Tag Archives: Rava

Semolina Bread | Rava Bread | Sooji Bread

July 6, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 17 Comments

These home bound times have really improved my baking skills and I am sure all of yours too who love baking. For me, baking is therapy. The magic of flour converting into dough, rising beautifully and then baking into a tall loaf of bread is simply amazing. I love seeing beauty in the smallest of things and my bakes are one among those small pleasures which gives me happiness.

Though my usual bread is this Wheat bread, I happened to remember this semolina bread which I had tried long back but had not come out right. So I made changes till I got the perfect loaf. Now I am confident that I can bake this bread as well as I make my Wheat bread or Wheat Pav.

Semolina bread is a bread with crispy texture but still soft. It is so filling that two slices will make you feel full. Hope you all try and love it. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

3 1/4 Cups Wheat Semolina or Rava or Sooji (fine variety works best) (3 cups + 1/4 Cup)

1 1/2 cups Water

2 Tbsp Coconut oil

2 Tbsp Ghee

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Instant yeast

1 1/2 tsp Salt

{Little oil to grease the loaf pan, little milk to milk wash the dough and butter/ oil to apply on the surface of the bread}

Step by step recipe:

1. Grind the semolina in a mixer to a fine powder.

Note: Just pulse four to five times and that will be sufficient to powder it. No need to grind a lot.

2. Now take the powdered semolina in a large mixing bowl. Add ghee, coconut oil, yeast, sugar and salt.

3. Add water and mix well using spatula removing any lumps if formed.

4. Now start kneading using hands from 6 to 8 mins till it turns into a smooth dough as shown. This is a very important step as kneading gives a very good texture to the bread.

**See how soft the dough has turned due to kneading**

5. Allow it to rest in a warm place for 11/2 hours to 2 hours till the dough has doubled. It may take more time in cold temperatures.

6. Now grease a loaf pan well with oil and keep aside. Remove this dough and knead once. Place this inside the greased loaf pan and smoothen the surface.

7. Now keep this to rise in a warm place for 45 mins to 1 hour till the dough has risen above the surface of the pan as shown.

8. Now preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 mins. Bake the bread at 180 C for 30 to 40 mins till the surface turns golden brown in colour.

Note: At 30 mins into baking time, remove the bread from the oven, apply little milk over the surface of the bread and keep for 5 to 10 mins till the surface turns golden in colour. Milk wash helps get the colour.

9. As soon as the bread bakes, apply butter over the surface. Allow the bread to cool completely before you remove from the pan. Invert, slice and serve.

Notes:

* For those who have doubts regarding the semolina, it’s the normal rava that you use to make upma which is made of wheat. Do grind it to get the perfect texture for the bread.

* I add a combination of coconut oil and ghee because we like the flavour. You can add any oil that you like but the bread will have the flavour of that oil.

* Do knead well for atleast 5 mins for perfect bread.

* Both the rise times are very important. If you are in a hurry, then don’t try this. It needs proper rise times to get perfect texture of the bread.

* This bread is slightly crispy due to semolina but still soft.

* Do remember to:

– grease the loaf pan well with oil before placing the dough.

– milk wash the bread in the last 5 mins of bake to get the golden colour of the bread.

– apply butter over the surface as soon as the bread is baked so that the surface remains soft.

* I usually bake at night and keep it at room temperature covered overnight for breakfast the next day. It slices well that time.

* Serrated knife works best to slice bread. Use that if you have.

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. Happy baking!

Breakfast time, Dosa corner

Masala dosa

June 11, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

When I was newly married, I hardly knew about cooking blogs nor about food groups on facebook. I relied on asking Amma for recipes and cookbooks like the amchi favourite one by Jaya V Shenoy. I was also lucky to be gifted by few cookbooks by my grandmother’s sister whom I lovingly call Prafulla pachi. 😍

One among them is 99 Delightful dosas by Jayashree Prabhu. I have learned many dosas from the book and this masala dosa is one among them. Never had to try any other recipe for Masala dosa. Comes out perfect each time. 😊

I also take this post as an opportunity to thank my aunt Chandriakka and Prafulla pachi for gifting me many cookbooks during my newly married days. I still treasure them a lot. Thank you! ❤️

Sharing the recipe of masala dosa with all of you. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Adapted from the cookbook: 99 Delightful dosas by Jayashree Prabhu

Ingredients:

2 Cups raw white Rice

1/2 Cup Urad dal

1/2 Cup Mixed dals (any combination of toor dal, moong dal, chana dal, masoor dal)* check notes

1/2 Cup wheat Semolina/ Rava/ Sooji/ regular upma rava

1 Tbsp Oil

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Hing

Salt to taste

Oil or ghee to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and soak rice along with urad dal and mixed dals for atleast 4 hours.

