Simple Sandwich

Happy New Year All!

My first post for this year and happens to be a simple and easy sandwich. I made this yesterday for my girls. It took less than 10 minutes to finish it and give it to them as after school snack.  Here goes the recipe.

Aloo Kachori

When we were in Delhi, we had chance to travel to many places in North India. I came across different types of kachoris during those trips. Every time we stop for breakfast or for snack, one of us will buy this and share it.  I never had the confidence to try making it at home.  Last week, when I started preparing for making samosas, I got the idea of trying Kachoris.  Below is the recipe, I followed to make this kachori.  I am not sure whether this is an authentic recipe.  But my girls and family liked it a lot.

Idly Sandwich

Idly is considered as one of the healthy breakfast dish.  My husband somehow is not a fan of idly.  He always complains that it has more carbs and there is no way you can fill it with veggies even though we make some side dish for it.  The idea of making idly sandwich is given by my husband.  I tried this sandwich with leftover potato curry. My suggestion after making this sandwich is never try with potato curry.  I should have tried with some mixed vegetable curry, spinach curry etc.

Pepper-Corn Cheesy Pasta

Here is another dish I tried after checking out Raks Kitchen.  I followed almost the same method but not the same ingredients.Its too bad that I forgot to take a picture properly.  I remembered it later on and took the picture from the lunch box. My kids liked it except for the fact that I added a little bit more pepper and they don't eat spicy stuff much.  Here goes my recipe.

Pepper rice noodles / Milagu Sevai

I make this rice noodles/instant sevai at least once a week for my dad.  I have never made instant sevai with cumin and pepper powder.  I usually make it white sevai, yellow/lemon sevai.  I grabbed the idea of making this milagu sevai from Priya 's blog. 

Gujarati Muthia

I work in a place where more than half of the people are from Gujarat.  So recently I have started tasting lots of Gujarati Dishes and learning few of them.  This is one such dish which I really liked.  I wanted to try it and got the recipe from my friend.  Here goes the recipe.

Instant Oats Idly

Instant Oats Idly

My dad got his green card last year and moved to USA mid last year.  He eats light dinner everyday and I try to make some light tiffin for him.  This instant oats idly is a recipe, I got from raks kitchen.  It came out pretty good and its very easy to make within half an hour. 

I am linking this oats idly to Priya's Healthy Diet - cooking with Whole grains event and this month it has been hosted by Nupur

Homemade Nachos

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I have started making dishes in which I can add more cheese and veggies.  Recently my girls started liking Nachos and now I am experimenting nachos with different types of vegetables.  This is something I tried last week and it vanished within few minutes.  Here goes the recipe.

Bread Cutlet

I made this bread cutlet last week.  I got the recipe my Nithya's fourth Sense Cooking... Recipe is exactly the same and I also followed the tip she has mentioned. I used bread crumbs and shallow fried the cutlets...

Oats Pongal

Original Recipe is from Raks Kitchen. I wanted mine squishy mushy. So I added more water than what she mentioned in the original recipe. It was really yummy. thanks Raks for sharing the recipe

Lemon Sevai

This  was our yesterday's evening tiffin. My girls used to give trouble for eating this sevai. But this time, they liked it. This is one of my favorite tiffin too. Here is the recipe for making lemon sevai.

Ingredients:-

1. Rice sevai - 1 cup
2. Turmeric powder - 3/4 tsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Lemon - 1
5. Green chillies - 1 or 2 (acc to taste)
6. Ginger - a small piece
   
7. Cahsews - few
8. Curry leaves - few
9. mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
10. urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
11. Channa dhall - 1/2 tsp
12. Sesame Oil - 2 tbsp
13. Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
    

Take a wide vessel, put the sevai in it. Add the required amount of salt and pour required amount of hot boiling water on top it (just required amount to cover the noodles). Cover it with a lid and keep it aside. Drain it after 10 to 15 mts. Keep it aside. In the mean time, squeeze the juice from lemon and keep it aside.

Take a pan, pre heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dhall, channa dhall, curry leaves, cashew nuts, green chillies, ginger, turmeric powder and fry it till it becomes golden brown. Now add the drained noodles to it and mix it well. Turn off the stove. Remove the pan from the stove top. Add the lemon juice to it and mix it well. Just add required amount of lemon juice. Taste it before adding extra juice. Mix it well and garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve it hot with coconut chutney.

Garbanzo Oats Vadai..

