This recipe is easy as compared to the normal uttapam as in you do not need to plan the previous day and soak the ingredients.You can prepare instant yummy uttapams whenever you feel like.If you have not tried this one, please do, as this is a delicious variation :)
Ingredients -
sooji/rava - 1cup
all purpose flour/maida - 2tspn
water
salt
onion
tomato
green chillies
capsicum
coriander leaves
Method -
Soak the sooji and maida in water for about half an hour.
Chop the vegetables finely - onion,tomato, chillies and capsicum.
Add salt in the batter.
If required add more water to the batter to get the desired pouring consistency.
Heat a non-stick pan.
Drizzle few drops of oil.
Pour a laddle full of batter.Sprinkle the vegetables over it.
Let it cook on a medium flame till it gets light brown on the edges.
The cooking time is a little longer than a normal uttapam.
Serve hot rava uttapam with sambar or chutney of your choice :-)
These biscuits are made up of whole wheat flour or atta.Needless to mention that they are healthy.If you are wondering how might atta biscuits taste, let me tell you that they were just delicious and my toddler just loved them and I was satisfied and happy with the fact that he was munching on some healthy home made stuff :)
Ingredients -
wheat flour/atta - 1.5cup
all purpose flour/maida - 0.5cup
powdered sugar - 1cup
baking powder - 2tspn
ghee - 3/4th cup
milk - 2-3tbspn
Method -
Mix the atta, maida and baking powder.
Beat the sugar and ghee well.
Now put in the atta little by little into the sugar-ghee mixture.
Mix it till a dough is formed.Add some milk for kneading it.
Keep this dough aside for about 30min.
Preheat the microwave to 180deg.
Take some dough, roll it with the help of a rolling pin.
Now cut them into desired shaped cookies.
Grease the glass plate with ghee and place the cookies keeping some distance between each of them.
Set the convection option of microwave for about 10min.After 10min, turn over the cookies so that they get baked on the other side for another 10min.
Once done you will notice that the cookies get a light brown colour.
Let them cool and then store in an air-tight container.
Enjoy home made healthy cookies at tea time :-)
You might also like Nankhatais
This is a cake which contains sooji and not maida.So it is rest assured that its a healthier version of cake which you can prepare at home.Its a perfect snack or tiffin which is filling and healthy both.Don't go by the thought that how can you bake a cake without maida, please give it a try and know for yourself :-)
Ingredients -
sooji-rava (2 cups)
baking powder (1 tspn)
eggs (2)
sugar (1.5 cups)
oil (1/2 cup)
vanilla essence
Method -
Beat the eggs together.Add sugar to the eggs and mix well.Powdered sugar is preferable since it will
take less time.Or else you can blend the egg-sugar mixture.
Mix the sooji and baking powder.
Start adding oil little by little and knead the dough simultaneously.
Now add this dough to the egg-sugar mix.
Mix it well so that the batter is consistent and smooth.
Preheat the oven.
Grease a baking dish and bake it in microwave(convection option) for 40min.
Yummy rava cake is ready :)
Pav bhaji or Mumbai pav bhaji as it is famously known as, is a street food in Maharashtra.It is a vegetable curry known as bhaji in marathi served with pav(bread).It is full of vegetables so its pretty healthy when you have it at home specially where you can control the amount of butter you add :P So if you have never tasted this maharashtrian snack please try it once !
Ingredients-
cauliflower -1 cup
carrot - 1/2 cup
green peas - 1/2 cup
capsicum - 1/2 cup
potatoes - 1 cup
tomatoes - 2 cups
green chillies
onion
ginger-garlic paste
coriander leaves
lemon wedges
turmeric/haldi powder
red chilly powder
everest pav bhaji masala
oil/butter
pav
Method-
Cut all the vegetables into medium cubes.
Chop the onion,chillies and tomatoes finely.
Make a paste of ginger and garlic.You can also use the ready made ginger-garlic paste.
Pressure cook all the vegetables except capsicum and onions with water.
Strain the water and keep it. We shall use it later as a vegetable stock.
Heat oil and butter in a non-stick pan.
Put in the onions, chillies and ginger-garlic paste.
After 2min add the chopped tomatoes.
Add salt and let it cook till the oil separates out.
This will take some time..around 4-5min.
In the meanwhile mash the boiled vegetables with the help of a spatula/big spoon.
Add the mashed veggies to the pan.
Add haldi powder,mirchi powder,salt and pav bhaji masala.
Add some vegetable stock and let it cook for another 2-3min.
Sprinkle some finely chopped coriander leaves and turn off the flame.
The bhaji is now ready.
For the pav - toast the pav in butter on both sides.
Serve hot pav-bhaji with a dollop of butter with some chopped onion,green chilly and lemon :-)
Mourola fish as it is called in bengali is a very small and tasty fish.This is a very simple dish which consists of mainly frying the fish till its crispy.Goes well as a starter for any event provided you are a fish fan :)
Ingredients-
mourola fish
onion
garlic
green chilly
salt
turmeric powder
red chilly powder
mustard oil
Method-
Chop the onion and garlic finely.
