Tofu stuffed paratha

Here's to a healthy, fabulous, protein-packed, tastier version of stuffed paratha - Tofu Stuffed Paratha! If you 'd read my post on Tofu Tikka Masala, you would know how much I dislike tofu and how intrigued I could get when used in place of paneer. Surprisingly, I found tofu stuffed parathas to be downright delicious especially with channa masala on the side. I wasn't bothered, not even a bit about tofu in the stuffing. Parathas were also soft, tasty & really very filling. A must try recipe!

Tofu haters - Try & see how this recipe changes your perspective on tofu, in a good way ofcourse!!!

Tofu lovers - Try & see how versatile tofu could get and your love for tofu is gonna grow more & more, without a doubt!!!

Basic Info:
Complexity - difficult
Prep time - 1 - 2 hrs (includes draining tofu & mixing dough for paratha)
Cook time - 1 - 1.5 hrs
Serves - 12 - 15 parathas

Ingredients:
For dough:
Whole wheat flour - 3 cups
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil - 2-3 tsp
Buttermilk - 2-3 tbsp
Warm water - 1 cup or as needed

For Stuffing:
Extra Firm tofu - 1 block (about 15 oz)
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Fresh Cilantro - handful (finely chopped)
Onion - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)

Method:
How to prepare dough

Mix all the dry ingredients under 'For dough' in a big bowl. Add buttermilk and mix it well. Now sprinkle warm water little by little and keep mixing the dough until everything comes together. Sprinkle little water and knead the dough until it becomes soft & pliable. Cover it with a wet kitchen towel/cloth and let it rest for about an hour.

Now, let's prepare the stuffing. The secret to good & effective stuffing is to drain as much water as possible from the tofu block. If you miss this step, it will be very difficult to roll the paratha.

How to drain water out of tofu
Lay 3-4 paper towels (one on top of another) on kitchen countertop. Place tofu in the center of the topmost paper towel. Now wrap the paper towels firmly and gently over the tofu. On top of this, place a flat object like a wide plate. Now place some heavy objects (upto 3 lbs) on top of the plate. Adjust their positioning so that the weight of the objects are well balanced over the tofu. (I used couple of 2 lbs packets of lentils from my pantry). Let it sit for about an hour or so (longer won't hurt).

How to prepare stuffing

Scramble tofu using hands, and mix all the other ingredients under 'For stuffing'.

Make small balls out of this tofu mixture.

Also, make equal number of (slightly bigger) balls from the kneaded dough.

Now, take a ball (of wheat dough) and press it with your palm for about 2-3 inches wide. Brush it with little oil and place a tofu ball in the centre.

Now, cover the tofu ball from all the sides.

Carefully roll out this stuffed ball to desired thickness.

Make sure that the griddle is hot enough and place the paratha in the centre of the pan. When the color of the paratha is slightly changed, flip it to the other side and brush it with a dash of ghee on top. When it starts to bubble up, flip it to the other side and brush it with a dash of ghee. Wait until the paratha bubbles up completely and remove from heat.

Enjoy this healthy & delicious tofu stuffed paratha with your favorite curry.

Paruppu urundai Kuzhambu

Paruppu urundai kuzhambu (steamed lentil koftas in tamarind based stew) is a protein-rich traditional south-Indian recipe - carried over for generations. I remember tasting this recipe from my great grand-mom 's kitchen. I don 't remember my mom/grand-mom making this, but my mom-in-law makes this every now and then, especially when her fridge runs out of vegetables. 

This is one of VJ's absolute favorite and it had been a while since I made this kuzhambu. Last week I decided to give him a little surprise by making this kuzhambu for dinner. I gave a little twist to the traditional recipe though, by adding onions to the gravy. Nevertheless, we loved the taste & flavor of onion in the gravy. Initially, I was a little skeptical that the flavor of onion might be over-powering, but I was wrong! Incase you are planning to go the traditional way, just skip adding onions to urundai (or) gravy. It tastes just as good as the other version.

This kuzhambu doesn't need curry/side of any sort. Hot rice & sutta appalam with 2-3 balls and couple of ladleful of kuzhambu is so filling & soul-gratifying.

