Jun 28, 2010

Whole Lentils Dal

In an attempt to try different type of lentils, I grabbed few pounds of whole lentils from the bulk aisle in my grocery store. It was lying in my pantry for a while and I was planning to make some pilaf kind of dish with the lentils. It lay there for weeks and finally, the lentils made their way into an Indianized dal. I made a few tweeks my adding some garam masala and it resulted in a really yummy dal which tasted great with plain basmati rice and even aloo parathas. this has become a staple in my house now. You should really try these next time you have whole lentils at home!!
Ingredients
Whole lentils - 2/3 cup (soaked for one hour - optional) It turns great even without soaking
Onion - 1 small sized
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Green chillies - 2 slit lengthwise
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut milk / plain milk - 1/2 cup
Oil/ghee - 1 spoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida / Hing - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt to taste

Directions
Wash the dal and soak it for an hour if soaking. Pressure cook the dal along with roughly chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, turmeric powder and enough water. Pressur cook for 3 to 4 whistles.

When the pressure goes off, mash the dal adding the coconut milk. Season with salt.

Finally do the tempering with oil/ghee, mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves and pour it over the cooked dal.

Serve warm over some rice or along with some parathas/chaptis/rotis.
Sending this to Healing Foods- Onion started by Siri and hosted this month by Priya;
Also to Think Spice-Think Garam Masala started by Sunita and hosted this month by Sara's Corner

Jun 25, 2010

Show Me Your Refrigerator

I wanted to have some different theme for this month's Show Me Your.. series. When I was cleaning out my kitchen and pantry, I was thinking of some fun topic and I decided that this would be a nice theme for the month. This month's event is all about REFRIGERATORS!

SHOW ME YOUR REFRIGERATOR! Show me your refrigerator and I will tell you who you are! It is a fun saying...What about you folks? Have you ever tried to sneak into others' refrigerator? It is time to sneak into others refrigerator.

It can be anything concerned with your fridge. You will have to post a picture of your refrigerator. It can be any picture featuring your fridge door magnets, photos and organizers in your fridge door, freezer hoardings, your beautifully arranged condiments in your fridge door, your crisper or even a messy fridge as it is..

Non-bloggers can email me a picture with your name and I shall include it in the roundup.

Please email me the following details to divyablogs[AT]gmail[DOT]com before July 30th.
  • Name
  • Blog Name
  • Picture of your refrigerator
Please limit two entries (photos) per person.

Start clicking! Looking forward to your entries.

Jun 23, 2010

Oats and Wheat Bran Instant Idly

This is the healthiest idlies can get. This idly needs no fermentation and can be made instantly. I made this by modifying the recipes here and here. The normal idly is made healthier by the addition of oats, what bran and flax seeds. The recipe can be modified according to the ingredients available. The best part is that the mix can be prepared and stored in the fridge and can be made into idlies just by making the batter with the addition of yogurt. The idlies turned out really soft and nutty.

Ingredients (yields around 16-18 idlies)
Old fashioned oats - 2 cups
Sooji/Semolina/Rava - 1 cup
Oat bran / Wheat bran - 1/2 cup
Flax seeds - 2 teaspoons (optional)
Plain yogurt - 3 cups
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Channa dal - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cashews - 5-6 broken into small pieces
Ginger - 1/2 inch finely chopped
Green chillies - 1 finely chopped
Baking soda - 1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves - 2 spoons finely chopped
Salt to taste

Note: Always keep the oats:sooji ratio 2:1. The oat bran or wheat bran is optional. You could replace it with sooji if you do not have them. The flax seeds can also be replaced with flax seed meal and can also be skipped.
Directions
In a saucepan, dry roast the old fashioned oats on medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes until it gets nicely toasted and turns slightly brown in color. Take care it does not burn by stirring it.

Remove the oats to a plate and allow it to cool down. Powder it into a coarse mixture by pulsing it a few times in a blender/mixer. Do not make it into a fine powder. It needs to be in the same texture as the sooji.

In the same saucepan, add the oil and do the tempering with the cashews, mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves.

Add the sooji/semolina and roast it for about 2 to 3 minutes on low heat until it gets toasted. Take care it doesnt burn. Add the flax seeds,salt and wheat/oats bran and toast it for a minute.
At this point the prepared mixture can be combined with the powdered oats and stored in an airtight container once cooled. This mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks and can be made into idlies later.
To make the idlies:
Add the baking soda and the yogurt to the required amount of the mixture and make a thick batter. Pour into greased idli molds and steam for about 8 minutes.
Leave it in the molds for a minute and remove with a spoon.

Serve warm with any chutney or idly-podi.

Since I made use of oats and wheat bran which sat in my pantry for days I am sending this to BB4: What's lurking in the kitchen hosted by Nupur.

