Showing posts with label Breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breakfast. Show all posts

Breakfast Bruschetta Duo - Tomato & Onion and Avocado & Olives


Vegan Tomato Onion Avocado Olive Mint Coriander Italian Sourdough Baguette Bread Sandwich

Saturday.... Finally... What is your PERFECT Saturday?? Leave me a comment...

Mine is waking up late, a hearty breakfast, a good cup of ginger tea and the morning paper. 

I got all of that today with these Breakfast Bruschetta Duo. Soooo PERFECT....

Vegan Tomato Onion Avocado Olive Mint Coriander Italian Sourdough Baguette Bread Sandwich

I like to keep breakfasts as simple as possible. Usually, breakfast is my simplest meal of the day. On weekdays, I snooze and snooze my alarm until I have to wake up ( Don't you just love the SNOOZE button? ) and then there is a whirlwind in the house as I rush around to get ready to go to work. I definitely don't have time for a fancy breakfast. So something quick that I can whip up is the solution. 

I make BreakFEAST only on weekends. But after an extremely hectic week, I really did not fancy any more hard work on Saturday!!! So today was the day to keep it simple yet hearty and TASTY.

Vegan Tomato Onion Avocado Olive Mint Coriander Italian Sourdough Baguette Bread Sandwich

I woke up at 9 and bam! it's 9.30 and I was plonked on the bean bag in front of the TV watching the latest season of MasterChef and eating my oh-so-easy-yet-delicious Breakfast Bruschetta Duo. Don't they look AMAZING?? 

I love love LOVE colorful food. Makes me wanna eat it immediately. I had to control my urge, until I could finish taking photos. The idea of Breakfast Bruschetta Duo is inspired from the Goddess of TV cooking - Nigella. I did not follow her exact recipe though, I changed the topping to my liking.

Vegan Tomato Onion Avocado Olive Mint Coriander Italian Sourdough Baguette Bread Sandwich

I could have these Bruschetta for lunch, snacks, tea and dinner... I could pretty much have them all day long. I cannot get enough of them. So FRESH and so EASY. All I had to do was find the freshest sourdough bread in the supermarket yesterday. And today morning, all I did was chop chop chop as Raj made ginger tea for us. And then just toast the bread, top with the chopped veggies, sprinkle salt and pepper... a drizzle of some extra virgin Olive Oil and we're DONE.

I don't know anything that could be easier than that and look that GOOD. Do you?

I used a sourdough loaf. I've made these before using Baguette. They taste just as good with regular bread. Use what you have and it'll still taste just as delicious. 

Vegan Tomato Onion Avocado Olive Mint Coriander Italian Sourdough Baguette Bread Sandwich

The first Bruschetta is topped with chopped fresh tomato, red onion and coriander, while the second one is topped with sliced avocado, green olives and fresh mint leaves. I also made a third kind - the Tomato and Avocado one. But they were eaten before I could get a single photo. You see, it started out as may be 3 bruschettas per person. Then Raj saw them and I saw them and both were tempted, so we were like let's just make it even so we both get 2 of both. By the time we were done with 3, we wanted MORE.... So he was on toasting bread duty, while I went to chopping. And we had a third variety. 

Vegan Tomato Onion Avocado Olive Mint Coriander Italian Sourdough Baguette Bread Sandwich

That's the best thing about these Breakfast Bruschettas, you can mix and match the toppings. Put what you love. Someday, when I have all the time in the world, I'm gonna make my other favorite bruschetta - the caramelized onion and mushroom one... yummmm.... Until then, back to the simple life.

Vegan Tomato Onion Avocado Olive Mint Coriander Italian Sourdough Baguette Bread Sandwich



Breakfast Bruschetta Duo - Tomato & Onion and Avocado & Olives


Vegan Tomato Onion Avocado Olive Mint Coriander Italian Sourdough Baguette Bread Sandwich
A duo of bruschettas perfect for breakfast - one topped with tomato and onion and the other with avocado and olives. 

