Upma

I am posting this recipe on my younger daughter's request. When she lived at home, she never really liked Upma. I usually made it for a weekend brunch and pretty much every time she used to be in tears.She did manage to eat some,very unhappily. I cannot really recall what on Earth made me continue to keep making it inspire of her dislike.

During our recent visit to see her, I was surprised by her request to make Upma for her. I must say,  I had to coax my husband and hop into three shops in pursuit of finding the right semolina. I prefer to use the medium one. I bought few onions. To my delight I found coriander and green chillies. I found it hilarious that the shopkeeper tried to weigh 4 chillies !

It was quite interesting to watch her relish every morsel of it. And I am so happy that she asked me to post the recipe.

Don't worry about all the optional ingredients.Just go ahead and make it with what you have in your kitchen . It will turn out delicious anyways.

• 1 cup semolina/sooji/rava (fine or medium variety) [If you want to,you can add part oatmeal to the recipe,for a healthier option]
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped finely
• 1 green chilly, sliced lengthwise (Optional)
• 1 tsp chana dal/split and skinned bengal gram (Optional)
• 1 tsp urad dal/split and skinned black gram (Optional)
• ½ inch ginger grated or chopped finely (Optional)
• 1 medium chopped tomato (Optional)
• 2.5 cups boiling water (more if needed)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds/rai
• 1 sprig of curry leaves/kadi patta (Optional)
• 10 to 12 cashewnuts/kaju or Peanuts ( Optional)
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (Optional)
• 2 tbsp oil or ghee
• salt as required
• A pinch of asafoetida (Hing)
• 1 tsp lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. prep up the ingredients for the upma - finely chop 1 medium sized onion, 1 to 2 green chillies and ½ inch ginger and some coriander leaves. also take the 8 to 10 curry leaves, 10 to 12 cashews or peanuts , 1 tsp chana dal and 1 tsp urad dal.
2. in a pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee or oil.
3. add 1 tsp mustard seeds.
4. when you hear the crackling sound of mustard seeds, it means they are getting fried.
5. now add the 1 tsp chana dal and 1 tsp urad dal.
6. fry till they begin to brown a bit
7. immediately then add cashews and begin to fry. by the time, the cashews get golden the dals would also get golden.
8. now add hing and the finely chopped onions. saute the onions till they become translucent.
9. then add the chopped green chilly, ginger, curry leaves. saute for a minute.
10. add rava,mix in and let it roast for few minutes taking care not to let it brown.
11. then add 2.5 cups water to this mixture. add salt as required.
12. on a medium to high flame, heat the water and let it come to a to a rolling boiling.
13. when the water comes to a full boil, lower the flame to its lowest.
14. the rava grains absorb water and thus swell and get cooked.
15. cover and allow the rava upma to steam for 2 minutes on the low flame.
16. then swtich off the flame. here the rava is cooked and the upma is ready.
17. lastly add about 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves and the lemon juice . stir well.
18. serve upma with coconut chutney or lime pickle. (If you have) or yoghurt.

Potato and Onion Patties

Potatoes and Onion Patties

Potatoes and Onion patties are very easy to make . All you need is a few boiled potatoes,chopped onion and spices available in your kitchen.


In an attempt to encourage the young generation to cook, I mark many ingredients as optional. I don't mean to indicate that don't buy all the ingredients.What I do mean is to be adventurous enough to cook with the least of ingredients instead of eating restaurant food.It'd emphasize that it will definitely be healthier and way cheeper than eating out.

TIP: Whenever you are boiling potatoes, boil a few extra and keep them in the refrigerator wrapped in a cling film.This way you need not worry about the time required to boil potatoes. They should be used the next day or at the most the day after.

These patties freeze pretty well too.


