Upma Pic: Priya Q

Vegetable Upma

I love this tasty upma with the goodness of vegetables! Quite simple and easy to make!

Roasted Semolina / Suji – 1 cup
Onion – 1 no big
Coriander– finely chopped
Garlic – 2 flakes (finely chopped) – optional
Ginger – ½ inch (finely chopped)
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Gram dal or white lentils – 1 tsp (also called chana dal* / split Urad dal (without skin))
Chopped vegetables –1 cup (carrots, cauliflower, peas, etc)
Oil – 1 tbsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water – 2 cups
Lemon juice – 1 tsp

1. Boil vegetables separately
2. In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once its stops spluttering add Gram dal
3. Now add Ginger and Garlic and sauté lightly
4. Add onions and sauté
5. Add boiled vegetables, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander leaves and sauté
6. Add water and salt
7. Once it boils add roasted semolina with continuous stirring, else lumps would form
8. Close lid and cook on low flame for 10 seconds
9. Open lid, sprinkle some lemon juice and stir
10. Serve hot. You can team it up with pickle / coconut chutney

*Chana dal is dried, split chickpeas or garbanzo beans

till next time…. happy cooking!

Sabudana Khichdi Pic : Priya Q

Sabudana / Pearl Sago -  2 cups

Boiled pototoes – 1 cup (diced into cubes)

Plain Roasted Peanuts – 1/4 cup

Turmeric – 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp

Fresh green chilli – 1-2 tsp (optional)

Onions – 1 cup (finely chopped)

Coriander  – 2 tbsp

Salt – 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

salt to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

1. Take sabudana in a flat plate and sprinkle water. Keep mixing with hands to gauge how much more water is required. It should be nice and moist (not wet and sticky). Leave it aside. Sabudana actually soaks up the water nicely and increase in size.
2. Heat oil and add onions to it. Fry nicely
3. Add peanuts, chopped coriander, potatoes and sabudana. Mix gently without breaking the potatoes
4. Add salt, chilli and turmeric. Mix
5. If you still feel the sabudana is hard and chewy. Sprinkle water and close the vessel. Cook for few more minute on low flame.
6. In the end add sugar and lemon juice. Mix well
7. Garnish with fresh coriander
8. Serve immediately

*In North India people have this during fast, for which you can omit onion. Add more potatoes instead!

till next time….happy cooking!

Chickpeas Curry Pic: Priya Q

Successful experiment by fluke is how I would describe this recipe. I had soaked chickpea the previous night and my maid didn’t turn up the next day. I was not in a good mood with so much of unexpected work thrown at me. Least to mention the chickpea I had planned for breakfast with some steaming puttu. So instead of usual recipe I decided to go an easy route…and it turned out quite delicious )

Black Chickpeas – 2 cups (soaked overnight)

Chilli powder – 1 tsp + a pinch

Turmeric – 1/2 tsp + a pinch

Coriander powder – 3 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil

Onion – 1 no. (big sized – sliced fine)

Coriander leaves for garnish

1. Pressure cook chickpeas with a pinch of turmeric and chilli powder till soft and done
2. Soak the masalas in few drops of water. Masala should be nicely damp
3. In a pan add few tsp of oil and add mustard seeds when hot
4. Once they splutter add the soaked masalas and fry for few seconds
5. Add sliced onions and fry for few minutes
6. Add the cooked chickpeas into the above pan and mix well
7. Season and garnish with fresh coriander

Now wasn’t that simple!!? It tastes simply delicious. Serve it with out of rotis / bread

* the onions will be quite crisp and add a different texture to the dish

Till next time….happy cooking!

Adai Pic credit: Priya Q

Call it multigrain dosa or crepe / pancakes from South of India. Adai is a healthy meal that you can serve to your family for breakfast / brunch or even dinner….

Rice – 1/2 qty
Combination of lentils, moong beans, moong dal etc – ½ qty

Whole Black Pepper – ½ tsp (optional)
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Asofoetia – a pinch
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Green chili – 2-3 nos
Fresh Coriander leaves – 3 tbsp
Onion – 1 nos (roughly diced)
Coconut shavings – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

1. Soak overnight rice and lentils etc
2. Grind to fine paste along with other remaining ingredients. Your batter is ready (you can grind it coarse as well)
3. Heat a griddle and with the help of a round, deep ladle pour the batter. Spread it with the help of the back of the rounded part of the ladle to get a round dosa
4. Drop a little oil on top
5. Flip and cook on the other side on low heat till light golden brown
6. Serve hot with your favorite sauce / yogurt – pickle / yogurt- green chili / or just have as is!

* you can also add black chickpeas. However grind it separately and later combine with rice and lentils paste.

A friend of mine has say this — In Palghat Iyer lingo it is called ‘Malabar adai’… it is had with green chillies crushed into nice thick curd (yogurt) with a pinch of salt. Alternatively you can also have it with avial... There is another variation of this made with black urad dal (whole) mixed with rice. Experienced hands ‘pat’ a ball of the maavu (dough) on to a hot tawa… accompaniment, same as above! Thanks Harish for the info!

egg curry pic credit : Manish

Egg curry can be made in so many different ways…here’s one shared by a bachelor who loves to cook. Thanks Manish for sharing your recipe.

