Chilli Soya Chunks

I was so excited on having a good day at work that not only did I make the moong dal, I also decided to venture out and make soya chunks for the first time in my life.

I had always seen my mum cook soya extensively so I knew the basics. Pressure cook it till 1 whistle, wash, drain, squeeze. But then what? To that question a leaflet fell out from the soya box with several recipes. Found one that I liked and rehashed it to my liking. Less effort, time and oil. :P This was a 2-time success thing. I cooked it the first time and realised it needs more zing and added "tadka" the second time. So have patience and you will know how you can make this yummy Chilli Soya.




Ok, so things you will need to make this:

Dry Red chillis: 2
Green chillis: 2
Hing / asfoetida: 1 pinch
Onion: 1 big, chilli style big chunks
Tomatoes: 2 + 2
Ginger: 3 + 2 tbsp
Garlic: 5 cloves
Oil: 1 tbsp
Maggi Chicken Stock Cube: 1 (optional) or chole masala: 2 tbsp
Soya chunks: 1 small cup
Garam Masala:  1 tsp
Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1/2 tsp
Vinegar: 1 tsp
Soya Sauce: 1 tbsp

Add oil to a pan and add 2 split red chillis. Then add the big chunks of onions and stir till onions turn pink, add a pinch of salt. Cut similar big chunks for tomatoes. Then add the tomatoes, soya sauce and vinegar to the fried onions and stir for a minute or so.

 

Now add garam masala, coriander powder, ginger garlic and salt. Now add in the soya chunks and 2 glasses of water.



I simmered the heat for it to cook slowly till the all the water had evaporated. Then added chopped capsicum to garnish. At this point this is how the soya looked.

It looked better face to face but the taste didn't even barely match how good it looked. So I went in for a second round of internet snooping and realised my blunder.

Now this is what followed.

I got a pressure cooker added 1/2 tsp oil and a pinch of hing and two split green chillis. I again cooked two tomatoes by poking it thoroughly and then microwaved it for 3 montues. This makes it give out allll its juices and looses its posture and saves you so much of time on the whole run. Now I add this puree to the hot cooker; which in turn splat a lot on my head, funny but could have been scarily dangerous too. Now I add a maggi magic cube, you can also add 2 tbsp chole masala if you don't have the cubes at home. Now once the cube has got completely mixed through the mixture I added the nutrela chunks and put on the lid, simmer the heat and let the whistle blow once. And voila, the best Chilli Soya I have ever had!

The best praise definitely has to be my mother applauding to the taste of this chilli.

Hope you like my recipe too. If you do like this post,please do subscribe. :)

Bengali Style Moong Dal AKA "kaancha moonger daal"

This was a day when I was particularly craving for the bengali styled food. Then again I'm thoroughly lazy so I realised, moong dal is the answer to all my woes.



Things you will need:
Dry red chillis :2
Cumin seeds: 1 tbsp
Dal : 1 small cup
Water: 4x the measure
Salt: 1-1/2 tsp
Oil: 2 tbsp
Ginger: 1 tbsp
Green Chilli: 1

Wash the moong dal and add some water and keep it doused on the side.

Now start the cooking.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a deep pan. Once the oil is hot add the jeera seeds, wait for it to stop crackling or at least when you can hear the crackling seperately.Now switch off the gas, drain the dal; add it to the jeera and red chillis and switch the heat back on.

Stir the dal till the dal is almost musical when it brushes against the pan almost a faint jingle sound.By this time the dal would have started to look almost split. Add water, simmer and cover.


In the meanwhile, grind the ginger and green chilli into mulch.


Once the dal is thoroughly cooked, add this paste to the dal and cover for 10 minutes post taking it off the heat.

Your delicious Bengali style moong dal is ready!

Indian Dhamaal Chicken

Luckily or unluckily my fellow blog authors also my flatmates aren't big fans of chicken. So I cook meager portions which I then eat for days. :) Today I will show you how I make Indian chicken in the least hassling way and yet tastes nothing short of gourmet.

Things you will need

• Chicken : 250 gms
• Ginger : 2 tbsp
• Garlic : 12 - 14 cloves
• Curd : 4 tbsp (optional) 
• Mustard Oil : 2 tbsp 
• Chilli powder : 1 tsp
• Cumin powder :1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder : 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala : 1 tsp
• Aamchur powder: 1/2 tsp
• Salt : 1-1/2 tbsp
• Sugar : 1/4 tsp

I start by marinating the chicken.I add 2 tbsp mustard oil to the chicken.I crush 12- 14 cloves of garlic and 2 tbsps of ginger powder and crush.










Then out comes the magic masala box and I add all the masalas in the same pattern followed by 4 tbsp of curd.

  

Let this sit in the fridge over night; or as was in my case through the day. 

