Vegetable Upma Part II: How to Cook This Balanced Diet?

Vegetable Upma is a nutritious meal that is easy to cook, healthy to eat and delicious to taste.

Watch this video and learn to make vegetable upma.

Vegetable Upma




If you want to prepare an instant Upma Mix and shorten this process of making vegetable Upma read this post.

Vegetable Upma Part I: Ingredients

Indian Food- Vegetable Upma - Ingredients in This Balanced Diet



Main Ingredients:

Semolina, Vegetables (beans, carrot, tomatoes, potato, peas), cooking oil, clarified butter (optional)

Garnishing Ingredients (optional):

Coconut, Curry leaves, Coriander leaves, red chillies, green chillies, mustard sees, two dals (white lentil and chickpea)

Listen to the Tamil words for these ingredients :)

I think you should read Tamil stories and ebooks while relishing this vegetable upma.

Balanced Diet Vegetable Upma Part I: Ingredients

Watch this video to learn what ingredients are necessary to make vegetable upma, an Indian recipe that makes a balanced diet.



For more details go to balanced diet blog.

Vegetable Upma Curry Recipe

Get these things together and I will teach you how to make vegetable curry and then make vegetable upma with it.

Mother's Day Special 'Curry Recipe' Contest - Ends Mother's Day 2009

I created the food site and recipe blog for my mother.

On this mother's day I would like to announce a contest.

I hardly spend any time in the kitchen and my mother keeps couriering me things that will save my cooking time. My mother knows I spend all my waking hours working on the laptop and I hardly find time to cook. If I am alone at home I don't cook at all.

My mother has been testing and tweaking ready-to-make powders, most of them add-only-water types. She is a perfectionist. More than that she is concerned about my health. So she has been experimenting in her old-fashioned kitchen. She has been inventing recipes that are easy to cook, healthy to eat and delicious to taste. She is very particular about the nutritional qualities of the recipes and the cooking time.

I am nearing 55 and my mother is nearing 80. This experiment and innovation born out of necessity has been going on for over 30 years. My mother started cooking when she was 15 and she has over 60 years of experience in churning out delicious dishes that the family loves.

We are planning to celebrate her 80th birthday. By next year I want as many people as possible to have tasted her creations. I want people who have relished her creations send her a heart-felt wish.

My uncle who has retired after putting in years of service in a national food and research institute says, "I am very proud of my sister. I wonder how she manages to do single handedly what a National Institute did with expensive machines and hundreds of employees".

Here are a couple of sample feedback I have received.

Annabelle Loves Chutney Powder

Hi Rangoo, we tried the dosa mix two nights ago. It was great. Both my kids loved them and we had seconds. It was easy to mix and cook, and the chutney with the coconut was outstanding. Excellent, nutritious and easy, like having a little bit of Southern India at home in Flagstaff, Arizona. Thanks!!!

Annabelle Nelson

Mike Seiler Loves Instant Dosa Mix

The Instant Dosa Mix (Indian Pancakes) arrived very quickly. It was a joy to be able to make our own Dosas without having to spend a lot of time tracking down ingredients. Besides, the Instant Dosa Mix tasted better than when I put the ingredients together myself anyway.

The convenience can't be beat!

We ran out far too soon because the mix was so delicious. The whole family is anxiously waiting for more.

- Mike and Rachel, Boulder, Colorado, USA

There are many more like this. People call me on the phone and chat with me and share with me how much they loved the instant mixes, the comfort of reducing hours of cooking time to minutes and the healthy, natural ingredients that provide a balanced diet.

Triple R Curry Recipe Contest 2008

Rukmini's Rare Recipes Curry Recipe Contest is open to all food lovers.

Get a packet of my mother's curry powder, all-in-one masala powder. Prepare any vegetarian or non-vegetarian dish using the curry powder. Send us your recipe with a beautiful picture. Or send us a video of how to cook your recipe.

Each month one recipe will be selected as the Best Curry Recipe of The Month.

At the end of the year, that is on Mother's Day 2009 the best of the best recipe will be announced.

Submit the recipes at Indian Healthy Recipe

I will confirm the receipt of the recipes. Please save a copy of your recipe and the date of submission.

The entrance fee for the contest is $9.97.

$9.97

I wanted to keep this competition free. But I need to send you the curry powder packet. This amount will partly cover the shipping cost of the curry powder packet I will send you. If you are in India and would like to participate in the contest, please let me know.

Prize

1. The most important prize is the traffic you are going to get to your blogs. The winning recipe will be published with your photo and detailed information about your site or blog.

2. The second best part of the prize is the ebook that will be created with all the recipes received. All participants will get a branded copy of the ebook that you can use anyway you like.

3. In addition to these prizes I would like to give you a cash prize of $100 for the trouble you are taking to help me spread the word about my mother's talent.

