Ragi Vermicelli Upma

 It some times takes many years for us to understand what is good and what is bad for our health. Simple healthy choices in our day to day cooking like swapping rice with wheat or barley, white bread with brown bread, using whole grains and pulses can create wonders to our overall health and well being.

I was very fond of vermicelli, used to have vermicelli upma atleast twice in a week. But vermicelli is made up of white flour, which we all know is really bad for our health so now my normal vermicelli has been swapped with Ragi vermicelli which is made up of wheat and ragi flour. I have used Anil Ragi Vermicelli, because this is the only Indian brand which I know is available here in Dubai. Also I always use equal quantity of vegetables and vermicelli to make this upma, making this super healthy to start the day. 

Ingredients: ( Serves generous 2 plates )

Ragi Vermicelli - 1 Cup

Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp

Split Black Gram - 1 Tbsp

Onions - 2 Medium sized chopped

Ginger - 1 Inch piece grated

Green Chilies - 3 chopped

Mixed Vegetables Like Carrot and Peas- 1 Cup ( Boiled )

Peanuts- 2 Tbsp

Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs

Salt- To Taste

Lemon Juice - 1 Tbsp

Oil - 1 1/2 Tbsp

Procedure:

• Soak vermicelli in 5 cups of room temperature salted water for 2 or 3 minutes. Drain the vermicelli.
• Steam the vermicelli in greased idli plates for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove vermicelli from the plates and keep aside.
• In a pan add oil and once the oil heats up add in mustard seeds. As soon as mustard starts cracking add split black gram and peanuts. Fry them till peanuts start cracking.
• Now add onions, ginger, green chilies and curry leaves. Fry till onions turns translucent.
• Add in boiled vegetables and salt to taste, mix everything together.
• Now tip in the steamed vermicelli and combine everything. Close the pan's lid and let the upma cook for 3 or 4 minutes.
• Take off the pan from heat and pour lemon juice in the upma and mix. 

Serve hot. 

Barley Grits Upma/ Barley Grits Savory Porridge

Upma is one of the most popular breakfast in any Indian household. Semolina or vermicelli upma used to feature regularly in my kitchen and once a while cracked wheat upma was made and enjoyed. But now a days barley has become my family's favorite grain and we enjoy it in many forms, be it the rotis made with added barley flour, barley dosa, barley soup or this barley upma. Rice can be easily substituted with barley in most of the dishes like pulao and khichdis too.

This recipe was given by Sangeeta Khanna whose diet plan I follow. She told me to make barley dalia upma but bless my ignorance those days, I combined cracked wheat and pearl barley to make the most unappetizing upma. That was then she introduced me to cracked barley or barley grits. And now there is no slipping back to semolina or vermicelli. 

Ingredients: ( Serves 2 )

Barley Grits - 1/2 Cup

Water- 1 1/2 Cups

Onion- 1 Large ( finely chopped )

Ginger- 1/2 Inch Piece ( grated )

Green Chilies - 2 ( finely chopped )

Carrot - 1 Medium Sized ( cut in small pieces )

French Beans - 10-12 ( finely chopped ) 

Green Peas - 1/4 Cup

Tomato - 1 Small chopped

Peanuts - 2 Tbsp

Oil - 1 or  1 1/2 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds- 1 Tsp

Urad Dal ( Split black gram ) - 1 Tbsp

Salt- To taste

Juice of 1 small lemon

Coriander Leaves - To Garnish

Procedure :

• Switch on the gas and take a pressure cooker and keep it on heat. Add oil and once it heats up add in mustard seeds. After the mustard seeds crackle add split black gram and peanuts. 
• When peanuts start cracking add chopped onions, ginger, green chilies and saute till onion turns translucent. 
• Add carrots, beans, peas and let it all cook for a minute or two stirring in between.
• Now add barley grits mix well and let it cook for few minutes. Keep stirring else barley may stick to the cookers bottom.
• Pour water and add salt and tomatoes. Mix well. 
• Put back the lid of the pressure cooker and let the upma cook in medium flame till 2 whistles come. Take the pressure cooker off the heat and let the cooker cool for some time before opening the lid.
• Open the lid and add in lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mix well and serve hot.

Barley grits is available in Dubai at  Down To Earth Organic Store.

