TANDOORI SOYA RECIPE. SOYA CHUNKS TANDOORI RECIPE

TANDOORI SOYA RECIPE.
The menu for today is Tandoori Soya, presented by a very special Guest  of mine,  Sobha Shyam from USA. She is  a special lady with  great culinary skills, blogging on   healthy and versatile recipes, that can satisfy the palate and pleases the eyes. do visit Sobha at:  http://sobha-goodfood.blogspot.com/

About me:


I am Sobha Shyam. I am from India, now residing in US. I am a Software Engineer by profession, but I have taken a break from work currently. Now I am enjoying as a full time mom to my 2.5 year old son.I started my blog Good Food with the intention of sharing my culinary experiments and recipes.
I always try to focus on making healthy dishes. I love to spend time with my family, travelling, reading and cooking.
I am very happy to share the recipe of Tandoori Soya with you all. This makes a great party appetizer or serve as a side dish.
Regards, 
Sobha


Introduction
Soya chunks is a Soy product which is said to be Textured Soy protein and is usually used as a meat equivalent by the Vegetarians.
It is high in protein and said to have almost the same protein content as in meat.


Tandoori is a dish which is usually cooked in a tandoor. Tandoor is a clay oven where the wood or charcoal is burnt to cook the food, thus exposing the food to open fire.
This is very similar to the barbeque method. Usually meat is marinated for long hours and cooked inside the tandoor. Tandoori chicken, Chicken Tikka are very popular recipes.


Since we don't have a Tandoor at home, I made this in our conventional oven. I have prepared using Soya chunks here, but followed the same method for preparing Tandoori Chicken.
It's a healthy recipe and hope you all will love it.

Ingredients:
1 cup Soya chunks (I have used Nutrela brand)
1/2 of a large onion, diced
1/2 of a bell pepper, diced


For Marination:
4 tbsp Yoghurt
1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 tsp Lime juice
Salt

Procedure:
How to cook Soya chunks :Boil about 3 cups of water in a vessel and add the soya chunks to the water. Let it boil for about 5-10 minutes.
Soya chunks will be doubled in size by now. Remove the vessel from stove, close it with a lid and let it remain so for 10-15
minutes. Then drain the water, allow the chunks to cool. Once cooled, gently squeeze out the water and keep aside.


In a bowl, beat the yogurt well. Add all other ingredients listed under For Marination and mix them well to form a smooth paste.
Add this paste to the soya chunks and mix so that the chunks get coated well. This should be kept in refrigerator for a minimum of 4-5 hours.
I kept it overnight and made the tandoori next day. Longer the marination time, better the taste will be.


I have used about 6 bamboo skewers. If you are using them, soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour, else they might burn in the oven.


Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and spray some oil. On each skewer, slide in carefully the soya chunk, onion and bell pepper alternately.
Place it on the baking tray.Once all the skewers are filled and kept on the tray, spray some oil on them.


Bake for 10-12 minutes on one side. Slowly turn the skewers to the other side. Bake for about 10 minutes again. Keep an eye on the oven as all ovens vary.


Sprinkle some chaat masala or lime juice if you desire. Enjoy the Tandoori Soya !!

Notes:
* I have used Nutrela brand Soya chunks here which is available in all Indian grocery stores.
* You can vary the quantity of the spices used for marination as per your taste.
Thank you Ms. Wan for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I am very glad that we met in the blogosphere.
I am so happy and excited to do a guest post at your space and this is my first guest post :)

THAI PAPAYA SALAD RECIPE

THAI PAPAYA SALAD RECIPE 

A side dish normally eaten with rice and fried or roast beef

Ingredients

       3 cups julienned semi ripe papaya as in photo

       3 long beans –cut into 3cm (1 inch) length.

