Pesarapappu idly ( yellow moong dal idly)

Here I am with another healthy idly. Idly is consider very healthy breakfast. Since I am not eating rice,I am trying to make dosa and idly without rice. This idly I made with pesara Pappu aka yellow moong dal and it is super tasty and healthy.

What are the ingredients?

Pesara pappu or yellow moong dal 1 cup soaked for 2 hours And grounded to a thick batter. Add salt as per taste.

For seasoning

Oil 1 tbsp

Curry leaves few chopped

Udat dal 1/2 tsp

Chana dal 1/2 tsp

Green chillies finely chopped 2

Take a small pan, heat oil.add all the above ingredients. Once fried add it to the batter.Mix well

1 tsp cooking Soda, add it to the batter once you are ready to pour the batter in the idly mold.

Grease the idly molds with ghee or oil. Pour the batter into the molds and steam it for 12 minutes.

Frozen Berries Pan Cake

Pan cake is my girls favourite breakfast apart from what we eat regularly (south indian breakfast). I keep on changing the flavours of the pan cake. This one i did with frozen mixed berries. Here is the recipe:-

Ingredients:-

Frozen mixed berries 1/2 cup
Plain flour 2 cups
Egg 1
Baking powder 1/2 tsp
Salt a pinch
Sugar 3 tbsp
Butter
Milk 2 cups
Maple syrup

Method:-

Mix flour, salt,sugar and baking powder.

Beat egg and add milk to the egg. Mix well.

Now add egg mixture to flour and whisk well.

Add frozen mixed berries to the flour mixture. mix well.

Take a ladle full of batter and pour on not so hot tawa/non-stick pan. Let it spread by itself. Wait for a minutes and flip it over. Again wait for another 2 minutes for the other side to cook.

Serve hot with maple syrup or with berries.

Bambino Vegetable upma/ Vegetable Vermicelli Upma

This upma is very common in south indian households. Its always bambino brand which is used mostly. Most of the time people don't say vermicelli they say bambino upma. I remember there used to be a recipe on the packet which i don't see now. Now we are getting fried vermicelli too making our life much easier. This upma husband made when i was sick but i was not that sick not to take the pictures ;).

Ingredients:-

Vermicelli 1 cup
Ghee 2 tbsp

For seasoning:-

Rai 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
Udad dal 1/2 tbsp
Cashew few
Chana dal 1/2 tbsp
Hing a pinch
Ginger 1/2 inch pc
Green chillies 2 chopped
Curry leaves few
Onions 1 chopped

Vegetables

Carrot
Potato
Peas
Corn

Method:-

Take ghee in a deep pan. Add vermicelli and saute for a while until vermicelli changes colour. Take if off the flame and keep aside.

Add oil to the ghee. Add rai seeds and cumin. Once they flutter, add channa dal and udad dal.

Saute for a while and add cashew and hing. Then add ginger, curry leaves and green chillies. Saute for a minute.

Add onions and fry for another minute. Add salt. Don't fry the onions to brown colour. We want the onions to be white only.

Now add all the veggies. Again saute for 1-2 minutes.

For 1 cup of semiya add 1 1/2 cup of water.

Once water boils add semiya. Mix well and reduce the flame.

Cover and cook until all the water dries up.

Serve hot with chutney of your choice.

Murmura uggani/marmaral upma/Puffed rice Upma

 

 My childhood memories are attached to this breakfast recipe. This is mostly done in the Rayalasema and bordering districts of Andhra pradesh and Karnataka. My dad is from Bellary and most of his relatives live in Chittor and Kurnool. My mom learnt this recipe from her inlaws and used to make this at home. This is best eaten hot with sprinkle of gun powder on top of it. Here is the recipe:-

Ingredients:-

Murmura/puffed rice 3-4 cups
Onions 1 chopped
Green chillies 1 chopped
Tomatoes 1 chopped
Peanuts 2 tbsp

For seasoning

Rai 1/4 tsp
Channa dal 1 tbsp
Red chilly whole 1 broken into two.
Curry leaves few
Oil 3 tbsp

Method:-

Take oil in a deep bottom kadai. Add all the seasoning. When rai splutters add peanuts.

