Little Millet Onion Uttapam Recipe | Samai Vengaya Oothappam | Vegan and GF Breakfast

Millets are a great replacement to rice especially for diabetics / weight watchers. In Indian Cuisine, Millets can easily replace rice for Idli, Dosa , Pongal  . Today's dish is a play on the popular Onion Uttapam with a twist with millets. You could use the Millet Idli recipe to make the Uttapam, but I chose to make the Uttapam batter from scratch. If you are just venturing into millets, do check out various ways to use millets from One Pot Meals  to Dosa, Idli  Upma , Pongal to Millet Cakes

Onions and garlic belong to the family Allium which are basically sulphur compounds, which helps in treating cardio vascular ailments, nasal congestions (best done with steamed onions), lowering blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and lowering blood pressure. 

This month on the A-Z recipe Challenge, we have alphabet O where we need to make a dish featuring a star ingredient which begins with O in its english name . Onions, olives, oysters are few ingredients that came to mind, of which I chose onions. 

I did make onion rings, but it was all gone before I could capture a few decent pics (and I am not surprised at all :-)) . 

PIN FOR LATER

Uttapam / Utthappam / Oothappam is a South Indian Pancake made slightly thicker than Dosa on a skillet topped with veggies / sauces / chutneys / Podis. As mentioned, one can use Idli / Dosa batter to make Uttapam, but let's make the batter from scratch. 

Other Uttapam recipes on the blog include:

Mini Thinai (foxtail millet) Veg Uttapam

Andhra style Erra Karam Dosa

Let's get to the recipe now.

Prep time - 10 mins, Soaking + grinding time - 6 hours, 

Fermentation - overnight / 8-10 hours.

Makes - 15~20 Uttapams

You would need:

• Little Millet / Samai / Samo  - 3 cups (1 cup = 120 ml)
• Urad Dal (Split / Whole) - 1 cup
• Methi / Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp 
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - to fry (approx. 1/4 - 1/2 tsp per Uttapam)

Topping:

Chopped Onions - 1 cup

Chopped  coriander - 2 TBSP

Chopped curry leaves - 1 tsp

Crushed black pepper - 1/2 tsp 

Minced ginger & green chillies - to taste

Idli Podi - 1/2 tsp per dosa (optional).

How to:

Day 1:

Wash and soak the millet + methi and Urad in minimal water separately for 4-6 hours. 

Grind the Urad dal and methi first to a smooth fluffy batter. Grind the millet to a slightly coarse texture. 

In a bowl, mix both the batters and add salt and fluff it up well. Close and ferment the batter for 8-10 hours or overnight. 

NEXT DAY:

To make the topping:

Heat 1 TBSP oil, add the ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and minced onions and caramelise it well. Add black pepper and mix well. Add the chopped cilantro and mix well. Keep ready.

Once the batter has fermented well, mix well with a deep ladle. Heat the skillet to medium-hot. Pour 1-2 ladles of the batter to a thick dosa (uttapam consistency) and drizzle the oil around, while topping the dosa with the minced onion mixture and some idli molagapudi (opt,). Let it get golden brown on one side

Flip to the other side if required. Or serve the Millet Onion Uttapam immediately with more Idli Molagapodi / Chutney of any sort.  

15-min Matki Chi Usal Recipe | मटकीची उसळ| Moth Beans Gravy | Vegan and Gluten Free Recipes

Matki chi usal is a delicious gravy from Maharashtra. It’s a semi solid kind of gravy made with moth beans (a.k.a matki in local lingo), although Usal is also had in the dry sautè form. Having been in Mumbai for considerably long now, we have started adapting these local cuisines as part of the daily menu plan and these sprouted curry is part of a fortnightly meal rotation. 

The kids love this with hot chapatis for dinner. It also makes an excellent source of fibre (due to its sprouting, although sprouting is optional) and protein as a legume. 

PIN FOR LATER

Other Maharashtrian dishes on the blog are 

• Shallow fried kothmir vadi (Shallow fried Coriander - Gramflour fritters)
• Thali for Ganpati Festival 
• Moongachi Usal 
• Mango Mastani (Pune’s famous mango dessert)
• Safed Vatanyacha Usal.
• Aloo Shimla Zunka (V ana GF Potato Capsicum stir fry with chickpea flour)
• Low fat missal
• Dadpe Pohe 
• Batatyachi pohe (Potato poha - GF, Vegan)
• Masale Bhaat
• Patal Pohyachi chivada (thin poha snack)
• Baked Karanji (Wholewheat and Sugarfree too)

Priya Vijay who blogs at SweetSpicyTasty gave us #Maharashtrian cuisine as a theme. Her Farali Chivda is something I would love to try out soon. 

