Green Tomato Chutney

There was this time when we ran out of tomatoes. I simply continued to cook without using them in my cooking. I either made recipes that didn’t need tomatoes or dropped tomatoes from any recipe that did. Then finally when we did get to go shopping, I didn’t find any tomatoes at all. I was about to give up hope when I found a cart of green tomatoes. I thought something would be better than nothing and picked up a few. But I had no idea what to make with them until I came across this recipe at Lakshmi’s My Rasoi. I modified it a little bit. I decided not to add any tamarind as I thought the green tomatoes would be sour enough. I omitted the garlic from the seasoning, but added an onion to the chutney.



Ultimately, this was the recipe I followed:


4 Green Tomatoes, chopped roughly
1 Onion, chopped
3-4 Green Chillies, slit
1 tsp Cumin
1 tbsp Oil
½ tsp Mustard Seeds
7-8 Curry Leaves
2-3 Red Chillies, broken
Salt to Taste


Heat ½ a tablespoon of oil and add the cumin. When the cumin crackles, add the green chillies and the onions. Fry for about 2-3 minutes and then add the salt and the tomatoes. Cook for about 5-7 minutes and then take off the flame. Grind the mixture and transfer to a bowl.


Heat the other tablespoon of oil in a frying ladle. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the curry leaves and red chillies. Fry for a minute and pour over the ground mixture.



We had this with some steamed rice for dinner the day I made it and I spread it over my toast for the next three days. Less is definitely more and off this goes to Nupur’s MBP: Less is More. Since this dish makes use of a vegetable (or fruit?) that I can see only in summer, I am sending this to Sia for her edition of WBB: Summer Feast.

Breakfast in a jiffy

I’d asked everyone to send me a breakfast that’s ready in 15 minutes. What I didn’t realize was that this round up would definitely need much more than 15 minutes. I had an ulterior motive behind the choice of this theme. I really am hard-pressed for time in the mornings (not that my evenings are any different) and I’m perennially on the lookout for wholesome meals that can come together in a jiffy. And all of you have sent me so many entries that I haven’t classified the entries I received by the type of food item. I’d have loved to. After all, so many of you have sent in my favourite: Upma! But lack of time and the overwhelming desire to post the round up have made me take all kinds of crooked shortcuts. And that includes merging all your lovely photographs into one collage. But hey, this was an event designed to save time, wasn’t it?


These mini photographs are in alphabetical order. Top to bottom, left to right. For ease of identification, I will list the entries row by row. I had posted a big collage earlier, but half the pictures didn’t show and so for the moment, I’m going with the small sized collage. Should I find time during the course of this month, I shall reorganize the photographs. I’m participating in the NaBloPoMo this month and shall be posting once a day. Considering it took me three hours to just get home last night, I doubt I’ll find much time. But if I do, I’ll get to this. Going through this round up will cost you more than just 15 minutes!

Row 1


Archana of Archy’s Recipes: Wheat Sweet Pancakes
Arundathi of My Food Blog: Mango Jam with Cumin

Arundati of Escapades: Besan Roti (Picture not included in collage)
Arundati of Escapades: Upma
Asha of Aroma Hope: Baja Kichuri
Becke of Columbus Foodie: Sublime Scrambled Eggs
Bharti Khemani of VeggieFoodist: Chocolate Oatmeal
Bharti Khemani of VeggieFoodist: Oatmeal Seera
Cham of Spice-club: Wheat Idlis
Deeba of Passionate Baker and Beyond: Dropping Scones



Row 2

Deepa of Culinary Adventures: Roti from Leftovers (No Picture attached)
Deepthi Shankar of Vegetable Platter: Poha
Divya of Divya's Cookbook: Sweet Puttu
EC of Simple Indian Food: Mixed Flour Dosas
EC of Simple Indian Food: Ragi Sevai
Jaya of Spice and Curry: Tropical Smoothie
JZ of Tasty Treats: Middle Eastern Onion-Mushroom Omelette
K of K for Khichdi: Dhokla
Kalva of Curry In Kadai: Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie
Kamala of Mom’s Recipes: Rava Idli
Laavanya of Cookery Corner: Cucumber Sandwiches

Row 3

Latha of Masala Magic: Masala Kharabhaat
Meera of Enjoy Indian Food: Phovva Usli
Miri of Peppermill: Baked Eggs
Mona of Zaiqa: Upma

Nags of For the Cook in Me: Wheat Puttu (Picture not included in collage)
Nidhi of Charche Chauke Ke: Choode Matar ki Tehri
Nupur of One Hot Stove: Tikhat Sanja
Priya of Akshayapaatram: Berry Tasty Pancakes
Priya of Live to Cook: Express Potato Pancakes

Radhika of Tickling Palates: Coconut Pancakes
Radhika of Tickling Palates: Rava Upma
Ramki of Ramki Cooks: One page cookbooks - 1001 quickie breakfasts (Picture not part of collage)
Ramya of Ramya Cooks: Quick Dosa


Row 4

Ranjani of Wake up and smell the masala: Eggs Benedict
Ranjeetha Prabhu of RB Cuisines: Onion Wheat Dosa
Remya of Spices and Flavors: Vermicelli Veggies Upma
Renuka of FUSION: Onion Roti
Sharmila of Kichu Khon: French Toast
Sheetal of My Kitchen: Bhagar Swang
Sheetal of My Kitchen: Pangi
Sheetal of My Kitchen: Pumpkin Paratha
Sheetal of My Kitchen: Wholemeal Pancakes

Row 5

Sheetal of WhatzCooking: Besan Ke Cheeley
Shifa Firoz of Voiz Out: Upma
Sia of Monsoon Spice: Khatta-Meetha Khaman Dhokla
Sia of Monsoon Spice: Sabudana/Sago Kichidi
Sireesha of Mom's Recipes: Phodnichi Poli (Queen of leftovers)
Sireesha of Mom's Recipes: Batata Poha
Sireesha of Mom's Recipes: Tomato Omelette(vegetarian)

Siri of Siri's Corner: Akoori

Sita of Andhra Flavors: Simple and Healthy Avocado Sandwich


Row 6

Skribles of Food with a Pinch of Love: Samosa Sandwich
SriLekha of Me and My Kitchen: Bread Upma
SriLekha of Me and My Kitchen: Curd Rice
SriLekha of Me and My Kitchen: Temple Rice
SriLekha of Me and My Kitchen: Vegetables Noodles

Srivalli of Cooking 4 all Seasons: Sevai ~ Coconut Rice Noodles
Srivalli of Cooking 4 all Seasons: Ragi Idli

Suganya of Tasty Palettes: Eggs En Cocotte
Sujatha of Spicy Khazana: Tomato Uthappam


Row 7

Suma of VeggiePlatter: Coconut Poha
Suma Rajesh of Suma's Cuisine: Quick Upma
Sumi of Sumi's Kitchen: Mixed Veggie Egg Scramble
Supriya (who doesn’t have a blog as yet): Couscous Upma with Edameme Beans (Recipe Below)
Supriya (who doesn’t have a blog as yet): Scrambled Tofu (Recipe Below)
Sushma of CookSpot: Semolina Steamed Balls/Rave Unde
Trupti of Recipe Center: Carrot Sandwich, Eggless Tomato Omelette, Karela Fritters, Multigrain Cucumber Vada , Poha, Ragi and Karela Dosa , Shewaya

Uma of Telugu Ruchi: Millet Dosa
Usha of Spicy Kitchen: Murmura Upma

Recipe for Couscous Upma:

I soaked 1 cup dry couscous in warm salted water for 5 mins. In the meanwhile, heated 2 tsp oil in a non-stick fry pan, tempered with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing. Then added 1 small chopped onion, 2 dry red chillies (broken), handful of broken cashew pieces. Next went in about 2 cups of frozen edamame beans (soy beans) and few tblsps of water. Covered and cooked this for about 5 mins. Then mixed in the soaked couscous, salt, sugar and lemon juice. This can be garnished with coconut and coriander, but I didn't have any on hand on Saturday.

Recipe for Scrambled Tofu:

This was Sunday's b'fast. I heated 2 tsps olive oil, added 1 tsp jeera seeds, then 1 small chopped onion and 1 chopped green chilli. Fry this for a few mins. In the meanwhile, I drained 1 14 oz. packet of firm tofu and roughly chopped it. I added this to the onions, increased the heat to high and sauteed the tofu for about 5 - 7 mins till all the water that the tofu leaves dries up.Then add turmeric, salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Row 8

Vandana Rajesh of Cooking up Something Nice: Bread Cutlets
Vidhya of My Receipes: Kunukku
Vani of Ilatharasi: Fried Idlis Capsicum Sandwich

And lastly, my own entries:

Gava Pittye Doddak
Potato Peas Peanut Poha
Dal Paratha
Undyo
Capsicum Semia Upma
Instant Semolina Dosa


Now you have no excuse to not eat breakfast. "I didn't have enough time" is such a redundant excuse now. Happy breakfasting everyone!

Instant Semolina Dosa

My friend T was telling me about all the different dosas she had been trying out. This is one of her ideas. It reminded me of the Eggless French Toast that Coffee had put up last year. I'd not tasted that version as I ended up making my own. But I think her French Toast would have had the same flavours as this dosa.

1 cup Cream of Wheat/Semolina (Rava/Sooji)

1 Onion, finely chopped

3/4 cup Curds

3 Green Chillies, finely chopped

2 tbsp Coriander, finely chopped

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients together and let the mixture wait for a minute or two.

