Poha Upma

Poha (flattened/beaten rice) is rice that flattened into dry flakes. These flakes are soaked in water and swell up as they absorb all the liquid. In Indian cooking, poha has been used in sweet and savory dishes. There are several versions to the savory poha...you can add veggies or skip them, either way they taste good. One of my favorites is the savory poha that mom makes frequently. Mom makes this recipe without potatoes but I like to add them once in a while because it works well with the soaked rice and has a great texture. This version is also known as 'Kanda Poha' (onion poha) which is a popular Mumbai (city in Maharashtra, India)
street food. Coming to think of it, I guess mom used to make it often because of her influence from living in Mumbai until her teens. This recipe is quick and easy and the crunch from the peanuts makes it tasty...so don't skip it unless you don't like nuts.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups thick white poha, rinsed and soaked for 20 mins
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3-4 green chillies, cut lengthwise
1 medium potato, boiled, peeled & slightly mashed (or you can cut into small pieces)
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp urad dhal
2 tsp channa dhal
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Few curry leaves
2/3 cup skinless dry roasted peanuts, crushed (if you don't like too much crunch, reduce to 1/2 cup)

Method:

Rinse the thick poha and soak them in filtered water (just enough to soak the poha, roughly about 1 1/4 cup water) for 20-25 minutes.

In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dhal and channa dhal. 

After the mustard seeds start to splutter and urad dhal and channa dhal turn golden brown, add curry leaves, onions and green chillies.

Fry until onions are slightly brown, add turmeric powder and then mashed potato (optional). Mix well. Now, add the soaked poha and mix again until all of it is coated with turmeric.

Add salt and lemon juice and mix well. Add the chopped cilantro and crushed peanuts (make sure you don't crush them too finely) . 

If you like, you can also add fresh grated coconut to the poha. You can also make this recipe using red/brown rice poha. Toss well and serve hot.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Adai with Peanut Chutney

Adai (mixed dal/pulses) is a variety of dosa (crepe prepared from fermented batter made using rice and broken black gram) found in Southern India. It comprises of various pulses which makes it protein packed and satisfying breakfast/dinner. Every once in a while, I make them especially when I run out of the idli/dosa batter and grow a bit tired of eating the usuals. The use of asafoetida and ginger adds a nice flavor to these crepes as well as aids in digesting the different pulses.  

Adai is generally thicker than the regular dosa and not as crispy. In some places in southern india, it is served with avial (kerala-based dish made with vegetables in a mildly spicy yogurt-coconut gravy). Since, it tends to be a bit dense and flavorful on its own, you really don't need any accompaniment but coconut or peanut chutney works well. This dish brings back memories from my school days...every time mom made them, I used to enjoy them with chill-garlic sauce. No wonder I still like spicy and flavorful food..who doesn't???

Ingredients:

For Adai:

1/4 cup split & peeled mung/moong beans (broken green gram/moong dal)
1/4 cup whole mung/moong beans (whole green gram)
1/4 cup urad dal (broken black gram)
1/4 cup toor dal (red gram)
1/4 cup channa dal (bengal gram)
1/4 cup masoor dal (red lentils)
3-4 green chillies
4-5 dry red chillies
Few curry leaves
1/8 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp black  peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Salt, to taste
1/2 inch peeled fresh ginger (optional)

For Peanut Chutney:

2/3 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts
2 green chillies
2-3 tbsp fresh or frozen grated coconut
1/2 tsp tamarind paste (adjust to taste)
Salt, to taste

For tempering:

1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal
Few Curry leaves

Method:

For the Adai:

In a large bowl, soak all the pulses together overnight.

In a blender/mixer, take half the batch of soaked pulses, add 2 green and 2 red chillies,  little asafoetida, curry leaves, 1/4 tsp each of peppercorns and cumin seeds, 1/4 inch ginger and salt. Grind well into a medium coarse paste. 

Repeat the same for the remaining batch of pulses.

Note: Unlike the usual idli/dosa batter, this batter does not require any fermentation and can be used immediately.

On medium-high heat, in a flat pan (or tawa), take a ladle full of the batter and spread evenly into a circle and drizzle some oil on it.

Cook the dosa for few mins until it starts to turn slightly golden brown, flip to the other side and let it cook for 1-2 mins.  Remove from pan. 

Serve hot with peanut/coconut chutney or sambar.

For a variation, you can add chopped cilantro and some chopped red onions (raw or sautéed)  to the batter.

For Peanut Chutney:

In a blender, add the dry roasted peanuts, green chillies, grated coconut, tamarind paste and salt. Dry grind the ingredients and add  little water at a time and grind to a fine paste (might require up to 1/4 cup water..adjust based on the consistency). Add more salt or tamarind paste, if required. Pour the chutney into a serving bowl.

