Category Archives: Breakfast time

Barnyard millet Upma |Varai Upma | Easy breakfast with millets

December 3, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

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Breakfast is the most important meal in the day for me and I make sure it’s as healthy and filling as possible. Usually it’s any kind of dosa or idli but on days when the dosa batter is less, upma is my go to breakfast. Quick to make, quicker to finish, I love upma and often wonder why people make fun about it that it’s their least favorite breakfast. 🤔

Today morning, I felt peaceful as kids left for school after weekend 😀 and as I finished my morning walk, I thought of making this Barnyard millet upma. Since I was already feeling peacefully happy, I decided to utilize this moment to blog the recipe too. It has been long I am making this upma for breakfast and evening snack but never took pictures.

I have been substituting semolina or rava with millet for upma since sometime now as it’s more filling and healthy too. Also, I make pulav with millets too instead of rice for a change and love how delicious it comes out. Will share the recipe soon.

Hope you all try this simple yet tasty Barnyard millet upma. I am sure you will like it. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Serves 2 to 3 people }

1 Cup = 240 ml

{ Barnyard Millet is called Varai in Konkani, Kuthiraivali in Tamil, Sanwa in Hindi and Kavadupullu in Malayalam }

1 Cup Barnyard millet

3 Cups Water

For seasoning:

1 Tbsp Ghee

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

2 tsp Mustard seeds

2 tsp Cumin seeds

A sprig of Curry leaves

3 Green chillies

6 to 8 Cashews

Salt to taste

Freshly grated Coconut for garnish

Step by step recipe:

1. Take 1 Cup of Barnyard millet in a bowl and wash it well. Remove water and keep aside. I use Manna brand of millet as it is readily available here in Qatar.

2. Now heat ghee and oil together in a pan. You can use only oil too but ghee adds a wonderful flavour to the upma. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once mustard starts spluttering, add curry leaves, green chillies and cashews. Fry till cashews turn light brown in colour.

3. Now add the washed millet and roast for few seconds. Now add salt and mix well.

4. Add hot water and mix together with the ladle.

5. Lower the flame to medium, cover and cook till the water gets absorbed completely by the millet and the mixture turns dry (takes about 10 mins) . Check if millet is cooked by mashing between fingers. Garnish with freshly grated Coconut. Serve hot.

Serve Barnyard millet Upma as it is or with peas curry like I have served and with chutney powder. Coconut chutney also goes well with this upma.

Notes:

* I have used Manna brand of Barnyard millet as it is readily available here in Qatar in all major supermarkets. I get mine from Lulu or Grand mall.

* 1 Cup Barnyard millet needs atleast 3 Cups of water to cook. Keep hot water ready beforehand and add as soon as you roast the millet in the seasoning.

* Making upma with millet takes more time than regular upma with semolina or sooji as millet takes atleast 10 mins to cook but it is more filling and healthier.

* You can also add vegetables to make it vegetable upma.

* I also make Barnyard millet idli and it tastes delicious.

* You can check all my Millet recipes here:

Millet recipes Collection

Breakfast time

Instant Oats Appo / Oats Vegetable Paniyaram / Gluten free recipe

November 28, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

If there is one ingredient that is always available at my house, it’s Oats. My son loves Oats Vegetable Bhakri and my daughter loves Instant Oats Idli. Both these dishes can be quickly made within 30 mins and is a great help when kids demand for food ( When Ammaaa, hungryyy calls come unexpectedly 😁).

Similar is this Oats appo which I make regularly for my son when he comes back from school. Though I have shared all the recipes that I make with oats on my Oats recipes Collection page, this one recipe was long pending. So today when I made it, I thought of sharing it here too.

