Zero Oil Bhindi / Okra Masala …

Oil less cooking is no longer impossible …

I recently tried a new recipe for 100 % oil free okra / bhindi . All you need is bhindi/ Okra , Panch Phoran OR cumin and mustard seeds, and the usual salt and spices .

Ingredients

Bhindi chopped into rounds 500 grams
Medium onion – 1 sliced
Fresh Green , Red chili 1- cut into quarters – optional
Cherry tomatoes a hand full – cut in half and Optional
Lemon – 1
Panch phoran – 2 teaspoons
Salt – 2 teaspoons or to taste
Red chili powder – 1 teaspoons
Turmeric – ½ teaspoon
Coriander powder – 2 teaspoons

For the paste

In ½ cup hot water , add the salt and other spice to it. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes so that all the spices can bloom .

For the bhindi

Heat a wide pan for a few seconds, and add the panch phoran. No oil needed. If you don’t have Panch phoran then Use 1 teaspoon each of cumin and mustard seeds.
Once it starts sputtering, add the sliced onions.
Wait for a minute, and then add in the bhindi. Stir and leave uncovered (on medium high) for 5 minutes.
Then, squeeze the lemon over it.
Now, add the paste to it and switch to a low flame. Stir in cherry tomatoes if using and cook for another 5 minutes or until cooked .
Serve hot along with toor daal and Indian flat breads and white rice .

Panch Phoran :

Panch phoron is a colourful blend of flavourful seeds: the green fennel seed, black mustard and nigella seeds, golden fenugreek and cumin seeds.

Toor dal / split yellow pigeon peas . 100% oil free …

Oil less cooking is no longer impossible … Presenting 100 % oil less toor daal recipe …

Toor / tuvar dal/ yellow split pea is widely used across Indian cuisine . Toor dal is convenient to cook than chana dal as it doesn’t require any soaking at all. You Simply rinse and cook them . What could be better? Toor also makes for a quick and inexpensive meal and taste awesome with plain steamed rice

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup toor dal / split pigeon peas thoroughly rinsed

4 cups water

2 dried red chillies

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 inch ginger , finely chopped

1 medium onion , chopped length wise

1 medium tomato , diced fine .

1 tsp turmeric

A pinch of asafoetida / hing

1tsp red chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tbs lime juice

Cilantro / Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

Bring the dal to the boil along with all the other ingredients EXCEPT lime juice and tomato in a large pan with 4 cups of water – skim off any scum that forms. It should take around 40-45 minutes to break down into a soft-consistency. Add extra water while cooking if needed .

Add lime juice and mix well .Finish the dal off with a finely chopped tomato and cilantro and season to taste. Serve hot with rice and chapatis and oil free bindhi masala .

ALTERNATIVELY

In pressure cooker add dal, water, salt, and all other ingredients except tomatoes and Cilantro and lime juice .
Cook over medium high heat.
When the pressure cooker starts to steam, lower the heat to medium and cook for seven to eight minutes.
Turn off the heat and wait until all steam has been released before opening.
Mix the dal well. If the dal is thick, add more boiling water to desired thickness. Add tomatoes , lime juice and garnish with Cilantro before serving .

Note :

You can even temper / season the dal once its cooked .

For tempering

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed (rai)
Pinch of asafetida (hing)
4 whole dried red chili (sabut lal mirch)
1 teaspoon red Chili powder .

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks right away, the oil is ready. Add hing, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds. After the seeds crack, stir for a few seconds.
Add whole red chilies, and red chili powder Stir for a second &
Pour in spice mix over dal.

Moong Dal / Yellow split Mung lentil – Salad , Chaat {100% Oil free … }

This is a quick and healthy dish full of protein, calcium and fibre and can be loaded with fruits and vegetables. .Chat masala is optional but it does enhance the taste and is easily available at most indian grocery store.
This chaat is a healthy , tasty, nutritious and flavorful dish which can be served as salad or snack . Cranberries and raw mangoes perks it up .

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup yellow moong dal (split yellow gram)
salt to taste
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup olives ( optional )
2 tbs chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped raw green mangoes
1 tbsp finely chopped mint / pudina leaves
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro / coriander leaves
2 tsp finely chopped green chillies ( optional )
1 tsp chaat masala ( optional )
4 tsp lemon juice

Method

Clean, wash and soak the moong dal in enough water for 2 hours ( it cqn be soaked over night too ) and drain well.
Combine 2cups of water, drained moong dal and salt in a pan and cook it on medium heat till dal is 3/4 done, while stirring occasionally. Make sure that each grain is separate.
Strain the dal using a strainer and keep aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Combine all the ingredients, including the moong dal, in a large bowl and toss well.

Serve immediately.

Oil Free / No oil cooking …

I know that cooking without oil might not sound like fun, but use the oil for the main events and parties . It will take a little time for your taste buds to adjust to no oil . The dishes actually turning out pretty delicious, the effect of zero oil side dishes can only mean one thing – a healthier you.

Oil is very high in calories, about 120 per tablespoon; compare this to maple syrup (52), balsamic vinegar (14), soy milk (8), vegetable broth (2), and water (0).