Saute until peanuts are light brown in colour Add Onions and green chillies. Add salt.

Now take murmura in a big bowl of water. Once all the murmura gets soaked in the water immediately remove it transfer into a stainer. Murmura should not be in the water for long or else they become very soft and mushy.

Then add tomatoes to the fried onions. Saute until the tomatoes are cooked. Now add Murmura and mix well. Switch off the stove and sprinkle gun powder/chitla podi or mulaga podi. Serve hot.

Palak Puri / Poori

Puri is a delicacy which every kid enjoys and that too if the puri is fluffy. My younger sister used to love fluffy puri and mom used to give her big fluffy puri to her and normal puri to us. Now my younger girl loves the fluffy puri and even the fluffy reduces she will give that to her sister and will take another hot and fluffy puri. And i should says it's really difficult to take a good picture of fluffy puri, by the time i ready my camera and click the picture...gone the puri becomes flat. Then i make another one...happens the same...then i was tired of taking many pictures so i ended up with the below picture which is not that bad.

Ingredients:-

Wheat flour 1 cup
Maida flour 1/4 cup
Samolina 2 tbsp
Palak puree 1/2 cup
Oil 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:-

Mix all the ingredients and make a hard dough.

Make tennis size balls and with little dry flour, roll out small disc shape flat puris.

Heat oil. Leave one puri at time and press the puri with a ladle so that it puffs up.

Turn and cook on another side,which will take less than a minute.

Take it on a kitchen towel and serve hot with choice of your curry. Best combination with puri is alo curry or chole. I served it with chole.

Srivalli a very wonderful and versatile blogger is celebrating her 8th blog anniversary with annivarsary mela and this puri is going for that mela.

Broken Wheat (Dalia) Upma

 
Got inspired by my fb friend Sridevi i am trying to eat healthy. Started taking Ragi java (porridge) for breakfast. My mom takes everyday a cup of ragi and when she was here she used to give my younger girl. My younger one loves it and after my mom left i never made it again. Now inspired by Sridevi  i am trying to eat healthy and i stopped eating non-veg. That calls for another post about why i left non-veg. Now coming to today's post, broken wheat upma or godhum rava upma. I have one on my blog and this breakfast is my dad's favorite breakfast. After he passed away we hardly used to make these. I was browsing healthy breakfast recipes and came across it. And then i checked my blog i have masala godhum rava upma. This is quite similar to what i had posted earlier. Here is the recipe:-

Ingredients:-

Broken Wheat/Godhuma rava 1 cup
Onion 1 chopped
Green  chilles 2
Ginger 1 inch pc chopped
Garlic 1 chopped
Carrots 1 chopped
Peas few
Capsicum 1 chopped
Baby corn few
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

For seasoning

Oil 3 tbsp
Rai/mustard 1/4 tsp
Udad dal 1/2 tsp
Curry leave few

Method:-

Take a pan with oil. Add the seasoning.

When the seasoning splutters add ginger and garlic paste. Fry for a minute.

Add onions and green chillies. Sprinkle salt.

Fry until onions are light pick colour.

Add all the veggies. Fry for a while.

Then add the broken wheat, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Mix well. Add 3 cups of hot water.

Mix well and place the lid.

Cook until water dries out and wheat is cooked.

Serve hot with any chutney or pickle as per your choice.

Tomato Bath and 6 years of blogging

Yeah yeah i finished 6 years of food blogging. I have a tendency of getting bored of a thing which i do regularly and my blog doesn't come in that.  I am been in and out of the blogging last year..I am not able to devote much time to the blog as my priorities have changed over the time and its not that i am not interested. Active since last few days and hope to continue blogging. Amen to that.

