Black eyed beans Masala Vada.

We usually make masala vadas with Chana dhal. This recipe is different in that I have used black eyed beans. I tasted this dish for the first time in a friend's place made by a blogger friend of mine. I got the idea to use the black eyed beans and made it my way.

Ingredients:
Black eyed beans soaked- 2 cups.( reserve some beans as whole to put in the mixture to add crunch).
Onion finely chopped - 1 medium size.
Green chillies- 3-4 nos.
Cilantro/ coriander - 5-6 sprigs.
Clove and cinnamon powder- pinch each.
Oil to deep fry.
Salt.

Method:
Soak the black eyed beans overnight and drain them completely.
Grind the beans into rough mixture, not too smooth with no or  minimum water.
Chillies can be added when grinding the beans or add them chopped after grinding.
To the ground mixture, add the chopped onion, coriander, chillies, cinnamon-cloves powder , some whole beans, and the very important salt and mix well.
Make them into round vadas and deep fry them in oil till golden brown on both sides.
Use a medium flame as they get dark very soon if the oil is very hot.
Serve as is or with ketchup.

Healthy N Easy Oats Dosa.

Dosa is a favorite dish in my house hold. Traditional dosa is tasty but time consuming. Rice in traditional dosa has to be soaked for at least 3-4 hours/ takes time to grind. But this Oats dosa batter needs less time to prepare and oats instead of rice makes it very healthy too. Guilt free eating.

Ingredients:

1 cup of Urd dhal.

4 cups of Oats( rolled oats)

1 tsp of Methi seeds.

1 tb of Chana dhal.

2 tb of Beaten rice( poha/ aval).

Salt.

Method:

Soak  Urd dhal, Methi and Chana dhal in water for 1-2 hours.

Just before grinding the dhal mixture, soak the oats and beaten rice in water.

Grind the dhal mixture, once ground add the soaked oats /beaten-rice and grind the whole thing to make batter by adding required quantity of water.

Leave it over night to ferment. The batter is ready to make dosas.

Serve the dosa with traditional coconut chutney and chutney podi.

Carrot Raisin Cupcakes!!!

It's been so busy with kids and all their activities these days! Activities implies more exercise and more snacks in between meals to keep them going. Like most parents I have tried ready made snacks which I am not very happy giving them, hence tried making a snack for kids that can be healthy, tasty and filling.

Carrot Raisin cupcake is a basic cupcake recipe which I have modified to make it even more nutritious.

 

So here we go....

       

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour.
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder.
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda.
• 1 cup butter (Melted).
• 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt.
• 4 Grated Carrots.
• 1/4 cup each of chopped Walnuts, Raisins, Almonds and Chocolate chips.

 

Method:

 

Preheat the oven at 350F.

In a large bowl, take all the dry ingredients, except the carrots, nuts and choclate chips and mix them using a whisk.

Similarly mix all the wet ingredients together.

To the wet ingredients, add the dry mixture and carrots.

 Coat the nut and chocolate chip mixture with all purpose flour and add them to the  cake mix ( this prevents the nuts and chips from sinking to the bottom of the cake).

Mix the whole batter gently with a spatula. Do not over mix.

Line the cup cake pans with liners and spray them with cooking spray to avoid the cakes from sticking. Fill them with the batter

Bake the cup cakes at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or untill a tooth pick comes out clean.

Note:

You can also use whole wheat flour instead of All purpose flour, to make it even more helthy.

  

 

Kollu podi! Horse- gram powder.

These days I have been hearing a lot about horse gram and how it is not being used as much as it has to be!!!! Horse gram has a lot of goodness especially for people who would love to keep their body weight under control.

I got this recipe from another blog and have modified it slightly for my taste.This horse gram powder is very easy to make and can be used as a side dish with dosa/mixed with rice for lunch.

Ingredients:
Horse gram-1 cup.
Dry-Red chillies(adjust per taste)-6/7 nos.
Dry tamarind pulp-1small piece.
Asafoetida-1 pinch.
Salt.

Method:
Dry roast the horse gram, red chillies and tamarind seperately.
Allow them to cool completely.
Coarse grind them.
Store them in a dry container to be used for several days.

Note:
Mix this powder with oil and use it with dosa instead of chutney.
Mix this powder with rice and oil and enjoy.

Tangy Mango Rice.

March is the time for spring, It is also time for Mangoes! Not just slurping ripe juicy mangoes is a way to enjoy them, there are many dishes made from Mangoes.
I am sharing with you a rice recipe using mangoes, that is simply delicious!

Ingredients:
Unripened mango: 1( grated)
Mustard: 1 tsp.
Chana dhal: 1 tbsp.
Dry red chillies: 2-3 nos.
Chilli powder: 2 tsp(add according to your taste).
Oil: 4 tbsp.
Turmeric: 1 tsp.
Asafoetida: 1 tsp.
Curry leaves: few.
Rice: cooked and cooled (as required).
Salt.

Method:
Cut and grate the mango, leaving out the green outer layer(pic shown below).

• Cook the rice by adding less than 1:2 water/cool.(sticky rice is not good for this recipe).
• In a wok, add oil. To the heated oil, add mustard seeds, chana dhal and red chillies one after the other.
• After tempering, add the grated mango pulp to the tempered oil. 
• Fry the mango pulp in the oil for 5-6 minutes till it softens.
• As the mango softens in about 4-5 minutes add turmeric, chilli powder, asafetida and cook for few more minutes. 
• Continue to fry till oil separates from the mango and looks like the picture below. Add salt to taste.

The mango mixture is ready. Cool it down and then add the rice and mix well. Adjust the salt.
Garnish with fried peanuts.
Yummy tangy mango rice is ready. Enjoy with potato chips or papad.

Note:
The mango mixture as is can be used as a side dish with chapaties/paratas.
Mix enough mango paste proportionate to rice to get a good taste.

Easy Muruku!

Gone are the days where moms' and grandmas' used to make big batches of snacks at home. We all buy snacks these days, makes our job easy and quick! Not sure if they are fresh or good for us, which is a dilemma!!!! This easy Muruku can be made quickly and stored for few days.

Ingredients:
Rice flour:1 cup.
Besan flour: 1 cup.
Butter: 6 tablespoon.( room temperature).
Cumin: 1 teaspoon.
White sesame seeds:1 Tsp.
Salt.
Warm water.
Oil: to deep fry.
Green chilli: 1 slit in half.

Method:
Take a glass of warm water and soak the slit green chilli for 5-10 mins.
Take a large bowl, gently smooth the butter with your palm.
Add besan and rice flours into the bowl with the butter.
Season with salt. Add the cumin seeds and sesame seeds.
To the bowl add the chilli soaked warm water little by little to make the dough into a soft ball.
As shown in the picture.

Using a Muruku press make the muruku as big or as small as you like.

Deep fry them in preheated oil till golden brown on a medium flame.

Do not put too many at a time while frying.

Once done allow them to cool and store in an airtight container and enjoy with family.

Thai style Noodles.

I love Thai flavours, they really go well with the Indian palate. A good mix of  sweet, sour, salt and spice!! These noodles are great tasting and brings an exotic taste to the table without leaving home or going out to a Thai restaurant!

Ingredients:

Thai rice flat noodles.

Carrots: 2 small.

Bell peppers( red, green):1 each.

Green beans: few.

Roasted peanuts: 5 tbsp

Red chilli flakes: 1 tbsp.

Thai chilli: 2 no.

Peanut butter (creamy):  2 teaspoon..

Soy sauce: 4-5 tbsp.

White Sesame seeds: 1teaspoon.

Peanut oil: 4-5 tbsp.

Method:

The process of making these noodles begins with chopping all the vegetables into long thin sticks.

Cook the noodles separately in boiling water for the time mentioned in the packet till aldente.

Simultaneously when the noodles are cooking mix the soy sauce, and peanut butter into a smooth paste to be used later.

Dry roast the peanuts and remove the husk. Crush them into rough chunks.

To finally finish the dish:

Take a heavy bottom pan/wok, on medium high heat. Add oil, once the oil is hot add the chilli flakes, chillies and sesame seeds followed by all the veggies.

Stir fry the veggies till tender.

To the tender veggies add the cooked and drained noodles and soysauce- peanut butter mixture.

Mix well till combined, add salt to taste and finally garnish with roasted peanuts and serve hot.