I got the idea of making these vadai after seeing Priya's post, Chickpea bread masal Vadai.  It came out pretty good. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Garbanzo Beans - 1 cup
2. Instant oats - 1/4 cup
3. Green chillies - 3 (acc to taste)
4. Onion - 1 Medium sized (finely chopped)
5. Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (chopped)
6. Salt to taste
7. Ajwain -  a pinch
8. Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
9. Corn flour - 2 tsp
10. Oil -  to deep fry

Soak garbanzo beans for four hours.  Pressure cook it. Let it cool. Grind it coarsely. Now add instant oats, salt, chopped onion, chillies, coriander leaves, corn flour, ajwain & fennel seeds and make it a soft dought. Sprinkle water if necessary.  Pre heat oil. Take required amount of dough to make one vada, flatten it and deep fry it till it becomes golden brown.

Vadais didn't come out well first. Then I added two teaspoons corn flour to the batter and it came out pretty good..

This recipe goes to T&T hosting by PJ, an event by Lakshmi

I replaced bread with oats and skipped garlic pods cos my kiddos are not excited about garlic.

Kichadi 2

This kichadi is my favorite. I make this for myself whenever my husband goes out of town. Since I add moong dhall in this kichadi, it will be very filling along with vegetables.  Here goes the recipe

Ingredients:-

1. Coarse Sooji/rava - 1 cup
2. Roasted Vermicelli - 2 tbsp
3. Moong dhall - 4 tbsp
4. Salt to taste
5. Green chillies - 2 (acc to taste)
6. Ginger -  a small piece
7. Mixed vegetables - 1/4 cup (chopped green peas, chopped carrots, potato)
8. Onion - 1 (thinly sliced)
9. Tomato - 1 (chopped)
10. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Oil - 2 tsp
12. ghee - 1 tsp (optional)
13. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
14. Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
15. Cashews - 1 tsp
16. Coriander/curry leaves -  for garnishing

Pressure cook moong dhall and keep it aside. In the mean time, dry roast rava and vermicelli and keep it aside.  Now take a think bottomed tawa, heat oil and ghee, splutter mustard seeds, urad dhall, cashews to golden brown.  Add curry leaves, ginger and green chillies to it and saute. Now add thinly sliced onion and saute till it becomes brown.  Now add the chopped mixed vegetables and tomato and saute for 3 to 5 mintues or till it becomes tender.  Now add required amount of water to it (i added 2  3/4 cups of water for 1 cup rava + 2 tbsp vermicelli ;  water quantity can vary according to the quality of rava). When the water starts to boil, add the cooked moong dhall, turmeric powder and required amount of salt and let it boil for a minute. Now add the roasted rava and vermicelli to it and mix everything well. Add coriander leaves. Reduce the flame and cover the kichadi with a lid and let it for a minute. Enjoy it with coconut chutney.

Paruppu Usli Bonda

My MIL made this usli bonda when she was here.  She used the left over paruppu usli we made for lunch and made this bonda.  Here goes the recipe:-

Ingredients:-

1. Urad dhall - 1 cup
2. Raw rice - 2 tsp
3. Green chillies - 2
4. Red chillies - 2
5. Salt to taste
6. Paruppu Usli ( we used beans paruppu usli) 
7. Oil - to fry

Soak urad dhall & rice for couple of hours and grind it really nice adding the chillies and required amount of salt. The batter consistency should be like bajji consistency. Now make balls out of paruppu usli. Preheat oil in a pan. Dip the usli urundai in urad dhall batter and  deep fry it till it becomes golden brown.  This tasted so fantastic and kids also liked it very much.

Here you can get recipes for Beans Paruppu Usli, Spinach Paruppu Usli, Banana Blossom Paruppu Usli

Cucumber cups

When you are asked to make evening tiffin without using oil, flour, wheat, idly/dosa batter, sugar etc., you will have no other choice other than vegetables. Thats how I landed in this recipe. I was doing bhel pori before, but turns out pori(puffed rice) is rich in carbs i guess. I saw a programme in a local channel where the chef was making tomato cups for dessert. He was using caramalized pineapple and heavy cream topping and all. But after watching that programme, I got the idea of making this cucumber cups.

