Breakfast Eats - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Bombay Sandwich Recipe

Posted on June 2, 2018 by vinaya

One of my all time favourite is the Bombay Sandwich replete with a variety of vegetables and slathered with a generous amount of Amul Butter and All purpose Chutney the recipe link to which is posted below. I have toasted the bread slightly as I like my sandwich a little crisp.

Ingredients :

1 loaf bread
3 potatoes
2 Beetroot
3 tomatoes
1 cucumber
2 onions
Amul butter
All purpose chutney
Everest Chat Masala

Method :

Pressure cook potatoes and Beetroot. Peel and slice them thinly. Slice the tomatoes, cucumber and onion too. Apply butter on two slices of bread followed by the All purpose Chutney. Arrange a layer of cucumber on one of the slices of bread, followed by a layer of tomato, potato, Beetroot and onion. Sprinkle chaat masala, and cover it with the other slice. Press down firmly and cut into desired shape. Serve with tomato ketchup.

All purpose Chutney, Recipe

Flattened Rice and Chickpea delicacy Recipe

Posted on May 29, 2018September 17, 2018 by vinaya

Anybody travelling to Mangalore in India cannot miss out on this authentic delicacy of Poha/ flattened rice served with Chana/ chickpeas and Sev. Also known as Poha Chutney and Chana Upkari by the locals, it is served garnished with Sev. The link to the recipes to both Sev and Sambhar powder are given below.

Poha Chutney :

Ingredients :

1/2 a coconut grated
2 tsps Sambhar powder
Salt
6 tsps sugar or jaggery as per preference
1/4 tsp tamarind paste.
2 tsps oil
1 tsp mustard
4 sprigs curry leaves
Poha /Flattened Rice as per requirement

Method :
Add the Sambhar powder, salt, sugar and tamarind paste to the grated coconut. Mix well. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard. After it splutters add the curry leaves. Toss and tip it into the coconut masala. Sprinkle a little water to keep it a little moist. Keep aside.
Take three tbsps of the Masala and add two fistfuls of the Poha as to keep it soft yet firm. Mix thoroughly. You can add more masala as per requirement.

Note: Mix together the Poha and the Masala only as much as is required as it has to be served immediately. The Poha turns soggy if allowed to stand for a long time.

Chana upkari :

Ingredients :

250 gms Chana/Chickpeas
6 green chillies
1 dry red chilly
Salt
3 sprigs curry leaves
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp Hing/asafoetida
4 tbsps grated coconut

Method :
Soak the chickpeas for 8 hours. Pressure cook them with salt. Chop the green chillies and the dry red chilly. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard and after it splutters add the green chillies, red chilly, curry leaves and hing. Toss. Drop in the cooked chickpeas. Boil well till all the water is evaporated. Garnish with grated coconut.

To serve:
Serve the poha, chana upkari and sev together. It can also be piled one on top of another and served.

Sev Recipe

Sambar Powder Recipe

Crisp Dosa/Crepe Recipe

Posted on May 28, 2018 by vinaya

You will fall in love with this Crisp Dosa which can be served with potato Bhaji, chutney, Sambhar or even with either of them. I like to eat mine as is, as the fragrance of ghee used for roasting the dosa makes it very flavourful.

Ingredients :

200 gms Urad Dal/Black gram dal
50 gms Arhar dal/ split Pigeon peas
500 gms Rice
1 tbsp Methi/Fenugreek
Salt
Ghee/clarified butter for roasting.

Method :

Wash and soak the Urad dal, Arhar dal, Rice and Methi for four hours. Grind to a smooth batter non stop in the wet grinder adding a little water at a time for half an hour. The batter should be of pouring consistency. Neither too thick nor runny. Tip it into a vessel. Add salt, mix well and allow to ferment for 10-12 hours. Mix the batter thoroughly before you start making the Dosa. Heat a tava/griddle. Pour a ladleful of batter and spread it in concentric circles till the batter, covers the entire griddle. Drizzle with a tsp of ghee. Roast the dosa to a rich golden brown. Flip. Roast on the other side too. Serve hot with chutney and Sambhar, the recipes of which can be found on this website.

