Kerala style Vegetable stew | easy stew recipe

April 26, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

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I love different varieties of mixed vegetable curries and Vegetable Kurma is one of my favorite. Apart from that, I also make Vegetable stew for a change as it’s very quick to make, tastes divine and so aromatic too.

Though it is usually eaten with Appam and Idiyappam, it is a great combination with chapatis and pulav too. Today I made it with dosas for breakfast and it was amazing as well. The soft dosas dipped in this stew was a tasty and healthy breakfast.

Hope you all try this delicious stew and enjoy it’s aroma in your kitchen too. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

(Sorry for short writeups nowadays. My kids hardly give me time to write blogs as they need me always. But I really wanted to share this recipe right away. So writing this quickly for all of you. 😍)

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Coconut oil

2 Cardamom pods

2 Cloves

1 inch Cinnamon stick

1 Bay leaf

1 inch Ginger, finely chopped

1 medium sized Onion, finely chopped

1 long Carrot, diced (about 1 Cup)

10 to 15 medium sized Beans, chopped

2 medium sized Potatoes, diced

1/4 tsp Pepper powder

2 Cups thin Coconut milk

A sprig of Curry leaves

1 Cup thick Coconut milk

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Prepare the vegetables first by peeling and dicing carrots, chopping beans into 1 inch pieces (discard the ends), peel and dice potatoes. Keep aside. Also cut green chillies into long pieces and finely chop onions and ginger.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add a bay leaf, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Also add ginger, green chillies and onions. Fry till onions turn translucent.

3. Now add the vegetables along with curry leaves and mix well. Add the thin Coconut milk (about 2 Cups). Also add salt and pepper powder. Cover and cook till the veggies turn soft.

4. Once vegetables turn soft (about 10 mins), add thick Coconut milk ( 1 Cup) and mix well.

5. Let it simmer on medium flame for about 10 mins till the gravy thickens. Now adjust water and salt. Done ❤️

6. Vegetable stew is served with Appam or Idiyappam. You can also serve it with rice or pulav, chapatis or dosas. It is so simple yet aromatic and delicious. ❤️

Notes:

* You can also add fresh/ frozen/ dried peas if you have.

* There are so many variations to stew as some add turmeric powder and even Garam Masala powder but this is a basic recipe close to the authentic Kerala style Vegetable stew. You can make variations as per your taste.

* Thick Coconut milk means when you grind fresh coconut with little water and sieve.

* Thin Coconut milk means when you grind the sieved coconut again with water and sieve again. That is the second coconut milk.

* What I do is, I use coconut milk powder diluted with water to get thin Coconut milk and use canned coconut milk for thick Coconut milk.

* You can use fresh, powder or canned coconut milk in this recipe as per what is easily available for you.

* Cooking the vegetables in thin Coconut milk is what gives the stew it’s flavour. So don’t skip it.

* After adding thick Coconut milk, don’t cook it on high flame for long. Just simmer it till it boils and remove from flame.

* You can also try this recipe of Restaurant style Vegetable Kurma.

Dosa corner, Millet recipes

Instant Ragi Rava Dosa | Quick finger millet dosa

April 16, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 6 Comments

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Of all the millets, Ragi has been my favorite and I make so many dishes with it like dosas, idlis, ladoos, cookies and even a cake. But I had not tried a Rava dosa with it, partially because I am scared of such thin dosas which is tricky to get right.

But few months back, I had this sudden mood in the morning to try it for breakfast and imagine my happiness when it came out so perfectly. Hardly took me about 10 mins to make the batter and within 20 mins, our breakfast was ready. 😍

So now, whenever I have not soaked for regular dosas, ragi rava dosas are our breakfast. It has truly become a favorite ❤️ Not only is it filling but very tasty too specially due to the addition of onions, green chillies and coriander leaves in it.

Hope you all try and love it too. I have added all the tips and tricks to get it perfectly. If you still have doubts, you can comment below or message me on my Facebook or Instagram handle – ” Healthy cooking with Mitha ” and I will help. ❤️

Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 10 dosas }

1 Cup = 240 ml

1 Cup Ragi powder / finger millet powder

1/2 Cup Rava/ Sooji

1/4 Cup Rice powder

2.5 to 3 Cups Water ( to make thin batter )

1 medium sized Onion

3 Green chillies

3 Tbsp Coriander leaves

1 tsp Jeera or Cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Ghee or oil to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Take 1 Cup Ragi powder, 1/2 Cup Rava and 1/4 Cup Rice powder in a mixing bowl.

