Breakfast Varities

Vegetable Pongal

January 21, 2014 By

When I was a kid I loved to to have Raw veggies like cabbage , long beans , french beans, even ladies finger but My kid is totally opposite she never likes veggies only cheese . Am sure many mom’s might be worrying about it and trying something different to attract kids and indulge them in having more veggies in their diet. So when I was thinking about how I can give her the veggies she doesn’t like to have them in raw form I made this delicious pongal for her lunch and she liked it a lot with some color peeping there and she had no clue what they were and enjoyed them . For my BM 3 day of pongal series I made this yummy kid friendly pongal. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36.

Vegetable pongal is mainly made with rice and moong dal as we make ven pongal but adding veggies to it increases the nutrients and makes it more healthy. I used ghee to make this pongal as kids love the flavor of ghee and tastes yummy. Pressure cooker makes it easy but if you don’t want the veggies to mash up then you can cook the rice and lentils separately in pressure cooker and then saute the veggies separately till they are turn , then transfer the veggies to the cooked and mashed rice and lentil . I served this with the Tri color capsicum thogayal but any chutney and sambhar can go with this. Any method you do it will taste good. So with any ado lets move the recipe..

Ingredients

Rice – 1 cup
Green Gram Dhal / Moong dal ( yellow one) –1/2 cup
Chopped vegetables – 2 cups (I used carrot and frozen peas)
Curry leaves – few
Green chillies – 2 No
Fresh ginger – a small piece
Asafotida – A pinch
Black Pepper pd – 1/4 tsp
Urad dal / Black gram dal – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts – few
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Water – 4 1/2 cups
Salt to taste

Method

In a pressure cooker heat ghee add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and then curry leaves.
Wait till they splutter and then add urad dal and saute till they turn light brown.
Add green chillies,ginger,Asafoetida, chopped vegetables and saute for a while.
Then add washed and drained rice and moong dal .
Mix well and then add water, pepper pd, salt.
Close the pressure cooker lid and cook them for 3-4 whistles .
Mean while heat 1 tsp ghee and Roast the cashews till light brown. Keep them aside.
After 3-4 whitles switch off the flame and wait till the pressure subsides.
Open the lid and give the pongal a quick mix .
Add the roasted cashew to the pongal and mix them.
Serve them warm with any chutney and sambhar.

Kaadaikkanni Pongal / Oats Pongal

January 19, 2014 By

Its weekend and its a busy day for all I hope.. If you are looking for a delicious and a quick breakfast which is perfectly healthy then this must be a option. Oats is rich in fibre rich and a gluten free option to be included in diet of all ages . So thinking of preparing some healthy and delicious breakfast i ended up making this yummy oats pongal. Pongal is always my family favorite breakfast , instead of making them rice i made it with oats and they turned out so gud .

Oats pongal is a quick to make tiffin which needed very less time of cooking and more over if you make it in pressure it can be made in jiffy. Many people include oats in their diet for is nutrient content and most probably it gluten free. As pongal is an very traditional South Indian dish giving it a twist was very interesting.. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36. So make this healthy and yummy oats pongal and enjoy !!

Ingredients

Oats – 1/2 cup ( I used Old fashioned )
Moong dal / Green gram dal – 1/4 cup
Ginger – a small piece
pepper corn – 2-3 NO or pepper pd – 1/4 tsp
cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Green chillies -2 No
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Oil – 1 tbsp ( I used olive oil )

Method

In a pressure cooker heat oil , add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves .
After they splutter add ginger, green chillies saute for a while.
Then add 4 1/2 cups of water, salt , pepper corn and let it boil .
After it boil add oats , and dal and mix them well.
Close the lid and cook them till 3-4 whistles .
Switch of the flame and wait till the pressure subsides.
Open the lid and give them a mix .
Serve this healthy pongal with any chutney and sambhar for breakfast or tiffin .

