Rava Masala Bath

Chow chow Bath is a popular breakfast menu served in Bangalore restaurants. It consist of three items:

* Kesari bath( sweet) made of Rava
* Rava Masala bath made of Rava
* Spicy Coconut Chutney.

Today am going to give you the recipe of Rava Masala bath , in which rava is  cooked along with some veggies and spices . It taste wonderful along with spicy coconut chutney or any side dish of your choice.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 1 person

INGREDIENTS:

Rava/Semolina/Suji - 1/2 cup
Water - 1.75 cup
Onion - 1/2 cup chopped very fine
Ginger - 1 inch, finely chopped
Chilli - 1 no, finely chopped
Tomato - 1 no. finely chopped
Capsicum - half, finely chopped
Carrot - 1 small sized , finely chopped
Beans - 3 to 4 no.s, chopped
Peas - 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1 to 1.5 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
*Vangi bath Masala Powder - 1 teaspoon (See Notes)
Coconut powder - 1 tablespoon
Coriander leaves - 2 tablespoon
Lemon Juice - 1 teaspoon

SEASONING:

Ghee - 2 tablespoon
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Channa dal - 1 teaspoon
Few curry leaves
Cashews - 5 no.s
Asafoetida powder - a pinch

METHOD:

1. Finely cut all the vegetables, onion, tomato, green chilli and coriander.

2. In a pan, dry roast rava for 2 to 3 minutes, until you get a nice flavour.

3. Keep the rava aside. Now in the same pan, add 2 tablespoon of ghee and add the items mentioned in the "SEASONING" section.

4. Now add the chopped onions and fry , till they change to golden brown.

5. Now, add ginger , green chilli and fry for another minute.

6. Now add tomatoes , and fry till they turn mushy.

7. Now add all the vegetables and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes , till they are cooked , yet crunchy.

8. Now add Turmeric powder, vangi bath masala powder and salt.

9. Now add 1.75 cups of water. My rava is little old stock. Hence i added slightly more water. If you have a fresh rava, for 1 cup rava, 1.5 cups of water is enough. Now, allow the water to comes to boil.

10. Now add the rava slowly in one hand, and keep stirring with other hand. You can see, the rava starts to absorb the water.

11. Now turn the flame to full sim and cover with lid. Let the rava gets cooked for another 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, open the lid. You can see the rava is cooked well.

12. Now add 1 tablespoon of coconut powder, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and some coriander leaves and mix well.

13. Serve with any curry or chutney of your choice.

NOTES:
*  If you dont have vangibath masala powder, you can use Rasam Powder.

* Vangibath Masala powder Recipe:
Dry red chilli - 3
Urad dal  - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Methi seeds/Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Poppy seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch sized
Cardamom - 3 no.s
Cloves - 3 no.s
Coconut powder - 2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp

In a pan, add oil, then add dry red chilli for few minute and keep aside. In the same pan, add urad dal, chana dal. methi seeds, coriander seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves and coconut powder. Roast them for few minutes, till they turn aromatic. Cool all the ingredients completely, and grind them to a fine powder.


SEE ALSO: Kesari bath, Coconut capsicum chutney . 

White Kurma(Chettinad Style)

White kurma/ vellai kurma, is a  chettinad dish in which vegetables cooked in a coconut based white gravy and hence the name. It is popular side dish provided in hotel saravana bhavan, chennai for chappathi and idiyappam.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3 people

INGREDIENTS:

Mixed Vegetables - 2 to 3 cups( I used carrot, beans, peas,chayote and cauliflower )
Coconut oil - 1 tablespoon
Ghee - 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves - as required
Bay leaf - 1 no.
Sugar - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - as required
Thick Milk - 1/4 cup(Optional)

TO GRIND:

Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
Green chilli - 2 no.s
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Garlic- 4 pods
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon - 1 inch sized
Cardamom - 1 no.
Cloves - 1 no.
Fried gram dal / pottu kadalai - 2 teaspoon
Cashew nuts - 5 no.s

METHOD:

1. Chop all the vegetables and wash . In a mixer, grind the items mentioned in the "to grind " section in to a smooth paste by adding less water.

