Sprouted Moong and Barley Pesarattu

Hi Friends!

As it’s said “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper”. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I look forward to make easy, filling and healthier options for the same. Body needs a good dose of balanced diet in the morning after staying without food for about 8-10 hours. I surely try to concoct various pancakes or crepes as they are filling, nutritious and less time consuming.

Pesarattu is a crepe quite similar to dosa made from green gram without using the rice, it is quite a popular dish from Andhra Pradesh. It is either made with the husked or dehusked lentil and based on the type of lentil used it has a green or yellow colour.

This time when I made this I modified it to a large extent, instead of using the lentils I used the whole green gram (sabut moong) and  sprouted them to make it a more nutritive option, to increase the protein content added split black gram flour (urad dal), to further it added the whole barley flour and to keep it crisp used rice flour too.

Sprouting the legumes increases the protein content which is very important for the growth and development of cells. Barley is a very good diuretic and aids in healthy functioning of the kidneys. So this pesarattu is full of health benefits.

Ingredients

about 4 cups of sprouted green gram

1 cup rice flour

1/2 cup barley flour

1/2 cup urad dal flour

5-6 green chilies

a handful of cilantro

1 tsp chili pwd

2 tsp cumin pwd

3 tsp coriander pwd

a tsp of cumin seeds

salt to taste

water to make the batter

Method

Make a coarse paste with sprouted moong, cumin, cilantro, ginger and green chilies.

Mix all the flours.

Add salt to taste, cumin pwd, red chili pwd, coriander pwd and add water to make a dosa like batter.

Smear some oil on a non stick pan and spread the batter in concentric circles. This is thicker than the normal dosa.

Cook it from one side till you get a golden hue and then flip and cook on the other side.

Serve it with roasted peanut and coriander chutney.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Parc Marin Vu dans la Presse

L'étude pour le parc marin du bassin d'Arcachon est lancée
premiers avis plutôt positifs
Une seconde réunion de concertation devrait avoir lieu d'ici à la fin de l'année.

Le préfet maritime, Anne-François de Saint-Salvy, le préfet de Région, Dominique Schmitt, la chargée de mission, Anne Littaye, et le sous-préfet d'Arcachon, Pascal Gauci. PHOTO B. D.
Le premier comité de concertation pour la création d'un parc naturel marin sur le bassin d'Arcachon s'est tenue le 11 juin 2010 au lycée de la mer à Gujan-Mestras.
Il était co-présidé par le préfet maritime, Anne-François de Saint-Salvy et le préfet de Région, Dominique Schmitt, en présence de la chargée de mission, Anne Littaye, nommée en février, et du directeur adjoint de l'agence des aires marines protégées, Pierre Leca, qui gère les parcs naturels marins.
Une centaine d'invitations avaient été lancées aux élus, professionnels, associations et services de l'Etat. A l'issue des discussions, il a été décidé d'accueillir un élu, Michel Sammarcelli, maire de Lège Cap Ferret et président du Siba, au sein du comité de pilotage, et de créer des ateliers thématiques.
Le préfet Schmitt estime que le parc naturel ne pourra pas être créé sans « un consensus ». Le prochain comité de concertation devrait se tenir avant la fin de l'année. La mission de préfiguration du parc marin doit délimiter le périmètre, définir les objectifs, et déterminer la composition et le mode de fonctionnel du conseil de gestion.
La procédure devrait durer deux ans, pour une création du parc naturel marin en 2012.
«La réunion était très ouverte. Nous avons senti les gens prêts à participer. Nous n'avons pas entendu d'opposition franche au projet de parc naturel marin. Nous avons entendu des objections, des inquiétudes, mais personne n'a dit : ce parc ne sert à rien » ont assuré, hier, le préfet maritime Anne-François de Saint-Salvy, et le préfet de région, Dominique Schmitt, à l'issue de la première réunion du comité de concertation du parc naturel marin du bassin d'Arcachon, au lycée de la mer de Gujan-Mestras.
« Pas d'inquiétudes »
Des critiques ont pourtant été exprimées, à l'extérieur (lire ci-dessous), mais dans l'ensemble, il est vrai, les personnes rencontrées ont plutôt évoqué une certaine satisfaction. Une centaine d'invitations avaient été lancées aux élus, professionnels, usagers du bassin, associations de protection de l'environnement et services de l'État.

