JFI - September

Hi friends,
Long time, No posts. Thalaikku mela vellam maadhiri, too many things on my head. Hats off to other bloggers who manage blogs so beautifully.

This months ingredient for the JFI - September is Bottle gourd.

Will post the Logo soon.

Send your entries with Name, recipe, and Link to heartfulconcoctions@gmail.com.

Thanks
Le@HC

Simple Indian Tofu Curry

Tofu has its own peculiar characteristics. When tofu is cut into cubes, looks like panneer but made from soy beans and tofu can be substituted in the place of panneer in almost all dishes. Panneer is almost everybody's favorite but there are also days when all one needs is a low fat yummy curry. On such a day, this simple Indian tofu curry comes very handy. It is easy too and since tofu is incorporated into Indian based curry , it is favorable to taste buds craving an indian meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet extra firm tofu
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1 green chilly
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 4 cloves garlic sliced
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• 1 tsp dhaniya/coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 3-4 curry leaves

Method:

1. Cut tofu into small cubes and pan fry until brown, turning them often. Add oil when the water from the tofu evaporates. That way , the oil helps in browning the tofu.

2.In a pan , heat 2 tsp of oil. Add Mustard , Cumin and Curry leaves. When the Mustard splutter, add onions, green chillies and saute until onion are 1/2 done. Now add ginger and garlic. Cook until rawness of ginger goes away. Add tomatoes and cook until mushy. break them with the back of a spoon and bring the curry together.

3.Add turmeric power, chilly powder , dhaniya powder and salt. Mix well. add 2 cups of water and cook for 15 min with lid closed partially. or pressure cook for 1 whistle. Now add the tofu pieces and cook for 5 more minutes and sprinkle with coriander leaves/cilantro.Serve with rice.

Note:
a. Pressure cooking for one whistle makes the whole process of cooking this curry faster.
b. One can use tomato paste instead of fresh tomatoes or a combination of both.
c. Make sure tofu is pan fried for some crunchiness.
d. If u want a dry curry, do not add water. Just sprinkle water as and when u need and fry until the gravy is well done Then add the tofu cubes and mix well . Fry for few more minutes so that the flavors blend together. Serve with chapatis , tortillas or toasted bread.

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Collard Stirfry

Stir fry with greens is a healthy way to include them in our diet. One has just got to chop them up and toss it with a few Indian seasonings and spices and cook for a few minutes till done. A bunch of greens (compared to those available in US grocery stores) stir-fried will yield two servings. Collard greens can be chopped finely or the way u chose. I like some texture to my stir-fried greens compared to finely chopped greens sticking together.

Ingredients:
1 bunch collard chopped
3 garlic cloves smashed and sliced
1 small onion chopped
2 green chilly(Indian variety)
2 tbsp shredded frozen coconut or dry coconut
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp Split black gram/urad
1/2 tsp channa dal
1 dry red chilly
1/4 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder


Method:
1.Heat a pan with 1 tsp of oil. Add red chilly,mustard, urad, channadal and cumin. Once mustard splutters , urad and channa turns slightly brown,add curry leaves. The flavor from curry leaves will come out immediately. Add garlic and saute well.

2.Now add onion and green chillies and cook till onion is translucent.Add chopped greens. Saute well and then add salt and turmeric powder. Mix the greens and spices together.

3.Cook 7 to 10 minutes or until done, closing a lid partially.Now add Shredded coconut,mix well with the greens and cook for 3-5 minutes and remove from heat.

Note:
a.Coconut adds a lot of flavor to the greens. Add more if u want.One can add bite sized coconut pieces too, to give a crunchy texture.

b.Garlic can be avoided. Make sure you add Hing, in that case to compensate the flavor

c.Traditionally we don't add cumin seed to the greens stir-fry. Cumin is good for our body type. so we include cumin seeds, depending on the moment and mood.

We had collard stir-fry as a side dish to Kohlrabi sambar and rice for today's lunch. With a fruit, its a balanced meal!!

Spring and Click

When Click:Spring was announced, I just passed it off . When I passed through orange farms, few weeks ago, Click:Spring came back to my mind and felt I could click these orange beauties and participate in the event. It is season for oranges and the following picture is right from the farm and sending it off to Click: Spring hosted by Jugalbandits. It is my first time for this event and kindly excuse my photography skills. While passing the orange farms, there was strong aroma from the orange blossoms all over the place. The villages were called Orange blossoms, Lemon Cove, perfectly named after. One cannot miss the aroma from those Orange and Lemon farms.

Also I would like to share a few pictures of wild flowers we encountered in the Sequoia National Forest with all of you. They added so much beauty and color to our visit. There were many many more..

Enjoy the flowers and will sign off for the day.
Le @HC