Super Tasty Millet Cutlets

TGIF!! Right? Weekend officially begins for most of us.

Well not so much for me this week. I'm working tomorrow. Not a happy feeling, I have to admit. Saturday is my favorite day of the week. I like that happy feeling that there is another day of holiday left. By Sunday, I'm usually sad that the weekend is "almost" over. Now all my plans for Saturday are out of the window and pushed to next Saturday. I wanted to go get some fresh mud to plant the variety of seeds I got free at an Organic Terrace Gardening workshop conducted a few weeks ago. 

I am looking forward to some fresh vegetables in the near future, but those plans have to wait until I get an entire weekend to dedicate to my balcony garden. 

More about that later.

So what else happened this week for you guys? 

I baked my first Vegan chocolate cake for Gee and Raj's birthday on Wednesday.  I have baked vegetarian cakes, but never vegan. It was super delicious, but so wrong in texture. I hope to keep trying to perfect it and hopefully will have it soon on the blog. 

So, none of that on top had anything to do with either my recipe for today or my new found obsession with millet. I'm beginning to use millet extensively these days, remember this post on Healthy Millet Salad? Since then I've tried out a few more recipes with Millet, but these Millet Cutlets have to be my favorite. I secretly love the fact that they are healthy too. Well not so much of a secret anymore, is it?

Usually vegetarian cutlets use potato as the base as it binds well. But this recipe, just like my Curried Brown Rice and Zucchini Fritters recipe, uses the starchy grain as the binding agent. And the good thing is, just like potato and rice, millet in itself is bland, so it absorbs all the flavor of the spices.

I used simple vegetables I had at home - frozen peas, beans and carrot. Feel free to use other vegetables like Zucchini or Beets. Next time I'm definitely adding Beets. Beets will give it lovely color and that earthy sweetness which I absolutely love in cutlets.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Vegetable Cutlets - Mix vegetable cutlets with coriander and mint chutney
• Healthy Millet Salad - Protein packed salad made from millet, kidney beans and fresh vegetables and herbs.
• Curried Brown Rice and Zucchini Fritters recipe - My most popular recipe of fritters or cutlets made with brown rice, zucchini and spices.

Super Tasty Millet Cutlet

Shallow fried cutlets made from foxtail millet and mixed vegetables.

Recipe Type:  Appetizer
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:                Makes 13-15

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Foxtail Millet or Navane
4-5 Green Beans
3 Tbsp Green Peas
1 small Carrot
1-2 tsp Green Chilli-Ginger paste
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Tbsp Coriander leaves (finely chopped)
1-2 tsp Lime Juice
1/2 tsp Jaggery or Sugar
Oil to fry
Water
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and soak the millet in water for 30 minutes
Finely chop the green beans and the carrot.
Boil the green beans, carrot and green peas until done.
Drain the millet, and pressure cook it in 1 cup of water until the millets are cooked. Cook it for 1 whistle or for 3-4 minutes after the pressure builds up. If not using a pressure cooker, cook it the same way you would cook rice regularly until the millet is well done.
Allow it to cool until you can work with it.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked millet, cooked vegetables and mash slightly.
Add the coriander leaves, green chilli-ginger paste, lime juice, garam masala, turmeric powder, jaggery or sugar, salt and mix well.
Shape into cutlets and keep aside.
Heat 3-4 Tbsp of Oil in a frying pan and place the cutlets on it. Once the first side is golden brown, flip and cook until the other side is browned.
Serve hot with ketchup or mint chutney.

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Grilled Eggplant and Coriander Hummus Rolls

My latest addition to Finger Food that is finger licking good - Grilled Eggplant and Coriander Hummus Rolls. Silky smooth garlicky coriander hummus rolled in thinly sliced grilled eggplant. This recipe is super quick to make and has all makings of a healthy snack.

Who is a Hummus fan?? Obviously, Me, well so is Raj, there's Gee too... Well, the whole family is nuts about Hummus. The usual combination for hummus is Pita, but when you are bored to knead dough and roll out those light little pockets of Pita, I recommend trying this simple gluten free option to enjoy that amazing hummus.

As much as I like Hummus, I love Coriander or Cilantro just as much, or may be a little more. A sprinkle of coriander here, a tablespoon of coriander there. I literally, use it in everything I make. That vibrant fresh sprinkling of green, just brightens up any curry. It does the same to this Hummus. This Coriander Hummus is just one level above the regular Hummus in terms of flavor and color. I mean who does not find this lovely green appealing?

