Mumbai Street Food with a Twist - Low Carb Pav Bhaji

Before the pandemic, my mom and I used to plan family get togethers where we strategized the menu days in advance. No one wanted to be stuck in the kitchen all and not enjoy the party. 

Post pandemic is different because we are still taking precautions and not really having those big parties. Although, whenever my husband and I visit, my mom serves new or fusion dishes for us. They are like "one pot meals". We don't want her to be stuck in the kitchen during our visit either. 

Examples of the "one pot meals" are tomato bath, spinach rice with tofu, biryani or pav bhaji. The last time we visited my parents, my mom made Pav Bhaji. 

Pav Bhaji is a street food sold on Mumbai beaches and quick office lunch on the curb side carts. It is a thick vegetable curry called bhaji which is served with a bread roll or bun called pav. It is commonly made with potato, onion, tomatoes, carrots and chilies. My mom make the dish with a twist, a healthier twist by adding riced cauliflower. 

I used to think eating healthy meant sacrificing taste but with a few tweaks any dish can be made healthier. By incorporating riced cauliflower and reduced the number of potatoes, we reduced the carbohydrates without losing the flavor. Check out the recipe below. 

Ingredients for bhaji (bhaji means vegetable stuffing):

- 2 medium size potatoes, cooked, peeled and roughly mashed
- 10 oz Kirkland Riced cauliflower, frozen

- 3 ripe wine tomatoes, chopped or ground coarsely

- 1 medium onion, chopped finely

- 1 Tbsp Pav bhaji masala

- ½ bunch Cilantro, washed and chopped finely

- 1 tsp whole cumin

- ½ tsp chili powder

- ¼ tsp turmeric powder

- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 tsp salt (or as per your taste)

- 1 medium size Red onion, chopped finely

- 1 Lime, cut into quarters

Ingredients for Pav (bread)

- 1 packet of Mumbai Pav (it is typically available in Indian Grocery store), alternately try hamburger buns

- Butter or margarine, for spreading on bread before toasting

Cooking instructions for Bhaji:

1) Heat oil in a saucepan and add cumin. When it sizzles, add chopped onion and sauté it until the onions are translucent. Next, add chili powder and turmeric powder and stir for 10 seconds. Follow with crushed tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes until the mixture is cooked and becomes a gravy. 

2) Add the riced cauliflower, mashed potatoes, pav-bhaji masala and salt. Then add 1/3 cup of water, mix well and cook the bhaji mixture for 5 to 7 minutes under closed lid until it starts bubbling. Taste the bhaji mixture and adjust the salt and masala as needed. 

Bhaji made using Cauliflower Rice

3) Remove from heat, add the cilantro and transfer into a serving dish. 

Now, prepare the Pav (bread):

Spread margarine or butter onto each pav/bun and toast on a heated flat pan until golden brown.

 Arrange the toasted pav slices on a plate and serve with bhaji. 

Happiness with a bite of Pav Bhaji

 Enjoy this Mumbai street food by placing a scoop of bhaji on the toasted pav. Spread the bhaji evenly on the pav. You can sprinkle chopped red onions and add a bit of lime juice. 

We hope you will make this for your next get together whether it's with friends or family. It's mighty tasty and you don't have to worry about the calories. Happy eating!

If you try this recipe, let us know in the comments. We would love your feedback. 

All-in-One Cheesy Pepper Cups

Although I started my vegetable garden later than expected this year, I managed to grow some delicious vegetables like sweet bell peppers, tomatoes, and herbs. 

One of my favorite ways to cook sweet bell peppers (red, orange, and yellow-colored ones) is by stuffing and then baking them. The flesh gets soft when you grill or char it and then you can stuff it with whatever you want. 

I've made this dish several times but never wrote the recipe down. My mom nudged me to share it since I'm always at her back to write all of her recipes so I can make them at my leisure. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do. 

Ingredients

• 3 Bell peppers (red, orange, and/or yellow can be used) 
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 10 oz mushrooms (Baby Bell or white button mushrooms), chopped
• 1 tomato (vine or plum variety), finely chopped
• 8 oz fresh spinach* leaves
• 1/2 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
• 1/2 to 1 tsp salt (adjust salt as per your taste)
• 1.5 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup cooked rice* (plain or brown)
• 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese (or mozzarella cheese)

Instructions

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add ginger-garlic paste and onions. Saute them until the onions are translucent, and then add garam masala, turmeric powder, and chili powder. Mix well. 

