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Matar ghugni

There are types of ghugni like chana (chickpea) ghugni and matar ghugni. Earlier I made a blogpost of chana ghugni. This is my version of matar ghoogni. For those of you who don’t know about it, it’s a favorite evening snack in Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Orissa. Ghugni is also a chaat item in Eastern India.

Recipe of matar ghugni

2 cups matar (green peas)

1 onion- chopped

1 tomato- diced

1 inch ginger- grated

1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp oil

1. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok or a pan. Add fennel seeds and after few seconds add onion.

2. Fry onion till light pink. Add ginger and all the spices and salt. Fry for 2 minutes.

3. Add tomato and cook till tomato pulp out and softens.

4. Add matar and give it a mix. Cook stirring till matar begins to shine.

5. Lower heat, sprinkle some water and cook covered till matar is tender.

6. Uncover and increase heat so that all moisture evaporates. Turn off heat, add lime juice and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve matar ghoogni hot with either puri or luchi. You can even enjoy a bowlful as a snack.

Healthy Bytes (Nutrition Info.) - Matar or green peas are a good source of vitamin K thus they are important in maintaining bone health. Matar support energy producing systems of the body thus help you if are often sluggish and fatigued.

Adai

Adai is a type of dal dosa and a popular Tamilian breakfast. It’s very nutritious and protein packed since it uses so many dals (lentils). It’s healthy, tasty as well as filling and the best part is, you don’t have to ferment the adai batter. To make it tastier, you can also add finely chopped onion or cabbage or both to the adai batter.

Recipe of adai (dal dosa)

1/2 cup rice

1/4 cup toor dal (arhar dal/ red gram)

1/4 cup dhuli urad dal (split, skinless black gram)

1/4 cup chana dal (Bengal gram)

1/4 cup dhuli moong dal (split, skinless green gram)

2 green chillies

Salt to taste

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Few curry leaves

Oil to shallow fry

1. Wash and soak rice and dals for 2-3 hours. Drain.

2. Grind dals and rice in a blender adding little water into a coarse paste. Remember not to add too much water as the batter for adai is usually thick.

3. Add salt, hing and curry leaves to the batter. Beat the batter well.

4. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle). Grease it and wipe off the excess oil. Pour a ladleful of batter in the center of the tava.

5. Spread it in the circular motion to make a round. Drizzle some oil around the edges and on top of the adai.

6. When the underside is cooked, turn over and cook from other side also till brownish. Similarly make other adai from rest of the batter. Serve adai hot with chutney or chutney powder.

Low calorie bread pakora

This low calorie bread pakora is my neighbor’s recipe who used to be my walking buddy. Since her husband has heart ailment, she refrained from giving him anything deep fried. So, she found out an innovative idea of satisfying his cravings for pakoda. I tried it out myself and liked it.

Recipe of diet (low calorie) bread pakora

Makes 6 bread pakoras

3 bread slices

1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour/ gram flour)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Oil to shallow fry

1. Take besan in a bowl and mix salt and red chilli powder in it.

2. Add water little by little, mixing with other hand to get pakora batter like consistency.

3. Spread the besan batter on 1 side of bread slices using a spoon. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle) and smear it with oil. Place bread slices on it with the batter side down. Turn the heat to medium.

4. While the lower side is cooking, spread the batter on upper side also.

5. When the lower side is done, turn over and cook from other side also. Cook till golden brown. Cut the bread slices into triangular halves. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Peacock feathers collected from my terrace

murmura upma

Murmura upma can also be called murmura poha. Murmura upma is cooked in more or less the same way as poha. You can also temper it with urad dal and chana dal to make more like a South Indian dish. This is a breakfast as well as any time low calorie snack item which we find quite tasty. Murmura upma is also known as pori upma.

Recipe of murmura upma

2 cups murmura (puffed rice/ moori/ mamra/ pori)

1 onion- chopped

2 green chillies- chopped

1 tomato- chopped

Salt to taste

1 potato- peeled and finely cubed

1 tbsp peanuts- roasted

1 tbsp oil

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

5-7 curry leaves

1. Wash murmura in a strainer (chalni) under running water and set aside so that all water drains out.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they pop, add curry leaves. After few seconds, add onion and green chillies. Fry onion till it becomes pink.

3. Add potato, salt and turmeric powder. Cook covered till potato becomes tender.

4. Uncover and add tomato. Stir fry for 1 minute.

5. Add murmura and mix well. Let it cook covered on a low heat for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add roasted peanuts and lemon juice and mix. Serve and eat immediately. Keeping it for some time after making will make the murmura soggy.

moong dal chilla

These moong dal chillas have me drooling. I make them frequently in our breakfasts as me and my husband both love them. My husband insists on onion, tomatoes so I have found an easy way out. I grind them along with soaked moong dal which gives the chilla a unique flavor and makes it easy to make.

