How to make Tofu recipe [Video Recipe] | Make Tofu without Nigari | Soya Paneer Recipe

Make Tofu at home with Soy Milk or from scratch using dried Soya Beans

There are some things you think you will never make in your life. It is time to strike off Tofu from that list.

There are two kinds of people in the world - one that LOVE Tofu and one that hate Tofu. You can either love it or hate it, but you cannot ignore it. For a long long time Tofu ruled over all the vegan cuisine. You just had to say vegan and tofu would magically appear on your plate. Today, with so many more options like tempeh, seitan and mock meats that are readily available, tofu's dominance may have reduced a little. But for me, Tofu will always rule. I've tried the others and unfortunately my adventurous palate did not find a liking to them.

Last week I shared a recipe on How to make Soy Milk from dried Soya Beans aka from scratch. I got an overwhelming response to that post, Thank you guys!! So this week I am taking it one step forward from there - Making Tofu at home from Soy Milk.  Making Soy milk wasn't difficult, making Tofu is even easier!!

FIRST, you need warm Soy Milk. Make your own or buy it from the store. Fresh soy milk will curdle easier than store bought as it has no stabilizers. But I'm sure you can work with the store bought one too, only, you may need a little more acid to get it to work.

SECOND, we will now curdle the milk. Traditionally Nigari or Magnesium Chloride is used to curdle the milk. While this gives a better texture, it is not something that is readily available to me. So I used the next best coagulant which works perfectly when I make paneer - Lime juice. The coagulant is mixed with water and added to the warm Soy milk and stirred until the milk curdles or splits. You should continue to stir until you see the milk solids. Then just cover and rest for a while until the coagulant does its magic.

THIRD, straining the curds. Use a clean cotton cloth like a muslin cloth. Strain out all the liquid and tie the curds up in the cloth.

FOURTH, pressing the Tofu. If you are a regular tofu maker, buy a Tofu Press. Or you can follow my video for a DIY way to make tofu press with readily available plates and boxes at home.

Tofu is READY!!

Tofu made with lime juice is slightly more crumbly than the one made with nigari. It is also firmer and not silken. You can scramble this tofu, bake this tofu or fry this tofu. While the other two are healthier, my personal favorite has always been fried Tofu. What is you favorite way to eat tofu? Leave me a comment.

Watch out for my next post, I have a fantastic recipe to use this beautiful tofu we just made.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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How to make Tofu | Making tofu without Nigari | Soya Paneer Recipe

Recipe on how to make Tofu from fresh soy milk without using nigari. Making tofu using lime juice as coagulant. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Asian
Prep Time:     5 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Total time:     50 minutes
Yield:                250 gms

Ingredients:

1 litre Soy Milk
4 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 cup Water

Method:

1. Heat the soy milk in a pot until bubbles appear.
2. Mix the lime juice in the water.
3. Add half of the lime juice water and stir in a figure of 8 for 8-10 times.
4. Remove from heat and add the remaining lime juice water and continue to stir in figure of 8 until the milk curdles and you can see the milk solids.
5. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
6. Strain using a clean muslin cloth.
7. Place in a tofu press and add weight. Keep it pressed for 15-20 minutes.
8. If you don't have a tofu press, you can make it yourself at home as shown in the video.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Homemade Soy Milk

Vegan Thai Green Curry

Homemade Creamy Yogurt

Read more ...

10 Savory Vegetarian/Vegan Breakfasts ready in under 30 minutes

A compilation of ten easy to make vegetarian / vegan breakfasts that can be made in under 30 minutes from scratch!

Do you love breakfast? Or are you one of those people who just wants to be done with it cause every scientific article calls it the most important meal of the day? 

I am definitely the breakfast lover category. If you are in the same category, welcome my friend!! 

