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!

Dal Pic: Priya Q

Like my mom few of you will find this dish a bit bland…I somehow liked it when I had this at my aunt’s place…though my aunt doesn’t eat onions I have used it…Onions give a nice touch to it )…… It tastes quite good with idiyappam …which I normally used to have with Vegetable Stew or Egg Curry…this dal recipe is a welcome variation to the combo !! and its unbelievably simple!

Chana dal – 1 cup ( dried split chickpeas)

Green Chilli – 1 to 2 nos (Split lengthwise)

Onion – 1 no (finely chopped)

Curry leaves – 3 to 4

Coconut Milk – 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

1. Pressure cook the chana dal along with green chillies
2. Remove the chilli from the cooked dal
3. In a small pan fry curry leaves and chopped onions till golden brown and add to the dal
4. Add coconut milk and salt
5. Serve hot with idiyappams or rice

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!

Now if you already have tried your hand at making dosa (Indian pancakes)…lets move one step ahead and make its with some filling…yeh just like French Galette . You can be creative with your filling cooked spicy mutton / chicken to paneer (cottage cheese) and soya! Use what you like or comes to your mind.

Here, I have used potatoes. The standard Masala Dosa you would get in any South Indian restaurant across India served with chutney and sambar.

And if you have some left over masala (potatoes) you can either have it with hot puffed pooris or just make a plain quick sandwich For the recipe of potatoes and poori…click here

A restaurant in Kochi called Pai Brothers is famous for its 57 varieties of dosas…yes you read that correct 57 different filling for each dosa…so what’s stopping you from getting creative?

Till next time…. happy cooking!

photo credit: Kirti Poddar

Come winters and the variety of vegetables that is available off the shelf is just amazing. The word pulao takes me back in time when hot steaming pulao used to make the freezing winters so very warm and enjoyable. That hot pulao and spicy raita enjoyed from the cosy comforts of home as you watched the fog… sigh! While I think about my good ol’ days…why dont you check out the recipe? …let me know how you liked it though!

Basmati Rice – 2 cups
Ghee – 3 Tbsp
Onion – 1 no. (big)
Carrots – 1 no. (cubed)
Potatoes – 1 no. (cubed)
Peas – 1/2 cup
Cauliflower 1 cup (cut into florets)
Salt To Taste
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)
Cashew nuts and raisins – 2 Tbsp each (optional)

For Paste: grind the following ingredients
Ginger-1 Inch
Garlic cloves- 4-5 nos.
Onions – 1 no. (big)
Green chillies – 2-3 nos.
1/4 cup – Mint leaves
Cinnamon sticks – 1 no (big)
Cloves – 4 nos.
Cardamoms – 3-4 nos.

1. Soak rice for half an hour.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp of ghee in a pan, fry cashewnuts and raisins. Keep aside.
3. Heat the remaining ghee in thick bottomed vessel and fry the ground paste for 10 minutes. Add the vegetables and mix well.
4. Cook until the masala separates from oil and vegetables gets tender. Add turmeric powder.
5. Add rice, salt, four cups of water and stir well. Cover and cook until the rice is done on slow flame. Stir once a while .
6. Just before serving take the rice in serving bowl, add the nuts and mix well.
7. Serve vegetable pulao hot with raita*

*check category raita for ideas

if you are a vegan substitute the ghee with the oil of your choice!

Till next time… happy cooking!

This is yet another creation of Biji ammai – simple, quick and yummy. What set it apart from the normal lentil preparation is the usage of Zucchini. If you don’t have Zucchini you can use pumpkin instead! Don’f forget to give me a feedback post you cook

Gram daal / chana daal (lentil) – 1 cup

Zucchini – 2-3 numbers

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

1. Soak gram dal for 1 hour
2. Cook the dal with sufficient water without closing the vessel. Howver, dal should not get fully cooked.
3. Add chopped Zucchini and cook
4. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, salt and cook
5. Serve with Indian bread (chapatti) or rice

Till next time…Happy cooking!

Thanks ammai ….meet Ms.Biji Gopi Ram

Well, one thing both me and Q did all through our travel in Europe was to try out the local cuisine. Afterall food constitutes a major part to your whole travel experience. Derek a friend of our’s whom we met in Kerala made Scottish porridge for us when we visited him in Edinburgh – Scotland. It tastes different from the oatmeal porridge I am used to making. And I am definitely going to make this back home and why not??..variety only makes life interesting!

Oats – 5 tbsp

Water – 1 cup

Milk

Honey / sugar – optional

Mixed dry fruits – 1 tbsp

Fresh fruit – banana / blueberries etc

1. In a pan boil water and oats with salt together with occasionally adding few tsps of milk till whole thing turns to a lumpy mass.
2. Serve in a bowl.
3. Top it up with required milk, fresh fruits, dry fruits and sweetner.

Meet our multi talented friend Derek McMillan

Another recipe that Lucie gave me besides the chocolate muffin(check previous post for recipe) was Strawberry preserve. Fresh warm bread with home made preserve can be a divine combination

Strawberry – 1.5 kg

Sugar – 1.5 kg

1. Cut strawberries and crush them nicely.
2. Place them in a pan and boil it. Do not add any water
3. Now add sugar and let it boil for another 10 minutes
4. You will get a white layer on the top, carefully remove it.
5. Pour the strawberry mixture in a glass container and keep the container upside down for next 2-3 days. Doing this helps sterilize the bottle with the heat of the preserve.

On the 4th day your strawberry preserve is ready to be consumed!

Hey! wasnt it cool? Home made fresh jams,preserves and marmalade are so much better and fresher! No preservatives and so great to taste.

Let me know if you liked it…yeh? I will wait for your feedback…I always do

Till next time….happy cooking!

Meet Lucie..