Oats Pongal

For all those oats fans over there, here’s one more recipe which is equally Indian and eternally delicious….Oats Pongal…and needless to say, it's healthy too...

Ingredients:

Rolled oats – 1 cup

Yellow Mung dal – ½ cup

Ginger – 1 inch finely chopped

Green chilies - 1 finely chopped

Whole Black pepper – 1 Tbsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Ghee / vegetable oil – 2 Tbsp

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash and cook the mung dal till done but still intact and  keep aside.

Heat ghee/oil in a  thick bottom vessel, add pepper corns, cumin seeds, green chillies, ginger and fry for a min.

Add about 2 ½ cups of water to the pan and bring it to boil. Add salt to taste and add the oats, stir and cook till done.

Add in the cooked dal and mix well and cook for a minute or two.

Serve hot. 

Spicy scrambled Tofu

Well…I heard a lot of good things about Tofu (Bean curd) and made it habit to use it often in my food lately. Tofu is low in calories, contains a relatively large amount of iron, protein, and contains little fat. It has very little flavor or smell on its own and hence can be flavored in many ways depending upon the method of cooking and the ingredients used. Here is a quick, healthy and spicy tofu recipe which is as tender and moist as scrambled eggs. Nothing beats scrambled eggs for a quick, satisfying meal. Scrambled tofu can be equally comforting and tasty too. All that you need to do is to spice it up with your favorite spices and vegetables.

Ingredients:

Firm tofu – 150 gms

Oil – 1 Tbsp

Cumin seeds – ½ Tsp

Onion- 1 small, chopped

Green chillies – 2 to 3, finely chopped

Capsicum Pieces– 1 cup (green, yellow and red mixed)

Turmeric – 1/8 Tsp

Soy sauce – ½ Tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the tofu, squeeze out the extra water and grate it coarsely.

Heat the oil in a wide skillet and add the cumin seeds, onion and green chillies and fry till onion turns translucent. Add in the Capsicum pieces and sauté for a minute or two.

Add the turmeric, salt to taste and soy sauce and cook for a minute.

Now stir in the grated tofu, mix well and cook for about 3 minutes. Adjust the salt if needed. Serve hot with a toast or can be wrapped in a tortilla. 

Oats upma

A steaming bowl of fresh cooked oatmeal is the perfect way to start off a day. Oats, oat bran, and oatmeal contain a specific type of fiber known as beta-glucan, which helps in reducing the cholesterol levels significantly. Studies also show that beta-glucan has beneficial effects in diabetes as well. They contain more soluble fiber than any other grain, resulting in slower digestion and an extended sensation of fullness. Well…if I go on like this to say the health benefits of oats, it’s gonna take long time. So, let me share this amazing upma recipe, which I made with oats and fresh vegetables. Give this a try when you are in the mood for some quick and healthy dish and all you need is some chutney of your choice to enjoy the moment.

Ingredients:

Oats – 1cup

Water – 1 ¼ cups

Onion – ½ medium finely chopped

Mixed vegetables - 1/4 cup (peas, carrot, beans, capsicum)

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

Chana dal - 1/2 tsp

Cashew nuts – 2tbsp

green chillies – 2-3

Curry leaves – 1 spring

Oil – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Dry roast the oats for 2-3 minutes till crisp and keep it aside.

In a frying pan,  add2 tsp oil.

Add mustard, urad dal, channa dal, cashew nuts and green chillies and fry till the dals turn brown.

Add chopped onion, curry leaves and vegetables and fry till the onion becomes soft.

Add one and quarter cup of water and enough salt.

When the water starts boiling, add the oats and stir well.

Lower the heat and cover the pan with a lid allowing it to cook completely and all the water is absorbed.

Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Neer Dosa

It has been long time since I’ve posted a breakfast recipe here. Here we go with the white and lacy thin pancake recipe, Neer Dosa. Neer Dosa is a traditional dosa variety from Karnataka, prepared with rice. The name comes from the very thin consistency the batter has, very similar to water. It’s a very simple recipe and does not demand the time-consuming fermentation of the batter.

Ingredients:

2 Cups rice

Salt to taste

Oil

Preparation:

Wash and soak the rice for 4-5 hours.

Grind soaked rice to a smooth paste in a mixer/blender or food processor.
Add salt &, enough water to make a very thin batter.
Keep aside for an hour or two.
Heat the dosa griddle, pour 1 ladle full of mixture in centre and tilt the griddle in all directions to allow batter to spread thinly to make a pancake.
Drizzle a little oil, cook on one side till done. Cook the dosa on only one side and take care to see that it does not turn brown
Fold into half and then into quarter.
Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Ragi Dosa (Millet flour Pancakes)

Here is one more healthy power- packed breakfast recipe with ragi flour. It is very easy and quick to make and its refreshing taste makes it a delicacy.