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:         International
Prep Time:    20 minutes
Cook time:     5 minutes
Yield:             8 Bruschettas

Ingredients:


1 Sourdough loaf or Baguette
1 large Tomato
1 red Onion
A handful of fresh Coriander leaves
1/2 Avocado
8-10 green Olives
A handful of fresh Mint leaves
2 Tbsp of extra virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Freshly cracked Pepper
Lime

Method:


Slice the bread into thick slices.
Toast them on a griddle or tava for 3-4 mins. Remove onto a plate.
In the meanwhile, finely chop the tomato, red onion and coriander leaves and mix well.
Slice the avocado and the green olives.
Top half the slices with the tomato mix and half with the avocado and olives one. Add Mint to the avocado and olive bruschetta.
Sprinkle salt and pepper.
Drizzle the olive oil. Squeeze lime on the bruschetta.
Serve immediately.



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Churmuri Soosla | Puffed Rice Breakfast

I LOVE ___ This is usually how I start my posts. You must think I love practically everything that I can eat (i.e. Vegetarian). I do hate some food. Well, hate may be a strong word. More like dislike. And I dislike something that more than half the world loves - Breakfast Cereals.

susla oggarne murmura kadle puri puffed rice breakfast vegan


I'll replay a usual breakfast discussion between me and my hubby dearest Raj.

Me (crestfallen, yet optimistically looking for answers) - "I don't know what to make for breakfast"

Raj - "Don't worry, lets eat cornflakes"

Me - "Nooooo... I'll make something, give me 10 minutes"

He loves it, I dislike it (at least the ones currently in the market). All those cereal lovers out there, please FORGIVE me for my next statement. I somehow feel Cereals are just loaded with sugar and offer nothing health wise. And I'm somehow not a big fan of sweet breakfast.

So this promise of 10 minutes isn't always upheld, but then, he's out there with the Newspaper and doesn't really keep track of time.

Isn't a girl allowed plus or minus 10 minutes? I'm sure she is. This wonderfully light breakfast of puffed rice (Churmuri or murmura or mandakki or kadle puri. Whew! that's a lot of "or"s) is done and on your plate in less than 20 minutes. And no - I'm not exaggerating at all.

susla oggarne murmura kadle puri puffed rice breakfast vegan


Puffed rice is exactly what the name says - it is puffed up rice. It is basically Rice Popcorn (more like popRICE). There are varieties in it - salted and unsalted. They both differ slightly texture wise. I've always used the salted variety.

This Churmuri Soosla as I call it, it my goto breakfast when I'm short of time. It's light, quick and it has the sweetness from the onions, tartness from the tomatoes and the lime, the heat from the green chillies and freshness from the coriander leaves. Basic spices like cumin seeds (jeera) and turmeric (haldi) just make it all the more delicious. You can skip the roasted gram, but I highly recommend it. If you cannot find it, I'd say try replacing it with powdered roasted peanuts and that should do.


Churmuri Soosla | Puffed Rice Breakfast


susla oggarne murmura kadle puri puffed rice breakfast veganA light South Indian breakfast made with puffed rice.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:          South Indian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     15 minutes
Yield:              Serves 2-3

Ingredients:


150 gms of Puffed Rice / Churmuri
1 small Onion
1 medium sized Tomato
1-2 Green Chillies
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 Lemon / Lime
1/3 cup of Roasted Gram / Puthani
3 tsp of Oil
1 tsp of Cumin seeds
6-8 Curry leaves
1 Tbsp of finely chopped Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method:


Heat oil in a pan or kadhai.
Add the cumin seeds and allow them to brown slightly.
Add finely chopped onions, curry leaves and slit green chillies. Cook until the onions turn translucent.
Add chopped tomatoes and fry them for around 2 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.
Add the turmeric powder and mix well.
Wash the puffed rice and squeeze out the water.
Add to the pan and mix well.
Now add salt and lemon juice.
Grind the roasted gram into a fine powder and add to the pan. Mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
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Matar Dhokla


Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

Dhokla is a steamed savory cake that is a favorite of western India. They are usually made of semolina and chickpea flour. They are light and fluffy and taste delicious with a tangy green chutney.

I never knew there was so much variety in something this simple.

