Steel Cut Oats Upma

As we all know, whole grains are so important for a healthy lifestyle. They help reduce cholesterol, cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Steel cut oats are whole grains that are fully packed with many nutritional values. They are rich in proteins, fiber and vitamins.

Coming to the recipe today: Upma is a staple breakfast in many households. It is usually made using semolina. But these days there are many healthier options, where we can use whole grains like quinoa, oats etc. in place of semolina. Today's recipe is not only easy to prepare but loaded with tons of health and taste. I know the picture I posted for this recipe doesn't look that good. I was in a hurry when I was clicked the picture. I used my cell phone to click it. I will replace the picture with very good and clear picture soon.

Ingredients: (Serves 2) 1 cup Steel cut oats 2 cups Mixed vegetables (carrot + green beans + peas + corn) – I used frozen 1 small Onion, chopped 2 Green chillies, slit lengthwise or chopped A small piece of Ginger, peeled and chopped Salt 2 cups Water For Seasoning/Tempering: 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1 tbsp Bengal Gram (Pachi Senaga Pappu, Chana dal) 1 tbsp Black Gram (Minappappu, Urad dal) Few Curry leaves 1 tbsp Oil Preparation: Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large, deep skillet. Add mustard seeds. When they pop add urad dal + chana dal and curry leaves and roast well. Then add onion + green chillies + ginger. When onion becomes soft, add all the vegetables and sauté well. Then add water + salt to the vegetables and bring to a boil. Then add oats, and mix well. Cover and cook over a medium flame for some time. When the upma is done, the oats should become soft, but chewy. If the oats don't seem to be cooked well, pour some more water and mix well. Cover and cook again until the oats become soft. Enjoy the healthy and great tasting steel cut oats upma with desired chutney.

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Simple Chocolate Cake

I know, it's been a long time since I updated my blog. The posting is getting postponed for one or other reason. As I started working now I became little busy to concentrate on my blog. Or may be that's just an excuse. Sometimes we need break from any work, don't we? But it seems I've taken a long break, so decided to make a fresh start with fresh recipes.

I wish to start my fresh journey with this amazing yet simple cake recipe. My daughter made this cake all by herself with no help from me. She made it for her little sister's 9^th Birthday party that happened last Saturday. She decorated the cake so well that everyone at the party loved the decoration and of course the taste. Isn't it pretty?

Here is the recipe:

Recipe Source: About.com

Ingredients: 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (We used Whole Wheat Flour) 2 cups granulated Sugar ¾ cup unsweetened Cocoa 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Soda 1 tsp Salt 2 Eggs  1 cup Milk  ½ cup Vegetable Oil 1 ½ tsp Vanilla 1 cup Boiling Water Preparation: Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla to above mixture and beat well with electric mixer or an egg beater. Then stir in boiling water and mix well. The batter should be thin. Take two cake pans (8-inch), grease them well with a non-stick cooking spray. Pour the batter until ¾th of the pan is filled. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Then place both the cake pans on the middle rack side by side Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. When done, remove the pans from the oven and place them on the cooling rack to allow them cool for 10 minutes in pan. Then remove from pan and cool completely. Frost and decorate as desired.

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Split Green Gram Chutney Powder | Pesara Podi | Spicy Moong Dal Powder

This is a super simple, aromatic and delicious powder that can be eaten with rice. I am a great fan of such yummy and spicy powders. You can find many kinds of such powders on this blog.

 

 

Ingredients: 1 cup split Green Gram (పెసరపప్పు, Moong Dal) 8 Dry red chilies 1 tsp Cumin Seeds Salt Preparation: Heat a pan and add all the ingredients except salt. Dry roast until they change color. Keep them aside to cool for some time. Then add them to a blender along with salt and make into a fine powder. That's it! Great tasting powder is ready. Transfer to an airtight bottle and store. This powder can be stored up to a month. Enjoy this aromatic and tasty powder with steaming hot rice and a dollop of ghee. Yummy!!

