Sabudana Chana Vada | Sago Pearls and Chickpea Patty [Vegan & GF]

Sabudana vada is a traditional Maharastrian snack eaten during fasting / upvas. I was trying to avoid potatoes in my diet, so I replaced it with chickpeas or kabuli chana. This vada (patty) is a fusion between the traditional Sabudana Vada and the Middle Eastern Falafel. Although both the original snacks are deep fried, I shallow fried. 

Deep frying definitely makes them tastier, but then, doesn't it always do it? I watched an older episode of Eat Street on TV, where they showed a truck that deep fried Cup cakes. I wonder how that tastes. 

The chickpea in the vada increases the protein content of the vada. It also adds a nuttiness to it. You can eat it just as it is or add it in a burger like I did. I used the dry chickpeas that I soaked overnight, you can replace this with canned chickpeas as well. The sabudana or the sago pearls sold in supermarket are dried. They need to be soaked to fluff up and become spongy. You can add spices to enhance the flavor.

All the work in this recipe is during the preparation stage, the cooking is actually a no brainer - grind, mix and fry. That's it! 

This vada is vegan and gluten free.

Step by Step Instructions:




1) Soak the kabuli chana or chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight.Drain the water and keep aside.
You can use canned chickpeas as well. Skip the above steps if using canned chickpeas. Wash and drain the canned chickpeas. Use 2 cups of canned chickpeas.
2) Soak the sabudana in 2 cups of water and leave aside for 1/2 hour.Drain the water and cover and keep it aside for 2 hours.If you plan on making this for breakfast, then after draining the water, cover and keep it aside overnight.
3) Grind the peanuts into a coarse powder.
4) Grind together the chickpeas and green chillies coarsely.
5) Add the ground peanuts, sabudana, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt and mix well.
6) Shape into patties / vadas.



7) Heat around 2 Tbsp of oil in a shallow pan for shallow frying. You can decide to deep fry it too.
8) Once the oil is hot, add the vadas to the pan and cook on medium heat.
9) Flip the vadas when the first side is browned and cook it until the other side browned.
10) Serve hot with coriander chutney or ketchup.

Sabudana Chana Vada | Sago Pearls and Chickpea Patty

Pan fried patties/ vada made with sabudana (sago pearls) and kabuli chana (chickpeas). Vegan and gluten free.

Recipe Type:  Snacks /Breakfast
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     8 hours (Including soaking time) or 3 hours (If using canned chickpeas)
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              7-8 vadas

Ingredients:

1 cup dry Kabuli Chana / Chickpeas
1.5 cups of dry Sabudana / Sago Pearls
1/2 cup of roasted Peanuts
1-2 Green Chillies
7-8 Curry Leaves
2 Tbsp of chopped Coriander Leaves
Salt
Water
Oil for frying

Method:

Soak the kabuli chana or chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight.
Drain the water and keep aside.
You can use canned chickpeas as well. Skip the above steps if using canned chickpeas. Wash and drain the canned chickpeas. Use 2 cups of canned chickpeas.
Soak the sabudana in 2 cups of water and leave aside for 1/2 hour.
Drain the water and cover and keep it aside for 2 hours.
If you plan on making this for breakfast, then after draining the water, cover and keep it aside overnight.
Grind the peanuts into a coarse powder.
Grind together the chickpeas and green chillies coarsely.
Add the ground peanuts, sabudana, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt and mix well.
Shape into patties / vadas.
Heat around 2 Tbsp of oil in a shallow pan for shallow frying. You can decide to deep fry it too.
Once the oil is hot, add the vadas to the pan and cook on medium heat.
Flip the vadas when the first side is browned and cook it until the other side browned.
Serve hot with coriander chutney or ketchup.

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Kothimbir Vadi | Pan Fried Coriander and Chickpea Cake

A lot of my food cravings are thanks to the magazines I read. Recently, in one of them, there was this delicious looking Kothimbir Vadi or Coriander Vada photo. It had the traditional recipe following the photo where the vadas are deep fried after being steamed. I love deep fried vadas but they are a big bane to my weight loss program, so I try to modify the recipe to make it healthier.