Potato Bhaji

Ingredients :

6 potatoes
4 onions
7 green chillies
1 inch piece ginger
2 tomatoes
2 tbsps Coriander leaves 5 tbsps oil.
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
A pinch of turmeric.
Salt.

Method :
Pressure cook the potatoes, deskin and chop them. Slice the onions. Grate the ginger. Slit the green chillies. Chop the tomatoes and coriander leaves fine. Keep aside.
Heat oil. Add jeera and after it splutters add the onions, ginger and green chillies together. Roast with salt till transparent. Add a pinch of turmeric and then the tomatoes and roast for 3-4 mnts. Add the potatoes, and add about 1/4 glass of water to cook the mixture. Once the Bhaji is semi dry switch off. Garnish wd coriander leaves.

Coconut Chutney Recipe – 2

Mixed Vegetable Sambar Recipe

Note: If using the blender or mixer to grind the batter, decrease the proportion of rice to 250gms as the batter ground in the mixer does not increase in volume as when ground in the wet grinder.

Upma with Bell Peppers Recipe

Posted on May 8, 2018May 8, 2018 by vinaya

Upma is an easy, quick to make dish. A saviour when there are unexpected guests. One can make a variety of them, and each of them taste delicious because of the fragrance of the vegetables and the seasonings added. I have added three varieties of Bell peppers along with finely chopped coriander leaves. Today is the fourth variety of Upma that I have posted in this website.

Ingredients :

250 gms Rava/semolina
600 ml boiling water
6 green chillies
1 tsp Hing/asafoetida
3 sprigs curry leaves
1/4 each of Green, Red and Yellow Bell peppers
Coriander leaves
3 tbsps ghee/clarified butter
5 tbsps oil
1 heaped tsp mustard
1 heaped tsp urad dal/ black gram dal
Salt
Juice of one lemon

Method :

Chop the Bell peppers, green chillies and the coriander leaves fine. Place the pot of water to boil. Heat the ghee and oil mixture. Drop in the mustard and after it splutters add the urad dal. After it turns golden brown drop in the hing, chillies and curry leaves. Toss. Add the Rava and roast on a gentle flame for about three to four minutes. Add salt, the chopped bell peppers, half of the chopped coriander leaves and the lemon juice. Immediately pour in the boiling water and mix well. Cover and cook till done. Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves and serve hot.

Little millet and Sago Pearl Dosa /Crepe Recipe

Posted on March 20, 2018March 20, 2018 by vinaya

Millets have been a staple in rural India from times immemorial, though the urban crowd has realised its benefits of late. They are a healthy option to eating rice or other carb rich food. This little millet and sago dosa is a crisp and crunchy one which can be enjoyed with fresh home made butter or with a coconut chutney. A special thanks to my sister in law Roopa Prabhu for her recipe.

Ingredients :

500 gms Little millet/Varai/Samai
250 gms Sago Pearls/Sabudana
15 Green chillies
2 inch piece of ginger
1tbsp of Asafoetida /Hing
5 sprigs of curry leaves
1tbsp Cumin seeds /jeera
A small bunch of coriander leaves
Salt
Oil to roast the dosa

Method :

Soak the little millets and Sago for four hours. Grind to a smooth batter. Make a coarse paste of the green chillies and ginger. Chop the curry and coriander leaves fine. Tip in the ginger chilly paste, the chopped leaves, jeera, hing and salt into the batter. Add enough water to get a batter of free flowing consistency. It should be neither too thick nor runny. Keep it aside for an hour for the flavours to infuse. Heat a tava/skillet. Drizzle oil. Pour a ladleful of the batter and swish the Tava to spread the dosa. Do not use the ladle to spread. Drizzle with oil. Roast to a golden yellow. Flip and roast on the other side too. Serve hot with chutney.

