Whole wheat dil leaves crackers recipe

Akki roti is one my fav Karnataka delicacies and last week I learnt the recipe and tips and techniques to learn from a friend and made it two consecutive days in full excitement. I am saying about akki roti here because I love dil leaves in akki roti and I placed an order for dil leaves with my grocer but when the leaves arrived I realised I ran out of akki roti flour. Hence this idea popped up in my mind and since I love the flavour of dil leaves dint waits to try out the recipe which was playing in my mind.

Recipe follows

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 1.5 cups

Dill leaves (finely chopped) – ¼ cup (packed)

Coconut oil – 2 tbsp.

Ghee- 1 tbsp.

Sugar – 1-2 tbsp.

Pepper powder – 1 tsp.

Garlic powder – 1 tsp.

Chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp.

Salt – ¾ tsp.

Baking powder – a pinch (1/8 tsp.)

Milk – enough to knead soft dough

Method

• In a huge bowl put the whole wheat flour and all the rest of the ingredients except milk. 
• Mix all the ingredients well with a fork. 
• Slowly add the milk to make a soft dough, neither too wet nor to dry or hard.
• Let the dough rest for 10 minutes
• Take an empty food grade cover with three sides closed or you could simply take two food grade plastic sheets. Keep the dough in between and roll out into thin sheets. Take a cutter and cut squares of the rolled dough. Place these squares in a greased baking tray or a silicon sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes until the edges slightly turn golden brown colour.
• Remove the crackers from the tray and place in a wire rack to cool. Once cool the crackers will turn crisp and crunchy.
• If not place the crackers in the tray and place it back in the oven for another few minutes but be careful it doesn’t get burnt!!
• Once cooled store in an airtight jar

Note : you could vary the spice measurements to your taste.

Done :)

Thanks

Chaithanya

Whole wheat chocolate and almond cookies with chocolate chunks

My boy loves anything sweet specially when its chocolaty and cookies top the list and he has been requesting me for a long time to bake some chocolate cookies. And off late he stopped requesting too, guess he thought amma wouldn’t bake as I have been emphasising on other better options of snacks recently.

Anyway today I thought of giving him a surprise and I made the cookie dough before he was back from school and baked it when he went out to play in the evening. And when he entered home he straight away walked into the kitchen to gobble up the cookie, of course I had to remind him to wash his hands. Also the little sister was also right beside him and they drooled at the melted chocolate oozing out!! He also counted the cookies and made sure he gets a fair share .. lol

In the meantime I took a bite on one and wohoo when the chocolate oozed out the child in me jumped with joy.

It was not a very different recipe from my usual cookie recipe yet I wanted to record this recipe.

Though I started off with a simple chocolate cookie it dint quite end up so.

Let me get to the recipe

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 1 cup

Almonds (I use mamra variety) – ½ cup

Egg – one

Sugar – ½ cup

Butter (salted) – ½ cup (100 gms)

Baking powder – one big pinch

Cocoa powder – 2 – 3 tsp.

Milk – ¼ - 1/3 cup

Chocolate chunks – 125 gms

  

Method

• Wash the almonds well and soak for about ½ hour
• Grind these almonds using milk and make a paste and keep aside
• In a large bowl throw in the butter, sugar, flour, egg, cocoa powder, baking powder and the almond paste and mix it well using a fork and keep aside for about 30  mins
• Chop the cooking chocolate into large chunks and throw in the cookie dough and mix well.
• Meanwhile preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius for 10 mins
• Grease the baking tray and scoop out the dough and place in the baking tray leaving a gap of at least an inch.
• Place the tray in the top rack of the oven (that’s what I do for cookies) and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.
• Remove the tray and carefully remove the cookies and place it in the wire rack.
• Store in an airtight container once cooled.

The chocolate remained soft even the next day but not gooey, may be I could microwave for few seconds and leave it for few minutes before taking a bite and get the oozing chocolate effect

I used organic raw sugar in the this recipe, the granules are crushed sand and not crystals or fine powder.

Happy baking!! :)

Thanks and regards

Chaithanya

3 flour murukku it is!

That day when I realised there are no munchies at home and me being me don’t like my family feeding on store bought munchies hence checked my grocery. And I remembered I had bought urad flour from the market last week, so just went on to exploring  making some crispy snack. If we check on to murukku recipe there is no dearth for it with the variety of combinations it has. Hence I thought of going my way.

Picked out rice flour , gram flour, and rice flour and mixed and kneaded  with some spices and extruded using using the chakkuli maker and used the thick seviya strand moulds.