You are welcome to send me your comments, feedback and suggestions on this contest. You can post a comment on this blog or send them to my help desk.

Quick Meal Idea Six-Part eCourse - Salads

I love salads for lunch or dinner almost any day of the week, but especially in the summer when it’s just too hot to cook. Salads are very versatile and healthy. You can easily customize them to adjust to your family’s taste and of course they are quick and easy to throw together. Here’s how you turn this side dish into a filling meal…

· Caesar Salad – Chop romaine lettuce; top it with croutons, parmesan cheese, Caesar dressing and any of the following: grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, smoked or cooked salmon or any other cooked fish you have handy.

Read more about Quick Meal Ideas Salads…

Quick Meal Idea Six-Part eCourse - Freezer Cooking

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot more time to cook some nights than others. When I do have extra time, I try to cook an extra batch of food, stick it in the freezer and then just grab a meal that’s ready to be heated and served out of the freezer on the days when we’re really busy. Here’s a list of things I tend to either cook in batches, or cook while I’m working on that day’s regular dinner and then freeze for later.

 

- Lasagna – anything from regular meat versions to vegetarian ones. Just assemble and freeze, then bake as usual straight from the freezer.

 

- Soups or Stews – Almost any type of soup or stew freezes well. I always cook these in double batches and freeze one. The only exception I’m aware of is chicken and dumplings. The dumplings just don’t turn out well when they are frozen. Some soups with chunks of potatoes can also get mushy, so test a small batch first.

Read more about Quick Meal Ideas Freezer Cooking...

Quick Meal Idea Six-Part eCourse - Pantry Meals

Today we’ll tackle one of my favorite quick meal ideas – Pantry Meals. To be honest, before I started planning our meals, I had quite a few days where I didn’t make it to the grocery store and had to make do with what I had sitting in the fridge and pantry. Over time I got pretty creative with these impromptu meals. Here are some of my favorites…

Mediterranean Spaghetti – heat a can of drained tuna with some onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Add some tomato sauce from a jar and a few olives or leftover veggies and serve over cooked pasta.

Read the rest of Quick Meal Idea Day Four Pantry Meals

Quick Meal Idea Six-Part eCourse - Breakfast Any Time

Have you ever thought of serving breakfast foods for dinner? Many of the really good breakfast dishes, like eggs and bacon for example take a bit too much time in the morning, but are perfect for a quick and easy dinner. Here are our favorite breakfast dinners

Eggs

 

· Scrambled Eggs With Toast

· Cheese or Ham and Cheese omelet with toast or home fries

· Frittata with a side salad

· Farmer’s Pan – cut up a batch of potatoes and fry them in a little butter with some onions. Add ham or bacon and then crack a few eggs in the pan and cook until the eggs are done. Sprinkle with cheese and serve with a salad.

· Eggs Benedict

· Creamed Eggs with cheese served on toast

 

Pancakes

Continue Reading...

Quick Meal Idea Three - Breakfast Any Time

Quick Meal Idea Six-Part Free eCourse Day Two

Cook Once Eat Twice

I hope you liked Day One Quick Meal Ideas Free eCourse about making soup for dinner. Today I’d like to share another favorite of mine. The basic idea is to cook something once and then make at least two meals out of it. The trick is to turn what you cook on day one into a different meal on day two so you’re not eating the same thing two days in a row.

 

Here are some of my favorite meal ideas for this. (let me be honest with you - these are recipes from Menu Planning.)

 

Chicken Breast

 

Day One: Place chicken breasts in a baking dish and pour some Italian dressing over them and bake until done. Take out a few of the chicken breasts for tomorrow, then serve the rest with rice and veggies for dinner.

 

Day Two: The next day, grab the leftover baked chicken breast from the fridge and turn it into a chicken Caesar salad, or make chicken salad sandwiches.

 

Continue reading... Quick Meal Idea Day Two Cook Once Eat Twice

 

Quick Meal Idea Six-Part Free eCourse Day One - Soups

I want to share with you a 'Quick Meal Idea' eCourse. The course is in six-parts. Over the next 6 days, I’ll share some of my favorite ideas with you to get dinner on the table in a hurry. These ideas are perfect for those days when you are coming home late from work, or have been busy driving the kids all around town all day.

Well they are perfect for people like me who doesn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen :)

Let’s get started right away with the first idea – Make a pot of soup for dinner. It’s one of my favorite go-to dinners because it is so versatile. Plus, if you are using leftovers or canned items, soup can be ready to be poured in 15 to 20 minutes. Simply add a sandwich or make a batch of biscuits and you have a filling meal.

Here are some quick soup ideas to get you started….

