Onion Uthappam Recipe – How To Make Onion Uttapam

Generally South Indians, Tamil people make onion uttapam at least once in a week with leftover Idli, dosa batter. Sendhil likes to eat onion uthappam or rava dosa in hotels and restaurants whereas my choice is always plain uthappam with varieties of side dishes. I love its soft and spongy texture. 

I have already shared few uthappam varieties like tomato onion uthappam , Kadai onion uthappam(my MIL’s style) and Podi uthappam in my space. But this is the basic version of onion uttapam using big onions. We call it as Vengaya dosai in Tamil. Mostly I make it for breakfast during week days as I don’t have to prepare any side dish for this. Sendhil loves to eat it as such if the onions are browned perfectly. 

For variations and to make it more colorful, sometimes I use small onions, finely chopped green chillies, coriander leaves or grated carrot. If you want to make any side dish for onion uthappam, you can try coconut chutney, tomato chutney or idli sambar. 

Uthappam tastes the best and comes out soft, spongy with crispy edges only if you make it with fresh, thick idli batter. Do not add water to the thick If the batter becomes watery, uttapam becomes flat. So to make soft and spongy uthappam, mix the fermented idli batter till half way through on the first day for making idli. 

By doing this way, soft urad dal batter gets mixed with rice batter evenly and helps to prepare soft idli dosa on the first day, soft uthappam on the second, third day too. For making crispy dosa, remove the required batter in another bowl, add very little water to it. Mix well and spread thin dosa. 

Ok, lets see how to make onion uttapam recipe with step by step pictures.

Onion uttapam recipe - How to make onion uthappam

Onion uthappam recipe with step by step pictures.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Dosa Recipes

Serves: 5 

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 5 Minutes

Total time: 10 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Idli dosa batter - 2 cups Big onion - 3 nos (Finely chopped) Water - If needed Cooking oil - as needed ( to sprinkle over dosa)

HOW TO MAKE ONION UTHAPPAM 

1. Take the idli dosa batter in a bowl. Add little water if the batter is too thick.
2. Chop the onions finely. I use my electric chopper to do this job easily.
3. Heat dosa tawa. Pour 2 ladles of batter and spread slightly. Cook in medium flame.
4. Spread finely chopped onions all over the dosa. 
5. Drizzle oil around the corner and center of dosa over the onions.
6. Flip the dosa and keep the flame medium high. Cook till onions turn golden brown.
7. Remove and serve hot with any side dish like chutney or sambar.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Take idli dosa batter in a big bowl. Add little water, say 1/4 cup if batter is too thick. Mix well. Chop onions very finely using a knife or turbo chopper if you have it. Set aside. Heat dosa tawa. Sprinkle few drops of water to check the heat of tawa. Wipe it with a cloth or tissue paper. Keep the flame low. Pour two ladles of batter in the center of dosa tawa. Spread it slightly to make small, round uthappam. Sprinkle onions all over the dosa. Drizzle cooking oil or gingely oil all over the dosa. Drizzle some oil over the onions too. Flip the dosa & cook the other side till onion becomes golden brown in color. Keep the flame medium high.  Wait patiently till onions turn golden brown evenly. Remove the dosa to a plate. Repeat the same and make the remaining dosa. Serve hot with chutney or sambar ! Enjoy!

Note

Do not use the last batch of idli batter. It won’t make spongy and soft dosa. For best results, use fresh idli batter.You can also use 2nd day batter but make sure batter is not too thin. Flame should be low while spreading the onions so that the bottom part doesn’t get burnt. After you flip the dosa, you can increase the flame to medium high. For variations, you can add finely chopped green chilli,coriander leaves, grated carrot along with finely chopped onion and sprinkle over the dosa. You can also sprinkle idli podi or some red chilli powder/ tandoori masala for spicy taste. Do not mix the chopped onion in the idli batter. It should be just sprinkled over the dosa.