Anyway the The recipe follows....

Ingredients

•   1 cup urad flour
•   1 cup gram flour
•   1 cup rice flour
•   Ghee – 2- 3  tsp.
•   Water – as required
•   Spices – (jeera, ajwain, asoafetida, turmeric powder, chilli powder, pepper powder, sesame seeds)
•   Salt

Method

In a huge bowl throw in all the flours, ghee and spices and mix well and then add water little by little and make a not so soft dough, dough will be sticky so use a fork to start mixing the dough and use your palm at a later stage. Let the dough rest for 10- 20 mins.

Heat the oil and fill the dough in the murukku press and then hold the press above the hot oil and squeeze out the dough in the hot oil. Turn the murukku over and remove it it to a kitchen towel once it stops bubbling.

Note :

The dough will be sticky use a little water to put out just enough dough to fill in the mould.

Fry in high flame

If the dough turns out to be watery add any of the flours  little more since wet dough will absorb oil.

Thanks you 

Chaithanya

Recipe for Chiwda - a dry roasted snack using beaten rice

A Marathi friend sent a box of delicious spicy chiwda last week and that’s what motivated me to try this amazing snack. I was unsure as to how authentic my chiwda would taste while I thought of trying it out. I googled for some recipes but I realised none of the recipes are the same so I thought of giving it a try in my way and yea no regrets about the taste.

So this recipe is what I did and will note what I could add or modify in my next trial.

Ingredients

Thin beaten rice (paper poha) – 500 gms

Cashew nuts – ½ cup

Peanuts – 1 cup

Roasted gram dal – ½ cup

Sliced garlic – 2 tbsp.

Curry leaves – 1 cup packed (yes!!)

Asafoetida – 2 big pinches

Sesame seeds – ½ cup

Salt

Powdered sugar

Red chillies

Coriander seeds – 1 tspn

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp.

Oil – ½ cup

Method

• Take a huge kadai and dry roast the poha (beaten rice) for about 10-15 mins ( when you snap it should break).
• Take another kadai and pour in the oil and heat up.
• Fry the cashew nuts, peanuts, garlic and curry leaves and keep aside.
• In the remaining oil fry the sesame seeds, red chillies, asafoetida, turmeric powder, coriander seeds and pour in this seasoning over the roasted poha along with the fried cashew nuts, peanuts, garlic slices and curry leaves.
• Add salt and powdered sugar and mix the whole mixture thoroughly until all the flavours and ingredients gets mixed up well.

Note: Fry finely chopped green chillies if you want to make it spicy

This is specially made for a guilt free evening snack for me and my selves (actually)...Lol

Try and let me know

Thank you!

Chaithanya

Wholewheat mini cupcakes sweetened with jaggery syrup

That day I was feeling  low for a reason and was craving to do something new or different and that usually gives me a high. So that day I just picked up my mini cupcakes pan and kept out all the staples for cake baking. After couple of hours while I was making dinner for the family I got into mixing the batter and then this recipe evolved.  Husband dear had just got back from the office and he loved the aroma filled in our home :)

Following is the recipe

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour -1.5 cups

Eggs – 3 no.s

Butter – 2/3 cup

Jaggery syrup – ¾ cup (refer notes)

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp.

Baking powder – 1 tsp.

Method

• Take a huge mixing bowl and throw in the softened butter, crack the 3 eggs, sieve in the flour and the baking powder, pour in the jaggery syrup, drop in the vanilla essence and mix well using a whisk until all the ingredients have just come together. Yes, you read it right. That’s exactly what I did.  Don’t over whisk. 
• Once the ingredients have come together gently scoop out the batter into the cupcake moulds and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when pierced.

Note: Jaggery syrup is made by melting one kg of jaggery with one cup of water, sieve and  and measure ¾ cup from it for this recipe. You can store the remaining syrup in the refrigerator and stays good for weeks.

I used coarse chakki ground atta for this recipe.

Thanks and regards

Chaithanya

Methi capsicum masala reccipe

Another weekend comes up and thought of going out for lunch but was looking difficult due to kids’ classes. Also there was hardly any vegetables at home except for some basic stuffs. Hence thought of putting a meal of jeera rice, dal, eggs and a capsicum curry.

This capsicum curry has a nice flavourful base and is different from the usual curry base I do. Though I served it with jeera rice hubby dear is of the opinion that it will go well with rotis and parathas.

Anyway let me share the recipe.