2. Now add salt and 2.5 cups water, mixing well with a whisk to form a lump free batter.

3. When the above batter is ready, start chopping onions, green chillies and coriander leaves. Thus the batter gets few minutes of rest too.

Now, add finely chopped onions, green chillies, coriander leaves and cumin seeds/ jeera to the batter. Mix well. Batter ready!

You can make dosas instantly with this batter. No need to ferment the batter.

4. Heat a flat dosa pan till it becomes really hot. Pour a ladle full of dosa batter over it such that it fills the pan.

Just as an example, I have taken two pictures to show how the batter should look in the pan for perfect Ragi Rava Dosa.

If batter is thick and needs more water : The dosa will be thick with less holes and will seem uncooked on the surface.

Not a perfect dosa.. needs more water in the batter.

If your dosa looks like the above one, add about 1/4 to 1/2 Cup water each time till the batter turns perfect.

Once the batter is of perfect consistency, the dosas will turn thin with full of holes like this.

5. Cover and cook on medium to high flame. Add ghee or oil on the sides of the dosa. After a while, the dosa will cook and the thin portions of the dosa will turn brown and crisp.

6. Remove it slowly using the spatula over the edges and then folding it. Repeat the same with the rest of the batter. Serve hot with a chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* I usually serve this dosa with either Amma’s tomato chutney as I have served in the above picture or Hing chutney. Both taste amazing with these dosas.

* For Hing chutney, grind together 1 Cup of Coconut with 3 to 4 Red chillies, 1 tsp Tamarind, 1/4 tsp Hing, salt to taste and little water to a smooth paste. I don’t season it. You can season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves fried in coconut oil.

* Please take care of the ratio of Ragi powder to sooji to rice powder for perfect dosas.

* Also, the batter should not be thick and should be thin to get perfect dosas with holes in it. I have explained it with pictures above. You can read it.

* It took me close to 3 Cups of water to get the right texture of the dosas. It might take you few attempts to perfect these dosas.

* This dosa batter does not need fermentation. You can make dosas instantly.

* They come out well in non stick pans. If using cast iron pans, see that it’s seasoned well..else the dosa can stick to the pan.

* You can also add peppercorns and curry leaves to the batter.

* I refrigerate the batter if leftover and it does not change the texture of the dosas. Just adjust the water quantity in case the batter gets thicker on refrigeration.

* One more similar kind of thin dosa that I make is our own Konkani style Panpolos or Neeru dose. It is with rice and tastes so delicious.

* Other recipes with Ragi that I make always:

* Ragi Set dosas

* Ragi Urad idlis

* Instant Ragi Idlis

* Ragi butter cookies

* Ragi Chocolate Cake

* Ragi Malpuas

* Ragi Jaggery ladoos

* You can check all my ‘No rice dosa recipes’ including dosas with millets here –

No Rice dosa recipes Compilation

Chaat street, Curry house, Snacks

Ghugni | Bengali Matar Ghugni | Peas curry/chaat

April 11, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

Chaat of any kind has been my favorite since a child, may it be the eating waala spicy, tangy chaats or the talking waala chatting. 😂😂 In fact talking my heart out while eating chaats with my loved ones is my dream kind of outing. During my college days, me, my brother and parents used to go out to eat chaats on Saturday evenings. It used to be so much fun and I still cherish those memories. ❤️

Now, whenever we go out and there are chaats available, my first order would definitely be atleast one among the various chaats in their menu. 😍 Karnataka style Masala Puri is my favorite among all chaats followed by Dahi Puri.

Bengalis make a similar chaat like our masala puri with peas, which can be had as a curry too. I had shared it in my old blog and I am happy to share it here too. This Chaat is very flavorful and so easy to make that you will be tempted to try it as soon as possible.

Hope you all will try it for your next evening snack and enjoy it with your cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy cooking and eating with your loved ones. It is these moments that we remember all our life. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup dried Green peas/ white peas

1 Tbsp Oil

2 tsp Ghee

1 Bay leaf

2 Cloves

1 inch Cinnamon stick

1 Cardamom pod

2 Dried Red chillies

1 inch Ginger, grated

2 Green chillies, finely chopped

1 medium sized Onion, thinly sliced

1 medium sized Tomato, diced

1 medium sized Potato, peeled and diced

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Cumin powder

2 tsp Coriander powder

2 tsp Red chilli powder or to taste

3 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

1 green chilli and few finely chopped onion pieces, for garnish

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and soak the dried peas in enough water overnight or for atleast 8 hours.

