"Vegan" Savory Crepes

Last week at farmer's market we picked a crepe stand to eat our breakfast. I chose a savory crepe that had sautéed spinach, avocado, basil pesto, feta cheese in it and was too good. When asked, the crepe stand owner sounded very secretive about his recipe and did not want to share. Since then, I have been "seriously" researching on various crepe recipes from across the globe only to develop an eggless recipe of my own, which now happens to be vegan too. And, that's precisely one of the reasons why I love being a food blogger!!

Murungai Keerai Adai

A healthy variation from the regular adai varieties. Murungai keerai (drumstick leaves) adai is not only healthy and rich in nutrients but also very tasty. A 100g of cooked murungai leaves has considerable source of nutrients (Vitamin A as beta carotene, calcium, protein, potassium, Vitamin C) compared to 100g of carrot, milk, yogurt, banana, orange put together (Thanks to wiki!)

Ribbon Pakoda

There were times, when mothers selflessly devoted their entire time for kids & family..
There were times, when kids didn't demand or complain much..
There were times, when family get-together was a frequent affair..
There were times, when buying snacks from stores is way more than luxury..
There were times, when simple things in life brought a lot of happiness & satisfaction..

And, I am one among the fortunate few, to have grown-up during those amazing times, when life was much simpler, happier, healthier.. 

Oats Porridge (Savory)

This is such a simple & healthy breakfast recipe loaded with lot of flavors. I adapted this recipe from Rak's Kitchen, but have replaced coconut milk in her recipe with plain buttermilk.

In the recent times, demand for oats all over the world is on the rise due to its increasing popularity as a health/fitness food. Even traditional breakfast items like idli, dosa, pongal etc is getting a new makeover with this oats boom. This recipe of savory oats porridge is almost instant & effective for your busy mornings.

Uppu Seedai

"Do you really have to try it?" is the first question that my mom asked when I asked her the recipe for seedai. Seedai, a crunchy south-Indian savory snack not only look like "little bombs" but act like one too. Yes, seedai is so notorious for exploding in the oil while frying, for various reasons. With few tricks up your sleeve, you can avoid the big mess that these little bombs are known to create.

Kai Murukku

Kai Murukku is a crunchy, hand-made south-Indian savory snack, primarily made with rice flour. Murukku is usually prepared for special occasions & festivals. Making murukku is a laborious process and the technicality of getting perfect swirls & crunchy texture comes only with practice.

Paneer Pakoda

It is one of those relaxed Sunday afternoons.. you are lazing your time away in the couch trying to watch a movie or something on TV .. but, with that deadly combination of a hearty, satisfying lunch and the cool breeze from the window, you are too wired to doze off .. and when you are so ready to shut your eye lids, that sudden loud sound from the play room jerks you up .. yet, not wanting to get up, just shouting out to your kids to make sure that things are okay and get back to TV to catch up from where you'd left ..

I am sure this would be one of the most common sunday-afternoon-scenes after that l-o-o-o-o-o-ng tiring week. Just imagine this scene with a bowl of 'something-to-munch' or 'paneer pakoda' accompanied by a hot mug of strong coffee.. what a perfect way to end your weekend?!

And, can I proudly say that this is one of my original recipes! I simply put up this recipe on the fly with whatever available in my pantry and voila., paneer pakoda was ready! Every ingredient in this recipe complemented every other ingredient so well that you wouldn't want to stop munching!

My proportion of chickpea flour & rice flour (2:1) gives a soft texture to the pakodas, but if you want a crunchier texture make it 1:2. Check out my other pakoda recipe here, if you want to make crispy onion pakodas. Adjust the number of green chillies and chili powder to make it a perfect snack for the kids!

Basic Info

Complexity - Medium
Prep time - 10 mins
Cook time - 20 mins
Serves - 2-3

Ingredients
Besan (chickpea flour) - 2 cups
Rice flour - 1 cup
Grated paneer - 1/4 - 1/2 cup (use more or less as you prefer)
Mint leaves - 2 - 3 tbsp (use more or less as you prefer)
Green chillies - 2 nos (finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch (grated)
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp (adjust to your taste)
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Oil - for deep frying

Method

Grate paneer block, ginger and keep it aside. Chop green chillies & mint leaves into fine pieces and set aside.

Heat oil (just enough to fry) in a deep pan (on medium heat).

In a large bowl, mix together besan, rice flour, grated paneer, chopped mint leaves, chopped green chillies, grated ginger, hing, salt, red chilli powder, salt and ghee.

To this mixture, add as much water as needed and mix until everything starts to come together. Add just enough water to make a stiff dough.