Godhumai Rava Pongal / Crackled Wheat Pongal

January 17, 2014 By

Am sure all would have enjoyed pongal festival , am here today with a very healthy pongal recipe. I love ven pongal for breakfast a lot and used to enjoy them with chutney and sambhar. As many people were asking me to share some healthy recipes here is a healthy pongal recipe with out using rice. As we all know too much intake of rice lead to increase in weight , so diet conscious people generally try to avoid taking rice in their diet first . If you seriously want to loose some weight you should first stop taking lots of rice . So if not rice what can be the other substitute for it – crackled wheat , semolina, oats, Barley, ragi etc there are so many options i can keep on going.

Godhumai rava / crackled wheat is a very healthy option for diabetic patience and can be made in several diffrent delicious ways . One such way to make a tasty dish is pongal. Crackled taste yummy when included with lentils and I tried making this pongal for our breakfast. They taste so delicious and they are very healthy. If you are looking for recipes to skip rice then this is a very nice option . Kids too will enjoy this delicious pongal .For this weeks blogging marathon I have chosen pongal varities so 2 more pongal to come stay tuned..Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36.. Now lets quickly move to the recipe..

Ingredients

Crackled Wheat / Godhumai rava – 1 cup
Moong dal – 1/2 cup
Pepper corn – 3-4 Nos or Pepper pd – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp
Urad dal / black gram dal – 1 tsp
Green chilli – 2 nos
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Cashew – 4-5 No ( lightly roasted in ghee)
Salt to taste

Method

In a pressure cooker heat ghee , add Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves , urad dal.
After they splutter, urad dal turns slight brown add ginger garlic paste and saute them .
Now add green chillies and saute them .
Add the crackled and saute for a while .Then add moong dal , to this add 4 1/2 cups of water
Add the pepper corn / pepper pd, turmeric pd and salt . Mix them well and close them with lid.
Put the whistle on and cook for 3-4 whitles.
After 3-4 whistles switch off the flame and wait till the pressure subsides.
Open the lid and mix them well.
Granish them with roasted cashew and drizzle some ghee on top.
Serve this healthy pongal with an chutney and sambhar.

Sakkarai Pongal with Jaggery ( Pongal spl )

January 14, 2014 By

Pongal / Makar sakranti is celebrated all over India but as am a Chennaite I used to enjoy those pongal holidays a lot. We used to get 4 days holidays and lots special program in TV was so much fun . Other than that our neighbors used to share all those yummy treats they made for pongal . Sugar cane is another reason why i love pongal festival ,I just love to enjoy the juicy sugar canes which i miss today. Pongal / Makar sakratri is winter harvest festival celebrated all over India by different names . As am a north indian we make sweet and savory vada’s but in Tamil nadu it is celebrated for 4 days – Bhogi, Thai pongal, Mattu pongal , Kaanam pongal each day has it own significance.

People make sweet savory pongal varieties and vadas this day , served ( bhog/ padayal) to god then they enjoy the festival with family. On the last day thats is on kaanam pongal with family they have a fun time at beach or some entertaining places like to watch movie etc . So this festival bring so many happy faces to enjoy !! So I made sakkarai pongal and masala vadai for this auspicious day 🙂 Wish you have a very happy pongal / makar sakrantri 🙂 ..Ok now over to the recipe..

Ingredients

Moong dal – 1/4 cup
Rice – 1/2 cup
Milk – 1 cup
Water – 1 1/2 cup
Ghee – 3- 4 tbsp
Cashew nut – 4-5 Nos
Raisins – 3-4 Nos
Jaggery pd – 1 cup
Cardamom pd – a pinch

Method

Wash and Soak rice and dal for 15 mins.
Drain the water from rice and dal , In a pressure put rice , dal, water ad milk.
Pressure cook them for 3- 4 whistles then turn off the flame .
After the pressure subsides open the lid and and mash them well with a ladle.
In a sauce pan take the jaggery pd and 1/2 cup water , boil them till one string consistency .
To check the one string just drop the syrup with a ladle it should form a string while flows drown.
After it attains the one string consistency add the syrup to the cooked and mashed rice and dal also add the cardamom pd .
In a low flame mix them well till well combined and add ghee .
Cook them for 2 mins while mixing them .