This is one delicious appo with bites of onion, capsicum, green chillies and carrot, crispy on the outside and soft inside. Do try it for breakfast or evening snack. If you don’t have appe pan, you can make small dosas with this batter too, like little bhakris. Comes out delicious as well. You will surely love it. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes around 21 small appos }

1 Cup = 240 ml

1 Cup Instant Oats ( I use saffola or quaker brand )

1 Tbsp Rice flour

1/2 Cup Curd or Yogurt

Approx 1/2 Cup Water

1/4 Cup finely chopped Onion

1/4 Cup finely chopped Capsicum

1/4 Cup finely grated Carrot

3 finely chopped Green chillies or to taste

2 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Oil or Ghee to cook the appos

Step by step recipe:

1. Take instant oats, rice flour, turmeric powder and salt in a bowl. Add yogurt.

2. Add water, little by little to make a thick batter. For 1 Cup Oats, it takes 1/2 Cup Curd and 1/2 Cup Water for me. But will change according to the brand of oats and the consistency of Curd. Just make a thick batter and not thin one.

3. Now add finely chopped onion, capsicum, carrot, green chillies and coriander leaves.

4. Mix well. Batter is ready to make appos instantly.

5. Heat the appo pan or Paniyaram pan and when hot, reduce the flame to medium. Now add ghee or oil on the holes of the pan. Now add a spoonful of batter into each of the holes. Don’t overfill the holes.

6. Now cover and cook on medium to low flame till the surface cooks. Now add little ghee or oil and flip over the appos carefully. Cook again till the inside cooks well and underside turns crisp.

7. Remove and serve with a chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* I serve with Coconut chutney or Hing chutney. Here I have served with Hing chutney. Just grind together 1 Cup Coconut with 3 Red chillies, A pinch of Hing, 1 tsp Tamarind paste, salt and water to smooth paste.

* Two important points with these appos are:

1. Don’t make a thin batter. It should be thick.

2. While making appos, make sure to add only less batter in each hole and cook on medium to low flame so that the appos cook till the inside. Also when you flip, tap slightly so that the under surface gets crisp.

* Use a skewer or the backside of a small spoon to check if the appos are done from inside. If it comes out wet, cook again on low flame. Once done, the skewer will come out dry.

* If you don’t have appe pan, you can make small dosas with this batter too, like little bhakris. Comes out delicious as well.

* As we are not adding any gluten in the form or Rava or semolina, nor are we adding baking soda, these appos won’t be extra big or fluffy but they are still soft inside and crispy outside. Tastes really delicious due to veggies inside it.

* More Appo recipes that you can try:

Mixed Dal Appo/ Paniyaram

Godu Appo / Instant Wheat flour Banana Paniyaram

* I regularly make different kinds of dishes using Oats like Dosa, Idli, Bhakri, Paratha and Cake. You can check them in my Oats recipe compilation page.

Oats recipes Collection

Breakfast time, Desserts, Millet recipes, Snacks

Ragi Ela Ada | Steamed Finger Millet snack | Vegan, Gluten free and Oil free

May 8, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

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Kids’ schools have started after Eid holidays and days have started flying again. Waking up early, preparing their snack boxes, sending them to school, morning walk, cleaning the house, relaxing till they come back and after that hearing about their day at school, teaching them, walking again in the evening while they play outside, finally preparing for their next day at school and putting them to sleep.

Days are super busy but I would not want it any other way. I have realized being busy is actually great than sitting idle and overthinking. So it’s a blessing in disguise for me. ❤️

In midst of this, is cooking which I love and which brings me happiness. I listen to bhajans and songs while cooking which makes it so peaceful. Music is truly therapeutic. ❤️

Apart from breakfast, lunch and dinner, there is one meal of the day which is most difficult for me – Snack time. Finding a quick, healthy and tasty snack which the kids also love is very hard. So when I tried this Ragi ada inspired by my Kochi memories of the regular ada and it came out so well that we all loved it, I knew I had to share it with all of you too. ❤️

