Category Archives: Snacks

Chaat street, Snacks

Bhel puri chaat | The easiest chaat ever!

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Apart from desserts, chaats are my favourite. I can never get tired of them and they are always my choice when we eat out. Here, we get amazing chaats in Kailash Parbat and their chaat platter is my favourite. ❤️

I must admit though that Bhel puri is not my favourite among chaats. It is my husband’s and kids’ favourite one. Mine is always Masala puri or Sev puri or Dahi puri (Craving for some now as I write this 😭😭😭😭).

But since bhel puri is hands down the easiest chaat ever, we usually make it for our evening snack. It’s not only easy to make but healthy and light on the tummy apart from being tasty too.

So I had to share this with all of you. A must try chaat if you love Bhel puris from outside. It’s super easy to make at home, trust me. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: {Serves 2}

2 Cups Bhel/ Kurmura / Charmburo/ Puffed rice

1/4 Cup finely chopped Onion

1/4 Cup finely chopped Tomatoes

2 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

1/2 tsp Red chilli powder

Salt to taste {I use kaala namak or rock salt}

1/4 Cup Mint Coriander chutney (5 sprigs of coriander leaves, 3 Green chillies, 8 to 10 mint leaves, salt)

2 Tbsp Dates Tamarind chutney {I use Mother’s recipe brand readymade chutney} * check notes to make at home

1 Cup Alu bhujiya or Sev ( I use Haldirams brand )

1/2 Cup Mixture or Namkeen of your choice ( I use Bikaji brand)

Step by step recipe:

1. Dry roast the bhel till it turns crisp. Keep aside till use.

Note: This step is necessary so that the bhel does not turn soggy instantly when chutneys are mixed.

2. Take mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies and salt in the mixer.

I used kaala namak or rock salt or pink salt and hence the colour.

3. Grind with little water to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

4. Now get everything ready. Shown below are:

* Finely chopped onions, tomato, coriander leaves, red chilli powder and salt in a mixing bowl.

* Dry roasted Bhel, alu bhujia, Namkeen in another bowl.

* Mint coriander chutney.

* Dates Tamarind chutney.

5. Mix everything well and serve immediately.

Notes:

* Bhel puri chaat has to be served immediately after mixing or it turns soggy. So get your family to sit down for the chaat time and then mix everything.

* The measurements for the green chutney gives 1/2 Cup of the green chutney. Use only how much is necessary as per your spice levels. Since I have to accommodate my kids’ tastebuds, I add only 1/4 Cup.

* Rest of the chutney can be refrigerated for use later. Lasts well for couple of days if handled well.

* I use Mother’s recipe brand of Dates Tamarind chutney. For making it at home, Soak about 6 to 8 dates for 30 mins in warm water and grind along with tamarind and salt to a smooth paste.

* You can add finely chopped green chillies too but I avoid as my kids find it spicy.

* You can check the Karnataka version of Bhel puri which we call Charmbure Upkari here.

* The masala puri chaat I make is very close to chaat stall ones. You can check the recipe here.

Chaat street, Curry house, Snacks

Masala Puri chaat

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It is my son’s second birthday today (August 12th) and we are celebrating it since 10th. 10th because it was my husband’s off day from work (we did a small celebration at home), 11th as it was Janmashtami and I love dressing him up as Krishna. He is our little Kishan Kanhaiyya who brought flood along with him during the Kerala floods in August 2018.

I remember those scary days every year and pray that no one has to go through it again. But yes, God has been really kind upon us and we survived the days well.

My parents shifted back to our native Udupi in Karnataka after that as they wanted to be closer to their siblings and the days in Cochin are a beautiful memory to cherish.

One among the food memory from Cochin is piping hot masala puri that we used to enjoy from a small chaat stall behind the Ernakulam Shiva temple. Me and Amma used to sit in our car (as I was very shy to eat in front of other people 😁) and my dad and brother used to bring them to us. The flavours of the masala puri is still in my taste buds. So so delicious. I have never eaten a tastier masala puri than that.