I can eat this Coriander Hummus with anything - crackers, chips, regular bread, chapati, roti, naan. I think I'm only yet to try it with rice. But on days that you are too bored to knead the dough and make your own light Pita pockets or you just fancy going gluten free, try this awesome combination of eggplant and hummus and tell me if you hear complains.

Ever since I bought my AWESOME new grill pan, I've been grilling EVERYTHING. Paneer, Eggplant, Peppers... this is just a small list. Grilling is so much fun, I love that nice char marks that I get from my new pan. Check out this super delicious Grilled Paneer Sandwich I made using the same pan.

However, I think I should warn you, these rolls are addictive and may never be enough for your family. They are also quite filling.

If you don't want to make your own hummus, you can just use your favorite store bought hummus. Roasted Pepper Hummus will also go great with the Eggplant.

If you like this, you may also like:

• Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich - Sandwich inspired by the Panera Bread sandwich of the same name.
• Olive Hummus - Hummus made using olives. No Tahini required.
• Eggplant Pizza - Grilled eggplant topped with tomato sauce and cheese

Grilled Eggplant and Coriander Hummus Rolls

These Eggplant Rolls are made by grilling finely sliced eggplant and spreading coriander hummus on them before rolling them into bite sized rolls.

Recipe Type:  Appetizer
Cuisine:            Middle Eastern
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:                Makes 13-15

Ingredients:

For Coriander Hummus:

1 cup cooked Chickpeas
1/2 cup Coriander leaves
2-3 Garlic cloves
2 Tbsp Water
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste

For Grilled Eggplant:

1 large Eggplant or Bharta Baingan
Water
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
3-4 tsp of Oil

Method:

To make Coriander Hummus:

Chop the coriander leaves and garlic.
Blend together the chickpeas, coriander leaves, garlic and salt with water and Olive oil until it is a smooth creamy paste.
Add more Olive oil if required.

To make Grilled Eggplant:

Take a large bowl of water and add 1/2 tsp of salt to
Slice the eggplant into fine slices lengthwise and put them in the salted water. Leave them soaked for 10-15 minutes.
Pat the eggplant fry using a tea towel or kitchen napkins and rub them with oil, salt and pepper.
Heat a grill pan or a griddle. Once it is hot place the eggplant slices on it in a single layer without overlapping them.
Spoon oil on the eggplant if required. Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side until the eggplant is cooked.

To make the Rolls:

Spread the coriander hummus on the grilled eggplant slices and roll them to make Grilled Eggplant and Coriander Hummus rolls.

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Mixed Dal Handvo Recipe | Lauki Handva Recipe | How to make Gujarati Handvo

Mixed Dal Handvo or Lauki Handva is a popular gluten free Gujarati breakfast or snack, made from mixed lentils, rice and bottle gourd. Handvo is made with a rice-dal fermented batter and grated bottle gourd (lauki / ghiya). Handvo is steamed / pan fried in a frying pan or a kadhai. Handvo is suitable for a Jain diet.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

I had been waiting for this long weekend for ages and it has gone in a poof.. Somehow, all my long weekends seem busier than my regular 2 day weekends. Any of you out there with me on this one?

So, what did you do this Ganesh Chaturthi? I hope you all had a wonderful Chaturthi.

I spent my days cleaning the house before the festival and then just cooking, cooking and more cooking. Whew! Does life get busy around festivals!

I made these super delicious Steamed Modaks. I love them sooo much more than the fried ones. I think I ate more than all others combined. 

To add to this Raj has a potluck in office and he wanted to take these Almond Chocolate Brownies. Thanks to my small oven, we had to keep baking it batches and it kept us in the house watching the oven for a long time.

But the festivities are done, the sweets have taken a toll on my weight for sure. It's now time to get back to something nutritious and healthy. These Protein Packed Mixed Dal Handvo or Handva as it is sometimes called, was just the thing I had in mind for Tuesday breakfast. 

To tell you the truth, I wasn't convinced about Handvo when I watched it on TV. I wondered if it could taste so good as the show presenter was saying. Then, I tried it at home, following this recipe from Tarla Dalal and I must say, those guys on TV weren't lying, it is absolutely delicious. And healthy too... Now I can have my cake and eat it too!!

