Ujwala's Delicacies

Indian inspired all natural kitchen.

Fresh strawberries Martini

Mixed drinks and cocktails which have extra ingredients as sodas, store-bought juices, sweet and sour mixes are bloated with calories of their own. These added calories can lead to weight gain. This skinny strawberry martini takes only minutes to make and contains just a fraction of calories. Masala peanuts are an excellent accompaniment to drinks. Peanuts are good sources of vitamin E, niacin, folate, protein and manganese. They help in coping with hangover. These relatively healthy drinks adds up fresh fruit consumption, vitamins while you have social fun. They can help you lower calorie and sugar consumption while keeping you hydrated.

Alcohol extremely dehydrates your body and you will need water that is lost when drinking. Drinking water will help drink less alcohol, which results in fewer calories being consumed. Alcohol also is harmful to your digestive system. Eat whole-grain, protein rich healthy snacks, dinner and breakfast to cope with hang over.

Make your drinks wisely by adding fresh juices, no-artificial colors, sodas and sweeteners.

Few fun facts about strawberries.

We tend to think of strawberries as perennials but in fact they can produce for 2 to 3 years.
There are three different types of strawberries : June-bearing, overbearing, and day neutral.
Commercially the entire plant is replaced every year because the plants are most productive in the 1st year and the runners are time consuming to deal with.
There are 200 seeds on an average strawberry.
California produces 75 percent of strawberry crops in the U.S.
Lastly – Don’t ruin your healthy lifestyle with too much alcohol.

Whole-wheat naan

The warm, puffy, oval-shaped flatbreads pretty much are served at Indian restaurants now a days. Making your own naan from scratch and oh my goodness… The puffy, heat-blistered texture…homemade ones will truly knock your socks off. You will not believe how much better this tastes than takeaway naan. It is incredibly easy to make too. It’s the perfect accompaniment to my Kale, mustard greens saag or chicken butter masala – or dal makhani. Or stuff it with meat or veggies (or both) or turn it into a wrap. Naan will make you fall in love with Indian food over and over.

Naan is a soft and pillowy Indian-style flatbread traditionally made in a tandoor oven, or cylindrical clay oven. The dough gets slapped against the walls of the tandoor, where it adheres and bakes quickly over a burning fire. If you don’t have a tandoor, don’t worry. It’s possible to make naan at home and replicate the high heat and charred flavor of a clay oven by using a very hot cast iron skillet or in the oven at your home.

Plain or with a little extra flavor of garlic, melted ghee, onion, sesame or poppy seeds… It makes homemade naan more Yum!

Chicken butter masala

Chicken Butter Masala is definitely the most known and popular North Indian dish in the world. Most probably you will have come across this dish abroad and if you are in India then of course you couldn’t have missed it. Make your own Chicken Butter Masala — way better than you can get in an Indian restaurant with your own organic ingredients. Mild and buttery with a hint of chili, gravy is warm and rich and traditionally simmered with chicken.

This rich, buttery, creamy chicken needs no introduction. Most probably the best known of all Indian dishes, it has already claimed the fame that it deserves.

Chicken Butter Masala is made with pureed juicy tomatoes, cashews and spices cooked in butter, and finished off with fresh cream. Aroma of the dish unfolds with the addition of the kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves. The trick is to cook the chicken in a tandoor/traditional clay oven, where the temperature reaches way higher than any regular oven; the marinated chicken is cooked in few minutes, tender and succulent.

Brussels sprouts hara bhara cutlets

The Holiday Tradition Begins

A common Christmas holiday feast consists turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, honey-glazed ham, Brussels sprouts and is not complete without Christmas cake made of dried raisins, candies peel, almonds, apples and whiskey.

Brussels sprouts don’t normally elicit a positive reaction from many people. Take a chance this holiday season to cook up more yummy recipes featuring Brussels sprouts. And every season, these recipes convert more and more people into Brussels sprouts lovers! These veggies are full of fiber and vitamin C, making them a nutritious addition to any meal!

My first experience with Brussels sprouts was cutting them and cooking in tomato gravy. But bitterness turned me off for few years until I had made these cutlets. Ever since I’ve been enjoying them and experimenting with various preparation styles.

The plant that was bred to be the Brussels sprouts we know today probably originated in Ancient Rome. It wasn’t until the 13th century that they were grown in Belgium, and, hence, were named for the county’s capital. Interestingly, the word Brussels came from the Dutch word “Broeksel” meaning “home in the marsh,” and marshes provide a very similar environment to where they now grow on the Central Coast, near ocean inlets, or sloughs.

Sulfurous little Brussels sprouts made their debut in our area in the 1920s when newly arrived Italian farmers began planting them along with artichokes. By 1940 the acreage was significant, and today several thousand are grown in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. The tall stalks yield dense buds that resemble mini cabbages that thrive in the cool, coastal fog and have a slightly bitter taste that can sweeten when frosty temperatures hit.

