Guntha Ponganalu / Paniyaram

Ponganalu is a sought after breakfast / evening snack in my home as majority of us love it. This used to be one of my favorite breakfasts while growing up and now, I see my son and and my nieces showing same enthusiasm towards it. In fact, I haven't come across anyone, whether they are kids / adults who would refuse fluffy ponganalu, when offered. I have 3 specific recipes for ponganalu which I keep rotating and they all yield really super fluffy, yummy ponganalu. However, I keep recycling leftover idli batter now and then to ponganalu as my son and I love prefer those over idli any given day.

Ingredients:

2 cups freshly fermented / left over idli batter

1 onion - peeled and finely chopped
Salt (only if it was not added to the batter before.)

2 tsp. oil

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1 tsp. chana dal / split chickpeas

1 tsp. urad dal / split black gram

Few minced curry leaves 

Method:

* Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, urad and chana dals to the oil. When dals start turning reddish, add the minced curry leaves.

* Add this tadka and minced onion to the fermented batter and mix well.

* Heat the ponganalu skillet and add a few drops of oil in each mould. Then fill them with batter.
* Cover the skillet with a lid. Lower the heat and cook until the batter doesn't appear raw on the surface. Or use a skewer and gently lift to check the bottom to notice if any golden brown spots formed.

* If golden brown spots are formed, add a drop or two of oil on the surface of each of the ponganalu and flip them using a flat spoon/skewer. Cook until the other side lightly browns as well.

* Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve them warm with a chutney of your choice.  
* They store well in refrigerator for 2- 3 days. And they freeze well too for a handy breakfast on a busy work day.

This is going to be my contribution to 
1. Kids' Delight event under the theme 'Breakfast for Kids', hosted by Nisha.
2. Blogging marathon #67


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Mushi Pan / Double Chocolate Steamed Cake

This is one of the dishes I prepared for the marathon early on blogging marathon when I did the global cuisine and has been in my drafts folder for the past two years. This was supposed to be for J - Japan which I tried twice and these steamed cakes had turned out nice and fluffy each time. The original recipe is egg-based one and the buns had nice domes with slight cracks. I used different egg substitutes each time I made them but both times the tops cracked and I wasn't happy with the look and so another dish was picked for that event. However as I mentioned earlier, they have perfect texture and taste and my kids loved them. And so I thought why not publish it at least now? Perfect tasting dishes don't need to look perfect, right? Besides they can be prepared in a small quantity and one doesn't need to turn on the convection oven to prepare these. These are steamed and are ready on the table in a short time, the time that one needs to preheat the oven. And of course these cupcakes can be topped with frosting and none can get wiser about any cracks on the top. :)

The original recipe gave two versions, one with corn and cheese and the other one with chocolate and I went with the latter. I  prepared these in a wide pressure pan though they can be steamed in a frying pan with a lid.

 

Recipe Source: Here

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1.5 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 egg substitute

3 tbsp. milk

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 to 3 tbsp. chocolate chips

4 ramekins + 4 cupcake liners / 4 steel bowls

Method:

* Glass ramekins with paper liners can be used if using the frying pan. I used small stainless steel bowls. Cover the lid with kitchen towel. This will prevent the water formed from condensation to drop on the steamed cakes.

* Add water to a wide pressure / frying pan so that the water level would come halfway up the ramekins / bowls being used. Bring the water to a boil.

* Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl. Whisk egg substitute, milk, sugar and oil together in another bowl until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips.

* Pour the mixture up to 2/3rd of the paper liner / cups. Place the ramekins / bowls into the pan and cook covered on medium heat, until a skewer inserted at the center comes out clean, about 8 to 10 minutes.

This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #67 under 'Pick one appliance and Cook 3' (My choice being pressure cooker). Check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.
 

