Thursday, March 01, 2007

SUPER SOYA…. a way to good health!

After trying my hand on zero oil cooking and getting a tremendous response from my fans, here I am with a new experiment just for all my enthusiastic chefs and especially for health freaks.
“Soyabeans” is my next topic of interest and I am sure it will be yours too after reading this. My nutritionists always emphasised on using soyabeans while make health recipes as it is high in protein, minerals like iron, calcium and also rich in antioxidants that fight cancer, lower cholesterol etc. Many of us are aware of all this but there are very few who are actually using soyabeans or its products in their daily cooking, reason being ignorance, lack of knowledge about using it or its unacceptable taste. It is because of this that the much-deserved soyabean is not getting its credit.
Hence to make soyabeans win its fans I thought of making a book on soyabean that will have a platter of healthy, most importantly delicious and palatable recipes. I have used soya granules, soya chunks, soya flour, soya milk, tofu (soya paneer), soya curds, soya oil etc. to formulate new recipes and modify a few popular dishes to suit Indian palate. These products are easily available at health shops, food malls thereby making it easy for us to add some more nutrients and health to our diet.
This book is not just a cookbook but a guide that explains the details about soyabeans, its processing, importance of processing, its health benefits and a special section on how to use soyabeans, how to cook them, store them etc.
Now, here’s your chance to spread good health and well being among your friends, family and relatives………try this interesting tofu recipe and enter in the world of nutritious soyabeans.

Green Peas And Tofu Parathas

Preparation time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 35 minutes. Makes 6 parathas.

For the dough
½ cup whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
2 tbsp soya flour
Salt to taste

For the stuffing
1 tsp soya oil
½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
½ cup boiled and crushed fresh green peas
1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
1/3 cup grated tofu (soya paneer)
¾ tsp sugar
1 tsp amchur (dry mango powder)
½ tsp garam masala
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)
Salt to taste

Other ingredients
¼ tsp soya oil for kneading
Whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta) for roling
1 tbsp soya oil for cooking

For the dough
1.Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead into a soft dough using enough water.
2.Knead again using oil and divide into 6 equal portions and keep aside.

For the stuffing
1.Heat the oil in a non-stick kadai, add the cumin seeds and sauté till the seeds crackle, add the green peas and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring continuously.
2.Add the ginger-green chilli paste, tofu, sugar, amchur, garam masala, coriander and salt and mix well.
3.Cook for another 5 to 7 minutes or till the mixture becomes dry.
4.Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and keep aside.

How to proceed
1.Roll out one portion of the dough into a 75 mm. (3") diameter circle using a little four.
2.Place a portion of the stuffing in the centre and fold the edges of the dough over the stuffing.
3.Pinch the edges together to seal the stuffing in.
4.Flatten the dough and roll out again into a 125 mm. (5") diameter circle.
5.Heat a non stick pan and cook each paratha over a medium flame using ½ tsp oil till it is golden brown in colour on both sides.
6.Repeat with the remaining dough and stuffing to make 5 more parathas and serve hot.