Tag Archives: Easy

Muga Dali usli | Seasoned moong dal

May 15, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 5 Comments

Click on the image to save the recipe on Pinterest.

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

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

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

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Cups Moong dal

3 Green chillies

1 Tbsp Ghee or Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 inch Ginger

A pinch of Hing/ Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

Freshly grated coconut for garnish

Step by step recipe:

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

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

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

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

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

6. Garnish with freshly grated coconut.

7. Serve hot!

Notes:

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

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

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

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

Drinks, Konkani Recipes

Paanak | Jaggery Lemonade

May 13, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

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

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

Hope you all try this drink too!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

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

1 large Lemon or to taste

1/2 inch Ginger, grated

1/4 tsp Pepper powder

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder (optional)

A few leaves of Tulsi / holy basil leaves

Step by step recipe:

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

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

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

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

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

Notes:

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

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

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

Desserts

No bake Chocolate cheesecake | Easy recipe

May 9, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 1 Comment

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

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

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

RECIPE:

Ingredients: ( Makes around 4 servings)

For the biscuit base:

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

2 Tbsp melted butter

For the cheesecake layer:

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

1 tin sweetened condensed milk (397 grams)

1/3 Cup Lemon juice

For the chocolate layer:

1 Cup full fat milk

1/4 Cup Sugar

2 Tbsp Cocoa powder

1 tsp Vanilla essence

Step by step recipe:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Pour into the glasses as shown.

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

Notes:

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

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

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

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

* Garnish with more chocolate shavings if needed. Enjoy!

#Update by my reader Sonali Baindur:

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

Desserts

Coconut burfis | Easy recipe

May 4, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 6 Comments

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

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

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

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

Ingredients:

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

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Cashews

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 tsp Cardamom powder (optional)

Ghee to grease the pan

Step by step recipe:

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

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

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

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

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

Notes:

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

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

* Refrigerate the remaining pieces.

Updated picture on October 14th 2024.

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

Dosa corner, Snacks

Eggless Tomato Omelette

May 1, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

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

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

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

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Cups Besan/ chikpea flour

1 Cup Rava/ wheat semolina

1/2 Cup Rice flour

2 large Tomatoes

1 medium sized Onion

3 green chillies

2 Tbsp Coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Take the besan, rava and rice flour in a large mixing bowl. Add salt too.

2. Now slowly add little by little water and whisk till it’s free of lumps and you get a smooth batter of slightly thick consistency.

Note: If you have leftover dosa batter. Add that to the dry flours and then add water as needed.

3. Add chopped tomatoes, onions, green chillies and Coriander leaves.

4. Mix well.

5. Heat a dosa pan and pour a ladle of this batter onto it. Cook on medium flame.

6. When the surface cooks, add oil or ghee and flip to cook for a minute.

7. Remove and repeat the same with the rest of the batter. Enjoy them hot with butter or chutney.

Notes:

* If using leftover dosa batter, add at step no 2 along with water to make a smooth batter.

* Do add loads of tomatoes and onions for a wonderful bite to these Omelette.

* You could also prepare this batter and refrigerate the previous night for breakfast the next day.

Desserts

Easy Mango Mousse

April 30, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

After easy Mango cupcakes, here is another easy mango mousse. I have made it for many parties and everyone have loved it a lot. The easiest dessert ever. Since this is mango season, I thought of sharing this as well. I have adapted this recipe from here.

My kids call it mango ice cream and love it very much.

RECIPE:

Ingredients: {serves 4}

1.25 Cups Mango pulp (fresh or canned)

1 Cup Yogurt/ thick curd

1/2 a tin sweetened condensed milk (around 200 grams)

Saffron strands/ Cardamom powder for flavour (optional)

Step by step recipe:

1. Add mango pulp in a blender jar.

2. Add Yogurt and sweetened condensed milk.

3. Add in saffron strands.

4. Blend for a minute until everything is combined well.

5. Pour into individual OVEN PROOF molds.

**Please keep it to set in small bowls. These bowls are very small and largest one is only about the size of my palm.**

6. Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 mins. Then SWITCH IT OFF. We need only the warmth of the oven. No need to bake the mousse. So don’t forget to switch off the oven after preheating it.