I was never good in making upma. When mom was here i used to make her do upma and once she left i hardly made it. The other day husband was asking me to do it. So i thought of giving it a try and it did make out well much to my surprise.Here is the recipe :-

Ingredients:-

Sooji/Semolina/Bombay Rava 1 cup
Onions chopped 1
Green chillies 2 chopped finely
Ginger 2 inch piece and finely chopped
Tomatoes  3 finely chopped
Rai 1/4 tsp
Udat dal 1/4 tsp
Channa dal 1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts few
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Oil tbsp

Method:-

Take a pan and dry roast semolina/sooji until the sooji changes colour and leaves nice aroma. Keep aside to cool.

In a pan take oil. Once hot add rai,udat dal, channa dal and curry leaves.

When rai spullter add ginger pcs and cashew nuts.

Saute for  min and add onions. Add salt.

Fry onions until light brown colour and add tomatoes.

Cook until tomatoes are cooked and oil starts forming at the sides.

Add 3 glasses of water. When water starts boiling add sooji slowly and continuously mixing.

Once all the sooji is added mix thoroughly so that lumps are not formed.

Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Serve hot with gun powder or sugar or with coconut chutney.

Ps:-Its 6 years not 5 years...my apologies.

Puffed Apple Pancakes

Kids love pancakes. They all always pester me to make one. It's always banana or apple cake, my girls love to them with maple syrup. This recipe i picked it from a kids magazine. This is little difference then the regular pan cake. Baked for 10-15 minutes until the flour is cooked. Here is the recipe.

2 Apples
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter
Pinch Cinnamon
2 Eggs
2 tbsp Honey
3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup milk
Maple syrup

• Pre-heat oven to 450 F
• Core and slice the apples. In a think pan, heat the oil and butter. When butter starts to foam saute apples for two minutes
• Add honey and cinnamon. Cook until apple start to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and keep aside.
• Beat egg and milk. Add flour and beat well
• Grease a pie pan with butter. Spread the sauteed apples.
• Pour the batter over the apples.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes
• Cut into wedges and serve warm with maple syrup.

Lukhmi

Lukhmi is a authentic starter of Hyderabad cuisine.Husband's friend how owns a Irani cafe near my place makes a excellent lukmi. Unlike to regular shape of square he makes triangle lukmi. When i was in hyderabad and didnt make anything for breakfast husband used to get the lukhmi for us. Lukhmi is my mom's favourite too and it taste yummy if it is eaten with raw onions.That friend my of husband makes both kheema and aloo lukhmi. Alo lukhmi i feel is quite similar to samosa.Here is the recipe :-

What you need?

Mutton mince 1 pound
Ghee 3 tbsp
Onion 2 chopped finely
Ginger 1 inch chopped finely
Green chillies 2 chopped finely
Oil for deep frying
Oil 3 tbsp

The stuffing:

Take 3 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add ginger,green chillies and onions. Fry until golden brown.

Add  mutton mince.Add red chilly powder and garam masala powder.Add salt. Cover and cook until the minced is cooked and there is no moisture left.

For the dough

Maida 2 cups
Semolina (sooji) 1/2 cup
Shahi zeera 1 tsp
Curd 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water to make dough

Make a soft dough. Keep aside for half an hour.

How to make lukhmi?

Make thin rotis. Apply water on the edges. Place a 1 tbsp of the mince stuffing and seal the edges.

Deep fry in batches in hot oil and serve with onions.

Small Onion Sambar

My house is also like a typical south indian house where you have idly,dosa,pesarattu,rava dosa,rava idly and upma for breakfast. When i was a kid i never used to eat idly. Poor my mom used to make dosa with idly batter only for me, rest everyone used to have idly. I always used to think idly as a patient food which i still think of. Husband likes idly and younger daughter hates idly. Some how i blackmail her and make her eat idly.

