Tag: One-Pot Meals

OneWholesomeMeal has many recipes for one-pot meals. They usually take less time to prepare. Therefore they are great options for a weeknight dinner.

What we like about these dishes is the flavour. One-pot meals allow the vegetables or the meat to take in all the flavours of the spices. Try these recipes at home.

spicy red chicken meatballs curry photography

 

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal Lunch | 1pm Meal

Sehjan Saag Moong Daal | Moringa Leaves Moong Daal

Sehjan Saag Moong Daal
Sehjan Saag Moong Daal

Daal is a part of our everyday meal in India. It allows you to experiment with different types of lentils and consistencies. With the Sehjan Saag Moong Daal, I got to play around a little more with the ingredients.

My love story with Moringa (or seaman) began much late in life but once it did there was no looking back. And why would I when these little greens are not only supremely delicious but packed with incredible health benefits especially for women. Moringa leaves are an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals. One cup of fresh, chopped leaves (21 grams) contains :

  • Protein: 2 grams
  • Vitamin B6: 19% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)
  • Vitamin C: 12% of the RDA
  • Iron: 11% of the RDA
  • Riboflavin (B2): 11% of the RDA
  • Vitamin A (from beta-carotene): 9% of the RDA
  • Magnesium: 8% of the RDA

(source: healthline.com)

The leaves may taste slightly bitter when eaten on their own. So here is a tried and tested recipe from my Mother in Law’s kitchen. In the Sehjan Saag Moong Daal I used split yellow moong beans and coconut (yes, more healthiness your way). Extremely easy to put together and extremely delicious. To avoid the bitterness, while cleaning the moringa leaves, very carefully pull out the leaves making sure not even the tiniest of stems get mixed with the leaves. Discard the bigger leaves and keep the smaller tender ones.

Scroll down to read the full recipe.

Moringa Leaves photography by OneWholesomeMeal | Sehjan Saag Moong Daal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moringa Leaves, Split Yellow Moong Daal and other ingredients photography | Sehjan Saag Moong Daal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Moringa Leaves with Split Yellow Moong Daal (Sehjan Saag Moong Daal)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Serving Size: Serves 4

Calories per serving: 75

Ingredients

  • Cooked sehjan(moringa) leaves -A little less than 1 cup (the leaves do not reduce too much after cooking, so one cup uncooked leaves would yield little less than a cup cooked leaves)
  • Boiled Split Yellow Moong daal-1.5 cups
  • Freshly desiccated coconut - 1.5 cups
  • Panch Phoran-1 teaspoon
  • Dried red chilli- 2-3
  • Turmeric-1/2 teaspoon
  • Sugar- 1 tablespoon
  • Salt-to taste
  • Oil -2 tablespoons
  • Ghee-1 tablespoon
  • Grated ginger-1.5 teaspoons
  • Green chilies-1 -2 (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cleaning Sehjan:
  2. Very carefully pull out the leaves making sure not even the tiniest of stems get mixed with the leaves Discard the bigger leaves and keep the smaller tender ones
  3. Wash, drain and keep aside
  4. Method
  5. Boil moong daal with salt and turmeric as usual(adding approximately 2 cups water to 1 cup uncooked daal) and keep aside
  6. Heat a pan and add oil
  7. When oil is hot, add dried red chillies and panch phoran, when the seeds start to crackle add the sehjan leaves
  8. Add half a cup of salt water and cover on a medium flame for half a minute, then uncover and add sugar, mix well
  9. If the pan starts to dry add some more water, mix well
  10. By now the leaves should be tender and done
  11. It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. Remember to not overcook the leaves
  12. Now, add the precooked moong daal and mix well, then add desiccated coconut
  13. Let it soak all the flavours for 2-3 minutes on medium heat
  14. Finish it off with some desiccated ginger, green chilies and ghee
  15. Serve hot with a side of boiled rice
https://onewholesomemeal.com/moringa-leaves-with-split-yellow-moong-daal-sehjan-saag-moong-daal/

 

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Lunch | 1pm Meal

Methi Pulaao | Fresh Fenugreek Leaves

Methi Pulaao recipe by OneWholesomeMeal
Methi Pulaao

Fresh Fenugreek or Methi leaves are my other winter favorite after carrots.

These leaves were available abundantly in winters growing up in India. My mother would make it a part of our meals one way or the other. She would add it to lentils, or in rice, make a vegetable stir-fry, or parathas flavored with it. You name it and my mother had it covered! She would even dry a big batch and stock for summers as these greens can be found only in winters.