In a another sauce pan heat 1 tbsp ghee and saute cashews and raisins till they turn slight brown .
Transfer the roasted cashews and raisins to the pongal and mix well.
Enjoy them warm!!

Linking this to Tamizhar samayal Tuesday whose brain child is +nalini suresh .

Chettinadu Kuzhi Paniyaram ( With Idli Batter)

December 25, 2013 By

I love chettinadu foods a lot and mainly the kara paniyaram which i use to enjoy in the restaurants back in chennai 🙂 I always love to hear the sizzling sound the paniyarams make when the are poured in to the paniyaram pan . I make them most often at home and we enjoy them a tea time snack warm with tomato chutney. Panitarams are one among the array of delicious food from chettinadu cuisine and this is an super simple way i make them at home.

This is the most loved by my H and he keeps on telling me make them again n again .He gives me a lot of compliments for this one especially This recipe I experiment first for French dosa toast when my H told me that it tastes just like paniyaram I thought of making them as a paniyaram and here am with this crispy and delicious paniyaram . We usually like the over part of paniyaram little crispy and spongy inner part so i fried them to light golden brown but if you like the outer part to be soft too then you can fry them lighter .For serving you can serve them with any chutney but we love to have them dipped in sambhar like sambhar idli we like sambhar paniyaram too..so lets move on to the recipe . Check Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 35

Ingredients

Idli Batter – 2 cups
Onion – 1 medium size ( Chopped)
Green chilles – 2- 3 No ( chopped)
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Urad dal / black gram dal – 1 tbsp
Channa dal / bengal gram dal – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method

In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds after they splutter add curry leaves.
Add urad dal and channa dal saute them til they turn light brown in color.
Then add onion , green chilles and saute the till translucent.
Switch of the flame and transfer the mixture on to the batter add required amount of salt and mix them well.
Now add one tsp of oil in each hollow of the paniyaram pan and heat them .
After the oil in hot simmer the flame and add a tsp or so of batter in each kuzhi / Hollow.
Cook the paniyarams both the sides till light brown. Use a skewer to turn them.
Enjoy hot paniyarams an a snack or breakfast with any chutney :).

Linking this to Tamizhar samayal Tuesday whose brain child is +nalini suresh .

Quinoa Pongal

December 5, 2013 By

Today am here with an a very healthy and delicious tiffin with a twis. Pongal is my all time fav tiffin and I love prepare this one pot meal which is packed with nutrition . To add some more healthy benefits to our traditional South Indian pongal I have used Quinoa in this. As per wiki Quinoa is a a grass family grain which is related to beetroot , Spinach and tumbleweeds. This is a very healthy protein packed grain which has so many healthy benefits . As they are gluten free they are idle for people who are looking for a gluten free grain option . Perfect grain to substitute instead of rice for those who are calorie conscious. It was a random thought I got of using quinoa instead of rice and they turned to be a very delicious pongal and different from usual pongal . Seeing the healthy benefits No one can resist including this in the menu and serve our family with a healthy tiffin right ? ..So for today’s Vegan thursday I got this very healthy and delicious pongal. You can check the other members in this group – “Vegan Thursday” Here.

Ingredients

Quinoa – 1/2 cup
Moong dal – 1/2 cup
Pepper corn – 1tsp / Pepper pd – 1/2 tsp
Green chilli – 3 No
Cashew nuts – 2-3 No
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Urad dal – 2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp
Ghee/ oil – 1 tbsp ( I used olive oil )
Salt to taste

Method

In a pressure cooker heat ghee / oil add mustard seeds , cumin seeds.
After they splutter add curry leaves urad dal , cashew and saute till they turn light brown.
Add green chillis saute then add quinoa and moong dal add 4 cups of water .
Add turmeric pd , salt and mix them well .
Cover the lid and put on the whistle , cook it in medium flame for 4-5 whistles.
After the pressure completely subsides in pressure cooker open the lid .
Serve this healthy pongal hot with coconut or any chutney , sambhar and enjoy.

