Chapati Upma ( Fry).

You might be wondering about the dish " Chapati Upma". It is a simple left over chapati upma. This dish is very simple and easy to prepare. Our friend Rajashree Sudhir used to tell about chapati upma that they do mostly when the chapti becomes more than the requirement and loads of chapatis remains in the chapati box, She used say that they just prepare this chapati upma and serve it. I felt thats a great idea to use left over chapatis, instead of eating again the same chapatis.

I have cut chapati into strips. I have used simple seasoning with mustard, urid dal and red chilly. Red chilly adds a flavour to Chapati Upma. We normally use one or two red chilly in the seasoning. As I said earlier it adds a good taste to the dish.
Let us see the benefits of eating chilly in our diet.
Chilli peppers are one of the very popular spices for their medicinal and health benefiting properties. Chilli has a strong spicy taste that comes from the active alkloid compounds called capsaicin. It has anti bacterial, anti diabetic properties. It helps to reduce LDL cholesterol level in obese individuals. Chilly has a good source of Vitamin C and anti oxidant and anti inflammatory properties.It contain Vitamin A and help to protect the body. Chilli contain good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, iron and magnesium. They are good source of B complex group of Vitamins.
Chapati Upma is very easy to prepare and not much of ingredients required. You can have it for breakfast or as snack.
Lets see the recipe now:

Ingredients :

Chapatis : 5 to 6
Oil : 2 Tablespoons
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 12 Teaspoon
Red chilly : 2
Curry leaves : 8 to 10 leaves
Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Jaggery : 1 Tablespoon
Salt : a little
Coriander leaves : 2 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Cut chapatis in to small pieces.

2. Wash and cut curry leaves and coriander leaves into small.
3. Grate coconut and keep it aside.
4. Keep a pan on the fire and put oil . Put mustard seeds, urid dal and let the mustard splutter.

5. Add red chilly (cut it according to your wish) and fry. Add curry leaves and mix it  well.
6. Add cut chapati pieces and mix it well. Sprinkle a few drops of water,add jaggery and salt.
7. Let it cook on low flame for a minute. Mix it well and add grated coconut and  Mix it nicely .
8. Add grated coconut and mix it well again.  Add coriander leaves and shift the Chapati Upma to a serving dish.

9 .Serve with a cup of curd and some fruits aside.

Note : 

You can add cooked vegetables to " Chapati Upma ". You can also add peas, Field beans etc (cook it and then add). Adding little more spice s like garam masala is optional. Adding onions and garlic is also optional. You can also add green chilly instead of red chilly. Adding coconut is also optional. Adding a spoon of ghee adds to the taste. Sprinkle very little water. (It helps the chapati to be soft). You can also add ground nuts while seasoning mustard seeds.
Time : 10 minutes
Serves : 2 to 3.

Moong Dal -Rava Spicy Dosa

Dosa or dose is very popular dish now a days. It is one of the healthy breakfast or snack dish and fill your stomach nicely. Udupi Hotel's crispy dosa is world famous. Dosas are normally prepared using Rice and Urid dal and little methi seeds. All healthy grains are always good to have and take care of our health. Now a days you get many types dosas and it is prepared using different grains rather than rice and urid dal. Moong dal, channa dal, or some other pulse or legume (dals) are used. Pulses actually adds to the good health. Moong dal or whole moong is used to prepare pesarittu (pesaru means Green gram). Pesarittu is famous in Andra Prades and around it. But they do not use much rice in it.

I have given a little twist here like always. I have used moong dal and rava/sooji/ semolina (medium sized) and used some spice too. Spices adds to the taste.  Moong Dal Rava Spicy Dosa is good to have for breakfast or as snack in the evening. As the name says it is bit spicy and yummy. Moong Dal can be soaked at night and ground in the morning. Adding some rava turns the dosa very crispy and the spice you add gives good taste to the dosa.
Let us see some benefits of using Ingh (Asafoetida)
Asafoetida/Ingh/ingu/Kayam and ting is the dried gum (latex) get from the tap root of several species of Ferula.( A perennial herb). The species is native to the deserts of Iran, mountains of Afghanistan and mainiy cultivated in India. This spice is used as a digestive aid in food as a condiment in Indian cuisine.
Asafoetida reduces the growth of indigenous in the gut. In some places in India it is used as a medicine for constipation. It is a digestion aid. It is also used as wound healer. It is good for treating  Influenza and beneficial in fighting the swine flu and H1N1 virus. It is good remedy for astama and bronchitis. Asafoetida contain antimicrobial properties and used to treat woophing cough, chronic bronchitis. In India according to Ayurveda asafoetid is one of the best spices for balancing the Vata and Pitta dosha.
We Indians know the benefits of Ingh and use it in our day to day dishes. It is good for digestion, good remedy to remove the gas content in the food we eat, good for controlling cholesterol level in our body.

It is easy to prepare and you can grind it and prepare dosa immediately. If you are preparing it as soon as you grind the dough you can use 2 tablespoons of curd to mix it with dough and then prepare dosa. Adding curd helps the dosa dough to get the consistency of fermentation and it gives smoothness to dosa. Or you can mix rava and leave the dough to get ferment and then use it. The choice is yours.

Lets see the recipe now.

Things needed : 

Moong Dal : 1 cup
Dry Ginger powder : 1 Teaspoon
Curry leaves : Handful
Ingh : a little
Red chilly powder : 1 Teaspoon
Jeera/Cumin seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Rava/Semolina/Sooji : 2 Cups
Curd : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Salt : As required 
Oil : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Ghee : Optional

Method : 

1. Wash and soak moong dal over night or for 4 to 5 hours.
2. Wash coriander leaves, curry leaves and cut it into small.
3. Now grind soaked moong dal using very little fresh water.
4. Add coriander leaves, dry ginger, curry leaves and red chilly powder. Grind it nicely.

5. Remove from the mixi jar and put it in a big bowl.
6. Mix salt, Rava and curd. Mit it well.

7. Keep dosa pan on the fire and heat. Sprinkle little oil and clean it with a kitchen tissue nicely.
8. Now take a ladle of moong dal rava dough and spread it in a circle shape.
9. Sprinkle little oil on the top of dosa and cover. Let it cook on medium flame for a minute.

10. Turn the other side and cook for a minute. Dosa is ready to serve.

11. Serve with little ghee on the top of dosa and a side dish you have prepared.

12. Repeat the same and prepare the rest.

Note :

Do not add more water while grinding. Rava should be mixed well with ground moong dough.
Using ghee instead of oil is optional. You can also add grated coconut and carrots on the top of dosa while cooking.
You can add green chilly instead of red chilly powder. Cut or grind green chilly .(You can add it while mong dal grinding).
Preparing thin or thick dosa is optional. Hot dosa taste best.
Note : 30 minutes. 
Serves : 3 to 4.