In the evening I just came back from office and doused it with 1 glass off water, covered it and put it on flame in simmer. 30 minutes and your delicious yummy-no-hassle-chicken is ready. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy. :) 

No sweat Vegetable stir fry

Often when I feel like eating healthy I realise I'm not the kind that likes slogging and slogging and slogging for hours before I get to something good.This is my go-to vegetable stir fry.

I start with some oil in the pan, grind 12 garlic cloves , 2 tsp ginger powder and 4 chillis into mulch and add into the still cold oil.
  
I like adding this to cold oil to avoid allll the fumes the adding chilli to hot oil can be avoided. The I add aniseed and cinnamon and follow this by adding cubed mushrooms. I add mushrooms first for they give out water and keep everything from burning without the added hassle of adding more oil. Then goes in the diagonally sliced corn. I like cutting them diagonally for you can cut longer fancier looking pieces and such a huge time saver. :) Add 2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp garma masala, 1/2 tsp coriander powder and anything that you find. That's the magic of my cooking style, very accommodating; much like me. ;D

Then I add the spring onions and beans. Then as usual I micro 2 tomatoes that have been poked through for 2 minutes till its cooked.

Then my love for spinach remains unhindered, and I cut out the leaves after washing it thoroughly.


Simmer and cover it for 15 minutes. Be ready for yummy yummy in your tummy. :)

World's easiest Chilli Chicken

This is a family recipe as I herald from a lazy family.

Things you will need to make this: 

• 250 gm chicken
• Tomato ketchup
• Tomato
• Chilli Sauce
• Soya Sauce
• Vinegar
• Salt
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Onions
• Oil

Take a deep container add the chicken, approx. 5-6 ladels of tomato ketchup, 4 tbsp chilli sauce, 2 tbsp. soya sauce, 4 tbsp soya sauce, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp aamchur powder and add 10 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp salt. Cover and let it marinade overnight.

 

There is no rush you can make it in the morning or the next night. The longer it marinades the deeper the sauces seep the tastier it is. Alternatively if you are in a hurry you can cook it aft an hour or two; like I did. It still tastes yum.

Now cut 1 big onion into thin slices and fry in 1 tbsp oil in a kadhai.

 

Once the onions are fried add the entire chicken marinade, cover and sim. 

Once I feel it is almost ready I add whatever vegetables I find in and around the house. I find some leftover spinach some peas, in it goes. Add some greens to the meat and I let it cook for another 10 minutes or so. 

I'm yet to learn how to take better pictures of food, to make it look as appealing as it tastes. That day will come, but today, sadly is not that day. I only hope you don't judge a book by its cover. ;)

Tomato soup for the sick and lazy

I woke up with a terrible stomach ache, one that was well anticipated and I had already arranged for a work from home situation. Either way I realised I need something that goes down gently without much turbulence.

So I  started making the tomato soup.

Things you will need for this tomato soup:

1. 7 medium sized tomatoes
2. 2 long carrots
3. 1 pressure cooker
4. oil
5. whole jeera seeds
6. bay leaf
7. 8 cloves of garlic
8. ginger powder
9. Spaghetti
10. Italian basil
11. lemon grass
12. coriander powder
13. garam masala
14. aamchur powder
15. salt
16. sugar

Poked 7 medium tomatoes through and through with a knife and set it on the microwave in a deep dish for 10 minutes while I minced 2 carrots.

Took a pressure cooker, put in 1.5 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp jeera seeds and 1 bay leaf.

Then I added the carrots and fried them till they lost their moisture.

By this time the tomatoes were done, and I squashed the now thoroughly cooked tomatoes with a fork.

Lot of online websites suggested that I peel and mix and remove the pulp, but if I were ready to perspire that much then this wouldn't be a lazy blog is it?

Now we add the squished tomatoes to carrots and stir.

Then I microwave 8 cloves of garlic in the microwave for 20 seconds easily peels off the skin (this way of peeling garlic is a great time saver and quite fun too). Using the handy mortar and pestle I grind it to a paste.

I have a ginger powder that's rather handy and put in 2 tsp of ginger powder, all the masalas at home - coriander powder, garam masala, aamchur powder & pepper. 

Then I add about 10-15 strands of spaghetti, 12 leaves of Italian basil and about 2 inches long sprigs (about 10 in number) of lemongrass to the mixture, add 2 tbsps of salt, 1/4 tsp of sugar to balance the acidic taste of tomatoes. Also taste post its ready - namak swaad anusaar! And about a ton of water - kidding, about 750 ml should do.

Then set the pressure cooker lid and wait for two whistles when the aroma of basil and lemongrass fills your home that's when you know you are ready to get fit, as this soup heals the soul.

This is how the soup finally looks. =)