Vegetable Barley Soup

I have grown up with a love hate relationship with soups. My mother never made soups for us at home...basically the whole concept of soups was very alien to her. Being a Tamilian and growing up in Kerala she never had exposure to any international cuisines. The only soup made at her house was good old rasam. So we were denied the pleasure of sipping warm soups.

 I grew up in a small town in M.P and had only North Indian friends who used to boast about tomato and sweet corn soups made by their mothers. And so my tastebuds so much more wanted to be soaked in the sourness of tomato soups and sweetness of sweet corn soups. Then finally that day came when my mom did make soup...the first ever soup of my life..tomato soup. I liked that but did not love it. Felt that something is missing, but never complained.

Then one day we went to a newly opened restaurant, I ordered sweet and sour soup. When I tasted it I got the shock of my life, it was bad...really BAD. Wasted the whole bowl and my soup tastebuds went dormant for a while.

After coming to Dubai I dined in finest of restaurants and loved the variety of soups in the menu. But it's only very recently that I started to make soups at home and am loving it. With the winters slowly creeping in a bowl of warm soups with some roasted papad is all what I need for my dinner.

Ingredients:

Pearl Barley - 1/4 Cup ( Soaked for 7-8 hours )

Tomato - 1 ( Blanch, peel the skin and chop finely )

Carrots - 3 tbsp finely chopped

Green Peas - 2 tbsp

Onion- 1 medium sized 

Ginger- 1/2 inch piece 

Garlic- 2 cloves 

Green Chilies- 2

Coriander- Chopped for garnishing

Salt- As required

Pav Bhaji Masala- 1 tsp (Optional )

White Pepper Powder- 1/4 tsp 

Olive Oil- 1tbsp

Procedure:

• Clean the soaked barley two,three times in fresh water. 
• Boil the barley in around 3 cups of water till it gets cooked well. Strain the barley but do not discard the water. We will use it as stock for the soup.
• I used my chopper to chop onion, ginger, garlic and green chilies together. Heat oil in a wok and add these chopped veggies. Slightly fry these till raw aroma fades, no need to brown the veggies.
• Now add in chopped tomatoes, carrots, green peas and fry these till all the vegetables get tender. 
• Add salt and pav bhaji masala. Mix everything and add in the boiled barley. 
• Add the barley stock and required amount of water. Boil the soup for 3-4 minutes. Add in white pepper powder. Take out the soup from the heat..
• Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve the soup warm. 

Sending this to Priya's Fast & Quick Healthy Dishes Event hosted by Life With Spices. 

Barley Dosa And Flax seed Garlic Chutney ( Thin Barley Crepes With Flax Seed Garlic Dry Chutney )

After enjoying all the Diwali treats I am sure everyone would be craving simple meal. This is one such recipe, the dosa does not require long fermentation time and tastes really fantastic. I have recently started using barley and am loving it. Now I use barley to make my dosas, khichdis, rotis etc. 

This flax seed chutney is perfect accompaniment with any kind of idli, dosa even parathas. I find it difficult to control myself and am always digging the chutney with a spoon..it's that addictive. 

The chutney recipe is from Sangeeta Khanna's blog healthfood desivideshi . Try this for once and you will always end up in making this. My love for gun powder chutney (molha podi) has vanished and this flax chutney has taken its place.Thank you Sangeeta for making me eat and most importantly like these new flavors which I never dared before to try. 

Barley Dosa ( Barley Crepes )

Ingredients :

Pearl Barley - 2 Cups

Brown Rice - 1/4 Cup

Urad Dal ( Whole Black Gram ) - 1/2 Cup

Fenugreek Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp

Salt- To Taste

Procedure : 

Soak pearl barley and brown rice in water together for minimum 7-8 hours. I normally soak them in the early morning. Also in another bowl soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds together in water. I soak the dal and fenugreek at the same time when I soak barley but I keep the soaked dal in refrigerator. 

Before grinding wash the soaked ingredients well for 2-3 times. In mixer or grinder add the washed urad dal, fenugreek first. Add cold water little by little and grind into smooth paste. Then transfer this paste into a bowl. Now add the washed barley and brown rice in the mixer and grind into smooth paste with the help of water. If the barley has not been soaked for enough time, it will not grind smooth. So always remember to soak barely for atleast 7-8 hours.