In a small tempering pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.  After the mustard seeds start to splutter and urad dal turns slightly golden brown, turn it off. Pour the tempering over the chutney. Mix well and serve.

Makes 8-9 dosas. 

Mung Bean Dhokla

Mung Beans (with & without skin) has always been an ingredient available in my pantry. Mostly, people use either of the variety in preparing dishes although whole mung beans usage is a lot limited. During growing up years, we tend to adapt to many things from parents that you wouldn't bother trying/doing on your own (moreover, I wasn't that inquisitive back then!!) and mung beans was probably one such unappealing ingredient to me. At home, mom used both varieties and normally reserved the whole mung beans to make pancakes (mung beans dosa a.k.a pesarattu) or in gravies. This is a recipe my grandma makes whenever I visit her and it never fails to serve as a good snack or replace even a meal as its packed with proteins. Being a vegetarian, my grandpa used to enjoy this dish and often called it 'veggie meat' because of its looks as well as texture. Although, he is not with our family anymore, this is dedicated in fond memory of him. So, here's to one of your favorites grandpa!!!

Ingredients:

For the dhokla batter:

2 cups mung or green gram dhal, soaked overnight or atleast 8 hrs.
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup red pearl onions
6-8 dry red chillies, adjust to taste
1 tsp cumin seeds 
3 tsp coriander seeds
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
Few curry leaves
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp oil
Salt, to taste

For  seasoning:

2 big red onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4 tsp urad dhal
Few curry leaves
3-4 tbsp oil

Method: 

In a pan, heat 2 tsp oil, add coriander seeds, cumin seeds and onions. Fry for few mins and then add coconut and curry leaves. Fry until golden brown. Cool and grind separately.

Grind the green gram dhal coarsely with salt and ginger. Mix the ground spice paste with the ground green gram dhal.

In a greased flat steel plate (or alternatively you can use greased idli plates and pressure cook without using the weight), add the ground paste and steam for 15 mins (in a deep pan, pour sufficient water and place the plate on a metal ring) or so. Allow it to cool and cut into small cubes.

In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and urad dhal. After the mustard seeds splutter, add the chopped onions, curry leaves and sauté for few mins until the onions turn translucent.

Add the steamed green gram dhal cubes and fry for few mins until they turn slightly brown. 

Sprinkle with chopped cilantro leaves. Serve.

Makes 5-6 servings. 

Bread Upma

Upma is probably one of the easiest and quickest south-indian breakfast/dinner variety. One of my favorites,  bread upma, brings back childhood memories of my snack-time during evenings after school. Although it is an easy recipe, the bread being the star of the recipe needs to be the right pick. The chosen bread (any variety of your choice) shouldn't be too soft (makes it mushy) nor too firm (makes it hard to chew on). If you have soft bread, stick it in the refrigerator for couple days until it firms up a bit and then use it in the recipe.All you need is some bread (with the rest of the ingredients from your pantry) and you can have a simple dish in no time!!

Ingredients:

20-25 slices of bread (I used a mix of whole wheat & white bread), cut into small cubes (approx. 4-5 cups)
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp urad dhal
2 tbsp channa dhal (optional)
2 tbsp mustard seeds
2-3 tsp chilli powder (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp tamarind paste (adjust to taste)
Salt, to taste
6-7 tbsp oil
1/4 cup  fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Method:

Cut the bread slice into small cubes and set aside.

In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dhal, channa dhal and curry leaves. 

Once the mustard seeds splutter, add onions and little salt (to cook the onions faster). Sauté the onions until they turn slightly soft. 

Add tomatoes and fry well till it gets pulpy. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Stir well.

Add tamarind paste (or lemon juice before adding cilantro) and 1/4-1/2 cup water and cook until the raw smell fades away.

 Add bread cubes and toss well. 

Add chopped cilantro and mix well. 

Serve hot.

For a variation, you can add some mixed veggies or boiled potato and make it more wholesome.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Quinoa Upma

Upma is a south-indian dish that is made from dry roasted semolina (most popular), fine/cracked wheat or vermicelli (thinner type of spaghetti). Upma is usually cooked with seasonings/ vegetables (optional) and can be prepared in several ways.

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a nutritious grain with edible seeds. It has a light and fluffy texture with a mild nutty flavor and resembles couscous (made from semolina). Quinoa is an excellent source of protein and is good option for vegetarian/vegans. Quinoa is very versatile and can be used as cereals, in soups/salads or as a substitute for rice. Apart from using it as a rice substitute, I frequently make schezuan quinoa (similar to schezuan rice) and quinoa upma. Its simple, healthy and a good way to get your veggies for the day !!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 green chillies, cut lengthwise
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
3 cups water (use in the ratio of 1 : 2, i.e., for 1 cup quinoa, use 2 cups water)
Salt, to taste
Lemon juice, to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (optional)

For tempering:

1 tsp mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp urad dhal
1 1/2 tsp channa dhal
2 tbsp light olive oil
Few curry leaves

Method:

In a pan, on medium heat, add oil (you can use 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp oil and add 1 tbsp water when frying the onions), add mustard seeds, urad dhal and channa dhal. When the mustard seeds starts to splutter and the urad/ channa dhal turn  slightly brown, add the onion, green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté until the onions turn slightly brown (add 1 tbsp water to fry them).

Add the mixed vegetables (if using fresh, cook the veggies until they are half done), turmeric powder, chilli powder and mix well. Cook the vegetables for 4-5 mins and until the raw smell of the chilli powder is gone. 

Add the quinoa and water and mix well. When the water starts to boil, add salt and lemon juice and cover with lid and simmer (on low flame) until the quinoa is cooked completely and the water is absorbed (takes about 13-15 mins). Add chopped cilantro and mix well. Serve hot with coconut chutney or your favorite pickle.

For variation, you can add different spices like garam masala/ curry / sambar powder instead of chilli powder.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Tofu Scramble

Tofu has been a common ingredient in Thai and Chinese cuisine, especially, if you are a vegetarian, most of the dishes have tofu in some form. Back home, when I tried tofu for the first time, I didn't like the taste much as it had a distinct flavor. But after I came to the U.S., it has been an ingredient that I started including more often in my cooking. I have used them in many forms from soups to desserts. A couple years ago, when I lived with my aunt's family, I had the chance to eat different kinds of foods which I wouldn't normally think of trying on my own. One day, she decided to make scrambled tofu for breakfast (FYI, it was exclusively for me as my aunt hates tofu). At first, I hesitated as I don't like the consistency of scrambled eggs and secondly, didn't know how the taste would turn out. Suprisingly, I enjoyed the scrambled tofu and ever since, it has been on my list of breakfast items. Generally, people use silken tofu to make this dish but I made some tweaks to my aunt's recipe and also used firm tofu as I like the texture better. This recipe can be used as a filling for a sandwich or you can make tofu rolls (similar to my paneer rolls) and coat it with crushed cornflakes or cornmeal (either fried or baked) to enjoy a crispy and protein packed appetizer.

Ingredients:

14 oz firm tofu (crush them with your fingers to get a crumbly texture)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
5-6 broccoli florets, finely chopped (fresh or frozen, if using frozen thaw before use)
3 green chillies, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
1 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste

Method:

In a skillet or a pan, on medium heat, add the oil, onions and green chillies. Sauté until the onions turn slightly brown.

Add the broccoli and red bell pepper and sauté until vegetables are half done (if you don't like the crunch, cook them longer). Add the tofu and stir well. Now, add the salt and pepper  and cook for 8-10 mins until the tofu is done.  Sprinkle some chopped cilantro and add the nutritional yeast and fry well for 1-2 mins. Serve hot with toasted bread. 

Makes 2 servings.

Wheat Oat Dosa

Dosa, a popular dish in south indian cuisine is usually made from a fermented batter of rice and black lentils. Mostly considered as a breakfast dish, dosas can be consumed at any time. They are usually served with a side dish of sambar (lentil curry) or chutney.

Every now and then, I try to cook healthy alternatives for rice-based dishes. Normally, I make wheat oat idlis and decided to use the base ingredients to make dosas instead. After making these dosas, I don't think I'll miss the rice-based dosas anymore. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup instant oats
1/2 cup cracked wheat (fine)
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 green chillies, finely chopped
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup water
Oil, for greasing the dosa

Method:

In a pan on medium heat, dry roast the instant oats until it turns light brown. In a bowl, add enough water to soak the oats for 20-30 minutes.

In the same pan, dry roast the fine cracked wheat for a minute until it gets heated. Soak the cracked wheat in a bowl with water (make sure you don't add too much water....just enough to immerse it) for 20-30 minutes.

In a blender, add the soaked cracked wheat and blend it to a paste but not too fine. Pour this into a bowl and keep aside. Now, blend the soaked oats to a fine paste and mix with the cracked wheat.

To the wheat-oat batter, add cumin seeds, green chillies, ginger, cilantro and salt. Mix all the ingredients and add little water, if the batter seems too thick. You can also add finely chopped onions to the batter, if you wish.