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Potato – Tomato Stir Fry

When we are lazy to cook elaborate meals, these simple dishes come in hand. This curry is so easy to prepare and tastes so good. 

Ingredients: 2 cups of Potato, peeled and cut into small pieces 2 cups of Tomato, peeled and cut into small pieces 2 cups of Onion, cut into small pieces 2 or 3 Green Chilies, cut into small pieces A pinch of Turmeric Powder A small Ginger Piece, peeled and cut into tiny pieces (optional) Salt as needed For Seasoning/Tempering: 1 tsp Oil ½ tsp Mustard Seeds ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds ½ tsp Black Gram ½ tsp Bengal Gram Few Curry Leaves Preparation: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.  When they pop, add cumin seeds + Bengal gram + black gram + curry leaves and sauté well.  Then add all the vegetables (potato + tomato + onion + green chilies) and mix well. Also add ginger (if using) and mix well. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and stir well.  Cover and allow the vegetables to cook well on medium low flame. If the vegetable appear to be cooked, remove the lid and add salt and mix well.  Then turn off the flame and transfer the contents to a serving bowl. Enjoy this delicious curry with rice as well as chapathis.  Yummy!

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Vegetable Upma

Hi friends, hope you all are doing well. I know it took a while for me to post a new recipe. Can you believe, I even forgot my blog's 4th birthday on January 16th? Belated birthday wishes to my dear blog.

Coming to the recipe today. this is a delicious upma recipe, a little variation to the regular upma.

Ingredients: 1 cup Semolina (ఉప్మా రవ్వ, Upma Rava) ½ cup mixed Vegetables (carrots, beans, green peas, corn) 1 small Onion, chopped fine 4 green Chilies, chopped fine 3 cups Water Salt For Seasoning/Tempering: 1 tsp Oil ½ tsp Mustard Seeds ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds ½ tsp Bengal Gram (పచ్చిశనగపప్పు, Chana Dal)  ½ tsp Black Gram (మినప్పప్పు, Urad Dal)  Few Curry Leaves (కరివేపాకు)  Preparation: Heat Oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds + Dals + curry leaves and saute well. Then add the mixed vegetables and mix well. Pour water and add salt. When the water comes to a boil, pour the rava carefully and mix well so that no lumps are formed. Cover and leave for sometime on a low flame. Later, remove the cover and stir upma well and check if it is done and all the water is absorbed well. Then turn off the flame and allow upma stand for a while. Stir well and transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy with desired chutney.

 

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Garbanzo Bean Sundal (Chickpea Salad)

This is a healthy salad + snack for the evenings. I usually make this during festivals too as an offering. 

Ingredients: 2 cups Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas, Mudi Senagalu) ¼ cup shredded Coconut (fresh or dry) 1 small onion,finely chopped 2 green Chilies cut lengthwise Few Curry Leaves A pinch of Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Oil ½ tsp Mustard Seeds ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds ½ tsp Bengal Gram ½ tsp Black Gram 2 dry Red Chilies Salt Preparation:  Wash and soak garbanzo beans overnight.  Then pressure-cook the dal for 3 whistles. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.  When they pop, add cumin seeds + Bengal gram + black gram and sauté well until the dals turn golden brown in color. Then add red chilies + curry leaves + onions + green chilies and sauté well until onions become tender.  Then add the cooked garbanzo beans + turmeric + salt, mix well and allow cooking for some time. Finally add coconut, mix well and keep the pan on low flame for 2 minutes and turn off the flame. This is a perfect healthy snack for the evenings.

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Kobbari – Kandi Pachadi (Coconut-Toor Dal Chutney)

I know I’ve been away for a while from my blog. Life becomes hectic sometimes. But I haven’t forgotten my blog and I haven’t stopped cooking too. Whenever I get a feeling to update, some other works come in the way and the posting takes the back seat. That’s why DH always tells me to make a time table of things to do and follow it. Of course, I made such time tables many times but never followed them. I hope to keep my blog updated frequently from now on.

