Varagu arisi Masala Kichdi (Kodo Millet Kichdi)

 This is a super comforting easy meal that is so light on the stomach and easy to digest. Millet are super grains that are gaining so much popularity in the recent years for their various nutritional benefits. I find them difficult to substitute to our traditional rice.However, there are other ways by which we can cook Millet so that they taste delicious yet remain healthy. There are numerous dishes we can make with various millet. Here, I have shared the recipe for Dal Kichdi using Kodo Millet or Varagu arisi.

This tastes just like a normal dal kichdi that is made using our normal white rice but here, we are replacing it with millet and vegetables for additional goodness. This is a one pot one one shot (OPOS) method which is easy and healthy.

serves: 2-3

Ingredients

1. Kodo Millet - 3/4 cup
2. Toor Dal - 1/4 cup
3. Water - 3.5 cups
4. Green chili - 1 big slit
5. Ghee - 1 tbsp
6. Cumin - 1 tsp
7. Bay Leaf - 1
8. Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Ginger garlic Paste - 1.5 tsp
12. Coriander leaves - fistful chopped
13. Needed salt

Vegetables ( Anything of your choice - chopped as shown in the pic)

• Cauliflower florets - 5
• Carrot - 1 small
• Capsicum - half
• Baby corn - 3
• Tomatoes - 3
• Onion - 1 Big

                  

Chopped Veggies

Kodo Millet

Method

1. In a cooker, add ghee, bay leaf and cumin. Once the cumin crackles, add green chili and onions. Saute until onions are translucent in a low medium flame.

2. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for another 2 mins.

Onion has become translucent

3. Soak the cauliflower in a hot salted water for 10 mins. Wash them and drain them completely for getting rid of worms.

4. Add Toor dal and saute for a minute. Add all other veggies and needed salt and saute nicely.

Dal and veggies getting sauteed

                     

5. Wash the kodo millet nicely to get off the bitter taste. Drain them and add it to the cooker pan.

 

6. Add needed water and give everything a nice stir. Close the cooker and pressure cook for 4 whistles on a medium flame.

  

Add water to pressure cook

7. Switch off the cooker after 4 whistles, once the pressure settles, open the cooker.

8. Give it a nice stir, add some water based on the consistency required and adjust salt.

9. Add the garam masala and give it a good stir. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve piping hot with Papad and some aloo curry. It tastes yummmmm.

Cooked Kodo Millet Kichdi

No Yeast No Oven Vegetable Pizza

In this tough time of lock down, it is really impossible and tough to order pizza from outside considering the health and safety. What if I say that pizza can be made easily at home without even an oven. Yes!!!!! This pizza turned out super amazing and soft with all the favorite toppings. Trust me... This was as good as any dominoes or Pizza hut Pizza and yet pocket friendly. This is made with homemade pizza and pasta sauce which is also super easy to make. Homemade is always bliss and gives you the best satisfaction one can ever get. In this recipe, I have used roasted garlic powder,parsley and oregano for a additional flavor to make the base. You can very well skip it if you want the base to be plain. But trust me, this adds lovely flavor to the crust.

Serves: 2 Pizzas

Ingredients

For the Dough

1. All purpose Flour - 2 cups
2. Curd/Yogurt - 1/4 cup
3. Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
5. Salt - 1/2 tsp
6. Oil - 2 tbsp (Vegetable or olive oil)
7. Roasted Garlic Powder - 2 tsp (Optional)
8. Parsley - 1 tsp
9. Oregano - 1 tsp
10. Water - 3/4 cup
11. Sugar - 1 tsp

For the Toppings

1. Homemade Pizza and Pasta Sauce - As needed to spread
2. Mozzarella Cheese - cubed or grated ( 1.5 cups )
3. Red chili powder / Paprika powder/ Red chili flakes- 1 tsp for each pizza(as per taste)
4. Oregano seasoning/ Mixed Italian Seasoning - as per taste
5. Veggies of your choice - Jalapenos,Baby corn,Olives,Tomatoes,capsicum,corn,onion (as show in the picture)

                                    

Method

1. Add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients mentioned under the "Dough" and combine well. Knead nicely for 5 mins into a pliable soft dough. The real trick lies in the kneading for pizza to come out really soft. Sieve the flour, baking powder and soda to get rid of any particles so that the dough is smooth. Cover with a moist cloth and keep it aside for about an hour.

