Low Fat Salmon Tikka Masala

I love tikka masala gravies with naan or rice – fish tikka masala, chicken tikka masala, paneer tikka masala or just the tikka masala gravy with naan. I love the tanginess of the tomatoes and the richness of cream – oh wait, but I have been on the edge of being overweight all my life. However, my love for food surpasses my concern for my physical appearance anyday, unfortunately! So what do I do? I exploit this low fat tikka masala recipe to the fullest of my ability and give in to my cravings every once in a while. This tastes like something you would get in a restaurant. I had previously uploaded a low cal butter chicken recipe – this beats that in terms of health with heart-healthy salmon. Feel free to replace the salmon with chicken or paneer. Also, this can be made in a jiffy and has relatively less number of steps. Go ahead, make this and enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the Salmon Tikka:

1 pound of salmon, cut into 2 inch size pieces

1/4th cup of greek yogurt (I used full fat greek yogurt; you may use fat-free. However, I do not recommend using fat-free yogurt for the marinade since that’ll give out a lot of water and give a weird texture to the tikkas upon broiling)

1.5 tablespoons tandoori masala (I like using the masala from Shaan since it gives a nice red color)

1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder (mainly for the color, this is not spicy)

0.5 tablespoon mustard oil (this imparts a lovely flavor to the tikkas)

For the gravy/sauce:

1 tablespoon oil (you may use mustard oil, but I prefer using regular canola oil for the sauce)

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1 inch ginger, minced

4 ripe tomatoes, chopped finely OR small can of diced tomatoes

0.25 cup greek yogurt (Again, try to use regular greek yogurt instead of fat free)

0.25 cup fat-free milk (to adjust the consistency of the gravy)

0.5 tablespoon honey or a fat pinch of sugar (optional, feel free to skip this but these gravies have a slightly sweet tinge and I rather like that, which is why I added honey)

1 tablespoon kashmiri red chilli powder

0.5 teaspoon regular red chilli powder (optional, depending on your spice tolerance)

1 tablespoon kasoori methi

1 teaspoon garam masala

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl, add the salmon pieces and marinate for about 30 minutes.
2. Broil these fish pieces on low for 5 minutes on each side. Broiling cooks them without charring them or over-cooking them.
3. In a large thick-bottomed pan, heat the regular oil, add the onions and saute till soft.
4. Add the ginger and garlic and saute till the raw smell goes away.
5. Add the tomatoes and fry till they are soft, mushy and the mixture is homogenous. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Add some salt at this point.
6. Add the greek yogurt and fry till the mixture is homogenous. Make sure the yogurt is whisked in smoothly and the gravy doesn’t “break”.
7. Add the kashmiri red chilli powder (and the red chilli powder, if you are using it)
8. Slightly cool the above mixture and blend to a thick consistency in a blender.
9. Return this to the pot again, simmer the gravy. Keep stirring BEFORE you add the salmon pieces. Also, BEFORE you add the salmon, adjust the consistency of the gravy with fat-free milk (this gravy tends to be a little thick) and keep stirring. Add the salmon tikkas at this point once the gravy simmers. This step should be done on low-medium heat.
10. Add the garam masala, kasoori methi and adjust the salt.
11. Mix gently without disturbing or breaking the salmon pieces.
12. Cover and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
13. Before serving, garnish with chopped cilantro leaves, half-and-half or some cream (optional) and a tablespoon of butter (again, totally optional).

Serve this with hot naan, pulao or brown rice! This is a crowd pleaser for sure!

Chingrir Bhorta or Prawns mish-mash stir-fry

This is an easy dish that you can make with tiny prawns. If you use large prawns and chop them up, I would say it would be a waste of an expensive ingredient. However, sometimes one feels like eating prawns but they are a little heavy on the pocket – that’s when this dish comes in handy. I like eating this with dal and rice, as a side dish. It is super-easy to make.

Ingredients:

250 gms small shrimp roughly chopped, or shrimp chopped into small pieces

2-3 dried red chillies, broken roughly

3 green chillies, chopped

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped

0.5 cup + 2 teaspoons onion, chopped

0.5 teaspoon red chilli powder, adjust according to tolerance

Salt to taste

Pinch of sugar

Cilantro for garnishing

1.5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon mustard oil

Method:

1. Heat 1.5 teaspoons of mustard oil in a pan. Add the red and green chillies, garlic and saute for 2 mins.
2. Add 0.5 cup chopped onion and saute till the onion is soft.
3. Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and sugar.
4. Add the shrimps along with salt and cook. This should take about 5-6 minutes.
5. Add salt and adjust the seasoning.
6. Garnish with cilantro, 2 teaspoons of raw, chopped onion, drizzle mustard oil and serve!