When the oil is hot enough, take a medium sized ball of dough, use your fingers to press & drop the dough into the oil to form small, bite-sized fritters (don't bother about the shape) and deep fry until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the oil.

Drain excess oil in a paper towel and serve hot.

Notes

- You can also add chopped onion, if you like.

- Do not make the dough ahead of time. Make dough as the oil is getting heated.

Veggie Puffs

Ingredients can make all the difference! Sometimes, adding a simple spice can make or break a recipe. Veggie puffs proved to be a great example for that!

Couple of months ago, we had a potluck arranged and I offered to make veggies puffs for the party! Though veggie puffs came out good, it was missing a little something.. that little magical touch of  the bakery!

Oh btw, did I tell you that I am a great fan of veggie puffs that you get in Indian bakeries! I love the smell of freshly baked puffs and simply cannot resist them! Even if there are loads of baked goodies in front of me, my heart beats only for these buttery, flaky treats. A crunchy bite here, a spicy bite there, a sip of cool drinks to wash everything down amidst a lot of gossip with friends = total fun!

So, as I was blog-hopping & comparing other recipes to see where I was missing out, I saw that some of the recipes were using fennel seeds. Initially, I was very skeptical about how big of a flavor boost that fennel seeds would give to the recipe. But, my doubts quickly dispelled after tasting the results! Would you believe if I tell you that a tsp of fennel seeds enhanced the flavor to be top notch and veggie puffs were tasting very much like bakery puffs!

Well, If you still aren't believing me, try this recipe & see it for yourself!

Basic Info
Complexity - Medium
Prep time - 20-30 mins
Cook time - 30 mins
Serves - 9-10 puffs

Ingredients
Onion - 1 no (medium sized, chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch (grated)
Garlic - 2 pods (minced)
Green chilli - 1 no (finely chopped)
Carrot - 1 no (medium sized, chopped into tiny bits)
Beans - 15 nos (cut into thin pieces)
Peas - a handful
Potatoes - 3 nos (small sized, chopped into tiny bits)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - to garnish
Salt - as required
Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp

Olive oil / Melted butter - to brush on top
Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets (I used piccadeli brand)
All purpose flour - as required (To work with the pastry sheets)

Method

Take the puff pastry sheets out of the freezer. Follow the instructions given in the cover and thaw them for atleast 4-5 hrs or until soft.

Heat oil in a deep pan. When hot, add fennel seeds and let it splutter. To this, add onions, grated ginger, minced garlic, green chillies and saute until onion is transparent. Then, add chopped tomatoes and saute until tomatoes are soft & tender.

Add all the finely chopped vegetables, turmeric powder, garam masala, chilli powder, salt and give it a good mix. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft & completely cooked through.

Finally, garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and remove from heat. Let the vegetable stuffing cool down completely.

Preheat oven to 375 deg F for 20 mins.

The puff pastry brand that I used had pre-cut squares. If not, cut them into squares of about 3-4" inches. Dust your hands with all purpose flour and lay the puff pastry sheets on to your working space. If the pastry sheets are too sticky, you can use some all purpose flour to dust them too!

Add 2 tbsp of the stuffing on one side of the pastry sheet and cover the stuffing by folding over the other side. 

Use a fork to press & seal the edges.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper, grease it with little oil and arrange the prepared veggie puffs. Brush olive oil / melted butter on top of each puffs. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown whichever is first.

Serve and enjoy with a hot cup of coffee/tea!

Mysore Bonda

Cold weather, Dull evening, Stuffy nose, Rumbling stomach - are you in a similar fix? Well, I know what exactly will make you feel happy & better! 

A cup of strong filter coffee with hot & crispy bondas - mmmm... bliss in a bite! Crispy outer layer & soft as a cloud inner layer with a burst of spiciness here & a touch of earthiness there, a sip of hot coffee in between to pause and enjoy the moment - pure ecstasy!!!!!

Go ahead and do yourself this favor! After all that hard work, you deserve a rewarding break!

Basic Info

Complexity - Medium

Prep time - 2 hrs (includes soaking & grinding urid dal)

Cook time - 30 mins

Serves - 16-18 nos

Ingredients
Urad dal (whole) - 1/2 cup (heaped)
Water - 1/2 cup (or) less
Fresh coconut - 2 tbsp (chopped into tiny pieces)
Whole Peppercorns - 1-2 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Rice flour - 1.5 tsp

Oil - for deep frying

Method

Wash and soak urad dal in water for atleast 1.5 hrs (or) until the quantity of urid dal is doubled. Using a mixer/grinder, grind urid dal into a fine & smooth batter with as little water as possible.

