Aloo Paratha

Hot aloo parathas with ghee or butter drizzled on it and served with dahi or raita on the side is ought to satisfy any hungry persons appetite. So why not experiment with the stuffing. It is was one version which I tried making. 

Stuffing

• 3 medium boiled potato
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 7-8 sticks corriander leaves
• 3 green chillies 
• 3 pinches chaat masala
• 1 pinch jeera
• Salt

Dough

• Wheat flour
• Salt
• Oil
• Water

Process->In a bowl take sufficient quantity of wheat flour add the oil and salt. Mix the salt and oil with the wheat flour. Slowly pour water and knead a soft dough. Grate the potato in a bowl. In that add diced onion, corriander leaves, finely chopped green chillies, jeera, chaat masala and salt. Mix the stuffing properly and adjust the taste of salt ad spice if needed. Make 7-8 rounds of the potato mixture. Stuff the potato round in the dough disc. Roll and make usual paratha. Roast them on a medium flame from both the sides. Serve with raita or pickle.

Chutney Sandwich

A healthy breakfast keeps you rocking all day. Chutney sandwiches is one such option. You can serve this sandwich as a finger food or for breakfast or lunch. If the chutney is made in advance you will require only 2-3 minutes to make your sandwich. The recipe of chutney in the chutney section.

Ingredients

• 4 bread slices
• 1 small cucumber
• 1 small tomato
• Cheese spread
• Corriander mint chutney

Process->Cut the tomato and cucumber in thin slices. Cut the edges of the bread. Generously spread the cheese spread on one slice arrange a couple of cucumber and tomato slices on it. On the other slices spread the corriander mint chutney. Place the bread slice on the vegetables. Serve with tomato ketchup.

Note->You can sprinkle little salt on the tomato and cucumber slices. 

Sabudana Thaalipeeth

Sabudana or sago is a fasting food. You can make khichdi, thallipeeth, vada or kheer from sabudana for breakfast or afternoon snack. To make khichdi you might have to learn the soaking technique so that it does not become mushy. But for thaalipeeth if you add little extra water by mistake it will still not screw up your dish. First you wash the sabudana and drain the water completely. Then pour water in the sabudana till it is completely submerged. In case after 4-5 hrs you find the sabudana is very dry just sprinkle little water. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup sabudana
• 2 medium potatoes
• Green chillies
• 1/2 spoon jeera
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts
• Corriander leaves
• Salt
• Oil

Process->Soak the sabudana overnight or minimum 4-5 hrs in water. Boil the potatoes and smash it. Crush green chillies and jeera in the blender with salt. Make a coarse powder of peanuts. In a bowl take the sabudana, smashed potato and masala paste.  Mix it like a dough but don't add water. The potato will act as  a binding agent for the sabudana. Adjust the taste of salt necessary. Make small rounds of the mixture. On a heated griddle drizzle little oil and put the sabudana mixture round. And with the help of little water spread the mixture on the griddle about 1/4" thick. Roast the thaalipeeth from both the sides on a slow medium flame. Drizzle little oil if necessary. Serve with yogurt or lemon pickle.


Note->If you are fasting don't add corriander leaves in the thaalipeeth.

Mix dal dosa

Weekends are more relaxed in every household and by the time you wake and do you regular chores it is neither breakfast time nor lunch thats when you think about brunch. Just little prior planning the earlier night you need not worry what to cook when you are hungry. Mix dal dosa is one filling option. I made the chutney the earlier night so the next day I had to just grind the dal and make instant dosa.

Ingredients

• 1 handful chana dal
• 1 handful toor dal
• 2 handfuls whole moong
• 3 handfuls rice
• Diced onion
• 1" ginger piece
• 2 pinches jeera
• Salt
• Oil 

Process->Soak the dals and rice together in a bowl overnight. Grind the dal and rice with ginger, jeera  and salt. The consistency of the batter should be that of a dosa batter. You do not have to ferment the batter. On a hot griddle make dosa and sprinkle some onions. Roast the dosa on a medium flame. Drizzle little oil on the dosa. Serve the dosa with chutney.

Note->You can add green chillies or chillies flakes to make a spicy dal dosa.