Vegan GF and filling - that’s a good dish to have for your meal, isn’t it ? Let’s get cracking. 

Soak time - 8 hrs of soaking time + Sprouting (optional). 

Prep time - 10 mins

Cook time - 15 mins

Serves - 4

Cuisine : Maharashrian (indian). 

Course : Side dish / snack; 

spice level - medium 

What you need:

Moth beans / Matki (you can also make this with cow pea / alasandhe OR dried vatana / dried peas) - 150 grams

Oil - 1 TBSP

Tempering : Curry leaves, Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp, Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

turmeric -1/4 tsp

Potato - 2 medium (or 1 large)

Onion - 1 large (minced)

Ripe Tomato - 1 large

Spice powders:

Goda Masala - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli Pwdr - 1/2 tsp

Dhania powder / Dry Coriander powder - 1 TBSP

Kashmiri Red chilli pwdr - 1 tsp

Amchur / dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1/2 tsp (opt. But recommended) 

Garnish - Lemon juice 1 TSP + chopped coriander - 1 TBSP

How to:

1. Soak the moth beans overnight (or till they double). Drain (at this stage, you can sprout them or use as is).
2. In a pressure pan, heat oil. Splutter the tempering ingredients. Add turmeric, minced onion .Add salt and sauté well till onions turn golden brown. Now add soaked matki (moth beans), cubed potato  tomato and the spice powders. 
3. Sauté well for 3-4 mins till the oil slightly separates. Add 1-1.5 cups of water and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.
4. Let the pressure come down on its own. Mash up the potatoes a bit to give the gravy more volume and body. 
5. Add 2-3 TBSP water if you need to adjust the consistency to a gravy like texture.
6. Let it simmer for 1-2 mins , at this stage adjust salt and spices. 
7. Finish with lemon juice  and chopped cilantro. 
8. Serve hot with Chapatis or Pav (bread rolls)

Instant Cucumber Idli - No Grinding, No Fermentation, No Urad Dal required | ಸೌತೆಕಾಯಿ ಇಡ್ಲಿ | How to make Cucumber Idli | GF, Vegan

Idli is one of the healthiest Indian Breakfasts, and it has a wide following worldwide, even amongst non-South Indians as its easy to digest, can be taken even for convalescence patients who otherwise can't eat everyday food. As a family,Monday mornings are usually reserved for Idlis / Dosa as I grind the batter on Sunday evenings. With the humidity levels tolerable, I ferment for a little longer. 

You would naturally guess that we are a Idli loving family with over 14 varieties of Idli here on the blog (and counting!). And what better fun than to pair these Idli / Dosa with these huge collection of 20+ chutney varieties. Take your pick :)

Another plus  in our family is we are huge fans of steamed dishes like: 

• Nuchina Unde (steamed broken lentil dumplings)
• Brown Rice Khara Kozhukottai (steamed brown rice dumplings)
• Dhokla Shumla Mirch (Dhokla steamed inside bell peppers)
• Undlige (steamed Rice Rava Dumplings)
• Oats Methi Dhokla
• Steamed Chocolate Cake.
• Lauki Muthia
• Edada / Safed Dhokla
• Khatta dhokla
• Kerala Idiyappam with Stew

Plus of course there are recipes like Baked Idli Fry, Idli Chilli and Idli Manchurian

which are made with leftover Idlis too. All in all, instant or fermented , Idli rules in our house.

Today's recipe came from a friend who's shared her mom's recipe for Instant Cucumber Idlis. This is a NO Urad dal recipe. You need about 15 mins of prep time + 30 mins (minimum) resting time. Since I made it first, we have made it thrice already. 

If you are a fan of Idlis or like trying out new recipes, please do check out the recipe and leave the comments on the YouTube video below too once you watch it for the method. If visiting the channel for the first time, please do like and subscribe to our channel.  

