Adai

This is again one of the comfort food from South India's Breakfast dish. It is full of nutrition and you will be happy to serve the protein pack dish to your family. This recipe varies from region to region in south India. Adai and aviyal is a very good combination to serve. When ever i prepare aviyal for lunch then dinner will be Adai :) Yes, it goes well with coconut chutney too. Here is my version of Adai…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Boiled Rice
• 1/2 cup Toor Dal/ Yellow Pigeon Peas
• 1/2 cup Chana Dal / Split Black Chickpeas
• 1/2 cup Black Urud Dal / White Lentils
• Whole Red Chili- 10 to 12 nos.
• 1/2 cup Curry Leaves 
• Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
• Salt to Taste
• Oil

Method:

1. Put every ingredients excluding salt & cumin seeds in big bowl. Thoroughly wash it for 2 to 3 times and soak it in water with cumin seeds for at least 6 to 7 hrs
2. Grind them coarsely  not very smooth like plain dosa batter. This batter should not be thick nor watery.
3. Add the salt and mix it well and keep it overnight for fermentation. To avoid the spill over always use the big container as batter rise up in the night.
4. Heat the  flat frying pan with one tsp of oil, spread the batter as a thin round. Add a teaspoon of cooking oil/ghee/butter to one sides of the Adai
5. Turn it to other side, when it turns to golden brown it is ready to be taken off from the frying

Serving:  Serve with Aviyal or with Coconut Chutney.

For Variation: You can add green sprout, moong Dal/Green Gram Split, Drumstick leaves or any green leaves and even any other lentils. Sometimes it is good to tweak the taste is' it?

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Masala Dosa

I think  mostly every Indians like Masala Dosa. And it is very popular breakfast dish in South India. Usually in north India they just fill potato sabji as filling where as in south India red chili chutney which is smeared on the dosa before putting in the potato filling.This recipe is combination of both format to give ultimate perfect blend taste in one go.


Ingredients for Batter

• Idli Boiled Rice - 4 cups
• Whole  Urud Dal / White Lentils - 1 cup (grown in Indian subcontinent- Available in Indian Store)
• Methi/ Fenugreek Seeds  - 1 tsp (Optional)
• Salt - 3 tsp
• (I.e. 4:1 ration)

Method for Dosa Batter

1.Thoroughly wash the rice and urud dal and soak rice and urad dal separately in water for at least  7 hours. 

2. Grind them separately, and mix them together with salt. (use your hand to mix well)

3. Keep it overnight for fermentation.

  

 

Ingredients for Masala:

• 3 to 4 Potatoes (boiled)
• Onion 2 nos
• Tomato 2 nos

For Gravy 

• Pottu Kadalai/Roasted Gram - 2 tbsp
• ¼ cup Grated Coconut
• 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 2 pieces of garlic flake
• ½” Ginger
• 6 to 7 whole dry red chili 
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
• Salt to Taste

Time Required: 40 mins  (excluding batter preparation)

Method of Masala:

1. Boiled the potatoes and mash them well and keep it aside. Cut the onion and tomatoes into small pieces & keep it aside. 

 

2. Grid the gravy ingredients items in a blender in a much smoother format.

3. Heat a thick pan with 2 tsp of oil and  add the onion and tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder & fry them well, once done add the mashed potatoes and the gravy mixture and mix well & cook for 5 mins. Your masala is ready now.

4. On a flat frying pan, spread batter as a thin round. Add a teaspoon of cooking oil/ghee/butter to one sides of the Dosa.

5.  Turn in to other side, slight cook and take one tbsp of masala and spread over the half part of dosa cover another half over it.

6. When it turns to golden brown, its ready to be taken off from the frying pan and ready to serve. The thinner and crispier the dosa, the better it tastes!

Enjoy the chittinad style of Masala Dosa with Coconut Chutney and Onion Tomato Chutney.

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Mexican Veg Burrito Bowl

Chipotle Mexican grill is famous for tacos, burrito bowl and tortilla wraps. Evey ingredients are put to your bowl in front of you according to your taste and spiceyness. We really liked this dish and it becomes our favorite lunch spot. As it is very simple and easy and healthy full of vegetables. So i thought to prepare this dish at home and it came awesome. :) Here is my version of Mexican veg burrito in Chipotle style...

