the soup which is bringing me back to track

yes , this is the soup which is so full of nutrients and soluble fiber , not to mention the goodness of the complex carbs, protiens and antioxidants ....very low on fats and all this health package comes in a tasty bowl of comfort........

recently when i thought of moving to the next level with my weight loss , which has to be healthy but i was not able to exercise properly ( due to my other commitments), i had to come to food to help me out........earlier also i relied on high fiber, low fat meals at least once a day, but in winters it is easier to stick to multigrain breads and rotis and lots of winter veggies n fruits.........that worked for me fine but the smoldering summers come with lots of mangoes and sherbats here and you don't want to exercise in the heat.......sweating feels like yuckk........i like all the summer veggis n fruits too and they have helped me maintain my weight but i needed to loose a few more kilos.............multigrain roti are too heavy for Indian summers , so i came up with this soup.............i take it daily , a large bowl full actually , sometimes i make a khichdi with slight modifications and believe me this one special meal a day has helped me reduce 1.5 kg in two weeks....and i am eating those mangoes, lassi, shakes and sherbats almost daily and the fried puris, pakode n parathas too once a week( my puri, chapati or paratha dough still has that soya solids , leftover from soy milk making)

ingredients for two servings

whole wheat grains 1 tbsp
hulled whole barley 1.5 tbsp
mung beans 1 tbsp
split chickpea or chana daal 1 tbsp
( soak these for two hrs , i prefer soaking these four ingredients overnight as it becomes quick in the morning)
brown rice 1 tbsp
french beans chopped 1/2 cup
brinjals choped 1/2 cup
carrots chopped 3/4 cup
tomatoes chopped 2 cups
black pepper powder 1 tbsp
cumin powder 1 tsp
green chillies chopped 1 tbsp
salt to taste
butter 1 tbsp
garlic chopped 1 tbsp

procedure

dunk all the ingredients into the pressure cooker with about 3 cups of water ( or more if you like it thinner), except butter and garlic , and cook till 2 whistles.....cool and mix well.
heat butter and garlic together till garlic gets pinkish....pour over the soup and serve hot.......
tastes like a richly textured tomato soup.....it's yummy and i like having it almost daily for my breakfast at this point of time...

try this for a week and tell me.......anybody out there wanting to loose a couple of kilos....

healthy fiber rich handvo

handvo is a gujrati dish which is more like a baked dhokla or a savory cake or a spiced up cornbread......what appeals me more in this dish that it can be very versatile in the way we use the ingredients....a mixed pulses batter with some 'carbohydrate grain' , some veggies.....a generous tadka and finally the baking makes it a whole new experience.....i like the way it is baked, with a tadka topping........

this recipe is not at all close to a gujrati handvo , authentically a mixture of slow roasted pulses is ground and used for making it but this version makes do with healthy ingredients readily available in a north Indian household........... i call it a handvo because of it's cooking technique.......i made this with lots of cabbage, broken wheat or daliya, chickpea flour and lots of currypatta ......these ingredients make for a moist and spongy handvo which is rich in flavor....the fiber content of the handvo is very high due to all these ingredients....

for the batter you need

1 cup of daliya soaked in a cup of buttermilk for 2 hrs( can be kept in the fridge overnight)
1 cup of chickpea flour or besan( i use corn meal too in winters as it is available in winters here )
2 cups of very finely chopped cabbage
salt n pepper to taste
turmeric powder 1 tsp
ginger paste 1 tbsp
water to make the batter
baking soda 1 tsp

for the tadka you need

oil 2 tbsp
asafoetida 1/4 tsp
mustard seeds 1 tsp
black gram split / urad dal 1 tsp
chickpea split / chana dal 1 tsp
green chillies choppes 2 tbsp
currypatta finely chopped 1/2 cup

to proceed ..........

preheat the oven( i make it in microwave's grill option) ...
make the batter mixing the ingredients for it and keep aside........

now heat oil in a small tadka pan and throw in asafoetida, mustard seeds,the dals, green chillies and currypatta in that order.......let all the ingredients well fried on medium heat, less amount of oil does not allow it to be fried quickly on high heat....

now spoon out 2-3 tbsp of the tadka mix into the baking dish and spread in the bottom like this.......

now pour the batter over this mix and spread the remaining tadka mix over the top like this..............

