Moong Dal(Pasi Paruppu) Ladoo

As Diwali is around the corner, please try this simple and very easy to make sweet dish - Moong dal /pasi paruppu ladoo. This recipe is good for beginners who are trying to make sweets for first time.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 10 minutes
Yields :9-10 ladoos (gooseberry sized)

INGREDIENTS:

Moong dal /pasi paruppu - 1/2 cup
Brown sugar/naatu sakkarai - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 3 table spoon
Cardamom powder - a pinch

METHOD:

1. Dry roast moong dal for 3 to 4 minutes, until you get a nice aroma and it is hot to touch. Do not over roast moong dal and the colour of moong dal shouldn't change.

2. Allow them to cool down. Grind to a smooth powder.

3. Take the grinded moong dal powder in a bowl. To that, add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and mix well. Also add cardamom powder.

4. Now take 3 tablespoon of ghee in a bowl. Microwave it for 3 to 4 seconds, until they get melted well and hot. Now add them little by little to the moong dal and brown sugar mixture and mix well. When you take some flour , you must be able to hold it together. That is the consistency. When you keep adding ghee, the flour slowly thickens and when you try to make shapes, it comes out well. Now apply some ghee on your hand, take a handful of the dough and roll it with one hand to get a round shape.

5. Moong dal ladoo is ready. When you refrigerate it, it can stay good for 5 to 6 days.

Note:

1. Instead of brown sugar, you can also use regular white sugar .

2. If you are making more than 1/2 cup, do not pour all the ghee to the flour. Add warm ghee to a portion of the flour and make balls from it. Repeat the same process for the rest of the flour.

3. CLICK HERE FOR  MY OTHER SWEET RECIPES 

Cheese Pasta

This is an easy kids friendly lunchbox recipe. My son loves a lot. In this recipe, pasta mixed with home made tomato sauce and  mozzarella cheese. A very tasty recipe and can be made in a short time.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves : 1

INGREDIENTS:

Macaroni pasta - 1 cup
Tomato - 1
Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves
Italian seasoning - 1/2 teaspoon
Dry basil leaves - 1/2 teaspoon
Pepper powder -1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder (Optional) - 1/2 teaspoon
Shredded mozzarella cheese - 3 tablespoon
Salt - As required
Butter - 2 tablespoon

METHOD:

1.  See the label of macaroni pasta packet for the time of cooking. It usually takes about 11 to 12 minutes to get cooked. In a pot of water, add some salt and allow it to boil. Then add pasta, and cook until they are soft. Filter the water and wash immediately in cold water, so that the pasta dont stick to each other.

2. Grind tomato and garlic in to a smooth paste without adding any water. Now, in a pan , add some butter. Once it melts, add tomato garlic paste. Fry , till the raw smell is gone . Now add the cooked pasta.

3. Add required salt, pepper powder and red chilli powder. Mix well.

4. Also add the Italian seasoning and dry basil leaves.  Also add the shredded mozzarella cheese.

5. Switch off the stove and mix gently. Cheese pasta is ready !.

SEE ALSO: Pasta in creamy veg sauce, Pasta in milk and veggies

Buckwheat or Soba Veg Noodles

"Soba" is a Japanese word for "Buckwheat" and it refers to the thin noodles made from buckwheat flour. Buckwheat has amazing health benefits. Buckwheat noodles are fat and cholesterol free and excellent source of manganese , lean protein, carbohydrate and thiamine. Buckwheat noodles are free of gluten , supports cardiovascular health and controls blood sugar level. Many nutrition specialist suggest that, if you are on a process of reducing weight, buckwheat noodles are considered as good alternative to our traditional vermicelli, or rice noodles. If you want to make an upma, instead of vermicelli try these buckwheat. My below recipe, is a simple semiya upma. But instead of vermicelli, I used buckwheat noodles. Please try and leave your comments.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS:

Buckwheat/soba noodles  - 200 gms
Chopped veggies - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 cup chopped fine
Ginger - 1/2 inch sized chopped finely
Dry red chilli - 2
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt -as required
Asafoetida powder - as required

SEASONING:

Oil - 2 tablespoon
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Cooking of soba noodles is very important. Unlike other noodles, soba noodles are very thin and little overcooking leads to  all strands stick together. So the cooking time, need to be exact. Read the label of the noodles  pack for exact timing of the cooking.