Try this easy, yummy onion uthappam for your breakfast and enjoy !

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Cabbage Gravy Recipe – Muttaikose Kurma Kuzhambu For Rice, Dosa

Cabbage gravy for rice ( Muttaikose Kuzhambu in Tamil) was new to me until I saw in Sashi’s recipes. I have heard about cabbage sambar and kurma from my friend Shalini. But this is Kongunadu style kurma kulambu recipe adding freshly ground masala. It came out very well and tasted good with rice, dosa and chapathi as well. As I am a big fan of cabbage kurma recipes, I loved it very much. But to my surprise, my husband Sendhil who hates cabbage loved this gravy very much with rice. So I have made this muttaikose kuzhambu thrice so far. He ate it every time without any complaints. 

To make this kuzhambu, I tweaked the original recipe slightly and reduced the spice level as per my family’s taste. After trying this, I got the courage to try cabbage kurma for chapathi learning from my friend Shalini. Soon I will try and post them in my space. 

Friends If you like to try varieties of cabbage recipes at home, do try this kuzhambu. You will love it for sure. Lets see how to make cabbage gravy for rice with step by step pictures.

Check out my Cabbage kootu recipe, Cabbage vada , white cabbage poriyal recipe,  purple cabbage poriyal, purple cabbage salad , Cabbage Sambar

Cabbage Gravy Recipe / Muttaikose Kuzhambu Recipe

Cabbage Gravy Recipe / Muttaikose Kuzhambu Recipe for rice, dosa and chapathi

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250 ml Shredded cabbge - 1.5 cups Salt & water - as needed Coriander leaves - To garnish To Saute & Grind Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Big Onion - 1 no Ripe Tomato - 2 no Coriander Seeds / Dhania - 1 tsp Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp Pepper corns - 1/4 tsp Red Chilli - 2 no Garlic cloves - 3 no Garam Masala Powder or curry masala powder - 1 tsp Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp Grated coconut – 1 tbsp To Temper Cooking Oil - 1 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Green Chili - 1 no Curry Leaves - Few Big Onion - 1 no ( finely chopped) Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

HOW TO MAKE CABBAGE KUZHAMBU - METHOD

1. Wash and chop cabbage into thin slices. Set aside.
2. In a kadai, heat oil and saute all the ingredients given under “to saute & grind”. Grind to a smooth paste adding coconut.
3. In the same kadai, heat oil. Splutter cumin seeds, curry leaves. Saute onion, cabbage pieces. Add salt, turmeric powder, ground masala. Mix well.
4. Add 1 cup of water and boil for few minutes till gravy becomes thick and raw smell goes off.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with plain rice, dosa & chapathi if you like.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop cabbage into small thin slices.Wash and chop onion, tomato. Keep aside. Heat oil in a kadai. Saute all the ingredients one by one given under “To saute and grind”in medium flame without burning them. Grind to smooth paste adding required water. Add 1 tbsp oil in the same kadai and splutter cumin seeds, curry leaves. Saute green chilli, onion pieces till transparent. Add cabbage and saute till it shrinks. Add the ground masala, salt, turmeric powder and saute for few minutes. Add 1 cup of water. Cover and cook the cabbage in low flame. After cabbage is cooked well, check for consistency and add more water if needed.  Let the gravy boil for few more minutes till you get nice smell. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.Serve hot with rice. Add ghee if you like. This gravy looks slightly watery. So you have to serve the gravy along with cabbage for binding as shown in the last picture below. If you don't like to mix with plain rice, make it thick and serve as kootu for sambar rice or rasam rice. To make it  as side dish for for roti, you can boil little more thick and serve it. Enjoy !

Note

I have reduced the amount of chillies and masala powder given in the original recipe. Please adjust it based on your liking. You can also use leafy vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli instead of cabbage.

Try this yummy cabbage kuzhambu for a change and tell me how you liked it. I also make poondu kuzhambu & papad along with gravy.

