Sago/Sabudana Upma

I still remember the days when I used to get absolutely excited of a dish made of small balls :) And that excitement still persists in me. :)

Sago is rich in carbohydrates. Sago upma can really be a fulfilling breakfast.


Ingredients:

Sago(nylon- fine) - 1 cup
Moong dhall - 1/3 cup
Green chillies - 3
Cashew - 5
Coconut(Scrapped) - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram dhall - 1/2 tsp
Lemon extract - 2 tsp
Curry leaves
Salt - for taste

Image curtsy: http://www.hsaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/sago.jpg

Method:

Wash and soak sago in water for minimum of three hours. The water level should be half an inch above the sago.

Cook moong dhall so that it is soft and does not change form. See to that you dont over cook it.

In a pan heat 2 tbsp of oil and season with mustard, urad dhall, bengal gram dhall, cashew, curry leaves and green chillies. Now add the soaked sago and fry for few min, till the sago becomes transparent. Add cooked moong dhall, grated coconut, lemon extract and salt to it and mix well. See to that the sago does not become sticky. Sago upma is ready to serve. You can serve it hot with mango pickle or curd. :) Enjoy eating :)




Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Tomato Dosa

Is red your favorite color??? Its my favorite. I just love dishes that are in red. So here is a red colored gorgeous tomato dosa for your eyes and tongue to enjoy :)


Ingredients:

Par-boiled rice - 1 cup
Tomato - 4
Red chillies - 6 nos
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt - for taste


Method:

Soak the rice in water for two hours. Grind it along with the other ingredients and make a watery batter.

Now heat the skillet and pour a ladle full of batter starting from the edges in a circular way. Since the batter is loose it will automatically fill the middle portion. Add a spoon of oil to roast it. Turn the dosa and roast it on the other side too.

Yummy tomato dosa is ready to eat. :) Serve it hot with pickle or chutney.

Happy making. :)




Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Polala Amavasya - Rice Noodles Payasam & Streamed Rice Flour Chapathi :)

Polala Amavasya is observed on the Amavas (No moon day) in Shravan month in Andhra Pradesh and parts of Karnataka and Orissa. It is dedicated to Goddess Poleramma who is the protector of children. Mothers observe Polala Amavasi Vrata for the welfare of their children. In 2009, Polala Amavasya is dated on August 20th.

Goddess Poleramma is quite similar to the Goddess Shitala worshipped in North India. The popular belief is that the Goddess protects children from various diseases.

We make two prasadams for this festival. One is known as Billa Kudumulu(Streamed Rice flour chapathi) and the other is Thaligalu paravannam( Rice flour noodles payasam).

Thaligalu paravannam( Rice flour noodles payasam)

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 1 1/4 cup
Salt - a pinch
Coconut - 3 tbsp
Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp
Cashews - 6
Jaggery - 1 cup
Ghee
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Heat the water in a bowl adding some salt to it. When it boils, simmer the stove and add the rice flour and mix quickly. Immediately switch it off and keep it aside for ten min. Then kneed the dough smoothly adding little cold water and 2 tsp of oil to it. Then squeeze the dough through the muruku nazhi(muruku maker) on a well greased plate. Now steam cook it for 15 min smearing some ghee over them.

Now grind coconut, cashew, poppy seeds and cardamom together into a smooth paste and keep it aside. In a bowl add the jaggery and some water just to immerse it and heat this contents till the jaggery dissolves completely. Once done filter it into the above ground paste and let it boil. When it is boiling add the steam cooked rice noodles to it(you can break it into small pieces). Stir well for 3 min and your rice noodles payasam is ready to eat. :)

Its an absolutely delicious payasam which I always enjoy eating. The rice noodles makes it more interesting. :)

Billa Kudumulu(Streamed Rice flour chapathi)

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 1 1/4 cup
Coconut scrappings - 1 tbsp
Moong dhall - 2 tsp
Bengal gram dhall - 2 tsp
Ghee
Salt - for taste

Method:

Soak the moong dhall and bengal gram dhall in water for half an hour. Heat the water in a bowl adding some salt to it. When it boils, simmer the stove and add the rice flour and mix quickly. Immediately switch it off and keep it aside for ten min. Then kneed the dough smoothly adding little cold water,2 tsp of oil, soaked moong dhall, bengal gram dhall and coconut scrappings to it.
Now make small balls with the dough and press it using the chapathi maker(it should be slightly thick). Use two greased plastic sheets on either side of the maker and press the ball inbetween so that it would be easy to remove from it. Now place them on a well greased plate and steam cook for 15 min smearing some ghee over them.

