PREP TIME: 2 Hours

COOKING TIME: 10 Mins

Ingredients

Raw Rice – 1 cup

Par-boiled rice – 1 cup

Moong dal – ½ cup

Toor dal – ½ cup

Chana dal – ½ cup

Urad dal – ½ cup

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Red Chilli powder – 2 teaspoons

Curry Leaves – 1 sprig

Shredded coconut – ¼ cup

Onion – 1 finely chopped

Salt – to taste

Oil – 5 tea spoons

Procedure

STEP 1: Wash the raw rice, par boiled rice and all the pulses. Soak the rice and pulses along with ginger for 2 hours.

STEP 2: Add the required salt and using a blender make a coarse batter.

STEP 3: Add chopped onion, grated coconut, chilli powder and chopped curry leaves to the batter and mix well.

STEP 4: Heat the tawa/pan. Take the batter in a ladle and pour on the tawa and spread the batter making concentric circles.

STEP 5: Add oil on top, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Cook till golden brown on both sides.

TIP: Serve with tomato chutney, tomato thokku, idli podi or any pickle.

PREP TIME: 10 Mins

COOKING TIME: 10 Mins

Ingredients

Pasta – 1 cup cooked

Mustard – 1 tea spoon

Urad dal – 1 tea spoon

White Onion – 1 finely chopped

Curry Leaves – 1 Sprig

Salt – to taste

Chilli powder – 1 tea spoon

Oil – 2 tea spoons

Procedure

STEP 1: In a pan add water, pasta, ½ tea spoon salt and ½ tea spoon of oil and cook till the pasta becomes nice and soft.

STEP 2: Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, urad dal, curry leaves and chopped onion. Cook till the onion turns golden brown.

STEP 3: Now add the cooked pasta, salt and chili powder. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes on high flame and then turn off the heat.

TIP: This pasta can be had as an evening snack. The soft pasta and the crunchy onions give a very nice texture to the dish. You can toss in some veggies to make the dish healthier and colorful.

PREP TIME: 10 Mins

COOKING TIME: 20 Mins

Ingredients – For stuffing

Green Peas – 1 cup boiled

Cauliflower – 5 – 6 florets

Cumin Seeds – ½ tea spoon

Onion – 1 finely chopped

Green Chilli – 1 finely chopped

Ginger – ½ inch piece finely chopped

Garlic – 2 pods finely chopped

Salt – to taste

Chilli powder – 1.5 tea spoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Roasted cumin powder – ½ tea spoon

Ingredients – for Roti

Whole wheat flour – 2 cups

Salt – to taste

Olive Oil – 6 tea spoons

Warm water – as required to make the dough

Procedure

STEP 1: Wash and soak the cauliflower florets in turmeric water for 10 minutes. Cook the green peas and mash well.

STEP 2: Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, chopped onion, green chilli, ginger and garlic. Cook till the onion turns golden brown.

STEP 3: Add chilli powder, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder and salt. Add very little water and cook till the raw smell goes away.

STEP 4: Now add the grated cauliflower and mashed peas and mix well. Cook for 5 – 7 minutes or the mixture becomes dry and turn off the heat.

STEP 5: Take small portion of the wheat flour dough and shape it to a ball. Make a small hole (just big enough to put the peas and cauliflower filling). Fill the dough with the prepared stuffing and seal it so the mixture doesn’t come out when making the roti.

STEP 76: Using a rolling pin spread the stuffed dough and make round roti. Be careful not to roll too hard.

STEP 7: Heat a pan. Add some butter/oil. Place the roti and cook well on both sides till it turns golden brown.

TIP: This roti tastes good even without a side dish. If you need some accompaniment, the easiest option would be to serve with onion, tomato raitha or any side dish that isn’t too spicy as the stuffing in the roti is already spiced up with masala.

PREP TIME: 10 Mins

COOKING TIME: 10 Mins

Ingredients

Fried Idli – 1 Cup

Onion – 1 finely sliced

Green Chilli – 1

Bell Pepper – ½ cup julienned

Mushrooms – 5 mushrooms sliced

Carrot – 1/2 cup julienned

Oil – 2 teaspoon

Salt – to taste

Pepper – ½ tea spoon

Soy Sauce – 1 tea spoon

Ketchup – ½ tea spoon

Procedure

STEP 1: Take the idli and cut them into cubes.

STEP 2: Heat oil in a pan (oil should be really hot otherwise the idli pieces will stick together) and fry all the idli pieces one by one until they turn golden brown on all sides.