Black, Green and Bengal Gram Dosa/Crepe Recipe

Posted on March 13, 2018 by vinaya

A healthy, protein rich option to the dosa is this Black, Green and Bengal Gram Dosa. No fermentation process involved, though it needs to be soaked for a good 5-6 hours to facilitate grinding. It can be enjoyed with home made butter as it is spiced up with Green chillies and ginger. I love mine with chutney which has not been seasoned or with pickle.

Ingredients :

200 gms Urad dal/black gram dal
250 gms Moong dal/Green gram dal
250 gms Chana dal/Bengal Gram Dal
18 green chillies
3 inch piece of ginger
A Kidney bean sized piece of hing/asafoetida
9 sprigs curry leaves
Salt
Oil or ghee/clarified butter for roasting the dosa.

Method :

Wash and soak the dals for 5-6 hours. Grind them non stop for half an hour in the wet grinder to a smooth batter with water just enough to give you a pouring consistency. Crush green chillies, hing and ginger coarsely and, add to the batter. Chop curry leaves fine. Tip them into the batter along with salt. Mix thoroughly. Heat a tava/skillet. Pour a ladleful of batter and spread it thinly to cover the skillet. Drizzle with oil or ghee. Allow to roast for a couple of minutes and then flip it over. Roast the other side too, to a rich golden brown. Serve with chutney or butter. The recipe for chutney can be found under the catagory, ‘Chutneys’ of this website.

Note: the proportion of green chillies and ginger is for those using the wet grinder. If using a blender or mixer cut them down into exactly half the quantity mentioned above. The batter increases to double the volume when, ground in the wet grinder as compared to the mixer. This dosa is not fermented.

Urad vada/ Biscuit Ambado / Black gram dumplings Recipe

Posted on March 6, 2018March 6, 2018 by vinaya

Biscuit Ambado is a Mangalorean delicacy served particularly during breakfast at weddings and religious get togethers. I do gorge on them once in a while as they are simply irresistible. Since it is a deep fried preparation, the healthier option would be Appo made of the same batter in an Appam pan. It is served with a coconut chutney which is flavoured either with Asafoetida or ginger.

Ingredients :

250 gms Urad dal/Black gram dal
3 tbsps rice flour
6 green chillies
A big Chickpea sized piece of Hing /asafoetida
2 inch piece of ginger
8 sprigs of curry leaves
A small fistful of coconut slivers
1/2 tsp pepper ground extremely coarse
Salt
Oil for frying

Method :

Soak the urad dal for five hours. Drain and grind to a smooth thick batter without adding water in the wet grinder. Those of you using the mixer will need to sprinkle a little water to facilitate grinding. Tip into a bowl. Grind the ginger, green chillies and hing coarsely. Add it to the batter along with the coarsely ground pepper, slivers of coconut, salt and finely chopped curry leaves. Add the rice flour and mix thoroughly. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in tiny dumplings of the batter into the hot oil, and fry to a rich golden yellow. Remove, drain on a tissue and serve hot with coconut chutney. You can access the recipe for chutney under the catagory ‘Variety of Chutneys’ of this website.

Note: Always drop in a small dumpling of the batter to check the temperature of the oil. It should rise to the top immediately. If it doesn’t, wait for the oil to heat. Dumplings fried in underheated oil result in greasy Biscuit Ambado.

Five in one Dosa/Crepe Recipe

Posted on February 28, 2018 by vinaya

This five in one Dosa is not only a healthy and filling breakfast eat, but also delicious as well. You can add any chopped vegetables of your choice or stick to the tomato, onion and coriander option that I did. Enjoy it with green chutney and tomato ketchup.

