Author: onewholesomemeal

Categories
Afternoon Snack | 3pm Meal

Jackfruit Seed Laddoos (Energy Balls)

Jackfruit Seed
Jackfruit Seed Laddoos

So, it is all about the balls these days.

I meant the edible kind you dirty one-track mind! Raw balls, energy balls, no-bake balls, and so on. This time, the jackfruit seed inspired me to make my own version of the energy ball or healthy laddoos. As I have mentioned in my previous post, jackfruit can most easily be termed as a superfood with its immense health benefits and versatility. Each part of the fruit has a distinct taste, flavour, and nutritional value.

The Versatile Jackfruit Seed

While traditionally the jackfruit seed is used to make stir-fries and curries, I thought a sweet energy ball version would be great for adults and kids alike. Mixed with yummy cacao, almond flour, coconut milk and palm sugar, the kids polished half of it during the preparation itself! And when the young connoisseurs say yes, I do feel a wee bit flattered and want to pat my back 😉

You will need an oven and a blender for this recipe with a prep time of about 20-30 minutes. I used coconut oil, but you may choose an oil that you prefer.

Storage tip

Store them in an air-tight glass jar at room temperature and consume within a week.

 

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Jackfruit Seed Laddoos

Ingredients

  • Jackfruit seeds- 1 cup
  • Cacao powder- 2 tablespoons
  • Almond flour-2 tablespoons
  • Coconut oil- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon
  • Coconut milk (I used Kara brand)- 1 tablespoon
  • Palm sugar-1 tablespoon

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Fahrenheit and dry roast the jackfruit seeds on a baking tray lined with foil for 15-20 minutes or until you get a sweet aroma of roasted seeds
  2. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Remove the skin. The roasting process dries the outer skin making it easy to peel off
  3. Once the seeds have cooled off completely place them along with all the other ingredients in a high power blender (the seeds are dry and hard so you would need a real high power blender like a Nutribullet and blend until a smooth consistency is achieved. You would need to scrape the sides intermittently to ensure uniform blending.
  4. Grease your hands with some coconut oil and shape them into small balls of desired size
  5. You could also add some finely chopped nuts to the powder mix before shaping it into balls

Notes

Calories (per laddoo)- 45
Nutrition- Protein/Vitamin A/Fiber/Phenethylamine/Flavanols/Antioxidants/Magnesium
It does wonders for your- Hair/Gut/Eyes/Mood/Muscle strength and stamina/Skin/Blood pressure/Cholesterol
This is “My 3pm Meal”

https://onewholesomemeal.com/jackfruit-seed-laddoos/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Lunch | 1pm Meal

Jackfruit Curry and Indian Superfoods

Jackfruit Curry
Jackfruit Curry

My parents often point out how easy life is these days where everything is right at our fingertips. But I tend to disagree.

Technology has proven more of a bane than boon. Google has answers to almost everything, right from the best time to visit Bali, to the right time for intercourse to ensure a progeny of a certain gender. Answers which our parents and their generation would only trust their doctors or the Almighty with, every second person has an opinion on that. And God forbid if you happen to be an easily influenced soul like me, sleepless nights are guaranteed! It has never been harder to just be!

Indian Superfoods

And if the discussion is about what is the right kind of food for a healthy (and wealthy) existence, then good luck to us! For me the last 5 years have been all about trying, discovering, and experimenting with all kinds of diets and fads or should I say fad diets. Apart from juicing (which to this date I am unable to wrap my head around), I think I have tried them all. It was during such trials when I laid my hands on Rujuta Diwekar’s – Indian Superfoods. And I have to say, she is one of the few whose words made sense and logic.

Rujuta Diwekar breaks down the myths around food and takes us back to the very basis of Indian food and cooking.

It all made so much sense. This is by no means is a paid promotion, but if you can, the 150 odd pages would be one of the best investments of time and money you would make. I have not been 100% successful in implementing all my learnings but it is work in progress.

Jackfruit and All its Glory

Jackfruit is one such superfood amongst others (ghee/kokum/cashew/ambadi/rice/coconut) she talks in great detail about. This particular fruit/vegetable was available in abundance where I come from. We ate it both ripe and raw but I had no idea about its nutritional goodness – immunity booster, protein source, antioxidant, fibres…the list is endless. Fortunately, it is easy to find jackfruit in Hong Kong too. So I tried to give a few jackfruit recipes a go. Over the next few days, I will be sharing some of my success stories with you.

The first one today being the tried and tested jackfruit curry. As Rujuta rightly points out – India’s very own mock meat even before it became fashionable to mock meat or go vegan…;) Every time my mother would cook mutton for the rest of the family, she would cook some jackfruit curry for me in the same spice blend as I did not particularly enjoy red meat. And I never missed meat! Do you have a tried and tested jackfruit recipe? Do share. I would love to try it out.

