Oats Dosa

Easy Oats Dosa

1 cup oats (powder finely in a blender or mixie)
1/2 cup rawa or samonella
1/2 cup rice powder
1 greenchilly
1/2 tsp jeera, cumin seeds
A pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients with a litle water and make a thick batter. Leave aside for 10 minutes and make yummy dosas.

Tuna and Prawn Pasta

 

 

Ingredients

 

• Fresh or frozen vegetables: Corn, beans, broccoli (500 gms)
• Tuna - 1 can
• Prawns - 200 gms
• Pasta - 2 cups
• Oil- 2 teaspoon
• Ginger-garlic paste- 1 teaspoon
• Green chillies- 3 (finely chopped)
• Red chilli flakes - ½ teaspoon
• Soup powder - 1 packet (sweet corn or any white coloured soup)

 Method

 

• Add pasta to boiling water with little salt and let it cook till soft. Drain and keep aside. 
• Cook vegetables in a steamer or steam in a colander placed inside a covered vessel with water. You can also microwave the vegetables with little water, drain and use it later in the recipe.
• Make soup with one cup water or water used to boil vegetables. You can follow instructions on the packaging to make the soup.
• Heat oil in a vessel, add the ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and fry till brown. Add tuna and prawns and sauté for five minutes.
• Add cooked and drained vegetables, chilli flakes and fry for five minutes. 
• Add the soup to the vegetables, mix well and cook for another five minutes. Enjoy delicious healthy pasta with vegetables and sea food.

Tuna Stuffed Capsicum/Peppers

Ingredients:

• 2 large capsicums/ peppers

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

• 2 cans tuna is brine or springwater
• 4 ozs cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon chilly powder
• ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1 teaspoon Soya sauce
• Salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a saucepan and fry the chopped onion and garlic gently.

• Add drained tuna

• Add turmeric, coriander powder, chilly powder, garam masala, soya sauce, salt and sauté for 5 minutes.

• Halve the capsicums/ peppers with a sharp knife; remove centre core and seeds.

• Pile the tuna mixture into the capsicum/pepper shells.

• Top each pepper with grated cheese.

• Stand the peppers upright in an ovenproof dish or grilling tray.

• Bake for 10 minutes in a pre-heated oven at Gas Mark 4 (350°F/180°C) until the peppers are tender. Serve hot.

Serves 4

This recipe is a modification of my mom’s traditional recipe – Aloo (potato) stuffed capsicum. Since Potatoes have a bad reputation of being high in starchy carbohydrates and low in protein, I substituted it with Tuna. Tuna is an excellent source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, selenium, vitamin B12, niacin and phosphorus. Also this recipe is not shallow fried as in my mom’s recipe and an easy option to cook.

If you don’t have an oven, you can tweak the recipes in the following way:

Halve the capsicums/ peppers with a sharp knife; remove centre core and seeds. Steam it still soft in a steamer. If you don’t have a steamer use a large pot and a collander that will fit inside. Fill the pot with enough water so that is just barely reaches the bottom of the colander. Once the water comes to a boil, add capsicum and place a loose fitting lid on top to cover. If your lid is more fitted over the colander, position it so that one side hangs over the colander just enough to let the steam escape.

Cool and stuff the capsicums/peppers with tuna. Dip the open side of the vegetable in beaten egg whites and shallow fry on both sides.

Baked Pandi Curry/Contemporary Coorg Pork Curry

Ingredients:

• ½kg Pork (preferably with bones) cut into medium size pieces
• ½ teaspoon Soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon thick tamarind pulp
• 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil/ or any cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Curry leaves (frozen or fresh)
• Coriander leaves (frozen or fresh)
• Salt to taste

 Masala Powder:

• 1 teaspoon jeera
• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek
• 2 tablespoon black pepper corns
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

Roast the above ingredients on a medium flame to a very dark colour and grind together.

(This powder is available in Coorg stores and a few supermarkets in Mysore)

 Method:

• Wash and drain meat and fold in all the ingredients (except coriander leaves) and marinate for ½ hour.
• Transfer into a baking dish, cover with cooking foil and place in a pre-heated oven.
• Bake for 30 mins or till meat is done.
• 
  
  Garnish with coriander leaves.

 Serves 3 persons

Background

I created this recipe since I love the texture and crispiness of roasted pork (rather than that of boiled meat) and also as an easy way to relish an exotic recipe. This recipe is a contemporary version of the traditional Pork Curry from Coorg. While there is no match for the mouth-watering Pandi Curry served at Coorg weddings or the one which my Avya (grandma) makes, this is just an easy and new way of cooking pork for those who have no idea of turning the meat into a delicious and healthy Indian style spicy curry.

Courgette Omelette

Ingredients

• I small Courgette (60 gms) - Grated

• 2 Med Egg/100g Eggs, Medium, Average

• 10 g Butter or 1 tsp cooking oil

• 20 g Cheese, Cheddar, Extra Mature, Average (optional)

• Half tsp ground pepper

• Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan.
2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, add grated Courgette, salt, pepper, and whisk the mixture.
3. Fold in mixture into the heated pan and cook until mixture is set (about 8 minutes).
4. Scatter grated cheese and flip over to cook the other side.
5. Fold over into a plate and serve with tomato ketchup.

Spinach Bullseye Bake & Spicy Cauliflower Roast

Spinach Bullseye Bake
Wash fresh spinach thoroughly in several changes of cold water.
Discard stems and bruised or tough leaves.
Put wet spinach into a large saucepan; add 1 teaspoon salt.
Cover pan.
Cook over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes or until spinach is tender.
Cook frozen spinach according to package directions. Remove from heat and squeeze spinach to remove as much moisture as possible.
Place into another dish. Add the drained spinach back to the saucepan.
Add ½ teaspoon chilly powder and a pinch of garam masala.
Add low-fat olive oil spread or olive oil and saute for a few minutes.
Remove from gas and cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
Butter two small baking bowls or a baking dish (you can use low-fat butter or cream).
Spread spinach in buttered baking bowls.
Break an egg into each bowl.Sprinkle a pinch of turmeric, salt and some chilly powder
Cover each egg with a generous tablespoon of low-fat Parmesan cheese (optional).
Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until eggs are firm and cheese is melted.

Cauliflower Roast
Wash and break cauliflower into medium-sized chunks. You can break them with your hands without using a knife.
Chop garlic and keep aside.
Place cauliflower in a roasting dish and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil on it.
Sprinkle chilly powder, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala and salt, on the vegetable. Throw in chopped garlic.
Roast in over till the cauliflower turns golden brown.
This dish can be enjoyed with hot and sweet tomato ketch-up or hummus.

Background
All I knew to make with Cauliflower was Alu Gobi and with Spinach was Palak Paneer. While the former has loads of oil and carbohydrates in the form of potatoes, the latter has loads of fat. This recipe may of course not be as delicious as any typical Indian dishes, but remember ‘Our aim is losing those extra kilos and staying healthy’ so lets relish this light and refreshing recipe packed with iron and protein.