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Tri colour Capsicums always attracted me when I went for grocery shopping but it used to be super expensive and I never felt like buying it. Recently Qatar has been growing a variety of veggies locally and hence we have been getting even expensive vegetables like Broccoli and coloured capsicums considerably cheaper. Also just see how fresh they are! 😍
So, whenever I get my hands on them, it’s either this salsa or fried rice. Both ways, it is consumed happily by my kids which is most important for me whenever I cook something. With salsa, I present it to them with nachos for evening snack and they munch it on happily. ❤️
Also, these capsicums are best when they are had raw with their flavours intact. Cooking them leads to make it soft and is not as fresh. So my preferable way to use these capsicums is by making this salsa which we have as an accompaniment with rice meals as well. Tastes so yum. ❤️
Hope you all try and love it too. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️
RECIPE:
Ingredients:
1/2 a medium sized Green Capsicum
1/2 a medium sized Yellow Capsicum
1/2 a medium sized Red Capsicum
1 medium sized Onion
1 medium sized Tomato
3 Green chillies
1/4 tsp Pepper powder
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 Indian lemon or half of large lemon
Finely chopped Coriander leaves, for garnish
Step by step recipe:
1. Finely chop the three capsicums and add to a mixing bowl.
2. Now add finely chopped Onion, tomatoes and green chillies to it.
3. Add finely chopped Coriander leaves, salt, pepper powder and lemon juice. Mix well. Taste and adjust the lemon juice and salt as needed.
4. Done! Enjoy as a salad or as a salsa with Nachos. ❤️
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Notes:
* The above measurement serves 4. If you are making for more people, just use three whole capsicums and about two tomatoes and two onions.
* You can skip green chillies if making for small kids. I remove green chillies before giving to my kids.
* You can also add a dash of red chilli powder for more spice but we love this as it is.
* I also serve it as a side along with rice meals and the salad gives a nice, fresh crunch to the meal.
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As I have already mentioned in my last post of Methi Theplas , during Winter in Qatar ie from October to March, most residents here grow many veggies and flowers in their garden. It’s a delight to see the greenery in front of all houses, specially where we live as it’s away from the main city.
Along with my husband who loves gardening, we are lucky to have neighbours who grow and share their produce with us too. One among the veggies that grows well here is white Radish. Look at these freshly plucked ones given to me by my neighbour who grew it with love. 💚
And as usual, whenever I get any veggie, I first see how it can be fed to my kids in a way that they like it. After my success with Methi Theplas and Bottlegourd Theplas, I decided to add these radishes as stuffing into parathas and imagine my happiness when it got gobbled away by both my little rabbits. 😍😍
So nowadays, whenever I get radish, I make these Mooli Parathas with it and as it tastes same like Paneer Parathas, kids never realize, it’s a vegetable that’s going inside them.
I had to share this with all of you and hence clicked photos when I made it recently. Hope you all try and like it. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️
RECIPE:
Ingredients: { Makes about 6 Parathas}
(1 Cup = 240 ml)
2 Cups Whole Wheat flour/ Atta
3 medium sized white Radishes (3/4 Cup gratings)
2 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder (haldi powder)
1/2 tsp Cumin powder (jeera powder)
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
1 tsp Red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Ghee to cook the parathas
Step by step recipe:
1. Peel the radishes and grate it finely as shown.
2. Add salt and keep it aside for about 10 mins. It will leave all the water content.
3. Now squeeze the radish gratings and add to another bowl. Don’t discard the water. We will knead dough in it.
4. Now to the radish gratings, add coriander leaves, turmeric powder, jeera powder, Garam Masala powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well.
5. In the radish water, add wheat flour and knead a soft dough similar to chapati dough. Add extra water if needed to knead the dough. No need to add salt as we have already added to radish.
Now both the outer dough and inner filling is ready. Keep the Chapati dough for rest for about an hour before making parathas. Till then, it’s best to refrigerate the filling in case it leaves water.
6. To make Parathas, divide the chapati dough into equal, medium sized balls. Take one of the ball and dip it in dry wheat flour. Roll it into a small sized thick chapati and add a spoon of filling inside, in the center as shown.
7. Cover it by folding the edges and sealing it using the dough in the sides.
8. Dip again in dry wheat flour and roll as thin as possible, ensuring that you don’t give much pressure as the filling can come outside.
