Aval Upma

Ingredients:

1.Aval(white/red-thick version)- 1 cup

2.Green chilies.......2

3.Chopped Curry leaves n coriander leaves to garnish

4.Oil........2 tsps

5.Mustard seeds(1/ tsp),channa dhal(1 tsp),few broken cashew nuts and urad dhal(1 tsp) for seasoning.

6.Turmeric powder & asefotida a pinch

7.Salt to taste.

Procedure:

1.Wash aval well and remove all impurities.Soak it with 1/4 of water for 1/2 hr.

2.Heat oil in a pan,splutter mustard and all dhals-fry till golden color.

3.Now add in chopped green chilies,turmeric powder and asefotida.

4.Finally add in soaked aval,salt and chopped curry and coriander leaves.

5.Mix well and close it with a lid.Stir often(say once in every 3 minutes).Cook tis way for 10 minutes and switch off the flame.Allow tis to rest for 5 minutes and then serve it hot.

This requires no side dish at all.Beaten rice(aval) has good fibre in it,red aval is healthier than the white one.

Pav Baji

Hot Pav Bajis are my favourite snack time food,sometimes i prefer having it for breakfast too.I love the pav bun's softness and fluffiness so much.Having tat golden crispy-soft buns with spicy baji is a heavenly delicious experience...Lets do it in a quick simple way and have fun ;)

Ingredients:

1.Pav buns.......4

2.Butter..... 1 tbsp

3.Boiled potatoes......1 cup

4.Chopped onions......1 cup

5.Chopped tomato.....1/2 cup

6.Ginger garlic paste.....1/2 tbsp

7.Turmeric powder.....a pinch

8.Boiled Green peas.......1/2 cup

9.Pav baji masala powder.....1 tbsp

10.Red chilli powder/Green chillies.....according to the taste

11.Salt needed

12.Oil......2 tbsps to fry

13.Coriander leaves....for garnishing

Procedure:

1.Heat oil in a pan,add chopped onions,ginger garlic paste and tomato one after the other.Fry till they cook well.

2.Now add in boiled potatoes and green peas and mash well the potatoes.

3.Add turmeric powder,pav baji masala,red chilli powder and needed salt.Cook well for 10 minutes with 1/4 cup of water to make it a thick gravy.Now Baji is ready with coriander garnishing.

4.Slit the buns horizontally,grease butter on both the sides,roast them in a tava till golden.

5.Serve it super hot with masala tea...ohh tis sounds great isn't it?!!!!

Pesarattu

Here comes another andhra special recipe 'Pesarattu".Traditional Ginger chutney is the perfect combo for this.But i somehow don't like adding jaggery to chutney items.So i did hot ginger-coconut chutney as the side-dish.

Ingredients:

1.Moong dhal/Whole Green gram.........1 cup

2.Rice......2 tbsp

3.Cumin............1 tsp

4.Red chillies........3 to 5

5.Salt to taste

6.Corainder leaves....a few

Procedure:

1.Soak Moong dhal for 4 hours (if it is green gram,soak it for 8 hours).Wash it and grind it along with rice,cumin,red chillies and salt to a paste with adequate water.

2.Add chopped coriander leaves to the batter.

3.Heat a kadai,grease with oil and water,spread the batter like dosa,apply oil on both the sides.Toast it well on both sides and serve hot with chutney or simply with jaggery powder.

Note:Here i've used moong dhal,but whole green gram is the best choice as it has more fiber-good for health,try sprouted ones!

Adding chopped onion and grated carrot will add special taste and flavour to the recipe :)

Roti Roll

A lovely,tasty,healthy breakfast is here.Hope u all like it!

Ingredients:

1.Chapathis/Rotis.......2

2.Green Capsicum....1

3.Cabbage (shredded).....1 cup

4.Carrot(shredded)........1/2 cup

5.Cheese(shredded).......1/4 cup

6.Chilly Sauce..........1 tbsp

7.Tomato Sauce........2 tbsps

8.Salt and pepper to taste

9.Oil......2 tbsps

10.Onion(finely chopped)...1/4 cup

Procedure:

1.Heat oil in a kadai,add in all cut veggies,sprinkle little water and saute till they r half cooked.

2.Later add chilly sauce,salt,pepper,saute well and switch off the flame.

3.Take a roti,place a good volume of veggie stuff.Pour in little ketchup/tomato sauce,cheese and onion over it.

4.Roll it with a tissue beneath(just like the roti roll wallas do).

