Category Archives: Breakfast

Breakfast, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Wheat roti /Kothumai roti from wet grinding

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
11
Mar

In this recipe of Wheat roti/Kothumai roti the whole wheat is soaked and blended coarsely to a semisolid paste and rotis are made from this. It is another option instead of making the usual dosa. Sometimes we get bored eating the same type of dish every day and at that time this dish becomes handy.

Since it is coarsely ground the fibre content is more and the taste is different from wheat dosa and wheat roti (made from wheat flour). This dish takes good with chutneys as well as gravies like onion chutney, coriander chicken masala or even plain coconut chutney.

Here you do not pour the batter like a dosa nor roll it like the usual roti but you pat it directly on the tawa using hands. If you are not comfortable with your hands you can also use a spoon. I have not used onions and green chillies but if you want you can add to increase flavour.

 

Ingredients

250 g of Whole wheat( for 5 medium sized rotis)

1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

5 teaspoons of oil

Method

Soaking the wheat

Wash the wheat thoroughly. Soak the whole wheat for 2 hours at around 25 to 30°C in around 400 ml of water. Remove the water using a rice strainer.

Grinding the wheat

Transfer the wheat to the mixer .Add salt and blend it. Do not add water.

After some time add water gradually in few drops to form a coarse semi-solid paste. Do not add excess water as it will become watery.

Making of the wheat roti

Take a tawa and heat it .Apply oil using a brush. Do not add excess oil as it will be difficult to pat the batter. Now take a ladleful or handful of batter. Keep it on the tawa and immediately spread it equally on the tawa. You can use your hand or the ladle.

While using your hand if you feel the heat or it is difficult to spread the batter keep adding few drops of water till you get a circular uniform roti.

Now spread a teaspoon of oil uniformly on all sides of the roti Allow the roti to get heated up for around 2 minutes on high medium flame. Flip it over and allow it to cook for another 3 minutes.

If you want crispier roti you can heat it for a longer time.

Remove the roti from the tawa and serve hot with onion chutney…. trust me its the best combination

Breakfast, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Ragi Vermicelli Upma

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
01
Mar

Ragi Vermicelli Upma is a  healthy, holistic South Indian vegetarian dish that can be taken for breakfast. As ragi is calcium-rich and thereby fortifies the bones it can be given to children and the elderly too. This gluten-free, vegan dish helps in checking sugar levels too.

To make it healthier you can add vegetables like carrot, beans and peas too. The same process can be followed for making wheat vermicelli upma, fox millet (thinai) vermicelli upma, pearl millet(kambu)vermicelli upma. A similar recipe is that of Lemon Sevai , which is also healthy.

This upma can taken with coconut chutney, pickle, banana or curd depending on your choice. For children, you can give it with banana. The best option is coconut chutney.

Method

Method for cooking the Ragi Vermicelli

The method varies for a brand and usually this procedure is written in the packet itself. Here I am using Anil brand wheat vermicelli.

Ingredients

180 g ragi vermicelli

1 litres water


Method

Take water in a big vessel. 

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Add the ragi vermicelli to the water so that it is fully immersed in water for 2 minutes. This is done to soften the ragi vermicelli.

Draining of water

Drain the water immediately. Remember you can’t use a colander as the vermicelli can easily pass through the holes. So you can use a micro-perforated strainer. If you do not have a strainer you can drain the water using the following method.
Close the vessel with a lid, hold the lid and the vessel together and slightly tilt the vessel so that only the water comes out. Finally, all the water is drained and only the softened vermicelli remains.

Cooking of the Ragi Vermicelli

Place this ragi vermicelli on an idli plate as shown below. Do not overcrowd it. You can use two idli plates if you want.

Keep this in an idli cooker and steam it for around 8 minutes. After the 8th minute, switch off the flame and remove the idli plates from the idli vessel. Allow it to cool.

Preparation of the ragi vermicelli upma

Ingredients

3 tablespoon oil

1 big onion (finely chopped)

2 big chillies(finely chopped)

1/4 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon broken urad dhal

1/2 teaspoon chana dhal

2 pinches asafoetida(hing)

a sprig of curry leaves

1teaspoon salt or salt to taste

1 tablespoon coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Method

Heat the pan or Kadai and pour oil. Wait for 2 minutes for the oil to get heated. Add mustard and allow it to splutter.

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At this stage add urad dhal, chana dhal and asafoetida. Let the urad dhal turn slightly brown.

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Now add onions, green chillies and curry leaves and saute. 

