Bread halwa

                       

Ingredients:

Bread - 6 slices
Sugar - 1/2 cup or to taste
Milk - 2 cups
Ghee - 1/2 cup + 1 tblspn
Cashews a handful
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Remove the crust and chop it into small pieces.

Heat ghee in a pan, add in cashews and fry till golden. Remove it and set aside.

Now add in chopped bread in the ghee and fry .
Now add in milk and mix well. Keep cooking till it thickens.

Add in sugar and mix well. Keep cooking till it starts to leave the sides.

Finally add a tblspn of ghee and mix well. Add in nuts and cardamom powder and mix well.

Red chutney

Ingredients :
12 Dry red chilly
1 tbsp cumin seeds
Salt
Half onion
Lemon juice

Method :
Grind dry red chilly, cumin seeds, onion, lemon juice, salt as required as smooth as possible.

Pudina rice

Ingredients :

• 2 cups rice
• 1.5 cup lightly measured mint / pudina
• Fistful of coriander leaves 
• 2 to 3 green chilies
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 to 2 large pods of garlic
• ¼ cup chopped coconut pieces
• Salt as needed
• Oil or ghee as needed
• 3 cups water 
• 1 to 2 tbsp. lemon juice(optional)

Seasoning

• 1 bay leaf
• 1 star anise
• 1 strand mace
• ½ tsp shahi jeera or cumin
• 6 cloves
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 3 to 4 green cardamoms

Method :

1. Wash rice and soak it for about 15 minutes. Pluck and wash mint and coriander leaves, drain them completely
2. Grind mint, coriander, green chilies, ginger garlic, onion or chopped coconut to as smooth as possible.
   
3. Heat a pan with oil, add the dry spices and saute till they sizzle.
   
4. Add the ground paste and fry on a medium to low flame for about 2 to 3 minutes.
   
5. Pour water and salt. Bring it to a boil. Add washed rice and cook in your preferred way.
   
6. Open pan method: cook the rice till very little water is left in the pot. Cover and cook on low flame till the rice is cooked.
   
7. Pressure cooker: Cook the rice till the water almost evaporates. When there is very little water left in the cooker, close the lid. Cook it for about 5 minutes on a low flame and switch off. Do not allow to whistle. If making with normal rice, let it whistle once.
8. When the pressure goes away, open the lid and mix well. You will see a layer of the min mixture on top, Add lemon juice evenly and mix it gently .
9. Serve pudina rice with a simple onion raita or a potato kurma.
   

Masala vada

INGREDIENTS:

to be ground:

• ½ cup chana dal/husked and split bengal gram
• 4 dry red chilly
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp coriander seedseeds
• 1 tsp jeera
• 4 to 5 curry leaves 

to be added to the ground lentils later:

• 1 small onion, chopped or ¼ cup chopped onion
• a pinch of asafoetida/hing
• salt as required

other ingredients:

• oil for frying
• water for soaking chana dal, as required

INSTRUCTIONS

method:

1. rinse the chana dal for a couple of times in water. then soak in enough water for 3 to 4 hours. for a quicker option, you can heat water and the soak the chana dal for an hour.
   
2. later, in a grinder, add the following whole spices - 1 dry red chili,1 tsp fennel seeds, ½ tsp coriander seeds and soaked chana dal . grind the coarsely.
   
3. grind the dal coarsely. some whole chana dal should be there. no need to add water while grinding. i did not add any water. if you add water, then it becomes difficult to shape the vadais. if you are not able to grind at all, then add 1 to 2 tbsp water and grind. Take mixture into the mixing bowl and add chopped onion and salt as required , mix very well.
   
4. shape to medium sized vadas. make medium sized balls and then flatten them. if not able to shape vadais, then add 1 or 2 tbsp of rice flour.
5. heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan.
6. on a medium flame heat the oil. check the oil temperature by dropping a small portion of the batter in the oil. if the small vada comes up steadily, the oil is hot enough for frying.
   
7. now carefully slid the vadas in the hot oil.
8. fry them for a couple of minutes and then turn over with a slotted spoon and fry the other side.
9. fry till the vadas become golden and crisp. drain them on kitchen paper towels.
   
10. serve the masala vadai hot tomato ketchup or with coconut chutney.
    

Rava Upma

Ingredients :
1 cup rava/sooji
1 onion
1 tomato
1 carrot
1 green chili
1 inch ginger
3 tbsp green peas
1 tbsp turmeric powder
10 to 12 cashews
4 curry leaves
2.5 cuos of water
Oil or ghee
Coriander leaves
Salt

Method:

1. heat a pan or kadai first. add 1 cup rava. Begin to roast the rava. stir often while roasting the rava.The rava or sooji grains should become fragrant and start to look dry, separate and crisp. don't brown the rava. switch off the flame and then add the roasted rava in a plate and keep aside. I used roasted rava
2. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee or oil. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds,when you hear the crackling sound of mustard seeds, it means they are getting fried. Then add cashews and curry leaves. Fry till golden colour.
   
3. now add the finely chopped onions,green peas,green chilly,carrot , ginger ,Turmeric powdettomato. saute the onions and tomato till they cooked.
   
