Moong Dal Idli

Idli is one of the traditional Indian breakfasts that is guaranteed to give you that instant energy boost, thanks to its carbs content. While we have many options around for Idlis, using Idli rice, raw rice, Millets, let's try one with Green gram. I have used whole Green gram in this for added goodness.

The batter needs to ferment, as with any Idli batter. If you are going to make this at nite, then grind the batter in the morning itself. Best for use within a day.
Serve with this Carrot-Cabbage Chutney

MOONG DAL (GREEN GRAM) IDLI

Soaking time: 6-8 hours

Fermentation time - 6 -8 hours

Serves - 20 idlis approx

Ingredients:

Whole Green gram (Sabut Moong dal) - 1 cup

Whole Black gram, without husk (Dhuli sabut Urad dal) - ¼ cup

Green Chili -1, medium

Ginger - ½ inch piece

Salt to taste

Fenugreek (Methi) seeds - ¼ tsp

Method:

1. Soak the moong dal overnight. Soak the urad dal along with methi seeds for 2 hours before grinding the batter. 

2. In a mixer jar, add the moong dal with a little water, green chili and ginger and grind till you get a frothy batter. Remove to a bowl.

3. Now add the urad dal + methi seeds to the mixer and grind to a smooth and frothy batter, as for idli. Add this to the ground moong dal, add salt to taste, mix well and leave to ferment for 6-8 hours.

4. Apply oil to idli plates, pour ladle-ful batter into each pocket and steam cook for 15 mins or till done. If you wish to add veggies to this, add it just before making idlis.

Serve hot with red chutney or Carrot-cabbage chutney

Bajra with curd

                 There is a growing interest and fondness for the use of millets and multi grains in our diet. Millets have been the backbone of our cuisine for ages, especially if we talk about the rural cuisine. My mother had the privilege of growing up close to her roots, and she has endless stories to share, about food, festivals, life in those days, and above all, how naturally healthy everyone was!! 
                 For the farmers it was imperative to have a wholesome breakfast, which was defined not by the quantity but the quality of items. It could be something as humble as leftover rice soaked overnight and eaten with an onion the next morning. Or anything made with soaked and cooked millets that would keep them going till lunchtime! 
                 As a replacement to rice at night, we are now using alternatives like cracked wheat, bajra or pearl millet, and the difference in digestion and overall health is quite apparent. Though the suggestion here is for bajra with curd, one can have it in any form they wish, as one would with rice. 

BAJRA WITH CURD

Ingredients :
Bajra (Pearl millet) - 1 cup
Curds - as required
Salt to taste 
Hing (Asafoetida pwd) to taste
Fresh curry leaves 
Method :
1. Lightly crush the bajra using either a mixer or the stone masala crusher. We just want to roughly break it in the form of broken wheat. Wash once and soak for an hour. 

2. Pressure cook using 2.5 cups water up to 4-5 whistles, then reduce flame and let cook for 7-8 minutes more. 

3. Once pressure has subsided, remove and let cool. Lightly beat curds, add salt and hing. Add required amount of cooked bajra and serve garnished with curry leaves.

Aloo Poha

                Aloo Poha, quite arguably one of the more popular Indian breakfast, or snack dish for that matter, is a humble preparation that's immensely satisfying. There are innumerable varieties to be found, and the flavour and ingredients vary from even household to household!!
                I add here a pretty basic recipe which can be developed in any way one prefers. Sticking to my mantra of less white and more brown, I used Brown Poha or flattened rice for this recipe. Both the thick and semi-thick ones can be used. The paper thin variety might not yield that great a result. If the brown version is not available, use the white one.

ALOO POHA

Ingredients :

Sesame or Olive oil - 1.5 tbsps
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds (Jeera) - 1/2 tsp
Slit green chilies - 1 big or 2 medium
Potato - 1 medium (diced)
Turmeric powder (haldi) - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Brown Flattened rice or Poha (Chivda, Aval) - 1 cup
Chopped coriander leaves
Juice of 1 lemon

Method :

1. Wash the poha to remove impurities and soak in about half the quantity of water for 10 minutes or just before beginning the preparation. If using the thicker poha, soak it for longer. Typically the poha would have soaked up all the water, else drain excess water and let it rest in a colander/sieve. Take care not to soak to the extent that the poha or flattened rice becomes squishy. 

2. Heat oil in a pan or wok. Add the mustard seeds and let splutter, followed by cumin seeds. 

3. Now add the slit green chilies and sauté a bit. Tip in the diced potatoes along with haldi and salt. Mix well and cover-cook for about 5-7 minutes or till the potatoes are cooked (but not too soft)

4. Add the soaked poha and mix so the potato mixture coats it well. Check for salt and let cook for about 5-7 minutes more. Turn off the flame and finally add the lemon juice. Mix again. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves and let rest for about 5 minutes more to allow the added flavours to get soaked in.
Serve hot.