But I am glad after many trials, my version of masala puri does taste almost same to that. I make it during special days and since it was my son’s birthday, I made it for our evening special snack and we all enjoyed it. Hope you all try and enjoy too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: {Makes about 4 plates}

For the curry:

1 Cup dry Green peas (soak overnight)

1 medium sized Potato

1 medium sized Tomato

1 tsp Garam masala powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 Tbsp Oil

To grind:

1 medium sized Onion

3 Green chillies

1/2 inch Ginger piece

1/2 Cup Coriander leaves

1/4 Cup Mint leaves

For garnish: finely chopped Onion, tomatoes and coriander leaves as desired

For assembling the chaat: {In one plate}

3 to 4 Puris, 3 ladles of the curry, 1 Tbsp Date Tamarind chutney, Green chutney if desired, finely chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and bhujiya or Sev.

Step by step recipe:

1. Pressure cook the soaked green peas (soak for atleast 8 hours) along with potato and turmeric powder till it turns soft.

Note: It takes 4 whistles at high flame in my electric stovetop.

2. Mash lightly and keep aside.

3. Take all ingredients to grind in a mixer jar.

4. Grind with little water to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

5. Heat oil in a pan and fry finely chopped tomatoes till it cooks.

6. Add the ground masala paste and cook till it reduces and leaves the sides of the pan. Add garam masala powder and salt.

7. Add the cooked and mashed peas and potatoes.

8. Now cook till it thickens and turns into a gravy like below. Remove from flame.

9. For making masala puris, take puris in a plate and break into pieces.

10. Now add two to three ladles of the curry, top with date-tamarind chutney, onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and bhujiya. Serve hot.

Notes:

* You can also make green chutney for a spicier masala Puri. Since I make it for my kids, I skip and make the curry mildly spicy for them to enjoy.

* For the green chutney, just grind green chillies with coriander leaves, mint, salt and little water to a smooth paste.

* I also use Mother’s recipe date tamarind chutney. If you don’t have it, just grind dates with tamarind and salt with little water to a smooth paste. That’s your sweet chutney.

* For the puris, I have bought these ready to be fried puris long back (more than 2 years actually) and still they are good. I just microwave it on high for 1 minute and they are ready. No need to deep fry at all.

* The curry can be used as an accompaniment to rotis and rice meals. If you add paneer to it, it becomes matar paneer. I do the same when I have leftover curry.

* You can grind tomatoes if you don’t like tomatoes as it is in the gravy.

Dosa corner, Snacks

Instant Oats Vegetable Bhakri | Quick Oats Uthappam

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Click on the image to save the recipe on Pinterest

As my regular readers know already, my kids love dosas and our morning usually starts with any variety of dosa. I have already posted many of them on my Dosa corner page.

Even though I make sure that I always have dosa batter handy for their dosa love, there are some days when it gets over and I am left wondering what to do apart from the Instant Oats Poha dosa that I make always when I don’t have dosa batter.

That is when I started making these oats vegetable bhakris and it was loved a lot by both kids. It hardly takes 15 mins to get the batter ready and it is very tasty and filling. Also a healthy snack option for evenings.

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

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Cups Instant Oats (I use Quaker or Saffola instant Oats)

1 Cup wheat Semolina/ Rava/ Sooji

1/4 Cup Curd or Yogurt (optional)

3 Cups water or as required

1/2 Cup grated Carrots

1/4 Cup finely chopped Capsicum

1/4 Cup finely chopped Onion

2 to 3 Green chillies or to taste

2 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Oil or ghee to cook the uthappams

Step by step recipe:

1. Take 2 Cups oats, 1 Cup rava, 1/4 Cup curd and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add 3 Cups water and mix well to remove any lumps.

3. Add grated carrots, finely chopped capsicum and onions, green chillies and coriander leaves.

4. Mix well.

5. Heat a dosa pan and add a ladle of the batter. Spread into a thick dosa as shown.

6. Cover and cook till the surface cooks well.

7. Now add oil or ghee. Flip and cook for few minutes.

8. Serve hot with butter and chutney.

Notes:

* You can skip onion if you want but it gives a wonderful bite and flavour to the bhakri. Don’t skip capsicum though. It’s a main ingredient.

