Roasted Asparagus With Tofu

Last couple of weeks have been good. I have been trying new dishes. I made Tandoori platter the last week and Roasted Asparagus with Tofu today. Both the dishes would rank very high on health count. Tandoori platter was very yummy but I need to refine it a bit before I share it.

I was in the super market and saw bunches of Asparagus and picked up a couple instantly without thinking much. I was not sure what to make out of it since I really have not used this ingredient before today. I knew at least one dish out of it - thanks to my friend but I thought it would be good to try something new. I went to the resource mine called internet and found few recipes in a fraction of seconds. I took the original recipe and added my variation and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
• 1 Large onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 200 gram tofu, diced
  
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4-5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Chilly flakes, salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Prepare asparagus, onion, garlic and tofu.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 200 deg cel.
3. Put the asparagus, onion, garlic, and tofu in a large bowl. Pour the olive oil vinegar over and season with salt, pepper and chilly flakes. Mix it and ensure that dressing is coated evenly.
   
4. Spread them out on a baking tray. The olive oil, vinegar and garlic dressing may remain in the bowl. Please do not discard it.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until asparagus tender & bright green and tofu golden brwon. Half way through turn the sides, specially the asparagus.
6. Remove from the oven and mix it with the remaining dressing. Serve immediately.

I know what you are looking for. A photo? Sorry, I did not take it as I was too eager to try the dish out. It was over before I could think of taking a picture :D.

The dish is really easy to make and quite healthy. The red wine vinegar is growing on me. Please try this out. I am sure you will enjoy it!

Biryani - My way

Hummm... I had promised to keep coming back to writing but it did not happen. I am writing after some break; but at least I am back. :-) My first blog was a bit heavy. I want to keep this one a bit light.

Let me spill out some of my secrets. I love food. I love to make good dishes and always am ready to try out new things. I do not get to cook during working days - my wife takes control of the kitchen and I get to be the king of kitchen over the weekend.

I made Vegetable Biryani over the weekend. The result was awesome! That is why I decided to write about it. :-) I hear you ask what is the big deal about it. Well, the big deal is I made this Biryani for the first time after beginning of 2006. Now, you are thinking that so much of love for Biryani that I came back to making it after almost three years. Well, I have my reasons. My wife had issue with spicy flavour - specially the "Garam Masala" flavour during pre and post preggy time. As I was in India, it was easy to eat Biryani out with colleagues and friends. That way she was happy that we did not have to make it and I was happy as I got to eat it! Anyways, now the story is different and we are back to making everything again. I was kinda craving for it.

O.K. - enough of background. Let's concentrate on making the "Birayani". I will write my recipe here and if you like it let me know. Alternatively, I am happy to have more suggestions. My recipe is from one of the recipe books - but I have tailored it the way it suits me. The listed ingredients will serve four to five people.

I rely on Red Gravy for making Biryani. So let's first look at Red Gravy recipe.

Red Gravy Ingredients:

• 20 gram Ginger
• 5 Red Kashmiri Chillies
• 3-5 Garlic cloves
• 3 Small pieces of cinnamon
• 3-5 Small cardamom
• 3 Cloves
• 2 Tea spoon garam masala
• 1 Tea spoon dhana-jeera
• 0.25 Tea spoon turmeric
• 50 grams Butter
• 100 grams Tomato puree
• 3 Onions (medium size)
• 1 Red capsicum
• Salt according to taste
• Oil (up to two table spoon)

Red Gravy Procedure:

• Make paste out of ginger, chillies, garlic, cinnamon, cardamon and cloves.
• Heat some oil (around one to two table spoon).
• Once the oil is hot, add the paste suggested in steps above. Let it cook for three to five minutes.
  
• Add onion and & capsicum paste and tomato puree to the stuff that is already being cooked.
  
• Add the remaining spices and let it cook for around ten minutes.
• Add butter and salt and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Biryani Ingredients:

• Two cup rice
  
• 50 grams Cauliflower
• 50 grams French beans
• 50 grams Peas
• 50 grams Corn kernels
• 50 grams Cabbage
• 50 grams Carrot
• One Green capsicum
  
• Cashew
• Almond
• Peanuts
• Coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• Salt according to taste
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp ghee / oil
  

Biryani Procedure:

• Chop all vegetables. Chop vegetables like beans, carrot, cabbage and capsicum long of the same size.
• Once vegetables are chopped, start boiling them. Make sure they are cooked but not over cooked so that they do not get mashed up.
• Once the vegetables are done, drain the water and add the vegetables to the red gravy. Cook the vegetables for a couple of minutes with the red gravy.
• While vegetables are getting done, put the rice for cooking.
• Wash rice thoroughly. Add garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, salt, lemon and ghee to rice. Put only 80% of required water and keep rice for cooking in microwave for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes stir rice and check if it is nearly done or not. If it is not done then let it cook for couple of minutes.
• This way the rice would be nearly done and would not be sticky.
• Now take a bowl. Make around four layers of rice and vegetables alternately with vegetables on the top.
• Put this layered stuff for cooking in microwave for 3 minutes so that rice is cooked completely.
• Decorate Biryani with cashew, almond peanuts and coriander.
  

I have eaten Biryani at different places and Biryani with this recipe turned out to be one of the best ones. You reached here because you are interested in recipe. So try out this recipe and let me know.