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Showing posts with label WEIGHT WATCHERS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WEIGHT WATCHERS. Show all posts

Thursday, July 16, 2020

PINAKULUANG / NILAGANG OKRA (STEAMED OKRA / OKRA SALAD)

PINAKULUANG / NILAGANG OKRA (STEAMED OKRA / OKRA SALAD)
I’m absolutely loving, cooking Asian dishes at home, some of the dishes are so simple, you never knew that cooking could be this simple and the best part is the nutrients are intact.
One such dish is the Steamed Okra /Ladies Finger. This dish is a simple and economical dish and very affordable.
In the Indian cuisine we add a lot of spices to enhance the flavors of the dish, it sometimes tends to overpower the actual taste of the vegetable. While I absolutely love the Indian Bhindi (Ladies finger) in any form hands down. I would have to admit that this recipe is by far the simplest recipe ever and manages to pack in the nutrition in it.
It is steam cooked lightly, still managing the crunch and yet not being raw.
There’s a study that says, cooking vegetables 10 minutes or less generally gets you the most benefits.
Asian cuisine is synonymous with cooking “under”, they love the crunch in the vegetables.
Traditionally, this dish is served with Bagoong which is a mix of *Fish sauce, with a dash of lemon and chilly, like a vinaigrette.
They allow the lemon and chilli slices to marinate in the fish sauce and eat the okra by dipping in this Vinaigrette.
This Recipe is an Oil free recipe, diabetic friendly and for weight watchers.
Enjoy making and relishing this recipe.


Ingredients
Okra – 12 -15 pieces
Salt as per needed (Optional)

For the Bagoong(Vinaigrette)
 
*Vegetarian Fish Sauce – 3 tbsp
Lemon juice – ½ lemon squeezed without seeds
Green Chilly – 1 chopped into fine pieces

Method
In a wok, add water Put water in a small pot, add a pinch of salt for extra taste (Optional), bring to a boil then add the okra. Cook until okra is tender, remove from pot and drain the water, give it a good shake and then place in a plate.
Combine all the ingredients mentioned for the sauce and serve hot with steaming hot rice.

TIPS

· I didn’t cut the top and bottom part of the Okra as I didn’t want my Okra to be slimy. It’s also way more nutritious to cook it as a whole.

· Once the water reaches boiling point, put in the Okra and let it cook for 2-3 minutes

· Take a fork, if the fork goes through it’s done.

· You can alternatively retain the water that the Okra is boiled in, add a dash of soya sauce/salt and a dash of pepper and enjoy as a soup as this water is very nutritious


VARIATIONS

· If you do not want to use the Vegetarian Fish Sauce, you can replace it with soya sauce instead.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

BROWN RICE KHICHDI

BROWN RICE KHICHDI
Khichdi is the soul food of the Indians!!! Khichdi is a rice lentil porridge that is usually eaten when you want something light yet nutritious.
Making the Khichdi with Brown Rice, packs the humble khichdi to a different level. Brown rice has high levels of fibre and a low glycemic index and carbohydrates.
Khichdi can be made using any variety of rice, but, brown rice retains its healthy bran and germ throughout processing, allowing it to maintain some of those powerful nutrients that the white rice has lost. This processing also allows brown rice to retain valuable minerals like magnesium, phosphorous, and manganese.
Brown rice also has a delicious nutty flavor and a chewy texture due to the nutritious bran layer.
Brown rice has numerous potential health benefits, including high levels of fibre and the potential to lower blood pressure and can help the body to effectively use insulin, maintain a healthier weight, and increase potassium levels.
In India, khichdi is usually served to people recovering from illness, surgeries as it is light and easy to digest. It’s a one pot meal and can be packed with loads of vegetables as well.


Ingredients (Serves - 4)
Brown rice - 1 ½ cup
Yellow Moong dal – ½ cup
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - ½ inch
Onion - 1
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander Leaves finely chopped – 2 tbsp
Asafoetida (Hing) – A pinch
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Peppercorns – 3-4
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Salt as per taste
Ghee /Oil - 2 tsp



Method
Wash the rice and Yellow moong dal. Soak it in hot water for about an hour.
Meanwhile, dry roast 1 tsp of the cumin seeds and peppercorns and pound them into a coarse powder.
Pound the Ginger and chillies into a coarse paste, you can alternatively also mince it small or run it in a blender.
Heat ghee/oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds. When the seeds start to crackle, add the green chillies and ginger paste, sauté, after about a minute, add in the finally chopped onions, curry leaves, sauté until the onion is cooked. Add a dash of Asafoetida, Himalayan Pink Salt and sauté. Drain the lentils and rice and add to this mix. Mix well, Add the coarsely pounded cumin seeds and pepper powder and mix well.
Now add water, the water ratio is depending on the rice. So, If you are taking 1 cup of rice you need to add 2 cups of water.
But since, you have lentils cooking along as well, you will add 3 cups of water. In my recipe, I have 1.5 cup of rice and ½ cup moong dal, so I have taken 4-4.5 cups water. I pressure cook for up to 4-5 whistles. (If cooking in a pan, cook for about 20 minutes till the lentils are tender and the rice is cooked through). I prefer the pressure cooker as I’m always worried about brown rice not getting cooked well.
Once done, wait for the steam to work its magic on the khichdi.
Open after 15 minutes, mix well, garnish with coriander and serve hot with a dollop of yogurt, pickles and papad.
This is the basic recipe.

Tips
·       Adding a ¼ tsp of Pickle oil takes the paste to the next level. If do not have pickle oil, you can add ¼ tsp of pickle masala for an added flavour.
·       Use Ghee instead of Oil for the additional taste. If instead of ghee you use Oil, this dish can be categorized under Vegan recipes.
·       Vegetables of your choice can be added, usually, carrots(diced), green peas, spinach chopped fine etc. are added.
·       You can add 2 pods of garlic, if you like the taste, pound the garlic, along with the green chillies and ginger and follow the recipe above.
·       You can add a tsp of Garam Masala powder if you like some flavour.
·       You can add a tsp of Kasuri methi (dried methi leaves) while sautéing the onions.
·       You can add a tsp of Tomato Puree if you like.



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