9. Now heat a pan/ tawa and place the paratha over it. Fry both sides using ghee till it browns and cooks well.
10. Serve with raita, chutney or pickle. Tastes so yum!
Notes:
* Remember to add salt and keep the radish gratings for atleast 10 mins so that all the water gets let out and you don’t get a soggy filling.
* Don’t discard the water and knead the wheat flour in it so as to not waste the nutrients in the radish water.
* While keep the dough to rest, refrigerate the filling so that it does not leave out water. In case, you feel the mixture is wet, you can add little crumbled paneer so that it absorbs the extra moisture from the filling.
* You can add the masalas which you like to the filling. I like which my family prefers. You can also add finely chopped green chillies to the filling.
* You can also check my other Paratha/ Thepla recipes:
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As my son is sleeping after coming back tired from school, I have finally sat down to write this recipe of Methi Theplas which are his favorite 😍. He loves variety of dosas, bhakris, parathas and his recent love is this Methi Thepla. ❤️ It’s winter now in Qatar and we have fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves growing in our tiny kitchen garden, handled very lovingly by my husband. Here are the tiny yet pretty and very healthy leaves 😍
These leaves are plucked when my son demands for Theplas and love how homegrown leaves have an amazing flavour of it’s own. Farm to kitchen lifestyle is really the best way to enjoy and respect food. ❤️
Though I also make Alu methi and methi dal, these Theplas have become more regular as my kids love it. It’s also very easy to make and hardly takes 30 mins from start to finish.
They also stay well at room temperature for few hours and remain soft. So, in case there are leftovers, they still taste yum when enjoyed later.
Do try this delicious and healthy variation instead of rotis or parathas and you will definitely love it. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️
Ingredients: { Makes about 7 Theplas }
1 Cup = 240 ml
1 cup finely chopped Fenugreek leaves/ Methi leaves
2 Cups Wheat flour / Chakki ka Atta
2 tsp white Sesame seeds / Til
2 tsp Oil ( I use coconut oil)
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
A pinch of Hing/ Asafoetida
Salt to taste
Approx 1/2 cup water to make the dough
Oil or Ghee to cook the Theplas
Step by step recipe:
1. Take finely chopped methi leaves in a large mixing bowl (I chop the tender stems too along with the leaves. You can chop only the leaves if the stems are thick). Add sesame seeds, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, oil, hing.
2. Now add wheat flour and mix everything well. Add water little by little and form a soft dough just like chapati dough.
3. Now divide the dough into equal sized balls as shown.
4. Using dry wheat flour, dust each of the balls and roll just like chapatis.
5. Heat a pan and fry the Theplas, both sides while applying oil or Ghee. Cook till brown spots appear on either sides of the Thepla.
6. Enjoy hot Theplas with curd and pickle or even as it is. Tastes so yum ❤️
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Notes:
* You can also enjoy them after a while as they remain soft for many hours. Hence they make an excellent lunch box option or to make and carry during traveling.
* Just pack them tightly in a steel box or a hot case.
* The ratio of 1 : 2 for methi leaves : wheat flour works well for me. If you change the ratio, it might be difficult to roll the Theplas.
* Remove thick stems from methi leaves before adding to Theplas. I add thin, tender stems finely chopped and you can never feel them in the mouth.
* Make sure to cook both sides of the Theplas well with oil or Ghee which makes the Theplas soft.
* I also make Theplas adding yogurt which is another method you can try. I make Bottlegourd or Dudhi/ Lauki Thepla that way. Here is the recipe : Bottlegourd Theplas
* For growing your own methi leaves, just sprout regular methi seeds and add them to soil. You can also grow in pots of you don’t have the space for direct soil. It takes about two weeks for methi leaves to grow completely once sowed in soil. I have shared the detailed blog on how to sprout methi seeds in this blog. You can check HERE.
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Dosa is our favorite breakfast and when we are spoilt for choices, how can one resist making it almost everyday. 😅 We Konkanis are famous for our unique yet delicious dosas and it makes me so happy to add yet another dosa, 34th variety on the blog. You can check all the recipes here – Dosa Corner.
I started making Millet dosas few years back and we loved the flavour very much. Combine it with your favorite chutney and you have a healthy, filling breakfast ready. ❤️
However, I have noted that Millet dosas are best had hot and can’t be packed in tiffin boxes as the texture changes. Also, it tastes the best when cooked in ghee instead of oil.
