Parathas (Whole Wheat Indian Flatbread)

A Paratha is a flat bread that originated in India.Paratha is an amalgamation of the words parat and atta which literally means layers of cooked dough.Paratha can be round,square or triangular in shape. (source wikipedia).

Paratha is a traditional breakfast flatbread and usually eaten with spiced potatoes.It can be eaten with many other different side dishes too.The kids love to eat their parathas with sunny side up eggs,thats exactly what we did today and they were ecstatic! Parathas are not limited to being a breakfast dish,it can be consumed for lunch,dinner or even a snack.We paired our Parathas with left over mince(ground meat) and vegetables, for dinner and the combination of the two was delicious!

Ingredients :- 

• 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 cup Warm water
• 2 Tablespoons of Oil
• Salt to taste

Method :

• Use a wide kneading bowl and mix the flour and salt.
• Use half the water and start mixing the dough and water.
• Add the oil to this mixture.
• Keep adding the water and knead to form a smooth dough ball.
• Cover and keep aside for 10-20 minutes.
• You can make lemon sized balls of the dough and set aside.
• Dust the wooden board and the rolling pin.

Step 1-Take the lemon sized ball of dough and flatten it out on the wooden board,dust the dough with a little flour and start rolling it out into a medium sized circle.
Step 2-Coat the circle with a drop of oil and fold the circle to form a half circle.
Step 3-Coat the half circle with a drop of oil and fold it to form a small triangle.
Step 4 -Shows the small triangle.
Step 5- Start rolling out the triangle with your rolling pin,and dusting the dough with flour to prevent it from sticking to the wooden board,till you get a medium sized triangle.
Step 6- Heat your iron skillet( or your frying pan) and fry the paratha on meduim till its golden brown in color,applying a drop of oil as needed.

Serve hot and Enjoy!

Mince with Mixed Vegetables (Ground Meat with Mixed Vegetables)

Mince is ground meat,could be any kind of ground meat and it is a dish cooked with a few spices and herbs.This meat dish,can be eaten as a side with rice and curry,or with Indian breads.I usually use left over mince in the kids sandwiches and they taste delicious.This is a simple dish to make and one that my kids really enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1lb of ground meat (turkey,chicken or beef)
• 2 tablespoons Oil
• 2 medium sized Onions (finely chopped)
• 1 medium sized  Tomato (finely chopped)
• 1 green chilly slit
• 5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 1/2 inch ginger (finely chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 3/4 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baffat powder (if you like it spicer you can add 1 teaspoon)
• 1 cup mixed vegetables (I used frozen carrots,peas,beans and corn)
• 2 tablespoon cilantro leaves (finely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon mint leaves (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method :

1. Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan and saute the onions till they turn translucent.
2. Add the chopped ginger,garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add the slit green chilly and fry for a quick 30 seconds
4. Add the tomatoes,the chopped cilantro,mint and salt and saute till the tomatoes become mushy.(I usually add a little water to get my tomatoes really mushy)
5. Add the dry powders (chilly powder,turmeric powder,coriander powder,cumin powder,garam masala and baffat powder) and saute this masala for two minutes.
6. Add the mince (ground meat) and cook the meat and the spices together till everything is incorporated.Stir the meat every once in a while to prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom of your pan.Simmer the meat covered for 5-7 minutes.
7. Add the mixed vegetables ( you can use vegetables of your choice,I used a mixture of frozen carrots,peas,green beans and corn)
8. Cook the vegetables and meat covered for another 7-10 minutes till the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
9. Add 1/4 cup of coconut milk and let the mince cook for another 2 minutes.(we like our mince dry,so I cook it till all the liquid evaporates)
10. Garnish with Mint leaves.

Idli (Steamed Rice Cake)

Idli is a steamed rice cake and a traditional South Indian breakfast.I made my Idlis with left over fermented dosa batter. Idli is usually served with sambhar,coconut chutney and other side dishes.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Dosa/Idli Rice (uncooked,raw rice)- 24 oz
• 1 cup Urad Dhal (spilt black gram)- 8 oz
• 1/2 teaspoon Methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
• 2-3 tablespoons of cooked white rice 
• 2 tablespoons of beaten rice or poha (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method :

