Sunday, January 3, 2021

Bulgar wheat vegetable Upma


 

Ingredients:

Cracked Bulgar Wheat- 1cup 

Diced onions -1/2 cup

Diced tomatoes-1/2 cup

Diced potatoes- 1/2 cup

Chopped green chilies- 2

Finely chopped ginger-1 Tbsp

Curry leaves- few

Chana dal-1 1/2 Tbsp

Urad dal - 1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1 1/2 tsp

Dry red chilies- 2 

Oil- 2 Tbsp 

Ghee- 1 tsp

Lime juice - 1 1/2 Tbsp

Cashews- few

Water - 2 1/4 cup

Method:

Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds. When they start splatter add Chana dal, urad dal, dry chili pieces, cashews and fry until dals and cashews turn brown. Add curry leaves, green chilies, ginger and onions, fry until onions clarify, add potatoes and tomatoes mix well. Place the lid on the pot cook for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Add water and salt cover again and cook until start boiling. Check the salt for taste, add cracked bulgar wheat, mix well and place the lid again, and reduce the heat to medium low or low. Cook for 10 minutes or until all the water absorbed. Add 1tsp of ghee at the end and turn off the heat. Before serving upma, sprinkle some lime juice and serve with ginger chutney.

Millet and Quinoa Bisibelabath in instant pot.




Ingredients:

6 hours or over night soaked millets ( Foxtail)- 1cup

Quinoa- 1/2 cup (wash at least 2 times to reduce the bitterness)

Toor Dal - 1 cup 

Tamarind pulp- 1-1 1/2 Tbsp

Diced onions- 1/2 cup 

Diced carrots- 1/2 cup

Chopped beans- 1/2 cup

Frozen Peas - 1/2 cup

Diced tomatoes- 1/2 cup

Diced Beera and Sora - 3/4 cup

Chopped green chilies- 1 Tbsp

Curry leaves -few

Cilantro- little 

Turmeric- 1/2 tsp

Oil -2Tbsp

 Cumin Seeds -1Tbsp

Besibela masala powder-3-4 Tbsp

Hing(Asaphoetida)-1/2 tsp.

Salt - 1 tsp. or to taste 

Water- 3 1/2-4 cups 

Method:

Turn the instant pot to sauté mode. Place the oil and wait until it becomes hot, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and hing. Add onions, green chilies sauté for a minute or two, add toor dal and sauté together for 3-4 minutes. Add remaining vegetables, millets, quinoa, tamarind pulp, besibela masala powder, turmeric and salt, mix well and add 3 1/2-4 cups water or until 1/2 “ more  level. If someone like more liquidy, add 1 more cup of water. Check the salt and cover the lid and change from sauté mode to pressure cook ( make sure pressure valve is closed) and cook for 15 minutes. Once pressure relieves naturally, open the lid add cilantro and cashews mix well and serve hot, with papadams.



Paneer, Mawa Burfi



Ingredients:

Milk or Whipping cream -3/4 cup

Milk Mawa powder- 2 cups 

Condensed milk-1 can 

Finley grated paneer -1 cup

Grated fresh or frozen coconut- 2Tbsp

Sugar -1/2 cup

Ghee - 1/4-1/3 cup

Finely chopped pistachios- 1 Tbsp

Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp

Saffron- few strands ( soak in couple of Tbsp milk)

Parchment paper 

Method:

First pan fry grated coconut for 2-3 minutes and set aside. In a nonstick or ceramic pan place whipping cream or milk, add Mawa powder mix well and stir continuously on medium heat until thickens. Add condensed milk and stir again 10-12 minutes, add paneer and coconut, mix very well and check the sweetness ( if needed add 2-3 Tbsp sugar) and stir continuously on medium heat, for another 10-12 min. Make sure not to turn brown or burn. Add ghee, mix well, cook while continuous stirring until to get the ball formation and also make sure to see not to stick to the pan. Add cardamom powder and saffron milk mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. It should look like a soft chapati dough. At this time take out from the pan place in parchment paper, work with hands without touching hot sweet. Massage for 5 minutes using parchment paper, then with rolling pin roll into desired thickness. Sprinkle pistachios on top, roll again gently. Cut the burfi into diamond shapes or squares. Ones it’s completely cools down burfi will be ready for serving.


Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Ragi Semiya ( Vermicelli) Upma.




Ingredients:

Ragi Semiya ( vermicelli) - 1 pkt.

Finely diced onions- 1/2 - 3/4 cup

Grated carrots- 1/4 cup 

Finely diced tomatoes- 1/2 cup

Finely diced potatoes -1/2 cup 

Green peas (optional)

Grated fresh coconut- 1Tbsp (optional)

Salt -1tsp. Or to taste

Seasoning:

Oil- 2Tbsp

Chana dal - 1 1/2 Tbsp

Urad dal- 1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds-1 1/2 tsp.

