Tasty and Easy Puffed Rice Upma / Maramaralu Upma

Puffed rice can be used innovatively even for breakfast.If you are looking for something quick and light on the stomach then do try this out. Sometimes puffed rice may become slightly soft and cannot be used for bhelpuri then this recipe of using puffed rice will be a delightful evening snack too.

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups puffed rice ( Maramaralu / Pori )
• 1.5 cup chopped veggies (cauliflower, carrot, potato)
• 1/4 tsp jeera / cummin seeds
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1/2 cup tomatoes
• 3 slit green chilies
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro/coriander
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

 Cooking Procedure

 

Heat oil in the same pan, add cumin seeds, chilies  then add the chopped veggies and fry till they become tender.

 

Then add tomatoes and cilantro/coriander and cook until it becomes soft. Add salt and tomato ketchup and mix nicely,

Put the puffed rice in water for a seconds then immediately drain the water then add the puffed rice and give a quick stir so that everything can blend ricely. Serve immediately. It tastes great when served hot.
 
Note: Dont soak it too much in water and neither stir too much after adding to the veggies.

Sattu Ki Kachori A Tasty Delicacy from Bihar

If you are looking for an authentic delicacy for breakfast or dinner then sattu ki kachori also known as makuni in bihar would be a wonderfull treat and would not dissapoint you even as a evening snack. They compliment well with pickle or potato curry.

I made these very recently after I got the recipe from my SIL who is from north india.She is one of the best cooks I have known who shares a lot of lovely north indian delicacies.So just try this out and make your family have a wonderfull evening snack.

Ingredients

• 1 cup wheat flour/ atta
• pinch of ajwain / carrom seeds
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• oil to deep fry
• water as required

For Stuffing

• 4 tbsp sattu ka atta/roasted gram flour
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp finely chopped green chillies
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
• 1 tsp pickle oil or mustard oil
• salt to taste

Procedure
Mix the flour with oil,ajwain and salt nicely, then add required amount of water to form a nice dough. Not too soft like chappati or not firm as poori.Let it sit for 1/2 hr.

Make the stuffing by mixing all the ingredients mentioned above.It will be somewhat dry , add approximately 1 tbsp water to this mixture to make it little lumpy in our fist.

After 1/2 hr knead the dough again for 1-2 min, divide into small lemon size balls,and flatten it by pressing. Place 1/2 table spoon of stuffing on it and enclose it.Seal the edges completely so that stuffing does not come out. Flatten again, sprinkle a little flour and roll them with a rolling pin to approximately 2.5 inch diameter

Heat oil for deep fry to medium temperature. Drop kachodi one by one and deep fry till both side golden brown. Drain the excess the oil and put them in a plate with tissue paper. Serve immediately..

 

The Authentic and Exotic Kanchipuram Idli

I learnt this kanchipuram idli recipe from a lovely granny born and brought up in tamilnadu.There are many variations of this kanchipuram idli however the recipe shared by this granny was delicious to taste with a mild but appetising spiceiness.

Located on the banks of the Vegavathy River, Kanchipuram has been ruled by the Pallavas, the Medieval Cholas, the Later Cholas, the Later Pandyas, the Vijayanagar Empire, the Carnatic kingdom, and the British.

Kanchipuram has a nickname as the city with a thousand temples.Of the 108 holy temples of the Hindu god Vishnu, 14 are located in Kanchipuram. The city is well known for its hand woven silk sarees and most of the city's workforce is involved in the weaving industry.

Ingredients

• 1 cup urad dal
• 3 cups rice rava (cracked raw rice)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp cummin seeds
• 1 tbsp chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp chopped green chillies
• 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 springs curry leaves

Procedure

Soak urad dal for 3 hrs then make a smooth paste and shift it to a large bowl

Soak rice rava in warm water for 1/2 hr then squeeze the rava and mix it with the urad dal paste.Then add salt  and mix very nicely and cover to keep it aside for fermentation for 1 night

Next day heat oil in a pan, add cummin seeds, mustard seeds once it splutters add chopped ginger and green chilles and the crushed black pepper and curry leaves.And fry for 30 seconds then add this directly to the fermented batter and mix nicely.

Now put 2 tbsp of batter into each idli mould depression, and stack the racks one above the other and steam in the pressure cooker or steamer for 15min on medium flame.