2. Take 200 gms of soba noodles and break them to pieces. They come in long strands. As we are making upma, it is better to break them to small strands.

3. In a vessel, boil sufficient water. There should be generous amount of water for the noodles to cook well. Sprinkle some salt in the water, so that the water gets boiled quickly.

4. Now add the soba noodles into the boiling water and check the time. In exactly 5 minutes, the noodles get cooked well. Drain the water and immediately  wash the noodles in running cold water and drain it. This prevents the noodle strands from getting stick to each other .

 5. Now in a separate pan, add some oil. Add mustard, cumin and urad dal. Then add few dry red chilies. Now add chopped onion and ginger. Fry till onions get translucent.

6. Now add chopped vegetables. Also add required salt, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Sprinkle some water and cook till they turn soft.

7. Now turn off the stove. Add the cooked soba noodles to the veggies and mix gently without mashing the noodles. Sprinkle some asafoetida powder and serve with any side dish of your choice.

Cheese Chapati

This is a good recipe for kids lunch box. Cheese and veg stuffed chapati/rotti.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Yields : 6 to 7 no.s of rotti

INGREDIENTS:

Wheat flour - 1 cup
Salt - as required
Carrot - 1/4 cup grated
Capsicum - 1/4 cup chopped finely
Shredded mozzarella cheese - 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder- a pinch
Garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil  - 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. In a bowl, take carrot, capsicum and shredded cheese. Also add required salt, red chilli powder , garam masala and a teaspoon of oil . Mix the contents well.

2. Mix wheat flour with salt  and some oil. Add water and make dough. Now take lemon sized dough and flatten it well. Taken any vessel with sharp edges and use it to cut the dough in to a flat round shape as shown below.

3.  Now place the carrot,capsicum and cheese filling above it.

4. Now apply some water on the round edges. Now place another rotti above this and gently press the edges , so that it get sealed properly.

5. Now cook the rotti on tawa on both sides by applying oil. You should get brown spots on both sides .

6. Serve with your favorite kurma !

SEE ALSO: Veg Kurma , Aloo matar(gravy), Brinjal kadhi . 

Bottlegourd sabzi

This is an tasty side dish made using bottlegourd/lauki/suraikkai with chana dal (split chick peas). It goes well with rotti or rice.

Preparation Time : 45 minutes
Cooking Time : 15 minutes
Serves : 2 people

INGREDIENTS:

Bottle gourd - 1 no.
Split chick peas/ chana dal - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1/2 cup chopped finely
Ginger - 1 inch sized chopped
Green chilli - 1 no. chopped
Tomato - 1 no. chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - as required
Asafoetida powder - as required
Water - 1/2 cup
Oil - 2 table spoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves - for garnishing

METHOD:

1. Soak chana dal for 45 minutes. In a pressure cooker, add oil. Add cumin seeds. Once it crackles, add onion and fry till they change colour.

2. Now add ginger and green chilli and fry for another few seconds. Now add the tomatoes . Also add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala. Fry till the tomatoes turn soft. Oil would start leaving the onion tomato masala.

3. Now add bottle gourd. Also add soaked and drained  chana dal. Add 1/2 cup of water. Do not add any more water, as bottle gourd would leave lot of water. Add required salt.

4. Now cover the lid. Cook in high flame for 5 whistles. Switch off the stove. Wait for pressure to settle itself. Open the lid and sprinkle some asafoetida powder. If you feel the gravy is watery, keep in simmer mode for few minutes , until the water evaporates and gravy thickens.Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

5. Serve with rotti or rice !

Pearl millet adai / Kambu adai

Healthy kambu / pearl millet adai  using kambu flour, dry fenugreek leaves and rice flour !

Preparation Time : 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Serves : 7 to 8 no.s of adais

INGREDIENTS:

Pearl millet flour  - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 cup
Dry fenugreek leaves/ dry kasuri methi leaves - 1 tablespoon
Onion - 1/4 cup finely chopped
Salt - as required
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 2 tablespoon for kneading
Water - as required

METHOD:

1. In a bowl, take pearl millet flour, rice flour, dry fenugreek leaves , onion, salt and red chilli powder. Also add some oil. Mix the contents well.

2. Now add required water and mix well to form a smooth dough.

3. In a flat plate or board, place a plastic cover greased with oil. Take a large lemon sized ball . Pat them gently to get a flat round shape.

