Cracked wheat pongal

Are you a fan of cracked wheat like me? then this is a dish just for you. Even people who doesn't like cracked wheat would definitely eat this. You will never be able to tell the difference in this pongal. Pongal with wheat instead of rice might sound crazy but tastes great:) This is yet another simple recipe from my kitchen, please do try this and tell me how you like.



Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

1 1/4 cups cracked wheat
1/3 cup split yellow moong dal
4 cups water
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cashew nuts
pinch of hing
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ghee


Wash and soak the cracked wheat and dal together for 30 mins. Then cook them along with the water and salt in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles or on stove top till they are done.

In a separate pan heat the oil and ghee. When the oil is hot enough add the hing, cumin seeds, pepper and the ginger. When the cumin seeds start to splutter, add the cashews and fry till they turn golden then switch off the stove. Add this to the cooked wheat and dal and mix them on low flame for 2 to 3 mins. Serve hot with your favourite chutney, sambhar or kosthu:)

I am sending this yummy and healthy version of pongal for the "JFI:Wheat" event announced by Roma.

Vegetable Manicotti

I had never had lasagna or manicotti in any restaurant. The first I had those was when I made them at home. If there is some lunch meeting then mostly it would be pizza or lasagna for him. The first time he had the vegetable lasagna in their office, he liked it so much. I thought why not try them at home? The main reason I wanted to make them at home so that I could use all low fat versions of the cheeses and use healthy veggies. It came out really well and we both enjoyed every bite of it. Then I wanted to try the manicotti recipes also. I like manicotti better than lasagna because of its looks:) So here is the very simple and healthier version of my favourite recipe.



Ingredients:

6 Manicotti shells
1 tbsp extra light olive oil
1 cup chopped veggies(I used broccoli, zucchini and carrots, you can use mushrooms also)
1 garlic clove minced
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
2 cups store bought marinara sauce
1/4 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp red chilli flakes
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cook the Manicotti as per the instructions given on the back of your packet. I just cook them for 7 mins and rinse them in cool water. Set this aside.

Meanwhile heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 2 mins, stirring occasionally. Stir in the veggies, salt and 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes; continue cooking. When the vegetables turn soft and tender remove them from stove and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl add the ricotta cheese, parsley, cottage cheese and the remaining red chilli flakes. Stir in the vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly.

Spread 1 cup marinara sauce over bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish. Fill Manicotti with the veggie mixture; place in dish. Pour remaining sauce evenly over filled shells; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for another 5 mins or until the cheese is melted.



You can substitute chopped fresh/frozen spinach instead of the veggies.

Since this is one of the Italian recipes we love that is so easy to make. I am sending this to the "WYF cuisine event" hosted by Simple Indian Food blog.

Thai Vegetable fried rice

We both like Thai cuisine very much. I always feel that Thai food taste a lot like our Indian food. My husband's favourite dish next to briyani is this Thai fried rice. I make this for lunch regularly as it is very easy to cook and taste great. If you have noticed, most of the dishes I post here are very simple to make and needs less time. So definitely try these recipes and let me know your comments.



Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

1 1/2 cups uncooked Thai Jasmine rice
2 cups water
2 eggs
1 cup frozen vegetables(you can use fresh veggies also)
3 stalks of green onions chopped finely
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp sesame oil(if you don't have sesame oil, use any cooking oil)
salt to taste

For better taste and texture, cook and refrigerate the rice the previous day itself. Just wash the rice and cook along with little salt and 1/2 tsp oil(or as per the instruction given on the back of your rice package).

The next day whenever you are ready to cook, heat the oil in a wok. When the oil is hot enough add the slightly beaten eggs. Scramble them making sure that they don't burn and saute till they get cooked. When the eggs are cooked add the chopped onions and vegetables. Saute them for another 5 mins. Now add the cold rice, salt, soy sauce, pepper and garlic powder. Mix well and cook on high flame for 5 more mins, make sure you saute them continuously while cooking so that they don't get burned at the bottom. Garnish with little green onions and serve hot with any curry or just plain ketchup. We like to have them with spicy shrimp curry.

Microwave Plantain/Raw Banana chips

Everybody likes to munch something and when it comes to munching the best snacks is obviously "chips". But being health conscious/weight conscious you would like some better alternative to chips. These microwave plantain/banana chips would be one of the best mid-afternoon snacks at work as you can still enjoy chips without worrying. They are a little harder than the traditional fried chips but they taste equally good and definitely healthy. Just make them the day before and pack them to office so whenever you feel like munching you could have them:)



Ingredients:

2 Raw bananas/Plantains(You can use any variety, I used the raw version of the traditional nendram pazham)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil(any kind of oil can be used, I prefer Olive oil)

Boil the plantains in water for 15 mins. Take them immediately from water and let them cool. Once they are cooled just remove the skin and slice them thinly either using a knife or a slicer. Add the oil, turmeric powder and salt to the slices and mix them well so that they are evenly coated. Now spread them as a single layer in a microwave safe plate/dish. Don't overcrowd the plate as that would result in uneven cooking of the plantains. If you don't have enough room for all the slices just cook them in batches. Cook them on high for 8 mins, taking the plate out and stirring them after every 2 mins. Keep an eye on the chips during the last 2 mins to avoid burning. Allow them to cool completely so they would get crispier.

Since these are good and healthy alternative for the normal snacks, I am sending them for the "Sunday snacks - Grab n Go" event hosted by Pallavi.

Mouthwatering Chicken tikkas

As I have already told in my other posts, me and my husband both are big fan of any chicken dish. But for me if there is a recipe that doesn't need any time near the stove then its a real bonus:) This is one such recipe which is definitely a healthy and easy way to cook chicken. I still remember the first time I made this, I was so excited and happy the way it turned out. I make them very often at home as my husband is a big fan of this.



Seriously, doesn't it look gorgeous and inviting:) Even though I just now had it I couldn't help drooling on this

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
1/2 lb chicken breasts (use only the chicken breasts for this recipe)
2 tbsp yogurt
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp olive oil (you can also substitute butter but I always use Olive oil as it is heart healthy)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp amchoor powder
salt to taste
pinch of orange red color
4 to 5 bamboo skewers or stainless steel skewers(you get them in almost all the stores)

Clean and trim all the visible fat from the chicken. Cut them into medium sized cubes(a little bigger than you cut for any chicken curry). Now in a big bowl mix all the other ingredients except chicken for marinate. Whisk them with a fork so that all the spices come together. Now add the chicken pieces to the marinate and coat them well in the spices. Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator for minimum 4 hrs(or even overnight).

If you are using the bamboo skewers just soak them in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning. Pre heat the oven to 425 F. Weave the chicken pieces one by one onto the skewers. For a better presentation you can alternate cubed onions, red peppers and green peppers between the chicken pieces. Otherwise just weave the chicken pieces alone onto the skewers and bake them for 25 to 30 mins or until the edges start browning. Remove the chicken pieces from the skewers and serve them hot.



Definitely try them at home and if you have any questions or doubts just feel free to email me, I would be happy to help:)

Pepper Chicken 2

This is another one of my recipes for pepper chicken that is very different from the previous one. My little one was very sick for the last few days and so I couldn't spend much time in the kitchen. The whole Friday and Saturday he was running very high fever and both me and husband were constantly taking care of him. So on Sunday when he got a little better, I wanted to fix something quick for lunch. Then I decided on this pepper chicken which takes less than 30 minutes to cook and would require hardly 10 mins for preparation. I made this chicken along with rasam rice and it was very yummy.



Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

1/2 lb chicken breasts cubed
1/2 big onion sliced
1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste
1 tsp pepper powder(optional)
whole garam masalas - 2 cloves, 1 piece cinnamon, 2 bay leaves, 1 green cardamom

To grind into coarse powder:
3 red chillies seeds removed
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds

Clean and wash the chicken pieces and marinate them with the turmeric, salt and ginger garlic paste. Keep this in the refrigerator for at least 10 mins. Heat oil in a pan when the oil is hot enough add the whole garam masalas. Then add the onions and fry until they are soft. Now add the chicken pieces and saute for 5 mins. Then add the masala powder and mix thoroughly so that the chicken pieces are well coated with the masalas. Now cover and cook on medium to low flame for about 25 mins or until the chicken is cooked completely. If you prefer them a little hot then you can add 1 tsp pepper powder and mix well before turning off the stove. Serve this curry with rice or rotis.

Guilt free Simple eggless Chocolate cake

Do you want to indulge in the pure ecstasy of the moist chocolate cake without feeling guilty? Then try this wonderful recipe of eggless chocolate cake which would definitely win your heart. This is a very simple recipe, even a 10 year old can make this cake perfectly. So if you want a bite of this simple eggless cake, grab your mitts and get ready for the show:)

Ingredients:

(Yields one 9 inch round cake)

1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1 1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder (I like it with strong chocolate flavour, if you want you can reduce the quantity to 1/3 cup)

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt (just a pinch)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp non-fat yogurt

1/4 cup extra light olive oil

1 cup cold water

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan. In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda together. Add the sugar and mix well with a fork, so that all the dry ingredients are combined well. In a separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients (oil, yogurt, extract and water). Whisk them together using a wire whisk till they blend. Now add this to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the 9inch round pan and bake at 350F for 25 to 30 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy the cake with your favorite topping. You can also frost this cake.

Vazhapoo vadai/Banana blossom vada

On a rainy day what would be a better snacks than a hot vada. I had a banana blossom left in my fridge and hence thought I could use them. The banana blossom adds a nice taste and crunchiness to the normal masala vada. Yet another simple recipe that would be a definite winner in your family:)



Ingredients:

1 small banana blossom/vazhapoo
3/4 cup bengal gram/channa dal
3 small red chillies
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 small green chillies chopped (adjust them according to your taste)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Wash and soak the channa dal along with the fennel seeds for 30 mins. Meanwhile work on the banana blossom. Peel the outer layers and discard them. Just collect the small florets found inside each layer. Take a small bowl of water and add turmeric to that. Immerse the florets immediately in this water, otherwise they would turn black. Repeat this until you reach the last layer where there wouldn't be any more florets. Chop these florets into small pieces and immerse them in the water till you cook.

Drain the channa dal and fennel seeds and pulse coarsely in the blender few times along with the red chillies and garlic. Add the chopped onions, green chillies, salt and the chopped banana flowers and mix them well. Heat oil in a frying pan. Prepare vadas and deep fry them in the oil till they turn golden on medium heat. Serve hot.

Simple Potato fry

With all the running and chasing behind my little one, sometimes cooking is a real challenge for me. Especially preparing lunch during week days would be a little tough. So if I am making a last minute side dish for lunch then my first choice would be this simple potato fry. It takes no time at all to prepare this and taste great with sambhar, rasam, curd rice or lemon rice. After all who wouldn't love to cook something that taste great without any effort.



Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

2 medium sized potatoes
1 tsp sambhar powder
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Wash the potatoes and cut them into thick wedges along with the skin. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is not enough add the potatoes. Saute for 2 to 3 mins and then add the salt and sambhar powder. Sprinkle little water and mix well so that the potatoes are coated well with the spice.
Cover and cook on medium to low flame for 5 mins. Then again sprinkle some water and cook for another 10 mins stirring frequently. Serve hot as a side dish for rice.

Mouth watering Gulab jamuns

Gulab jamuns are the most popular dessert of our country. Those soft dumplings soaked in the sugar syrup would make anyone crave for more. Hot gulab jamuns along with ice cream is my husband's favourite combination. Its very easy to make these gulab jamuns from scratch. In India we used to make them with the khova. But after coming here I started using the non-fat dry milk instead of the khova. They are real treat for both our eyes and tongue: 0)





Ingredients:
(Yields 10 medium sized jamuns)

3/4 cup non-fat dry milk
2 tsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp ghee
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp +1 tsp yogurt
oil/ghee for deep frying

For the sugar syrup

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp cardomom powder
few drops of rose essence

Combine the dry milk, flour, baking soda and ghee together and start crumbling. Then add the Yogurt little by little and start to knead. The dough should be soft but not too sticky so just add enough yogurt to make the dough, don't add all at once. Cover it with a wet cloth or tissue and let it rest for 5 mins.

Mean while boil the sugar and water together to make thin sugar syrup. Add the cardamom powder and rose essence to the syrup for flavour.

Heat oil/ghee in a pan. When you fry the jamuns, the temperature of the oil is very important. It should not be too hot as that would cause uneven cooking. So to check if the oil is hot enough, just drop a pinch of the dough into the oil. If the dough stays down in the oil before rising to the top of the oil then you can start frying the jamuns at medium to low flame. While frying the jamuns make sure to keep stirring the oil with a spoon continously as that would ensure even coloring. Once they turn golden remove the jamuns from the oil and drain them on a paper towel. Let the jamuns cool before adding them to the sugar syrup. Add the jamuns to the hot syrup and allow them to soak for at least 1 1/2 hrs before serving. You can serve them at room temperature or slightly warm them before serving. As I told you earlier, hot gulab jamuns with ice cream is a killer combination so please do try them and let me know how you like it:)

Soya chunks and vegetable pulao

Soya chunks are good for the health. I try to make something out of them as frequently as possible. Today I made spicy soya chunks and vegetable pulao. It was really good and is very simple to make. I like one pot meals as they are easy to prepare and would require less oil and you could include as many veggies as possible.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Basmathi rice

1 cup soya chunks

1 cup mixed veggies (I used red pepper, green pepper, green peas and carrots. You can use any combination of veggies or just frozen vegetables)

1/2 medium sized onion chopped

1/2 tomato chopped

2 green chillies chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp yogurt

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp ghee

Whole garam masala - 2 cardamom pods, 2 cloves, 1 piece cinnamon, 2 bay leaves

Wash and soak the rice for 15 mins. Pre cook the soya chunks as per the instructions given on the box. I usually boil them along with 4 cups of water for 5 mins, then switch off the stove and keep them aside for another 10 mins. Then rinse them in water and squeeze the water out off them. It is very important to squeeze the water completely.

In a pressure cooker/pan heat the oil. When the oil is hot enough add the whole garam masalas. After they start spluttering add the onions and green chillies and saute till the onions turn transparent. Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Now add the tomatoes and saute for another 2 mins. Add the vegetables and cook them till they are half done. Finally add the pre cooked soya chunks, yogurt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt and mix them well. You can now add the rice and saute for few more mins.

If you are cooking in a pressure cooker just add the water and ghee and cook for two whistles or 10 mins whichever comes first. Alternatively after adding the water and ghee you can transfer the contents to a rice cooker and cook till they are done.

The aroma of the rice and soya chunks cooking will just make you hungry. It has an very nice flavour and taste. You might not even need any curry or side dish for this rice just serve them hot along with raita.

Easy Ragi Idiyappam

Ragi is a very good source of calcium and iron. I had seen people especially in villages taking ragi for breakfast. Including ragi in kids diet is very good for them. We introduce ragi porridge to babies even before they are an year old. As they grow you can start giving them ragi roti, idiyappam, puttu etc., at various stages. I had seen toddlers liking idiyappam a lot and so this is one way you can make them eat ragi.

This recipe is not only for the kids, even we can eat them at any time of the day. I usually make them as evening tiffin. It is a very simple and easy recipe, do try if definitely.





Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

1 1/2 cups of Ragi flour
1/2 cup of Rice flour
1 1/2 cup of water
2 tbsp of oil
salt to taste

Boil the water, salt and oil in a pan. When it comes to a rolling boil add the rice and ragi flour. Combine the flour with the water by stirring it in and switch off the stove immediately. Cover it with the lid and keep aside. After 5 mins gently knead to form a smooth dough. Meanwhile grease the idli/idyappam plates. Fill a murrukku/idiyappam press with the dough and press them into the plates. Steam for 7 to 10 mins or until done.

You can serve them with little grated coconut, sugar and cardamom powder for the kids. This also goes very well with vegetable stew, kurma, tomato masala and egg curry.

Feeding toddlers is definitely a challenging job. They have their own preferences. Sometimes I even bribe him with his favourite snacks to make him eat healthy food:) So when Padmajha annonced the "Tasty Bites for Toddlers" event, I got interested. I am eagerly waiting for the round up of this event, as it would be an excellent opportunity to learn different recipes for feeding the picky toddlers. And this recipe is a contribution from me for the event.

Tempting Boondhi Ladoos

In South India, Ladoos hold a special place among all the other sweets. Whether it's a wedding/ engagement/ baby shower or any other such occasion, you could always spot these "Ladoos". It is a custom in our place to send the bride to her in-law's place with lots of sweets and one such important sweet is Ladoo. I could still remember the ladoos, the cook made for my second sister's marriage. It was the best one I had ever tasted and everyone loved them.


My mom used to make them for Diwali, long time back. We used to have them for at least two weeks, even after Diwali. I remember coming from school eagerly for those ladoos. But as she got busy with our marriages she stopped making them at home.


I always prefer to make the sweets at home because it saves time and money. Also here its very difficult to get fresh sweets. This is a very simple and easy recipe for the yummy ladoos. I don't like if the ladoo is too dry, I usually prefer them moist and dense. I make very small batches of them as our evening snacks. You can increase the amount as per your requirement.



Ingredients:
(Yields 8 to 10 medium sized ladoos)

For the boondhi:
1 cup besan flour
1/2 tsp rice flour
pinch of salt
pinch of baking soda
Oil for deep frying

For the sugar syrup:
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp cardamom powder

you will also need:
1 tbsp broken cashews
1 tbsp golden raisins
1 tbsp ghee

Sieve the besan and rice flour and mix them together. Add the salt and baking soda to this mixture. Add water little by little and bring this to bajji batter consistency(Don't add too much water as the boondhi's will go flat). Now heat oil in a kadai or pan. When the oil is hot enough reduce the flame. Hold a boondhi strainer(I don't have one so I used normal spatula with small holes what we call as jalli karandi) near the oil. Pour one big spoon of the batter on the strainer and gently tap it with the spoon so that the boondhis will start falling into the oil. Don't hold the strainer/spatula too far from the oil as the boondhis will loose their shape and become elongated. Fry them on low flame. When they are 3/4th cooked, take them out from the oil and drain on a paper towel. Follow the same procedure for the remaining batter.

When you are finished frying the boondhis. Take the ghee in a small pan and fry the cashews and raisins until they turn golden. Keep them aside.

Now make the sugar syrup by boiling the sugar and the water till one string consistency. Add the cardamom powder to the sugar syrup. Now switch off the stove and add the fried boondhis, cashews and raisins to the syrup. Mix them well and let it rest for 5 mins. After 5 mins when they are still warm shape them into balls by pressing nicely using wet hands(make sure you don't burn your hands). Allow the ladoos to cool completely to hold their shape.