7. Place the mousse inside the oven covered overnight or for 8 hours.

*Cover with a foil when you keep. I have not shown in this picture.*
**Please note that the oven is OFF before placing the bowls. OFF all night.**

8. After keeping overnight, see how well it sets.

9. Now keep it in the fridge for couple of hours for it to cool.

Enjoy chilled mousse topped with little chopped dry fruits if needed!

Notes:

* If you don’t have oven, just keep them covered in the warmest place of your house and it will set overnight. Just that it may not turn set completely but still turns delicious.

* Make sure the mango pulp is thick and not watery. Alphonso mangoes or its canned pulp gives best taste to this mousse.

* The curd/ yogurt should be thick and not watery to be used in this recipe. If it is watery, sieve and use.

* Do NOT add water at all while blending.

* Both fresh mangoes or canned mango pulp can be used in this recipe.

* Do NOT bake this in the oven. Preheat the oven and SWITCH IT OFF. Then place it inside. Make sure the dishes are oven proof. Else may break in the heat.

* You can easily double or triple the measurements for making in bulk.

* I have also made in bulk for a party in disposable aluminium ware. You could use that too. Here is a picture:

*Easy to serve individual portions*. **Note that I have filled less than half of the bowl. If you put large quantity, it won’t set.**

* If kept for setting in a large casserole or bowl instead of small bowls, it does not set as much but still tastes the same. But please keep it to set in small size bowls if you can.

I have tried to note down as much points as possible so that it’s easy for you all to follow but if you still have any doubts, either comment here or message me on my Facebook page Healthy cooking with mitha or on my Instagram handle and I would be happy to help.

I have compiled some of my easiest healthy sweet recipes so that people who don’t have time, yet wish to make some delicious sweets can try. They are all sweets that can be made within 15 mins. Hope it will be helpful for all of you.

Easiest ready in 15 min sweet recipes collection

Cakes and Bakes

Mango Rava Cupcakes | Easy one bowl recipe

April 29, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 12 Comments

I am so happy to be able to share this amazing recipe finally. A soft mango cake with heavenly cardamom flavour and the aroma of ghee. A delicious package altogether. And it’s so easy to make. Just mix few ingredients in a bowl and bake. The easiest cake ever!

I also love this recipe for the fact that it uses very less and easily available ingredients. Also, it gets ready in about 30 mins in total. What else do we need? Easy, quick, no fuss recipe. Do try and you are sure to love it. Happy Baking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Wheat Rava/ Sooji/ Semolina (use the finest variety available)

1 Cup Mango pulp( fresh/ canned)

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup Ghee

1 tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

1/8 tsp Salt

Step by step recipe:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 mins.

2. Take 1 Cup semolina/ rava in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add 1 Cup mango pulp, 1/4 Cup ghee, 1/2 Cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp cardamom powder. Mix well with a spatula.

4. Grease the muffin pan with ghee or line them with cupcake liners. Add a spoon of the batter into each mould. It won’t rise much. So you can add 3/4th of the muffin mould.

5. Bake at 180 C by keeping the pan at the center rack of the oven for 20 to 30 mins or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clear. In my OTG, it took exactly 30 mins.

6. Allow it to cool slightly. Remove and enjoy!

Notes:

* I have also used Mother’s recipe sweetened Alphonso mango pulp for this recipe when it was not mango season and it was perfect too.

* Please make sure the mango pulp is thick and not watery. If watery, then rest the batter for about 15 mins till the rava absorbs the mango pulp.

* Ghee gives a wonderful flavour to this cake so don’t substitute it with oil. I have tried this cupcake with both oil and ghee and ghee ones are really heavenly.

* I have used regular upma rava for this cake.

* Don’t skip cardamom powder if you can. It is the soul of this cake.

* This cake does not brown much at top. So don’t wait for it. Check at 5 min intervals after 20 mins into baking time. DO NOT open oven door before 20 mins.

Dosa corner

Instant Sabudana dosa

April 29, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

I am always on the look out for instant breakfast recipes and even though there are many seasoned breakfast ideas in our Konkani cuisine like rullav, phovu and uslis, I have to make variety dosas or idlis for my kids as they love it. And what better than this instant Sabudana dosa.

Sabudana is used a lot in Konkani and Marathi households especially during fasting or vrat days. Even though we don’t get good Sabudana here, I bring some from India just to make this dosa. I love these dosas just with butter and they make such a filling breakfast.