4. Heat tawa and cook the adai on both sides by adding oil. Serve with just idly podi or any chutney of your choice .

SEE ALSO:  Idly podi, Tomato onion chutney, Peanut chutney 

Ash Gourd Stir fry

This is a simple side dish using ash gourd/pusanikkai . It goes well with rice and sambar or rotti.

Preparation Time : 15 minutes
Cooking Time : 10 minutes
Serves : 2 people

INGREDIENTS:

Ash gourd - 2 cups ( cut into cube shapes)
Green chilli - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - as required
Coconut powder - 1 table spoon
Water - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves - for garnishing

SEASONING ITEMS:

Oil - 2 tablespoon
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Channa dal - 1 teaspoon
Dry red chilli - 2 no.s
Asafoetida powder - as required

METHOD:

1. Cut ash gourd in medium sized cube shapes.

2.  In a pan, add oil. Add the items mentioned in the "SEASONING" section.

3. Now add chopped green chillies.

4. Now add ash gourd, turmeric and salt. Mix well.

5. Add 1/4 cup of water. Remember that ash gourd lets out lot of water. Hence dont add more water as it would turn very soggy. Just add 1/4 cup water. Keep the gas in sim mode and cover with lid and cook for approximately 7 minutes.

6. Now add coconut powder. You can also add fresh grated coconut. Mix well. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves .

SEE ALSO:

Capsicum besan fry , Carrot broccoli fry, Other dry curries . 

Instant Ragi/Finger millet dosa

This is an easy recipe to make dosa instantly and no fermentation required.

INGREDIENTS:

Ragi flour/finger millet  flour - 1 cup
Rava/sooji - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Yogurt/curd - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1 inch finely chopped
Green chilli - 1 no chopped
Onion - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Black pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - as required
Water - 3 cups

METHOD:

1. In a large bowl, add ragi flour, rava, rice flour, yogurt, ginger,green chilli,onion, cumin seeds,black pepper powder, salt.

2. Add 2 cups of water and allow them to rest for about 15 to 20 minutes. The rava would absorb the water. After 20 minutes,  add another 1 cup of water and mix well. The batter should be watery in consistency .

3. Heat a  skillet. This dosa cant be made as regular dosa. In regular dosa you pour in the center and spread it using a ladle. But this dosa, cant be spread. You need to pour from outside and then pour in  inside. Do not try to spread the dosa. The skillet should be really hot enough, so that you get nice crispy and porous dosa . sprinkle some oil over it. Let it cook and flip to other side and cook again. 

4. Serve with your favorite chutney !

Ragi dosa with tomato onion chutney

SEE ALSO: Tomato onion chutney, Fruit and nut rava dosa , Rice flour adai

Little Millet Dosa

Yet another delicious recipe from millet. This time I used little millet / saamai , another variety of millet which is an excellent source of anti oxidants. It has dietary fiber, reduces cholesterol and aids in digestion. Also, little millet has less carbohydrate when compared to rice and wheat which makes it an best alternative for people who wants to shed some weight. Little millet also has, abundant minerals ,iron and vitamin B1 .

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Yields : 10-15 dosas

INGREDIENTS:

Little millet/saamai - 1.5 cup
White poha/aval/flattened rice (medium sized) - 1/2 cup
Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Salt - as required
Fenugreek powder - 1.5 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Soak little millet in sufficient water over night. Soak urad dal 2 hours before grinding and poha one hour before grinding.

2. Now, drain the water from urad dal, and grind it in to a smooth paste, by adding water. Keep it aside.

3. Now drain water from little millet and poha and grind them together in to a smooth paste. Mix it with urad dal paste which you prepared in step 2. Add salt, fenugreek powder *. Mix the batter well . The batter should be neither too thin nor too thick.

4. Allow it to ferment for 6 to 8 hours. The batter should raise up well . Heat tawa. Take some batter and pour it in the center and spread it using the base of the ladle in to a round shape. Apply oil and flip and cook on other side.

5. Serve with your favorite chutney or sambar.

NOTE:

 If you dont have fenugreek powder, you can use fenugreek seeds( 1.5 teaspoon). Soak fenugreek seeds along with urad dal for 2 hours and grind it with other items.

SEE ALSO:  Pearl millet dosa, Kodo millet pongal, Peanut chutney.