Scroll down for the jackfruit curry recipe. You may also want to try jackfruit pancakes or jackfruit idlis.

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Jackfruit Curry

Ingredients

  • Raw jackfruit (chopped two inches thick)- 500 gms
  • Medium sized onions (chopped)-3
  • Green chili- 2
  • Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
  • Bay leaf- 2 small
  • Cinnamon sticks- ½ inch
  • Big and small whole cardamoms- 2 and 4 pieces each
  • Star anise- 1 whole flower
  • Mace- One small portion
  • Garam masala powder- 1 tablespoon
  • Coriander powder-1/2 teaspoon
  • Cumin powder-1/2 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon
  • Ginger-garlic paste- 1.5 tablespoon
  • Salt-1.5 teaspoon or to taste
  • Chopped coriander for garnish
  • Oil- 3 tablespoons

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy bottomed wok and stir fry the jackfruit and keep aside
  2. In the same pan add the remaining oil and add cumin seeds once the oil is hot. When the seeds start to splutter, add the remaining whole spices and roast for a minute stirring continuously on medium-high heat
  3. Add onion and ginger-garlic paste and stir for another five minutes until the onions are brown, then add the powdered masalas. Do not add salt at this point. Adding salt before the powdered masalas are well cooked prevents even cooking and release of flavor from the masalas. Cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes. Sprinkle some water if the mixture gets dry and starts to stick to the sides.
  4. Add the fried jackfruit and salt and cook on medium heat for another 5-7 minutes till the spices evenly coat the vegetable
  5. Add half a cup of water (or more for a thinner gravy), mix well and cover. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes on low heat
  6. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with a side of rice or chapatis

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 193
Nutrition- Fiber/Vitamins A, B Complex, C/ Potassium/Magnesium/Manganese/Iron
It does wonders for your- Skin/Hair/Immunity/Sleep/Energy levels/Gut/Blood pressure/Eyesight/Bones
This is “My 1pm Meal"

https://onewholesomemeal.com/jackfruit-curry-indian-superfoods/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal Lunch | 1pm Meal

Vegetable Stew With Sprouts and Bottle Gourd

Vegetable Stew
Vegetable Stew with Sprouts and Bottle Gourd

In this age of globalization and greenhouse farming we often forget the importance of eating local and eating seasonally. A vegetable stew is however a versatile dish you can make with vegetables that are in season.

Let’s accept it, it is kind of tempting to be able to eat our favorite produce all year round, isn’t it? For example, each time I find myself picking up a cauliflower these days, I have to remind myself that growing up the only time I would get to eat them were winters. That said, I do ignore my “inner voice” sometimes and go ahead and pick broccoli’s fairer cousin (yes, I belong to the country obsessed with light skin, even in the 21st century India, being fair is still considered lovely 🙁 ; but that is a discussion for another day and another forum).

Coming back to eating seasonally, there are days when the heat is killing you so badly that all you want is a liquid diet (the virgin variety ;)). But liquids are not filling enough and with two hyperactive monkeys to keep up with, one does need a fair share of carbs and proteins. On one such day, this vegetable stew with sprouts and bottle gourd happened. Bottle gourd is such an underrated vegetable it makes me sad. It is packed with nutritional goodness just right for summer and so easy to whip up. Quite a light vegetable in itself, with some added lentils it makes for a more filling meal. Do give this recipe a chance for hot summer days and you are sure to return for a second helping. I paired it with a small portion of mint-mushroom pilau (another super easy recipe) and chilled buttermilk.

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Sprouts-Bottle Gourd Stew

Ingredients

  • Bottle gourd(chopped) – 250 gm (or 2 cups)
  • Medium sized tomato- 1 (increase it to 2 if you would like a tangier flavor)
  • Green chili- 1
  • Whole fenugreek seeds- ½ teaspoon
  • Sprouted whole black gram and whole moong beans- ½ cup
  • Turmeric-1/2 teaspoon
  • Curry leaves- 8-10
  • Garlic (minced)- 4
  • Salt-1 teaspoon or to taste
  • Oil- 1 tablespoon

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker (or a deep skillet) and add whole fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Make sure you reduce the flame as soon as the fenugreek seeds start to splutter as overheating imparts a bitter flavor to the seeds which impacts the overall taste of your dish
  2. Add minced garlic and stir for 2 minutes and add the bottle gourd, green chili, turmeric, sprouted lentils and salt. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes or until the bitter gourd is soft and starts to leave water. If using a skillet, cover and cook for 20 minutes
  3. Turn off the heat and wait for the pressure cooker to release all the steam before opening. At this stage the stew appears very watery
  4. Turn on the heat and add chopped tomatoes and cook on medium-high for another 10 minutes till a relatively drier consistency is achieved
  5. Serve hot with steamed rice or mushroom-mint pilau

