Mixed Vegetable Curry Without a Single Drop of Oil

A Successful Experiment

Anyhow I must keep the oil intake within the maximum quantity recommended by health and nutrition professionals that is no more than 20 grams per day. If I cook vegetables in our traditional method, I definitely add a lot more oil. So I decided to try making a vegetable curry without compromising the taste.

I simply boiled these vegetables and with mug (yellow) and musur (red) dal and then, just after serving added some salt and pepper. It was bland but not bad.

The quantity was enough for more than one meal. I had it for dinner. Next morning I mixed some semolina into it because I want my breakfast heavy. I also added a little more salt, just a little turmeric powder and some pepper and goda masala. Then it looked like this:

My Oil-free Upma

It was tasty and filling but no too heavy.

Garbanzo Beans and Kidney Beans with Vegetables

Delighted by this success, I decided to try oil free dishes every day.
So, yesterday I prepared another oil-free dish of garbanzo beans and kidney beans with carrot, fresh french beans, a little potato and cauliflower.
I soaked garbanzo- and kidney beans overnight. During this time I changed the water once. In the morning, I cooked these beans first in the pressure cooker for eight whistles. I cookef them simply in water. Then I waited for some time so that the air pressure inside the cooker reduces. Then I added all the vegetables and added salt, garam masala, a little coriander powder and black pepper, mixed everything well and closed the lid. I let it cook once again for eight whistles. Later I boiled this for a few minutes to make the gavy thicker. I mashed the garbanzo beans and the potatoes a little bit. So, you cannot see the beans a lot but you can see the kidney beans here:

I had it with roti today. It will taste good with steamed rice, too.

Ganapati Festival

Four decades on earth as an ethnic Hindu but never participated in an Arati! How does it sound? Not normal, right?! Well, I am not very religious! But, yes, I do consider knowing my own culture important. At home Mom was never allowed to worship any god's. There was no idol in our house. On rare ioccasion Mom visited temples secretly. I was brought up an atheist but I always felt sorry for Mom.

Rangoli at Ganapati Festival

Ganapati festival is ten days long. One evening my flatmate told me that she was going to attend the Aarati in the Puja pandal nearby. We had two pandals in our neighborhood. The next day I and my other flatmate accompanied her and attended Aarti at both the places.
To our surprise, the local people in our neighborhood invited us, al the girls in our hostel, to the feast they have arranged on the occasion of Satyanarayan Puja: rice, tur dal (a type of yellow lentil), puri, a spicy vegetable curry, papad and bundi (a sweet dish made of tiny gram flour balls). Served on plates made of "Shaal" leaves, the dinner was completely plant based!

The Idol

This is a "modak", a sweet dish that is an essential part of Ganapati Festival. My flatmate got this from home. As you can see, it looks like a fried dumpling. Inside the filling was mainly of grated coconut. So, this was plant-based, too.

Pointed Gourd in Mustard Gravy

Does morning really show the day? Does it? Always? I hope not. Not today!
Yesterday I didn't eat anything after breakfast at 09:00 a.m. I didn't feel well and had no appetite! In the evening I had some fruits only.

Dinner last night!

So, this morning I was dying of hunger. I decided to prepare shorshe bata diye patol ("pointed gourd with mustard paste"). I started cooking and within a few minutes the gas was over. Here is my pointed gourd in mustard gravy, only half cooked!

What to do?! I've kept it in the fridge. I hope, the caretaker will replace the cylinder soon and I will be able to finish cooking it then! Now I'm so hungry and sleepy and tired! At the moment I can just share the recipe with you. 

Peel the gourds leaving some skin here and there. Then slice each into two halves along its length. In a small bowl make a thick paste of mustard- and turmeric powder. Nowadays we buy small packets of mustard powder but the best flavour is guaranteed when you make mustard seed paste at home. But remember, then you have to separate the skin from the mustard. It's a little difficult. You make the paste (may be in a mixer-grinder) and pour some water in it and brown skin gets separated and accumulated at the bottom of the bowl. From above you carefully take the watery golden yellow liquid that is the mustard paste plus water and you add this to your vegetables. However, I prefer using ready made mustard powder and easily make a paste of it just by adding a little water.

For seasoning you will need mustard oil, fresh green chilies, sliced, and nigella seeds. By the way, I didn't add green chilies this time. Heat up the oil and add the nigella seeds and the chillies. Add the gourds and stir and mix. Let it cook for some time stirring every now and then. Add the paste of mustard and turmeric and mix everything well. Add water. Add salt. Let it cook till the gourds are thoroughly cooked. 

Serve with steamed rice. 

