Besan Ka Chilla - a perfect power packed breakafast

 Besan ka chilla/ cheela

Besan cheela or Besan Chilla is a healthy tasty recipe that is a high protein and fibre packed pancake made of besan or chickpea flour. With a generous addition of veggies of your choice and spices this can be made quickly and easily. A breakfast or snack time option to add taste and health to your day. I generally make the besan cheela for breakfast as a low carb, protein n fibre rich dish. It can also be put together quickly and keeps us full for long. It is very filling and so the temptation to eat soon after is not there at all. 

About Besan Cheela

The cheela is a traditional dish from North India and can be made using the besan flour as in this case or even millet flour as a very healthy choice. You can also decide to add a filling in the cheela like paneer of sauteed veggies. Wholewheat chillas with coconut and jaggery fillings are very popular too. So this makes the cheela a very versatile dish. This besan cheela allows you to add grated and finely chopped veggies of your choice, so the family with eat healthy happily. 

The dish gets in name from the ingredient besan or chickpea flour or gramflour from which it is made and cheela meaning pancake. So this is a flatbread that can be made on a dosa or any flat pan with very little oil too. It is also known as the vegetarian or vegan omlette. It is a wonderful addition to your weightloss menu too. You can also make mini besan chillas as part of your high tea menu and it is sure to be a hit. 

How to make Besan Chilla or Cheela

Ingredients for Besan Cheela Recipe

Besan or Gramflour 2 cups

Onion - 1 finely chopped

Tomato 1 small, finely chopped

Red, Yellow and Green Peppers - 1/4 of each chopped finely

Carrot - 1 grated

You may add grated zucchini or any other veggies of your choice

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Ajwain -1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder - 1.2 tsp

Green chilli- 1 (finely chopped)

Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Hing or asafoetida 1/4 tsp

Coriander leaves finely chopped 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil - for cooking

Water - as required for making the batter

Method for making Besan Cheela or Besan Chilla Recipe

1- Add the ingredients into a bowl. Add water little by little and make a batter of dosa or pancake consistency. Check salt and spices and adjust to taste. 

2- Take a dosa pan or any flat pan and heat. When heated, brush with little oil. Pour a big ladle of the Besan Chilla / Cheela mixture. Spread the batter into a circle. You may not get a perfect circle as there a lot of vegetable pieces added in. Add a few drops of oil and let cook. 

3- Besan or gram flour takes a while to cook so it should be cooked on low flame so that it is well cooked and does not get burnt. Turn over and cook well on the other side too. You may add a few drops of oil or even ghee. Cook well. Take out on a serving plate and serve with coriander pudina chutney, sweet mango chutney or any other accompaniments of your choice. 

A healthy tasty breakfast idea or tiffin or tea time snack for you menu planning. Do make it and share pictures tagging my facebook or cookingupsomething instagram page 

Pesarattu – the protein packed dosa recipe from Andhra Pradesh

Pesarattu, the greenish protein packed dosa recipe from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh brings back beautiful memories of days spent in the City of Destiny, Visakhapatnam(Vizag). I have been fortunate enough to spend several years of my life in this beautiful city located on the coast of the state of Andhra Pradesh. A city that beautifully combines the traditional with the modern. A typical day in Vizag promises you a tour of both rural and urban India. Ladies with fresh jasmine flowers in their hair, pujas at the temples, prayers at the churches, kollams in front of the houses, bullock carts, farmers markets to the Inox (Vizag now has two of them), Satyam, HSBC, pubs, night clubs, huge malls and not to forget the large number of restaurants and hotels that can cater to any and every pallete. Vizag is the place to pamper your tastebuds if you are a foodie and love experimenting. From the five star restaurant "Park" located at one end of the Beach road, Palm Beach, The Taj Gateway, Grand Bay to the Daspalla group of hotels (located in prominent locations in the city) and the contemporary burger and pizza joint "Hotbreads"; Vizag sure can serve food from around the world in style.

If you are looking for an authentic South Indian meal, be it the Kozhi Kuzhambu, the Chettinad chicken, Meen Varatada or an array of dosa recipe and idlis then you have arrived at just the right place. The Daspalla Group of Hotels and the Dakshin restaurant at Grandbay are a personal favourite when it comes to authentic South Indian cuisine.

Step into the aromatic ambience of any of the Daspalla group of hotels (that has become synonymous with South Indian food in the city) and you are welcomed by the scent of fresh jasmine flowers that add a fresh nice feel. The unmistakable aroma of spices intermingling with one another is sure to tickle those taste buds and make you want to rush in to ordering at the earliest. On a busy morning (breakfast time) or the tiffin time in the evening one would find several crispy dosa varieties (of different sizes and composition sizzling away and on to your plate straight out of the griddle), soft fluffy idlis, pesarattu and vadas making their way to the different tables, making sure to tease your tastebuds each time they go by. For a hungry foodie like me who loves Indian breakfast recipes as a choice to start the day, I want a bite of it all is what the voice inside me says.

