Persian cucumber stir fry with fresh tomatoes and organic sprouted soybean tofu cubes..Light Indian subzi for everyday cooking / side dish for Chapati. [Tofu Recipes-3]

I picked few Persian cucumbers from Indian grocery store during weekly vegetable shopping. These cucumbers are small, bright green, extra crunchy with less and too tender seeds. I use them to make raita, bhajia, subji, add them in sambar also they are too good to eat just raw. Today morning  I made Persian cucumber subzi. It was simple preparation by using generous quantity of fresh tomatoes, organic sprouted soya bean tofu cubes. I seasoned it with Garam masala powder. This light subzi is good  to serve as side dish for chapati/roti in daily Indian meals.

Ingredients :
Quantity serves three people.

• 2 - Persian cucumbers - cut  into 1/2 cm thick round slices.
• 200 gm - block of extra firm tofu - diced into 1/2 inch size.
• 1 - small size onion - slice into thin round rings or slice lengthwise.
• 2 - medium size tomatoes - chopped ( yield - 3 cups)
• 2 - green chilies - finely chopped
• 1/2 - T.spoon - Turmeric powder
• 1 T.spoon - garam masala or any of your favorite powdered masala blend.
• 3/4 cup - finely chopped cilantro
• 1 Tb.spoon - oil
• 1/4 cup water

Directions to cook Persian cucumber subzi with Tofu and Tomato :

1. Slightly trim both the tips of cucumber, make 1/2 cm thick round slices. No need to peel the skin or remove seeds. 
2. Gently press/squeeze tofu block 4-5 times to drain out liquids then blot tofu block with two thick paper towels by slightly pressing from all sides few times, you don't need to thoroughly dry out tofu block because extra firm Tofu keeps its cube shape through out the cooking process. Once you dry out tofu block, cut into half an inch cubes, sprinkle very little salt over cubes, gently mix and toss, keep it aside.
3. In a medium size heavy gauge pot heat 1 tbsp oil, add sliced onions - saute over medium heat for 7-8 minutes. Add chopped green chilies, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and one chopped tomato, stir fry for 2-3 minutes over high heat.
4. Next add sliced Persian cucumber rounds, mix well. Add  1 tsp garam masala powder, salt, 1/4 cup water. Cook open over medium heat for 6-7 minutes.
5. Add remaining chopped tomato, Tofu cubes, little chopped cilantro. Adjust salt level. If needed add 2-3 tbsp water and continue to cook open over medium low heat for 4-5 minutes or until Persian cucumbers are tender. Don't over cook, leave them a bit crunchy in texture.
6. Finally add remaining chopped cilantro. Serve with rice or roti.

Persian cucumber stir fry with tofu and fresh tomatoes.

Subzi Roti lunch- Rotis are made with Newly arrived Royal brand Aata.

Persian Kakdi chi Bhaji/ kakadi Tofu Tamatar ki subzi.

Earlier blogged subzi recipes with Tofu.
1) Capsicum,Broccoli,Edamame  beans with Tofu.
2) Red radish and green peas with tofu.
3) Purslane stir fry with Tofu and Chayote.

Nutrela high protein soya chunks/ Soya wadi subzi with julienned Chayote and Green peas...Quick Veggie-Protein packed Indian Stir fry for every day cooking.

Nutrela soya chunks is over two decade old  popular nutritional product of India. It has been quite a long time since I have cooked any  dish with Nutrela soy chunks. Today I made this quick subji by using soya chunks with julienned Chayote and green peas. This subji is good to pack in lunch boxes or can be enjoyed with daily meals.

Ingredients :

• 1 heaped cup - Nutrela Soya chunks
• 1 Extra large chayote/chow chow/Bangalore brinjal - julienned (2 cups lightly packed)
• 3/4 Cup - frozen green peas
• 1 small size onion - sliced lengthwise (1 cup yield)
• 1/2 Tsp - red chilli powder
• 1/2 Tsp - Turmeric powder
• 1 Tsp - Garam masala or your favorite spice blend powder.
• 1/2 Cup - fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbsp - oil

Directions to prepare Soya chunks/ soya vadi subji :

1. Place soya balls in a medium size bowl filled with water, around 2 cups - microwave for 4 minutes over 20% reduced temperature that is set heat level to 80. Let it  cool for 2-3 minutes. Take out all balls from bowl with slotted spoon, place in a colander, run under cold water for few seconds, until they turn cool enough to touch. Quickly squeeze out water. Gently Squeezing 2-3 times is enough, you need to retain some water in chunks. Keep aside
2. In a medium saute pan heat 1 tbsp oil, add sliced onions, saute over medium heat, stirring often for about 6-7 minutes. Now add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala, fry for one minute.
3. Next add julienned chayote, mix all well. Pour in half a cup of water, little salt. Cover the lid and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.
4. Open the lid, mix in squeezed soya chunks. Sprinkle remaining half tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, little chopped cilantro. Mix well, continue cooking over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add 2-3 tbsp water if pot dries out at the bottom.
5. Add 3/4 cup frozen green peas, reduce heat to medium low, adjust salt seasoning. Add 2-3 tbsp water, let cook covered for 4-5 minutes.
6. Finally garnish with remaining chopped cilantro. Serve with roti, use as wrap filling or just enjoy in a bowl.