                                        


2. Roll it into a flat round shape as shown in the picture. I have not created a dent in my recipe, however you can create a dent so that it resembles of Restaurant Pizza. Prick the pizza base with forks as shown below. This helps the base to be cooked uniformly and inside as the steam is circulated through the holes.

                                                


3. Place the pizza base on a non stick pan. I made a mistake of using a cast iron pan and the base got slightly hard. However, non stick gives a perfect finish.

Base made by cooking on a non stick pan

4. After placing the base on non stick pan, apply pizza sauce generously.

                                     


5. Add all your favorite toppings uniformly. I have just added it randomly as it was just me and my husband who are gonna eat it:P This was a tip from my friend, ensure all 4 slices have all the toppings distributed equally so that everybody gets a bite of all the toppings. So start placing the toppings equally and uniformly so that when you cut them into 4 slices, it is divided equally and NOT like this one:)

6. Add lavish amount of mozzarella cheese cubes (grated or cubed) over the pizza along with some oregano, Italian herbs and red chili flakes sprinkled as per taste. Sooooo Cheeesy!!! and cover it with a lid. Allow the pan to simmer (full low flame) for 8 mins.

                                     

7. After 8 mins, remove the pizza from the pan and transfer to plate :):) Slice it and enjoy this simple Pan to Plate Pizza that is yummy and Cheesyyyyy !!!

8. You can also pre - cook the base alone as mentioned in the above step. Do not flip it. Cook by covering the lid on one side on low flame for 8 mins. After it cools down, store in Zip lock covers.

9. Add the pizza sauce, toppings,cheese and microwave it until the cheese melts. Serve it hot :) So Easy :)

Pre Cooking the base in advance

Homemade Pizza and Pasta Sauce (GB Special)

Why would one go for a store bought Pizza and Pasta sauce when the same can be made so easily at home with available ingredients?? The store bought pizza sauce have high amount of preservatives added that it almost kills the natural taste and flavor of the sauce. Ever since I started making these at home, there is no turning back. In case you do not have access to fresh bail or parsley leaves,you can very well use the dried ones that are readily available in the market. This can be stored in refrigerator for about a week. This can also be used as a dip for sandwich, breads and buns and trust me, it tastes amazing. Let's jump to the recipe.

Serves: 1 bowl

Ingredients

1. Bangalore Tomatoes - 6
2. Garlic Cloves Big - 8 ( alternatively you can use 4 tsp of garlic powder)
3. Jalapenos - 5 slices ( for flavor and spice, however this is completely optional and you can skip if you don't have)
4. Red Chilies - 3
5. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp (for nice color)
6. Butter - 2 tbsp
7. Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
8. Tomato Sauce - 1 tbsp
9. Sugar - 3/4 tsp
10. Dried Parsley - 1 tsp
11. Mixed Italian Herbs - 1 tsp (Dried Sage,Thyme,Rosemary,Marjoram)
12. Dried Basil Leaves - 2 tsp
13. Dried Oregano - 1 tsp
14. Needed salt to taste

Method

1. Blanch the tomatoes as mentioned here.

2. Spread the blanched tomatoes on a tray for them to cool down. Remove the seeds and roughly chop the tomatoes.

3. Grind the jalapenos, garlic and red chilies together in a grinder to form a puree.

                           

4. Heat butter in a pan and add some Olive oil. Add the pureed mixture and saute it on a low flame.

                            

5. Add all the seasoning powders,kashmiri chili powder,sugar and salt. Slow cooking is very important for this sauce as only then the flavors will be released and retained. 

