Banana flower/Blossom Dosai

‘ Banana flower/blossom  and stem’ are two things that I used to miss when I came to US in 2008. If anyone asks me my favorite veggie , word that comes without thinking would be Banana stem and the flower. I used to wonder ,how come American store ,that sell bananas and plantains so cheap don’t have these two.Even Indian stores did not have them . But was very happy to see them in Texas ,when we moved there . It was very fresh and also price was good. Nowadays it’s available in almost all big Indian stores .

Couple of years back when we visited India I saw a menu board in a restaurant in Salem the name ‘Vazhai poo dosai’ (banana flower dosai) . Since then I wanted to taste that but did not have any chance to do. Last week when we went to Indian store here got the flower ( though not that fresh as Texas ) , So wanted to try but since they say it has astringent taste  wasn’t  sure ,how to use it in dosai.

Before going to the recipe, let me tell ,little about the Banana flower/ blossom .It contains  calcium,potassium along with Vitamin A,C and E..it’s said to be good for controlling high BP and cholesterol and also diabetes.Apart from this it’s good source of antioxidants.Helps in support menstrual health and avert heart disease and kidney function and many more.

Anyways coming back to recipe,as I was not sure of how it would taste in dosai ,I decided to try adding same ingredients that I used for kollu dosai for this . And surprisingly we liked it.(since it’s corona time didn’t have chance to get opinion from others ) plz try out and leave your comments.Thanks..

Back to recipe..

Ingredients  for about 10 thin dosa

Dosa batter-3 ladle( medium size)

To Grind :

Small onion(shallot)-2or 3

Red chili-1or 2 ( according to taste )

Ginger- small piece 

Cumin seed-1/4 tsp

Banana flower/blossom Florets-30 to 35

Salt- a pinch or two

Water - few  tsp( just to grind these)

Oil-optional

Method:

1) Grind all the ingredients above .

2) Mix  well with the idly/ dosa batter .

3) Heat the dosa pan and make dosa .

4) Make dosa .close and cook for few minutes add oil if  you like. 

Serve hot with any chutney or sambar or both or even kurma and enjoy healthy dosa .

I think this is one best way to include this amazing healthy veggie in our kids diet who usual don’t like to eat these. And also to old people who find it difficult to bite this veggie.

Plz try this and give your feed back thanks 🙏

Will upload the video soon in my YouTube channel.

Millets Idli

The craze of rice and carb among many made me try this for idli fans.we South Indians consider idly very healthy breakfast for two reasons ,it’s steamed and easy to digest.We used to give this as first food for kids and patients but these days..people have become soooooo dependent on science of western world that many don’t want to take idly for the fear of   Obesity,diabetes etc .,and wait for western science to prove and market idly....anyways..

Let me come  to MILLETS , basically seeds are called grains or cereal grains , which are coarse grains  higher in fiber and essential minerals  than wheat ,rice or oats.where  as wheat and oats have gluten which again is a product with controversy .

There is a Tamil saying ‘Alavukku minjinaal amruthamum najaam’ - anything too much is bad .With the modern lifestyle and food habits and sleeping habits and stress we blame our foods .
I think I have written too much on health in cooking blog🤔 ( instead of   My  Natural remedies  blog )so now let me come to the recipe ,I. Have tried many rice free dosa and idli using oats,barley and horse gram but not fully with millets ,so tried it this time and it was good except the color because of  pearl millet ,which is bit dark.

The regular measurements that I use for idli is either 3 rice and 3/4 urad or 4 rice and 1 urad.so I used the same measurements  for idly except millets instead of rice .

INGREDIENTS:
Barnyard millet ( kuthirai vaali)-1/2cup
Quinoa-1/2cup
Pearl millet( Kambu)-1/2cup
Kodu millet (varagu)-1/2cup
Urad-1/2 cup

METHOD:
1) Soak all the millets and urad separately over night  or 6-7 hrs.
2) Grind them separately to smooth batter like for idly.
3) Mix them both with salt and let it ferment.
4) Heat steamer with water and grease idly mould ( if using non stick skip this)and pour the batter and steam for about 8 -10 minutes or  check with a toothpick if it comes clean.
Enjoy this soft millets idly hot with any chutney or sambar

Tamarind Poha(Aval)

 Just like  lemon poha, this is another simple ,easy and tasty tiffin using poha / flattened rice.