« C'est une très bonne réunion. Elle s'est tenue dans une grande sérénité, tout le monde a pu poser des questions. La présentation du préfet et de la chargée de mission était d'une très bonne qualité. Des inquiétudes ont été exprimées même si je pense qu'il n'y a pas de raison de s'inquiéter. Le parc marin ne coûtera rien puisqu'il est prévu au budget de l'État », a commenté le député maire socialiste du Teich, François Deluga, qui défend depuis toujours la création d'un parc marin sur le Bassin.
« Avancée essentielle »
Le maire UMP d'Arcachon et président de la Cobas, Yves Foulon, était au départ plus hostile. Hier, il était beaucoup plus favorable : « À ma demande, le préfet a accepté d'intégrer un élu du bassin d'Arcachon au comité de pilotage. Le processus est lancé, des inquiétudes sur la gestion du parc sont levées. Les élus vont être directement associés. C'est une avancée essentielle qui permet de travailler. »
Le conseiller régional d'Europe Écologie, Michel Daverat, était lui-même « très content » de cette réunion : « Le parc marin est un outil de gouvernance nécessaire. Je suis satisfait que les réticences s'estompent. Le souhait du préfet de trouver un consensus est important. »
Jean Mazodier, pour la Ceba, a salué « l'excellent exposé et la clarté de l'État sur la gouvernance que nous partageons ».
Les associations environnementales souhaitent s'inscrire à tous les ateliers.

12 juin 2010 SUD OUEST Bernadette Dubourg

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Bread Rolls with Instant Potato Flakes

Hi.

Let me start by asking all my friends, how are you? As of for me I was getting grilled and baked in the extreme heat with temperature hitting 47C. Cooking and eating is an unavoidable affair but it’s quite torturous these days. The kitchen steams and blows me away.LOL.

I had been wanting to bake a bread but my regular readers would know my yeast fear (I call it the yeast ghost) so have been conveniently avoiding or rather postponing it. My brother’s gift to me (A Peter Reinhart book) also could not push or persuade me to attempt  one. Though I did attempt a pretzel during my initial days of blogging and it turned good but I still could not overcome my yeast fear. I guess the heat has hit me really hard that’s why I tried to overcome my fear  and attempted these rolls which I had bookmarked from Katy’s blog who herself had tried it from melskitchencafe.

Last few days there has been some respite with the temperature dropping by a few degrees because of the cloud cover and  cool morning breeze surely left me motivated because I started the entire   procedure around the afternoon, yup I am a little weirdo.

I had all the ingredients  that I required , the only  worry was the yeast, whether it was still active? I had bought it a long time back and was hidden behind my stocks, without taking any chances I first proofed the yeast and the minute I saw the froth coming up I was all set to make the rolls. I did not play around with the ingredients and strictly followed the measurements and instructions, was in no mood to fool myself, so really played safe.

At the end of the baking I was surely happy that I tried these as I just enjoyed making them as I did not find them that tricky. They had the perfect bite and were soft to eat. It is one recipe which has surely motivated me enough to work more with the yeast, I guess, should keep trying such simple recipes to win over the yeast ghost.

Ingredients
3 cups APF
1/2 cup instant potato flakes
1-1/4 cups warm water
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp EVOO
2-1/4 tsp instant yeast
1-1/4 tsp salt
some extra APF
1 egg or some milk
Method

Combine well the APF, potato flakes and salt in a bowl.

Warm the water and add the sugar and EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) to it. Add the yeast and using a whisk mix it thoroughly.

Add the water to the flour mix gradually and knead. If the dough feels sticky add in a little flour (I needed to add more) and knead for about 5-6 minutes. The final dough should be smooth, non sticky and should easily come off from the sides of the bowl.

Grease the dough and cover it with a cling film and leave it to rise for 1-1/2 hours or till it doubles in volume.

Punch the dough and divide it into 12 equal parts and shape them into balls.

Put the balls on a baking sheet and leave them for an hour to rise again.

Apply an egg wash or milk wash and bake them at 200 C for 15 mins or till golden in colour.