Steamed rice flour chapathi is ready to eat. :) Serve it hot with Urad dhall chutney. This serves as a healthy breakfast :)

Click here to refer to my older post for Urad dhall Chutney.



Happy Polala Amavasya to all. :)

The below pooja was done by mom, praying for me. :) :) :)



Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Diet Biriyani (Wheat Rava/ Cracked wheat)

Everybody dreams to maintain their shape and to be healthy too. Health and beauty are not two seperate entities at all. They go hand in hand. Being healthy is being beautiful.

I present to you a lovely diet that keeps you healthy and also tickles your tongue. :)

Wheat contains fiber and proteins that can keep you fit always. And now adding vegetables to it!!! Do I have to justify more.. :) :)


Ingredients:

Wheat rava - 1 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 3
Mixed vegetables (carrot, beetroot, beans, potato, peas etc) - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Bay leaf - small piece
Biriyani masala - 1 tbsp (I used Everest masala)
Cinnamon (pattai) - small piece
Aniseed (sombu) - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste




Method:

Take a pan and add few spoons of oil and crackle aniseeds, cinnamon and ginger garlic paste. Now add the diced vegetables, chilly, bay leaf and a little salt. sprinkle some water and let the vegetables get cooked. Once done add 3 cups of water to the pan.Now add the briyani masala with adequate salt into the water. When it starts boiling pour in the wheat rava and keep stirring to avoid lumps. Once it gets cooked and becomes thick, simmer the stove and allow it to cook for 5 min. Wheat rava biriyani is done. :)

Serve it hot with raitha of your choice. :) Happy dieting :)



And now its time to thank my blogger friend Jennifer Kumar for featuring my blog in her website Alaivani.com and in her blog shakahaari. Thanks a lot for your interest in my dishes. It makes me feel really honored and happy. :)


Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Andhra Pesarattu

Andhra food is know for its spicy flavors and for the very different combination. This one is a special dish made locally in Andhra.

The greenish dosa attracts our eyes and the crispy onion filling make it more interesting. This could be a highly nutritious breakfast for all. :)


Ingredients:

Whole green gram with skin - 1 cup
Onion - 1 medium sized
Ginger - 1/4 inch piece
Green chillies - 5
Raw rice - 2 tbl sp
Salt - for taste



For Filling:

Finely cut onions - 3/4 cup
Finely cut green chillies - 1 tbl sp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbl sp




Method:

Soak green gram and rice together for atleast 8 to 10 hours in enough water. Grind with onion, ginger and green chillies. Add salt at the end of grinding.

For filling: Heat oil in a pan and fry cumin seeds, green chillies with diced onions for 2 to 3 min and keep it aside.

Heat a heavy dosa pan and make dosa by spreading from center. Add a tsp of oil around and roast. Sprinkle the onion mixture on top and press with a flat laddle. Roast in midium flame till the dosa becomes crisp. Fold and serve hot with ginger chutney or onion chutney.

Note: Do not turn over the dosa after adding the filling.

Variation:

You can also make pesarattu uppuma. Just replace the onion filling by 2 to 3 tsp of uppuma and fold the dosa. Serve this with onion chutney or coconut chutney.
In Andhra they fondly call it as MLA Pesarattu. :)




I am sending this Andhra special dish to Shanthi Krishnakumar's lovely 'State special' event.



Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Pittu

Pittu is a special south Indian delicacy. If at all you want to make a sweet as well as spicy item for your breakfast, then this is a handy recipe that you can make. Same base serves for both the items. :)


To make dhall idly

Ingredients:

Bengal gram dhall - 1 cup
Moong dhall - 1 cup
Salt - for taste

Method:

Soak both the dhalls together for an hour. Grind it coarsely in the consistency of idly batter. Now add salt to it and make idlis.

After it cools down completely, sprinkle little hot water and crumble it well. You can run it in the mixie for few seconds to make this job easier.

Once this is done partition it into two portions to make sweet pittu as well as spicy pittu.