now bake the handvo in the oven till the top is nicely brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center....

let it cool to room temperature and cut pieces and serve....it keeps well in the fridge for a week which can be reheated in microwave and served warm with a chutny or as it is.......

it's a nice n healthy tea time snack ....full of fiber and low on calorie............high on taste

mangoes with coconut sticky rice

summer is the season of mangoes in India and however you resolve to keep under control , you just end up having mangoes everyday......other fruits seem just so pale when mangoes are around, i am eating my melons, peaches and plums too but as my husband loves anything with mangoes ........aam malai is a childhood favorite and mango loaf has just slowed down...........it's time for sticky rice mangoes ......it has been a week that i have been repeating this dessert every other day.......

long time back i had seen this dessert.....or actually a street food ( on discovery travel n living of course) being sold in some country( i think it was Thailand or Malayasia) neatly wrapped up in plaintain leaves........i made it just after seeing that and now i have even adapted it for a quick version........ it's so easy to make if you have coconut milk powder in your fridge........the flavors of mango and coconut milk combine so beautifully together along with a fragrant rice.....i use either basmati or short grain gobindbhog ( very fragrant variety) to make this.....actually as i cook quick recipes only these days due to time constraint, i am using the leftover rice for this , i purposely make extra rice so that i can make this for A whenever he demands......he knows he'll get it within 10 minutes........

let's start with the recipe which is more like an arrangement than a proper recipe........you just need to put everyhting together..........take a cup of cooked rice in a microwave safe bowl, add 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of coconut milk to it and microwave it for 2 minutes....the rice should look very soft and sticky and the microwaving time can be adjusted to get the right consistency.........sometimes i make it a bit runny and sometimes it is lumpy n sticky ...see both of them here .....

with the thin sticky rice...

and with the lumpy sticky rice...

.....tastes good both ways , add 1 tbsp of sugar and mix well...........top with a cup of cubed mangoes and serve hot, warm or cold.........we like it any which way......just too irresistible.......

i used to make this dish in an elaborate manner which is definitely a bit more tasty due to real coconut flesh used in that, it's more textured as you get to taste real coconut with rice n mango..........for that you need to cook the rice in usual amount of water and just when it is about to cook add pureed fresh coconut(equal amounts of cooked rice and coconut works best) to it and cover the pan so that the flavors seep in..........add sugar and top with cubes of mangoes.......and serve as you like.............this version definitely needs planning ( for coconut processing ) which i am not able to do at this point of time........the quicker version is working just fine for me.....

A can have it for breakfast, evening snack or dinner......always game for it.........

kashmiri masale ki sukhi bhindi

okra or bhindi is my husband's fav veggie and we grow it in our garden, organic ones......

okra is a very good source of Vit.C , it is a low cal food : 20 calories per half cup sliced okra , it is also a good source of Vit.A , calcium and fibre, but the most interesting benefit of okra comes from the mucilage rich fibre it contains......it soothes the inner lining of stomach n intestines , detoxifies the system and is very gentle on the system unlike bran which irritates the inner lining of stomach when consumed in large quantities.

okra should not be fried to get all the benefits , stirfrying works best as the mucilage from inside the fruit is not decomposed and it gets absorbed into the powdered masalas ( cornmeal or chickpea flour can also be used for this purpose) on the outside...........

A likes it stirfried, and i make many versions of the dish.........basically using different masalas or herbs to impart the okras a different flavor each time .........we eat this particular veggie almost 4-5 times a week.........sometimes i make deep fried crispy okra which is a delicacy of sorts ( very high on oil ) ....and it's calorie count is such that i make it only for 'fries' loving guests.........i make it absolutely low fat for the two of us , but it is very flavorful always and goes well with plain chapatis with a bowl of curds.

it is very simple and quick preparation..........just wash and cut the okras (250 gm) in half , pat dry and keep aside......heat sunflower oil or mustard oil 1 tsp in a deep pan and throw in the okras with salt to taste and stir fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes .........add 2 tsp of powdered kashmiri masala* ......fry for 2 minutes and it is ready to serve.......the okras should just be cooked and not browned for me and it is good this way as i told above........

to make powdered kashmiri masala*

fennel seeds 1 tbsp
black pepper corns 1 tbsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
cloves 5 nos.
fenugreek 1/2 tsp
cinnamon 1 inch stick

dry roast all these spices and make a powder along with 8-10 whole red chillies , 1 tbsp gry ginger pwder and 1 tbsp of amchoor ( dry mango) powder and a pinch of asafoetida.....keep in a airtight container for later use........just a tsp of this powder makes any stirfry hot, spicy and flavorful.

phalse ka sharbat

It's too hot here in Delhi and we are practically living on cooling foods and drinks, be it salads or sharbats or just plain lime water....nimboo paani......chilled slices of watermelons and muskmelons are mostly for lunch and light snacking throughout the day.

