Mixed veggie raagi uttapa

This is again a recipe to make use of leftover batter -idli batter.

Ingredients : Left over idli batter-1 cup,raagi flour 1 cup,1/4 tsp hing,1/2 inch piece adrak ( grated),1 medium carrot ( grated),1 medium onion ( finely cut),curry leaves & coriander -finely cut & salt to taste.A small bowl of oil to apply on the uttapas whilst being cooked.If you like it spicy,also add finely cut green chillies to the batter.

Method : Mix all the veggies in the idli batter along with the raagi flour & hing.Add enough batter so that it has the consistency thicker than dosa batter.Keep it for 2-3 hours so that the raagi flour gets soaked.Now add salt-remember that idli batter already had salt.

Take a non stick tawa  & heat it on the gas. Spread a little of this batter from a ladle on the tawa.Don't try to spread it -it may break.Cover the tawa  with a lid & let it cook for a minute.Take out the lid .Spread a little oil on the uncooked side & turn it over.Again cover with lid.After a minute -take out the lid.If the uttapa is fully cooked,it will have a  milky coffee color.Take it off  from the tawa.Serve the uttapa with coconut chutni or chutni podi .

Palak paratha

I make palak parathas so that my kid will eat palak in paratha form.

Palak is an excellent source of iron . Spinach or palak is also rich in manganese, magnesium, & vitamins like A, C, K & folic acid.

Ingredients: Half a bunch of palak leaves,1 cup  atta,1 tbsp besan, 3-4 tbsp oil,1 tsp lal mirch powder,1/2 tsp haldi,1/2 tsp powdered hing,1 tsp ajwain,1 tsp til( seasame seeds), 1/2 cup chaas  & salt to taste.

Method :Wash palak leaves thoroughly by soaking them in a large bowl of water for 10-15 minutes .Next drain the dirty water after removing the palak leaves on to a sieve. Pressure cook the plak leaves for 1 whistle. Let the cooker cool. Take out the cooked palak leaves & make a puree in the mixer .

Take atta , add all the lal mirchi powder,haldi, besan,ajwain,til,hing & mix .

Add the palak puree to  the atta spice mixture .Add little water or dahi or chaas if palak puree is insufficient to mke soft dough. Chaas or dahi is to give a tangy taste.

Now make lemon sized bowls of this mixed dough & roll into chapatis.Heat a tawa & put the chapati on that.Apply oil on the uncooked side.After the chapati changes color, turn it over & again apply oil on the side which is cooked.After the chapati becomes yellowish brown ,take it off from the tawa.

Repeat with other lemon sized balls & make remaining parathas.

Ajwain is to control flatulence & til provides calcium as also iron  . Besan to add protein content & make the parathas tastier ! Palak parathas can be served with dahi & achar.

This is another recipe for #livoenironchef entry for the Iron Chef contest on IndiBlogger.

Sweet Potato snack

This is also known as ratalu khees in Marathi.It can be eaten during upvaas.Sweet potato has lot of fibre -hence it is very healthy.

Ingredients :3 medium sized sweet potatoes,one medium bowl  roasted peanut powder, 1 tsp jeera,1 green chilli,curry leaves,1/2 inch piece of adrak,some sprigs of coriander for garnishing, 1/4 tsp hing,one tbsp oil & salt to taste.

Method :Wash the sweet potatoes to remove the dirt.Then peel off the skin.Now grate it.Take oil in kadhai.Put jeera & hing.After jeera have spluttered,add the grated sweet potato,the green chilli,curry leaves & grated adrak .Close the kadhai with a lid.After a minute,add the roasted peanut powder to the kadhai & mix all. Close the kadhai -the snack is ready.Just add the salt & agin mix all.Close the kadhai.Put off the gas.

Garnish with coriander & squeeze a lemon  if you want a tangy taste.

Tip: Sweet potato gets cooked very fast-so you have to be very careful.Otherwise,it may get struck to the kadhai.

Kadhai Gobhi

I had sent in this recipe to HT cafe & it was in the weekly column "Ghar Ka Khana" on 16th April,2009.

Ingredients:250gm cauliflower cut into medium sized florets,2 carrots diced,6 beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces,1 small bowl of peas,1 large capsicum diced,1 medium sized tomato diced,1/2 inch ginger grated,1 large green chilli cut into 1/2 inch pieces,1 tbsp dhania powder,1 /2 tsp pepper powder,1 tbsp oil for cooking,1/2 tsp turmeric,1/4 tsp hing,salt to taste.
Method : Heat oil in the kadhai & add grated ginger & green chilli pieces.Then add cauliflower florets,carrots,beans & peas.Add turmeric & hing.Keep a plate filled with water on the kadhai whilst the veggies are getting cooked.Add a little water to the veggies in the kadhai to cook the veggies after 5-10 minutes of cooking.Once the veggies are tender,add capsicum.After 2-3 minutes add tomatoes followed by dhania powder,pepper& salt.After 5 minutes ,put off the gas.Garnish with coriander.

This is a sabzi wherein you can add aloos  & pyaaz also if you wish.

Raagi dosas

I had this leftover dosa atta ( it was more than 10 days old ).It was nearly one cup.I added 2 cups ragi atta ( nachni in Marathi) to this dosa Atta.By mistake I added more water.The consistency was watery -unlike dosa atta.
Then I added  grated ginger , jeera & also salt ( to taste).Then I poured two three ladles of the atta on the non-stick tawa.I did not spread it as the consistency was watery.I got the most fluffy dosas -full of calcium !

Ingredients-1 Cup leftover dosa atta,2 cups ragi atta,add water to get dosa consistency,add 1/2 inch ginger grated ,1 teaspoon jeera& salt to taste.Remember that there is already salt in the leftover dosa atta.
Method : Now heat a non-stick tawa & spread a ladle of the atta on the tawa.If it is watery,don't spread the atta.Just put blobs of atta near to each other so that they flow & join each other.After the side is cooked, apply a little oil on the uncooked side & turn it over.Then after a minute or less,take it off from the tawa.Your raagi dosa is ready to be eaten !

Tip You can also add grated carrots,onions,green chillies,curry leaves & coriander to the atta to make it more healthy.

Cabbage paratha.

I  make cabbage parathas so that my daughter will eat cabbage.She loves them though I would apprecitae it more if she would start relishing  cabbage sabzi.

Ingredients : a quarter piece of a small cabbage, half an inch piece of adrak(ginger),one teaspoon lal mirchi ( red chilli) powder,half a teaspoon of haldi,quarter teaspoon hing,two tablespoons dahi or take  chaas ( buttermilk ) ,two cups atta , one tablespoon besan ,two table spoons oil &  salt to taste.

Method : Grate the cabbage & ginger.Add salt & keep for 5 minutes.Squeeze out the water.Now take atta,add besan,dahi or chaas,red chilli powder,haldi , hing  & salt .Mix all this into a soft dough by adding sufficient water.

Now make  lemon sized balls .Roll the lemon sized balls into parathas .Take a paratha & put it on the heated tawa.Smear a little oil on the uncooked side of the roti.After 2/3 minutes,turn over the paratha& cook on the tawa by smearing a little oil on the paratha.Cook till golden brown.Now take it out from the tawa.Repeat with other lemom sized dough balls.

Serve the parathas with dahi & achar or chutni.

Dahi or chaas gives a tangy taste to the parathas & is a source of calcium.