2 roll is more than enough for a healthy morning,a glass of fresh juice or hot milk makes it more complete.The stuffing is ur choice,u can stuff with potato masala,channa masala,masala noodles etc...Other stuffed rolls r coming soon ;)

Bread Toast

Simple bread toast for a hurry-burry morning.As it has vegs n egg,provides u necessary nutrients for the day.Hope this will be useful for all busy moms!!

Ingredients:

Bread toast 1:

1.Bread slices..........2

2.Ghee / butter.......2 tsp

3.Finely chopped veggies like carrot,capsicum,cabbage,onion&cilantro......1/2 cup

4.Tomato ketchup.........2 tbsp

5.Salt & red chilli powder to taste.

6.Cheese slices.....1 (purely optional)

7.Oil........2 tbsp


Procedure:

1.In a pan,heat oil,add in all chopped veggies and fry till they are semi-cooked.

Note:If u wish to have egg here,add an egg(raw) after the veggies r done.Cook well until the egg gets fried fully.Or u can place an omelette finally between the toast.These r just my ideas,or can create ur own too.

2.Once they r done,add chilli powder,tomato ketchup.Give a nice stir and switch off the flame.The Stuffing is ready.

3.Toast bread with ghee/butter.Place a cheese slice on a toast,spread the filling on top and close the sandwich with another toast.

Note:If u don like cheese spread or slice,u can use grated cheese/paneer on top of veg filling.

4.Have this healthy toast with milk/juice.Have a great day :)

Bread toast 2:


Ingredients:

1.Boiled potato........2

2.Chopped onion,carrot & cilantro

3.Red chilli powder,salt to taste

4.Oil............2tsp

5.Tomato ketchup......2 tbsp

6.Bread slices.........4

7.Ghee/butter.........2 tsp

Procedure:

1.Heat oil in a frying pan,add onion and carrot,fry till they r half cooked,then add in mashed potato,red chilli powder and salt.Stir well for 5 mins and switch off.The stuffing is ready.

2.Toast bread slices with ghee/butter.Apply ketchup on one side of each toast.

3.Place stuffing on ketchup side of the toast,close it with other toast.Serve with any hot/cold beverage.

Aval Puttu

Aval puttu is a simple and easy recipe.This doesn't need any special ingredients,can be made in minutes with what we have in our kitchen.Ok come on lets do it...

Ingredients:

1.Poha(thick)....1 cup

2.Jaggery ..........1/2  to 3/4 cup

3.Milk..........3 tbsp

4.Elachi powder.........a pinch

5.Scrapped coconut........1/4 cup

6.Water........1 cup

7.Roasted cashews......few

8.Melted Ghee.....1/2 spoon

Procedure:

1.Grind poha to a coarse powder.

2.Boil jaggery with little water(take less than quater cup) to make a sticky syrup.

3.Boil water nicely,pour it immediately on to the poha powder and close it with an air tight lid.

Note:  1 cup of powdered poha needs 1 cup of water.

4.After 10 minutes open the lid and mix it well.Add jaggery syrup,milk,scrapped coconut,elachi powder,roasted cashews and 1/2 spoon of melted ghee.

5.Give a fine mix and close it to set,for 5-10 minutes.

6.Serve n njoy.


Preparing time hardly takes 15 to 20 minutes.Children like this very much,the best-healthy snack for a hungry evening.

Wheat Flour Dosa

This is a simple yet tasty tiffin,perfect for a hurry burry morning.Has got good source of  fiber,spice and nutrients.Hope u all like this!!

Ingredients:(Makes 6 to 8 medium sized dosas)

1.Wheat flour..........1 cup

2.Rice flour..............1/2 cup

3.Maida(all purpose flour).........2 spoons(optional)

4.Finely chopped Green chillies......2 tsp

5.Jeera(cumin)......1/2 tbsp

6.Broken Black pepper........1/2 tsp

7.Curry leaves....few

8.Salt to taste

9.Water as u need.

Preparation:

1.Mix all the ingredients in a deep-wide bowl together with needed water.

2.The batter should be little more watery than the usual dosa batter.

3.Allow this to set for 10 to 15 minutes.

4.Pour the batter round the tawa(batter should be thin enough to form holes in between them).Pour a spoon of oil and wait until it turns golden crisp brown.

Note:U should not spread batter like u do for usual dosa.Here u should simply pour the batter around the tawa.Can use(shake) the tawa's handle to spread it evenly.

5.Turn it over,oil is not necessary now.This  gives roti look on one side and dosa on the other side.

6.Serve this yummy dosa with simple coconut chutney/onion-tomato chutney/sambar.


