Tag Archives: Rava

Cakes and Bakes

Eggless Banana Rava Cupcakes | Easy one bowl Banana semolina muffins

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Bananas are the most brought fruit in our grocery shopping as my darling daughter loves it. 😍 She eats one daily after breakfast and also when she’s hungry in the evenings. But even then, due to the onset of summers here in Qatar, the bananas turn black and overripe very quickly. Though it is still tasty on the inside, they are slightly sticky to hold and I don’t feel like giving her to eat as it is (don’t want her love for bananas to diminish away 😍). But what to do with those bananas now? 😄

That’s when this mommy puts on her thinking caps (my brains work overtime now 🤣) as to how to use the leftover bananas who stare at me, pleading to be used up whenever I pass through them (dramatic much?? 😅 That’s me 😂). So one week it’s Jaggery Sheera with the bananas and the next week it’s banana chocolate cupcakes or Vastad rottis or the easiest wheat banana pancakes with them. Finally, when all these options got exhausted, I found out a new way of using the bananas.

Substituted mango pulp with mashed bananas in my Mango Rava Cupcake recipe and it came out so well that it has become a regular at my place (as of now 😅). So much that the bananas are purposely left to turn black 😅 to make these delicious cupcakes. 😍

By the way, did you notice the toy bananas in my picture? It is from my daughter’s food toy collection, which her brother too loves a lot and they both play in this set up which I have made for them. 😍 Though the places for the toys keeps changing throughout the day, before sleeping, I set it up like this so that our mornings are welcomed by this beautiful, cute scene. ❤️

You can also see my son’s vehicle collection which me and him arrange in various ways. We spend hours sitting there and I don’t realize how time passes with this little boy. ❤️

Anyhow, hope you all try these cupcakes and I am sure you will like it. Do let me know if any doubts and it will be a pleasure to help. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE: { 1 Cup = 250 ml }

Ingredients: { Makes 7 cupcakes }

1 Cup mashed Bananas { I took 5 overripe small variety Indian Bananas }

1 Cup Semolina/ Rava / Sooji { regular variety }

1/2 Cup Jaggery powder

1/4 Cup Ghee

1 tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

Step by step recipe:

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

2. Take 1 Cup rava in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 Cup jaggery powder to it. Keep mashed bananas and other ingredients ready as well.

3. Now add the 1 Cup mashed bananas along with 1/4 Cup ghee, 1 tsp Baking powder, 1/4 tsp each of salt and cardamom powder.

4. Mix well into a even mixture using a spatula.

5. Now take a muffin pan ready and line with cupcake liners. If you don’t have liners, just grease well with ghee. Fill three fourth of the mould with the batter.

6. Bake in the preheated oven (which has been heated at 180 C for 10 mins) in the center rack of the oven at 180 C for 25 to 30 mins. Mine gets done at 25 mins exactly. Insert a toothpick in the center of the center most cupcake to see if done. If the toothpick comes out clear, it’s done. Else bake for couple of mins more or till done.

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7. Allow it to cool slightly. Then serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

* I keep in an airtight container for a day and it lasts well at room temperature for a day. Refrigerate after that and microwave slightly before consuming.

* I use the small variety Indian bananas which have turned overripe. You can use any variety of bananas but just make sure they are really ripe and mashed well.

* I used the rava that I use for making upma. It is not very fine but regular semolina size. Just don’t use very coarse semolina. If you only have coarse variety, powder it in a mixer first and then use.

* Grate jaggery finely and use if you don’t have jaggery powder.

* Ghee and cardamom powder gives the cupcakes a wonderful flavour. So don’t skip or replace it.

* 25 mins got my cupcakes to bake perfectly and 30 mins made the top part slightly crisp. So please check at 25 mins and if done in the center, remove from the oven.

* I got this idea of using mashed bananas from my Mango Rava Cupcakes where I use mango pulp instead.

* I also make these three recipes with leftover overripe bananas:

# Jaggery Sheera – I add mashed bananas towards and end along with jaggery water, mix well. Tastes very delicious. This tastes like Sapath which is made for Satyanarayana vrath prasad in many households.