My Indianised Eintopf Rice Dishes and a Fresh Weight Loss Journey

        After a number of failed (if not barely successful) attempts to lose weight by putting myself on a strict diet I am again trying to lose weight making considerable changes in my food habit. This time I have decided not to give up any particular group of food because I know from my experience that it is a mistake. Earlier I have cut off carbohydrates or fat totally. It was not sustainable. This is the major difference between this attempt between the earlier ones. I make sure that everyday everything i.e all types of food (protien, carbohydrates, fat etc.) are on my plate.

       Also, this time I am cooking evey meal all by myself. Thus, I always know the quantity and the quality of what I am eating.

       I often cook one pot dishes. It saves time and later, the effort of washing several dishes. Everyday I wash, literally, one pot, and my plate. 

        Below you can find some of the vegetable rice dishes and khichuris I am preparing regularly.

Linguistic Notes:

Khichuri is a Bengali (Bangla) word for different types of rice and lentil dishes. Outside Bengal it is called "Khichdi", simply the Hindi word for Khichuri, and does not necessarily need lentils as an ingredient. But in Bengali khichuris, lentil is an essential ingredient and often we use two types of lentils, sona mug (yellow, very tiny species of mug Dal) and musur (the red dal) to prepare Khichuri.

Shaak is the umbrella term used to refer to the different types of leafy vegetables in different shapes and colours. We have a great variety of them in Bengal and I think in other parts of India as well.

Laal means "red" in Bengali.

Eintopf, a German word, literally means "one pot".

Procedure: 

Though ingredients are different for different dishes, the procedure is the same. I always soak the rice and lentils for at least half an hour before cooking, sometimes in hot water. I cut the vegetables and wash them in filtered water, drain the water carefully and keep them at one side. Rice is almost never more than 30 grams and I take the same quantity of lentils. I don't use measuring cups, I have some idea. My cooking starts with heating up about four teaspoons of oil. Then I add the seasoning and immediately add the vegetables. Then I add the spices, usually some cumin powder and turmeric powder, very little black pepper powder and a little goda masala, a typical and traditional Maharashtrian blend of different spices and mix everything well. If I don't feel like using goda masala, I go for garam masala. I keep the flame low and let the vegetables cook for some time. I stir from time to time to make sure that it doesn't start burning at the bottom. In the meantime I drain the water from the rice/lentils that I soaked. Now I add the rice or both rice and lentils, depending on what I am making. I stir and mix everything and add salt. I add water and close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook until five to eight whistles.
Note: Sometimes I skip seasoning nowadays because I am trying to lose weight. In such cases, I boil the ingredients together and later sprinkle a fre drops of cold pressed mustard oil while serving.

Laal Shaak Khichuri

I used nigella seeds and garlic for seasoning. Ingredients are laal Shaak, basamati rice and Red Lentil.

Basamati Rice with French Beans, Carrot and Beetroot

Beetroot Rice

I sautéed shredded onion till  golden and then the other vegetables, too, (shredded green bell pepper and finely chopped beetroot) in mustard oil in the beginning.

Rice and Sona Mug with Bottle Gourd

I boiled all the ingredients and sprinkled some mustard oil and black pepper on top of it just before eating.

Laal Shaak With Loads of Vegetables and a Very Little Rice and Lentils

I used nigella seeds and garlic as seasoning.

This doesn't look appetizing, right? Believe me, it was very tasty. And healthy.

Rice With Beans and Cauliflower

I used no seasoning but sautéed the vegetables very well before adding the spices.

For the first time in my life I am enjoying being on a diet.

Rice and Red Lentil with French Beans, Cauliflower and Carrot

I soaked rice and musur dal (red lentil) for half an hour. In the meantime I cut the vegetables. The quantity of vegetables was double of that of rice and dal since I want to lose weight 😬. I put everything in a pressure cooker and added salt, black pepper powder, garam masala and cooked it for 8 whistles. But depending on the rice you might have to turn the burner off after 5 whistles. I poured a few drops of mustard oil just before serving. When you don't cook it in a pressure cooker, first start with water in a pot, add musur dal as the water starts boiling. After a few minutes, some foam may start accumulating above the water. Take that out from the top with a wide spoon and throw away. Now add the rice and the vegetables, add the spices and cook until it is thoroughly done. Now add salt and mix well. Don't add mustard oil if you are not familiar with the flavour. 1. You can also replace musur Dal with some other lentil of your choice. I often make it with mug Dal (then you don't have to worry about the foam.). Also, I think when the musur dal is produced with not much chemical/ already very clean the foam might not accumulate. 2. If you use a type of rice that doesn't cook very fast, add it in the beginning with the dal. Mug Dal cooks faster. I sometimes make it with mug Dal and basamati rice.