Ingredients:-

1. cucumber - 1 (Bigger one preferably)*
2. tomato - 1 (finely chopped)
3. onion - 1 (finely chopped)
4. Pineapple pieces - 1 tsp (finely chopped)
5. Coriander leaves - couple of teaspoons (finely chopped)
6. Salt to taste

Cut cucumber into 3 cms thick. Take out the seeds from inside and sprinkle some salt in it and keep it aside for few minutes. In the mean time, chop tomato, onion, pineapple and coriander leaves and mix everything together adding required amount of salt.  Fill the cucumber cups with the vegetable mix and serve it. We can serve it just like that or with a teaspoon of fat free yogurt on top. I made this for my husband without anything. For myself, i just sprinle couple of kurkure on top of it and it tasted really good.  I stuffed the remaining vegetables in tomato also. It also tasted good.  If any one of you have any ideas for some healthy evening snack, please let me know.

Pidi Kozhakattai

Pidi Kozhakattai is one of famous evening tiffin in our family.  When my MIL was here, she made these kozhakattai. Method for making pidi kozhakattai is pretty easy, if we know how to make Arisi Upma.  All we need to do is, first make arisi upma and then make balls out of arisi upma and steam cook it for 7 to 10 mts. You can get the recipe for Arisi Upma here.

Adai Kozhakattai

Adai Kozhakattai is a famous evening tiffin in Kerala Iyer families. And as always my patti used to make yummy kozhakattais. Day before yesterday, I made these adai kozhakattais for our dinner. While making it, I was literally thinking about my patti because, she used to grind the batter in the old fashioned stone grinder (Kall ural) and steam a whole lot of kozhakattais for 12 of us.  I wanted to eat this kozhakattai's during my masakkai time(6 years back), called my patti and asked for recipe. She gave the recipe and asked me not to strain myself because, we have to do lot of stirring (She had no idea about microwave and all).  I soaked the ingredients and started grinding it. But that time, smell of the urad dhall made me throw up so badly and gave up the idea of making this kozhakattais and never had it after that. So wanted to give it a try this time. Since my patti is no more (and I already forgot the recipe), I called my chitti for the recipe and got it from her.

Ingredients:-

1. Boiled rice - 1 cup
2. Black Urad dhall - 1 cup
3. Channa dhall - 2 tsp
4. Red & Green chillies -  5 or 6 (acc to taste)
5. Salt to taste
6. Curry leaves - few
7. Oil - 1/2 tsp
8. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
9. Urad dhall - 1 tsp
10. Red chillies - 1
11. Asafoetida powder -  a pinch
12. coconut oil - 1 tsp

Soak boiled rice, urad dhall, channa dhall and chillies for 4 to 5 hours. Grind it nicely adding curryleaves and required amount of salt. The batter should be like dosa batter. Take a pan, pre heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, fry urad dhall,  red chillies  and asafoetida powder and pour the adai batter in it. Stir it continuously till it becomes like a dough. I microwaved the batter for 10 minutes, stirring in between to get that consistency. If you touch the dough, it should not stick. Now make balls according to your wish and steam cook it for 10 to 12 minutes or till it becomes shiny,  in idly moulds. Now adai kozhakattai is ready to eat. Coconut chutney goes well with it. When you are ready to eat, Just take couple of kozhakattais, scramble it, sprinkle a teaspoon of coconut oil and enjoy with chutney.

I am sending this to Pari's Only Series, this time Only Low oil or Low Calorie hosting by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan Recipes.

Pav Bhaji

This was our evening tiffin last wednesday. My MIL is here with us in Delhi and she really loves to cook different kind of dishes for us. I have a wholesome of side dish recipes to post since her visit to Delhi.  Here goes the recipe for the bhaji she made for the Pav.

Ingredients:-

1. Potato - 1 (boiled and mashed)
2. Carrot - 2 (finely chopped or Shredded)
3. Bell pepper - 1 (finely chopped)
4. Onion - 2 (finely chopped)
5. Tomato - 3 (finely chopped)
6. Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tsp
7. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Red chillies powder - 1 1/4 tsp (acc to taste)
9. Oil - 3 tsp
10. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
11. Chat powder - 1/2 tsp
12. Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
13. Salt to taste
14. Coriander leaves -  for garnishing.

Pre heat a pan with 2 tsp of oil. Fry the cumin seeds, when it splutters add the ginger garlic paste and saute' for a minute. Now add the finely chopped onion. Fry it till it becomes transparent. Now add the chopped vegetables one by one except potato.  Saute all the vegetables for 3 to 5 minutes. Now add the mashed potato to it. Add turmeric powder, red chillies powder and required amount of salt to it. Add required amount of water and let everything to cook for 6 to 8 minutes. When the vegetables are fully cooked, add the chat powder and garam masala powder and mix it with the vegetables. Mash the vegetables with a masher or with the spatula itself.(this step is absolutely optional). Adjust water according to the required consistency.  Now put the remaining 1/4 tsp red chillies powder on top of the bhaji, heat the remaining 1 tsp oil and pour it on top of the chillie powder. Garnish it with coriander leaves. (Since I ran out of the pav bhaji masala, she used the garam masala and chat powder. If you have pav bhaji masala powder, u can replace it with the above said masala powder.)

