Tiffin

Tomato Idli upma

January 29, 2014 By

I love to use leftovers and experiment a new recipe with them instead of heating them and having the same. I know this is a simple and most favorite breakfast or tiffin to have when you have leftover steamed idli. This is almost made in every home in south India and this is one of my fav too. Idli upma is my all time fav breakfast bcoz it takes very very less time to make and a delicious breakfast choice . This idli upma tastes very delicious without any veggies added to it but if you wish you can add any veggie you like to this upma . This is my take of using tomato for this delicious upma . The tanginess of tomato gives it an unique taste and they taste very delicious.

For this Months SYS -event I again got rice and tomato as ingredients this month last time I made Tomato Bisi bele bhath and for this month when I was thinking on what to make with tomato and rice again then I thought y not make this simple and yummy recipe as Idli is nothing but a rice cake , I thought of making this comforting dish. Linking it to Virunthu unna vaanga.

Ingredients

Left over idli’s – 4 No
Red chilli pd – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp
Tomato – 1 small
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp ( chopped)
Oil – 1 Tbsp ( I use Olive oil )
Salt to taste

Method

Crumble the leftover idli using your fingers.
In a sauce pan heat oil ,add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
Allow them to splutter, then add curry leaves and urad dal.
Saute it dal turns light brown . Then add tomatoes and saute them till mushy.
Now add the red chilli pd , turmeric pd , salt , crumbled idli and mix them well.
Mix them till well combined and garnish them with coriander leaves.
Serve them warm !!

Tips

Add some grated carrots or any veggie you like to this upma to make it more healthy.

Chettinadu Vellai Paniyaram And Milagai Chutney

January 28, 2014 By

Paniyarams are my all time favorite and I just love them with spicy chutney . Vellai paniyaram is the one am trying for the first time and I love it a lot . These are famous chettinadu spl paniyaram which are white in color and are disc shape which is different from what we do in kuzhi paniyaram pan . Vellai in tamil means white and so the paniyaram remain white even after deep frying.

For my 3 rd day of Bm under combo dishes I chose an very delicious and yummy paniyaram which srivalli suggested in the list . I have heard about this paniyaram a lot and have seen in some cookery shows too. Everything depends on the consistency of the batter if the batter is not smooth and urad dal ratio is high then it may not turn good. This paniyaram’s only tastes yummy when they are paired with the spicy milagai chutney else they are bland in taste. Any recipe when paired perfectly would sure be an excellent dish isn’t it so this paniyaram too needs the perfect pair which is milagai chutney to make them an delicious dish. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36. Now over to the recipe..

Vellai Paniyaram

Ingredients

Raw Rice – 1 cup
Urad dal – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method

Wash and Soak rice and urad dal together for 3-4 hours.
Grind them with a little water at a time to a very smooth batter in a mixie or grinder.
Add sufficient water to get the dosa batter consistency. Also add salt to taste.
Heat Oil in a kadai, when it is hot simmer the flame and drop a ladle full of batter in it.
It will puff a bit , turn it and cook both the sides.
No need to fry them for long as it needs to remain white.
Using a skewer remove them from oil and transfer them on a kitchen towel.
Repeat this with rest of the batter.
Serve the warm with milgai chutney.

Milagai Chutney

Ingredients

Onion – 1 No ( chopped)
Tomato – 1 no ( chopped)
Dry Red chilli – 2 no
Garlic – 1 clove
Urad dal – 2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli pd – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Asafoetida – a pinch
Salt to taste

Method

In a blender grind onion, tomato and garlic in to a coarse paste .
In a pan heat oil add mustard seeds, cumin seeds .
After they splutter add urad dal and saute them till light brown.
Add curry leaves , then add the ground mixture .
Let the boil for a while then add red chilli pd , salt and cook them till raw smell goes off.
Serve them with paniyaram , idli or dosa .

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

Tri Color Idli | Republic day spl

January 27, 2014 By

I remember How we enjoyed waiting for republic day to get some candies and refreshment been circulated in our schools and a Holiday to enjoy with friends . Its was so much fun to celebrate republic day and independence day with friends singing some patriotic songs and enjoying the holiday watching some patriotic movies and shows been aired in TV. I always Love to salute our flag , Today even though an aboard I want to celebrate this happy occasion of republic day without going to the history of republic day I would start talking about today’s special tiffin for republic day .

I made Tri color idli and tri color chutney to depict our Indian flag N my H was so happy to see them 🙂 Wish you all a very happy republic day 🙂 Here is the tri color idli recipe I will be sharing tri color chutney in separate post 🙂

Ingredients

Idli Batter – 3 cups
Coriander leaves – 1 bunch
Green chillis – 1 No
Carrots -2 No ( chopped)
Salt to taste

Method

Orange idli

In a blender put carrots and a little water to make it to asmooth paste .
Then add salt and 1 cup of idli batter and pulse the till well combined.
Your orange batter is ready to steam .

Green Idli

In a blender add coriander and green chillies and blend them with out adding any water.
Add 1 cup of idli batter , salt to taste and pulse them till paste is well combined in the batter.
Your green Batter is ready to steam .

To steam

In a idli cooker pour take enough water and grease the idli trays with oil .
Now pour the green , orange and plain white idli in each mould .
Cover and steam them for 10 – 15 mins till the idli’s are done.
serve them hot with chutney and sambhar .

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 .

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 .