1. Wash and soak the dosa rice, urad dhal and fengreek seeds in plenty of water for 5 hours ( or overnight)
2. Drain all the water that the rice and dhal was soaking in overnight.
3. Grind the mixture to a fine paste using little water.
4. While grinding the mixture add 2-3 tablespoons of cooked white rice and salt to taste.
5. The consistency of the batter should be such that it thickly coats a spoon dipped in it. 
6. Keep the Idli batter aside in a warm, dark spot, covered with a muslin cloth, for 8-10 hours (if its the thick of winter,then it will take longer to ferment)
7. After this fermentation (your batter would have doubled,thats how you know that your batter has fermented).
8. Do not stir the batter (for fluffy Idlis,scoop the fermented batter from the side)
   
9. Place enough water in the steamer,and bring the water to a boil.
10. Grease each idli holder on the idli stand.
11. Pour batter into them ( 1/2 or 3/4th full) 

12.Steam the Idlis for 12 minutes.
13.Carefully remove the idli stand from the steamer and let it cool
14.Take a spoon and slowly slide the idlis from the stand and enjoy!

Step 1 - Fermented Batter
Step 2 - Batter filled 3/4th in the Idli stand
Step 3 - Steamed Idli ( after 12 minutes of steaming)

Tip :

• You can add active dry yeast if you want your Idli batter to ferment quickly.If you are adding yeast,the batter will ferment quicker than the natural fermentation process.(I follow the instructions on the bottle,which is stir 2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast into 1/4 cup warm water (100-110 degree F).To proof (foam) yeast,stir in 1 teaspoon sugar,let stand for 10 minutes.If mixture doubles in volume,yeast is active)
• You can also add 2 tablespoons of Beaten rice,while grinding the batter.

Dosa ( Rice Pancake)

Dosa is a fermented pancake made from rice and black lentils.This dish is popular in South India as well as other countries like Sri Lanka,Malaysia and Singapore (source Wikipedia)

This is a common breakfast dish and our absolute favorite.It it usually eaten with coconut chutney,sambar and potatoes,although can be combined with any combination of your choice.My kids like their dosa with honey and ghee.My husband likes his with chutney powder and ghee,so this humble pancake can be dunked in many different side dishes!

My two year old was being unusually picky about dinner(this can be eaten for dinner too!),although when she heard that I was making dosas she was at the dinning table faster than the speed of light.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Dosa Rice (uncooked,raw rice)-24 oz
• 1 cup Urad Dhal (spilt black gram)-8oz
• 1/2 teaspoon Methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
• 2-3 tablespoons of cooked white rice 
• 2 tablespoons of beaten rice or poha (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method :

1. Wash and soak the dosa rice, urad dhal and fengreek seeds in plenty of water for 5-8 hours (or overnight)
2. Drain all the water that the rice and dhal was soaking in overnight.
3. Grind the mixture to a fine paste using little water.
4. While grinding the mixture add 2-3 tablespoons of cooked white rice and salt to taste.
5. The consistency of the batter should be such that it thickly coats a spoon.
6. Keep the Dosa batter aside in a warm, dark spot, covered with a muslin cloth, for 6-8 hours (if its the thick of winter,then it will take longer to ferment.In winter you can set your oven to 250 degrees F,once it has heated turn the heat off and leave the batter in the heated oven)
7. After this fermentation (your batter would have doubled,thats how you know that your batter has fermented).
8. Give the batter a quick stir (add a little water if the batter is too thick)
9. Add a little oil on the dosa pan. Take a paper towel rub the paper towel all over the surface of the pan to grease.(or you can cut an onion in half and you can use the onion to grease the pan)The correct amount of oil is such that it is barely visible on the pan. 
10. Now turn on the heat/ flame at medium heat.
11. Gently pour one ladle of  this batter onto the center of the pan and move the ladle in concentric circles.
12. Cook the dosa on a medium heat until it is a light golden brown.
13. Remove carefully with a flat spatula and fold the dosa in half.
14. Serve the dosa with your favorite side dish.

Tips :

• You can add active dry yeast if you want your dosa batter to ferment quickly.If you are adding yeast,the batter will ferment in 2 to 3 hours.
• I follow the instructions on the bottle,which is stir 2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast into 1/4 cup warm water (100-110 degree F).To proof (foam) yeast,stir in 1 teaspoon sugar,let stand for 10 minutes.If mixture doubles in volume,yeast is active.
• Once the yeast added batter ferments,make sure you do not let this batter sit out too long,otherwise it will sour.
• You can also add 2 tablespoons of Beaten rice while grinding this batter.

