Ripe Jackfruit Idli:

Jack fruit idli is Instant , if you have left over Jackfruit dosa batter 😀 . Other wise you should soak dosa rice for 2 hours and then you can proceed to make idli. Last week when I made dosa , I had some left-over batter and tried this idli instead of our usual traditional kottige. Which is wrapped and steam cooked in Plantain leaf.

It turned out to be super soft and fluffy. It is very easy, at the same time no compromises in taste.

How I made:

Ingredients:

Dosa rice – 1 cup

Cleaned jack fruit – 1 big bowl 

Salt

Coconut gratings – ½ cup

Grated Jaggery – 2 tablespoons ( as required)

Ghee – 1 table soon (optional, but it surely enhance the taste)

Eno fruit salt – ½ tsp (optional)

Method:

-Wash and soak Dosa rice in sufficient water for 2 to 3 hours.

– Chop the jack fruit, remove bulbs and separate outer cover and inner seed.

– Collect only the outer yellow fruit shell and put it in a mixer grinder, give couple of whipping sessions and remove.

-Divide it in half ( use one half for grinding and other half to ready batter. to enhance the taste.

– Now take soaked rice, half of  fruit chunks  , put little water and grind this into a smooth paste by adding sufficient salt. Batter consistency should be  little thicker.

-Take coconut gratings, mix in jaggery, little ghee( if you wish) and mix in half of jack pieces which we have kept aside.

-Mix this mixture with ground batter. If you want, add Eno and mix everything and make idlies by using idli mould.

-serve this with honey or with ginger chutney.            

Note:

For ginger chutney: Fry red chillies with little oil and grind it with coconut, salt, little tamarind and piece of ginger.

If you have ready Dosa batter, add jack fruit pieces, coconut, jaggery ,ghee, Eno and mix everything and proceed.

If you are using idli stand, grease the idli plate with oil/ghee and pour a ladle full of batter and steam cook them in pressure cooker for 10-15 minutes.
Let it cool for few minutes before serving the idlis with spicy chutney and ghee.

Palak paneer Parata:

Palak aka spinach and paneer is a classic combination from North Indian cuisine. It is usually in the form of Palak gravy with paneer chunks. If we convert this into Palak in a roti form and grated paneer as a filling it is a mind-blowing combination in a very healthy form. Here I have used Palak in the raw form as well as paneer.

It is a healthy option for breakfast, brunch, dinner or even in an office or school lunch box.

Palak or spinach is a healthy green which is a power house of nutrition. It contains Iron, anti-oxidants, vitamins and calcium.

On the other hand, paneer is also a very good source of calcium and if it is made from low fat cow’s milk, it is less in fat as well.

It is one more favourite from our lunch box item –

Ingredients:

For the dough:

Palak/ spinach – 1 bunch (only leaves)

Salt

Sugar – 1 tea spoon

Garlic – 2 cloves

Curd – 2 table spoons

Water – as required

Oi – 1 table spoon

Whole wheat flour – as needed

For the Filling:

Paneer – 200 grams (grated)

Coriander powder – ¾ tea spoon

Cumin powder – ¾ tea spoon

Red chilli powder – 1 ½ tea spoon

Garam masala – ¾ tea spoon

Salt

Turmeric – ½ tea spoon

Coriander leaves – ¼ cup (chopped)

Method:

-Make chapati dough at first and keep aside.

-For the dough, make a paste of chopped Palak, salt, sugar, garlic, curd and little water in a mixer grinder.

– Take out the liquid and pour oil and whole wheat flour. Knead it into a soft pliable dough, cover and keep.

-For filling, take one bowl, mix in grated paneer, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, turmeric and mix it.

-Add chopped coriander leaves and mix once again. Now, Stuffing is ready.

-Now comes the rolling part.

-Now take lemon sized chapati dough in hand, spread as a small disc by using fingers, by applying little flour.

-Keep this in your left palm, in a cup shape, put filling (smaller in size) and cover it.

-Now take extra flour for dusting and spread or roll this ball with light pressure by using a roller.

-Cook both the sides by using either oil, ghee or butter.

-Enjoy this either with sweetened curd, boondi raita or pickle.

