Instant Oats Idlis

Oats idli is a simple and tasty means of incorporating healthy oats into one’s diet. I found this recipe long time back in some magazine …. Had jotted it down as a must try recipe and then forgotten all about it till recently.
When I thought of having oats daily for breakfast the idea of having oatmeal everyday was not very appealing and that is when I thought about trying out this recipe. The result was these wonderfully tasty and spongy idlis …they were an instant hit with the whole family :) . Now we have this version of idli more often that the rava idli or the traditional rice idlis .
The fact that I can make the idli mix and store it for later use makes it a convenient breakfast option for a busy morning. :)

Ingredients –

Idli mix –

Oat – 3 cups (I use the rolled oats)
Sooji / Rava/ Semolina – 1 ½ cups
Curry leaves – 7-8
Cashew nuts – 2 tb sp (optional)
Mustard seeds – 1 tb sp
Urad dal – 1 tb sp
Chana dal – 1 tsp
Ginger – 1 tsp (finely chopped)
Green chilies – 3-4 (finely chopped)
Oil – 1 tb sp

Dry roast the oats and then grind them into a coarse powder. Keep aside .
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Once hot add the mustard seeds, once they stop spluttering add the curry leaves, urad dal and chana dal followed by ginger and green chilies. Then add the sooji /rava and roast till a nice aroma comes from it and it changes color. Switch off the flame and let it cool. Then add the oats and mix well. The idli mix is ready. It can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month.

For making the idlis –

Idli mix – 1 cup
Yogurt – 1 cup
Salt – as per taste
Baking soda – ¼ tsp
Water – as required

When ready to make idlis, mix the yogurt and salt into the idli mix. Add water to make a thickish paste. Keep aside for 15-20 mins . Add more water later as the oats and sooji will soak up the water added earlier.
Just before pouring into the idli moulds add the baking soda. Make sure that you have applied oil to the idli moulds beforehand; this would ensure that the idlis come out easily later. Steam the idlis at high flame for 8-10 mins . Check whether cooked by inserting a toothpick/ knife if it comes out clean then the idlis are well cooked.

Take out from the idli moulds and serve hot with coconut chutney / tomato ketchup / sambar.

P.S. have not managed to save any idlis for click ..they usually vanish before that . Hopefully the next time I make them I will be able to click them and post it :)

Instant Rava Uttapam

This is yet another instant recipe that comes to my rescue when I have run out of ideas for breakfast . The rava and the vegetables make it a wholesome and healthy way to start the day .I use minimal oil while making it and that makes it even more healthier. It is an ideal breakfast for both bachelors and families , when you want a breakfast filling enough without making too many efforts. This photograph is not of the best uttapam that I have made , but till the time I get around to making this and actually get the chance to take a decent photo I guess this one will have to do. :-)

INGREDIENTS -

( For 4 medium size uttapams)


Rava/ Semolina/ Sooji - 1 cup
Curd/ Yogurt - 1cup
Water - as required
Onion - 1/2 medium size , chopped finely
Tomato - 1 medium size ,finely chopped ( I used cherry tomatoes as I had a few languishing in my refrigerator)
Green chili - 1-2 as per taste
Capsicum - 1/4 finely chopped ( I did not have any so I did not add it , but it tastes wonderful)
Salt - as per taste
Red chili powder - as per taste
Coriander leaves - 1 fistful , finely chopped
Oil- for making the uttapam


METHOD-


Take rava in a vessel and add half of the curd ( the more sour the curd is the better it tastes) , add water so that the batter that is formed is of medium consistency. Let it stand for 10 -15 minutes , in the meanwhile you can chop up the vegetables .
After 15 minutes , the rava would have soaked up the water and the batter would have become thick , add the remaining curd and mix well . Now add the vegetables ,salt , chili powder and mix the batter once more.
Take a frying pan and heat it over the stove , add a few drops of oil and then spread a ladleful of the batter on the pan . Spread it a little with the ladle. Now pour a few more drops of oil over it and cover the pan with a cover . Let it cook for a couple of minutes , then flip over to the other side and cook similarly.
When both the sides are well cooked ( slight brown spots would appear) , serve hot with tomato ketchup or the traditional coconut chutney.

Poori Mania - Palak/ Spinach Poori with Kala chana and Sooji Halwa

When I saw pooris being blogged on every blog that I visited ...I thought what is all with this poori mania ????........

A little more blog patrolling revealed that Anita of A Mad Tea Party has started this and declared poori - bhaaji as the national food of India. I must say I whole heartily agree with her, but instead of making pooris with bhaaji .....I decided to make poori with the traditional kala chana " black chickpeas" and Sooji halwa , which are my hubby's favorite also.

Traditionally this combination is made at the end of the nine days fasting period called "Nav ratra" in the northern parts of the country .

Pooris have become a rare treat these days with the increased awareness about the HDLs and LDLs ..but this combination is always welcomed in our home and you can serve this for any meal of the day and be rest assured that it will be devoured with much gusto and happiness ;-) . I added palak "spinach" to the poori dough to assuage our guilt about devouring them and also to add a little more taste and color to it.....well here comes my recipe for the same.

Palak Poori ( about 15 )

Wheat flour - 1.5 cups

Palak/ spinach - 1 bunch

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Oil for frying

Clean and wash the spinach and then boil it in a pressure cooker with very little water. After 2 whistles , remove the cooker from the stove and cool it under running water . You can also use a microwave for this purpose .Puree the spinach in a blender .

Take the flour in bowl and add the salt. Then add the 1 tb sp oil and rub the flour well between your fingers. Then add the spinach puree to the flour and knead to make soft dough . If the puree is not enough then you can add a little water to prepare the dough. Set the dough aside for 15 mins after covering with a moist cloth.

Pinch out small balls of dough and roll them into small circles with the help of a rolling pin . Deep fry these circles in hot oil . Puffed up delicious pooris are ready !

Sooji Halwa ( for 2 people)

Sooji/ Semolina - 1/2 cup

Besan / Gram flour - 1 tb sp.

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Ghee - 1/3 cup

Cardamom - 2-3

Water - 2 cups

Dry fruits - as per taste

Dry roast the sooji in a pan till it becomes fragrant . Then add the besan/ gram four and stir for a minute . Add the ghee to this mixture and keep stirring continuously . Fry till the time the ingredients become light brown ( some people like the halwa to be whitish or a little pale ...if you like it that ways than you can stop the roasting at that stage , I like mine a little dark in color so I roast it a little longer) . Lower the flame to minimum and add crushed cardamom . Then add the sugar and immediately add the water . Let the mixture simmer at medium flame . Keep stirring continuously till the consistency becomes thick . Take off the stove and garnish with dry fruits of your choice.