Ingredients

Onion - 1 , roughly chopped

Tomatoes - 2, roughly chopped

Green chilli – 1/2

Ginger – 1 inch

Garlic – 2-3 cloves

Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp.

Peanuts – 1 tbspn

Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp

Kashmiri chillies – 2 whole ones (you can more if you want more colour)

Jeera – ½ tspn

Methi leaves – ½ cup (fresh leaves)

Capsicum – 2 medium ( chopped into cubes)

Turmeric powder – ½ tspn

Salt

Water - One cup

Method

• Keep a thick bottom kadai on stove and add oil, add the cashews, peanuts, coriander seeds, tomato, onion,  ginger, garlic,  green chillies and whole kashmiri chillies and sauté for a while, you can sauté it together until everything just wilt away and no need to brown it. Remove the contents to a mixer jar and let it cool.
• Make a paste of the mixture in the mixer.
• Keep the kadai on the stove again and add oil/butter/ghee
• Add jeera and once it splutters add the chopped capsicum. Sauté it for a while and then add the methi leaves (you could chop it if you want) and followed by the ground masala.
• Add turmeric powder, salt and required amount of water and bring the curry to a boil.
• Garnish with a pinch of garam masala or you could add whole spices in at any stage of cooking the curry
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tips and notes: You may increase the number of kashmiri chillies for colour and heat.

You may also increase or decrease the level of water and adjust the consistency of the curry.

Thanks and regards

Chaithanya

Tutti frutti and coconut flakes bread recipe

Love baking bread these days and today a jar of tutti frutti and a jar of coconut flakes tempted me to bake this bread. I used whole wheat flour for this bread.

Initially I used to find it difficult to bake bread using just whole wheat but now have got the hang of it! And doesn’t get terrified for not using maida. The trick is you have to make sure that the dough is wet enough. As I have always said in my previous bread posts the bread dough should be wet enough to get a softer bread. As a secret I would also say don't blindly follow the recipe but follow your instincts.

I have a reason to say this, as even the texture of the flour changes from packets, brands, batches and so on.

So don’t worries if your dough happens to be mushy...be happy that you get softer dough provided you have good quality yeast to react with

Was doubtful whether to blog this crazy recipe but when husband returned from office he was gobbling it one by one along with tea and that made me decide, yes i should blog this recipe .. lol 

Now onto the recipe

Ingredients

Whole wheat four - 2 cups

Yeast - 1tspn

Olive oil - 2-3 tbsp.

Sugar - 1tbspn

Salt - 1 tsp.

Water – 1.5 cups

Tutti Frutti -1/2 cup to 1 cup (I have used 1 cup)

Coconut flakes - 1/2 cup to 1 cup (I have used 1 cup)

Method

• Take a huge mixing bowl and sift in the flour, add the yeast, sugar and knead using water. You could use your hands, fork or dough hook attachment of the egg beater for kneading the dough. Then add the salt and add the olive oil little by little and knead for about 10 minutes.  This dough will be quite watery, but worry not!
• Close the bowl with a lid or a towel and leave it to rise for about 0ne hour. You will see the dough has doubled in size. AT this stage add the tutti frutti and coconut flakes and mix it gently into the dough. Take a pan and spread out the dough evenly ( I use a silicon sheet ot spread out the dough) and press out using olive oil smeared palm.
• Preat heat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes and meantime the dough will rise.
• Once the oven is hot, place the tray in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the top turns brown and you hear a hollow sound once you knock the bread.
• Remove the bread and let it cool on a wire rack.
• Slice the bread once the bread cools down.

Bake and enjoy with a nice cup of tea or coffee

Thanks 

Chaithanya

Raw cashew curry recipe

Last week just happened to drop in one of the Mangalore stores in the city. They usually store and sell goodies which are popular in the Konkan belt. This store serves buns, goli bajji, pathrode etc. So while we were browsing through the snacks, sweets and savouries we spotted a pack of raw cashews. I have heard about raw cashew curry from a class mate of mine during my college years. Asked few tips from the store keeper as to how to wash and clean those cashews. Further I checked with my friend for the recipe. She was delighted to know that I still remember the curry after so many years. I happened to find a recipe on the internet too. But thought of going ahead with my friend’s recipe.

Hence the recipe follows

Ingredients

Raw cashew – 200 gm

Shallots – 1 cup (3/4 cup +1/4 cup)

Ginger – 1 inch

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Curry leaves

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp.

Coriander powder – 3 tsp.

Chilli powder – 1 tsp.

Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp.

Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp.

Fennel seeds – ¼ tsp.

For seasoning

Shallots

Mustard

Red chillies

Curry eaves

Method

• The raw cashews will have a brown outer skin, so soak these cashews in hot water and after sometime peel off the skin, wash it thoroughly a couple of times and keep aside.
• Now take a kadai or a thick bottom vessel, add few spoons of oil. When the oil is hot add chopped ginger, ¾ cup ofshallots and curry leaves and sauté until the shallots turns to a pale colour. Add the grated coconut and all the spices and keep stirring until the mixture turns dark brown in colour. Please be careful not to burn the mixture at this stage.
• Transfer this mixture into a grinder and once cooled grind the mixture to a fine paste adding required amount of water.
• Now take a thick bottom vessel and pour this mixture into it and add sufficient water to adjust the consistency of the gravy. Add the washed raw cashews at this stage and also add salt.
• Let it come to boil and let the cashews cook for about 15- 20 mins.
• Once done remove from the stove.
• Now take another pan and keep it on the stove and add oil, splutter mustard seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves and ¼ cup of finely chopped shallots. Pour it over the curry and it’s done.
• This curry can be served with rice, chappathi, appams etc

Note: you could also do the seasoning first as then pour the gravy paste and cashews and cook. 

Pickled Strawberries recipe

Some fresh strawberries have been lying in my fridge for the past few days and it had become  not so fresh anymore…jam and milkshakes have been in my mind but I dint want to make those. Cakes, cookies, scones too went thru my mind, dint want to do that either.

All of a sudden thought of pickling it … has no idea how that spark came in. I was quite uncertain about the outcome too... But yet just gave it a try. I must say I am digging the berries from the jar whenever I pass by.

And the best thing there is no added sugar, efforts or any other frills attached. Simply chop add salt, sugar, green chillies and few spoons of vinegar.

Now the recipe looks like this

Strawberries (cut into 4 ) – 250 gms

Water

Salt and sugar – as per taste

Vinegar – 1-2 tbsp. (depending on the sourness of the strawberries)

Green chillies – 2-3 (finely chopped)

Method

Take a clean glass jar and fill in with the chopped strawberries. Add the salt, sugar and chopped green chillies and shake the bottle. Add water just above the level of the berries. Add the vinegar too.

Shake again and leave it aside.
Let it sit for few hours and then enjoy nonstop 

Note: You may reduce the heat by reducing the number of green chillies you use 

Thanks and regards

Chaithanya

Mushroom and paneer masala

So that day when I had gone for grocery shopping had picked a packet of fresh mushrooms and fresh paneer ( cottage cheese) from the nearby store. Whenever these  two ingredients are at home I try to cook it the same day. So was thinking of coming up with a side dish for rotis for that evening. Since I was craving for something with spicy flavours yet tangy and sweet , started thinking of a curry base with onion tomato and coconuts.

Hence the recipe

Ingredients

Mushrooms – 200 gms

Paneer – 100 gms

Onion – one large

Tomato – 2 large

Ginger  - an inch

Garlic – 3- 4 cloves

Green chilli – 1 or 2

Grated coconut – ¼ cup

Oil

salt

Spices

Coriander powder  - 2 tspn

Chilli powder  - ½ tspn

Turmeric powder – ¼ tspn

Whole pepper corns – ½ tspn

Fennel seeds – ½ tspn

Method

• Keep a kadai on the stove, once its heated add a spoon or two of oil and add the grated coconut to it. Add the chopped onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chillies, saute well until the coconut turns brown and the onions and tomatoes turns its colour. 
• Switch off the flame and add the rest of the spices and mix well and let the whole mixture cool.
• Once cooled grind it well using little water to a fine paste.
• Now keep the kadai on the stove, add a little oil and add the chopped mushrooms, stir well until its cooked.
• Add the ground masala paste and add sufficient water and salt to the curry.
• Add the paneer cubes and bring it to boil.
• Mean while add some curry leaves and let it get cooked in the curry.

Serve hot with some warm phulkas/rotis.

Note: Change the spice level to you preferences.

Thanks and regards

Chaithanya

Horse gram tadka recipe

The main ingredient of this recipe is horse gram, which we like to  consume during the cold seasons as it gives warmth to the body and as a bonus helps in weight reduction and is an excellent source of iron too!

The whole seeds of horse gram are generally utilized as cattle feed. However, it is consumed as a whole seed, as sprouts, or as whole meal in India, popular especially in southern Indian states. 