In fact, the area is so well suited to Brussels sprouts that up until 1993 there was a Brussels sprouts festival sponsored by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The festival went on for 12 years before it was uprooted for dwindling attendance. There were Brussels sprouts on pizzas and in ice cream (possibly the entire reason for the demise of the festival) and attendees who couldn’t bear to eat them were encouraged to whack them with golf clubs and hit targets. Since then, a more diverse variety of produce has been planted on the coast, making Brussels sprouts less significant, and their celebration has taken a backseat to that of garlic, strawberries, artichokes and olives, which all have their own festivals in our region.

About three-quarters of Brussels sprouts production is slated for the frozen food aisle, with only about 15% harvested for consuming fresh. But like most vegetables, Brussels sprouts yield the most nutrients when eaten fresh and raw; steaming, sautéing and roasting are second best. Brussels sprouts contain high levels of vitamins C and K, as well as significant amounts of potassium and feel-good B vitamins that give you energy and a sense of well-being. They are high in protein—2 grams for only ½ cup cooked. However, they are missing certain amino acids so the protein is incomplete unless eaten with a serving of whole grains. They also contain tons of fiber and sulforaphane, a phytochemical touted for powerful cancer-fighting properties.

Jackfruit Napa cabbage rolls

The jackfruit is believed indigenous to the rain forests of the Western Ghats of India. It spread early on to other parts of India, southeast Asia, the East Indies and ultimately the Philippines. It is often planted in central and eastern Africa and is fairly popular in Brazil and Surinam.
Popularly known as Chinese cabbage, Napa cabbage is native to China. It has also earned a global presence in food cultures throughout all hemispheres. It is the most popular cabbage featured in supermarkets around the world. Napa cabbage is known for its signature barrel-shape and crisp, pale green, tightly-wrapped leaves with a white mid-rib and a dense heart. The outer leaves curve inward and are true green to pale green. The interior leaves and the heart is yellow to ivory colored. Its flavor is more subtle and pleasant than European head cabbage. The water content is also higher, creating a crisper and more refreshing texture.

Napa Cabbage has a mild flavor, that makes it excellent ingredient for a variety of salads and vegetable dishes. High in vitamin C with smaller amounts of calcium and fiber, this cabbage is predominantly grown in Asia and the United States. It is also a variety of Cabbage that medical experts regard highly for containing compounds known as indoles that have been associated with preventing some types of cancer.
Napa cabbage is available year-round.

Napa cabbage is the used in soups, slaws and stir-fries. It can be used in raw applications, braised, stewed and even grilled. Families in China would stock up on it during the icy winter months. Napa cabbage is still a mainstay of northern rural China’s winter home cooking. In addition to using cabbage in soups, salads, stir-fried dishes, Mongolian hot pots and dumpling fillings, Chinese traditionally preserve it in the form of kimchi and sauerkraut.

4 ingredient homemade whole-grain cake

A classic cake with all pantry ingredients. Skip store-bought pre cake mix. Go with your own organic ingredients or ingredients as stone milled whole grain flour, organic raw sugar or palm sugar. Know what you eat without missing the feel and flavor of cake.

No matter how many recipes you may see for “healthy” cakes, cakes aren’t healthy. However, some cakes are less unhealthy than others, and if you bake your own cakes, you can make substitutions to improve their nutritional profile. Choosing a homemade cake, substituting flour with whole-grain, white with brown or raw sugar for example, allows you to have a slice of cake without consuming the very high amounts of calories, fat, sugar and sodium found in many frosted cakes. Replace baking soda with Eno (fruit salt). Eno is available in Asian grocery stores. Eno is composed of 50% sodium bicarbonate, 15% sodium bitartrate and 35% free tartaric acid. It’s basic purpose is to get relief from acidity. Another way to use is in cooking as it causes the flours to rise and can be handy. Though it is marketed Eno as Ayurvedic fruit salt and healthy, it is not made out of fruit. Real health benefits are unknown. It contains 2.1g of sucrose per 5ml which makes not suitable for diabetics and low sodium diets.

While no cake is really healthy, you can make substitutions when baking to make the end result a little less unhealthy. If you aren’t making a white cake, use at least half whole-wheat flour, preferably whole-wheat pastry flour or white whole-wheat flour, to increase the fiber and micronutrients in the cake. Decrease the sugar by up to one-third, adding cinnamon or vanilla to bring out the sweetness of the cake while limiting the sugar it contains. Replace up to half of the fat in the cake with fruit or vegetable purees, like applesauce, pureed prunes, pureed beans or pumpkin puree. These will lower the amount of fat while increasing the fiber, vitamins and minerals in your cake. Choose a cake that doesn’t require frosting and top it with a sprinkle of chopped nuts, cocoa powder, powdered sugar or coconut for decoration.

Nepali (tibetan) Jackfruit momos

Momo is a Tibetan delicacy. It is type of dumpling filled with vegetables, cheese or meat, is one of the main menu items in all Tibetan and Nepali restaurants. Though traditionally filled with yak meat, in different areas of North east India, chicken, pork, goat and buffalo meat is used and eaten with a variety of sauces. It is similar to popularly known dish pot stickers in Western countries.