2. Drain the water completely and wash again. Add the peas to a pressure cooker with fresh water to the level of about 2 cm above the peas level. Pressure cook till soft. Take care to not overcook it.

In my electric stove top, I keep on high flame for 10 mins and it gets very soft.

3. Now heat oil + ghee in a pan. Add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, red chillies, ginger and green chillies. Let it cook for few seconds.

4. Now add sliced onion and fry till it turns translucent. Add potatoes and fry in the oil for few seconds.

5. Add tomatoes and mix well. Let it turn soft.

6. In a small bowl, add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Add about 2 to 3 Tbsp water and make a smooth paste with it mixing well with a spoon.

7. Add this to the pan and mix well stirring continually for few minutes till the powders cook.

8. Add the cooked green peas along with salt. Also add water if needed to get the desired consistentency. I prefer it thick, so don’t add much water. Cover and cook for about 10 mins on medium flame till the gravy thickens.

9. Remove from flame. When serving, garnish with chopped onions, green chillies and coriander leaves.

Notes:

* You can use dried Green or white peas to make Ghugni. Frozen or fresh ones will not give the same taste.

* Do soak the peas for atleast 8 hours so that it gets digested well by the body.

* Don’t overcook the peas that it gets mashed. We need it go be soft yet retain it’s structure.

* You can enjoy Ghugni as a Chaat or like a curry with rice or chapati.

* For Ghugni Chaat, you can make additions like tamarind chutney/ coriander leaves- mint chutney and sev or bhujiya as topping but I love it just as it is.

* The gravy can be thick or thin like how you prefer but Ghugni is usually had thick.

* With leftover Ghugni, I add paneer cubes to make it Matar Paneer. Tastes so yum too. 😍

My favorite Chaat recipes:

* Masala Puri Chaat

* Bhel Puri Chaat

* Sprouted Moong Chaat

* Paneer Pav Bhaji

Chutneys

Red Capsicum Peanut Chutney| Red bell pepper chutney

April 6, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

As many varieties of dosas and idlis that I make, I love to try different varieties of chutneys as well. Spicy chutneys are my favorite as they make such an amazing accompaniment to dosas. So when I tried this red capsicum chutney recently, it instantly became my favorite as it turned out spicy and delicious.

Even though red capsicums are sweet, the peanuts and red chillies give a wonderful flavour to this chutney which makes it a very tasty dip for dosas. A definite must try if you get your hands on red capsicums. ❤️

Apart from this chutney, I also make Tri colour Capsicum Salsa and fried rice with these capsicums but I must say, red capsicum chutney has won my heart with it’s flavours. Hope you all try and love it too. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Serves 2 to 3 people }

1/2 a large Red Capsicum

1 medium sized Onion

4 Red chillies (adjust to taste)

2 Tbsp Peanuts

1 tsp + 1 tsp + 1 tsp Coconut oil (for frying and seasoning)

2 tsp Mustard seeds

2 sprigs Curry leaves ( for frying and seasoning)

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan and fry peanuts in it on medium flame till the peanuts change colour and start to open slightly.

2. Remove it in the mixer jar and let it cool down.

3. In the same pan, heat 1 tsp oil and add roughly chopped onions, curry leaves, red chillies and roughly diced Red Capsicum. Fry well till onions turn translucent and capsicum turns soft.

4. Now transfer this to the mixer jar too and let it cool down.

5. Add salt and little water as needed to grind it to a smooth paste.

6. Now heat 1 tsp oil in the pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let mustard seeds splutter. Now remove from the flame and add the ground chutney to the pan. Mix well. Done 🙂

7. Serve with dosas or idlis. Tastes so yum ❤️

Notes:

* I have served it with Methi dosa or the regular way I make my dosas. Makes for such a great combination.

* Don’t add more than two spoons of peanuts as otherwise the chutney will have a nutty flavour than that of red capsicum.

* This ratio of 1/2 capsicum, 2 spoon peanuts, 1 medium onion and 4 Red chillies works perfectly for me. If you prefer less spicy, add 3 red chillies and then you can adjust the spice using red chilli powder.