Pour the dough onto a hot griddle and spread it a little. Pour a few drops of oil on all sides. Make a slit in the centre using the spatula and pour a few drops into this slit. (This helps the oil reach the centre and aids in crispening that portion.)

Turn over and allow the other side to crispen as well.

I think this dosa can be eaten just by itself. However, we had it with some pitti chitni. I know we'll make this more often. It is very easy and really tasty. Most importantly, it takes almost no time. I got around 6-7 dosas from this batter.

So this is off as an entry for this month's WBB: Express Breakfasts. Today is the last date for sending in your entries. Please do dish out a filling breakfast. It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes, should it?

Capsicum Semia Upma

I have talked often about my undying love for upma. It is funny how I don’t make it very often anymore. I think that’s what blogging does to me. I want to make newer stuff so that I can update my blog and thanks to that, I forget about my favourite foods. Because I’ve already blogged about them, I don’t bother to make them. Have you faced this too?

Anyway, here’s a simple breakfast number that doubles up as a lunch or dinner number when you’re rushed for time. It combines two of my favourites, capsicum and upma, in one dish.

1 cup Roasted Vermicelli

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 Capsicum, finely chopped

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Oil

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard, asafoetida and cumin seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the onions and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped capsicum and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Add the roasted vermicelli along with a cup of hot water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

This is off to me for the WBB: Express Breakfasts.

Undyo

Undyo. Not to be confused with the Gujju Undhiyo. I came to know that this has a Tamil name less than a decade ago. I had never eaten this at any friend's place. Amma made it every once in a while and so did my aunts and cousins on her side of the family. I automatically assumed this is an amchi dish. It was when I took it in my lunchbox that my colleague said, "Oh, upma kozhukattai." I love having these for breakfast and I like to ensure that Amma makes these each time I visit them.

Ingredients:
1 cup RiceRava

1 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Urad Dal
1/2 tsp Chana Dal
1 tsp Red Chilli flakes
1 Green Chilli, chopped
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
7-8 Curry Leaves, chopped

2 tbsp Coconut, scraped
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the urad and chana dals. When the urad dal starts to brown, add the mustard and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the red chilli flakes and green chillies, curry leaves and ginger paste. Add 2 cups of water, salt and the coconut and bring to a boil. Add the rice rava and cook for a minute. Take off the flame and cool.

Make small balls of the mixture and make a small depression in the centre. Steam for 7-8 minutes. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Quick breakfasts are what we're looking for this June. And so this goes to this month's WBB: Express Breakfasts.

Dal Paratha

Dal parathas! I absolutely love them. My colleague's mom makes them for breakfast and whether my colleague touches the parathas or not, I devour them. They are quick to make and are an ideal breakfast item. With some curd and pickle, they're enough to keep you going till lunch time. Plus they help clean up some leftovers without much fuss.

1/2 cup Atta

1/2 cup Dal

1/4 tsp Carom Seeds

Salt to Taste

Knead the dough thoroughly by mixing all ingredients, adding a little water as necessary, and roll out rotis. Toast them evenly on both sides and serve them for breakfast with curd and Punjabi mango pickle. The twist in the tale here is that I served it with fresh Avakaya pickle.

I'm sending this to Srivalli as part of her Roti Mela and to myself for the WBB: Express Breakfasts.

Potato Peas Peanut Poha

I like the way people influence my cooking and food. At ome point, I used to make poha with only potatoes. I didn't add onions to my poha. Then I started making it this way. Then for an earlier WBB, I added soya granules to make it fit in with the theme. An aunt of mine makes poha with green peas. A colleague of mine always asks me to add peanuts to the poha. I ended up making this with the works. This is much easier to make than the mixed vegetable version as there is no major chopping.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Beaten Rice (Poha)
2 tsp Oil
1 Onion, sliced

2 tbsp Peanuts
1 Potato, boiled and cubed

1/4 cup Green Peas, boiled
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
1/2 tsp Chilli Paste
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to Taste
Coriander leaves and scraped Coconut for garnish

Wash the poha in a colander and allow the water to drain. Do not touch this with your fingers. Add the salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder and toss until the poha is coated evenly with these powders. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the green chilli and ginger pastes and the curry leaves. Add the peanuts, onions and potato and saute for a minute or two. Add the peas and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the poha and mix well. Sprinkle some water, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes. Mix well and garnish with coriander and coconut and enjoy it hot.

I have started storing cooked potatoes in the fridge and there is always a bag of frozen peas in the freezer. So, this entire breakfast is ready in under 15 minutes. I'm sending this to myself as an entry for this month's WBB: Express Breakfasts.

Express Breakfasts featuring Gava Pittye Doddak (Wheat Flour Dosas)

I believe that breakfast is THE most important meal of the day. I try my level best not to miss this one meal. On those mornings when I wake up at 7, I have to make a choice: breakfast or lunch? I try to keep bread at all times so that even if hardpressed for time, I can pop a couple of slices in the toaster and munch on them while doing something else. But I have never been able to ensure that we always have a loaf of bread handy. So I resort to fruit milkshakes, juice and a granola bar, or sometimes I eat a little bit of my lunch for breakfast. When I have 15 minutes to spare, I make poha, upma, eggs, dosa, etc.

