Moong Dal Paratha

This paratha happened to be an experiment which was forced because I had boiled too much of moong gram. It turned out quite tasty, had packed it for my lunch box hence had it cold. It would have been tastier if I had had it hot.

Ingredients:
For the dough :
Wheat flour- 2 cups
Salt- a pinch
Oil- 1/2 tbsp
Water to make the dough

For the stuffing:
Moong gram- Soaked overnight & boiled- 1 cup
Chilly powder- 1 tsp or finely chopped green chillies- 1
Salt- to taste
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Jeera powder- 1/2 tsp
Aamchur powder- a pinch
coriander leaf- 1 tbsp

Method:
Mix the wheat flour into a stiff dough.
Grind the moong gram without adding water to it. It should be dry enough to make balls.
Now all the dry powders mentioned above and coriander leaf and mix well.
Roll out two small chapatis.
Take one chapati, add the moong stuffing on it, cover the moong with the other chapati.
Fold the sides/ seal the sides.
Cover the stuffed paratha on dry wheat flour and roll further to make parathas.
Heat it on tava and serve hot with curds & pickle.

Jackfruit Idli

Ingredients:
Jackfruit- about 16-18 ripe pieces
Rice or Idli Rava- 2 Cup (Soaked for 4-5hrs or overnight)
Grated Coconut- 3/4cup
Jaggery- 1/2 cup powdered or if the jackfruit is sweet add less
Cardomom powder- 1/4 tsp 
Salt- 1/4 tsp

Method:
I had a huge half of jackfruit with me, so had enough jackfruit pieces to make idli twice in 2 weeks. Once with Rice and once with Idli Rava. Jackfruits were deseeded and kept safe in the fridge in a Tupperware box.
Grind the Jackfruit pieces. I ground it to a fine paste, you may decide to keep a few pieces in between so that when you bite into the idli you get to bite into jackfruit pieces too. 
Grind the soaked rice along with the coconut & jaggery. 
Now mix the rice mixture with ground jackfruit. 
Add salt & Cardomom powder and mix well.
Now ready the idli plates by slightly oiling them
Steam the idlis for about 15 mins and your idli is ready to serve.
Serve the sweet idlis with ghee on it and a little mango pickle to tickle your taste buds.

Note: the more jackfruit you add, the softer & stickier the idli will be.Use the above measurements and you will get a cake like consistency in your idlis. which you can bite into...non-messy.

This was the first time I actually cut open a complete jackfruit and also prepared something out of it :)
Proud of myself.

Rava Upma

This is one dish a girl in South India learns first. Supposedly included in some basic cooking that the girl is supposed to know :-) I am an exception. I have managed to learn to make good Upma after 7yrs of marriage, from my mother-in-law.

Ingredients:
Roasted Rava: 2 cups
Chopped carrots half cup
Chopped beans half cup
Onion: 2 no.s chopped
Ginger- ½ inch, finely chopped
Tomato: 2 medium sized chopped
Green chillies: 2-3 no.s
Water: 5 cups
Oil: 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric: a pinch
Jeera & Mustard for seasoning
Curry leaves & Coriander leaves chopped

Method:
Heat oil in a kadai, add jeera & mustard. Let it splutter, then add green chillies, ginger, Curry leaves & Onion. Once the onion is cooked, add carrot. Let it cook for a while. Then add beans and let it cook. Add Tomato into this. Once all the vegetables are cooked, add turmeric & salt. To this mixture, add 5 cups of water. Once this comes to a boil, slowly start putting in the Roasted Rava/ sooji. Ensure that you are constantly stirring at the time of putting in the Rava. This is done to avoid any lump formation. Once 2 cups of Rava has gone in, mix well and cover the upma with a lid for about 5-10 mins on low flame, till the rava fluffs up/ is cooked. Once its cooked, garnish with Coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Sabudana Khichdi

Ingredients:
Sabudana: 2 cups: Soak overnight in little water/ buttermilk & strain
Chopped Green chillies
Jeera- 1 tsp..can add more if you like
Curry leaves
Groundnut powder (dry roast the groundnut & coarsely grind it): 3-4 tbsp
Chopped Coriander Leaves for garnishing
2 tbsp shredded coconut for garnishing
Oil- 1/ tbsp
salt to taste

Method:
Heat the oil, add Jeera. Now add the curry leaves & Green chilly. Once everything crisps, add Sabudana and mix. Add salt and keep mixing till the sabudana heats up. It will also fluff up a little. Now add the Groundnut powder ad mix again. Do not cover the kadai with a lid, it will turn the sabudana into lumps (thats the mistake I have made all the time). This time it was perfect.Keep stirring. Once all the sabudana fluffs up...u could try squeezing it in between your finger to check if its done...add the shredded coconut & coriander and mix.
Serve Hot.
This dish is supposedly eaten during vraths in Maharashtra.

I was happy that for the first time by Sabudana khichdi came out so well and my parents also relished it.

Mandakki upma

Sunday morning we had decided to make Sabudana Khichdi. But the soaking of sabudana wasnt enough and it was already 9.30A.M., so I decided to prepare Mandakki Upma. It took just 15 minutes.

Ingredients: (Serves 3-4 people)
Murmura/ churmuri, wash & soak in water and remove immediately- 2 large cups
2 Green Chillies- finely chopped
2 medium sized Onions- Chopped
Jeera & Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsps each
Turmeric- qtr tsp
Curry Leaves
Kadle pappu powder/Roasted Bengal Gram powder- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil
Juice of 1 Lemon
Coriander for garnishing

Method:
Heat the oil in a large Kadai. Put the mustard seeds & Jeera and let it splutter. Now add green chillies, Curry leaves & Chopped Onions. Once the onions turn pink, add Turmeric Powder & Salt. Now add the soaked Churmuri to this and mix well, till it gets coated well with the onion mixture. Keep stirring. Now add the kadle pappu powder, and mix well again. The upma is cooked once it is hot. Remove from fire and add the lemon juice and mix. Now Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Mirchi bajji....tastes best with it :-).