Eggs- according to the number of people (2 per person)
Onions- 1/2 kg per 6 eggs
Green Chili – 2 nos (or according to taste)
Tomato – 4-5 nos (medium size)
Mustard Oil – 3 Tbsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Chicken masala – 2 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves – for garnish

1. Take the hard boil eggs and poke with a fork (this is to pass the steam out from the hard boiled eggs and avoid sudden splash of heated oil on face or hands)
2. Fry the eggs till brown and keep them aside

For curry

1. Grind onions (in a mixer) along with chilies
2. Fry above paste in mustard oil for 5 mins on medium flame
3. Add turmeric powder and salt then keep frying for next 10 mins
4. Add tomatoes (or 1 cup of tomato puree) and continue frying for next 5-7 mins
5. Add garlic-ginger paste and chicken masala and continue to fry
6. Keep the flame low and continue frying until the mixture turns golden brown.
7. Slowly add water and let it boil. Allow some of the water to evaporate to make the curry thicker.
8. Put the eggs inside the boiling curry and leave it for next 10 mins on a low flame in order to absorb the gravy.
9. Garnish

*Served with Roti or Rice.
*The curry can be made thick or runny depending on what you serve it with if served with Indian bread – thick, if with rice – runny)
*For better results prepare the egg curry 2 hours in advance and keep in fridge. Serve after re heating.

Meet Manish!..

Manish is practicing banker  who likes travelling , cooking , gardening and reading books, he holds a mechanical engineering degree and likes changing hobbies.

Quick Recipe

Rasam Pic: Priya Q

This is the most basic of the rasam recipe and quite simple to make. And yes this is the one mom used for pani puris too

Tamarind – 1 small lemon sized (soak in water and extract tamarind juice)

Ingredients for crushing
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Tomato – 2 nos (big)
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Water – ¾ cup
Salt to taste
Rasam powder*

1. Crush the ingredients (mentioned for crushing) and add to it tamarind juice extract
2. Place it in a pan and boil
3. On boiling add rasam powder and simmer the gas for few minutes
4. Temper it by heating little oil + mustard seeds + 1 dry chili + 1 pinch asafoetida and add it to the prepared rasam.

For Rasam Powder*

Cumin (jeera) – ½ tsp
Coriander seeds – ½ tsp
Black pepper corns – 1-2 tsp
Garlic – 2-3 flakes

1. Grind cumin and coriander seeds to fine powder
2. In a blender crush pepper and garlic and add it to above powder
3. Your rasam powder is ready!

Will get back with Garlic Rasam recipe tomorrow…till then happy cooking!

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Homemade baby food recipes

Corn and Peas with cottage cheese

You can have two variations – one for a toddler or year old baby….

Sweet corn – ¼ cup
Green peas – ¼ cup
Cottage cheese – ¼ cup
Onion – 1 Tbsp (finely chopped)
Garlic – 1 clove (finely chopped)
Mixed herbs – ¼ tsp
Butter – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

1. Heat butter in a pan and sauté onion and garlic till you get an aroma
2. Tip in corn, peas and little water and cook on low heat till the vegetables are done
3. Add cottage cheese, herbs, salt and mix well
4. Mash it well with a fork and serve it to your toddler

1. In case the baby is slightly older you can add 1 boiled potato (mashed) and 1 Tbsp of bread crumbs and combine it all.
2. Shape it in the form of cutlets. Use fancy shaped cookie cutters to make it interesting
3. Fry on a non stick pan with about a dash of oil.
4. Serve it with your kid’s favorite sauce

Coming up next… few dessert recipes for your baby’s sweet tooth

happy cooking!

Boiled Potato Raita

We all love potatoes, don’t we? So how can there be a Raita week with no potato raita? here’s one quick and simple one…check it out

To plain yogurt / curd add the following

• Boiled and cubed potatoes
• Red chilli powder (paparika)
• Roasted cumin powder

Mix well, garnish with chopped cilantro, boiled chickpeas / crushed fried groundnuts!

Till next time….happy cooking!

Beetroot Raita served with Pulav

Add to plain yogurt, grated beetroot, chopped green chili, salt and a pinch of sugar and your delecious beetroot raita is ready to be served!

Alternatively you can also boil the beetroot to make it soft before adding to yogurt…

Till tomorrow…. happy cooking!

Mixed Vegetable Raita

The simplest of all Raitas hardly take any time of yours in the kitchen plus they are healthy too!

Onion (red or white) – 1 nos

Tomato – 1 no

Cucumber / Zucchini – 1 no

Green chili – 1 nos (optional)

Roasted and ground cumin powder – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Plain yogurt / curd – 100 gms

1. Finely chop all vegetables.
2. Add to the yogurt along with salt and cumin powder
3. Serve chilled with pulav (pilaf) / biryani etc

Till tomorrow… happy cooking