If not, why is it that you would rather skip this meal - crunched for time? not hungry in the morning? don't have good breakfast options? I'm here to solve some of these problems for you through this teeny weeny post. I am also forever crunched for time, you see while I love breakfast, I am not an early riser and most of my morning is spent scrambling to get ready to catch my bus to office. I give myself exactly 60 minutes from wake up to run for bus. Also, I am absolutely against cereal for breakfast, I believe it is just sugar. So it is always a savory breakfast for me. I have hence, compiled a short list of 10 breakfasts that you can make in under 30 minutes for those busy mornings. Also, a few of them can be prepped the previous night or even, prepared the previous night. Just reheat and enjoy in the morning.

1) Churmuri Soosla [Vegan]

Churmuri Soosla is a stir fry made from salted puffed rice (not the cereal), onions, tomatoes and turmeric.  It is then topped with lime juice and roasted gram powder. This makes for a very good after school snack or evening tea time snack too.

2)  Bread Upma [Vegan]

My favorite way to use up old bread is to stir fry it with spices, onion and tomato. You can make this bread upma with fresh bread as well. Quick and easy recipe.

3) Tomato Omelet [Vegan] 

Omelet always means Eggs, except in this case. Tomato omelet is made from chickpea flour or besan. Add lots of tomato to it and some spices for taste. Pour them onto a hot pan and cook them just like you would cook an omelet. Serve it with bread or eat it just like that, the choice is yours.

4) Wheat Dosa | Savory Wholewheat Pancakes [Vegan]

This one is very similar to the Tomato Omelet above, but this Dosa is made with whole wheat flour or atta instead of chickpea flour. Serve this with some coconut chutney or sambar in pure South Indian style.

5) Breakfast Bruschetta [Vegan]

If you love bread for breakfast, you will love this bruschetta. One is a classic bruschetta with onions and tomatoes while the other is a take on avocado toast with avocados and green olives.

6) Chutney Sandwich [Vegan Option Available]

My favorite picnic breakfast of all times - bread with one slice smeared with butter and another with a simple coriander-coconut chutney. Use vegan butter to make it vegan or just skip the butter. The chutney can be prepared the previous night if you want to cut down on time in the morning. Make the sandwiches when you plan to eat them to avoid a soggy mess.

7) Vegan Zucchini Frittata [Vegan]

Frittatas can be vegan too! Try out this vegan frittata made with chickpea flour or besan and baby zucchinis for added health. Load it up with your favorite veggies to make it healthier.

8) Beetroot Chickpea Pancake [Vegan]

This is just a different take on the tomato omelet mentioned above. Here the tart tomatoes are replaced with sweet grated beet roots that add that wonderful pink hue to the pancakes. For a quicker breakfast prep in the morning, grate the beet root the previous night and save time.

9) Instant Ragi Dosa  [Vegan Option Available]

Instant Ragi Dosa is a very healthy breakfast option as it uses finger millet or ragi flour. Ragi is rich in nutrients and very good for healthy. Ragi flour is mixed with fine semolina or cream of wheat with spices, onions and herbs to make a very runny batter. he only dairy element in there is yogurt to add a little sourness to the dosa, you can either skip it or replace it with vegan yogurt to make this recipe vegan. 

10) Instant Rava Dosa [Vegan Option Available] 

Again, this is very similar to the Instant Ragi Dosa, but made with rice flour. A popular breakfast in Bangalore, this recipe will teach you how to make it at home with a lot less oil. The only dairy element in there is yogurt to add a little sourness to the dosa, you can either skip it or replace it with vegan yogurt to make this recipe vegan.

If you tried these recipes, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like these recipes, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

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Battalu Kadabu Recipe | Steamed Rice Cups [Video Recipe]

Steamed bowl shaped dumplings made from rice semolina. Vegan and gluten free!

Does Breakfast excite you? Are you a cereal from a box person or someone who likes to cook an elaborate first meal of the day? Or a mix of both?