Basic Info
Complexity - difficult
Prep time - 1 hr
Cook time - 1.5 - 2 hrs
Serves - 3

Ingredients

For paruppu urundai / koftas:

Toor dal - 1/2 cup

Channa Dal - 1/2 cup

Red chillies - 4 nos

Cabbage - 2-3 tbsp (finely chopped). You can also use chopped onion (2-3 tbsp) instead of cabbage.

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Curry leaves - few

For kuzhambu / gravy:

Oil - 2 tsp

Onion - 1 large size (chopped)

Tomato - 2 nos (chopped)

Tamarind - 1 small gooseberry size (soak in a cup of warm water for 15 mins and extract juice from it)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Sambar powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

For Seasoning:

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2 nos

Cilantro - 1-2 tbsp

Method

For paruppu urundai / koftas:

Soak channa dal & toor dal in water for about an hour. After an hour, drain the water and grind it into a fine paste with red chillies, cumin seeds, salt, turmeric powder, curry leaves, asafoetida. Add finely chopped cabbage/onion with this and mix well.

Make golf sized balls and microwave them for upto 4 mins on high turning the balls in-between exactly after 2 mins. 

Alternatively, you can also steam them in an idly maker for upto 10 minutes. Lentil balls are ready, keep them aside.

For Kuzhambu / gravy: 

Heat about 2 tsp of oil and add chopped onion. Saute till onions turns translucent. Add tomatoes and continue sauteing until tomatoes are soft & mushy. Let it cool and grind it into a fine paste. Sprinkle little water only if required.

Heat about 2 tsp of oil. When hot, add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies and roast them until fenugreek seeds turn reddish-brown. Don't let fenugreek seeds to over-roast as it gives a bitter taste to kuzhambu. Add tamarind water, salt, turmeric powder, sambar powder and let them boil until raw smell of tamarind water / sambar powder goes off. When the gravy starts to thicken carefully add all the lentil balls.

Keep the flame low and let it boil for 5 more minutes. Turn off heat and add chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Baingan Bhartha

For those who are following my blog will know that my day-to-day menu is rice-based. But last week, I was on a roti-making spree! With pizzas, theplas & rotis, my week was so vibrant and full of flavors! 

Me & VJ are great roti lovers, yet roti shows up only once in a week or two. Somehow, I always feel that making chapathi/roti takes a longer time compared to rice-based dishes. I can whip up a 3 course rice-based meal in no time where as I will be exerting forever to make rotis especially the rolling out part!!! Could it be the lack of skills or just the way I am tuned during all these years?

Things aside, I made this spicy baingan bhartha using fresh smaller variety of Indian eggplants. It’s a spicy Indian food (semi-gravy) at it’s best and should be served alongside soft rotis to enjoy the full flavor of roasted eggplant goodness. Try it next time and you will not be sorry, I promise!

Basic Info

Complexity - Medium
Prep time - 30 - 45 mins
Cook time - 30 mins
Serves - 3

Ingredients
Brinjal - 20 nos (smaller variety) / 2 nos (medium sized, bigger variety)
Green chillies - 2 nos (slit vertically)
Onion - 2 nos (Medium sized, Chopped)
Tomato - 2 nos (Medium sized, Chopped)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch (grated)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Dry methi leaves - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Cilantro - 3 tbsp (finely chopped)

Method

Roast eggplants in the oven in 'broil' mode at 500 degrees F for about 10-15 mins until skin on the eggplant is charred and the inner flesh is very soft. Let the eggplants cool completely and then peel off and discard the charred skin. Coarsely mash the flesh with your hands / a masher and keep aside. I got about 1 3/4 cups of mashed eggplant.

Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of oil. When hot, add the cumin seeds and let it sizzle. Add ginger, green chillies and sauté for a minute. Add onions and sauté until soft and translucent. Then, add tomato and sauté for couple of minutes until tomatoes turns soft & mushy. Now, add all the powdered spices, including garam masala (I used tandoori masala), stir well and cook for 3-5 minutes or until oil separates from the mixture. Keep an eye so that the spices doesn't stick to bottom of the pan. Sprinkle little water if needed.

Now add the mashed eggplant, chopped cilantro, crushed methi leaves and mix well. Cook for a minute or so and turn off the heat. Serve hot with rotis.

Methi Thepla

Last week at Indian stores, I just couldn't resist myself from buying a bunch of fresh, bright-green methi (fenugreek) leaves. Somehow, I feel that separating methi leaves from its stem is a cumbersome job. Other than that, methi leaves gives a wonderful aroma and unique taste to all the recipes in which it is added.

