Akki Rotti (Rice Flour pancake) - Step by Step recipe

Akki Rotti (Kannada: Akki= rice , rotti = pancake) OR Rice Flour pancakes is a staple of Karnataka Cuisine. A favourite in our house, mom's version of these savoury pancakes is eagerly awaited by all in the family and the rotis vanish in a jiffy ! I remember my paati (grandmom) setting aside some dough from the huge mass blended for this, so she and mom could have some left after all the family members had their fill !

The acceptance of Akki Rotti as a breakfast item for "S" took quite a while, his roots coming from Tamilnadu. However, now both he and my daughter ask for it, often for dinner when Rasam, sambhar and their ilk have been discarded due to monotony. I add as many veggies as I can to this, to sneak them to the little one. But I can bet any money (as much as I can lay my hands on) that my mom's version is out of this world ! Well, am trying and so far it hasnt failed me :-) You may even make the dough the previous night and store them in airtight containers to ease your efforts for the morrow's snack box / breakfast for kids and family ! In fact, the same process is also followed for Ragi Rotti (finger millet pancake)

Preparation time: 20 mins. Cooking time : 10-15 mins. Makes : approx 8.

Ingredients

• Rice Flour - 2 1/2 cups
• Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup (opt.)
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Jaggery - 1/2 lemon sized OR 3 tsp grated
• Onions Chopped - 1 1/2 cups
• Salt - to taste
• Water for kneading
• Oil - to roast
• Chopped green chillies - 3 nos (or 1 tsp chilli powder)
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Optional veggies you may add (1 or all of them)

• Grated cabbage
• Grated carrots
• Shredded capsicum

Method:

1) In a large plate, add the flour, salt, onions, asafoetida, cumin, coconut and mix well.
2) Now add chillies and jaggery and very slowly add 1/2 - 1 tbsp water at a time to get a firm dough that is pliable to be flattened out (See pic)
3) If you are adding the optional veggies, adjust seasonings accordingly and then start adding water to make a thick chapati like dough.
4) Cover and keep for 5 - 7 mins (or refrigerate if using this the next morning)
5) Make equal portions of this dough (refer pic)
6) Grease a plastic sheet and spread out one portion of this dough using your hands.
7) Once spread to abt 4 inch dia circle, flip the pancake onto your hand and quickly put into the hot tava (Alt: you may also take a larger mass of this dough and spread it on the tava directly).
8) Drizzle oil and roast on both sides on med-high flame till roasted golden specks appear.
9) Serve hot with curd, Nellikaayi gojju (Gooseberry curry) or just jaggery.

Soya Veg Pulav

 

Mushrooms, Soya, Olive Oil entered Indian cuisine as a health / social fad, as much as making Manchurian at home was fashionable. Promoted heavily by health-proponents, Soya in various forms(flour/chunks/shreds) made its way into my kitchen not so long ago. It looked vegetarian (which my kitchen is), but tasted quite 'differently' for my brahminical upbringing.  However, Google and its many cousins helped me find ways to use this cholestrol-reducing ingredient in my everyday cuisine. And one that has hit off very well with mine and S's eating preferences is Soya Veg Pulav. A powerhouse of goodness, this dish packs in the protein requirement for the day with the mint-coriander masala lending a wonderful flavour. Its a wonderful option for kids' lunchboxes too :)

I have tweaked many versions till satisfied and present here one that I was most happy with.