Ingredients:
Poha -1/2 cup
Tamarind - small lime
Water-water ( to soak tamarind)
Salt- to taste
Oil - for seasoning
Mustard- for seasoning
Cumin-for seasoning (optional)
Urad -for seasoning
Peanut-for seasoning( optional)
Ginger-for seasoning( optional)
Red/green  chilli -for seasoning( as per taste )
Curry leaves -for seasoning
Asafoetida -for seasoning
Turmeric- pinch
Method:

1.Soak Tamarind in water and extract pulp.
2. Add  this pulp water  along with salt to soak poha. ( add more water if needed just enough amount to soak )
3. Heat pan add oil and when oil add mustard, cumin,urad,peanut,asafoetida,ginger,chilli,curry leaf and turmeric.and keep aside.
4.When the water is fully absorbed and poha becomes soft( takes about 5 min depending on amount of poha )
5. Add seasoning and serve with any chutney.

Lemon Poha (Aval)

This is a very easy and quick evening tiffin  or breakfast that  we can make. In fact no cooking ( except for the seasoning ) All we need is flattened rice  and lemon .

My amma  used to make this a quick evening tiffin for us when we come from our school and college. She used to make Aval uppma or Tamarind Aval or this Lemon aval .
It’s very easy that even a kid can do if we have prepared bottle seasoning.Infact my amma used to call this ‘fast food’😉
Ingredients :(Measure according to need.)
Flattened rice/Poha/Aval-1 cup
Water- to soak
Lemon- 1/2  juice ( as needed)
Oil- for seasoning
Mustard- for seasoning
Urad - for seasoning
Curry leaf - for seasoning
Peanut (optional)- for seasoning
Asafoetida- for seasoning
Salt- to taste
Turmeric- little

Method:
It’s so simple..
1) Soak Poha with enough water to immerse it.(it takes approximately 5min depending on the amount of Poha soaked.
2)Meanwhile heat oil in pan and add mustard and after it splutters add other seasoning ingredients  and turmeric.
3) After Poha is dry and soft (after observing the water) add salt ,and lemon juice and seasoning and mix . Serve with or without chutney .

Kollu idly/ dosai

Kollu (Macrotyloma Uniflorum) also known as Horse gram or Madras gram is a a bean variety that is usually used to feed horses.Due to its medicinal properties it’s usually used in Indian villages (Tamil nadu) for cooking.I have written lot bout it’s medicinal values in my earlier post(Horse gram- Samai dosai)

     As you all must have known I am a big fan of  dosai I didn’t not try idly with that batter earlier. This time I wanted to try idly so when I searched my pantry to soak for the batter I found I ran out of Samai instead had kuthiraivali( barn yard millet)so thought of using  that for idly .which to my surprise  idly turned out so soft .(For soft idly the batter should be of the consistency  as seen in the video.it should not be thin batter)

The ingredients used and measurements are almost the same as my earlier kollu dosa post except for instead of samai I have used  kuthiraivali and also consistency of batter is bit thick ( this gives a soft dosai as my husband prefers soft version)than that of earlier dosai batter post which makes crispy dosai. 

Ingredients:
Kollu ( Horse gram) -1/2 cup
Kuthiraivaali ( Barnyard millet) -1/4 cup
Urad dhal -1/4 cup
Cumin-1 tsp
Red chilli- 2 ( according to taste)
Ginger - small 
Water to soak and grind
Salt to taste 

Method:

1. Clean and soak horse gram along with barn yard millet and Urad in water for about 6 hrs
2. Add  ginger ,red chilli, cumin and grind with the soaked items with soaked water ( don’t add too much water )
3. Add salt to ground batter and immediately dosa or idly can be made.
4. Heat water in pan boil the water
5. Grease idly mound and pour one ladle of batter and keep in the boiling water and steam for approximately 8 to 10 minutes  ( prick a toothpick if it comes clean it’s done)
6. To make soft dosa heat dosa pan ( not too hot as it will be difficult to make )and make dosa ( as the batter is thick it like adai  We cannot make crispy thin ones but soft thin ones )( to make crispy thin dosa add little water )add oil if preferred close and cook for a minute.  For the video click here.
7. Serve with spicy chutney.