The rolls turned out to be perfect and as rightly mentioned toothsome. Sending this to Nupur’s BB4- What’s Lurking in The Kitchen and also to Bread Mania hosted by Chaitra at Aathidhyam.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

A Plate Filled With Health – Succulent Jackfruit & Soya Burger

Hi Friends!

Let me start with a funny incident, about a decade back I guess McDonald’s was very new in this country and visiting it was an important job and considered very happening if one is visiting the metro cities. The first time I visited McDonald’s I was at a complete loss as I did not understand how to order a decent meal at a low price. Anyhow, my cousin helped me in understanding the various options and combos (how dumbo I was) and I ordered a Veggie burger combo. Now eating a burger is an arduous task, yes I realised that the minute I had my first bite and I pushed the stuff backwards towards my palm. I must confess with great difficulty I finished eating that and my mouth and hand was completely messed up by the time I finished it.LOL. Today I laugh at myself remembering this but over the period I have learnt the art of eating a burger…

DH has been quite busy in his office these days and during his meetings they normally would invariably eat Pizza from Pizza Hut or a Burger from McDonald’s. Over a period he has developed a hatred for Mc burgers and was after me that he wants to eat homemade Indianised Burgers. Now the caring and obedient wife I am, how could I ignore his demand . Jokes apart I truly love pampering him at times and so decided to innovate a new Patty for the burger.

What Goes In a Burger

A classical burger basically comprises of a bun cut into halves, a patty which could be veg or non veg, Mayonnaise, cut vegetables. It can be served with or without cheese.

To make the burger really tasty and inviting the key ingredient that should be really good is the patty. I always tend to make a healthy and tasty patty and that’s the reason my family loves homemade burgers as the flavours are not repetitive.

As I mentioned in the Jackfruit & Red Lobia Salan that Jackfruit is available abundantly these days and I am right now on a Jackfruit spree…the real truth is I was left with some jackfruit after making the curry so wanted to use it in an innovative way . Honestly speaking I was overwhelmed with the result. The burger turned out very tasty and undoubtedly extremely nutritious and healthy to eat. Kids and S loved it and I was all collars up.

Ingredients for 8 Patties

3 cups cooked jackfruit

1 cup soya chunks soaked in water

4 boiled and peeled potatoes

8-10 garlic pods

2 inch ginger

1 large onion finely chopped

1/2 cup milk

4 tsp oil

6-7 green chilies

salt to taste

oil for shallow frying

Slices of onion and tomato

cheese slices

lettuce/cabbage leaves

Burger Buns

Mayonnaise

Spices

1-2 tsp red chili pwd

3 tbsp coriander pwd

2 tbsp cumin pwd

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsp amchoor pwd

Method

To Make The Patty

Squeeze out the excess water from the soya chunks.

In the food processor put the soya, cooked jackfruit, garlic, ginger and green chilies and blend to mix.

The jackfruit being fibrous needs a binding agent, that  role is played by the  boiled potatoes, mash them and mix. Mix the chopped onion, all spices, salt to taste, oil and milk.

Adding oil and milk in the patty dough makes it more soft and succulent (if one likes a very firm patty do avoid these).

Take a tennis ball size portion of jackfruit mix in one palm and shape it like a patty using the other hand.

Shallow fry the patty from both the sides. Take due precaution while flipping.

Assembling the Burger

Cut the burger into equal halves and lightly toast them on a griddle using oil or butter ( I used oil).

Spread mayonnaise(I used eggless, low fat) on the lower half and place the patty over it.

Place the sliced onions and tomatoes (one can use cucumber, beetroot too) over the patty.

Cut the cheese slice and place over the sliced veggies.

Now put the lettuce leaf ( I did not have that so use cabbage leaves) and finally put the other half of the burger and close it.

Warm it at 60% microwave for 30 seconds before serving.

Press it gently from the top, serve it with tomato and mustard sauce. This can be a very filling meal too.
Sending this to Bread Mania hosted by Chaitra at Aathidhyam.

and also to Sara and  Sunita’s- Think Spice Think Garam Masala.
Sending the burger to my event ‘Only’ Sandwiches, burgers & Panini, guest hosted by Savi-Ruchi.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mixed Veggies In a Very Low calorie Makhani Gravy…but no compromise on taste!!!!