       1 garlic- minced

       2 fresh red or green chili (to taste)- chiffanade  (paper  thin slices)

       2 tablespoons ground roasted peanuts

       1 tablespoon palm sugar (jaggery)- chiffanade

       2 tablespoons lime juice

       1 1/2 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

       1 tablespoon chopped dried shrimps

The way to do it

1. Cut papaya in half (lengthwise) remove seeds, peel off skin and wash clean. Using a sharp knife, julienned the papaya ( should not be too long but  not too thin either).
2. Boil some water in a pot (just about enough to submerge the papaya). Once boil, add in papaya . When just about crisp tender, immediatety turn off fire and drain away water, using a strainer. Ensure pieces not broken.
3. Blend sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and dried shrimp, peanuts and chili .. Add the julienned        papaya and mix well. Marinate half hour before serving.

1. Dish should taste sweet, sour, and a little bit salty, so you may need to add more of certain ingredients to suit your taste buds. Serve with rice as side dish. I would love to add  some crushed black pepper onto it....yummy

COOKING TECHNIQUES- CREAMING. COOKING TECHNIQUES- PUREE.

COOKING TECHNIQUES- CREAMING
CREAMING IN COOKING

CREAMING, in baking, is the technique of blending ingredients — usually granulated sugar — together with a solid fat like shortening or butter. The technique is most often used in making butter cream, cake batter or cookie dough. The dry ingredients are mixed or beaten with the fat until it becomes light and fluffy and increased in volume, due to the incorporation of tiny air bubbles..

COOKING TECHNIQUES

PUREE   and (more rarely) mash are general terms for cooked food, usually vegetables or legumes, that have been ground, pressed, blended or sieved to the consistency of a soft creamy paste or thick liquid. Purées of specific foods are often known by specific names, e.g mashed potatoes or apple sauce. The term is of French origin

 Image of quebebe puree, compliments from AnaLuiza-" Hella Heaven"- see link at sidebar

FOOD JOKES 4- INSPIRATION FROM THE ANCIENT ROMANS GOURMET

FOOD JOKES 4-
INSPIRATION FROM THE ANCIENT ROMANS GOURMET

My last personal post was my #100  and from  the feedback i received via my comment box and emails, i promised myself then, that i will be more versatile in my postings. This blog  is  not meant  to  post only food recipes, but also cover other areas on foodie, where, there is something for everyone to appreciate.
My #100 post has no recipe but i did link it to one of my older recipe, in case, anybody wants to view.
This is in consideration that there are some  of my blogger friends and visitors who do not enjoy cooking or are not looking for recipes to follow, except only sometimes.. They just like to come over as regulars...
To most of my blogger friends and regular visitors, who are more familiar with my blog, may have noticed that i have  a passion for the  ancient roman culinary and with my unpredictable sense of humor, i have cracked up some clean crisp jokes on gourmet food-  inspiration from the ancient Romans....stay tuned

DEFINATION OF 'GOURMET'' BY THE ANCIENT ROMANS

IN ‘PERSON” GOURMET defination--The term gourmet may refer to a person with refined or discriminating taste or to one that is knowledgeable in the art of food and and food preparation.

IN “FOOD” GOURMET definition- Gourmet may describe a class of restaurant, cuisine meal or ingredient of high quality, of special presentation, or high sophistication.

The Andean flamingo, is one of the rarest flamingos in the world. It has a pale pink body with brighter upper parts and is the only flamingo species with yellow legs and three toed feet..  ooh, very classy and rare..
Hey, why do flamingos always stand on one leg? Can you give me the answer :).....

One of the the delicacies of the ancient Romans is the "Flamingo tongue" - i have the recipe if you want- no problem, on the house..

Remember, my recent guest blogger, Cindyrina, on Forbidden love in Beijing..http://www.princesscindyrina.blogspot.com/
.Her neighborhod was robbed many times and they also saw two prowlers in front of  her house one night. 
Of course she was not scared-  she has the whole house lights  switched   on, until morning, everyday... She even  put a notice at her door- A BIG ONE, IT SAYS:- 

Ooh, this is such a brave thing to do...BRAVO :) to you cindyrina

In an exclusive restaurant on Roman gourmet cuisine- 

Here is a conversation between Mr Harry Trout, a gourmet diner and The chief waiter in charge ( also a gourmet of course).


