indian style of cooking...In case u don't take rice,chapathis etc,pls let me know...

[guy]

Hi Dev

thanks a lot for the plan.U r right i am an indian.let me follow this for a week or so and get back to u for clarifications if any.should i take skimmed milk or just milk?

Guy

[dev]

Better go in for Skimmed milk or lowfat milk...

As for the recipes, if U can afford to spend around 45 mins to 1hr per day for cooking,U can manage to cook for the whole day... Prepare a dhal & a vegetable subzi and U can take it for Lunch with rice & for dinner with dosas or chapathis...

U can make chapathi dough in bulk & put it in the fridge...It keeps good for around a week...So,it becomes easier to prepare dinner...
Chopping the veg(5-7 different veg) can be done during weekends & stored in platics containers & stacked in the fridge...This too will keep good for a week except for a few vegetables...

On busy days u can make bisibele bhat as it is easier as it contains rice,dhal & lots of veg,thus making an all in 1 dish...U can use MTR Bisibele bhat masala powder...

In case U need any clarifications,feel free to write to me...Will be glad to clarify ur doubts...

[pr]

Hi dev
I hope u know a lot of info about diet and weight loss .
I will be happy if u throw some light on my query .
If we want to loose a pound we shld shed 3500 calories right ? If I cut down some calories in food and shed some by exercise and make it 3500 i shld loose 1 pound .. when we burn calories , some equipments also show the fat calories burnt . Here comes my doubt . Our indian cooking uses oil in everything and even if we restrict the oil to 1 tablespoon( approx) a day , we easily consume 120 calories from fat ..( from the food label of the oil package ) or if its 1/2 tablespoon its 60 calories . but we may not burn this much fat calories a day .. Does it mean that fat gets accumulated ?? or how does that work .. how to get rid of the fat calories ?? Any help in this regard is greatly appreciated ..
i also heard that fat intake is better than carb intake .. becoz carb is converted into fat .what do u tell ?
Thanks and regards

[dev]

Hi PR,

Good to know that you are keen on Weight loss. Let me come to your questions.

“If we want to loose a pound we shld shed 3500 calories right ? If I cut down some calories in food and shed some by exercise and make it 3500 i shld loose 1 pound”

You are right but i would like to re-phrase to make it very clear. For every 3500 Kcal negative difference between energy intake and energy expended would result in 1 pound loss of fat.

Let's imagine that your body requires 2000 Kcal everyday and you are supplying only 1500 Kcal every day. You are under supplying 500 Kcal every day and this energy is taken up from the energy store in your body – fat. In a week, you would have under-supplied 3500 (500 * 7 days) Kcals. This has to come from somewhere, right?. Where does it come from? The fat that you have accumulated in the past gets burnt to make up for this under-supply, thereby reducing your weight.

Now i will tell you one very good way of identifying whether the body is taking energy from the food that you supplied or from the fat stores in your body.

Take a good lunch and wait for the body signals. You will not feel hungry until the energy from your lunch is completely exhausted. Once exhausted, the body will send you the first hunger signal. You ignore this signal and hold on without taking any food. After about ½ an Hr to 45 Mins, the hunger signal will fade away. Your body gave you a signal and since you didn't provide any food, it started taking the energy from the fat that you have accumulated in your body.


“Does it mean that fat gets accumulated ?? or how does that work .. how to get rid of the fat calories ??”

Fat gets accumulated in your body in 2 ways:

1.Direct fat intake.
2.Conversion of over-supplied carbohydrates into fat. If the carbohydrates supplied by you is not burnt within 4 hours, the fat conversion process will start and this process will be completed within 24 hours.

No matter which way body accumulates fat, you can get rid of it by the process i explained while answering your previous question.

“i also heard that fat intake is better than carb intake .. becoz carb is converted into fat .what do u tell ?”

No i don't agree with this principle. Only excess carbohydrates get converted into fat but direct fat supply gets stored as fat itself inside your body. I would say that it's better to take optimal amount of carbohydrates and use it up rather than thinking “Anyhow it's getting converted to fat, why not take fat itself”.

I know that a few diet gurus in US proposed this and they become very famous. You can reduce weight by this method but you are harming your body in the most ruthless manner.

Carbohydrates are the preferred form of energy for your body. The order in which body looks at various macro nutrients (Proteins, Carbo hydrates and Fat) for energy is 1. Carbohydrates, 2. Fat and 3. Proteins. Proteins energy is used for building your lean body mass – bones and muscles and though it's in this list, it not used for supplying energy for your activities.

[pr]

thanx for ur detailed explanation dev

[pr]

You ignore this signal and hold on without taking any food. After about ½ an Hr to 45 Mins, the hunger signal will fade away. Your body gave you a signal and since you didn't provide any food, it started taking the energy from the fat that you have accumulated in your body.



Does that mean we have to ignore the hunger signal once a day so that body will use stored fat ??

[dev]

Not necessarily but you can do that for 1/2 hr to 45 mins and not for very long as it can be harmful.One important point that is to be noted is that the body needs a good amount of calcium for burning fat.Thus U'll have to provide the right amount of calcium while reducing weight.Else you bones will weaken due to lack of calcium. Since fat reduction is a complicated process,better take the right amount of carbs & fat so that U don't over-accumulate fat in your body.The best method for weight & fat reduction is proper diet & exercise.

[di]

hi dev,
are you a professional dietician?

[dev]

No Di, I am not a professional dietician...