Tips

Top it with ghee if needed considering vegan food lovers I Have not added Ghee in it .You can check the other members in this group – “Vegan Thursday” Here.

Mor Kali / Mor Kuzhu – Tamil nadu spl

November 12, 2013 By

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When I was thinking about what to make for Tamizhar samayal tuesday I was so eager make the koozhu which my neighbour used to share with us every year but due to no proper ingredient i was unable make it this time . So I wanted to share an easy breezy recipe for this week tamizhar samayal . As am a chennaite I have learned some recipes and known few recipes from my neighbours and friends back in chennai. One such Breakfast variety i have heard about this from a neighbor.

This is a very quick and easy to make breakfast or you can enjoy it anytime . Mor kali is name of this traditional tamil nadu dish which is prepared with buttermilk and rice flour and the main ingredient in this which makes it more interesting is Mor milagai . Mor milagai or curd chilli is my all time favorite with buttermilk rice or curd rice . Mor milgai is nothing but chillies are soaked in buttermilk overnight and the those chillies are dried under the sun light til they are dried and crispy . Now these curd chillies are sauteed in oil till they under brown and then they can be had as is or as a side for buttermilk rice . Now adding this curd chilli to this Mor kalli is an yummy way to bring the authentic taste but you can add green chilli or dry red chillies. They are generally gooey and tangy / sour because of the butter milk in it to taste but very very delicious though . Lets move to this traditional tamil nadu breakfast or tiffin variety which is super quick to make.

Ingredients

Buttermilk – 1 1/2 cup ( preferably made with sour curd)
Rice flour – 1 cup
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Urad dal / black gram dal – 1 tbsp
Channa dal / Bengal gram dal – 1 tsp
Mor Milagai / Dry red chilli – 2-3 No’s
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Asafoetida – a pinch
oil – 1 tbsp
salt to taste

Method

In a bowl add buttermilk, rice flour and salt. Mix them well and form a smooth batter with out any lumps
Heat oil in a sauce pan , add mustard seeds after they splutter add asafoetida curry leaves,urad dal , channa dal.
Saute till they turn light brown then add mor milagai and saute till the turn light brown too.
Now add the buttermilk mixture and cook them in a low flame.
A one stage they come together as a mass like a soft dough .
Transfer this mixture to greased tray and cool then cut them into desired shape and serve warm.

This doesn’t require any side dish but if you like you can accompany this with pickle.

Tips

You can also set them in individual bowls and serve them.
They taste good when they are had warm .
If you don’t find mor milagai you can use dry red chillies even

If the curd you are using i s not sour add extra curd and make butter milk out of it. As this kali is required to be tangy .

Linking this to Tamizhar samayal Tuesday whose brain child is +nalini suresh .

Bread Upma

May 16, 2013 By

Am here with a very simple , easy and yummy upma made out of bread. If you have leftover bread then this is yummy recipe which you can make in jiffy. May it be for breakfast or for snack they they taste delicious any time in day 🙂 . This recipe is from Homely foods . Thanks for this delicious upma +Meena B 🙂 Loved this upma steaming hot 🙂 .

Ingrdients

6-7 Bread slices
1 Onion finely chopped
2 Tomatoes finely chopped
1/2 cup Grated carrot
3 tbsp Pea
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dhal
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Red chilli pd
1/ 4 tsp Cumin pd

2 sprigs Curry Leaves
1 tbsp oil
1 green chilli chopped
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder

For garnish
2 tbsp chopped Coriander/cilantro leaves

Method

Cut the bread slices in to cubes (Remove the brown part) .
In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds,urad dhal let them splutter and add curry leaves, green chilli.
Add chopped onion pieces and saute them till they are transparent .
Then Add chopped tomato and saute till they well cooked and mushy . Add salt , Red chilli pd, turmeric pd, cumin pd, coriander pd and mix well. If the mixture is too dry you can add few tbsp’s of water.
Add the bread slices and stir till it is nicely covered with all the masala’s.
Garnish bread upma with coriander leaves to garnish and serve hot.