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Vegetable Brinji Rice Recipe – Seeraga Samba Rice Pulao Recipe

Brinji rice is a very popular rice variety in small hotels in Chennai. Long back I had shared a plain brinji recipe with coconut milk. Recently I came across a vegetable brinji rice recipe(Brinji sadam in Tamil) in Eesha’s kitchen YouTube video which is completely different from my earlier version. So I tried it for our Sunday lunch. I am not sure if this the original Chennai brinji rice. But it came out well and tasted more like biryani/ pulao made with coconut milk. We all loved it. But I felt there is no much difference between the taste of this veg brinji and biryani. There are many versions available for this particular recipe.

Some recipes call for using freshly ground masala. As I had already shared a plain brinji sadam recipe, I wanted to prepare it with vegetables. Friends, If any of you know the authentic Chennai brinji rice recipe, please let me know. I am ready to try again and update this post. I have used jeera rice as its popularly known as brinji rice. So you can call this rice as Seeraga samba pulao as well.

In the original recipe, it is prepared with basmati rice. So you can also use basmati or even Sona masoori raw rice to make this brinji. But the flavor and the quantity of water varies. For variations, you can add fried bread pieces at the end. As this recipe has no grinding job and done directly in a pressure cooker bachelors can give a try and pack it for your lunch box.

Ok, Lets see how to make Tamil nadu style Vegetable brinji rice with step by step pictures.

Check out my Plain brinji rice recipe, Jeera rice veg biryani and my 40+ veg biryani varieties.

I used my Preethi Zodiac mixer grinder for extracting coconut milk easily. So I have shared separate step by step pictures for the same. Please check it out if interested. Preethi zodiac has really made my cooking much easier by helping me in chopping, grinding, atta kneading etc. Friends, you can think about buying this product if you are planning to change your old mixer. 


COCONUT MILK EXTRACTION USING PREETHI ZODIAC

• Take the coconut and cut into small pieces. You can also use grated coconut.
• Now take the super extractor jar and fit the blade. Cover the spout with the cap. Put the coconut pieces and grind to a coarse paste without adding water.

• Now add the required warm water ( 1:1 ratio of coconut and water for thick milk) and grind continuously.Coconut milk collects in the jar.

• Pour into a bowl and use as required.

Vegetable Brinji Rice Recipe

How to make Chennai special Brinji rice with vegetables & coconut milk

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Main course

Serves: Serves 2 to 3

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml Mixed vegetables - 1/2 cup ( 1 small carrot, 2 beans, handful of green peas, 1 potato) Basmati rice / jeera rice/ Raw rice - 1 cup Cooking oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Cinnamon - 1 inch piece Cloves - 2 nos Cardamom - 1 no ( crushed) Bay leaf - 1 no Black stone flower / Kalpasi- 1 no Big onion - 1 no Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp ( Use freshly ground paste for best taste) Green chillies - 2 nos. ( Use 3 to 4 for spicy brinji) Mint leaves - 2 tbsp Ripe tomato - 1 no ( big, chop finely) Coriander leaves - Few Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - as needed Curd - 1 tbsp Water + coconut milk - 1 cup + 3/4 cup Fried bread pieces – Few (Optional)