2. Drain the water and grind with little water to a fine paste.

3. Now add rava, oil, hing, sugar and salt.

4. Mix well so that no lumps are formed and keep for fermentation overnight or for 8 to 10 hours.

5. Heat a pan and pour the batter in medium flame. Spread in a circle as big as you can.

Tip: Don’t make the flame high while spreading the dosa. Spread on medium flame and then increase the flame to high while cooking the dosa.

6. Cover and cook till the surface cooks. Add ghee or oil. Place the potato bhaji in the center of the dosa. Fold and serve. Repeat the same with the rest of the batter.

Notes:

* You can add any varieties of dals in the mixed dals among chana dal, moong dal, toor dal and masoor dal. I add whichever is available in my pantry.

* For the bhaji,

# Pressure cook potatoes. Peel and mash them.

# Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add Jeera, hing, green chillies, fry little. Then add tumeric powder along with mashed potatoes.

# Add little water and salt. Cook till the mixture turns dry. Garnish with coriander leaves.

(You can also add sliced onions to this bhaji if desired)

* For making perfect dosas, always spread the dosas on medium flame, then make the flame high and cook till it till done.

* For crispy dosas, cook till the underside browns completely.

* I usually make simple coconut chutney with this dosa. Just grind together Coconut, ginger, green chillies with salt to a smooth paste. Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves spluttered in oil.

Breakfast time, Snacks

Instant Rava Dhokla

June 11, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Rava/ Semolina/ Sooji

1 Cup Water

3/4 Cup Yogurt/ thick curd

2 Tbsp Oil

1 Tbsp Besan/ chickpea flour

2 tsp Eno fruit salt

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder/ Haldi

Salt to taste

For the seasoning:

1 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera

3 Green chillies

1 Tbsp Sugar

Salt to taste

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

1/4 Cup water

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

Step by step recipe:

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

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

3. Add Eno fruit salt and mix well once.

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

5. For the seasoning,

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

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

* Squeeze lemon juice and mix.

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

7. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dosa corner

Instant Oats Poha dosa

June 3, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 10 Comments

Click on the image to Pin the recipe on Pinterest

Motherhood means you spend hours in the kitchen cooking something special for kids only for the kids to be making a face at it and demanding something else. 😅 I am sure all mothers will agree with me that this has happened atleast once with them.

In my house, there is a constant demand for dosas. My toddler who barely knows few words can say Bobbo which means dosa in baby Konkani language. I usually keep dosa batter ready for such times but there are some days when the batter gets over.

This Instant Poha Oats dosa was invented on one such day and is a keeper for me when I need to give in to dosa demands by the kids instantly. Sharing the recipe as my kids love it. Hope you all try and love it too. Though there is no comparison to regular dosas in terms of taste, still the best you can achieve during times when you need to make something quickly.

Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 10 dosas}

2 Cups Semolina/ Rava/ Sooji

1/2 Cup Instant Oats

1/2 Cup thin or thick Poha/flattened rice

3 Tbsp Curd/ Yogurt

Salt to taste

2 1/2 Cups water to make the batter

Ghee to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Take semolina, oats, Poha in a blender.

2. Grind using water to a fine paste.

3. Add curd and salt. Grind to a smooth paste.

4. Batter is ready to use.

5. Heat a pan and when medium hot, spread the batter into a circle.

Note: If the pan is very hot, you won’t be able to spread this dosa. So keep the flame medium hot while spreading.

6. Cover and cook the dosa till done.

7. Now drizzle ghee. Flip and cook for few seconds till done.

Serve with chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* This dosa tastes the best when cooked with ghee.

* You can keep the batter at room temperature for couple of hours if you have time.

* This dosa turns out soft in texture but you can cook a little while longer if you like it crispy.

* Although it does not taste like regular dosa, it is the closest in taste to it and that too instant to make along with being healthy.

* My kids love this dosa with sambar.