The pesarattu recipe is one that I happened to get introduced to during one of these trips. It was unexplored territory for me and I definitely wanted to try one. It was indeed a beautiful experience with this green coloured pancake or lentil dosa recipe that was made from green gram and rice. It is rich in protein and carbohydrates are kept to the minimum for the health conscious who prefer a low carb diet. Topped with freshly chopped onions, green chillies and curry leaves and a dash of ghee it is just perfect all the way.

There is yet another version of the pesarattu that promises to arouse your curiosity and that is the "MLA Pesarattu". I am yet to find out as to where the dish got its name (wiki states that it is popular in restaurants around the MLA quarters in Hyderabad and probably that is where it gets its name from) however, can surely vouch for the taste of this dosa or pancake that is served with a generous serving of upma inside.

For all those who have already worked up an appetite here’s the recipe to the pesarattu as I make it. I am sending this across to Sameena's Dosa Recipes Event and Radhika's Let's Cook- Scrumptious Breakfasts

Ingredients for Pesarattu recipe:
Green Gram(whole moong dal) – 2 cups
Rice – ½ cup
Asafoetida – a pinch
Red chilli powder – ½ tsp
Onions – 1 big (chopped finely)
Green chillies – 2 (chopped finely)
Curry leaves – 3 to 4 (chopped finely)
Oil – for making the pancakes
Salt to taste

Method for making pesarattu:
1- Soak Rice and Green Gram for 5-6 hours. Wash, clean and grind to a smooth batter in the mixer (the pesarattu batter need not be fermented).
2- Place the Tawa on the stove and rub with a little oil. Take a ladle of the pesarattu batter and pour out like you would for a dosa. Sprinkle with chopped onions, green chillies and curry leaves. Pour a little oil on the dosa and let cook on medium flame. Turn it over and let cook on the other side for half a minute. A delicious and healthy addition to your list of Indian breakfast recipe. Serve hot with coconut/ginger chutney and sambar.

Sweet corn on hot dog buns

The holidays have truly been a roller coaster ride with my daughter not sparing one moment and making the most of it. On the beach, the basketball court, in the corridors its been play time for her all the way. With all the play, fun and frolic come the hunger pangs. These are special hunger pangs and cannot be satisfied with just about anything, they definitely need a little extra effort and are a test for Mom's cooking skills. "Something Nice" that's what it should be - has to fill the tummy and also appeal to the craving taste buds. My regular readers know by now that my blog is all about satisfying the strong taste buds of daughter and hubby:)

This sweet corn on hot dog buns has been a saviour on many such occasions. Sweet corn with garlic, cheese and butter baked in the oven...yummy and gooey. In fact, several times have been guilty myself of using my daughter as an excuse for enjoying these crispy gooey bites. An easy to make recipe (as usual), this sweet corn recipe does not require much time nor preparation.

Sweet corn is also referred to as the sugar corn or the Indian corn. The sweet corn is the result of natural recessive mutation and unlike the other varieties of corn is harvested before it completely matures. As the corn is not fully mature it cannot be stored for long and thus, best eaten fresh, tinned or canned or in the frozen form. It is known for its high nutritional and antioxidant value and thus, reduces the risk of cancer and other ailments.

Ingredients for sweet corn on hot dog buns:
Hot dog Buns - 2 (cut into two)
Butter - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Garlic powder - 1/2 tsp (you can use 2 to 3 cloves of freshly grated garlic instead)
Capsicum - 1 (small)(finely chopped)
Onion - 1 small (finely chopped)
Tomato ketchup - 4 to 5 tsp
Oregano - 1 tsp
Sweet corn - 100 gms (I used tinned corn)
Cheese - 1 cup (approximately 6 tbsp)
Salt to taste

Method for sweet corn on hot dog buns:
1- Slit the hot dog buns into two and lay them on a baking tray.
2- Take a pan, and add the butter and oil. Add in the chopped onions and saute till soft and translucent. Add the chopped capsicum and salt(adjust as per taste, do remember to keep in mind as to how salty your cheese is). Saute.
3- Add in the sweet corn and cook for 2-3 minutes. Keep aside.
4- For layering, spread a tbsp of tomato ketchup on each of the pieces of the hot dog bun. Spread the corn mixture and top it with cheese. Sprinkle oregano and bake for approximately 10 minutes at 180 degrees C or on Gas mark 4.
5- Serve hot. They make delicious appetizers as well and can be cut into 3 and served.