Vegetable Sandwich

Sandwich is a very popular lunch menu or for picnics or during parties. You can make different fillings for a sandwich depending upon your choice. Hot and cold sandwiches have their own unique taste. +This is a hot sandwich made in a sandwich maker. Another way to trick your little ones to eat vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 1/3 cup peas
• 1 carrot
• 1 medium potato
• Green chillies 
• Turmeric
• Corriander leaves
• Salt
• Oil

Process->Finely chop the onion, carrot, potato, green chillies and corriander leaves. Add oil to a heated non stick pan. Now add onion, green chilli, turmeric and saute it. Add the carrot, peas and potato and toss all the vegetables. Sprinkle little salt on the vegetables. Cook the vegetable on a slow medium flame. Don't add water. Once the vegetables cook tender sprinkle corriander leaves and cool the vegetable fry. Spread the fry on the bread and cover it one more bread slice. Press it in a sandwich maker. Serve the sandwich with ketchup or chutney.

Vegetable Uttapam

Indian food  has captured the heart and stomach of people around the world.  I am not a expert in idli or dosa but I always try making it. I generally use the same batter for dosa, uttapam, paniyaram (Appe), idli etc. 

I often go to the Hindu temple for prayers and the temple canteen is famous for its South Indian Cuisine and one of it is uttapam. In the uttapam they add red or green capsicum, carrot, onion etc. The uttapam looks very colorful and it is a nice way to trick your your children to eat carrot and capsicum. 

Ingredients

• Dosa batter
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced capsicum
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• Green chillies chopped
• Corriander leaves 
• 2 pinches jeera
• Salt 
• Oil

Process->Mix the onions, capsicum, carrot, green chillies, corriander leaves, salt and jeera in a bowl. Spread the  batter on griddle about 1/4" thick. Sprinkle the vegetable mixture on the uttapam. Drizzle little oil on the uttapam. Flip and roast on a medium flame so that it is crispy. Serve with chutney or sambhar.

Note->Jeera is optional. 

Spicy Jowar Roti

I remembered as child I had eaten dhapate it's a spicy jowar roti. They add red chilli powder, turmeric and salt and make it like a bhakri or roti so wanted to try it out. I was having this left over dal fry in the fridge so instead of adding water to the jowar flour I mixed the dal. The dal give's a crunch to the Jowar roti. Worth trying.

Ingredients

• Leftover cooked dal
• Jowar Flour
• Spinach leaves chopped
• Red chilli powder
• Ajwain
• Dhaniya jeera powder
• Salt
• Oil 

Process->In a mixing bowl pour the dal in that add red chilli powder, ajwain, dhaniya jeera powder, salt and spinach leaves. Mix the dal, spices and spinach leaves properly. Slowly add jowar flour to the dal and keep adding till a medium soft dough is ready. Adjust the taste of salt and red chillli powder. Take a medium round of the dough and on a wet cloth pat the dough in a round shape as you would do for a jowar roti. Make the roti 1/4" thick maximum. Heat a non-stick add little oil on the pan. Hold the wet cloth on two edges and stick the roti side on the tava and slowly remove the cloth. The roti will stick to the tava. Drizzle little oil on the side and place a lid on the roti and cook it. Once it changes color remove the lid and roast it on both the sides till little brown spots appear. Serve it with chutney or curd or pickle. 

Note->You can add any vegetable in the roti like cabbage, radish,spinach, methi etc.

Aloo Matar Paratha

Paratha is a very famous breakfast or meal option and a very popular item on any menu card. There are various kinds of paratha's and the taste differs according to the vegetables. I remember as a college student going to a paratha joint in pune. Not sure whether it is till there but the paratha would be yummy. Instead of making the regular aloo paratha added some peas to give it some color.

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized potatoes
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1 small finely chopped onion
• 1 spoon ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chillies chopped
• 1/4 spoon jeera
• Turmeric
• Corriander leaves
• Salt
• Wheat dough
• Oil 
• Water

Process->Boil the potatoes in the pressure cooker giving it 3 whistles. Peel the potatoes and smash it properly. Add little oil to a heated pan add the jeera, green chillies, ginger garlic paste, onions and turmeric and toss it.Once the onions cook add the peas and saute for 2-3 minutes till the peas cook tender. Add salt, smashed potatoes and cook it. Turn of the flame and sprinkle the corriander leaves and mix it properly. Once the mixture cools down make small rounds of the potato mixture.