In fact these Banana Rava cupcakes are a cake version of the Sapath prasad. The taste is quite similar to it.

# Vastad rotti – Tawa fried version of Mangalore Buns

# Eggless, whole wheat, Chocolate Banana Cake – Can be made as cupcakes too

# Wheat Banana Pancakes – Instant snack for the kids with bananas and wheat flour.

* If you are new to baking, you can check this post which I wrote to help my readers – Baking basics for Beginners

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Recipe collections

Collection of my healthy cake and cookie recipes

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It’s Christmas time and the official “bake at home” time too 😄. I have been seeing so many wonderful bakes on various Facebook food groups that I am part of and it is really amazing that now, everyone bakes so many varieties at home itself. So I thought I too should compile my healthy cakes and cookies in one page for those who want to bake guilt free goodies even for Xmas (if you are like me 😀).

For me, Christmas brings back two memories of my childhood. One is my dad bringing me Plum cake from our nearby bakery and I used to wait so eagerly for it. The aroma and flavour of the cake is still in my taste buds that it brings so much nostalgia. 😍

Second memory is singing Christmas carol at school (yes, I used to sing too 😅). We all used to wear white top and black skirt, practice so much for weeks and finally when standing on the stage singing the choir together with friends, it felt so good. ❤️ Though I don’t have a picture of the carol singing, here is a picture of the dress, which was my favourite as a 12 year old. This is from Amma’s album which is a treasure trove of old memories (love looking at them remembering old times 😍).

A part of the album page for the memory of old style albums. Nothing can replace the pleasure of looking through those albums. ❤️

Though after school, I never sang on stage, I still sing bhajans and songs for my kids when putting them to sleep and record them to send Amma who loves to listen to them. 😍 The best part is I still remember the lyrics and tune of the Christmas carols, much to the amazement of my daughter (she loves Christmas 🎄). So we have been singing carols together, making cards for her friends while baking some goodies to enjoy this season.

Hope you all try some of them too. Happy and healthy Baking! Merry Christmas to all of you in advance! ❤️

Click on the name or image for the recipe.

Healthy Cakes:

1. Chocolate Banana Cake ( using wheat flour and jaggery ) – A moist and delicious basic chocolate banana cake with easy frosting.

Recipe here – Chocolate Banana Cake ( using wheat flour and jaggery )

2. Ragi Chocolate Cake ( using ragi flour, wheat flour and jaggery ) – My kids and readers favorite cake. You can never say it has Ragi in it. With the frosting, it tastes heavenly.

Recipe here – Ragi Chocolate Cake ( using ragi flour, wheat flour and jaggery )

3. Dates and Oats Cake – My idea to sneak some oats in the cake as well. Because you can never say it has oats in it. Another of my readers’ favorite cakes. Tried and loved by so many.

Recipe here – Dates and Oats Cake

4. Mango Ghee Cake – A super soft, moist and oh so delicious cake. My mouth waters whenever I think of this cake 😍

Recipe here – Mango Ghee Cake

5. Dates and Carrot Cake – Sugar free cake – My personal favorite as it is free from sugar or even jaggery can be skipped. Beautifully combines the natural sweetness of dates and carrots. Another of my recipe tried a lot by my readers.

Recipe here – Dates and Carrot Cake – Sugar free cake

6. Dates Chocolate Brownie – Guilt free indulgence at its best! ❤️ You can also skip dates for plain chocolate brownies.

Recipe here – Dates Chocolate Brownie

7. Mango Rava cupcakes – Easy one bowl recipe to make delicious mango cupcakes which are enjoyed a lot by my kids.

Recipe here – Mango Rava cupcakes

8. Wheat Jaggery Cake – Basic cake to which you can add dried fruits to make a dry fruit cake. Also can make cupcakes with this. Have been making this cake for years now for my kids.