Kodo Millet is a lesser known millet variety but dosas made it with tastes really delicious, trust me on this. Once you start making it, you are sure to make it again and again..
Hope you all try and like it. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️
RECIPE: { Makes about 15 dosas }
Kodo millet is also known as Kodra (English), Varagu (Tamil), Arikelu (Telugu), Harka (Kannada), Koovaragu (Malayalam)
Ingredients: { 1 Cup = 240 ml }
1/2 Cup Urad dal
2 Cups Kodo Millet
2 tsp Methi/ Fenugreek seeds
Salt to taste
Ghee to cook the dosa
Step by step recipe:
1. Wash well and soak Urad dal, Kodo millet and methi seeds in separate bowls in atleast double the water for 4 hours.
2. Now discard the soaked water from Urad dal and grind it with methi (along with soaked water) till it turns into a smooth batter adding water little by little as required. Pour into a large vessel. Add drained Kodo millet into the mixer.
3. Grind the millet with little water to a smooth paste. Pour into the same bowl. Add salt and mix well with hands.
4. Keep in a warm place for 8 to 10 hours for the batter to ferment.
5. Make dosas either thick or thin. My kids like it thick while we like it thin. For making it thick , just pour a ladle of dosa batter and don’t spread much. For making thin, spread the batter over the pan. Add ghee and cook till the surface cooks. Flip and cook for thick dosas.
6. Repeat the same with the rest of the batter. Serve with a chutney of your choice.
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Notes:
* You can refrigerate the leftover batter to make dosas later.
* I used Kodo Millet from Manna brand.
* Don’t discard the soaked methi water while grinding the batter. It is important to get a soft porous texture of the dosas.
* These dosas are best cooked in ghee and eaten hot.
* We love the dosas when made thin but kids like it thick. So make and see how your family prefers it.
* I served it with Hing Chutney. Grind coconut with red chillies, hing, tamarind paste, salt and little water to a smooth paste.
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Whenever I ask my husband what breakfast he would like to eat when there is no dosa or idli batter, he immediately says “Batat Phovu”. 😄 And to imagine that he used to simply dislike potatoes when we got married. I used to beg him to please get us some potatoes as it used to be my favorite vegetable. Yes, “used to be” 😂 Now I have joined him in not liking potatoes so much but he is slowly liking them in some dishes and one of them is this Batat Phovu. 😍
In fact, it is he who suggested me that I should definitely share this recipe on the blog while I was sceptical as this is quite a well known recipe. “Everyone makes this and everyone knows the recipe..”, I told him. “But don’t think anyone can make it as perfectly as yours!”, was his reply instantly. (This man really loves what I cook 😂😂)
So I decided to share the recipe on the blog. Because if it helps even one, I will consider my efforts worthwhile. Though I am not a perfect cook in any way, some dishes I cook comes out really tasty and Batat Phovu is one among them.
Here’s sharing the simple recipe for those who don’t know yet. Hope it’s helpful for you. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️
RECIPE:
Ingredients: {Serves 2 to 3 people}
1 Cup = 240 ml
2 Cups Thick Poha / Rice flakes / Beaten rice
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 tsp Ghee
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Tbsp Peanuts
Few Curry leaves
3 Green chillies
1 medium sized Onion
2 medium sized Potatoes
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
A pinch of Asafoetida/ Hing
2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp Coriander leaves, for garnish
2 Tbsp freshly grated Coconut, for garnish
Juice of 1/2 an Indian lemon
Step by step recipe:
1. Heat oil + ghee in a pan. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Allow mustard seeds to splutter. Now add peanuts, curry leaves and finely chopped green chillies. Fry for few seconds till peanuts get roasted.
2. Now add finely chopped Onion and fry till onions turn translucent.
3. Add peeled and finely chopped Potatoes and turmeric powder. Mix well and fry the potatoes for a minute. Now add few spoons of water. Cover and cook till the potatoes turn soft. Will take about 5 mins.
4. Meanwhile take Thick Poha in a bowl. Note to take thick variety of Poha and not the thin variety of Poha.
5. Now wash it well once or twice to remove impurities from it. Drain water completely after washing. Poha turns soft now. Add salt, sugar and hing powder. Mix well.
6. Once potatoes turn soft, add poha to it and mix well continually till the mixture combines. Cover and keep for 5 mins on very low flame.