Methi is one of the greatest gifts from Mother Nature to us. Not only does it taste divine but has a gazillion health benefits from hair to skin to heart and bowels. This is definitely one green, which needs to be included more in our diets. So, I try and make the most of it when it is available in winters, and this time I have also started to dry and stock for the summer.

The pulaao has been a massive hit in the household ever since we first tried it. I add loads of fresh vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, and peas to make this a one-pot meal for the kids. Here is the recipe for you to try:

Methi Pulaao

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Methi(Fresh Fenugreek Leaves) Pulaao

Ingredients

  • Long grained Basmati rice- 1.5 cups
  • Fresh Methi leaves, cleaned and chopped- 2 cups
  • Garlic- 10-12 pods
  • Green chili- 3 or as per taste
  • Other vegetables like mushroom, carrot, green peas- ½ cup
  • Turmeric- ½ teaspoon
  • Ghee-2 tablespoons
  • Cashews, halved- 6-8
  • Raisins or sultanas- 10-12
  • Cumin seeds- ½ teaspoon
  • Salt-1.5 teaspoons or to taste
  • Water- 2 cups (this amount would vary depending on the brand and age of Basmati Rice you use. Ideally the ratio (rice:water) is 1:2.5 for plain cooked rice. However for pulaao one would like slightly stiffer rice with grains which do not stick, hence 1:1.5 is a good ratio. If you are unsure of the amount of water while cooking pulaao, add 1:1 to begin with and you could add additional tablespoons while the rice is cooking. It takes some practice to know which brand of rice uses what amount of water and it is always tricky while making pulaao as you would not drain the water because that would mean draining away the entire flavor too. I recommend testing out your brand of rice a few times beforehand to determine the exact amount of water it completely absorbs to cook to a pulaao consistency.

Instructions

  1. Soak the rice in half an hour before cooking and set aside
  2. Blend garlic and chili to a coarse paste and set aside
  3. In a wide, deep and thick bottomed wok add ghee on a high flame and when hot add cashews, reduce flame to medium and roast till light golden brown and set aside. Stir continuously to avoid burning
  4. In the same wok add cumin seeds and stir till they start to crackle, then add the garlic and chili paste. Cook on medium flame stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes till garlic is golden
  5. Add turmeric powder and mix well
  6. Add chopped methi and cook on a medium flame until the leaves are almost cooked. This would take around 5-7 minutes.Add other vegetables and saute for a minute or two
  7. Drain the soaked rice and add it to the above mix, giving it a good stir
  8. Add water, salt, half a tablespoon of ghee (optional) and cook till done
  9. Serve hot with a side of yogurt or hot chili garlic oil

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 175 Nutrition- Antioxidants/Beta-carotene/Fiber/Vitamin K/Potassium/Protein It did wonders for your-Diabetes/Cholesterol/Heart diseases/ Gut/ Skin/ Immunity/ Hair This is “My 1 pm Meal”

https://onewholesomemeal.com/methi-fresh-fenugreek-leaves-pulaao/

[kkstarratings]

 

 

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal Lunch | 1pm Meal

Kimchi Flavoured Brown Rice

Kimchi
Kimchi Flavoured Brown Rice

Thank you, Kimchi for making brown rice flavorful in this one-pot meal.

The KISS rule is totally wasted on me! Now, that I have your attention, I meant the Keep It Simple Stupid rule silly J There are days I go into the kitchen thinking, “Just plain rice boiled with veggies today. A one-pot meal in the rice cooker. That’s it!”.

But then I see the chicken stock peeking from the refrigerator door. Oh and the paneer sitting in the chiller feeling neglected. There is also some rosemary about to breathe it’s last. And kimchi which is fermenting away for the last few months. Suddenly, the simple boiled rice with veggies is not so simple anymore. Well! Though there are a lot of ingredients, it is still really simple to put together. The flavors are just so amazing that one wonders, “Did I just throw everything together into the rice cooker?”.

Also, I am not a big fan of brown rice and hence the need to “complicate” things. Also, the lack of time to make a complete Indian meal points me in the direction of a one-pot meal. You can of course create the same dish with white rice; sticky jasmine rice would taste best. But it is okay to eat healthy-ish once in a while, isn’t it?

