Broken wheat upma

Broken wheat it is often added to healthy diets, because it is made from whole wheat berries, and carries a great deal of nutrition and fiber. It is a good source of iron, phosphorus and magnesium. Broken wheat is more nutritious than rice, because it contains more fiber, more vitamins and minerals, and has a better glycemic index than white rice, making it suitable for diabetic people.

I love broken wheat upma because it is so soothing a dish for breakfast.

Ingredients:

Broken wheat   - 1 cup. Soak in water for about 15 minutes

Water   - 21/2 cups

Onion   - 1 small, cut fine

Ginger  - 1 tsp finely cut

Tomato            - 1 small cut into small pieces

Curry leaves  

  

Green peas       - ¼ cup

Carrot  - 1 medium size, cut into small cubes or grated

Ghee or oil       - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds         - ¼ tsp

Udad dal          - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder         

Chilli powder

Pepper powder

Salt

Method :

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add udad dal. When they lightly brown, add the cut onion, ginger and curry leaves. When the onion turns transparent, add the cut tomato. Stir for a while; add all the masala powders, salt and the carrot and green peas. Mix well and add the soaked broken wheat and water. Pressure cook for 4 minutes. Cool and open the cooker. Pouring some ghee over it makes it more delicious. Ginger preserve is a great accompaniment too.

Adai dosa

All Sundays are time for our special breakfast. Adai dosa is one item that is my husband’s favorite. It is so nutritious because it contains a variety of dals and rice. What’s more, you can even add leaves like spinach if you like to. The ground masalas added gives it a spicy twist.

Ingredients:

Rice     - 1 cup

Tur dal             - ½ cup

Chana dal         - ½ cup

Moong dal        - ½ cup

Udad dal          - ½ cup

Salt  to taste

Cut onion         - 3 tbsp

Scraped coconut          - ½ cup

Grind together with some water:

Saunf (Aniseed)            - 1 tp

Cumin              - 1 tsp

Red chilli          - 2, 3

Garlic flakes     - 6,7

Method:

Soak the rice and all dals for about 6 hours, rough grind it and keep aside for 4 to 5 hours. Add the ground spices, grated coconut, cut onion, and salt. Mix well, prepare like dosas and serve with coconut chutney.

Kerala Upma

Bombay rava or semolina is one item that should always be stored in the kitchen. From the comfort food of daliya to technique sensitive rava dosa, there are a number of preparations that can be whipped up with it. And many items can be made fast, a real boon when suddenly guests drop in. Upma is a typical Kerala breakfast item, and one can find its presence in parties too. It is always eaten with plantains.

Ingredients:

Semolina          - 1 cup

Hot water         - 3/4 cup

Salt to taste

Ghee    - 1 tbsp

Cumin  - ½ tsp

Ginger  - 1 small piece finely cut

Green chilli       - 1 sliced

Curry leaves

Coconut scrapings (optional)     - ½ cup

Cashew nuts     - broken 1 tbsp

Method:

Heat ghee in a pan, when it is hot, add the cumin seeds. When they brown, add the cashews and then the green chilli, ginger and curry leaves. Stir for some time, add the semolina and salt. Keep stirring when it turns lightly brown. Now sprinkle the hot water slowly and stir with the handle end of the ladle. This is important for it to not form lumps. Finally add the coconut scrapings. Serve with plantains.

Corn, drumstick flower sabzi

Drum stick tree is quite common in the back yard of Kerala homes. We make preparations with drumsticks, leaves and flowers. According to Ayurveda, drumstick leaves can cure many diseases. It can be substituted for spinach in some recipes. The flowers can be sprinkled on salads. They taste deliciously sweet at first, followed by a spicy/horseradishy finish! 

Ingredients:

Drumstick flowers         - 2 cups

Corn    - 1 cup

Onion   - 1 small, cut fine

Oil        - 1 tbsp

Mustard           - ¼ tsp

Turmeric powder          - 1/3 tsp

Chilli powder                - ½ tsp

Coriander power          - ¾ tsp

Garam masala   - 1/3 tsp

Salt to taste

Water   - ½ cup

Method;

Cook the corn with half cup water. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and when they splutter, add the cut onion. Saute for some time and add the drumstick flowers. Saute for some more time on high heat, sprinkle some water, cover and cook on low heat. Remove the lid, add the cooked corn, salt, and all the masala powders. Stir for a few seconds and remove from fire. Tastes good with rice.

Oats upma

I love oats porridge and my husband doesn't like it at all. With all the goodness that oats contains, I can't think of not having oats at all. I had to think of some way other than making two separate dishes for breakfast. I made this oats upma and voila! he liked it. 

