All posts by Healthy Cooking with Mitha

"Healthy food can be oh so delicious too!" Yes this site is all about that. Join me in my journey of healthy eating accompanied by my foodie of a husband and an equally foodie toddler.

Chutneys, Konkani Recipes

Sambarpalli chutney | Oregano leaves chutney – Version 1

May 17, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 7 Comments

My husband loves gardening. He has grown a lot of plants in our kitchen garden which yields us different varieties of vegetables during winter and herbs like mint all year long. There are two plants among them which I adore as they are medicinal plants and helps us heal ourselves and our kids when they fall sick.

One is the most revered plant in Hindu tradition, Tulsi or holy basil. He has grown it all around the house and it feels so divine when we sit in our backyard filled with Tulsi plants. The second is these Sambarpalli leaves or Cuban oregano. They are very good to cure cold and stomach problems in both kids and adults. Sharing a picture of our plant.

Though people make so many dishes with these leaves including pakoras, my favourite is this simple chutney ad it not only tastes delicious but is easy to make as well. I try to make this chutney atleast once a week so that we consume the leaves regularly in this way.

Hope you all try this chutney too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

5 to 7 leaves of Sambarpalli/ Panikoorka/ Doddapatre / Cuban oregano

1 Cup Coconut (freshly grated or desiccated)

1 small Onion

1/2 inch Ginger piece

3 green chillies

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and heat the leaves in a pan till it changes colour and starts oozing water.

2. Allow it to cool down.

3. Meanwhile, add coconut, onion, green chillies and salt in a blender.

4. Add the cooled sambarpalli leaves too.

5. Using water as required, grind to a fine paste.

Notes:

* If you don’t have these leaves, skip it and you get simple raw onion chutney which I make regularly.

* Add coriander leaves instead of Sambarpalli leaves and you get coriander leaves chutney.

* You can skip onion if you are making during vrat days or are a Jain.

* Do not add more than the mentioned leaves as it does not taste good.

* This chutney makes a good combination with Instant Rava idlis.

* These leaves are very healthy and I use them in two ways apart from making chutney:::

1. I put couple of leaves in a vessel along with water. Heat it and take steam inhalation when even having the slightest of cold symptoms.

2. Heat the leaves in a pan as shown in the first picture. Then when it starts oozing water, remove it and crush it using mortar and pestle. Sieve the juice and mix honey (for kids above one year old) . Give as medicine for kids and adults when suffering from cold or stomach ache. Works very well. Take about 6 to 8 leaves for one dose.

Hope these home remedies are helpful to you too. These leaves are really magic!

Idli Stand

Instant Rava Idli

May 17, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 7 Comments

I had not even heard of rava Idlis before marriage. For me, Idlis meant either the regular idlis or sweet/ plain Idlis that we konkanis call mudho. Rava idli came into the picture as I started going to hotels with hubby and I became a huge fan of these unique kind of Idlis.

Little did I know that it would be so easy to make them at home. One try and I have never ordered them in restaurants after that. Almost 9 years later, I can now make these Idlis even in my dreams 😀 and it is in our regular breakfast menu.

I am sure most of you must be knowing the recipe but this is for those like me who did not know about it. Even if it helps one, I will feel it’s worthwhile. Happy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: (Makes around 8 to 10 Idlis)

1 Cup = 240 ml

1 Cup Rava / Sooji / Semolina

1/2 Cup Curd / Yogurt

1 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera

1/2 tsp split Urad dal

Few Cashews, chopped

Salt to taste

1 tsp Eno fruit salt (Substitute with 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp lemon juice)

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add cumin seeds, urad dal and cashews. Fry for few seconds.

2. Now add rava and fry on medium flame till it changes colour slightly and turns aromatic.

3. Immediately transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool.

4. Once cooled, add curd, salt and about 1/2 Cup water and mix well.

*The consistency of the batter should be slightly thick to make good rava Idlis.*

5. Now add eno fruit salt and mix once. Do not mix a lot. Just one even mix will do.

6. Put the batter into greased idli moulds and steam for 20 mins or till done.

7. Serve with a chutney of your choice or sambar.

Notes:

* Don’t make the batter very thick nor thin. For 1 Cup rava, it took me 1/2 Cup curd and 1/2 Cup water to get the perfect batter.