Sweet Pittu

Ingredients:

Dhall Idly Crumbles: 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Coconut scrapings - 2 tbsp
Cashews - few
Ghee - 1 tsp

Method:

Take the sugar in a pan and add some water to it and boil till one string consistency. Put the crumbled idlis, mix well and remove from fire. Add grated fresh coconut, fried cashew nuts, cardamom powder along with little ghee. This pittu is slightly sticky in nature.

This is a lovely and healthy sweet that you can make along with the spicy once for breakfast on special occasions.


Spicy Pittu

Ingredients:

Dhall Idly Crumbles: 1 cup
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram dhal - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
Chilly - 4(According to your taste)
Coconut scrapings - 2 tbsp
Lemon extract - 3 tsp
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves
Salt - for taste

Method:

In a pan, take a 3 tsp of oil and crackle mustard, bengal gram dhall, urad dhall and curry leaves. Make the chillies into a smooth paste and add it to the pan. Now put in the dhall idli crumbles and mix well. Finally add coconut scrappins, salt, lemon extract and coriander leaves to it and mix well. Spicy pittu is ready to eat. :) This pittu would be like upma. i.e crumbled form and not sticky.

Serve it hot. :) Happy cooking. :)


Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Wheat Bread Dosa

Bread is nice.. But remix of bread is all the more yummy :)

Got this idea from Ganga of 'My Favourite Foods' who had recently invented this bread dosa. Thanks to Ganga for her cool new idea. I have a slightly modified version of this inspirational dish here.

Enjoy bread in a different form :) Happy cooking :)

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Bread (choose sandwich bread or salt bread)- 10 slices
Maida - 1 cup
Tomato - 2
Chilly powder - for taste
Salt - for taste




Method:

Grind bread, maida and tomatoes together adding some water to it. Finally add chilly powder and salt to the batter. The batter should be like dosa batter.

Now make dosas in pan by adding oil. I made small dosas since its really attractive and fun to eat. You can make normal dosas as well. :)

Top it with coconut chutney or tomato sauce and enjoy eating wheat bread dosa :)



Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com

Answer - Richie Rich Porridge (Sathu Maavu)

Thanks a lot to all of you who had taken interest to make a guess. :) Its pretty challenging to make out, but still 6 intelligent blogger chefs had found it right. :)
Bull's eye is shared by

* Sailaja of Sailaja Kitchen
* Pavithra of Dishes from my kitchen
* Satya of Appetite Treats
* Dhanya of My home cooking
* Ramya of Simple vegetarian recipes
* Priya of Veggie exploits in the kitchen

The 6 super guesses can proudly pin the bull's eye logo to your side bar. :) Kindly take it from my previous post please. :) Congrats!!!!!

Now coming to Richie rich porridge as I named it, I think I really don't have to explain the nutritious benefits of this porridge. The ingredients speak by itself. :) This can in fact be 'The best' breakfast ever. Sathu maavu is pretty much common in India. It is a wholesome dish that can make you a Superman, Shakthiman or even spiderman. :)))) Last but not the least its absolutely yummy too.. :)


Ingredients:

Cashew - 75 gms
Pearl Millet(Kambu) - 75 gms
Groundnut - 75 gms
Almond - 75 gms
Poppy seeds(Kasa Kasa) - 25 gms
Finger Millet(Ragi) - 75 gms
Par Boiled rice - 75 gms
Roasted Bengal gram(pottu kadalai) - 75 gms
Maize - 75 gms
Corn - 75 gms
Sago - 75 gms
Barley - 75 gms
Wheat - 75 gms
Soy - 75 gms
Cardamom - 5
Milk
Sugar - for taste



Method:

Roast each ingredient in a dry pan for few min. Once done grind all the ingredients finely into a powder. This would make 1 kg of powder. You can store this powder for 6 months and use it as and when you want.

Now to make 1 cup of porridge, take 2 tsp of this powder in a bowl and dilute it using 1 cup of water. Then let this contents boil till it gets thick. Stir continuously so that it does not form lumps. Once done, add half cup of milk and 3 tsp of sugar to it and mix well.

Richie rich porridge is ready to eat. You can eat it either hot or cold. :) Enjoy the most healthiest dish ever. Happy eating :)

Note: Some times people add butter milk and salt instead of milk and sugar. Its great either ways. :)



Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com