Breakfast – Page 3

Oats Uthappam (Savoury Pancakes with Oats)

A healthy breakfast with oats. I am aways on the look out for pancakes with oats, quinoa or millets and this one with veggies was awesome. Serve it with some carrot chutney (check chutney’s section) and watch your family enjoy this nutritious breakfast.

Makes approximately 8.

Ingredients:

Rawa/Semolina – 1/2 cup

Oats powder – 1 cup

Rice flour – 2 1/2 tbsp

Onion – 1 small

Carrot small – 1/2 (grated) – optional

Capsicum – 1 small

Green chillies – 1

Curry leaves – 4 or 5

Coriander leaves – 1 sprig

Thick buttermilk – 1/2 cup

Salt- as required

Water – 1 cup

Oil for cooking

Preparation:

Heat a pan. When hot, add oats and saute it for 2 minutes. Remove and let it cool. When it cools down, transfer it to a mixie and powder it. The powder should not be very fine but slightly coarse.

Chop onion, capsicum and green chillies very fine. Also, chop curry leaves and coriander leaves. If you are adding carrots, grate and keep it aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the oats powder, rice flour, semolina and combine it well. Next, add the chopped carrots, capsicum, onions, curry leaves, green chillies and coriander leaves. Mix it well and slowly add the butter milk and water. Add salt and stir well to combine. Adjust the quantity of water required for the batter.

The batter should not be too thick or runny. The consistency should be like that of a pancake or dosa consistency.

Next, heat a tava or skillet. When it becomes hot, reduce the flame to medium low and grease it with oil. Pour 1/2 cup or 3/4 th ladle of batter on it and slightly spread it in the middle. Try and spread it as thin as possible. Pour 1/2 tsp of oil all around the uthappam and cook. When it becomes golden on one side, flip it to the other side and cook it to a golden colour.

Remove and serve hot with carrot chutney or coriander chutney and sambar.

Note: If you keep the batter for a long time, the semolina will soak up all the water and the batter will become thick and soggy. Add buttermilk and water just before you begin to prepare the uthappams or savoury pancakes.

Pancakes

Breakfast

Soft and fluffy pancakes which just melt in the mouth. You can serve it with honey or maple syrup.

Makes 10-12.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour/Maida – 2 cups

Granulated sugar- 2 tbsps

Baking powder – 2 tsp

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Milk – 1 1/2 cups

Whole Eggs – 2

Oil – 1 tbsp for the batter

Bananas – sliced

Oil for cooking

Honey or Maple syrup – to drizzle on top

Rasberries and blueberries or any other fruits – for toppings

Ingredients:

Combine the maida, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Next, add the milk, eggs and oil. Whisk all together until smooth.

Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. Heat a skillet. (I prefer to use an iron griddle). When it is medium hot, reduce the flame to low and grease the skillet with little butter or oil. Pour 1/4 cup of batter and slightly spread it in the middle.

When the pancake turns golden on one side, turn it to the other side and add 1/4 tsp of oil and cook for 2 minutes on low flame. If the flame is high, the pancakes will not cook and will be raw inside.

When it turns golden, transfer to a plate and serve. Drizzle it with honey, and add berries and bananas on top.

Kandha Batata Poha (Flattened Rice Flakes with Potato)

Breakfast

A popular Maharashtrian dish, it translates to onion, potatoes and rice flakes. It is one of my favourite breakfast options and we cook it often at home. The poha is spiced up with coconut, fried groundnuts, lime juice, coriander leaves and green chillies.

Ingredients:

Flattened Rice Flakes or Poha – 2 1/2 cups or 250 gms

Mustard – 3/4 tsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp

Onion – 2 pieces chopped

Potato – 1 boiled

Green peas – 1/4 cup (optional)

Carrot – 1/2 piece chopped

Green chillies – 4 finely chopped

Curry leaves – 1 1/2 sprig

Lime juice – 1 tbsp

Grated coconut – 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp

Fried groundnuts – 1 1/2 tbsp

Preparation:

Note: Always choose thick poha as the thin ones tend to get mushy when cooked.

Boil a potato in water. When it is cooked, peel the skin and cut it into small pieces and keep aside.