Note: Batter is good to make crispy or soft dosa or idly immediately .But if it gets fermented meaning kept for more than a day the idly  or dosa doesn’t have same texture .

Horse Gram -Samai Dosa(Kollu Dosai)

Another Rice free dosa with a different ingredient known by South Indian for weight reduction and also one that is good for cholesterol ...Horse gram /Kollu.

There is a saying in Tamil 'Yelachavanukku Yellum kozhathavanukku kollum ('Sesame to lean/skinny and Horse gram to fat/over weight person ')meaning sesame  is given to improve strength in a weak person who is lean and horse gram is given to lose extra fat and also give him the strength.

 Horse gram is said to be excellent source of iron, calcium ,protein,dietary fiber,micro nutrients ,phyto chemicals and also low in Fat.

 Scientists from Indian Institute of chemical technology have found unprocessed raw horse gram has anti hyper glycemic  properties ,antioxidant properties and also qualities which reduce insulin resistance.

Now having said about this less used /consumed legume let's come to cooking part... I know research says raw but I have used this sprouted in salad couple of times very little but liked it better my Amma's way...when cooked as Kollu Rasam(Horse gram Soup) or Kollu Thogayal(Horse gram  chutney).Now this...

INGREDIENTS :  Makes6-8 dosai

Horse Gram-1/2 cup

Samai(Little millet)-1/4 cup

Urad dhal(Black gran) -1/4 cup

Red chilli-2(according to taste)

Jeera-1/4 tsp

Ginger-small piece

Salt-to taste

Oil-1/2 tsp per dosa(optional)

METHOD:

1)Soak horse gram ,urad and samai  over night.

2)Grind this with red chilli,jeera and ginger .Add salt.

3) Make dosai.Enjoy either crispy or thick dosai with coconut or spicy chutney.

BARLEY DOSA

                                 

It's been long since I posted here.This photo has been in my draft along with Horse gram (kollu) curry for past 7-8 months.

   Tried this when my dad come here last October . His diet is bit different he takes barely with quinoa and vegetables as porridge  as lunch. Actually quite east to cook for him.But one day he asked if I can make dosai using barley like oats dosai I do usually.

  I was not sure since my thought was barley is glutinous and urad is sticky and their combination can't make thin crispy dosai,which I like.But my dad as usual was very encouraging and asked me to try . And to my surprise it came out crispy as I like and also was able to make soft ones like my dad likes.

So... This is the story for birth of this tasty healthy rice free dosai. It's same as my other rice free dosai Oats  , Hulled millet and Ragi dosai.

Ingredients:

Barley -3 cups

Urad dhal-1 cup

Salt-to taste 

Water-soak and grind

Method:

1) Soak barley and urad separately for 6 hrs. (I usually soak at night)

2)Grind them like dosa batter . Add salt and ferment .

Make dosa and enjoy.

Note: if the batter becomes sour u can not get thin dosai. Have not tried making dosa immediately  without fermenting like karamani dosai  .

HULLED MILLET PONGAL

                              

I was trying to replace rice as much as I can and saw this PONGAL recipe in the book given by Muthu anna when he gave me samai.These millets are called as 'ARISi' meaning RICE,which clearly says this was a replacement for rice for Tamilians in ancient times.

 There is nothing different about this PONGAL except rice is replace with millet.So I guess everyone knows the recipe for pongal...anyways... For those new here it is...

INGREDIENTS:

Millet -1 cup

Mung dhal - 1/2 cup ( some use 1/4 cup. But I prefer more mung dhal)

SEASONING:

Pepper- 2 tsp( according to taste )

Jeera -1 tsp

Ginger -finely chopped little

Curry leaf -few

Asefotida -1/4 tsp

Oil or ghee - 1 tbs ( according to taste and preference )

METHOD:

1) Soak millet and dhal for about 15 mins.(this is optional . I wanted to make sure it cooks properly.)

2) Add 3 cups water and pressure cook for 5 whistle.