When my m-law was living with us she used to make small onion sambar with idly and i never showed interest to learn from her. The reason behind of not learning is that her sambar is very thick and i like thin and watery sambar. And husband prefers thick sambar. So when ever i make sambar once the sambar is done i take out my portion and let it boil until it becomes think.

Husband always tells me to make small onion sambar and honestly i never tried to make an attempt to browse for the recipe on the net. Once i brought small onions and sent an email to my blogger friend Sandhya ( she blogs at Maradhi Manni and Swaadhisht) to check if she has small onion sambar recipe. I was too lazy to check her food blog Swaadhisht. She was so nice that she immediately sent me the recipe which i made for Sunday breakfast to go with idly.And also i made peanut chutney and recipe of that is here. Here goes the recipe..

What is needed for sambar

Small onions 10-15 (skin peeled)
Toor dal 1/2 cup boiled
Hing a pinch
Sambar powder (i used sanjeev kapoor sambar powder) 3tbsp
Tamarind lemon size (soaked in warm water, extract puree)
Oil 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Methi/fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves few

How to prepare it..

Take two cups of water in a pan. Pour the tamarind puree in the water and bring to boil.

In a another pan take oil.When hot add mustard seeds,methi seeds and curry leaves. When methi seeds change colour add onions. Saute for a while and add sambar masala powder.

Add this to the boiling tamarind water. Let the onions become soft. Now add the cooked dal and salt.

Adjust the seasoning and serve hot with hot idly and chutney.

Banana and cherry pancake

Pancakes are new to me and i tasted them for the first time when i stayed at a aunty's house in Canada few years back. She poured Maple syrup on the pancakes and they tasted awesome.

Kids are having summer holidays and they say they are bored of eating dosa and idlies for breakfast. Usually they have cereals for breakfast and on Saturday and Sunday i make dosa or idly. Now i am making dosa batter for 3-4 days in a week and it used to be easy for me to feed the kids. But now they hate to eat dosa or idly (too much of anything is boring). So my elder girl wanted to eat pancakes as she still remember the pancake she ate last at my aunty's place. I had banana and cherries, so thought of including them in the pancake. Browsed couple of sites for the pancake recipes and took the basic recipe and added my idea of cherries sauce. There are recipes mentioning about cherry sauce but i didn't follow them as they need ingredients which i don't have nor i intent to buy them. The recipe is quite simple and tasty.

Ingredients:

Maida (all purpose flour) 1 cup
Banana ripe 2
Egg 1
Baking powder 1tsp
Honey 3 tbsp
Milk 4-5 tbsp

Cherry Sauce

Cherries 10-15
Cinnamon small pc
Water

Take cherries and cinnamon in a microwave safe bowl and pour water on the cherries until the water covers the cherries. Microwave high for 4-5 minutes (mine took 4-5 minutes) Check whether cherries are soft. Once they are soft remove the seeds and mash them with a spoon. The syrup should be in pouring consistency. Discard the cinnamon.

Method:

Take banana,egg,flour,baking powder,honey and milk in a mixer and run it for 1-2 minutes.

Take a ladle full of batter and pour on not so hot tawa/non-stick pan. Let it spread by itself. Wait for a minutes and flip it over. Again wait for another 2 minutes for the other side to cook.

Take pancakes on a plate and pour the cherry sauce. Before i poured cherry sauce i poured generous amount of honey. Serve hot....

Pinwheel Sandwich

Most of you will agree that cooking doesn't take much time but to decide what to cook takes time. Sometimes i break my head what to cook in particular what to pack kids boxes to school, be it there snack box or lunch box. And that too very picker eaters like my kids it is even more difficult to decide  what to pack. My two girls have different taste and i have keep  both of them in my mind when i cook. Last week i remembered making a note of pin wheel sandwich in my old recipe book. I didn't bring that book with me here but i vaguely remember the recipe,which is very easy to make and calls for very few ingredients.