Wash and clean the fish properly.
Marinate it with salt and haldi powder for 1-2 hours.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Fry the fish lightly.
Once done keep the fish on one side of the pan.
Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute.
Mix the onion garlic with the dried fish and fry.
Add chilly powder and slitted green chillies.
Adjust salt as per taste.
Serve hot mourola fish as a crispy starter :)
This paneer bhurji is a very easy way of including paneer in your kids diet.Specially if you are a vegetarian, paneer is a very good source of protein.A tasty and yummy version for fussy kids instead of the normal paneer subzi..give it a try :)
Ingredients-
cottage cheese/paneer
onion
tomato
turmeric powder
red chilly powder
salt
coriander leaves(optional)
oil/butter
Method-
Chop onion and tomato finely.
Heat oil or butter in a non-stick pan.
Add the chopped onion and saute.
Then add tomato, haldi, mirchi powder and salt to taste.You can add green chillies for spice, since this was for my toddler I have avoided it.
After it cooks add the paneer/cottage cheese to it. I use home made paneer but you can also use the store one.
Adjust salt and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serving hot bhurji with bread toast or just as is, will make a healthy snack or breakfast for your kids :-)
I was supposed to post this a week back..sorry for the delay.Wheat flour cookies (or thekua as they are well known as) are one of the most famous dishes prepared during Chhath Puja in Bihar.I had them the first time at one of my Bihari neighbour's house and I just fell in love with these delicious home made cookies.They are very healthy as they are made up of wheat flour.Easy to prepare and the best part is you can store them for 2-3 weeks, so they make up a healthy and handy snack :)
Ingredients-
whole wheat flour/atta(4cups)
sugar(1.5cups)
water(1cup)
ghee(3/4thcup)
fennel seeds/saunf(1tspn)
crushed/powdered cashew nuts
Method-
Take atta in a mixing bowl.
Heat water in a pan and add sugar to it.No need to melt the sugar completely.
Add saunf, crushed cashew nuts to the flour.
Now slowly add the sugar water to the flour and knead it.
The dough should be dry and not soft.
Make balls out of the dough.
Mould them with your hand or use a cookie cutter to get desired shape of cookies.
Deep fry the cookies or thekuas till golden brown.
You can store them in an air-tight container for weeks.
Enjoy home made cookies at tea time :)
Ghugni as it is called in eastern India mainly Bengal,Orissa,Bihar and Assam.It is dried yellow peas/matar cooked with gravy.This is a very famous evening snack in Kolkata which is served with puffed rice/kurmura(hindi)/muri(bengali).Be it on the streets or at home you will hardly find any bengali who would refuse it :) The recipe I have posted here is a vegetarian version which means there is no use of onion and garlic to it.This niramish(veg in bengali) ghugni is one of the common dishes you will find on the MahaAshtami eve of Durga Puja.
Ingredients-
dried yellow peas/matar
coconut
potatoes
ginger
green chillies
garam masala - dalchini, cloves, elaichi, tej patta
tomato
dhaniya powder
jeera powder
turmeric powder
red chilly powder
jeera/cumin seeds
salt
sugar
oil
water
Method-
Wash and soak the peas in water for 5-6 hours or overnight.
Pressure cook them with some salt till soft.
Make a paste of ginger and all the garam masala.
Chop the tomato, potato and green chillies finely.
Chop a fresh coconut into small pieces.
Heat oil in a non-stick kadai.
Fry the coconut pieces till golden brown.
Remove them once done.
In the same oil add tej patta and some cumin seeds.
Add the ground masala,chillies,tomatoes and poatatoes.
Add salt,pinch of sugar and all the powders - haldi, mirchi, dhaniya and jeera.
Let it cook till the oil separates out.
After about 5-8min add the boiled peas.
Cook for sometime without adding water so that all the masala gets coated over the peas.
Add water for it to cook.Adjust the salt as per taste.
Once the potatoes are cooked turn off the heat.
Garnish with fresh corinader leaves.
While serving sprinkle some masala over it.This is a home made masala which my mom uses - Dry heat the coriander and cumin seeds and then grind them to a powder.This is optional but it tastes heavenly.
You can also have onion and lemon wedges as an accompaniment with the peas curry.
Red lentil/Masur is one of the very nutritious dals rich in protein.Tonak in konkani means a spicy side dish, so this is a goan recipe which is very easy to prepare specially when you are running short of veggies in your pantry :)
Ingredients-
red lentil/masur
freshly grated coconut
tamarind
onion
oil
Spices -
coriander seeds-dhaniya (1/2 tspn)
black pepper seeds-kali mirch (1/2 tsp)
cinnamon - dalchini(1 med stick)
cloves -laung (3-4)
dry red chillies (4-5)
cumin seeds -jeera (1/4 tspn)
Method-
Wash and soak the lentil in water for 2-3 hours.