What is Handvo or Handva?

Handvo is a pan-fried or steamed savory cake made with a fermented batter of rice and mixed lentils. Rice and a variety of lentils or dals are soaked for 6-8 hours and then blended to form a thick coarse batter. To this batter, yogurt or curd is added to help it ferment better.

You can tell that the batter is fermented by looking at it, it should be light and fluffy and should have risen. If the temperatures in your region are high, this may take as less as 5-6 hours and if they are cold, it may take 10 hours or longer. 

Lauki or Bottle gourd or Ghiya is lightly fried in a tempering of mustard, curry leaves, asafoetida (hing) and turmeric powder before adding to the batter. If you cannot find bottle gourd, you can replace it with Zucchini or skip it too.

This batter is then steamed on a greased pan until cooked.

The side facing the pan first is crispy and the inside is soft. 

You may add a tempering before serving, it is highly recommended.

Handvo tastes best with pudina chutney, but you can also serve it with ketchup or just plain.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

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Video Recipe

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Mixed Dal Handvo Recipe | Lauki Handva Recipe | How to make Gujarati Handvo

Mixed Dal Handvo or Lauki Handva is a popular gluten free Gujarati breakfast or snack, made from mixed lentils, rice and bottle gourd. Handvo is made with a rice-dal fermented batter and grated bottle gourd (lauki / ghiya). Handvo is steamed in a frying pan or a kadhai.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Gujarati
Prep Time:     16 hours
Cook time:     30 minutes
Total time:     6 minutes
Yield:                Serves 4 to 5

Author:                Anupama

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice
0.5 cup Moong Dal
0.5 cup Toor Dal
2 Tbsp Urad Dal
2 Tbsp Chana Dal
0.5 cup thick Curd ( yogurt / dahi)
0.25 tsp Baking Soda (meetha soda)
2 cup Bottlegourd (Lauki / ghiya), grated, loosely packed
2 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Tbsp Curry leaves, chopped
0.25 tsp Asafoetida (Hing), gluten free
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Sesame seeds (til)
Oil to grease the pan
Salt to taste
Oil to grease the pan

For the tempering:

1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Sesame seeds (til)
1 sprig Curry leaves

Method:

1. Mix the rice, moong dal, toor dal, chana dal and urad dal in a large bowl. Wash 2 to 3 times and soak in water for 6 hours.
2. After 6 hours, drain the water and blend to a thick coarse batter without adding any water. The dals would have soaked up water and that is sufficient to blend. If you still are struggling to blend, add very little and blend.
3. Remove the batter to a large bowl and add in the curd and baking soda. Mix well and cover and keep aside to ferment overnight or for 6-8 hours.
4. Next morning, heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
5. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the chopped curry leaves, hing, turmeric powder and grated bottle gourd. Mix well and cook on low heat for 5 minutes or until the bottlegourd softens a little.
6. Add this to the batter and add salt. Mix well.
7. In a shallow kadhai or in a frying pan add 1-2 Tbsp oil and spoon in the batter. Sprinkle sesame seeds. You will have to cook the handvo in batches. The size of your frying pan or kadhai will determine how many batches. I made 2 handvos in a 24 cm frying pan.
8. Cover and cook on low heat until the top is almost cooked. It should look somewhat set. This may take 8-10 minutes.
9. Carefully flip the handvo and cook on high heat until the second side is cooked and has brown spots.
10. Cool the handvo a little before slicing. Handvo will appear to be sticky when hot, it will set better as it cools.
11. Just before serving, make a tempering by heating oil and adding mustard seeds, curry leaves and sesame seeds and pour on the handvo.
12. Serve warm with pudina chutney.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Matar Dhokla

Kothimbir Vadi

Sabudana Vada

Read more ...

Methi Paratha

At a loss of what to pack for lunch tomorrow?

Travelling somewhere and need to carry along your own food?

Or

Just wondering what to make for breakfast tomorrow?

TA-DA!!!

Presenting Methi Paratha -  A humble, healthy, whole wheat flatbread flavored with spices and Methi leaves or Fenugreek leaves.

Methi Paratha is perfect for boxed lunch or breakfast. Number one reason being - it doesn't leak!! So you don't need to worry about a messy lunch bag. Also, it doesn't spoil for a long long time (by long long, I mean at least 2 days in tropical weather, much more in cooler weather). And the dough stays great in the fridge for at least 4-5 days. So you can make it ahead of time and store it.

