Breakfast Ice cream | Only 2 ingredients

Ice cream for breakfast? I know, that sounds crazy. But with the onset of summer, it is totally forgivable to have ice cream for breakfast. Not any ice cream, but this magical, guilt-free ice cream. It is not only vegan, but very low in calories. There is no sugar, butter, cream or any other sort of unhealthy add-ons in it-unless you intend to add them!

No fancy ice cream maker is required. All you need to have is a refrigerator and a blender.
Ice cream junkies, here you go!

You will need : 

2 large bananas, ripened well
1 large sweet Mango



Peel and cut the bananas and mangoes into small pieces. Put them in the freezer for about 3 hours or until they are frozen. Pulverize the frozen bananas in a blender. Add the frozen mangoes into it and continue blending till they become a smooth mixture. Transfer in a freezer safe container and freeze them overnight. Voila! Luscious Ice cream will be ready to scoop in the morning.

Spread them on french toasts for a decadent ice cream sandwich or scoop them over some pancakes or mix in nuts and dried fruits for a power breakfast or just enjoy them plain.

Mangoes are in season so I made banana-mango ice cream. You can add strawberries/avocados/pineapples instead. Banana is the KEY ingredient for this recipe. You can enrich it by folding in chocolate chips or Nutella or Peanut butter. You see, the combinations are endless :)

Hope you enjoy this super healthy ice cream treat!

Shakshuka | Eggs poached in spicy sauce

Shakshuka  meaning 'to shake' in Hebrew is an Israeli breakfast staple. This hearty breakfast meal can easily please most people for its simplicity in ingredients. It can be made in a jiffy like egg burji. All you need is a fresh loaf of airy bread to dunk into the sauce. Perfect for a sunday brunch!

Anyways, I have great love for Middle eastern food and you are going to see more recipes of it coming soon here :)

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves : 2

You will need:

2 Eggs 

1 large Onion

2 cloves of garlic

2 large tomatoes

1 green chilly 

1/4 tsp red chilli powder/Paprika

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

a pinch of sugar

a handful of fresh coriander leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt as per taste

1. Chop tomatoes, onions, garlic, green chillies and coriander leaves to fine pieces.

2. Heat skillet with the olive oil. Add the onions and fry till translucent.

3. Add the garlic, green chillies and tomatoes with the spices, salt and sugar. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

4. Add 1/4 cup of water if you want it more sauce-y. Stir in finely chopped corainder leaves.

5. Crack open the eggs on the sauce. Do not stir the sauce now.  Everyone likes their eggs cooked     differently. So cook it for 4 mins or more, as per the desired consistency of egg you'd want.

Long time ago, I made the eggs well cooked in a thick sauce as I was having with Pita bread.

We also tried runny eggs with soupy sauce with nice and spongy bread. Both versions were uncompromising in taste!

Red Riceflakes(Aval/Poha) Upma

This Tamilnadu style aval upma is a very simple, flavorful and quick to prepare item. In less than ten minutes you can get this on serving table if you have some grated fresh coconut ready.
Moreover, its a wonderful food for those who are health conscious. And the red rice flakes are even better if you are able to grab this from your local store. You will need the thin variety of poha for this recipe.

Preparation time : 5 Minutes

Cooking time : 5 Minutes

Total : 10 Minutes

Serves 2
You will need:
2 Cups of Red rice flakes (Aval/Poha)
1 Red onion ,chopped
1 green chilly, chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1/4 cup of grated fresh coconut
2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
A pinch of asafetida/hing
Salt to taste




Heat oil in a pan and put the mustard seeds and hing. Once it begins to splutter add the urad dal and fry it in low heat till it appears to change color.



Now rinse the rice flakes once and drain them in a colander. Do not soak and
Add the green chillies and ginger followed by onion. Fry till the onions appear translucent. Add salt.




Add the rice flakes and give a good stir for a minute until all the flavors marry together.




Turn off the heat and sprinkle the fresh coconut.
I promise. Its a no-fail recipe. Why not serve this for your guests who visit during tea time? Also, its an easy-peasy breakfast idea for busy mornings!

Sabudana(Sago) Thalipeeth & Vada

Thalipeeth & Coconut Chutney

I haven't posted so many of Maharastrian dishes in my blog but I guess there is lots to come here after. A week ago, my friend Sangita Lalit showed me how to make Thalipeeth-a Maharastrian delicacy . Sangita is basically from Pune and has got so much interest in cooking just like me. I will share with you some more of her amazing recipes soon.

Sago is such a versatile ingredient and it can be used to make many delicious dishes.