Anu Kollon suggested that we make steamed dishes this month for Ssshh Secretly Challenge, and I was paired with Preethi who gave me cucumber and cumin as the main ingredients. I gave her cardamom and milk powder - do check out the yummilicious Instant Kharwas she has made. 

Till then, check out this ultra delicious Cucumber Idli - Gluten Free and Vegan. 

See notes for getting it right the first time, every time :)

Prep time - 15 mins, Standing time - 45-60 mins ; Cook time - 15 to 20 mins. Makes - 12-14 medium sized Idlis

PIN FOR LATER

Notes:

1. This recipe traditionally doesn’t use Curd / yoghurt. But if you are short of cucumbers, use can use curd partially. Don't skip the cucumbers entirely  
2. Don’t skimp on the quantity of the fresh / frozen coconut. That gives the extra moisture and softness for the idli
3. Don’t steam for less than indicated time, as the batter is somewhat watery, cook it for 2-3 mins more than the usual Idli (again time depends on how many idlis you are making per batch)
4. Only Rice Rava (homemade or store bought ) will work for this recipe, not the usual semolina / Sooji / Kansa rava.  If you don’t have readymade / store bought Idli rava, click the above link on how to make  homemade Idli Rawa.

1 cup = 200 ml 

What you need:

• Rice Rava (homemade) - 1.5 cups
• Grated Cucumber - 2.5 cups (Grated with skin on and don’t squeeze out the water)**
• Grated Fresh / Frozen Coconut - 1 cup
• Salt - to taste

Tempering:

• Oil - 2 tsp
• Cumin seeds -1 tsp
• Green chillies - 2 to 3 finely minced
• Grated ginger - 1 TBSP (opt.but recommended)

How to make:

Refer the YouTube video below for the detailed steps 

20+ Easy Chutney Recipes for Breakfast or lunch | Easy Chutney Recipes | Recipe Collections

Think Chutney for breakfast in most houses would be the Classic Coconut chutney or mint chutney. Think beyond the classic and check out these 20+ varieties of chutney you can make. 

Most at vegan (plant based) and almost all are GF (if you skip the asafoetida). Almost all of them pair with breakfast Idli, Vada, Dosa , Pongal  ,Dhokla, Upma while some are called Thogayals (a.k.a Thuvayal) which is a South Indian  / Tamil style thick chutney that is eaten with hot steamed rice and some gravy.  In Andhra cuisine, these chutneys are also called pachadi. 

So, do let me know in the comments below which is your favourite and what are the other chutney varieties would you love to see on the blog ? 

Thogayal / Thuvayals (thick South Indian Chutneys eaten with rice)

Tomato Thokku (Tomato Chutney)  - this can be eaten with idli / dosa as well

Peerkangai Thuvayal (ridge gourd thuvayal)

Inji Thogayal (GInger chutney)

Pudina Thogayal 

Paruppu thogayal (Lentils - Only chutney) 

Karivepalai Thogayal (Curry leaves chutney)

For Chutneys served wit Idli/Dosa/Pongal/Upma, we have (in alphabetical order) :

Apple Chutney

Beetroot Chutney

Carrot and Pumpkin Chutney

Chettinad style Khara Chutney 

Chow Chow Chutney (Chayote Squash Chutney)

Coriander Coconut Chutney

Green Chutney for Chaats

Kollu Chutney (Horsegram chutney)

Mangai Kothamalli chutney (raw mango Coriander chutney)

Mooli Chutney / Mullangi Chutney (radish chutney) without coconut

Nellikai chutney (alma chutney)

Palll Perugu Chutney (Andhra style peanut + buttermilk chutney)

Palli Allam Chutney (ginger peanut Chutney)

Rajapalyam buttermilk chutney

Sowcarpet Green Chutney

Tangy Coriander / Dhaniya Chutney

Ragi Thinai Dosa | NO RICE DOSA | Diabetic friendly Foxtail millet Ragi Dosa | Gluten Free, Vegan Dosa

Ragi Thinai Dosa is a Rice - Free , gluten Free, Vegan Dosa . This is a diabetic friendly dosa / crepe that is made often at home. Introducing Ragi (finger millet / nachni) to kids at an young age is imperative for the calcium content it boasts of, and dosas are the easiest way to sneak this in right ? 

I have GF and vegan Ragi Choco chip pancake which my younger one loves for her Sunday breakfast and also instant Cucumber Dosa (which is my preferred dosa any day). Other Ragi based Recipes include Mini Stuffed Ragi Masala Dosa.