And guess what's the best part?? Leftovers.... Seriously... Just cut them into small triangles and follow this recipe to get your own flavored Whole Wheat Nachos. Complains, anyone?

I've been making Methi Paratha for a long long time and I've faced certain issues with the way I was making them earlier. I never cooked the Methi leaves, I just chopped them and added it to the dough. All was well until I added the salt. After that though, my dough would just keep getting watery and sticky and I had to just keep adding more and more wholewheat flour to try and stiffen the dough a bit. And by the end of it the paratha would have the methi leaves to the flour ratio all messed up. Also, I'd end up with a messy rolling pin which would have bits of dough stuck to it that I had to clean before rolling out the next paratha.

If you are facing the same problems, read on.

Gee (in her big sister wisdom) showed me how to overcome this. Such a simple solution. Just cook the methi leaves slightly. Cooking them makes the leaves release the water in them. Also adding a little bit of salt during the cooking ensures almost all the water in the leaves is out where you can see it. This leads to a smoother dough that does not turn to sticky in a few minutes. The dough retains it's consistency and is super easy to handle. No sticky rolling pin either.

As for any paratha, Methi Paratha needs to be cooked on a medium to high heat. Cooking them on low heat, makes them hard and brittle. You may need to be watchful that you don't burn them while cooking on higher heat, but hey, you get soft parathas as a result of it.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Baked Wholewheat Chips - Perfect way to finish off those leftover parathas
• Szechwan Paratha - An Indian-Chinese fusion paratha

Methi Paratha

Methi Paratha is a whole wheat flat bread flavored with fresh Methi or Fenugreek leaves and spices. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:                Makes 8-10

Ingredients:

3-4 cups Methi Leaves (washed and chopped)
2 cups Wholewheat Flour
1/2 cup Water
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 tsp Oil
Salt as required
Oil or Ghee for cooking the Paratha

Method:

In a pan or kadhai, heat the 2 tsp of Oil.
Add the chopped methi leaves into it and stir well.
Cover and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until the methi leaves have wilted.
Now add the coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder. red chilli powder and 1/4 tsp salt and mix well.
Cover and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and keep it aside.
In a big bowl or plate, mix together the whole wheat flour and the methi leaves mix.
Now add salt as required and water. Knead it into a smooth dough.
Made small balls of the dough and roll it out into parathas (about 1-2mm thick).
Heat a greased tava or a griddle on medium high heat. Place the paratha on it and spoon oil.
Flip and cook the other side when the first side has cooked (small brown spots appear on it).
Serve hot with butter, pickle or yogurt.

Read more ...

Grilled Paneer Sub Sandwich

Two crusty chunks of  rye bread, a generous helping of creamy tartar sauce and the hero - a garlic and chilli marinated slab of Paneer that is grilled to perfection. Oh ya and lettuce too. That's what is in this Grilled Paneer Sub Sandwich. Eat that and tell me if you complain!!

We had this absolutely amazing cookout event in office organized by Slurp Studio where they had grilled Paneer, caramelized onions, sauted mushrooms, fresh tomato slices and many more mouth watering ingredients along with a variety of breads and spreads. We had to build our own sandwich and I tried this Grilled Paneer Sandwich that left me obsessed with it even after the day was over.

I had to HAD to have it again. I mentioned it to my sister Gee who got super excited. More than me I think to have this sandwich, it's funny, she did not even have it the first time. But then, that's her. She's totally obsessed with sandwiches. She hacks into my Pinterest account searching for mouth watering juicy sandwiches. I think she's trying to find the ultimate vegetarian Moist Maker just like Monica Geller's.

Building a sandwich is so much about the perfect bread than about the filling I feel. I'm sooo into Artisan breads. That hard crust and soft crumb makes my mouth water. I could probably eat warm Artisan bread with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper all day long. And I really NEEDED an artisan bread loaf to recreate the Sandwich of my dreams. Yes! that's what I shall call it, Sandwich of my Dreams!!! 

Now Bangalore's a big city where you get pretty much anything but you don't get it everywhere. So my hunt for Artisan bread took me to many famous bakery in South Bangalore, but I was sorely disappointed by the results.