Remove them carefully from steamer and let it cool, take a sharp spoon and scoop them out into the plate.

Serve it with chutneys of your choice.

Note:

1. Preparing Rice Rava
Wash and soak the rice for 30 mins. Drain and spread the rice on a thin cotton cloth for about 30 - 45 mins and let it dry slowly. 

When the rice is slightly wet (not completely dry) , take the rice in batches and grind in a mixie to a coarse-fine consistency like idli rava/thick sooji . Sieve it to remove the flour and the rava and use how much ever rava you need to make idlis and rest can be stored for future use in airtight container

2.The fermentation should be proper to get a soft idlies

3.The container should be big enough to hold the batter otherwise after fermenting the batter will be overflow .
4. Traditionally you can also steam in a plate like a cake.

Khaman Dhokla a Savory Steamed Cake

Dhokla can be eaten for breakfast or as a main course or as a snack. It is fluffy spongy and porous and a signature dish of gujarati cuisine. I served the dhokla with a sweet, spicy, tangy ginger tamarind chutney.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chickpea flour/besan
• 1/2 cup curd
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 green chillies fine chopped
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cooking soda or baking soda
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 sachet eno powder
• salt to taste

For tempering

• 1 tsp oil
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
• 1-2 springs curry leaves
• 1 tbsp grated coconut
• 2 chopped green chilli
• pinch of asafoetida/hing
• 1/4 cup water

Procedure
Mix the besan with curd and water until it is lump free with a consistency like idli batter, it should not be too flowy.Now add turmeric powder and soda and mix nicely, let is rest for 20 min

After 20 min the batter will rise, to this mix oil, lemon juice, salt, sugar, chopped green chillis and mix nicely. Meanwhile prepare your steamer or pressure cooker (place a bowl with water and then a plate which will hold the batter, I used baking tray instead of a plate).

Once the water starts bowling prepare the batter by mixing the eno to it nicely and pour into the plate immediately, because of adding eno you will find lot of bubbles in batter.

Steam for 5-7 minutes, remove the lid of pressure cooker and check with tooth pick, if it comes out clean your dhokla is ready for tempering. Switch off the gas and let it cool for 5 min, in the meantime prepare your tempering

Heat oil in a pan, add sesame seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, chopped green chilles, when mustard start spluttering remove from gas and add 1/4 cup water to this and pour this tempering over the prepared dhokla and also sprinkle the grated coconut. 

Let it rest for five more minutes and cut it into a desired shape and size and serve with tamarind chutney or hari chutney

Ginger Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients

• 1 lemon size tamarind
• 1 lemon size jaggery chunk
• 2 green chilli
• 1 spring curry leaves
• 1 tsp chopped coriander/cilantro
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 1/4 tsp jeera/cummin seeds
• pinch of turmeric
• pinch of asafoetida
• salt to taste

Make a smooth paste of all the above ingredients if required add little water and serve

Note:
1. Batter should not rest even for a min after adding the eno
2. If you prefer more sweetness in your dhokla then while preparing the tempering add 1 tsp of sugar to it. 

Celebrate A Party with Homemade Waffle & Maple Syrup

Waffle is directly derived from the Dutch ’wafel’and with ancient origin tracing back to the neolithic age. A waffle is a batter-based or dough-based cake cooked in a waffle iron patterned to give a characteristic size, shape and surface impression.

Waffles are eaten throughout the world, particularly in Belgium, France, Netherlands, Scandinavia, and the United States.

My first experience with waffles was when I had it in the US and can never forget its wonderful crispy texture with the tasty maple syrup. Recently my SIL gifted me a waffle maker which are available in India too. It fired me up to prepare the waffles at home.

The perfect combination is to have waffles with a spoonful of maple syrup. In India maple syrup is expensive so I found a alternative recipe on the internet courtesy to Peggy on About.com which tasted as good.

So celebrate a waffle party with your family

Ingredients for Homemade Maple Syrup Substitute

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 teaspoon maple extract or vanilla extract

Preparation:
Place granulated sugar in a heavy skillet. Heat until the sugar melts and turns brown.

Meanwhile, place brown sugar into a heavy saucepan. Pour water over brown sugar and bring to a boil without stirring.

Add caramelized white sugar to the melted brown sugar in the saucepan. Simmer, stirring often, until syrup is thickened.

Remove from heat, and whisk in butter and maple or vanilla extract. 