Recently, I had made the Gujrati Handvo which is a pan fried thick cake, very similar to the recipe in this post. Bells went off in my head! I could try the same with this kothimbir vadi. And to my delight, it turned out very well. Everyone loved it at home and they went missing in minutes.

It tastes the best with some coriander and mint chutney, but goes equally well with tomato ketchup. It is a very good option for a packed lunch as it carries well in boxes. It is versatile, you can have it for breakfast or as a tea time snack.

Step by Step recipe:

1) Blend the ginger, garlic,green chillies and half the coriander leaves into a paste along with a little water.
2) Add it to the chickpea flour along with the semolina, yogurt, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, salt and baking soda.
3) Add a little water to loosen the batter, I added around 1/4 cup.
4) Mix well and keep aside for 10-15

5) Heat a small non stick pan or a kadhai.
6) Add around 2 tsp of oil to it.
7) Once the oil is hot, add the half the mustard seeds.

8) Once they splutter, add half the sesame seeds, half the carom seeds, half the asafoetida and half the curry leaves.

9) Now pour in half the batter.
10) Cover and cook on low heat for around 10-12 mins.

11) Now with the help of 2 spatulas, carefully flip the thick pancake.

12) Allow it to cook until the second side browns.

13) Remove from heat and cut into pieces. Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

Kothimbir Vadi

Pan Fried Coriander and Chickpea Cake.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:              6-8 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups Besan / Chickpea Flour
1/2 cup Fine Semolina / Chiroti Rava
1/2 cup Yogurt / Curd
1 cup chopped Coriander Leaves
3-4 cloves of Garlic
1" piece of Ginger
2-3 Green Chillies
1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
1 tsp of Carom seeds / Ajwain
2 tsp of Sesame seeds / Til
1 tsp of Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of Asafoetida/ Hing
1 tsp of Turmeric Powder
2 sprigs of Curry Leaves
4-5 tsp of Oil
Salt to taste
Water

Method:

Blend the ginger, garlic,green chillies and half the coriander leaves into a paste along with a little water.
Add it to the chickpea flour along with the semolina, yogurt, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, salt and baking soda.
Add a little water to loosen the batter, I added around 1/4 cup.
Mix well and keep aside for 10-15 mins.
Heat a small non stick pan or a kadhai.
Add around 2 tsp of oil to it.
Once the oil is hot, add the half the mustard seeds.
Once they splutter, add half the sesame seeds, half the carom seeds, half the asafoetida and half the curry leaves.
Now pour in half the batter.
Cover and cook on low heat for around 10-12 mins.
Now with the help of 2 spatulas, carefully flip the thick pancake.
Allow it to cook until the second side browns.
Remove from heat and cut into pieces.
Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

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Menthe Pathrode | Methi Pathrode

I never knew gardening could be so much fun. My heart swells with pride every time a seed I sowed, breaks the mud barrier and rises up to face the earth. Those two little green leaves soaking in the sunlight, fill me with hope and love. Some of the easiest things to grow have never worked with me - tomatoes & chillies. For some reason these just refuse to bear fruit in my garden no matter what I do or how much nutrition I give them :( But there are some others which ask for nothing and just give give and give. Spinach is one of them and the other is Fenugreek or Methi or Menthe. I had my own fresh bunch of methi leaves, so I decided to make something special.

I love Pathrode. Traditionally, pathrode is made by rubbing a paste of rice, lentils, coconut and spices onto 

Colocasia leaves/ Kesavina ele, rolling and steaming them. Colocasia leaves are a little difficult to find in Bangalore, they are more common along the Konkan coast of India. In their absence, Methi makes for a good substitute. Here instead of rubbing the leaves with the spice paste, the leaves are chopped and added to the paste and steamed wrapped in banana leaves. If you cannot get banana leaf, do not worry, you can just just steam them in greased bowls.

Clockwise L-R: Ground rice, Spice paste, Steamed pathrode, Pathrode to be steamed

Once they are cooked and cooled, crumble them and stir fry with a tempering of mustard and curry leaves. And don't forget to garnish with desiccated fresh coconut.