Anyways, let's come back to today’s recipe. As I always tell you, we are great fans of all kinds of chutneys and pickles. So I try different kinds of chutneys at home that go well with rice as well as idlis/upma etc. Today’s recipe is a yummy combo of coconut and pigeon peas (toor dal). It’s a lovely chutney recipe that tastes so great.

Ingredients: 1 cup Pigeon Peas (కందిపప్పు, Toor Dal) ½ cup Coconut Pieces (fresh) (approx. half a shell of coconut) 10 Dry Red Chilies 2-3 cloves of Garlic 1 tsp Tamarind Pulp 1 tsp Cumin Seeds Salt Preparation: Dry roast toor dal + red chilies separately and transfer to a plate to cool. Add toor dal + red chilies + garlic + cumin seeds + salt to a blender jar and grind into a paste by adding little amount of water. Then add coconut pieces + tamarind pulp and run the blender again until the contents grind into a paste. That’s all! Great tasting pachadi is ready to be savored. Transfer the pachadi to a serving bowl and enjoy with steaming hot rice and little ghee. Yummy!! If desired, we can add seasoning to the above pachadi before serving.

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Happy Deepavali 2012

Dear Friends,

Hope you have a Wonderful and fun-filled Deepavali. 

Check out my Festival Recipe Collection if you are looking for some yummy desserts to make on this auspicious day. I will be back soon with some more delicious dishes.

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Eggless Chocolate Cake

I made this for my daughter’s birthday. It came out so good and yummy. But I didn't decorate the cake, I just dusted it with fine sugar.

Recipe Source: All Recipes

Ingredients: 2 ½ cups All-purpose Flour 1 ½ cups white Sugar ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder ½ cup Vegetable Oil (I used Olive Oil) 1 ½ cups Water 1 ½ tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Baking Powder ¼ tsp salt 1 ½ tbsp Vanilla Extract ¼ cup semi sweet Chocolate Chips Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour an 8 x 8 cake pan. Add sifted flour + cocoa powder + sugar + soda + baking powder + salt to a large bowl and mix well. Add vanilla + water + oil to the above mixture and mix well again.  Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the above cake batter into the greased cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Take the cake pan out of the oven carefully (it will be hot) and leave it for some time until it cools down. When it becomes cold, run a knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it. Transfer the cake to a serving plate, decorate as you like and enjoy the taste.

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Kala Chana Besan Burfi

I’ve become little busy these days and not cooking that much. I am sad that I am ignoring my blog by not posting frequently. So I wanted to post a new recipe today at any cost and searched in my archives to find some recipe. To my amazement, I found this delicious recipe which never got posted. I don’t know why I forgot this!!! 

This yummy dessert is from my sister who made these for us when we visited them one summer. I took photos immediately and thought of posting it on my blog, but totally forgotten it. Anyways, now it came like an angel for me when I ran out of new recipes. 

Here is the recipe as told by my sis:

Ingredients: Kala Chana Besan – 3 cups Sugar – 6 cups Water – 4 cups Ghee – 2 tbsp Preparation: Heat ghee in a pan and add besan and stir continuously making sure not to burn besan. Keep the flame in low setting. Stir besan well until it becomes aromatic, light and fluffy. Meanwhile prepare sugar syrup. Combine sugar + water in a bowl and boil until one string consistency is attained. Lower the flame and add besan and stir well so that no lumps are formed and the mixture comes together. Transfer the contents to a greased plate and spread evenly. Cut into desired shapes. Allow them to cool completely before removing from the plate. Enjoy these great tasting burfis any time of the day!!

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Celery-Carrot-Tomato Chutney (Oil Free)

DH and I love chutneys so much that we won’t finish our lunch/dinner without it. You will find a lot of chutney recipes on my blog. These days DH is combining different vegetables to make chutneys. These are not only healthy but also super yummy. 