STEP 3: Heat oil in another pan. Add the sliced onion, green chilli, bell pepper, carrot and cook on high flame for 2 minutes and then add the mushroom.

STEP 4: Add salt, soy sauce, pepper powder, tomato ketchup and mix well.

STEP 5: Add the fried idli pieces to the vegetable mixture, mix well and cook for 3 minutes and turn off the heat.

TIP: Chilli idli tastes good when served hot.

FERMENTATION TIME: 8 HOURS (in summer) 24 HOURS (in winter)

COOKING TIME: 30 Mins

Ingredients – For Batter

Idli Rice – 2 Cups (Washed and soaked for 3 hours)

Urad Dal – ½ cup (Washed and soaked for 3 hours)

Salt – 1.5 tea spoons

Procedure – Batter

STEP 1: Using a wet grinder, grind the soaked rice to a fine batter.

STEP 2: In the same way grind the soaked urad dal to fine batter.

STEP 3: Mix the rice and dal batter together, add salt and mix well.

STEP 4: Leave the batter to ferment in the room temperature for 8 hours (if the temperature is over 20 degrees during the day). It will take more time to ferment if it is cold weather.

Procedure – Idli

STEP 1: Heat an Idli pot, cover lid and wait for 5 minutes or till you see steam coming out from the pot.

STEP 2: Take the fermented batter (DO NOT mix the batter after fermentation, it will make the idli’s hard) in a ladle and pour it in the idli mould, Cover and cook for 7 – 10 minutes.

STEP 3: To make sure the idli is cooked to perfection, insert a fork in the middle of the idli. If it comes out clean, it means the idli is cooked well.

TIP: Idli can be served with any chutney or sambar.

PREP TIME: 10 Mins

COOKING TIME: 10 Mins

Ingredients – For Stuffing

Mustard – 1 teaspoon

Urad dal – 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Onion – 1 finely chopped

Green Chilli – 1 finely chopped

Ginger – 1 finely chopped

Mixed vegetables – 1 cup (carrot, peas and potato cut to small cubes)

White Poha/Aval – 1 cup (washed and soaked in water for 10 mins)

Coriander – 4 to 5 sprigs finely chopped

Salt – to taste

Chilli powder – 1 tea spoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Oil – 1 teaspoon

Procedure

STEP 1: Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and let it splutter. Now add the urad dal and wait till it turns golden brown and add the curry leaves.

STEP 2: Add green chilli, Ginger and onions. Once the onion turns translucent add the mixed vegetables. Add chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Add 1 cup water.

STEP 3: Close the pan with a lid and cook till the vegetables become tender but not overcooked.

STEP 4: Now add the soaked and strained poha/aval to the vegetables and mix slowly. (Be careful while mixing as the poha is very soft it can get mashed)

STEP 5: Cook for just 2 mins and add chopped coriander leaves.

TIP: This upma can be had without a side dish. If you need some accompaniment, you can eat it with tomato chutney.

PREP TIME: 15 Mins

COOKING TIME: 30 Mins

Ingredients – For Stuffing

Potato – 2 small (Boiled, peeled and mashed)

Cumin Seeds – ½ tea spoon

Onion – 1 finely chopped

Green Chilli – 1 finely chopped

Ginger – 1 finely chopped

Coriander – 4 – 5 sprigs finely chopped

Salt – to taste

Chilli powder – 1 tea spoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Lemon – 1 wedge

Ingredients – for Roti

Whole wheat flour – 2 cups

Salt – to taste

Olive Oil – 6 tea spoons

Warm water – as required to make the dough

Procedure

STEP 1: Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, chopped onion and ginger. Cook till the onion turns golden brown.

STEP 2: Add green chilli, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Add very little water and cook till the raw smell goes away.

STEP 3: Now add the mashed potato and mix well. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes and turn off the heat.

STEP 4: Add chopped coriander leaves and squeeze the lemon juice (OPTIONAL) to give the mixture a tangy taste. Mix well and keep it aside.

STEP 5: Take small portion of the wheat flour dough and shape it to a ball. Make a small hole (just big enough to put the potato filling). Fill the dough with potato stuffing and seal it so the mixture doesn’t come out when making the roti.

STEP 6: Using a rolling pin spread the stuffed dough and make round roti. Be careful not to roll too hard.

STEP 7: Heat a pan. Add some butter/oil. Place the roti and cook well on both sides till it turns golden brown.

TIP: This roti tastes good even without a side dish. If you need some accompaniment, the easiest option would be to serve with onion, tomato raitha.