• Reduce the heat to low-medium and add mushrooms. Cover with lid and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until mushrooms reduce in size. Remove the lid and add tomato and salt and cook for a few more minutes. Next, add spinach and cook uncovered until the leaves are wilted and the mixture is not as watery. 

• Lastly, add the cooked rice or your favorite carb like quinoa or brown rice. Mix well and remove from heat. 

• Chop the bell peppers in half so you end up with 6 halves (or cups) so they can be stuffed. Then place them on a dinner plate, season each pepper cup with a little salt, and microwave them for 4 to 5 minutes. Let them cool down. 

• Grill/char the halves on a griddle or flat pan to your liking. Transfer the pepper cups to the desired baking sheet/dish safe to use in the oven. Sprinkle cheese into each of the grilled pepper cups. 

• Scoop about 1/3 cup of stuffing into each pepper cup. You can stuff as much as you want. 

• Sprinkle the top of each stuffed pepper with more cheese. 

• Preheat oven to 350 °F and bake peppers for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

• The stuffed peppers are ready to be served. I can easily eat one to two pepper halves for lunch or dinner. 

Quick Tips

1. Frozen spinach can be used but make sure that you pick up frozen spinach leaves. 
2. You can substitute with quinoa as well. 
3. You can make the stuffing, while you are preparing the bell peppers.  
4. I sometimes add some cheese to the stuffing to hold it together. 

I like using red, orange, and yellow bell peppers because they have a sweeter flavor than the green ones. Add some cooked lentils or legumes to increase the nutritional value of this recipe. I like making this dish because it is heart-healthy and you can use up whatever vegetables and/or rice you have on hand for the stuffing. 

Please feel free to share your comments about this recipe. Let us know if you end up making it or have any questions. 🙏

🎊🎉🎇 Happy Holidays 🎇🎉🎊

Mushroom and Bell Pepper Schezwan Stir Fry

Inspiration can come to you at any given time...when you're dining at your favorite restaurant and you get a whiff of the dish that's passing by. 

When you are roasting a blend of spices and the aroma of these spices hits your nose just right and you think of your next dish.

It can also happen when you open your fridge and see the ingredients laid out in front you. I'm pretty sure the last one is what inspired my mom to make I will be talking about today. 

My mom likes Indo- Chinese cuisine; some dishes that she likes are Cauliflower Manchurian, Chili Paneer, and Szechuan noodles with vegetable stir fry. There are restaurants in my hometown that specialize in this cuisine but we can't go there all the time. Whenever we like a dish, we try to re-create it at home.

She likes the idea of vegetable tempura where the vegetables are lightly battered and fried. You can still taste the vegetable inside and it's crispy. She also likes the various sauces in Chinese cuisine that are spicy and salty. However, these sauces aren't always made with vegetarian ingredients. That's when she discovered Ching's Secret products. Ching's Secret is an Indian brand of Indian Chinese cuisine with a product portfolio which includes instant noodles, instant soups, Desi Chinese masala, sauces and Schezwan chutney.

With vegetables: white button mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions...and the Ching's Secret Schezwan sauce in hand, she sprang into action to create something yummy.

Ingredients
- 8 oz white button mushrooms (large size), sliced
- 2 medium green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1" cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1" cubes
- 2-1/2 to 3 Tbsp Ching's Schezwan sauce
- Approximately 1/2 cup of vegetable oil*, for frying 
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour* (add a pinch of salt to the all-purpose flour and mix it with some water to make a sauce like consistency for the batter)


Procedure

1) Toss the sliced mushroomed into the flour mixture or batter.

Heat oil in a saucepan on high to low medium flame and add the flour coated mushrooms into the oil, ensuring they lay flat in small batches.

2) Fry them for 5 minutes turning them over intermittently. When the mushrooms turn slightly brown, remove them from the oil and set aside. *Helpful hint: Let the mushrooms cool in a bowl covered with paper towel so it can absorb the excess oil.