Dry red chili pieces- few

Cashews- few ( optional)

Minced ginger-1 Tbsp

Finely diced green chilies- 1Tbsp.

Curry leaves- few

Method:

Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds, when they splatter add Chana dal, urad dal red chilies and cashews. Wait until dals turn little brown, add curry leaves, ginger, green chilies and coconut, fry for 30 seconds and add onions. Fry until onions clarify, add potatoes, tomatoes, green peas, carrots and half the salt mix well and cover the lid, cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile as per instructions on the Ragi vermicelli package, soak the vermicelli in room temperature water for exactly 3 minutes and discard all the water. This step is very important. If you soak in hot water or soak longer time vermicelli will become mushy. 

Remove the lid from pot, mix all the vegetables once, check the potatoes are cooked. Then add the soaked vermicelli, sprinkle remaining salt and gently mix everything well. Cover the lid and cook for 3 - 4 minutes on low heat to absorb all the flavors together. Check the salt.

Serve hot with any chutney or chutney powder. Can be served with raitha also. This dish can be eaten as breakfast or lunch.


 

Mixed dal (Lentils) Dosa with millets.







Ingredients:

Urad dal-1/2 cup

Whole moong- 1/2 cup

Moong dal- 1/2 cup

Toor dal-1/2 cup

Chana dal- 1/2 cup

Masoor dal-1/2 cup

Black eyed peas-1/2 cup

Millets -1 cup

Ginger - 1-2” piece

Green chilies-3-4

Cumin seeds-1tsp

Salt - 11/2 tsp or to taste

Oil for making dosas.

Method:

Soak all the dals and millets 5- 6 hours. Grind all of them like a dosa dough and ferment overnight. Next day add the salt and water until desirable consistency for dosa dough. Make dosas and serve with chutney powder or ginger or coconut chutney. Dosas comes very crispy. Same dough can be used for making uthappams also, by adding diced onions, curry leaves, cilantro, grated ginger, finely chopped green chilies and cumin seeds.





Saturday, December 19, 2020

Plantain or Banana inner stem ( Arati Doota) curry.





 Ingredients:

Chopped doota (stem) after removing the fiber- 1 cup 

Chana dal - 1/3 cup

Diced onions- 1/2 cup

Grated fresh coconut- 1/3 cup

Finely chopped green chilies- 1Tbsp

Finely chopped ginger- 1Tbsp

Curry leaves- few

Dry red chilies-2

Mustard seeds-1tsp

Urad dal- 1Tbsp

Cumin seeds-1tsp

Salt - 1tsp or to taste

Oil- 2Tbsp

Turmeric-1/4 tsp

Method:

First boil the chopped banana stem by adding little salt and turmeric for 5 minutes, drain the water and keep the cooked stem aside. Cook the Chana dal also for 10 minutes simultaneously in a separate pot, while stem is cooking. Dal can be cooked, but still should be firm drain the water and set aside. Once both are ready, heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, wait until they splatter add dry red chilies, Chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves, fry until dals turn brown. Add green chilies, ginger and chopped onion, fry until onions clarify. Add cooked dal, banana stem, remaining salt and grated coconut and mix well, cover the pan and cook on low heat for 7-8 minutes, until all the flavors blend together. Check the salt adjust if needed. Serve hot with Rice


Diabetic friendly vegetable Idli w/ Moong dal and millets.




Ingredients:

Moong dal - 2 cups ( soak for 2 hours)

Millets -1/2 cup (soak for 2 hours)

Finely diced carrots- 1/3 cup 

Finely diced onions- 1/3 cup

Finely chopped spinach-1/3 cup

Finely diced ginger -1 Tbsp

Finely diced green chilies-1Tbsp

Finely diced snap beans-1/3 cup

Grated fresh coconut-2Tbsp (optional)

Chopped cilantro- 1/3 cup

Curry leaves - few

Oil-1Tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1tsp

Cumin seeds-1tsp

Hing (Asafoetida)-1/4 tsp

Salt- 1 tsp or to taste.

Eno salt -1/2 tsp.

Method:

First heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they are splattering, add cumin seeds, curry leaves, hing, green chilies, ginger and all the diced vegetables except cilantro. Add little salt and cover the pan, cook for 5-7 minutes in medium low heat. Meanwhile grind coarsely, soaked moong dal and millets using very little water, transfer to the bowl ( make sure not to grind like a fine paste). Let it cool the vegetable mixer for 2-3 minutes, add all the cooked vegetables and cilantro to the moong dal and millet bowl, mix well and add remaining salt and check the taste. At this time if you are not planning to use all of it, take the amount needed add Eno salt and mix gently and prepare Idlis. Steaming time is 12-15 minutes. Serve them with ginger pickle, or any chutney.

With the same dough one can make Uthappam, Gunta Pongadalu also. If you add roasted sesame seeds and little more separate seasoning in the bottom of the pan, and pour the same dough mixture, cover and cook for 15 minutes in medium heat, one can make like Handvo.