You can make lots Sago kichidi for breakfast, add some boiled potatoes to the leftover kichidi and make Thalipeeth for lunch. If there is some leftover mixture for Thalipeeth, fry them in oil and treat yourself for Sago vada and a hot cup of tea for a nice evening.

Sago/Sabudana are made of tapioca starch,so they are easily digestible and is good for you.As far as I know, South Indians do not use them in anything expect for making Payasam(Kheer). Well, I found Sago tasted better in the form of Thalipeeth/Vada.

Ingredients:

1 Cups of Sabudana

1 Cup of boiled potato

1/2 Cup of Ground Peanuts

1/4 Cup chopped Coriander

1 Green Chilly ,Finely chopped

1/2 tsp of cumin seed powder

1/4 tsp of chilly powder

2 tsp of lemon juice

1 tsp of sugar

Salt to taste

Oil

Procedure:

The crucial step is to soak the sago to make it perfectly soft. Wash the sago 2 to 3 times and then add enough water to soak them. Let is sit for 3 hours. Mix the sago once in a while to ensure even soaking of the sago pearls.

If there is any water left , strain and then use.

Mash the boiled potatoes. And mix in the soaked sago, peanut powder, coriander leaves,lemon juice, cumin & chilly powder, salt and sugar.

In a wet cloth, take a portion of the mixture and flatten it into 1 inch thick circle. Put a hole in the center.

Heat a pan and drizzle some oil, carefully place the Thalipeeth along with cloth on the hot pan and gently peel off the cloth from the Thalipeeth without breaking it.

Let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip it gently to the other side and drizzle some more oil.

Once the brown spots appear on either side. It can be removed from the pan and is ready to serve.

Pointers from Sangita:

One can vary the proportion of Sago to Potatoes depending on the personal preference. When the potatoes are added more than the sago it tastes much better, but the Thalipeeth will be very fragile and soft.

They taste best with Cucumber raita/ Coconut Chutney.

I made some Vadas out of the leftover Thalipeeth mixture the next day. I shaped them in the form of patties and deep fried them in oil.Believe me ,these Vadas are to die for!!

Puli Koozhu & Mor Koozhu/Kali..

Mor Koozhu/Mor Kali

Puli Koozhu /Puli Kali

Puli(Tamarind) koozhu(pronounced 'Koolu') and Mor(Buttermilk) koozhu are also known by various other names like Rice flour upma or Kali or AmruthaPalam.These are often made in the rural side of TamilNadu...Both my grandmas make these often .Don't get decieved by the messy look of the kali..It really tastes divine!The tanginess of the buttermilk/tamarind with the perfect 'tempering' makes this kali/koozhu incredibly yummy..I love the Puli(tamarind) Koozhu better than the butter milk one..My grandma makes this by soaking the par-boiled rice for an hour and then grinding them to smooth paste.But this needs some forethought and some extra effort know?!

I could see that there are people like me who wants to make this kali/koozhu in jiffy.I'm posting the short-cut method too..

Long back ,my college senior and friend,Ajay Kumar shared with me this Quick-Mor Kali recipe.He lives in Singapore with a bunch other guys and doing his Masters in NTU,S'pore.He is the chief cook at their home and I always wonder how he manages to cook without a mixer/grinder..His cooking sans onion& garlic...But these limitations,doesn't prevents him from making the best tasting food..His roomies always show thumbs ups for the food prepared by him..Ajay is not only a good cook but also a great writer..Check him out at Tantalizing Thoughts.

Quick-Mor Kali /Mor Koozhu :

You will need :

1 Cup Rice flour

2 Cups buttermilk

3 red chillies

1 tsp mustard

1/2 tbsp channa dal

1 tsp urad dal

10 curry leaves

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

A pinch of Hing

In a heavy bottom vessel,mix rice flour,salt and buttermilk to form a homogenous mixture.

Heat oil in a small fry pan, add mustard and hing.Let it splutter.Add red chillies ,channa dal ,urad dal and curry leaves.Fry until the lentils are golden..

Add this tempering along with oil to the rice/buttermilk mixture.

Place the heavy bottom vessel on flame and stir constantly for 10-12 mins.When you dip your fingers in water and touch the kali ,it should not be sticky.This is the right consistency of kali.You can turn off the heat at this point.

To have the authentic 'Grammathu'(Village) feel,serve in a leaf..I used a large teak leaf to serve.Place some fried mor-milagai(Buttermilk chillies,available in large Indian grocery stores) and 'Citron pickle' (Narthangai urugai)..

The whole procedure takes only 15 mins to make this dish..