Here is one such chutney he recently prepared:

Ingredients: 1 full stalk of Celery, chopped 5 medium sized Tomatoes ¾ cup chopped Carrots 1 cup Spinach stems (without leaves) ¼ cup diced Onion 6 Green Chilies 1 or 2 cloves of Garlic ½ tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Coriander Seeds (ధనియాలు, Dhaniya) ½ tsp Bengal Gram (పచ్చిశనగపప్పు, Chana Dal) ½ tsp Black Gram (మినప్పప్పు, Urad Dal) ½ tsp Lemon Juice (Optional) A pinch of Turmeric Powder Salt Preparation: Add all ingredients to a pan and sauté well until the vegetables become little soft. Turn off the flame and allow the contents to cool down for some time. Later, grind the contents into a smooth paste by adding lemon juice + salt + very little water.  Don’t add too much water as the chutney tends to become watery. That’s all! Transfer the chutney to a serving bowl and enjoy with steaming hot rice or chapathis. This chutney stays good for a week if placed in a refrigerator.

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Almond Avakaya | Badam Avakaya

Great Looking and Great Tasting Almond Avakaya

Avakaya is so popular in Andhra Pradesh. It is a delicious and spicy pickle which is a combination of different spices with raw mango as the primary ingredient. One can say that we have a deep attachment with this pickle as it exists in every Telugu house. Now-a-days this avakaya can be found in many stores, but nothing can beat the taste of homemade avakaya. 

Even though we usually use mango as the main ingredient for this avakaya, we also prepare it using different vegetables such as tomato, cucumber, drumstick and many more. Today’s recipe is from my dear friend Uma (yes, my namesake), who made this recipe with green almonds and give it to us. It tasted super delicious and has similar taste to mango avakaya. So I immediately asked her if I can post the recipe on my blog. She is so nice to share the recipe with us. Thank you Uma!

What are green almonds?

Green almonds are nothing but immature almonds. All almonds look green before they were fully grown. These green almonds are soft inside and fuzzy outside. But these almonds have very short life span so they are considered to be a rare delicacy. Green almonds are popular in the Mediterranean and Middle East. (Source: GreenAlmonds.com)

Here is the recipe as told my friend:

Ingredients: 6 cups Almonds, chopped into small pieces 1 cup Red Chili Powder ½ tsp Fenugreek Powder (మెంతి పొడి, Methi Powder) ½ tsp Asafetida (ఇంగువ, Hing) ½ cup Oil (or more) 1 cup Salt Preparation: Wash the almonds and wipe clean with a paper towel. Make sure there is no wetness on the almonds. Chop them into small pieces and keep aside. In a big bowl, combine chili powder + methi powder + salt + hing and mix well with a big spatula. Now add the chopped pieces to the above mixture and mix well either by hand or spatula. Pour oil on top and allow it to seep through the contents. Cover the bowl and allow it to stand for 1 or 2 days so that the almond pieces absorb the essence. Then transfer the prepared almond avakaya to an air-tight container or ceramic jar to store for a long time without losing fresheness. Enjoy this great tasting and aromatic almond avakaya with steaming hot rice and ghee. Yummy!!

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Paneer Butter Masala | Paneer Makhani

A tempting royal dish

I recently prepared this mouth-watering and popular dish for a potluck party and it was a hit. My daughter liked it so much that she wanted me to prepare it again the next day, but I told her to wait for a week and I made it again the following week. It came out as delicious as before. We all loved the dish.

Here is how I prepared it. 

Ingredients: (Serves 4) 2 cups Paneer Cubes (Cottage Cheese) A small Onion 2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste A pinch of Turmeric Powder 1 tsp red Chili Powder I big Tomato 1 tsp dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi)   2 cups Milk 1 tsp Sugar 1 tsp Butter 1 tsp Oil Salt to taste Preparation: Wash and chop onion + tomato into big cubes. Add a very little water to onion and make into a paste. Puree tomato. Keep them aside. Heat a pan and add butter and then oil. When it is hot, add onion paste and stir well. Then add ginger-garlic paste and mix well. After that add turmeric powder + chili powder and tomato puree and stir well. Leave the pan on medium flame and cook for some time until the contents cook well and the oil separates. Finally, add dried fenugreek leaves + milk + sugar + paneer cubes and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and mix well. Then turn off the flame and transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Garnish and serve hot with naans/rotis. A great tasting, aromatic and royal dish is ready to be savored. Yummy!!