Super-easy, tasty and quick!

Doi maach

I usually like coconut-based fish curries. Being a maharashtrian, I love the red chilli-coriander seed-coconut mixture for seafood. However, this preparation is relatively low calorie, healthy and flavorful. It is a typical bengali fish preparation and has a slightly tangy taste. The doi or yogurt imparts a subtle flavor to the dish without making it too sour – you always have sugar to balance the taste. This can be made in a jiffy with any kind of fish. I used salmon here.

Ingredients:

1 kg Fish cut into medium-sized pieces

2 tablespoons mustard oil

3 green chillies, chopped and 3 green chillies slit

1 inch cinnamon stick

4 cloves

3-4 cardamom pods

5-6 peppercorns

1 big bay leaf

Paste of 7-8 garlic cloves, 2 inch ginger and 1 medium-sized onion

2 chopped tomatoes (optional)

1 cup yogurt

1.5 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder

1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder (mainly for the orange-red hue over the gravy)

Fat pinch of garam masala

1.5 teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Smear the fish pieces with turmeric powder and some salt. Keep aside for 15-20 minutes. After the marination, you may fry the fish pieces in some mustard oil. This is how bengalis traditionally cook fish. However, I skipped this step and added the marinated fish pieces to the gravy directly later on – the taste was exactly the same. If you want to pre-cook the fish without frying it or adding extra oil, you may broil the fish in the oven on high for 10-12 minutes. It tastes equally good.
2. Heat mustard oil in a thick-bottom pan. Once the oil gets smokey hot, add the bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns and allow the oil to get fragrant. Now, add the green chillies and fry them a bit. To this hot oil, add the kashmiri red chilli powder and immediately add the garlic-ginger-onion paste. Fry the paste till the raw smell goes away.
3. Add tomatoes and saute till mushy.
4. Add the yogurt and keep stirring till the yogurt becomes thick.
5. Add coriander-cumin powder, salt and sugar.
6. Add some water to achieve your desired consistency of the gravy and allow the gravy to boil.
7. Adjust the spices and the fish.
8. Lower the flame, cover and cook for 6-8 minutes or till the fish is cooked.
9. Add garam masala, a dollop of ghee to enhance the taste and garnish with coriander.
10. Serve with hot, steaming rice and don’t forget to take a nap if you make this for a weekend lunch! This is comfort food at its best.

Light, fragrant, healthy and comforting – that’s what this dish is! 😀

Quick Coconut ladoos

Regular laddoos

Laddoos with saffron

I made these once for diwali last year  and again, this year for ganpati. My husband loves them so much! They are simple to make with all readily available ingredients: frozen grated coconut, condensed milk. I added saffron to these this year and they looked beautiful and tasted great! These get done in 40 minutes flat-from start to finish and make about 21 laddoos- perfect for my Ganpati naivedya this year!

Ingredients:

500 gms Fresh or frozen grated coconut

0.5 cup milk or 1 small tin evaporated milk (feel free to skip this- I didn’t use this during diwali and the laddoos turned just fine)

1 tin sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon ghee for greasing the plate you will place the laddoos in and spreading on your palms for rolling the laddoos

1.5-2 teaspoons cardamom powder

Pinch of saffron dissolved in a tablespoon of warm milk (optional)

Method:

1. Heat a thick, flat-bottom pan and roast the coconut on low-medium flame for 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the regular milk or evaporated milk. Mix well and allow this to boil a little or saute till the coconut appears slightly fluffy and completely mixes with the milk.
3. Add the condensed milk and keep stirring till the mixture becomes thick and starts leaving the sides of the pan. Add the cardamom powder and saffron (optional). Keep stirring- you will notice that you will be able to roll the mixture into a loose ball-that’s a sign this is done. Turn off the flame and shift the pan away from the flame. Allow the mixture to cool a little. You should be able to comfortably touch it but it should still be warm so you can roll the laddoos.
4. Grease a plate with the ghee. Roll each laddoo between the palms of your hands and place each one on the plate.
5. Optional: You may add a pinch of nutmeg powder, nuts, raisins or even stuff these with powdered nuts. You may flavor these with rose essence, vanilla essence or coat them with chocolate. However, I like these just the way I have described them in my recipe.
6. You can store these for upto 2-3 days at room temperature or in the fridge if you want to store them for about a week. Enjoy!

