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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Whole Wheat Macaroni in Tomato Flavour / Tomato - Macaroni Recipe

After I committed to post about the Wholesome Breakfast, I was wondering what I should post next, without going overboard about the South Indian recipes. To keep some variety in the menu, I hunted for some whole wheat macaroni and decided to make it tomato flavored since it gives required tangy flavour to the dish! There are a whole lot of brands which sell processed pastas and noodles which are easy to make and lure us saying “instant” so and so. But these products do have adverse effects on our health in the long run.  We have to make that extra effort to find the right ingredient so that our families eat healthy. 



We are a spice loving family, hence I add a dash of spice to many dishes I make at home. So, here I have added a pinch of Garam Masala at the end before I turn off the stove. Nothing can beat a dish with the right amount of spice, sourness in my opinion. But of course it’s optional. I also don’t like those dry macaroni recipes which stick to your teeth. I prefer them in a soupy consistency hence I have made this dish in a thick soupy consistency.  I also add some scrambled eggs to make it more wholesome! 

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes
Serves:  3 moderate eaters

Ingredients:
300 gms/3 cups Macaroni
4 ½  cups water / 1 ½ measure for each cup of Macaroni
2 Onions chopped
½ tsp Red chilie powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Garam Masala/ a pinch
2 Big Tomato
2 tbps Refined oil
Salt to taste
2 tbsp corn flour
Cilantro / Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:
Take a large pan.  Heat oil and add chopped onions. Sauté for a minute.  Add a pinch of turmeric powder and ½ tsp of red chilli powder. Stir quickly and don’t let it burn.  Add chopped Tomatoes and ½ tsp of salt, fry till it becomes soft.  Then add water and macaroni and cook for 5 minutes. If you want a soupy texture, add 2 tbps of corn flour dissolved in cold water.  Simmer the stove and cook for 5 more minutes until the macaronis turn soft and water dries up a little.

Take off the stove, garnish with chopped coriander and serve Hot.  You can also add two cubes of grated cheese for garnishing if you are a cheese lover. 



Points to Ponder:

Sometimes we come across situations when we don’t know what to do!  Even after years of waiting, praying, waiting, and more waiting, we tend to grow weary and give up. I have been in this kind of situation many times and just would not know what I should be doing. I just go about doing my part silently for some time and when I am too overwhelmed, I break down and start asking questions.  There are many Bible verses which gives me comfort during such times, when I dig deeper into God’s word. All we can do in such times is pray a simple prayer like the Psalmist did in Psalms 61:2.

“From the ends of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”  Psalms 61:2

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”  Isaiah 40:31

“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him, and he shall bring it to pass.”  Psalms 37:5

 Hope you enjoyed reading!!  Take care..........





Wednesday, October 9, 2013

How to make Dosa Batter / Dosa Recipe /South Indian Breakfast - Wholesome Breakfast Series


As promised, I am here with a recipe for a Wholesome Indian Breakfast Dosa, Peanut Chutney and Potato Side dish which is a famous breakfast combo. Its a staple food in South India which is called “Masala Dosa”.  But here I have come up with a slight variation as I have not used any masala on the Dosa, and I am replacing Peanut Chutney with Coconut Chutney. 



The urad dal that we use for Dosas and Idlies is supposed to be very healthy with good amount of protein, carbohydrates and fibre.  Potatoes and Peanuts come with their unique nutritional benefits which are very essential in our daily diet if not over eaten. They are an added bonus in terms of nutrition value it adds to the dish.  Instead of consuming processed foods such as white bread, pasta and noodles which are easy to make but has adverse effect on our health, it requires little effort and planning to eat healthy and lead a healthy life!

Without much ado, here goes the recipe.

How to make Dosa Batter:

3 cups Dosa Rice
1 cup Urad dal
1  tsp Fenungreek/Methi seeds
Salt to taste

Soak them separately in the morning or for about 4-5 hours.  In the evening wash rice and urad dal thoroughly and grind them separately into a fine batter adding sufficient water. It should be in thick ribbon consistency.  Mix both the batters with little salt. Keep it covered overnight to rise/Ferment in a warm place. In the morning mix the batter adding 1-1 1/2 cup water thoroughly. Grease the Tava or pan with little oil and pour one  ladle full of batter at a time on the tava or a non stick pan. You can sprinkle a ½ teaspoon of oil around the dosa and cover it for 30-40 seconds. When you remove the lid, you will notice the edges of Dosa slightly getting golden brown in color. Remove from the pan and serve them hot and crispy with accompaniments. :)



How to make Potato Poriyal / Side Dish for Dosa:

½ kg Potato boiled and peeled
2 tablespoon refined oil
1 tsp mustered
1 tablespoon channa dal
½ tsp. turmeric
4-5 green chilies finely chopped
2 onions finely chopped
Coriander and curry leaves
Lime juice 2 tsp.

In a kadai, heat oil and add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add channa dal green chilies next. Add onions and curry leaves and fry the onions till it turns into golden brown. Add turmeric and salt to taste. Finally add lemon juice, mashed potato and coriander leaves and mix thoroughly. Now its ready to be served with Dosa.



How to make Peanut Chutney/Coconut Chutney:

1 Cup roasted peanuts
3-4 Red Chilies
3-4 garlic pods
Coriander - a handful
A small ball of tamarind
Salt to taste

Grind everything in a mixer grinder by adding little water into a coarse paste. Transfer it to a serving dish and season with Mustered and curry leaves and serve with Hot Dosa. For coconut chutney, replace peanuts with coconut and red chilies with green chilies. The rest of the ingredients remain the same.

Once the Potato dish and Chutney are ready make crispy dosas and serve hot with the accompaniments. My hubby can gobble up nearly 8-10 dosas if I don't count it.  Usually I serve them hot from the pan since it dosas gone cold does not taste all that great!! 

Till the next one take care and do come back for more :) I have lost all contact with my blogger buddies due to inactivity on my part  for over a year!! Its gonna take a long long time to establish the connections again!!  

Please do leave your comments and suggestions if any. Would love to hear from you all


Points to Ponder:

Today morning while going to work, we saw a young man dead on the road, probably on the way to work had met with an accident and his body was scattered on the road mercilessly. It may have been a hit and run case as there was no sign of any big vehicles around except few cops and onlookers. As I reached office, I heard that one of our employees father had passed away after he met with an accident the previous day. A lorry/heavy truck had gone over his legs and he could not survive the injuries. Two more people have met death in my office circle where one person was old and ripe but another is a life of a 3 month old baby who lost their lives due to ill health. You can imagine the pain and sadness the loved ones must be going through after losing these precious lives.

 After hearing and witnessing this kind of gruesome death around, I realize how precious life is. Often we take life for granted and lead such careless and sinful lives that we fail to thank God for our lives and our loves ones!!

“Even though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff; they comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4



Friday, October 4, 2013

"Wholesome Breakfast Series"

Hi Blogger buddies, I am back with "Wholesome Breakfast Series"

Its been exactly a year since I posted anything on my blog.  Life has been busy with mundane work, and I have been distracted by various things surrounding me! I really got hooked on to few beauty blogs in the meantime and completely ignored my baby blog for these many months!!! I have been really wanting to write and update my blog but lacked the motivation and sheer laziness kept me away from it.  

However, I have determined to be back with a bang!!!  Stay tuned for the upcoming posts which will be on the topic "Wholesome Breakfast Series"    :) . 

Have a sneak peak and keep drooling till then :P


See Whats Cooking!!

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