Recipe of moong dal chilla

1 cup dhuli moong dal (split, skinless green gram)

3 green chillies

1 medium onion

1 tomato

Salt to taste

1 tsp coriander seeds- crushed coarsely (optional)

Oil for roasting

1. Soak mung dal for 2 hours. Drain and grind along with rest of the ingredients except oil. Add little water to get pouring consistency. Beat well.

2. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle). Smear it with oil. Turn the heat to low. With the help of a tablespoon, put 2 tablespoons in the centre of the tawa.

3. With the help of the tablespoon, spread the batter outwardly in the round, circular motion into a thin round. Now turn the heat to medium.

4. Pour some oil over the chilla and after about 3 minutes; turn over the cheela so that other side also gets cooked. use a wide, thin spatula for doing this. After 2 minutes remove the moong dal chilla from the tava. Similarly make other chillas from rest of the batter. Serve hot with green coriander chutney.

Note- Always spread chilla on a low heat and cook on medium heat. You can skip pouring oil over the chilla or do with few drops to reduce the calories. 1st chilla takes longer to cook than rest of the chillas.

reverse side of chilla

Sooji uttapam

Sooji uttapam is a fast and easy snack to prepare. You can also have it for breakfast or brunch. It’s very delicious as well as healthy option. Sooji uttapam is also known as rava uthappa or rava uthappam.

Recipe of sooji uttapam/ rava uttapam

Batter

1 1/2 cups moti sooji (rava/ coarse semolina)

Salt to taste

1 1/2 cups curd (yogurt) - preferably sour

3/4 cup water

Topping

2 tomatoes- finely diced

2 onions- finely chopped

2 green chillies- finely chopped

Coriander leaves- chopped

Salt to taste

Oil to cook

1. Mix together all the ingredients of the batter. Keep the batter aside for 1/2 hour.

2. Before cooking, beat the batter well and adjust water to get the thick pouring consistency. Batter should be thicker than dosa batter.

3. Mix all the ingredients of topping and keep aside.

4. Heat a non-stick tava or a skillet on medium. Grease it.

5. Turning the heat to low, pour 2 tablespoon batter in the centre of the tava. With a gentle, outward motion, spread it with the back of a ladle (karchhi) to get a round shape. Keep it a little thick.

6. Turn the heat to medium and after 2 minutes, sprinkle some topping on it. Press the topping gently. Pour a tsp of oil on it and cover it with a lid of some height.

7. After the underside is cooked, remove the lid and turn over the uttapam gently so that top side also gets cooked. When the onions turn little brown, remove from the tava. Serve hot sooji uttapam with sambar or chutney.

Rava uttapam

Bhel

You can munch on this bhel puri as an evening snack or anytime when hunger pangs hit without bothering about your waist line. This is a low calorie healthy snack. If you have ready made bhel puri chutney like that made by Smith and Jones, available at a nearby store, then this bhel can be made in a jiffy.

Recipe of diet bhel puri

2 cups murmura (kurmura/ mamra/ puffed rice)

1 small potato- boiled, peeled and cubed

1 small tomato- chopped

1 small onion- chopped

2 green chillies- chopped

1 tbsp peanuts (moongphali)

1/2 tsp chaat masala

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

3 tbsp meethi chutney (see the recipe below)

2 tbsp green chutney

1. Dry roast the peanuts in a heavy bottomed vessel (karahi). Take them out and in the same karahi, dry roast the murmura on medium heat stirring continuously till they begin to change color.

2. In a large bowl, mix all the above ingredients and serve immediately.

Recipe of quick meethi chutney

2 tbsp sugar or gur (jaggery)

1 tbsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp roasted jeera (cumin seeds)

1. Take a small heavy bottomed vessel and mix all the above ingredients in it.

2. Cook till everything dissolves and chutney gets the right consistency. Let it cool.

Besan chilla

Recipe of Besan Chilla

1 cup besan (gram flour)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

1 small onion- very finely chopped

1 small tomato- very finely chopped

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

Besan batter

1. Mix all the ingredients except onion and tomato.

2. Add water little by little mixing all the time so that no lumps are formed. Add enough water to get thick pouring consistency.

