Tag Archives: Healthy

SOFT & CRISPY AKKI ROTI / RICE FLOUR FLATBREAD

May 23, 2020 aphilomathsjournal 1 Comment

INGREDIENTS:
3 Cups Rice Flour
1 Carrot
1 Onion
2 Green Chillis
1 Inch Ginger
1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
1/4 Cup Coriander Leaves
Salt
1 Cup Water (Approx.)
Ghee

METHOD:

In a deep mixing bowl, add finely chopped Carrot, Onions, Coriander Leaves, Green Chillis & Ginger.
Also add Cumin Seeds and Salt. Mix well.
Now add Rice flour and mix it with the vegetables.
Add little water at a time while kneading simultaneously.
The dough needs to be soft and pliable. If it feels sticky, add more flour. Apply ghee after you make the dough. This will help to make it less sticky.
Heat a griddle/tava and spread some oil/ghee.
Now grease your hands with ghee/oil.
Take a small portion of the batter and roll between hands. Then flatten it and with the help of your fingers press on all sides until you get a thin flat disc, like a paratha. Do this carefully so that it doesn’t break. You can watch the video at the end of this post.
Now place this on the hot greased tava and you can further flatten with your fingers. Please be careful. Don’t burn your fingers.
Let this cook well and then flip and cook the other side. Once you see them brown a little, transfer to a plate and do the same with the rest of the dough. Cover and keep the dough if not using immediately.
Don’t make rotis of the dough and keep. Make fresh & serve hot with Green Chutney.

Finely chopped Veggies, Coriander Leaves, Cumin Seeds & Salt

Flattened dough ball with the help of greased hands

Watch this video to see how to flatten Akki Roti with your fingers

All About Food, Food Experiments

RED RICE POHA

May 19, 2020 aphilomathsjournal Leave a comment

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups Red Rice Poha
Hot Water
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
1 String Curry Leaves
1/2 Tsp Grated Ginger
1 Green Chilli
1 Onion
1 Tomato
1/2 Cup Green Peas
1 Capsicum/Bell Pepper (Optional)
1/2 Cup Roasted Peanuts (Optional)
1 Tsp Coriander Powder
1 Tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 Tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder (Optional)
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder (Optional)
1/2 Tsp Sugar
1/4 Cup Coriander Leaves / Grated Fresh Coconut
Salt to taste

METHOD:

In a deep vessel, add enough water and heat till it comes to a boil. Switch off flame.
Soak washed Red Rice Poha in this hot water for 3-5 minutes.
Drain using a Sieve/Colander and set aside. You can keep it covered to retain softness.
In a wide pan, heat oil. Splutter Mustard Seeds.
Also add Curry Leaves, Grated Ginger and finely chopped Green Chilli. Sauté for a few seconds.
Add the finely chopped Onion and cook until they turn light brown.
Add finely chopped Tomatoes too.
Add salt and cook until the Tomatoes soften.
Add frozen Green Peas. If you want to use the fresh peas, boil them separately before adding them here.
You can also add finely chopped Capsicum. This is completely optional.
Mix and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the spice powders – Coriander and Cumin powder. Turmeric & Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder are optional.
Add Sugar and mix well.
Now add the Roasted Peanuts. This is optional.
Mix well and add the Red Rice Poha to the masala.
Garnish with finely chopped Coriander Leaves / Fresh Grated Coconut and serve hot!
You can make this with regular Jada/Thick Poha too, just skip the soaking part.

FA39-E2-EE-14-D9-4-B73-9-A35-C5671-AE4-CBD2 — Soaked Red Rice Poha

All About Food, Food Experiments

SPICED STEW – SAMBAR ALTERNATIVE

May 9, 2020 aphilomathsjournal 2 Comments

This is something my mother made and we all love this so much, we’ve never made Sambar for Idli/ Dosa/ Medu Vada after this. This is one of her creations and thankfully my brother knows all her recipes. Thank you Aai & Dada for experimenting with food and passing on the expertise.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup Toor Dal
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
3 Cloves (Lavang)
6 Peppercorns (Kali Mirch)
1 inch Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini)
1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Green Chilli Paste
2 Medium sized Onions
2 Medium sized Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 Tbsp Garam Masala Powder
2-3 CupsWater
Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Wash & soak Toor Dal in enough water for 10 minutes.
Pressure cook with enough water and salt. 1 whistle on high flame. 2 whistles on low-medium flame. Set aside for the steam to escape.
In the meantime, heat some oil in a deep pan.
Splutter Cumin seeds.
Add Cloves, Peppercorns & Cinnamon Stick and stir for a few seconds.
Add freshly ground Ginger – Garlic – Green Chilli paste and stir for around 30 seconds .
Add finely chopped Onion and sauté until light brown and translucent.
Add finely chopped Tomatoes.
Add salt, mix well and cook until the Tomatoes seem mushy.
Add the spice powders – Turmeric, Red Chilli & Garam Masala Powder. Increase or reduce the quantity as per taste. Mix everything well. Stir & cook for a minute. Reduce or switch off flame and keep the masala aside while we check on the dal.
Once the steam from the pressure cooker seems to have escaped, safely release the whistle and the lid.
The dal should be completely cooked. If not, you can give a couple more whistles after adding water if necessary.
With the help of a wooden hand blender or any other blender, smoothen the dal.
Pour this dal over the spiced masala, switch the flame back on and combine everything.
Add water depending on the consistency you prefer. Check salt. Add if necessary.
Also add finely chopped Coriander Leaves.
For Medu Vada and Idlis I prefer a medium consistency. I break down the Idlis and Vadas into small bite sized portions and dip them in a big bowl filled with this stew! One happy bowl with a side of thick coconut chutney is a breakfast you’ll enjoy with this spiced stew!