I learnt this recipe from my mother in law and it’s a quick dinner for us on some days and we can avoid carbs during this meal as this is quite filling and healthy too!

The recipe is as follows

Ingredients

Horse gram – 1 cup

Water – 2 cups

Chilli powder, turmeric powder – as required

Salt – as required

For seasoning

Shallots – finely chopped

Garlic – finely chopped

Chopped coconut pieces

Curry leaves

Red chillies

Method

• Dry roast the horse gram in a thick bottom kadai/wok for about 10 mins in med flame until you get a nice aroma and the shape and colour of the horse gram changes slightly. Soak this roasted horse gram in sufficient water for about 3- 4 hrs.
• Wash it well until the water is clear, that’s for about 3-4 times and put it in a pressure cooker.
• Add 2 cups of water, salt and spices and tsp. of oil in the pressure cooker.
• Pressure cook for one whistle at high flame and reduce the flame to min and leave for about half an hour before switching the flame off, as it takes time to cook well.
• Once the pressure releases on its own, get ready for the tadka/seasoning.
• Keep a small pan on the stove, add oil, add the finely chopped shallots, garlic, coconut pieces, curry leaves and dried red chillies, saute well until the shallots and garlic turns golden brown in colour.
• Add the tadka to the cooked horsegram.
• Serve hot with rice, philkas or just as it is!

Thank you!

Chaithanya

Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and spring onions

A pack of spaghetti has been lying in my pantry for few weeks and just yesterday I harvested some fresh and aromatic spring onions. 
Thought of pairing it with the spaghetti and yea also had some ripe cherry tomatoes to be plucked from the pots.
So thought of bringing all this ingredients together to prepare spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and spring onions and the verdict was super yum!

I am bad with stories and hence jumping to the recipe: P

Ingredients

Olive oil – 2 -3 tbsp.

Finely chopped garlic – 1-2 tsp. 

Finely chopped spring onion heads - 1/4 cup

Spaghetti – 250 gms

Water in which spaghetti was cooked - 1 cup

Salt, pepper, chilli flakes, Italian seasoning – as per your wish

Method

• Cook the spaghetti and keep aside.
• Take a deep wok or a skillet and add the olive oil, throw in the chopped garlic and spring onion heads, sauté well.
• Add about a cup of water in which spaghetti was cooked and simmer a while 
• Now add the cooked spaghetti and add salt, pepper and stir well.
• Add the chopped cherry tomatoes and spring onion and stir again. 
• Add the Italian seasoning and chilli flakes and grated cheese at this stage.
• Stir well again and serve hot!!

Note:

Spaghetti can be cooked in a huge pot of boiling water in which a little olive oil and salt is added.

Alternatively you can pressure cook the spaghetti by adding 6 cups of water to 250 gms of spaghetti, salt and cooking for one whistle. Retain one cup of water in which spaghetti is cooked for the recipe. 

Cook, serve and enjoy :)
Thank you 

Chaithanya

Homemade badam (mamra) milk drink

This is one of the drinks I make for kids for breakfast especially during winters… Their breakfast includes an Indian breakfast and cup of badam milk to go with it.

I believe almonds provides heat to the body and also develop immunity, now that is what I have read and heard.

And yea I never believed in the store bought ‘health drinks’

Badam milk is something made at home using soaked almonds blended with sweetened milk. Earlier I use to use the american almonds but few years back I met a mom who mentioned about mamra variety of almonds , did a bit of research on it and since then been using  mamra variety for making badam milk, it’s a bit costlier compared to the American variety but is very nutritious.

We soak mamra variety of almonds overnight and grind the almonds with milk, raw sugar and a pinch of home made turmeric powder.  I feel so happy and satisfied when I make this and kids drink this in the morning.. :)

Coming to the recipe

Ingredients

Mamra almonds - 10-1 2 no.s

Milk - 2 cups 

Sugar - 2 tsp.

Turmeric powder – a pinch 

Cardamom power – a pinch

Method

• Soak the almonds overnight and wash thoroughly the next day( I don’t peel the soaked almonds).
• Grind the almonds with little milk, sugar, turmeric powder and cardamom powder well and then later add the rest of the milk.
• Once ground strain thru a juicer sieve.
• Pour out in cups and serve! 

Note : 

• I use 'Braun' chopper to grind this quantity of almonds, have tried most of the other appliances but it never gets ground well.
• We use organic milk, raw sugar, a home made turmeric powder to make the drink healthier. 

Thank you 

Chaithanya.