Saturated fat found in oil increases the risk of blocked blood vessels. Coconut oil, palm, palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter supply large amounts of saturated fat . Your body makes all the saturated fat and cholesterol it requires, so you don’t need to eat any. You also don’t need any trans fat, which, like saturated fat, increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Trans fat is found in stick margarine, some tub margarine, and in shortening,

Here are a few suggestions that will help you to enjoy your food without the use of oil …

Vegetables: When you are sautéing vegetables on the stovetop, simply replace the oil you normally use with water or vegetable broth. Vegetables naturally have a lot of water , which releases when they are cooked , Just keep an eye on your pan so that your vegetables don’t stick to the bottom of the pan .

You can brown onions without oil: Water works well for browning onions. A tablespoon and your dish’s onion base is ready. And if water works for onions then it will work for other vegetables as well.
When sautéing vegetables like onions, celery, mushrooms, and bell peppers, heat up your skillet or pot (non-stick or stainless steel) with a couple tablespoons of water in the bottom, and when it starts to crackle, add the vegetables, keeping them moving with a wooden spoons for a few minutes until they soften.

Using the lid: A simple method to loosen any vegetables or meat etc that stick to the pan, is to just close the lid. The moisture that remains within the closed pan will loosen the contents and will come out with seeds, cumin, ginger, coriander, and garlic don’t need oil to let out their aromas. Most Indian kitchens are equipped with spice mixes like garam masala, goda masala, and curry leaves. Use these spices and mixes to add flavour to your food.

Sautéing without oil: Apart from water, you can sauté vegetables and meats in other ingredients like soy sauce, vegetable broth, stock, wine, rice vinegar, tomato juice, lemon juice, and ginger/garlic/tamarind/tomato pastes and purées. If you miss tastes like mustard, coconut etc, use the powders and let them sit in some water. For example, Simply grind some yellow mustard seeds and add some of the powder to a small bowl of water. Put this mix in the microwave for a 15 seconds, and let it sit for a few minutes. The resulting mix is a thick mustard liquid mix. Drizzle this over the vegetables or meat for Instant mustard flavoured food without any mustard oil. You can do the same thing with coconut powder too .

Dry roast spices and seeds: Indian cuisine uses lots of spices Spices like chilli pepper, black mustard seeds, cumin, ginger, coriander, and garlic don’t need oil to let out their aromas. Most Indian kitchens are equipped with spice mixes like garam masala, goda masala, and curry leaves. Use these spices and mixes to add flavour to your food.

Source : internet & My Mom …

Gobi Musallam / whole Cauliflower cooked in a rich tomato gravy – 100% Oil Free …

The adventure of oil free cooking was started in my Mom’s kitchen when dad was advised to cut down on oil . Shahi gobi / Gobi Musallam is one of family favorite so I adapted this recipe from my Mom.
This one is for you Sonal Gupta ( My healthy Food Recipes Queen )

Gobhi Mussallam is a roasted cauliflower dish from the Uttar Pradesh region of Northern India. Gobhi Mussallam is absolutely delicious and an interesting way to enjoy cauliflower. Mussallam is a Mughal word meaning whole and this dish means a whole Gobhi (cauliflower).
it’s an easy dish to put together: parboil the cauliflower, whip up a sauce, combine the two and roast in the oven. It’s a very impressive dish to serve to guests, If you like Indian foods, you must try this one.

Fill a stock pot with water, then add salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil on high heat and gently submerge the cauliflower (I eased mine into the water using a slotted spoon). Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 4 minutes, then flip the cauliflower and simmer for another 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to keep the cauliflower submerged.

Ingredients

Whole cauliflower – 500 to 600 gms
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt

Marinade

1 cup thick yogurt / curd
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Ginger and garlic paste – 2 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder -1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Garam masala 1 tsp
Salt – as per taste
Red food color a few drops ( optional )

For the Gravy :
1 large onion
2 cups chopped tomato
¼ cup peeled and chopped fresh ginger
1 green chili ( optional )
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp chopped ginger
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder

Method

In a pan bring to boil the water along with some salt. Place the cauliflower in hot water for about 5 minutes each side or total 10 minutes.

Strain your cauliflower and set aside while you prep the sauce.

In a bowl add yogurt, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, minced garlic, grated ginger, garam masala powder and salt and mix.

Apply the marinade paste on all sides of cauliflower evenly, turn the cauliflower upside down then apply marinade paste inside the florets also.

Cover the cauliflower with a plastic food wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or so .

Heat a non stick pan on medium heat. Add chopped onions , chopped garlic , chopped, green chilies, chopped ginger and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes or until onions are translucent.
Add coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder and sauté for a min or two . Now add chopped tomatoes and mix well .Simmer until the tomatoes are soft and falling apart.
let the mixture cool a bit,
Transfer the sautéed onion , tomato mix into a blender and grind it to a thick paste.

Preheat oven to 400*F / 200*C

Place the cauliflower on a baking dish and pour the gravy on the side of cauliflower.(remember we have already marinated the gobi )
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place the dish in the oven and bake it for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender .

Remove the foil and and with a spoon pour the gravy on the top of the cauliflower Turn the oven on broil & broil for 5-10 minutes until a little brown on top .

Note :

To make this dish richer, a desired amount of heavy cream can also be added .