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Tomato Pappu ~ Andhra Style Tomato Dal

 
 A pressure cooker in an Indian kitchen is as indispensable as any other pot or pan is in other kitchens. No surprise there considering that rice and lentils are cooked on a daily basis in majority of the Indian homes and a pressure cooker cuts down the cooking times drastically. Today's lentil preparation from the south Indian state of Andhra is a classic example of cooking using the said appliance, which can be prepared in about 10 - 15 minutes, with about 2 minutes prep time included. This simple and tasty pappu would make a great side dish for rice / Indian style flat breads. This is how my mother makes all her pappus though I happen to add the tamarind juice at the end since there will be bits of tamarind in the dal, when cooked this way and one needs to pick them out while eating. 

Ingredients:
1 cup toor dal / lentils
2 tomatoes
3 - 4 green chillies (I used 3 spicy, Serrano peppers.)
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tbsp. sized ball of tamarind
1.5 tsp. salt
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
Few curry leaves
2 -3 pinches of asafoetida powder


Method:
* Wash the toordal in two exchanges of water and drain. 
* Chop tomato into cubes and slice the chillies lengthwise. 
* Add toordal, 2 cups of water, turmeric, green chillies and tomato to a small sized pressure cooker directly or to a container that fits in a pressure cooker. Add tamarind and 2-3 tbsp. of water in a small cup and place it on the over the lentil mixture in the cooker or the container. (The idea is not to mix the lentils and tamarind together while cooking since the tamarind interferes with the cooking of lentils. The lentils may not cook properly.)
* Pressure cook them and when the valve pressure is gone, remove the cooker lid. Add salt and the cooked tamarind to the cooked lentil-tomato mixture and mash lightly to the desired consistency using the back of a ladle.
* Heat oil in a small pan and cumin and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds start to pop, add asafoetida and curry leaves to the pan and turn off the stove. Add this tadka to the above lentil preparation and mix once with a ladle to combine. Some minced cilantro can be added as garnish, if preferred.
* Serve warm with rice / rotis.

This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #67 under 'Pick one appliance and Cook 3' (My choice being pressure cooker). Check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.
 
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Coconut - Soya Chunks Pulao

 

Though an unintended one, I was on a blogging break for the past couple of months. And it proved to be the one I very much needed with the kids around home with their summeer breaks, visiting guests and plethora of other things that one need to tackle around in order to get going. I am still in lethargic mood and today's one pot meal is a proof of it. A simple, nutritious meal that can be put together in around 10 minutes, using a pressure cooker. The coconut milk lends a subtle flavor base to this soy chunks based pulao. Pair it with some plain yogurt and you end up with a quick, lazy meal without putting in much efforts or time.

Ingredients: (yield 4 servings)
1 cup Basmati rice
1/2 cup soya chunks (I used small sized ones.)
1/4 cup yogurt
Salt to taste
3 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1" piece of cinnamon
 2 bay leaves
1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
2 chopped green chillies
1 chopped onion, sliced lengthwise
1 tsp. garam masala
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. chopped mint leaves

Method:
* Wash and soak rice in water for about 10 minutes and drain. Meanwhile whisk salt and yogurt in a bowl and add soy chunks to it. Mix well and and keep aside.
* Heat oil in a small sized pressure cooker directly. Add cumin, clove, cardamom, cinnamon and  bay leaves. Saute until cumin changes a shade darker.
* Next add ginger - garlic paste, chili and onion. Saute for a couple of minutes.
* Add soy chunks mixture, garam masala and mint leaves to the cooker and stir to combine.
* Next add rice, coconut milk and about 3/4 cup water to the cooker. Cover the lid and cook for three whistles. Remove the lid when valve pressure is gone.
* Garnish with extra mint leaves before serving.

This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #67 under 'Pick one appliance and Cook 3' (My choice being pressure cooker). Check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Horlicks Rava laddu

 
My daughter expects a chocolate cake and mysore pak which she calls as yellow burfi on her birthdays. It has become a sort of tradition in our home that those two items are a part of her birthday celebrations. She celebrated her birthday two days ago and as usual her birthday cake was a chocolate based one. She didn't get to pick her cake this time around and so, thankfully we didn't have to witness a riot of colors. Instead her dad brought a cake decorated with dainty, pink roses which was beautiful.