I don’t know why some people think Ragi is bitter. Ragi is such a tasty millet and I use it regularly in my cooking. It is tasty and very healthy too. Have shared all the recipes that I make using Ragi in the notes section towards the end. Do try and I think if you follow the recipe well, adapt it in your cooking, in few days, you will love Ragi too, just like we do. ❤️

Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { to make about 5 adas }

1 Cup = 240 ml

Banana leaves to make the ada

To make outer covering:

1 Cup Ragi flour ( finger millet powder)

Salt to taste

Approx 1 Cup hot water

To make inner filling:

3/4 Cup Jaggery

3/4 Cup freshly grated Coconut

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

Step by step recipe:

1. Dry roast Ragi flour ( do NOT add oil while roasting) on medium flame till you get an aroma of the flour and it changes colour to a darker tone.

Note: Even if you have roasted ragi flour with you, dry roast for few minutes as it enhances the flavour a lot.

2. Transfer it to a bowl. Add salt.

3. Now add hot water, little by little. Mix as you add water.

4. As you add hot water, little by little, after mixing, the dough will look like this. Do NOT add water after this.

5. Now the dough will be warm. Using hands, mix together to form a smooth and soft dough.

6. Now make the inner filling. Take coconut and jaggery in a pan. Heat it together on medium flame till the jaggery melts and coconut will stick to jaggery. Remove from flame. Add Cardamom powder. Mix well.

7. Now cut the banana leaf into rectangle pieces as shown. Clean it with water and wipe it dry.

Also divide the ragi dough into equal sized balls. If you have taken 1 Cup (240 ml) of Ragi flour, you will get 5 balls.

8. Take a ball of ragi dough and spread it using slightly wet fingers as thin as possible.

9. Take a spoonful of the filling and place it on one half side. Spread it on the half side using spoon as shown in the image below.

10. Fold the banana leaf while closing both the halves as shown.

11. Seal the edges of the dough using fingers so that the filling does not come out.

12. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough balls. Place it on a idli steamer.

13. Steam for 20 to 25 mins on high flame till the ada cooks thoroughly. Remove from flame. Allow it to cool for 5 mins.

14. Now peel off the banana leaf, discard it and enjoy the warm Ragi ela adas. 😍

Just look at the inside of the ada. Sweet, juicy and so delicious 😍

Notes:

* As you can see from the above picture, the ada is of the right thickness and also steamed fully. This is due to spreading the dough thin over the banana leaf and also steaming for atleast 20 mins.

* Even if you have roasted ragi flour with you, dry roast for few minutes to get perfect aromatic ragi adas.

* Do use only hot water while preparing the dough. It took me around 1 Cup hot water for 1 Cup Ragi flour. Add only 1/4 Cup at a time and mix well till you get the dough as in step number 4. Then mix using hands to form a smooth dough.

* Don’t add a lot of water while making dough. It will be difficult to spread if dough is too soft.

* For 1 Cup Ragi flour, 3/4 Cup coconut and 3/4 Cup jaggery made the right filling for me. If you add a lot of filling, it will be difficult to seal the edges. So add only a spoonful to cover half of the ada.

* I have not made this without banana leaves. So can’t say the alternative to it. Spreading the dough on the leaf is easy and the ada turns aromatic too. So try to get the leaves if you can.

* These adas are best eaten soon after they are steamed but tastes yummy even after few hours too. So you can carry it in tiffin box and during travel too.

* A similar recipe with coconut jaggery filling is this Kerala style Nendrapazham nirachathu or stuffed Nendran Bananas..