Preparation time -For batter-10 minutes.


Preparation time - for dosa-15 minutes.


Prepare this batter and refrigerate it the previous nite,the next day it will be all ready like a instant mix :-).A nice choice for diabetic patients.I always do this in non-stick tawa,it gives me the best result compared to the one made of iron.Njoy eating!!!

Adai

INGREDIENTS: (TO MAKE 8 MEDIUM SIZED ADAIS)

TO SOAK:

1.RICE - 1 CUP

2.THOOR DHAL - 1/4 CUP

3.URAD DHAL - 1/4 CUP

4.CHANNA DHAL - 1/2 CUP

5.DRY RED CHILLY - 5

SOAK THE RICE FOR 4 HRS AND DHALS SEPARATELY TOGETHER FOR 2 HOURS IN WATER.

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

1.CHOPPED ONION - 1 CUP

2.JEERAGAM - 3/4 SPOON

3.SALT TO TASTE

4.OIL TO FRY

5.CHOPPED CILANTRO,SCRAPPED COCONUT (3 TO 5 SPOONS-OPTIONAL),GINGER AND CORIANDER LEAVES -1/4 CUP(ALL TOGETHER)

PROCEDURE:

1.AFTER 4 OF SOAKING,WASH THE RICE & DHALS FOR 2 TO 3 TIMES(TAKE OUT THE CHILLIES WHILE U WASH).

2.IN A MIXER,PUT ALL THE RICE & DHALS,RED CHILLIES,3/4 SPOON OF JEERAGAM AND NEEDED SALT. GRIND THIS WITH NEEDED WATER.THE BATTER SHOULD BE LITTLE THICKER THAN IDLI BATTER.

3.TO THIS ADD A CUP OF CHOPPED ONIONS,GINGER AND CHOPPED CILANTRO / CORIANDER AND MIX IT WELL.

5.MAKE ADAI ON HOT TAWA,SPREAD THE BATTER IN DOSA SHAPE.... ADD NEEDED OIL.FLIP IT AND ADD A SPOON OF OIL.TAKE OUT WHEN THEY REACH GOLDEN BROWN.

6.SERVE WITH AVIYAL / POWDERED JAGGERY OR SIMPLY WITH SUGAR.

Masala Dosa

Dosa batter Ingredients:

1.Idli Rice..........4 cup
2.Urad dhal........1 cup
3.Menthya/Fenugreek seeds .....2 spoons
4.Salt to taste


Masala ingredients:

1.Chopped carrot......1/4 cup
2.Onion.........................1/4 cup
3.Red chilli powder.....1 spoon
4.Oil............................... 2-4 spoons
5.Salt to taste
6.Cilantro chopped
7.Mustard seeds.......... 1 spoon
8.Boiled & mashed potatoes....1 cup

Procedure to prepare Dosa Batter:

1.Soak rice for 5 hours separately.

2.Soak urad dhal and fenugreek seeds together for 1 hour.

3.Grind urad dhal and rice separately,then mix both the batter.Add salt and stir well.Allow this to ferment for a whole nite.

4.Next day the batter will be ready to do dosas.


Procedure to prepare MASALA:

1.Place a kadai on flame,heat the oil,add mustard seeds and wait till it splutter.

2.Now add chopped onion and fry till it changes its color(pink/whitish).Then add all the chopped vegetables.Allow this to cook for 10-12 mins(sprinkle little water if necessary).

3.Finally add salt,chilli powder and chopped cilantro,mix this well.Switch of the flame in a minute or two.

4.Stuffing is ready now.


Procedure to prepare Masala Dosa:

1.Place a dosa tawa on flame,grease it with drops of oil,before u start.

2.Pour 2 big spoons of batter on to the tawa,spread it thin round the tawa.

3.Add a spoon of oil around the edges of the dosa.Once it starts turning golden yellow,turn it and toast the other side of the dosa,again with a spoon of oil.

4.Again reverse it,make sure that the golden side lies down.Now place 2 or 3 spoons of masala in the middle of the dosa,roll it into two.

5.Thats it.Serve with coconut chuteny and hot sambar.

Kerala Aapam

Kerala Aapam is one of the famous dishes in kerala.This goes well with sweetend Coconut milk or coconut chutney.

Ingredients:

1.Idli rice.....1 cup
2.Urad dhal.....1/4 cup
3.Boiled rice.....1 cup
4.Fenugreek seeds.....3/4 spoon
5.Salt to taste


Coconut milk ingredients:

1.Grated Coconut.....1 cup
2.Cardomon powder.....1/4 spoon
3.Sugar..........5-8 spoons(its up to u)

Procedure:

To do Aapam:

1.Soak idli rice,urad dhal,fenugreek seeds together or separately for 4 hours.