Kimchi Rice

Kimchi Rice

 

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Kimchi Flavoured Brown Rice

Ingredients

  • Brown rice (preferably pre-soaked for 30-45 mts)-1 cup (I used brown basmati rice, you could use any or even regular basmati or sticky jasmine rice; remember to adjust the water/stock accordingly based on the kind of rice used)
  • Chicken or vegetable stock-2.5 cups (if you do not have stock at hand, you could use plain water)
  • Chopped kimchi- ¼ cup
  • Kimchi juice- ½ cup (If your kimchi is not fermented enough, you could add some rice vinegar to it to increase volume)
  • Paneer (cottage cheese) cut into cubes and sautéed until light brown-1 cup
  • Green peas- ¼ cup
  • A few sprigs of rosemary
  • Star anise- 1
  • Garlic, chopped fine- 1 teaspoon
  • Oil for cooking kimchi- 1 tablespoon
  • Sesame oil- 1 teaspoon (optional)
  • Salt- 1 teaspoon or to taste
  • Spring onions, chopped fine and baby tomatoes for garnish

Instructions

  1. Add brown rice, stock, paneer, green peas, salt, rosemary and star anise to the rice cooker and cook as usual. You could add as many vegetables as you like- carrots, green beans or even mushrooms (mushrooms would need to be cooked with kimchi separately in the next step and not added to the rice while it is cooking with other vegetables)
  2. In the meantime, heat oil in a deep heavy bottomed pan, add garlic and sauté for about 30 secs on medium high flame and then add chopped kimchi and stir until almost done. This should take not more than 2 minutes. You do not want the kimchi to cook completely as it would cook some more with the steamed hot rice
  3. Add the cooked rice with vegetables and kimchi juice to the semi cooked kimchi and give it a nice stir. At this point you could add 1-teaspoon sesame oil for flavor but this is completely optional based on your palette. Cover and let it sit on a low flame for 2 minutes, adjust salt and serve hot topped with spring onions, baby tomatoes and a side of fried egg. I love to drizzle mine with some garlic chili oil for added flavor

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 175 Nutrition- Manganese/Selenium/ Naturally occurring oils/Fiber/Antioxidants It did wonders for your-Cholesterol/Heart diseases/ Gut/ Obesity/ Arthritis This is “My 8 pm Meal”

https://onewholesomemeal.com/kimchi-flavoured-brown-rice/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Afternoon Snack | 3pm Meal Dinner | 8pm Meal

Spicy Soup with Sichuan Peppercorns

Spicy Soup
Spicy Fish Soup with Sichuan Peppercorns

Whether a soup person or not, you cannot say no to this extremely flavourful Spicy Soup with Sichuan Peppercorns.

Let me start this post with a small reveal. I am not a huge soup fan. However, my half a decade in Hong Kong has definitely gotten me to change a little bit. Now we do soups at home once in a while, but me being me, I absolutely need to put an Indian twist to it. For example, this one-pot yumminess was seasoned generously with garlic, tomatoes, and lots of fresh coriander. Along with this, I simmered basa fillets, bok choy, and black chickpeas in stock for a good 40 minutes. Vegetarians could swap fish with tofu or cauliflower and it would just taste as good. I always have you covered!

The kids ate it with a side of plain sticky rice and the adults as is. Perfect light weekday dinner before we binged endlessly through the weekend. And I cannot recommend this spicy soup enough for cold and flu days. The pepper is just so amazing to help clear the phlegm. You could use any white fish and it would taste as good. Here is the recipe for you to try.

Spicy Soup

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Fish Soup with Sichuan Peppercorns

Ingredients

  • Basa (or any white fish) fillet cut into desired size-200 gm
  • Garlic, chopped fine- 4-6 pods
  • Tomatoes, medium sized, cubed- 2
  • Coriander leaves, chopped fine-4 tablespoons
  • Chinese greens of your choice (Bok Choy works best in soups), cleaned-6-8 stocks
  • Sichuan Peppercorns- 2 teaspoons or as per taste
  • Black pepper-1/4 teaspoon
  • Salt-1.5 teaspoon or to taste
  • Water-2 cups
  • Oil-1 teaspoon