Recipe here – Wheat Jaggery Cake

9. Wheat Chocolate Sponge Cake – You can never say it is made with wheat flour and jaggery. Comes out super soft and delicious. I make cupcakes with this batter regularly for my kids as they love it. ❤️

Recipe here – Wheat Chocolate Sponge Cake/ cupcakes

10. Eggless Banana Rava Cupcakes – This is my go to recipe when I have over ripe bananas. Super easy to make, one bowl recipe which tastes heavenly due to the combination of Rava, banana, Jaggery, ghee and cardamom powder.

Recipe here – Eggless Rava Banana Cupcakes

11. Eggless Dry Fruit Cake – A great way to add dry fruits in your kids snack. With the addition of orange juice, this cake tastes absolutely delicious. A regularly made cake at my place.

Recipe here – Eggless, whole wheat Dry Fruit Cake

12. Eggless Wheat Banana Cupcakes: I make these cupcakes for my kids’ evening snack during vacations and also for their tiffin box to school. A great way to finish up those over ripe bananas too. Comes out soft and delicious.

Recipe here – Eggless Wheat Banana Cupcakes

Healthy Cookies:

1. Chocolate Chip Cookies ( using wheat flour and jaggery ) – Perfect cafe style cookies at home, only healthier and tastier 😍

Recipe here – Chocolate Chip Cookies

2. Almond Butter Cookies – With basic ingredients and uses no baking soda or powder, these cookies are still very soft and melt in the mouth.

Recipe here – Almond Butter Cookies

3. Ragi Butter Cookies – Another heavenly cookies with Ragi in it, yet tastes so good that you can’t stop devouring them. My favourite! ❤️

4. Wheat Jaggery Cookies: These easy to make cookies are not only loved by my kids but by their friends too. Comes out so tasty.

4. Cashew Butter Cookies – Delicious homemade cashew cookies which needs no baking soda or baking powder.

You can check all my other healthy bakes here. Enjoy Baking!!

My other compilations:

* Easy, Healthy Sweets (under 15 mins)

This is another easy, healthy sweet recipes collection that I made last time. You can find the recipes here. They are sweets that can be made under 15 mins.

* Oats Recipes Compilation

* No Rice Dosa recipes Compilation

* Variety Idli recipes Collection

Idli Stand

Urad – Rava Idli | No rice idlis

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When I was thinking about more varieties of idlis after Broken Wheat Idlis, I was reminded of these Rava idlis using Urad dal which is made at my husband’s place on Pooja days as it does not contain rice (rice is avoided for breakfast during Pooja or fasting days). I realized how I had forgotten to blog about these basic and most made idlis in Konkani households.

So as I am sharing this recipe with all of you, my son is sleeping in my arms completing his evening sleep. This boy who is only 2 years old brings so much joy in my life that I feel so blessed. 🙏 During evenings, when the husband is at work and my daughter goes out to play, he and me have some “us” time. We have our discussions with him sitting on my lap, about birds and kids playing outside. (He has got my bird love genes 😍). He looks at me with his gleaming bright eyes, smiling and pulls my cheeks saying “Amma, mogu mogu” (meaning love you, love you 😍😍) and showers me with kisses. 😄

I had never imagined a child can be so expressive in love and so attached. My daughter was never this way but this boy is very different. I think it’s God’s blessings so that I don’t feel lonely being at home most of the time. He does not leave me alone at all and even sits with me when I cook. Loves hugging me and I sometimes feel I need that hug more than him. 😍 Thus is my love story with my son. ❤️

Here’s sharing his favorite idlis or Iddi like he calls it. Hope our love remains always and fills my heart like this. ❤️ Some motherhood touch to this blog today with teary eyes (can’t stop being emotional 😬). Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 22 idlis }

2 Cups Rava / Semolina / Sooji

1 Cup Urad dal (I use split ones)

Salt to taste

Oil to grease the idli plates

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and soak the Urad dal in enough water for about 4 hours. Drain and using about 1 Cup water, grind to a smooth paste. I grind in my mixie, not grinder.

2. Dry roast the semolina till it turns hot. No need to brown it. Just roast till it turns hot and aromatic. Keep aside to cool.

3. Add this to the Urad dal batter and mix well with hands to ensure a lump free batter. Also add about 1 and half cups water along with salt to bring it to idli batter consistency (thick yet free falling).