* I sometimes don’t need chutney with it too. Just the bhakri with butter tastes so delicious.

* Don’t spread the bhakri too thick or else it won’t cook inside. Cook both sides very well on medium to high flame.

* I have used instant Oats as it is (without powdering or roasting). You can use rolled oats but it might need powdering.

* You can skip curd if you don’t have. I make without it too sometimes. Does not make much difference.

Do let me know if you have any doubts. Will be a pleasure to help. 🙂

Did you know Oats is such a versatile ingredient, you could make Cake, Idli, Paratha, varieties of dosas and even gluten free pizza with it?

Sharing all varieties of dishes in which I use Oats and make regularly. Eat healthy, be happy. ❤️

Variety Oats recipes Compilation

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Chaat street, Snacks

Sweet corn Bhel

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Being a mommy has turned me into a non stop thinking person about what healthy and yummy food to make for the kids. Yes, kids first and then us. I guess its common everywhere. We always keep our children’s food choices over ours.

My kids take maximum benefit of it and I have to sometimes whip up very quickly for their sudden hunger pangs. It is during this time that our Indian snacks such as bhel come handy. Quick to make and quicker to polish off, a very healthy option as a light but filling evening snack.

The kids too love it very much and I heave a sigh of relief that I won’t get to hear “potta bhook” (I am hungry in konkani) for the next one hour (?? ) atleast. 😄

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

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Cups Bhel or puffed rice or churmura or kurmura

1/2 Cup Bhujiya or Sev

1 Cup Sweetcorn (steamed for about 10 mins)

1/2 Cup finely chopped Onion

1/2 Cup finely chopped Tomatoes

1/4 Cup thick Curd/ Yogurt (optional)

1 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

1/2 tsp Tamarind paste

1 Tbsp roasted Peanuts

1 tsp Tomato ketchup

1/2 tsp Red chilli powder

1/2 tsp Chat masala powder

Rock salt or regular salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Take a large mixing bowl and add steam cooked sweetcorn, tomatoes, onions, coriander leaves, tamarind paste. Curd is optional but we love the creamy tangy flavour it gives.

2. Mix well. Add chat masala powder, red chilli powder, salt, ketchup and roasted peanuts.

3. Add bhel and bhujiya. Mix well.

4. Serve immediately else the bhel turns soggy. Enjoy with a dash of lemon juice if you feel it needs more tangy flavour.

Notes:

* The proportions of ingredients are to taste and you can change or adjust as per your taste buds.

* You can also skip any ingredient if you don’t have. This is just an easy to make snack idea which can be made with whatever ingredients you have in your kitchen.

* Do remember to serve immediately. Else the bhel turns soggy.

Breakfast time, Snacks

Chow Chow Bath

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If you are wondering about the name Chow Chow Bath, let me tell you it’s nothing but upma, sheera and simple coconut chutney. It is easily available in hotels in Karnataka especially in the southern parts of Mangalore and Udupi where I belong to.

I first tasted it post marriage when I was very intrigued by the name and ordered it. To my surprise, it was just something so basic yet the overall combination tasted too heavenly for words. I fell so much in love with it that my eldest brother in law whom I fondly call Danthanna used to call me “Chow Chow Bath Ammi” (Ammi is the short form given by hubby’s family for the name they have put for me as part of marriage ritual – Amitha). I am so lucky to have such a loving family as in laws who love me like their own daughter.

Coming back to Chow Chow Bath, it became our special occasion breakfast apart from Masala dosas. Easy to make and starting the day with sweet on birthdays so that the whole year turns out as sweet. That is my intention. Maybe childish but still something I cherish a lot.

Hope you all those who have not tried this will try and love it. It turns out super delicious. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

For Upma:

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

2 tsp Ghee (optional but gives great flavour)

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Urad dal

1 Tbsp broken Cashews

Few curry leaves

3 green chillies

1 Cup wheat Semolina/ Rava/ Sooji

1 Tbsp Sugar

Salt to taste

2 to 2 1/2 Cups Water *(read notes)

2 Tbsp freshly grated coconut

For Sheera: Check the detailed recipe here.