Finally, I took to online shopping. I found this amazing looking herb crusted artisan bread, and I ordered it ASAP. Imagine my disappointment when it came pre-sliced like a regular bread loaf. I had imagined this Sub and I got teeny tiny slices. I immediately returned it. Luckily for me Gee was gracious enough to go all the way to the center of the city to get me this beautiful looking German Rye Bread. Two Thumps UP!!!

Bread sorted out, now let's get on to my Grilled Paneer. This super easy grilled paneer is marinated in a very simple marinade made of ingredients found in your pantry - Oil, Paprika or Red Chilli Powder, Garlic Paste, Cumin powder and salt. Marinate the paneer for 30 mins to 1 hour. I grilled the paneer on a grill pan to get that beautiful char lines, but you can grill it in the oven or a greased pan as well. A coal barbeque is actually the best way to cook it, as it will add that wonderful smokey flavor. The paneer really doesn't need to be cooked for any particular amount of time. The cooking is only to soften it on the inside and char it on the outside.

You can replace the Paneer with Haloumi or Tofu (for a vegan version). It needs to be a hard cheese that won't melt when grilled at high heat.

I also made my own Tartar sauce. It is super simple, just chop and add. If you don't have the ingredients, you can just use Vegetarian Mayo.  You can also use add some mint puree to regular mayo to get mint mayo. Mint mayo goes really well with this sandwich.

Lastly the fresh ingredients, I kept it simple with just lettuce, you can add sliced tomatoes and onions.

The instructions for building the sandwich are as per what I made. Take them as just general guideline and feel free to adapt it to your style of sandwich making.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Beetroot and Cauliflower Burger
• Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich
• Breakfast Bruschetta Duo

Grilled Paneer Sub Sandwich

Sandwich made with rye bread and grilled marinated paneer along with a home-made tartar sauce and lettuce. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     15 minutes
Yield:                Serves 4

Ingredients:

For Grilled Paneer:

400gms fresh Paneer
1.5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1.5 tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
0.5 tsp Cumin Powder
Salt to taste

For Home-made Tartar Sauce:

1 cup vegetarian Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp chopped Dill Pickle
1 tsp Lime juice
1 tsp finely chopped Dill leaves
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

For the Sandwich:

2 loaves Rye Bread (or any Artisan Bread loaf)
Grilled Paneer
Tartar Sauce
Lettuce leaves

Method:

For Grilled Paneer:

Mix together the extra virgin olive oil, garlic paste, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to make a marinade.
Slice the paneer into slabs, about 0.8-1 cm thick.
Marinate the paneer. Cover and keep aside for at least 30 minutes.
Heat up a grill pan or on a barbeque grill, grill the paneer for 1-2 minutes on each side until char marks appear.

For Home-made Tartar Sauce:

Mix together all the ingredients to make a simple tartar sauce.
Adjust lime, salt or pepper according to your taste.

For the Sandwich:

Halve the bread lengthwise.
Layer the lower half of the bread with lettuce.
Place the grilled paneer slab on it.
Spread the tartar sauce on the paneer.
Cover with the other bread slice to make the Grilled Paneer Sandwich.

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Cucumber Pakoda or Khire ka Pakoda

Cucumber Pakoda or Khira Pakoda is my latest offering in the junk-food-meets-healthy-food recipes.

I've grown up on cooked cucumbers more than uncooked ones. I know, not a lot of you have heard of cooking cucumbers. But if you are from around Mangalore, you know your cucumbers well. My mom used cucumbers in sambar, palya, kadabu and my favorite -Akki Rotti.

I've recently started experimenting with cucumbers. I've made Cucumber Dhokla recently. But never in my wildest thoughts had I imagined I would be making Cucumber Pakodas and ENJOYING it too !!!

I was introduced to them recently at a temple that refrains from using root vegetables. I was unaware of this fact and very unsuspectingly ate it assuming they were potato pakodas. I was pleasantly surprised that they were cucumber. I have been waiting to make them since then. Saturday was the perfect day. It was raining. Well, it'd been raining the whole last week, and heavily, I must add. Eating pakodas and sipping hot tea is my favorite thing to do when it rains.

So on Saturday, I dragged my bean bag as close to the balcony, that little spray of rain on my face gets me all excited. Took my plate of cucumber pakodas and my steaming hot cup of tea and plonked on it. I also had this really exciting English Regency romance novel by Sophia Nash that made a perfect read considering the stormy weather outside. Ah! Simple pleasures of life. 