4. Ferment for about 8 hours or overnight by keeping the batter at room temperature. Might take longer in cold weathers. When the batter ferments, it might become thick as semolina absorbs a lot of water. Add about 1 or 2 spoons of water to make it little loose if it’s very thick.

5. Steam for 20 to 25 mins or till a knife inserted in the center of the idlis come out clear.

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

Notes:

* These idlis take slightly longer to steam than regular idlis. So steam really well. Else it will be lumpy inside.

* I use mixie to grind. Hence used 1:2 ratio of Urad dal to rava. If using grinder, use 2 and 1/2 Cups Rava for 1 Cup Urad dal.

* No need to brown the rava while roasting. Just fry till it turns aromatic. Cool well and then mix.

* It took me total 2 and 1/2 Cups water while making the batter and 2 spoons of water the next day to get perfect idlis. In these idlis, water is very important as semolina absorbs a lot of water. Make sure the batter is loose and not very thick, else you will get hard idlis.

* I served these idlis with Hing Chutney. Just grind 1 Cup Coconut with a pinch of Hing powder, 4 long red chillies, 1 tsp Tamarind paste, salt and water to a smooth paste. You can season the chutney using mustard seeds and curry leaves if needed.

Desserts, Recipe collections

Easy to make, healthy and delicious sweet recipes |Ready in 15 mins sweets

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I am in many Facebook food groups and it is now filled with people posting many varieties of sweets along with savories as they are all set to welcome the most favorite festival, Diwali. It makes my heart warm to see the enthusiasm and happiness of everyone in the groups. Many of the members have become so close to me that I feel like they are my own family. Their encouragement for a beginner like me is truly very overwhelming. Thank you to all my readers from food groups. ❤️

This is just a compilation of my easy sweet recipes for people who have not yet made any sweets and want to make atleast one to celebrate the occasion. These get ready in about 15 mins and are healthy along with being kid friendly too. So good for busy mommies like me. Hope you all try and like them.

Wishing all of you a very happy Diwali. May the festival of lights bring happiness in your lives. ❤️

Please click on the name or the picture for the recipe.

1. Easy Coconut Burfi: These are really easy to make which I learned from “The Konkani Saraswat Cookbook” by my dearest Asha Satish Philar mai. It was one of the first sweets that I learnt and even my 5 year old daughter knows to make it.

Recipe here: Easy Coconut Burfi

2. Microwave Mango Coconut ladoos: This is yet another easy recipe which I learned in my initial days of cooking. Hardly takes few minutes to make but tastes really amazing. Do try if you have mango pulp with you and you love coconut.

Recipe here: Microwave Mango Coconut ladoos

3. Jaggery Sheera: One of the most made sweet in my house as it is my family’s favorite. I used to make Sheera with sugar initially but switched to jaggery many years back and have never looked back. Tastes really delicious!

Recipe here: Jaggery Sheera

4. Dry fruit bites: These are sugar free and very tasty along with being very healthy too. My way to feed dry fruits to my kids which are very beneficial to their growing body if consumed regularly in limited quantity.

Recipe here: Dry fruit bites

5. Nendran Banana halwa with Jaggery: This is the easiest version of the halwa which gets ready within 15 mins. Many of my readers have tried and loved this. It is another way to feed this healthy banana to my kids who love this halwa.

Recipe here: Nendran Banana halwa with Jaggery

6. Mango Kesar pedas: The tastiest pedas you can ever make. Very easy too and gets ready within 15 mins. If you have mango pulp, do try this and you won’t regret it. I love how beautiful they look too.

Recipe here: Mango Kesar pedas

7. Dried Apricot Halwa: Something which I tried to finish off my apricots but came so delicious that this has become our favorite. Too easy to be true kind of recipe. Doesn’t it look royal too? 😀

Recipe here: Dried Apricot Halwa

8. Churmundo | Easy wheat flour jaggery ladoos: These are Konkani people’s all time favorite ladoos. I use jaggery instead of sugar though. Tastes so heavenly that we feel at loss of words when devouring them. So quick to make too.

