Tasty tiffins , Tastier snacks!

Rice Semiya Upma - many ingredients, but great taste!

I used Rice noodles. Rice sticks can also be used. Break the noodle to small (4-5cm) pieces.

Broken noodles - 1 cup

Water - 3 cups + 1 tsp oil + a pinch of haldi + little salt

To temper:

Oil - 4-5 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Roasted groundnuts - 2 tbsp

Cashewnuts - 7,8

Red chillies - 2

Gram dhal & urad dhal - 2 tsp each

Green chillies - 2,3

Curry leaves - few

Hing, salt

Lime juice - 2-3 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

To garnish - chopped coriander leaves & grated coconut-2 tbsp

Boil water as given.

Drop noodles, remove from stove & keep covered.

Open after 4-5 mtes & drain completely. Allow to cool.

In a kadai, heat oil & temper in the order given, adding drained noodles, sugar & salt .

Saute for 3-4 mts & switch off.

Add grated coconut, lime juice & coriander leaves.

Serve with any chutney & sambar.

 

Dill Dosa - something different!!

Raw rice - 2 cups (soaked overnight)

Thick poha - ½ cup

Freshly grated coconut - 1 cup

Chopped dill leaves - 2 cups

Minced green chillies - 2 tsp

Fruit salt - 1 tsp per 1 cup of batter

To serve - freshly grated coconut & jaggery

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 100%; mso-cellspacing: 3.7pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; WIDTH: 85%; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in" width="85%"><TABLE style="WIDTH: 100%; mso-cellspacing: 2.2pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; WIDTH: 93%; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in" width="93%">Drain and wash the rice.
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 1"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 2"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; WIDTH: 93%; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in" width="93%">Add the beaten rice, coconut, dill leaves, green chillies, salt and enough water to grind to a smooth paste.
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 3"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 4"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; WIDTH: 93%; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in" width="93%">Add the fruit salt and mix gently.
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 5"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 6; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; WIDTH: 93%; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in" width="93%">Heat a non-stick tava and grease it with oil.


Pour a ladleful & dpread to 5-6” diameter.


Cover with a lid & cook till golden & crispon both sides.


Serve with coconut & jaggery.

 

Barley-Oats-Sago kichdi - very healthy & filling!

Barley & Sago - ¼ cup each

Oats - ½ cup

Chopped capsicum or boiled corn - 2 tbsp

Chopped onion - 2 tbsp (optional)

minced ginger & green chillies - 2-3 tsp

Ajwain (omum) - ½ tsp (or jeera-1 tsp)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Grated coconut, lime juice - both to taste, optinally

Salt

Mix barley & sago & soak in 1 cup of water for 5-6 hrs. Drain completely.

Smear a little water on oats just to soften it; be careful not to make it ‘clumpy’.

Heat oil & temper ajwain.

Add onions & capsicum.

Saute & add the drained barley-sago.

Fry on high flame for 2 mtes & simmer.

Add oats, green chilli-ginger, salt & mixwell.

Cook for 3-4 mts on low fire.

Remove, garnish & serve with any chutney.

 

Crispy Cabbage Vadai - ideal for a breakfast meet.

For this, grind urad dhal to rava consistency – this is important to get crisp vadais.
Shred cabbage very thin.

Urad dhal - 1 cup

Shredded cabbage - 1 cup

Mince together:

Green chillies - 5,6

Ginger - 1 “

Hing, salt, curry leaves

Oil - to deep fry.

Soak dhal for 30 mts & drain for 1 hr or more.

Grind dhal without adding water – this is easy in the food processor.

Add water only in teaspoons to get the rava type consistency.

Add cabbage & minced ingredients & mix thoroughly.

Pat into vadais & deep fry in hot oil till crisp.

Serve with chutney.

 

Idli Cutlet - idlis can never be too much!


Use up the cold idlis rather than the fresh ones.
Sometimes idlis turn out “gooey”, when this cutlet comes handy.

Idlis, 4 (grate rather than mash) – 2 cups

Cheese grated - ½ cup (can substitute grated paneer).

Mince together:

Green chillies - 2

Ginger - 1”

Onion - 1 medium (optional)

Mint & coriander leaves - 2 tbsp each

Salt

Oil - to deep fry

Heat 2 tsp oil, temper jeera & sauté the minced ingredients till raw smell goes.

Add grated cheese & switch off.

Transfer to a plate, add grated idlis & very little salt.

Knead well & make balls.

Pat, dip in thin maida or besan paste, roll in bread crumbs & deep fry in hot oil.

It gets cooked fast because all ingredients are pre-cooked.

Serve with tomato sauce or any chutney.

 

Dill sweet idli - an aromatic dish!

Dill is also called ‘shepu’.

Finely chopped dill leaves - ½ cup

Raw rice, soaked for 4 hours & drained - 2 cups

Freshly grated coconut - ¼ cup

Poha, thick variety - ½ cup

Butter milk & powdered jaggery - each ½ cup

Fruit salt - 1 tsp per cup of batter

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 100%; mso-cellspacing: 2.2pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; WIDTH: 99.06%; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in" width="99%">Grind the soaked rice with the grated coconut to a thick smooth paste, adding a little water.
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 1"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 2"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; WIDTH: 99.06%; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in" width="99%">Wash the rice flakes, drain and add the buttermilk. Set aside for 10 minutes.
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 3"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 4"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; WIDTH: 99.06%; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in" width="99%">Grind the rice flakes in buttermilk to a smooth paste, add the jaggery and grind further till smooth. Add this to the rice batter.
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 5"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 6"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; WIDTH: 99.06%; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in" width="99%">Add the chopped dill leaves and salt and mix well.
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 7"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 8"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">Check the consistency and now add a little water only if required so as to get a thick batter.
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 9"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 10"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">Add the fruit salt to the batter and sprinkle a little water over it. Keep the steamer water boiling by now.
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 11"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 12"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">When the fruit salt starts bubbling, mix gently.
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 13"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 14"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">Spoon out the batter into greased idli moulds and steam for 8 to 10 minutes.
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 15"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">
<TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 16; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0in">Serve hot.

 

Jal Mudi - a Bengali snack.


In an airtight tin or in a big vessel, mix

Arisipori, haldi, chilli powder, roasted peanuts , salt & little oil till the pori is well blended with all ingredients. Keep this mixture in an airtight tin.

When serving add:

Finely chopped onion

Finely copped coconut pieces

Boiled & cubed potates

Finely chopped green chillies

Chopped coriander leaves

 

Majjiga Attu - an ILite kindly shared this recipe with me.

Raw rice-2 cups



curds-enough to soak



methi seeds-1tbsp



Cooking soda



For masala:



Onions-2 big



Redchillies + green chillies-5



Jeera - 1tsp



Ginger-small piece



Curry leaves -few



Just crush the masala ingredients in mixiefor 2 sec ,it shouldnt become paste,not even semi-paste.


Wash rice ,drain completely and soak rice ,methi seeds in curds till immersed for 6-8 hrs if curds are sour; otherwise for 1 day.



Next day grind it ,the consitency should be thick not loose.



Then add half a teaspoon of baking soda,crushed masala, salt and mix well.


Proceed the same way as for oothappam, it will be thick and super spongy.

 

Chilli Idli - oily, spicy, but extremely tasty!

Bedagi or Kashmiri chillis give lovely colour.

Use cold mini idlis or idlis cut into 4. Take 12 idlis.

Grind to a paste:

Red chillies - 6 (or to taste) – soak ill soft

Garlic - 5,6 pieces

Salt

Apply on the idlis & marinate for an hour.

Then shallow fry till raw smell of ground paste goes.

Temper in 2 tsp oil:

Chopped onions - 2-3 tbsp

slit green chillies - 2-3

Add the idlis & mix thoroughly on a low fire for a minute.

Remove & serve.

 

Lemony Pasta - a delight to kids!!

Cook small variety of pasta for this. Boil in plenty of water with 1 tsp oil + little salt for 5-7 mtes.

Drain refresh in cold water. Spread in a plate with greased palms. Proceed as for
Lemon Rice