Let's get back to the Cucumber Pakoda. This pakoda is made just like all the other pakodas, only this time instead of an onion or a potato, we dip sliced cucumber into the batter and fry it. I used regular cucumbers that we use in salads. Not the Mangalore Cucumber. Preferably, use something that has a lower water content to get an even tastier pakoda.

The batter is very simple. Take some gram flour or besan and add salt, red chilli powder, salt and water to get a smooth batter. The consistency of the batter should be thick enough to coat the cucumbers. I added ajwain or carom seeds as I love the flavor in pakodas. You can skip this or replace it with coriander powder or cumin seeds. I also added a pinch of baking soda, this can be avoided too. 

Sprinkle chat masala while serving or serve it with some delicious mint coriander chutney.

Send me an email or leave me a comment on this Post or Facebook or Tweet to me if you tried these awesome pakodas. I love hearing from my readers, so write to me.

Cucumber Pakodas or Khire ka Pakoda

Cucumber slices dipped in a batter made of besan or gram flour and spices and deep fried until golden brown.

Recipe Type:  Appetizer
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 Cucumber
4-5 Tbsp Besan or Gram Flour
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Ajwain seeds or Carom seeds
1/2 cup Water
Salt to taste
Pinch of Baking soda
Oil to fry
1/2 tsp Chat Masala(Optional)

Method:

Slice the cucumber into thin slices.
Mix together the besan, red chilli powder, ajwain seeds, baking soda and salt.
Add water by the spoonfuls until you get a batter of desired consistency. The batter should be thick enough to coat the cucumbers.
Heat oil in a deep pan or kadhai. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a small spoonful of batter in the oil. If it immediately rises to the top, then the oil is ready for frying the pakodas.
Dip the cucumbers in the batter and carefully drop them into the oil.
Cook them on medium heat until one side is golden brown. Flip the pakodas and cook until the other side is done.
It takes around 3-5 minutes per pakoda. Cook them in batches and do not crowd the pan.
Sprinkle some chat masala over them and serve hot with mint coriander chutney or ketchup.

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Instant Ragi Dosa

Continuing with my Instant recipes with this Instant Ragi Dosa. It is an instant dosa or crepe  made with rava or semolina and ragi flour (finger millet flour).

As much as I love Bangalore, I also love getting out of Bangalore once in a while. There are but only a few roads that lead out. One of them is the Mysore road. I'm not too fond of the Bangalore-Mysore highway. Too many speed breakers and way too many vehicles. Barely feels like you have left Bangalore. But it has some silver lining, in the form of the various eating joints all along the way. There is this Kamat restaurant on the way where I first ate the Ragi Dosa. And it was love at first bite. Crispy dosa served with some coconut chutney. I'd never imagined Ragi could taste sooo good.

I'd had ragi in the form of Ragi Rotti or the Ragi Mudde, but never the Ragi Dosa. I simply loved it and when we came back, I was off to buy Ragi Flour to make it. Ragi Dosa is made exactly like the Rava Dosa, only the rice flour is replaced with ragi flour.

Ragi Dosa is perfect for those mornings when you haven't planned ahead for breakfast. All you do is mix stuff together and throw them on a hot griddle or tava. Yup no spreading it with love like the regular Dosa or pancake, you have to throw it on and let it take the shape it likes. No obsessing over the round shape. 

It is also perfect for that 5pm hunger of mine. A great alternative to all that fried stuff around. 

Making awesomely crispy Ragi Dosa requires patience, something I lack, so sometimes I'm just okay with soft ones. But I have the following tips to making a great Ragi Dosa. The same work for Rava Dosa as well.

• Mix and make the dosa immediately. Do not leave it to soak. Soaking allows the rava or semolina to soak up all the water and it won't get crisp.
• The batter needs to be thin. Make a few and try, you will know if you need to add more water. The consistency should be similar to that of buttermilk.
• Pour the batter when the tava or the griddle is really hot and then lower the heat and leave it to crisp up.
• Don't skimp on the oil. The dosa needs oil to crisp up, at least 1-2 tsp per Dosa. Oil-less Ragi Dosa is just not as tasty. 
• I add onions, curry leaves, cumin seeds, coriander leaves and chilli. A well seasoned Ragi Dosa does not even need any accompaniments, it tastes delicious on its own. All these are optional and you can leave them out to make a plain Ragi Dosa

Buttermilk consistency Batter

Spoon the mixture on a hot tava. Flip when browned.