* After adding Eno fruit salt, you must immediately steam the batter. The batter cannot be stored after adding Eno fruit salt.

* You can however fry the rava in the seasoning and store in the fridge or freezer. Add curd, salt, water, Eno fruit salt when making Idlis and steam.

* Allow the fried rava to cool before adding curd. Else it might form lumps.

* As already mentioned above, you can substitute 1 tsp Eno fruit salt with 1/2 tsp Baking soda plus 1/2 tsp lemon juice.

* You can also add grated carrots and coriander leaves to the batter, like I have added here.

Breakfast time, Konkani Recipes, Snacks

Muga Dali usli | Seasoned moong dal

May 15, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 5 Comments

Click on the image to save the recipe on Pinterest.

I love dishes that does not require much of chopping especially when the husband works extra hours and the kids are extra clingy. Chopping becomes very difficult when they are pulling my legs and pushing my hands.

But I am still hungry. What to do? Welcome muga dali usli or seasoned moong dal. Hardly takes 5 mins to dump everything into the pan, I can keep it on medium to low flame and go play with the kiddos.

After a while, healthy and delicious protein packed usli is ready for me to enjoy! How can I not love this usli! Hope you all enjoy too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Cups Moong dal

3 Green chillies

1 Tbsp Ghee or Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 inch Ginger

A pinch of Hing/ Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

Freshly grated coconut for garnish

Step by step recipe:

1. Soak the moong dal for an hour if you have time. Else you can just wash well and use straight away.

2. Now heat a pan with ghee or oil. Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds and add hing.

3. Now add finely chopped ginger and green chillies. Fry for few seconds.

4. Now add the soaked moong dal along with tumeric powder,sugar, salt and enough water to cook the moong dal.

5. Cover and cook on medium flame till the moong dal cooks really well and turns soft.

6. Garnish with freshly grated coconut.

7. Serve hot!

Notes:

* We like it mushy and over cooked. So I cook the moong dal till really soft and add a lot of water while cooking. If you don’t like it overcooked, remove when the dal is just cooked while adding only sufficient water when cooking.

* The seasoning is to taste. You can skip ginger if you don’t like it but I love the bite of ginger in this usli.

* I also add few peppercorns and curry leaves when I have it.

* Hing gives a very good flavour to the usli. So don’t skip it.

Drinks, Konkani Recipes

Paanak | Jaggery Lemonade

May 13, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

Paanak is a drink made at temples and homes on the occasion of Ram Navami celebrating the birth of Lord Rama. I remember how I used to wait for this drink when they distributed at our local temple at Katapadi and the flavour is still afresh in my memories. That flavour is difficult to recreate at home just like all temple foods as they are filled with divinity.

At my house, I make Paanak for Ram Navami and along with that, it’s a regular during the summer months here in Qatar. We don’t drink carbonated drinks and this is a healthy replacement. When my husband comes back tired after work, Paanak makes him refreshed.

Hope you all try this drink too!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 large block or 2 small blocks of Jaggery (about a cup of powdered jaggery)

1 large Lemon or to taste

1/2 inch Ginger, grated

1/4 tsp Pepper powder

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder (optional)

A few leaves of Tulsi / holy basil leaves

Step by step recipe:

1. Melt jaggery with little water in a vessel. (Just melt, don’t make it into a syrup.)

2. Strain to remove any impurities. Now let it cool down.

3. After cooling down, add lemon juice, grated ginger, pepper powder, cardamom powder. Also add little more water to dilute the juice as per your taste.

4. Now add Tulsi leaves on top and refrigerate till it cools down.

5. Strain using a sieve and serve chilled. Enjoy!

Notes:

* Refrigerate the remaining drink and sieve and use when needed.

* You can skip Tulsi leaves if not available but it adds a wonderful flavour and also good for health.

* You can add all ingredients to taste as there is no specific measurement while making this.