Preparation Time: 20 mins. Cooking Time: 15 mins. Serves : 3

• Basmati (or any long grained rice) : 2 cups (120 ml)
• Soya Chunks : 1/4 cup
• Chopped veggies (lengthwise): Carrots, French Beans, Potatoes
• Onions sliced - 2 nos (medium)
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
• Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
• Green Chillies - 2 nos
• Hot water - 4 cups
• Salt - to taste
• cinnamon - 1/2 inch
• Cardamom/ Elaichi - 1 no.
• Clove / Laung - 1 no.
• Bay leaf / patta - 2 nos.
• Oil - 3 tbsp

Method:

1) Wash and soak rice for 10 mins. Drain.
2) Soak the soya chunks in 1/2 cup hot water for 10 mins. Drain, squeeze out water and chop the chunks roughly
3) Make a paste of mint leaves, ginger garlic paste, coriander leaves.
4) In a cooker, add oil. Fry cinnamon, clove, bay leaf till slightly brown.
5) Add the above masala , onions and soya chunks and fry well till the masala is cooked.
6) Now add the veggies and rice and fry for 2 more minutes.
7) Add salt and pour the remaining hot water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
8) Serve hot with Raita and papad.

Note: If using electric cooker, reduce water by 1/4 cup.

                            

Thalipeeth

For all these years that I have been in Mumbai, the food of the region has not really overtaken my palate - save for the odd Vada Pav or Dabeli  that we snack infrequently. But Thalipeeth (peeth = flour) : a mutli grain savoury pancake is quite popular in Maharashtra, and my personal favourite too . In fact, while on sojourns out of Mumbai, its a staple at most "Bhakar Kendras" (eateries) and tastes heavenly eaten with ghee or chilled curd. 

The dough (flour) itself is a mixture made from roasted Bengal gram, Black gram, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, wheat. Like with most traditional dishes, this too has several versions - each emancipated from the region the 'cook' hails from. I learnt how to make this from my domestic help, and added a few variations of my own to make it more healthy ! This is eaten as a main course in Maharashtrian cuisine as well as breakfast.

Sending this event to PJ's "Flavours of Maharashtra" and also linking to Naina's event page

Preparation time: 20 mins , Cooking time : 10 mins. Makes : 6 nos.

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour - 2 cups
• Gram flour  - 1/4 cup
• Soji / Rava  - 1 tbsp.
• Ajwain / carrom seeds - 1/8 tsp
• Chopped methi leaves - 1/2 cup (Optional)
• Chopped Onions - 1 cup (Optional)
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Water for kneading
• Green chillies - 2 finely chopped (Optional)
• Oil

Method:

1) In a skillet, dry roast gram flour and soji separately. Cool
2) Add the above to the wheat flour. Add salt, turmeric, masala powders, ajwain seeds, green chillies, methi leaves, onions.
3) Knead up the above mixture without adding any water first - the salt and onions will release water. In case you find the mixture too dry, add water little by little and knead into a not-too-stiff dough. Add oil (1 - 2 tbsp) to coat the dough and ensure its not too sticky.
4) Make 6 equal portions of the dough and cover for 5 - 6 mins.
5) On the rolling board, spread a slightly wet handkerchief (or very thin kitchen towel) and take each portion of the dough and spread with your fingers till about 4 - 5 inch in diameter.
6) Overturn the kitchen towel over the hot tawa, and make 2 - 3 holes on the roti to ensure quicker and even cooking.
7) Drizzle oil (about 1 tsp) into the holes as well as the outer periphery. Cook on medium heat.
8) Once roasted brown (about 2 mins), flip and cook on the other side.
9) Serve hot with ghee or curd or even mango pickle

Tips
1) Use as minimal water for the dough as possible.
2) Patting the dough flat on the cloth is optional, you can do it directly on the tava. But the wet kitchen towel (preferably muslin cloth) gives great results.
                             

Award !

Thrilled to announce a "special  award of Excellence " for my blog from the "B for Breakfast" event by Charitha !

Happy to display my award ! Thanks Charitha :-)




                         

Instant Mango Pickle

Pickles and Summer. A veritable combination ! From the days of grandmom and mom making an year's supply of pickles to buying commercially made ones (with the ma-ke haath ka-khana stamp), pickles are one accompaniment that can never go wrong .