Soya wadi, Bangalore brinjal and matar subzi.

Cauliflower and Orange subzi with California Zante currants. {Indian vegetable stir fry with fresh fruit addition.}

Today afternoon I made this simple Phool Gobi subzi. I wanted to finish off  2 cups cauliflower florets laying in my fridge and  one California orange that was sitting in  a fruit basket. I paired cauliflower and orange, tossed in few California Zante currants and made this sweet, sour and slight bitter tasting subzi. Addition of oranges  created thick  gravy that nicely coated cauliflower florets. I ate it with Flax-Ragi-Teff  enriched white whole wheat flour rotis.

Cauliflower, Orange stir fry with Zante currants.

Ingredients :

• 2 cups - cauliflower florets 1-inch size
• 1 large orange - cut each segment into 3-4 pieces
• 1 medium size onion - sliced length wise (1 cup heaped yield)
• 1-2 green chilies - finely chopped
• 2 Tb.spoon - heaped blackcurrants (I used  Sun-Maid brand California Zante Currents)
• 1/4 T.spoon - Turmeric
• 1 T.spoon  - honey or brown sugar
• 1 Tb.spoon  - oil
• 1/2 Cup - chopped cilantro for garnish.

Method of preparing Phool Gobi, Orange subzi :

1. Finely slice onion lengthwise. Peel orange, remove white pith as much as you can, separate each orange segment and cut each into 3-4 pieces. Finely chop chiles. Keep all aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium size saute pan. Add chopped onions, saute over medium heat for 6-7 minutes, stirring often. Once onions are tender and translucent add chopped chilies, turmeric and half quantity of blackcurrants i.e 1 tbsp. Increase heat to high, stir and saute for one minute, in the process let few onions and blackcurrants get caramelized.
3. Now add 2 cups cauliflower florets, salt - mix all well, add half cup of water. Cook  covered for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.
4. Add sliced oranges, mix well. Add 1/4 cup water, continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes without lid. 
5. Finally add remaining 1 tbsp blackcurrants, 1 tsp honey or brown sugar. Mix well,  adjust salt level. Cook until water evaporates, cauliflower florets get tender, oranges get softened and create dry gravy coating around cauliflower florets. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro. (I was out of stock so no garnish is seen in the image.)

How I made rotis shown in the image :

These rotis are made with American white whole wheat flour. I have added 1 tbsp flax seed meal, 2 tbsp ragi flour, 2 tbsp teff flour per one cup of wheat flour. Generally I use just whole wheat flour not the white one. This is first time I used Kroger brand white whole wheat flour. It has good easy rolling texture, fresh wheat aroma, rotis were soft and puffed well.

Tips for more enhancement to the subzi : Add grated ginger, little dash of garam masala powder and Kasuri Methi. Add 3/4 cup more sliced oranges after you are half way through 4th step of cooking, these oranges will hold its shape and that will bring more appeal. In my subzi orange pieces  are not visible, they got cooked and created dry gravy. Blackcurrants can be replaced with sweetened cranberries and raisins. Adding 1/4 cup whipping cream, green peas, carrot dices will turn this subzi into rich Cauliflower Korma . Lastly oranges can be replaced with many other fruits of your choice.

Cauliflower and Orange Stir fry

Four Whole spices tempered Dal made with split skin on Urad dal, Quinoa, split skinless masoor Dal and Barley. {Grain & Legume Mix Dal - Year round Indian comfort food}

I cooked  mix lentil Dal on the first day of the new year with mixture of black urad dal, Masoor dal, Quinoa and Barley. This Mix Dal is  prepared in pressure pan. Distinct  feature of this dal preparation is, use of four whole Indian spices (khada Masala) for  tempering. I skipped using ground masala powder. This versatile Dal recipe serves multiple meals like Dal, Khichdi and Soup.