Ingredients

• Cooked Rice - 1 Cup
• Capsicum - 1 cup chopped
• Onion - 1 cup chopped
• Tomato - 1 cup chopped
• Palak/ Spinach - 1/2 cup chopped
• Lettuce - 1/2 cup chopped
• Kidney Beans or soya bean  boiled - 1 cup
• Corn  Kernels -  1/2 Cup
• Lemon
• Cilantro/ coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped

Preparation:

Mexican Salsa or Pico de gallo

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and add tomato, onion, jalapeno, spinach,  salt & pepper and saute it nicely  To make it more tasty I added Garlic powder, Thyme & Rose merry

 

Lemon Cilantro Rice

Add cooked rice in a bowl and squeeze half lemon and 1/2 cup cilantro/coriander leaves mix everything well and keep aside until use. or (You can use the rice as per your flavors. Either use plain rice or  lemon cilantro mix rice or cumin seeds/jeera rice. Here I used jeera rice)

Baked Beans

Cooked baked beans till soft and tender. Usually in chipote they use kidney beans as I did't have the stock at home, I used black chana/bengal gram instead. It tastes good too.

Baked Corn

If it is frozen corn keep outside for 5 mins and then keep it in a microwave for 4 to 5 mins.

Oven Roasted Bell Pepper or Capsicum

Cut the capsicum into long strips. sprinkle salt of pepper and keep it in a oven for 7 to 8 mins or till crisp

To Serve:

Take a bowl add jeera rice or lemon cilatra rice, baked beans, salsa, lettuce, extra spinach, corn, roasted bell pepper and mix well and enjoy the burrito. If you are a cheese lover add a shredded cheese on top.

To make it more spicer add dash of a tabasco pepper sauces and sequeez lemon on top for the ultimate taste.

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Punjabi Chole Bhature

Ingredients:

> For the Chole

• 1 cup kabuli chana (white chick peas), soaked overnight 
• 1 tea bag, 3 cloves, 3 black pepper pods - tied in a muslin cloth (optional) 
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) 
• 1 onion, finely chopped 
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped 
• (1/2") piece of ginger (adrak), grated 
• 2 cloves of garlic (lehsun), grated 
• 2 tsp punjabi chole masala (Mixture of many Indian spices - Available in Indian store)
• 1 tsp Red chili powder 
• 1/4 th tsp dried mango powder (amchur) 
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi) 
• 1 tsp coriander seeds (dhania) powder 
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder 
• or 1/4th tsp garam masala instead of coriander seeds and jeera powder 
• 2 tbsp oil 
• salt to taste 

> For the Bhature

• 1/2 cup All purpose flour (maida) 
• 1/2 cup wheat flour 
• 1/2 cup potatoes, boiled and very finely grated or 1 slice bread soaked in water and crumbled 
• 1 1/2 tsp oil 
• 1/4 tsp ajwain seeds /Carom seeds
• salt to taste 
• oil for deep-frying 

> For serving

• 1 onion, roundly sliced 
• 1 tomato, roundly sliced 
• 4 lemon wedges 
• Fresh coriander leaves /Cilantro finely chopped 

Time Required: 45 mins

Method:

> Chole :

1) Soak the kabuli chana with the teabag and cloves and black pepper. Pressure cook the Kabuli chana with the tea bag for 3 -4 whistles until they are soft . Drain and keep aside. Discard the tea bag and the cloves and pepper.
2) Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the onion and tomatoes, ginger and garlic and sauté till the onion is golden brown.
3) Add the punjabi chole masala, chili powder, amchur, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin seeds powder or garam masala and salt and sauté for another minute.
4) Keep checking till oil separates from the masala. You will see a layer of brownish oil bubbles separating from all the spices.
5) Add the Kabuli chana and 1 cup of water and mix well. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes covered.
6) Take two dry cloves and break the top round part of the cloves and mash them between your fingers and add to the chole. This is optional. Though it gives the chole a very warm aroma.