Now transfer this ground barley and rice paste into the same bowl as the urad dal paste. The batter should of medium flowing consistency, neither too thin nor thick. Add in required amount of salt mix well and close the lid of the bowl and keep it for fermentation for around 3-4 hours. 

After this the batter is ready to be made into thin crepes. Heat an iron or non stick skillet. Pour a ladle full of batter and spread it in circular motion to the desired thickness. And add in few drops of oil if required and let the dosa turn light brown before flipping it over. Cook it for a minute and remove from the skillet. Store the remaining batter in a closed bowl in the refrigerator. Use whenever required. The batter stays good for 3-4 days. 

If the batter remains out for long time then it turns sour quickly so always remember not to ferment it for long.

Serve this with any chutney or sambaar. 

Another close look at the crispy dosa.

Flax Seed Garlic Dry Chutney 

Ingredients:

Flax seed - 1/2 Cup

Grated Dry Coconut or Dessicated Coconut - 1/2 Cup

Sesame Seeds ( Toasted ) - 1/2 Cup

Garlic Pods Peeled - Around 20 or 1/2 Cup ( Chopped )

Tamarind - Lemon Sized Ball ( Chop into small pieces )

Dry Red Chilli - 10 ( Break into small pieces )

Sesame Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt - To Tate

Procedure :

In a heavy bottomed pan or kadhai heat the oil and add in garlic, chillies and tamarind . Fry these on a low heat till the garlic gets browned and mixture gets dehydrated. Switch off the gas and let the mixture cool. 

Now powder this mixture with other things in a coffee grinder or mixie. 

Keep this chutney in an airtight container and use as and when required. Normally I keep this in my refrigerator. My whole family loves this chutney and so it vanishes quickly. 

Sending this to Cooking With Seeds - Barley event started by Priya and hosted by Roshni

Cornflakes Namkeen ~ An easy snack made with dry conflakes

My blogger dashboard and Facebook timeline has been flooded with Diwali blog posts. Almost everybody is posting some delicious festive treats and I am loving all the festivities around. It has been long since I posted anything, after coming back from holidays I became lazy...the task of taking pictures, editing, writing blog post seemed very cumbersome to me. It's not that I had not been cooking but only cooked for eating and not for blogging. Some of my dear friends, my family members constantly reminded me to feed my blog but somehow I never came around doing it.

But better be late than never...so here I am with Cornflakes Namkeen or Mixture. I learned this recipe from my sister-in-law who is herself an expert cook. This namkeen tastes really yum, is very easy to make too....just requires frying time and being mildly spiced is hit with kids too.

The proportions I have mentioned are just approximate as this is a very versatile recipe. The choice of ingredients and the amount of each ingredient used is completely flexible, one can increase or decrease the number of ingredients depending on the availability and liking.

Ingredients:

Cornflakes Chivda ( Dry Cornflakes ) - 2 Cups

Saboodana Chivda ( Sago Flakes) - 1 Cup

Potato Flakes - 1/4 Cup 

Mota Poha ( Thick Beaten Rice ) - 1/2 Cup

Cashew nuts ( Whole ) - 1/4 Cup

Almonds ( Whole ) - 1/4 Cup

Peanuts - 1/2 Cup

Curry Leaves - 1/4 Cup packed

Salt , Sugar , Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder - To Taste

Oil - For Deep Frying

Procedure:

Heat oil in a deep pan. When the oil gets hot start frying each ingredient in the order I have listed. After frying take out the ingredient in a deep bowl, and add in salt, sugar and chilli powder. Do this when the fried items are still hot as the spices will better stick to them. 

Repeat this process with each ingredient. Fry it, take out and add in spices. Adding spices after frying each ingredient makes the flakes and other nuts well coated with the spices.

Cashwenuts should be fried till they turn golden brown and almonds should turn deep brown in colour. Peanuts should be fried till they start cracking and turn deep brown in colour. Add spices to these as well.

In another small pan add in a tablespoon of oil and fry the curry leaves till they turn crisp.

Mix together all the fried items together and check for seasoning again. If required add in more spices. We prefer our namkeen mildly spiced. 

Please refer to the notes below as well.

