Vegetable Daliya Khichdi

Healthy lentil,vegetable and broken wheat porridge

To make healthy and filling breakfast daily is really a task, though their are many easy recipes like bread toast, Bread poha , Grilled potato sandwich and many other easy and quick recipes The very popular Maharastrian dish-Aloo poha is also a very easy recipe to make and is my personal favorite . But if we want to make something healthy and filling then we have to do little extra effort. The new era's health food -Oats ,broken wheat, bulgur are quite filling and healthy and we can make a variety of dishes with these ingredients.

Daliya /broken wheat is made with unrefined wheat so its full of fiber ,vitamins, Iron, phosphorous and minerals.In past few years oats have became very popular world wide and now in India it also become a favorite and popular breakfast but they are quite expensive and not very easily accessible in small towns and centers.

Broken wheat/daliya is equally healthy and nutritious like oats though not as quick to make as oats.You can make many sweet and savoury dishes with daliya,sweet milk porridge - Daliya ki kheer, or can make- Daliya and vegetable upma which take few minutes to make.

Today I am sharing a delicious, healthy and filling vegetable, daal and daliya ki khichdi which can be served for breakfast, main meal and can also be given to small kids and patients as it is not only very healthy but also very easy to digest.You dont need any accompaniment to serve with this, its a complete one pot meal but if you want to make it more interesting then curd,papad and salad are preferred to serve along with this vegetable daliya khichdi

Prep time- 10 min
Cooking time - 15 min
Difficulty level - easy
Spice level - mild
Cuisine - North Indian
Type -breakfast, main
Serve - 4

INGREDIENTS-

• Yellow lentil/moong daal - 3/4 cups
• Broken wheat /daliya - 3/4 cup
• French beans/faras beans,chopped - 1/2 cup
• Carrot/gajar, chopped - 1/2 cup
• Peas/matar, shelled - 1/2 cup
• Tomato,chopped  - 1 medium (125 gm)
• Green chili /hari mirch, chopped - 1tbsp
• Ginger/adrak, chopped - 2 tsp
• Lemon juice /nimbu ka ras - 2 tbsp
• Fresh coriander,chopped - 3 tbsp
• Turmeric/haldi - 3/4 tsp
• Chili powder/lal mirch - 1.5 tsp
• Salt/namak - to taste
• Cooking oil - 2 tbsp

Tempering/waghar/tadka-

• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Cumin/jeera - 1.5 tsp
• Asafoetida/hing - 1/2 tsp

PROCEDURE-

1. Wash moong daal with water and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in the pressure cooker and add daliya ,1/2 tsp cumin and green chilis and saute till the daliya change its colour and become slightly whitish (for about 2 minutes)
3. Add washed daal, tomato, carrot, peas and french beans and stir.
4. Add salt,turmeric,chili powder and 3 cups of water and mix.
5. Pressure cook on medium heat for 3 whistles.
6. Open the cooker when cool down completely.
7. Add 2 cups of warm water and chopped ginger in the cooker and mix well.
8. Let it come to a boil on medium heat and then simmer for 3-4 minutes.
9. Heat ghee in a small pan and add cumin and asfoetida.
10. When cumin become red then add it in the khichdi and switch off the flame.
11. Add lemon juice and fresh coriander and mix.
12. Serve hot with a tsp of ghee on top.

Serving suggestions-taste best with plain yogurt, raita, salad and roasted popadam

My Notes-

1. I have used yellow moong daal but you can also make this with green moong daal, masoor daal or tuvar daal but avoid using urad daal or chana daal if you are making this for kids or patients as these two daals are quite heavy and not so easy to digest.
2. Can add any vegetable of your choice like chopped potato,cauliflower,corn ,squash, bottle gourd,spinach etc.
3. I have used 1/2 cup of each vegetable but you can increase the amount of vegetable if you wish.
4. If you want to make it little watery then add 3 cups or 3.5 cups of water at step-7

Moong Sprout Kachori

Crisp home made pastry shells stuffed with mildly spiced bean sprout filling

Kachoris are very popular breakfast and snack from North India.They are flaky and crisp shells made with refined flour, stuffed with either savory or sweet stuffing but savory version is the most popular version of kachoris.