Nendrapazham nirachathu

* I make many dishes using Ragi flour. You can check the recipes here:

Instant Ragi Rava dosa

Ragi Set Dosas

Instant Ragi Idlis

Ragi Urad Idlis

Ragi Malpuas/ Ragi Pancakes

Ragi Jaggery Ladoos

Ragi Butter cookies

Eggless Ragi Chocolate Cake

Breakfast time, Idli Stand, Konkani Recipes

Idli Usli | Idli Upma | Seasoned leftover idlis

May 1, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 4 Comments

As a kid, whenever my Anama (grandmother) or Amma made idlis, I would ask them to keep some extra to make idli usli as breakfast for next day. The super soft hing flavoured idli usli with bites of green chillies in it was, is and will always be one among my most favorite breakfast. Childhood nostalgia. ❤️

Now in my kitchen, where I am the manager 😂😂, I purposely make a whole batch of idlis extra just to savour idli usli the next day. My family too likes it ( Thank God! 😁), so two days breakfast is set when I make idlis.

Even though I make it every couple of weeks, it never occured to me that I could share this easy recipe with all of you too. But yesterday when I was about to make it, the idlis in my steel case looked so beautiful that as I admired it, I thought why not share this recipe on the blog too. If it helps even one of you, I will be very happy. ❤️

So here’s me sharing this super easy, quick and very tasty recipe of Idli Usli, Konkani style. Hope you all try it and remember me while enjoying it. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

The Idlis used here are : Mallige idlis

Ingredients:

About 10 to 15 Leftover idlis (depends on how much you have)

1/4 tsp Hing/ Asafoetida

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste (be mindful as idlis already have salt)

For seasoning:

2 Tbsp Coconut oil

2 tsp Mustard seeds

2 tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera

2 tsp Urad dal

A sprig of Curry leaves

3 to 4 Green chillies

Freshly grated Coconut for garnish

Step by step recipe:

1. Leftover idlis : I keep them in the refrigerator the previous night. Since they are cold and slightly hard, it’s easy to crumble them. You can also use idlis that are at room temperature. Fresh idlis need to be cooled completely before making usli.

2. Crumble them using hands as shown in the picture. Add salt ( be mindful as idlis already have salt) , sugar and hing.

3. Mix everything well and evenly with hands. Keep aside.

4. Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Allow it to splutter. Now add cumin seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry on medium flame till urad dal turns brown.

5. Now add the crumbled idlis and mix well on medium flame. Cover and keep for 5 mins.

6. Garnish with freshly grated coconut and serve hot. Done 🙂

Notes:

* If you don’t have leftover idlis, you can make the same recipe using Thick Poha. Only addition is peanuts in the seasoning which needs to be fried till crisp. Rest recipe is same. I make this regularly for a light and tasty evening snack. In Konkani it is called Phova Usli.

* I make regular idlis using this recipe of Mallige idlis. They come out super soft and very tasty.

* Since I love Idli Usli, I make an extra batch of Mallige idlis and refrigerate. Next day morning for breakfast, I make Idli usli.

* In this recipe, you can adjust the seasoning according to how many idlis you have leftover. I even make the usli when I have 6 to 8 idlis. It serves two people.

* Do remember to add less salt as idlis already have salt in them. Hing gives a wonderful aroma in the usli. So don’t skip it. Sugar gives a good balance in flavours too. Just a little is enough.

* You can also check these seasoned breakfast recipes that I make often:

Chow Chow Bath (Upma and Sheera)

Batat Phovu

Muga Dali usli

Chane Usli – Godu Phovu

Kobi Pohe

Bhajjil Phovu

Undi – Piyava Gojju

* You can also check different varieties of Idlis in my Variety Idlis collection.

Breakfast time

Mooli Paratha | Easy Radish Paratha

March 20, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

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:

Alu Paratha

Bottlegourd Theplas

Methi Theplas

Breakfast time, Healthy Meal Ideas, Snacks

Methi Thepla | Easy, soft, flavourful theplas with fenugreek leaves

January 18, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 2 Comments

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 ❤️

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.

Breakfast time, Konkani Recipes, Snacks

Batat Phovu| Kanda Batata Poha | Easy Breakfast recipe with rice flakes

December 4, 2022 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 5 Comments

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! ❤️

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.