Instant Ragi Dosa

Instant dosa made with Ragi flour and Semolina

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:            South Indian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:                5-6 Dosas

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Semolina (Rava)
1/4 cup Ragi flour
1 Tbsp All purpose flour (Maida)
1 Tbsp Yogurt (Curd)
1 small Onion (finely chopped)
5-6 Curry leaves
2 Tbsp Coriander leaves (chopped)
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1.5 cups Water
Salt
Oil for frying

Method:

Mix together all the ingredients except oil and whisk until free of lumps
Heat a tava and grease it
Pour spoonfuls of the batter on the tava
Allow it to cook on low flame
Spoon oil on the dosa
Once the dosa is cooked, it will leave the sides of the tava, else use a spatula to loosen the dosa from the tava
Flip and cook for 1 minute
Serve hot with chutney

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Instant Paneer Tikka (Vegan Option Available)

I absolutely LOVE these Instant Paneer Tikkas. Just what I needed to brighten up a really boring week.

I've been bored to death this week. A continuing bus strike meant me not going to office. I had to work from home. Alone!! So boring. I miss talking to people. All alone at home means I talk to myself or my TV talks to me. Not so entertaining, really.

I love meeting up my friends at work in the morning over an extended tea break and chatting away. We talk about everything, from real serious technical stuff to light hearted sitcoms. I miss these "Tea Sessions", as we call it, the most. It's my best part of the day in office. There are times I go to office early just so as to reach in time for Tea.

So as I prepared myself for yet another ALONE Tea Session (Sigh), I decided to add some spice into it with something so tasty that I forget I am alone.

When I am dull or bored, I cook. Cooking wakes me up like nothing else can. And especially trying something new is always so much more exciting. I looked through my fridge and I had - Capsicum and Paneer and some Cherry Tomatoes. An idea formed. Voila - Instant Paneer Tikkas.

These Paneer Tikkas need no overnight marination or complicated setup. They took hardly 30 minutes from start to finish. Now that's INSTANT in my dictionary.

I used what I had in my fridge - Capsicum, Tomato and Paneer. You can use anything with the Paneer. The usual combinations are Capsicum, Onion or Tomato. But you can get creative and may be pop in a mushroom or a thick slice of Zucchini.

I liked the idea of individual sized portions, hence I used toothpicks. You can use real skewers to pile on all your favorite things on it. For it to be as Instant as mine, use quick cooking ingredients only, If you want to skewer on Potato or Corn, you may probably want to parboil them first. that makes it a little less instant-ty, but definitely not any less tasty.

For the marination, use thick yogurt or curd, I tend to always have at least a bowl of homemade yogurt in the fridge, so no worries there for me. If the curd or yogurt you have is thin, then place it in a tea strainer or a muslin cloth for around half hour to let the whey drain off and you will have nice thick curd. I've used a bunch of spice powders to made the marinade. If you want it to be even more instant, use store bought Tandoori Masala and it will taste just as good.

Paneer Tikka is always grilled. I grilled mine in the oven. But if you do not have any means of grilling it, then you can shallow fry them. Just don't cook it for very long, they will lose that silky smooth texture of the paneer.

If you are a Vegan, you can replace the Paneer with Tofu and the yogurt with some Lime juice.

Instant Paneer Tikkas

Paneer, Capsicum and Tomato coated in an instant marinade of spices and grilled. 

Recipe Type:  Snacks / Appetizer
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:                9 Tikkas

Ingredients:

For the Tikka:

100 gms Paneer (use Tofu for a vegan option)
1 small Capsicum or Bell Pepper
1 Cherry Tomato per Tikka (Optional)
3/4-1 tsp Oil per Paneer Tikka

For the Marinade:

2 Tbsp thick Yogurt or Curd (use 1-2 tsp lime juice for a vegan option)
1.5 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1.5 Tbsp Besan or Gram Flour
1/4 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Amchur or Dried Mango Powder (Skip if using lime juice or if the yogurt is very sour)
1/4 tsp Chaat Masala (Optional)
A pinch of Hing or Asafoetida
Salt to taste

Method:

Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade.
Cut the Paneer into individual bite sized cubes. Cut the Capsicum to the same size as the Paneer.
Add the paneer and capsicum to the marinade and mix well.
Skewer the capsicum, paneer and the cherry tomato onto the toothpick.
Place them in a greased grilling sheet or pan.
Spoon a little oil over each of the Paneer Tikkas.
Grill them for 10-15 minutes, turning them every 3-4 minutes.
They are ready when they char slightly.
Serve hot with some mint chutney.