For Chutney: Check Notes at the end

Step by step recipe:

1. Keep water to boil in a pan.

2. Heat oil and ghee together in another pan (I use my iron kadhai) and splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal, curry leaves, cashews and green chillies. Fry till cashews turn light brown.

3. Now add semolina and roast continually on medium flame till it turns light brown in colour and turns aromatic. Takes about 3 to 5 mins.

4. Add sugar and salt. Mix well.

5. Now add the boiling water to this. Be sure to add very hot or boiling water else the upma won’t have desired texture.

6. Mix well continually with a ladle as you add the water so that there are no lumps in the mixture. Mix continuously on medium flame till the mixture cooks well and leaves the sides of the pan. Takes about 5 mins.

7. Cover and keep for 2 mins on low flame. Garnish with grated coconut and remove from the flame.

Notes:

* Remove the upma into a bowl and make Jaggery sheera in the same kadhai. Here is the detailed recipe.

* For Coconut Chutney, just grind together coconut, green chillies, ginger and salt with little water to a smooth paste. Remove into a bowl.

* When making upma, if you want a really soft texture like a lump, add semolina to water ratio as 1 : 2.5 times. If you want fluffy texture, add semolina to water ratio as 1 : 2 ie twice the water as compared to semolina.

* You can also add ginger, onions and tomatoes in the seasoning along with little turmeric powder and sambar powder in the upma to make khara bath. That tastes good too but as Chow Chow Bath, we prefer this basic version of upma.

* While eating Chow Chow Bath, take one serving of each upma and sheera, dip in chutney and eat. Tastes so delicious!

Chutneys, Snacks

Easy Hummus recipe | Arabic chickpea dip

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Hummus has very beautiful memories in my life. It was not something I had eaten before coming here to Qatar but became my instant favourite in Arabic cuisine along with falafel wraps. In fact during both my pregnancies, I used to get such strong cravings for hummus that I used to cry till I got it and poor hubby had to bear all my pregnancy hormonal tantrums 😅.

But when it finally arrived, I used to literally lick it clean. I did not even need any bread with it. Just me, my fingers and creamy hummus. Ah those pregnancy times! 😍

Now since many months, we have not ate out nor ordered in. So I learnt to make hummus and it’s so easy that now I wonder why we used to buy it from outside. Also tastes so delicious as you can alter according to your taste. Hope you all try and love it too.

One note though. Hummus is not for everyone’s tastebuds. My dad did not like it when he came here and we made him taste the storebought one. So if you are making for first time, make in less quantity and see if you like it. Then you can make more. This note is to save myself from your curses in case you don’t like it 😂.

Happy and healthy cooking!!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Cups dry white Chickpeas/ Kabuli Chana

2 Tbsp white sesame seeds/ Til

4 cloves of Garlic

1 tsp Red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 Tbsp Lemon juice

1 Tbsp Olive oil

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and soak the dry chickpeas overnight or for atleast 6 hours in sufficient water.

2. Drain the soaked water and Pressure cook the chickpeas in enough water to soak it till it turns soft.

Note: It usually takes about 5 whistles in my electric cooking top on high flame.

3. Now dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan on medium flame till it turns light brown. Cool and powder in the mixer.

4. Add drained chickpeas ( save the water), garlic and salt.

5. Now add required amount of cooked chickpeas water and grind into a smooth paste.

6. Add red chilli powder, olive oil and lemon juice and grind again to a smooth paste. I also added little salt as I felt it was less.

7. Garnish with cooked chickpeas and coriander leaves or parsley leaves (optional) and drizzle olive oil again. Serve fresh or chilled.

Notes:

* Make sure the chickpeas is cooked till soft so as to make a creamy hummus.

* Use food processor if you have to grind. Does the job quicker than in mixer.

* If you have storebought tahini (sesame seeds paste), then skip adding sesame seeds. I add because I don’t have tahini.

* Red chilli powder, garlic, lemon juice, salt are to taste and you can make changes as per your taste.