With dal rice, parathas, curd rice, dosas etc, today's Instant Mango Pickle is easy on the palate and preparation too !  I have used the kairi (raw mango) called Totapuri / Gini moothi (meaning raw mango shaped like a parrot's beak) for this pickle. I remember my school days where we drooled over slivers of quasi-ripened Totapuri mango served with a dash of red pepper bought at a vendor during lunch break or after school hours!! slurp !! :)


This pickle can be made with other varieties of raw mango too, but this one is the best, and can be served immediately too :-)

Update: Sending this to Valli's Condiment Mela

Preparation Time: 20 mins, Cooking time : nil

Makes : approx 100 gm of pickle

Keeps (with refrigeration) for a week or 10 days

Ingredients:

• Raw mango -1 no
• Salt - 2 tbsp
• Red chilli Powder - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
• Dry methi / fenugreek seeds - 1 tsbp
• Dry red chillies - 3 (Kashmiri variety)
• Lemon juice - from 1 lemon
• Gingelly oil - 2 tbsp
• Asafoetida - 3/4 tsp
• Turmeric - 1.5 tsp

Method:


1) Wash, wipe the mango free of dust and water. Dice into very thin pieces (refer pic)
2) In a dry bowl, add the mango slivers, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and mix
3) In a skillet, dry roast methi seeds and mustard seeds (1 tbsp) separately and transfer to a spice grinder.
4) Heat about 1/2 tsp of oil, and fry the red chillies till slightly roasted.
5) Grind the chillies, asafoetida, methi and mustard seeds into a fine powder.
6) Transfer this powder to the mango mixture. Stir well with a dry spoon.
7) Heat the remaining oil, splutter the mustard seeds (1 tbsp) and cool this tempering.
8) Pour the cooled tempering into the mango pickle mixture and add the lemon juice now and mix well.
9) Serve immediately !


Tips:


1) The salt and spice proportions are for one mango. In case you are working with more, adjust spice accordingly, and based on your family's habits too.
2) You may add extra lemon juice if the mango is not tarty enough.
3) Once served, store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator. Please avoid plastic / tupperware containers for pickles !
4) You may also make the masala powder in advance and use it for pickles like mixed vegetables or even lime pickle. Do adjust the proportions accordingly.


                              

Healthy Tomato Soup !

My daughter loves Soup, esp home-made Tomato Soup. My mom introduced it to her while she was a year and a half, and she caught up on this pretty well. Soups with croutons, soup with bread sticks, with garlic bread , with steamed veggie batons - anything goes in, as long as its soup, and more importantly if its Tomato Soup , almost like Henry Ford's declaration "any colour for a car is ok, as long as its black!" :-)

This soup is a permanent fixture in my weekend menu, which is more of continental and convenient food, yet healthy ! I try every method to make it more healthy and hearty, so I can see the smile on my kid's face as she literally slurps her way through :-)

So, presenting Healthy Tomato Soup. Its different from the normal commercial/other soups in that it contains a whole lot of veggies (yes, apart from the tomatoes), has no butter or commercial additive, including the dreaded MSG !

Update : Sending this to Sanyukta's Cooking with Whole Foods Event - Tomato originally started by Kiran (Kiran's Announcement Page)

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time : 10 mins
Serves : 2 kids!

Ingredients:

• Bright red tomatoes - 4
• Carrots diced - 25 gms
• French beans diced - 50 gms
• Cauliflower - 50 gms
• Potato - 1 no (peeled and cubed)
• Capsicum chopped- 1/8 (optional)
• Ghee - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Powder  - 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Milk /cream - 1/2 tsp

To serve with : French bread / Toast / Soup Sticks / croutons

Method:

1) Blanch the tomatoes
2) Boil all the vegetables in a colander till soft and retain the stock (You may pressure cook for two whistles too)
3) Blend the tomatoes and veggies with a cup of water (or stock) into a thick soup.
4) Strain ensuring only the tomato seeds are filtered out and you retain all the veg fibres.
5) In a deep bottomed pan, add ghee, fry capsicum, add the above veg puree, turmeric, masala powders and salt. Adjust water or stock as necessary.
6) Once it comes to a boil, take off the heat and add a dollop of cream or a tbsp of cold milk.
7) Serve with toasted bread / soup sticks !