Weekends are quite another story. It all depends on my mood. (OK, OK, it depends on when I wake up.) I, at times, end up making a very elaborate breakfast, and at others, I want to make something quick so I don't spend all day in the kitchen. (Despite my love for cooking, despite the fact that I run a food blog that has over 250 recipes, I hate standing in the kitchen for too long. And I am about the laziest person you'll ever meet/come across.)

So, are you all ready to impress me? Are you all ready to help me out on a stressed out morning? Are you ready to show me that making breakfast can be quick and fun. If you are, then you should be participating in this month's Weekend Breakfast Blogging. WBB is an event that started almost 2 years ago. The brainchild of Nandita of Saffron Trail, this event to popularize breakfast has been hopping all over the blogosphere, staying a month each at the blogs of the guest hosts, and has finally arrived at The Singing Chef this month.

The rules of this event are simple.

1. Please me with a real quick breakfast number.

Isn't that fun? OK, wait, here are some real rules:

1. Your breakfast should be ready in 15 minutes or less.

2. The dish can't be something like "buttered toast" or idli/dosa made from batter in the fridge. This means that you can use things from your pantry, but the dish needs to be whipped up then and there. A spread for bread is a good idea, doing something to your idli/dosa batter before making it is great, and a rava idli is something I will definitely accept. Working with leftovers is fine, as is making smoothies. (You do get the drift, don't you?)

3. Send me an email at onlineraga@gmail.com with your name, entry, picture of your dish and permalink to the post with the subject WBB#23. Please link back to this announcement in your post. You can use the logo in your posts.

4. Deadline for sending in entries is June 30th. The 2nd anniversary roundup will be done by the 1st weekend of July.

Here's a very quick breakfast number from my kitchen. The quintessential konkani doddak. It uses stuff that is almost always present in my pantry.

1 cup Wheat Flour
2 tbsp Cream of Wheat (Rava/Sooji)

2 tbsp Coconut, scraped
1 tsp Green Chilli Paste

1/4 cup Coriander, chopped

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

For the tempering:

1 tsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

7-8 Curry Leaves

Prepare the tempering in a small kadhai and transfer the contents to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients except the oil and mix well using a little water. (The batter should not be too watery. just a little thicker than

dosa batter.)

Spread the dough onto a hot griddle and pour a few drops of oil on all sides. Make a slit in the centre using the spatula and pour a few drops into this slit. (This helps the oil reach the centre and aids in crispening that portion.)Turn over and allow the other side to crispen as well.

This can be served with any chutney or podi. I usually have this with Pitti Chitni or Pitle, but this time, I had it with the "Sesamum Chutney" that Nandita sent over in a lovely package. So get going all of you. Send me your amazing breakfast numbers and send them to me quickly!

Chickpeas Sundal

Memories of sundal usually involve Navaratri or the beach. Earlier I never made festival food at any time outside of that festival, but now I make it whenever I wish. With a little planning, this requires almost no effort and is a great dish to make when you’re rushed. Makes for a great breakfast or lunch by itself, though it can also be served as a side dish.


1 cup Chick Peas, soaked overnight

1 tsp Oil
7-8 Curry Leaves

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Urad Dal

1/4 tsp Chana Dal

1 tsp Green Chilli Paste

1/4 tsp Ginger Paste

1 Red Chilli

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1 tsp Dry Mango Powder (Amchur) or 2 tbsp Chopped Raw Mango

1 tbsp Coconut, scraped

Salt to taste

Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas with salt for 4-5 whistles. Drain when done.

In a kadhai, heat oil. Add the urad and chana dals, mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves, ginger and chilli pastes, and the red chilli. Fry for a minute. Add the cooked chickpeas, dry mango powder or raw mango bits, and a little salt. Cover and cook 4-5 minutes. Garnish with the scraped coconut and enjoy.


Arundati of Escapades, is hosting this month's Weekend Breakfast Blogging # 22, the theme of which is Mango Madness. WBB is the brainchild of Nandita of Saffron Trail and since I make sundal for breakfast, this is off to Arundati this month.

My friends in the recipe marathon have posted for Day 2:

Lakshmi: Coconut Dosa

Srivalli: Sambhar Powder

Dhivya: Peas Pulao

Swati:Bread Upma

Bhags: Coffee Cake

Arundathi: Pierogies

Divya Vikram: Vegetable Puffs

Siri: Kosambari

Kairi Panha

This is a summer drink that I have come to love. I must admit that when Amma first made this, I thought she was crazy to go to class(canning and preservation class) and learn how to make weird drinks. I must have been all of 6 at the time. Like beer, I’d call this an acquired taste. This drink would, however, win hands down as a summer drink when compared to beer. After all, while both are summer drinks and both are acquired tastes, this is a delicious drink. (You can rest assured I’d almost never use that adjective with beer.)