They are often made on festivals,on every special occasion or can be made any day when ever you want to have some thing crisp and spicy. Kachories are easily available in all restaurants ,chat corners and on road side stalls.They are served with chutney, kadi or allo ki subzi depending on each city and region. In Rajasthan kachoris are served with kadi and in Uttar pradesh kachoris are served with sweet and sour kaddu ki subzi. and thin potato curry

They are usually made with refined flour/maida but can also be made with wheat flour or a mix of wheat flour and refined flour or even with multigrain flour. Stir fried spicy lentil or vegetable mixture is made to stuff inside the kachori and then the stuffed kachoris are deep fried on medium heat till golden and crisp.

There are so many variations and versions of making kachoris .If you love making kachoris then do check these kachori recipe from my blog -The popular  Urad daal ki khasta kachori  ,  Aloo ki kachori,  Corn kachori , Moong daal ki khasta kachori  and tangy and spicy Kachori chaat

Prep time-25 min
Cooking time -15 min
Difficulty level -medium
Spice level -medium
Cuisine-North Indian
Type-snack

INGREDIENTS-

For outer layer/puff

• Refined flour /maida- 2 cup
• Semolina /sooji - 3 tbsp
• Cooking oil- 4 tbsp
• Lemon juice- 1/4 tsp
• Salt /namak - to taste

For the stuffing-

• Bean sprouts /ankurit moong - 3 cup
• Potato /aloo, boiled - 1(medium)
• Mint leaves /pudina, chopped - 2 tbsp
• Fresh coriander,chopped- 2 tbsp
• Green chili /hari mirch, chopped - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric /haldi - 1/3 tsp
• Ginger /adrak, grated - 1tsp
• Mango powder/amchoor - 1.5 tsp
• Chili powder/lal mirch - 1.5 tsp
• Coriander powder /dhaniya - 1.5 tsp
• Garm masala - 1/4 tsp
• Salt /namak -to taste
• Cooking oil /tel - 2.5 tbsp
• Cumin /jeera - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida /hing - 1/4 tsp

PROCEDURE-

For the outer covering

1. Mix and sift flour,sooji and salt in a bowl
2. Add oil and lemon juice and rub to mix well
3. Add water and make a soft dough.
4. Cover and keep aside for 20 minute

For the filling-

1. Wash bean sprouts very well with normal water.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.
3. Add cumin,chopped green chili and asafoetida
4. When cumin start crackling add bean sprouts and saute for a minute
5. Now add turmric and salt and 1 tsp of water
6. Cover and cook on low flame till it get cooked but remain crunchy,don't over cook them.
7. Now add mashed potato and all the spices .
8. Stir fry for a minute.
9. Take out in a bowl and let it cool down completely.
10. Now add chopped mint and coriander and mix .

Making the kachori-

1. Knead the prepared dough to make it soft and pliable.
2. Make small size balls of equal size from the dough and keep aside.
3. Cover the balls with a damp cloth .
4. Take a ball and flatten it a little with the rolling pin.
5. Put about 1.5 tbsp of filling in the center.
6. Bring together all the sides and collect in the middle .
7. Close it and press it slightly,make sure it will seal properly.
8. Press the kachori with your palm to flatten it slightly.
9. Heat enough oil in a deep pan.
10. When it become medium hot then gently slide few kachoris in hot oil.
11. Now lower the temperature to medium.
12. The kachori will puff up then turn the side.
13. Fry it till it become golden from both the sides.
14. Drain the fried kachori on a paper napkin.
15. Serve hot .

Serving suggestions-Serve with green chutney and date and tamarind chutney.

How To Make Masala Dosa

Crispy rice and lentil crepes stuffed with a mildly spiced potato mixture. A South Indian classic.

If you ask me about my favorite snack or tiffin then I will take only one name - Masala dosa!! Though there are so many popular snacks and tiffin variety from Southern India but the crisp and spicy Masala dosa tops the list ,undoubtedly the most popular snack from South Indian Cuisine.Now it is not limited in India but is popular world wide.