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Saute till the onions turn slightly brown.

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Then add the cooked ragi vermicelli and sprinkle the salt. Mix well. Finally, garnish with coriander leaves. Mix well so that the coriander leaves get distributed evenly and serve hot.


Enjoy the tasty dish with coconut chutney:)

Breakfast, Egg, Non Veg Recipes, Recipe Index, Recipes

French Toast

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
23
Feb

This amazing simple dish is called pain perdu meaning “lost bread” in France while some call it Bombay toast or French toast. Whatever the name may be the basic process is the same. The bread is dipped in an egg-milk mix to give a custard-like taste. This mix is flavoured and sugared as per your taste.

Mostly thick bread slices are preferred. If you use thin slices of bread just dip it in the egg-milk mix and take it out immediately. Otherwise, the bread will become soggy and it will be difficult for handling. For better results, toast the bread. A perfect French toast should be crispy.

Usually, 1 egg for 50 ml milk (approximately) is taken. (In terms of the cup, for 1 egg 1/4 cup of milk is taken.)

Usually, butter is used for French toast. As butter has a low melting point the bread gets burnt very fast. In order to prevent the burning of bread, you can use any oil with a high melting point. Here I have used vegetable oil. You can also use olive oil. This increases the crispiness of bread.

Ingredients

2 teaspoon oil

2 eggs

100 ml or 1 cup (approximately) of milk

4 slices bread

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

Method

Preparation of the mix

Add all the ingredients except the oil and bread into a shallow mixing bowl. Mix well using a whisker.

Preparation of French Toast

Take a tawa or a skillet or a grill pan and heat it. Then add butter and allow it to melt. Now toast the bread on both sides on a low medium flame so that it turns slightly brown in colour. Keep it aside.

Pour a few drops of oil on the tawa. Dip the bread in the egg-milk mix and remove it immediately. This is a very crucial step as the bread will tend to become soggy if kept for a long time.

Place it on the tawa. Heat it on a low medium flame for a minute and turn it over. Continue heating for another minute and remove from the tawa.

Top it with honey and berries lavishly and enjoy your French Toast 🙂

Breakfast, Chutney, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Kovakkai Chutney/Ivy Gourd Chutney/Dondakaya Chutney

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
19
Jan

Kovakkai chutney or Ivy gourd chutney is a South Indian vegan dish that is very tasty. This goes well with dosa, idli and uttapam.

This vegetarian recipe can also be taken with rice. While taking with rice you can add a small piece of tamarind (1/2 inch)when you are sauteing the kovakkai, tomatoes and green chillies.

It is known as Kovakkai (in tamil) and Dondakaya (in telugu). There are several other names like tindora, thondekai and ivy gourd. Kovakkai has several health benefits. Some of them are reducing blood sugar, improving metabolism and bone health.

Now let us see how to make Kovakkai chutney…

Ingredients for tempering

1/2 tablespoons oil

1/4 teaspoon mustard

1 teaspoon  urad dhal

 2 pinches asafoetida

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

a sprig of curry  leaves

Other ingredients

2 tablespoons oil

7 Kovakais/Ivy gourd (chopped in small circles)

4 medium-sized tomatoes(chopped)

3 green chillies

1/4 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

Sauteing

Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add 1 and a half tablespoon of oil and allow the oil to get heated. Add the chopped Kovakkai / Ivy Gourd and saute for a few minutes until it turns slightly brown in colour. 


Now add the tomatoes, green chillies and salt. Saute further.

 

Saute till the tomatoes become mushy and the green chillies change their colour. Then put off the flame. Allow the tomato-kovakkai masala to cool and then grind it.

Grinding of the tomato-kovakkai masala

Grind the tomato- kovakkai masala first without adding water. If required you can add very little water( a few drops) but remember not to add more. Pour the ground chutney in a bowl.

Tempering of the chutney

Note: Always do tempering on a low – medium flame.

Take a tempering pan and heat it. Add 1/2 tablespoon oil and heat for 1 minute. Then add mustard and allow it to splutter. 

Add asafoetida and urad dhal. Let the urad dhal turn slightly brown.

At this juncture, add the cumin seeds.

Then without further delay, add curry leaves. You will notice that the curry leaves become crispy with time. Switch off the flame and add this to the ground chutney in the bowl. 

Give a quick stir to find your kovakkai chutney ready!! 🙂

Serve the chutney with either dosa, idli or uttapam.

Breakfast, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Lemon Sevai

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
12
Jan

Lemon sevai is a preferred healthy dish for a busy morning. It can also be eaten for dinner or tiffin and tastes good with coconut chutney. It is healthier than noodles. It is apt for all especially elderly, working people and children.

In the olden days, the process of making idiyappam was a lengthy process but nowadays we can use ready-made idiyappam. Ready-made idiyappam is available in 2 types

  1. Cooked Idiyappam that is ready to be added to the masala – it becomes even easier to cook.
  2. Uncooked Idiyappam that is available as idiyappam sticks or rice sevai in packets.

In both cases, the masala remains the same. First, let us see how to cook the idiyappam sticks or rice sevai. Usually, the method is written in the packet itself and it varies for each brand. But in case the method is not available then the following procedure can be followed.


For cooking the Idiyappam sticks or rice sevai

Ingredients

200 g ready-made idiyappam sticks or rice sevai

1 litres water


Method

Boil the water in a big vessel.


Add the rice sevai so that it is fully immersed in the water. 

 

Leave for 5 minutes or till it becomes soft.Drain the water using a colander.

Note:  Add cold water and drain so that it stops further cooking and thereby sticking to each other.


For making Lime Sevai


Ingredients

2 tbsps oil

1/4 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp broken urad dhal

2 pinches asafoetida powder

1 sprig curry leaves(chopped)

1 big onion (finely chopped)

3 green chilies (finely chopped)

1/4 tsp ginger(finely cut or crushed)

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 lime

 1 tsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)

1/2 tsp or salt to taste


Method


Heat the pan or Kadai and pour oil. You can add more oil if required. Wait for 2 minutes for the oil to get heated. Add mustard and allow it to splutter.

 

At this stage add urad dhal and asafoetida.

 

Let the urad dhal turn slight brown.


Now add onions, curry leaves, green chilies and ginger paste and saute.

 

Saute till the onions become golden brown as shown in the picture.


Add the cooked rice sevai, lemon juice and salt. Mix all these together.

Garnish the dish with coriander leaves. You can also add roasted cashew nuts if you want.

Your Lemon sevai is ready to taste. Enjoy with coconut chutney: )

Breakfast, Egg, Non Veg Recipes, Recipe Index

Egg Mayo Sandwich

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
12
Jan

Egg Mayo Sandwich or Egg and Mayonnaise sandwich is the easiest of all sandwiches as cutting of vegetables is not required. Eating an egg is the best way to start your day, as egg is protein-rich and an egg mayo sandwich will be the best way out with no cooking required. (except the egg, of course:)

It is an easy choice for beginners or novice cooks.

Ingredients

4 eggs

6 slices bread (soft)

6 tbsp mayonnaise

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt or salt to taste

Method

Boiling of eggs

Place 4 eggs in a large pan or vessel and fill it with water. The water level should be such that it immerses the eggs fully and it is 2 inches above. Add 1/4 tsp of salt to prevent eggs from cracking. Allow the water (with the eggs) to get heated first on a high flame. After it starts boiling, lower the flame to medium and keep heating the water for around 15 minutes.

Cooking the eggs for less than 15 minutes will make it difficult for you to peel and cooking it for a longer time will make it rubbery.

Cool the eggs completely before peeling. You can use cold water to fasten the process of cooling.

Peel the eggs and keep it ready in a mixing bowl.

Making of  the egg-mayo mixture

Take the boiled eggs and place them in a bowl.

 

Now add mayonnaise, pepper, and salt to the eggs.

Using a spoon cut the eggs into smaller pieces( the pieces should be distinct). Mix thoroughly.

Making of  sandwich

Place the bread on a plate. Cut the sides of it as shown in the picture.

 

Spread the egg-mayo mixture on the bread slice.

 

Now place another bread slice over it and press slightly from above.

 

Then cut the bread diagonally. You can also cut the sandwich in any other shape of your choice.

 

And voila!! Your egg-mayo sandwich is ready to eat:)

P.S. It tastes best when relished immediately 

Breakfast, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Wheat Rava Upma(Broken Wheat Rava Upma)

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
12
Jan

Wheat rava upma, an Indian dish, is a healthy breakfast that is simple and easy to cook. It also can be taken as an evening meal or dinner. 
Having the grain as Upma is the desirable option as it is tastier. However, when the wheat rava is boiled and taken, it is extremely bland and plain to eat. If you further want to increase the flavour, ghee can also be added (kids love it 🙂
 The preferences for the side dish for this recipe varies from person to person, some love to eat with a banana while others love it with pickles. Even Indian sidedishes like sambar and chutney can be taken with it. People also prefer it with curd.