Wash the poha/rice flakes twice and drain the water completely using a colander. Keep it aside. Do not soak it in water and do not squeeze the water.

Heat a pan. Add oil. When it becomes hot, add mustard, jeera, chopped onions, curry leaves and finely chopped green chillies. Add the grated carrot, turmeric powder, peas (optional) and the boiled potato and saute. Next goes in the poha/rice flakes and salt. Reduce the flame to low. Mix the poha well and sprinkle a little water and close the lid. Let it cook for 3 -4 minutes.

Stir it again and make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Once cooked, remove and add lime juice, coriander leaves, fried groundnuts and grated coconut.

Pesarattu/Green Gram Dosa/Savoury Lentils Crepe

Breakfast

A protein packed breakfast from the cuisine of Andhra Pradesh in India, pesarattu is best served with a spicy chutney like ginger chutney or capsicum chutney (check out chutneys in the recipe’s section).

Soak moong dal/green gram dal & rice in water overnight

Ingredients:

Green dam dal – 1 cup

Raw Rice – 2 tbsp

Green chillies – 2

Jeera/cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Ginger – 1/2 inch piece

Toppings for pesarattu:

Onions -2 (finely chopped)

Green chillies – 2 deseeded and finely chopped

Jeera/cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Preparation:

Clean and soak the green gram dal and rice with lots of water in a vessel, overnight.

Next, drain the water and add the dal and rice to a pulser alongwith the green chillies, cumin seeds, salt and ginger with little water to make a dosa like batter. Grind it smoothly and the consistency should be of a pouring batter but thick.

Heat a tawa and grease it with oil. Pour a spoonful of batter like a dosa and sprinkle with the toppings. Add a little oil on the edges of the dosa to make it crispy. When it starts getting a golden colour, flip it to the other side, fold and remove. Serve it with any chutney of your choice.

To make the next pesarattu, sprinkle little water on the pan as the pan would have turned very hot. Rub it with oil, after the water evaporates.

Maharashtrian Sabudana/Sago/Tapoica Pearls Kichdi

Breakfast

For the uninitiated, Sabudana kichdi is a popular breakfast item in Maharastra. It is mostly prepared on the days of fasting. Made with potatoes, coarsely ground peanuts and tapoica pearls, this recipe is one you would want to try…The tricky part is to prevent the sabudana from getting all clumped together but getting separate pearls after it is cooked.

Ingredients:

Sabudana/Sago – 1 1/2 cups

Potatoes – 2 medium diced

Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp

Roasted peanuts coarsely ground – 1/4 cup

Green chillies – 2 finely chopped

Coriander leaves – 2 sprigs chopped

Curry leaves – 6 to 7 (optional)

Lemon juice – 1/2 tsp

Salt as needed

Water – as needed

Grated coconut – 1 tbsp (optional)

Oil – 2 tbsp

Preparation:

Rinse the sabudana using a strainer two to three times until all the starch has been washed away.

Soak the sabudana with just enough water so as to submerge it, around 3/4th cup for every 1 cup of sabudana. Soak it for 3 to 4 hours. (Some types of sabudana are delicate and therefore, you may have to soak it for just an hour or so).

After 3 to 4 hours, check the sabudana and see if it is soft, if not leave it for some more time. The soaked sabudana should be soft when you press it and there should not be any water left for absorption in the vessel. Remove the excess water, if there is any.

Dice the potatoes and cook them with little salt till they are soft but not mushy. Keep them aside.

Heat a non stick pan (I prefer a non stick pan to a cast iron kadai as the sabudana tends to stick to the kadai due to the high heat). Add oil. When it turns hot, add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. When it starts to crackle, add the finely chopped green chillies and saute well. Add the cooked potatoes and mix it once. Then, add the drained sabudana pearls and mix well. Stir it to avoid sticking to the bottom. If it is too dry, just sprinkle a little water and stir again. Add salt and close and keep so that it cooks and becomes glossy. When done, add lime juice, coriander leaves and lastly coarsely ground peanuts. Mix well again and serve. You can add grated coconut at the end, if you wish.