* This chutney is very unique in it’s taste due to the sweetness of the capsicum, spice from the chillies and the nuttiness from the peanuts. A must try if you love different flavours in chutneys.

* Since oil is used thrice while frying and seasoning, add very little each time so that the chutney does not turn oily. You can skip oil while frying if you prefer less oil.

* This chutney is based on my recipe of Peanut Onion Chutney which tastes amazing as well.

* You can check my other chutney recipes too:

* Amma’s tomato chutney

* Coriander leaves chutney

* Sambarpalli leaves chutney version 1

* Sambarpalli leaves chutney version 2

* Hotel style Tomato Chutney

* Gooseberry or Amla Chutney

* Pudina lehsun Chutney

* Allam Pachadi or Ginger Chutney

* Walnut Chutney

* More than 30 Dosa recipes : Dosa Corner

* 21 Varieties of Idlis : Variety Idli Compilation

* “No rice” Dosa recipes Compilation

* If you have three coloured capsicums, you can try this: Tri colour Capsicum Salsa/ Salad

Curry house

Easy Tomato Curry | To eat with dosa, chapati and rice

April 1, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

After homegrown methi leaves, one produce that has been growing abundantly in our garden is the gorgeous red tomato 🍅. It’s also one of my favorite as I love the flavour it brings in my chutneys and curries.

During off season, I use it only in North Indian gravies but now that they are available in abundance, this tomato curry has been my first choice to make always. I made it as an accompaniment with dosas as a change for breakfast and we loved it so much that now I make it regularly to eat with chapatis and rice too.

The quantity of tomatoes that grows in our garden make me so happy and I want to share it with all of you too. Homegrown love 😍 Look at the variation in size and colours as some are yet to ripe. They stay well at room temperature and the green ones will soon turn red sitting with other ripe tomatoes. It’s a treat to see and use them daily. ❤️

Hope you all try and love this curry with tomatoes too when they are in season. It’s a very simple recipe but tastes really yummy specially with ripe tomatoes. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

6 to 8 medium sized Tomatoes

2 medium sized Onions

1 inch Ginger piece

3 Green chillies

A sprig of Curry leaves

1 Tbsp Coconut oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

2 tsp Red chilli powder or to taste

Salt to taste

1/2 Cup Coconut milk ( I mix 2 Tbsp Coconut milk powder with 1/2 cup water)

3 to 4 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add cumin seeds, curry leaves, finely chopped green chillies and ginger.

2. Now add finely chopped onions and fry till it turns translucent.

3. Now add deseeded and roughly chopped tomatoes. Add salt and mix well.

4. Allow tomatoes to cook well. It will leave water and the mixture will be watery. Now add turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder.

5. Mix well and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Now add coconut milk and mix well.

6. Cook till tomatoes blend well and the mixture thickens ie for about 5 mins. Check for salt and other spice powders. Adjust and then remove from flame. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes:

* This curry tastes really delicious as an accomplishment with dosas, chapatis, parathas and rice.

* I add 6 to 8 tomatoes as I have plenty of homegrown tomatoes. You can also use 3 to 4 as per what you have.

* For satwik version, skip onions and add hing instead in the seasoning.

* You can also add rasam powder for a unique flavour. I keep alternating between powders to give different taste each time.

* I also add a dash of pepper powder sometimes. Tastes yum too.

* I use instant coconut milk powder to make coconut milk. You can use fresh coconut milk or even skip it completely. But coconut milk gives a nice thick texture and flavour to this curry.

* For other tomato dishes:

Ammas Tomato Chutney

Hotel style Tomato Chutney

Eggless Tomato Omelette

Salads, Snacks

Tri colour Capsicum Salsa | Easy Capsicum salad/dip recipe

March 23, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 1 Comment

Tri colour Capsicums always attracted me when I went for grocery shopping but it used to be super expensive and I never felt like buying it. Recently Qatar has been growing a variety of veggies locally and hence we have been getting even expensive vegetables like Broccoli and coloured capsicums considerably cheaper. Also just see how fresh they are! 😍

So, whenever I get my hands on them, it’s either this salsa or fried rice. Both ways, it is consumed happily by my kids which is most important for me whenever I cook something. With salsa, I present it to them with nachos for evening snack and they munch it on happily. ❤️

Also, these capsicums are best when they are had raw with their flavours intact. Cooking them leads to make it soft and is not as fresh. So my preferable way to use these capsicums is by making this salsa which we have as an accompaniment with rice meals as well. Tastes so yum. ❤️