4. then add 2.5 cups water to this mixture. add salt as required,on a medium to high flame, heat the water and let it come to a to a  boiling. when the water comes to a boil, lower the flame to its lowest.
   
5. Once you add the rava, stir immediately.mix well. the rava grains absorb water and thus swell and get cooked.
   
6. cover and allow the rava upma to steam for 2 minutes on the low flame.
7. then switch off the flame. here the rava is cooked and the upma is ready.lastly add about 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. stir well.serve upma with coconut chutney or lime slices or lime pickle.
   

moong dal khichdi

moong dal khichdi - one pot meal of rice and moong lentils. light and easy to digest meal.

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup moong dal, split and husked
• ½ cup rice, you can add any rice, regular short or medium grained rice or even basmati
• 1 small to medium sized onion/pyaaz, finely chopped
• 1 medium sized tomato/tamatar, chopped
• ½ inch ginger/adrak, finely chopped or grated
• 1 small green mirch/hari mirch, chopped
• ¾ tsp cumin seeds/jeera
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• pinch of asafoetida/hing
• 3.5 cups water - for a more thin consistency, add 4 to 4.5 cups water
• 1.5 tbsp oil or ghee
• salt as required

INSTRUCTIONS

1. rinse and wash moong lentils and rice together. soak both of them for 30 minutes in water,
   
2. heat 2 tbsp ghee or oil in pressure cooker. add cumin. when cumin splutters then add onions.
   
3. saute onions till translucent. no need to make onions light brown or golden brown.
   
4. once the onions becomes translucent, then add tomatoes, green chilli and ginger.
   
5. stir and add turmeric powder and asafoetida. saute till the tomatoes softens.
   
6. drain the rice and moong lentils and add them to the pressure cooker.
   
7. stir for a minute. pour with water and season with salt
   
   .
8. close the lid tightly and pressure cook the khichdi on a high flame for 6-7 whistles.

1. if the khichdi becomes too thick, then add some water and stir well.
2. keep on sim or low flame to simmer the khichdi till you get the right consistency.
3. the consistency can be adjusted as per your choice by adding less or more water. some people prefer thick and some thin consistency.
4. once the khichdi is cooked then top it with ghee while serving. optional step.

Vangi bath

Ingredients :

• 2 cups of raw rice
• Oil as needed
• 1 medium onion thinly sliced
• 1 green chili slit (optional)
• ½ cup Green peas or cashews as needed
• Peanuts
• Lemon juice as needed
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Dry coconut (optional, adds flavor and taste)

Dry Spices for seasoning (or curry leaves, mustard, cumin, channa dal, urad dal)

• 1 bay leaf
• 3 green cardamoms
• ½ tsp cumin

make vangi bath powder or use MTR vangi bath powder

• 4 to 5 red chilies
• 2 tbsp. Coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp. channa dal / senaga pappu
• ½ tbsp. urad dal/ minapa pappu
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp methi seeds / menthulu
• 4 cloves
• small cinnamon stick

Method :

1. Dry roast the ingredients one after the other for vangi bath. Cool and powder them. Keep this aside.
   
2. Add oil to a hot pan. Add dry spices and saute till they sizzle. 
   
3. Fry green chilies and onions till they turn golden or transparent.Add cashew and peanuts fry until golden.
4. Add chopped brinjal, green peas and sprinkle salt, turmeric. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
   
5. Cook covered until the brinjals are soft cooked.
   
6. Time to add in the vangi bath powder and fry till it begins to smell good. You can sprinkle 1 to 2 tbsp. water to make the mixture moist. This is optional.
   
7. Switch off the heat, add rice and lemon juice.
   
8. Mix up everything well, adjust salt and lemon juice.
   

Serve hot

Bread upma

Ingredients

• 16 bread slices
• 3 large tomatoes, chopped small
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon sambar powder
• 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon of peas
• 2 to 3 sprigs of curry leaves
• salt to taste
• butter and oil for cooking
• 1 small bunch of coriander leaves, finely chopped

• Directions for Quick and Easy Bread Upma Recipe

  1. To begin making the bread upma recipe, we will first toast the bread. You can toast it in your toaster or on a skillet. I personally prefer the toaster as it is quicker.
  2. Once the bread is toasted, apply the softened butter over the toasted bread. Next cut the bread into small dices and keep aside.
  3. In a large wok or a kadai, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add in the mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to crackle and add in the onions . Saute the onions on medium heat, until soft and tender.
     

     
  4. Once the onions are soft, add in the tomatoes, curry leaves, peas and sambar powder. Stir and cook the tomatoes until they turn lightly soft as well.
     

     
  5. Finally add in a little salt and the toasted buttered bread pieces. Stir well to combine all the ingredients and stir fry on medium to high heat for a couple of minutes.
     

     
  6. We stir fry just to make sure the bread pieces have got all the spices and salted well. Check salt levels. Remember the butter you used could have some salt as well.
  7. Stir in the chopped coriander leaves into the bread upma to get the delicious fresh flavour.
  8. Serve the Bread Upma for breakfast or a tea time snack for friends and family.