The word "khana" in Indian Khana Made Easy means food. So come on, let's explore and cook some easy Indian food together including gluten-free and vegan dishes.

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April 27, 2021

Easy Lentil and Veggie Kofta Curry


Lentil and Veggie Kofta Curry

Working from home has become the norm in the last year. It has its advantages because you don't have to commute and you can spend more time with family. The downside is that everyone in my household has been home for school or work and we had to figure out how to work cooperatively. It's been tough but we are working on it. 

One thing is for sure...working from home means more time to cook and experiment. In the beginning, we didn't do take out and cooked mostly at home. We tried to cook meals that weren't too fattening so we don't gain too much weight. 

We are constantly looking for new ingredients and recipes to refresh our meal plan. If you ever dined at IKEA, you'd know that they are known for their "balls" on the menu. Whether it is Swedish meatballs, chicken meatballs, or Veggie balls.  


Frozen Huvudroll Vegetable balls

The picture above is of the Vegetable balls, which are made from pea protein and vegetables. The serving size is 5 balls with 7 grams of protein in each serving.  

We incorporated these veggie balls and made curries; specifically kofta curry. The balls are the koftas so there is minimal preparation of the koftas. The most you have to do is make the gravy for this dish. It's so tasty. We wished we bought more of these Vegetable balls bags so we make this curry again. You won't be disappointed. 

Ingredients

  • 15 frozen Huvudroll Vegetable balls*, microwaved for 1 to 2 minutes
  • 1 cup Crushed tomato (alternately you can use 1/4 cup tomato paste)
  • 1 medium onion, diced and crushed for few pulses
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder (or as per taste)
  • 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream*
  • 1 cup water (or as needed)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or as per taste)
  • 1/4 cup Fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp cooking oil (Vegetable, canola, coconut, or as per taste)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4 tsp sugar


Procedure

1) Heat oil in a saucepan or a saute pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and when cumin sizzles, add crushed onion and stir fry it until transparent. Now, add chili powder and stir for about 10 seconds. Next, add ginger-garlic paste and garam masala. Stir again for another 30 seconds. Follow up with crushed tomato (or paste) and sugar. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. 






2) Add the vegetable balls into the gravy and cook under a closed lid for 2 to 3 minutes to allow the balls to soften and absorb some spices.  Now, add water and salt, mix into the gravy and bring the curry to boil, mix in the heavy cream and cook for another couple of minutes. 



3) Remove from stove, transfer into the serving bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with naan, roti, rice, or quinoa. 




Quick Tips
  • You can substitute heavy cream with coconut cream, nut cream, or evaporated milk. Please note that the consistency may be a little different depending on what you use.
  •  You can substitute the Huvudroll with other vegetable balls if there isn't an IKEA close by. Check out our other kofta curry recipe


February 25, 2021

Air Fried Tandoori Tofu Chops

Do you remember our posts on 'Evolution of the Kitchen Gadgets'? Just like humans, even kitchen gadgets go through evolution. They get better with time and easier to use. 

We recently acquired an Air Fryer to reduce the amount of oil used to 'fry' or make our favorite dishes. Who wouldn't want to make restaurant-quality food at home? Below is one of our favorite Tandoori Tofu appetizers with our new kitchen toy. 

We hope you like it as much as we do. This appetizer is easy to make and requires few ingredients. 



Ingredients

  • 6 oz Extra Firm Tofu
  • 2 Tbsp Tandoori paste
  • 3 Tbsp thick yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil
  • Few sprigs of fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional)

Procedure

1) Drain the water from the yogurt tub and dab the tofu block gently patting it down on a towel. Place the block on a small towel or paper towel and microwave it for 45 seconds to 1 minute (based on your microwave wattage) and dab the oozed water again. Cut the tofu into 1" cubes. 

2) In a bowl, add tandoori paste, yogurt, and oil. Mix well. Add the cubes into the bowl and gently toss the cubes to be coated with the paste. Cover the bowl and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours. 




3) Line the Air Fryer tray with parchment paper and transfer the marinated tofu cubes onto the parchment paper and align them in a single row, not touching each other. 

4) Set the Air Fryer temperature to 325°F and timer for 20 minutes. Insert the tray and air-fry for the set time. When done, transfer them into a serving tray and sprinkle some chopped coriander. 





Quick Tips
  1. We made it in an air fryer that is a combo (toaster and air fryer). If using a standalone air fryer, adjust the temperature and time accordingly.