* Thick Poha is used to make Batat Phovu and not Thin Poha. Thin Poha is used in dishes like Godu Phovu (sweetened rice flakes) and Bhajjil Phovu (roasted rice flakes).

* 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.

* You can also try my other Poha recipes:

Kobi Pohe (Satwik version of Pohe with Cabbage)

Poha Vegetable Cutlet

Instant Poha Idlis

Instant Oats Poha Dosa

Other Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast time, Snacks

Bottlegourd Thepla | Lauki/ Dudhi Thepla

October 12, 2022 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

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. ❤️

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.

Breakfast time

Kobi Pohe | No onion No Garlic Satwik version of Poha with Cabbage | Breakfast recipe

June 2, 2022 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 2 Comments

I know if you have come here to read the recipe, you must be wondering as to what kind of Pohe this is. The name itself is so unique that I too was amazed as I read it few months back. My friend on Facebook, Aparna Kamat had posted this recipe and as part of a theme, I had tried it. Even though I was hesitant as to how it must taste with cabbage (also called Kobi in Goan side), I was surprised that it tasted so delicious and I never missed onions in my Pohe.

Thus Kobi Pohe found it’s place in my kitchen and I started making this whenever I had fresh Cabbage or when I felt like making Pohe on Pooja days and I needed to skip onions in my dish. Cabbage substitutes onion really well and you can never tell the difference. Aparna says this Pohe is made in our temples in Goa and I must say, what a great idea!

Though our breakfast is mainly Dosa and Idli varieties, some days the dosa batter is not sufficient for everyone and that’s when I make seasoned dishes like this Kobi Pohe for breakfast and relish it.

Hope you all try and love it too. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

Thank you so much Aparna for your wonderful recipe. It’s a keeper for sure. ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

3 Cups Thick Poha/ Flattened rice/ Beaten rice

1 Cup Finely chopped/ Shredded Cabbage

2 medium sized Potatoes

3 to 4 Green chillies

1 inch Ginger piece, finely chopped

For seasoning:

1 to 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

2 Tbsp Peanuts

A sprig of Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 Tbsp Lemon juice, for garnish

1/4 Cup finely chopped Coriander leaves, for garnish

2 Tbsp freshly grated coconut

Step by step recipe:

1. Keep finely chopped Cabbage, peeled and chopped potatoes, finely chopped ginger, green chillies and curry leaves ready.

2. Take the thick Poha in a large bowl and wash it well removing impurities if any. Drain and keep aside.

Note: Be careful while washing Poha as some Poha requires only be sprinkled with water and it turns soft. My variety of thick Poha needs to be washed well and drained completely to get the desired texture.

3. I add salt to this softened Poha. Mix well and keep. This ensures that salt gets mixed evenly in the poha.

4. Now heat oil in a large pan. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves, ginger, green chillies and peanuts. Roast till peanuts turn slightly brown in colour.

5. Now add potatoes, cabbage and turmeric powder. Keep frying for couple of minutes. Now cover and keep on medium flame. Cook till potatoes turn soft.

Note: Only if needed, you can sprinkle little water for potatoes to cook. I don’t add water at all.

6. Now add the softened Poha and mix well. Cover and keep for 2 mins on low flame.

7. Remove from flame. Drizzle lemon juice and garnish with finely chopped Coriander leaves and freshly grated coconut. Done! Enjoy Kobi Pohe with a hot cup of tea. ❤️

Notes:

* For a regular version of Poha which is called Kanda Poha in Maharashtra and we Konkanis call Batat Phovu, substitute Cabbage with finely chopped Onions. Rest procedure is the same.

* You can use white or brown Poha but make sure it is Thick Poha and not Thin Poha.

* If you are unsure of whether your family will like this or not, just use 1/2 Cup Cabbage first. Trust me, you just can’t say the difference between this and Kanda Poha. Just be sure to finely chop the Cabbage such that it mixes well with other ingredients.