I tried this sometime ago using the microwave and I was very happy with the result.

1 cup Raw Mango, peeled and diced
1 tbsp Roasted Cumin Powder
1 tsp Rock Salt, powdered
½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
2-4 tbsp Sugar

Place all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl with a little water and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Allow to cool and then blend to a paste. Mix this with two glasses of chilled water and serve.

This is traditionally served as a breakfast drink in Rajasthan and goes by the name of Kairi ka Pani. So, this is off to Padmaja at Spicy Andhra as my fifth entry to the RCI Rajasthan - Flavours of the Desert event. Since this is a breakfast number featuring mangoes, I am sending this to Arundati of Escapades, who is hosting this month's Weekend Breakfast Blogging # 22, the theme of which is Mango Madness.

Mango Muffins (Rasayan inspired)

Indian sweets and I share a very vague relationship. You can’t even call it love-hate. There are a few sweets that I absolutely love (kaju kathli, gulab jamun, rasmalai, badam kheer, sheera, kulfi) and there are those that I really wouldn’t care to look at (rice kheer/pal payasam, falooda, jangiri, rajbhog...). There is one part of me that is, without doubt, Mangalorean. Much as I love my Paruppu Urundai and Milagu Kuzhambu, I love the sweet-sour-hot combination of Saraswat cooking.



I love mangoes and can eat them everyday for every meal (yes, regardless of the eruptions on every inch of my anatomy) and I have been doing just that. Instead of cooking for just one person when I have to, I sit down with a large bowl of cut mangoes and enjoy every piece.


Rasayan is a 5 minute dessert/sweet dish that I absolutely love and it is the dish that I sent to WBB – Summer Fruits last year. That was my first WBB entry. And this year’s entry to WBB is inspired by that very recipe. I saw blueberry cinnamon muffins in some book and thought, “Mangoes and cardamom make a good pair… why not I try?” So with a few substitutions here and there, I came up with my own version of Rasayan inspired Mango Muffins.


3/4 cup Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable oil
1 cup Mango, chopped into fine pieces
1 cup Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
½ to ¾ cup Jaggery
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cardamom Powder or Essence
1 Egg
1/4 tsp Salt



Grease 12-muffin pan or line with paper cases. Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place all the ingredients except the mango pieces in a food processor jar fitted with the dough blade. Run the food processor for 2 minutes until the ingredients form a batter.

Blend the mango pieces into the batter and pour spoonfuls of the batter into the muffin moulds. Bake for 20 minutes.

Muffins are a great breakfast on the go and going the whole wheat way is a healthy option too. Mangoes take them to a very different level. My namesake, Arundati of Escapades, is hosting this month's Weekend Breakfast Blogging # 22, the theme of which is Mango Madness. WBB is the brainchild of Nandita of Saffron Trail and I am happy to send these muffins to her.

Mushroom Pancake

Ever since I started blogging last year, there are a few events that I have tried not to miss. Some new ones have been added and I've tried to keep pace. There are times when I am completely unable to blog. But those months would have entries to 4-5 events, if not anything else. Weekend Breakfast Blogging would be one such event. I have sent in an entry each time this event was hosted. I am a big fan of breakfast and this is an event that celebrates the most important meal of the day.

I tried to make this in the microwave today and I am quite happy with what I got to eat. It has been ages since I cooked in the microwave and this dish reminded me of all the conveniences I was missing out on.

1 Onion, chopped finely

3 pods of Garlic, chopped finely

7-8 Button Mushrooms, sliced

6 Baby Potatoes, sliced

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Parsley

1 tsp Oil

1/4 cup Milk

2 tbsp Flour

1 tbsp Cream of Wheat (Semolina/Rava/Sooji)

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

3 tsp Sour Curd

1/4 tsp Soda

Salt to taste

1 slice Low Fat Cheese, torn into big pieces

Place the oil, garlic and onions in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, paprika, parsley, and salt. Microwave on high for 2 minutes again. Add the mushrooms and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Blend the milk, cream of wheat, curd, soda and baking powder in a blender. Pour this over the mushroom mixture and mix well. Place the cheese bits over this and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until the mixture sets.

Serve hot with some salsa on the side.

This is my entry to the WBB 21, an event started by Nandita, guest hosted this month by Easy Crafts.

Cauliflower Cheese Parathas

I love using up leftovers. These days we don't have as many leftovers as I am learning to cook just what we need. But every now and then, we do end up with stuff. In more ways than one, it makes my life easier when I have something. But at times, I tend to think up more than one dish with the leftovers and can't decide. So, my maid gets to take extra stuff home on those days. I'd much rather someone eat the stuff than waste it.