Instant Red Aval/Poha Idlis(Flattened Rice Steam Cakes)

Breakfast

These red aval idlis require no fermentation and can be prepared when you want quick idlis. Fluffy and light, these are easy to digest and makes for a light meal.

Makes 20 idlis.

Ingredients:

Urad dal – 4 tbsp

White or Red Poha/Aval – 1 cup

Rice flour – 1 cup

Sour curds – 1/2 cup

Water – 1 cup or as required

Salt – 1/2 tsp or to taste

Eno’s Fruit Salt – 1 tsp

Oil – for applying on the steamer plates

Preparation:

Heat a pan. When it is hot, lower the heat and add the urad dal and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the Poha/Aval and stir for another 2-3 minutes. Remove and let it cool down.

Pulse it to a fine powder in a grinder. Sieve this flour and keep it aside.

To the sieved flour, add rice flour, salt and mix well. Then add the curds, water and with a whisk , make sure that there are no lumps. If you require more water, add another 1/4 cup. The consistency should not be too thick or too flowing or thin.

Next, to steam the idlis, grease the idli moulds with little oil and add water to the idli cooker for steaming.

Before the batter is poured into the pans, add eno’s fruit salt into the batter. The batter will start bubbling up a little. Mix it well or else, you may end up with light orange colours in the idlis. You should add the eno salt only before pouring the idlis into the moulds or else, the idlis will become hard.

Pour the batter into the idli moulds and keep it on the steamer. Cover and steam for 10-12 minutes. Let it cool a bit and then remove the cover and check if it is cooked. When a toothpick is inserted, it should come out clean. Once cooked, remove the idlis with a tablespoon dipped in water.

Serve with peanut chutney or any chutney of your choice.

Kanjeevaram Idlis

Breakfast

Kanjeevaram aka Kanchipuram is a district in Tamilnadu, famous for silk sarees and a number of temples. The Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kanjeevaram serves these idlis as prasad to the devotees. Made with rice and lentils, these idlis are spiced with a tempering of ghee, ginger, cumin seeds, whole peppercorns etc…..

Ingredients:

Idli rice/Par boiled rice – 1 cup

Whole Udad dal – 1 cup

Pepper corns – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp

Ginger – 1 inch piece finely chopped

Cashewnuts – 5 – 6 chopped

Asafoetida/hing – a pinch

Curry leaves – 1 sprig chopped

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Soda Bi-carbonate – 1/4 tsp

Water – 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp

Preparation:

Wash and soak the udad dal and rice separately for 4 hours or overnight, with 4 cups of water each.

After 4 hours, remove the water and grind the udad dal coarsely adding 2 tbsp of water. Keep it aside.

Next, grind the rice coarsely adding about 3 tbsp of water. Keep it aside.

Mix both the batters, add salt and let it ferment for atleast 8 hours.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds, pepper, chopped ginger, curry leaves, chopped cashewnuts and asafoetida. Add this tempering to the fermented batter. Mix the soda with a tsp of water and add it to the batter. Mix the batter gently.

In a pressure cooker, pour the batter into small katoris or into idly moulds . The idly moulds or the small katoris need to be greased with ghee. Steam it for 8-10 minutes and put off the cooker. Wait for 10 minutes to let it cool.

USe a sharp knife or spoon to remove the idlis and serve it with any chutney.

Note : Mix the soda just before pouring the batter for steaming. If you are not going to use the entire batter, remove as much as you want and add the soda. Store the rest of the batter in the fridge.

Drumstick leaves Adai (Moringa Lentils Pancake)

Breakfast

Full of proteins, this savoury lentils pancake is served typically with avial (a yogurt based vegetable gravy). I prefer to have it smeared with butter or with a chutney. You can also make it to a thinner consistency and pour it like a dosa.

Ingredients:

Raw rice/ Ordinary Basmati rice – 1 cup

Tur Dal – 1/4 cup

Bengal gram dal/Chana dal – 1/4 cup

Udad dal – 1/4 cup

Moong Dal – 1/4 cup

Whole red chillies – 8

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Grated coconut – 1 to 2 tbsp or coconut bits/pieces – 10

Drumstick leaves – a handful (optional)

Salt – to taste

Oil- as required

Preparation:

Wash and soak the lentils and the red chillies together in a bowl of water, overnight.

In a mixer, add the red chillies and grind it . Next, add the rice and lentils/dals together with little salt and grind it to a coarse consistency. Add very little water, if you want a thicker version of the adai. If you would like to pour it like a dosa, you can add half a cup of water and grind. To the batter, add the drumstick leaves, pepper powder, asafoetida, grated coconut and mix well. Adjust the salt.

Heat an iron griddle or a non stick pan. Wipe it with a piece of cloth dipped in oil and pour one ladle of the batter and spread it like a dosa. Turn the flame to medium and add a tsp of oil all over the sides of the dosa. When it gets cooked, flip it to the other side and cook. Serve it with coconut chutney or tomato chutney.

If you would like a thicker version of the adai, instead of pouring it like a dosa, take a handful of dough and place it on the griddle and spread it by hand. Or you could spread the adai on a banana leaf and place the adai directly on the pan by flipping the banana leaf. Pour a tsp of oil on all sides so that it is cooked to a golden colour. Flip and cook the other side also. Take it off the fire and serve.

Note: If you do not have drumstick leaves, you can substitute it with mint leaves /coriander leaves or spring onion greens.

Bread Uthappam

Breakfast

Another quick South Indian breakfast or evening snack recipe which is quite filling.

Ingredients:

Bread – 4 slices

Bombay Rava – 1 cup

Curds – 1/2 cup

Rice flour – 2 tsp

Maida – 1 tsp

Onion- 1 medium chopped

Finely Green chillies – 2 chopped

Finely chopped Coriander leaves – 10 stalks

Curry leaves – about 10 leaves ( each leaf to be pinched into two pieces)

Ginger – 1 inch bit chopped fine

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Urad dhal/ black ram dal- 1 tsp

Bengal gram dal – 1 tsp

Asafoetida powder – 1/4 tsp

Baking soda – 1/4 tsp

Oil for frying

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Take curds and beat it well. Add rava to it. Add 1 cup water. Mix well and set aside for 20 minutes. Cut the edges of the bread and crumble to pieces. Put in mixer to grind to a fine powder. Heat oil in a kadai/ pan, add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add both the dals and fry till golden in colour. Add green chillies, ginger, onions and curry leaves and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt so that the onions cook faster. After 20 minutes, take the soaked rava and add the finely powdered bread crumbs to it. Add the fried ingredients to the batter. Add salt to taste and baking soda. Add water to make a thick batter consistency and mix well. Heat a tawa/ saucepan and put some oil. Keep it on medium flame as you pour the batter in the middle and spread a little in an outward motion. Uthapams should be about 1/2 an inch thick. Pour 1/2 tsp oil around it. When edges become slightly brown, flip it on the other side. Pour 1/2 tsp oil once again. Remove when it is slightly browned on the other side as well. You can add grated carrot, finely chopped cabbage, chopped capsicum, cooked peas to the batter to make it more nutritious.Can be served with any chutney of your choice. I served it with carrot chutney but it is delicious on its own.

Broken Wheat Rava Upma

Breakfast

A healthy, easy to make breakfast option with cracked wheat which also happens to be good for people with diabetes! You can serve this with tomato chutney or bottlegourd chutney.

Ingredients:

Samba Godhuma Rava/ Broken wheat/Bansi rava- 1 cup

Water – 3 1/2 cups

Onions – 1 big, chopped fine

Ginger – 1 inch piece chopped

Green chillies – 3 slit lengthwise

Tomato – 1 small (optional)

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Carrots sliced lengthwise – 1/2

Beans – 4

Shelled peas – 1/4 cup

Coriander leaves – 1 tsp chopped

Salt to taste

Seasoning:

Mustard – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Cashew nuts – 5 pieces

Preparation:

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard and when it starts spluterring, add urad dal, curry leaves and cashew nuts. Then add the ginger, green chillies, onions and saute well. Once the onions turn translucent, add the carrots, beans and peas and saute once more.

Next, add the rava and saute well for another 2 minutes. Then add hot water and salt to it while continuously stirring for 2 minutes ensuring no lumps are formed. Close the lid and let it cook. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.