Lima beans curry or paavtyachi usal

Taking into consideration the fact that my husband is not a veggie lover, that he eats only a few vegetables and we understand the need/importance of a vegetarian diet, I always have to think about innovative ways of minimizing the amount of meat we consume. The only consolation is that he likes beans and sprouts. Since both of us have crossed 30, I have been reading up on ways to incorporate anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-containing fruits and vegetables into our diet. Fortunately, we have been doing all the right things. However, I need to reduce the amount of meat we consume to 2 meals a week and incorporate beans on a regular basis, into our diet. While garbanzo and kidney beans are great, they are a little heavy on the stomach and are difficult to digest. Lima beans are a little lighter relatively. Maharashtrians love lima beans curry or “paavtyachi usal” and they have a peculiar way or preparing it using coconut. This recipe is really aromatic- you’ll love the different flavors. It also involves preparing a fresh “vaatan” or spice paste. This curry paste can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days but I recommend making it fresh each time. It is quite fuss-free but the end-result is amazing.

Ingredients:

For the vaatan:

4-5 dried red chillies

1 teaspoon caraway seeds or shahi jeera

2 1-inch sticks of cinnamon

1 green cardamom pod

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

8-10 black peppercorns

1 medium-sized onion chopped

1/4th cup grated coconut

1 tablespoon oil

For the usal:

Spice paste or vaatan

2 cups pressure cooked lima beans

half cup green peas (optional)

1.5 teaspoons oil

8-10 cloves of garlic, crushed

10-12 fresh curry leaves

1 medium sized tomatoes chopped

1 teaspoon usal masala/garam masala/malvani masala

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

0.5-1 teaspoon red chilli powder

fat pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

Cilantro leaves for garnishing

Method:

For the vaatan: Dry roast all the spices first. Once you get the aroma and the spices are roasted, add the oil followed by the chopped onion after 1 minute, and the oil is slightly heated. Fry the onion till it turns translucent. Add the coconut and fry for 3-4 minutes. Allow this mixture to cool. Grind into a smooth paste using about 2-3 tablespoons of water.

For the curry: Heat oil in a pan. Add the crushed garlic and allow it to turn translucent. Add the curry leaves and fry till aromatic (2 minutes). Add the tomato and fry till it turns mushy. Now, add the curry paste and fry till it releases oil (5-6 minutes). Add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Next, add the lima beans, green peas and fry for 2 minutes. Add about half cup of water, salt, sugar, and usal/malvani/garam masala, cover and cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes or till the lima beans are cooked in case they are still a little tough. This curry is dry.

Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve hot with chapati, phulkas or bread. In case you want to eat this with rice, you may increase the amount of water in the curry and adjust to desired consistency.

Mango mousse

This is an amazing dessert- quick, yummy and perfect for the mango season! I have made this on multiple occasions and it has never failed to win me praises. You can make this 2-3 days before you have guests and serve it chilled.

Ingredients:

1.25 cups chilled cream

1 cup mango puree (alphonso mangos work best- canned or fresh)

1 tablespoon gelatine

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup sugar

3 eggs (separated into egg yolks and whites)

0.5 cup water

Method:

1. Allow the gelatine to bloom in the 0.5 cup of water.
2. Put the egg yolks in the pan that you want to cook the pudding in, add sugar and beat it to a creamy consistency.
3. Place a double boiler with water over the stove on low heat and place the pot with pan with the yolks and sugar mixture over it. Add the mango puree to this mixture and keep stirring all the time.
4. Add the gelatine once the custard is warm and the mango blends well with the yolks and sugar. Keep stirring while making sure there are no lumps in the mixture till you achieve a coating consistency. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. Now, remove this from heat, add the lemon juice and allow the mousse to partially set.
6. In the meantime, beat the egg whites till you get stiff peaks.
7. Whip the cream and fold it into the souffle mixture.
8. Now fold in the egg whites into this mixture.
9. Pour this into a mould or bowls and place it into the fridge to set. It should set overnight.

Enjoy!

Prawn curry with raw mango

 

This is a mildly fragrant, light and refreshing summer-y prawn curry that is an absolute delight. Summers in India and mangos go hand-in-hand. It is customary to add mangoes to both sour and sweet dishes, and I absolutely love this seasonal addition. This is a coastal preparation. You may add curry leaves, tomatoes to the dish and play around with the flavors. I have been wanting to make this curry for quite some time now and as soon as I saw raw mangos at the Indian store, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.