Tips:
1) You may make the vegetable stock the previous day (from any vegetables) and use it to only puree this veggies.
2) Use left over soup as a base for pav bhaji / wet curry the next day :-) adjust seasoning accordingly.
                                

Choco Oatmeal Cookies

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies ! A treat that eluded me so long ! Everytime I read my little one stories about cookies, I wondered when I would bake one :-) Madhuram's wonderful vegan recipe seemed just right , and voila I did try, with some personal tweaks ! I also reduced all proportions of the original recipe by 1/3 as I was on my debut here, and I ended up with 9 - 10 large Choco Oatmeal Cookies :) Having omitted the raisins , I added cocoa powder, roasted sesame seeds to the original recipe, and the texture changed tremendously :)


Preparation time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 12 - 15 mins


Ingredients:

• Oats (Quick rolled) - 1 cup ( I used Quakers)
• Maida / All Purpose Flour - 1/4 cup
• Powdered Sugar - 1/3 cup
• Butter / margarine - 1/4 cup
• Flax seed powder - 1/3 tsp
• Baking Soda- 1/4 tsp
• Salt - 1/4 tsp
• Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cocoa Powder - 2 tsp
• Roasted sesame seeds - 2 tbsp
• Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tsp
• Water - about 4 tbsp (a little more or less)

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F.
2) Grease the tray and line with the baking sheets.
3) Sieve the flour with soda, salt, cinnamon powder, cocoa powder.
4) In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
5) In a blender, foam the flax seed powder with a little water till well blended.
6) To the sugar and butter mixture, add the essence and flax seeds solution.
7) To this, add half of the sesame seeds and mix well.
8) Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold well.
9) Now add the Oats and the result will be a thick gooey mixture
10) Spoon a tablespoonfull of this Oats mixture onto the greased sheet into roundels abt 1/2 inch apart
11) Flatten the roundels into cookies 1/2 inch thick with your hand and sprinkle the rest of the sesame seeds on them now.
12) Bake for 12 - 14 mins till they are soft at 175 deg.
13) Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a further 4 - 8 mins.
14) Cool on a wire rack and serve

Tips:


1) You may use Brown sugar instead of white.
2) Add walnuts for that extra crunch or even some choco chips !

update: Re-posting this for Vardhini's Bake Fest # 1 

Carrot Kosambari

Kosambari (Kannada)/Koshimir (Marathi)/Kosumalli (Tamil) is the 'salad' equivalent, well, in the South of Vindhyas. Served in soaked-dal-and-tempered or mixed-raw-veggies version, this dish is a also a stand alone option for a quick lunch/brunch fix, if one is indisposed or lazy to cook on a particular day. Bursting with vitamins and the goodness of freshly grated veggies, the Carrot Kosimbiri I made today had grated raddish too - great for the heart, a dash of lime and coconut and was super quick to make and healthy too.

Contrary to popular fads enveloping us today, a little bit of coconut is good as this link shows (What a pity , with things like these and Ayurveda /yoga / herbal products, any homegrown product gets more weightage when validated from the West !!)

Preparation time: 10 mins, Cooking time: Nil
Serves : 2

To make Carrot Kosimbiri, you need:

• Grated Carrot- 2 cups
• Grated Raddish - 1/2 cup (optional)
• Fresh / frozen coconut -1 tbsp
• Salt and lime juice - to taste
• Coriander for garnish

Tempering

• oil - 1/4 tsp
• mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Red / Green chillies - 2
• Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch

Method:

1. Mix the grated carrot and raddish(if using) in a large bowl. Adjust salt & lime juice to taste
2. Prepare the tempering by heating oil in a skillet, splutter mustard, hing and chillies and add to the mixture above
3. Add fresh / frozen coconut and coriander for garnish.
4. Mix and serve

Tips:

1) You may make this with whole moong sprouts for a completely health food option.
2) Traditionally, Koshmibir is also made with soaking moong dal (for an hour) and adding it to veggies like finely diced cucumber, carrot etc or just tempering it without veggies too. Remember to add the salt just before serving.