So this goes to Mahimaa's 15-minutes cooking..

Puli Koozhu or Puli Kali :

You can make this kali by simply substituting buttermilk with tamarind water in the above method..But what I'm going to show now is the elaborate method.

Here we soak the rice and then grind it to make the kali.This yields much more yummy and aromatic kali..I love the kali made in this way better than the quick method!

You will need :

1 cup par-boiled rice

1 1/2 cup water,for soaking rice

1 1/2 cup,for tamarind juice

1 small lemon sized ball of tamarind 

1/2 tbsp channa dal

1 tsp urad dal

3 red chillies

1 tsp mustard

10 curry leaves

1 tbsp oil

A pinch of Hing

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp turmeric powder

few drops of coconut oil

Soak par-boiled rice in 1.5 cups of water for 1 hour .Drain the rice and reserve 1/2 cup of the soaking water.Grind the rice with the 1/2 cup of water to a smooth paste.

Soak tamarind in 1.5 cups of water separately for 10 mins.Extract the tamarind juice from the pulp.Add the tamarind juice to the rice paste.

Add turmeric power,hing,salt.Stir well to form a lump free mixture.

Heat oil and fry mustard,red chillies,urad dal,channa dal and curry leaves.

Throw the tempering to the rice/tamarind mixture.Combine well.

Place this over medium flame and stir constantly for 10-12 mins.When you dip your fingers in water and touch the kali ,it should not be sticky.This is the right consistency of kali.You can turn off the heat at this point.

Though you can serve the kali as it is..my grandma always serve them as squares/diamonds.

Grease a tray/plate.Pour the kali and spread it evenly.

Don't forget to drizzle few drops of coconut oil over the bed of kali.This gives a very nice flavor to the kali.

Let it cool completely..

In our home,its made after dinner and allowed to cool at room temp for the whole night.The next morning,we slice them up into squares/diamonds and have them for our breakfast.

It tastes best with Idli-milagai podi and Garlic podi!

I sliced these kali when they are still hot..So it looks imperfect..

Here you can see the frim and perfectly sliced kali..

This is one dish which is always loved by everyone at our home!

I'm sure you too will love it soo much..So do try and tell me how it came..

Kali/Koozhu is orginated from the rural regions of Southern India..

So I'm sending these to Shama's 'Grammathu Kaimanam'  

I made Lisa's Mango Coconut Pancakes y'day.And it was super soft and spongy..The mango and cardamom flavors blended very well .I think I should have let it brown more..But the taste was great..The whole experience of making this pancake was fun..And eating them with my younger cousins were much more fun..They didn't even allowed me to click the pics..

They were all gone in few secs!

Thanks Lisa for the lovely recipe :)

Check out the recipe at her blog..

It goes to Tried & Tasted event hosted by Aparna which is originally started by Zlamuska.

When I saw Rak's Naan recipe (without yeast) I jumped in joy..I can't wait to try that..So I fixed her Naan recipe for dinner.The Naan turned out perfect..It was fluffy and soft.My sis devoured it ...I made Butter beans korma for the side..I don't have to depend on 'Yeast proofing' for making Naans anymore...Thanks,Raks :)

Have a happy weekend!

Palak(Spinach) Chapathi & Subzi

Making chapathis with palak is the best and easy way to include it in our diet.Many of you like me often get bored of consuming greens in the form of stir fries,dal,etc.This one will surely please you..Th spinach not only adds nice color to the chapathi but also gives softness to the roti.Even if you consume is after few hours,they remain soft.In my home,everybody appreciated this one ..So green chapathi is gonna be a frequenter here.

For the side dish,I first planned to make 'Aloo baingan' but later realised there were two turnips sitting on the fridge and asking me to pick them up too.So finally i settled down  making a simple stir fry with the three vegetables.

Palak(Spinach) Chapathi :

You will need:

3 Cups of wheat flour

2 bunches of Palak

3 green chillies

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp of chilli powder

A pinch of turmeric powder

1/4 tsp of  garam masala

1/4 tsp of Coriander powder

1 tsp of ghee

Salt

oil 

Remove the stems off from the spinach.Wash the leaves in water and chop them .

In a wide pan,heat a tsp of oil.Add cumin seeds and let is splutter.Add the green chillies and the chopped leaves.Cover for 3-4 mins until the leaves are cooked.

Cool and puree the leaves in a blender.

In a mixing bowl,mix the flour,salt,coriander powder,chilli powder,turmeric powder and garam masala.Add ghee and mix in the flour..

Add the pureed spinach to the flour and mix...