7. Now remove from flame and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut. Drizzle lemon juice on top. Mix well. Serve hot. Done! ❤️
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Notes:
* We like the Poha soft and moist. So I wash really well and also cook after adding to the pan. If you don’t like it soft, you can wash only once and just mix in the pan and remove from flame without covering it.
* Batat Phovu is best had hot when freshly made. If kept for long, it tends to get dry. In case you have to make ahead, just sprinkle few drops of water while reheating before serving. That makes it moist again.
* You can skip potatoes if you don’t like and make simple Kanda Poha with only onions.
* Some people also add carrots, capsicum and peas to this making it Vegetable Poha which is even healthier but my family loves Batat Phovu the authentic way only. Just shared as I thought it’s a great idea.
* I add oil + ghee to enhance the flavour of the Batat Phovu. You can add only oil if you like.
* I mix salt, sugar and hing in the washed Poha instead of adding in the pan as I have seen it results in even mixing and tastes really good.
* The thick Poha I use does not need soaking at all and turns soft when I wash it twice. If your Poha is very hard, you will need to soak for few minutes to make it soft before use.
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Paneer is our most favorite and I regularly make different paneer curries and kathi roll with it. But the most commonly made is this super easy and very tasty Paneer Masala which I made one day when I had 15 mins to cook before we went out. This quick fix curry was loved so much by my family that now, I mostly make Paneer only this way.
This along with jeera rice or chapatis makes a delicious meal which tastes better than even restaurant ones. I love how homemade food has a comfort of it’s own which can never be found in outside foods, no matter from which fancy restaurant.
Hope you all try and like this simple yet delicious curry too. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️
RECIPE:
Ingredients:
300 grams Paneer cubes
To fry and make paste:
2 ripe medium sized Tomatoes
1 medium sized Onion
1 inch Ginger piece
About 10 to 12 Cashews
4 Cloves
2 Cardamom pods
1 Tsp Ghee
Other ingredients:
1/4 Cup Curd/ Yogurt
1 Tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Bay leaf
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Amchoor powder
2 tsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Red chilli powder
2 tsp Garam Masala powder
A pinch of Sugar
Salt to taste
Finely chopped Coriander leaves for garnish
Step by step recipe:
1. Heat 1 tsp Ghee in a pan. Add cloves and cardamom pods. Add Cashews and fry till brown. Now add roughly chopped ginger, onions and tomatoes.
2. Fry till the onions and tomatoes turn soft. Now allow it to cool.
3. Now add this to a blender along with yogurt.
4. Blend to a smooth paste. Now heat Ghee in the same pan. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf. Fry till cumin seeds turn brown. Now add the ground paste.
5. Mix well for few minutes. Then add turmeric powder, Amchoor powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, Garam masala powder, sugar and salt.
6. Mix well again continually for about 5 mins. Now add paneer cubes and cook on medium flame till paneer turns soft. Add water if needed to adjust consistency.
7. Remove from flame and garnish with finely chopped Coriander leaves.
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Notes:
* I usually combine this with jeera rice or chapatis. For jeera rice, heat coconut oil and fry cumin seeds. Add rice, hot water and salt. Cook till rice turns soft. Garnish with coriander leaves.
* You can skip Amchoor powder if you don’t have. I add it since I have it. Yogurt and tomatoes are enough for the tangy flavour.
* A pinch of sugar enhances the overall flavour of the curry. So remember to add it.
* You can decrease the amount of cashews if you like a less thicker curry.
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I have been baking cakes and cupcakes with wheat flour, jaggery and ghee since many years now and I am happy to say that my kids too have got so much used to this flavour that they love it much more than store bought maida based cupcakes. I bake them for their school tiffin box and also as an evening snack before they go out to play. ❤️
Now that they are at home whole day (demanding for food quite often 😅), my cooking has also increased and while I was about to make these banana cupcakes, I realized I had not shared the recipe on the blog. So quickly took some pictures and here I am writing this recipe while they are enjoying the cupcakes. ❤️
Cinnamon gives a wonderful aroma and flavour to these cupcakes and that makes these cupcakes super tasty too. They come out so soft too and you can never say it does not have eggs in it.