Ingredients:

Bread 2 slices
Green chutney to spread on the bread
Tomato ketchup/Red chutney to spread on the bread

Method:

Cut the edges of the bread.

Slightly wet the bread and spread it with the help of a rolling pin.

Spread green chutney on one slice and cover it with another slice.

Then spread tomato ketchup on the top and carefully roll the bread into a log.

Cut the log into pieces and serve.

My kids enjoyed this very much...For us instead of tomato ketchup i used red chutney.

Kheema Pasta

This is the easiest way of making pasta and calls for very few ingredients. Since few days kids are asking me to make pasta as they eat at my friend's place. My friend told me this recipe and since then i am making this pasta very frequently.

Ingredients:

Spiral pasta 2 cups
Kheema (minced meat)
Pasta Sauce 1 Cup
Garlic 3 pods
Salt to taste
Chicken chicken cubes 1
Onions 1 chopped finely
Oil 2tbsp

Method:-

Boil pasta with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of oil. Drain water and keep aside. (I followed the instruction on the pasta packet, as the boiling time of pasta differs from brand to brand and according to ones liking). I like pasta too be soft.

Take oil in a pan. Saute garlic and onions.

Add kheema and salt. Cover and cook until kheema is cooked. It took about 20 minutes for the kheema to cook for me.

Add chicken cube and saute until the cube melts.

Then add the tomato sauce.

Saute for a while and add 1/2 cup of water. Let the sauce thickens and oil starts leaving the pan.

Now add the boiled paste and mix well.

Serve hot.

Khichdi Keema Khatta

This combo is authentic dishes of a hyderabadi household. I never ate this combination of Khichdi keema and khatta. I chanced upon Chowder Singh facebook update regarding this combination and he posted video of these dishes. Husband used to eat this in Dubai and he encouraged me to do this. I made these for lunch and believe me it was not at all heavy, it was scrumptious meal.

Ingredients for Khichdi

Raw rice 1 cup
Masoor/ tuvur dal 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Green cardamom 2
Cloves 2
Onions sliced 1
Green chillies 2
Oil 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak rice and dal for an hour.

Heat oil in a cooker. Add cloves, cardamom , green chillies and  onions. Sauté until onions are fried.

Then add ginger garlic paste and saute until ginger garlic paste is cooked.

Add soaked rice and dal. Sprinkle turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.

Add enough water and pressure cook until done. For one glass of rice i add 2 glasses of water. Here i added 2 1/2 glass of water.

Ingredients for Kheema

Kheema minced 1/4 kg
Onions 1 sliced
Green chillies 2
Kasuri methi 2 tbsp crushed
Garam masala powder 1 tbsp
Coriander powder 2 tbsp
Curd 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Red chilly powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Tomatoes 1 chopped finely
Oil 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:-

Fry onions and green chillies until transparent.

Add chopped tomatoes. Then add all the masala, turmeric powder and saute until oil starts leaving the pan.

Then add curd to the above. Saute for a minute.

Include kasuri methi and fry for some more time.

Than add kheema and salt.

Mix well and add enough water. Cook until kheema is cooked and water has dried up.

Ingredients for Khatta

Onions slice 2
Green chillies 1 chopped
Coriander leaves few
Garlic 2 chopped
Tamarind juice 2 cups

Mix all the above. Season with the following ingredients.

Oil 1 tsp
Rai 1/2 tsp
Zeera 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves few
Red chilly 2

Chole Bhature

Kids winter break started and i am on my toes to feed them. They are bored of eating the same stuff of dal,egg,rice,roti,curry and yogurt. I have to please them sometimes with puris (which i avoid eating). I remember once when i was pregnant with my first child i went to restaurant in Oman and ordered Chole Bhature , i never ate them before so wanted to try. When a plate was brought with a two huge bhature i felt other eaters at the restaurant were staring at my plate thinking how much hungry I am. Those Bhature was huge and I ate two without sharing them with hubby. After that I totally forget about them after leaving Oman.