Idli Stand, Millet recipes

Instant Ragi Idlis

May 25, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 8 Comments

I have already posted two varieties of instant Idlis, Instant Oats Idlis and Instant Rava idlis. This is the third variety, Instant Ragi Idlis. Since these Idlis use Eno fruit salt (which is equivalent to baking soda), I make any one of these variation only once a week as it is considered not as healthy compared to naturally fermented idlis.

My kids love these Ragi Idlis as I have called them chocolate Idlis since they were babies. Used to make their idli without Eno and still they loved it. So now whenever the idli steamer is up on the stove top, my daughter comes running to ask if it’s chocolate idli. 😁

So glad they both love Ragi. It is full of calcium and very good for bone health. Though not people’s favourite because of its colour and distinct flavour, we love this millet as we have been using it is our regular cooking since many years now. Ragi Chocolate cake is our favourite and also a hit among my readers. So many have tried and posted feedbacks that their kids too loved it.

Anyhow, hope you all love these Idlis too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 12 to 14 Idlis}

1 Cup = 240 ml

1 Cup Ragi flour/ Finger millet flour

1 Cup Semolina/ Rava/ Sooji

1 Cup Curd

Salt to taste

1 tsp Eno fruit salt

Step by step recipe:

1. Take Sooji, ragi flour, curd and salt in a bowl. Add water little by little to make a thick batter whisking constantly to avoid lumps.

2. Add eno fruit salt to the batter and mix once.

3. Steam for 20 mins or till done.

*Poke a knife to see if it is done.* *If the knife comes out clear, the Idlis are done.*

4. We love these Idlis with Tomato chutney but you can make any chutney of your choice.

In the picture is shown Sambarpalli or ajwain leaves chutney. The colour of the chutney is not bright green as I have added only couple of leaves.

Notes:

* These Idlis are made exactly like I make Instant Oats Idlis. I just substitute oats with ragi powder.

* Don’t make the idli batter very thick nor very thin. It should be thicker than regular dosa batter consistency. Else the Idlis won’t come out well.

* 1 tsp Eno fruit salt can be substituted with 1/2 tsp baking soda plus 1/2 tsp lemon juice.

Idli Stand

Instant Rava Idli

May 17, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 7 Comments

I had not even heard of rava Idlis before marriage. For me, Idlis meant either the regular idlis or sweet/ plain Idlis that we konkanis call mudho. Rava idli came into the picture as I started going to hotels with hubby and I became a huge fan of these unique kind of Idlis.

Little did I know that it would be so easy to make them at home. One try and I have never ordered them in restaurants after that. Almost 9 years later, I can now make these Idlis even in my dreams 😀 and it is in our regular breakfast menu.

I am sure most of you must be knowing the recipe but this is for those like me who did not know about it. Even if it helps one, I will feel it’s worthwhile. Happy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: (Makes around 8 to 10 Idlis)

1 Cup = 240 ml

1 Cup Rava / Sooji / Semolina

1/2 Cup Curd / Yogurt

1 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera

1/2 tsp split Urad dal

Few Cashews, chopped

Salt to taste

1 tsp Eno fruit salt (Substitute with 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp lemon juice)

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add cumin seeds, urad dal and cashews. Fry for few seconds.

2. Now add rava and fry on medium flame till it changes colour slightly and turns aromatic.

3. Immediately transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool.

4. Once cooled, add curd, salt and about 1/2 Cup water and mix well.

*The consistency of the batter should be slightly thick to make good rava Idlis.*

5. Now add eno fruit salt and mix once. Do not mix a lot. Just one even mix will do.

6. Put the batter into greased idli moulds and steam for 20 mins or till done.

7. Serve with a chutney of your choice or sambar.

Notes:

* Don’t make the batter very thick nor thin. For 1 Cup rava, it took me 1/2 Cup curd and 1/2 Cup water to get the perfect batter.

* After adding Eno fruit salt, you must immediately steam the batter. The batter cannot be stored after adding Eno fruit salt.

* You can however fry the rava in the seasoning and store in the fridge or freezer. Add curd, salt, water, Eno fruit salt when making Idlis and steam.

* Allow the fried rava to cool before adding curd. Else it might form lumps.

* As already mentioned above, you can substitute 1 tsp Eno fruit salt with 1/2 tsp Baking soda plus 1/2 tsp lemon juice.

* You can also add grated carrots and coriander leaves to the batter, like I have added here.

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.

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