Hope you all try these delicious, filling cupcakes too and I am sure you will love it too. Happy and healthy baking! ❤️
RECIPE:
Ingredients: { Makes 6 medium sized muffins }
1 Cup = 240 ml
Dry Ingredients:
1 Cup Whole Wheat flour / Atta
1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder (or Vanilla essence)
1/4 tsp Baking soda
A pinch of salt
Wet Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Mashed Bananas ( I took 2 small overripe Indian bananas)
1/2 Cup Jaggery powder
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Ghee
1 tsp Vinegar (or lemon juice)
Step by step recipe:
1. Sift together using a sieve 1 Cup wheat flour, 1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder, 1/4 tsp Baking soda and a pinch of salt. Keep aside.
Note: If using Vanilla essence, you can mix with wet ingredients.
2. In another mixing bowl, take 1/4 Cup mashed bananas, 1/2 Cup Jaggery powder, 1/4 Cup Water, 1/4 Cup Ghee and 1 tsp Vinegar. Mix very well using a spatula.
Note: I mashed two overripe Indian bananas and got 1/4 Cup of mashed bananas. Even if you use three Indian bananas, it’s fine. Cupcakes will come out well. Just take care to mash really well.
3. Now add the dry ingredients mix to the wet ingredients mix and fold using the spatula. Do NOT overmix. Just mix so that you don’t see any dry flour specks in the mixture.
4. Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 to 15 mins in the center rack of the oven. If using microwave convection oven, choose the option of turning both rods on.
5. Meanwhile line the muffin pan with liners or just grease well with ghee or butter. Add a spoonful or two of the batter into each mold.
6. Bake at 180 C for 18 to 20 mins. Mine gets done exactly at 18 mins. Keep an eye after 15 mins into baking time so that the cupcakes don’t turn brown on the surface. Allow them to cool and then enjoy!
Note: To check if done, insert a toothpick in the center most cupcake. If it comes out clear or with tiny crumbs and is not wet, then the cupcakes are well baked. If it comes out wet, bake for few minutes more.
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Notes:
* These cupcakes lasts well at room temperature for a day. Just keep in a moisture free container. After a day, refrigerate it and then microwave for few seconds before consuming.
* I have used 1/4 Cup mashed Bananas to 1/2 Cup mashed Bananas in this recipe and it does not make much difference. It depends on how many overripe bananas I have. If I have two, I add two and if I have three, I add all three. Just make sure to not increase the quantity more than 1/2 Cup though.
* I recommend using Cinnamon powder for this recipe as it gives such a wonderful aroma and flavour. But if you don’t have, you can use vanilla essence or even Cardamom powder too.
* Always remember to sieve the dry ingredients to get soft muffins, specially when using whole wheat flour.
* Ghee can be substituted with melted butter, Jaggery can be substituted with brown sugar or regular sugar and Vinegar can be substituted with lemon juice, all of same quantity.
* Don’t overmix both the dry and wet ingredients. Just mix well once. Overmixing can lead to hard muffins.
* Preheating the oven before placing the muffin pan is a very important step. Don’t forget it. Preheat at 180 C for 10 to 15 mins.
* Bake in the center rack of OTG or with both rods on in a microwave convection oven. Keep an eyes after 15 mins into baking time but don’t keep opening oven door before that. Mine gets done exactly at 18 mins in OTG.
* To check if done, insert a toothpick in the center most cupcake. If it comes out clear or with tiny crumbs and is not wet, then the cupcakes are well baked. If it comes out wet, bake for few minutes more.
* You can give this to kids as evening snack or in their tiffin box for a filling, tasty treat.
For more Healthy cakes, cupcakes and cookies recipes, you can check my collection:
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Qatar is hosting FIFA football tournament which starts in couple of days and will last a month. So the kids are having vacation till New year and both of them are so happy to get this break (from waking early and homeworks 😄). So to celebrate this holiday time, I wanted to make something special for my daughter who loves it when I cook her favorites, so made this Soya Chunks Pulao for lunch today to surprise her. ❤️
This Pulao is her all time favorite and she always enjoys extra helpings of it when I make it. I learnt this recipe from my husband’s aunt during my newly married days and this is a regular at my place since then, specially on husband’s lunch box days. With raita and a pickle on side, this is a healthy, delicious meal. ❤️
Also, before I forget, it’s a one pot, easy to make Pulao too with very simple ingredients. It’s simplicity is what makes it truly yummy. I have tried many soya chunks rice recipes but this is what we love the most. ❤️
Hope you all try and love it too. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️
RECIPE:
Ingredients:
1 Cup = 240 ml
1.5 Cups Basmati rice
1 Cup Soya Chunks
1 medium sized Onion
1 medium sized Tomato
6 to 8 Cashews
2 tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera
4 Cloves
2 pods of Cardamom
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Red chilli powder or to taste
2 tsp Garam masala powder
2 Tbsp Ghee
Salt to taste
4 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
Step by step recipe:
1. Soak Soya Chunks and rice separately in double the amount of water for about 20 mins. Soya Chunks will swell in size and become soft. Keep it aside.