Waffle Ingredients

• 1.5 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 eggs seperated
• 3 tbsp butter melted
• 2.5 cup milk
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder

Seive the dry ingredients together and keep aside

Seperate the egg white and egg yolk, beat the egg yolk along with butter and milk till it blends

Mix the above dry ingredient to it and make a smooth paste.

Now beat the egg whites in a medium speed till small peaks form

Now add the egg white to the batter and fold it carefully with spatula until it gets incorporated. Dont fold too much

Heat the waffle maker and pour a scoop of batter in each segment and close it. Let it cook until the waffle maker gives the green indication or until it turns golden brown, it will take approximately 7-8 minutes per session

Note:
1. You can replace the butter with oil

2. Batter should be mildly flowy

3. You mix chocolate chips with the batter and make chocochip waffle.

Supertasty Oats Idli With Sesame Tomato Chutney

The most favorite south indian breakfast is undoubtedly the idli.A Idli is the perfect combination of carbohydrates and proteins. And because it's steamed, it uses no oil.It is considered the top 10 healthiest breakfast as per nutrition experts.

This version of idli has been made flavorfull with carrot, cashews and healthier with oats which ups the fiber content.Give it a try and be amazed ...

Ingredients

•     2 cup oats(I used quaker oats)
•     1cup rava/sooji (semolina)
•     2 cup thick butter milk
•     1/2 cup grated carrot
•     1 tbsp chopped cashew
•     1/2 tsp chana dal
•     1/2 tsp mustard seeds
•     1/2 tsp cumin seeds
•     2 chopped green chillies
•     1 spring curry leaves
•     2 tbsp chopped cilantro
•     a pinch of hing
•     1 tbsp fruit salt or ENO
•     1 tbsp ghee
•     salt to taste

Cooking Procedure:

Take the idly racks and spray oil on each idli mould and keep aside.

Dry roast the oats in medium flame for few min until a nice aroma emanates,shift it to mixie and grind to fine powder.

Heat ghee in a pan ,add chana dal ,cashew n fry till light golden brown ,then add mustard seeds,cumin seed and once they splutter add green chilli,curry leaves,hing ,carrot fry for a min ,then add sooji n fry till it become golden brown .

Shift it to some bowl,mix the oats earlier prepared oats powder and let it cool ,once cool add the buttermilk and blend it nicely to semi thick batter like idli batter.

Add ENO to this batter , immediately it become fluffy.

Now put 2 tbsp of batter into each idli mould depression, and stack the racks one above the other and steam in the pressure cooker or steamer for 15min on medium flame.

Remove them carefully from steamer and let it cool, take a sharp spoon and scoop them out into the plate.

Your oats idli is ready.

Serve it with your choice of chutney , I made sesame tomato chutney for this ,which was the perfect combo . Here is the recipe 

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 green chilli
• 1 red chilli
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 spring curry leaves
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• a pinch of hing

Dry roast sesame seeds and keep aside

Heat 1 tsp oil and add green chilli, red chilli and fry for a min, now add tomato, cilantro and turmeric powder, cover and cook till it becomes soft.Switch off flame and let it cool.

Take the roasted sesame seeds and grind it finely, then add the above tomato mixture and make a smooth paste.

Now prepare the tempering by heating 1 tsp oil, add mustard, cumin, hing and once mustard start to splutter add the curry leaves. Then add the tempering to the above grinded paste.

Your chutney is ready. 

 
Note: You can also prepare the oats mixture in previous day and store it in air tight container for next day morning use or refrigerate for upto a week

After mixing the curd to the oats mixture ,steam the idlis immediately  else they will become soggy

Lip Smacking Bread Upma in a Jiffy

This month of kartik is a special month and generally cooking with onions and garlic is avoided, it is very difficult to explain this to other people but you can get a clue from chef kurma das a devout vaishnava. And with my mom who has come to visit me it becomes more special to treat her different varieties of food as she restricts her diet during this month without onions and garlic. This morning I prepared bread upma . It is very simple to prepare and can be made in a jiffy. It looks colorful too and  I am sure you would love its taste.

Ingredients:

• 7 slices bread ( I used 5 slices brown bread and 2 white)
• 1.5 cup chopped veggies (cauliflower, carrot, potato)
• 1/4 tsp jeera / cummin seeds
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1/2 cup tomatoes
• 3 slit green chilies
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro/coriander 
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

Cooking Procedure

Dice each slice of bread to 1 cm cubes (12 pieces).Heat a pan and put these cubes into it and dry toast it, and keep it aside.