Knead and make a soft,pilable dough...

Take a lemon sized ball from the dough and dust it in flour.Roll the ball to make a 5-6 inch disc.

Heat a tawa,and place the rolled out dough.When you see small bubbles on top,flip it on other side.The chapathi willl start to puff.If doesn't puff nothing to worry.Drizzle 1/2 tsp of oil either side.Keep the chapathis in a cloth/Napkin lined dish .

Subzi :

Chop the eggplant,potato and turnip into bite sized pieces..

In a big pan,heat a tbsp of oil..Add 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds and mustard..let it splutter.

Add the chopped vegetables.Add required salt,chilli powder,coriander powder ,turmeric powder and garam masala.Mix well and cook covered until its soft.

Enjoy!

Rava Dosa & Kathirikai(Brinjal/Eggplant) Chutney

Every time you go to a south Indian restaurant with your family,at least there would be one order for Rava dosa from your table.Rava dosa being the all- time favourite of many is definitely no big deal in making at home.The ingredients are so simple .The real art in making rava dosa is in spreading the dosa as thinly as possible.The rava(Semolina) renders the extra crispness to the dosa.Usually it is served with piping hot sambar ,coconut chutney and red onion chutney.

I bought a pound of eggplant from Chennai 2 days back.Used half of it to make grilled eggplant rounds for falafel sandwich.So to use up rest of the eggplant,I settled in making 'Kathirikai Chutney'.The recipe was given by my aunt J.I discovered that the crispy rava dosa with the  creamy 'Kathirikai chutney' is an unbeatable combination.With no further ado,let me share the recipe with you..

Rava Dosa:

You will need:

2 cups of rice flour

3/4 cup of Semolina(Rava)

1/4 cup of All purpose flour(Maida)

1/2 cup onion ,finely chopped

1 tsp grated ginger(optional)

2 tbsp of sour curd

1 green chilly ,finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coarsely ground pepper

1 tsp of salt

Mix rice flour,maida,rava and salt.Add sour curd and water .Stir to make a homogenous mixture.Make sure there is no lumps.Close and set aside for 1-2 hours.

Before making dosa,add more water required.The batter must be more watery than the usual idli/dosa batter.Add cumin seeds,pepper ,chopped onions,green chilly and ginger.Mix well.

Place a tawa on flame.When the tawa is hot,dip a cross-sectionally cut onion on oil and rub the onion on the tawa.This will ensure the dosa to come off the tawa without sticking to it.

Pour the dosa batter from edges to the center of the tawa in the form of circle.Unlike ordinary dosa you can't place the spoon on the tawa and spread concentrically.Just pour the batter from the spoon without touching the tawa.

Try to pour the dosa batter evenly and as thinly as possible.

Keep the flame in medium-high..drizzle some oil around the edges of dosa.Cover it with a lid for 1 min.When you see the lower side browning flip the dosa and cook until it gets crispy.Fold and serve.The more thinner you make the dosa,the more crisper you get.It comes by practice.

Even I have not mastered in rava dosa yet.My grandma is expert in making the crispy rava dosa.Wish I could make like her someday..Anyways,the in the picture is made by me ,so they look bit thicker ;)

Kathirikai Chutney:

You will need:

1 big eggplant

2 tomatoes

2 onion

2 green chilly

1 tbsp raisins or 2 Dates

4-5 sprigs of Coriander

1/2 cup of Mint leaves

2 tbsp chana dal/Bengal gram

Rock salt 

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

Apply oil on the outer skin of an eggplant.Roast the eggplant on direct flame.Or bake the eggplant in a preheated oven of 250 C for 20 mins.

Peel the charred skin and mash the flesh in a blender.Do not over mash it..Small chunks of the eggplant flesh gives a good bite..Transfer in a dish....Slice onions and tomatoes..

Heat 2 tsp oil.Add the chana dal and roast them until golden brown color.Throw it on the blender..Add the onion,chilly and dates/raisin .Fry until the onion gets light brown color.Transfer them to the blender.

In the same pan,fry tomato wedges for few mins.Add the corianders and mint leaves ,fry them along with the tomato for a minute.Transfer this to the blender.

Add required amount of rock salt and cumin powder.Grind all the content to a smooth paste.Add few tbsp of water if required.

In the pan,heat a tsp of oil,and add mustard seeds,allow it to splutter.Add the eggplant flesh and the ground paste.Mix well and serve.

Drizzle some gingely oil over the chuntey,if you like ;)

Yummmm......

The Brinjal Chutney goes to RAMYA's Chutney/Dip Mania Event.