Then, add handful of bell pepper pieces in the remaining batter and fry them too. Transfer the fried pieces into the bowl as well. 

Next, add the remaining bell pepper and onion into the oil and fry them lightly on medium to high heat. When they start to brown lightly, remove them and add them to the bowl with the other fried vegetables. 

3) Transfer the remaining oil and bring back the pan to the stove with medium heat and add all the vegetables, the Szechuan sauce and two pinches of salt. Mix well and stir fry with sauce for 3 to 4 minutes.

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4) Transfer into a serving dish and garnish with chopped scallions. This dish can be served as an appetizer or as a main dish with brown rice. 

We love re-creating dishes we tried when we go out for dinner. We can add our own little touch to them. We are so fortunate to have brands like Ching's Secret that make it easy for us to experiment with new cuisine.


*Quick Tips: 

• A low calorie and gluten free version of this recipe can be done by skipping the tempura frying with all-purpose flour. Quickly stir fry the veggies in 3 tablespoons of oil on high heat with a pinch of salt and toss them further with the Schezwan sauce.
• Not all of the oil is consumed in the final recipe

Not Your Everyday TOFU!!

I made some mango milkshake to eat with my tandoori tofu. It is a good blend of sweet and spice.

I have tasted my share of different kinds of Indian curries before and let me tell you this...most of the ones you eat at North Indian restaurants like Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Makhani...tend to taste the same to me. They both have similar tomato based gravies that were cooked with the chicken. Been there, done that. Now for someone who is vegetarian, these curries wouldn't even be appealing. So what would they eat? Vegetarians I have chatted with have told me about Tofurkey and Tofu burgers which have the firmness of meat but are made from Tofu and seasoning.
You know, that stuff still sounds Bland to me. I need flavor and spices. I'm not saying, I'm a full fledged Hot curry eater, but I like taste in every bite. My parents are vegetarian and they are always looking for ways to "spice" up their cooking with Indian and American ingredients. My mom decided to make Tandoori Tofu curry to eat with naan (Indian bread). I've had Tandoori chicken at restaurants where the chicken was marinated with the Tandoori spices and grilled, then served with onions and chilies...if you dared to eat them RAW!! We took the concept of mixing the Tandoori spices and marinating them with Tofu. The tofu sucked up all the juices from the Tandoori mixture and when eaten with naan, it was like I was swimming in a pool of flavor. The best part is that it fills you up and it's good for you.

I couldn't wait to share it with everyone I knew...Hey, don't take my word for it, make it at home and let me know how it came out.


Tandoori Tofu Curry:
- 12oz (340g) of **Tofu (steak style, seasoned) 
- 2 tbsp Tandoori Paste
- ½ cup Tomato puree
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 Medium Onion, chopped finely
- 1 tsp of Ginger garlic paste
- 2 tbsp Oil, for cooking
- 1 tbsp of Fat- Free Sour Cream, optional
- 2 tsp Salt (to taste)
- ½ tsp of Red chili powder
- 1 tbsp of Coriander (Cilantro), chopped and used for garnish

Procedure:
1. Remove tofu from its packing and drain the water well. Cut the tofu block into 1-1.5” cubes.

2. In a mixing bowl add yogurt, tandoori paste and mix well. Add the tofu pieces into the bowl and using a flat silicone spatula cover the mixture onto tofu. Marinate for 30min to 1hr.

3. Heat the oil in a saucepan on a medium flame. Add onions and sauté until they are golden brown, then add ginger garlic paste, chilli powder and mix well for 1min.

4. Add tomato puree and mix the mixture for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the tofu along with the yogurt into the pan, add salt and cook for 7-10min until the gravy thickens.

5. If you want to add more color, you can add frozen carrots and peas mix to the curry while its on the stove. Just before removing from heat, add some sour cream and mix well. Do not over mix the curry as the tofu pieces may break.

6. Transfer the curry into a serving dish and garnish with coriander.

7. Serve the curry with naan, rotis or rice for a delicious, nutritious and scrumptious meal. Side additions of raw onions and green chilies will go well with roti or naan (typical north Indian style).

Quick Tips
- Please Note: Tofu Steak can be found in the cut fruit and veggie section of Shoprite. In case the tofu steak variant is unavailable, use the extra-firm type to avoid breakage of pieces