Saturday, March 1, 2014

Palak - Tomato Soup

So what did I learn new this time? - "Pressure Cooking!"
I have heard people say dishes will lose its nutrients when pressure cooked and I had my doubts too. But didn't bother too much because it helped me to cook faster and that's how I was taught to cook. Few months back I joined a FB group called UBF - United by Food. This group led by Rama Krishnan experiments many recipes by pressure cooking. Now that I have time; I followed their recipes and did a bit of google search too. I gave some flopped; average and good shows ;). 



Putting into a nutshell pressure cooking
1. Retains the nutrients and flavor intact.
2. Transfers the nutrients to the liquid but is not lost. 
    Do retain your veggies broth and substitute water with the broth in soups
3. Increases the boiling point of water and hence cooks faster.
4. Saves fuel



Recipe
Prep Time : 2 minutes
Cooking Time : 8 minutes.
Serves : 2
Source : Inspired by OPOS Theme from UBF FB page.

Ingredients
6-7 garlic cloves
1 medium sized tomato
2 tsp pepper powder
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
15 palak leaves(wash them thoroughly)
Salt as needed
Water as needed
Cheese topping (optional)

Method
1. Take a pressure cooker and add 1 tsp olive oil.
2. Add cumin seeds and once they splutter add garlic and saute until they turn brown . Then add tomatoes,spinach and salt. Saute for 2 minutes and add water.
( depending on how u want your soup - thick/clear)
I liked the thick creamy texture of the soup.
3. Close the lid and leave it for a whistle.
4. Once the pressure subsides blend it in a mixie and add pepper according to your spice level.
5. Serve hot

Note
1. Get rid of the garlic's skin by microwaving it for 30 seconds.
2. Instead of adding water you can add veggies broth or dal water too.

Tidbits:

Did you know Spinach 

1. is packed with nutrients (has loads of Vitamin A and C) that is good for hair and skin.
2. is anti - diabetic and has anti-cancer substances
3. can be your friend if you're trying to shed that extra flesh because of it's low calorific value.

No comments:

Post a Comment