Beetroot Cutlet | Vegan and GF snack

Cutlets are one clever way moms disguise veggies that kids loath / don't look forward to. I thought I didn't have to do this with my daughter, but with the "Lays Chips" and "Kurkure" commercials hugging the television and making their appearance in kids' lunch boxes too, this exercise was seeming mandatory, and soon enough moved to the critical  stage when veggies came back untouched in the school lunch box :)

Beetroot was one veggie that's not a popular choice even with adults due to the stain it leaves on the plate / utensil while cooking. However, its a veggie filled with nutrition as detailed in my earlier post - Beetroot poriyal. Today, I made Beetroot Cutlets with this vegetable as the main ingredient. I restrained from adding green chillies in any form and also used powdered "soup sticks / bread sticks" instead of bread crumbs, and the texture was quite different. This can be either a lunch box item or an evening snack too with Tomato Sauce  and / or "imli/tamarind chutney".

Update: Am sending this to Soumya's Toddler Breakfast Ideas & Sarah's Think Pink event (with a link to official Monthly Mingle page)

Preparation time : 20 mins. Cooking time : 20 mins

Makes : 6 cutlets

Ingredients:

• Beetroot - 1/2 (large)
• Potato - 2 medium sized
• Carrot - chopped -1/4 cup
• Beans chopped - 1/4 cup
• Peas - 1/4 cup
• Cornflour - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Amchur / dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Jeera (Cumin) powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander - chopped.
• Bread crumbs / Soup sticks crumble- 5 tbsp (skip for GF, and use Arrowroot instead)
• Oil - 4 tbsp (to shallow fry)

Method:

1) Boil the veggies in a pressure cooker. Drain under running water
2) Mash the veggies well, add all the masala powders, salt, turmeric and coriander and mix well.
3) Make small roundels of this mixture and pat into patties in your palm.
4) Roll these roundels in bread crumbs / Soup sticks crumble and shallow fry with oil
5) Serve hot with coriander chutney / Tomato sauce / Khatta-meetha (tamarind-date) chutney

                                  

Paddu / Kuzhi Paniyaaram / Gundu Ponglu

Paddu (Kannada) / Kuzhu Paniyaaram (Tamil) / Gundu Ponglu (Telugu) is one quick snack /breakfast item that we make infrequently. Its a South Indian Dish that is made with this appliance. The batter for this dish is made exclusively for Paddu, but I use the Idli batter itself, and it turns out just superb ! 

These crusty golden roundels are a treat to make and eat, and is a quick snack for kids and guests too and goes well with the fiery  Onion-Tomato Khara Chutney. I have given the recipe for both the dishes - Paddu and Chutney here.

Update:  My little one calls this "Crunchy Spicy / Special Idli" and loves this as an after-school snack. When my elder one was younger, she used to like it too, but now gives this a certain miss! 
How much has changed since I first wrote this post in 2011 and now updating it for Foodies_Redoing Old Post Challenge as we take a look at our old posts and update it with new pics, new recipe cards and the link

Preparation Time: 10 mins, Cooking time : 20 mins
Makes 24 servings.