Ingredients :

• 3/4 Cup - Skin-on split Urad Dal (Black gram Dal)
• 5 Tb.spoon- skinless split Masoor Dal (Orange lentil)
• 5 Tb.spoon- Quinoa
• 5 Tb.spoon- Barley (quick cooking type or pearl barley)
• 1 small size onion - finely chopped (1 cup yield)
• 7-8 big size garlic cloves - slice lengthwise each clove in 4-5 pieces.
• 1 Tb.spoon Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) 
• 1/2 T.spoon - Turmeric powder
• 2 Roma tomatoes - diced
• 2 inch - piece of ginger, finely grated
• 2 Green chilies - finely chopped
• 1 cup - chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tb.spoon oil + 1 Tb.spoon oil

Whole spices for Tadka/Tempering

• 4 cloves
• 1/2 T.spoon - shahijeera
• 1 T.spoon - whole black peppers
• 1 Bay leaf - 3 inch long

Method of Preparing Dal/ Mix Grain-Lentil Curry

1. Combine Urad dal, masoor Dal, quinoa, quick cooking barley in a big size bowl, fill with water and thoroughly massage mixture between palms, drain all murky water. Repeat until water gets clear,  drain keep it aside. (In absence of quick cooking barley use pearl barley but you will need to soak in the water for at least one  hour.)
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pressure pan / pressure cooker, (3 quart or bigger size) don't let oil temperature to reach smoking point. First add bay leaf, followed by 4 cloves and 1 tsp whole black peppers, stir and sizzle for 20-30 seconds. Now add shahijeera, sizzle for 15 seconds. Quickly add chopped onions, saute over medium heat for 7-8 minutes or until they turn soft and transparent. Add sliced garlic, chopped green chilies, 1 tbsp Kasuri methi, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, saute for 1 minute. (Refer image-A cooking step below)
3. Now add rinsed Urad dal-Masoor Dal-Quinoa-Barley, saute for 2-3 minutes over high heat, stirring often. Add salt and 4 cups water, when it starts to boil, (refer image-C) close pressure pan lid, allow to cook over medium high heat for 6-7 minutes. Once steam is built up inside pressure pan, reduce the heat to medium. Allow to blow quick 2-3 whistles. Quickly reduce heat to low and continue cooking for another 6-7 minutes. (Some pressure pans give short 5 second whistles, in such cases  you may continue cooking over medium heat for 7-8 minutes, wait until it blows short 5 seconds whistles at least 10-12 times, then reduce flames to medium low and further  cook for 6-7 minutes. Shut off the heat and let pressure pan cool.
4. Once you open the lid, you will find all water has evaporated and Mixture of legumes  is well cooked. (Check images-D below) If you want to enjoy some wholesome Khichdi, take out some portion at this stage, enjoy by adding warm creamy milk and melted ghee.
5. My pressure pan was small so I have to take another pot to cook Dal. If you are using 4 quart and bigger size pressure cooker you can do this step in a small pan and pour tomato ginger mixture  in pressure cooker. Heat 1 tbsp oil in minimum 4 quart heavy gauge pot. Add grated ginger, saute for 1 minute, quickly add diced Roma tomatoes. Saute over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.
6. Now add cooked Dal mixture, 2 cups water. Mix all well. Check and adjust salt level. You may increase or decrease water quantity as per your desired  consistency. Add fresh chopped cilantro, simmer over medium low heat for 12-15 minutes, stirring at intervals. Serve with hot  rice, roti or enjoy as soup by drizzling spoonful of  melted ghee or extra virgin olive oil.

Few Images captured while preparing Dal in pressure pan.

[Image-A] Sauteing 4 whole spices, onions, garlic in pressure pan.

[Image-B] Mixing rinsed Dals to sauteed Spice and onion base.

[Image-C] Dal starts boiling, time to close pressure pan lid.

[Image-D] Perfectly pressure pan cooked legumes and grains.

Happy New Year 2013...Sunset of 31st December. Morning time backyard bird watch on first day of the New year. First time sighting of European Starling in the backyard.

New year Greetings to all my followers, readers and visitors. I wish  you all a very  Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and successful  New year ahead.

During the peak winter time when nature is resting, one
 single beautiful  light pink Gerbera Daisy bloomed in the pot.

On the last day of the year I spent few moments watching the setting sun, it was beautiful Sunset with mix of Grey and  orange clouds. I watched it until bright orange glow vanished and horizon turned all grey. Our first day of the year  started with cloudy, cold and rainy weather. Morning time few birds came to eat seeds from the bird feeder. For the first time I spotted European Starling, also known as Common Starling (sturnus vulgaris). As soon as they landed over lawn they found suet feeder and made few rounds to eat. I could take few pictures through window glass. One more surprise was Squirrel, with her acrobatic stretching skills she made her first entry to the bird feeder. In just two attempts she drained all seeds and by evening she broke two resting hooks of the bird feeder, now I need to buy new  Squirrel proof bird feeder. Enjoy the images taken on the first day of the year.

Common Starling with beautiful black and brown body
  covered with brilliant white spots.

European Starling in NC backyard.

Squirrel skillfully got hold of bird feeder, behind is the suet box.

Squirrel makes second attempt to grab bird feeder.

KharuTai

On the first day of the year I cooked Mix Dal with Black Urad Dal, Quinoa and Masoor. This two whistle pressure pan Dal does not use any powdered spices instead I used whole cloves, shahijeera, black pepper and bay leaf. I will blog Dal recipe in the next blog post.

 Happy Healthy 2013...