Heat oil in the same pan, add cumin seeds, chilies  then add the chopped veggies and fry till they become tender. 

Then add tomatoes and cilantro/coriander and cook until it becomes soft. 

Add salt and tomato ketchup and mix nicely, then add the bread cubes and stir it fast because the mixture should be blended with all pieces.
 

Oats Buttermilk Dosa A Super Tasty Healthy Breakfast

Recently I was watching a tv show where aamir khan was being interviewed and considering his healthy glow he was asked how did he maintain this glow. His answer surprised me as he mentioned he gave first preference to a healthy diet, second to a 8 hr sleep and last to exercise.I think his reply would resonate well with all food bloggers.

Oats is considered as a perfect heart healthy grain but it is also important to enjoy oats the indian way, this oats dosa is the perfect balance of taste and nutrition. I used to prepare buttermilk dosa earlier but with the addition of oats, it pumped up the flavors, I have guests asking for the recipe when they have tasted the dosa and when I mentioned oats was added to it they are so surprised as they did not realize it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup oats (I used quaker oats)
• 1 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1 cup curd/plain yogurt
• pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• 4 finely chopped green chilli
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander/cilantro
• 1 tsp jeera (cummin seeds)
• 1/4 tsp freshly crushed black pepper

Procedure
Dry roast the oats in medium flame for few min until a nice aroma emanates,shift it to mixie and grind to fine powder. Mix all the above ingredients along with the oats powder and make it lump free smooth paste. Add water to make it have a flowy consistency.

Heat tawa on medium flame,add a tsp oil and pour 1/2 cup batter in a circle starting from the edge of tawa towards the center,add little oil around if needed .

Once the edges start to become golden brown flip it and increase the flame,let it roast for 1 minute or until lite crisp.Flip and fold the dosa .

Serve hot with your choice of podi and chutney .I love to serve this yummy dosa with sesame tomato chutney.

Note:Its an instant dosa ,so try to use the batter as soon as u mix it other wise it will be soggy and you will not get crispy dosa.

You can also add chopped onions to dosa batter,It will add more flavor

A Snacky Tasty Spinach Mushroom Quesadilla

A great little vegetarian snack, a quesadilla is basically a mexican-style stuffed pancake, like a toasted sandwich, made with two tortillas sandwiched together with cheese and vegetarian filling.

Ingredients:

• 6 tortillas home made or store bought

To make tortillas

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp vegetable shorting/dalda
• a pinch of salt

Procedure:
Mix all the above ingredients with enough water to form a smooth and form dough,like roti dough .Let it sit for 30 min. Divide into large lemon size ball and with a sprinkle of flour , roll them with a rolling pin to approximately six-inch diameter.

Heat a frying pan(tawa), place tortilla on it and cook on moderate heat for few minutes till it get light golden spots on each side. Prepare all the tortillas and keep aside.

For Filling

•     1/2 cup sliced onions
•     1 cup sliced bell pepper (any color)
•     1 cup chopped spinach
•     1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
•     1/2 cup baby tomatos
•     1/4 tsp pepper
•     1/4 tsp roasted cummin powder
•     1/2 tsp chilli flakes
•     2 tbsp olive oil
•     1 tbsp grated cheddar cheese per casadia
•     salt to taste

Procedure

Heat oil in pan and add onions and fry for 2 min ,then add bell pepper and mushrooms and sautee for 3 min,add spinach ,baby tomato and sautee for 2 min then add salt and pepper,roasted cummin powder and keep the filling aside

Take one tortilla ,sprinkle the good amount filling on top of it ,sprinkle some cheese,chilli flakes and place another tortilla on top of it and press it softly and place it on hot tawa (fry pan) and let it cook each side one min.

I used a quesadilla maker but a tawa would do the same if you press it evenly all over the tortilla.

Remove ,cut them into wedges and serve hot with guacamole dip, tomato salsa or your favorite ketchup

Guacamole dip

 Ingredients:

•  2 ripe avocados
•  4 spring onions chopped
•  1 small tomato chopped
•  1 tbsp chopped jalapenos
•  1 tbsp lemon juice
•  3 tbsp of chopped cilantro (coriander)
•  1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
•  salt to taste

Preparation:

Scoop out the avocado and put all the ingredients in a bowl

Use a fork and mash it .
 