In a hot griddle or flat pan, pour the batter in small amounts and spread it out into a medium thin circle and fry on each side for few minutes with little oil (optional...you can use nonstick pan to avoid using oil) until it turns slightly brown. The dosa can be folded in half and served. Serve with sambar or chutney.

Makes 6-7 dosas.

Vada Curry

Vada Curry (Spicy lentil gravy) is a popular south indian side dish served with Idlis or Dosas. As I mentioned earlier, the only time I make an exception to eat Idlis is when I have the perfect side dish....one of which is vada curry.  The perfect blend of spices along with the right amount of heat makes this curry irresistable. For this recipe, you need to make the vadas - it can either be steamed or fried. Since, there is not much of difference taste wise, I normally steam the vadas which makes them healthier too.

Ingredients:

For the vadas:

1 1/2 cups channa dal (split chickpea lentil)
3-4 red chillies
3-4 green chillies
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2-3 cloves
1-2 cinnamon sticks (small pieces)
1/2 inch piece ginger , skin removed
2-3 cloves garlic, with skin
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5-6 curry leaves
Salt, to taste

For the curry:

2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
8-10 almonds
3-4 cloves
2-3 cinnamon sticks (small pieces)
2-3 bay leaves
3-4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
Chilli powder, to taste
Salt, to taste
Lemon juice, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp oil

Method:

For the vadas:

Rinse and soak the channa dal for 2 hours.

Dry grind the green chillies, red chillies, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and garlic to a fine paste.

Make a paste of the dal and the ground masala (split into 2 parts) and add salt. Grind coarsely and repeat for the second part of the dal and the masala.

Add the vada batter to finely chopped onions and few curry leaves. Make the batter into small round balls and steam them for 10-12 minutes.  Allow it to cool and set aside. (You can make them well ahead and freeze them. Defrost and use them, when required).

For the curry:

In a deep pan, heat 2-3 tbsp of oil. Add cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, chopped onions and fry well.

Now, add the slit green chillies, ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell fades away. Add the tomatoes and sauté till it becomes pulpy.

Make a paste with coconut, saunf and almonds. Add little water, if required.

To the tomatoes and onions, add chilli powder and fry for few minutes until the raw smell is gone. Now, add the coconut paste and 2 cups of water and allow it to boil.

After the curry starts boiling, add the steamed vadas (mash them slightly) and turn the stove to medium-low heat.

Add salt to the curry and lemon juice, if desired. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Mix well and serve with Idlis.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Wheat Oat Idli

Idli, a staple of south indian food is enjoyed by many. I have never been a fan of traditional idli and always found excuses to opt for something else. But, the only time I make an exception is when there is a right combination to go with it.

Recently, I came across a recipe which used Oats and Semolina that changed my opinion about Idlis. I tried out that recipe and it turned out to be soft and pretty good that I started recommending that recipe to friends and family. I wanted to try using Oats with cracked wheat as its similar in texture to the Semolina but a lot more healthier than its lighter counterpart. Being the healthy food that Oats is, it makes it all the more appetizing because of its soft texture when making these Idlis. One of the best things about this recipe is that you can make it instantly and store the leftover idli mix for later use.

Ingredients:

2 cups instant oats
1 cup cracked wheat, powdered to semolina (sooji) consistency
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
Plain yogurt, depending on the quantity of the idli mixture (typically, 1:1 ratio)
Oil, for greasing the idli plates

For seasoning:

1 tbsp oil
1 tsp chana dhal (split chickpea lentil)
1 tsp urad dhal (split black gram lentil)
1 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 green chillies, finely chopped
5-6 curry leaves
1/2 tsp grated ginger

Method:

Powder the cracked wheat to semolina consistency and set aside.

In a pan on medium heat, dry roast the instant oats until it turns light brown. Cool the oats for few minutes. After it cools down, in a blender or food processor, grind the oats coarsely (as oats grinds quickly, make sure you don't grind it too fine).

In a large bowl, mix the powdered cracked wheat and the powdered oats together. Add salt and baking soda and mix well.

In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dhal and chana dhal. When the mustard seeds splutters and the dhals turn slightly brown, add the green chillies, curry leaves and grated ginger.

Now, add the seasoning to the dry idli powder and mix well. In a mixing bowl, add the required quantity of the dry mix and plain yogurt (1:1 ratio) and mix well. Prepare the idli-yogurt batter just before steaming as it tends to thicken.

Pour the batter on the greased idli plates and place them in the pressure cooker and steam (do not use the weight) for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat, cool the idlis for 1-2 minutes and serve the idlis with sambar and/or chutney. 

For this recipe, I used 2 cups of the dry mix and 2 cups of plain yogurt which yields 16  idlis.

Makes 16 idlis.