Dosa corner, Konkani Recipes

Matta Rice dosa | Surai Ukde polo

May 12, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 2 Comments

Has anyone noticed my Dosa Corner page? I have already updated 8 dosa varieties that I always make for my family. This Matta rice dosa or Surai Ukde polo as said in Konkani is our weekly once breakfast.

I can just eat it with butter and do not need any chutney with this dosa. The combination of Matta rice and coconut brings a unique aroma and flavour to the dosa.

Traditionally, when my grandmother or Amma made this dosa, they did not ferment it. They just ground the batter and used it instantly. I like to ferment the batter as not only it increases the health benefits but tastes more delicious as well.

So here’s sharing the recipe. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Matta rice/ Boiled rice/ Brown rice

1 Cup White rice (any variety of white rice)

3/4 Cup grated Coconut (fresh/ desiccated)

Salt to taste

Oil or ghee to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Soak Matta rice and white rice together for about 8 hours. Matta rice takes a long time to soak. So soak atleast for 8 hours.

2. After soaking, drain the water and add to the mixer jar. Grind till half done.

3. Now add coconut and salt. Grind till it turns smooth. Pour into a vessel.

4. Ferment the batter overnight or for 8 hours. (Not required in traditional style but I love to ferment it as the taste is so much better when the batter is fermented.)

*Does not rise but you can see bubbles in the batter when it’s fermented*

5. Heat a dosa pan and spread a ladle of dosa batter slightly thick.

6. Cover and cook till the surface cooks. Then flip and cook for few more seconds till done.

Enjoy with butter or chutney!

Notes:

* This is a traditional Konkani GSB dosa which does not require fermenting but I like to ferment the batter as it increases the health benefits as well as flavour.

* I soak the rice in the morning and grind the batter at night for breakfast the next day. It needs atleast 8 hours of soaking for the batter to turn smooth.

* This is the rice that I used for the dosa. It’s called Palakkadan Matta rice. This is also the rice we eat on a daily basis for our meal.

Snacks

Masala Oats Paratha

May 11, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 5 Comments

I have been unknowingly adding a lot of Oats recipes like Dates and Oats Cake , Oats and Mixed dal dosa, Instant Oats Idli and now this Masala Oats Paratha.

Some years back my friend had shared this recipe of Masala Oats Paratha. I had tried it many times and loved it too but somehow forgot it later as we usually have rice.

Yesterday I remembered it and made just few of them for dinner to see if the kids will like the change in taste. I was so happy when my daughter said “Amma, what is this? This is so yummy. Give me more. Can’t stop eating it.” And finally ate three of them instead of one that she usually eats. Even though I should not share this for the fear of evil eye, can’t resist as it made me so happy and out of the world. I am sure all mothers can understand how I feel.

Here’s sharing the recipe. Hope your family loves it too.

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes around 8 Parathas}

For the outer dough:

3 Cups Whole wheat flour/ Atta

Salt to taste

Water as required to knead the dough

For the inner filling:

2 Cups Instant Oats

1/2 Cup Curd/ Yogurt

3 green chillies, finely chopped

A small piece of ginger, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced (optional)

Few curry leaves, finely chopped

2 Tbsp of finely chopped Coriander leaves

2 tsp Garam masala powder

1 tsp Red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Oil or ghee to cook the parathas

Step by step recipe:

1. Take wheat flour and salt in a bowl and add water. Knead to form a smooth dough. Keep aside.

2. Now take instant oats in another bowl and add curd one spoon at a time and keep mixing till it looks like one wet mixture. I required 1/2 Cup curd for 2 Cups Oats.

*This should be the consistency of the mixture. It should be thick.*

3. Now add ginger, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves, coriander leaves, garam masala powder, red chilli powder and salt.

4. Mix well and divide into equal portions.

5. Now divide the wheat dough also into equal number of balls. Take one and roll a little. Place one oats portion inside it.

6. Close and seal the edges.

7. Using dry flour, roll into a big circle like you roll regular parathas.

8. Now place it on a hot tava and cook both sides using ghee or oil.

9. Enjoy it hot with curd or any side dish. We love it with Amma’s tomato chutney.

Notes:

* Don’t add a lot of curd than required or you will have difficulty filling it if it is more wet.