Ingredients:

(A) For Paddu / Kuzhi Paniyaaram:                                       

• Idli Batter - 2 cups ** (UPDATE : If using Dosa batter, add 1-2 TBSP warmly roasted Idli Rawa to the dosa batter)
• Ginger grated - 1 tbsp
• Chopped Onions - 2 TBSP
• Grated Carrots - 1 TBSP (added this to lower the spice of the ginger and chillies for the little one)
• Green Chillies chopped- 2 finely
• Jeera/ Cumin - 1 tsp
• Chopped green coriander - 2 tbsp

Optional additions to batter:
Chopped onions / grated carrots / Finely minced veggies

(B) For Onion-Tomato Khara Chutney:

• Onion - 2 - sliced
• Tomatoes - 2 - quartered
• Tamarind - 1/2 lemon sized
• Red chillies (Kashmiri variety) - 2 nos
• Green chillies - 1 or 2
• Jaggery - same quantity as tamarind
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

PIN FOR LATER

Method:

For Paddu:

1) Mix ingredients into the Idli batter mix well and check for salt /seasonings
2) Spoon into the greased moulds till 3/4 full.
3) Cover and cook till golden brown on a slow flame.
4) Flip slowly with a flat teaspoon and cook on the other side.
5) Serve hot with Tomato-Onion Chutney

For Tomato-Onion Khara Chutney:
1) In a pan, heat oil and saute Onions, Tomatoes till soft. Transfer to a plate & cool
2) In the same hot pan, add tamarind, turmeric, hing, red and green chillies. Saute
3) Grind these items in Steps 1 and 2 above with salt and little water till you get a thick chutney (salsa consistency)
4) This chutney can be served as it is or tempered too and goes well with Paddu, Dosa,Idli or even Akki or Ragi Rotti (rottis made of Rice / Ragi flour)

Tips:
1) If you are making this combo for kids, avoid chillies altogether. The ginger will provide enough punch.
2) Paddu is made sometimes with chopped onions. However I use it based on who I am serving it to. My little one and hubby love it with onions and mom doesn't. SO you can always add based on your choice.
3) In case you run short of this batter with unexpected guests, add 3 tbsp of dry roasted semolina / rava to increase the volume and adjust seasonings accordingly.
4) This Khara chutney can also be used as an Indian dip with raw veggie batons as a starter (I did and it was an instant hit !)                                   

                                         

                                  

Badam Halwa (Almond Halwa)

Sometimes, all of us have this lets-make-this-never-before-tried-dish days ! Today was one of them, and me and M-I-L were discussing Badam Halwa. As she rattled off the recipe / ingredients, I quickly promised myself that I would make it, in fact for the first time at home, today ! It had been ages since I wanted to try it, and somehow it just clicked ! This is a super delicious and quick recipe, and thanks to my M-I-L for this !

Preparation Time: 10 mins (excluding Soaking time)

Cooking time : 15 - 20 min

Makes : ~ 20 pieces (Yes, Badam Halwa can be cut into individual servings!)

Ingredients:

·               1 cup badam / almonds

·               1 cup Powdered Sugar

·               1/4 cup Ghee (or less)

·               Saffron (soaked in milk)

·               Elaichi powder – ½ tsp

·               Almond slivers – for garnish

 

Method:

1)     Soak the almonds in slightly hot water for 4 – 5 hours.

2)     Peel them and grind them along with saffron soaked in milk & elaichi powder. If required, add extra 1 – 2 tsp of milk for grinding.

3)     In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of ghee. Add the almond paste and the powdered sugar and keep stirring on medium heat till it starts to leave the pan.

4)     Add the remaining ghee once it starts leaving oil and becomes semi dry and coarse around the edges. Stir well

5)     Transfer to a greased plate.

6)     Cool and sprinkle almond slivers. Mark the pieces with a greased knife.

7)     Cut and serve.

Tips:

• Quantity of powdered sugar is the same amount of ground almond paste, not the raw almonds.
• To get 'barfi' like hardened squares, increase sugar by another 1/8 cup and also add 1/4 cup more ghee and heat for extra 5 - 10 minutes.

Wikipedia tells me :" The word "almond" comes from Old French almande or alemande. While the almond is often eaten on its own, raw or toasted, it is also a component of various dishes. Almonds are available in many forms, such as whole, sliced (flaked, slivered), and as almond butter, almond milk and almond oil. These variations can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Almonds are also a rich source of Vitamin E containing 24mg per 100 gm"