Mini Wonder Ammini Kozhukattai With Tomato Chutney

Ammini Kozhukattai a variation of the telugu dish undrallu, it is a festive food which is prepared in southern part of India during Ganesh Chaturthi. It is a healthy option for breakfast as these rice balls are steamed and sauteed with minimum oil. And the tomato chutney/dip is the perfect accompaniment for these lovely cuties. So surprise your family ...

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice flour(see the below note)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp salt

For tempering

• 1 tsp urad dal / black gram lentil without skin
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cummin seeds
• 1 tbsp grated coconut
• a pinch of hing /asafoetida
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 spring of curry leaves

Procedure:
Boil water in a pan ,add salt and once the water starts boiling add the rice flour slowly and stir it continously till water n flour mix completly and form a big lump like dough.

Once the mixture is cool shift it to broad plate and knead it till it form lumpless smooth dough.Now apply oil to your palms take small portion of dough and form a small ball,repeat for the rest of the flour.Place all the balls in to steamer or idly stand and steam for 10 min .

Heat oil in a pan add urad dal ,mustard seeds,cummin seeds and once mustard seeds splutters add curry leaves and red chillies and stir once and then add the steamed balls and mix properly ,then add coconut stir nicely and tranfer it to serving bowl

Note:
Preparing the Rice flour
Soak the rice for one hour and drain the water completely. Spread on a dry cloth for 10 minutes then make a fine powder in a mixie. Sieve it and use if for the dough.

For Tomato Chutney

Ingredients

• 250 gms Tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tbsp urad dal / black gram lentil without skin
• 4 red chillies
• 1 tsp jeera/cummin seds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• pinch of fenugreek seeds
• pinch sugar
• little tamarind
• 2 tsp oil
• salt to taste

For tempering

• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 red chilli
• pinch of hing/asafoetida
• 1 spring curry leaves

Procedure

Wash the tomatoes and chop it into medium size chucks.Keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add urad dal, cummin , mustard and fenugreek seeds. Once cummin seeds starts to splutter add red chillies and saute if for a min. Transfer it then to a plate.
Once it cools grind to a fine powder.

In the same pan add 1 tsp of oil and the choped tomatoes and fry for 4-5 minutes or until it becomes soft. Then switch off the flame.

Once it cools add the tomatoes to the above grinded powder with tamarind,salt,sugar and grind to a fine paste.

Transfer it to a serving bowl.

Prepare the tempering with 1 tsp oil in a pan.Add mustard seeds,hing. Once it splutter add the red chillies and curry leaves and saute it for 1/2 min and immediately pour it over the chutney. Enjoy this yummy chutney with ammini kozhukattai

Delightful Vermicelli Masala Upma

This is a classic breakfast you can have on any day,very colorful and can be made in a jiffy.A perfect one pot meal when u have unexpected guests.Kids love it too as it resembles noodles and healthier too with the veggies we can add to it. There are two types of vermicelli plain and roasted, the plain version tastes better and we can roast it ourselves. This dish is prepared in every indian home and if you havent you must try it ...

Ingredients

• 1 cup semiya/vermicelli
• 2 cups water
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 chopped tomato
• 1 chopped potato
• 4 sliced green chillies
• 1/4 cup green peas
• 1 chopped carrot
• 1/4 tsp cummin / jeera seeds
• 1/4 tsp mustard
• 1/4 tsp urad dal
• 1 spring curry leaf
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

Procedure
Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a large pan. Add vermicelli and fry in medium flame till its golden brown.Keep aside.In the same pan heat another 1 tbsp oil and add cummin,mustard,urad dal and fry till mustard splutter.Now add onion,green chilli and curry leaves and fry for a minute.
Next add the veggies except tomato and mix nicely and cover it for it to cook.Once all the veggies are soft add tomato and cilantro and fry for a minute.Add 2 cups water and salt. Once it boils add the vermicelli and mix nicely till all the water is evaporated and vermicelli is cooked. Serve hot with a dash of ghee.

Note: 
1.Take care not to overcook in excess water else it would become too mushy
2.You can add more veggies like chopped cauliflower, sweet corn, broccoli to make it more tasty and colorful.
3.You can make the same process with rava instead of semiya for masala upma, more water needs to be added though