Recipe here: Churmundo | Easy wheat flour jaggery ladoos

9. Peanut Jaggery ladoos: Needs only two ingredients and hardly takes about 10 mins to make. Very tasty and healthy ladoos too.

10. Til Jaggery Burfi : A very tasty, easy to make sweet made from sesame seeds and jaggery.

11. Ragi Jaggery ladoos: Soft, melt in the mouth delicious ladoos made with Ragi or finger millet and jaggery.

12. Poha Sheera – An easy to make unique sweet from rice flakes or beaten rice that I learnt to make recently which we all loved a lot. Tried and loved by my readers too.

13. Dry fruit Coconut Ladoos: These are a great way to add dry fruits in ladoo form in both your kids’ and your diet. Also free from sugar or jaggery as dates sweetens these ladoos perfectly.

14. Mango Coconut Ladoos : These have to be the tastiest ladoos that I have ever made. Looks so pretty too 😍

15. Godu Phovu / Jaggery sweetened rice flakes – This is the most made sweet in every Konkani household for almost all festivities. So quick to make with very simple ingredients like Poha or thin rice flakes, coconut, jaggery and flavoured with cardamom powder.

In this recipe, I have made Chane usli or seasoned chickpeas with Godu Phovu as it is a very delicious combination.

Recipe here – Godu Phovu

These are the easiest sweet recipes that I have shared. You can check the rest of my healthy desserts like Jaggery Shrikhand, Peanut Ubbattis, Mango mousse, Chocolate Cheesecake, Desi Tiramisu, Bottlegourd jaggery halwa, etc on my Desserts page.

My other compilations:

Oats Recipes Compilation

Healthy Cakes and Cookies recipes Compilation

“No rice” dosa recipes compilation

Variety Idlis Compilation

Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

Breakfast time, Dosa corner, Konkani Recipes, Snacks

Rava Bhakri /Rullanva Doddaka/ Instant Semolina savory pancakes

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I am a huge fan of our age old amchi (Konkani) dishes. They are not only easy to make but very healthy and super delicious too. Also, I am a firm believer that breakfast should be the most filling meal as it gives us energy for the day and keeps us away from snacking often.

This Rava Bhakri is exactly that. Very filling and super tasty too. It’s my go to breakfast when I have forgotten to soak for dosas or idlis. My kids call it “Rullanva bobbo” and demand it whenever they feel hungry. So this “bobbo” becomes their snack too when they come tired after playing. And the best part is, it hardly takes 10 mins from start to finish to make this.

Now that’s how I love my dishes. Less time in the kitchen, yet healthy, kid friendly and delicious. Most Konkanis know this recipe but sharing for those who don’t know. Hope you all try it too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 Cups Semolina (wheat rava, upma rava, sooji)

Approx 3 Cups Water

1/4 Cup Wheat flour (Atta)

1/4 Cup freshly grated Coconut

1/4 Cup Yogurt/ Buttermilk (optional)

2 to 3 Green chillies

1 inch Ginger piece, grated

1 Tbsp Sugar

Salt to taste

Ghee or coconut oil to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Take Semolina, wheat flour, sugar, salt and coconut in a mixing bowl.

2. Add yogurt, water, Ginger and green chillies. Mix well and make a lump free batter of thick consistency. (It took me 3 Cups water for 21/2 cups rava. Might vary depending on the brand of rava.)

3. Now heat a dosa pan and add a ladle of dosa batter. Spread it into a thick dosa.

4. Cover and cook till the surface cooks. Add ghee or oil on top.

5. Flip and cook for a minute.

6. Serve hot with butter and pickle.

Notes:

* Rava absorbs a lot of water very quickly. But it varies with the brand of rava. So best is to add water one cup at a time in the beginning and then add little by little to make a batter thicker than dosa batter consistency.

* This batter can be made before hand and refrigerated. I make it at night and refrigerate for breakfast the next day as it saves a lot of time in the morning. Just that the rava absorbs all the water. So it needs and addition of about a cup of water to bring it back to pourable consistency.