I believe I am a mix of both. There are days when I prefer just bread butter or a simple Coriander Chutney Sandwich, and there are others where I like to put in my love and effort into my favorite meal of the day. Especially on weekends. And this "Battalu Kadabu" has usually been on my weekend breakfast menu, because I believed it took time to make it, until now. I made this on a weekday and actually timed it. And it took me 50 minutes from start to finish to make this and it fed 4 people. And I believe I even ended up taking 50 minutes because I attempted to shoot a video while cooking it. But I don't believe I will make this on a weekday again because I never have that much time to spare on a regular weekday morning, but I definitely don't mind eating them.

So what is this Battalu Kadabu. "Battalu" means bowl in Kannada and "Kadabu" is usually a steamed dumpling. So this dumpling is called so cause it is shaped like a bowl. I learnt this recipe from my mother in law.  It took me a few tries to get it right. 

This dumpling is made with rice semolina. It can also be made with rice flour, but I prefer the rice semolina version that I am sharing. Rice semolina is cooked in boiling water to make the dough. The dough should be slightly sticky and pliable. It should not crumble, if you want to shape the kadabus. If you are struggling to shape it like a bowl, just shape them like little discs. The taste will not differ with the shape.

I love this Battalu Kadabu because it is light. It does not fill me up to the brim and make me sluggish all day. It is vegan and gluten free. Serve it warm with a good spicy coconut chutney like this tondekai chutney made from ivy gourds or heerekai sippe chutney made from ridge gourd. If you are not vegan, fill up these rice cups with some golden ghee, it is delicious.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Battalu Kadabu

Steamed dumpling made of rice semolina (rava), eaten as a breakfast in Mangalore along with Ghee and coconut Chutney.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:          South Indian / Mangalorean
Prep Time:     5 minutes
Cook time:     50 minutes
Yield:              28-30

Ingredients:

2 cups Rice Semolina (Akki Tari)
4 cups Water
0.5 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp desiccated Coconut
2 tsp Oil (to grease steamer)

Method:

1. Heat the water in a kadhai or deep pan.
2. Add the salt and coconut. Allow the water to come to a rolling boil.
3. Slowly add the rice semolina while stirring continuously to avoid forming lumps.
4. Keep stirring and cook it until everything comes together as one mass. This may take 5-6 minutes.
5. Remove from heat onto a dry plate and allow it to cool slightly.
6. Knead it for 3-4 mins, if it feels dry, add a little water and knead.
7. Pull out a small lemon sized ball and flatten it. Using your fingers make a small depression in the center and continue to gently press the edges to make a bowl shape. See video for reference.
8. If you are struggling to make the shape, just flatten them into little discs.
9. Grease the steamer plate.
10. Place them in a steamer and steam for 5-7 mins
11. Enjoy it while its hot with some spicy coconut chutney.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Paddu

Rava Idli

Rava Dosa

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Soy Milk Recipe | How to make Soya Milk from Soya Beans [Video Recipe]

Make your own vegan Soya milk from scratch using dried soya beans!

I'll be honest, I'm not a vegan and even less of a milk drinker, but even I love the idea of making my own Soy Milk. 

Last year, Gee decided to try out veganism for a short while, and she kept buying these little cartons of Soy milk to add to her tea. Almost every soy milk out there is flavored for direct consumption and we had to look high and low for a plain natural one with no flavors. While we did find them eventually, they still had stabilizers to increase the shelf life of the soy milk. And that got me searching for recipes to make soy milk at home, so she wouldn't need to consume all those chemicals. That is when I first made Soy milk. 

I am a cook-from-scratch kind of person, and I like knowing all the ingredients that go into my food. It also gives me a lot of perspective on the effort that it takes to make a certain item that I may have not even a fleeting thought to before. And add to that making Soy Milk is so easy. If you are lactose intolerant or vegan and use Soy Milk regularly, then I highly recommend making it at home.

Why you should make your own Soy Milk:

• It is additive free. 
• It is so much cheaper. Oh yes, the Soy Beans cost me Rs.16 for 200gms and it yielded one liter of Soy Milk. That is actually much cheaper than the regular cow's milk I buy. 
• You can flavor it how you like it
• You can keep it sugar free or add sugar depending on your liking
• It is FRESH...