Quick Meal Idea 1: Soups

Beef and Vegetable Soup

Brown some hamburger meat and onion in a little butter or olive oil. Once the meat is completely cooked add any canned vegetables you like. I usually add chopped canned tomatoes, green beans, white beans and stewed canned tomatoes chopped into bite size pieces. The quantity of each ingredient isn’t important. Just throw the meal together and add a bit of salt and you’ll have a hearty soup.

Continue Reading at Indian Food - Healthy Quick Meal Ideas

Curry Recipe - Bataka Powa Curry Recipe - Flattened Rice & Potatoes

Healthy Curry Recipe Nutritious Potato & Flattened Rice Recipe

• Curry Recipe - Bataka Powa - Potato and Flattened Rice


• Potato Curry Recipe - Bataka Powa - Flattened Rice and Potato


• for your sunday lunch: a recipe for batata powa (fluffy rice with ...


• The tiny seed that packs a big punch

Curry Recipe - Bataka Powa - Potato and Flattened Rice

Healthy Curry Recipe - Nutritious Bataka Powa - Potato and Flattened Rice

Funny Video - Dosa Stuck - Five Things to do

Did Your Dosa Get Stuck?



Watch the funny video. Don't worry if your dosa gets stuck.

Here are five things you can do:

1. If you are using instant dosa mix, it is stick proof. Even a child will be able to get the dosa off the pan in a jiffy. But if it gets stuck you can add a bit more of the mix and make it thicker. This will help you easily flip the dosa.

2. If you are making dosa in the usual way, the long process of soaking, grinding and fermenting, add a few tbs of all round flour. It is better to add rice flour but you can add your regular flour. No problems. Dosa will come off in good healthy shape.

3. Dip the spatula in cooking oil. Pass it through the edges of the dosa. Slowly and gentlly relieve the dosa that is attached to the pan with ever lasting love :). Then fold it in one sweep and flip it. You have done what the usual Indian parents do when they catch their daughters deep in love.

4. Cut an onion in the middle. Give the pan a nice massage with the onion and it will be ready to accept the next ladle full of dosa batter and be ready to let go of your dosa without a murmur.

5. Roll a tissue paper into a ball, dip it in water, squeeze it out and then rub the top of the pan.

If none of this works, post a comment here. And I will tell you what more you can try.

Most Searched Recipes - Master Cleanse Recipe to Simple Syrup Recipe

I was checking on what are the most searched recipes on Google and found the following:

Most Popular Recipes

1. master cleanse recipe
2. ratatouille recipe
3. lemonade diet recipe
4. mojito recipe
5. zucchini bread recipe
6. eggplant parmesan recipe
7. dog food recipe
8. chicken salad recipe
9. meatloaf recipe
10. simple syrup recipe

I would like to share these recipes with you and more importantly I want you to share with me these recipes.



Please visit the sites from where these recipes are clipped. I personally checked them out. They are great sites.

Indian Restaurants in the United States

I read a good review of Indian restaurants in the United States and wanted to share it with you:

"Indian restaurants in the United States tend to fall into one of four main categories. The largest category serves a pan-Indian cuisine that, while not associated with any particular region of India, has become the de facto standard — samosas, chicken tikka masala, lamb vindaloo, etc. The next largest, and growing, category is the first category’s poor relation — pan-Indian food as fast food. The third category, high-end, creative Indian food, sometimes focusing on a particular region, is also growing, but remains a small segment of the market, primarily focused in a few major urban areas. The fourth is vegetarian".

Read the complete post The Jewel.

Send me your review of Indian Restaurants around the world and I will share it with the readers of this blog :)

What the heck is Dosa? I have never heard of Masala Dosa before!

I get emails from some who have never heard the word "dosa" before. They don't know what is masala dosa.

Dosa is made of rice and white lentil or "dal". Dosa is a nutritious meal and one dosa per day can keep you fit and healthy.

Dosa is similar to pancake. You can read this post to understand the difference between a dosa and a pancake.

What is the Difference Between a Dosa and a Pancake?

You can make masala dosa (dosa stuffed with potato curry), carrot dosa, vegetable dosa (mixture of different vegetables), green dosa (green vegetables mixed with dosa batter), etc.

Read this post about making masala dosa:

Masala Dosa Recipe - How to Make Masala Dosa

You can watch some of the videos on this site to get a better idea of how to make dosa. But if it is not clear to you, just ask me.

• Spiced Masala Dosa ~ 101 Dosa Varieties!


• Cheese Dosa


• Vegetable Set Dosa with Pear-Pecan chutney


• Karikku Dosa/ Tender-Coconut Pan cakes.


• Spiced Masala Dosa ~ 101 Dosa Varieties!


• Idli Dosa Love


• Tomato Dosa

Indian Restaurant Owners Protesting in UK - Time to Get Restaurant Food At Home?