* I also like to drizzle a spoon of ghee at the end as garnish while making any kind of Poha. It not only ensures that the poha is not dry but gives a wonderful flavour to the poha too. It is completely optional but just sharing the way I do.

* All Breakfast Recipes: Breakfast Recipes Collection

* All recipes with Poha: Poha recipes Collection

* All recipes with Cabbage : Cabbage Recipes

* My favorite recipe with Cabbage : Cabbage Kosambari

* My favorite recipe with Poha : Instant Poha Idli

Breakfast time, Konkani Recipes, Snacks

Instant Sweet Appo | Wheat Jaggery appe | Easy Sweet Paniyaram | Godu Appo

December 16, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 5 Comments

The bowl of sweet appes that you can see above has been finished off by my sweet 3 year old son as I write this. After I made it and gave him one, he took a bite and asked me innocently, “mmm yummy Amma, ye hotel?” 😄. I felt very happy and like a chef that my son found the appes so good that he thought they were from hotel. 😍

He wanted more and finally ate the whole bowl of it. My heart filled up as a mother by seeing him eat happily and I wanted to share my happiness with all of you too as soon as possible. So, sat to write down this blog now itself. ❤️

These appes were one among the first I learnt to make when I got the Appe pan as we have grown up eating them. My kids love it a lot and I make it regularly for them as a tasty snack. It’s so quick to make yet fills up their tummies in a healthy way. ❤️

I also want to share a glimpse of my kitchen counter with all of you today seeing which makes me very happy each day. I love arranging it and love to keep the house clean. Took this picture to send my Amma and felt like sharing with you all too. A peek into my kitchen and my favorite place in the house. 😍

The popsicle molds are my recent purchase and I am loving making new varieties of fruit popsicles each day for the kids. Their excitement while enjoying them is one of a kind. 😍 Will share the recipes when I find time. ❤️

Hope you all loved reading this blog. Do try these appes and I am sure you will love them. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 24 small sized appos }

1 Cup Wheat flour (Chapati Atta)

1/2 Cup Jaggery powder or to taste

2 to 3 Tbsp freshly grated Coconut

A pinch of Salt

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 to 3/4 Cup water (to make the batter)

1 small Indian Banana (1/4 Cup mashed banana)

Ghee to cook the appos

Step by step recipe:

1. Take 1 Cup wheat flour, 1/2 Cup Jaggery powder, about 2 Tbsp freshly grated coconut, salt and Cardamom powder in a mixing bowl.

2. Add 1/2 Cup Milk and water (1/4 Cup each time) to make a slightly thick lump free batter. It takes about 1/2 Cup to 3/4 Cup water to make this batter depending on the brand of wheat flour and how much water it absorbs. The consistency should be neither very thin nor very thick. It should be thicker than dosa batter.

3. Now add the mashed banana to the batter. Mix well. I add 1 small Indian Banana which is 1/4 Cup when mashed.

4. Now heat the Appe pan and when it becomes hot, reduce the flame to medium. Now add a drop of ghee in each of the holes of the pan. Add one spoonful of batter in each of them. Don’t keep the flame on high as the appes may turn black in colour. Always keep the flame on medium to get golden coloured appes.

5. Cover and cook for a minute or till the surface looks slightly cooked.

6. Flip and cook for a minute again.

7. Serve them warm or at room temperature. Tastes so yum! 😍

Notes:

* You can skip banana if you don’t have but trust me, these appes taste really heavenly with the banana flavour and the slight bite of bananas in them.

* If you are not adding bananas, you will need to add a pinch of baking soda to help the appos fluff up. I don’t like to use soda and hence I add bananas everytime while making appos.

* This is how I make Wheat banana pancakes too. So you can use appe batter to make pancakes.

* The measurements I have shared above works very well for me. You can add or reduce jaggery, coconut and milk as per your taste.

* Always cook the appes in medium flame for perfect golden coloured appes.

* I also make Mixed dal Appes which comes out delicious. You can check the recipe here.