Phalsa or Grewia asiatica is a tropical berry which is tangy n sweet with a unique flavor, it's taste pairs well with kala namak or black salt, some people call it pink salt too.

The fruit has a small stone inside which can be chewed and I prefer to chew on it whenever eating the berries in a salad like my mango salad or as it is with black salt.....but when they are made into a sharbat , the seeds need to be discarded......for this you have to strain the pulp....but there is a problem that if you strain the pulp , the skin of the fruit also gets discarded which is so full of color and hence rich in antioxidants. I devised a new method to do that.....see how it goes....

First put the berries in mixie jar or food processor and pulse to make a puree of the fruit. I add equal quantity of thinly slices beets to this pulsing mixture sometimes.

Add chilled water once a paste of formed, pulse again, and pass the mixture through a sieve so the stony seeds are separated.

Add ice cubes or more chilled water, pink salt to taste, add sugar if required and serve chilled.

A cup of phalsa berries and half a cup of beet slices result in 3-4 large glasses of thick smoothie like sharbat. You can always dilute it but then you might require a sweetener as the natural tangy sweet flavor of the berry will be diluted.

The sharbat can be refrigerated for the day. Cooling for summers, cleansing for the system and very nutritious as the fruit is rich in minerals and antioxidants.

Do let me know if you have had this sharbat. The phalsa berry is not available in many parts of the country.

mixed grain poha | multigrain poha ....a perfect breakfast for weight watchers...

Mixed grains when used in whole form are a good source of soluble fiber and multiple types of Vitamins and minerals, also varied profile of amino acids as well. Such grains are low on glycemic index and good for diabetics and weight watchers too.

The grains, as healthy as ever...

and the poha... easy and wholesome...

I like savory things for breakfast.......in our childhood days it used to be stuffed parathas, poha, upma, sandwiches etc. with a bowl of daliya cooked in milk. Daliya used to be a quick gulp down, but the savory preparations were something special, everyday we used to look forward... aaj nashte me kya bana hai... what is there for breakfast today.......

I do a lot of quick cooking these days ' for all the reasons ', but never want to miss on the nutritive whole food which is nutritive  low on fat and high on fiber. This poha made with whole barley grains, mung dal and some poha is so rich in texture and flavor that it becomes a favorite with everybody. My dad n brother liked it very much when they visited recently.

Before going on to the recipe, I want to let you know, that such breakfasts and meals have helped me loose 10 kilos in a very short period of time. I know I have very little options at this point of time regarding doing workouts and the stress had already caused a lot of harm, healthy eating has worked wonders.

ingredients for the poha
( four breakfast servings)
split mung beans (with or without skin) soaked overnight 1 cup
barley grains soaked overnight 1 cup
coarse poha or chivda 1 cup
onions chopped 1 cup
green chilies and ginger chopped fine 1 tbsp each
curry patta 10-15 strings
turmeric powder 1 tsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
salt to taste
lots of freshly ground pepper
oil or ghee 1 tbsp
lemon juice 1-2 tbsp

preparation

Wash the poha in a colander under running water and keep aside. If using fine poha, no need to wash.

Heat oil in a pan and throw in the cumin seeds, let them crackle and add the ginger and green chilies, followed by chopped onions and curry patta.

Stirfry for some time until the onions become translucent... now add the turmeric powder, soaked barley and mung, salt n pepper and mix properly, now cook the mixture covered on low flame till the mung looks shiny n translucent, for about 5 minutes... the barley gets cooked through till the time too.

Now add the washed poha, mix properly n keep cooking for 5 more minutes and let the flavors blend in, drizzle with some lemon juice and serve hot.

It can be garnished with roasted peanuts or almonds but I like it as it is, it has enough texture and flavor and is a stand alone breakfast.

Buttermilk is a good accompaniment with it.