There are no memories or stories associated with this dish since this is the first time I ate something quite like it but I am certain that there will be from now on. I am going to make this curry every year in the summer and watch my family smile as they devour it. 😀

Ingredients:

300-350 gms medium sized prawns, de-veined and de-shelled

1 medium-sized onion, sliced

4-5 green chillies, chopped

Paste of 2 inch ginger, 12-13 medium-sized cloves of garlic, 6 kashmir red chilies, 2 tablepoons coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 0.5-0.75 cup of grated coconut and 2-3 tablespoons of water

1 cup of raw mango cut into juliennes

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon turmeric

Salt to taste

Dry mango powder or amchoor powder (optional)

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon of kasoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves (this is a non-traditional addition but after the curry was prepared, I felt it was missing something and the kasoori methi gave it the kick I wanted)

Method:

1. Apply turmeric and a fat pinch of salt to the prawns and keep aside for 20-30 minutes
2. Heat oil in a pan, add green chilies and fry. Add the onions and saute till the onions turn golden brown.
3. Add the paste and raw mango pieces and fry for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add 1.5 cups of water, cover and cook on medium-to-high heat for 10 minutes.
5. Add the prawns, salt and sugar. If you want, you may add more water till you achieve the desired consistency. You may also taste your gravy and add red chilli powder in case you want it to be hotter.
6. After you add the prawns, lower the flame to low-to-medium, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add kasoori methi, amchoor powder (if you think the curry lacks the desired sourness from the raw mango) and give it a stir.
8. Serve with hot, steamed rice.

Note: I realized that my raw mango wasn’t sour enough and so had to add dry mango powder or amchoor powder to increase the sourness. Usually, in India the raw mangos are quite sour but the ones we get in the US are not sour enough at times, in my opinion.

Black chickpea curry (kalya vaatanyachi usal)

This is a typical maharashtrian recipe. The sprouted black chickpeas or kaale chane are very nutritious and filling. Also, this is a vegan style curry which suits all palettes.

Make sure you pre-soak the chickpeas in water overnight and pressure cook them for 6-7 whistles the next day before cooking. These are a little hard to cook so this method will ensure they cook. You can also pre-cook them and store them in the fridge for upto 2-3 days before preparing the curry.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups sprouted and pressure-cooked black chickpeas (Sprouting is optional)

1.5 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped

1.5 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped

4-5 green chilies or thai chilies, finely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1.5 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon turmeric

0.5 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 spring of curry leaves or curry leaf powder (optional)

Pinch of hing or asafoetida

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

0.25 cups grated coconut

4-5 kokum OR 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste

1 teaspoon maharashtrian goda masala/garam masala

Pinch of sugar or 1 teaspoon jaggery

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds sputter, add the asafoetida, curry leaves, green chilies and fry.
2. Add turmeric, ginger, garlic and saute till the raw smell goes away.
3. Next, add the onions and fry till golden brown.
4. If you are using curry leaf powder instead of curry leaves, you may add it after the onions are cooked.
5. Add the red chili powder, coconut and saute till the coconut is slightly fried.
6. Add the black chickpeas, 0.5 cups of water, sugar or jaggery, kokum (if using) and maharashtrian goda/garam masala.
7. Bring to a boil and add salt and (if using) tamarind paste.
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

This goes great with chapatis or bread. Puris are a great option too if you are cooking this for a special meal. Alternatively, you may eat this as an accompaniment to rice and a side salad.

Notes:

1. I had a bunch of green onions that needed to be used up and so I added them to the curry. The curry tasted great!
2. Alternatively, you can make a quick indian style healthy salad or chaat out of the black chickpeas (sprouted or un-sprouted): Just mix together black chickpeas, chopped onions, chopped coriander, lemon juice, salt, chat masala
3. Prepping the black chickpeas: Wash and soak the chickpeas and soak in double (of the chickpeas) the amount of water overnight. You may either just use them straight away OR sprout them at this point by draining the water and just leaving them with a wet cloth covering the chickpeas in a colander for 1-2 more days.

Jalapeno chicken or Chilli Chicken !

I am actually quite picky when it comes to indo-chinese food but my husband absolutely loves it.However, this dish is one of our very favorites. Indo-chinese cuisine is a very important component of Indian food. The chinese community settled in India, mainly the eastern states and they were the pioneers of this cuisine. It has elements of chinese food but has been indianized with a view to increase its appeal to the indian palette.

Chilli chicken is something my husband and his family love! Right from my mother-in-law to my 3 year old niece – everyone loves this dish. This was actually prepared by my husband and I’m going to share his recipe today. He puts a lot of love in this dish 😉 and I think he definitely makes it better than I do. So, whenever we feel like eating it, he is the chef while I take a back-seat and relax (after I finish chopping up all the veggies for him 😉 ).