Ingredients:

Ragi flour -1 cup

Reice flour – ¼ cup

Yoghurt – ½ cup

Salt to taste

Chopped green chillies – 2 tbsp

Chopped onions – ½ cup

Oil as required

Chopped cilantro 2 tbsp

Preparation:

Mix the ragi flour, rice flour, yoghurt adding enough water and salt to make a smooth batter of pouring consistency.

Mix chopped green chillies, onions and cilantro leaves with the batter.

Heat a tawa, grease it with oil and pour a ladle of batter and smear it to make a round dosa. Pour oil around the edges if needed to cook the adai.

My tip is to close the dosa with a lid so that it will be cooked evenly with the steam.

Turn aside and cook on the other side till golden brown.

Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Rava Pulihora (Lemon flavoured rice semolina)

Ingredients:

Rice rava – 2 cups

Water – 4 cups

Lemon juice – ¼ cup (or as per taste)

Green chillies – 4 to 5

Coriander leaves – ½ cup

Red chillies – 4 to 5

Urid dal – 1 tbsp

Chana dal - tbsp

Ground nuts – 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tbsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tbsp

Cashew nuts – 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tbsp

Hing - a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil – 3 tbsp

Curry leaves – 2 springs

Preparation:

Steam the rava with water in 1:2 ratio in a pressure cooker for about 3 whistles and take out and let it cool to room temperature. Once cooled, scramble the rava so that no lumps are present and it is powdery.

Heat oil in a pan and add the following ingredients one by one in a row and fry till golden brown.

• chana  dal
• urid dal
• groundnuts
• mustard seeds
• cumin seeds
• cashew nuts
• red chillies
• curry leaves
• green chillies
• coriander leaves
• turmeric powder
• lemon juice
• and hing

After adding the lemon juice and salt , fry for about 2 min till the raw flavour of lemon is gone.

Now turn off the heat and bring the mixture to the cooked rava and mix evenly. Adjust salt per taste. Trust me..it tastes great.

Mooli paratha (Radish Flat bread)

Ingredients:

Wheat flour – 2 cups

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 tsp

Water to make the dough

For stuffing:

Grated Radish - 2 cups

Onion – 1 small finely chopped

Garlic pods – 4 finely chopped

Chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp

Dhania powder – ½ tbsp

Cumin powder – ½ tbsp

Pepper powder – ¼ tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 1tbsp

Ghee - as required

Preparation:

Prepare soft dough with wheat flour, adding oil, enough salt and water and keep it aside covered for about 15 - 20min.

Heat one tbsp of oil in a pan and add chopped onion, garlic and grated radish and fry till the radish leaves its water. now add all the masala powders and salt to taste and fry for one min and remove from the stove and let it cool.

Divide the dough into equal size balls. The above measurement makes about 7 – 8 parathas.

Roll the dough onto a small circular roti with hand and make sure that the edges are thinner than the center portion.

Place about 1 ½ tsp of the stuffing on the roti and close the filling to make a round shape as shown in the picture.

Now roll it as a regular roti with a rolling pin dusting with dry flour. Take care that the stuffing is not burst out.

Heat a flat tawa and place the roti on it and fry till you see brown spots on one side and turn it to other side. Smear little ghee or oil on both sides and fry till it is completely cooked on both sides.

Serve with any gravy or/and Raitha.

Methi Adai

Basically adai, a South indian healthy breakfast recipe with a combination of rice and different dals, I have added finely chopped methi leaves to make it even more healthier.

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup

Urid dal – ½ cup

Toor dal – ½ cup

Mung dal – ½ cup

Chana dal – ¼ cup

Green chillies – 5 to 6

Salt to taste

Oil as required

Hing – a pinch

Finely chopped methi leaves – 2 cups

Finely chopped ginger – 2 tsp

Ajwain seeds – ¼ tsp

Preparation:

Wash and soak the rice and dals together for about 4 to 5 hours and grind with green chillies and enough salt to a coarse paste. (coarse batter results in a crispy adai and also takes longer time to cook).

Add the chopped methi leaves, ginger and ajwain seeds and mix well.

Heat a tawa, grease it with oil and pour a ladle of batter and smear it to make a round dosa. Pour oil around the edges if needed to cook the adai.

My tip is to close the adai when cooking so that it will be cooked evenly with the steam.

Turn aside and cook on the other side till golden brown.

Serve hot as it is or with any chutney of your choice.