On several occasions, we are left with rotis. I try and make something nice so the rotis aren't boring. Kothu Roti and Egg Paratha are some of the things I've tried. I tried Amma's cauliflower and cheese paratha recipe with used up rotis (she makes them fresh). Since the cheese melts, the rotis stick together. This one's a keeper.

6 Rotis
1/4 cup Cauliflower, grated

1/4 cup Cheese, grated

1 tsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Chilli Paste

1/2 tsp Ginger Paste

Salt to Taste

Oil for frying

Heat a griddle (tawa) and grease it lightly.

Mix the cauliflower, cheese, coriander, chilli paste, ginger paste and salt and keep aside.

Place a roti on the griddle and spread some of the cauliflower cheese mixture on to it. Spread the mixture evenly over the roti. Cover this with another roti and cook for a couple of minutes. Turn it over and cook on the other side for a couple of minutes. Use a little oil for frying. Take it off the griddle and cut into quarters. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Off these parathas go to Mansi who is hosting this month's WBB, my dear friend Nandita’s initiative. This month's theme is "Balnced Breakfasts" and she urges us to include Fruits or Vegetables, Grains, Dairy or Protein. I have used all four four food groups in this dish. The rotis are made from wheat flour and soya flour. The stuffing has cauliflower and cheese. I couldn't have gotten a better dish.

Ragi Doddak with Onion Tomato Chutney

Leisurely breakfasts are always pushed to the weekend. In our house, a weekend breakfast usually turns out to be brunch. We're so full (and tired) after eating (and making) something elaborate that we don't feel like lunch. On good days, we have a snack at 4 or 5 in the afternoon. On others, the breakfast is expected to take us all the way to dinner without as much as a little whimper. Last Saturday was one such. One such bad day, I mean. Breakfast ended at 1 p.m. We had tea and cookies at about 4.30. After which we drove 200 km, with another couple, to Karnal to have dinner at a Punjabi haveli style Dhaba called Haveli. Now, I am certain. I had this lingering doubt, but not any more. We must be "foodies", mustn't we?

Konkani breakfast numbers include a Doddak. I had posted the cream of wheat version earlier. The other version, made of wheat flour, also ranks highly on my list of breakfast favourites. On Saturday, I modified the wheat flour version to make use of some ragi flour that I'd asked a dear friend to bring along from Chennai. I also wanted to try out a chutney that I've eaten at many restaurants. I used my imagination to create the chutney to go with the dosa. And I'm so happy to know that this recipe's a keeper.
Ragi Doddak:

1/2 cup Finger Millet (Ragi) Flour

1/2 cup Wheat Flour

2 tbsp Cream of Wheat (Rava/Sooji)
2 tbsp Coconut, scraped

1 tsp Green Chilli Paste
1/4 cup Coriander, chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

For the tempering:

1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves

Prepare the tempering in a small kadhai and transfer the contents to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients except the oil and mix well using a little water. (The batter should not be too watery. It should be a little thicker than dosa batter.)

Spread the dough onto a hot griddle and pour a few drops of oil on all sides. Make a slit in the centre using the spatula and pour a few drops into this slit. (This helps the oil reach the centre and aids in crispening that portion.)

Turn over and allow the other side to crispen as well.

Onion Tomato Chutney

1 Onion, diced

3 Tomatoes, blanched

1 tbsp Coconut, scraped

3 Green Chillies

1" piece Ginger

Salt to taste

For the tempering:

1 tsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

7-8 Curry Leaves

Grind all the ingredients for the chutney together.

Heat the oil for the tempering in a kadhai. Add the mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the asafoetida along with the curry leaves. Pour the ground mixture into the oil and cook for a couple of minutes.

I tried both these dishes for the first time on Saturday and I must say I was very pleased with the way they turned out. Finger millet or Ragi is considered very healthy. More details can be found here. Substituting the coconut chutney with an Onion Tomato chutney was another healthy move. And this is off to Suganya who is hosting this month's WBB, my dear friend Nandita’s initiative.

Mixed Vegetable Poha

Poha is one of favourite breakfasts. And I make it quite often, not just for breakfast, but for dinner as well. And I add as many vegetables as I possibly can while making it. Potatoes were a standard in the one Amma made. My Mami added peas to it. I add whatever I can lay my hands on. I love eating colourful stuff and the addition of a variety of vegetables results in a rainbow like dish and I kind of love it. Many months ago, I was looking at one of Nandita’s videos and I saw her add soya granules to her poha. Then Rajitha came up with soy as the ingredient for this month’s WBB. I thought about the various ways in which I could sneak in soya in a breakfast dish. I thought about a banana shake with soy milk. I thought about soya beans in gravy to go along with toast. But I remembered that I had a packet of Soy Day granules. So in that went into my poha on a chilly morning. I made a very heavy breakfast so that I could do with something light for lunch.