Daiji World reports: Owners of Indian restaurants staged a protest outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh against recent changes to immigration rules that have adversely affected the Indian food industry in the United Kingdom.The new rules prevent chefs from being recruited from the Indian sub-continent, threatening the existence of thousands of Indian restaurants across the UK. Many have closed down due to shortage of chefs.

After the demonstration on Thursday, the protesters met Alex Salmond, the First Minister, who described the issue as 'really serious'.

Salmond promised the Indian restaurant owners that he would continue to draw the UK government's attention to the matter.

.......................

If half the restaurants close, the queue for Indian food will grow longer. It may be time to learn to cook these dishes at home.

Decisions take ages but instant dosa can be prepared in under two minutes. Did you watch the video?

If you want more videos, let me know, I will create them for you :)

Dosa Batter to Dosa In Under Two Minutes

Dosa Instant gives you the details of making dosa in the usual way. You can read about it in this post:

Dosa Recipe Without Instant Ready Mix

If you do not want to spend hours in shopping for the ingredients, soaking, grinding and fermenting...

If you do not want to wait for hours before getting the first delicious dosa piece in your mouth...

You can try instant ready to mix dosa batter powder.

Your dosa will be ready in under two minutes and it will taste as delicious as dosa made through the long process.

To make the dosa batter all you need to do is to add water. Everything else is added in the mixture. No need to shop for anything. No need to soak and grind. No need to wait till the fermenting process is over.

Check out our idli mix and curry powder too. All instant and all delicious time savers.

Watch a video here to see how to make this dosa batter and dosa in under two minutes:

Dosa Batter to Dosa In Under Two Minutes

Indian Food Industry in UK Showing Signs of Decline

The Times of India says:

"LONDON: The one billion pound Indian food industry in UK is showing signs of decline as most young ethnic Asians are not interested in working in kitchens and new immigration rules make hiring chefs from the Indian sub-continent difficult.

There is not a single British town or village which does not have an Indian restaurant, but staff shortage has led to several of them closing down".

According to the news Children of first generation restaurant owners prefer to take up professions other than those of their parents.  And they don't want to work in the kitchens.

I can understand that because I hardly spend time in cooking. Just today I had a conversation with another lady who is not been able to pursue a desired course because most of her time is spent in cooking and cleaning.

Not only in developed countries, but even in India where most people love home cooked meal, it is becoming more and more difficult to find time for cooking. At the same time we have to have healthy food rather than go for junk foods.

This has started a trend of instant ready to make items that save time, help you churn out dishes in minutes and are filled with healthy nutrients. In such food items you have to carefully note their shelf life and what type of preservatives are used.

Instant Dosa Mix that is used to make dosa batter in minutes has no artificial preservatives. Whatever is added to the mix is rich nutritious ingredients that help you keep fit. You can preserve the powder for months.

Dosa Batter - How Thin and How Thick - How to Mix Without Lumps

The usual way of making dosa batter involves shopping for rice, while lentil, fenugreek and other flavors that are necessary to make dosa, soaking rice and lentil separately, grinding them to a paste, leaving them aside to ferment and making dosa the next day.

You can read the details here: Dosa Recipe Without Instant Ready Mix

I have been getting more and more questions about mixing the dosa powder to get the dosa batter. If you are new to making dosa you should keep the batter a little thick. Add one and a half cup of water to one cup of dosa mix. If you are experienced you can add two cups of water to one cup of dosa mix and make the batter thin.

You can use a ladle or egg beater to mix the dosa mix and water.

Add the water little by little. Get a paste of the dosa mix and water. Then gradually add more while stirring constantly. This way you won't get any lumps.

Masala Dosa Recipe, How to Make Masala Dosa

Masala Dosa is the favorite recipe of Indians and they have taken this taste to the world. Though Masala dosa originated in South India, it is the favorite food of all Indians all over the world. Many of my friends from other countries have relished masala dosa more than any other Indian recipe.

To make the masala dosa the usual way it is necessary to go through the process of soaking, grinding, fermenting.

Masala Dosa Without Instant Powder

Take three cups of rice and one cup of dal (white lentil). Soak them separately.

Soak the rice over night and the dal just before grinding.

Pass the rice through the blender first, a little coarse paste.

Pass the dal through the blender, sprinkle water and go on grinding till you get a very smooth paste.

Add salt to taste, mix both rice and dal and pass them through the blender once more.

Leave the dosa batter overnight to ferment.

The next day you can make dosa and stuff potato curry inside to make masala dosa.

Potato Curry

Cook two whole potatoes in the micro oven or pressure cooker, peel and mash them.

Take a tbs of cooking oil, roast one chopped onion until they turn brown.

Add the potatoes, curry powder and salt.

Mix well.

Masala Dosa

Take a ladle full of dosa batter, make a circular shape on a flat pan and cook over medium heat.