Add coconut pieces, peppercorns, hing, salt, curry leaves, rice flour to the batter and mix well.

For frying, heat oil in a deep pan on medium flame. 

Have a bowl of water next to the batter. When the oil is hot & ready, wet your fingers with water, make balls of desired size out of the batter and gently drop it into the oil. Fry them till they are golden brown on all sides (Do not crowd the oil). Drain excess oil in a paper towel and enjoy hot & crispy mysore bondas!

Note

• Grinder is the better choice when it comes to grinding urid dal. You can get thick & frothy batter  even with less water.
• Batter should be at the right consistency. If the batter is watery, bonda will get oily. If stiff, bonda will get chewy and hard.
• If you have the time & patience, spicy coconut chutney is the perfect accompaniment for these cute li 'l savory balls.

Instant Pepper Thattai

Thattai is a wonderful evening snack that complements hot coffee/tea. This usually is one of the Neivedhyam (offerings) items prepared for Lord Krishna during Gokulashtami.

Usually, I use raw rice and grind fresh rice flour to make thattai. But, this instant thattai recipe uses store-bought rice flour. So, if you have the rice flour handy, it takes just few minutes to get the dough ready and thattai is made almost in no time. Also, this time I used freshly ground pepper instead of the usual red chilli powder and the flavor was spot-on.

Both my kids absolutely loved this snacks, including my li 'l one whose little bunny teeth just recently showed up :) No wonder why "little Krishna" loved these thin, fried, crispy savory diskettes made from rice flour.

Ingredients

Rice flour - 2 cups (store-bought rice flour)

Urad dal flour - 3 tbsp (home-made)

Channa dal - 2 tbsp (soaked in water for atleast 30-45 mins)

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp

Hing - 2 pinches

Butter - 1 tbsp (at room temperature)

Salt - to taste

Oil - for frying
Clean plastic bags (small) - 2 (I used sandwich bags)
Flat bottomed vessel - 1

Method
Dry roast rice flour in a dry pan on medium heat until the color changes to golden brown and a nice aroma comes out of it.

Dry roast 2 tbsp of whole urad dal until golden brown and let it cool. Grind it into fine powder along with cumin seeds & pepper corns using a mixer.

In a large mixing bowl, mix rice flour, urad dal + cumin seeds + pepper corns flour, soaked channa dal, hing, butter, salt. First mix all the dry ingredients by hand and then, sprinkle water little by little and knead it into a tight but soft dough.

Make equal sized balls out of the dough and keep them aside.

Now, lay flat one of the plastic bag on your kitchen countertop and place a dough ball on it. Place the other plastic bag on top of the dough ball and press the ball using the flat bottomed vessel.

Apply even pressure (do not press too hard or too soft) so that the dough is flattened into thin diskettes.

Prepare about 5-6 disks (depending on how much your frying pan will hold) and keep them ready.

In the meanwhile, heat oil in a deep frying pan on low-medium heat and as soon as the oil is heated to the right temperature (check by dropping a small piece of dough and the dough should come up to the surface immediately). Now, carefully drop all the pressed diskettes and fry them until golden brown. Turn sides in between to ensure even frying on both the sides. Transfer them to paper towel for excess oil to be absorbed.

Enjoy this crispy & satisfying evening snacks alongside a cup of coffee / tea.

Arisi (Rice) Upma

Try this recipe of arisi upma and you are sure to get a flaky & flavorful upma, the kind of upma you've always wanted! This simple dish can be put up in a jiffy especially when you have the rice rava ready.

When it comes to arisi upma, my mom makes the best of the bestest! You might be one of those persons who gives a damn about upma(s). Try this recipe and I bet you will become an ardent fan of this humble dish. My mom's recipe has couple of secret ingredients & tips (have an eye for them in the recipe) to get such fluffy, rich & delicious upma.

Basic Info

Complexity - Medium

Prep time - 20 mins

Cook time - 30 mins

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Raw rice - 1.25 cups

Milk - 1 cup (Secret Ingredient #1)

Fresh Coconut - 2 tbsp (grated / finely chopped)

Ginger - 1 inch (grated)

Salt - to taste

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Black peppercorns - 1/4 tsp

Hing - 1/4 tsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

Channa dal - 1/2 tsp

Red chillies - 2 nos

Green chillies - 2 nos

Curry leaves - Few

Coconut oil - about 2-3 tbsp for tempering (Secret Ingredient #2)

Method

Wash rice in cold water and drain the water immediately (do not soak). Spread the wet rice on a clean & dry cloth / kitchen paper towel for the excess water to be absorbed. Alternatively, you can also heat a pan (on medium) and transfer the wet rice into the pan and dry it (on very low heat) for about 1-2 mins. Do not leave it for too long otherwise rice might get roasted and texture/taste of the upma might be different.

