Tasty Vegetable Vermicelli Upma

Its breakfast time ! or may be potluck time with friends.Everybody is going to love it with lots of vegetables in it.

I bought roasted bambino brand vermicelli.You can get the unroasted one and roast it at home or  even get rice vermicelli.

A good lunch box idea too..

Here is what u need:

2 cups vermicelli.
3 cups mixed vegetables(potato,carrot,beans,onion,tomato,capsicum)
1 Tbspn grated coconut fresh/frozen.
1 Tbspn peanut
1 string curry  leaves
1 Tbspn coriander leaves/cilantro.
2 greenchilly chopped
2 Tbspn oil
1/2 tspn mustard seeds
1/2 tspn urad dal
1/2  tspn lemon juice
pinch of asafetida/hing
1/8 tspn turmeric
salt to taste.

Here is how to do:

1)If you don't have the roasted vermicelli.Lets  quick roast the vermicelli in medium flame for a minute or two with 2-3 drops of oil.Don't burn it!

2)Lets bring 6 cups of water to boil.Once it starts to boil add the vermicelli.Let it boil for 6-7 minutes.If you overcook it upma becomes sticky.

3)Next is the most important step.Lets pour the extra water out and run it under cold water with 2 ice cubes.Discard excess water.You can use wide pan with holes like colander,filter for this step.This makes vermicelli non sticky.

4)In a pan add oil,when hot add the mustard seeds and allow them to pop.Next comes the peanut, urad dal fry till golden brown.Add green chilly,curry leaves,turmeric,hing.Then the chopped vegetables,cilantro,salt to taste.Sprinkle little water and cook it till done.Add grated coconut.

5)Add the vermicelli  and give a gentle stir till completely mixed.

6)Add lemon juice,adjust salt.

7)Enjoy with chutney (chutney recipe) .

Power Paratha with Amaranth leaves

Calling all paratha lovers ,here is tasty and super powerful ,super healthy paratha.

Amaranth leaves

For those of you who don't know about Amaranth leaves,its indian spinach with strong taste .In kannada is called dhantu soppu and in telugu its called thotakura.

Few Health benefits:

1)This green leaves is very rich in Vitamin A,,Iron and helps blood circulation in body and hence good in pregnancy

2)Its rich in calcium and strengthens your bones and teeth

3)Rich in Manganese,potassium,magnesium,riboflavin,amino acid hence builds immunization and protects you from diseases





Along with Amaranth I added carrot,potato,mint leaves-Makes it more powerful and tasty :-)

Mashed potatoes makes your paratha soft.You can add half if you want.


You can also add pinch of chilly powder or half green chilly if you like it spicy.


You can also add one garlic while boiling ..










Lets make paste

1 cup washed amaranth leaves
1 big carrot cut into pieces
1 Tbspn chopped mint leaves

Lets boil leaves and carrot with little water till fully cooked may be for 6-8 min.Keep the extra water you can use it to make the dough

Now lets grind it  to smooth paste,add mashed potato and keep aside

Lets make the Dough

2 cups chapati flour
grinded paste
1 boiled and mashed potato- medium size
roasted cumin powder- 1/4 tspn
while semame seed-1/4 tspn
1 tspn oil
salt to taste

Lets add dry ingredients and mix.Next add the grinded paste and mashed potatoes and start mixing.Sprinkle water if needed and make medium soft dough.Smear oil on top and cover it & leave it for minimum 30 min.I kept it for 2 hours.

(Use water from washed blender or cooked leaves)

Caution!
 I didn't add  any extra water at all only the puree was enough to make the dough so be carefull,don't add entire paste add little at a time and mix so your dough doesn't end up being too soft)


Roll and Make Parathas

1)Take a big lemon size ball flatten it add few drops of oil,fold it and roll it into desired thickness.
2)Put on hot tawa leave for 10 seconds,add few drops of oil around and turn it and leave it for 10 sec.
3)Repeat the turning process if not completely cooked.
4)Enjoy with some pickle n curd or your favourite side dish.
5)vegetable makhani recipe , channa masala with rich gravy recipe






 

Bhindi Raita - Quick and Tasty

When I step into my kitchen to make something new and different I tend to peek into shorcuts or easy quick fixes:-)

I got a lot a fresh okra/bhindi from flea market ,one day I made Okra/Bendekai Sambar and the next day I tried masala raita and it was finished in no time:-).Very easy one with less cooking ,perfect as side dish or even as a main dish with rice-Thats what we did,masala raita with rice and some pickle and papad for lunch!

Lets see how to make

2 Cups cut bhindi
2 Cups plain yogurt/curd
salt to taste

For grinding
2 Tbpsn roasted chana dal(hurigadale in kannada)
3 Tbspn grated coconut fresh/frozen
2 green chilly
1 Tbspn cilantro/coriander leaves
pinch of  asafetida
Gring the all of the above with 3 Tbpsn of water to a very smooth paste.