Hi friends! My regular readers would know that these days I am trying to cook and post curries which are low in fat. I  am trying to make curries without compromising on the flavour but surely the calories.

As foodies we all know that a Makhani gravy as the name describes is made in butter (makkhan) and cooked in a cream. I have posted two of these variants earlier Daal Makhani and Cauliflower Butter Masala, which also happens to be a very popular recipe from my site.

In the Makhani gravy the main base is tomato flavoured with whole spices. It’s easy to work with tomato and whole spices as they do not add to the fats, the real work goes in replacing cream and the butter as they are the fattening agents and add to the overdose of calories.

One can surely use a low fat butter and a low fat cream but that reduces calories to some extent but if one wants to indulge in an extremely low calorie affair then there comes the real challenge. I have surely not used any cream or butter here, so then what did I do? I found a very interesting ingredient which provides a creamy texture and still does not add much to the calories, this does not let one miss that creamy texture added by the cream…it’s the skimmed milk powder. It just conveniently replaces the cream in the makhani and one just does not miss it!!

Ingredients

a large handful of peas (I used frozen)

2 potatoes cubed

8-10 french beans chopped

1 small cauliflower cut into small pieces

1 carrot cubed

one onion boiled and pureed

2 tbsp ginger & garlic  paste

3/4 pack of tomato puree

6-7 tbsp milk powder

whole spices (bay leaves-3, cinnamon stick-1, black cardamom-2, green cardamom-4, cloves-4)

a pinch of nutmeg

1 tbsp kasoori methi

1 tsp sugar

2-3 tsp kashmiri chili pwd

2 tbsp coriander pwd

a pinch of turmeric

a pinch of garam masala

oil for cooking about 1 tbsp+ 1 tbsp ghee

salt to taste

Method

Boil  and cook all the vegetables in water.

Heat the oil and ghee mix and add the whole spices and let them crackle.

Now add the kasoori methi and saute for few seconds without letting it burn.

Add the g-g paste and add the kashmiri chili pwd.

Put the boiled onion paste and cook for a minute, now add the tomato puree and sugar.

Add the coriander pwd, turmeric and mix. Remove from fire and add the milk powder mixed in water, this prevents curdling of the milk. Saute for a few more minutes.

Now add the veggies, salt and garam masala and cook for a few more mins. Just before removing from the fire add the nutmeg and mix.

This curry goes well with Jeera rice, Whole wheat Naan, Paratha or Roti.

Just show off with some cream on top.
Tips-

One needs to be careful using the milk powder as it curdles easily. That’s the reason salt is added at the finishing stage plus when the milk powder is added as a slurry, remove the pan from fire.

I have used the skimmed milk powder, one is free to use any.

Sending this to Sara and  Sunita’s- Think Spice Think Garam Masala.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Kakadiche Thalipeeth ..Maharashtrian Style Cucumber Pancakes

Hi Friends.

It is always challenging to make an interesting and healthy breakfast everyday. The most regular items that frequent my kitchen are Indori Kanda Poha, Avarekalu Uppittu, Upma, Shavage Upma, Ukadpendi,  Idli, Dosa…etc. Do share what all you make for breakfast.

Summer invites more cucumber into our diet as it’s a good hydrating agent and  I do keep a good stock of them in my refrigerator. I love to eat it raw with some salt, lime and red chili pwd on it, it’s simply superb. Because of the heat I have lost much interest in elaborate cooking. One of these days when I was trying to fix a decent breakfast, I suddenly realized that I have not made Thalipeeth (pancakes) in  a long time. The name thalipeeth made me further realize that I have never fed my family Cucumber Thalipeeth, which happens to be my ‘The Favorite’ one. The self realization actually shocked me and made me wonder, how was that possible, how did I ignore it for such a long time especially when they have been my personal favorites… Anyways, I did not waste a single minute after that and geared up to make these yummies.

