Rava Kitchadi

Rava Kitchadi is one of the easiest recipe to prepare, I personally like because of its soft texture and flavor of ghee. When there is perfect side dish like coconut chutney, kitchadi becomes more delicious. Also best alternative to usual upma.

Ingredients:

Rava / Sooji – 1 cup

Semiya / Vermicelli – 1/2 cup

Onion – 1 no

Tomato – 1no

Carrot – 1no (finely chopped)

Beans – 8no (finely chopped)

Green chilly – 4 no

Water – 3 cup

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Ghee –1 tbsp

To Temper:

Oil –2 tbsp

Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp

Urad Dhal – 1 tsp

Channa Dhal – 1 tsp

Cashews few

Curry leaves few

Method:

• Heat oil in kadai, add the ingredients listed under temper section.
• When the mustard seed starts splutters add onion, green chilly. Fry until onion becomes soft and then add tomato. Sauté until tomato become mushy.
• Add the chopped veggies and sauté for one minute.  

• Now add water 3 cup and when it starts boiling, add salt & turmeric powder.

•  Keep the flame low and add the semiya first after one minute mix slowly with sooji. Keep stirring continuously without forming any lumps.

• Cook in low flame till the rava gets cooked and soft.
• Finally add some ghee and mix well.
• Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Note:

• Dry roast the rava / sooji to light golden brown color and use it works best.
• Don't cook veggie too soft. Could also use veggies like potatoes, fresh peas.
• Don't avoid adding ghee, it gives nice flavor and it last long.
• Kitchadi could also be made without semiya / Vermicelli. But reduce the water by 2 cups. I personally like kitchadi with both semiya & sooji.

Godhumai Dosai / Wheat Dosa

I make this dosa for every two weeks once. It is one of the bachelor’s recipe too. My hubby said that before marriage he use to prepare this dosa often as it’s very easy to prepare for dinner. It is very comfort and tastes delicious too.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour – 1cup
Rice flour – 1/2 cup
Green chilli – 2no
Curry leaves few
Mustard seeds
Hing – 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

• In a bowl mix wheat flour, rice flour, silted green chilli, curry leaves, hing and required salt and mix well with water into thin batter without any lumps and temper with mustard seeds.


• Let the batter sit for half an hour.
• Heat tawa and take one ladle full of batter and spread starting from end and finish with middle in a circular motion as you prepare for rava dosa. Drizzle some oil and cook on both sides.

Serve hot with Chutney or Sambar.

Note:

• For crispy dosa the consistency of the batter should be watery as we prepare for rava dosa.
• Reduce the quantity of rice flour into 1/4 cup for soft dosa.

Spicy/ Kara Dosa

This is so tasty and spicy dosa which is my family’s favorite. A variation for usual dosa with flavorful taste. The best thing is, the kitchen will be filled with a nice aroma while making the dosa which is really tastes yummy.

Ingredients :

Raw rice – 1cup
Parboiled rice – 3/4cup
Toor dhal – 3/4cup
Onion - 1
Red chili – 6
Tamarind small piece
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Coriander leaves – few
Garlic – 2no
Ginger – 1”piece
Cumin seeds – 1/4tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4tsp
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds – 1/4tsp
Curry leaves few

For Garnishing:

Onion – 2cup (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves few (finely chopped)

Method:

• Wash and soak the raw rice, parboiled rice and toor dhal together for two hours.
• Grind it along with other ingredients into fine batter.
• Let this batter ferment for four hours.
• Dilute with water into dosa batter consistency.
• Then season with the mustard seeds and curry leaves.



• Now heat a skillet and pour a ladle of batter in a circular way and sprinkle chopped onions (optional) (I personally like adding more onions on dosa) and coriander leaves and add a tsp of oil.
• When it turns slight brown in the edges flip it over and make a crisp on other side too.

Serve it hot with Onion chutney, pickle or curd.
Note:

• The batter can make dosa without ferment too but gives different taste.
• Even can sauté onions and mix in batter itself and make dosa.
• You can enjoy it plain spicy dosa without adding onion and coriander leaves.

Ven Pongal & Dhal Chutney

One of the most popular dish for breakfast in India especially in south. Its special because it has right mix of protein and carbos. Pongal given in temple as prasadam is very tasty, so here I tried to reach that taste. Normally Ven Pongal is served with coconut chutney or sambhar. But for a change I present here with dhal chutney. This is also equally good in taste, actually both complement each other.