Multi grain Uthappam

         More I move away from the refined fare, more I am drawn towards millets and whole grains. Our Bloghop theme being regional breakfast, I was oscillating between khichdi, upma or the usual idlis and dosas. Then the thought of wheat dosa struck me..... what more could I do with it. After some brainstorming beween me and my guru, i.e, my mother(!!), we decided upon a multi-grain batter that we could use for a Uthappam. This one has the goodness of Flax seeds too, it's amazing what adding these seeds(or meal) does to any batter!!
One can use any topping for this, being a cheese lover, I had to use both paneer and grated cheese !!
This batter is best prepared 6-8 hours in advance, or left overnite to ferment. If you are running short by couple hours, you can add sour buttermilk to the batter (to adjust consistency).

MULTI-GRAIN UTHAPPAM

Ingredients :
Black gram / Urad dal - 1/4 cup (*See notes)
Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Ragi flour - 1/2 cup
Bajra flour - 1/2 cup
Flax seeds meal - 1 tbsp (*See notes)
Salt to taste

Topping (optional)
Finely chopped capsicum
Chopped onions
Chopped tomatoes
Diced paneer
Dried oregano
Grated cheese
Method :
1. Wash and soak the urad dal for about half an hour.

2. In a mixer, add together the soaked urad dal, wheat flour, ragi flour, bajra flour and flax seeds meal and grind to a fine batter using just enough water (We can add more water or buttermilk later, before preparing). Add salt to taste and give it another quick whisk. Transfer to a bowl and let rest for about 6-8 hours or overnight.

3. Heat a dosa tawa on medium heat. Grease it with a little oil. Pour a ladle-ful of batter and spread to form a thick pancake / uthappam. Quickly add the desired vegetables and paneer on top (Except cheese), sprinkle some dried oregano or any spice of your choice. Pour little oil around the pancake and over the toppings. Cover and let cook for about 2-3 minutes. Keep the flame on medium heat. Now remove the cover and flip the uthappam to let cook on the other side.

4. To make it interesting for kids, we can add some cheese as well. If adding cheese, flip the pancake back to the right side, i.e toppings side up, add grated cheese and cover-cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes more or till cheese melts. 
Serve hot with desired accompaniments. 

Notes : 
1. The whole urad dal, not the 'sabut' brown one, but the unbroken white urad dal specially used for idli batter is best for this, if available.
2. If you have whole flax seeds instead of the meal, soak the seeds along with the urad dal.

Spicy Orange-Berry Marmalade

                Of all the jams I have had in my lifetime, my favourite is the Orange Marmalade. I have been wanting to try it out for a long time now, and seeing oranges in all shapes, sizes and prices everywhere, I finally decided to go for it... .
As a variation, I added some blueberries in. Unfortunately I didnt have a good stock of fresh ginger, else would have added that in too....

ORANGE-BLUEBERRY/STRAWBERRY MARMALADE

Ingredients : (yields about 800 gms)

Oranges (un-peeled) - 3 medium
Blueberries/Strawberries - 1/2 cup
Water - 1.5 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Ginger - 2 inches piece (optional)
Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Clove powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon

Method :

1. Peel the oranges, de-seed, remove the white membrane, fibre and chop into small pieces. Gently scrape off the fibre from the peel and chop into small slivers. Keep aside. 
Some prefer chopping the fruits as is without peeling or removing the pith. Pith adds extra bitterness, so absolutely OK to follow that method too. I like it this way :)
If using frozen blueberries, thaw the required amount of berries and re-store the remaining in the fridge. Chop the Strawberries if using them.

2. Place 2 small steel plates in the fridge. This will  be used to check the jam consistency later. 2 plates because if you need to check 2-3 times, then the same plate returned to the fridge might not be cold enough for the next check. Best to alternate to get a good result.

3. Add water to a thick bottomed wok or kadhai alongwith the chopped oranges, peel and berries. Bring to a boil on medium heat. This should take about 30 minutes. Check by squishing an orange peel to see if it's tender. If need be, use a masher to gently mash the fruits. Do this on low heat and take care not to scald oneself.

4. Now add the sugar and let boil again on medium heat, stirring occasionally till the mixture starts to thicken. 

5. Grind (with about 1-2 tsp water) or finely grate ginger. You can either use the extract or the grated ginger as is. 

6. Take out a plate from the fridge and put a drop of the mixture on it, leave for a minute. If it's too runny, continue to cook. If it starts to solidify after a minute and you can roll it up like jelly, then we are good and the heat can be turned off. 
It may still look runny, but due to the presence of sugar, the jam will thicken further when it starts cooling down. 
Note: If you continue boiling because it's runny, you risk caramelising the sugar.