* The addition of yogurt or buttermilk is optional but gives a nice tangy flavour to it.

* You can also grind the coconut along with Ginger and green chillies. Then add to the batter but I love the bite of green chillies. So I don’t do that way.

* I don’t even need pickle with this. Butter is an excellent accompaniment to this bhakri.

* You can also add an mashed overripe banana to this batter. Tastes really delicious!

* You can also add grated cucumbers to this to make Instant Cucumber dosas or Thoushe Bhakris.

Curry house, Dosa corner, Konkani Recipes

Snake gourd seeds spicy dosa | Poddale beeye Sannapolo

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After I posted Ridgegourd skin chutney, it reminded me of another “taste from waste” which my grandmother made regularly. It is these small dosas from the seeds of snake gourds. They are not the dosas that we have for breakfast but had with rice meals and called as sannapolo in Konkani.

There are so many varieties of sannapolos made with onion, cabbage, moringa leaves and many others. Those require soaking and grinding rice and toor dal. But this variety of sannapolo can be made instantly as it uses rava instead.

And anything that can be made instantly becomes instantly my favourite too 😉. What better way to use up the healthy part of this vegetable in a delicious way. A meal of these dosas with upkari and ukde pej (Matta rice congee) becomes a soulful meal for us. Something I can never get tired of. ❤️

Hope you all try this and love it like we do. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Snake gourds seeds (I took the core of two regular sized snakegourds)

1/2 inch Ginger piece

3 Green chillies

1/2 Cup Coconut (fresh or desiccated)

1 Cup Rava or Semolina

Salt to taste

Coconut oil to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. * Wash the snake gourd well and scrape the white skin with a knife.

* Then slice lengthwise and remove the core. Keep it aside.

* Chop the snakegourds to small pieces and keep it in another bowl to make Upkari. (Will share the recipe in notes) Soak 1/4 Cup chana dal for the Upkari for about 30 mins.

2. For the spicy dosa or sannapolo, grind the seeds along with coconut, ginger and green chillies to a slightly coarse paste.

Note: Don’t grind too much or it can taste bitter. Just pulse two to three times so that the seeds are crushed.

3. Add this paste to a bowl. Add rava and salt. With little water, make a thick batter.

4. Heat the dosa pan and make small dosas. Drizzle coconut oil and cook the dosas on both sides till they turn brown and crisp.

5. Remove and serve with rice meals. This is not the regular dosa had for breakfast. It tastes best with rice, rasam or dal and snake gourd stir fry (Upkari).

Notes:

* If the snake gourd seeds are very small and easily crushable with hands, then no need to grind it along with the other ingredients in the mixer. Just mix it with the ground paste.

* While grinding the seeds, don’t grind for too long. Just pulsing is enough. Grinding for too long can cause a bitter flavour.

* The rava that I use is normal upma rava. Since this is a thick dosa, don’t add a lot of water. Just enough water to make a thick batter.

* For the snake gourd Upkari, heat coconut oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds and add the soaked chana dal, green chillies and curry leaves. Add chopped snake gourd and hing along with salt and little water. Cook till the snake gourd turns soft. Garnish with grated coconut.

Idli Stand

Instant Vermicelli Idli

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When I was a child, the only Idlis I knew were the regular white Idlis my mother made and the horsegram Idlis, cucumber Idlis, jackfruit Idlis (kulitha idli, thoushe muddho, ponsa mudho in Konkani) which my grandmother made. These varieties are the only ones I remember apart from the amchi famous Khotto or idlis made in jackfruit leaves.

After I started blogging and kept on look out for variety of recipes, I started making Rava Idlis and other Idlis which don’t need rice at all. Here you can check all of them in my Idli Stand page.

Vermicelli idli was one among the first ones to be tried and loved. So I had to share this here. Its a unique but very tasty idli. Comes out super soft and spongy.