For tempering
2 tspn oil
1/2 tspn mustard seeds
1/2 tspn urad dal
Pinch of asafetida
1 string curry leaves
1 dry red chilly cut into 2 piece

Heat oil ,when got add mustard seeds.When it starts popping add the urad dal and fry till light golden brown.Next comes asafetida,curry leaves,red chilly.

Process

1)Lets wash the bhindi, take kitchen tissues and wipe off the water.Cut them into 1 inch pieces.
2)Add 1 Tbspn oil to non stick pan and fry it in medium flame till its completely cooked but not mushy.Sprinkle salt when 3/4th done.
3)Let's beat the curd+Add the fried bhindi+Add the tempering + Adjust salt.

Perfect for side dish in a thali or even as main course.

Bangalore Set Dosa

These dosas are served in a set of 3 hence the name Set Dosa.Unlike crispy thin paper dosas these are soft,spongy and thick.

Miss those Bangalore days,rushing to darshinis and ordering set dosa..Here it comes!The  set of golden soft dosas served with mixed vegetable sagu and  with a spoonful of delicious butter on top and finished in no time! gulum swaha..

Best for breakfast and even kids lunch box or after school snack.The thin dosas are good if eaten immediately but as these are soft and thick variety it stays good even in ur lunch box!

Common lets make it today,

Ingredients

 

Add maida to the blender together with rice and dal

 

After fermentation its frothy like below picture

3 cups rice
3/4 cup urad dal
5Tbpn thick poha/avalakki
1Tbspn All purpose flour/maida
1 tspn sugar(powder)
salt to taste

1)Wash rice and urad dal together.
2)Lets combine washed rice,urad dal,poha ,add lots of water almost 3 inch above rice dal surface.
3)Leave it overnight or 8 hours.
4)Pour out all the water .
5)Add 2 Tbpsn water at a time and  add all purpose flour along with rice -dal ,blend  it to a very smooth paste.
6)Take batter big bowl(as the batter rises once fermented),cover it and leave it overnight or 7-8 hours in a warm place.I usually put it in the oven with lights on.
7) You can see the batter rised up,nice frothy and aerated.Now the batter is ready to make dosas.

How to make


1)Heat a non stick pan to medium high.
2)Take a ladlefull of dosa batter and pour it on the pan.I will not spread it for set dosa as it is thick and fluffy.

3)Add a Tbspn of ghee/oil mix around the dosa.(Mix 1 Tbpsn of ghee and 4 Tbspn oil and use it for making dosas,or just oil if u don't like the ghee taste)
4)Turn it over once golden brown
5)Serve  3 dosa with a spoon of butter along with  mixed vegetable sagu and chutney

OBBATTU

Outer Covering

1 Cup All purpose Flour/maida
1 Tbspn Oil + 4 Tbspn Oil
1/8 tspn turmeric
pinch of salt
water to mix

 

1)Take the all purpose flour,add  1 Tbspn oil,turmeric,pinch of salt couple of tbspns of water at a time and make a  medium soft dough.Now Lets add 4 Tbspn Oil over the dough.

2) Add a tspn oil over dough.Cover the dough and leave for 4 hours.

3) I know its a lot oil but it will make your obbattu/puran poli soft.

Filling/hoorana

1 Cup............................Toor Dal
1 Cup ............................Jagerry
1/2 Cup..........................Grated coconut(fresh or frozen)
Cardamom.....................5

 

1)Lets boil Toor dal in stove top with 5 cups of water until 90%done (not very mushy).

2)Drain the water and store it(u can use this for rasam).

3)In a kadai,add the cooked dal,jaggery in medium flame.As the jaggery starts to melt add coconut and peeled cardamom/elachi(I used with peel for extra flavor,but takes a little time while blending).

4)Keep stirring till the jaggery melts and you start getting nice aroma,may be for 5 min.Make sure you don't burn the bottom part.

5)Let it come to room temperature.Then go ahead and blend it to a thick smooth paste.Now the filling ie,hoorana is ready.

Making Obbattu

 

 

1)Once the dough and hoorana is ready,lets start making obbattu.

2)Take a lemon size dough,spread it in your palm & add hoorana, pull the dough up and close it.

3)Smear oil on Banana leaf.Start patting with oily hand.

4)Place the Banana leaf on a medium heat pan.Gently detach the obbattu .

5)Leave for 30 sec and turn it over.Cook for 30 more sec .Flip to see if it is evenly cooked or else cook it for some more time

5) Enjoy the traditional indian sweet

Serving Suggestions

1)Serve with a Tbspn of warm ghee on top.
2)A lot of people add 1/2 cup warm milk.


Note:Some people use chana dal instead of toor dal.Both taste great.But I love it with toor .