Notes:

1. Before frying make sure that the oil is hot else the flakes will not puff nicely. Check if the oil is hot by putting 1 or 2 flakes first. If they puff up nicely then oil is ready.
2. Always fry in small batches to ensure uniform frying.
3. Fry the ingredients in the order listed in the ingredient list as cornflakes and sago absorb less oil while beaten rice absorbs more oil.
4. Peanuts should be fried at last or in a separate pan with some oil as the oil tend to get brown once peanuts are fried.

For some more Diwali treats check out these posts as well-

Malai Laddoo

Mysore Pak

Rosette Cookies

Multigrain Chaklis

Low Fat Chocolate And Banana Bread ~ Vegan And Refined Sugar Free

Call it a bread or a cake, but this is the ultimate healthy thing I have ever baked. All purpose flour has been replaced with whole wheat flour and refined sugar with jaggery. Indians and Sri Lankans widely use jaggery in many of their desserts, jaggery is wholesome unrefined sugar, it is made from concentrated sugarcane juice and processed in a natural way and no chemicals are added at any stage of its processing. It has got high protein, vitamin, iron and it has 50 times the mineral content of refined sugar.

Jaggery has got lot of health and healing benefits and moreover it tastes great. It's rich caramel kind of aroma is heavenly. There are many varieties of jaggery and all have distinct tastes, some are more salty and lighter in colour while some are darker with less salt and more sweetness. Jaggery is great for nibbling too, I have seen many people eat chana and gur together to kill boredom. 

My dad used to go on his official tours to these small villages where they made this jaggery, and while returning he used to bring big blocks of dark coloured disc shaped jaggery. Mom used all her strength and might and with a hammer she used to break the disc and we nibbled on the small pieces.

For another interesting jaggery recipe, check this previous guest post by my dear friend Farwin of Love And Other Spices where she shared her famous Sril Lankan "Aggala" recipe.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour- 1 Cup
Banana- 1 Large
Jaggery- 1/3 Cup ( Adjust little more or less depending on the sweetness of the jaggery)
Chocolate Chips- 1/4 Cup
Canola Oil- 2 Tbsp
Cinnamon Powder- 1/2 Tsp
Baking Powder- 1/2 Tsp
Baking Soda- 1/4 Tsp
Almond Milk- 3/4 Cup
Walnuts (Roughly Chopped)- 2 Tbsp
Salt- 1/4 Tsp ( if the jaggery has got salt then omit this)


Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 Degrees C.

2. Take a banana, peel and cut it in small discs.

3. With the help of a fork mash the bananas and add cinnamon powder, oil and chocolate chips in that, mix and keep aside.

4. In another bowl take whole wheat flour and add salt, baking powder, baking soda and chopped walnuts.

5. Powder the jaggery in a mixer and add it in the flour. Now add the banana mixture in the flour and with the help of almond milk, fold everything together gently.

6. Grease a loaf pan or a small cake tin...choose a tin so that the mixture is atleast 3/4th of the tin. Now pour the bread batter in the prepared tin and keep it for baking in the pre heated oven for 35-40 minutes or till a skewer inserted in the centre of the bread comes out clean.

7. Take out the bread from the oven and let it cool completely before inverting it out of the tin.

8. Now invert the bread in a plate and cut in wedges or slices.

My kiddo enjoyed this bread with a glass of juice. 

Methi Pulao ( Fenugreek Leaves Pulao )

The Sun god is most generous to us in this part of the world. He shines on us brightly for almost 8-9 months in a year giving us no respite from the heat and humidity. Few moments turn off the A/C and the sweat will come rushing. In this kind of climate I hate to spend lots of time in the kitchen, so I prefer to make one pot meals on weekends which is satisfying and filling. We South Indian's can't stay away from our staple food rice, so rice has to be dressed up in the form of pulao or biryani for our quick lunch. I find that biryani's are more complicated and require lot of preparation so I make pulao in a jiffy. 