METHOD

1. Wash and chop all the vegetables into small cubes. Set aside.
2. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker. Saute the whole garam masala.
3. Add sliced onion and saute till transparent.Saute GG paste till raw smell goes off.
4. Add green chillies + mint leaves. Saute for a minute.
5. Saute tomato + coriander leaves till mushy.
6. Add spice powders, salt, curd and mix well.
7. Lastly add water, coconut milk and let it roll boil. Add washed rice and pressure cook in low flame for one whistle.
8. Remove the lid after steam is released. Fluff the rice and serve hot with raita, kurma or brinjal gravy as side dish.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the rice, drain the water completely and keep aside. No need to soak if using Jeera rice/ seeraga samba rice. If you are using basmati rice or raw rice, soak for 30 minutes. Wash and chop vegetables into small cubes, slice onions, finely chop tomato. Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Saute cinnamon, cloves, bayleaf, black stone flower and crushed cardamom. Add onion, gg paste and saute till onion turns transparent. Add slit green chilli and mint leaves. Saute for a minute. Add tomato pieces, coriander leaves and saute till tomato becomes mushy. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Saute well and add curd. Mix well. Add water and coconut milk. After it comes to roll boil, add washed rice. Mix well and cover the cooker with a lid. Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Remove the lid after steam is released. Mix gently and serve hot with onion raita, vegetable kurma, Biryani brinjal gravy, tomato gravy etc. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of green chillies as per your taste. You can also use basmati rice or raw rice. In that case, soak the rice for minimum 30 minutes and use 1: 1.5 cups to 2 cups of water.   You can skip red chilli powder and use green chillies alone.

Yummy Tamilnadu style vegetable brinji rice is ready ! Try at home and relish with your favorite side dish !!

 

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How To Make Eggless Red Velvet Cake Recipe Without Condensed Milk

My daughter Raksha is a big fan of Red velvet cake. So I tried this eggless red velvet cake recipe at home with whipped cream frosting for the first time on Valentine’s day.  Last year during this day I had shared a simple and easy eggless red velvet cake in a mug using microwave. So this year I wanted to try in convection oven. It came out moist, soft, spongy without even using condensed milk, butter & eggs. Cooking oil and buttermilk are the magic ingredients in this recipe. I was very happy with the result even though its my first attempt. Thanks Ranjani for the fool proof recipe. 

Actually cream cheese frosting is most suitable for red velvet cake. But I used heavy whipping cream for the frosting as I din’t have cream cheese in hand. We loved this combo as well. I used food coloring liquid for the bright red color. I din’t want to test with beetroot juice as its my first attempt. 

Last year we ordered red velvet cake from a popular bakery chain for Raksha’s birthday. But it was not good at all. We were disappointed with the taste of frosting and felt the cake was not even moist. When compared with that cake, my homemade eggless red velvet cake is outstanding. Beginners can dare to try this recipe. You will get good results for sure. You can also use this recipe to make red velvet cupcake. 

Ok, Lets see how to make eggless red velvet cake at home with step by step pictures.

Eggless red velvet cake recipe

How to make soft, moist eggless red velvet cake without condensed milk.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Eggless cakes

Serves: 1/4 kg

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 30 Minutes

Total time: 40 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 240ml Maida / All purpose flour - 1 cup Baking powder - 1 tsp Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp To mix Sugar – 1/2 cup ( I used regular crystal sugar) Buttermilk - 1/2 cup ( thick curd ( 1.5 tbsp + 1/3 cup water) Cooking oil - 1/3 cup ( Any flavorless oill) Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Colorless vinegar - 1 tbsp Red food color - 1 tsp Frosting Heavy whipping cream - 1/2 cup ( I used Tropolite brand) Icing sugar - 1/4 cup Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp Sugar + water – 1 tbsp each for sugar syrup.

HOW TO MAKE EGGLESS RED VELVET CAKE

1. In a small bowl, whisk curd & water to make buttermilk. Keep aside.
2. In another wide bowl, take sugar and cooking oil. Mix till sugar melts. Then add the remaining wet ingredients and make a smooth liquid.  
3. Keep a sieve over this bowl. Sieve maida, baking powder, soda and cocoa powder.
4. Mix gently with a whisk to make cake batter. Transfer to a greased baking pan.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Check with toothpick.
6. Remove the pan and let the cake cool completely. Invert in a plate and cover with a cling wrap to avoid drying.
7. Now beat the heavy whipping cream adding icing sugar, vanilla essence till stiff peak using electric beater.
8. Slice the cake into two rounds. Drizzle sugar syrup all over the cake base.  Apply frosting. Decorate with piping nozzles as you like. Refrigerate the cake for an hour before use.
9. Cut the cake and enjoy chilled cake.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