2.Grind it in mixer to a dosa batter consistency.Now add salt,and leave this for one whole night to ferment.

3.Next day the batter will be ready.Take 2 medium scoops of batter and do aapam.

a.Pour 2 big spoons of batter,hold kadai with two hands,round it,so that the batter spreads over the aapa kadai in a circular form.


Note:If the aapa kadai is not made of non-stick,then grease it with oil before u start.

4.Then close it with a lid,always do this in low flame.

5.Once it starts turning golden,take out the aapam from kadai(this should not get brown).Serve hot.


To do coconut milk:

1.Grind the grated coconut with little water in a mixer.

2.Now filter out the coconut milk using a tea filter.

3.Add water if the milk is so thick.

4.Add sugar and cardamon powder,mix it well.

5.Now the coconut milk is ready to serve.

Pongal

Pongal is One of my favorite breakfast items.Very easy to make,need no special side dish,can be had even with a spoon of sugar...A healthy,filling food here u go....

Ingredients:

1.Rice....1 cup
2.Moong dhal....1/2 cup
3.Ghee.... 25 gms
4.Pepper corn.... 8 - 12
5.Cumin seeds.... 1 spoon
6.Salt to taste
7.Coriander leaves(chopped)... 3 spoons
8.Water.... 3 1/2 cups
9.cashew nut.... 10 gms
10.chopped ginger... 1 spoon

Procedure:

1.Roast moong dhal for 2 minutes and soak it for 15 minutes.(Soaking is optional.If u don hav time,no need for roasting too.)

2.Now cook rice and moong dhal together in a cooker with 3 1/2 cups of water.

3.In the mean time,fry grounded pepper corn & cumin seeds,chopped ginger,coriander leaves and cashew together with 3 spoons of ghee.
(Note: pepper corn and cumin seeds should be in splitted state... "dont make it a fine powder".)

4.Once the rice is done,add the fried items(pepper,cumin etc) and needed salt to this.

5.Stir this nicely,so that all the spices mixes well with the rice.

6.Now the pongal is ready.Add 2-3 spoons of melted ghee while serving.Enjoy with chutney and sambar.

Note:Usually people used to say that pongal is a heavy food for tiffin.I don add vanaspathi as it has more cholestrol.Also add ghee when u serve.It consumes more ghee if u add while cooking.

Rava Dosa

Rava dosa is a perfect dish for evening tiffin and breakfast.Goes well with coconut chutney and onion-tomato chutney.

Ingredients: serving 2 persons(8 dosas)

1.Roasted Upma rava.... 1 cup
2.Rice flour....... 1/2 cup
3.Wheat flour.... 4 spoons
4.Maida flour..... 1 spoon(optional)
5.Pepper corn.... 1/2 spoon(broken)
6.Salt to taste
7.Green chillies... 3 (chopped)
8.Coriander leaves.. 2 strands(chopped)
9.oil... to toast

Procedure:

1.Soak upma rava,rice flour,wheat flour,Maida flour,Pepper corn,salt,green chillies & coriander leaves together for 2 - 3 hours.

2.The batter should be little watery,so that,it can be poured gently over the tava.

3.Pour batter from the edges of tava to around shape,batter will start spreading,leaves holes inbetween.Now pour a spoon of oil around it.Leave this for 5 minutes in medium flame,till it get golden.

4.Both side of the dosa should be toasted.(Usually one side will be in golden color and the other in white color.

5.Once it is done,serve hot with spiced chutneys.

6.Hav a pleasant day.

Crispy Dosa

Dosa batter Ingredients:

1.Idli Rice..........4 cup
2.Urad dhal........ 3/4 cup
3.Menthya/Fenugreek seeds .....2 spoons
4.Salt to taste

Procedure to prepare Dosa Batter:

1.Soak rice and fenugreek seeds together for 5 hours separately.

2.Soak urad dhal for 1 hour.

3.Grind urad dhal+fenugreek and rice separately,then mix both the batter.Add salt and stir well.Allow this to ferment for a whole nite.

4.Next day the batter will be ready to do dosas.Beat well the batter before u start.


Procedure to prepare Dosa:

1.Place a dosa tawa on flame,grease it with drops of oil,before u start.

2.Pour 2 big spoons of batter on to the tawa,spread it thinly.