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 1/4 Cup ( Soak the rice in water for about half and hour)

Methi Leaves ( Fenugreek Leaves)- 1 small bunch (leaves chopped finely without the stem)

Onions- 2 Medium sized sliced thinly

Green Chillies- 2 chopped

Tomato- 1 Large chopped roughly

Ginger- 1 Inch piece cut in juliennes 

Green Cardamom- 2

Bay Leaf- 1

Cinnamon- 1/2 Inch piece

Black Peppercorns- 5 or 6

Cloves- 2

Oil- 2 Tbsp

Water- 2 1/4 Cup

Salt- To Taste

Lemon Juice- 1 Tbsp

Fried Cashew nuts for garnishing

Procedure:

• In a pressure cooker add oil and keep it on gas for heating, once the oil is hot add in cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon, peppercorn and cloves.
• Just stir the whole spices little and then add in onions, green chillies and ginger.
• Sauté till the onions turn translucent. No need to brown the onions.
• Now add in chopped tomatoes and fenugreek leaves. Cook for about a minute.
• Drain the soaked rice and add it in the pressure cooker. Mix everything together and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes.
• Add in the water and salt and mix. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook till 1 whistle comes. Immediately off the gas and open the lid as soon as pressure drops. Add lemon juice and mix in gently.

Garnish with fried cashew nuts and serve with curd and banana chips.

Since I learned this from my mother, I am linking this to Gayathri's Walk Through The Memory Lane Event which is guest hosted by Pradanya at Pumpkin Farm

Ajwaini Bhindi (Okra With Carom Seeds)

As a kid I used to hate okras, the mere sight of this slimy veggie was enough to make me loose my appetite, but my mom never lost her hopes of seeing her stubborn daughter finish her okra meal. She used all the tricks under her hat to convince me to eat it. Mom used to say that if I eat okras then my brain will become sharp and I will excel in my mathematics, but I used to dash her hopes by neither eating okras nor scoring centum in my maths. Slowly over the years I acquired taste for okras, and now I love it in any form. Finally my mom's dream have come true but still that mathematics issue remains.........

Carom seeds or Ajwain are known to have many medicinal qualities, the seeds have thymol in them which aids in digestion. Carom seeds also help to control asthama and is effective in treatment of cold and flu symptoms. 

Ingredients:

Okra- 1/2 Kg

Oil- 2 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds- 1/2 Tsp

Cumin Seeds- 1/2 Tsp

Carom Seeds- 1 Tsp

Potato- 1 Medium Sized Cut into pieces

Onion- 1 Large Sliced Finely

Turmeric Powder- 1/4 Tsp

Salt, Chilli Powder- To Taste

Coriander Powder- 2 Tsp

Dry Mango Powder- 1/2 Tsp

Procedure:

Wash the okras and completely dry them with a kitchen towel, if the okras are wet they will be very slimy. Now chop off and remove the crown of the okras and make slit from top to bottom vertically and horizontally, so that each okra is divided into four long stripes. If the stripes are too long then cut them in half.

Now take a deep frying pan and add oil in it, keep on gas. When the oil heats add in mustard, when the mustard starts crackling add in cumin and carom seeds. Now add in finely sliced onions and fry them, till they turn translucent. Add in potatoes and okras along with turmeric powder, mix everything well. Cover the pan with a lid and cook till the potatoes and okras are well done. Now add in salt, chilli powder, coriander powder and mango powder and gently mix everything together. Cook for another two to three minutes and then remove the pan from the gas. 

Serve hot with plain rotis, or parathas.

Panagam / Jaggery & Lime Cooler

Ramnavmi is coming on April 1st this year. This is the day when according to hindu mythology Lord Rama was born, on this day special pooja (prayers) are performed across temples and neivedyam of Panagam, kosambari is offered to the lord.

Panagam is made with jaggery, lime and ginger and some other spices are added to it. This also makes a very good cooler for the body.

Ingredients:

Water- 4 Cups

Jaggery- 2/3 Cup ( add more or less according to the sweetness )

Juice Of Two Small Limes

Green Cardamom- 4

Dry Ginger Powder- 1/2 tsp

Edible Camphor- A Pinch

Saffron- Around 10 Strands

Nutmeg- A Pinch

Procedure:

Powder cardamom and saffron in a mortar. Dissolve jaggery in water, to this add lime juice, dry ginger powder, camphor, nutmeg and cardamom and saffron powder. Stir till everything dissolves well. Filter using a fine mesh. Offer to god and drink as it is or chill in the refrigerator for some time.

Guest Post~Sweet & Healthy Ground Rice Balls "Aggala" From Farwin Of Love And Other Spices

This is the first guest post at "Vegetarian Tastebuds"and I cannot be more happy that it comes from a wonderful friend Farwin Simaak, the creator of yummilicious blog "Love And Other Spices". In this virtual food blogging world we make many friends whom we know via their blogs, with some we connect in facebook , with some we engage in chats but there are only few with whom we get to meet and talk.


 Farwin is one such dear friend whom I met here in Dubai, she is a lovely person, talented blogger and above all a super mom of twin boys. She clicks beautiful pictures which are a treat for the eyes and also makes superb dishes. Farwin hails from Sri Lanka and we can see glimpse of her beautiful country in the food she cooks. Have a look at her Srilankan Milk Toffee With Nuts, Mint Custard Pudding and Coconut Roti & Sambal... you can see how unique these dishes are and her presentation is simply beautiful. 

Before few days we were chatting over phone and I asked her to write a guest post for me, she being such a sweetheart did not even think twice and immediately said yes. I was very thrilled as she is the first ever guest I invited at my space. I requested Farwin to make any traditional Srilankan dish for me, and when she sent me her mail with these Sweet & Healthy Ground Rice Balls called "Aggala" in local language, I was super thrilled to see her beautiful post with gorgeous pictures. Thanks a bunch Farwin for being such a sweetheart and providing me with a lovely guest post. 

Please welcome Farwin and do not forget to check her Facebook page and follow her on twitter. 

It's no myth that blogosphere has so many wonderful things to offer.Recipes that has amazing and an uncommon list of ingredients to the mouthwatering and saliva drooping food photos,you name it,you got it all. The most wonderful thing that offers, according to me is the hand of friendship. Isn't it amazing to find a friend who has the same tastes,similar opinions towards life and above all, blogs to discuss about ? We could go on for hours chatting. I met Raji online through the Fooderati Arabia and met in person at one of the foodie tours around Dubai. We clicked off immediately. She is this warm,friendly,down to earth person. And we have some meet ups planned and I'm sure we're going to enjoy it. Raji,thanks for giving me this opportunity. Apologize for the delay in submitting the blog post even though you wanted it some times back.

I planned to do a snack well known to me while I was growing up. It's called "Aggala" in local language. Actually I'm not quite sure how to call it in English.It's made with roasted  and ground rice,coconut and jaggery. I was thinking of calling it "Rice balls". But that would be similar to  rice balls dipped in various sauces found in Oriental cooking.This is something entirely different. Energy balls ? Sure they will give you loads of energy with all the coconut and jaggery content along with nuts. And it can definitely pass the healthy food test. I think I would settle on "Sweet and Healthy Ground Rice Balls".

According to Sinhalese folk lore, this snack was carried by travelers on a long journey to satisfy their hunger cravings and for energy needs. Back at home mom would prepare these for tea. This is also a popular snack when visitors arrive on a short notice. For us lankans,rice,coconut and jaggery are staples. If we are short on jaggery or coconut,a quick run to the grocery store a couple of blocks away is all we got to do. We never used to serve biscuits or shop bought goodies,it's always homemade snacks like this with tea for visitors. I still remember a distant aunt of mine who is famous for "Aggala" . For some reason,she never got bored of making these. Whenever we visit her,we are sure to find these along with"Aval" a snack made with flattened rice, with tea.

This snack is a breeze to make apart for roasting the rice. White raw rice is normally used for this,but I happen to have some brown basmati rice waiting to be used. I used  Kithul or black Jaggery. I didn't use any sugar. Use sugar if you are after some intense sweetness. Hope you'll like this simple and satisfying snack.

Here's the recipe.

1 cup rice

1 cup grated fresh coconut

125g jaggery (shaved or grated)

finely chopped nuts

pich of salt

sugar(optional)

water about 1/4 cup

desiccated coconut to garnish

Wash the rice under running water twice or thrice or until the water runs clear. Once it's fully drained,keep it aside.

Heat a heavy bottom skillet and add the rice.Roast the rice,stirring continuously for about 10 minutes until you hear the rice pop. Roast till the rice turns light brown in color. Make sure to keep the the flame, low to medium lest you burn the rice.

Transfer the rice off from fire to a bowl, and let it warm. When it's warm enough to handle,grind the rice on a food processor.Not very fine,though. It's ok to have a few grainy pieces.

Mix the flour with a pinch of salt,coconut and jaggery. Add water bit by bit and mix until it forms a mass. Add the chopped nuts.