[tomato]

Hi dev,
I tried ur mushroom curry. Liked it very much. It is so easy to prepare and yet so delicious. Only thing it turned out a bit sour so i balanced it with half a teaspoon of sugar.

[dev]

Hi Tomato,

I'm glad tht U liked the curry...The sourness might be coz of the curds...Try using fresh curds next time...:)

[rajsand]

Hello all
Just to tell everyone I tried the Spinach subzi given by Dev on Jan 17th.. its amazing..I used only carrots as veges and it turned out very nutritious and healthy!!
Just for you to know Dev we loved it a lot
Thankyou Dev.

[dev]

Hi rajsand,

Thanks a lot for posting your experience... Will post some more healthy recipes whenever I find time... :)

[apujittu]

Hi Dev,
This thread is really helpful. Thanks for posting usefultips ! Which is the best substitute for coconut(especially in kurmas). Is dessicated coconut better than fresh coconut (in respect to cholestrol!)

[Shobana]

Hi

www.indiandelicacies.com

This site has good recipes.Especially the navrathan kurma turns out really good!!! try it.

Shobana

[dev]

Hi Dev,
This thread is really helpful. Thanks for posting usefultips ! Which is the best substitute for coconut(especially in kurmas). Is dessicated coconut better than fresh coconut (in respect to cholestrol!)

I usually substitute soya chunks in place of coconut for kurmas & kolambu... Just cook the soya chunks in boiling water for a few mins...drain it & pour cold water o it...squeeze well(do this atleast twice)...grind it along with other masalas & proceed as usual...can add a some milk to the Kurma for better taste...

Both forms of coconut contains cholesterol...It's better to avoid coconut...maybe U can use it once in a month or so...

[Kz]

Hi Dev,
Substituting coconut with soya chunks is a great idea. i will try it.

Kz

[tomato]

Dev,
Using soya chunks in place of coconut is indeed a great idea. :)
I have a big pack of these soya chunks/nuggets lying around in my kitchen cabinet. Could u suggest any other uses or recipes using these.

[dev]

Hi Tomato,

I make a snack which I call as soya manchurian... Here's the recipe...All measures are approximate...adjust them to ur taste...

Soya chunks-25-cooked & squeezed well
capscicum-1/2 to 1 -cubed
Onions-1/2 cubed
Tomato sauce- 1 tbsp
chilli sauce-1/2 tbsp
Soy sauce-to taste
G.chillies-to taste slit lengthwise
ginger & garlic-chopped
salt & pepper powder-if req

Heat some oil in a pan...add the onions,capscicum,gin & gar,chillies...cook for a few mins...The vegs shouldn't lose it's crispiness... Add all the sauces & soyachunks,salt & pepper...cook for a few mins until the sauces coat the soya chunks & the soya is soaked well in the sauces...Done...Soya manchurian is ready...

& I make soya sambar...cook soya as usual...squeeze well & add to sambar & cook for 5 mins...try out & let me know...:)

I also use soya-cooked,squeezed out & coarsely ground, in poriyals...ie,as a substitiue for coconut in poriyals...

[tomato]

Thanks dev for the quick n nutritious recipe.

Need to trouble u a bit more. Could u pls explain step by step, how to pre cook soya chunks before adding it to any dish. Coz last time I soaked it in hot water for 15 mins, sqeezed, then again soaked it in cold water and sqeezed slightly and added it to mutter paneer in place of paneer. and boiled the curry for 5 mins. But there was a raw after taste of soya chunks which I did not like. Could u help me on this.

[dev]

Here's how I cook soya chunks... take a lot of water in a bowl...add the soya chunks to it once it is warm & continue cooking until the water starts boiling...Let it boil for a min...now drain the water & pour cold water on it... Let stand for a min...Squeeze the soya chunks & pour out all the water...repeat the same once again...Squeeze well until almost dry...That's it... Now it can be added to any dish U wish...

P>S: U'll have to let the soya cook in the gravy for sometime & if adding to dry curries,add to the curry/poriyal 5-7 mins before U take off the flame...This way,soya will absorb the flavors of the masalas & U'll not have the raw flavour of soya...

[MysoreHudugi]

Hi,
I am posting this query since discussion is going on Soya here. Could anyone tell me how to use soya bean granules/nuggets. They are not soya chunks. I tried soaking them in water for couple of hours like we do for kabuli chana/moong etc and then cooking. It doesn't get soft at all. Don't know if the quality is bad or what? Is there some particular method I need to follow to make them soft?

Thanks,
CI.

[rain]

hi mysorehudugi,

i get good results when i pressure cook them after soaking them for 30 min in med.hot water (the squeezing and resoaking is done same as u do with the chunks).u can fry them in little oil till the raw smell goes and then pressure cook them for a minute or two and it comes out soft.maybe u can try this method and see if it works.regards

rain

[MysoreHudugi]

Hi Rain,
Thanks, will try it.

CI.

[rain]

hi mysorehudugi,

no problem. to remind u,jus in case,u shud be pressure cooking the soya in minimum water (just enough for the pressure to come thru without it getting burnt).regards,

rain

[Mini]

Hello,
herez the simplest recipe which can b done in no time.

Ingredients

keerai
salt

seasoning
oil, mustard, jeera, urid dal, hing, red chilly

Procedure:
1. boil keerai well and mash it using a mathuor use a blender (u can make use of frozen ones, just put it in the microwave till it melts down completely)
2. heat oil allow mustad seeds to splutter, add jeera urid dal, hing and red chily.
3. add salt.
u r done.

this can b used with rice or with chapathi