Menthe Pathrode | Methi Pathrode

A traditional Mangalore snack made by steaming rice and fenugreek/methi leaves together with a spice paste

Recipe Type:  Snacks / Appetizer
Cuisine:          South Indian / Mangalorean
Prep Time:     8 Hours (Includes soaking of rice)
Cook time:     90 minutes
Yield:              3-4 Servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup White Rice
1/2 cup Red Rice
2 cups chopped or 1 bunch Methi
2-3 Tbsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Tamarind paste
3-4 dry Red Chillies (I used 3 red chillies and added 1/2 tsp of chilli powder)
1/2 tsp Jaggery (You can use sugar instead)
1/2 Tbsp Urad dal
2-3 cloves Garlic
4 Tbsp dessicated Coconut
2-3 Tbsp Water
3 tsp Oil
8-10 Curry leaves
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
Salt

Method:

• Soak rice overnight.
• Drain out all the water and grind it. It should not be fine, it should remain coarse. It will attain a sticky consistency.
• Dry roast the urad dal and coriander seeds until they are slightly brown.
• Add 1 tsp of oil and fry the red chillies until they are crisp.
• Allow them to cool and then grind into a powder along with the coriander seeds and urad dal.
• Add the coconut, jaggery, garlic and tamarind and grind into a paste along with 1-2 tbsp of water.
• Add this masala to the rice and mix well. Preferably just mix in the mixer.
• Add salt.
• Add the chopped methi leaves and mix well.
• You now need to steam this.
• If using a cooker or an idli steamer, allow it to heat up and produce steam before placing the pathrode in it.
• It is better to steam it wrapped in banana leaves, but if you don't have it steam in bowls. Grease the bowls before you spoon in the pathrode.
• Steam on medium flame for 18-20 mins until it is cooked. Depending on the size of the parcels or the bowl, you may need more or less time. If using banana leaf, the change in colour is a good indication that it is cooked.
• Allow it to cool and then crumble it using your fingers.
• Heat the remaining oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds once the oil is hot.
• After they splutter, add the curry leaves and pour this tempering into the crumbled pathrode.
• Add dessicated fresh coconut and mix well.
• Serve hot as a snack/ appetizer.

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Bread Upma | Bread Fry

I'm not sure there is anything more heavenly then that warm freshly baked BREAD.. 

Fresh bread tastes amazing with just about everything, doesn't it? 

Eat it like the ITALIANS with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pepper. 

Or like rest of the world with BUTTER. 

JAM, anyone?

But what about stale bread. Remember buying that loaf of bread two days ago? It tasted AMAZING, right? But lying there on the counter for 2 days, it just doesn't taste that good anymore. That wonderful scent is gone, that CRUSTY crust, just went soft and that soft moist CRUMB did the exact opposite thing - it went hard. Now WHAT????

Bakers keep inventing and re-inventing the humble bread. And home cooks like us keep inventing some more in our own little kitchens especially with leftovers. This Bread Upma or Bread Fry is credited to some home cook like us (I think). 

This Bread Upma is the simplest and quickest way to jazz up stale bread. Heat some oil, toss in some onions, tomatoes and add the bread. Now you can be all methodical and use a knife to cut the bread or you can be all rustic and use your hands to break the bread into smaller pieces.

I added green peas since I had them. I've added corn sometimes. Add anything that cooks quickly. After all, we don't want to spend all that time in cooking vegetables - QUICK Breakfast, remember?

I've also included step by step instructions for this easy peasy Bread Upma.

Bread Upma

Leftover bread is broken into smaller pieces and fried with onions and tomatoes to make a delicious breakfast.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:              2 Servings

Ingredients:

4-5 Bread slices
1 small Onion
1 small Tomato
¼ cup Green Peas(Optional)
5-6 Curry Leaves
2-3 Green Chillies
A handful of fresh Coriander leaves
2 tsp Oil
½ tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Turmeric powder
½ tsp Sugar
Salt

Method:

Break the bread into small bite sized pieces. Alternatively, cut it into bite sized pieces.
Chop the onion and tomato finely
Slit the green chillies
Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds
Once the cumin seeds splutter/ slightly brown, add the curry leaves, chopped onion and green chillies
Fry until the onions are done
Add the green peas and fry until done. Fresh green peas are generally done after frying for 2-3 mins. In case you have peas that take longer to cook, boil them separately and add to the onions and stir fry for 1 min.
Add the chopped tomato and cook for 1-2 mins
Add turmeric powder and salt
Add the bread pieces and mix well
Add the sugar and chopped coriander leaves

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Dalia Pulao | Broken Wheat with vegetables

I always thought Dalia was a sick man’s food.  Until my sister convinced me it was actually tasty.  I bought broken wheat from the store but still stared at it with apprehension. Then almost a month after buying it, I decided it was high time I used it. Pleasant surprise! That’s what it was. It tastes very much like uppit/ upma. And it is supposed to be very healthy as the broken wheat is hardly processed.

