Rava Rotti - a traditional Karnataka dish

Breakfast, on most weekdays for me, is something quick and easy. I do try and make it as nutritious and protein packed as I can so that we have a healthy start to the day. It is on weekends that I am really able to try out elaborate dishes that sometimes also double up as brunch. This  rava rotti, though not an elaborate recipe by itself, does require some time, mostly because the dough needs to rest for a while. Packed with vegetables, this is quite a filling meal by itself, or paired with any simple chutney. I had it for the first time at a friend's house and it is there that I learned that this is a traditional dish from Karnataka.

What you need:
Rava/Sooji/semolina - 2 cups

Carrot - 1, grated

Cucumber - 1, skinned and grated

Spinach - 1/4 cup, chopped fine

Onion - 1/4 cup, chopped fine

Green chilli - 3, minced

Coriander and curry leaves - a little, chopped fine

Oil - 1 tbsp

Water 

Salt

Take the all the vegetables in a large bowl. Mix in the rava and salt. Add water, a little at a time and knead into a loose dough. Mix in 1 tbsp. of oil. Cover and leave aside for at least an hour, but if possible, for 3-4 hours. If the dough is not loose after the resting period, add some more water and knead again.

Take a banana leaf or any oiled surface to which the dough will not stick. Pinch out a large golf ball sized piece of dough. Place this on the oiled surface and pat into as large a circle as you can without tearing it. Turn this over onto a hot tawa. After a few seconds, peel off the banana leaf. Since I do not have access to fresh banana leaves, I used a special type of paper called holige paper, which is non-stick in nature and can be turned on to a hot surface without burning. Spoon some oil over the rotti and on the sides. Flip over and cook the other side as well. The rotti is done when the color changes from white to a creamish yellow shade and both sides have brown spots.

This is best eaten hot. It can be eaten as is or with peanut or coconut chutney or pickle.

Note:

• The addition of cucumber makes the rotti soft. If you do not add it, the rotti will turn brittle.
• It is important to rest the dough for at least an hour. The longer you let it rest, the softer your rottis will be.
• Any other greens of your choice can be added.

This is my entry to Week 4 of Blogging marathon #85 under the theme breakfast dishes from different places.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Whipped cream cheese spread

I usually do some prep work over the weekend to make life on weekdays easier. One of the things I make is this whipped cream cheese spread.  Served with toasted bagels, this makes for a quick and tasty breakfast.

The ingredients I use vary from time to time, based on what vegetables I have on hand. The veggies that I use most commonly are onions, spring onions (the white and green parts can be used), bell peppers of different colors, and carrots.
The recipe, if you can call it that, is pretty simple. Take whipped cream cheese in a small mixing bowl. Add in the vegetables of your choice. Chop the vegetables as finely as you can to make it easy to spread. Add a dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well. This stays good in the refrigerator for up to two days. It goes really well with bagels and can also be used as a sandwich spread.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM
This also goes to This is for Valli's Kid’s Delight event, guest hosted by PJ themed on Quick / Innovative Breakfast

Mixed vegetable salad with a tangy spicy dressing

Of the three salads that I've made for Blogging Marathon #58, this one is my favourite. Loaded with colorful vegetables and crunchy toasted peanuts, this salad hits the right notes with a dressing that is tangy, spicy and mildly sweet.

What you need :
Cucumber - 1, peeled and cut into long, thin strips
Carrot - 1, cut into thin long strips
Tomato - 1, cut into thin strips
Onion - 1/2 of a small one, sliced fine
Capsicum - different colors - sliced thin and long, 1/4 cup
Corriander - a handful, chopped fine
Salt - to taste

For the dressing :  (This dressing, in my opinion, is the best part of this salad. Make sure to spoon plenty of dressing over each individual serving of salad)


Tamarind - a gooseberry sized ball soaked in water. Extract 1/3 cup of thick juice from the soaked tamarind
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp

Mix the tamarind extract, sugar and chilli powder in a large bowl. Stir till sugar dissolves.
Add all the other ingredients to this and mix well.
Toast a handful of peanuts in half a spoon of oil. Add this to the salad and toss. Serve immediately to retain the crunch of the peanuts.

Carrot payasam / carrot kheer

No feast in India is complete without a dessert. In a typical Kerala sadya (feast), dessert takes on the form of payasam/kheer. Palada pradhaman, arguably, is the best dessert from my home state.
This year, for Onam, I wanted to try something different and that is how this carrot payasam took shape in my kitchen. Having tasted it a few times before, I relied on my taste buds and memory to recreate it.

What you need :
Carrot - 3, washed, peeled and cut into large pieces
Milk - 3 cups
Water - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup *
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp (or 3 pods of cardamom)
Almonds - 8-10

Take 1 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of water in a pressure cooker. Add the carrots and almonds to it and cook until one whistle. Then reduce the flame to low and cook for another five minutes. Once the pressure settles, let it cool and then grind to a smooth paste. Set aside. Boil the remaining milk in a saucepan. Add sugar and cardamom. Once it boils, switch of heat and let it cool slightly. Add the carrot mixture to the slightly cooled milk and heat for a few minutes on low. Garnish with some slivered almonds.
This tastes great both warm and chilled. It is a quick and simple recipe to have on hand when a craving for something sweet strikes or when unexpected guests make an appearance.

Note : Do not add the carrot mixture to boiling hot milk as the milk may curdle. Also, do not boil the milk after adding the carrot puree to it.
* If you like your desserts  super sweet, you may need to add more than half a cup of sugar. I would suggest starting with half a cup and then, adding more if you feel it is required.

Seven years of blogging and savoury muffins

This blog completed seven years of existence on June 30th. I remembered, but just didn't have the enthusiasm to sit down and type out a blog post to commemorate this milestone. Every now and then, I go through a stage where though I have a lot to say on the blog, I just don't feel like sitting and typing it all out. How I wish there was a software that would create a blog post just by listening to me speak. Now that would be truly something, wouldn't it?
I am hoping to shake off the inertia by participating in Blogging Marathon #31. The theme I have chosen is Non-Indian breakfasts and that is what you will see on the blog for the next three days. 
Breakfast, to me, has to be something filling and nutritious. No Chocos or Corn flakes for me - I cannot stand eating something sweet in the morning. These savoury muffins are nice to look at, soft and moist in texture, and taste really good. Your imagination is the limit when it comes to deciding what goes into this muffin. Here's a look at all that went into my muffins.

What you need:
All purpose flour/maida - 1.5 cups
Grated vegetables - 2 cups (I used cabbage, carrot and onion)
Curd - 3/4 cup
Olive oil - 1/3 cup
Salt - to taste
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (or to taste)
Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Egg - 1
Baking powder - 3 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Take the flour, baking powder and grated vegetables in a large bowl. To this, add cumin powder, red chilli powder, oregano and salt
In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, curd and oil. Add this mixture to the flour mixture. Mix well. Add baking soda and mix gently but thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 175 degrees centigrade. Grease a muffin pan and spoon in some of the mixture into each depression. Sprinkle some sesame seeds or rolled oats on top of the batter and bake for 15-18 minutes.
These can be baked beforehand, refrigerated and then warmed up the next day for breakfast.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#31

Carrot corn curry

I was all set to make Mallika Badrinath's Carrot corn masala for dinner tonight, when I found that I didn't have over half the ingredients required for the gravy. However, since I had already gotten it into my head that I was going to use corn and carrot, I proceeded with the ingredients I had on hand and slowly,a new dish took shape. As I went along, I kept adding stuff to the gravy.....almost every masala in my pantry has been thrown in. At one point, I even thought of adding the two idlis that were left over from this morning's breakfast, but then, better sense prevailed.
The result, if I may say so myself, is quite a satisfactory curry and I am making note of it here so that if at some point in future I want to, I will be able to recreate it.

What you need:
Corn kernels - 2 cups
Carrot - 2, diced
Grind together:
Corriander - finely chopped, 1 cup loosely packed
Green chilli - 2
Tomato - 2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp
Corriander powder - 3/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Take carrot and corn in a microwaveable dish. Add 1/2 a cup of water. Cover and cook for 8 minutes or until done.
Grind all the ingredients under the "Grind Together" list into a smooth, thick paste adding as little water as possible.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a kadai. Add cumin seeds. When they sputter, lower the heat and add the ground paste. Add half a cup of water, stir well and let it boil until aromatic. Add the cooked corn and carrot along with a cup of water and salt. Let it simmer on low heat until the mixture thickens.

Serve with roti/puri.

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing BM#5 along with me  Curry in a hurry under 30 min: Aarthi, Divya, Me, Kaveri, Pavani,Seven Days of Indian Sweets:Gayathri, Priya Suresh,Seven Days of Microwave Meals: Monika,Seven Days of Regional Specials:Harini, Vaishali, Suma, PJ Seven Days of Colorful Dishes Kid's Special: KalyaniSummer Coolers: Jayasree, Kamalika, Srivalli

Tomato soup

I started this blogging marathon with a soup and today, on the last day of the marathon, I have another bowl of soup to serve.
My daughter, like many other kids her age, often gets cold and cough. When she falls ill, she refuses to eat rice. At these times, soup comes to the rescue. Lentils, vegetables, even a little bit of rice.....all these can be added to make a healthy soup. The soup that I have made today is a basic one that includes some vegetables. The vegetables can be changed according to your choice.

What you need:
1 large, juicy tomato
1 small carrot
Cabbage - a few large pieces
Pepper corns - to taste
Salt

Microwave the tomato, carrot and cabbage for 5 minutes or until well cooked. Let it cool. Add peppercorns and salt. Blend till smooth. I usually do not strain my soups or remove the skin of the tomatoes. You can do that if you choose to. Also, the soup I serve for my daughter is thicker in consistency than what I would make for myself because I feel that it is easier for her to drink and less messy.
Warm the soup up and serve topped with some butter or a dollop of cream.

Do take a look at my fellow marathoners' kitchens....Srivalli,
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma,  Pavani,PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena

Sindhi curry

What is it that makes people spit out of their vehicle windows, while waiting for the traffic light to turn green? Is there some kind of saliva reflex that kicks in as soon as they see a red light? People traveling by bus are the worst....they have no concern for the poor bike rider who may be waiting at an unlucky spot just outside their window. Trains are no better...if you happen to sit near an open window, and the breeze is blowing in your direction, there's no telling what you might be coated with by the time you get off the train. Today, I saw a person spit out paan no less than three times while waiting at a signal. If that statement made you go Ewwwww....I don't blame you. Why is it that our people who can't stop exclaiming how clean Singapore is, seem to develop 'dog-sees-tree-and-lifts-its leg' instincts as soon as they see a bare wall? Will things ever change?
I have a little notebook at home where I jot down recipes from TV shows, library books and any other thing that catches my fancy. This curry is from that little notebook and there's a little note on it to tell me that it is from a TV show. It is called Sindhi curry....though I have no idea if it is of Sindhi origin. It is probably like "Indian" curry powder that is sold abroad. However, it is extremely simple to make and tastes quite good. It is quite healthy too, considering that only a tsp of oil is used, and lots of veggies go into it.

What you need:
Ladies finger - 6-8, chopped into longish pieces
Carrot - 2, diced
Potato - 1, peeled and diced
Tamarind - a lemon sized amount soaked in warm water
Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeera - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida/hing - 1/4 tsp
Besan/gram flour - 4 heaped tsp
Water - 3-4 cups
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli - 1
Ginger - a fairly large piece, peeled and cut fine
Curry leaves - a few
Red chilli powder - as required

Cook carrot and potatoes and keep aside. Cook ladies finger in thick tamarind extract until soft.
Heat a tsp of oil. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds sputter, add the besan, reduce the heat and stir fry until it starts turning brown and gives out a good smell. Slowly add water, stirring all the while so that no lumps are formed. If you do see lumps, break them by pressing against the side of the pan using your ladle. Add the green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, turmeric powder and salt and let this boil for 3-4 minutes. If needed, add some red chilli powder. Add the cooked vegetables and let it boil until the curry thickens.
I had this for lunch with rotis and then again for dinner, with wheat rava idli.

Microwave carrot halwa

A few days back, my daughter(the little girl referred to as LG in my other blog) and her friend were playing, when this conversation started.
Friend : Do you eat chicken?
LG : No, I don't
Friend : We don't eat chicken 'coz we are brahmins
Lg : Repeats what the friend said
I was left speechless.
A small,innocent conversation between a four year old and a five year old left me wondering if the divide that religion creates in our minds will ever be bridged.
The LG has no idea what a Brahmin is or for that matter what a Hindu, a Christian or a Muslim is. To her, a temple is a place where the respective God is prayed to and a Church is a temple where people pray to Jesus.
The conversation that got me thinking deeply was promptly forgotten by the two kids as soon as the microwave beeped, signaling that LG's favourite carrot halwa was ready.


What you need:
Grated carrot - 3 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Ghee - 2-3 tsps
Almonds - 1/4 cup, thinly sliced
Raisins - 1/4 cup (soaked for a few minutes in water, to plump them up)

Take the grated carrots, sugar and milk in a large, microwaveable dish. Smooth the carrots down with a spatula to make sure that it is completely immersed in the milk. Heat on microwave high for 12 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well and heat for another fifteen minutes on high, stirring the halwa every five minutes to ensure even browning.
Tastes delicious eaten hot off the oven or cold.

Palak pulao

I love making pulao. Not for its taste, aroma, flavour or any of those things that often find a mention when you talk about pulao. All that is only of secondary importance to me. The numero uno reason why I love this dish is because it is so E.A.S.Y to make. Take some rice in a cooker, throw in veggies of your choice, spices.....fry it in some ghee, add water, salt and pressure cook. Doesn't get simpler than that, does it? You don't even have to cook up a fancy curry to go with it. Just pair it with some papad and raita/curd and you have a complete meal and just one pot to wash.
The palak pulao that Iam blogging about today is adapted from Tarla Dalal's Iron Rich Recipes. The original recipe calls for sweet corn. Having none, I substituted that with carrots.
What you need:
Spinach/palak - 1 bunch, washed and chopped fine
Carrots - 3, chopped
Onion - 1 large, chopped
Green chilli - 2 or 3
Black peppercorns - a few
Cinnamon - a small piece
Clove - 4
Cardamom - 4 pods
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Rice - 1 cup
Water - 2.5 cups

Wash rice, drain water completely and set aside. Heat 2 tsp of ghee/oil. Add cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and peppercorns. Stir until fragrant. Now add in the green chilli, and onions. Fry until onions become translucent. Add the spinach and carrots. Fry for a few minutes. Then add the rice, water and salt. Mix well and pressure cook until one whistle.
If you can get somebody to chop the veggies and clean up after, that will make it all the better :-)