Soy Chorizo Pulav - Kheema Pulav - Vagan

We get this vegan chorizo and its my favorite to use it in different dishes, I love As Khema Masala  or  Soy Chorizo and Jeera Rice - Vegetarian. , Soy Chorizo and Vegetables stuff Enchiladas, So this is another dish which comes quickly . I made it in pan but you can use pressure cooker or instapot too. I just wanted to see all the steps that's why I used the pan. Its just basic pulav recipe when you crave for non veg food but can not have it, this types of dish comes very handy to give you satisfaction. Just put all your whole spices first, sauté onion with ginger garlic paste, powder masala, chorizo, frozen peas , rice, mint leaves and done. If you like you can add little yogurt in the gravy to give nice savory taste. 

I used soy chorizo since I have it, but you can use soy granules which is available easily. 

Ingredients :

1 cup soy chorizo

1 cup rice if you have time you can soaked it for 30 minutes

2 tbsp. Ghee

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

2 chopped tomato

2 inch cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

2 dry red chilies

1 medium onion thin long slices

1  tbsp. ginger garlic paste

1 green chili slit

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 or 2 tbsp. red chili powder - depend on your spice level

handful of mint leaves 

salt as per taste

1/2 cup frozen peas

water as needed mostly one and half cups

Few coriander leaves for garnish

Served with kachumber  and slice of lemon

Method : 

In a pan, add ghee, then add Jeera and whole spices, sauté for 30 seconds or till cumin cooked. 

Add onions and cook till its brown, add ginger garlic paste, slit chili in it and add tomatoes in it. 

Cook till tomatoes and paste cooked. Add powder masala and mix well.

Add chorizo and rice and cook for a minute. 

Add water and mint and peas and mix it together. 

Add salt and cover and let it cook till the water is gone and the rice is cooked, make sure its separated grain not like khichdi and mushy. 

Serve hot with kachumber and lime slice. 

Soy Chap Dum Biryani

I know there is only two biryanis , chicken biryani and mutton biryani but soy chap comes very close to these two biryanis. Its very flavorful and very easy to make this, I have made this in under 45 minutes. By doing two things together,  you can work this out. It was just for me so I just have used 2 soy chap but you can make it this for big batch too. For the yellow color, there is a trick, heat up the small pan, add little cream in it, just make it warm, add turmeric powder and little water to make it runny consistency and add it when you are done putting in the masala. It gives fine yellow color without using any chemical color.

Ingredients : 

2 Soya chap

1 bayleaf

Few whole spices like whole pepper corn, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom

1 onion finely chopped

1 tomato finely chopped or puree

few strings of coriander and mint chopped

1 cup long grain basmati rice soaked for at least 30 mint

1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste

1 green chili sliced

1 tbsp. Red chili powder

1 tbsp. Biryani masala

1/2 tbsp. Garam masala

1/2 tbsp. Turmeric powder

few dry red chilies

2 tbsp. yellow color mixing , recipe in above

1 tsp. coriander seeds

2 tbsp. curd

4 tbsp. oil

Salt as per taste

Method

Cut the soy chap and shallow fry them in the oil

take it out and keep it aside. 

In one pot, put 4 cups of water add bay leaf, whole spices and put the water to boil, 

When it start boiling, add presoaked rice in it and cook till its 90% done. Add salt in it and mix it. 

In other pan, add rest of the oil and add dry red chilies, and onion in it and cook till onions are little brown. 

Add tomatoes and slit green chilies and cook till tomatoes are mushy. 

Add ginger garlic paste and all the powder masala and  cook for a minute. 

Add curd and mix it and add fry chap in it and cook till oil floats on top. Shut off the gas for the masala.

By this time, your rice will be done too. If not wait till its cooked 

Take half of the cooked masala in one bowl, if your masala gravy is not warm, heat it up , THEN ONLY add half of the rice on top of the masala, sprinkle chopped coriander and mint leaves, you can add fried onions too. 

Spread one tbsp. of that yellow color mix on rice. 

Spread that masala, which you take it out in the bowl over the rice, cover the whole rice with that masala. After that add the leftover rice on top of that masala. More coriander leaves and mint and yellow color. 

You can cover with aluminum foil or just the dough.

Put the flat pan or tava on gas and put the biryani pot on it. 

Lower the flame and let it cook on dum for 10-15 minutes. 

When time is done, carefully take out foil or dough , don't let the water goes in it.

Do not touch the biryani for 10-15 minutes. When its hot and you try to take it out, rice will break since its hot. and you will ruin the long basmati rice, so always have patience when cooking biryani. 

Once it cool enough, take it out and serve it with simple raita or kachumber or as it is. 

Kuska Biryani

I just love rice , as it is flavorful biryani or one pot khichdi. My kids also know my love for the biryani. And at home I made myself always a small pot of varieties of biryani since no one in my family likes rice, more for me, right. So when I get this recipe, I knew I have to make it and share it with you all. This is a dish comes from south India especially from Hyderabad and Tamilnadu. Its particularly prepared in south Indian Muslim community during any festival or family gatherings. In urdu kuska means plain or simple and hence as per the name its very simple preparation of rice but so flavorful . It goes with salan or Kurma or stew.  when I have craving for biryani but don't have time or don't want to go the trouble for the making it, this comes very handy. I served it with spicy dahi on the side and rice papdam. I have added coconut milk in it but you can make it with yogurt too. 