Instructions

  1. Marinate the fillets with ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns and ½ teaspoon salt for 45 minutes. For best results rub the peppercorns on the fillets. You can skip this step if the kids cannot handle the heat
  2. Heat a deep heavy bottomed pan and add 1-teaspoon oil. Once the oil is hot, add chopped garlic and black pepper, stir for a minute, making sure it doesn’t get burnt, then add tomato
  3. Mix well for a minute, then add the marinated fish fillets, chopped coriander,1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
  4. Stir in the water and bring the mixture to a boil on high heat
  5. Reduce the flame to low, cover and let it simmer for at least thirty minute
  6. In the last five minutes, add bok choy or greens of your choice, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes
  7. Add salt, mix and serve hot garnished with crushed pepper corns

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 120 Nutrition- Protein, Fiber, Vitamin A, K, B6, C, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Manganese, Phosphorous It does wonders for your-Muscles/Hair/Immunity/Anemia/Bones/Gut This is “My 8pm/3pm Meal

https://onewholesomemeal.com/spicy-soup-with-sichuan-peppercorns/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal Lunch | 1pm Meal

Spiced Mutton Stew | #NationalCurryMonth

Mutton Stew
Spiced Mutton Stew

Apparently it is #NationalCurryMonth. I do not need a reason to cook and consume curry but this definitely is a great reason to introduce you to a new recipe – spiced mutton stew.

This dish checks all the boxes of how curry is prepared but tastes like no other. It is warm and rich with spices, extracting a deep flavor from the mutton itself and balanced perfectly by yogurt. Side note – the yogurt is used for marinading. This is a stew in the form of a curry or curry in the form of a stew. However you see it and whatever you choose to call it, it doesn’t take away from the very luscious, gut soothing taste of this one-pot mutton dish.

Paired with a bowl of piping hot rice or even on its own, it makes for a perfect meal in cooler weather. Also, it is a great panacea for that lingering cold. There you go, so many reasons to try this mutton stew, right? Let me know how you had it in the comments section. Scroll down for the full recipe.

If you prefer your meal curry style, then maybe this mutton curry recipe here is just for you.

Mutton Stew

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Spiced Mutton Stew

Ingredients

  • Mutton, cleaned and cut into 2 inch pieces- 500 gm (mutton with fat adds to the taste)
  • Onion, small sized sliced fine- 6
  • Yogurt (for the marinade)-2 cups (enough to completely immerse the mutton)
  • Ginger (grated fine)-1 tablespoon
  • Garlic (chopped fine)-1 tablespoon
  • Bay leaf- 2 small
  • Cinnamon stick- 1 inch
  • Black and green whole cardamoms- 2 and 4 pieces each
  • Black pepper- ½ teaspoon
  • Cloves- 8-10 pieces
  • Green chilies- 2 or to taste
  • Ghee (for the marinade)-1.5 tablespoon
  • Turmeric- 1 teaspoon
  • Salt- 1.5 teaspoon or to taste
  • Sugar-2 teaspoon (optional)
  • Coriander leaves chopped fine-2 tablespoons for garnish

Instructions

  1. Hand pound all the spices (bay leaf, cinnamon, black and green cardamoms, black pepper, cloves) in a mortar and keep aside
  2. Mix well all ingredients except coriander leaves in a deep bowl, cover and marinate for 2 hours at room temperature
  3. After 2 hours place the mixture in a thick-bottomed wok or pressure cooker, cover and cook until the meat is tender. If using a wok remove the cover and stir intermittently once or twice; uncovering it too often would delay the cooking time. If using a pressure cooker, cook with the lid on a high flame for 7-10 minutes, then release the pressure and take off the lid
  4. If the stew is too watery, bring it to desired consistency stirring intermittently over a medium-high flame
  5. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with a side of steamed rice or by its own.

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 250 Nutrition- Protein/Monounsaturated fat/Iron/Zinc/Potassium/Vitamin B12 It does wonders for your- Muscles/Anemia/Stamina This is “My 1pm Meal”

https://onewholesomemeal.com/spiced-mutton-stew/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Lunch | 1pm Meal

Mutton Curry Prepared In One Pot

Mutton Curry
One Pot Mutton Curry

Ask an Indian (who is a hardcore carnivore) what his or her favorite kind of meat is and more often than not the answer would be mutton.

While I am not a big fan of this meat myself, I totally understand why one would say so. It is quite versatile. One can make mutton curry, mutton cutlets, keema parathas, and what not with mutton. It is also very flavorful. However, a lot of the flavor is dependant on finding the right kind of meat and preparing it the right way.

When in Hong Kong we always struggle to find the right kind of mutton. Hence the India trips have to be made the most of.