Tibet is situated in north of the Himalayas. Extensive mountain ranges to the east of the Tibetan Plateau mark the border with China, and the towering Himalayas of Nepal and India form a barrier between Tibet and India.

Traditionally momo was the symbol of either a party in progress or someone having food in a restaurant. Momos were made at homes occasionally and during special occasions. Momo, the Tibetan delicacy. This dumpling, filled with vegetables, cheese or meat, is (along with the Thukpa or noodle soup) one of the main menu items in all Tibetan restaurants. In reality, this food is shared with cultural cousins in the Indian Himalayas, Bhutan and Nepal. But Tibetans continued to be seen as the owner of the momo brand.

Now things are changing (at least in Delhi and many northern cities) with the Indianization of momos. Many Tibetan’s are opening a roadside shack selling momos. Today there are several road side stalls in Delhi, Dehradun, selling momos. In north-west Delhi new stalls emerged with a wide variation of momos. The common feature is that these stalls are all owned and operated by Indians.

Happy Thanksgiving

The culinary minds of America have turned to warm family kitchens and full dining rooms, and Ujwala’s Delicacies is no exception. That’s right, it’s Thanksgiving Week!

Thanksgiving borrows from traditional harvest festivals celebrated throughout the world, and naturally that means that food is a big part of it. Unfortunately, as can often be the case when merging new-coming and traditional cultures, Americans of Indian descent often feel themselves torn between abandoning their traditional cuisine and adopting Western recipes outright in order to celebrate or making their usual foods and missing out on the delicious fun of the season.

With me, you never have to make that choice. My Indian Thanksgiving recipes match the best of my homeland with the flavors of fall for a Thanksgiving experience that fit right into the American celebration without losing the feel or flavor of India. For example, I’ll show you how to bake a whole Tandoori chicken for an Indian twist on the traditional Thanksgiving poultry, Tofurkey and Paneerky rendition for a vegetarian option.

As usual, my authentic Indian recipes never call for any ingredients from a can, box, or freezer. Every element of my healthy Indian food recipes is homemade from natural ingredients, adding that healthy, aromatic, and unique quality only found in home cooking. Whether you’re a native of India looking to celebrate your heritage in your new home or a Westerner wanting to broaden your horizons, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for on my Indian recipe blog.

I’m thankful you found your way to my Indian food blog, and I hope I can make your observation of our most delicious holiday better than ever.
https://ujwalasdelicacies.com/thanksgiving-dinner-recipes/

Desi style all vegetarian homemade tofurkey

The vegetarians at your table will undoubtedly love it if your dinner features something they can eat, especially a dish that recalls the traditional poultry they’ve given up. Nonvegetarians can enjoy knowing that vegetarian dinners, even those that aren’t 100 percent organic, take less of an environmental toll than meat-centric suppers. Tofurkey is definitely the best-known brand of veggie-based turkey alternatives; it’s handcrafted from tofu to look somewhat turkey like, and even stuffed with a vegetarian stuffing. But it’s far from the only option. Downside of buying store bought Tofurkey is there aren’t many certified-organic meat alternatives out there. Use your own certified-organic tofu and ingredients when you make at home.

Try something different with Thanksgiving dinner this year, make it meatless. It’s like a Thanksgiving present for the planet. A study of the veggie-loving Adventist community in California found that even nonorganic vegetarian diets used 2.9 times less water, 2.5 times less energy, and 13 times less fertilizer than meat-centric eating. Go organic and the benefits get even bigger. Your body will thank you, too, if you swap out the meat for a Tofurkey.

A Portland, Oregon man has millions of reasons to be thankful today and its all thanks to his creation 20 years ago, Tofurkey.

Seth Tibbott is a millionaire many times over because of the faux turkey made out of tofu. Tibbott was among the few vegetarians in the US in the 1970’s, but those vegetarian side dishes and salads just weren’t as appealing as a real turkey, the traditional thanksgiving centerpiece.

Tibbott started experimenting with more appetizing ways serve soy. He created pumpkins stuffed with soy and even gluten roasts, but no one seemed to bite. Then Tibbott, a professional soy crafter, came up with Tofurkey roasts in 1995.

Rava laddu with palm sugar

Rava laddu is south india’s common sweet made for festivals, weddings, gatherings, pujas.

Coconut palm sugar is a sugar substitute that seems to be gaining popularity in the market. It is made from sap that is extracted from the coconut tree. The taste of pure coconut palm sugar is similar to brown sugar. For cooking purposes, it has a very low melt temperature and an extremely high burn temperature so it can be used baked products in place of sugar.

Manufacturers of coconut palm sugar boast its low glycemic index, claiming it is a better choice for people with diabetes than regular sugar. Glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how a food raises blood glucose (or blood sugar) compared to a reference food (usually glucose or white bread). In the United States, we do not do official GI testing. So, GI numbers for the same food can differ depending on your source.

It is okay for people with diabetes to use coconut palm sugar as a sweetener, but they should not treat it any differently than regular sugar. It provides just as many calories and carbohydrates as regular sugar: about 15 calories and 4 grams of carbohydrate per teaspoon. So, you still need to account for it when planning meals.