Onions sautéed to light brown & translucent

All About Food, Food Experiments

CRISPY MEDU VADA

May 9, 2020 aphilomathsjournal Leave a comment

INGREDIENTS:
3 Cups Urad Dal (Skinned Black Gram)
1/4 Cup Water or less
2 Green Chillis
1 String Curry Leaves
Salt to Taste
Oil for Deep Frying

METHOD:

Wash the Urad Dal thoroughly and soak overnight or for at least 5 hours.
Drain the water completely and transfer this to a mixer. I did this in 2 batches.
Add salt and very little water just enough to get the mixer moving. The lesser the water, the better.
Transfer this thick batter into a bowl and aerate well by mixing clockwise for a minute.
To test the batter, drop a small amount of this batter into a bowl of water. If the ball floats on top, they are perfectly aerated and ready to fry.
Batter that doesn’t float can turn your vadas harder in texture. There are 2 reasons why the batter won’t float. You’ve either added too much water while grinding or you didn’t aerate the batter well. If it’s the latter, aerate until it starts floating. For the former add 1-2 tbsps of Rice Flour, mix and aerate well.
Now, add the chopped Green Chillis and Finely chopped Curry Leaves and mix well.
Heat oil in a deep heavy bottom pan/kadhai.
Drop a small amount in the oil. The oil is hot enough if the batter starts to fry and float on top.
Keep a bowl of water beside you. Dip your hands in water and moisten them without any water dripping. You can oil your hands instead.
Place a small portion in the middle of your moist palm. With your other hand, flatten the batter. Make a hole in the centre. Transfer batter to the other hand (edge of your fingers) and slowly slide this into the hot oil, immediately retracting your hands. Be very careful of the hot oil that may splatter. Vadas with or without the hole will taste the same. So if you are not comfortable with this process, simply drop small portions into the oil.
Depending on the width of your pan, you can add multiple vadas at a time. I could handle a batch of 4-5 vadas.
Keep flipping the vadas for even cooking. Adjust the temperature of the oil if it is too hot. Once they get a nice golden brown colour on either sides, transfer them onto a paper towel and fry the remaining the same way, each time making sure the oil is hot enough and that your hands are moistened.
Serve crispy hot Medu Vadas with Sambar/ Spiced Stew & White Coconut Chutney.
Do checkout my Spiced Stew & Coconut Chutney recipe.

My Green Chillis turned Red in the refrigerator

Served with Coconut Chutney & Sambhar Stew

All About Food, Food Experiments

DALIA / BROKEN WHEAT UPMA

April 24, 2020 aphilomathsjournal Leave a comment

Here’s a Dalia recipe I recently started making for Breakfast. Very healthy, nutritious, easy to make and so so tasty.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Dalia (Broken Wheat)
1 Tbsp Ghee
2 Tsp Cumin (Jeera)
1 Green Chilli, Finely Chopped
1 Large Onion, Finely Chopped
1 Large Tomato, Finely Chopped
1/2 Cup Green Peas
1 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Tsp Cumin (Jeera) Powder
Salt to taste
2.5 Cups Water
1/4th Cup Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped
Schezwan Chutney/Sauce (Optional)

METHOD:

Heat a pan and dry roast Dalia until the colour changes to brown/white from yellow, just the same way you roast Semolina for making Upma. I use the bigger sized Broken Wheat. You can use any variety. You can alternatively dry roast the whole packet of Dalia at once and store in an air-tight container once it cools down and use when required without wasting the time and fuel every time.
Keep the Dalia to cool down and in the meantime, heat ghee in a Pressure cooker.
Splutter Cumin Seeds.
Add the finely chopped Green Chilli.
Now add the chopped Onion and fry until they turn semi brown in colour.
Add in the chopped Tomatoes and mix well.
Also add in the Green Peas. I’ve used frozen Green Peas after soaking them in water for sometime. Mix everything well.
Now add the Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder and Cumin Powder. Add Salt as well. Mix and cook while stirring for about a minute.
Add roasted Dalia and stir for a minute.
Now add water. Mix everything well, check the salt and if everything seems fine, close the lid and put the whistle on.
You need to give 1 whistle on full flame and 2 on medium-low flame.
Let the steam escape before opening the lid.
Add freshly chopped Coriander Leaves. Combine everything well.
Healthy hot breakfast is ready to be relished.
I pair this with some Schezwan Chutney/Sauce and trust me it tastes so good when you mix a little. Serve with some fruits and you are good to go!

