Carrot Uttappa

Uttappa is a puffed dosa with some vegetables or onion pieces. Here I have tried with carrots and the batter used here is idli batter. Idli batter has semolina instead of rice. I have steamed medium sized rava, cooled it and added to fermented urid batter. After preparing idli, the remained batter is used for preparing Carrot Uttappa.

Idli batter is slightly different from dosa batter. Idli batter has more urid dal and the  the rice used will be rava consistency.
Carrot Uttappa is good for breakfast, or in the evening or for dinner. Carrots are full of fiber and rich in vitamins and minerals.

1. RAVA - URID IDLI To prepare Idli batter please follow the link given below

Urid dal is full of protein and rich in fiber. South Indian breakfast is easy to digest, helps you be cheerful and keeps you energetic Whole day.
Let us see the recipe Now :

Ingredients :

Idli Batter : 1 Bowl
Carrot : 1
Chilly Powder : 1/2 Tsp
Ginger : 1/2 Tsp
Salt : A little

Method : 

1. Wash and grate carrot, remove the outer layer of ginger and grate it.
2. Mix carrot and ginger gratings, salt and chilly powder nicely and keep it aside.
2. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Clean it with a clean kitchen tissue.
3. Add very little oil and put a ladle of batter on the hot pan.

4. Add some grating mix and put a tsp of oil on top.

5. Cover and cook on medium or low flame.

6. Turn the other side and cook for a minute.

7. Take out the Carrot Uttappa from the pan and serve with your choice of side dish.

8. Prepare the same with remaining Uttappa.

Note :

Rice Urid dal Idli batter link is given at the top. Please follow to get the good idli batter.
Use of oil is optional. Adding coriander and curry leaves is optional. I did not have the coriander leaves so could not add it. Better use less spice for good health.  No onion or garlic is added because it might cause acidity. I am not in favour of onions and we do not use much onions.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4 .

Tomato Mishal Chat

Mishal means mixed. Whole legumes/pulses/beans  are cooked together and added with spice and other ingredients and served as chat. This Mishal takes me back to Dubai once again, because I had this Mishal mixture in one of our friends house. Until then I had no idea, these legumes can be cooked like this and served as chat. We had these types of chats again and again and it has become our favourite. Chat means a little snack at any time of a days. It has no particular time to eat chats now a days. I have seen many kids having chats at chats center either in the morning or at lunch time. It has become so popular and there are so many chats shops or a corner selling chats. But definitely I prefer to eat chat mostly in the evening time.

Different types of chats have derived now a days. Papdy chat, pappad chat, dahi chat, poori chat, etc etc etc. I too have given a twist to the original recipes and enjoyed my own cooking style. Here is a recipe of such one chat and I gave a name as Tomato Mishal Chat.
Tomatoes are the base here and spicy pulses are spread generously on the top of tomatoes. Green and sweet chutney added and some crispy mixture on the top. The plate is full and you can enjoy your chat.

 Lets see some benefits of eating Tomatoes in our diet.
Tomatoes are full of nutrients, antioxidants and keep our health in good shape. Tomatoes are low in calories and it does not contain any starch. It helps to improve vision. It is rich in Vitamin A and helps to improve our eye sight and prevent night blindness. It helps to maintain blood health. Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C, potassium an iron which are essential for maintaining normal blood health. It is full of fiber and helps in digestion and prevents constipation. It also helps to remove toxins from our body. Tomatoes are good blood purifiers and clean up urinary tract infections.
Please not that Some people may be allergic to tomatoes and they might get itchy feeling on their body or it have breathing problem and the person who is suffering from kidney stone should take care.
No onion or garlic is used in this Tomato Mishal Chat. Mild spice and little sev is used. You can add your choice of toppings on the top of the chat.
I have used whole moong, moth bean (mataki kaalu), Kabooli chenna (white kabooli chenna) and cowpeas (Alasande kaalu/ Avade Kaalu) for Mishaal.

Things needed :

For cooking
Cooked mixed Beans of your choice : 2 Cups
Tomatoes : 3 to 4 (small ones)
Boiled Potatoes : 2
Green chilly : 2
Ginger : an inch 
Red chilly Power : 1/2 Teaspoon
Garam Masala Powder : 1 Teaspoon
Salt : to taste
Butter : 1 Tablespoon
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
For arranging :
Tomatoes : 3 to 4  ( Medium size)
Ready to serve Mishal mixture
Any type of Sev
Hot and sweet chutney
Onions or carrots to top up

Method :

1. Wash and cook whole moong, cow pea, kabooli chenna and moth bean. ( 1/2 Cup each ) in a pressure cooker and leave it for cooling.
2. Wash and cook potatoes and remove the outer skin, smash it and keep it aside.
3.Wash and cut tomatoes, green chilly and coriander leaves into small. Wash and grate ginger. Keep it aside.