* If you don’t eat garlic, you can skip but garlic gives the authentic flavour to hummus.

* Leftovers can be refrigerated and used when needed.

* I used to serve hummus with kuboos ( Arabic bread) but since lockdown, I bake my own bread and this Semolina Bread is very good with hummus.

Desserts, Snacks

Dry fruit bites

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We are a sweet loving family where the discussion for post dinner dessert is more than the dinner itself. Especially my daughter who asks what treat she will get if she finishes her meal. 😅

Although I make many sugar and jaggery based sweets which you can see in my Desserts page, this one is the healthiest any sweet can get and I can guarantee you that it will get finished off in a jiffy too. When I make these dry fruit bites, it hardly lasts couple of days. Both the kids and the kids’ daddy steal the sweet and gobble it up whenever they see the sweet box. They team up and find it even if I hide it. 😁

These are the healthiest sweet because they don’t contain any form of refined sugar at all. The sweetness from dates, apricots and raisins along with the bites from nuts makes this sweet too delicious for words.

Hope you all try for your family too. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

1 Cup Dates {seeds removed and halved}

10 dried Apricots, {soaked in warm water for 5 mins}

1/4 Cup golden Raisins

1/4 Cup Cashews

1/4 Cup Pistachios, shelled

1/4 Cup Almonds

2 tsp Ghee

Step by step recipe:

1. Add dates, apricots and raisins in a mixer or food processor. Grind till it turns into a coarse mixture. Do not add water at all while grinding .

Note: You can also grind it’s finely.. Check notes.

2. Now finely chop all the nuts using knife or use pulse mode in mixer or food processor. Add ghee in a pan and roast the nuts till it gives out an aroma. Do it on low flame.

3. Now remove this in a plate and fry the dates paste in little ghee for two mins till it binds together.

3. Add the roasted nuts and mix everything well. Keep mixing till they bind well.

4. Now remove to a plate. Allow to cool slightly.

5. Make small balls or rectangular shaped bites. Enjoy!

Notes:

* Store in an airtight container and refrigerate after one day at room temperature {if leftover 😅}.

* You can also finely chop the nuts in mixer or food processor which leads the nuts to get to almost powder form. Also grind the dates mixture to a fine paste. My kids love that more. I also spread it in a plate and cut into squares. Looks like this.

Dry fruit squares

* The ratio of dates, apricots and raisins to nuts is perfect in this recipe. Don’t alter. Or else you won’t get the desired texture.

*Don’t add water at while grinding both the dates mixture and nuts.

* Be careful to roast both times on low flame. Else it can turn black and get a burnt taste.

* In case you don’t have apricots, use 1 1/2 Cup Dates.

* Use 3/4 Cup nuts. It can be any of the combination of cashews, almonds and pistachios. You can skip any one or use only nut variety too.

* I do not use walnuts as my kids don’t like the flavour in this sweet.

** You can also shape them in ladoos like I have done here. I have also used black raisins here.

Breakfast time, Konkani Recipes, Snacks

Vastad rotti | Wheat Banana flatbread

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I am sure if you are checking this recipe, it must be either due to the amazement of the unique name “Vastad rotti” or have savoured this delicious snack made by your grandmother and just wish to recreate it in your kitchen.

Anyhow for all of you, Vastad rotti is nothing but tava fried version of the famous Mangalore Buns. My grandmother made these rottis as evening snack when she did not want to deep fry the leftover buns dough again. They tasted so delicious that I loved it more than buns itself.

After marriage, when I tried it for the first time, my husband did not know about it but to my amazement, he too loved it very much. So now whenever there are leftover bananas, he asks me make these rottis. In fact, sometimes he brings bananas only for this. Such is the love for these cute small Vastad rottis. 😍

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

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

3 Cups Wheat flour (or as required)

1 Cup mashed bananas

1/2 Cup Curd or Yogurt

1/4 Cup Powdered Jaggery or Sugar

2 Tbsp Besan/ chickpea flour

1 tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera

A pinch of pepper powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Baking soda (optional)* check notes

Step by step recipe:

1. Take mashed bananas in a large bowl. Add besan, jaggery or sugar, cumin seeds, pepper powder, salt and baking soda ( if adding).