Dalia Pulao | Broken Wheat with vegetables

Thick porridge made using broken wheat and vegetables.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:          North Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     40 minutes
Yield:              2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

½ cup Dalia/ Broken Wheat
1 cup mixed Vegetables(French beans / carrots / capsicum/ green peas)
1 small Onion
1 small Tomato
2-3 Green Chillies
5-6 Curry leaves
2 cups Water
3 tsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin seeds
½ Tbsp Lime juice
A handful of Coriander leaves
Salt

Method:

• In a pressure cooker, add 1 tsp of oil and lightly roast the broken wheat for around 1 min. (You can skip this step)
• Remove the broken wheat into a plate
• Add the remaining oil in the cooker and add the cumin seeds
• Once the cumin splutters, add the curry leaves, chopped onions and chopped green chillies
• Fry until the onions are done
• Add the tomato and fry for 1 min
• Add the remaining vegetables and fry for another 1 min
• Add the 2 cups of water and salt
• Add the broken wheat and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles or 10 mins.
• Add the lime juice and freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot

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Adai | Bele dose | Mixed Dal Dosa | Lentil Crepes

I'd heard the name adai but never tasted it. So when a local Tamil eatery chain in Bangalore started serving these, I went and ordered for one adai avial. It was sooo heavy, I could not even finish the one adai they served me. I thought I'd never like these until my sister's mother in law fed me her version of adai. Light and fluffy and flavoured with cumin seeds and ginger, I loved it. This is a quicker fix than the regular dosa and a variance to the regular breakfast. Full of proteins and low in calories.

Adai | Bele dose | Mixed Dal Dosa | Lentil crepes

Dosa / Crepe made from mixed lentil or mixed dal batter. 

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:          South Indian
Prep Time:     8 Hours (Includes lentil soaking time)
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              15-20

Ingredients:

1 cup Moong Dal
¼ cup Toor Dal
¼ cup Rice
¼ cup Chana Dal
¼ cup Urad Dal
2-3 Green Chillies
8-10 Curry Leaves
½” piece Ginger
1 tsp Cumin Seeds / Jeera
1-2 Tbsp Curd / Yoghurt
A handful of Coriander Leaves
Salt
Water
Oil for frying

Method:

Soak all the dals and for 8-9 hours
Grind into a fine paste along with salt, green chilies, curd,  coriander leaves and a little water
Grate the ginger into the batter
Add curry leaves and jeera into the batter
Add more water if needed. The consistency should be like regular dosa batter.
Heat a tava and grease it
Pour a spoonful of batter and spread it like a regular dosa
Spoon 1 tsp of oil on it and allow it to cook on one side.
After it browns slightly on one side, flip it and allow it to cook on the other side
Serve it hot with chutney or avial

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Instant Wheat Dosa | Savory Whole Wheat Pancake

Have you had hunger pangs at say about 4.30 - 5 pm? I believe I'm hungriest at that time in the evening. And the worst part is, I'm sitting in a bus on my way back from office at that time. All I can think about is food and I cannot reach out to any food. I tell you that is the WORST situation to be in. 

Then what do I do? I obsess about food. I start browsing Pinterest. Isn't it like the most AWESOME app for all us food lovers? So much beautiful food out there. Click here to follow me on Pinterest. Then I realise I'm getting hungrier, and I really really cannot sleep when I am hungry, so on days I have a good book with me, I read, or on other days I look out those large bus windows and keep spotting street food vendor.. 

And as soon as I get down from the bus, I run to the nearest bakery or street stall for may some crisp Puff or the spicy Samosa. Later on at night, I obsess about having eaten all that fried food or fatty food. Guilt definitely weighs heavy on my heart and my tummy. 