Wet your palms with water,take a piece of the dough and roll it into a ball. Add more water if you feel the dough is breaking apart or not coming together.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

You can garnish with dessicated coconut and extra chopped nuts.

Linking this to Sensible Vegetarian's Cook Eat Healthy Desserts originally founded by Raven.

Choco Coffee Cake ~ A Guest Post For Grishma At Zaika Zabardast

Some time back, I saw a Facebook message from Grishma of Zaika Zabardast where she invited me to write a guest post for her wonderful blog, and I did not even think twice as there are two strong reasons for it....first that it's my first guest post and I was really honoured and secondly Grishma is a lovely person. Most of you must be familiar with her blog Zaika Zabardast. I remember stumbling to her site and the first thing which attracted me was her site's name, so catchy and I loved her recipe and fabulous pictures. She is a lacto vegetarian like me and is a pretty girl who seems to have so much of energy.

I am sharing a super easy and vegan choco coffee cake which can be made in a jiffy. Check out Grishma's space for the recipe and do say hi to her. Also visit her Facebook page and tweets @zaikazabardast for beautiful pictures and yum recipes.

And I am linking this cake to Priya's Healthy Diet Event~Baked Goodies hosted by me.

Onion And Garlic Focaccia

" This is the best thing you ever made ".......... this is what my husband said after having this Focaccia bread. And I said , then what about all those dishes which I made during past 8 years of married life ? He did not answer this, and I too left the conversation at that point. Some times, some things are better left unspoken...right? 

And now coming to the bone of contention I.e the Focaccia, I got the basic olive oil dough recipe from the book Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day. This is the first recipe I tried from this book and enjoyed a lot. There is no kneading required and the result is one delicious bread. Serve it for breakfast or stir up some soup and enjoy your dinner.

Ingredients: 

Basic Olive Oil Dough Recipe: ( This is the original proportion for the dough but I have halved the ingredients while making the recipe) :

Lukewarm Water- 2 3/4 Cup

Instant Yeast- 1 1/2 Tablespoon

Salt- 1 1/2 Tablespoon

Sugar- 1 Tablespoon

Olive Oil- 1/4 Cup

All Purpose Flour- 6 1/2 Cups

Other Ingredients which I added in the dough: 

Chopped Spring Onions- 3 Tablespoons

Garlic- 3 Cloves (Pounded)

Green Chillies- 2 or 3 (Crushed)

For Topping: 

Olive Oil- 2 Tablespoon + 1 Tablespoon for greasing

Red Onions- 1/4th of small onion ( Thinly Sliced)

Italian Seasoning- 1 Teaspoon

Coarse Sea Salt- For Sprinkling On Top

Procedure:

• In a food container which has lid add in luke warm water, yeast, salt, sugar, spring onions, garlic, green chillies and olive oil together so that everything is mixed well.
• Then in that mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon. If the dough is too sticky, use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
• Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top) approximately 2 hours.
• The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise but I refrigerated the dough overnight as it is easier to handle cold dough.
• Twenty minutes before baking pre heat the oven to 425 Degrees F with an empty broiler tray on any shelf.
• Grease the baking tray with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set aside. 
• Take out the dough from the refrigerator and with the help of little flour shape it into a ball. Now place the ball in the prepared baking tray and with the help of hands press the dough from all sides, flatten it as thin as required. Keep it covered with a damp cloth for resting for about half an hour.
• Meanwhile heat 2 Tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan. Add in onions and sauté until softened but not browned. Keep it aside.
• Now after the dough has rested make some indentations with thumb in the dough. Sprinkle the sautéed onions along with its oil sparingly over the surface of the dough. Do not add lot of onions else the surface may not brown attractively. 
• Sprinkle Italian seasoning, coarse sea salt on top of the dough.
• Now before keeping the tray inside the oven, pour 1 cup of hot water in the empty broiler tray which is already inside the oven. Place the baking tray inside the oven and quickly shut the oven door. 
• Bake for about 25- 30 minutes or till the crust if golden brown in colour. Baking time may vary according to the thickness of the focaccia.

Serve warm.

Linking this to Vardhini's Bake Fest hosted at Tomato Blues.

Sweet Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas

I am so much hooked to Pinterest these days, its a great place to pin and categorize all things which we like. There are great resources out there ranging from photography to yum recipes, and I am loving it. I came across this recipe in Pinterest which is from The Pastry Affair and I knew that this is one of the recipe which is easy to make, healthy and quite addictive. Apart from the baking time, this requires just a few minutes of assembling. 