7. Add grated/ground ginger or ginger extract along with the cinnamon powder and clove powder and stir well. Simmer for few minutes more. Do not boil too much after adding the spices as it will lose the flavour.

8. After removing from the fire, add the lemon juice and stir well. Lemon juice not only helps the jam set better, it's a great natural anti-bacterial preservative as well.

9. Now leave to cool at room temperature, if you've made a large quantity, give it a good 24 hours. You will notice the marmalade thickening with time. Store in a clean bottle, best refrigerated for longer shelf life.

Papaya Banana Smoothie

Got some over-ripe fruits at home? Papaya and banana especially can look quite discouraging to consume on their own if too ripe!! But it's criminal to waste food! So here's a healthy and yummy alternative to not just use, but enjoy them!!

PAPAYA-BANANA SMOOTHIE

Ingredients :

Semi-ripe Papaya (cubed) - 1/2 (or 1 whole if small)
Ripe Banana (cubed) - 1 (I used robusta)
Honey - 3 to 4 tbsps
Thick curd - 1 cup
Milk - 2 tbsps
Clove powder - a pinch

Method :
1. Blend together the papaya and banana pieces.

2. Add the curd and milk and give it another whirl.

3. Finally add the honey and pinch of clove powder, pulse once and transfer to serving jar.

4. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Optional to add fruit chunks and/or dry fruits for added nutrition.

Crunchy Breakfast Sandwich

When a day begins on a healthy note, it keeps you charged for the whole day. And what better way to commence than with a healthy, crunchy and tasty breakfast !!

SPROUTS SANDWICH

Ingredients :

Whole green gram sprouts - 1 cup
Boiled and grated potato - 1/2 cup
Grated carrot - 1/2 cup
Finely chopped spinach - 1/4 cup
Chopped coriander - 1/4 cup
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds(Jeera) - 1 tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Bread slices
Olive (or refined) Oil - 1- 2 tsps

Method :

1. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Let crackle.

2. Now add the grated carrot and sprouts, salt to taste, turmeric powder and let cook for about 4-5 minutes. We do not want to over-cook but leave the carrots and sprouts a bit crunchy. One can add chopped capsicum at this stage as well, or even fine-chopped and blanched broccoli; in fact more vegetables the better!!!

3. Now add the chopped spinach and cook for 3-4 minutes more. Add garam masala, chili powder and mix well. Remove from heat after about 2-3 minutes and cool.

4. Toast the bread slices. Place the stuffing in between 2 slices. It is optional to add cheese spread or slices as well.
Cut and serve the sandwich as desired.

Protein Poha

A nutritious Breakfast/Snack has become the norm, where more and more innovative recipes are springing up using the best possible ingredients in the best possible way for healthy yet tasty preparations. 
Make your breakfast colourful with this Protein packed dish.

PROTEIN POHA

Ingredients :
Soaked and cooked White chickpeas - 1 cup
Roasted peanuts - 1 tbsp
Brown Flattened Rice (Thick brown poha) - 1 cup (soaked for an hour at least)
Green chili - 1 (chopped)
Dry Red Chili - 1
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - a few
Chopped coriander leaves - a few
Chopped Garlic - 2 tsps
Mustard seeds (rai) - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method :

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadhai. Add mustard seeds and let crackle. Add curry leaves, green chili, red chili and saute for a bit.

2. Add the chopped garlic and onion and saute again for about 3-4 minutes.

3. Add turmeric powder, salt and mix. Now add the poha and stir well. Let cook for about 5 minutes on low heat. You can also add rolled oats if you wish at this point, they cook fast and add to the nutritious value of this dish.

4. Add the white chick peas and stir well. Add the peanut and finally lemon juice. Give it one quick stir and remove from the flame.

5. Serve hot garnished with dhaniya leaves.

Brown Bread Pudding

Finding a breakfast recipe that is quick to assemble, prepare and of course, healthy is almost an everyday challenge for most of us. A safe and popular bet is to go the Continental way with cereals, bread, eggs and fruits, though Indian food lovers would argue otherwise - but hey! Another debate for another day :)

This morning I was inspired by a pudding recipe shown on TV once, using bread, milk and fruits. Modified it a bit with what I had available and was really pleased with the delicious result - and it was wiped clean off the plates in 5 minutes :)

BROWN BREAD BREAKFAST PUDDING

Ingredients : (Serves 3)

Brown bread slices - 4 (Trim the sides if the baking dish is narrow, but do not discard)

Ripe bananas - 3

Milk - 1/2 cup

Condensed milk - 1/4 cup

Muesli / Cereals - 1/4 cup

Raisins - a few

Sliced almonds - a few

Honey - 2 tbsps

Method : 

1. In a mixer blend the bananas, milk and condensed milk, leaving no lumps.

2. In a bowl, mix the honey, some of the raisins and almond slices along with the cereals of choice.

2. In a baking dish, arrange 2 of the trimmed bread slices and pour a ladle-ful of the milk mix coating the slices evenly. It is optional to arrange fruits over this if you desire. (The more the merrier :) ) Arrange the trimmed bread edges along the sides as well.