This is an old picture. I add powdered jaggery now.

2. Add curd and mix well using a spatula.

3. Now slowly add wheat flour 1 Cup at a time and keep mixing till it forms a dough. Knead with hands lightly.

4. Coat the dough with oil and cover and keep overnight or for 6 to 8 hours to ferment at room temperature in a warm place.

5. When making vastad rottis, make equal portions of the dough.

6. Roll like you roll out puri into a thick circle. Use dry flour if needed.

7. Heat a tawa and place the rolled roti on it. Look at it puff up and form tiny bubbles on the surface.

8. Add ghee. Flip and cook the other side too.

9. Serve hot with chutney or dalitoy ( Konkani style dal).

Notes:

* Actually the measurements of this recipe can vary a lot depending on the variety of bananas, water content in curd and quality of wheat flour. So please go with the step by step recipe and follow accordingly.

* You can also make with leftover bananas even if you have only couple of them. Not necessarily 1 Cup mashed bananas are required.

* Add curd along with other ingredients and see how much wheat flour is needed to get it to form a dough.

* Please do not add water while forming this dough. The moisture should come only from bananas and curd.

* I skip baking soda sometimes and even though there is a difference in texture, taste is almost the same. With baking soda, the texture is flaky like a paratha and without it, the texture is like a thick chapati.

* After fermentation of the dough, the dough might leave water and turn very sticky. Just add more wheat flour and form a manageable dough.

* Roll the dough into a thick circle and cook well on medium flame. On high flame, the rotis can turn black due to the presence of bananas in it.

* You can use powdered jaggery or sugar in the dough. Does not make much difference.

Other Konkani breakfast recipes that you can try:

Urad Moong dal Idli | No rice idli

Urad Rava Idli | No rice idli

Batat Phovu

Kobi Pohe | No onion Pohe with cabbage

Chane Usli – Godu Phovu

Muga Dali usli| seasoned moong dal

Idli Usli | seasoned leftover idlis

Pejje polo | cumin flavoured dosa

Surnali | Sweet and spongy dosa

Magge Surnali | using Mangalore cucumber

Horsegram Idli

Instant Cucumber idlis | Thoushe mudho

Instant Cucumber Bhakri

Instant Rava bhakri

Undi with Piyava Gojju

Kharbas dosa

Mushti polo

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Snacks

Eggless Mayonnaise

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We are special kind of vegetarians. Don’t know how many of you are like us. We don’t eat eggs as such but eggs in cakes and other store bought foods is okay for us 😅. Many of our friends tease us for it as we are not strict vegetarian nor a perfect “eggetarian”. Somewhere a mix of both and hence fall in a unique category 😂.

So since we fall in this unique category, we don’t mind mayonnaise inside our sandwiches from cafes (as eggs are not visible to the eyes, you see 🙈).

But while making at home, I make this eggless Mayonnaise with my Whole wheat bread and it makes a delicious combination. Though this mayonnaise is not very healthy due to corn flour in it (corn flour is a refined flour and does not have nutrition), I make it as it’s far better than store bought ones which have loads of preservatives in it. Anyhow when making a sandwich with wheat bread and vegetables, the nutrition level raises.

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

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Milk (to be used as 1/2 + 1/2 Cup)

3 Tbsp Corn flour

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Vinegar

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Pepper powder

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Take 3 Tbsp corn flour in a bowl. Add 1/2 Cup milk and whisk well to form a lump free mix. Keep aside.

2. Now heat 1/2 Cup milk in a pan. When it turns hot, add the corn flour mix. Whisk continually.

Note: Be sure to stir the mix before adding as corn flour tends to settle at the bottom.

3. Whisk well for about 5 mins. It will get thick. When it turns thick and glossy like as shown in the picture, it is done.

4. Now remove and allow to cool. Grind in a mixer for few seconds. (to ensure that there are no lumps and the mayonnaise is smooth in texture.)