Hash Browns - a potato delight

Hash Browns
This is another recipe that got me going for my little darling's sake. She loved the hash browns at Mc Donald's and then came the request that "Amma you should try making it at home one day". This is the grated potato version, you can also make it by boiling and mashing potatoes and then crumbing it for that cutlet kind of smooth finish. However, I loved this texture and they disappeared like hot cakes. An easy to make quick snack that has no age bar (everyone in the family is sure to love this one). A good snack for the tiffin too.

Ingredients for Hash Browns
Potatoes - a medium sized(grated raw)
pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Paprika - 1/2 tsp
Maida or all purpose flour - 1 tsp
Oil - for deep frying

Method for making hash browns:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
1- Grate the washed and peeled raw potato into a bowl. Let rest for 10 minutes.
2- Squeeze out all the water from the potatoes and place in a mixing bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Make into small bite sized balls. The potatoes bind well and with the all purpose flour you would not need anything else to keep everything together.
3- Take oil in a pan enough to deep fry the has browns. Place the has browns one after the other and fry till crisp and golden brown on both sides.
Serve with tomato sauce or a dip of your choice.

You may like my other potato recipes:
Potato Capsicum stir fry
Dahi Wale Aloo

Day 2: Instant Rava Idli for a quick and sumptuous dinner

Last evening was for me a lazy Tuesday and even at around 7.30pm I was still undecided about what to make for dinner. So many combos came to mind however they all required atleast an hour of work(preparation and cooking included). The lazy me wanted something simple and also one that we all would be happy with. Hubby came to the rescue and suggested idli and chutney(he just loves idlis and dosas and can have it any time of the day). He is showing a lot of interest in cooking these days and has been helping with dinner for the past few days too.

I liked the idea of an instant rava idli and a quick coconut-onion chutney that needed hardly any work and would be ready in minutes. The earlier rava idli recipe on the blog is a simple plain idli so I decided to make this slightly different. A grated carrot and some mustard seeds for tempering not only added to the taste but also to the presentation of my idli platter.

This idli can be made instantly and you do not have to plan ahead or wait for fermenting and waste time. While the idlis are being steamed, put together a chutney of your choice and your dinner/breakfast is ready. A great idea for Sunday mornings (I make it very often on Sundays as they are done real quick).

Ingredients: (makes approximately 16-18 medium sized idlis)
Rava/Semolina – 2 cups (fried lightly)
Curd/Plain yogurt – 1 cup
Salt to taste
Carrot – ½ cup(grated)
Water (as required)
Soda bi-carb/Eno Salt – ½ tsp (I used soda bi-carb)(*you can also use a combination of 1/4tsp of soda-bi-carb and 1/4 tsp of Eno salt instead)
For tempering:
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Oil – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 4to 5(optional)

Method:
1- Take a non-stick pan and fry the rawa/semolina lightly. Take off the fire and put into a mixing bowl.
2- Take a pan, add the oil, the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds begin to split, take off the fire and add to the fried rava in the mixing bowl.
3- Add grated carrot, curd and salt to the rawa. Now add the soda bi-carb, water (as required to make a batter of slightly thick consistency like your regular idli batter) and mix well till a few bubbles appear on the surface of the batter.
4- Pour the batter into the idli moulds and steam for approximately 10 minutes. Serve with the chutney of your choice.

Rava Idli - an instant breakfast for Monday Mornings

Monday mornings mean a flurry of activities. After the long relaxed weekend it is time to get into an overdrive and get going with the household chores. A huge pile of clothes have been frowning at me for a while now as I have been postponing my ironing (have to finish the backlog today and get them all into the cupboard), hubby sent to office, daughter to school, lunch to be ready before they get back, some time on the internet and FB for sure:). With so much to do for the day I decided to check out an easy and quick recipe for breakfast.

I love cooking however, it is generally not like me to be experimenting on a Monday morning. Probably it was my faith in Sailaja's cooking that got me to do it. I was searching for a rava idli recipe the other day and Google got me to to sailusfood, the lovely site with a huge collection of mouthwatering recipes. Rawa idli is one that I have had several times at restaurants and have always wanted to try however, for reasons unknown even to me never got to actually doing it. With Rawa(semolina) available here, I wanted a recipe that would allow me to make idlis with the locally available ingredients so that I can continue to make a good South Indian breakfast even after I run of my Indian ration. I decided to make the plain rava idli minus all the veggies for that is the way my family likes it.