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

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1/2 a medium sized Green Capsicum

1/2 a medium sized Yellow Capsicum

1/2 a medium sized Red Capsicum

1 medium sized Onion

1 medium sized Tomato

3 Green chillies

1/4 tsp Pepper powder

Salt to taste

Juice of 1 Indian lemon or half of large lemon

Finely chopped Coriander leaves, for garnish

Step by step recipe:

1. Finely chop the three capsicums and add to a mixing bowl.

2. Now add finely chopped Onion, tomatoes and green chillies to it.

3. Add finely chopped Coriander leaves, salt, pepper powder and lemon juice. Mix well. Taste and adjust the lemon juice and salt as needed.

4. Done! Enjoy as a salad or as a salsa with Nachos. ❤️

Notes:

* The above measurement serves 4. If you are making for more people, just use three whole capsicums and about two tomatoes and two onions.

* You can skip green chillies if making for small kids. I remove green chillies before giving to my kids.

* You can also add a dash of red chilli powder for more spice but we love this as it is.

* I also serve it as a side along with rice meals and the salad gives a nice, fresh crunch to the meal.

* The other salads that I make regularly:

Mixed Bean Salad

Carrot Kismuri

Moong dal Kosambari

Cabbage Kosambari

Mixed Vegetable Salad

Khamang Kakdi/ Cucumber salad

Barley Salad

Banana Stem Salad

Purple Cabbage Coleslaw

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.

Dosa corner, Millet recipes

Kodo Millet Dosa | Soft and tasty Millet Dosa recipe

December 28, 2022 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 2 Comments

Dosa is our favorite breakfast and when we are spoilt for choices, how can one resist making it almost everyday. 😅 We Konkanis are famous for our unique yet delicious dosas and it makes me so happy to add yet another dosa, 34th variety on the blog. You can check all the recipes here – Dosa Corner.

I started making Millet dosas few years back and we loved the flavour very much. Combine it with your favorite chutney and you have a healthy, filling breakfast ready. ❤️

However, I have noted that Millet dosas are best had hot and can’t be packed in tiffin boxes as the texture changes. Also, it tastes the best when cooked in ghee instead of oil.

Kodo Millet is a lesser known millet variety but dosas made it with tastes really delicious, trust me on this. Once you start making it, you are sure to make it again and again..

Hope you all try and like it. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE: { Makes about 15 dosas }

Kodo millet is also known as Kodra (Hindi), Varagu (Tamil), Arikelu (Telugu), Harka (Kannada), Koovaragu (Malayalam)

Ingredients: { 1 Cup = 240 ml }

1/2 Cup Urad dal

2 Cups Kodo Millet

2 tsp Methi/ Fenugreek seeds

Salt to taste

Ghee to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and soak Urad dal, Kodo millet and methi seeds in separate bowls in atleast double the water for 4 hours.

2. Now discard the soaked water from Urad dal and grind it with methi (along with soaked water) till it turns into a smooth batter adding water little by little as required. Pour into a large vessel. Add drained Kodo millet into the mixer.

3. Grind the millet with little water to a smooth paste. Pour into the same bowl. Add salt and mix well with hands.

4. Keep in a warm place for 8 to 10 hours for the batter to ferment.

5. Make dosas either thick or thin. My kids like it thick while we like it thin. For making it thick , just pour a ladle of dosa batter and don’t spread much. For making thin, spread the batter over the pan. Add ghee and cook till the surface cooks. Flip and cook for thick dosas.

6. Repeat the same with the rest of the batter. Serve with a chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* You can refrigerate the leftover batter to make dosas later.

* I used Kodo Millet from Manna brand.

* Don’t discard the soaked methi water while grinding the batter. It is important to get a soft porous texture of the dosas.

* These dosas are best cooked in ghee and eaten hot.

* We love the dosas when made thin but kids like it thick. So make and see how your family prefers it.

* I served it with Hing Chutney. Grind coconut with red chillies, hing, tamarind paste, salt and little water to a smooth paste.

* You can check all my Millet recipes here –

Millet Recipes Collection

* You can all my “No rice” Dosa recipes here –

No Rice Dosa recipes Compilation

* You can check all my dosa recipes here –

Dosa Corner

Breakfast time, Konkani Recipes, Snacks

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

December 4, 2022 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 6 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