Ingredients:

Chickpeas/ Garbanzo Beans- 2 Cups cooked or one 15 ounce can

Cinnamon Powder- 1 Teaspoon

Granulated Sugar- 1.5 Tablespoon

Canola Oil- 3 Teaspoons

Maple Syrup/ Honey- 1 Tablespoon

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 190 Degrees C. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and keep aside. In a small bowl mix together oil, cinnamon and sugar. Now mix this paste with chickpeas so that beans is evenly coated. Spread the chickpeas on  baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes, shake the tray in between for one or two times. After 45 minutes check for the crispiness. If more crispiness is required then bake for few more minutes.

After the beans are baked take them out of the oven and pour maple syrup/ honey on it while it is still hot. Evenly coat the beans with the syrup and let dry for sometime. Store in an airtight container, but mine never made it to the container, the beans were devoured within the first hour of baking :)

Sending this to Priya's CWS event held at Saffron Streaks.
Also linking this to Priya Mahadevan's Fast Food Not Fat Food event hosted at Priya Sreeram's Bon Appetit.

Baingan Ka Bharta ( Smoked And Mashed Eggplant)

For me eggplant is synonymous to bharta, I like my eggplant smoked and mashed with lots of garlic and spices. Smoking of the eggplant on fire imparts a wonderful flavour to the dish. Long back in India we had a neighbour, who made this bharta with mustard oil and served with baati. I am not used to eating food cooked in mustard oil but enjoyed that rare treat by our wonderful neighbour, still that taste of bharta with baati soaked in ghee lingers on my tongue. And this bharta tastes wonderful with any Indian bread like naan and parathas.

The most important thing to remember is to buy a good quality of eggplant without any holes and to char the skin completely, so that the inside are cooked thoroughly and the eggplant gets tender and juicy. 

When I was removing the charred skin of eggplant, my daughter who just entered the kitchen stood on the door for a while and watched me curiously. After I had cut open the smoked eggplant, she seemed to be horrified and asked me..."mumma have we started eating non vegetarian food, is this some kind of fish? " . But when I explained her that this is eggplant she was relieved but still refused to eat the final dish...so I made some potato fry for her. I hope that when she grows up she will start liking this dish.

Ingredients:

Eggplant- 1 Large

Onions- 2 Medium (finely chopped)

Ginger- 1 Inch Piece

Garlic- 4 Cloves

Green Chillies-2 ( chopped) 

Tomatoes- 2 Medium (finely chopped)

Green Peas- 1/4 Cup

Mustard Seeds- 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder- 1/4 tsp

Red Chilli Powder- 1/4 tsp

Coriander Powder- 1 tsp

Salt- To Taste

Oil- 1 tsp + 3 tbsp

Coriander Leaves- To Garnish

Fried Garlic slices- To garnish

Procedure:

• Wash the eggplant and pat dry. Now rub 1 tsp of oil on the skin. Switch on the gas in medium flame and keep the eggplant directly on the fire. Let the skin char, keep turning the eggplant from all sides so that whole skin is charred and the eggplant is cooked from inside.
• Once the eggplant is charred keep it aside on a plate to cool down for about 10 minutes. Then peel of  the skin and remove its crown. Cut the eggplant and mash it thoroughly with help of a fork.
• Pound ginger and garlic together in a mortar and keep aside.
• Heat the 3 tbsp of oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot add in mustard and cumin seeds. When the seeds start crackling add in green chillies, chopped onions and pounded ginger and garlic.
• Once the onions turn brown add in chopped tomatoes, green peas along with turmeric, red chillies, salt and coriander powder. Let the mixture cook on a medium flame till the spices are cooked and the mixture starts leaving oil from the sides.
• Now at this stage add in the mashed eggplant and mix everything together. Keep on cooking the mixture till a nice aroma comes say for about 7-8 minutes.
• Now switch off the gas and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and some fried garlic slices.
• Serve super hot.

Linking this to Dish it out- Brinjal and Garlic Event started by Vardhini and hosted by Sangee.

Also linking this to Hot & Spicy Treats event at Amy's space Foodssrilanka.

Sending this black and white picture to Susan's Black And White Wednesday.