2. Heat ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom powder, bay leaf, cashews, onions and tomatoes in the same order. Fry till cashews turn slightly golden, onions and tomatoes cook well.
3. Now add tumeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Fry for few seconds.
4. Squeeze the soya chunks out from the soaking water and add along with rice and salt to the pan. Also add about 2 Cups of water. Mix well.
5. Now cover and cook on medium flame till the rice cooks well, turning soft yet the grains remain separate. You might need little more water depending on the quality of rice and the cooking range you use. Once cooked well, remove from flame and add chopped coriander leaves.
6. Mix well. Serve with raita and pickle.
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Notes:
* I use the ratio of 1 Cup Soya Chunks to 1.5 Cups rice which turns out perfectly for me.
* Do remember to soak both the soya chunks and rice separately for atleast 15 mins so that the soya chunks turn soft.
* You can add chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies too in the pulav but I skip since my daughter does not like it.
* For Garam Masala, I alternate between different masalas from Catch brand which I love very much. Currently I am using Catch Chana Masala which has a delicious flavour.
* To make Raita, just finely chop onion, tomato, cucumbers, coriander leaves. Add curd/ yogurt, rock salt, amchur powder, jeera powder, little water and mix well.
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In three days, it’s Deepavali and we will all soon be busy decorating our houses, lighting lamps, making sweets and savouries, enjoying this festive time with our families. Even though Deepavali is not the same here in Qatar, being far away from our dear ones, I still make sure kids don’t miss out on the essence of the festival by telling them the story of Ramayana, lighting lamps, wearing new clothes and making sweets to celebrate the festival. ❤️
Today morning I made these Coconut Badam ladoos which are the kids’ favorite as they love coconut based sweets a lot. They have holidays for the next four days and I will be busy with them, listening to their chatter. 😍 So I decided to share this recipe today itself to wish all of you a very Happy Deepavali. ❤️
Hope this beautiful festival of lights bring peace and happiness into your lives. Happy Deepavali to you and your family. Jai Shri Ram. 🙏
Do try these easy ladoos if you find time and you are sure to relish it. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️
1. Soak Almonds one night before making the ladoos. Just immerse in little water for about 8 hours.
2. Drain the water and peel the almonds. The peels come off easily as they have been soaked well.
3. Add to a mixer along with 1/4 Cup water and grind to a fine paste.
4. In a thick bottomed pan add coconut gratings or desiccated coconut, jaggery powder or grated jaggery and the almond paste. Don’t keep it on flame yet.
5. Now mix well using a spatula.
6. Now keep the pan on medium flame and start mixing using the spatula. Jaggery will melt and the mixture will start becoming soft and blend well. Keep mixing for about 8 to 10 mins. Add cardamom powder.
7. Mix once and remove the mixture into a bowl.
8. When the mixture is warm, start making ladoos using your hands. It is very easy to make when the mixture is warm and moist. Take a small portion and open close your right hand till the mixture binds well to form a round shaped ball.
9. Make ladoos with all of the mixture. You can also decorate the ladoos with fine sliced Almonds. Done ❤️
Notes:
* I have used desiccated coconut to make these ladoos. You can use freshly grated coconut too.
* Soaking Almonds overnight makes it easier to peel and also increases the nutrition of the Almonds.
* Once you mix coconut, jaggery and almond paste before keeping on the flame, it might seem dry but when you heat it, the jaggery will melt and help combine the mixture well.
* Heat it on medium flame though, else jaggery will burn if heated on high flame.
* When the mixture is warm and moist itself, make ladoos as it is easy that time.
* Store in a dry container for a day or two and then if leftover, you can refrigerate.
* Jaggery can be substituted with sugar too in case your family does not like jaggery flavour.
* Almonds can be substituted with Cashews too.