                           

6. Simmer it on a low flame with pan covered for about 7-8 mins.

7. Add a tbsp of tomato sauce for the right tangy flavor.

8. Steam a glass jar to get rid of any germs or bacteria by immersing the glass jar in a boiling water completely along with the lid carefully using tongs.

9. Transfer the sauce to the glass jar and store it for about a week in refrigerator.

10. You can use this for pizza, pasta, dips, salad dressing. It tastes yummy!!!!!

Caramel Bread Pudding

This is a very simple and yummy dessert that can be made with easy and readily available ingredients at home. This is a no bake and no oven version and is prepared by steaming the bread-milk-sugar batter.

The texture is not like that of a cake ,but more of a soft pudding. If you have some leftover breads and wondering how to finish them off, this would be a perfect delicacy to treat your kids and family.

I have used readymade hershey's caramel syrup as I had them with me. However, I have mentioned how to make homemade caramel syrup. This recipe is picked up from VegRecipesOfIndia with slight changes to make it more sweet.

serves: 3

Ingredients

1. Whole Wheat Bread - 6 slices
2. Boiled Milk - 1.5 cups *I used the semi fat milk
3. White Sugar - 1/2 cup
4. Corn Flour - 1 tsp
5. Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Homemade Caramel Syrup

1. White Sugar - 2.5 tbsp
2. Water - 1 tbsp

Method

1. Powder the bread slices in a mixer grinder.

2. Warm the milk on a stove in a low heat. Add powdered bread, corn flour, essence and sugar and mix well on a low heat till the mixture thickens and the sugar dissolves completely.

3. Take sugar in an aluminium pan or any pan of your choice. Add sugar and water and heat it on a low flame. Keep stirring the mixture until the sugar caramelizes and becomes golden brown as shown in the below pic. Once this stage is reached, remove the pan from stove.

4. Add the bread - milk - sugar batter on to the pan which already has caramel syrup in it and pat nicely.

5. Seal it properly with aluminum foil so that steam does not enter the pan.

6. Steam the contents in an electric cooker steamer or in a normal pressure cooker for about 30 mins.

To steam in electric cooker, fill the cooker pan with 4 cups of water and switch to cooking mode. Place the steamer basket above the cooker pan as shown in the pic. Once the steam starts coming up, place the pudding batter pan inside the steamer and steam for 30 mins.

In Pressure Cooker, fill the pressure cooker with 4 cups of water and place a stand. On the stand, place the batter pan and steam for 30 mins. Do not use the weight while steaming in pressure cooker.

7. After steaming, let the pudding cool down. Once cooled down, refrigerate the pudding for 2 hours.

8. Open the pan and remove the foil. Use a knife to gently scrape the sides so that it is easy to unmold. Flip the pan gently onto a plate.

9. There you have, the delicious caramel coated bread pudding ready to be sliced :):) Yummy...

10. You can put more caramel syrup if required depending on your taste :)

Beetroot Almond Chapati

It is very difficult to make toddlers eat vegetables that are healthy. I always trick my son into eating healthy vegetables by making it as a puree in chapati. He loves coloured chapatis very much and finds it very interesting. He fondly calls this "Red" Chapati. This is healthy and colourful all at the same time and we parents can happily make it without any guilt. Kids find it very attractive and colourful and hence finish it in no time.

Recently I had come across few online products where they market readymade multigrains wheat flour for toddlers at sky rocketing price. Why buy it at such high price when making this at home is very easy and cost effective. Nothing like making healthy and yummy food for your kid all by yourself.

This contains goodness of beetroot and almond. Vegetable pureed chapatis are generally very soft and hence, kids enjoy it very much.

My son loves this recipe and I will share this fool proof recipe. I have used Aashirvaad Whole Wheat Atta and find it really good. The chapatis turn out very soft and fluffy. I have used kashmiri red chili powder as they aren't very spicy. This gives nice colour to the chapati without adding spice.

