Simpe Bread Toast

This is a simple bread toast that I did for an evening when I did not feel like cooking. With the days being so short it is hard to come back in the evening and muster my energy to cook something. To top it my little girl likes eating something different once in a while. So this is something we created. This is a open face sandwich - I have all the toppings in one bread so it is less carb I guess..

Ingredients :
- 2 -3 bell peppers cut to pieces
- 2 tomatoes cut to pieces
- 1 small onion cut to pieces
- 1-2 chilies slit
- 1/2 cup of peas
- 1 tsp jeera
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 tsp pav baji masala
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- butter to spread (I used
- 1 packet HoneyNut Oats Bread ( I love this bread with its slight sweetness and nuttiness)

Method:

1. In a pan pour oil and drop the jeera. Once it splutters add the chopped onions, green chilies and the bell peppers. Toss them until it becomes slightly brown.
2. Now add the peas and mix it around. Add the tomatoes and mix them. Now cook until the tomatoes become mushy. Add all the masala's, salt and toss it around. Turn down the heat and let it cook for a few more minutes.
3. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 350F degree. Now in a baking dish spray some oil. Spread some butter on one side of the bread. Arrange them and bake it for 5- 7 minutes.
4. Remove the bread from the oven. Spread butter on the other side and place it in the pan with the buttered side down.
6. Top with the vegetable mixture. Bake it again for another 5 minutes. If you like top with shredded cheese as soon as you take it out so it has a chance to melt.

Serve it hot with some soup.

Red lentil puluv

I love cooking with red lentils. They cook really fast and they taste great. This is an easy one pot meal where you mix your dhal, rice and vegetables. It is slightly different from our traditional kichidi which is just dhal and rice for the most part.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 cup rice (If you prefer more dhal then reduce rice to 3/4 cup)
- Mixed vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, potatoes, cauliflower) to suit your taste
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- salt to taste

Seasoning:
- 1 tsp jeera
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
- small piece of cinnamon stick
- few cloves
- 1 anise seed (I love the smell)
- 1 tsp oil
- few drops of ghee
- 1-2 green chilies (Slit into half)
- 1/4 tsp of ginger

Method:

1. Wash and soak the lentils and rice in water for 10 - 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare your vegetables. Cut all the vegetables to the same size so they cook easily.
2. In a wide pan pour the oil and ghee. Once it becomes hot add your seasoning ingredients. Wait till they turn slightly brown. Add your ginger and chilies last.
3. Now add the onion. Saute till it becomes slightly limp. Add the rest of vegetables and give them a quick toss.
4. Add the soaked lentils and rice. Mix it all well. Now add water. I start with 2 cups of water. Bring this to a boil and now reduce the stove to a medium heat.
5. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Do not walk away from this. You might need to add some water if you find the rice to be undercooked. Typically I add a 1/2 cup more water.

Remove from the heat, garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with a few drops of ghee for added flavor.

(Note: You can make this dish using your pressure cooker too)

Sending this lovely recipe to My Legume Love affair - MLA#30 hosted by Priay of Mharo Rajasthan Recipes. The event was started by Susan

ThengaPal(Coconut Milk) Thengozhal

We tried this snack after seeing the recipe in a cooking show. Thengozhal, similar to murukku is a savoury snack. To make it you need a thengozhal press. You can get that in India. Normally the dough for thengozhal is prepared by mixing the flour with water. In this recipe we use coconut milk. The addition of coconut milk makes it crispy and also the thengozhal has a rich taste.

Ingredients

- 1 cup Rice flour
- 1 tablespoon Uradh dhal  flour
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1.5 cup Coconut milk (Adjust quantity based on the dough consistency)
- 1/4 tsp Jeera
- Oil for frying


Method

1. Mix flour, butter, salt and jeera. Add coconut milk and make the flour into a stiff chapathi like dough.
2. Heat oil in a deep bottom frying pan. Check if the oil is hot by adding a small piece of dough to the oil. If the dough raises up immediately then the oil is ready for frying.
3. Add the dough in the thengozhal press. Squeeze the press and make into zigsaw circle shapes.
4. Try it over a plastic sheet and once you get the idea directly squeeze the mould in the oil.
5. Deep fry the thengozhal until its done. You can take it when its light brown or wait until it turns golden brown.
6. Drain them over paper towels.