3) Heat ghee in a pan and add ginger,curry  leaf,asefotida,pepper and jeera  fry till aroma comes( takes just a second or so)

4) Add to cooked millet -dhal mix along with salt .Mix well. Serve hot.

NOTE:

I added the ginger ,pepper seasoning along with millets and pressure cooked it, as I felt it has better flavor 

VENDHYA DOSAI (FENUGREEK DOSAI )

By now many may have known I am a lover of dosai .So next recipe in my

dosa list is soft spongy flavourful dosai.Thought not crispy and thin like my usual dosas

this is so good with flavour and taste.

Coming to recipe its simple just like normal dosa only differnce is we add more 

fenugreek and also Normally they use equal amount raw rice and idly rice, Since I did not have raw rice I used very little basmathi rice.

INGREDIENTS:

Idly rice - 2cups (Usually its equal amount raw and idly rice)

Basmathi rice -1/4 cup

Urad dhal -1/2 cup

Fenugreek -1 palm full ( approximately I guess Iit would be 1/4 cup)

METHOD:

1) Soak both rice for about 6 to 8 hrs.

2) Soak urad and fenugreek for about 6 to 8 hrs.

3) Grind  rice and urad seperately well like dosa batter and mix  together with salt and let Iit ferment.

4) Heat dosa pan and make thick dosa.When one side is nice golden brown (u can see smal holes on top )turn to other side and cook  till the side also gets goldn brown color.

Enjoy with any chutney or sambar.

HULLED MILLET DOSA (PROSO MILLET)

In our search to find millets near our place all  we could find was something called hulled millet in a natural food store.As usual  search in google made me conclude this as proso millet , panivaragu in tamil.Initially I tried to make idly like little millet but without adding idly rice. It came out soft like the earlier one ( little millet Idly) but something was not right...it was bit sticky?!!Or like wasn't cooked properly but it was cooked...( confusing ah😯!!??) Next time I have to try using less urad .. Anyways rest of the batter took the form of dosa, which was really good , very crisp .

So.. Another healthy dosa  had made its way to my dosa list 😀

INGREDIENTS:

Hulled millet - 2 cups

Urad dhal - 1/2 cup

PROCEDURE:

1) Soak millet and urad separated for 6 to 8 hrs and grind separately .

2) Add salt and let it ferment .

3) Heat dosa pan and make thin crispy dosa and enjoy.

NOTE: If you are fan of thick dosa I will not recommend this . It comes similar to idly.soft but some issue..which I don't know to explain.But if you are a lover of thin crispy dosa you will loveeeee it.

SAAMAI IDLY( LITTLE MILLET IDLY)

'Millets','Siru thaaniyam' ,which are getting popular among the people as healthy food,gluten free good even among western countries. But these  used to be known as food of poor or field laborers in villages in India .

Millets are miles a head of rice and wheat in their mineral content.More fiber than rice or wheat.Some of them have about fifty times that of rice.Finger millet has 30 times more calcium than rice.so are other millers ,which  have twice the amount of calcium than rice.So is the Iron content in Foxtail and little millet .Similarly are the micronutrient like Beta Carotene , which is abudent in these millets.

Nutrient content of Millets

Name.            Protein(g).        Fiber(g).        Minerals(g).        Iron(mg).       Calcium(mg)

Pearl millet-       10.6.              1.3.                 2.3.                   16.9.              38

Finger millet-       7.3.               3.6.                2.7.                    3.9.               344

Foxtail millet-     12.3.               8.                  3.3.                     2.8.               31

Proso millet-      12.5.               2.2.               1.9.                     0.8.               14

Kodo millet -        8.3.               9.                   2.6.                    0.5.                27

Little millet -         7.7.               7.6.                1.5.                    9.3.                17

Barnyard millet-   11.2.             10.1                4.4.                    15.2.              11

Rice              -       6.8.              0.2.                 0.6.                     0.7.               10

Wheat.         -       11.8.             1.2.                1.5.                     5.3.                41

Courtesy : www.swaraj.org

We used to have so,e of these millets when my mama was alive. She used to make couple of dishes but never gave a thought about the importance of these except for the taste which I loved it. So ever cared to learn these from my mom... Yeah many of us take out parents for granted,especially mom...