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 65
Nutrition- Water/Folates/Vitamin C/B3/B6/Calcium/Iron/Zinc/Manganese/Magnesium
It does wonders for your- Nerves/Gut/Skin/Sleep/Bones
This is “My 1pm/8pm Meal”

https://onewholesomemeal.com/vegetable-stew-sprouts-bottle-gourd-stew/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal

Spiced Grilled Stuffed Eggplant

Bharwa Baingan or stuffed eggplant is a traditional Indian dish typically served as a starter and at times even in the main course.

As with most Indian foods, there are more than a couple of ways to prepare the filling which is then stuffed into the cored (generally baby) eggplant and pan-fried or curried. Although it sounds delicious, it tends to load up on the calories making it an occasional indulgence. But not anymore! Inspired by the healthier Greek and Italian versions of this dish, I decided to give the traditional Indian version a twist. I must say the results were absolutely delightful. You could serve it as an appetizer or eat it as a light main course too. Enjoy!

For more eggplant recipes, why don’t you try Dahi Baigan or Litti Chokha?

 

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Spiced Grilled Eggplant

Ingredients

  • Medium sized eggplants (long variety)- 2
  • Medium sized potato (boiled)- 1
  • Medium sized onion (chopped fine)-1
  • Medium sized tomato (chopped fine)-1
  • Green chilies (chopped fine)-2
  • Garlic pods (chopped fine)- 6-8
  • Fresh coriander (chopped fine)-1/2 cup
  • Roasted peanuts (pounded to grits)-1 cup
  • Garam masala- ½ teaspoon
  • Red chili powder (optional)- ½ teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder- ½ teaspoon
  • Amchoor (dried mango powder) or freshly squeezed lime juice- 1 teaspoon
  • Salt-1.5 teaspoon or to taste
  • Oil- 1 tablespoon

Instructions

  1. Cut the eggplants lengthwise and scoop out the centre leaving ¼ inch thick shells to hold the stuffing while grilling. Chop the scooped eggplant
  2. Heat oil in a skillet and add chopped garlic followed by red chili and turmeric powder. Stir on medium heat for a minute and add chopped onion. Saute until onions are translucent and add boiled and mashed potato. Mix well and add the tomatoes and garam masala. Cook on low heat stirring intermittently making sure the mixture does not stick to the sides. The entire step should take 7-10 minutes
  3. Add peanut grits, green chilies, fresh coriander, amchoor powder and salt and mix well. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes on low heat
  4. In the meantime preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with an aluminum foil
  5. Rub the eggplant shells both inside and outside with some oil and a pinch of salt. This will impart a smoky flavor to the shells as it grills. Stuff the prepared mixture into the shells and grill for 20 minutes or until the shells are soft and brown
  6. Serve hot as is or with a side of steamed rice

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 134
Nutrition- Fiber/Vitamin C/B6/Phytonutrients
It does wonders for your- Gut/Immunity/Heart/Blood Cholesterol
This is “My 8 pm Meal”

https://onewholesomemeal.com/stuffed-eggplant-spiced-grilled/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Lunch | 1pm Meal

Toor Daal Missi Rotis With Mango Pickle

Missi Rotis
Toor Dal Missi Roties with Mango Pickle

A busy weekend and an even busier Monday morning meant an empty refrigerator as I found absolutely no time for my grocery run. Thankfully I had some leftover toor daal (split pigeon peas) from the night before so these missi rotis happened.

All I had to do was knead the leftover daal with some whole wheat flour, add some spices and roll out soft silky missi rotis. We enjoyed it with homemade sweet mango pickle and fresh langra mangoes. Oh! If you are wondering, what on earth are langra mangoes and have not tasted them, you are missing something in life. Not as famous as their prettier and commercially popular cousins alphonsos, these green coloured wonders are much more flavourful, sweeter and not to mention easier on the pocket 😉

Something I Want to Share…

I quickly belted down the hot rotis and rushed out for groceries. The heavens had broken loose and by the time I returned home I was soaking wet, exhausted, it was almost dinnertime for the kids and I had no time to cook a meal. My patience levels were running low and the dam was going to burst any moment when suddenly an image of this old lady who was selling flowers in the wet market flashed in my head.

There she sat under a makeshift plastic tent, which shielded her (and her precious flowers) from the heavy rain as she munched on her lunch. There was something about that wrinkled unperturbed face that was completely oblivious to the entire hullabaloo around her. She seemed completely at peace with it all and most of all with herself.