Sending to Homely Food

Bread Dosai ( Come on – Lets cook buddies ) Entry 8

April 6, 2013 By

Another yummy entry by +Aishwarya Srinivasan .. Thank you aishwarya for sharing such lovely recipes we are thoroughly enjoying them 🙂 Lets see what’s aishwaraya has got to share with us us today 🙂

Introduction

This is also a very easy recipe. It is an Instant Dosa. No need of soaking. Needs to grind to make a batter. Best recipe for making Spongy or crispy dosas.

Ingredients

White Bread – 15 Slices
Semolina (Suji/rawa) – 1/2 cup
Yogurt, whisked – 2 tbsp
Rice flour – 1 tbsp
Ginger, finely chopped – 1 inch
Green chillies – 3 to 4
Curry leaves – 8 to 10
Salt to taste
Oil – 2 tbsp + for shallow frying
Water – 1 cup

Method of preparation

Cut the edges of the bread. Add little water on the bread and make it soft.
In Mixer or Blender, add suji, yogurt, rice flour, ginger, chilli, curry leaves. Blend it by adding little by little water.
Add wet bread slices and grind it well. Make it as dosa consistency by adding water in between. Add salt.
Heat the dosa tawa, apply oil. Pour the dosa batter and spread it in circular shape. Add little oil.

Flip the dosa to other side once it is done.
Serve hot with chutney and sambar.

Variation

You can also make Uthappam and Masala Dosa using the same batter.

Brown Rice Dosa ( Come On – Lets Cook Buddies) Entry-4

April 3, 2013 By

So happy to see so many entries for my event thanks to all participants 🙂 This is another healthy recipe shared by +Aishwarya Srinivasan . Lets quickly see what aishwaraya has got to share with us today 🙂

Introduction

This brown rice dosa batter is so versatile that it is good for making thick spongy dosas or paper like thin dosas. I have never gone back to white rice after preparing this dosa. Why would I, when it tastes even better than the usual dosa and is healthier too!
Idli rice has above 80 % of carbohydrates. Brown rice has less than 50% of carbohydrates with other minerals. Best Low carbohydrate diet.

Ingredients

Brown Rice (I Used Long Grain) – 2 Cups
Urad Dal – 1/2 Cup
Fenugreek Seeds (Methi) – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Sesame Oil – 1/2 tbsp

Method of Preparation

Soak together the brown rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds (if using) in water overnight or at least 5-6 hours.
The next day morning, grind together all the soaked ingredients until you get a smooth batter. Add water as required. This takes quite sometime than grinding for the usual dosas using white rice. Thats why a longer soak time is also suggested for easier grinding.
Transfer the batter to a big bowl which has enough space for the batter to rise. place it on a plate to let it ferment. Ferment the dosa batter in a warm place overnight or for at least 12-15 hours before you can prepare the dosas.
Add Salt and mix it.
Heat a dosa tawa and pour a ladle full of batter and spread it out.

Drizzle some oil around or use a non stick cooking spray and flip to the other side to cook it thoroughly.

Tips

If you prefer oil free dosas, once you pour the batter on the tawa cover it with a frying pan lid and wait until you see sponge like holes on the dosa and then flip it the other side. These dosas are thick and spongy without any oil.

Variations

You can also make stuffed dosas like Masala Dosa.

I haven’t tried dosa using brown rice this is really a new recipe for me 🙂 Thanks aishwarya for sharing this yummy and healthy recipe . What do you think friends? do comment and encourage ” Come on – Lets cook Buddies ” participants dearies 🙂