Dalia paired with Peanuts Chaat & Fruits

All About Food, Food Experiments

Red Rice, Beans with Kale, Peas & Mushroom

March 1, 2020 aphilomathsjournal 2 Comments

Ingredients:

Ghee/ Olive Oil
Ginger Garlic Paste
Chopped Onions
Turmeric Powder
Maggi Masala Cube/ Pepper/ Indian Masala Powder
Green Peas
Button Mushrooms
Kale Leaves
Spring Onions
Red & Yellow Bell Peppers
Cooked Red Rice
Boiled Black Eyed Peas (Chawli) – Soaked overnight
Boiled Moth Beans (Matki) – Soaked overnight
Coriander Leaves/ Mint Leaves
Salt

Method:

Vegetable:

So take any deep vessel like a cast iron skillet, clay pot or any uncoated cookware.
Add ghee/olive oil. You can use mustard oil, coconut oil or sesame seed oil.
Add fresh ginger garlic paste. Sauté till lightly brown.
Add chopped Onions. Sauté till translucent.
Add Turmeric powder & salt to taste. I also added a Maggi masala cube. You can avoid that or replace with just pepper or a pinch of any Indian masala powder like garam masala/sabji masala/kitchen king.
At this point add your favourite vegetables. I normally add the hard veggies that take longer to cook first. So I added green peas first and after a few minutes the button mushrooms went in. Then the fresh kale. Before using, make sure to wash them well, discard the hard stalks/stems. (You can reserve them to add into juices or soups.) and just tear them up and add after the mushrooms soften.
Cover & cook. You can sprinkle some water if its too dry. Let it cook until the leaves start to wilt.
Add in spring onions and bell peppers. Give it a mix and switch off the flame immediately. I like them a little crunchy so I don’t let them cook much. The heat from other veggies cooks them just enough.

Red Rice:

Cook Organic Red Rice and keep aside.
Boil soaked Black Eyed Beans (Chawli) & Moth Beans (Matki). Add this to the rice.
Add salt & mix well.
Garnish with coriander/ mint leaves.

Serve the rice and veggies with fresh cut salad and buttermilk.

You can follow more of my healthy recipes in my food section #DivyashreeEats on my Instagram handle @divyashree_mangalorkar. Here is a link to the pictures of this recipe. Do follow me on Instagram 🙂

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Organic Red Rice mixed with some boiled chawli beans & matki. I added maggi masala. You can add just salt and pepper or even Indian spices like garam masala or dhania jeera. Anything works, really! The sabji is a mix of green peas, mushrooms, red bell peppers, kale, spring onion leaves, onions, ginger garlic paste in olive oil. You can also sautée this in ghee. I added turmeric and maggi masala to this. I alternate with maggi masala, Indian dry spices or just salt and pepper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #tiffin #kale #healthyeating #mealprep #completemeal #soulfood #foodstagram #veggies #tastyfood #salad #healthylunchideas #lunchboxideas #morningmotivation #foodstagram #healthyfood #healthy #easylunch #easyrecipes #kalesabji #redriceday #redricerecipe #redrice #healthylunch #healthylifestyle #homemadefood #lunchideas #lunchbox #lunchtime #lunch #divyashreeeats

A post shared by 𝘿𝙞𝙫𝙮𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙖𝙧 𝙂𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙖 (@divyashree_mangalorkar) on Feb 10, 2020 at 8:28pm PST

All About Food, Food Experiments

Everyday Healthy Vegetarian Lunch Options

March 1, 2020 aphilomathsjournal Leave a comment

food-pic

It’s never too late to start living healthy. You’ve got just one body where you live and spend your life. And it’s important to take care of it. And one such way of healing your body is by eating healthy.

Keep in mind to:

Avoid Packaged Food
Avoid Bleached products like Refined Sugar, White Flour
Avoid Plastic Containers
Eat Fruits, Vegetables and Whole Grains
Exercise Regularly
Do regular Health Check-ups

I am not a health practitioner nor an expert. I am learning everyday and a beginner myself. But after reading recipes online and tasting food at various health cafes, I’ve created recipes that are not only healthy, but also super easy to make. If you have a busy schedule or just plain lazy to cook an extensive meal and you want to start eating right, this is for you.

So here are few meal variations that are 100% vegetarian and diabetic friendly, most of which are even gluten free and vegan.

Once in a while I do use sauces and seasonings that may not be considered healthy. You can avoid these. Also you can use your own creativity and let me know what you did different. I don’t use measurements of ingredients while cooking. It’s fun to experiment and create something new every time.

Happy Cooking!

A Philomath's Journal

Tag Archives: Healthy

SOFT & CRISPY AKKI ROTI / RICE FLOUR FLATBREAD

RED RICE POHA

SPICED STEW – SAMBAR ALTERNATIVE

CRISPY MEDU VADA

DALIA / BROKEN WHEAT UPMA

Red Rice, Beans with Kale, Peas & Mushroom

Everyday Healthy Vegetarian Lunch Options

Knowledge, Experiences, Life

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Knowledge, Experiences, Life