In a small bowl, whisk thick curd + water. Make buttermilk. Set aside. In a wide bowl, whisk sugar and cooking oil. Mix till sugar dissolves. To this  add buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla essence, food color and mix well. Place a sieve over the bowl. Sieve maida, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder. Mix gently and make the cake batter. Batter consistency should be pourable and fall like ribbon. Take a baking pan, grease with cooking oil or butter at the sides & bottom pf pan. Dust the pan with maida & coat it completely. Pour the cake batter till half of the pan. Preheat convection oven at 180c for 10 minutes. Place the baking pan inside the oven and bake the cake for 30 minutes. Prick the cake with a toothpick and check if it comes out clean without batter. If not, bake for another 2 minutes to 5 minutes. Remove the cake pan and allow it to become warm. After 30 minutes, run a knife in the sides of cake and invert it in a plate.Cake falls smooth without sticking to the pan. Let the cake cool down completely if you are frosting it with cream. Else you can make pieces and serve warm as teatime cake immediately. After the cake cools down completely, cover the cake in a cling wrap or polythene cover and rest it for 6 hours to overnight. This will help to slice the cake without or with less crumbs. But If you want to apply icing on the cake, you can also slice it once the cake becomes warm but crumbs will be more. No problem, you can collect the crumbs and use it for decoration. Now remove the cling wrap. Slice into two using a knife or thread.Cut the cake into two roundels using a knife or thread as shown the picture below. Place the base on seperate plate.  Drizzle sugar syrup on both the layers. Do not add too much of sugar syrup. Cake base will become soggy. Stop adding sugar syrup once you feel the cake is completely wet by pressing with your fingers gently. To make frosting, take the heavy whipping cream in a wide bowl. Add icing sugar, vanilla essence. Whip it using an electric beater till soft peaks form. Remove more than half of this cream to another bowl and use it to apply on the cake base. Beat the remaining cream till firm peaks, add food color to a portion of it ( I used pink) and use it for piping. Apply cream on the cake base and layer the cake one over the other. Cover the top and sides with the cream. Now take the piping bag and insert a nozzle. Fill with cream. Decorate the cake as you like. If there are crumbs in the cake, you can sprinkle them all over the cake. Refrigerate the cake for an hour and then cut it. Enjoy !

Note

Do not reduce the quantity of cooking oil. Instead you can replace with soft butter. To substitute buttermilk, you can use 1/2 cup warm milk + 1 tsp lemon juice. Baking time may vary as per the oven settings. So keep an eye after 25 minutes. After you apply frosting on both of the cake base, refrigerate it for 30 minutes to set well. Then you can layer them and give the top coating. After coating the sides and top of the cake, again refrigerate it for 30 minutes. Finally you can do the piping design, refrigerate for 1 hour and cut it. All these steps helps to make the frosting set well.

Make this rich, creamy, soft, spongy, delicious looking eggless red velvet cake at home for birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions, enjoy !

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Sabudana Kheer Recipe – Javvarisi Payasam Recipe With Sugar - Sago Payasam

We celebrated Maha Shivaratri festival today. I made Sadudana kheer with sugar ( Sago kheer in English, Javvarisi payasam in Tamil, Sabbakki payasa in Kannada, Saggubiyam Payasam in Telugu, Sabudana kheer in Hindi) using big, white sago for the first time ( we call it as maavu javvarisi in Tamil). Its an yummy Indian dessert recipe.

 Usually I make this kheer instantly by roasting nylon sabudana / nylon javvarisi( small sized). But this year, I wanted to try with maavu javvarisi which we use for making upma/ Kichdi.I watched a Marathi video in Youtube channel and tried this recipe. It came out very well. It tasted so rich and creamy with all the full fat milk, sugar, nuts and saffron. I loved it to the core.