This recipe is also absolutely delicious when it is made with small onions. However, if there is a time constraint then you should opt for big onions as it saves the peeling time.

Ingredients

250 g  of wheat / gothumai / samba rava 

4 tablespoon of oil 

1 tablespoon of ghee

1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 pinch asafoetida powder

1/2 teaspoon fennel (optional)

15 small onions or 1 big onion( cut into two incase of small onions and finely cut incase of a big onion)

3 green chillies (finely chopped)

1-inch ginger (finely chopped)

a sprig curry leaves

a handful of coriander leaves(finely chopped)

1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add oil and allow it to get heated. 

 

Temper with mustard and asafoetida. At this stage, you can add fennel if you want.

Add the chopped onions and ginger and stir further. 

Now, let’s add the green chilies and curry leaves and saute till the onions become golden brown.

 

At this stage add water in the ratio 2:1(2 parts water & 1 part rava). Here I have used 500ml of water for 250 g of wheat rava. You can add more water if you want the rava to be softer.

 

Boil the water and then add the rava slowly while stirring the water to avoid the formation of lumps. Add salt and ghee and mix well.

 

Now, close the lid and keep it on a slow flame for 10 minutes. Give a stir. Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

 

Yippee!! The wheat rava upma is ready!! Serve hot and enjoy, don’t forget to tell me how it is in the comments:)

Breakfast, Pasta/Noodles, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Spaghetti Arrabbiata(A spicy Italian Recipe)

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
01
Jan

Spaghetti Arrabbiata is a spicy Italian recipe.Arrabbiata sauce is a combination of red chilli flakes, tomatoes and garlic in olive oil. It is a very tasty delicious recipe that is simple and easy to make.

Arrabbiata means “angry” which relates to the spiciness of the recipe. Mostly penne pasta is used but I use spaghetti here. This is the recipe that I follow and would like to share it with you as it is very tasty.

Precautions to be followed while making the spaghetti

  • Always add enough water

          For boiling spaghetti, more water is required. The vessel should be big enough so that the entire spaghetti is completely submerged in water so that it floats in water. The amount of water should be more.

  • Do not overcook the spaghetti

        When cooked the spaghetti is uniform in colour and soft.If it underdone you can see a white core in the innerside.Just as it is cooked it should be immersed into the sauce.So keep the sauce ready.After you add the spaghetti to the sauce ,mix well and do not cook for more than  2 minutes.

  • Do not add oil while boiling the spaghetti

         Adding oil to the spaghetti does not prevent it from sticking together. If oil is not added to the spaghetti then it is possible for the sauce to stick or get absorbed.This increases the taste.

  • Do not drain the water completely from the spaghetti

       Drain the spaghetti fast and dump it into the pan containing sauce immediately.Nevermind if there is little water as this will help in the proper mixing of pasta and sauce.The remaining water will help in diluting the sauce.

  • Eat the spaghetti immediately

       As soon as you prepare the spaghetti have it immediately while it is hot.Do not allow it to sit.You can get the best taste of the spaghetti when it is taken hot

      The combination of herbs along with the sauce to the spaghetti makes it an excellent dish that tingles our taste buds. Here we go into this amazing recipe….

Ingredients:

200 g spaghetti 

4 medium-sized blanched tomatoes 

1 teaspoon tomato ketchup

2 teaspoons olive oil

5 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 and a 1/2 tablespoon chilli flakes

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1and a 1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

The method involves three steps

1.Preparation of tomato sauce

2. Boiling the Spaghetti

3. Preparation of Spaghetti Arrabbiata

Now let us see in detail.

    1. Preparation of tomato sauce

Blanching of tomatoes

Wash and remove the stem part of the tomatoes. Give a small cut on top of the tomatoes and place it in a vessel. Pour around 400 ml of water. Allow it to boil for around 5 minutes. Remove from flame and strain the tomato. Then run cold water so that further boiling of tomatoes stops. Peel the skin.

Making tomato sauce

Place the peeled tomatoes in a mixer. Add 1 teaspoon tomato ketchup and 1/2 tablespoon chilli flakes and grind.

    2. Boiling the Spaghetti

Take 1500 ml of water in a large vessel and allow it to boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Then add spaghetti to it. The vessel should be big enough so that the entire spaghetti is completely submerged in water so that it floats in water.

Note:  If only partial spaghetti is immersed then you will end up with spaghetti cooked unevenly that is one part that is immersed in water will be cooked whereas the other part which is not immersed in water will not be cooked.