Heat the pan, and heat the pav bun, adding required amount of ghee or butter or Pam spray. I used PAM spray.

Thavala Dosai

This is a dish from North Arcot District. My MIL is from North Arcot district. She made this thavala dosai day before yesterday for evening tiffin. This was the first time I had this evening tiffin and it was really tasty and crispy. I got the recipe from her. The recipe is similar to the adai recipe with some variation. Here goes the recipe

Ingredients:-

1. Boiled rice - 2 cups
2. Channa dhall - 3/4 cup
3. Toor dhall - 3/4 cup
4. Urad dhall - 4 tsp
5. Salt to taste

For Tempering:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
3. Urad dhall - 1 1/2 tsp
4. Channa dhall - 1 tsp
   
5. Green chillies - 5 (acc to taste)
6. Ginger - a small piece
7. Red chillies - 5 (acc to taste)
8. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
9. Curry leaves - few
10. coconut - 2 tsp (for one dosai)

Soak rice separately and the lentils (channa dhall, urad dhall and toor dhall) separately for 3 to 4 hours. Drain it after 4 hours and grind it separately. Grind rice finely and the lentil coarsely. Mix both together with your hand along with the required amount of salt and keep it aside. If you want to make dosai in the evening, you need to prepare the batter in the morning itself. When you are ready to make dosai, preheat the oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and fry urad dhall, channa dhall, green chillies, red chillies and ginger and fry it till it becomes golden brown. Now add a pinch of hing to it and pour it on top of the batter. Mix it well and add the curry leaves now. Heat the dosa pan and pour a laddle full of batter and sprinkle the coconut on top of it. Pour oil in the sides and let it cook in low flame. Flip it and let the other side cook. Serve it hot with some chutney or with a dallop of curd. It goes well with chutney and molagapodi...

Kara Poli

This is another dish which I tasted in India during my trip. I have heard my MIL talking about this kara poli from Sri Krishna Sweets, very often. she made this for me once and it was really spicy and yummy. But I forgot to take pictures of that kara poli. I made this one here last week. After having those horrible food in flight, I wanted to eat something super spicy. We thought of going out to some restaurant and have something. But one of my twin fell sick, so we could not go out. So I tried this at home and it was not that super like my MIL, but it was not that bad either:)

Ingredients:-

1. Maida/All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
   
2. Orange/yellow food color - a pinch
   
3. Sesame oil - 2 tbsp (or required amount)
   
4. Salt to taste.
   

For filling:-

1. Potato - 1
   
2. Onion - 1 or 2 (acc to size) (chop it)
   
3. Peas - 2 tbsp ( I used frozen peas)
   
4. Tomato - 1 (optional) (chop it)
   
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
   
6. Red chillies powder - 1 1/2 tsp (acc to taste)
   
7. Garam masala Powder - 3/4 tsp (acc to taste)
   
8. Salt to taste
   
9. Oil - 1 tsp
   
10. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
11. urad dhall - 1/2 tsp

When you are planning to make this poli for evening tiffin, just make the maida dough afternoon and keep it aside for couple of hours. Mix maida with required amount of salt and food color and make it as a chapathi dough. Add the sesame oil to the dough and keep it aside. Now cook the potato and mash it. In a pan, add a tsp of oil, splutter mustard seeds and urad dhall and fry it till it becomes golden brown. Now add chopped onion to it and saute till it becomes transparent. Now add peas to it and saute for another few minutes. Now add the mashed potato to it. Add required amount of turmeric powder, chilly powder, garam masala powder and salt to it and mix everything well. Now sprinkle required amount of water to the ingredients and cook it for another 3 to 5 minutes till everything mixes well. Turn off the stove when all the water is absorbed. Keep it aside and let it cool.
When you are ready to make poli, make small balls out of the maida dough and spread it with your hand. Now keep required amount of potato stuffing and cover it.
Spread it evenly with your hand to get a thin circle shaped poli.
Now heat the tawa and cook the poli on both sides adding a teaspoon of ghee on both sides. Serve it hot.
I have never tasted kara poli from Shri Krishna sweets. So I am not sure this is how they do it or they have some other ingredients in theirs....