To avoid all that I wrote about, I keep a few quick to make yet absolutely HEALTHY recipes up my sleeve. And this Wheat Dosa fits it to a T. Everyone I know knows that Whole wheat is healthy. Protein, good Carbs, Filling, need I go on? No sugar, no frying, no butter - This is perfect for evenings as much as for mornings. Effort required - chop tomatoes, onions (and these are optional) and add to some whole wheat flour. Add water, salt and spices if you love them as much as me. And then just spread on a pan and cook with barely 1 tsp of oil. That's IT!!!

Mix all the ingredients to get a dosa consistency batter

Spread the batter on the tava and spoon oil

Flip when one side browns

Instant Wheat Dosa | Savory Whole Wheat Pancake

Instant savory dosa or pancake made with whole wheat flour.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast / Snacks
Cuisine:         Indian
Prep Time:    10 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:             6 small pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup Whole wheat flour or Atta
1 small Onion
1 Tomato
8-10 Curry leaves
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 cups Water
A handful Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method:

Chop the onion, tomato and coriander finely
Mix all the ingredients except oil and make a dosa / pancake consistency batter
Heat a tava or a griddle and grease it
Spoon the batter on the tava and spread it
Spoon oil onto it
Flip it when one side browns
Cook it until both sides brown
Enjoy it hot with chutney

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Shavige uppit / Semiyan upma / Savoury vermicelli

I always get tired of thinking what to make for breakfast. Somehow, cornflakes never was my favorite and with store bought bread being mainly of maida/flour, I need to keep making something different everyday so I don't get bored and skip breakfast. Being the most important meal of the day, breakfast has to be energy packed to get you through the day. Shavige uppit is an easy and quick to make breakfast.

Ingredients:

Shavige/ Semiya/ Vermicelli – 1 cup (dried)

Onion – 1 small

Tomato – 1 small

Green chillies – 1-2

Oil – 2 tsp

Mustard – ½ tsp

Coriander leaves – a handful

Fresh grated coconut – 2 tbsp (Optional)

Curry leaves – 5-6 (Optional)

Water – 2 cups

Salt

Method:

Heat a kadhai and roast the vermicelli without oil for 2-3 mins until they turn faintly brown and keep aside. Do not let them burn, keep stirring.

Heat oil in a kadhai and add the mustard seeds.

Add the curry leaves and chopped green chillies to the oil after the mustard seeds splutter.

Add the chopped onion and fry until they are translucent.

Add the chopped tomato and fry until they are soft.

Add the water and salt. Allow it to boil.

Once the water boils, add the roasted vermicelli and cover it.

Cook for around 5 mins until all the water evaporates and the vermicelli is cooked.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fresh grated coconut and serve hot.

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Instant Khaman dhokla

Khaman dhokla is probably the most famous Gujrati snack across India. Easily available in some states and difficult to find in others. Somehow, I love this healthy steamed snack with tea in the evenings, but Bangalore disappoints me by not having it so readily available. I actually have to go in search of it and most times it is just so sweet that it turns me off. Since it is so easy to make, I often end up making it at home myself.

Ingredients:

Besan  - 1 cup

Fine rava - 1/4 cup

Eno salt - 2 sachets

Green chillies - 4-5

Ginger - 1 small piece

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves - a handful

Fresh grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Salt

Water - 1/2 cup

Oil - 4-5 tsp

Method:

Mix the besan and rava. Using rava is optional, dhokla can be made with only besan also.

Crush the ginger and make a paste of the 2 green chillies and add to besan.

Add salt and water

Fill a steamer with water and keep on stove.

Grease a small vessel/ bowl. I used an idli steamer so I used the idli plates itself to steam the dhoklas.

Once the steamer is ready, mix the Eno salt into the besan and immediately transfer to the greased vessel and place in the steamer.

Allow it to steam for 7-10 minutes.

Remove from steamer and cut into 2" pieces.

Heat 3 tsp oil, add mustard seeds.

Once the mustard seeds splutter, slit the remaining chillies and add to te oil.

Pour the oil on the dhokla

Garnish with finely chopped coriander and freshly grated coconut

Enjoy with curd or chutney

Generally, when we buy dhokla outside, a very thin solution of water, sugar, lime juice is also poured on the dhokla to give it a sweet and sour taste. I am not a fan of the sweet dhokla, hence I skipped this step.

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