Serves: 14-15 chapatis

Ingredients

1. Whole Wheat Flour - 1.5 cups
2. Almond Flour (Blanched/Unblanched) - 1/2 cup
3. Beetroot - 1 small or 1/2 of large
4. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp
5. Cumin Powder - 2 tsp
6. Salt - 2 tsp
7. Needed water for kneading the dough
8. Oil - 2 tsp for coating the dough
9. Ghee for final garnish

Method

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together - Flour, salt,cumin and red chili powder well.

2. Peel the beetroot, slice it and pressure cook for 3 whistles with 1 cup of water. After the beetroot cools down, puree the beetroot. Reserve the cooked water for kneading if required. You can even drink it as it is very healthy.

                                      

3. Add the puree to the dough and knead well. Add water depending on the consistency. It should be a smooth pliable dough. Knead well for solid 5 mins. Coat the dough with 2 tsp of oil and cover it with moist cloth.

                                    

4. After 30 mins, roll them into round chapatis and toss it on tawa.

5. You can either directly cook on tawa using ghee or try the phulka method as shown here.

6. Soft Beetroot Almond Chapati is ready. I roll it with honey and give it to my son. He loves having it that way. Elders can have it with any accompaniment of your choice and it tastes great with just a plain curd :)

Organic Homemade Rose Syrup

This is a very special experimentation for me. My maiden attempt to create an Organic Rose syrup using fresh Paneer Roses. Everybody loves Rose Milk right!!! who doesn't. I had recently made Rose Milk flavoured Coconut Ladoo (Recipe soon to be posted) for fireless cooking competition at my office. The Rose Milk essence that was store bought was made in a Chemical Laboratory and tasted pungent and horrible. That is when I understood how harmful these artificial colouring and essence are. The store bought rose milk essence are nothing but just sugar syrup mixed with rose essence and food colour.

Rose syrup made out of real roses has so many health benefits and when you can make something so organic easily at home, why at all store bought?

This Rose Syrup is completely natural and organic made with unrefined brown sugar (sweetness) and beetroot for the colour. This can be stored for about months in an airtight container in a refrigerator and used in milk, as essence in cakes and juices, in sweets, payasam etc.

Following are the Health Benefits of Organic Rose Syrup

1. Act as a great coolant in cooling the body heat.
2. It's anti-inflammatory properties keep problems like bloating and acidity at bay.
3. Loaded with antioxidants, delays aging, natural glowing and healthy skin,
4. Calms the mind and reduces mood swings.
5. Great Immunity Booster and a healthy/refreshing summer drink.
6. Highly kids friendly and kids love rose flavour.

Let's jump to the recipe

Ingredients

1. Rose Petals - 1 cup tightly packed (about 13 roses)
2. Unrefined Brown Sugar - 1 cup
3. Water - 1/2 cup
4. Grated Beetroot - 1/4 cup

Method

Fresh Paneer Rose

1. Remove the petals from the roses and soak the petals in a container full of water.

Wash the petals thoroughly for insects and pesticides

2. Wash the petals thoroughly to get rid of insects and pesticides.

3. Strain the petals well and allow them to dry for half hour.

Drain the water

4. Take a pan and add brown sugar. Add grated beetroot, rose petals and water.

Unrefined Brown Sugar

Grated Beetroot for color

5. Cover the pan and allow it to simmer on low flame for 10 mins with occasional stirring. This helps in removing the raw flavour of beetroot and allow the rose petals to release its essence and flavour.

                                         Roses ready to get boiled

6. After simmering for 10 mins, you will notice the syrup has turned thick and the petals have shrunk well losing all its color. Check for the consistency.

                                           Rose Syrup getting cooked

7. Strain the syrup nicely using a fine mesh.

                                                    Strain the Syrup well

8. Transfer to a clean airtight glass container and refrigerate it. Use it whenever needed for all your sweet delicacies.