* I make Coconut Burfis with Cashews and sugar which I learnt many years back from Konkani Saraswat Cookbook by Asha Satish Philar mai. Here is the recipe – Coconut Burfis.
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The house is silent now, till afternoon, when my kids come back from school. I am utilizing this alone time to write this interesting, very healthy and super tasty Bottlegourd thepla recipe which I learned sometime back. Once the kids return from school, all they say is “Amma, Potta Bhook!” meaning “Mom, I am hungry!” in Konkani. 😁
So I have to keep something ready for them so that I can feed them as quick as I can. And it should be filling as well. Else in another 30 mins, it’s the same dialogue again. 😄 So, in my search for healthy snack recipes, I found this Bottlegourd Thepla which I tried one day for the hungry siblings. 😍😍
Both of them literally had a fight till the last bite while I had the last laugh as they did not realize they were eating bottlegourd too in it. 😁 Seriously speaking, you can never say it is made of bottlegourd. The taste of these soft theplas are heavenly to say the least. ❤️
So now, bottlegourd is bought weekly in our grocery shopping to specially make these theplas and I had to share the recipe with all of you too. ❤️
Bottlegourd ❤️
Do try them for a change from the regular food that we make and you are sure to be a fan of Bottlegourd theplas too. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️
RECIPE:
Ingredients: { 1 Cup = 240 ml }
Makes about 4 Theplas
1 Cup Whole Wheat flour/ Atta
1/2 Cup peeled, cored and grated Bottlegourd/ Lauki / Dudhi / Sorekai / Chorakaa
1/2 inch Ginger piece, grated
3 Tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Garam masala powder
Salt to taste
1 to 2 Tbsp Yogurt/ Curd or as needed
Dry wheat flour as needed while rolling
Oil or Ghee to cook the Theplas
Step by step recipe:
1. Peel, core and grate Bottlegourd. I took half of one medium sized Bottlegourd and got 1/2 Cup gratings.
2. Add it to a mixing bowl. Add wheat flour. Then add grated ginger, chopped coriander leaves, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, Garam masala powder, coriander powder and salt.
3. Mix well using hands. Bottlegourd will release it’s water and the dough will be moist.
4. Now add 1 Tbsp Yogurt and mix well to form a dough.
Note: This step is very important as if you add more yogurt, the dough will be wet and you won’t be able to roll the theplas. Add only as much as to form a dough. In case by mistake you add more yogurt, just add more wheat flour to form a non sticky dough.
5. Coat the dough with few drops of any kind of oil so that the dough becomes non sticky.
6. Now divide into equal sized dough balls. Flatten and dip into dry wheat flour. Roll as thin as you can.
Note: The shape will not be perfect round due to grated bottlegourd in it but it’s fine. Just dip into as much dry wheat flour as needed and roll.
7. Now fry both sides on a hot tawa applying oil or Ghee on either sides, cooking the Thepla really well till it turns golden brown in colour.
8. Serve hot with mango or lemon pickle. ❤️
Notes:
* Hot theplas with pickle taste the best but you can also make ahead and keep as these last for two to three days. A perfect travel food made regularly by Gujaratis.
* Do a taste test by eating a small bite of the bottlegourd before grating to see if it’s bitter. I have never found a bitter one but I have heard some do taste bitter. So I always taste before grating.
* You can also add finely chopped green chillies to thepla dough but since I make for my kids, I add only little red chilli powder.
* Knead the dough only using the moisture from bottlegourd and yogurt. Don’t add water while kneading.
* The ratio of 1/2 Cup grated bottlegourd to 1 Cup wheat flour and 1 Tbsp Yogurt gives a very soft Thepla but is slightly tricky while rolling. If you are not good at rolling, you can increase the quantity of wheat flour to 1 1/2 Cups wheat flour. The texture will be similar to rotis though.
* While rolling, use ample amount of dry wheat flour which helps in rolling easily. If using less, the dough will stick to the rolling platform.
* I used ghee to fry the theplas. You can use oil too.
* A simple mango pickle tastes the best with this Thepla. You can also make coriander chutney or raita too.
* I regularly make this Bottlegourd Halwa which tastes really delicious. You can try it as well.
Click on the image to save the recipe on Pinterest
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Join me in my journey with a foodie husband and hungry kiddos while I make them eat healthy!
Healthy cooking with Mitha 