04 December 2009

Weekday meal idea: prawn pakoras, sprouts usal and curd rice

Cooking is therapeutic for me. It really is!

Most people I know cook more on weekends than on weekdays (a few go as far as making advance meals for the week on the weekend and stashing away portions in the freezer for the week)...pretty smart use of time and energy? I agree....but that's not how I do things. For some unknown reason, I like to cook on weekdays...dinner happens to be N's and my most important meal of the day and I like to make sure its fresh and warm...which is why I guess, even after I am exhausted from working all day, I cant believe how much I enjoy making fresh meals each weekday. Does this make me weird, I wonder?

Here's what I made yesterday night:

Prawn pakoras (completely my experiment, but they came out really good!), Sprouts usal/stir-fry (easy breezy and healthy), curd rice (since I some leftover cooked rice from the day before) and chapatis (Indian flatbreads) Here are the recipes for the pakoras and the usal:

Prawn pakoras (fritters)

Ingredients:
For the marinade:
10-12 Prawns (good sized, cleaned, de-veined and salted)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder (substitute with garlic paste if you don't have the powder)

For the fritter batter:
3/4 cup besan flour
a pinch of asafoetida (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp hot oil (makes the fritters light and crispy)
salt to taste

-Marinate cleaned and salted prawns with the powders and set it aside for atleast 30 mins
-After 30 mins, heat oil for deep frying.
-Meanwhile, make the batter using water as needed (the consistency should be quite thick, such that the batter coats the prawns easily)
-Deep fry each prawn till golden brown
Tada...prawn pakoras are ready! they go really well with ketchup!

Sprouts usal recipe:
Ingredients:
2 cups sprouts (I used matki/moth beans)-pressure cooked till cooked but firm
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
5-6 curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 onion
1 tsp chili powder
salt to taste
coriander leaves to garnish

-Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the asafoetida, curry leaves, turmeric powder and saute for a few seconds
-Add the onions and cook until transparent
-Next, add the cooked sprouts, salt and chilli powder and mix well. Cook on a low flame for about 5 mins until all flavours combine well.
-Turn off the heat, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

N-the-seafood-freak loved the prawn pakoras experiment so that one was a success (will be making them again for sure).

Ooh la la..that definitely was a nice weekday meal!!...So whats on your menu? Would love to hear some easy, healthy weekday dinner ideas!

Full,
V

7 comments:

Unknown said...

How about maggi, egg bhurji? ;)
Give me a call if you like to know the recipes :D

Vinaya said...

Hey KD, why are you eating maggi for dinner??lagta hai aarti se baat karni hi padegi!:D

Unknown said...

Hey V,
Everything looks really yummy...makes me wanna get on a plane n come to Vancouver :)
Btw, I made this Burmese dish for dinner last nite called Khao Suey. Twas quite good actually...kinda like apna misal, bhel puri with different toppings. Here's the link: http://rasbhara.blogspot.com/2005/12/burmese-khao-suey.html

Tc and keep the recipes coming....

Priyanka

Vinaya said...

Priyanka,
Cool idea yaar!!!I am going to take it up sometime soon..will let you know how it goes!!

Aditya Khatkhate said...

Wow V..! I guess i am reading ur blogs top to bottom, but the dishes seem to just look so awesome (doesnt rhyme :P)..neways, :) therapeutic wud b EATING UR MADE DISHES, i blive! :) prawn pakora.. let me note this down in my diary...i already have a list of dishes from ur prev blogs.. i need to keep a track of things u make, u see.. ;)

Radhika said...

I just saw this prawn pakora recipe and its making me drool :)

Vinaya said...

Aadi,
a simpler way would be just hop on the plane and come to Vancity, dont you think?

Radhika,
I am guessing you like seafood too :). N, my hubby is a big seafood freak so i have to come up with new seafood dishes!