Trust me friends these pancakes taste awesome and can make a wholesome meal too, in case one is planning a brunch. When served with curds and ghee, they make an excellent combo. The best part is that they are made with multi grains which adds to it’s health benefits. This particular pancake is also made during fasting, the recipe of which I will share later. To my delight my family just loved it and has asked to make it more frequently and to my utter surprise the fussy eater (my younger one) demanded to have some more of these again for the lunch, sadly they were over so have promised him that I will make them soon. I am sure to repeat these again but for now, let’s check the ingredients and how I made it..

Ingredients

3 cucumber grated

8-10 green chilies chopped finely

4-5 tbsp chopped cilantro

3 tbsp sesame seeds

3-4 tbsp sour yogurt

a cup of wheat flour

3-4 tbsp gram flour

a pinch of turmeric

1 tsp red chili pwd ( add only if the green chilies are not spicy)

5-6 tbsp rice flour (one can add more too)

salt to taste

oil for cooking

Method

Cut the sides of the cucumber and rub it on the cucumber to remove the latex (do not avoid this step). Peel the cucumber and grate it. Do not squeeze.

Mix in all the ingredients and make a semi solid (tooth paste like consistency) dough, normally the juice of the cucumber is sufficient to make the dough else use a little water. A semi solid dough helps in spreading the pancakes easily on the pan/ tava.

Smear oil on a non stick pan. Wet hand and take a ball of the dough and spread it thin on the pan. Traditionally it is spread on a banana leaf and then pressed on the pan, else one can use a plastic sheet or a paper cutting to make the pancakes.

Put a little oil on top and along the sides.

Let the pancake cook from one side and then flip it. It should get a golden colour (kharpoos bhajane) on either side and cooking should be done preferably on medium flame.

Serve it with ghee/ curds or both.

This taste too good to resist. The yogurt adds a mild sour taste, sesame a nice crunch and the cucumber a delectable flavor. I will personally recommend you to try this. I missed my father a lot while eating  as these are his favorite too.

Tips- Keeping the spice level high with green chilies is recommended else it tastes a bit bland.

Cilantro adds a great flavor so do not avoid that.

One can add more rice flour if they like the pancake more crispy.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Raw Jackfruit & Red Lobia Salan

Hi Friends!

It’s summer time and Jackfruits are in season and are available abundantly now. I have already mentioned the health benefits of this fruit in my post Raw Jackfruit Curry earlier.

Today while I was watching a cookery show, I saw a curry made using the jackfruit and lobia (black eyed peas) and I loved the combination. She had made it using coconut and many spices but I decided on making a low spice and low calorie curry.

I have a Muslim friend S who once mentioned to me that she does not use any tomatoes or curds in their Salan (Curry) and their gravy only comprises of onion-ginger-garlic and the only spices that she puts is turmeric, red chili and coriander powder. She explained that the entire stress is on how well the masala is roasted(bhuno) and to that I completely agree. A connoisseur of food can surely make out the difference between a well roasted  and a poorly  roasted masala so I was all set to try her method and was curious to know how would a curry taste without any tanginess.

I’m glad I made this curry because my apprehension of not using any sour flavour in the curry has now vanished from my head. The combination tastes good and the curry was extremely tasty. Personally I loved eating it with rice. I had used very less oil to make this curry and had sauted the masala ingredients prior to grinding them, so in this way I needed very less oil to roast the masala later.

Ingredients

3 cups raw jackfruit cut into pieces

a large handful of red lobia soaked in water

3 large onions

8-10 garlic pods

an inch piece of ginger

a tsp of cumin seeds

3 tbsp coriander pwd

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp red chili pwd

2 whole kashmiri red chilies

oil about 3-4 tsp

Method

Pressure cook the lobia and jackfruit.

Meanwhile in a non stick pan saute the onions, ginger and garlic along with some cumin seeds, red chilies and coriander powder.

Cool this and grind it together.

Heat a non stick pan and take about 2 tsp of oil and roast the masala on low flame till a nice aroma generates.

Add salt, turmeric and red chili pwd and roast for a few more minutes.

Now add the cooked lobia and jackfruit and mix thoroughly.
     
Gradually add water to get gravy like consistency.


Simmer and cook on low flame till all the ingredients imbibe the flavours.

This curry proves completely that low oil curries can be very tasty, it’s time that I indulge more into it.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad