Channa Masala No Oil (#WFPB)

Today I am posting a tried and tested recipe for channa masala without oil. If you have ever eaten channa masala in a restaurant you had to have seen the oil. You may then wonder how it is possible to make this dish without oil. The reality is oil does not add as much flavor. As long as the onion tomato mix is thoroughly cooked with the spices the channa masala turns out perfect. You will never miss the oil.

I made this channa masala after my daughter returned home for summer. She wanted some of her favorites and this dish places somewhere at the top of her list.

You will need
1 cup dry chickpeas or garbanzo beans (or 1 can)
1 small onion
1 medium tomato
1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp. tamarind paste
1 tbsp. channa masala spice mix
1 tsp. turmeric powder

salt to taste

Soak the dry beans overnight. Next day pressure cook the beans under fork tender. For me it is 15 minutes under pressure or if using the instant pot then 17 minutes manual mode under pressure. If using a can rinse and drain the water. Keep aside.

Mince the onion. Add a 1/4 cup of water to a pan and bring it to a boil. Add the onion and let it cook on medium heat until it is pink and translucent. In the meantime dice the tomato.

Add all the other ingredients, a half cup of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let it simmer until it is cooked and the water is almost gone.

Add the reserved beans, salt to taste and a half cup of water. Bring to a boil and let it simmer on medium heat until the gravy reaches a consistency you like.

The channa masala with no oil is done.

Enjoy with a flatbread or rice!

Sweet and Sour Tofu

This Sweet and Sour Tofu recipe is a favorite in my house. The flavors are so good together. The roasted sesame seeds enhance that flavor and best of all it is baked. The recipe itself is very simple. The sauce adds all the flavor and is made with ingredients you should have around the house. Baking simplifies the cooking process even further.

I rarely prepare tofu at home. I usually never get around to buying it. But when I do this is one of the recipes I make. Here in the US, Tofu is often used in restaurants as a vegetarian/vegan substitute for animal based add-ins, fondly called 'protein'. I have always found that weird. Protein is not a food group, it is a macro. And we know there is protein in all plant based foods, even potato. But I digress. I like tofu and so does my family. We prefer the extra firm kind that holds its shape.

You can eat this Sweet and Sour Tofu as a snack, a side to a stir fry or you can eat it as the main dish to a side of fried rice.

You will need
1 packet extra firm tofu

Marinade
2 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. thick maple syrup
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Topping
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. thick maple syrup
1 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp. sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Drain the block of tofu under some heavy weight being careful not to crush it. Discard the water and chop the tofu in bite size chunks. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Add the tofu cubes to it. Let is rest for 30 minutes.

Evenly place the tofu chunks on a baking sheet. Save the marinade. I do not line the sheet nor do I use oil to prep it. Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the cubes over and bake another 10 minutes.

During the last few minutes of baking Add all the topping ingredients except the sesame seeds to the saved marinade. Transfer to a pan and cook on low heat to thicken. Take it off the heat and keep aside. Add the sesame seeds to a small dry pan and roast on low heat until they till color slightly and are fragrant. Take it off the heat.

Take the baked tofu out of the oven and transfer it to a serving dish. Pour the thickened sauce over the top. Sprinkle the sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Black Eyed Peas Sundal

Whenever the holiday season rolls around I am reminded of sundal. Black channa sundal is the version I had eaten as a child in my neighbor's house and also at the school cafeteria. I had no idea it could be made with black eyed peas until I read it on my fellow bloggers pages. I made a metal note to try the black eyed peas version someday and forgot all about it until today.

We spent the weekend visiting my daughter at school and did not have time for grocery shopping. I needed something for Monday morning and it was too late to go to the grocery store. I saw these peas in the pantry and decided to try the sundal. They were perfect for a weekday lunch.

I have to say I like the black channa version better but this was delicious. The family loved it too. We had with some fresh made poli/roti. I simply followed the recipe I used for the black channa sundal.

You will need
1 cup dried black eyed peas
1/2 cup fresh desiccated coconut
3 dried red chili peppers
2 tbsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. asafoetida
1 tbsp. oil
salt to taste

Soak the peas overnight in 2 cups water. Drain the water, rinse the peas and using a cup of fresh water cook them until tender. If using a pressure cooker let the peas cook for 10 minutes after the pressure rises. Turn off heat and allow the pressure ot subside before opening the lid.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle add the asafoetida, the red chilli peppers and the peas. Add the coconut and the salt. Cook for a few minutes until it comes together. Turn off heat.

Enjoy!

Chavlichi Usal / Black Eyed Peas No-onion No-garlic Curry

A gravy based Maharashtrian side made with fresh or dried peas or beans is called usal. Dried peas or beans are soaked overnight and pressure cooked before being used. Fresh peas or beans do not need to be precooked. Though this dish can be added as a side to a fancy meal or thali it is basically a simple weeknight recipe.