For variations, you can also use condensed milk instead of milk & sugar. Sendhil loves sabudana kheer with jaggery more than sugar. So I am planning to prepare it with the leftover sago tomorrow for Thursday Guru pooja.

Sabudana kheer is one of the most commonly prepared vrat ki recipes / fasting food across North India. Basically Sabudana/ sago is healthy as its made from Tapioca. It has so many health benefits. Hence its considered as one of the best baby/toddler foods. Its good for muscle development, helps to gain weight, good for bones, improves digestion, energy levels and reduces body heat. Even though it is high in calories and full of carbohydrates, it keeps the tummy full for long time. So people make sabudana recipes on vrat/ fasting days. Just 100gms ( 1 cup) of serving has more than 200 calories. Hence its advised to consume in small amounts.

Ok, Lets see how to make sabudana kheer with sugar / Javvarisi payasam recipe with step by step pictures and video.

Sabudana Kheer Recipe / Javvarisi payasam recipe

How to make sabudana kheer/ sago kheer/ Javvarisi payasam for Shivratri fasting and Navratri festival.

Cuisine: North Indian

Category: Payasam recipe

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 240ml White Sabudana / Sago / White javvarisi - 1/3 cup ( I used big ones) Water - 1.5 cups Boiled milk - 2 cups Sugar - 1/4 cup Saffron threads - Few Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Cashews and dry grapes - Few Ghee - 1 tsp ( to roast the nuts)

HOW  TO MAKE SABUDANA KHEER 

1. Wash the sabudana twice in enough water. Drain it.
2. Add 1/2  to 3/4 cup of water to it and soak it overnight or minimum 4 hours.
3. In a kadai, boil 1 cup of water. Add soaked sabudana with water.
4. Cook in medium flame till sabudana turns translucent. Stir constantly.
5. After its cooked well, add milk and boil for 5 minutes. Add saffron threads while milk boils.
6. Sabudana cooks completely. Add sugar. Mix well till sugar dissolves. Give a boil. Check for thickness and add more milk if needed.
7. Switch off the flame and add cardamom powder. Roast nuts in ghee and add to kheer. Mix well and serve warm or chilled by refrigerating it for 30 minutes.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Take sabudana/ sago in a wide bowl and wash it twice adding enough water. Drain the water completely. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water and soak it for minimum 6 hours to overnight ( 12 hrs). It will increase in size after soaking. Take a wide non-stick kadai. Add water and let it start to roll boil. Add sabudana with soaked water. Mix well and cook in medium flame till it turns translucent. It takes nearly 10 to 15 minutes to cook well. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom of kadai and becomes like porridge. When its 80% cooked, add milk and boil for 5 minutes in medium flame.Add saffron threads while the milk boils. Kheer turns mild yellow in color due to saffron. If you want white colored kheer, avoid saffron. When the milk becomes slightly thick and sabudana is completely cooked, add sugar. Mix well and let the sugar dissolve. Check for consistency of kheer. If its too thin, let it boil for some more time. If its too thick, add little more boiled milk to bring desired consistency.Switch off the flame. Add cardamom powder to the kheer. Roast cashew + dry grapes till golden in 1 tsp ghee and add to the kheer. Mix well and serve warm. If you like to serve chilled, refrigerate the kheer for sometime  and serve. Remember this kheer thickens after it cools down. So add little milk and adjust its consistency when needed. Enjoy with yummy sabudane ki kheer along with poori , sabzi & rice for breakfast or lunch. !

Note

Quantity of milk should be adjusted as per your taste and desired consistency. For variations, you can directly cook sabudana in milk instead of water but milk may curdle. To avoid this, we are cooking in water firstly and add milk to it. If you are using small sized nylon sabudana, you don’t need to soak it. Just wash it twice and cook in water directly. Bigger sized sabudana needs to be soaked for more time.

Enjoy this yummy, creamy Sabudana kheer for festivals and occasions at home.

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