3. Keep the batter aside for 15 minutes.

4. Beat the batter well.

5. Heat a non- stick tava (griddle) and put some oil on it. Wipe with a napkin.

6. Keeping the tava on low heat, pour 2 tablespoons batter in the centre. Spread the batter outwards gently with the back of a ladle (karchhi) in circular motion just like you spread an omellette. You can make big or small rounds depending on how thick or thin you want your cheela to be. Cook the cheela on medium heat.

7. After 2 minutes, pour some oil on the chilla. Sprinkle onion and tomato pieces on the cheela and press gently with the spatula so that these pieces stick to the chilla.

8. When the edges from underside look reddish brown, it means underside is cooked. Remove the chilla from the tava with the help of a wide, thin spatula.

9. Turn over and cook the upper side also with onion, tomato pieces facing downwards. Press gently. After 2 minutes, remove the chilla from the tava. Similarly cook other chillas. Serve hot with green chutney or lahsoon chutney.

Make first chilla as a test chilla using small quantity of batter as first cheela usually sticks to the tava. Always spread the chilla with tava on low heat.

Alternatively, you can also mix very finely chopped onion, tomato and green chilly pieces in the batter and then spread and cook like the method above.

marinated pieces on skewers

Paneer Tikka is a fancy food which many people think can be made only at restaurants and hotels. Believe me with this simple recipe you can make delectable Paneer tikkas at home and surprise everyone.

Soft chunky pieces of paneer marinated in spiced yogurt and grilled to perfection make it a protein packed low calorie tasty food.

 Recipe of Paneer Tikka

 250 grams paneer (Indian cottage cheese)

1 medium green capsicum (bell pepper)

1 medium onion

1 medium tomato

1 cup thick yogurt (curd/ dahi)

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp tandoori masala

1 tsp chaat masala

2 tsp ginger- garlic paste

2 green chillies- crushed

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Paneer-Tikka

1. Cut paneer, onion, tomato and capsicum into 11/2 inch pieces.
2. Mix yogurt, turmeric powder, tandoori masala, chaat masala, ginger- garlic paste, green chillies, salt and oil to a smooth paste.
3. Add paneer cubes to this marinade. See that paneer is well coated with it. Keep in refrigerator for 2 hours.
4. Soak a few bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes. Take out, pat dry and grease them with few drops of oil.
5. Put onion, tomato and capsicum pieces in the marinade and coat them well. Thread pieces of marinated paneer and veggies one after the other on the skewers.
6. Cook on an oiled grill turning the skewers a few times. Or you can set your oven to Broil. Preheat your oven broiler to high. Broil till you see brown- black spots on the paneer and vegetables and paneer is slightly charred on the edges. Or you can also cook on Barbecue. Paneer tikka can also be made in a tandoor.

 While cooking paneer tikkas just don’t go anywhere and keep an eye on it so that they don’t get burned. Also don’t over cook it. You can buy Tandoori masala and Chaat masala for this recipe from any Indian grocery store

Sevai upma

Vermicelli upma is a healthy, low calorie breakfast and you can make it anytime you want to make one pot meal. I use Bambino sevai made of hard wheat and semolina (sooji). You can add any number of vegetables to this upma to make it more nutritious. By using pre- roasted vermicelli, you can cut back on the quantity of oil used plus your labor.

Recipe of sevai upma

½ cup sevai (vermicelli)
1 tsp chana dal (Bengal gram)
1 tsp dhuli urad dal (split black gram)
½ tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp peanuts
2 tsp cashew nuts- broken
1 onion- chopped
2 green chillies- chopped
Vegetables like green peas and carrot (diced)
2 cup water
4 tsp oil
Salt to taste
½ tsp turmeric powder

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a non- stick pan and roast sevai till golden. Take out sevia from the pan.

2. Heat 2 tsp oil in the same pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add chana dal and after 2-3 seconds, add urad dal, peanuts and broken cashews. Roast till light brown. See to it that they don’t get burned.

3. Add onion and green chillies. Sauté for few seconds and add turmeric powder. Cook for 2 seconds.

4. Add vegetables, salt and water. Cook covered till vegetables are tender.

5. Add sevai or semiya (vermicelli), mix and cook covered on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Make sure there is some water left in the pan after the vegetables are cooked otherwise add some because vermicelli needs water in which to be cooked.

6. Turn off the heat and let it stand covered for few more minutes. Let all water evaporate and get absorbed. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Healthy Bytes- 100 grams of vermicelli (sevai, sevia, semiya) contains 361 k calories, 10.5gram Protein, 77.5grams Total Carbohydrates, 2gram fiber, 1gram Total Fat, 2mg Calcium and 2mg Iron.