Ingredients : 

2 tbsp. Ghee

1 bay leaf

1 inch cinnamon

2 pods cardamom

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 onion finely chopped

1 Tomato chopped

1/4 cup coconut milk or yogurt

1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste

1 green chili cut in few pieces

1 tbsp. turmeric powder

1 tbsp. kashmiri chili powder

1 tsp biryani masala

salt as per taste

2 tbsp. each finely chopped mint and coriander leaves

1 cup soaked basmati rice

2 cups of water

Method : 

In a pressure cooker, add ghee and sauté whole spices. 

Add onion and sauté till its pink, after that add ginger garlic paste and green chili and tomatoes.

Add all powder masala and mix it and add coconut milk  and cook it for two minutes. 

Add mint and coriander leaves  and mix it. 

Finally add rice and 2 cups of water and mix it and cover the pressure cook and cook it till 2 whistles on medium flame or till rice is cooked. 

Open it when the pressure is down.

Serve  this kuska biryani with mirchi ka salan or raita. 

I had it with spicy dahi and rice papad. 

Soy Chunks Pulav with Boondi Raita

I just love one-pot meals, either is noodles, rice, and lentils,  pulav , biryani. This is a very easy pulav dish, just put everything in one pot and cook it. You can put everything in the pressure cooker and cook it for one whistle too. Here I took soy chunks, which are big in shape so It gives meaty texture and chewiness. It's up to you if you want to add potatoes or not, I like potatoes with chunks either in gravy dish or in pulav.  The whole dish will come together in 20 minutes. I serve it along with simple boondi raita, you can have it onion and tomato raita, cucumber raita.

You can find my other soy chunks recipes  Soya Kheema Masala,  Green Chickpeas, and Soya Curry, Vindaloo Pulav with Soya and Potatoes,  Soya Malai Kofta Curry,  Methi Aloo with Soya Granules



Ingredients : 

1 cup Basmati rice
1/2 cup dried soya chunks
1 onion chopped
2-3 dry red chilies
10 Black peppercorns
Few cloves
1 tsp whole cumin (jeera)
1 Potato cut in big chunks
1 tbsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Cumin coriander powder
1 tbsp Biryani masala
salt as per taste
1 tbsp Red chili powder
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 green chili cut in big rounds
2 tbsp oil
Boiled egg cut in half

Method:

Take one big microwave bowl and add soya chunks with water in it, fill it till all chunks are soaked.
Put it in the microwave on high for a minute, drain the water and squeeze the water out and keep it aside.

Heat up a deep pan with oil in it.

Add whole spices first then jeera.

when jeera changes the color, add onion and cook till its brown.

Add powder masala along with ginger, garlic, and chilies in it.

Saute till raw smells go from ginger-garlic.

Add potatoes, chunks, and rice and mix it.

Add enough water and salt.

After one boil, put it on medium flame and cook it till all water is gone and rice is cooked perfectly.

Don't poke too much while it's cooking. You don't want to break the rice.

When it is done, sprinkle some coriander leaves before serving.

Serve with boondi raita, mix up the yogurt, at the time of the serving, add salt and mix it, put some boondi in it, sprinkle roasted jeera powder, coriander leaves.

If you want you can top it with a boiled egg.

Thai Pra Ram Tofu with Vegetables (Peanut Butter Sauce) - Vegan

I love South Asian food, I prefer that over any other cuisines. So always in a lookout for easy and delicious and spicy recipes. This is the by far easiest and quick thai Curry you can have it. Add vegetables as per your liking and sauce comes so quick you will be amazed. And when you add your own planted chilies in it, flavor are surely double. You can use any other protein instead of Tofu and make it and keep the sauce ready in other bowl and this dis will be fast to finish. You can serve it with zoodles, noodles or brown, white or stir fry rice and make a meal out of it.


Ingredients : 

1/4 Tofu cut in small cubes
1 Carrot cut in small pieces
1 Onion cut
1 Small Red pepper chopped
1/4 cup chopped red cabbage
Few flowers of Broccoli
4 Mushroom chopped
Few leaves of Spinach
2 tbsp oil

For the sauce : 

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp Maple syrup
2 tbsp Rice vinegar
2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1-2 Tbsp Tamari sauce or soya sauce
1 tbsp sambal Olek sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water, depending upon your choice of gravy

Method:

Heat a pan on medium heat, add 1 tbsp oil and add small cubes of tofu. Make it brown from all the sides, don't burn it.

Once it's done keep it aside.

When tofu is browning, make a sauce.

In a bowl. add all the ingredients and lastly add water as per the need. Mix it till it becomes well blended.

Heat a pan again, add oil, saute first, a carrot then broccoli and then other vegetables except for spinach.

Then add tofu and mix all the vegetables.

Add sauce and quickly mix it till it becomes thick, if it is too thick for your taste, add little warm water and make it thinner.

Shut off the gas and add spinach and mix it.

Serve it hot alongside your favorite plain rice, jasmin rice, brown rice, stir fry rice or noodles.