Basic Info
Complexity - Medium

Prep time - 30 mins - 1 hr
Cook time - 1 - 1.5 hrs
Serves - about 10 Theplas

Ingredients
Whole Wheat flour / Atta - 1.5 cups
Besan/Chickpea flour - 1/4 cup
Methi - 1 cup (chopped, fresh leaves)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt - to taste
Yogurt - 3 tbsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Warm water - as required

Method

Mix all of the dry ingredients together (along with methi leaves). Add yogurt and start kneading. Add water little by little as required and knead well until the dough comes together. Finally, add 2 tsp of oil and knead to make it a soft, smooth & firm dough. Cover and leave aside for 30 mins - 1 hr.

Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and roll them into balls. Dust the ball in whole wheat flour and roll it out into flat, thin and round shaped rotis. Repeat this for rest of the balls.

Heat a tawa/skillet on medium-high. When the pan is hot enough, carefully place the rolled-out roti into the pan and cook on both sides until brown spots appear. Smear little ghee/oil on both sides while cooking.

Remove from heat & store it in a closed container. Serve these healthy & tasty methi theplas with raitha / pickle.

Gongura pappu / Khatta Bhaji

Every place has a signature dish of their own. Chettinad kuzhi paniyaram, Mumbai Vada-pav, Kolkata Rosagulla, Perumal kovil Puliyodharai - to name a few, but the list goes on. One such quintessential dish from Andhra is Gongura pickle. These days, you get a lot of bottled gongura pickle in the market, but nothing can stand upto the authentic and original taste of home-made gongura pickle. 

Recently, we visited one of our friend's family from Andhra where I got to taste home-made gongura pickle. Gongura pickle with white rice and little ghee - incredible combo and unbelievable taste!! The tanginess from gongura leaves, spiciness from chillies, and the succulent flavor of garlic infused sesame oil is truly very appetizing. By the time we left, I was totally inspired to make some recipe with gongura leaves and that 's how ended up with this one here!

Gongura pappu is a dal stew made with sour greens and other spices. Hands down, gongura was the highlight of this dish. Gongura has a distinctive sour taste that tickles your taste buds, refreshes your palate and wakes up your senses that you crave more and more of the dish. Definitely one of the best ways to add some greens to your kid's diet - they will enjoy the zing that the sourness brings!

Basic Info
Complexity - Simple
Prep time - 10 mins
Cook time - 20 mins
Serves - 3 - 4

Ingredients
Toor dal - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Gongura leaves - 1 medium sized bunch

Ghee - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Split urad dal - 1/2 tsp

Red chillies - 3 nos (halved)

Green chilles - 3 nos (slit)
Hing - 1/4 tsp

Garlic cloves - 3 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (or as preferred)
Curry leaves - 6-8 nos
Salt - to taste

Method

Separate gongura leaves from the stem; discard the stem. Wash gongura leaves in running tap water and pat them dry using a kitchen towel.

Pressure cook 1 cup of toor dal with 2 cups of water & turmeric powder for upto 4 whistles. Let it cool and after all the pressure is released, mash the dal with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside.

Heat ghee in a pan, splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal and fry until golden brown. Add green chillies, red chillies, curry leaves, hing, garlic and fry until garlic changes color and a nice aroma fills your kitchen.

Add gongura leaves and saute until the leaves changes its color and turns soft and mushy. Mash the leaves completely using the back of a spoon.

To this, add the mashed dal, required salt, red chilli powder, and 1 cup of water. Mix well and let it boil until the raw smell of the red chilli powder is gone. If you think the dal is too watery, heat until it reaches the desired consistency.

Remove from heat and serve it with rice/roti.

Notes

- You can also cook gongura leaves in pressure cooker for upto 2 whistles. Don' t try to cook dal & gongura leaves together, as the dal will not get cooked due to the tartness from gongura leaves.

- You can also add cumin seeds when tempering, I skipped it.

- If you like, you can also add chopped onions/tomatoes after tempering. Saute onion until translucent followed by tomatoes. Add gongura leaves only after the tomatoes are completely cooked.

- Replace ghee with oil for vegan option.

Linking this to "Lets Cook - Protein Rich Food" event hosted by Radhika of Tickling Palates.