Anyways...during my recent to India I visited our family friend Muthu Anna's organic shop (Farm Shop, in Harrington road -https://www.facebook.com/pages/Farmshop/444102325626128)

where he sold all the organic millets with other things.(have to mention spl oil free pickle...omg! Yummy)

So when he told about soft millet idly I wanted to buy all the varieties but was not sure if it will be allowed in customs so just got one small pack of 'samai'(little millet) and bamboo rice( yet to try recipes using this)

Anna gave a book on various recipes using millets ,but my cousin Viji Akka also told me about samai idly so the first thing I tried was idly ,which came out sooooooo good that when I gave to my neighbor .

She immediately wanted to know where this can be bought here...

Any the story is getting long.. Let's see the recipe,which is so very simple.

Ingredients:

Samai rice ( little millet) - 1cup

Idly rice - 1 cup

Urad dhal - 1/2 cup

 

Method:

1) Soak Samai rice and idly rice together and urad dhal separately for 6 hrs

2) Grind the rice and urad separately (similar to normal idly batter) adding necessary water and mix adding salt and let in ferment.(I usually grind in the late evening and let it to ferment for making idly in the morning)

3) Pour it in idly mould and cook for approximately for8-10 min (if you insert a stick it will come clean)

 

I am sure you will fall in love with this idly like my neighbor .Believe me I am regretting that I did not bring more of this from India . Me and my neighbor have been searching shops for this millet.

KARAMANI DOSAI (RED CHORI CREPE)

First let me thank all my readers for waiting patiently for my post...THANKS :)

Coming to my post... There are more than half dozen waiting in my drafts but.... There is a dialogue in some tamil movie "late ah vandhalum latest ah " meaning it may be late but new... Yeah new... Meaning other recipes I have seen in many blogs...but this one...not till now.

This was told by my neighbour....Madhavi, she is dosa specialist,she was the one who taught me ragi dosa, oats dosa.... Next in her list.... This karamani dosai... She told me black eye bean(white karamani) dosa.. I tried and loved it.. It can be made soft like adai and also crisp like paper roast. Will post the photo later.

  Yesterday I tried using red karamani this one had better flavor than the first.

Best part of this dosai, be it white or red... Is easy quick,tasty,healthy, fiber rich,no rice, no fermenting.....I can keep on writing, and the only ingredient u will be needing is karamani.if you wish you can add ginger , chilli etc for extra flavor and taste.

When I used black eye bean I added red chilli,ginger and asefotida while grinding .But while grinding for red chori I just used ginger.

RECIPE:

Red chori or black eye bean-1 cup(will get more than 14-15 dosai)

Ginger-small piece(optional)

Chilli-to taste (optional)

Asefotida-1/4tsp(optional)

METHOD:

1)Soak bean for about 5 hour and grind (Add ginger,chilli,asefotida -all these are optional) to smooth  dosa batter( you won't believe it will be very fluffy...)

2)Add salt and heat dosa pan and make thick or thin dosa according to your liking.

Serve hot with spicy chutney.

Note: Tastes good when had hot.will soon post step by step photos soon.

will be happy to know your views

OATS DOSA

This is one of my favorite breakfast dish.When my neighbor first told me the recipe I was skeptical regarding the taste and texture,since I felt both the ingredients used are of sort of same ...meaning creamy and somewhat bland.Wasn't sure if I should really try this until I tasted it.

It's so easy to make ,nutritious and tasty too.It doesn't take much time too ferment too. 

INGREDIENTS:

Urad dhal -1cup

Oats-4cups

Salt- to taste

Water- to grind

METHOD:

1)Soak urad  in water for about 3-4 hrs.

2)Soak oats in the same water (or separately) just for 1/2 hr before grinding.

3)Grind both together till smooth like idly batter.