For a change, instead of Mysore pak, I decided to go with these rava laddu with a twist that I happened to see on a cook show. The chef had sneaked in a dose of horlicks to the rava laddu preparation to make it nutritious and kid friendly. For those uninitiated, horlicks is a nutritional malted milk drink.  I had a bottle of horlicks lying around for months now that was bought on my daughter's whimsy,  which she refused to drink later. These laddus seemed to be a great way to use up some of that horlicks. Don't go overboard while using horlicks in the recipe as it's flavor may get dominant. My daughter enjoyed these laddus better than drinking horlicks. She very rarely eats sweets and this must be her first time tasting laddus. A surprising feat considering that I have made loads of laddus in the past one and half decade and she hadn't bothered even to look at them so far.

Ingredients: (Yield 20 laddus)
2 tbsp. ghee
2 tbsp. raisins
1 cup semolina
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Horlicks powder
1/4 cup cashew powder
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
Ghee / Milk as needed to shape laddus

Method:
* Toast raisins in ghee, in a saute pan until plump. Transfer them to a wide plate using a slotted spoon.
* Next add semolina to the same ghee in the pan. Continuously stirring, toast it on medium flame  until it starts to change the color, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the stove and transfer the semolina to the wide plate (with raisins) to cool.
* When semolina is no longer warm to touch, add sugar, horlicks, cashew powder and cardamom to the semolina plate. Mix well to combine.
* Next add ghee or milk in tbsp. increments to the mixture until it can hold shape when fisted. (About 4 to 6 tbsp. liquid may be needed.) Shape lime sized balls out of the mixture.
* The laddus can be stored in a covered container and can be left on the counter if they are made with ghee since they stay good for few days. However if  not planning to finish them sooner, they can be refrigerated. Where as if milk was used to shape laddus, they need to be refrigerated since they don't store well beyond a day.

This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under 'Bookmarked Recipes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Spicy Refried Beans

Refried beans called as frijoles refritos in Spanish are cooked and mashed beans. The term 'refried' here is a borrowed one from Spanish and it means well fried though the prefix 're' is misleading. Refried beans is a staple dish in Mexican and Latin cuisines and is used in many dishes such as bean burritos, toastada, seven layer dip, nachos and others. Pinto beans, black beans or red (kidney) beans are used to prepare refried beans. If necessary the dry beans are soaked overnight and cooked and then mashed. The bean paste is then fried or baked with onion and garlic using a small amount of fat and seasoned with salt and spices. Epazote, a Mexican herb is also commonly used in the preparation of refried beans. Lard, bacon drippings, butter or oil can be used to cook refried beans though lard is commonly used in Mexico.

Canned beans would be an easier option if you want to cut down the prep time. Just drain the liquid from the can and rinse the beans thoroughly before using. I have used a 15 oz can of red beans here to prepare the refried beans. Usually I prepare a simple, basic version of refried beans but this time, I tried a spicier version bookmarked from food network. This was used to prepare toastada that I posted yesterday.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. oil / butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Serrano pepper / Chili powder to taste
One 15 oz can of pinto beans, black beans or kidney beans
1/4 cup water / stock
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
Salt to taste
Cracked black pepper to taste

Method:
* Heat oil or butter in a pan and add onion,  garlic and Serrano pepper if using. Saute until onion and garlic slightly brown.
* Drain the liquid from the can and rinse the beans thoroughly. Add the beans, liquid, cumin powder and some chili powder if Serrano pepper was not used. 
* Cook over medium heat,  mashing the beans with a potato masher or the back of a ladle. Take care to not mash the Serrano pepper. 
* The beans can be mashed to a chunky or a smooth puree. Cook until desired consistency is reached, adding more liquid if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the Serrano pepper before serving.

Note:
* If not using canned beans, soak the beans in water prior to cooking to fasten the cooking process. Kidney beans may need overnight soaking where as pinto beans and black beans can be soaked for around a couple of hours. 
* Drain the water used to soak and add fresh water to cook. Pressure cooking the beans in water with a ratio of 1:2  would be the fastest and easiest way. If cooking in a suace pan, cook on medium heat, adding water intermittently as needed until the beans soften.