Chop the onions roughly.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Roast the spices and coconut lightly.
Allow it to cool, then grind it a paste with some tamarind pulp.
In the same pan fry the chopped onions.
Add the lentil and water so that it boils.
Red lentil becomes soft after soaking in water for 2-3 hours, so you do not need to pressure cook it.
When the masur is cooked, add the ground paste.
Add salt as per taste and let it cook for another 2-3 min.
Hot masur masala is ready to serve with rotis or steamed rice :)
Oats are a very good source of fibre and hence very nutritious.This is a nice savoury version of oats as compared to the normal sweet version with milk.If you are not an oats fan then try this one so that you will start loving them :)
Ingredients-
Quaker oats(1cup)
onion(1big)
tomato(1medium)
green chillies(2-3)
coriander leaves(2tbspn)
water
curd(2tspn)
salt
oil
Method-
Grind the oats to a fine powder.
Add sufficient water and curd to them.
Chop the onions,tomatoes,chillies and coriander leaves finely.
Add these and salt to the above oats batter.
Heat a non-stick pan.Drizzle some oil.
Pour a laddle of batter on the pan.
Fry on both sides till golden brown.
Delicious uttapam are ready to serve with tomato ketchup:-)
Custard is one of the hot favourite in our house.This dessert really takes no time and the ingredients are always available in every home.So the next time you have planned a party this dessert is a must :P
Ingredients-
500ml milk(1packet)
2 eggs
marie biscuits(8)
sugar
vanilla essence
Method-
Boil the milk and let it cool.
Beat the eggs well.
You can blend together the eggs,milk,sugar and marie biscuits.
Add essence and mix.
Heat a container in which you will make the pudding.
Add 1-2 tspn of sugar to it.
When the sugar starts melting, this is the caramel.
Now transfer the milk-egg mixture to this container.
Put some water in a pressure cooker.
Place the container inside it.
Let it cook for 5-6 whistles.
You can check if the pudding is done by putting on knife in the center.If it comes out clean it is fine or else let it cook for some more time.
Serve the pudding chilled :-)
Chicken soup is one of the best home made remedies for everyone right from children to adults in case of common cold or congestion.It is a very delicious soup which all will definitely love to have may it be on a rainy day or winters or when you have cold.I had prepared this soup for my toddler when he was down with cold and he enjoyed it to the fullest :)
Ingredients-
chicken pieces(2-3)
onion(1medium)
garlic(2-3 cloves)
potatoes(1medium)
black pepper powder
bay leaf(1)
green cardamom(elaichi)(2-3)
salt
butter
oil
Method-
Wash the chicken well.
Chop onion and garlic finely.
Heat a non stick kadai.
Add some butter and oil.Adding oil to the butter will take care that the butter does not get burnt.
Add the bay leaf and elaichi.
Now put in the chopped onion and garlic and saute.
After a while add the chicken pieces,potato cubes and let it cook.Add salt as per taste.
Cover and cook for some 5-7 minutes.
Now add plenty of water so that the chicken and potatoes get well cooked.
Remove the leaf and elaichi before serving.Add a pinch of pepper powder and butter if required
Hot chicken soup is ready to serve :)
Idli sambar is one of the most famous south Indian cuisines around the globe.It's a very healthy breakfast option for all of us right from kids to elders.Although there are many ways of preparing sambar the above recipe is very similar to the one you would get in authentic south Indian restaurants.
Ingredients-
suji/rava - 2cups
urad dal - 1cup
salt
baking soda - pinch
water
toor dal - 1cup
onions
tomatoes
potatoes
carrots
brinjal
chana dal - 1tspn
urad dal - 1tspn
red chillies
coconut
tamarind pulp
turmeric powder
sambar powder
water
salt
sugar
mustard seeds
curry leaves/kadipatta
Method-
Wash the urad dal and soak it in water for 7-8 hours.
Grind the dal with minimum water.
Now mix the ground dal with rava.Add some water if required.
The batter should be of medium consistency(not very thin or thick).
Keep the batter covered outside the fridge for the entire night for fermentation.
Next day morning add salt and soda to the batter.
Grease the idli stand with some oil/ghee.
Pour small scoops of batter into the idli moulds and steam them in a pressure cooker.
Hot idlis are ready.
To prepare the sambar -
Pressure cook the toor dal with salt and haldi powder till soft.You can add some vegetables along with the dal like carrots, potatoes.
Heat some oil in a pan.
Add chopped onions and saute.
Then add chopped tomatoes and let it cook till soft.
Once done add the cooked dal and veggies.
Separately dry roast some urad dal,chana dal,toor dal,red chillies and freshly grated coconut.
Grind all these to a fine paste.
Add this paste to the above cooked dal.
Add water to get the desired consistency of sambar.
Add tamarind pulp to adjust the tanginess and sambar powder.
Add salt as per taste and a pinch of sugar.
Finally five a tadka of mustard seeds,curry leaves and red chillies to it.
Serve hot idlis with sambar :-)