If you are just venturing into millets, do check out various ways to use millets from One Pot Meals  to Dosa, Idli  Upma , Pongal to Millet Cakes

This is a similar pancake /dosa which doesn’t require too much prep time.except for soaking the millets and grinding them. The dark colour of the dosas could be a little getting used to. But once you like the taste, it is totally yum. I have used Whole Ragi (whole millet) to make this. Served here is Chettinad style Khara Chutney which is the perfect foil to this dosa. 

I have about 20+ varieties of Dosa on the blog, and Priya asked us to make any kid of Dosa for this week’s edition of #DosaDen at FMBH. I am particularly in love with her Broccoli Masala Dosa - a delicious twist to the popular masala dosa. Let’s get to see how to make this delicious dosa.

Prep time - 15 mins, Soaking time - 6 to 8 hours ;  

Grinding time - 30 mins , Fermentation time - 10 to 12 hours

Makes ~ 15 to 20 Dosa

1 cup = 200 ml

PIN FOR LATER

You need:

Whole ragi / nachni grains - 1 cup  

Thinai / Foxtail millet - 1 cup

Urad dal - 3/4 cup

Methi seeds / fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Red poha / brown poha - 2 TBSP (optional but recommended)

Oil - to make the dosa.

How to:

• Wash the ragi well. Soak the ragi and the foxtail millet in separate containers for 6 hours. Soak urad dal with the poha and methi seeds separately for 4 hours.  
• Grind the Urad dal + methi + poha mixture well into a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl. 
• Grind the ragi and foxtail millet separately into slightly coarse batters. 
• Mix all 3 batters and mix well with your hand or a whisk thoroughly. Add salt and mix again, ensuring the batters are well mixed in. Cover the container and ferment overnight. 
• Next morning, mix the fermented batter again. Add 1-2 tsp of water if its too thick (I didn’t add). Adjust consistency to a pouring dosa batter texture. 
• Grease a cast iron tava (skillet) well. pour a ladle full of batter and spread to a dosa (don’t make it too thin or thick). Drizzle little oil around the sides. Let it cook golden. Flip and cook for 10 more seconds. 
• Serve hot with any chutney. We had with Chettinad style Khara Chutney  

No Fry Bonda Soup Recipe | No onion no garlic | How to make Bonda Soup | Video Recipes

Bonda is a lentil or a vegetable dumpling that's usually deep fried and eaten as is with chutney or sauce. This is a soup made with a no-fry bonda - a delicious appetiser that's made with everyday pantry essentials . Completely GlutenFree and Vegan, this makes for the perfect dish during parties / potlucks, and the bondas are no fry , which means they can be made ahead of time too! Try this and let me know how you liked it.

Bonda Soup like Rasam vada is a fried (or in this case non-fried) lentil snack soaked in a delicious broth.

Let's get to see how this is made.

Karnataka special Bonda Soup - GF, Vegan and No onion no garlic recipe

PIN FOR LATER

Sending this to Srivalli's Kid's Delight event, guest hosted by me (Kalyani) themed on "Monsoon Treats".

Prep time - 15 mins, Soaking + grinding time - 6 hours, Serves -  6

1 cup = 200 ml

What you need:

To soak for 4 hours and grind to a smooth paste and add the following spices:

Moong dal / split green gram - 1/2 cup 
Channa Dal / bengal gram - 1/2 cup
Toor dal / split pigeon pea - 2 TBSP
Brown Rice - 3 TBSP

Spices:
Jeera/cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
crushed ginger - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro leaves - finely minced – 1 TBSP
Crushed whole black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Cooking soda - 1/4 tsp (just before making the bonda)

********
To make the soup base:
Oil - 2 TBSP
*Cooked* toor dal - 150 grams
Tomatoes - 2 ripe (medium) or 1 large
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 2 small
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Spice powders:
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp (adjust spice)
Dhaniya powder / coriander pwdr - 1 tsp
Menthyada Hittu spice powder / Methkoot powder - 3 TBSP 

*******
Garnish:
Coriander leaves - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - optional

Method:
Check the Video recipe embedded below and let us know how you liked it. Be sure to click like and subscribe (dont forget to click on the bell icon for all video notifications from our channel)