5. Now remove in a bowl and add sugar, salt, pepper powder, vinegar and olive oil.

6. Crush mustard seeds using a mortar and pestle.

7. Add it to the mayonnaise.

8. Mix well. Done!

Notes:

* Mustard seeds powder can be substituted with store bought mustard sauce.

* I add coconut oil instead of olive oil sometimes.

* Be sure to whisk the corn flour well with milk both times to avoid lumps.

* Grinding ensures smooth texture of the mayonnaise. So I would suggest you to not skip it.

* This tastes really similar to store bought mayonnaise which has egg in it or even the veg mayonnaise which has released in market. But sans any preservatives and is much healthier.

Breakfast time, Snacks

Instant Rava Dhokla

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Dhokla is my husband’s favourite evening snack and that’s the first answer I get when I ask him what to make for snack time. The kids love dhokla very much too and I hardly get couple of pieces when I make it. Literally every bite is fought for. 😁

Soft and melt in the mouth, this recipe for dhokla has been a keeper for me and over the years, I have made it so many times that I can now make a good dhokla even in my dreams. 😅 That’s the effect of being a foodie’s wife over the years with kids turning out to be foodies too.

The benefit of the three of them loving what I cook is it gets over so fast that I hardly get to eat it which has lead to my weight loss. I eat only what is necessary as compared to earlier when I got a major portion of what I cooked. My Amma will surely kill me for this. Like all mothers, she does not want me to lose weight 🙈.

Anyhow, I can assure you Amma that I am eating as much as I need. Just that the kids make me run behind them so much that there is no chance of getting fat 😂.

Hope you all try and love this dhokla as much as we do. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Rava/ Semolina/ Sooji

1 Cup Water

3/4 Cup Yogurt/ thick curd

2 Tbsp Oil

1 Tbsp Besan/ chickpea flour

2 tsp Eno fruit salt

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder/ Haldi

Salt to taste

For the seasoning:

1 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera

3 Green chillies

1 Tbsp Sugar

Salt to taste

2 to 3 Tbsp lemon juice (depending on how sour you like your dhokla)

1/4 Cup water

Few sprigs of coriander leaves and freshly grated coconut for garnish (optional)

Step by step recipe:

1. Take 1 Cup of semolina in a large bowl. Add 1 Cup water and 3/4 Cup yogurt. Mix well using a whisk.

2. Now add besan, salt, sugar, turmeric powder and oil. Mix again.

3. Add Eno fruit salt and mix well once.

4. Pour into a bowl which has been greased well with oil. Steam for 20 mins or till a knife inserted in the center comes out clear.

5. For the seasoning,

* Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds. Add green chillies and fry for few seconds.

* Now take the seasoning off the pan and add 1/4 Cup water, sugar and salt. Mix well so that sugar dissolves.

* Squeeze lemon juice and mix.

6. Pour over the steamed dhokla. Let it rest for atleast 30 mins so that the seasoning is absorbed well by the dhokla sponge.

7. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes:

* I serve this with mint chutney. Just grind mint leaves with little curd, ginger, green chillies and little coconut with salt. Add coriander leaves too if available. Grind till smooth. Tastes amazing with dhokla.

* The seasoning is very important in the dhokla flavour. Adjust sugar and lemon juice as per your taste. Please be sure to rest the dhokla atleast for 30 mins after pouring the seasoning.

* Eno fruit salt gives the dhokla it’s spongy texture. Though I have not tried this recipe without Eno, the usual substitute for Eno is equal amount of baking soda and lemon juice. So 2 tsp Eno equals 1 tsp baking soda plus 1 tsp lemon juice.

* Don’t add more water than mentioned or the dhokla won’t get the right texture. For 1 Cup semolina, 1 Cup water and 3/4 Cup thick curd gives it the right batter consistency.

* Be sure to insert a knife in the center to see if the dhokla has cooked properly after steaming.

* You can also steam this as Idlis. Just remove the Idlis in a large bowl and pour the seasoning and rest the Idlis till the liquid absorbs.

* The batter rises atleast double while steaming. So make sure to steam in a bowl in which the batter reaches only half of its height.