The one-pot (pressure cooker) mutton curry, which my mother makes always, hits the spot. It is an extremely simple and foolproof recipe provided the ingredients, including the masala, are of good quality. In my experience, somehow the packaged masalas just do not do the trick.

I am sharing here the recipe for both – the meat masala and the garam masala prepared from scratch along with the mutton curry recipe. This is how my mum makes her garam masala. You might find it slightly different from the more commonly available recipes but it tastes just as good. Do give it a shot and I am sure you would love it. For vegetarians, you could use this meat masala in your regular curries like cauliflower, etc for that heady flavor and aroma.

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One Pot Mutton Curry

Ingredients

  • For Garam Masala:
  • Cinnamon- 4 two inch sticks of medium thickness
  • Bay leaves- 4
  • Black cardamom (badi elaichi)- 2
  • Green cardamom (choti elaichi)-4
  • Cloves- ½ teaspoon
  • Mace- 3 strands
  • Black cumin seeds (shah jeera)- ½ teaspoon
  • Cumin seeds (jeera)- ½ teaspoon
  • Black pepper (gol mirch)- ½ teaspoon
  • For Meat Masala:
  • Cumin (jeera) powder- 5 teaspoons
  • Black pepper powder- 5 teaspoons
  • Turmeric powder- 5 teaspoons
  • Red Chili powder- 2 teaspoons (you can reduce this amount as per taste)
  • Garam Masala (prepared as above)- 3 teaspoons
  • Coriander Powder- 12 teaspoons
  • For Mutton Curry:
  • Mutton or lamb (cleaned and cut into desired size pieces, preferably 2 inches long)- 1 kg
  • Onions, medium sized, sliced fine (preferably red onions of Indian variety)- 6-8
  • Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
  • Bay leaf- 2 small
  • Cinnamon sticks- ½ inch
  • Black and green whole cardamoms- 2 and 4 pieces each
  • Star anise- 1 whole flower
  • Mace- One small portion
  • Black pepper- ½ teaspoon
  • Cloves- 4 pieces
  • Ginger paste- 2 teaspoons
  • Garlic paste-1 teaspoon
  • Green chili -3 or to taste
  • Red chili powder-1 teaspoon or to taste
  • Garam Masala-2 teaspoons
  • Meat Masala- ½ teaspoon
  • Salt-2 teaspoons or to taste
  • Chopped coriander for garish- 2 tablespoons
  • Mustard oil or ghee- 2 tablespoons

Instructions

  1. For Garam Masala:
  2. Dry roast the ingredients one at a time in a dry iron skillet, stirring continuously till they release a distinct aroma and set aside to cool
  3. Once the spices have thoroughly cooled, powder finely in a blender. In case there are any coarse pieces, pass the blended mixture through a sieve and blend again to achieve a perfectly smooth consistency
  4. Store in an air tight container in a cool and dry place
  5. For Meat Masala:
  6. Mix all the above ingredients well in a wide plate and store in an air-tight container in a cool and dry place
  7. When using this meat masala, you need not add turmeric, coriander and red chili powder separately in the curry
  8. For Mutton Curry:
  9. Heat oil or ghee in a thick-bottomed wok or pressure cooker
  10. Add the whole garam masala (cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, black and green whole cardamoms, star anise, mace, black pepper, clove) and roast until they start to release fragrance, then add the sliced onions. On a medium-high flame stir the onions for a minute or two (they do not need to turn brown), then add the mutton and keeping the flame on medium mix well for another minute
  11. Mix the ginger, garlic, green chili, garam masala, and red chili powder to a blender and blend to make a smooth paste. Add this smooth paste to the mutton and mix well
  12. Cover and cook until the meat is 80 percent done. If using a wok remove the cover and stir intermittently once or twice; uncovering it too often would delay the cooking time. If using a pressure cooker, cook with the lid on a high flame for 7-10 minutes, then release the pressure and take off the lid
  13. Give it a nice stir and add salt and cook on a medium-high flame till a desired consistency of gravy is achieved. You can adjust the amount of onions to achieve the desired consistency of gravy, more onions for a richer, thicker gravy
  14. Serve with steamed rice and side on salt-pepper-lime onions and cucumber

Notes

Calories (per serving)- 294 Nutrition- Protein/Monounsaturated fat/Iron/Zinc/Potassium/Vitamin B12 It does wonders for your- Muscles/Anemia/Stamina This is “My 1pm Meal”

https://onewholesomemeal.com/one-pot-mutton-curry/

[kkstarratings]