When you see the top layer cooked and the bottom has turned slightly brownish, spread the potato curry in the middle of the dosa.

Fold the dosa sandwiching the potato curry in the middle.

For detailed instructions on making potato curry and masala dosa read this post:

Potato Curry, Aloo Bonda and Masala Dosa

Potato Curry, Aloo Bonda and Masala Dosa

Potato Curry, Aloo Bonda and Masala Dosa

Potato curry is used for aloo bonda as well as making masala dosa.

1. How to make potato curry

Ingredients Per serving

Main Ingredient

Potatoes - 2 big ones or 3 small

Grated coconut (optional) 2 tsp

Curry Powder - 1 tsp

Cooking oil - 1 tbs

"Tadka" - Special Garnishing

(It is possible to do the garnishing only with mustard seeds. All the other ingredients add flavour and nutrition but it is possible to do without them.)

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

chickpea dal - 1/2 tsp

White lentil dal - 1/2 tsp

red chilly - 1

Green chilly - 1

Curry leaves - 3

Coriander leaves - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - one pinch

There are two ways of making potato curry.

1. You can peel and cut the potatoes in thin slices and make the curry.

2. You can cook the whole potatoes in pressure cooker or micro oven and then make the curry.

1. Potatoes chopped

- Take a deep frying pan, place it on the stove over medium heat.

- Add a tbs of cooking oil.

- When the oil is warm add the mustard seeds.

- When the mustard seeds start popping, add the chick pea and white lentil dal as well as the red and green chillies.

- Add the curry leaves and coriander leaves.

- Add the chopped potatoes and mix well.

- Keep stirring the potato and cook it over medium heat.

(Alternatively you can do part of this process in the micro oven. After the mustard seeds pop up, you add the chopped potatoes, mix well and then keep it in micro oven for 10 minutes.)

- Add a tsp of curry powder. (you get this curry powder free with instant dosa mix)

You can also add garam masala powder if you do not have the curry powder.

- Add salt to taste.

- Add grated coconut (optional)

- Cook until the potato is soft and well cooked. You can stick a fork into it and check if it has turned soft. The fork will pass through easily when potato is well cooked.

Transfer the potato curry to a serving bowl. Decorate with coriander leaves and curry leaves.

2. Potatoes cooked whole

Cook the potatoes whole along with the skin in a pressure cooker or micro oven.

If you are cooking it in a pressure cooker you may need to wait for three or four whistles.

If you are cooking in micro oven you need to keep it at high for 10 minutes.

Peel the skin of the potatoes. If you are peeling the potato when the potatoes are hot, you may need to use cold water to cool the potatoes.

- Take a deep frying pan, place it on the stove over medium heat.

- Add a tbs of cooking oil.

- When the oil is warm add the mustard seeds.

- When the mustard seeds start popping, add the chick pea and white lentil dal as well as the red and green chillies.

- Add the curry leaves and coriander leaves.

- Add the chopped potatoes and mix well.

- Add a tsp of curry powder and salt to taste.

You can add more or less curry powder depending on how spicy you want the potato curry to be.

Cook for a minute, constantly stirring till the curry powder and the potato get mixed well.

Transfer to a serving bowl and decorate with coriander and curry leaves.

..............................................

Aloo Bonda

Potato is called Aloo in Hindi.

Ingredients to make Aloo Bonda

Potato curry - 1 cup

Chickpea flour - 2cups

Water - 1/2 cup

Cooking oil - 1/2 ltr (for frying the aloo bonda

curry powder - 1/2 tsp

lemon juice - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

- Roll potato curry in small balls (a small lemon size)

- Take the chickpea flour in a bowl, add curry powder and salt

(curry powder is free with instant dosa mix)

Alternatively you can add garam masala or chillie powder.

- Add water little by little and mix the chickpea into a smooth paste.

- Add a pinch of cooking soda (optional)

- Add the lemon juice and mix well (optional)

- Warm the cooking oil over medium heat in a deep frying pan.

- Take a potato ball, dip it in chickpea paste and roll it so as to cover it completely with chickpea paste.

- Gently drop the potato balls, dipped in chickpea paste, one by one, into the warm oil.

- Deep fry the potato balls in warm oil. At a time you can fry five or six balls together.

- Roll the balls in oil so that all sides are evenly friend.

- When well fried the bondas will turn golden brown.

You can eat the aloo bondas with tomato sauce or mustard paste.

You can also eat the bondas with coconut chutney (free with instant dosa mix)

.....................................................

Masala Dosa

Ingredients

Instant Dosa Mix 1 cup

Water 2 cups

Potato curry - 2 tbs

Cooking oil - 2 tsp

Take the dosa mix in a small bowl, add water little by little.

Mix well to get dosa batter without knots.