I was browsing through cookery books in the library when I glanced upon Tarla Dalal’s Non-Fried Snacks. I’m a big fan of non-fried snacks. The book has some good recipes, majorly it has different types of dhoklas and muthias. And this Matar Dhokla or Green Peas Dhokla was a featured recipe.

It is still just as simple to make as the regular dhokla, but now has the added goodness of green peas. You can use either fresh or frozen peas, according to what you have available. 

The addition of peas gives it that lovely vibrant green colour and the slight sweetness of peas. 

Some people like to soak their dhoklas in a diluted syrup of sugar and lime juice, while some enjoy it with creamy yogurt. It tastes awesome with both.

Step-by-step Instructions:

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

1) Puree the green peas with a little water.

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

2) Mix together the chickpea flour, semolina, pea puree, salt, ginger- chilli paste, yogurt and salt into a smooth batter.
3) Now add the fruit salt or eno to  the batter. Pour the remaining water over it and mix well. It should start getting frothy.

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

4) Grease a shallow vessel that fits inside the steamer and add the batter to it.
5) Place the vessel in the steamer and steam on medium flame for 12-15 mins. Insert a knife in the middle and if it comes out clean, it is done.

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

6) Turn off the stove and allow it to rest for around 2-4 mins.
7) Then remove slowly and cut into desired shape.

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

8) Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
9) Once they splutter, add the curry leaves and chilli and fry for 20-30 seconds.
10) Pour over this tempering on the dhoklas. 
11) Garnish with the fresh coconut and the coriander leaves. I also sprinkled a few pomegranate seeds to add some freshness.


Matar Dhokla

Steamed Gujarati Green peas Snacks

Steamed savory cake made with green peas and chickpea flour.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:          Indian / Gujarati
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

Dhokla


1 cup Fresh or Frozen Green Peas
1.5 cups of Chickpea Flour / Besan
4 Tbsp Fine Semoline / Chiroti Rava
1 tsp of Ginger-Green Chilli Paste
2 Tbsp of Yogurt / Dahi
1/2 cup of Water
1.5 tsp Fruit Salt (Eno)
2 tsp of Oil for greasing
Salt to taste

Tempering


4 tsp of Oil
½ tsp of Mustard Seeds
10-15 Curry Leaves
1-2 Slit Green / Red Chillies

Garnish


2-3 Tbsp of grated Fresh Coconut
2 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander Leaves

Method:


Puree the green peas with a little water.
Mix together the chickpea flour, semolina, pea puree, salt, ginger- chilli paste, yogurt and salt into a smooth batter.
Prepare the steamer. (see note)
Now add the fruit salt or eno to  the batter. Pour the remaining water over it and mix well. It should start getting frothy.
Grease a shallow vessel that fits inside the steamer and add the batter to it.
Place the vessel in the steamer and steam on medium flame for 12-15 mins. Insert a knife in the middle and if it comes out clean, it is done.
Turn off the stove and allow it to rest for around 2-4 mins.
Then remove slowly and cut into desired shape.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
Once they splutter, add the curry leaves and chilli and fry for 20-30 seconds.
Pour over this tempering on the dhoklas. 
Garnish with the fresh coconut and the coriander leaves.

Notes:


STEAMER - I used an idli steamer. You can use a pressure cooker without the whistle or any deep saucepan with a lid. 
1) To prepare it, add around 2-3 cups of water to the steamer and cover and cook on high flame until the water boils. 
2) Next place a small flat bottomed vessel or bowl upside down in the steamer. The top of this bowl should be above the level of water.
3) Place the plate / vessel with the dhokla over this upturned bowl. The purpose of the bowl is that the dhokla plate / vessel does not touch the boiling water directly and is slightly higher than the water level.
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Sabudana Chana Vada | Sago Pearls and Chickpea Patty [Vegan & GF]


Sabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakki

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:

Sabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakkiSabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakki


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.

Sabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakkiSabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakki

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


Sabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakki 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


Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

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.

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

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:

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake veganKothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake veganKothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

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

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake veganKothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

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.

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake veganKothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

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

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

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

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

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

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

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




Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

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.


Read more ...

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



Methi PathrodeA 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.
Read more ...

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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