> Bhature:

1) Combine the flour, potato, 1½ teaspoons of oil and salt and knead into a firm dough without using any water. OR If you are using bread then soak the bread in water for a minute and squeeze the water from the bread and mash the bread with hand and mix it with the flour to form a firm dough.
2) Knead the dough very well till it is smooth. The dough should not be very runny. It has to be of roti/ chapati consistency.
3) Cover with a wet muslin cloth and rest the dough for 10 - 15 minutes
4) Divide the dough into equal parts and roll out into shape of a roti. The size of the roti/ puri can be medium or small. Some people prefer big sized bhaturas. But make sure you have a large deep dish to fry.
5) Deep fry in hot oil till the bhaturas puff up and both sides are golden brown. Make sure there is enough oil in the wok/ frying pan.
6) Gently put pressure on the side of the puris to puff them up.

Serve with onions and lemon.

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Pasi Paruppu Pittu /Moong Dal Upma and Sheera

Very much healthy and comforting and one of our favorite breakfast ever!  It is little lengthy procedure to do.  Try it on Sunday or in a holiday. Let me assure you the time you spend in the kitchen is worth enough to prepare this breakfast and I bet you and your family will enjoy. 

Check the below quick and easy breakfast Upma Varieties:

Rice Upma      Poha/Avil Upma,   Oats Upma,   semiya Upma  Idli Usli/Upma 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Moong Dal / Yellow Split peas/Split Mung Bean
• 1 Hand full Boiled Rice

~For Spicy Flavor

• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Chana Dal (Split Black Chickpeas) - 1/2 tsp
• Urud Dal (white Lenti) - 1/2 tsp (grown in Indian subcontinent- Available in Indian Store)
• Green chili - 1 to 2
• Mor Molga (Dry marinated green chili) - available in Indian store
• Curry leaves - Few
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
• Fresh Coriander Leaves
• oil for seasoning
• Salt to taste

~For Sweet Flavor

• Sugar - 1.5 cup
• Water - 1 cup
• Almond, pistachio, cashews, raisin(which ever available with you)
• Ghee (Clarified Butter)

Time required:  1 hr (excluding soaking and grinding time)


Method:

1) Soak the rice up to 12 hrs/overnight & moong dal is about 2 to 3 hrs. Then grind them as batter like rava mixture. Don’t grind them very smoothly. Just run it once. That’s it.

2) Grease the oil in idli plates and bake it as idli. Once idli done keep it aside for cooling and then smash the idli as powder format.

You can prepare this recipe in 2 types of flavor.


For Spicy Flavor Method:

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Fry the mor molaga/ dry marinated green chili  and keep it aside. In the same oil add mustard and urad dal seeds allow them to splutter. Add the curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt and fry for 2 mins. Add the cooked moong idli crumbled powder and stir very gently with a wide spatula till oil coats evenly. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

For Sweet Flavor Method:

Heat another  pan, add 1 cup water and 1 ½ cups of sugar bring them to boil, once sugar dissolves nicely, then add 1 cup moong dal crumbled mixture and mix well. Fry the cashews and raisins in  clarified butter & pour them on top.

Serving: Serve Hot. Enjoy the healthy comforting breakfast.

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Baby Potato Sabzi

Ingredients:

• 10-12 Baby Potatoes 
• 1 medium sized Onion - finely chopped 
• 1 medium sized Tomato – finely chopped 
• 3 -4 Garlic flakes– finely chopped or 1 tsp Garlic paste 
• 1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds 
• 1 tsp Rai/Mustard Seeds 
• 1 tsp Haldi/ Turmeric powder 
• Sabji Masala / Garam Masala (Mixture of many Indian spices - Available in Indian store)
• 1tsp Sugar 
• Finely chopped Fresh Coriander leaves 
• Oil for cooking 
• Salt to taste 

Time Required: 20 mins

Method:

1) Wash the potatoes and then prick them using a fork.
2) Now pressure cook the potatoes for about 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Don’t overcook potatoes.
3) To pressure cook the potatoes, fill the cooker with water then place the potatoes in the cooker container.
4) Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, allow them to splutter, then add turmeric powder.
5) Now add finely chopped onions, once onion turn golden brown add finely chopped tomatoes.
6) Fry till oil starts separating. Then add garam masala powder or sabzi masala. Fry for 1 more minute then add the steamed baby potatoes.
7) Stir well, Cover for 3 minutes, and then add some water.
8) Cook for 5 more minutes and its ready to be served.
9) Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

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