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Instant Rava Idli

I had an INDULGENT weekend. I-N-D-U-L-G-E-N-T!!!

I'm spelling out stuff, so I guess you get the picture.

Spicy Biryani lunch, Cheesy Pasta for dinner, Deep fried Bread Rolls for snacks and a heavenly TRIPLE Chocolate Milkshake, I’ve had it all. And I cooked none of it. Nada. 

I’m sure it will take me a month to work it off. Sigh!!

All those guilty pleasures made me want to eat a healthier breakfast this Monday morning. I’d never been a Rava Idli fan, regular Idli, give it to me anyday and I’ll eat it. But I wondered why would one eat that hard lump of rava (semolina) for any meal? This was until I made my own.

Eye opener – Rava Idli does not have to be a hard lump. It can be soft like the regular rice Idlis. It can actually be delicious.

All credit goes to Gee, my sis. Someday she got the MTR instant rava idli packet and made it and repeatedly kept telling me how good they had become. MTR is a legendary restaurant in Bangalore that actually invented the Rava Idli when there was food shortage during a war. A place you should visit for some rich South Indian food.

The restaurant rocks, but I won’t accept defeat from a packet. Na-ah.

So I made just to show her that she can make equally good Rava Idlis with just the ingredients she has at home. I had no plans of liking them at all. It was just a competition with the packet, that’s IT. (I'm competitive that way). At least that’s what I thought, until I ate them. I mean if I make them, I have to taste it, right? And what a pleasant surprise it was. Soft smooth Rava Idli. And so easy to make as well. No overnight soaking, no overnight fermenting. Just mix and steam.

I'm always on a lookout for breakfast recipes. And they obviously have to be HEALTHY and EASY to make. These Rava Idlis satisfy all my criteria. So they have been back on the menu time and again since that day. 

Some additional steps that you may have to do if making your own healthy Rava Idlis, and it is totally worth it:

• Toast the Rava / Semolina - You can either toast it when you decide to make the Rava Idlis or you can toast the rava whenever you have time and store it. Toasting helps increase the shelf life of rava. You can then use it instantly while making Upma too.
• Grate a carrot, Chop a chilli - Yup, you will need to grate a carrot and chop some chilli and coriander. 
• Tempering - Heat a little oil, throw in some lentils (dals), mustard seeds, curry leaves and chilli. This is seriously a 10 seconds job.
• Mix once - Mix tempering with the rava.

The rest is exactly like the packet. Mix in the ingredients. Allow it to rest for some time. Then steam them as usual. Ta-da - Instant soft smooth Rava Idli.

Instant Rava Idli

Popular South Indian instant steamed breakfast cakes made from semolina or rava and yogurt.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:            South Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:                8 Idlis

Ingredients:

1.25 cups Semolina or Upma Rava
1 cup Yogurt (Curd)
1 small Carrot
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
2-3 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
1 tsp Chana Dal
8-10 Curry leaves
1 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
1 chopped Green Chilli
1/2 cup Water
Salt to taste 
Oil to grease

Method:

Toast the rava in a kadhai on low flame for 8-10 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Remove it into a large bowl once done.
Heat oil in the kadhai and add mustard seeds to it.
Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the urad dal and the chana dal.
Once the dals brown slightly, add the curry leaves and chilli. Pour this tempering to the toasted rava.
Mix well and allow to cool.
Once the rava has cooled, add grated carrot, yogurt, chopped coriander, baking soda and salt and mix well.
Add water by the spoonful. The consistency of the batter should be similar to the regular idli batter.
Leave aside for 10-15 minutes.
In the meanwhile, prepare the idli steamer. The water in the steamer should be boiling when we put in the idli, else the idli will become hard.
Now grease the idli mould, and pour in the batter.
Steam for 10-15 minutes.
Serve hot with chutney or sagu.

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