Their are many snacks from South India which are healthy,easy to prepare and taste wonderful. From this same dosa batter we can also make Idlis which are steamed and are very healthy.The crisp and potato masala stuffed dosas are hot favorite of people of all age groups. Dosas are crisp pan cakes made by a fermented rice and lentil batter.A mix of regular rice and par boiled rice, white lentil /urad daal and little fenugreek seeds are used to make the batter.

 For making dosa you have to do some pre- preparation.The rice and lentil are soaked separately then both are ground to make a smooth paste and then left to ferment for minimum 5- 8 hours, the fermentation time totally depends on the heat of the climate.Then a stuffing is made with boiled potato,tomato,green chili and few spices .Poha /beaten rice,chana daal and tuvar daal is also added to add crispness and to give a nice golden colour to dosa,but this is optional you can add or just skip this.

Dosa is usally served with few accompaniments- Sambhar ,  Mysore rasam , tomato chutney and coconut chutney.

Prep time - 20 min
Cooking time - 15 min
Difficulty level - Medium
Spice level - Medium
Cuisine - South Indian
Type - Snack, Main Course


INGREDIENTS-

• Normal Raw rice /chawal  - 2 cups *
• Parboiled rice /ukda chawal - 1cup
• White lentil /urad daal - 3/4 cup
• Bengal gram /chana daal - 3 tbsp
• Pigeon pea / tuvar dal - 3 tbsp
• Beaten rice / poha - 1/4 cup
• Fenugreek seeds /methi dana - 1/2 tsp
• Salt /namak - to taste

For potato masala-

• Boiled potatoes /aloo - 4 (300 gms)
• Tomato/tamatar ,chopped - 1/2 cup
• Green chilies /hari mirch, chopped - 1.5 tsp
• Ginger /adrak, chopped - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder /haldi - 1/2 tsp
• Chili powder /lal mirch- 1 tsp
• Lemon juice /nimbu ka ras - 2 tsp
• Fresh coriander /hara dhaniya- 2 tbsp
• Salt /namak - to taste

Tempering-

• Cooking oil /tel - 4  tbsp
• Mustard seeds /rai - 3/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds /jeera - 1/4 tsp
• White lentil /urad daal - 1tsp
• Bengal gram /chana daal - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida /hing - 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves /kadi patta -8

PROCEDURE-

To make the dosa batter-

1. Wash rice and dal and then soak both rice together and all the lentil and fenugreek seeds in a separate container for about 5-7 hours.
2. Then reserve some water in which you have soaked urad daal as we will use this while grinding it.
3. Drain the remaining water and wash the soaked dal and rice with clean tap water.
4. Now grind the soaked daal with some water and make a smooth and fluffy paste of pouring consistency.
5. Remove the ground daal paste into a big container.
6. Now add soaked rice in the mixer jaar, add some water and grind to make a smooth paste.
7. Add the ground rice paste in the same container.
8. Add salt and mix it well.
9. Cover the container with a loose lid and keep it in a warm and dark place.
10. The batter will take about 8-12 hours to ferment and in winters it may take some more time.
11. When it become almost double and you see bubbles on the surface then its ready to use.

To make the stuffing-

1. Peel the boiled potatoes and mash them into small pieces.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the urad daal,chana daal,mustard and cumin seeds.
3. When cumin start to crackle then add curry leaves asafoetida and chopped green chilies.
4. Stir fry for few seconds.
5. Now add chopped tomato and salt and stir.
6. When tomato become little soft then add turmeric and mashed potatoes.
7. Add all the spices, 1.5 tbsp of water and saute to mix all.
8. Add chopped coriander and lemon juice and mix.
9. Remove in a bowl and keep aside.