4)Add salt and keep it in warm place to ferment( it's faster that idly batter)

5)And as usual make crispy thin or thick   dosa and enjoy with any spicy chutney or gravy ( shahi tofu like I did :-) )

SPICY VEGETABLE CAKE

Since the time i made Zuchchini cake i wanted to make a spicy one with vegetable but did not try for some reason or other...But last month when i saw one of my friend bloggers blog where she has given recipe for cake flour , which i always wanted to buy in store and try instead of  usual flour that i use,I was very exited and wanted to give it a try to my long time wish for this spicy cake .Last week when i tried for the first time and gave to my best critic , my husband his verdict was" yeah good.... but its bland" so the next day i again tried using chilli powder and this time he said it was really good... along with that one of my neighbour who tasted it loved it so much that she wanted to do this for her party. so... we did this for her party and everyone liked it. Only differnce was we added 1/2 tsp chilli powder instead of 1/4  tsp and corn flour instead of corn starch.Cake flour recipe adapted from Dishesfrommykitchen
INGREDIENTS:
Cake flour -1cup( wheat flour 1cup and take of 2tbs and add 2tbs of corn starch)
Baking powder -1/2 tsp
Baking soda -1/4 tsp
Salt -to taste
Chilli powder -1/2 tsp ( to taste optional )
Curds/ yogurt -1 cup(may need abt 1/3 cup or less, more to get proper consistency .This depends on the curd.I used  1 cup Thick home made curds)
Oil -1/4 cup
Vegetable of choice finely chopped( I added 1 tbs each of onion, grated carrot,chives,green chilli.1 tsp of curry leaf and coriander leaves)
METHOD:
1) per heat the oven to 350 degree.

2) Butter or oil the baking dish and add little flour and rotate the pan to coat the pan with flour.


3) Seive flour,baking powder and baking soda 2-3times( just to mix them evenly)
4)Add salt, sugar,chilli powder and vegetables to the flour and mix well and keep.



5) Now in a separate bowl mix curds/yogurt and oil well.
6) Add this curds mixture to flour mixture ,(the consistency will be like bonda batter and not like cake batter ,thats pouring consistency)



7) pour in the baking dish and bake for about 15-18 min



NOTE: Adding 1/2 tsp chilli powder tasted better than 1/4 tsp .it does not puff up well if more yogurt is added.When this was made using corn flour there was not much difference.But using thick home made curds did make little difference in texture.
For Indian friends--- Corn starch is the same as corn flour in india, thats used for thickening.

AVAL(POHA/FLATTENED RICE) PONGAL

Month of Margazhi is considered as one of the auspicious month among tamil months.I believe In Bhagavat Gita lord Krishna has mentioned"Maasanam Margashershoham", meaning" among the months i am Marghazhi". So we can guess its importance - not just because lord krishna said so.. but , the scientific importance of this month .... During this month The ozone layer will be lowered a little and so keeps us healthy, thats the reason why the  ladies  were supposed to wake up early and have bath and pray god .
Any way all these are followed by very few in this Fast, Modern world.
Ok.. let me come to my post.. Since this month is auspiciuois for lord krishna/ vishnu, being the first day of this month I wanted to make something for Lord, something that veryone say is his favorite... Aval and venpongal... so Combined both and made Aval Pongal . To be frank not much difference in taste from Usual Venpongal,thats prepared with rice. But this was quicker to prepare.
INGREDIENTS:
Aval(poha/Flattened rice)-3/4 cup
Pasi paruppu(Moong dhal)-1/4 cup
Water-1 1/2cups
Salt- to taste
Turmeric-1/ tsp
Pepper corn-1/4tsp Coarsely crushed and 1/4tsp Whole(Adjust according to taste)
Jeera-1/4 tspCoarsely crushed and 1/4tsp Whole(Adjust according to taste)
Curry leaf- few
Oil-1tsp
Ghee-1tsp(optional)
Cashew-3-4 chopped(optional)
Asefotida-1/4 tsp
Ginger-1/4 tsp finely chopped
METHOD:
1)Wash Aval and dhal.
2)Heat oil and Add Crushed pepper and jeera,whole pepper and jeera, ginger,cury leaf, asefotida and cashew(optional) and fry for till cashew turns golden brown.
3)Add the above ingredients to washed Aval and  dhal, add turmeric,salt and water and pressure cook for 3 Whistles.
4) Add Ghee before serving with Sambar or chutney
Sending this Instant Poha pongal to Fast food event by Shama