2. In a pressure cooker, add coconut oil. Then add bay leaf, add the chopped vegetables, sugar and salt and mix well.

3. Now add the ground paste which you prepared and mix well. Add 1 cup of water.

4. When it starts to boil, cover the lid and cook for  2 whistles on medium flame. Once the pressure settles, open the lid. Also add 1/4 cup of thick milk (optional) and mix well.

5. In a seasoning pan, add some ghee. Add some curry leaves and pour it over the gravy and mix
   well .

 6. Serve white kurma with rotti or idiyappam.

Dal Makhni

Dal Makhni is a dish originated from Punjab, India. Its main ingredients are whole black urad dal(black lentils) and rajma(Kidney Beans) . A healthy protein rich side dish, that goes well with rotti or rice.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes ( not including soaking time)
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves: 2 to 3 people

INGREDIENTS:

Black Urad dal - 3/4 cup
Rajma/Kidney Beans - 1/4 cup
Water - 3 cups
Onion - 3/4 th cup chopped  very fine
Ginger garlic , green chilli  paste - 1 tablespoon( I used 1 no. of green chilli)
Tomato - 1 no. pureed in to a paste
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Thick milk - 1/4 cup(Optional)
Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter - 3 tablespoon
Ghee - 1 tablespoon

METHOD:

1. Soak black urad dal and rajma overnight for around 8 hours. Next day, wash and rinse the dals and add 3 cups of water and pressure cook in high flame for 1 whistle and then keep in simmer mode and cook for another 15 minutes. Let the pressure settle by itself. Then open the lid . You can see the dals are cooked well. Now, without covering the lid , let the dals get cooked in simmer mode further. Meanwhile you can prepare the masala paste . In between, stir the dals so that they doesnt get burnt.

2. When the dals gets cooked open in simmer mode, you can prepare the masala paste for the recipe. First, take 1 tomato and puree in to a fine paste without adding any water.

3. In a pan, add butter and ghee. One it melts, add onion and cook until onions change in colour.

4. Now add the ginger garlic green chilli paste to onions and fry till the raw smell is gone.

5. Now add the tomato puree. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes .Then add Kashmir red chilli powder , garam masala.

6. Now add the cooked dal and 1/2 cup of water . Also add some sugar and salt. Mix them well. and keep the flame in sim and let it cook for another 15 minutes without covering the lid. Stir occasionally , so that it doesn't get burnt in the bottom of the pan.  You can see, the longer the gravy cooks, it gets more creamy in texture. Now switch off and add 1/4 cup of thick milk.  Add some more butter, garnish with coriander leaves .

7. Serve with Rice or rotti !.

Chole Palak( Chick Peas in Spinach Gravy)

Yet another tasty and healthy recipe for you !.. Chole palak or Channa palak recipe . It is made with chickpeas cooked with spinach gravy. I first tried this recipe, at Priya Indian Restaurant at zhubei, Taiwan. It was very amazing and surprisingly my son liked it a lot , though he is not a big fan of channa masala. But he liked chickpeas(channa) added to the spinach gravy. So I really wanted to try this recipe at home ! . Please feel free to try it at your home and leave your comments here !.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes( Not including soaking time)
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves - 2- 3 people

INGREDIENTS

Chickpeas or channa - 1/2 cup
Palak leaves - a bunch
Lemon Juice - 2 teaspoon
Salt - as required

FOR ONION PASTE:
Onion - 1/2 chopped
Green or dry red chilli - 2 no.s
Garlic - 3 to 4 pods

FOR TOMATO PUREE:
Tomato - 2 no.s

SPICES:
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Redchilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon(Optional)
Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder - 3/4 teaspoon
Kasuri methi(dry fenugreek leaves) - 1 teaspoon

SEASONING:

Oil - 2 tablespoon
Cinnamon - 1 inch sized
Cardamom - 1 no.
Clove - 2 no.s
Bay leaf - 1 no.

METHOD:

1. Add chopped onion,green or dry red chilli,garlic pods in to mixer and grind them in to a paste without adding water.

2. Also in the same mixer, add tomatoes and puree them in to a smooth paste without adding any water.

3.  In a pressure cooker, add 1/2 cup of chickpeas and add 1 cup of water. Cook in high for 1 whistle and simmer for 15 minutes. Once the pressure settle , open the lid. filter and throw the excessive water.

