Vegetable Upma/Uppittu

Simple and soulful, just what a hot breakfast needs to be! Upma or Uppittu is literally not just a dish, it's an emotion. One that's endearing to many South Indian food lovers everywhere. While there are different versions and variations of this famous dish I'm definitely a fan of the simple traditional Uppittu.

Here's my version of Vegetable Upma/Uppittu:

Ingredients: 1 cup fine semolina, 1tbsp ghee, one onion chopped finely, few green chillies chopped finely, handful of Curry leaves, 1 tomato chopped, 1/4 cup green peas, 1/4 cup carrot chopped. Salt, lemon juice, chopped coriander.  Spices for tempering- 1 tbsp peanuts/cashews, mustard seeds, channa daal, urid daal, cumin seeds, asetofida/hing, finely chopped ginger, bit of oil. 

Make:

1. In a heavy bottom pan, roast the semolina and ghee over a low flame until golden brown. Keep the roasted semolina aside. 

2. In the same pan, put in a bit of oil and tempering ingredients. Roast nicely until there is an aroma.

3. Add in chopped onions, chillies and curry leaves, roast well. Then add in chopped tomato, carrot, peas. Mix well and add in warm water (double the amount of semolina). Add salt and lemon juice to cover to bring to a boil.

4. Once it's boiling, quickly add the roasted semolina, continuously mixing ensuring no lumps are formed. A little water can be added to adjust the consistency based on preference. Cover and simmer for a few minutes. 

Serve hot on its own or with condiments. Enjoy!

Pani Puri - Sweet Potato filled!

Any foodlover of the Indian sub continent is bound to share a love for this famed street snack Pani Puri or Golgappa or Pucchka! Crispy light fried semolina balls filled with mouth watering spicy sweet tangy ingredients..there's nothing not to love about these.

It's a super fun treat at our place and it got a little healthier when I tried it with a Sweet Potato filling instead of the traditional Potato. 

Here it is, PANI PURI with Sweet Potato filling:

Ingredients: Fryable Puris (can buy at Indian grocery stores), 1 sweet potato cooked soft, 1 spoon chaat masala, 1 carrot grated, 1 onion chopped finely, handful chopped coriander, some nylon sev. 

For the pani (juice), 1 tbsp coriander mint chutney, chaat masala, 1 tbsp tamarind juice, chillinpowder as desired, water.

Make: Fry the fryable Puris so they are puffed round. Keep aside to cool. Prepare the pani by mixing all of the ingredients well with the water. Adjust the flavour depending on how strong you like the flavour.  Prepare the Sweet Potato filling by mashing it well with chaat masala 

To assemble Pani Puri, take each Puri and gently poke a hole in the middle. Put inside, a spoon of mashed sweet potato, grated carrot, onion, coriander and sev on top. Assemble all Puris and serve with a bowl of Pani so the lucky people can enjoy these packages of happiness! 

Savoury Cookies - Finger Millet & Wheat

Who says baking is always to make naughty foods that are only for indulgence? No way - baking is one of the best ways to keep calories low as you can often create treats that would traditionally be fried without all the oil. 

Often referred to as a "super food" Finger Millet or Raagi, is calcium and iron rich as well as being low GI. Whole wheat also has its well known healthy benefits. So why not enjoy the healthy benefits by making something tasty to munch on!

There are different recipes out there but I made my Savoury Cookies using a simple method which worked out great. Here it is:

Ingredients (for about 12 cookies): 1 cup Raagi/Finger Millet, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup butter at room temperature, handful of curry leaves finely chopped, 1 spoon sesame seeds, chilli flakes, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar, milk only enough to form the cookie dough.

Make: In a bowl, mix the raagi, wheat flour, salt and sugar. Then add the butter, chopped curry leaves, chilli flakes and mix with your hands, adding milk to form a soft dough. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes then make small portions and flatten to make a cookie shape. Place all cookies on baking paper in a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 170 deg for about 20 minutes. Let it cool before serving or storing.

Enjoy your crispy yet crumbly healthy savoury cookies with a cup of tea!