* The masalas and spices are to taste. I sometimes skip garlic or curry leaves if I don’t have. It’s all upto how your family loves it.

* I take out the green chilly before feeding each bite to my kids. You could skip it from their mixture itself if needed.

For all my Oats recipes like idlis, dosas, pizza and cake, check out:

Oats Recipe Collection

Desserts

No bake Chocolate cheesecake | Easy recipe

May 9, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 1 Comment

I love desserts that are easy to make and get ready quickly. After Easy Mango mousse, here is another super easy dessert which tastes so delicious that you will keep licking till the last drop.

It hardly takes 30 mins to make and involves no hard work. Just mix and refrigerate. You are done! Also it looks very beautiful.

Here’s sharing the step by step recipe. Hope you all make and enjoy it as much as we do. Happy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: ( Makes around 4 servings)

For the biscuit base:

100 grams Digestive biscuits (you can also use milk bikis)

2 Tbsp melted butter

For the cheesecake layer:

225 grams Cream cheese ( I use Puck or Kiri brand)

1 tin sweetened condensed milk (397 grams)

1/3 Cup Lemon juice

For the chocolate layer:

1 Cup full fat milk

1/4 Cup Sugar

2 Tbsp Cocoa powder

1 tsp Vanilla essence

Step by step recipe:

1. Take the biscuits and powder it either in a mixer or put it in a ziplock like this and crush it using a chapati roller.

2. Take it in a bowl and add melted butter.

3. Mix well and add into individual glasses or bowls as shown.

4. Refrigerate the glasses for 10 mins so that they set.

5. Now take cream cheese at room temperature. Whisk it well for a minute so that it turns creamy.

6. Now add sweetened condensed milk and whisk again till they blend well.

7. Add lemon juice and whisk again till the mixture is combined well.

8. Add into the glasses till three fourth of the rim.

9. For the chocolate layer, combine milk, cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla essence in a non stick pan. Whisk well. Cook on medium flame till it thickens as shown.

Note: In a non stick pan, it thickens very easily compared to steel vessel.

10. Pour into the glasses as shown.

11. Refrigerate for about 4 hours till the layers set well. You can also refrigerate overnight. Done!

Notes:

* If you don’t have cream cheese, you could try substituting with hung curd. Since the texture of both cream cheese and hung curd is same, it will do the work though the cheese flavour might be missing.

* I don’t use the biscuit layer most times as my kids don’t like it. I make only the cheese layer and chocolate layer.

* This cheesecake is very easy to make and hardly takes 30 mins to get things ready.

* The chocolate layer is my frosting for Eggless chocolate banana cake and works very well for this too.

* Garnish with more chocolate shavings if needed. Enjoy!

#Update by my reader Sonali Baindur:

She doubled the measurements that I had given and set the cheesecake in a springform pan for almost 24 hours. It set beautifully and look how perfect it looks.

Dosa corner

Oats and Mixed dal dosa

May 8, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 5 Comments

I have been mentioning in my posts that my kids are avid dosa lovers. That is the reason I have been posting so many dosa recipes here. All of these have been tried by me and tested on my kids (😂). I am sharing only dishes which they have loved and I keep making often.

After Mixed dal dosas with rice, here is another delicious dosa with no rice and uses Oats instead. And no, you can never say it has oats in it. I love how well it ferments and the dosas turn out porous and soft.

Hope you all try and like it too, importantly your kids like it too. I thank my friend Trinita Rebello for requesting this recipe.

RECIPE:

Ingredients: (Makes about 8 dosas)

1 Cup Instant Oats

1/4 Cup Urad dal

1/4 Cup Moong dal

1/4 Cup Toor dal

1/4 Cup Chana dal

1/2 tsp Hing/ Asafoetida powder

Salt to taste

Oil or ghee while cooking the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and soak the dals for atleast 4 hours.