Mix the wheat dough as usual adding salt and oil. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Roll out a small round of the dough 4-5 inches in diameter. Put the potato mixture round on the dough and cover it with the dough completely. Roll the paratha 1/4" thick and roast it on the tava till some brown spots appear. Drizzle some oil or ghee as per your choice. Serve with pickle or  yogurt.

Dal Thalipeeth

This is a very popular dish made from a mix of various flours and pulses ground in a flour mill .Today I made thalipeeth from left over tomato dal. Toor dal gives a crunchy feeling to the thalipeeth. And that’s what made it thalipeeth unique.

Ingredients

• 1 cup tomato dal
• 1/2 cup besan atta
• 1/3 cup jowar atta
• 1/3 cup rice flour
• 1/3 cup wheat flour 
• 1 small diced onion
• Red chilli powder
• 2 pinches ajwain
• Oil
• Salt
• Corriander leaves 

Process->Mix all the flours in the tomato dal. In that add red chilli powder, ajwain, onion, corriander leaves and salt as per taste. Make soft pliable dough. On a hot pan drizzle some oil .When the oil is hot take a small round of the dough and spread it on the tava. Make 4-5 holes on the thaalipeeth and let it cook .Turn it over and roast it on a slow medium flame. Drizzle little oil in the sides and on the top if necessary to avoid sticking. Serve it with some pickle and curd.

Zucchini veg omlettte

Whenever you come across the word omlette you have egg in mind. But there is a vegan omlette made using gram flour. In Marathi we call it dhirada. You can have it plain or with bread and ketchup. It is a very good instant breakfast options on weekends.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup besan atta
• 1 small diced onion
• 1 small diced tomato
• 1/2 grated zucchini 
• Corriander leaves
• Finely cut green chillies
• Salt
• Jeera
• Oil 
• Turmeric
• Water
• Hing

Process->In the gram flour add turmeric, jeera, green chillies, hing, onion and tomatoes. Mix it properly then add the zucchini, salt and corriander leaves. Slowly add water to the mixture. Don’t make it too liquidy. It should be like dosa batter consistency. On a hot tava add some oil and pour the mixture and spread it. Drizzle some oil on sides. Cook it on a slow flame. Flip it and cook the other sides till some brown spots come on it. Serve hot.

Palak Paratha

My friend Sarika and I were discussing about some quick fix lunch options over the phone.And she was like I made spinach parathas for dinner earlier night and turned out good. And we decided to make it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely chopped spinach
• 1/2 diced onion
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• Red Chilli powder
• 1/2 spoon of dhaniya jeera powder
• Salt 
• 2 Spoons of oil 
• 1 cup wheat flour
• Butter

Process->Take oil in a hot pan and add garlic and add spinach and cook till the water evaporates. Add onion, red chilli powder, dhaniya jeera powder and cook till the onions are slightly tender. When the spinach bhaji has cooled mix the wheat flour, salt and little oil. Mix it and add water to make dough. Rest it for some time and roll out the parathas. Once the parathas are cooked on the tava apply butter on the parathas generously and serve hot.....It was delicious...

Radish thaalipeeth

The thaalipeeth which I am telling you about is made from different flours or you can use thaalipeeth bhajani. You can add any kind of vegetables in it (methi, spinach, radish etc.).I tried out radish thaalipeeth for my daughter and she never realized what she was eating.....it is a good way to trick her...

Ingredients

• 1 cup of grated radish
• 1/2 diced onion
• 2 handfuls of besan flour
• 1 handful of chapati flour
• 1 handful of corn meal
• 1 handful of rice flour
• 1 handful of jowar flour
• 3 pinches of ajwain
• 1/2 spoon dhaniya jeera powder 
• Salt
• Turmeric
• Red chilli powder
• Corriander leaves

Process->Mix all the flours together and roast them in a pan for 10 -15 min on a slow flame till the raw smell goes. Keep on stirring continuously or it will burn. In the flour mix ajwain, dhaniya jeera powder, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and corriander leaves. Add radish to the flour and mix it. If required add water to the dough. Make medium soft dough as the radish oozes out some water. If the dough becomes too watery add some besan atta and knead it. On a medium hot tava add some oil and take a small round of the dough and pat it with the help of little water quickly (Thickness 1/4 inch).If you are not able to make it in a round it does not matter. Make 4-5 holes in the thaalipeeth and drizzle some oil and cover it for 2 minutes .Turn it and cook it .Some brown spots appear on the thalipeeth. Serve it hot with curd or chutney or loni (homemade butter).