Author: redchillies

Soy Chunks / Meal Maker Chilli
March 14, 2012

Soy Chunks / Meal Maker Chilli

At home we have been on-again off-again fan of the Soy Chunks also called as Soy Meal Maker. Nutrela is the Indian brand that makes this soy protein which has a meaty texture and is a good option for vegetarians. They are easily available in …

Appetizers / Snacks, Dry Vegetable Dishes, Easy Vegetarian Recipes, Kid Friendly Recipes, Low Fat Recipes
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by redchillies
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12 Comments
Quick Mushroom Fried Rice
March 7, 2012

Quick Mushroom Fried Rice

It is not often that you would find recipes with mushroom in the RedChillies household. The reason being that the Chief Chef of the house (a.k.a me) is not a big fan of them. If I had my way then the mushrooms would not have …

Breakfast/ Brunch /Tiffin Varieties, Easy Vegetarian Recipes, Low Fat Recipes, Rice, Kichidi Pulao Varieties
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by redchillies
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8 Comments
Sweet Dalia Pongal
February 28, 2012

Sweet Dalia Pongal


Sweet Pongal is a South Indian traditional dish made with the combination of rice, jaggery and moong daal. It is like a thick porridge with gooey consistency.  This along with the spicy khichdi/ Khara Pongal is prepared during special occasions and also during the festival of Pongal/Sankranthi . This sweet pongal is something that is adored in our family.

During festivals, I mostly prepare this dish using the traditional method of rice and moong daal. However I had some broken wheat/dalia that I wanted to use and so decided to try this sweet, by substituting rice with dalia.

 I had tried the spicy pongal using dalia before and loved the taste. So trying out the sweet version seemed like an obvious next step. I love the texture of cooked broken wheat in this khichidi. Even though it is soft, you can feel its mild presence while eating it. Taste wise there is no difference compared to the rice based khichidi/pongal.

Ingredients: 

  • ¾ cup broken wheat/dalia
  • 1/4 cup moong daal (split)
  • 1.5 cup jaggery
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/4 cup dry coconut [use regular coconut if dry not available]
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
  • 5-10 raisins
  • 2 tsp Ghee (clarified butter)
  • 5-10 cashews pieces

 Method:

  •  Cook the dalia along with the moong daal by adding 1.5 cups water and 1 cup milk. This should be mushy and soft. (I use the pressure cooker for this). Keep aside.
  • Heat a heavy bottom pan, and melt the jaggery along with little water (1/4 cup).
  • After it is hot and bubbly, add the cooked dalia+ daal mixture and stir well.
  • Continue stirring in intervals until the water evaporates and the mixture thickens up.
  • Then add the dry coconut mixture and continue to stir. If this is too dry, add little more milk to this.
  • When it has reached the desired consistency, add the cardamom powder, 2 tsp ghee, mix well, close the lid and switch off the gas.
  • In a separate pan heat ghee and add the raisins and cashews. Stir until the raisins plump and cashews get a brown color.
  • Add to the sweet dalia mixture, stir and close the lid. Serve warm.
Easy Vegetarian Recipes, Indian Festival Recipes, Sankranthi/ Pongal Recipes, Sweets(Mithai) / Desserts
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by redchillies
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6 Comments
Kothimbir Vadi / Savory Coriander snack
February 22, 2012

Kothimbir Vadi / Savory Coriander snack

Kothimbir Vadi is a popular starter / snack from Maharashtra. Kothimbir means coriander leaves in Marathi and vadi means wedges.  Coriander is chopped and steamed along with prepared chickpea flour and other spices. After it is steamed it is cut into desired shapes. At this …

Appetizers / Snacks, Easy Vegetarian Recipes, Kid Friendly Recipes, Low Fat Recipes
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by redchillies
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11 Comments
Easy Apple Kheer
February 14, 2012

Easy Apple Kheer

Every time, I visit the produce section in the local grocery, the wide varieties of apples there on display catches my attention. With different sizes and colors they are a treat for the eyes. This time around the grocery had a sale on red delicious …

Easy Vegetarian Recipes, Indian Festival Recipes, Sweets(Mithai) / Desserts
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by redchillies
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15 Comments
Spicy Broken Wheat Pongal/ Dalia Khichidi
February 7, 2012

Spicy Broken Wheat Pongal/ Dalia Khichidi

Pongal is a famous tiffin item in South India. It is usually made of rice and moong daal in a pressure cooker with appropriate seasonings. I mostly make it with rice the traditional way, on occasions I make it with rava (Rava Pongal) but this time I made this Spicy Pongal using broken wheat/dalia. 

I had a packet of broken wheat lying in the pantry for a long time and was looking for ways of using it. I have tried some kheer with it before, but have not used it much in regular cooking. After looking around on the web, I decided to make this Khichidi/Pongal.

I love the texture of cooked broken wheat in this spicy khichidi. Even though it is soft, you can feel its mild presence while eating it. Also it does not hurt that dalia is better in nutrients compared to rice. Taste wise there is no difference compared to the rice based khichidi/pongal. 

This is a comfort in a bowl especially during cold wintery days. I enjoy eating this eating with lemon pickle, pappads and some raita.

Ingredients 

  • ¾ cup broken wheat/dalia
  • ½ cup split moong daal
  • 3-4 green chillies (finely chopped)
  • 2 red chillies (broken into 3 pieces)
  • 5-10 whole black peppercorn [you can add powder if you do not like it whole]
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
  • 5-10 curry leaves
  • ¼ cup grated coconut (optional)
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 Tbsp ghee
  • pinch of hing/asafetida
  • 1 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves
  • Oil
  • Salt to taste 

Method:  

  • Pressure cook the moong daal, along with the broken wheat in 2 cups of water. Keep aside.
  • Take a big pan and heat 1 Tbsp of oil/ghee. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let it splutter.
  • Add the curry leaves, broken red chillies, hing/asafetida, pepper corns and green chillies and fry for for few seconds.
  • Add the cooked daal-dalia to this, salt, ginger and keep stirring.
  • Cover it with a lid and it cook for a minute for two. Garnish with chopped coriander, coconut and 1 tsp ghee and switch off the gas.
  • Ghee imparts a wonderful aroma to the dish. Serve Hot along with lemon pickle, raita, pappads. 

Breakfast/ Brunch /Tiffin Varieties, Daal Rasam Sambhar varieties, Easy Vegetarian Recipes, Indian Festival Recipes, Light Vegetarian Lunches, Low Fat Recipes
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by redchillies
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6 Comments
Bhel Puri Recipe
February 2, 2012

Bhel Puri Recipe

Bhel Puri is a combination of puffed rice along with vegetables and spicy, tangy chutney/auce. This is the most commonly sold chaat/fast food in many places in India. It is a snack with an iconic status in Western India. Bhelpuri is low-fat, delicious and eay …

Appetizers / Snacks, Breakfast/ Brunch /Tiffin Varieties, Easy Vegetarian Recipes, Kid Friendly Recipes, Light Vegetarian Lunches, Low Fat Recipes, Vegan Recipes
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by redchillies
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21 Comments