PANEER PARATHA

Easy to make tasty stuffed chapati.I had forgotten about this for more than a decade, till my friend/ neighbour srividhya reminded me. Thanks to her :)This is my version of stuffed home made Paneer paratha, made just for me(my husband feels its not healthy to eat cottage cheese) Anyway... Since the measurement is just for 2 paratha/chapati , its sort of approximate.(Lost the original recipe that i learnt from Kothari ,in Kilpauk.
INGREDIENTS:
For Stuffing:
Paneer-1/4 cup
Green chilli-5 finely chopped(to taste)
Salt(to taste)
Jeera powder-1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Ginger paste-1/4 tsp
Finely chopped coriander leaves-1/4 tsp
For Paratha/ Chapati:
Wheat flour-about 3/4 cup
Salt-to taste.
Oil-1/4 tsp
Water- to make dough(depends on the quality of flour.I used about 1/2 cup)

METHOD:
1)Mix wheat flour salt and oil along with water to make a soft dough.Keep aside covered till stuffing is prepared.
2)Heat just 1 tsp oil in a pan and add green chilli,ginger paste saute well.Add Turmeric ,Salt ,Jeera powder and Paneer(either grated or crumbled)along with coriander leaves.(Some use Chilli powder instead of green chilli.
3)Saute all these for a while . and when warm enough to touch , make small balls(I got 2 balls for this measurement)
4)Divide the dough to balls(i got 2 balls rolled to chapatis) and roll that to  thick small chapati, keep the stuffing in the center and cover with the chapati edges.
5)Keeping the closed side on top roll these to chapatis.(use Flour if needed for rolling)
6)Cook this on hot tava on both sides apply oil or butter if desired. And serve.

VEGETABLE IDLY UPPMA

This is very common dish that South Indians make with leftover idly .I don't like Idly as much i do Dosa,
so usually i make idly upma for me and idly for others.
Last month when we had sandy(storm, wonder why they keep Girl names!!),As a precaution my husband wanted me to make idly and keep so made idly that will last for 2 days and refrigerated(no idea why he asked me to do that!Anyways.... we were fortunate enough that we were not affected my sandy. so My Idlies we in fridge for 2 days. I have never kept idly in Fridge. as it becomes hard, Of course many reheat and eat.But I don't like to microwave my food.So when i took out my idly after 2days i did not want to reheat and eat so decided to do upma as usual. when i crumbled it it came out as coarse powder...which was different for me. Normally it will be like small chunks.But seeing crumbs  i though why not do like Vegetable upma and made this and liked it .
INGREDIENTS(measurement DEPENDING ON AMOUNT OF IDLIES)
Idly-4
Onion-1/2 cup(chopped)
Vegetable of your choice- 1cup(i used Chives flower, corn)
Mustard-1/2 tsp(seasoning)
Urad dhal-1/2 tsp(seasoning)
Asefotida-Pinch(seasoning)
Channa dhal-1/4 tsp(seasoning)
Curry leaves- few(seasoning)
Ginger -1 tsp(finely chopped(seasoning)
Red chilli or Green chilli-3 to 4(to taste )
Salt- to taste
Oil-1tbs
Idly Powder-6 tbs(optional)
METHOD:
1)Crumble idly .Mix Idly podi(Optional and keep.)
2)heat oil in a pan and Add all the seasoning including Chilli and fry for few minute still Urad and channa turns golden brown.
3)Add Onion and saute well.Add vegetables and salt and saute ill vegetables are cooked.(if needed cover and cook in medium flame.If using vegetables like carrot or beans Chop finely or grate and use)
4)Add crumbles idlies and saute for few minutes till the idly gets warm and soft like fresh idlies. 
Serve with chutney or I like me  just like that :)