The batter should be thin enough to easily spread.

Place a flat pan over medium heat.

Smear the pan with a little oil. (You can roll a tissue paper into a tiny ball, dip it in oil and smear the pan)

Take a ladle full of dosa batter and spread it in a circular shape on the flat pan.

Add a tsp of cooking oil around the corners of the dosa.

Cook for a minute.

Take a spatula, pass it around the corner of the dosa.

Slightly lift a corner and check if it has turned golden brown.

Spread potato curry on one half of the dosa.

Fold the other half to cover the potato curry.

Flip the dosa.

Add a tsp of oil and cook for a minute.

Now masala dosa is ready to eat.

You can eat it with chutney, dal or any other side dish such as Tomato sauce or mustard paste.

Healthy Yogurt soup

Yogurt soup by Diba

My friend Diba has sent me this healthy recipe. Yogurt is something South Indians use in idli and Gujaratis use in Srikand.

Idli and Dosa are South Indian dishes but very popular in all parts of India as well as in many parts of the world.

Diba's healthy Yogurt soup requires the following ingredients:

ingredients:

- 2 cups plain yogurt

- 1/2 cup flour

- 8 cups water

- 1 cup cooked chickpeas

- 1/2 cup cooked rice

- 2 cups chopped coriander

- salt ,black pepper

- one minced garlic clove

Have you got all the ingredients ready?

Now we can start making healthy Yogurt soup and think of Diba when we relish it.

Mix yogurt and flour well, add water and salt , bring to the boil.

Boil for 10 minutes stirring frequently.

Take the peas and rice, add one cup of water.

Blend coarsely peas, rice and water in a blender.

Add to yogurt soup and boil for 5 more minutes.

Remember to keep stirring :)

Add garlic and coriander. Boil for 5 minutes.

Add pepper and salt.

Diba says, "You can add any spice you like to this plain soup. But take care coriander must not be overcooked or it will lose the flavor".

Well that reminds me...

You can add curry powder that comes with Instant Dosa Mix to this soup. That will add an exotic taste to Diba's healthy Yogurt Soup.

Diba's Healthy Tomato Soup

Here is another great recipe from Diba, my friend :)

Tomato Soup

You Need:

- 5OO gm Tomato, coarsely chopped

- 250 gm Onion,

- 1 clove of garlic

- 3 tb spoons of Olive Oil

- Salt to taste

- Black Pepper

- crushed dry Marjoram

- 8 cups of water

This is how you make it

Take three tb spoons of oil in a large pan and warm it over medium heat.

Add chopped onion and tomato and stir well.

Add water and bring it to a boil.

Simmer for half an hour.

Blend in a blender.

Strain from a colander.

Bring it to boil again.

Add salt to taste.

Boil for a few more minutes.

Add freshly ground black pepper and dry Marjoram.

Serve with Crutons.

Make this today and share with Diba and me your experience :)

Diba's Healthy Cheese Whey Recipes

This healthy recipe is sent by my friend Diba.

You can make cheese at home and use the whey water for another recipe. Whey is very healthy.

How to make cheese?

To make unprocessed cheese at home you need milk and rennet.

[Vegetarians add a tea spoon of lemon juice to boiling milk to make cheese.]

Diba says:

I warm the milk to 38-40 c , mix rennet with a little water , mix with milk, stir for a minute and then remove from heat.

When set and cool, I transfer the milk to the fridge, let stay for 12 hours and then strain in a cheesecloth.

I get around 1 1/2 litre whey.

I add salt after straining. You can add caraway, if u like.

[Rennet is the additive which sets the cheese , curdles milk. You can also add 1/4 cup yoghurt and keep on fire for 1 miute and stir , but rennet is better.]

I always make cheese at home and use the whey water in cakes, breads.

How do you use Whey to make bread?

Diba made paneer (cheese) for her guests and used the whey to make her bread.

Take 1 litre of Whey.

Add 1 tb spoon of salt.

Add 1 tb spoon of yeast.

Stir well.

Add 2 cups of bran.

Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour.

Leave it for 3 hours, let it rise.

Grease 30 x 40cm x 3cm pan.

Spread the wheat flour mixture with a spoon.

Let it rise for 15 mts.

Bake at 180 C in the oven.

You will see it turn wonderfully light :)

You can also add dried aromatic herbs.

Diba says, "This bread is mixed with spoon only, no knead, that's why i invented it !!!"

Try this and let me know if you have any questions. I will get you the answers from Diba.

Thanks Diba for the great recipe!

Instant Dosa Recipes

There are a number of types of Instant Dosa Mix and you can cook a variety of healthy Instant Dosa Recipes.