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

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup wheat Vermicelli (the regular variety which we use to make upma. Not super thin ones)

1 Cup wheat Semolina/ Rava/ Sooji

1 Cup Yogurt or thick Curd

About 3/4 Cup Water

1/2 Cup grated Carrots

1 tsp Eno fruit salt {*check notes for substitute}

Salt to taste

For seasoning:

2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds or Jeera

1/2 tsp split Urad dal

Few broken Cashews

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, add Jeera, urad dal and broken cashews. Fry little till cashews turn golden. Then add vermicelli and fry on medium flame till it changes colour and turns brown.

2. Now add rava and fry again till it turns light brown.

3. Switch off the flame now and allow it to cool down slightly. Add curd and water. Mix well.

4. Now add grated carrots and mix well. Add salt and Eno fruit salt. Mix well.

5. Steam immediately after adding Eno fruit salt. Steam for 20 mins or till done.

The white colour is due to my kitchen lights. These Idlis get a golden hue due to vermicelli and carrots.

6. Remove and serve with a chutney of your choice. I have served it with my Amma’s tomato chutney.

Notes:

* 1 tsp Eno fruit salt can be substituted with 1/2 tsp Baking soda and 1/2 tsp Lemon juice.

* Steam immediately after adding Eno fruit salt.

* You can also make regular Instant Rava Idlis if you don’t have vermicelli.

* Grated carrots are optional but give a good bite and also increases the nutritional value.

* For 1 Cup Vermicelli and 1 Cup Rava, 1 Cup curds plus 3/4 Cup water gave perfect texture of the batter which is slightly thick. The amount of water depends upon the curd. Start with 1/2 Cup water and add more only if necessary. Don’t make the batter thin.

Dosa corner, Snacks

Instant Oats Vegetable Bhakri | Quick Oats Uthappam

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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. 🙂

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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!

Desserts, Konkani Recipes

Jaggery Sheera

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Sheera is the most common sweet made in Konkani households and ours is no less. My grandmother always made it to satisfy our sweet tooth and my mother’s ghee laden sheera is still in my taste buds. I used to tease her “Amma, have you made sheera in ghee or ghee in sheera?”. She used to add loads of ghee in it as much as she showered her love in the sheera.

Both of them used to make sheera with sugar and I did not mind all that when I was a kid or teenager. But after marriage, when I was struggling with weight and infertility issues, I started substituting sugar with the healthier jaggery in most desserts and sheera became one of them too. We loved jaggery sheera so much that it became our favourite sweet, much more than sugar based sheera.

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From then till now, it’s not changed and we have got two more miniature sweet lovers like us who love jaggery sheera very much too. I make it when they feel hungry even after dinner. It fills them up and to see them enjoy every bite of it is very satisfying to me as a mother who at one time had lost all hopes of motherhood.

Thus is my story with this favourite sweet of mine.. Emotional yet filled with beautiful memories..

Hope you all try it and your family loves it too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup wheat Semolina/ Sooji/ Rava

3/4 Cup Jaggery

2 and 1/2 Cups water

3 Tbsp Ghee

2 Tbsp broken Cashews

1 Tbsp Raisins

Step by step recipe:

1. Keep 3/4 Cup Jaggery to melt in 2 and 1/2 Cups water.

2. Heat ghee in a pan (I use iron kadhai for this) and fry cashews and raisins till cashews brown slightly.

3. Add semolina and roast on medium flame till it turns aromatic and changes colour. Takes about 3 to 5 mins.

4. Now see that jaggery is completely melted in the water and the water is really hot.

5. Add this boiling jaggery water through a sieve (to remove impurities if any) to the roasted semolina.

6. Mix well continuously on medium flame removing lumps till the mixture cooks well.

7. Serve warm.

Notes:

* You can also add cardamom powder if you love the flavour. I add sometimes too.

* Be sure to keep stirring continuously after you add jaggery water to the semolina. Else the mixture forms lumps.

* We are a sweet tooth family. So 3/4 Cup Jaggery for 1 Cup semolina is perfect for us. You can reduce if you don’t like your sheera extra sweet.

* I have purposely added more than double of water to semolina as it leads to the sheera turning super soft which we love.

* You can increase the ghee to 1/4 Cup if desired.

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