Ingredients:

Oats - 11/2 cups

Hot water -1 cup

Oil - 11/2 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - ½ teaspoon

Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp

Onion - 1 finely cut

Green chilli - 1 finely cut

Turmeric powder,

Chilli powder,

Garam masala powder,

Salt.

Lemon - ½

Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp finely cut

Method:

- Roast the oats till brown and keep aside.

- Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard. When they splutter, add cashews, then onion       and green chilli.

- When onion becomes transparent, add the masala powders, salt and roasted oats.

- Stir well and sprinkle the hot water.

- Stir, cover and cook till done. (Open in between and stir.)

- Remove from fire, add lemon juice an garnish with coriander leaves.

Methi malai matar (Green peas, fenugreek leaves in a creamy gravy)

Ingredients:

Fenugreek leaves          - 3 cups (cleaned & cut fine)
Green peas shelled           - ½ cup
Onion               - 1 big, cut into cubes
Cauli flower (optional)  - 3 small flowerettes

Milk cream (malai)        - ½ cup

Gram flour (besan)        - 2 tea spoons

Green chilli   - 1
Oil                    - 2 teaspoons

Cumin              - ½ tsp

Cloves              - 3

Cardamom       - 2

Salt to taste

Sugar   - 2 to 3 tsp

Method:

Boil 2 cups of water with the cauli flower and cut onion till the onion pieces turn transparent.

Take out the cauli flower and onion pieces, and drop the shelled peas into the same water and let it cook. Meanwhile, cool and grind the cooked cauli flower and onion, with the green chilli.

Drain the cooked peas and keep aside.

Don’t throw the water in which it is cooked, we will use it in the gravy.

Heat oil in a pan; add cumin, cloves and cardamom. Add the fenugreek leaves and sauté.

Meanwhile, mix the besan in the milk cream. Add this and the ground onion to the fenugreek leaves, along with salt and sugar.

Top it up with the water in which peas were cooked.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the cooked peas and simmer for five minutes.

Mauritian salad

Ingredients:

Oil - 1 tb sp

Onion - 1 finely sliced

Garlic- 4 flakes, finely chopped

Green chillies - 2 made into thin strips

Cabbage - 250 gm finely sliced

Carrots - 250 gm cut into thin strips

Black mustard seeds - 1 tb sp

White vinegar - 1 tb sp

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and sweat the onion, garlic, green  chilli and mustard seeds. Add the cabbage and carrot and mix well. Remove from the fire

. Add the vinegar and salt to taste, mix well and let it cool. Fill it in a sterilized jar and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for one week.

Ginger preserve

Ingredients:

Fresh ginger - 1 cup (skinned and cut into small pieces)

Salt      - a pinch

Water - 1 cup

Sugar -1 cup

Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon

Method:

Add ginger pieces to the water and salt in a thick bottomed pan and put on fire. Keep on medium heat till the ginger is cooked. Add the sugar, turmeric power and reduce the flame, keep stirring in between. When the sugar syrup gets one thread consistency, remove from fire. Cool, bottle and refrigerate. Good accompaniment for rice or chapatti.

Food for the soul

Being a spiritual healer, I am aware of the tremendous impact of food on one’s physical and mental health. Hailing from Kerala, I am a non vegetarian by birth. When I married a staunch vegetarian, we made a pact. He told me never to compel him to eat non veg, in turn, he wouldn’t ask me to stop. But I shouldn’t cook non veg at home. He would take me out to restaurants to satisfy my cravings. It sounded ok to me and we have stuck to this for many decades.

Initially, every week end we used to go out and I used to have chicken, mutton or fish. As time went by and I learned Reiki, I became more aware of the vibrations each type of food was causing in my body. My body started revolting every time I took chicken or mutton. Gradually the craving itself subsided. Once in a while if I have chicken, I can feel the heat and the waves of anger that it produces in the body.

I still feel like having fish and do have it once in a week or two weeks. It seems to go well with my body constitution.

Ok, I don’t cook non vegetarian dishes at home, but routine cooking is totally my responsibility. When life used to be too busy with my college job, managing the house and two small kids, my husband told me I could keep a cook. But the thought of my kids eating food prepared by a maid was too much for me to digest and I declined the offer. Our thought waves emanate from the food we eat. A cook’s job cannot match the love and concern with which I would cook for my kids.

On moving abroad for sometime, my workload just doubled. I had to find ways and means to compress the time in kitchen by adopting shortcuts, without compromising the results. And I saw that we can do a wonderful job of culinary creations, without taking off the fun in cooking. 

In this blog I want to share my many years of cooking experience. If I can take away the aversion to cooking, and turn it around to a fun filled job for even a few people, my efforts will be amply rewarded!