For example, here are a few of the Instant Dosa Powders:

1. Plain Dosa Mix

2. Masala Dosa - Plain Dosa Mix can be used for this too

3. Adai Dosa - Lentil Dosa

4. Wheat Dosa

5. Rava Dosa

If you take any one of these a variety of Instant Dosa Recipes can be prepared.

Let us take Adai Mix. This mix has rice and all the pulses in different proportions to make a nice blend and help us prepare delicious "adai".

Take one cup of Adai Mix and add two cups of water - your batter is ready. Everything else including salt and spices are added to the mix.

Now using this Instant Adai Dosa Mix you can prepare...

1. Plain Adai

Just take a ladle full of adai batter, make a circular shape on a flat pan, cook over medium heat, add two tea spoons of cooking oil, flip and cook for haf a minute - and you are done!

2. Onion Adai

Take a ladle full of adai batter, make a circular shape on a flat pan, cook over medium heat, add two tea spoons of cooking oil, sprinkle finely chopped onion on the adai, flip and cook for a minute - and you are done! The onion will get roasted and the adai will get cooked - and the smell will make you hungry :)

3. Carrot Adai

Make adai in the same way as before. This time sprinkle grated carrot before flipping the dosa. This is a healthy nutritious food and good for children and old people too.

4. Cheese Adai

Grate cheese over the adai cooking over medium heat. Fold the dosa before flipping.

5. Green Adai

Take green vegetables such as peas, spinach, curry leaves, coriander, etc. Add them to the adai mix along with the water. Mix well, take a ladle full and make adai as before.

6. Mixed Vegetable Adai

You can add finely chopped pieces of your favorite vegetables to the adai mix along with water and make the adai.

Alternatively you can cook these vegetables with the curry powder and then prepare a sandwich by keeping it between two adais.

Using your imagination and creativity you can churn out a variety of dishes using the plain dosa mix or the adai mix. By adding vegetables we improve the nutritious value of the dish and it becomes a complete meal.

The curry powder adds an exotic taste to the vegetables. The chutney powder is a very tasty side dish that goes with the dosa perfectly.

Try out these instant dosa recipes and send me your questions, clarifications or feedback.

And don't forget we have a variety of instant mixes for Indian Recipes.

Ragi Health Drink - Finger Millet Recipes

Ragi or finger millet is known for its nutritious qualities.

Ragi Dosa tastes different from Masala Dosa or Plain Dosa made with rice and dal.

A variety of tasty dishes are made out of Ragi. ragi recipes or finger millet recipes are supposed to be good for diabetic patients.

You can check out a special Ragi Health Drink on this site.

Radha Deep's Ragi Recipe

Ingredients:

Two cups of ragi; 2 cups of wheat; one cup of sprouted green gram (moong dal in India); two tablespoons of almond; 2 tablespoon of fried gram, one tablespoon of peanuts, a pinch of saffron; 5 cardamoms

Method:

Roast all ingredients, except fried gram, cardamom and saffron. (Roast peanuts separately and remove the outer skin.) Add these two to the roasted mix and grind to a fine flour. Add one tablespoon of the malt thus obtained to 1 cup of warm milk. Add sugar/ sugar substitute or honey as sweetener, for a delicious and healthy beverage.

Cardamom and saffron are storehouses of nutrition containing ample proteins. Minerals like calcium and iron, and Vitamin C. Saffron also contains vitamin A. Besides, the carbohydrates, minerals and fiber of the various grains are counterbalanced by the proteins provided by the green gram lentil and the almonds. Adding fruits and milk to the malt provides essential vitamins and antioxidants. All in all, a fully balanced meal that is delicious and easy to prepare.

The ragi malt thus prepared is also called huri hittu in Kannada. (Huri-roast, hittu – floor) here are a few one-minute recipes for huri hittu. Add milk, honey and fruits to two tablespoons of huri hittu, to get custard like consistency. It makes a great snack, high on nutrition Add a tablespoon of huri hittu to a cup of milk for a great health drink. Honey or sugar is optional. Prepare jaggery syrup and add the huri hittu to it with a spoon of ghee (clarified butter) and knead to make small balls. Ideal for a between meal snack for children.

Balancing Elements In Indian Cooking

Indian food menus are becoming more popular the world over. Indian recipes are known for the healthy ingredients the use of which are based on ancient texts and this knowledge is passed on from one generation to another. What is more important is that these recipes are now being improvised to suit modern needs.

In most Indian food menus, the food item has a pair of ingredients - one working to compensate the side effects of the other.

Read the rest of the article at: Healthy Food Recipe - Balancing Elements in Indian Recipes

Healthy Food Recipe - Balancing Elements in Indian Recipes

Indian food menus are becoming more popular the world over. Indian recipes are known for the healthy ingredients the use of which are based on ancient texts and this knowledge is passed on from one generation to another. What is more important is that these recipes are now being improvised to suit modern needs.