Cook for 12 minutes.

Using a colander remove the water. Reserve a bit of pasta cooked water and be ready to dump it into the pan containing the sauce.

  3. Preparation of Spaghetti Arrabbiata

Take a pan and add 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Allow it to get heated for 2 minutes. Then add the chopped garlic and saute till it turns golden brown. 


Then add 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes. Then sprinkle the oregano and thyme. (mixed herbs can also be used instead of thyme) and stir till the flavour of the ingredients mixes with the oil.

 

Now add the prepared tomato sauce to this. 

Allow it to boil and keep it on low flame for 10 minutes or till it reaches the right consistency. Then add sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix well.

Add spaghetti and mix well. Allow the spaghetti to blend with the sauce. 

Note : You can also add pizza sauce 

And… there you go!! The Spaghetti Arrabbiata is ready 🙂 

Enjoy and share your experience in the comments!!

 

Breakfast, Chutney, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Tomato Kara Chutney

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
01
Jan

Tomato Kara chutney is a simple spicy chutney that can be prepared very easily. I usually choose it if I have to cook very fast. This South Indian recipe goes well with idli, dosa and uttapam. The tangy taste of tomatoes along with garlic and chilli powder makes the dish very tasty.

Adding a little gingelly oil to the spicy tomato chutney further enhances its flavour. As no coconut is included in the tomato kara chutney, the shelf- life of it is longer. Adding gingelly oil also acts as a preservative.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons oil

5 medium-sized tomatoes (cut haphazardly)

1 pod garlic

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon urad dhal

a sprig of curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

Grinding

Take the tomatoes and garlic in a mixer grinder and grind well.

 

Tempering

Tempering should be done in low-medium flame only.

Now you need to temper the above paste. For this take a Kadai or tempering pan. Heat it and add oil. Allow the oil to get heated for a minute. Add mustard and allow it to splutter.

Now add urad dhal and cumin seeds. Let the urad dhal turn slightly brown.

Immediately add asafoetida and red chilli powder and stir. The colour of the chilli powder will change. 

Without further delay add curry leaves and give a quick stir. 

Note:Add curry leaves instantly as the colour of the chilli powder changes from red to darker red. Otherwise the chilli powder will get overheated and turn black.

Then add the ground mixture to it. Add salt and allow it to boil for 5 minutes. 

To increase the taste you can also add a little gingelly oil.

Enjoy this spicy kara chutney with hot idlis, dosa or uttapam.

Happy Eating 🙂

Breakfast, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

How to cook Oats? (With Dry Fruits)

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
01
Jan

Oats, being among the healthiest grains on earth, is usually taken as oatmeal or porridge for breakfast. Oatmeal is made by boiling oats in water or milk. As oats cook very fast it is the perfect choice for breakfast for many including children.

Before we go into the recipe let me share with you a little knowledge of Oats. Oat groats are the most intact and whole form of oats that requires a long time to cook. Hence rolled, crushed or steel-cut oats are preferred.

Instant(quick)oats are a highly processed variety that cooks faster. Here in this recipe, we use instant(quick) oats that are easily available in the market.

Now let us see how to cook oats. It is a really simple process.

Ingredients

2 cup Milk/water

1 cup oats(instant/quick oats)

Method

Take a pan and add oats.

 

Now add the milk and mix well. Usually, the ratio of oats to milk is 1:2 but if you want you can make it more watery by adding more water.

Note: If you are a vegan, you can add water only.

 

Heat it on a low-medium flame giving an occasional stir till you get the required consistency to get oatmeal.

 

Adding bananas, sugar/honey and dry fruits.

Transfer the oatmeal to a mixing bowl.

In this recipe, I am adding bananas, honey and dry fruits. The fruit and dry fruits can be changed accordingly. Remember to add fruits to oatmeal only when it cools to avoid any reactions and thereby change of colour.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon of sugar or honey(optional)

2 bananas(cut)

5 almonds

5 black raisins

Add bananas only when the porridge gets cooled to room temperature otherwise, it will change its colour. 

 

Mix well and add almonds, honey and black raisins.

Note: If you are adding sugar you can add it immediately to the oatmeal and mix well, however, if you are adding honey allow it to cool and then add honey.

Dates can also be added but if you are adding dates you can reduce the sugar/honey to avoid making the dish very sweet.

Voila! It’s time to relish your tasty and healthy oatmeal!

Enjoy the dish and stay healthy 🙂