Vegetable Idli

As my daughter grows older, she gets picky about her food. She will be two years old next month, but we feel that the terrible twos have started a long back for us. She only wants to eat roti, paratha, thepla, dosa, pasta etc-no rice, no daal, no subzi (vegetables). She wants to eat her roti and paratha with ketchup. I have been trying hard to get her to eat something new, and I sure do try to "hide" vegetables in whatever food I make.
Today I made idly by adding chopped carrots and spinach in the batter. She didn't want to eat it at first, because she wanted a paratha, but I somehow managed to put one bite in her mouth:) while she was playing, and then she asked for more!!

Here is the recipe. Since I was trying this for the first time for her, I made batter for only 10-12 idlis.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Rice,
1/4 Cup Urad Daal,
1/8 Cup Semolina (Suji, Rava)
1 Teaspoon Methi (Fenugreek Seeds),
1/2 Teaspoon Chili-Ginger Paste
Salt to Taste,
1 Carrot, Chopped into Small Pieces,
6-7 Spinach Leaves, Washed and Finley Chopped

Tempering:
1 Tablespoon Oil,
1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds,
A Pinch Asafoetida,

Method:
Wash and soak rice and daal separately. Add fenugreek seeds to the daal. Soak rice and daal separately overnight or 6 hours minimum. The next morning drain the daal and rice and save the water. First, grind the daal with little water to a very smooth paste. Now add the rice and grind again. Add a little water at a time if needed. The resulting batter should be smooth and it should have the consistency of pancake batter. Now add the rava to the batter. Cover and set aside for 8-10 hours for fermentation.

After fermenting, add the chili ginger paste, salt, carrots and spinach to the batter. Mix and stir well. Heat a little oil in a pan for tempering. Once hot, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add the cumin seeds and cook for 10-15 seconds. Add the asafoetida and switch off the stove. Add the tempering to the batter.

Heat water in an idli cooker. Grease the idli molds, and pour the batter in them. Cover and cook on high flame for 15-20 minutes, or until the center portion of the idly doesn't stick to a knife.

Switch off the stove. Take out the idli stand/molds and let them cool. Gently remove the idlis from the molds using a knife. Serve with your choice of chutney.

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Baked Multigrain Puris

My toddler loves crackers  She wants crackers all day. So, I decided to make multigrain crackers (multigrain puri) at home. I baked the puris so that we can enjoy them without any guilt. I used whole wheat flour (ata), Teff flour (an ancient Ethiopian grain), Ragi flour and Jawar flour for my mix. You can try to mix different flour per your preference.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour,
1/4 Cup Teff Flour,
1/4 Cup Ragi Flour,
1/4 Cup Jawar Flour, (Sorghum Flour)
2 Tablespoon Oats,
2 Tablespoon Flax Seeds Powder,
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds,
1.5 Teaspoon Baking Soda,
Salt to Taste,
4 Tablespoon Cold Butter, Cut into Small Pieces
1/4 Cup Cold Water,

Method:
Combine all the dry ingredients in a pan. Mix well. Then add the butter. Mix by breaking up the butter pieces and combining it with flour. The mixture should resemble crumbs. Now add the water, a little at a time to make dough. Cover.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Take some portion of the dough, and roll it into a thin disc. You want to roll it as thin as you can. Cut into different shapes with cookie cutters (for kids), or round shape and arrange them on a prepared baking sheet in a single layer. They can be placed close together, as they won't expand much. Bake for 7 minutes or until the upper starts to turn golden brown. Flip the puris and bake for another 7-10 minutes. Take out of the oven. Let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy with Garam Chai.

FYI: I made some tiny "crackers" for my daughter by cutting them into different shapes such as flowers, diamond, star etc, etc. She loves to snack on the crackers as is, and sometimes she likes to add them to her soups:).


Thank you for visiting my blog. I would love to hear from you. I appreciate your time to leave feedback and help me improve this blog.