How could she? And if she could, then with all that the Almighty has bestowed on me, why couldn’t I? So, what my kids have to repeat a meal, shouldn’t I be grateful for the food on their plates and roof on our heads? At that one moment, my mood switched. I went from being agitated and guilty to thankful and happy. Let us look around us and always remind ourselves of what we have v/s what we do not. Just this one switch would make life so much more worth living. It is something I wanted to share with you.

Getting back to the toor daal missi roti, scroll down for the detailed recipe. You may also see my recipe for paalak missi roti here.

 

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Toor Daal Missi Roti

Ingredients

  • Leftover (or freshly boiled) toor (spli pigeon peas) daal- 1 cup
  • Whole wheat flour- 2 cups
  • Ajwain (carom) seeds- ½ teaspoon
  • Medium sized onion chopped fine- ½
  • Green chili chopped fine- 1
  • Amchoor (dry mango) powder- ½ teaspoon
  • Salt- 1/2 teaspoon or to taste (if using freshly boiled daal add 1 teaspoon)
  • Oil – 2 teaspoons
  • Oil or Ghee for pan frying

Instructions

  1. Bring the leftover daal to room temperature (do not microwave). Mix all the ingredients together adding 1-teaspoon oil and knead the dough. Cooked daal should have enough water for kneading but add some more water if needed.
  2. Cover with cling wrap and let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 minutes; then uncover and knead again till a smooth consistency is achieved.
  3. Grease your hands with some oil and form the dough into balls slightly smaller than the size of your palm
  4. Roll out into approximately 6 inch discs and pan fry on a hot skillet making sure the edges are evenly cooked by pressing them intermittently with a spatula and flipping to cook on both sides.
  5. Serve hot with chutney or pickle of your choice or fresh ripe mango juice (aam ras)

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 153
Nutrition-Protein punch/Fiber/Iron/Vitamin B
It does wonders for your- Muscles/Gut/Stamina
This is “My 1 pm Meal”

https://onewholesomemeal.com/toor-daal-missi-rotis/

 

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal

Broccoli Curry in Roasted Tomato Gravy

Broccoli Curry
Broccoli Curry in Roasted Tomato Gravy

Do you like Broccoli? Well, I don’t! Growing up in India, I had never tasted cauliflower’s green cousin. There is no broccoli curry one grows up eating. And to be honest, if it was not for innumerable health benefits of broccoli I would happily keep our relationship extremely platonic.

But I like a good challenge and what better challenge than making yourself like (and eat) something you almost detest. So, I decided to give our “videshi” broccoli a “desi” twist with this roasted tomatoes and panch foran based broccoli curry and it changed everything! The smoked tanginess of roasted tomatoes is just the thing to balance the blandness of broccoli and the panch foran tempering just gives it another dimension.

The fussy eaters loved it too 😉  ! But you know what’s the best part? This broccoli curry was cooked with just two teaspoonfuls of oil. Try it for yourself and you are sure to convert from a “brocc-hater” to a “brocc-eater”…OK! Sorry about that terrible joke. But trust me, my recipes aren’t as bad as my jokes. Do give them a chance 🙂 Scroll down for the detailed recipe.

You may also like my recipe for Zucchini Broccoli Burgers. Definitely check it out and let me know which broccoli recipe is your favorite in the comments below.

 

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Broccoli-Tomato Curry

Ingredients

  • Broccoli- 250gm
  • Medium sized tomatoes- 2
  • Medium sized potato (cubed)- 1
  • Garlic- 8 pods finely chopped
  • Panchforan- 2 teaspoons
  • Salt-1.5 teaspoons
  • Green chilli- 2
  • Turmeric- 1/2 teaspoon
  • Oil- 2 teaspoons

Instructions

  1. Blanch the broccoli with half teaspoon salt and strain
  2. Dry roast the tomatoes in the oven (at 180 degrees for 20 minutes) or on stove top in an iron skillet. Cool and make a paste in a blender
  3. Heat oil in a wok, add panchforan till it starts to splutter, add garlic and sauté until fragrant
  4. Add tomato paste, turmeric and salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes
  5. Add potatoes and cook until soft
  6. Add blanched broccoli, green chilies, salt and half cup water and mix well. Cover and cook on medium heat for ten minutes
  7. Serve hot with steamed basmati rice.

Notes

Calories (per portion)- 125
Nutrition-Protein punch/Fiber/Iron/Folate/Vitamin C
It does wonders for your- Immunity/Muscles/Gut/Eyes/Heart/Cholesterol levels
This is “My 8 pm Meal”

https://onewholesomemeal.com/broccoli-curry-roasted-tomato/

[kkstarratings]