How to make dosa-

1. Take the  fermented batter in a bowl and mix well.
2. Add some water if the batter is too thick,as it should be of pouring consistency.
3. Take a non stick or heavy iron griddle /pan.
4. Apply few drops of oil over the pan and wipe with a moist cloth or paper napkin.
5. Pour a laddle ful of batter on the medium hot griddle and spread it on the tawa in a thin round circle.
6. Let it cook for few seconds till it change its colour and become light golden in colour.
7. Spread a tsp of oil around the dosa and 1 tsp over the dosa.
8. Flip the dosa and cook from other side for  few seconds.(this step is optional)
9. Flip it again and put about 3-4 tbsp of potato masala in the center and fold it from both the sides.
10. Serve hot with coconut chutney, sambhar and malaga podi

MY NOTES AND TIPS-

1. You can also add boiled green peas and broken cashew pieces in potato masala at step-3.
2. Instead of using oil you can use ghee or butter  to roast the dosa, it will enhance the taste.
3. Use a big container to keep the batter as it will increase twice or thrice in volume after fermentation and may spill over from a small container.
4. The batter should not be very thick or thin ,it should be of pouring consistency ,the crispiness also depends on the right consistency of the batter.
5. Normal raw rice - use the rice which you use on daily basis,it need not be basmati rice, any short grain, medium grain or broken rice can be used and if you don't have par boiled rice then can use normal rice only.
6. The left over batter can be easily stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days .
7. The fermentation time depends on the heat in the climate ,it will ferment sooner in summers but in winters it may take quite some time to ferment .
8. Chana daal and tuvar daal gives a nice golden colour to the dosa.
9. Addition of poha makes the dosa crisper but this is optional.
10. I prefer to use a heavy iron skillet /tawa to make dosa but you can also use hard anodized skillet or a non stick pan to make dosa, all works well , but grease the iron skillet/tawa well before using.
11. Keep sprinkling few drops of water on the tawa or wipe the griddle with a damp cloth after making each dosa to bring down the temperature else the dosa will stick to the pan and become difficult to spread properly .

Idli Miligai podi /Malga podi

Flavorful and delicious spice powder made with roasted lentil and spices

Milagai podi or malgapodi is a popular powder/chutney/podi of every south Indian kitchen.It is a nice accompaniment to serve with dosa ,idli,adai and vada. When ever I go to any south Indian restaurant  I love the malgapodi more then the chutnies served with idli and dosas.

When I met a south Indian friend of mine she shared her family recipe with me.Though there are many recipes to make malga podi and every family has their own traditional family recipe but the main ingredients remains the same, just different ratios of ingredients or few more or less ingredients to be added . Addition of tamarind and jaagary is optional ,you can add or skip both.

Traditionally Malga podi is served mixed with little sesame oil but you can use ghee or have plain like I do. Idlis smeared with malga podi and ghee taste wonderful and also very good to pack in kids lunchbox .I loved it with plain steamed rice or even with roti and parathas.This spicy and flavourful podi goes well with almost every thing, it is also a very good accompaniment as a dry chutney and easy to carry along for travelling and journey.

Prep time -20 min
Difficulty level - easy
Spice level - medium
Cuisine - South Indian
Type - powder,side
yield - 1.5 cup

INGREDIENTS-

• Bengal gram /chana dal -1/2 cup
• White lentil /urad daal -1/2 cup
• Kashmiri red chilis/lal mirch -10
• Sesame seeds / till - 1 tbsp
• Whole coriander seeds/sabut dhaniya -1 tbsp
• Salt /namak - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida- /hing - pea size
• Dry tamarind /Imli -1 tbsp
• Jaggary /gur -1 tbsp
• Cooking oil - 1 tsp
• Whole pepper corn /sabut kali mirch - 10
• Dried curry leaves-10

PROCEDURE-

1. In a pan add oil and both lentils/daal.
2. Roast till they become red in color.
3. Now remove the roasted daal from the pan and keep aside.
4. Add sesame seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns in the pan and dry roast till they give a nice aroma.
5. Remove from the pan and keep aside
6. Add 1 tsp of oil in the pan and add red chilies and roast for a minute on low heat.
7. Add curry leaves and asafoetida and stir for few seconds and remove from the pan.
8. Let  the ingredients cool down completely.
9. Grind the roasted ingredients, jaggary, salt and tamarind  in the mixer to make a coarse powder.
10. Store in an air tight jar.

Serving suggestions-Mix with little ghee or sesame oil or use just as a dry powder to serve with idli,dosa or vada.

NOTE-

Addition of jaggary and tamarind is optional,depends on individual taste and preference, tastes great both ways.