3. Place the remaining 2 slices and again cover with the rest of the milk sauce. Top off with the honey-cereals mixture and sprinkle some more cereals over the top if you like the crust to be crunchy.

4. Bake in a microwave oven @ 170-180 deg C for 8-10 minutes.

Remove, cool for about 3-4 minutes, cut and serve as desired.

Healthy Masala Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled eggs, toast and baked beans, if available...a comfort breakfast for me if ever there was one. Especially when there is a nip in the air. Ever ready to experiment, make or (ulp!) break a dish, I decided to try a more colourful version of Scrambled eggs, and if I might say, healthy too!! Read on.......

MASALA SCRAMBLED EGGS

Ingredients :

Egg white - (of)3 eggs
Milk - 1/4 cup
Finely chopped capsicum - 2 tbsps
Chopped Spinach - 2 tbsps (optional)
Crushed black pepper - to taste
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Green Chutney - 2 tsps (A simple paste of Coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chili and salt)
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Method :

1. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, green chutney, turmeric powder, pepper and salt to taste till fluffy. Optional to add 1 tsp coriander powder if you want it spicy.

2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat.

3. Add milk to the egg mixture and give it a stir. Pour this on to the pan and sprinkle the capsicum and spinach. Quickly stir to scramble up the mixture before it becomes an omelette!!!

4. Reduce heat and cover-cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove lid and check if the scramble is quite dry. Do no over-cook. Stir once more and remove before it becomes too de-hydrated.

5. Serve warm with toast or as desired. 

Idli Upma

Idli upma, i.e, upma made with crumbled leftover idlis are quite common in most South Indian households.  It's very easy to prepare and equally tasty..

IDLI UPMA

Ingredients :

Crumbled leftover Idlis - 1 cup
Chopped green chili - 1 tsp
Chopped ginger - 1 tsp
Chana dal (Split Bengal gram) - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal (Split Black gram) - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Chopped onion - 2 tbsp (optional )
Sesame oil - 2 tsps

Method :

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and let crackle.

2. Add chopped green chili, ginger and curry leaves. Fry for 2 minutes. Add the urad and chana dal and fry till golden brown.

3. Now add the chopped onions and fry till translucent and golden brown.

4. Now add the crumbled idli and quickly mix with the onion mixture. If you feel the upma is a bit dry, add a teaspoonful of oil more and cook on a low flame for 4 to 5 minutes more. Check for salt and add only a little bit as the idli would have some salt and sourness in it already.

5. Remove and serve hot.

Spongy Dosas and Idlis

Idlis and dosas are staple foods of South India, with not just the states but even districts having their own version and variation for the same.
Getting the batter right is crucial for both, which involves - correct proportioning of the ingredients, soaking them for just the right amount of time, grinding them to the correct texture, and then letting the batter rest to ferment.

I list below the typical ingredients and methods we follow for spongy dosas and soft idlis. Drool away!!! [ Click here for Dosa recipe...]

                                                                           IDLI

(Makes roughly 15-20 idlis)
Ingredients :

Idli or boiled rice - 2 cups
Whole, washed Urad dal - 1/2 cup (Mum finds Tata I-shakti dal best for this purpose)
Flat poha or flattened rice - 2 tbsps
Sabudana (Sago) - 2 tbsps
Methi (Fenugreek) seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method : 

1. Wash and soak the rice separately for 2 hours

2. Fifteen minutes before you wish to begin grinding the batter, wash the urad dal only once, and soak in 1 1/2 cups of water, along with lightly washed and cleaned flattened rice, methi seeds and sago.

Note : The traditional wet grinder works best for preparing batter in bigger proportions, also because urad dal needs to be ground to a fine paste and can heat up a standard mixer if run for long. But of course, one can make do with a mixer if grinder isn't available.

3. Grind the ural dal, flattened rice, sago and methi seeds first, gradually adding the entire 1 1/2 cups water used for soaking them. The batter should have a spongy consistency and should increase in volume as you keep up the grinding process.
Once done, transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl or vessel.

4. Now grind the rice, this batter can be slightly grainy, only up to a fine semolina texture. Once this is done too, add to the urad dal batter. Mix the two well together. Leave aside till the dough rises, then refrigerate.
It's recommended not to add salt right away, instead add it just before preparing the idlis. This will prevent the batter from becoming sour soon.
To prepare idlis, grease the idli plates lightly with oil, pour a ladle-ful of the batter in each slot and steam cook for about 15 minutes on a medium flame. Then reduce the flame and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove the idli plates, let cool a bit, then sprinkle water around the idlis to help remove them easily. Serve hot with chutney :)


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