You can use this Soy milk in your coffee, in your cereal and for baking vegan dishes. It can be used to make Tofu too. I will be posting the recipe to make Tofu very soon, watch out for it. You can store this Soy milk in the fridge, however, I suggest consuming it within 2-3 days.  

Be warned, homemade fresh Soy Milk has a strong smell of soy unlike the packaged soy milk. You can add a teensy bit of vanilla to the milk if you find the smell overpowering. 

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Soy Milk Recipe

How to make Soy Milk from Soy Beans. Vegan milk. Recipe to make soya milk from scratch.

Recipe Type:  Beverage
Cuisine:            Asian
Prep Time:     8 hours
Cook time:     30 minutes
Total time:     9 hours
Yield:                1 liter

Ingredients:

1 cup dried Soya Beans (200 gms)
10 cups Water

Method:

1. Soak the soya beans in 4 cups of water for 8 hours.
2. Drain out the water after 8 hours.
3. Add the soya beans to a blender with 2 cups of water and blend to a smooth paste.
4. Boil 4 cups or 500 ml of water in a large pot.
5. Add the soya bean paste to the water and allow it to come to a boil.
6. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon in between. Keep an eye on the pot, because soy milk has a tendency to overflow.
8. After 10 minutes, remove the pot from heat and strain using a juice strainer or a muslin cloth.
9. Store in a clean vessel in the fridge for 2-3 days.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Homemade Creamy Yogurt

Vegan Thai Green Curry

Miso Noodle Soup

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10 Delicious Vegetarian Snacks | 6 Vegan Finger Foods

A compilation of top ten delicious vegetarian snacks or six vegan finger foods.

Hey guys, how you doing?? So it's Friday and I'm all set to welcome in the weekend. How about you?

While the month on the calendar still says Summer, the weather does not feel like summer. It's been raining almost the entire month of May. And when it rains, I crave for delicious finger food with a hot cuppa tea. I love curling up with my hot snacks near the window and watch the rain. Do you love rain?

Here, in this post today, I have compiled a list of 10 of my favorite go to snacks when it rains. I hope you enjoy them.

1) Curried Brown Rice and Zucchini Fritters [Vegan]

Who said healthy has to be boring? We've taken healthy brown rice and zucchini and created a perfect snack. These fritters are flavored with spices and shallow fried in a pan. These fritters are also an awesome way to use leftover rice.

2) Maggi Pakoda [Vegan]

Everyone knows that when it rains, it is the perfect time to eat Maggi. Maggi is an instant noodles from Nestle. The instant noodles are cooked and then dipped in a chickpea flour batter and deep fried until crunchy.  Use your favorite instant noodles to make these fritters / pakoda.

3. Instant Paneer Tikka

Chunks of Paneer or Cottage cheese marinated in instant marinade made of spices and chickpea flours and grilled. While Paneer Tikka is traditionally baked in a Tandoor oven, you can enjoy this delicacy at home with this instant version.

4. Cucumber Pakoda [Vegan]

Pakodas are the ultimate Indian snack when it rains. Generally made with a variety of vegetables like onions, potatoes, capsicum, we have made this deep fried snack a little healthier by using cucumbers. Sliced cucumbers are dipped in a spiced chickpea batter and deep fried to make crispy pakodas.

5. Baked Wholewheat Chips [Vegan]

My Indian version of nachos. These whole wheat chips are made by baking chapatis or whole wheat flat breads into crispy chips. Serve it with freshly made guacamole.

6. Sabudana Vada [Vegan]

Sabudana Vadas are shallow fried vadas or poppers made with Sabudana/Sago, peanuts and mashed potatoes. While these can be deep fried, I have pan fried them to reduce the oil consumed.

7. Chilli Basil Potato [Vegan]

Potato stir fried with fresh basil leaves and spicy red chilli flakes makes for a delicious snack. Unlike french fries, these are not deep fried but sauteed in oil until cooked.