 

Red cabbage Sandwich:

Red cabbage or purple cabbage? This vegetable has an identity crisis. Red or purple, it is one and the same and this vegetable has numerous health benefits as well. It is a cruciferous vegetable and can be consumed both raw and cooked.

It is a power house of Vitamins, Minerals such as Iron and calcium and dietary fibre . I normally avoid buying cabbages, due to its high pesticide content. Now a day, we do get organic cabbages here in Bangalore. Hence, there is an opportunity to have this beautiful veggie in a raw form as well. When we were shopping, my daughter remembered my Red cabbage sandwich, which I used to prepare for her when she was small and asked me to prepare the same. So, picked up and made this sandwich and tried one rice recipe as well. In coming days, you can expect my new recipe of Red cabbage and sweet corn one pot meal.

Now I will share my sandwich recipe from the scratch-

Ingredients:

Shredded red cabbage – 2 cups

Onion – 1 big

Garlic mayonnaise – 2 table spoons

Honey mayonnaise – 2 table spoons

American mustard – 1 tea spoon

Hung curd – 1 to 2 table spoons (to adjust the consistency)

Oregano – 1 tea spoon

Tomato ketch up – 1 to 2 tea spoons

Red chilli flakes – ½ tea spoon

Grated cheese – 2 table spoons

Bread of your choice – 1 loaf

Butter – to apply while roasting.

Method:

-Take one bowl, put shredded cabbage, chopped onion, garlic mayo, honey mayo, American mustard and hung curd. Mix nicely.

-Now mix in Oregano, chilli flakes, tomato ketchup and grated cheese.

– Mix and make a spreadable mixture. Now your sandwich stuffing is ready.

-Take one slice of bread, spread this mixture and close another bread slice over this.

-Apply butter on both the slices at outer side and keep it in a pre-heated sandwich maker.

-When outer surface becomes light brown, remove and proceed to make remaining sandwiches.

-If you want an extra zing, you can serve this with tomato ketch up or as it is.

Sweet Corn and Cheese Paratha/Parata:

Week days are really challenging for moms of school going kids. We must see the nutritional factor as well as the taste. This stuffing is such, it is tasty, nutritious and loved by any kids from tiny tots to teenagers. It has sweet corn, cabbage and cheese.

These three are very tasty and nutritious as well. Sweet corn contains a lot of vitamin B12, Iron, Folic acid and soluble fibre etc.

Cabbage also is rich in vitamins; minerals and it is quite filling as well. In India, the only concern is that it has high pesticide content. So, wash with salt or vinegar solution a couple of times, drain and use.

Now it is cheese. Who doesn’t love cheese? Like all dairy products cheese also provides required calcium to our body and kids need it even more. Usage in limited quantity is always good 😊

pic 2

Ingredients:

For Chapati dough:

Whole wheat flour- 2 cups

Salt- ½ tsp

Water – as required

Oil – 1 tsp

For stuffing:

Cabbage – 3 table spoons

Sweet Corn – 3 table spoons

Capsicum – ½

Onion – 1 (small)

Oregano or Any pizza seasoning – ½ to 1 tsp

Chopped Garlic – 3 flakes

Red chilli flakes – ½ to 1 tsp

Salt

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Grated cheese – 2 table spoons.

Method:

-Make soft pliable chapati dough by mixing all the above ingredients under chapati. Keep aside.

-Boil corn and drain water.

-Chop garlic, onion, capsicum, cabbage.

-Churn or crush cooked corn, cabbage and capsicum in food processer or veggie chopper.

-Take one wok, add oil, chopped garlic, onion, turmeric and fry for a while.

-Next add crushed veggies, put salt and seasoning.  Fry for 2 minutes or until it wilts.

Ribbet collage 1

-Cool and add grated cheese and mix nicely and make small balls.

-Now take lemon sized chapati dough in hand, spread as a small disc by using fingers.

-Keep this in your left palm, in a cup shape, put filling (smaller in size) and cover it.

-Now take extra flour for dusting and spread or roll this ball with light pressure by using a roller.

-Cook both the sides by using either oil, ghee or butter.

pic 1

-Enjoy this either with ketchup or pickle.

Note:

-Instead of chopped garlic and salt, one can use garlic salt as well.