Set dosa (Atukulu/ Aval/ Poha/ Rice flakes dosa)

I fell in love with this set dosa, the very first day i ate it in Mayura, kadapa. I just love this fluffy thick dosa served in set of three medium sized ones. Finally I did some research for the recipe and got this wonderful one. It came out really good. One special thing about this dosa is that its crispy, golden brown texture on one side and spongy, spotless white on the other and also very little oil is required to make this dosa (I didn’t use any though). I bet you’ll surely fall in love with this recipe too once you make it.

Ingredients:

3 cups Raw Rice
1 cup tightly packed atukulu /poha/Rice flakes
1 tsp Fenugreek  seeds)
1/4 cup Urad dal
1/2 cup beaten yogurt
Salt to taste
a pinch of baking soda

Preparation:

Wash and soak rice, methi seeds, and urad dal together for 4-5 hours.
Soak rice flakes/ poha /atukulu in separate bowl with beaten yogurt for 1-2 hrs.
Grind soaked rice flakes first to a smooth paste and set aside.
Grind soaked rice mixture into very smooth paste adding water. Do not add too much water just add enough water to grind.
Mix well with hands (this aids in better fermenting of the batter) and keep in a warm place overnight or for about 8 hours.

Add salt and baking soda and mix well.

Heat griddle or tawa in medium heat, Pour a ladle full of batter. No need to spread the batter, jut a pat on it would do.

Now cover the dosa with a lid and let it steam gradually over medium heat.
Add very little oil on the edges of dosa if needed .Once the holes are formed, let it cook for 1 min till done. No need to flip it on the other side as it is completely cooked by the steam. This makes the dosa crispy on one side and spongy soft on the other.

Serve hot with coconut chutney and ginger chutney.

Adai (Dal Dosa)

Here is one more healthy breakfast recipe packed with protein. This basically is a Tamil nadu recipe with a combination of rice and different dals. Unlike the regular dosa, this doesn’t need the long process of fermentation of the batter which makes it even more simple..

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup

Urid dal – ½ cup

Toor dal – ½ cup

Mung dal – ½ cup

Chana dal – ¼ cup

Green chillies – 5 to 6

Salt to taste

Oil as required

Hing – a pinch

Preparation:

Wash and soak the rice and dals together for about 4 to 5 hours and grind with green chillies and enough salt to a coarse paste. (coarse batter results in a crispy adai and also takes longer time to cook)

Heat a tawa, grease it with oil and pour a ladle of batter and smear it to make a round dosa. Pour oil around the edges if needed to cook the adai.

My tip is to close the adai when cooking so that it will be cooked evenly with the steam.

Turn aside and cook on the other side till golden brown.

Serve hot with any chutney of your choice or vegetable stew. 

Vermicelli Uthappam

Here is one more instant breakfast recipe. Tasty uthappams are ready in no time!!! Trust me…

Ingredients:

Vermicelli – 1 cup

Rice flour – 1 cup

Yoghurt – 1 cup

Onion – 1 medium

Green chillies – 2

Curry leaves – 2 strands

Grated carrot – ½ cup (optional)

Salt to taste                

Oil

Preparation:

Soak the vermicelli in yoghurt for half an hour.

Mix rice flour with enough water and add finely chopped onions and green chillies.add the grated carrot, curry leaves, salt to taste and mix well.

Add mix in the soaked vermicelli  and make a smooth batter of pouring consistency adding water.

Heat a tawa,  grease it with oil and pour a laddle of  the batter and flatten it to make Uthappams. Cook on both the sides till done.

Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Onion Vada (Vulli Garelu)

Vada is a traditional savoury snack from south india. Although they are commonly prepared at home, vadas are as well a typical street food in India. There are many ways of preparing vada. Here is one recipe of vada which is an extension to the basic Medhu vada, which is plain without any extra seasoning.

Ingredients:

urid dal – 2 cups

onions – 1 large

green chillies – 3 to 4

grated ginger – tbsp

salt to taste.

Oil – for deep frying

Mother’s tip: If you are grinding the dal in a mixer, add about 2 Tbsp of yoghurt to it to have fluffy vadas.

Preparation:

• Wash and soak the urid dal for about 5 to 6 hours.
• Drain the water completely and grind the dal with the yoghurt without adding water to a paste.
• Cut the onions and green chillies into small pieces and add them to the dough.
• Add the ginger and salt and mix them well.
• Now wet your hand and take some batter and make the vadas on your palm. (alternatively, you can make the vadas on a wet cloth or a wet plastic paper) Poke a hole at the centre of the vada so that it will get evenly fried in oil.
• Now gently drop the vada  into the oil and fry on both the sides till golden brown.
• Serve hot as it is or with sambhar or any chutney of your choice.  It tastes great with chicken/mutton gravy too.