Ingredients :

100 gms of each of these flours:
Jowar/Sorghum or new Quinoa
Bajra/Pearl millet
Oats
Besan/Chickpea
Rice
Salt
2 tsps jeera/Cumin seeds
1 level tsp hing/asafoetida
2 tomatoes
2 onions
Coriander leaves
1 tsp chilly powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt

Method :

Mix all the five flours together in a bowl. Chop onions, tomatoes and coriander leaves fine and tip them into the mixture. Add hing, jeera, salt, chilly and turmeric powder. Add enough water to make a batter which is neither too thick nor thin. Allow it to stand for about ten minutes. If you find it a little thick, add some more water and adjust the consistency. Heat a tava/skillet. Pour a ladleful of batter and drizzle with oil. Cover and cook. Flip and roast on the other side too. Serve with green chutney and tomato ketchup recipes of which can be found under the ‘Varieties of Chutneys’ of this website.

Hyacinth Beans Pan cakes/Akki Rotti

Posted on February 26, 2018 by vinaya

Akki Rotti which literally translates into Rice Roti is rice ground along with coconut and flavoured with chopped onions, green chillies and coriander leaves. Tender Hyacinth Beans too are added when in season. I have also added finely chopped mint leaves as I love the wonderful aroma that spreads when the akki rotti is being roasted.

Ingredients :

250 gms rice
1/4 of a large coconut grayed
8 green chillies
2 large onions
100 gms tender Hyacinth Beans deskinned
A small bunch of coriander leaves
5 sprigs of mint leaves
Salt
Oil for roasting (optional)

Method :

Soak the rice for about 2-3 hours. Grind the coconut fine and then add the rice. Grind it to a Semolina like consistency with enough water to make a batter which is neither too thick nor runny. If you wish to pat the rotti with your fingers, see that the batter is thick. Chop onions, coriander leaves and the mint leaves fine and drop them into the batter. Add the tender Hyacinth Beans too. Grind the green chillies coarsely and add them to the batter along with salt. Mix well. Heat a tava/ skillet. Pour a ladleful of the batter and drizzle with oil. Roast on a gentle flame. Flip and roast on the other side too. Serve with chutney of your choice.

Note: One can skip oil or any kind of fat while roasting as the coconut and onions make the akki rotti really soft.

Poori Recipe

Posted on February 16, 2018February 16, 2018 by vinaya

Poori is Indian bread which is deep fried and enjoyed with a side dish. Every state in India enjoys the Poori with the speciality of that particular state. Maharashtra is famous for it’s Poori Srikhand, Gujarat for it’s Poori Aamras, the Northern states with Aloo matar or any of their Punjabi dishes, the Southern states enjoy it with a potato Bhaji and the Konkani community of Mangalore serve it with their traditional tender cashew stir fry.

Getting the right consistency while making the dough for the Poori depends on the amount of water added. The dough has to be a little hard, as it absorbs a lot of oil if it is soft. The trick is to knead the dough well and to leave it aside for about half an hour. The end result is a fluffy poori with no trace of oil. Posting the recipe for the same today.

Ingredients :

500 gms wheat flour
250 ml water
5 tsps oil
Salt
Oil for frying the Poori.

Method :

Pour the water in a bowl. Add the salt and stir to dissolve it. Add the wheat flour and mix gently. Add the oil and knead the dough to a smooth mass. Cover and leave aside for half an hour. Knead the dough again for a couple of minutes. Make 50 balls of the dough. Dust them in wheat flour and roll out into a three inch diameter disc, which is neither thick nor thin. Heat the oil in a pan. Drop in a small piece of dough to check the temperature of oil. The dough should rise up at once. If it does not, wait a while for the oil to heat. Slide in a poori and fry to a golden brown. Flip. Fry on the other side too. Drain and place on a tissue paper. Finish off similarly with the remaining pooris. Serve with subzi or sweet of your choice.

Note: Always check the temperature of oil before starting to fry the Poori. Under heated oil results in oily, colourless pooris.