4. Wash spinach leaves well. In a pan, cook spinach leaves with pinch of turmeric powder. When you    cook the spinach, do not cover the pan with lid. Cook it open.

5. Allow the spinach to cool down and grind them also into a smooth paste. In a pan, add some oil. Now add items mentioned in the seasoning section( cinnamon, cardamom,clove and bay leaf)

6. Now add the onion paste which you prepared in step 1. Fry them , till they change colour and the raw smell is gone.

7. Now add tomato puree, and fry for sometime for the raw smell to go.

8. Now add the spice powders , mentioned in the "SPICES" section( Turmeric powder,red chilli powder, coriander powder,cumin powder and garam masala powder). Fry for another 2 to 3 minutes .

9. Now add the spinach paste. Also add cooked chick peas and required salt. Add some water for desired consistency. Allow it to boil for 5 minutes. Also add some dry fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi . Mix well. Squeeze some lemon juice for tangy flavour.

10. Serve with rice or rotti.

Multi Millet Dosai

Millets are healthier variation to rice, with low glycemic index value. Today I have tried an easy dosa with 3 kinds of millets - Kodo millet, Barnyard millet, Little millet. You can also use any other millet of your choice. Just follow the ratio as mentioned in the below recipe.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Yields - 22- 25 no.s of dosas

INGREDIENTS:

Barnyard millet - 1 cup
Kodo millet - 1 cup
Little millet - 1 cup
Urad dal - 1 cup
Poha/flattened rice flakes / thin aval - 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt- as required

METHOD:

1. Wash and soak all the millets together in a bowl of water . Also wash and soak urad dal, fenugreek seeds in another container with sufficient water. Let them soak overnight. Next day, wash poha and soak it for half an hour.

2. Now grind the urad dal and fenugreek seeds in to a smooth paste by adding required water. Take it in a bowl. In the mixer, now grind the millets , by adding required water . Do not add more water in the beginning , then the millets wont grind properly. Add little water gradually and grind it in to a smooth batter.

3. Also grind poha in to a smooth paste. Now add millet batter, urad dal and poha all together . Add salt and water. Mix well . The batter should be of dosa batter consistency.

4. Allow them to ferment for 8 hours. Then in a pan, make thin dosa and spread some oil and cook well on both sides. Millet dosa is ready !. Serve with any side dish of your choice !!

Paruppu Arisi Adai

Adai is a thick dosa kind and protein rich food that is made using rice and dals, soaked and grinded together . Adai taste delicious with aviyal - a thick vegetable,coconut gravy . Adai can also be eaten with  chutneys or any side dish of your choice.

Preparation Time:  30 minutes( Not including Soaking time)
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 12 - 15 no.s of dosas

INGREDIENTS:

Sona masuri rice or any raw rice - 1 cup
Toor Dal - 1/4 cup
Channa dal - 1/4 cup
Urad dal - 2 tablespoon
Moong dal - 2 tablespoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Dry Red chili - 4 to 5 no.s depending on your spice level
Salt - as required
Onion - 1/2 cup chopped fine
Coriander leaves - chopped fine
Curry leaves - chopped fine
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder - a pinch
Oil - for making dosa


METHOD:

1. Soak rice, toor dal,channa dal, moong dal ,urad dal, fenugreek seeds in a bowl with sufficient water. Also soak, dry red chilli in another separate vessel. Let them soak for at least 5 to 6 hours.

2. Now grind them all with less water in to a smooth batter. Do not add too much water when grinding.

3. Now add chopped onions,curry leaves, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, salt and sprinkle some asafoetida powder.

4. Now add water to your desired consistency. If you want thin and roast dosas, you can add more water. If you want thick and like adai, you can add less water.

5. In a nonstick pan, take some batter and pour gently. Do not try to spread very thin, as we have added onions and it will not come very well to spread thin. So spread it gently.

6. Add some oil and cover with lid and let it cook for sometime. Now flip to other side and you can see, the adai turned golden brown.

7. Paruppu arisi adai is ready ! You can serve with aviyal or any favourite side dish of your choice.

SEE ALSO: Aviyal Recipe, Mint Coriander chutney