This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under 'Bookmarked Recipes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Mexican Toastada

This vegetarian version toastada was in my 'bookmarked' folder for too long and at last, I got to try them last weekend. A toastada is like an open faced sandwich / taco, but involving fried corn tortillas, refried beans and toppings. There are versions involving fish, chicken and beef too. The refried bean paste goes as the first layer over toastada since it sticks to the shells and holds the other toppings well.
 
If you want to keep the experience of making toastada stress free, go with store bought toastada shells, refried beans and salsa. It cuts down the prep time drastically and one can enjoy toastada in no time. Or if one is feeling adventurous, they can start from scratch including making tortillas at home and frying them. I used the store bought toastada shells and salsa where as I made my own batch of refried beans using red beans. Most of the store bought refried bean cans have lard in them and so watch out, if you are a vegetarian.

Recipe Source: Here
Ingredients:
8 corn toastada shells or corn tortillas
Oil to fry, only if using the tortillas
1.5 cup refried beans 
1/2 cup salsa
1 avocado, peeled and cubed or guacamole as needed
1 small tomato, cubed
Shredded lettuce as needed 
Lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste
4 oz. grated Monterrey Jack, cheddar, or crumbled queso fresco cheese
A handful of chopped cilantro

Method:
* Follow this step only if using tortillas. Pour enough oil in a pan to fry the tortillas and heat it. Drop one tortilla at a time and fry until golden brown on both sides and crisp through out. Remove the tortilla with a slotted spoon or using tongs. Lift the tortilla above the pan so that excess oil drips back into the pan. Place the fried tortillas on paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Or avoid the step and use the store bought shells.
* The original recipe mentions to season the lettuce with salt and vinegar. I combined avocado, tomato, and lettuce and seasoned it with salt and lemon juice instead. 
* Spread a layer of refried bean paste over the toastada. Sprinkle the toppings and cheese over it. Do not load the shell with too much toppings since it becomes hard to eat it without making a mess.


This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under 'Bookmarked Recipes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Detox Vegetable Soup

 
This soup is packed with detoxifying vegetables and beans besides immune boosting spices and herbs with healing properties. The spices / herbs I chose to flavor this soup have been used in India from ages for their medicinal properties in everyday cooking. I used a basic version of garam masala which contain coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, clove, black pepper and cardamom which all aid in digestion in one way or another besides adding a great flavor to the soup base.

Ginger is anti inflammatory, aids in digestion, reduces nausea and helps to fight cold while vitamin C rich lemon cleanses your stomach and strengthens immune system. Turmeric and coriander seeds are anti-inflammatory. Cumin aids in digestion and improves immunity. Where as cardamom helps to counteract digestive problems similar to ginger. Cinnamon helps to treat muscle spasms, vomiting, loss of appetite, common cold and even believed to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics. Garlic boosts up the immune system and helps the liver.

I used some cooked mung beans as well to the soup for protein. Mung beans is rich in protein and fiber besides with antioxidant properties. It is one of the recommended detoxifying legumes which aids in digestion preventing bloating and gas. There are in fact khichdi detox diets, based on rice and mung dal. It should not come across as a surprise to Indians, considering that khichdi is recommended there for people recovering from stomach upsets since it is easy to digest besides being nutritious. Use homemade stock or water for the base.
 

Ingredients: 
1 tsp. olive oil (optional)
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1" piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 small onion, finely chopped
3.5 to 4 cups of water / vegetable stock
2 cups of chopped veggies, (I added broccoli, cauliflower, celery, carrots, beans, & tomato)
A handful of cooked mung beans
1 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt if needed
Lemon juice to taste
Cilantro to garnish

Method:
* Heat oil and add garlic and ginger. Saute for few seconds until they brown and add onion. Fry until translucent. Skip the sauteeing part if not using oil.
* Add cumin powder, garam masala and turmeric. Saute for few seconds.
* Then add vegetables (except broccoli and cauliflower) and water / stock to the pan and cook until the vegetables are half done. Add broccoli and cauliflower now and continue cooking until desired consistency is reached. Add the cooked mung beans at the final stages of cooking.
* Add salt if needed and stir. Garnish with cilantro and squeeze lemon juice before serving. 