Store it in air tight containers and enjoy the snack with your evening cup of tea or coffee.

Thatkola

This is a very new dish to me. I saw this in a cooking show. Even though it is a tedious process it is worth the effort. It is a tasty and healthy dish.

Ingredients
- 1 cup Boiled rice
- 1/4 cup Moong dhal
- 1/4 cup Shredded coconut
- Salt to taste

 To temper

- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- few curry leaves
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- Red chillie powder to taste
- 1 tbsp Oil

Method

1. Soak rice for 2 hours. Grind the rice with salt in a blender. It should be little thicker than dosa consistency and the mixture has to be coarse.
2. Boil moong dhal separately.
3. Add oil in a frying pan. Once the oil is hot add the batter. Mix it well until it comes together and it should not stick to the pan.This procedure is similar to the way you prepare kozhkattai outer cover.
3. Let it cool down for few minutes. Grease your hands with oil. Take a small lime size dough. Roll it into a cylindrical shape. Check the photo to see how I have rolled the dough.
4. Boil the rolled dough in a idli plate for approximately 10 minutes. The color will change once it has cooked. So check that and adjust the time.
5. Take the boiled dough out and once its cooled, cut it into small pieces.
6. Add oil to a frying pan. Add mustard seeds,cumin seeds. Once it splutters add the boiled dough. Mix it well and then add red chillie powder.
7. After 3-4 minutes add the boiled moong dhal, coconut, curry leaves and mix it well.
8. Turn off the stove.

You can serve this with sambar. We ate it without any side dish and it was very yummy.

Ribbon Pakoda

Wish you all a Happy Janmashtami. This is a simple savory recipe that is a fun afternoon snack with a cup of hot tea. Enjoy

Ingredients

- 2 cup Rice Flour
- 2 cup Besan Flour
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida
- 1 tsp Ajwain/Sesame Seeds
- Salt and Red Chillie powder to taste

Method

1. Mix everything and in the bowl. Add water little by little and form stiff dough.
2. Take a murukku maker and use the one with a vertical slit.
3. Heat oil in a fryin pan. The oil should be very hot
4. Press the dough in the hole on the top. Press the murukku maker in the oil and make flat ribbon shapes design in the oil.
5. Once its brown take the ribbon and drain it in the paper towel

Spicy Sprouts

I love to buy mung sprouts from my store. I always have huge plans on how I will use it but I end up making this sprouts curry. Sprouts spoil very easily so I make it a point to use it within a day or two. The curry is very simple, very healthy and very tasty. Try it next time you have a bag of sprouts or some leftover from other recipe for a quick snack.



Ingredients:
- 1 packet sprouts
- 3 dried red chilies
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp urad dhal
- 1/2 tsp hing
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste

Method:
1. Set a wide sauté pan at hight heat. Add the oil and mustard seeds. Once it pops add the urad dhal. Tear your dried chilies and add it to the oil. Saute for a few seconds. Now add hing and turmeric powder. Cook for 10 more seconds.
2. Now add the sprouts. Stir it continuously and try to keep the heat high. If you reduce the heat sprouts will start releasing water and it will become mushy. Cook this for 3 minutes. Add salt and give it a quick mix. The sprouts will be slightly limp but it will should still be crunchy.

You can eat this as is as a healthy mid afternoon snack. I like this better then the raw sprouts.
I am sending this to Priya's Easy N Tasty - Let's sprout event.