Mr Harry Trout: Do you have a “ONE-DISH MEAL”, gourmet classified ?

Chief waiter: Yes Sir, you name it, we have it. We have "Shore Dinners" and other "Combination Platters" with oysters, lobster, crabs, scallops, shrimps, mushrooms, tomatoes, meat, chicken etc  etc— each article prepared separately, BUT when served together will form an integral part of ONE DISH. We called this a “ONE-DISH MEAL”   Sir 

Mr Harry Trout : How fresh are your oysters?

Chief waiter: There is no way to keep ostrea (oysters) fresh and alive except in their natural habitat — which is in the (sea) salt water Sir.

I guess the only way English oysters could have arrived fresh in Imperial Rome was in those specially constructed “bottoms” of the ship Sir. But once they are onshore (land), we have no other better way than to pack them in barrels, feed them with oatmeal and make them put on weights.

Mr Harry Trout: mmm…. What is your specialty for lunch today?

Chief waiter: Sir, we have “Flamingo tongue from the ancient Roman.”

tMr Harry Trout: Wow! that’s real gourmet , I like the 100 yrs old- pickled tongue- 4 pieces please.

Chief waiter: Sorry sir, we don’t have 100 year old pickled  “Flamingo tongue”. In our case, the tongue is 1 week old- frozen, but the recipe is based on the ancient Roman’s.  However, we are allowed to serve only 2 pieces for each platter, four pieces is meant for the king and 3 for his queen Sir.

Mr Harry Trout: Too much protocol. I boycott that menu. Do you serve gaming birds as well?

Chief waiter:  No game birds today sir, if u insist Mister Lover of Luxury, please pay deposit for the bird plus air freight, come back in a week, we will get supply for you from our branch in Nepal. Only game birds from the Himalayas are available- those from other parts of the world are protected species…like the Andean .

Mr Harry Trout: What about my 10 year old son here, what have you got for him to eat?

Chief waiter: Oh Sir, don’t worry, our back neighbor is Mc Donald, we can have them sent over and then  we serve Mc D to your son on a “Queen Anne” silver platter with
a bright pink tomato sauce as dip (tomato sauce + mayo= bright pink)  
plus purple color potato fries to complete the one dish meal-
yeah, in it’s own class of Psychedelic colors.

Mr Harry Trout: Alright, but is that Mc D food, gourmet enough? I wonder… I don’t want any junk food for my son ok…

Chief  waiter: When the  Foodie scientists were able to brilliantly preserved the burger fillings for more than 2 years, I guess the ancient Romans will classify this Mc D as gourmet Sir… between fish, chicken and beef burger fillings, I would recommend 'CHICKEN FOR CHILDREN' Sir. 

When a person is not on a healthy diet and is too crazy over FAST FOOD, this is how he sees and examines the world’s brains and compares them to Fast food.

My 13 year old nephew said- Those astronauts have exhausted most of their brain with folds that are fully loaded with outer space knowledge, there is no space left for me to use their brain to learn earthly knowledge. Fully utilized brain, I would say they are only worth only about fifty dollars each. Yet, i won’t buy.

Those engineers, bankers, lawyers etc have exhausted their brains even more, with additional  overtime work until  their brain folds, fall flat everyday... Over utilized to the core, I would say their brains are only worth between twenty to thirty dollars each. Oh, i wont buy.

 I see  those  mc donald guys brains, were hardly being used, not many folds, must be still fresh and so full of space, pretty much the same like yester years, minimal change.. I am willing to pay ten thousand dollars for a pair of their brains. This I will buy!! i can eat mc donald for free too.

After the above jokes, HAZEL said: ”I have gone NUTS”, COCO said: “me too” 

Do visit cooking varieties coconut smoothies recipe- link here:

http://cooking-varieties.blogspot.com/2011/03/coconut-and-dragon-fruit-smoothies-or.html


GARAM MASALA PLEASE-

Cooking in most Indian, Pakistani and Punjabi dishes like curry and briyani rice.. Santosh, my guest blogger, in her post ,wrote on garam masala. Another blogger friend, Sarang Mangi , a guy who does not cook, posted a comment, He said- “ Garam masala reminds me of my aunt’s briyani ( flavored rice), When we eat that biryani, smoke starts from our ears…”

ha ha ha from your ears Sarang Mangi, wow! after that, where did the smoke go to huh? 

http://sindhitech-st.blogspot.com/

The smoke goes to the sky and form clouds, and then the clouds go to your city and starts raining :) ha ha ha

If you have any Foodie jokes to share, please put it down in my comment box, I may just publish them in my future Food jokes post. Thank you – smile, an everlasting smile

To whom it may concern… PLEASE DO NOT COPY MY JOKES WITHOUT MY WRITTEN PERMISSION…THEY ARE MY OWN ORIGINALS..

DATES, WALNUTS , BANANA CAKE- EGG LESS AND SUGARLESS. GARAM MASALA INGREDIENTS AND TIPS .

DATES, WALNUTS, BANANA  CAKE- EGGLESS AND SUGARLESS

GARAM MASALA  INGREDIENTS AND TIPS

Santosh Bangar is a Punjabi lady residing in New

 Delhi, India. A lawyer by profession, Santosh has always been interested in cooking since her childhood days and experimented a lot on culinary recipes, to meet up with the “healthy food “criteria.  The dishes were then improvised and  the results will be a simple, light, easy to prepare healthy dishes- that surely brings smiles to many. She started her blog “Santosh’s kitchen” about a year ago, which has since, gained a lot of popularity internationally. Her mother was a great cook too.

Santosh feels that priority should be cooking Good and Healthy Food. There are a lot more health conscious nowadays . Her four favorite recipes are Dal-Baati, Choley bhature, Corn cake and Vegetarian egg and  Dates,walnut,banana cake(below)

DATES, WALNUTS, BANANA EGG LESS AND SUGARLESS CAKE.

Do visit Santosh’s kitchen at:  http://santoshbangar.blogspot.com

DATES, WALNUTS, BANANA EGGLESS AND SUGARLESS CAKE

http://santoshbangar.blogspot.com/2010/12/dates-walnut-eggless-sugarless-cake.html 

This cake is best made from food leftovers. I saw dates in my fridge, syrup of jaggery and some apples. I thought of making a cake from all these ingredients. I used them and the result is fabulous . You all can try it .It  tastes great and healthy.

Ingredients:

wheat flour-1/1/2 cups
dates-1cup
walnut-1/2 cup
dates syrup-or jaggery -1cup or according to sweetness
cinnamon powder-1/4 tsp
dry ginger-1/4 tsp
milk 1cup
oil-1/2 cup

baking soda-1 1/2 tsp
banana -1ripe  

Method:
Discard the seeds of dates and crushed in grinder. Mix dates in hot milk/sieve flour and baking soda. Now mix the all ingredients in milk and make a smooth paste. If It is thick add some more milk. Cut the banana into thin slices and mash it. Mix in the batter. Pour batter in baking dish. Bake in microwave for 7 minutes.

Jaggery  is a traditional unrefined non-centrifuga l whole cane sugar consumed in Asia, Sfrica, Latin America and the Caribbean. It is a concentrated product of cane juice. without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color. Jaggery is made  from the products of both sugarcane and the palm tree.

GARAM MASALA:

Garam masala  is a familiar name in Indian cooking ingredients. Garam ("hot", but not ‘hot’ in the same way as ‘chili hot’)) and masala ("mixture")) is a blend of ground spices . It is used alone or with other seasonings.

The composition of garam masala differs regionally across India in accordance to region and personal taste, The components of the mix are toasted, then ground together.

A typical Pakistani Punjabi version of garam masala is: (cinnamon is not a part of this)

·         black & white peppercorns

·         cloves

·         malabar leaves

·         mace blades

·         black & white cumin seeds

·         black, brown & green cardamom pods

·         nutmeg

·         star anise

·         coriander seeds    

·         There are many variants: most traditional mixes use just cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and/ or mace, black pepper and green cardamom seed or black cardamom pods.