This is my mother's recipe. She used to cook black eyed peas or chavli with a fresh coconut and cilantro gravy. This gravy can be used for mung or matar (green peas). I remember every Sunday morning when my Dad was not travelling he would go grocery shopping for vegetables. Sometimes I used to accompany him. We did not eat a lot of coconut but when this dish was on the weekly menu we bought fresh coconut. I remember cutting it open with a sharp sickle. I used to pull out the dry coconut fibers to give me a smooth brown coat. My mother insisted I should not pull the fibers on the edges. I would use water to paint a ring around the middle of the coconut. I truly believe that helped me cut the coconut exactly in half. I then used the sickle to break the coconut. I would collect the water in a cup and hand the coconut halves to my mother. The cup of coconut water was the reward for my efforts.

Back to the recipe

You wull need
1 cup dry black eyed peas
1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut (I used frozen)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 green chili pepper (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds (optional)
1 tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. asafoetida
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. sugar
salt to taste

Soak the peas overnight in water such that they are completely submerged. Drain the water the next morning to get rid of the phytic acid. Pressure cook for 5 minutes. Keep aside to let the pressure subside.

Meanwhile grind to a paste the shredded coconut, cilantro, cumin seeds and green chili pepper in a grinder with a little water.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. when they crackle turn down the heat to low and add the asafoetida and turmeric powder. Now add the ground masala paste and let it heat completely. Do not let it boil, cilantro paste does not do well when boiled.

Reserve the water the peas were cooked in and add the peas to the pan. Add just enough of the cooking water to form a thick gravy.

Let it simmer until the water evaporates and the gravy thickens some more.

Add the salt, sugar, garam masala and cayenne pepper. After a couple more minutes turn off the heat.

Enjoy!

Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans)

Refried beans are a simple side dish that complete a meal. They are made with either pinto beans or black beans. We don't like pinto beans so I never buy them. On the other hand black beans are so flavorful.

This dish can be made very rich with a lot of fat or oil. I like to keep it dry with only a little oil. You can choose to double the oil if you like.

You will need
1 cup dry black beans or 1 can of black beans
3 tbsp. onion, chopped
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
salt to taste

Soak the black beans overnight in water and pressure cook the next day for 10 minutes. When the cooker depressurizes remove the beans and let them cool. Skip this step if using canned beans. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions. Saute until they are tender and turn color. Add the black beans with the cooking liquid and let it cook for a few minutes.

Mash it down to a near pulp. Cook until thick enough to flip.

Turn off heat.

Serve with a side of Mexican rice.

Ta'amiya / Fava Bean Falafel

An Egyptian variation of falafel made with fava beans. They are crunchy and taste great stuffed in a pita bread with hummus. I had never used fava beans before though I had made chickpea falafel several times. The fava bean adds a lovely flavor that is very different from the chickpeas. I am glad I tried it. Some of the falafel disappeared even before the rest of the meal was done.

The recipe called for fava bean dal but I could not find it so I used the whole dried bean instead. I soaked the beans overnight, pressure cooked them the next day and ground them in the food processor along with the other ingredients. As a healthier option I baked them instead of deep frying.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
1 cup fava beans (dal or whole)
1/2 medium yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups cilantro
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. baking soda
salt to taste

Soak the fava bean overnight and pressure cook the next day for 10 minutes. When depressurized remove the beans from the cooker and allow to cool. Chop the onion and cilantro. Peel the garlic pods and chop roughly. In a food processor combine all the ingredients and pulse until you have a coarse paste. Transfer to a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Form lime sized balls, flatten and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until brown. Turn over once after about 10-15 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Serve hot.

Sundal (Black Channa with Coconut)

Today I am posting a recipe from Tamil Nadu. Every day this month I will post a recipe from a different state in India.

When I was in third grade we used to play in the playground very close to the school cafe that provided snacks and tea to teachers during the morning break. Sundal was on the menu two or three times a week. I loved the aroma of the dish. Sundal will always take me back to that playground.

Since then I have had sundal several times as prasad during the festival of navratri and it has always been a favorite. Everyone in my house loves sundal and so I decided to make it for the state of Tamil Nadu.

Today morning my daughter had to get to school really early. I asked my husband to get the soaked channa cooked in the pressure cooker while I dropped my daughter off so I could put it all together as soon as I got back. I hurried back and got everything else ready. Luckily, I checked the channa before adding it to the pot and found it had not cooked through. Sometimes the best made plans just don't work out.

This recipe is from a friend.