Baked Multigrain Puris

My toddler loves crackers  She wants crackers all day. So, I decided to make multigrain crackers (multigrain puri) at home. I baked the puris so that we can enjoy them without any guilt. I used whole wheat flour (ata), Teff flour (an ancient Ethiopian grain), Ragi flour and Jawar flour for my mix. You can try to mix different flour per your preference.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour,
1/4 Cup Teff Flour,
1/4 Cup Ragi Flour,
1/4 Cup Jawar Flour, (Sorghum Flour)
2 Tablespoon Oats,
2 Tablespoon Flax Seeds Powder,
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds,
1.5 Teaspoon Baking Soda,
Salt to Taste,
4 Tablespoon Cold Butter, Cut into Small Pieces
1/4 Cup Cold Water,

Method:
Combine all the dry ingredients in a pan. Mix well. Then add the butter. Mix by breaking up the butter pieces and combining it with flour. The mixture should resemble crumbs. Now add the water, a little at a time to make dough. Cover.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Take some portion of the dough, and roll it into a thin disc. You want to roll it as thin as you can. Cut into different shapes with cookie cutters (for kids), or round shape and arrange them on a prepared baking sheet in a single layer. They can be placed close together, as they won't expand much. Bake for 7 minutes or until the upper starts to turn golden brown. Flip the puris and bake for another 7-10 minutes. Take out of the oven. Let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy with Garam Chai.

FYI: I made some tiny "crackers" for my daughter by cutting them into different shapes such as flowers, diamond, star etc, etc. She loves to snack on the crackers as is, and sometimes she likes to add them to her soups:).


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Jain Paneer Mutter Masala

One of my friend's parents are visiting for India, and I had invited them to our house on Saturday. I hat thought of either making Palak paneer and/or kadai paneer for them. On Friday evening, I just casually asked my friend if the parents had any dietary restrictions, and she told me that they don't eat onion and garlic.

Palak paneer in general doesn't need too many spices. Its basic taste comes from garlic, ginger and garam masala. If you omit garlic from it, then it might not taste as good.

Kadai Paneer is a dry dish. I cut onion, bell peppers and paneer in thin long strips and cook it in a combination of spices. So again, if I have to omit the onions, then the dish might not taste as good.

So, I decided to change my  mind and make Paneer Mutter Masala. I make a gravy from cashews, poppy seeds and tomatoes. Since cashew and poppy seeds give this dish rich taste, you don't miss onion or garlic in this dish. (Though regularly, I do add onions to this dish).

Here is the recipe for making Paneer Mutter Masala without using onion or garlic.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoon Oil,
1/2 Teaspoon Asafoetida,
1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds,
2 Teaspoons Grated Ginger,
1/2 Cup Cashews, Soaked in 1 cup water for 20 minutes minimum,
1/4 Cups Poppy Seeds (Khas-Khas),
3 Tomatoes,
2 Teaspoon Tomato Paste,
1 Cup Water,
2 Cups Paneer, Cut in 1 inch Cubes,
2 Cups Frozen Green Peas,
2 Tablespoon Cilantro, Chopped
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds Powder,
1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala,
Salt to Taste,
2 Teaspoons Chili Powder,
1 Teaspoon Sugar (Optional),

Method:
Drain the cashews and save the water. With the help of a grinder, grind the cashew along with the poppy seeds. Add the saved water a little at a time to make thick and smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl.

In the same grinder jar/cup, puree the tomatoes. Set aside.

Heat oil in a thick bottom pan.When hot, add the chopped paneer in stir fry the paneer for 2-3 minutes, or until the outside gets golden brown. With a slotted spoon, take out the paneer and place on a paper towel to drain.

In the same oil, add the cumin seeds. When the seeds start to crackle, add the asafoetida. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Now add the tomato paste, ginger paste and the cashew puree. Stir and mix well. Add some water if needed. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn the stove to low if the mixture starts sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Now add the tomato puree, water, and the dry spices including sugar(if using). Stir to mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Now add the peas, paneer cubes and half of the chopped cilantro. Stir to mix well. Add more water if needed. Cook covered on medium flame for about 10 more minutes  Taste test it and adjust the spices/seasonings per your preference, and cook for another 2 minutes if you add spices.

Garnish with the remaining cilantro, and serve hot with paratha.


Sorry. No pictures this time. I forgot to take pictures.


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