Idli Pulao Recipe / Masala Idli Upma

Idli Pulao

Ingredients
Leftover Idli ( at least a day old) - 6 nos
Onion chopped - 1 no
Tomato chopped - 1 no
Mixed vegetable finely chopped - 1 cup
Fried Cashew nuts - 10 nos
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves chopped - 1/4 cup
Pulao masala / garam masala - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water to sprinkle
Cumin - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 1" piece

Masala Idli Upma

Method
1. Break the Idli into crumbs with fingers.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin, cinnamon stick, curry leaves and onion, sauté until onions are soft.
3. Add mixed vegetables to the pan and sauté for a minute.
4. Next add the chopped tomato and cook tomato until soft.
5. Now add red chilli powder, pulao masala, turmeric powder, salt to the pan and stir well for a minute.
6. Reduce pan heat to medium and sprinkle little water to the pan to get slight gravy.
7. Add the crumbed Idli to the pan, stir well, cover pan with lid and cook on low heat for 3 mins.
8. Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fried cashew nuts, serve hot.

Idli Sambar / Hotel Idli Sambar Recipe

Hotel Idli Sambar Recipe

Ingredients
Hot idlis ( click here for the recipe) - 4 pieces
Hotel Sambar ( click here for the recipe) - 2 cups
Ghee - 2 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Idli Sambar Recipe

Method
1. Add hot idlis to a shallow serving plate.
2. Pour hot sambar over Idlis.
3. Pour ghee over the sambar.
4. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and onions( optional)
Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Oats Upma - Healthy Breakfast Recipe

Oats Upma

Ingredients
Quick oats - 1 cup
Rava / Sooji - 1/2 cup
Onion chopped - 1/2 no
Mixed vegetables - 1 cup
Green chilli slit - 2 nos
Curry leaves few
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 4 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Upma Recipes

Method
1. Roast rava and oats until aroma rises and set aside.( or use roasted rava instead of normal rava).
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, chana dal and urad dal, sauté until mustard crackles and dals turn brown.
3. Add curry leaves, chopped onion, green chilli and mixed vegetable, sauté until vegetables are tender.
4. Add turmeric powder and water to the pan, bring water to boil and season with salt.
5. Add the roasted rava and oats to boiling water, stir well so no lumps are formed, reduce to medium heat, cook until water is absorbed by the rava and oats and Upma is dry.
Serve hot with chutney and sambar.

Pudina Poori / Mint Puri

Mint Puri

Ingredients
Whole wheat flour / Atta - 1 and 1/2 cups
Mint leaves chopped - 1/4 bunch
Green chilli - 2 nos
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cooking soda - few pinch
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry puris

Pudina Poori

Method
1. Grind green chilli and cumin seeds to paste.
2. In a bowl combine Atta, chopped mint, green chilli paste, cooking soda and salt. Add required water and knead to tight dough, apply oil on the dough and set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry puris. Meanwhile divide dough into equal portions, roll out each dough into slightly thick and even discs.
4. Deep fry each disc in hot oil until puffed and golden in color.
Serve hot Pudina puris with raita.

Spring Roll Dosa - Kids Lunch Box Recipes Indian

Spring Roll Dosa Recipe

Dosa batter - 2 cups
Maggi hot and sweet ketchup - as required

Ingredients for filling
Cabbage shredded - 1/2 cup
Carrot julienne - 1/2 cup
Capsicum thinly sliced - 1/4 cup
Onion thinly sliced - 1 no
Boiled noodles - 1/4 cup
Red chilli sauce - 1 tsp
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp ( optional)
Ajinomoto - 1/4 tsp
White pepper and salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

Noodles Dosa

Method
1. To prepare filling. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan or wok, add cabbage, carrot, capsicum and onion, quickly stir fry on high heat for a minute( make sure veggies are not overcooked and retains it crunchiness).
2. Add boiled noodles to the pan and toss well. Season veggies and noodles with red chilli sauce, soy sauce, garam masala, ajinomoto, white pepper and salt. Finally add some chopped spring onion greens to the pan, stir well and remove the filling on a plate.
3. To prepare spring roll Dosa. Make thin and crispy Dosas with Dosa batter, spread about 1 tsp of maggi hot and sweet sauce on one side of Dosa, place some prepared filling in the center of Dosa and roll out immediately and serve.

Kids Lunch Box Recipes Indian

Indian Egg Rolls with Curried Chicken

Egg Rolls with Curried Chicken

Ingredients for eggs

Eggs – 4 nos

Red chilli powder – ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil to make egg wraps

Ingredients for stuffing

Boneless chicken ( cut into tiny bites) -250 gms

Celery ( chopped) – 1 cup

Tomato chopped ( remove the seed and pulp) – 1 no

Capsicum chopped – 1 no

Red Chilli sauce – 2 tsp

Tomato sauce – 1 tsp

Curry powder -  1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 2 tsp

Egg Wraps

Method

1. To make chicken filling. Heat oil in a pan, when oil is hot add celery,   capsicum and sauté for few seconds. Next add chicken pieces, sauté until chicken turns white in color.

2. Now add the chopped tomato, red chilli sauce, tomato sauce, curry powder and required salt, stir fry for a minute. Sprinkle some water to the pan, stir well, cover the pan and cook chicken on low heat for 5 mins. 3. When the chicken is cooked increase the heat and cook chicken filling until dry.

4. To make egg wraps. Beat eggs, red chilli powder and salt in a bowl with a tsp of water until frothy.

5. Heat oil in a non stick pan and make thin omelets. Remove each omelet to a plate spoon chicken filling in one corner of omelet and roll.

6. Cut egg wraps into half and serve hot.

Egg wraps

Strawberry Muffins Recipe

How to make strawberry muffins

I had adapted this easy strawberry muffin recipe from here and made many changes to suit my taste. I love my muffins to be moist and nicely browned, the outcome was excellent.

Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients

Maida/ All purpose flour- 1 and 1/2 cups

Sugar- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Baking powder- 2 tsp

Egg- 1 no

Milk- 3/4 cup

Oil- 1/4 cup

Vanilla essence- 1 tsp

Strawberry chopped- 1 cup

Moist Strawberry Muffin

Method

Preheat oven to 200° Celsius. Grease an 12 cup muffin pan or use paper cups. 

Combine oil, milk, vanilla essence and egg in a bowl and beat well with fork.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in large bowl and mix well.

Now add chopped strawberries to the flour and stir to coat with flour.

Reserve some chopped strawberries to top the muffins.

Pour in the milk mixture to the flour in bowl and stir together until smooth.

Fill the muffin cups. 

Bake muffins at 200° Celsius for 12 mins or until the tops bounce back from the touch. 

Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.

Strawberry Muffin

Sending this recipe to Valentine's day recipe contest held by Priya's Versatile Recipes

Ven Pongal / Ghee Pongal

 Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous pongal 2013

Ven Pongal Recipe

Ingredients

Raw rice- 1 cup

Moongdal- 1/4 cup

Cashew nuts- 20

Ginger( chopped)- 1" piece

Curry leaves- few

Ghee- 4 tbsp( optional)

Oil- 1/4 cup( more oil added pongal will be non sticky)

Cumin seeds/ Jeera- 2 tsp

Black peppercorns- 2 tsp( slightly crushed)

Water- 4 cup

Salt to taste

Ghee Pongal Recipe

Method

Clean, wash and soak dal and rice together in 4 cups of water for 30 mins. Transfer soaked dal and rice along with the water in which it was soaked to a pressure cooker. Add chopped ginger, required salt to the rice, mix well and pressure cook rice for 15 mins or until rice is mushy. In meantime make tadka by heating 1/4 cup oil in a pan, fry the cashew nuts until golden brown and set aside. To the same hot oil add cumin seeds, peppercorns, curry leaves and turn of the heat( cumin seeds will splutter in hot oil). Once pressure releases from cooker, remove its lid and mix well the rice until mushy, immediately add the tadka along with oil, fried cashew nuts and ghee to the rice. Mix well and Serve hot.

Serve ghee pongal with 
Coconut chutney 
Hotel style sambar.

Ven Pongal

Mini Maple Pancakes- Kids lunch box recipes Indian

Mini Maple Pancakes

Ingredients

All purpose flour/ maida- 4 tbsp

Salt- 1/4 tsp

Sugar- 3/4 tsp

Maple syrup- 1 tbsp

Baking soda- 2 pinch

Baking powder- 2 pinch

Water- 2 tbsp

Butter- 2 tbsp to make pancakes

Kids recipes mini pancakes

Method

Mix all the ingredients together except butter to a fine, slightly thin and smooth batter. Heat a nonstick pan or griddle, add a tbsp of pancake batter to the hot pan, add about 5 to 6 pancake batter, reduce the heat. When pores appear on pancakes add butter and fry pancakes on both sides until golden brown. When mini pancakes are done, remove on to a plate, drizzle some maple syrup on top of pancakesg  and serve.

Mini Idli Vegetable Masala- Kids Lunch box recipes Indian.

Mini masala idli

Ingredients

Mini idli- 14 nos

Carrot medium finely chopped- 1/2 no

Beans finely chopped- 2 nos

Cauliflower tiny florets- 8 nos

Turmeric powder- few pinch

Red chilli powder- 1/4 tsp

Garlic powder- few pinch

Cumin/ jeera powder- few pinch

Salt to taste

Oil- 1 tsp

Water- 1 tbsp

Method

In a small pan heat oil, add chopped carrots, beans and cauliflower, saute for few secs. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, garlic powder, cumin powder and salt, saute for few more secs. Add 1 tbsp water and cook vegetables. Now add the mini idlis and toss well until the masala is well coated. Serve hot, if preferred garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Chinese idli- Kids Lunch box recipes Indian

Chinese Idli

Ingredients

Cooked mini idlis- 14 nos

Cabbage shredded- 2 tbsp

Carrot shredded- 2 tbsp

Garlic minced- 1/2 tsp

Capsicum/ Bell pepper thinly sliced- 1 tbsp

Light soya sauce- few drops

White pepper and Salt- to taste

Oilve oil- 1 tsp

Chinese Idli- Kids recipes

Method

Heat oil in a small sauce pan, add minced garlic, shredded cabbage, carrot and capsicum, saute for few secs. Season the veggies with light soya sauce, white pepper and salt. Add the cooked mini idlis and stir fry for few secs.

Serve hot.

Pancharatna idli- Kids Lunch box recipes Indian

Pancharatna Idli- Kids recipes

Ingredients

Cooked mini idli- 14 nos

Minced onion- 1 tbsp

Minced tomato- 1 tbsp

Curry leaves- 5 nos

Red chilli powder- 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp

Garam masala powder- few pinch

Salt to taste

Mustard seeds- pinch

Oil- 1 tsp

Method

Heat oil in a pan when hot add mustard seeds, let it crackel. Add minced onion, tomato and curry leaves, fry for 2 secs. Season with red chilly powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder and salt. Add few tsp of water and boil until light sauce is formed. Add cooked mini idlis and stir fry until masala gravy is well coated on idlis.

Carrot Tomato Idli- Kids Lunch box recipes Indian

Quick Kids Lunch

Ingredients

Idli batter- 1 cup

Carrot grated- 2 tbsp

Homemade tomato chutney/ tomato thokku- couple of tbsp

Carrot Idli

Method

Add grated carrot and tomato chutney to the idli batter and mix well.

Grease mini idli plates with oil. Add a tsp of prepared batter to each mini idli moulds.

Steam the mini idlis for 15 mins.

Remove the steamed carrot tomato idlis and serve.

Smiley Potato Sandwich- Kids Lunch box recipes Indian

Quick Potato Sandwich for Kids

Ingredients

Sweet bread slices- 2 nos

Potato smileys- 2 nos

Mayonnaise- 1 tsp

Tomato ketchup- 1 tsp

Salt and White pepper- if required

Butter- 1/2 tsp

Potato Sandwich

Method

Deep fry the potato smileys till golden brown as per the package instructions. Allow the potato smileys to cool and slightly press potato smileys between paper towel. Remove the pressed potato smileys from paper and set aside.

Trim the brown edges of the bread slices.

Take a bread slice, on one side apply the mayonnaise, place two pressed potato smileys on the mayonnaise applied bread side, season with salt and pepper if required.

Take another bread slice and apply tomato ketchup on one side, cover the potato smileys with tomato ketchup side bread slice. Slightly press the sandwich on top. Heat pan and add butter, when butter starts to melt place the bread sandwich and toast on both sides until golden brown. Halve the Smiley potato sandwich and serve.

Tips

Try using whole wheat bread instead of sweet bread.

You can bake potato smileys instead of frying.

You can replace mayonnaise or tomato ketchup with mint chutney, salsa or guacamole.

Replace olive oil instead of butter.

Prawn Rava Upma.

Prawn Rava Upma

I don't know whether this non veg upma is known to others but this is a very common Sunday breakfast in our family. Prawn goes well with any-kind of recipe. Everyone in my family is die-hard fan for Prawn Rava Upma. Do try this and let me know you feedback's.

Ingredients

Small sized prawns/ shrimps- 20 nos

Roasted rava/ sooji- 1 cup

Onion small thinly sliced- 2 nos

Tomato medium chopped- 1 no

Garlic cloves thinly sliced- 2 nos

Green chilly broken into half- 2 nos

Curry leaves- few

Red chilly powder- 1/2 to 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Water- 1 cup or 1 and 1/4 cups 

Oil- 3 tbsp

Cinnamon- 1/2" piece

Cloves- 4 no

Cardamom- 2 no

Bay leaf/ brinji leaf- 1 no

Prawn Sooji Upma

Method

Heat oil in a pan when hot add whole spices and fry for few secs until the aroma rises. 

Add the sliced onion, garlic, green chilly and curry leaves, fry for few secs. Now add the cleaned prawns and saute for 2 secs, add the chopped tomato and cook for few mins. 

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and water. 

Bring the mixture to boil and add the roasted rava to the boiling masala. 

Quickly lower the heat and stir well so no lumps are formed. 

Cover the pan and cook upma for few mins until the rava is well cooked and dry. 

Serve hot prawn rava upma with gravy of your choice

Non Veg Rava Upma

Chettinad Egg Omelette

Chettinad Omelet Recipe

Chettinad Egg Omelette

Ingredients

Eggs-8 nos

Ginger-1" piece

Green chilly-3 nos( +/- to taste)

Fennel seeds-2 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp( optional)

Salt to taste

Oil required

Water-2 tsp

Spicy egg Omelette

Method

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan add chopped ginger and green chilly, fry for few seconds until both are well fried and lightly browned. Grind ginger, green chilly and fennel seeds to smooth paste adding tsp of water. In a bowl add ground paste, turmeric, red chilly powder, salt and egg. Beat the eggs until frothy. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a sauce pan when hot add good amount of beaten egg mixture to the pan to make thick omelette, sprinkle some curry leaves on top. Cook on both sides until omelette is browned. Serve hot with bread, chapati or steamed rice.

Egg Omelette

Rava Pongal Recipe

Rava Pongal

Ingredients

Rava/ Sooji- 2 cups

Moongdal- 1/2 cup

Pepper corns- 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tbsp

Cashew nuts- 20 Nos

Curry leaves- few

Salt to taste

Ghee- 4 tbsp

Oil- 4 tbsp

Water- 3 cups

Sooji Pongal

Method

Wash and soak Moongdal in water for 30 mins and pressure cook dal until mushy.

Roast rava until aroma rises and set aside. Heat oil and ghee in a pan, add cashew nuts, fry until cashew nuts turn golden brown, drain and set aside. In the same hot oil add cumin seeds, pepper corns and curry leaves, fry for few seconds. Add cooked dal and water to the pan( be cautious since water splutters). Add required salt and bring it to boil. When the dal mixture starts to boil slowly add the roasted rava and keep stirring continuously so no lumps are formed. Add cashew nuts to the rava pongal and cook until rava pongal is soft and semi dry.

( if the rava pongal is too dry increase the amount of oil accordingly).

Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

Rava Pongal Recipe

Chilli Cheese Toast.

Chilli Cheese Toast

Ingredients

White Bread Slices- 6 nos

Sharp Cheddar Cheese or processed cheese( grated)- 1 cup

Capsicum/ Green bell pepper( finely chopped)- 1 no

Onion large( finely chopped)- 1 no

Green chili( minced)- 4 nos

Green coriander leaves/ Cilantro( chopped)- few tbsp

Butter- 3 tbsp

Mayonnaise- 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Indian Chilli Cheese Toast

Method

In a bowl combine chopped onion, capsicum, green chili, coriander leaves and required salt, mix well. Spread 1/2 tbsp butter on one side of each bread slices. On the other side of bread slice spread 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise. On the mayonnaise side, top with capsicum-onion mixture and sprinkle grated cheese on top generously.

To bake in oven

Pre- heat oven at 300 f, place the prepared bread slices with butter side down on a greased baking tray. Place the baking tray in the center rack of the oven and bake until cheese melts.

To cook in tawa/ griddle

Heat tawa/ griddle and grease with 1 tsp oil, reduce heat to medium and place the prepared bread slices with butter sided down on tawa/ griddle. Cover the tawa/ griddle with large lid, cook for 2 mins until cheese melts. 

Chilli Cheese Toast

Bread Manchurian Recipe

Bread Manchurian Recipe

Ingredients to fry Bread.

Bread slices- 6 nos

Cornflour- 2 tbsp

All purpose flour/ Maida- 1/2 tbsp.

Pepper and Salt to taste

Oil required

Ingredients for Manchurian Sauce

Onion large diced- 1 no

Capsicum/ Bell Pepper small diced- 1 no

Garlic cloves minced- 4 nos

Ginger minced- 1/2" piece

Green chillis chopped- 3

Soy sauce- 1 tbsp

Chilli vinegar- 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Ajinomoto- less than 1/4 tsp

Red food color- few pinches

Sugar- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil- 2 tbsp

Bread Manchurian Indian Chinese

Method

In a deep bowl make a very thin batter out of cornflour, maida, pepper, salt and water.

Heat a tawa or a pan, dip the bread slices in the prepared batter until the batter is lightly coated on the bread slices and place the bread slices on hot tawa.

Smear 1 tsp oil around the bread slices and fry them until the both sides of bread are golden in color.

Remove the bread slices on to a plate and chop them into bite size squares.

Next heat 2 tbsp oil in a sauce pan, when hot add the diced onion, diced capsicum, chopped green chilli, minced garlic and minced Ginger.

Sauté the onion for few secs, reduce the heat to medium and add the red chilli powder, soy sauce, vinegar, ajinomoto, red food color, sugar and require salt.

Add one tbsp of water to make a thin sauce and increase the heat.

When sauce starts to boil add the fried and chopped bread squares to the sauce.

Stir well so that the bread pieces are well coated with sauce and fry until the Bread Manchurian is dry.

Note- For extra crispier bread manchurian make a thick batter by increasing the amount of flour, dip the bread slices in the batter until the bread slices are well coated and deep fry in hot oil .

Savory Egg Muffins.

Savory Egg Muffins

Ingredients

Eggs- 4 nos

Milk- 1/4 cup

Onion large minced- 1 no

Tomato large finely chopped- 1 no

Capsicum/ Bell pepper medium chopped- 1 no

Green chilli finely chopped- 2 nos

Coriander leaves or Parsley chopped- few tbsp

Salt and Pepper to taste

Savory Egg Muffins

Method

In large bowl whisk milk and eggs together until frothy. Add minced onion, chopped tomatoes, chopped capsicum, chopped green chilli, chopped coriander leaves, pepper and salt to the beaten eggs and milk mixture. Mix well.

Pre- heat oven to 300 degree F.

Lightly grease the muffin pan and pour the prepared egg mixture upto 3/4th of each muffin cup.

Place the muffin pan in the center rack of the oven. Bake for 10 to 15 mins or until the savory egg muffins are well cooked and done.

Serve Hot Savory Egg Muffin with hot toast or sandwich between Croissants and English Muffins.

Egg Muffins