You will need
1 1/2 cups black channa
1/2 cup fresh desiccated coconut
3 dried red chili peppers
2 tbsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. asafoetida

Soak the channa overnight and pressure cook the next day. They should be fully cooked and soft to the touch but not mushy.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle add the asafoetida, the red peppers, coconut and cooked channa.

Heat through completely and turn off heat.

Serve hot.

Kwati (Mixed Bean Stew)

Today I am posting a recipe from Sikkim. Every day this month I will post a recipe from a different state in India.

To be able to find authentic recipes from Sikkim is a challenge. It is even more so when you are living outside India. My quest took me to a very interesting Facebook page maintained by the Newar community from Gangtok.

Gangtok is the capital of Sikkim and on the Facebook page everyone talked about traditional authentic Newar recipes. I knew I had hit gold until I also noticed all the recipes were marked as Nepali. That is when I knew a little research into the history of Sikkim was needed.

Sikkim is located on the north eastern border of India. Until 1975 Sikkim was its own independent region with special status. It always had ties to India but only in 1975 did it join the Indian Union as the 22nd state. It is the only state with an ethic Nepali minority.

That explained the authentic traditional Nepali recipes from Gangtok. If you want a parallel this is similar to the southwestern US where Spanish speaking people in the states of Arizona and New Mexico became US citizens after those territories were acquired.

Now that I had all the pieces to the puzzle I knew I had the recipe for a dish from Sikkim. This recipe reminded me a lot of spicy bean soup. Here is the link to the original recipe. I used 7 different types of beans. Have fun collecting a combination of beans you like.

You will need
2 cups dry beans (a combination of Kidney beans, Garbanzo (chickpeas), black eyed peas, white navy beans, mung, black beans, soy beans)
1 onion
1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. carom seeds
4 tomatoes
1 tbsp. coriander cumin powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. turmeric powder
salt to taste

Soak overnight a total of 2 cups of dry beans. Pressure cook the beans until well cooked but not mushy.

Separate and reserve the water used to cook the beans.

Dice the onions. With a couple of tablespoons of water saute the onions until tender. Turn off heat. Run the cooked onions along with the ginger garlic paste through a blender.

Heat a large pan and when hot add the mustard, cumin, fennel and carom seeds. When the mustard seeds start to crackle, turn down the heat and add add the onion paste. Cook together for a couple minutes.

Meanwhile dice the tomatoes. Add tomatoes, coriander cumin powder, paprika and turmeric powder to the pan. Mix well and let it cook until the tomatoes are tender.

Add the cooked beans and mix everything together. Add as much of the reserved water as needed to make the gravy.

Bring it to a boil then lower the heat and let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Serve hot with rice or poli.

A spicy bean stew that hits the spot on a cold day.

Baked Soybean Kofta in Spic Tomato Gravy

The is the 17th week of the 52 Week Challenge and the theme this week is Soy. I made these soybean kofta in spicy tomato gravy for the challenge.

This recipe requires you to soak the soybean overnight. Pressure cook the beans so they are tender when mashed to pulp. Addition of just two or three raw unsalted cashews to the gravy makes it creamy.

You will need
For the kofta
1 cup dry soybean
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Serrano pepper, deseeded and minced
1 tbsp. paprika (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp. cumin coriander powder (you could use garam masala or your favorite spice mix)
1 tbsp. agave syrup or sugar (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lime
handful cilantro, diced
salt to taste
1/4 cup semolina (could use cornmeal)

For the gravy
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2-3 raw unsalted cashews

1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste (or fresh ginger and garlic minced)

2 tbsp. olive oil (can substitute oil of your choice)

1 tbsp. paprika

1 tbsp cumin coriander powder (or garam masala)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. cumin seeds

salt to taste

cilantro to garnish

To make the kofta

Wash and soak the soybean in water overnight. Pressure cook until tender. Drain the water and mash the beans in a bowl. Combine all the other ingredients except semolina with the mashed beans. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

Preheat oven to 400 F. Divide the mashed mixture into small balls.  Roll the balls in semoline and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 

Bake for 18-22 minutes until they are no longer mushy, hold their shape well and are slightly brown.

Meanwhile, heat a pan and add the chopped onion and tomatoes to it. Let them cook on medium high heat until the juice from the tomatoes is flowing. Switch off heat and cool the mixture.

Transfer to a blender. Add the cashew nuts and blend until smooth and keep aside. 

Heat olive oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When heated through add the ginger garlic paste. Cook for under a minute and . Pour the gravy back into the pan. Add cumin coriander powder, salt, paprika and bay leaf. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. 

When the kofta are cooked transfer them to a oven safe deep dish. Pour half of the gravy over the top. Put the dish in the oven for 5 minutes. Pour the remaining gravy over the top.

Serve hot.