Ingredients: ( for 6 to 8 patties )

1. 3-4 medium potatoes - boiled , peeled and mashed
2. 1 medium onion - finely chopped
3. 2 green chillies - finely chopped (optional)
4. coriander - washed and finely chopped (optional)
5. 1 inch piece ginger - peeled and grated (optional)
6. Lemon juice ( 1-2 tsp,according to your taste)
7. salt to taste
8. Any oil to pan fry

Method:

1. In a large bowl , mix all the ingredients together.
2. Divide into mixture into equal sized balls , roll between your palms and gently flatten each ball.
3. Heat a griddle,preferably a non stick one. 
4. Fry each side using as little oil as possible 

 Accompaniment:

Coriander chutney
        or
Tomato Ketchup

Noodle Soup

NOODLE SOUP 

This recipe is as simple as it can be.
A perfect soup for a cold winter day, lunch or dinner or even a snack !

For this recipe, you don't really HAVE TO HAVE exact quantities of the ingredients. Depending on the vegetables you have handy, and the number of servings you wish to cook, you can vary the ingredients.

Ingredients:

1. Tom Yum Kom soup paste or cube  ( I prefer the vegetarian one)
2. Chilly garlic paste
3. Firm Tofu - cut into cubes
4. Broccoli - washed , divided into florets and cut into pieces
5. Spring onions or Onions - washed and chopped
6. Carrot - peeled and cut into bite size pieces or strips
7. French Beans - trimmed and cut into pieces
8. Spinach leaves - washed
9. Bean Sprouts - washed
10. Cabbage or Bok choi  
11. Boiled and drained noodles ( or spagetti or capellini or soba noodles )
12. any oil
13. Salt to taste (Add only after tasting as the Tom Yam Kom paste and Chilly Garlic paste both have salt  in them )
14. 200 ml boiling water per portion of soup

Method :

1. In a large pan or wok, add some oil and wait till it's hot
2. Stir fry the onions quickly
3. Add your selection of prepared vegetables except for spinach. Mix well, cover and cook on a low heat till cooked but not overdone.Stir occasionally.
4. Add Tom yam Kom paste according to your liking (add  half a tsp for each portion of soup.You can add more later if desired)
5. Add chilly garlic paste 
6. Mix well.
7. Add boiling water.Mix again.
8. Add the tofu and noodles and cook for 2 minutes.
9. Add spinach . It will wilt very quickly
10. If required,add salt to taste

Karela With Onion and Tomatoes

Karela or Bitter Gourd….A vegetable I found revolting as a kid, unaware of it's health benefits,relish it now. I do not like to mix in salt and turmeric powder and squeeze out the bitter juice. I prefer to add a bit more jaggery if required. Onions and tomatoes also help balance out the bitter taste.

The pictures are not so great as they were taken with a basic android phone camera.

Smoothie

      This is the result of investing in a NutriBullet. This is a smoothie made with Jona Gold apple along with the peels,grapes,banana  and strawberries. Simply delicious !! The best part of making a smoothie in a NutriBullet is that you don't have to strain it. It purees the peel as well as seeds boosting the fibre content.

Applesauce Muffins

Simple Veggies Stir Fry

Rava Dhokla,Paneer Capsicum Frankie with Coriander Chutney

Sambhar made with Masoor Dal

LENTILS EXPLAINED

                                                             LENTILS

Nowadays, the young generation is getting more and more into healthier options to stay fit and in shape. One of the most sought after diet appears to be Protein Diet. For vegetarians especially , the best source for proteins are lentils which along with their complex carbohydrate content can help reduce unwanted weight and simply by incorporating protein intake through regular meals, one can refrain from indulging into buying expensive protein powders and protein bars etc. available in the shops.
Protein and complex carbohydrates help maintain a steady blood sugar level resulting in alertness as compared to simple carbohydrate meals which spike up the blood sugar very quickly and reduce as quickly resulting in tiredness and inability to focus.

The easiest way to include protein into our diet is to opt for lentil based meals instead of simple carbohydrate based such as bread,pizza,pasta,white rice.