Jun 21, 2010

Sunday Snacks - Healthy Snacks Roundup

After much delay, I am here with the roundup of Sunday Snacks - Healthy Snacks started by Pallavi. My sincere thanks to Pallavi for giving me the opportunity to host this lovely event. Check out the roundup for delicious yet healthy ways to snack. Thanks to everyone who sent in all your yummy entries for the event.

Suma Gandlur - Almond flavored Date - Banana Milkshake
Rajee - Popcorn crusted vegetable lollipop

Cooking Foodie - Spinach and Cheese Spirals
Prani - Unniappam

Cooking Foodie - Guacamole nachos
Cooking Foodie - Rava/ Rock Toast

Cooking Foodie - Kadak Muthiya
Cooking Foodie - Khatta Dhokla

Alamelu Mangai - Meat Samosa
Alamelu Mangai - Sweet Seeyam

Tamalapaku - Baked Sweet Potato
Tamalapaku - Mixed Legume Chaat

Priya Suresh - Baked Bread & Chickpeas Cutlet With Bean Sprouts
Tamalapaku - Sauteed Asparagus

Priya Suresh - Eggless Banana, Oats & Chocolate Muffins
Priya Suresh - Peanut Butter and Cumin Crackers

Priya Suresh - Mixed Veggies Pakoda
Priya Suresh - Savoury Instant Oats Paniyaram

Avanthi Rao - Bread Bhajji
Avanthi Rao - Suji Tikka

Jyoti - Fatafat Mixture
Avanthi Rao - Moori Mixture

Leena - Pineapple Chaat
Leena - Masala Corn butta

Leena - Guacamole with tortilla chips
Leena - Churmuri

Aruna Manikandan - Bread Bhajji
Swathi - Baked Spicy Soybeans

Nithu Bala - Sweetened Black eyed Pea
Nithu Bala - Vegetable Masala Vada

Nithu Bala - Hot Sour Field Bean
Nithu Bala - Spicy Chickpeas

Swapna - Oven baked French Fries
Aruna Manikandan - Channa Rolls

Sanyukta - Palak - Methi Parathas
Silpa - Bean Pockets

Kalyani & Gayatri Rajamani - Kerala delicacy Puttu and channa
LK - Spanokopita

Alison - Cheesy Potato Marmalade Balls
Kalyani & Gayatri Rajamani - Kerala delicacy Puttu and channa

Sharmilee - Cracked Wheat Upma
Preeti - Raw Papaya Shami Kabab

Sonal Agarwal - Hariyali Cutlets
Alison - Mackerel on Rye Bread

Alison - Melted Oozing Camembert with Toasted Walnuts and Brandied Raisins
Alison - Balsamic Figs, ham and blue cheese
Alison - Low fat Lemon Pepper Houmous
Alison - New Potato Asparagus Bacon hot Salad

Sanyukta - Sub Sandwich Homemade style
Alison - Trail Mix

Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal - Poha Puffed Rice
Sanyukta - Almond Milkshake

Roopam Garg - Black-eyed Peas Salsa on Papdi
Sanyukhta - Instant Dhokla
Kanchan - Banana Pancake

Turmeric n Spice - Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Deepti - Stuffed Crescent

Astha - Poha
Astha - Omelette

Astha - Carrot Paratha
Sweatha - Protein Rich Flax Seed Balls

Umm Razeen - Baked Cheese Samosas
Srividhya Ravikumar - Paneer Sandwich

Umm Razeen - Baked Paneer Samosas
Umm Razeen - Crunchy Murmure Chaat

Dhanya - Cherupayar Vada
Kalai - Baked Vegetable Pancakes

Sharmilee - Poha Peanut Fudge
Sudha - Apam Icecream

Vidhya - Vegetable Cutlets
Madhuri Kumar - Sweet Potato Chaat

Kiran - Apple-Banana-Chocolate-Honey-Walnut-Yogurt-Cake(Eggless)
Vidhya - Rava Bonda

Ramya Vijaykumar - Badam kheer
Ruchikacooks - Masala Crackers

Menaga - Pineapple Kesari
Menaga - Bread Pizza

Menaga - Lemon Cake
Menaga - Pineapple Salsa

Menaga - Oats Laddoo
Menaga - Oats Manchurian

Menaga - Cheese Veg Bread Bhajji
Menaga - Barley Upma

Aliena Varghese - Fried Cheese Sandwich
Madhuri Kumar - Corn and Makkai ki Atta Dhokla

Nisha- Fresh Chickpea Salad
Ramya Vijaykumar - Kobbari Laddoo

Graziana - Lemon Muffins with poppy seeds
Pavithra - Tricolor channa sundal

Pina Colada - Unnakayi / Mashed Banana Snack
Ramya Vijaykumar - Peanut Chikki

Preeti - Cholafali
Kamalika - Stuffed Mini Boule

Anupama - Mirchi bhajji
Sadhana - Baked Spicy Peanuts & Apple Banana Kiwi Coconut Milk Shake

Simply.Food - Eggless banana muffins
Rachana Kothari - Jhaalmuri


Happy Snacking everyone!!
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