4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil, jeera and let it fry till golden brown. Now add cut tomatoes, green chilly and fry.

5. Let tomatoes turn soft and mix it well. Add red chilly powder, garam masala powder and salt.
6.Add little turmeric powder and mix it well. Let it cook for a minute.
7. Add cooked beans/ legumes and potatoes cook nicely for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon of butter. Mix it nicely.

8. Add Cut coriander leaves and remove the ready mishal from the fire.

Mishal is ready to serve

For Plating :

1. Wash and cut tomatoes into slices.

2. Spread a ladle full of ready to serve mishal in a plate.
3. Arrange circle cut tomatoes on the mishal.
4. Put little sweet and hot chutney

5. Put some grated onions/carrots on the top of chutney.
6. One more ladle of ready to serve Mishal on the top.
7. Any kind of sev according to your wish. Less/More

8. Tomato Mishal is ready to serve now.

Note :

You can soak the legumes/beans overnight and then cook it. Use of spice according to your wish. More/ less. Use of onions and garlic is purely optional. I have not used it. Use of butter/ ghee is optional. Use of sev also optional. I have used very little sev.I cooked all the legumes directly. (Not soaked). You can use legumes/beans of your choice. Thin layer of butter is used. (to reduce the chilly taste and butter surely adds to the taste.
Time : Mishal cooking time  :20 minutes + Preparing Mishal + 15 minutes. Total time : 35 to 40 minutes.
Serves " 4 to 5

Dil Leaves - Sweet Potato Palya (Dry Curry ) & Samosa

Palya (Kannada language) is a dry curry and we can prepare palya with almost all vegetables. It is one of the side dish and goes well with plain rice, chapatis, roti and poori. I just tried Dil leaves- sweet potato palya as I always do a bit different from the normal. Combination of dil leaves and sweet potato goes very well. A bit of sweetness from sweet potato and aroma from dil leaves makes the dish really yummy.

I prepared Samosas using the same palya. Used 2 cups of wheat flour and 1 cup of maida for the outer layer. Indeed Samosa came out very well and no need to say that we all enjoyed eating and eating these Samosas
I have not used onions or garlic but there is always an option you can add onion & garlic if you wish to.

Things Needed : Dil Leaves - Sweet Potato Palya .(Dry curry)

Sweet Potatoes : 5 to 6
Dil leaves : 1 Bundle
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Ginger : grated : 1 Tea spoon ( a small piece )
Garam Masala powder : 1/2 Tea spoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon
Curry leaves : 6 to 8
Coriander leaves : 2 Table spoons
Salt : to Taste
Oil :1 Table spoon

Method : 

1. Wash and cut dil leaves. Remove the outer skin of sweet potato and cut them into small.

2. Wash and cut green chilly, grate ginger and keep it aside.
3. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add  1 Table spoon of oil and mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter.

 4. Add jeera and fry for 10 seconds. Add dil leaves and cut sweet potato and fry for 1 minutes.

5. Add little (1/4 cup or less) water and cook on low flame. Let the vegetables cook. (Do not over cook).

6. Mix it nicely and add grated ginger, garam masala  and cut green chilly. Mix it well.
7. Let all the moisture disappear. Add little turmeric and required salt. Mix it well.
8. Add coriander leaves and mix it well and put the ready palya to a serving bowl.

Note : 

Do not over cook or do not add more watery. The taste differ. You can also add cut onions to this Curry. Adding less oil is always a heathy  ppoint. You can also add grated coconut to this curry. ( I did not add coconut ). You can also add little red chilly powder to make the palya little spicy.
Time : 15 Minutes.
Serves : 4 to 5

Dil Leaves - Sweet Potato Samosa

Things Needed : 

Dil leaves - Sweet Potato curry : 2 Cups
Wheat Flour : 2 cups.
Maida (All purpose flour) : 1 Cup
Oil : 2 cups
Ghee : 1 Table spoon
Salt : to taste
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon

Method :

1. Dry roast wheat flour and maida separately for 2 to 3 minutes each. Allow them to cool.

 2. Put roasted flours in a big pan or bowl and add a spoon of ghee and mix it well.

3. Add water ( little by little ) and prepare the thick dough.
4, Divide the dough in to small portions and turn the small portion in to round.

5. Dip each ball before you roll and flatten it with a chapati roller. Cut the rolled chapati in to two portions.
6. Take one cut flattened chapati and fill Dil leaves - Sweet potato palya and press it nicely and prepare samosas.

7. Keep a frying pan and put oil. Heat oil and fry Samosas one by one on low flame till they turn crispy.

 Fry on both sides til brown and remove from the pan. Place it on kitchen tissue. It helps to absorbs extra oil.

 8. Repeat the same with remaining dough and prepare samosas.

9. Serve with any type of chutney or ketch up.
10. We had this samosa with green and sweet chutney and coconut chutney.

. We also had this Samossa with a cup of Curd (Yogurt ).

Note : 

Do not prepare the dough too soft. It will absorb more oil. Fry them on low flame to get the crispness.
Use of Maida instead of wheat is optional. I just tried with wheat and it was good . Use of more vegetables like carrot, peas and beans also can be used along with sweet potatoes.Do not roll the dough too thin or too thick. Do not use stale palya. It should be fresh.
Time :  40 Minutes
15 to 16 Samosas can be prepared.

Carrot -Curd -Coconut Upma

Ready to Serve Uppittu (Upma)

Upma or Uppittu is easy to prepare and it is one of the quick preparation food item. Many of us like Upma. I have seen many people eating Upma in Hotel. Even I like Upma. It is tasty and spicy.

Upma can be done in different ways and with different ingredients. You can use medium rava or bansi rava (little bigger than medium rava), Rice rawa (akki tari) or even Awalakki -Uppittu, Sabakki (Sabudhan) Uppitu, Shavige Uppittu, Godi tari (wheat rava) Uppittu etc. Adding lots of vegetables or brinjal (vanghi bath) , or capsicum, onions gives and adds to the taste and gives satisfaction to the tongue bud. Preparing Vanghi (brinjal) needs some special spices. It is spicy and taste good.
Let us see some benefits of using Rava in your daily diet.
Rava or Semolina is prepared using Durum (hard variety) wheat and it is good substitute for rice. Rava is good for people who wants to shed their extra weight.  It  is good for diabetics. It is digested slowly. It is low in fat and high in carbohydrate food.It is low in sodium and cholesterol. It is high in fiber. It is considered as a balanced diet. It has very less of saturated fats. It is loaded with Vitamin B complex and high in Vitamin E. It contain good amount of minerals like potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and calcium.

With all these benefits we can also use Rava in preparing cakes and cookies and Semolina is good for people who are suffering from fever.
You  should also know Some people are allergic to Semolina (Rava).

I have used Medium size rava , carrots, curd and coconut. Adding curd to Upma gives a good texture and adds to the taste.We can have this Upma for breakfast, as evening snack or even for dinner.
Carrot, curd coconut  Upma can be prepared on special fasting days. No onions are used in this Upma.

Things needed :

Medium size Rava (Semolina) : 1  Cups
Carrots : Grated : 1 Cup
Curd :(or Butter milk) : 1/2 Cup
Oil : 2 to 4 Table spoons
Coconut : 2 to 3 Table spoons
Green Chilly : 2 to 3
 Curry Leaves : 8 to 10
Ginger : a small piece
Salt : To taste
Water : 1 3/4 Cup.
Ghee : 1 to 2 Table spoons.
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon
Urid dal : 1 Tea spoon
Jaggery : 1 Table spoon.

Method : 

1. Wash and grate carrots and ginger and coconut. Cut green chilly and keep it aside.

2. Keep water for boiling.
3. Keep a big pan and add oil.and heat. Put mustard seeds and Urad dal. Let mustard seeds splutter,

 4. Add green chilly and curry leaves. Fry for 10 seconds.
5. Add Rava and fry nicely till the raw smell disappear. (do it on low flame).

6. Add salt and boiling water and stir slowly and mix it well. Add curd and mix it well.

 

 

7. Add grated carrots, jaggery and ginger and stir on low flame till the consistency get thick and it cooks well. Cover for 2 minutes.

 

8. Put of the gas and add Ghee and coconut. Mix it again nicely and Shift the Ready Carrot, Curd, Coconut Upma to a serving dish.

 

  

9. Serve with a banana and a cup of Coffee..

 

 

 Note :

You must fry rava nicely. Do it on low flame. Adding Jaggery is optional. Adding more chilly or other vegetables are also optional.
You can also use onions. Fry onions in a spoon of oil and then add it before you add hot water.
You  can also add more water (1 rava = 2 cups water) to make it little more moisture. (It will be soft which some people like in that way).  You can also use any cooking oil you prefer. I have used coconut oil. Adding more ghee also optional.

Time : 20 minutes
Serves : 4.