2. Grind along with instant oats to a fine paste.

3. Pour in a large steel vessel and add salt and hing.

4. Keep for fermentation overnight or for 8 hours.

5. Mix the batter once. Heat a dosa pan and add a ladle full of dosa batter. Spread in a large circle.

Note: If the pan is very hot, you can’t spread it well. So make the flame medium while spreading and then turn it high when the dosa is cooking.

6. Cover and cook for a minute till the top surface looks cooked well. If you love crispy dosas, add oil or ghee and cook a little more till the dosa looks brown.

7. Repeat the same with the rest of the batter.

Notes:

* This dosa does not taste like regular dosas and has the dal flavour. So make a little batter first time and see if your kids like it before making a huge batch.

* Refrigerate the remaining batter if any.

* Skip any dal if you don’t have. I usually don’t have chana dal. So I make dosas with the rest of the dals and oats.

* This dosa is very filling due to the addition of dals and oats. Even two dosas keeps you full for long time.

* Serve it with a spicy chutney like this Amma’s Tomato chutney. Tastes amazing.

* My kids are a huge fan of this dosa with honey. You can try that for your kids too if they are above 1 year old.

* Even though it’s the same with any kind of dosas, but I insist these dosas should specially be had hot for best taste.

* If you don’t have oats, you can make mixed dal dosas with rice too like I have made here.

* I have served it with coriander leaves chutney. For the chutney, I grind coconut with ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves, salt, little tamarind with water to a smooth paste. This chutney does not require seasoning.

** I make a lot of dishes with Oats and have compiled the recipes in a page. Sharing it here:

Oats recipes Collection

** A collection of all my “no rice” Dosa recipes:

No rice Dosa recipe collection

Desserts

Coconut burfis | Easy recipe

May 4, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 6 Comments

Although I don’t like making sugary sweets, this one is an exception as it is my kids’ favourite. So instead of store bought sweets where you don’t know what goes into it, I make coconut burfis for them.

These burfis are very easy to make and will hardly take 15 mins if you have desiccated coconut in hand. I always have it in my pantry as we use a lot of coconut in our cuisine. So it’s easy to make when the kids demand.

I thank Asha Mai a lot for her wonderful recipe from her amazing cookbook. Have made this countless times and each time, I thank her whole heartedly!

RECIPE: ( Adapted from The Konkani Saraswat Cookbook by Asha Satish Philar)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups grated Coconut ( fresh/ desiccated)

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Cashews

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 tsp Cardamom powder (optional)

Ghee to grease the pan

Step by step recipe:

1. Grind cashews with milk to a fine paste. Even if little pieces of cashews are left, it’s ok.

2. In a pan , add coconut, sugar and the cashew milk.

3. Start mixing on a medium to low flame. Be careful to keep the flame low, else it might burn.

4. Keep mixing till sugar melts and the mixture combines well. Takes about 8 to 10 mins. Add cardamom powder.

5. Grease a pan with ghee and add the burfi mixture to the pan. Flatten the surface. Cut and serve.

Notes:

* I have always made these burfis with desiccated coconut and they taste very good with it.

* The mixture is very soft initially but sets well after an hour.

* Refrigerate the remaining pieces.

Updated picture on October 14th 2024.

Since I have been making this since many years now, you can see the neatness in the burfis compared to the above picture. Loved it then, love it now and always ❤️

Dosa corner, Snacks

Eggless Tomato Omelette

May 1, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

As a kid, I used to wait for Amma to make these tomato omelettes for me from leftover dosa batter. I loved a lot of tomatoes in them and Amma used to purposely give the omelettes which had the most tomato pieces to me and take the less ones for herself. Such is a mother’s selfless love and I understand it now being a mother myself.

These can be made even without the leftover batter by just adding the flours and mixing. I realised it during my pregnancy when I was craving for them a lot and did not have leftover batter. Quickly mixed this batter and there came out these beautiful tomato omelettes with Amma’s love in every bite.

Dedicate this post to you Amma. Love you very much 😍😘

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Cups Besan/ chikpea flour

1 Cup Rava/ wheat semolina

1/2 Cup Rice flour

2 large Tomatoes

1 medium sized Onion

3 green chillies

2 Tbsp Coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe: