Rava Idli - Back to blogging??!!

Everyone must be tired of hearing me say, 'I am back'.. It is fun to hear it from Arnold again and again,

Aval Upma

Most of you, who are reading my blog for sometime now must have known my love for Upma. I know, it is sometimes boring, dull and irritating. I have a big list of "I-hate-Upma" buddies! But to me, it is an ultimate comfort food, when I am not in a mood for an elaborate meal. Sometimes it is for breakfast, most of the time I even have it for lunch!

So presenting you one more Upma from my cook book, Aval Upma or the ever-famous Kanda Aloo Poha!

Aval Upma
Flatted rice cooked with Potatoes, Onions and spices
What we need:
Aval / Poha / Flattened rice - 2 cups
Potato, medium sized - 1
Onion, medium sized - 1
Curry leaves - 1 few sprigs
Red Peanuts - a handful
Green Chillies - 1 or 2, minced
Mustard - 1 tbsp.
Jeera (Cumin) - 1 tbsp.
Chana dal - 1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Oil - a tbsp.
Salt - according to taste

How to do:
1. Wash, clean and soak the Aval/Poha with very little water for about 10 minutes. Ideal way is to leave them damp after cleaning.
2. Heat oil and add mustard, followed by Jeera and Chana dal. When the dal starts to brown, add the curry leaves, turmeric powder, green chillies, red peanuts and onion.
3. Fry till the onions turn soft and throw in the diced potatoes. Add salt.
4. Fry for a couple of more minutes till the potatoes are well-cooked.
5. Now slowly add the soaked Aval/Poha and stir gently so that the spices are incorporated and the poha is not broken.
6. Leave it for a minute and remove.

Garnish with coriander if desired and serve hot. It is a simple, stand-alone dish and doesn't need any side, but still you can serve it with some yoghurt.

See you all soon with an interesting Guest Blogger!! Till then, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging! :)

Arisi (Kurunai) Upma

Is this something to do with the weather? I have started justifying the word Couch Potato. I am literally lying on the sofa doing nothing the whole day! And you know what? Sometimes, it is fun! Once in a while I pamper myself with this eat-something-do-nothing phase..

Coming to the recipe, Arisi Kurunai Upma is a complete, wholesome meal by itself. Arisi Kurunai is nothing but broken rice. It is also called as "Noi" in tamil. As for preparation of this broken rice, a simple procedure would be to :

Wash the rice and drain it completely. Leave it for half an hour and then pulse (remember not to grind) it in the mixer twice or thrice. This helps in getting a coarse texture.

Over to our recipe..

Arisi Kurunai Upma
Broken rice tempered with mild spices
Serves 2
What we need:
Broken rice - 1.5 cups
Moong dal - 2 tbsp.
Water - 3 cups
Coconut, scraped - 3 to 4 tbsp.
Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp.
Cumin (jeera) - 1 tbsp.
Urad dal - 1 tbsp.
Chana dal - 1 tbsp.
Dry Red Chilli - 2 or 3
Salt - according to taste
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - a sprig
Coconut oil / Cooking oil - 1 tbsp.

How to do:
1. Soak the moong dal in warm water for 10 to 20 minutes. If using store-bought broken rice, wash it well.
2. In a deep-bottomed vessel or pressure cooker, heat a tbsp. of oil and add mustard seeds.
3. When it crackles, add cumin, urad dal, chana dal, red chillies, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.
4. When the dal turns light brown, add 3 cups of water and salt as needed.
5. When water starts boiling, add the broken rice, soaked moong dal and coconut scrapes.
6. Cover with a lid and cook until the rice is done. It should take around 15 minutes. If using pressure cooker, let it give out 2 to 3 whistles.

Garnish with fresh curry leaves if desired and serve with chutney / Gothsu (recipe follows). IMHO, it tastes best with a dash of pickle! To impress the kids, all you have to do is shape them into nice round balls! Like this!
T&T Ginger Rasam from A2Z Vegeterian Cuisine:
Rasam is indeed a comfort food for most of us. That too, with a running nose and sore throat, nothing can be more filling as a warm bowl of rasam! Ginger is also an effective ingredient to send sore throat packing (Remember the vicks ad, where the sore-throat-devil gets chased away!) So when the lovely ladies @ A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine came up with this Ginger rasam, I bookmarked it and tried it almost immediately. I strictly prohibited myself from making any alterations to the original recipe. Man, flu or no flu, it was so wonderful! Thank you dearies, for the yummy rasam!

Now, competing the shower of snow outside my window, is the shower of awards in my blog. Sorry buddies, I am very late in acknowledging some of them.
Swarna passed on to me
Devi, Sowmya, Indu (a.k.a) kitchen queen shared with me
Sowmya also showered me with
Thank a ton friends, it means a lot to me!
See you all soon with another interesting post! Till then, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging!

Chutney Upma

If you are wondering if it is a typo as the title says "Chutney Upma" rather than "Upma and Chutney".. NO, it is not! When I say "Chutney Upma", it is upma made with chutney as base! Now without saying, you must have understood that this is one of my so-called kitchen experiments during the mid-morning crisis* that resulted as a delicious breakfast /tiffin item worthy enough to be blogged about.

Mid-morning crisis - A recurring phenomenon that occurs during weekends and holidays, when you sleep late and wake up ravenous and not knowing what to eat to appease your giant-hunger! ;)

Green Chutney is not new to us; it is a multi-purpose chutney that can used as dips for samosas, toppings for chaat, spread for sandwiches, marinade for tikkas, base for pulavs and what not!! Here is one more use of this delicious chutney.

Since this recipe is something I accidentally found, (I am sure I haven't seen or heard of it before!) this delicious Chutney Upma finds its way to Sanjana's Create for a Chilli Chopper. Sanjana's KO Rasoi is a great blog with a wonderful collection of recipes, so don't miss it!

Green Chutney

What we need:
Fresh Coriander leaves - a bunch, cleaned
Fresh Mint leaves - a handful (almost equal or 3/4th of the coriander leaves), cleaned
Ginger - 1" inch, deskinned
Green Chillies - 2 or 3, according to your spice tolerance
Cumin (Jeera_ - 1 tbsp.
Oil - 1 tsp.
Lemon juice - a few drops
Salt - a pinch
Asafoetida - 1 tsp.
Garlic - 1 pod Optional

How to do:
Grind together all the ingredients to a fine paste with very little or no water. Add a pinch of salt if you are planning to store it for sometime. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate.

If you have sharp eyes, you probably noticed the red pieces sticking out the chutney. Since I ran out of green chillies, I just cheated the system by using red chillies (not the dry ones, though!)

I mix a tbsp or 2 Yoghurt or thick curd to use it as a dip or chutney.

Chutney Upma
Serves 2
What we need:Vermicelli / Semiya - 2 cups
Green Chutney - 5 to 6 tbsp.
Oil / Ghee - 1 tbsp.
Cumin (Jeera) - 1 tsp. Optional
Salt - according to taste
Water - 3 cups
Chopped Onions - To garnish

How to do:
1. Roast the vermicelli or Semiya till it turns light brown and set aside. If you are using roasted vermicelli, proceed to Step 2.
2. Heat oil or ghee and add the Cumin. This is also optional since our chutney has enough Jeera.
3. When they start to sputter, add the green chutney and reduce the flame. Fry it for about a minute or 2.
4. When the raw smell starts to leave, add water and salt. Remember our chutney has a little salt, so adjust accordingly.
5. When water starts boiling, add the roasted vermicilli or semiya, cover and cook until the Semiya is done.
Transfer to the serving plate, garnish with chopped onions and serve with a cup of curd!

Rajma Masala from Nithya's blog
Last night for dinner, I tried the Spicy Rajma Masala from Nithya's 4th Sense Samayal. Check out Nithya's blog (I am sure most of you would have, she is pretty famous!); she has a mouth-watering collection of recipes with excellent presentations!

Needless to say, Rajma masala was delicious and lipsmacking! Only change I did was to saute the onions before grinding them with garlic, because somehow the white onions I get here turn bitter if I grind them without sauting! Thanks Nithya for sharing it with us.

Now time to acknowledge the awards; Babli has passed on to me

Thanks dear; I am honored, as always!! I'd like to pass it on to my newest blogger buddies: chakhlere, Sowmya, Shubha, my Kitchen, Preeti Kashyap, Padhu . Please accept it friends!

See you all soon with another interesting post. Till then, Happy cooking and happy Blogging!

Masala Dosai with Amma's Sambar

Now all of you, say with me...."I LOVE DOSA".....! What?? No? Who was that?? Could there be possibly anyone who doesn't love dosa??? Me and V can have dosa for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack... or even midnight munch!!! ;) I am fairly good at making dosas, thanks to my "Prestige" non-stick dosa-tava, with which making dosa is as effortless as eating it! (No no, I am not a marketing agent for Prestige!!!!)

This Sambar is amma's version. It is not the usual Sambar and I don't know where she got the recipe, but it is an absolutely delicious combo for Dosa and Idli. Try it for yourself and let me know! Now no more talks, only action!!

Masala Dosai

What we need:

For Batter:

Rice - 4 cups

Urad dal - 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds - 1 tbsp.

Salt -as needed

Water - as needed

For Masala:

Potaotes, medium sized - 2, boiled and peeled

Onion, medium sized -1, finely chopped

Green chilli - 1 or 2, minced

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Oil - 1 tbsp.

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.

Cumin - 1 tsp.

Chana dal - 1 tsp.

Ginger, grated - 1 tbsp.

Salt - as needed

Coriander - for garnishing, optional

How to do:

Preparing the batter:

Wash well and soak rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds for 5 to 6 hours, preferably overnight. Grind together to a fine smooth paste. Add enough water, salt and dilute to the desired consistency. Leave it overnight for fermentation.

For the Masala:

1. Heat oil and add mustard, followed by cumin, chana dal.

2. When they are done, add the chopped onion, turmeric powder, grated ginger and green chillies. Fry till the onion turn soft.

3. Mash the boiled potatoes to a coarse texture, giving them a rustic shape. Add this to the pan, along with salt and mix well.

4. Remove from the flame, garnish with coriander and let it cool.

Preparing the dosa:

1. Heat the tava or griddle to high. To check the heat, sprinkle some water over the tava. It should sizzle immediately.

2. Now pour a ladle full of batter, and slowly spread it to form the dosa shape. Add a few drops of oil/ ghee around it.

3. After 3 to 4 minutes, (if you want it golden brown, leave it for a minute more), flip to the other side.

4. After the other side is done, flip back again. Take a spoon full of potato masala, keep it on one side of the dosa. Slowly roll the dosa (use another spoon to hold other side) and transfer to the serving plate.

Sambar for Idly / Dosa

What we need:

Shallots / Small Onion - 5 to 7

Tomato, medium sized - 2, chopped

Carrot - 1, diced

Dhania - 2 tbsp.

Red Chilli - 2 or 3, depending on your spice tolerance

Roasted gram / Pottu Kadalai - 3 tbsp.

Tamarind extract - 3 tbsp., extracted from a marble sized ball

Oil - 2 tbsp.

Mustard - 1 tbsp.

Salt- as needed

Water - as needed

Coriander - to garnish

How to do:

1. In a pan, heat a tbsp of oil and roast red chillies and dhania. When they are done, add half of the shallots / small onions.

2. When they start to turn soft, add half the chopped tomato and stir till they pulp.

3. Let this cool and grind them along with the roasted gram.

4. Heat oil again and add mustard. When they start to pop, add the remaining small onions. Fry till the turn soft. Now add the carrots and stir well.

5. When the carrots are done, add the remaining tomato, salt and stir. When the tomatoes turn soft, add the tamarind extract, half a cup of water, followed by the ground masala from step 3.

6. Bring to a boil and remove from the flame. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Serve together the dosa, Sambar and Coconut chutney and relish it as you sing..."I love Dosa" :)

Happy cooking and happy Blogging!!

Pori Upma / Mor moraalu Upma

It was one of those lazy monday morning when my mom-in-law and I were sitting across the dining table, in comfortable silence, sipping our morning coffee.

Me: What for breakfast ma?
MIL: Hmm... Shall I make Pori upma?
Me: Pori?? Oh, you mean Aval upma?
MIL: No, I mean Pori upma. I saw the packet of Pori you bought for Bhel Puri. I'll make Upma with that.
Me: Oh, I have never heard of it!! Err... Can I take a picture of it?

It was then I came to know this typical Andhra dish made with Pori (Tamil) or Bhel (Hindi) or Mora moraalu (Telugu) as it is called. Commonly known as Puffed rice, Pori is a staple food in many parts of North Karnataka, Bengal and Bangladesh.

Pori Upma
Puffed rice Upma
Serves 2

What we need:
Pori - 2 cups
Onion, medium sized - 1
Green Chilli - 1, minced
Potato, medium sized - 1, diced into small cubes
Ground nuts - a handful
Chana dal - 1 tbsp.
Mustard - 1 tbsp.
Cumin (Jeera) Seeds - 1 tbsp.
Curry leaves - 1 or 2 sprigs
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Oil - 2 tbsp.
Coriander - for garnishing
Water - to sprinkle

How to do:
1. Heat oil in a pan, and add mustard and turmeric powder. When mustard starts to pop, add cumin and chana dal and groundnuts.
2. Whent the chana dal starts brown, add the onions, green chilli, and curry leaves. Add salt.
3. Cook till the onion turn soft. Now sprinkle some water in the bowl of Pori and mix well with your hand. Do not add too much water or else pori will become soggy.
4. Add the pori to the pan and mix well.
5. Remove from flame and garnish with fresh coriander.

This is a very light meal and doesn't need any side dish at all. But you can serve it with little yoghurt as an accompaniment.

Egg Dosa

Like any other child, I used to be very rebellious when it comes to eating food.. But take me to a restaurant; I'd happily munch down dosas, chole baturas without complaining. I wasn't particularly fond of any rice items and used to survive on MAGGI and dosa, to an extent! ;) This Egg dosa was born out of such desperate attempt of Mom to make me eat egg. So when she served me this, I thought it was dosa and gulped it down without a second look! Now years later, I still love that dosa.

It doesn't taste much like egg when eaten hot (unless you are an avid foodie, can't make out much difference!). Do try this out, and let me know your comments.

Egg Dosa
Rice based Pan cake cooked with Egg
Makes 3 to 4

What we need:
Dosa batter - 2 to 3 cups
Eggs - 1 or 2
Oil - as needed
Salt - as needed

How to do:
1. Break the eggs in a bowl and beat them well. Salt them lightly if needed.
2. Pour this mixture into the bowl of Dosa batter and mix well.
3. Make dosas as usual.

Serve with tomato or chilli sauce.

Peas Semiya Upma

Semiya upmaaaaaa......mmmmm..... Thats how V and me drool!! I love all varieties of Upma as they are very light and easy to make. In fact, my MIL has introduced me to much more new varieties which never existed even in my imagination.

Now here is a simple semiya upma recipe with good nutritional value. As most of you know, adding vegetables make the upma all the more healthy and visually-appealing. So here we go with our Peas Semiya Upma.

Peas Semiya Upma

Vermicilli cooked with peas and onion

Serves 2

What we need:

Semiya / Vermicilli - 2 cups

Onion - 1 medium sized, finely chopped
Frozen/Fresh Peas - 1 cup

Green Chillies - 2 to 3, minced

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.

Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp.

Salt - as needed

Corainder leaves - to garnish

Water - 3 cups

How to do:

1. Roast the vermicilli in a spoon of oil, till they start turning red. Here I have used roasted vermicilli.

2. In a pan, heat oil and add the mustard. When they start to pop, add cumin seeds.

3. When they are done, add onions and green chilli and fry till the onions turn soft.

4. Add water, salt. When the water starts to boil, add the roasted vermicilli and peas.

5. Cover and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes.

6. Remove from flame and garnish with corainder.

Serve with pickle or yoghurt.