Ven Pongal

Ingredients :

Raw rice - 1 cup
Moong dal - ½ cup
Ginger - 1 tsp finely chopped
Green chili – 1no
Water – 4cups
Milk – ½ cup
Pepper corns - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cashew nuts – few
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt to taste



Method:

• Heat a pan, add the moong dal and dry roast on a medium flame till the raw smell disappears and take care don’t let burn and keep aside.
• Wash the rice and soak along with moong dhal together in four cups of water for 15 minute.
• Heat oil in a pressure pan and fry the chopped ginger till golden brown and add silted green chilly.
• Now add the soaked rice and dhal with water and milk ½ cup add salt for taste.



• Pressure cooks for 4 to 5 whistles.
• In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of ghee and add the peppercorns, cumin seeds, cashew nuts and asafoetida and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
• Add this to the Pongal and mix well.

Yummy Ven Pongal is ready to serve hot with Dhal Chutney.

Note:

• Even can crushed the pepper corns and add it to pongal.
• Adding milk to pongal gives rich and creamy taste.
• Don’t avoid adding ginger it give nice flavor for pongal.
• pongal has to be a little watery of runny type to make more delcious.

Dhal Chutney

Ingredients :

Urad dhal – 2tbsp
Channa dhal -1tbsp
Green chili – 3no
Tamarind – 1tsp
Jaggery – 1tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt for taste

Method:

• Take a tsp of oil in a pan and fry all the ingredients except jaggery to a golden brown for a while.
• Now grind with jaggery into a fine paste by adding less water.
• Finally season it with mustard and curry leaves.

Dhal chutney is ready to serve with Ven Pongal.

Note:

• Dhal chutney goes well with paniyaram also.
• For chutney tadka is optional.

Yogurt Oatmeal Smoothie

Oats are these days is increasingly a part of morning cereal breakfast, which fights against high cholesterol and heart diseases. It is great smoothies to kick start the day. It’s not only rich in nutrition and also very filling.

Ingredients :

Quick cooking oats - 2 tbsp
Banana - 1
Yogurt / curd -1/2 cup (homemade yogurt)
Honey - for taste
Ice cubes - few
Vanilla ice cream - 1 scoop
Nuts - few(chopped finely)

Method :

Chop the banana roughly.
Blend banana, oats, yogurt, honey and ice cubes and blend until smooth texture.
Serve chill with scoop of vanilla ice cream and chopped nuts on top.
Enjoy the soothing smoothie... : )

Tips:

• Replace the yogurt with milk also to make smoothie.
• You can also add almond or vanilla essence few drops instead of vanilla ice cream.
• Yogurt should be fresh.
• You could try with other fruits like strawberry, apple.

Granola Bar

Imagine a health snack that fills stomach and can stand the hungry for long hours, introducing Granola Bars. Easy to prepare and yummy in taste. The best part is Granola Bars will also fit in your breakfast menu list. Basically the ingredients are very healthy and less in cholesterol i.e., oats, nuts, seeds and cornflakes etc.

It’s a combo of fibre, fruits and nuts which have a rich in vitamins and oats contain antioxidants which promotes for a good health. So it is a good choice for your daily intake.

Ingredients :

Oats - 1 cup
Corn flakes - ½ cup
Almonds - 5 finely chopped
cashew - 5 finely chopped
Peanuts - 2 tbsp
Seasme seed - 1 tbsp
Pumpkin seed - 2tbsp
Sunflower seeds - 2 tbsp
Black Raisins - 1 tbsp
Dates - 4 nos
Honey - ½ cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Brown sugar - 2 tbsp
Salt a pinch

Method :

• Dry roast oats, corn flakes, chopped nuts, dry fruits and seeds in a pan for 10 minutes till they turns slightly browning and keep aside.
  
• Allow them to cool for some time.


• In a sauce pan add butter heat it and add honey, sugar and mix it on a medium flame until sugar starts melts and bubble up. Switch off the stove.


• Now immediately add the roasted oats and other ingredients to the prepared syrup and a pinch of salt and mix well until the mixture is coated with syrup.


• That’s it, transfer the mix to a butter sheet and spread it evenly using a wooden ladle to ½ inch thickness and cover the top with another butter sheet and press them to smooth.





• Allow them to cool for 10 minutes then cut them into desired shape.


• Once the granola bars comes to room temperature store them in airtight container and enjoy it.

Crunchy Granola bars are ready to eat. Have a break with granola bars.... :)

Tips:

1. Even can use white sugar instead of brown sugar.
2. You can use dry fruits and nuts of your choice like walnuts, cranberries, muesli etc., to make tastier.
3. Don't over roast the ingredients and it will spoil the taste.