This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under 'detox recipes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Ginger Lemon Detox Drink

I was surprised to notice that a lot of food ingredients that are allowed in a detox diet are commonly used in Indian kitchens regularly, especially the spices that aid in digestion and kick start the metabolism. This detox drink for instance, consists of two powerful detoxing ingredients, ginger and lemon which are commonly found in most kitchens. 

I made this drink on my husband's request without realizing at that moment that it is detoxifying. Ginger is anti inflammatory and effective in relieving digestive problems.Whereas lemon water is believed to be a natural diuretic which helps in detoxifying the body. And besides the citrus fruit is high in vitamin C content. Start your day healthy with a glass of this ginger lemon drink or refrigerate and drink through out the day.
 
Ingredients:
2.5 to 3 cups of water
2 inch piece of ginger
1/2 lemon

Method:
* Peel the ginger and either grate it or cut into small pieces.
* Bring together ginger and water to a boil. Or water can be boiled and poured over the ginger and allowed to sit for few minutes.  
* Squeeze the lemon juice or add the lemon slices to the ginger water. Let it sit for a couple of minutes if slices were added.
* Filter out the ginger pieces and lemon slices. 
* Enjoy the drink warm or cold. (My husband loved it with a pinch of salt and black pepper addition.)


This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under 'detox recipes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Detox Berry Shake

 

I picked 'detox diet' as the theme for this marathon more than a month ago but honestly, all I had known at that time was the random stuff I heard now and then on health shows. Diets ranging from juice based ones, apple cider vinegar to weird ones where charcoal is used. I am not an expert on the subject and had to go through several articles and posts online to get the gist of the 'detox diet' idea. I have been a vegetarian all my life and I try to eat balanced meals and stay away from junk food as much as possible. That is the only dietary plan I have been following so far in my life. I did not follow any detox plan this week too but surprisingly I realized that the detox meals can be well balanced ones without compromising on taste or flavors.

Detoxification or detox in short is nothing but a form of body cleansing. This approach is followed to get rid of the supposedly  accumulated 'toxins' from the body which may affect an individual's health in the short or long term. The general idea here being that the food we consume in the modern world is filled with contaminants such as food colors, pesticides, flavor enhancers, preservatives and such which are all nothing but unwanted chemicals. The detox diets which are special dietary plans claim to have detoxifying effects on our body and would aid in getting rid of these toxins. Fasting, dieting, avoiding specific foods and colon cleansing are some of the methods approached in detox diet plans. While the medical experts state that cleansing the body is unnecessary as our bodies are capable of doing the job perfectly. (source:wiki and others)

The recipes I picked for this week's theme rely on the idea of aiming towards the consumption of specific foods that are beneficial to body and avoiding certain ones. I am just giving a list from a vegetarian point of view. The detox plans which follow this idea generally avoid gluten, dairy, eggs, fats like butter & mayonnaise, sweeteners (like sugar, honey, maple syrup),  processed foods, caffeine, chocolate, soy products, alcohol, and such. Much emphasis is given to fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains that are non gluten (like brown rice, quinoa, millets), legumes, healthy nuts and oils. I created recipes based on what foods were allowed in the plan.

My recipe today falls under the liquid cleanse which is the simplest form of cleansing and provides the body with nutrients. Liquid cleanses usually involve consuming water, fresh (organic) fruit / vegetable juices, pureed soups, smoothies, and such. This shake can be included as part of the detox plan or can be enjoyed anytime. The berries are rich in antioxidants while mango and banana are rich in fiber. The fruits I picked were sweeter and I froze them in advance.

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup mango cubes
1/4 cup pineapple cubes
1 small banana
2 tbsp. flax seeds
Coconut water or unsweetened almond milk as needed
(Using organic fruits would be better if following detox diet because of the pesticides.)

Method:
Blend everything to desired consistency and serve.



This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under 'detox recipes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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