Using a mixer, grind the rice into coarse powder like sooji/semolina. 

Tip #1 - Separate coarse rice rava from powdered rice rava using a fine sieve (If you miss this step, there are chances that upma might get gooey). Now, measure the coarse rice rava for about 1 cup and keep it ready.

In a deep pan, heat coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, fry cumin seeds, hing & pepper corns, roast urad dal & channa dal until golden brown, finally add green chillies, red chillies & curry leaves and give it a stir.

Add 1 cup of milk & 3/4 cup of water and bring it to a boil (on low-medium heat). Now, add sifted/coarse rice rava, grated coconut, grated ginger and keep stirring until all the water evaporates and the mixture starts to thicken (Tip #2).

Now, transfer the mixture into a vessel & pressure cook for 2 whistles. Once the cooker cools down and is ready to open, transfer upma into a broad serving dish and fluff it up with a fork.

Serve hot with spicy chutney / pickle & enjoy!

Onion Pakoda

Onion Pakoda fondly called as "Bakkoda" is a south-indian savory fritters - makes a great evening snack and a wonderful combo with hot cup of filter coffee especially during rainy days.

My mom makes great pakodas - they are something that I grew up with. For me, pakoda is a comfort food - reminds me of my home, my mom and the inviting smell of frying onions that fills up the entire house. I remember, how patiently I used to stand next to my mom chit-chatting with her - eagerly waiting for the first batch of pakoda to come out of the oil. Not only for its taste, I also adore how these little munchies look - for its imperfect shapes & rusticness.

Ingredients

Rice flour - 2 cups
Besan - 1 cup
Onion - 2 medium sized (finely chopped)
Green chillies - 3 nos (finely chopped)
Ghee - 1-2 tbsp
Hing - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp (adjust according to your spice level)
Salt - to taste
Oil - for deep frying

Method

Heat oil in a deep frying pan (on medium heat). Make sure that you fill atleast 1/4th of the pan with oil.

In a large bowl, mix together rice flour, besan, onion, green chillies, hing, salt, red chilli powder, salt and ghee. 

To this mixture, sprinkle very little water (as needed) mixing with your hands. It is enough if the mixture just holds together - should be really stiff & dry (you should be able to make balls out of the dough). Adding just enough water will give crispier pakodas.

Make sure that oil is at the right temperature (to check, drop a small piece of the dough into the oil and the dough should immediately come up the surface). Take about a medium sized ball of dough, use your fingers to press & drop the dough into the oil to form small, bite-sized fritters (don't bother about the shape). Do not overcrowd the oil & deep fry until golden brown.

Drain excess oil in a paper towel and serve hot.

Onion Adai

Adai is a type of dosa - a savory crepe. I remember reading that channa dal (one of the main ingredients of adai) is recommended for people with diabetes as it is rich in protein and has low glycemic index.

Speaking of adai, I am remembered of my school days - my mom usually makes adai for evening tiffin. More than plain adai, I love the taste of onion adai. It's such a bliss to eat 'hot' 'hot' onion adai straight from the tawa with melting ghee on top. I simply love the happening affair between the two and would never like it to end.

Ingredients

• 1 Medium onion - Finely chopped
• Boiled rice - 1/2 cup
• Raw rice - 1/2 cup
• Channa dal - 1 cup
• Red chillies - 6-8 nos
• Green chillies - 4-5 nos
• Curry leaves - Few
• Hing - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste
• Oil (I prefer to use sesame oil) 

Method
Soak the rice and dal in water for about 2-3 hrs.

Then, drain the water & grind it coarsely along with red chillies, green chillies and curry leaves. The batter should neither be thick nor watery. Add hing, finely chopped onions to the batter.

Heat a griddle or a non stick tawa and pour a ladle of batter and spread it in circular motion. Make a small hole in the center and add a tsp of oil into it & around the adai. Let it get cooked.

Then flip it over to the other side and drizzle a tsp of oil around the adai. Let it get cooked.

After both sides are cooked remove from tawa and serve it hot.

Tips

• We can create variations in adai by adding finely chopped spinach, cabbage, shredded coconut, coriander leaves etc.
• Adai can be paired with several side dishes - jaggery, butter, avial, milagai podi.