    

      The wet masala- Some recipes called for the spices to be ground with water, vinegar, coconut milk or other liquids, to make a paste. In some recipes, nuts, onion, or garlic may be added.

·         The dry masala- This has no liquid added-  The flavours are carefully blended to achieve a balanced effect, or a single flavor  emphasized. Usually a masala is toasted before use to release its flavours and aromas.  

Tips on Garam masala:   Add garam masala only after curry is cooked. This will retain the taste and color of vegetables used.

Garam masala can be used during cooking, but unlike many spices, it is often added at the end of cooking, so that the full aroma is not lost

Toast ingredients of garam masala before grinding them. This is to enhance their flavors and tastes. In rainy seasons, they are softer and thus easier to grind.

PIYAZ RECIPE (ANTALYA BEAN SALAD). KABAK TATLISI RECIPE (PUMPKIN DESSERT)

PIYAZ    (ANTALYA BEAN SALAD)

KABAK   RECIPE  (PUMPKIN DESSERT)

Two weeks ago, I published a guest post from my  special guest blogger, Mr Isa  from Antalya the magnificent city  of Turkey.

Isa is currently pursuing a Masters Program in Political Science and International Relations at a university in Turkey. Having a great passion on political sciences, I am quite surprised that he is also a great cook!  

Many thanks to you Isa for your willingness to do this guest post for me, of which I have divided it in two parts.

Part 1 was published 2 weeks ago:

 http://cooking-varieties.blogspot.com/2011/11/sis-kofte-meatball-skewers-recipe.html

Finally, here is Part 2, do visit Isa, one of our aspiring student bloggers at his main blog-

http://antalya-magnificent-city.blogspot.com/

Isa’s other blogs- on the various tribes of Turkey.

http://turkicfamily.blogspot.com/

Isa's personal bog, 
http://isaburakgonca.blogspot.com

PART 2

MENU:
-  Piyaz (Antalya Bean Salad) 
-    Kabak Tatlısı (Pumpkin Dessert) 

NORTHERN BEANS OR WHITE BEANS

  

   

Piyaz (Antalya Bean Salad) 

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked beans (northern beans)

1 onion cut finely in half-moons

1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped

1 or two hard boiled eggs, sliced

1 tomato, diced

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic, minced

NORTHERN BEANS OR WHITE BEANS

Tahini or sesame paste (Arabic: طحي‎), is a paste of ground sesame seeds used in cooking. The Arabic word tahin (طحين) simply means flour.

Tahini is a major component of humus (chickpeas with tahini) . It is sold fresh or dehydrated.

The method of cooking:

First, boil the beans. Then, parsley, garlic, dried and fresh onion rings for sure.

Put a little salt and blend in the oil. Sesame oil, garlic, lemon juice and mix them well. 

Pour over the salad that you make. The remaining oil, vinegar, pepper, drizzles clapped. 

Garnish with egg and olive.

Kabak Tatlısı (Pumpkin Dessert)
Ingredients:

1 pound of pumpkin
3 cups granulated sugar
Sesame Oil (Tahini)
Walnuts

The method of cooking:

Slice the pumpkins. Pumpkins sorting them in a pot sprinkle with powdered sugar. After waiting at least 2-3 hours, and cook over low heat their water. Pumpkins after cooking, place in oven. Cook 10 minutes more. After cooling the pumpkins serving dish, pour sesame oil on them and sprinkle with walnuts.

Antalya city

Antalya is set on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, also known as the Turkish Riviera. It is Turkey’s biggest international sea resort, with a mixed of traditional and cosmopolitan activities and excellent shopping centers and foodies. .

The sea and sun, beaches and moon, breathtaking waterfalls and authentic  localities

such as Olympos or the Taurus Mountains makes Antalya virtually a wonderland.  Here

are  a few more pictures on Antalya city.

One of the sacred animals in Turkey is the  Turkic  Dragon (Zilant- Ejderha)

Isa’s other blogs- on the various tribes and culture of Turkey.  

http://turkicfamily.blogspot.com/