Misal

I first tasted Misal when I went to dinner to my cousin's house.  I have never tasted Misal before and I really loved this dish. I wanted to try it out for a long time but never got to cook it. After making my sprouts pulav, I had some sprouted moth beans left. I was tempted to make this dish with that. So I researched the internet and found lot of good recipes. Finally I came up with my own simple recipe. This is not the traditional way of doing Misal but we all still loved the dish. It was a wholesome and delicious food. This is also a very healthy dish.

Kolhapuri Masala Ingredients

- 11/2 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp Jeera
- 1 tsp Sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
-  4-5 Cloves
- 1/2 inch Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Fennel seeds

1. Dry fry the above spices in a pan. Once the spices turn brown remove from heat
2. Cool it down and grind the spices to a fine powder


Misal Ingredients

- 2 onions
- 1/2 cup coriander
- 1/4 cup frozen coconut
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 handful peanut
- 3 cup sprouts
- 5-6 potato
- 1 -2 tbps Jaggery/ Brown sugar
- 1 tsp tamarind paste

For Tempering

- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp hing
-  2 tsp oil

1. Pressure cook the sprouts moth beans and potato.
2. In a pan add a tsp of oil. Add onion, garlic cloves and fry until the onions turns  brown.
3. Add coconut and coriander and fry for few minutes
4. Once it cools down grind this mixture in the blender to a smooth paste.
5. Add oil to the pan and once its hot add mustard,cumin,hing. Once it splutters add peanuts and fry until the peanuts becomes brown. 
6. Add the paste to the pan and fry it for few minutes until the oil separates from the paste. Add the Kolhapuri masala, red chillie powder and salt.
7. Now add the cooked sprouts and potato mixture. You can add water if the gravy is thick. Let it simmer in heat for 10 -15 min
8. Mix in tamarind paste and jaggery and simmer for few more minutes. 

To Serve

Take a bowl and add misal. Drizzle yogurt on top of it. Add chopped onion,tomato and farsan/sev/bhel mix/crushed potato chips and serve it with pav or white bread.

I am sending this to Priya's Easy N Tasty - Let's sprout event.

Sago Vadam (Javarisi Vadam)

Texas gets very hot during summer and the heat reminds me of the days when my mom used to make vadam. Me and my sister used sit upstairs and chase the crows from eating the vadam. Once its a little dry we will be eating the vadam as it is. This year my in-laws are here and my MIL was tempted to try out vadams. She started with the easy one Javarisi (Sago in English) vadam. It was a very easy recipe.

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Javarisi/sabudana
- 2 Green chili
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder
- Salt – as per taste

Method

1.Soak javarisi overnight in 2 cups of water. In a pan boil two cups of water and add javarisi and boil it in low flame. Grind the green chili,asafoetida, salt.
2. Add it to the boiling javarisi. Cook till the javarisi turns transparent or glassy.
3. The mixture will be semi-liquid. Once it cools down it will become a little thick
4. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and put it in a plastic sheet or ziploc
5. Keep it in direct sunlight for two days. After the first day turn the side and let it dry.
6.Once its dry you will be able to remove it easily from the sheet
7. Now the vadams are ready to be deep-fried.
8. Deep fry in oil and enjoy it as a snack.

Sending this one to CWS-Sago Seeds hosted by Kitchen Samraj originally started by Priya.

Bean Burger with poha

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked black bean (Canned beans works fine too)
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 small bell pepper chopped (I used red color)
- 1 long carrot pealed and shredded
- 1 small green chili chopped finely
- 1 cup boiled corn (I used fresh corn)
- 1 tsp cumin and coriander powder
- 1 tsp chili powder (optional)
- 1 cup soaked thick poha
- 1/4 cup chopped coriander
- 2- 3 tsp oil or use cooking spray
- 1 tsp jeera
- salt to taste
Method:
1. In a pan add the oil and the jeera and once it starts to splutter add the onion and bellpeper and green chili. Cook till the become slightly soft. You do not want them to become mushy. Turn off the heat and add the shredded carrots and salt. Mix well and keep it aside to cool down.
2. Keep a handful of black bean aside and mash the rest with a potato masher.If using can drain and wash them well.
3. In a large bowl add the soft poha, black beans, cooked corn, cumin & coriander powder, chili powder and chopped coriander. Mix in the cooked vegetables. Mix them all well. Do a taste test and adjust salt accordingly.
4. Now form them into patties and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes. If it is hard to form patties then add a piece of bread to it and it will soak all the water.
5. Remove it and in a flat griddle pour some oil. Cook each patties on both sides.
You will know it is done when it starts to turn brown.