In most Indian food menus, the food item has a pair of ingredients - one working to compensate the side effects of the other.

For example, dosa is an Indian recipe that is a complete nutritious meal in itself. One dosa can provide your body with most of the required vitamins and nutrients. Hence if you are on a weight loss diet, you will be able to have a filling, complete, nutritious meal once and will not feed the urge to eat anything between meals.

The idea is to get your stomach and tongue feel the satisfaction of a delicious and filling meal that it does not crave for anything in between meals.

Ingredients Complimentary and Counter Active

In Indian dosa we use lentils called "urad dal". This white lentil is rich in protein and is good for health. White Dal is good for improving hemoglobin count. In India herbal doctors prescribe one dosa per day for people suffering from anemia.

So urad dal has all the good qualities that we need. But nothing is perfect in this world. Good healthy ingredients do have a part that is not good for us. So does urad dal. Eating a lot of urad dal can produce 'stomach gas'. So to deactivate this component of urad dal, Indians use asafoetida called 'Hing'. By using a pinch of 'hing' in the dosa batter the bad effect of urad dal is removed and we can benefit from the nutritious quality of urad dal.

Another ingredient added to dal to overcome its side effect is cooking soda. Cooking soda again is good for digestion and prevents 'stomach gas'. A third ingredient used in dosa batter is cumin seeds.

What we are doing here is to benefit from a nutritious meal and have a three pronged attack over its side effects. The three ingredients, asafoetida, cooking soda and cumin seeds, which are used for overcoming the side effects of dosa, have healthy nutrients in themselves. So we have removed the bad effects and added more nutritional value to the meal.

This is just one example of the many, many ways Indian food lovers have perfected the art of eating healthy nutritious meal. This knowledge is passed on from one generation to the next.

Modern Indians do not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Necessity is the mother of invention. Instant food items that retain the healthy, nutritious quality based on the ancient wisdom of Indians are coming into the food market.

These healthy recipes have such ingredients that work against the bad effects of each other as well as compliment the nutritional values of one another.

Dosa Recipe Without Instant Ready Mix

How do you prepare dosa, if you do not have the ready mix?

You can, of course, prepare dosa without instant ready mix. All you need is rice, lentil, fenugreek and a few other flavors.

Of course preparing the side dish is not covered in this recipe.

1. Take three cups of rice and soak them overnight. Add enough water to immerse the rice completely.

2. Soak a tea spoon of fenugreek seeds along with the rice. Fenugreek is good for health and it adds to the taste of the dosa.

2. The next day morning take a cup of lentil (urad dal) and soak it in water. Urad dal is white and you get the whole and split dal in the stores. The whole ones are good for making dosa and idli.

3. You will need a mixer grinder, a dosa pan, ladle and spatula. The rice is passed through a mixer grinder to get a coarse paste. You can also make the paste using a traditional hand driven stone grinder or an electric dosa grinder available in stores.

4. After grinding the rice to a paste, remove it and keep it aside. Start with the dal. Grind it to a fine paste. You can go on sprinkling water on the paste periodically and grind further. One cup of dal paste will fluff up and become equal to three cups of rice paste.

5. Now add the rice and dal paste and grind them together with salt and a few other flavors that will make your dosa exotic.

Now your dosa batter is ready for use.

From here it is the same procedure as making a dosa with the instant dosa mix. You can watch the video and see how to make dosas.

If you want to make idlis, leave the batter overnight to ferment.

The consistency of the batter will determine, if your dosa gets off the pan or not. In case you have problem separating the dosa from the pan, follow these steps:

1. Dip the spatula in cooking oil.

2. Pass it through the edges of the dosa.

3. Slightly move towards the center of the dosa and lift it slowly off the pan, without breaking the dosa.

4. Lower down the flame so that the dosa does not get burnt when you are trying to get it off the pan.

5. For the next dosa your pan might have got too hot. Sprinkle a little cold water on the pan to cool it. Smear a little cooking oil first. And then make the next dosa.

If you do not have the time to go through the long process of making the dosa batter go for instant dosa mix.

Now we have more products:

- Instant Adai Mix

- Instant Wheat Dosa Mix

- Instant Healthy Roti Mix

- Instant Chutney Powder

- Instant Curry Powder

and more...

Here is what Mike Seiler who has tried out our product says:

"The Instant Dosa Mix (Indian Pancakes) arrived very quickly. It was a joy to be able to make our own Dosas without having to spend a lot of time tracking down ingredients. Besides, the Instant Dosa Mix tasted better than when I put the ingredients together myself anyway.

The convenience can't be beat!

We ran out far too soon because the mix was so delicious. The whole family is anxiously waiting for more".

- Mike and Rachel, Boulder, Colorado, USA

Try it once and you will come back for more :)