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Simple White Cake

Yummy, Spongy Cake

Last Saturday, I was taking a nap after lunch. Suddenly a touch of sweet, aromatic and delicious smell awakened me.  I instantly felt hungry! I rushed downstairs to find out that my daughter made a delicious cake to surprise me as that day was my birthday. She made the cake without taking anybody’s help. It turned out so soft and moist and of course delicious. She even took snaps for my blog. Isn’t she cute?

Here is the recipe:

Recipe Source: All Recipes

Original recipe makes 12 cupcakes or 1- 9x9 inch pan but my daughter took a small heart shaped pan that didn’t hold all the batter. So she poured the remaining batter into a cupcake pan that gave her 16 small cupcakes. (See the picture above)

Ingredients: 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour ½ cup Milk 1 ¾ tsp Baking Powder 1 cup White Sugar ½ cup Butter 2 Eggs 2 tsp Vanilla Extract A handful of Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (My daughter added these as her own special touch) Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, grease a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, cream the sugar and butter together. Then crack the eggs, add them to the bowl, beat well and stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the above mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk and chocolate chips and mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. If using muffin pan spoon in the batter. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.  For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the cake and the cake springs back when touched. Remove the cake from the oven and leave aside until it becomes completely cold. Then cut into pieces and enjoy. Yummy!

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Vinayaka Chavithi / Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes

Vinayaka Chavithi / Ganesh Chaturthi is fast approaching and we are getting ready to celebrate the festival with full gusto. At our home we always look forward for this day and the kids enjoy preparing clay vinayakas, doing puja and eating yummy dishes. We always make sure we prepare Lord Ganesha's favorite dishes such as Undrallu and Kudumulu. Of course, we do prepare some other yummy dishes as the naivedyams for Lord Ganesha and offer to him with much devotion. Here is a small list of delicious and special recipes I usually prepare at home for Vinayaka Chavithi. Click on the pictures or titles to read the recipe and enjoy making it.

Arati Kudumulu (Banana Modak)		Kobbari Kudumulu (Coconut Modak)
Brown Rice Undrallu		Apple Kheer
Kobbari Vadalu		Carrot Vadalu
Saggubiyyam Vadalu (Sago Fritters)		Happy Vinayaka Chavithi

Look at my huge collection of FESTIVAL DISHES to make a different choice. Hope you all have a wonderful Ganesha Chaturthi.

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Broccolette Chutney

Yummy Broccolette Chutney

Have you ever seen the long skinny vegetable that looks similar to Broccoli but has smaller florets and long stalks? I found this interesting vegetable when I recently visited the grocery store. It immediately caught my eye as it looked fresh and cute. Later I searched web to find out what it is and came to know that this is nothing but a cross between Broccoli and Chinese kale. 

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Radish Sprouts Curry

Delicious Radish Sprouts Curry

As we all know, sprouts are packed with lots of nutrition. Sprouts have become an integral part in the daily diet for many people.

There has been a debate whether to eat sprouts raw or cooked. 

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Cucumber Dosa

Great tasting Cucumber Dosa

This dosa variety is very famous in Karnataka. Traditional recipe uses white rice for this dosa, but I substituted white rice with brown rice. This is a super delicious dosa and everyone at our home loved it. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

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Spinach – Tomato Curry

Yummy Combo of Spinach and Tomato

I usually add Spinach to dal which makes it a very delicious side dish. Sometimes I also make simple curry with the combo of spinach and tomato. This is a very quick dish with very little work and tastes super delicious. 

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Oats Kheer | Oats Payasam

A healthy and yummy dessert

As we all know, whole grain products like oats are so rich in nutrients and fiber. Now-a-days oats are the most eaten breakfast cereal in most households due the health benefits they possess. They help in lowering cholesterol levels and are full of antioxidants and contain many more health benefits. 

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