3.Add a spoon of oil around the edges of the dosa.Once it starts turning golden yellow,turn it and toast the other side with a spoon of oil.

4.After a minute,reverse it again.Roll it and serve.

5.Traditional side dishes for dosa are coconut chutney,tomato-onion chutney and sambar.

Masala Idli

Ingredients:

1.Idli batter

Masala ingredients:

1.Chopped carrot......1/4 cup
2.Chopped beans.....1/4 cup
3.Onion.........................1/4 cup
4.Red chilli powder.....1 spoon
5.Oil............................... 2-4 spoons
6.Salt to taste
7.Cilantro chopped
8.Mustard seeds.......... 1 spoon

Procedure to prepare MASALA:

1.Place a kadai on flame,heat the oil,add mustard seeds and wait till it splutter.

2.Now add chopped onion and fry till it changes its color(pink/whitish).Then add all the chopped vegetables.Allow this to cook for 10-12 mins(sprinkle little water if necessary).

3.Finally add salt,chilli powder and chopped cilantro,mix this well.Switch of the flame in a minute or two.

4.Stuffing is ready now.

Main procedure:

1.Grease the idli moulds/plates with drops of oil,now pour 2 spoons of idli batter,then top this with 2 spoons of vegetable masala,again pour little idli batter on top of this.

2.Steam cook this for 10-12 minutes.

3.And now the masala idlis are ready to serve.Serve this with coconut chutney/mint chutney/onion chutney or with anything of ur choice.

4.Hav a gr8 day.

Rava Idli

Ingredients:

Serving 2 persons

1 cup Rava (upma Rava)
1 cup Plain Yogurt
1/4 cup grated Carrot
2-4 spoons of green peas
10 nos cashew nuts
Chopped coriander leaves
salt,-needed to taste

For Seasoning:

1tsp Mustard seeds
1tsp chana dal
1tsp urad dhal
chopped green chillies-to taste

A few curry leaves
Oil for frying(Add sufficient oil,more the oil gives u rich softness,for this measure add 5- 6 spoons of oil)

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add Mustard seeds, Chana dal, Urad dal, green chillies, curry leaves & Cashews. When it splutters add rava and fry till it becomes light yellow.
2. When it cools down, add yogurt to the rava mix. Stir well, so all rava mix well with yogurt. Then add grated carrot & peas(boiled) and salt.
3. If the rava batter is too thick,add little water. Pour the rava batter into idli moulds and steam cook for 10-15 min and hot rava idlis are ready.
4. Note : For soft idlis,the batter should be baked immedietely once aftr mixing the curd.This is the secret behind the softness of hotel idlis.. :-)
5. Try this out.
   

Idli

IDLI

South India’s ultimate breakfast, the idli has earned its exclusive space in the food.But the idli is no stranger to fame.If you’re in the southern part of India, breakfast is typically idli,traditionally served with coconut chutney,coriander chutney and sambar.The idli definitely deserves the global recognition that these very fluffy idli is exported in hundreds of kilos everyday from Chennai and the goodies are available in Malaysian and Singaporean restaurants by noon the same day.


Ingredients:

If u use grinder, this is the measure:

1.Idli rice...............4 cups
2.Urad dhal..........1 cups
3.Salt......................2 spoons(crystal salt is recommended)
4. Menthya....... 1/2 spoon


If u use mixer,this is the measure:

1.Idli rice.................4 cups
2.Urad dhal............2 cups
3.Salt........................2 spoons.
4.Menthya............1/2 spoon

Procedure:

1.Soak idli rice for 5 hours and urad dhal for 1 hr separately.
Note: Wash this once, before u soak the rice & dhal.

2.After 5 hours,wash both rice and urad dhal again for 2 to 3 times.

3.Firstly,grind URAD dhal separately in grinder(add sufficient water whenever the batter gets hard).Batter should be smooth enough like butter and that is the consistency.Once it is done,transfer urad batter to a container.

4.Secondly,grind IDLI RICE with water,to a smooth batter.

5.Now mix both these batter(rice&urad batter),add salt and beat well,so that salt mixes well with the batter.

6.Leave this for a whole night to ferment (7-8 hours).

7.(The next day morning)Mix well the fermented batter.Pour the batter in idli plates/moulds and steam cook for 10 - 15 minutes.
Note:The fermented batter should be stored in refrigerator,in order to avoid more soreness.U can use this fermented batter for 3 or 4 days.

8.Now the hot idlis are ready to serve.Serve this soft idlis with different chutneys and sambar.

9.Try this out.Good Luck.