Rawa Idli Recipe (as I made it)
Ingredients
1 cup Rava
1 cup curd
Salt to taste
Water - 1/4 to 1/2 cup
1/2 tsp oil
Soda bi-carbonate - a pinch
Method:
1- Take a big bowl and add in the rawa, curd, salt, soda-bi-carbonate and oil. Mix well. Add water as required to get the required consistency.
2- Mix well so that there are no lumps and you have a smooth batter(same consistency as regular idli batter).
3- Keep aside for about 20-30 minutes.
4- Pour into the idli mould and steam for 10 mins. Open let cool for two minutes and take out each idli separately from the idli mould. Serve with podi, coconut or peanut chutney (the peanut chutney looks delicious have to give it a try one of these days).

So...Rava idlis it was...for breakfast today and thanks Sailaja, it was so soft, fluffy and delicious that my hubby and daughter(me too:) just loved it. It was quick and easy, no grinding, all done in just half an hour...a great way to begin the day.

Appam - a Kerala special

Presenting the "Appam" - a pancake from the State of Kerala that is a breakfast delicacy. The Appam was initially a dish associated with Christian homes, however, with time, it has come to be an integral part of the Kerala cuisine as a whole. The Appam or Palappam is also a speciality in Sri Lanka where it is known as the Appa. It can be served with the potato/chicken stew, kadala curry or egg curry(Kerala style egg curry with coconut milk).

When you are away from home what comes to your mind most are your people and yes, the food. Have been making the appam for several years now. The appam and the chicken stew is a favorite dinner menu at my place as this is one meal where all of us have enough time and enjoy the most. Stew for hubby and daughter means only chicken:).

The appam batter is easy to make at home and done quickly. There were however two issues that I was worried about:
1-With the temperature around 10 degrees was a little anxious if the batter would ferment and rise well. Found a way out for that too. I kept it on the unused hot plate while cooking, all the heat from the cooking did do the trick and we had delicious soft and crispy appams with chicken stew for dinner:).
2- I generally grind half a coconut(grated) alongwith rice for the batter. With coconut not available here I had to find a good alternative. The Maggi coconut milk powder did come to my rescue:)

Here is the Appam recipe:
Ingredients:
Raw rice - 2 cups
Cooked rice - 3/4 to 1 cup
Coconut - 1/2(grated)(*can use a 25gm packet of Maggi coconut milk powder instead)
Yeast - 1 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 3-4 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
1- Soak the raw rice for 6-8 hours. Wash and drain.
2- Take 1/2 cup warm water and add the yeast alongwith 1 tsp of sugar and keep aside for 10 minutes.
2- Grind raw rice, cooked rice and grated coconut into a smooth batter with enough water (it is important to take into consideration the water in the yeast that would be added later to the batter).
4- Add the yeast solution, salt and the remaining sugar to the batter. Mix well. The batter must be of pouring consistency. Keep aside in a warm place for 5-6 hours(you would see that the batter is well-fermented, light and has also risen well).
5- Place the appam chatty on fire. When hot, pour a ladle of batter into it and spread the batter evenly all over( do so by circling the appam chatty, do not use a ladle).
6- Cover with a lid and let cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Your appam is ready (soft at the centre, crispy and golden on the sides)
Serve with potato or chicken stew.

Upma, Vada and Sambar - a great beginning to a great day!!

Breakfast is a must at my place and there surely is no compromising on this most important first meal of the day. The first meal of the day when you actually "break your fast" and take in the nourishment for keeping you going for the rest of the day, is what is most important. Whether you have a long day ahead or otherwise, it is important to provide your body with its nutritional requirements for a great start.

Weight watchers who are ignorant about the importance and benefits of a healthy good breakfast prefer skipping breakfast to reduce weight , however, this is the biggest mistake you can make. If you are watching your weight make sure that you have a healthy breakfast or else you end up snacking during the day which is sure to spoil your plans of loosing weight.

Breakfast can do wonders:
-See you through the day energetically and positively. If you skip breakfast then it is going to show in your energy levels and yes, sure to affect your moods and stte of mind adversely.
- Help you achieve your weight reduction goals.
-Ensure good nutrition and health
-A healthy mind and a healthy body.

Breakfast at my place is mostly a South Indian fare.Idlis, dosas (vada to add to the menu ocassionally) or upma. A change from the usual would mean bread and eggs or a North Indian speciality like Poori bhaji or aloo paratha with curds. I liked this combination of upma, vada and sambar that I had at a restaurant the other day and decided to serve the same for breakfast at home. It was great delicious soft upma combined with the flavors of the traditional favorite "Sambar" and the crispy vadas just made it perfect.This is the recipe to the plain simple upma, you can try variations with adding finely chopped potatoes and carrot pieces too.