Paleo Mug Cake

This is a perfect one person dessert or a quick after school snack.I found this recipe on the internet while searching for Paleo Mug Cakes.My little boy thought this was delicious.I ate my mug cake with a dollop of chocolate coconut milk ice-cream and it tasted divine.I like the fact that this is a flour-less cake and that it can be made in under 3 minutes!

Ingredients:

• 1 small ripe banana
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons almond butter(or any nut butter)
• 1 egg
• 2 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons Maple Syrup or Honey
• A handful of walnuts 

Method:

1. In a microwave safe mug mash the banana with a fork into a smooth puree.
2. Mix the almond butter, egg, cocoa powder, and the maple syrup or honey until it forms an even batter(mix well with a spoon)
3. Fold in walnuts into the batter(make sure that this batter is not more than 2/3rds level of the mug,because it will expand in the microwave).
4. Microwave on high for 2 and 1/2 minutes until the centre is set.
5. Carefully remove the mug from the microwave (the mug is going to be really hot)
6. Enjoy!
   
   Tip :
   • You can add chocolate chips or other mix ins to the batter if you like.
   • This is a 2 minute mug cake,so doesn't compare to the 2 hour baked cake,this mug cake tastes good when accompanied with ice cream!

Chickpea Flour Crepe ( La Socca)

Chickpea flour has a nutty taste and it takes a little getting used to.I'm not a big fan of the flour,although this recipe definitely surprised me.I used my crepe as a pizza base and added my favorite toppings and viola tasted wonderful.The kids used their crepe for breakfast and dunked it in their sunny side up eggs.I think this crepe is versatile and can be used any which way you want and can be eaten plain as a snack too.

Socca as its known in France,lives in street stalls and marketplaces as a favorite early morning food of the fishermen,laborers and shoppers who regularly purchase a hearty piece of it,wrapped in a paper napkin. (source William Sonoma cookbook)

Ingredients :

• 1 and half cups(8 oz) of chickpea flour (garbanzo beans flour)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Method :

1. Put 2 cups (16 fl oz) water in a bowl,then whisk in the chickpea flour,olive oil and salt,continuing to whisk until no lumps remain.Let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Place 12 by 16 inch heavy duty baking sheet in the oven.
3. Preheat the oven to 500 degree F.
4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven,brush with oil,then quickly pour the batter onto the sheet.It should be about 1/8 inch (3mm) thick
5. Burst the bubbles in the batter with the tip of a knife.Turn the setting to broil and slip the baking sheet under the broiler.
6. Cook until the entire surface of the crepe is golden and is lightly charred in places,the original time on the recipe said 2-3 minutes ( mine didn't char too well,I'm thinking my old oven didn't broil well,I charred it on my iron skillet on both sides for a quick minute on medium high heat)
7. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into squares and rectangles.Dust generously with pepper and serve at once.

Milk Peda (Milk Fudge)

Peda is an Indian sweet and is usually prepared in thick, semi-soft pieces. The main ingredients are khoa, sugar and traditional flavorings, including cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts and saffron.The word peda is also generically used to mean a blob of any doughy substance, such as flour or (in the case of the sweet) khoa. (source Wikipedia).

Peda happens to be a dessert we all enjoy and when I found this two minute microwavable version I had to try it.

Milk Peda

Ingredients:
1¾ cups Milk Powder
1 Can (14 oz) Condensed Milk
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/4 teaspoon Cardamom powder
A small pinch of Saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water or milk
A small pinch of Salt (Optional)
Few Dry Nuts of your choice (cashews, almonds, pistachios etc)

Method :

1. Melt the butter for 5-10 seconds in the microwave (until melted)
2. Mix the melted unsalted butter,milk powder and condensed milk in a microwave safe bowl (make sure they are combined well)
3. Stir in the saffron,cardamom powder and a pinch of salt
4. Microwave this mixture on high for 2-3 minutes (after a minute,give this a mixture a quick stir,and continue to microwave again,for another minute or two)
5. Give the mixture another quick stir
6. Let this mixture cool slightly (don't let the mixture cool down completely,as it will crumble)
7. Grease your hands with a little ghee or oil, make small balls of the mixture while its still warm n flatten slightly.( I used a toy train wheel for the circular design,you can use a fork and make a similar pattern)
8. Garnish with nuts (optional).