Thank you Jayashri Baleri for this recipe and Durga Arvind Hegde for requesting this recipe to be put up in this new blog.

Happy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Sabudana/ Sago

1 Cup Wheat Rava/ Semolina/ Sooji

1/2 Cup grated Coconut

3 green chillies, finely chopped

3 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

Oil or ghee to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash the Sabudana well and soak for two hours in enough water to soak it.

Note: I have used mini or small Sabudana. If you have big sized ones, it will need overnight soaking.

*Wash well in water and drain. This is after soaking for 1 hour.*

*Soak in enough water for another 1 hour.*

*It will swell like this and become soft.*

2. Now add rava to this.

3. Add cumin seeds, coriander leaves, green chillies, grated coconut, sugar and salt to this.

4. Now mix well adding little water to make a thick batter.

5. Heat a dosa pan and pour a ladle full of the batter to the pan. Spread it into a circle as shown.

6. Cover and cook on medium flame till top portion looks cooked. Add oil or ghee while cooking.

7. Flip and cook for a minute.

8. Serve hot with butter or chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* If you don’t have Sabudana, just make plain thick rava dosa adding the rest of the ingredients. We call it rava bhakri in Konkani.

* This dosa is crisp on the outside and soft inside.

Chaat street, Konkani Recipes, Snacks

Charmbure upkari

April 22, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 1 Comment

This post is dedicated to my father who’s favourite snack to make is Charmbure Upkari and my husband who’s only reply for “what’s for evening snack?” is Charmbure Upkari. My kids have gone after them and they love it a lot too.

It’s easy for me as well. Hardly takes time to mix everything and is so tasty that the whole family is happy with me. I am happy too since it’s a healthy snack to munch on.

Charmbure Upkari is most famous during temple festivals in South Canara regions and also available outside temples at other times. They give it in a paper cone and it’s so delightful to see them make it. Some also add raw mango to it but since we don’t get it here, I make it without it. Here’s sharing how we make our Charmbure Upkari.

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Cups Puffed rice/ Charmburo/ Bhel

1/2 Cup Sev/ Bhujiya

3 Tbsp peeled and finely grated Carrot

1 small Onion, finely chopped

1 small Tomato, finely chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped ( or to taste) *can skip if making for kids

3 Tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 Tbsp Peanuts

2 tsp Sambar powder

1/2 tsp Red chilli powder (or to taste) *can skip if making for kids

2 tsp Coconut oil (plus 1 tsp to fry peanuts)

1 Tbsp Lemon juice

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Add the finely chopped Onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves, green chillies, grated carrots in a large mixing bowl. (Add finely chopped raw mango too if available)

2. Add sambar powder, salt and red chilli powder( if adding).

3. Now fry peanuts in oil and add to the mixture along with sev/ bhujiya.

4. Now add the Bhel/ Charmburo along with coconut oil and lemon juice. Mix well.

5. To a taste test and add more sambar powder/ red chilli powder/ lemon juice if required. Serve Immediately. Else the Charmbure upkari turns soggy and not crisp.

Notes:

* If I have the time, I sometimes dry roast the Charmburo/ Bhel before adding to the upkari so that it does not turn soggy while serving.

* Do serve it immediately after mixing everything. Else it turns soggy.

* All the ingredients are to taste and you can make changes according to your family’s taste buds.

Idli Stand

Instant Oats Idli

April 14, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 8 Comments

Click on the image to PIN the recipe on Pinterest

Ever since I uploaded the Instant Poha Idli recipe, I have been getting messages about the ingredient Rice rava or Idli Rava which is not readily available everywhere now. So I decided to share yet another instant idli recipe which I make on a weekly basis with normal rava and oats. It turns out delicious and my kids love it.

RECIPE: (Learned from Shobana Rao of Cooking with Shobana)

Ingredients: { Makes about 13 idlis }

1 Cup = 240 ml

1 Cup Sooji Rava/ regular upma rava/ Semolina

1 Cup Instant Oats

1 Cup Curd/ Yogurt

Salt to taste

A pinch of pepper powder (optional)

1 sachet of Eno fruit salt (or 1 tsp)

Step by step recipe:

1. Take Sooji Rava in a bowl.

2. Add instant Oats, curd and salt.