The other day I was watching Sanjay Thumma's videos and i chanced upon Bhature recipe. This recipe is from VahRehVah.

And chole recipe is not the same which is served with Bhature, this is a different version which i saw in Sanjay Thumma's videos. I made little changes in the recipe.

Ingredients for Bhature

Maida/ All purpose Flour 2 cups
Sooji/Bombay rava 4 tbsp
Curd 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Sugar 1 tbsp
Oil for deep frying
Water to make dough

Method:-

Mix all the ingredients and add enough water and make soft dough.Let the dough rest for 2-3 hours.

Make small rounds and flaten the rounds. Deep fry them each. Take bhature on a kitchen towel.

The sooji in the bhature made the puris fluffy and they remained like that for sometime.

Ingredients for Chole

Chickpeas 1 cup soaked over night
Cinnamon small stick 1
Onions 1 chopped
Green chillies 1 chopped
Tomatoes 1 chopped finely
Kashmir chilly powder 1 tbsp
Cumin powder 1tsp
Coriander powder 1tbsp
Garam masala 1 tbsp
Garlic 3 (crushed)
Fresh coconut grated 3 tbsp
Oil 3 tbsp

How to make the curry

Pressure cook chickpeas until soft with a small cinnamon stick. Strain and keep the water aside.

Now in pan take oil,when hot add onions and green chillies. Saute until onions turn into brown colour.

Add crushed garlic and tomatoes and salt. Cover and cook until tomatoes are soft enough.

Then add cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and kashmiri red chilly powder.

Let all the masala cook for 3-4 minutes.

In the mean while slight roast the grated coconut into light brown colour and keep aside until use.

Now add the boiled chickpeas along with the water. Take few chickpeas and crush them into smooth paste.Add this paste to the curry (this gives gravy to the curry).

Let chickpeas boil for sometimes until the gravy thickens. Just before switching the flame off add the grated and fried coconut into the curry.

Mix well and serve hot with Bhature.

Set Dosa

I saw set dosa many times in south indian hotels menu but never tried as i am found of masala dosa so when ever i visit hotel for breakfast or dinner i order masala dosa.I was browsing some websites for dosa and came across set dosa.The recipe i am writing here has been adopted from Finger licking food.This dosa has become a quite common in my house.I usually serve set dosa with chutney and sometimes with chicken curry.

Ingredients:-

Rice 2 cups (soaked in warm water for 3-4 hours)
Poha/Attukulu 1/2 cup soaked just before grinding the rice.
Fenugreek seeds 1 tsp
Curd 1/2 cup (sour)
Salt as per taste
Cooking soda a pinch
Oil for frying

Method:-

Grind rice and fenugreek into fine paste.Add poha,curd and salt and grind again into fine smooth batter.

Leave the batter for over night to ferment.

Next day add cooking soda and mix well.

Heat a non-stick pan.apply oil on the pan.Take a big ladle of batter and pour it on the pan.Don't spread the batter unlike normal dosa.

Sprinkle little oil around the dosa and flip it once you notice small holes on the dosa.

Once flipped  let it be there for few more seconds.

Then serve hot with your choice of dip.

Mysore Masala Dosa

Dosa is the most preferred breakfast in any south indian home. And i my house too i make dosa thrice a week.Sometimes i get bored of eating the same dosa.For kids i make cheese,vegetable and egg dosa very often as kids get bored quite easily and can never force them to eat the same thing.

When ever we go out for breakfast or dinner my choice is always masala dosa and when we go to Kamat the only thing i order always is mysore masala dosa.Made masala dosa at home many times but not mysore masala dosa.Remember seeing this recipe at Prathibha's blog The chef and her kitchen.Then browsed her blog for the recipe and made this.Chutney is from my blog which can be find here and mysore masala dosa recipe is from here