Upma
Ingredients:
Rawa/Semolina - 1 cup
Water - 1 to 1.5 cups
Salt to taste
Onions - 1 (chopped small and fine)
Green chillies - 1(chopped finely)
Ginger -1" piece (cut into thin long stips, julienne)
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (chopped fine)
Oil - 1 tbsp

For tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leves 10-12

Method:
1-Fry the rawa or semolina on dry heat for a minute or two till it turns golden and keep aside.
2-Take a pan and add the oil. Now add in the mustard seeds and when they begin to splutter add the curry leaves for tempering.
3-Add the onions, green chillies, chopped ginger and saute till the onions turn soft.
4-Now add the salt and the water.The water should taste salty so as to ensure that the upma has the right amount of salt.
5-When the water comes to a boil, add the fried semolina or rawa. Cover and cook on a low flame for 3-4 minutes till it is completely cooked. Open and add the finely choped coriander leaves and mix well.

Accompaniment: Vadas, Chutney, Sambar
(Vada and Sambar recipe would follow in a future post)

A great beginning to a great day. When I say a great day, I am enjoying some great days now - yes, a on a holiday in Kerala (Home Sweet Home) and would be here for the entire summer vacation. I am enjoying every bit of it. Kerala to me was only home till now but with so much being said and written about this beautiful place "God's Own Country", I have begun to see it in an all new light and have started exploring places which till now have just been taking for granted. Yesterday was a lovely trip to Jew Town (Kochi) and soaking in all the flavors of this colorful vibrant locality that is a treasure house of antiques and old world charm at its best. All this has got me thinking of beginning a travel blog on the sights and marvels of the God's Own Country. Think it would be first thing to do when I get back. For now, however I think would have to get down my food posts to once a week from the twice a week posting. Have to make the most of the holiday and travel as much in this beautiful land as possible. And you sure know how hectic it can get on a holiday.

Some traditional Kerala dishes are what you would find along with summer treats of course. For now its bye from me, please do keep dropping by. It feels great to see so many foodies interested in my blog and just dropping by to say a HI!! Makes my day.

Second award and steamed dish event entry

I am elated...this is my second award this week. Uma of www.teluguruchi.blogspot.com has awarded me the "Rocking girl blogger" award. Thanks Uma. I have been having a great time interacting with the foodies in the blogging world and the awards have been welcome part of the blogging experience that I feel is a sense of acknowledgement and acceptance by the foodies here. Do check out my latest post on my art blog www.artfrompixels.blogspot.com too.

I would like to pass on this award to :
Vanamala of www.nalapaka.blogspot.com
Swati garg of www.chatkhor.blogspot.com
Srivalli of www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com
Ranji of www.rbcuisines.blogspot.com

Today is a very special day for me and holds memories that are very close to my heart. It's our wedding anniversary today and truly reason for celebration.:)We have been married for the last 11 years and feels just like yesterday...time sure has flown by so fast.

Last night we had a group of collegues who dropped in at midnight to wish us. It felt truly great that they did remember and took all the pains to make arrangements to give us a pleasant surprise and make us feel very special and in addition a yummy cake and bouquet.

Today is chill out day and hubby dear would take me out for dinner so in effect no cooking day. Thought with nothing much on my agenda today would forward my entry for the steamed dishes event instead of waiting till the last day to do so. Found this a very interesting topic- the MEC steamed dishes- by www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com.

My entry for the event is the South Indian favorite - the idli. The easy to make steamed dish is an absolutely nutritious dish with its combination of rice and lentils. It is a breakfast that is liked at my place, light on the tummy the idlis are a safe bet even while travelling. This is a fool proof recipe to soft delicious idlis that you would love.




Ingredients:
Rice – 2 cups
Urad dal ( a lentil ) – 1 cup
Cooked rice – 1 cup
Salt – to taste

Method:
Soak the raw rice and urad dal overnight in water. Wash and clean. Grind the two in the mixer alongwith the cooked rice. The batter must be of slightly thick consistency for making idlis. Add salt to taste and mix. Keep for 12 hours for fermenting. When the batter has fermented and risen well it is right for making spongy idlis that will melt in your mouth. Pour the batter into the idli mould and steam for 10-15 minutes.

Microwave idli moulds are very popular and are easily available now. A wonderful delicious South Indian breakfast is ready quick and easy. Pour in a drop of oil into each of the idli moulds and spread so that the idlis do not stick to them. Pour the ildi batter into each mould. Pour half a cup of water into the tray and microwave for approximately 4 minutes.Enjoy a healthy breakfast with idlis served with delicious chutney and sambhar.