1 cup Beaten Rice (Poha)
1/3 cup Soy granules
1 Carrot, cut finely
3 Spring Onions, chopped
2 tbsp Corn
2 tbsp Peas
1 tsp Oil
¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Mustard Seeds
¼ tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 Green Chilli, slit
Salt to taste

Wash the beaten rice and drain it. Add the salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder and keep aside.

Soak the soy granules in water (or prepare them as per the instructions on the pack. I use Soy Day as the effort involved from my side is minimal. It soaks in ordinary water.)

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the mustard, cumin and the asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the green chilli and the spring onion whites. Add the curry leaves and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the carrots, peas and corn. Add some salt and then cover and cook for a few minutes. Add the beaten rice and soy granules. Garnish with the spring onion greens. Enjoy this as soon as it is made.

Off this goes to Rajitha in celebration of Soy this month.

Miracle Bars

What does one do with corn flakes? Have it straight from the pack as a light snack? Sprinkle sugar and cut fruit over it and eat it for breakfast with some milk? Sprinkle it over ice-cream to make ice-cream healthy? OK, what else?

I sometimes add a banana smoothie to a bowl of cornflakes to make my breakfast a single bowl affair. Did you need any more proof for my laziness? I thought of several things to do with my bag of corn flakes. I didn't want to miss this event. After all, Weekend Breakfast Blogging is an event that celebrates my most important meal. But I couldn't think of doing anything fancy with cornflakes. I could put it in a cake, but then cakes aren't meant to be breakfast. I could put them in muffins, but that would mean that any breakfast or fruit related event in the blogosphere has me thinking of just one item. Although, let me admit that I am not exactly the most creative of folks around this place.

I bought a book last year titled "Chocolate & Baking". I didn't realise it at the time, but this book has all measures in grams and ounces. I am used to books that have measures in cups and spoons. So, for a long time, I just kept looking at the book. Earlier this year, I got myself a kitchen scale. So, I think I can start using this book more often now. This afternoon, I found a recipe for Miracle Bars that I modified. The original calls for coconut and I decided to use cornflakes instead. I have no idea why they're called Miracle Bars. Maybe the mystery will be resolved upon eating them.

100g butter, melted

125g Digestive Biscuits, crushed

175g Chocolate chips

75g Corn Flakes

125g Mixed Dry fruits and Nuts

400g can Sweetened Condensed Milk

A little butter for greasing the tin

Heat oven to 350F.

Grease a 9-inch square tin with butter and line it with butter paper. Pour in the melted butter and sprinkle the crushed biscuits over this. Add the chocolate chips, cornflakes and dry fruits and nuts over this mixture. Pour the condensed milk over this.

Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into squares. I guess these would taste like granola bars. I hope they turn out to be chewy bars as I just discovered S doesn't particularly enjoy the crunchy granola variety. I don't have enough time today to allow the bars to cool and cut them. They just got done and I've taken pictures without cutting.

I hope they are the tasty bars I want them to be. This is my last post for the day and I have to get ready for the wedding this evening. And if I don't post this now, I may be very late for the WBB and Nags will never speak to me. I send this to Nags for the "Weekend Breakfast Blogging #17", the theme of which is Corn Flakes. Happy hosting Nags.

Breakfast Burgers

In my post on potato pancakes, I talked about the elaborate breakfasts that we whip up together on weekends. Here is one of those. There’s equal participation from S in this and the omelette is in fact his creation. We can’t dream of making such stuff for breakfast on a working day, but a weekend is a completely different story.

To break away from the usual omelette, hash browns and juice/milkshake combo, we decided to make burgers. We had some buns lying in the house and so I got this great idea. The burgers weren’t the greasy, mayo filled burgers that one gets outside, but they were rich on the whole. And they kept us going for the next 5-6 hours.

For the omelette:

4 Eggs
2 Onions, finely chopped
1 Tomato, finely chopped
1 Capsicum, finely chopped
1 tsp Green Chilli Paste
1 tsp Mixed Herbs (Oregano, Parsley, Basil)
1 tbsp Coriander, chopped
Salt to taste
½ cube Low Fat Cheese, grated




For the Hash Brown Patties

1 cup Potato, grated
1 Onion, finely chopped
¼ tsp Green Chilli Paste
½ cube Low Fat Cheese, grated
¼ tsp Mixed Herbs (Oregano, Parsley, Basil)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Butter/Olive Oil for frying

2 Burger Buns

Beat the eggs until fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Heat some butter/oil in a frying pan and pour this mixture gently into the pan. Cook for a few minutes and flip over carefully. Cook on the other side for a couple of minutes. Remove from fire and keep aside.

Pat the grated potato on a towel until dry. Place in a bowl and mix the other ingredients with the potato. Form small patties and shallow fry in a pan using a little oil. Cook these on a slow flame so that the patties are evenly cooked.

Slit the burger buns in two. Apply a little butter to the cut side of the buns and toast on a griddle.

To assemble:

Take the lower half of each bun and place a piece of the omelette on top. Place the hash brown patty over this and cover with the upper portion of the bun.


Presenting your weekend brunch indulgence.

Off this goes to dear Kanch of Married to a Desi as my entry to WBB # 16.

And I have a long way to go before I start taking good pictures. But that’s not going to stop me from participating in the photography event hosted by blogosphere’s favourite couple. All my pictures, unless otherwise specified, are taken using the still picture setting of my small palm sized handycam: The Samsung Miniket VP M2100. Unlike most of my fellow bloggers, I use a 2.1 megapixel camera to take pictures. (I do have some pictures taken using a 3.2 megapixel Kodak camera as well.)

This last picture of the burger is the one I like best and I am sending this to Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi for their Click event.

Masala Appey

I can't seem to find a better name. The day that Nandita of Saffron Trail announced her Weekend Breakfast Blogging # 15, I had already made these for breakfast. So I knew exactly what I was going to send her.

I had some Akki Roti batter and some dosa batter in the fridge. Individually, these would not have been enough to make breakfast for two. But when mixed and converted them into masala Appey.

If you have some left over dosa batter, then you can whip this breakfast up in a jiffy.

1 cup dosa batter

1/2 cup Rice Flour

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Coconut, scraped

1 tsp Chilli Paste

2 tbsp Coriander, chopped

1 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

Heat the appey patra/kayli.

Mix all the ingredients together and drop a spoonful each into each mould. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with Chutney.

Nandita, this one's for you. Happy hosting.

Chocolate Chip Buns

Janmashtami is a very important festival for us. At my mother's family home in Bombay, there are Bhajan sessions each evening for 8 days and not just the family, but the entire neighbourhood gets together to sing. Everyday, the idol of Krishna is dressed in a different form and there is a different Prasad each evening. On the last day, the children come dressed as Krishna and the Gopis and they get little treats from everyone.

At my parents’ place, Srijayanti is celebrated on one day and it is all about food, really. Fruits, savouries and sweets. I wanted to try out a sweet dish today. I thought about several things. My friend Prajakta said she’d come visiting with her daughter and offered to bring some kheer. The traditional sweet dish had been taken care of. Though I've always wondered how these traditions have come to be. Who decided that Krishna likes only seedai or aval? We were told that and we accepted it. I thought that if the Dashavatars had existed in this day and age, Krishna would have loved Cadbury's just as much as he enjoyed butter.

God does exist everywhere. And on a festival such as Janmashtami, when children don beautiful costumes and become little Krishnas and Gopis, I decided to make a little something that kids would love. And since it has no egg, onion or garlic, even traditionally speaking, it becomes worthy of being offered as naivedyam. The little one who came dressed as a Gopi yesterday to my place was dressed as Krishna the day before. So, here's my little treat for dear little Krishna on his birthday.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Flour

1 1/2 tbsp Yeast

1 1/2 tbsp Oil

1 1/2 tbsp Sugar

3/4 tsp Salt

2 tbsp Chocolate Chips

3 tbsp Cocoa Butter Icing

1/4 cup Milk

1/4 cup Boiling Water

Oil for greasing bowl and baking tray

Coloured sugar confetti for decoration

Take a huge mixing bowl and place the oil, salt and sugar in it. Add boiling water and mix until the sugar dissolves. Add the milk now to bring the mixture to room temperature. Add the yeast and mix well. Add the flour, chocolate chips and 1 tbsp of cocoa butter icing and knead into a dough. Place the dough in a greased vessel and cover it with a damp muslin cloth. Allow to rise until double in size (roughly 45-50 minutes).

Knead the dough for a minute on a floured surface and then divide into 16 - 20 equal rounded portions and place them on a greased baking tray.

Allow to rise for 50-60 minutes and then bake in an oven at 400 F for 12-15 minutes.

When the buns are cool, spread a little cocoa butter icing on each and sprinkle with sugar confetti.

This is the stuff that dreams are made of. This was my first attempt at making sweet buns. The flavour was very similar to that of a chocolate doughnut and we could eat it with about 80% less guilt. Some of the buns have gone into the little one's tiffin for today and were also eaten for breakfast by S and his colleagues.

My first Janmashtami celebration cooking was a success. I'm sending this to Latha for her Janmashtami event. These buns were ideal for a breakfast on the go and I made them using left over Cocoa Butter Icing from S's birthday cake. So this is also my entry to the Weekend Breakfast Blogging # 15, the theme of which is Breakfast using Leftovers. WBB is the brainchild of Nandita of Saffron Trail and, after doing the rounds of different guest hosts' blogs, has come back to the Saffron Trail this month.

Yesterday was also the birthday of a very dear friend. Aarti: as promised, these are for you.