LEMON AMMINI KOZHUKATTAI

The name Ammini... sounds sort of weird for me... Have never asked a word about this name to my amma. but while talking to my DH the other day that i was going to do this for navaratri  he laughed.. so asked his what was funny about the name he said its ammukini Kozhukattai(since its small in size we keep gulping this its called by this name )wonder if this is true??!! or what the real meaning for the name was....
This also very simple snacks or tiffin , which is some what similar to kaara/uppu kozhukattai and kozhukattai 
INGREDIENTS:
Rice flour-1 cup
Water- about 1 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
For seasoning:
Mustard-1/2 tsp
Urad shal-1 tsp
Green chiil or red chilli( finely chopped)3-4 according to taste.
 Asefotida- pinch
Oil -1 tbs
Lemon juice- 1 or 2 tbs
METHOD:
1)Boil water in a vessel add salt and oil.
2)Add  rice flour slowely to this or you can do other way round meaning pour water to rice flour and mix well without lumps( keep the flame in low) to nice dough consistency.
3) Remove from  flame and keep it closed to let it cool for some time.
4)Once its warm enough to knead . knead this dough once.
5) Make small  balls and  Steam them. and keep aside.
6)Heat oil in a pan and season it with mustard, urad, Asefotida, curry leaf,chilli and little bit of  Turmeric powder.Add the steamed Rice balls.
7) Mix well for few seconds and Add lemon juice and switch of the flame.Mix well . and serve.

RICE SUNDAL

It must be surprising for many of us to hear about rice sundal !!It was for me when my mother in law first showed me this. i have never heard of this before that or tasted this...but now its one of my favorites.
For me its a hybrid of Venpongal and Upma.
 Well the reason for doing this for this navaratri was Monday- Navagraha Thingal/moon is associated with rice  so as i normally do sundal according to days/ navagraha
Sunday-Sun(sooriyan)-Wheat
Monday- Moon(chandiran)-Rice
Tuesday-Mars(sevvai)-Tuvar dhal
Wednesday -Mercury(Bhudan)-Green gram dhal
Thursday-Jupiter(Guru)-Channa
Friday-Venus(Sukkaran)-Mochai(Kidney or field bean)
Saturday-Saturn(sani) Till
Other grahas being Rahu and Kethu -Urad and Horse gram respectively and they are treated similar to saturn and mars respectively.
Now coming to my post
 It was the turn for Rice on last monday. So i made 2 dishes for Moon god...being a lover of moon..yeah love to look at full moon... it has always fascinated me... not just me many...any ways. Here is this simple and tasty different recipe which my mother in law told was Tanjore special.
INGREDIENTS:
Rice -3/4 cup
Moong dhal-1/4 cup
Oil for seasoning
Urad dhal- for seasoning
Green or red chilli for seasoning , to taste
 salt to taste
Asefotida -pinch
Turmeric -pinch(optional)
Curry leaf- few
Water- about 2 cups

Ummmm that's it... lets start cook ..
METHOD:
1) Heat a pan and dry fry rice and dhal till nice aroma comes.(do not make it brown)and keep aside.
2)Heat a oil in a pan and season with mustard,urad chilli, asefotida,curry leaf.
3)Add water and salt.(turmeric if preferred) and bring it to boil.
4)Now add the rice and dhal and reduce the flame to medium and cover and cook.
Serve with coconut chutney.

CURD WHEAT UPMA

Its been more than a month that i posted.I thank all my friends for patiently waiting .THANKS A LOT FOR THE SUPPORT :)
This is my favorite. Since my DH hatesssssssss upma.I do this for my lunch often.Just for me...yeah i cook lot of things just for me  like upma, Fenugreek rice etc. hehehe :) Anyway....I love the curds taste with Upma. my cousin Balakumar anna does yummy Curd upma and so thats how i got hooked to the taste.Usually we do this with Normal Rava.But i wanted to try in wheat rava and i lovedddddd it. Also planning to do puli rava , which i havent had since my ammas death :(
Ok ...coming to the recipe its same as ordinary upma except we also use curd along with water for cooking .
INGREDIENTS:
Wheat Rava-1 cup
Water 1 cup
Curds-1 cup
Oil
Mustard-1/2 tsp
Urad dhal-1/4tsp
Channa dhal-1/4tsp
Ginger-1 small piece finely chopped
Green chilli- according to taste
Curry leaves
Salt- to taste
METHOD:
1)Heat oil Add mustard.After it splutters add urad and channa dhal.
2)Add Ginger, curry leaves and fry for a second.Add water and allow it to boil.
3)Now add Curds and mix well.(dont allow it to boil) Add Wheat rava(as told in my earlier post Lemon Wheat rava  rava can be dry fried and used if desired)
4)Cover and cook .
5)Serve with sambar or spicy chutney.