Instant Vermicelli Idly

Instead of the long process of soaking, grinding and fermenting the batter to make the traditional idlis, here is a quick and instant way to make idlis. I got this recipe from Eenadu’s Vasundhara.

Ingredients:

Vermicelli – 2 cups

Wheat rava/ sooji – 1 cup

Yoghurt – 1 ½ cup

Chana dal – 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds -  ¼ tbsp

Cumin seeds – ¼ tbsp

Green chillies – 3

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves

Cashew nuts broken – 2 tbsp

Ghee – 2 tbsp

Baking soda – 1/8 tbsp

Oil – 1tbsp

Salt to taste

Preparation:

• The above ingredients will make about 10 – 12 idlis.
• Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp of ghee and fry the sooji till it gives out a nice aroma and let it cool.
• Add the remaining ghee and fry the vermicelli till golden brown.
• In a mixing bowl, mix vermicelli and sooji with yoghurt adding very little water and let the batter sit for half an hour or more till the vermicelli is soft.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the mustard & cumin seeds, chana dal and cashew nuts till golden brown and add these to the batter.
• Add the finely chopped green chillies, curryleaves, coriander leaves, salt and baking powder to the batter and mix well. Add water if required to have the consistency of regular idly batter.
• Now grease the idly plates and pour this batter into them and steam them in an idli cooker or a pressure cooker (without putting the weight) for 15- 20 min.
• Serve hot with chutney of your choice and idly karam.

Bread Uthappam

This is an instant uthappam recipe and easy to make. It is a perfect snack on a rainy or snowy day. You can make this using the simple ingredients which you have in your kitchen without going to a supermarket to buy a particular one. 

Ingredients for 2 servings:

Bread slices – 5

Yoghurt – 1 cup

Sooji (or) wheat rava – 1 tsp

Maida – 1 tsp

Onion – 1 medium

Diced Capsicum – 1 cup

Green chillis – 4

Coriander leaves- ¼ cup

Grated ginger – 1 Tsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 3 Tsp 

Preparation: 

Remove the brown edges of the bread slices and cut them into small pieces. Cut  the onions, capsicum, green chillies and mix them with  the bread pieces. Now mix the sooji and maida with yoghurt  and add ¼ cup of water (do not ad too much of water as it would make the uthappams too soft). Now mix this paste with the bread crumbs. Add the chopped coriander, grated ginger and mix well. The consistency should be very thick.

Heat a tawa and grease it with oil. Now scoop the mix and put it on the tawa and just pat it evenly. You don’t need to spread it too much. It is convenient to make small uthappams than bigger ones as the uthappams are really soft. I made 3 uthappams at a time on the regular tawa. My tip is to cover the tawa and to steam the uthappams for about 2 min on medium heat and turn carefully to cook on the other side till done. Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Khaman Dhokla

Today is Saturday and I wanted to make something special other than the regular rice and roti. So I tried to prepare Khaman Dhokla, a traditional Gujarati dish and it came out very well and tastes yummy too. It is very simple to prepare.

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup

Chana dal – ½ cup

Urid dal – ¼ cup

Salt to taste

Yoghurt- 1 cup

Turmeric – 1 pinch

Ginger – ½ inch piece

Green chillies – 4

Baking soda – ½ tea spoon

For seasoning:

Oil – 2 Tsp

Mustard seeds – ½ Tsp

Slit green chillies – 2

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves

Preaparation:

Wash the rice and the dals and soak them overnight. Grind the soaked grains with yoghurt to a smooth paste. Add water if required. The dough should be of pouring consistency. Now add salt and turmeric to this dough, keep it in a warm place and let it ferment for 8 hours. Grind the ginger and green chillies into a coarse paste and add it to the fermented mix. Now to steam the dhoklas, first take a wide pan and place a stand in it and add about 1 cup of water and bring it to boil. Now take a thali like flat dish and grease it with oil. Once the water starts boiling, add the baking soda to the dough and mix very well and pour the mix into the greased thali and place it over the stand and close the lid of the pan and let it steam for 15 min. Alternatively, you can also use a idly cooker or the traditional Dhokla maker.

Once it is cooked, take the dish out and let cool. Now heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, slit green chillies, curry leaves and  fry them till the mustard seeds crackle. Now add the seasoning on the dhokla and spread it evenly so that the entire surface is coated. Now cut the dhoklas into diamond shape or square shape and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve with any chutney of your choice. Today we had it with coconut chutney.