8. Dahi Kebab

Dahi kebabs are yogurt kebabs. Thick yogurt is strained further, chickpea flour and spices are mixed in and then pan fried until golden brown. Crisp on the outside and cheesy on the inside, these will win you over for sure.

9. Broccoli and Zucchini Fritters

Broccoli, zucchini, carrots, peas are mixed with cheese and pan fried. Ultimate goodness!!!

10. Vegetable Cutlets

I can never have enough of these vegetable cutlets. Made from potatoes, beetroots, peas and a variety of other vegetables, coated in flour-milk wash, dipped in fine semolina and shallow fried until golden. Serve it with green mint-coriander chutney for added taste.

If you tried these recipes, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like these recipes, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Read more ...

Dahi Bread Chaat Recipe

Toasted bread layered with crispy papdi and boiled chickpeas, topped with sweet yogurt, a mix of chutneys,spices and pomegranate seeds!! 

Happy Tuesday! I hope all of you had an awesome fun filled weekend. I sure did. In fact, I had a fun filled week!

If you follow me on Instagram, you would know, I was out vacationing the last week in Karkala at my in-law's place. I met a lot of relatives, ate a lot of good food and visited a lot of places. And my favorite among them was this beautiful little Jain temple at Varanga. Set amidst a lake and surrounded by greenery, it was mesmerizing. The temple is 850 years old!!! Check out the pics on Instagram.

There was also a TV serial shooting going on there, so we had some of our own fun directing it among ourselves, we created so many story lines in a short span on 10 minutes. Don't you just love making up your own movies? I definitely do. 

Now back to my recipe - Dahi Bread Chaat. I asked a few of my readers who I know personally what they would like me to publish, and a few of them wanted quick snacks, so here it is. This Dahi Bread Chaat is my take on Dahi Bhalla, only it is super instant. No soaking, no grinding, no frying. Healthy and ready in a jiffy. Could you ask for more?

Dahi Bread Chaat is made by layering a few goodies like papdis and boiled chickpeas along with plain toasted bread and soaking them in generous portions of dahi (yogurt), tamarind chutney and green chutney. A dash of spice and a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate seeds and you have a delicious healthy snack to squash that evening hunger. The recipes for baked papdi, yogurt, tamarind chutney and mint-coriander chutney are all available on the blog, however, you can also buy them in stores or online here- Date and Tamarind Chutney, Mint Chutney,

Dahi Bread Chaat is the perfect dish, if you are personally catering to a small group of friends or family or kitty parties. It requires minimal prep and can be assembled quickly, so you won't be spending all your time in the kitchen instead of mingling with your loved ones. This is also ideal as an after school snack for kids.

To make this dish vegan, use any vegan yogurt such as soy yogurt or cashew yogurt.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

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Dahi Bread Chaat Recipe

Dahi bread chaat - Indian street food with toasted bread layered with crispy papdi and boiled chickpeas, topped with sweet yogurt, a mix of chutneys,spices and pomegranate seeds.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     10 minutes
Total time:     25 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 slices Brown Bread
1 cup cold Yogurt
0.5 cup boiled Chickpeas
12-15 Papdi
3 Tbsp Date Tamarind Chutney
3 Tbsp Mint Coriander Chutney
0.5 cup Pomegranate Seeds
1.5 tsp powdered Sugar
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Chaat Masala
2 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Whisk the yogurt and add the powdered sugar to it. Mix well and chill till you are ready to assemble the chaat.
2. Toast the bread and cut the bread into 9 small pieces.
3. Divide the papdi and layer in the plates that you will be serving the chaat in. The following instructions are to be repeated for each plate.
4. Place the bread over the papdi. 
5. Add the chickpeas to the plate.
6. Now spoon the whisked yogurt over the plate.
7. Drizzle the sweet date and tamarind chutney and the spicy mint coriander chutney.
8. Sprinkle red chilli powder, cumin powder and chaat masala.
9. Sprinkle salt as required.
10. Add fresh pomegranate seeds.
11. Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves and serve.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Sweet Potato Chaat

Pani Puri

Masala Puri

Read more ...