Serve it in between buns with all your favorite burger topping. As this was a black bean burger I topped mine with avocado's. This is a healthy alternative to any store brought vegetarian burger.

Cilantro and vegetables Sevai/Rice noodles

Ingredients
- 2 cups of mixed chopped vegetables (potatoes, beans, carrots, peas)
- 1 bunch of cilantro/coriander leaves cleaned and chopped
- 3 cups sevai/rice noodles cooked
- 3 green chilies
- 2 inch piece of ginger
- 1 tbsp shredded coconut
- 1 tsp jeera
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste

Method:
1. Grind cilantro, ginger, chilies and coconut to a fine paste.
2. Meanwhile boil the vegetables with salt.
3. In a pan pour oil. Add jeera and once it splutters add the cilantro paste. Cook it for 3-4 minutes. Mix in the cooked vegetables. Make sure all the vegetables are coated well.
4. Now add the noodles and toss them all together.

With all the vegetables this is a healthy and a fulfilling dinner for kids.

Ron's Toffee

Ingredients:
- 1 lb butter
- 3 C brown sugar
- 1/4 C water
- 3 C chopped roasted almonds (from Winco bulk foods)

Method:
1. Spread a thin layer of butter on a cookie sheet.
2. In a sauce pan, bring the butter, brown sugar, and water to a boil on medium heat, stirring constantly.
3. Pour the solution into a different sauce pan - copper plated is nice but not necessary (copper keeps heat even, helps prevent scorching)
4.Using a clean spoon, boil the mixture in the new pan on medium heat about 10 minutes. If you di vide the recipe, the time may be shorter. The candy is done when the mixture reaches 285 degrees. If you don't have a food thermometer, drop some candy in ice water and bite it after it cools. It's done when it's crunchy without being chewy. You can tell when the mixture is almost done. It starts giving off puffs of smoke.
5. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
6. Stir in the almonds.
7. Spread the mixture on the buttered cookie sheet. You'll need to push it with a spoon to make it level.
8. While it is still hot, score it with a sharp knife. Butter the edge of the knife to keep it from sticking.
9. After it is cooled, separate the pieces by inserting a dull knife where you scored it.
10. Dip the pieces in melted chocolate and drop on wax paper. Tongs work nicely. (This step is optional)

Thattai

Ingredients

6 Measure of Rice flour
1 Measure of Urud Dhal Flour
1 Tbsp Chille Powder
3 Tbsp Channa Dhal/ Dhaliya
1 Tbsp butter
1 Pinch of Asafoetida
1 Sprig of Curry leaves

Salt to taste
Oil for deep Frying

Method

1. Dry Fry the Urud Dhal until you get a aroma and grind it into a fine powder. You also get Urudh Dhal powder in Indian Stores. You can dry fry that in a pan until you get a aroma.
2. Soak the Channa dhal for 20 minutes. If you use dhaliya you don't have to soak it.
3. Mix the above ingredients and make it into a dough. It should be softer than chapathi dough
4. Oil a plastic paper
5. Pat the dough into pani puri size circles.
6. When you have around 20 thattai deep fry in oil.

Mullu Thengozhal

Ingredients

4 Measure of Rice Flour
1 Measure Finely ground Daliya Powder (Pottukadalai in Tamil)
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 Pinch Asafoetida (optional)

Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Mix all the above ingredients and make it into a dough. The dough should be softer than a chapati dough
2. Take the muruku maker and put the dough in it. Put the mullu thengozhal atchu the muruku maker
3. Deep fry the mullu thengozhal in the oil