Since we like it hot ;-), we replaced the green bell peppers in this recipe with jalapenos. The use of jalapenos though not typical, was brilliant!  That is exactly how we are going to prepare this from now on.

Go ahead and enjoy this with noodles or fried rice. My husband also likes to eat it with parathas or puris but that’s just the bengali in him, I used to think. However, I have now discovered that how much ever weird the combination sounds, it is simply delicious!

Ingredients:

Marinade for the chicken:

1 lb chicken tenders or thighs cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons dark soya sauce

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 tablespoon green chilli sauce (optional)

2 eggs (optional- we don’t use eggs in the marination but you may since that makes the chicken crispier)

Salt to taste

Sauce:

2 medium or 1 large onion, sliced

10-12 large garlic cloves, chopped (be generous with the garlic)

5-6 thai peppers or green chillies, slit (feel free to add less or more)

7-8 jalapenos, cut into roundels (alternatively, you may use 1 large green bell peppers chopped into big pieces or thick strips) (adjust amount according to tolerance level)

1 tablespoon of green chilli sauce + 1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup (Alternatively, you may use 2 tablespoons of Maggi hot and sweet sauce- you will find it in the Indian store for people living in the US)

Paste of 3-4 tablespoons of cornstarch in half -to-one cup of water

3 tablespoons of dark soy sauce

1.5 teaspoons white pepper powder

Chopped green onions for garnish

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons of oil (for frying the chicken) + 2 tablespoons of oil (for the sauce)

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade with the chicken and marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
2. Heat the 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok and spread the chicken pieces in a single layer. Once the chicken is done on one side, flip the pieces and make sure they are slightly fried and cooked. People deep fry the marinated chicken too but we like it this way. Keep aside the fried chicken.
3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok and heat it. The flame should be on high, throughout. Now, add the chopped garlic, fry till translucent. Add the onions and fry till translucent. Now add the green thai peppers/green chillies and jalapenos. Fry on high till slightly cooked but still crunchy.
4. Now, add the fried chicken pieces and toss. Add the remaining ingredients –  chilli sauce, ketchup, dark soy sauce, and mix. Add the corn starch paste and keep tossing. Season with salt and white pepper powder. Cook till the chicken and sauce are combined well, the sauce is thick and coats the chicken well.
5. Garnish with fresh, chopped green onions and enjoy !

Note: In order to make variations in this dish: 1) Garlic chicken (Increase the amount of garlic and do not add jalapenos or bell peppers); 2) Ginger chicken (Add a 3-4 inch of piece ginger cut into juliennes, do not add garlic or green bell peppers). I have tried these variations and they taste equally good. Also, you may add dried red chillies to increase the heat!

Pohe

This is the most common maharashtrian breakfast. Of course, I can eat this at any time of the day- morning, noon or night ! It is very simple, healthy, quick and tasty. Takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. Feel free to add different veggies to this dish to make it healthier. You may serve this with plain yogurt on the side.

Ingredients:

Pohe or flattened rice (thin variety)  1 cup

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 green chilies, chopped

A fat pinch, asafoetida or hing

1.5 tablespoons oil

0.5 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 potato, thinly sized, medium pieces (optional)

0.5 cups green peas (optional)

0.5 tomato, chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

Juice of 1 lemon

Chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1. Wash the poha very lightly under running water. Do this literally to barely get them wet and keep aside. If you overdo the washing process, the end-result will be mushy with lumps. You want the pohe to be separate, not sticking to each as clumps.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Let the seeds sputter.
3. Add the green chillies, asafoetida, and turmeric powder. Fry the chilies a but and then add and the onions. Fry the onions a bit till they are soft and translucent.
4. If you are adding potatoes and peas, add them now and fry them a bit. It is important to have thin slices so they’ll be cooked quickly. If the pieces are thick, you may keep a lid over the pan and cover, keep on low flame  till they cook. This should take about 3-4 minutes.
5. Once the potatoes cook, add the tomatoes and fry for 1-2 minutes till the tomatoes are soft
6. Now, add the pohe and mix lightly. Add the sugar and salt and mix well. Keep a lid/cover and keep on low-to-medium flame for 3-4 minutes and open. Mix again lightly. You will find that the contents release a little bit of steam/vapors. That’s an indication that the pohe are cooked and the dish is done.
7. Switch off the stove, add the lemon juice and garnish with coriander and/or coconut.

Serve and enjoy with a hot cup of tea!

Notes: Other additives: chopped eggplant!

Also, when you temper with mustard seeds, at the same time you may add a sprig of curry leaves and some peanuts. These are interesting additives and will change the taste of the dish, for the better, of course!