Recently I started making javvarisi upma at home for breakfast and dinner. This is a South Indian style sabudana upma without using potato and peanuts. Actually I came to know about sago upma(Sabudana in Hindi, Saggubiyyam in Telugu) from my friend Shalini. She taught me a version with nylon javvarisi. I will share that recipe later.
Today I have shared javvarisi upma with big, white sago pearls. My MIL makes a similar upma without soaking sabudana. She roast it and make just like javvarisi payasam. I too follow this method for making kheer. But I couldn’t make upma as javvarisi becomes sticky. Once I make it perfect, I will share that version.
Last week I made this upma by soaking sabudana overnight. It came out very well, non-sticky and tasted great. I added vegetables like carrot and capsicum to make it colorful. Sendhil & Raksha loved it a lot. Now I am confident enough to try North Indian sabudana khichdi too. Hope I will start to explore more sabudana recipes from now. Now lets see how to make South Indian style Javvarisi upma with step by step pictures.
Javvarisi upma - Sago upma - Sabudana upma recipe
South Indian style Sabudana upma - Javvarisi upma recipe with step by step pictures
Temper mustard, urad and chana dal. Saute onion, chilli , curry leaves and vegetables.
Saute till veggies turn soft and cooked. Add soaked sago and mix well adding salt.
Cover cook in low to medium flame till sago becomes transparent.
Lastly add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Serve hot !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash the sabudana twice or thrice. Drain the water completely. Soak in 1.5 to 2 cups of water over night or atleast for 5 hours minimum. The level of water should be 1/2 inch above sabudana. The next morning sabudana absorbs all the water and grows in quantity. If you take a sago and press it, it should be mushy. It shows sago is soaked well. Fluff it well without any water and keep aside.
Wash and chop onion, chilli, carrot and capsicum finely. Set aside.
Heat oil in a good non-stick kadai. Temper mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal. When it turns golden, add finely chopped onion, green chillies, curry leaves, capsicum, carrot , required salt and mix well. Take care while adding salt because sago upma takes less salt unlike other upma recipes. Saute in low to medium flame till carrot becomes soft. No need to add water.
Now add sabudana and mix well. Keep the flame low to medium. Cover cook till done. Open the lid once in 2 minutes and toss gently. No need to add water. Sabudana turns transparent. It takes nearly 10 to 12 minutes to become transparent completely. Make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of kadai.
Sabudana tastes soft when its cooked completely. You can taste and find it. If you keep cooking for more than 10 minutes, javvarisi starts to become sticky. So cover cook in low flame, toss once in 2 minutes till done. Sometimes a layer of sabudana sticks to the bottom of kadai if you over cook it. Don’t worry. You can serve it as adai at the end. It tastes crispy.
Switch off the flame. Sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Mix well and serve hot !
Enjoy !
Note
Use white big sago variety for this upma. Do not soak in excess water ( i.e more than 1/2 inch) to cover sago. It will turn mushy. For 2 cups of sago, I used 1.5 cups of water. You can use maximum 2 cups.
You should cook the sago in low to medium flame without adding water. So you should keep tossing it once in 2 minutes.
If you cover cook it for long time, sago may stick to the bottom. So keep stirring it in the middle.
Be careful while adding salt because sago needs less salt.
Try this easy, yummy javvarisi upma for your breakfast or dinner and enjoy !
Pearl millet idli, dosa recipe without rice ( Kambu idli dosai in Tamil, Bajra Idli dosa in Hindi, Sajjalu Idli dosa in Telugu, Sajje idli dosa in Kannada, Kambam Idli in Malayalam) with step by step pictures and video. After a long time, I am happy to share a millet recipe in my website.I love to consume millets in the form of idli, dosa, adai or upma at least once in week either for breakfast or dinner. But I haven’t blogged many of the recipes I make in my kitchen. So I thought of sharing them one by one from this week.
This is not going to be a millet series. I will try to post the Indian style millet recipes whenever I can. To begin with here is a healthy, super soft pearl millet idli without using rice. Pearl millet is one of the wonder grain millets that helps to control diabetes, reduces cholesterol and aids for weight loss. I adapted my Mixie idli,dosa batter recipe and prepared this idli using bajra/kambu. We can grind this kambu idli batter easily using Indian mixie. It came out very well and I am completely satisfied with the results. I made soft idli on the first day with the fermented batter and crispy dosa for the next day dinner. Both were good in taste when consumed hot. But idli looks grey in color and smells like millet as it has no rice. Tomato chutney or coconut chutney is a good side dish for this Kambu idli and dosai. Do try this healthy bajra idli at home and share your feedback with me. Ok, lets check how to make Kambu idli/ Pearl millet idli with step by step pictures and video !
Wash and soak pearl millet, methi seeds and poha together for 5 hours.
Wash and soak urad dal separately in another bowl for 2 hours.
Grind urad dal to a smooth paste adding the soaked water.
Collect in a bowl and then grind millet + Poha mixture to a smooth paste adding enough water.
Mix both the batter with hands and let it ferment overnight. The next day, mix the batter well and make idli.
Enjoy with tomato chutney or coconut chutney !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash the pearl millet twice to remove the debris , add poha, methi seeds, wash again and soak it in enough water for 5 to 6 hours. Wash and soak urad dal separately in another bowl for 2 hours.
First grind urad dal in a mixie to a thick, smooth batter adding enough water. I used the soaked water for grinding. You can also use ice cold water. Then grind the soaked pearl millet + Poha to a smooth batter adding required water. Do not make the batter watery.
Mix both the batter well with your hands and allow it to ferment overnight or 12 hours based on the weather in your place. The next morning, batter would have raised well. Its consistency should be like regular idli batter.
Mix well and make idli in a greased idli plate. Steam it for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove after it becomes warm. It tastes super soft when hot with the flavor of pearl millet. Serve hot to enjoy its best taste !
Enjoy !
Note
Do not grind the batter too watery. Add only the required water.
Urad dal should be soaked and grind separately to get soft idli.
If you soak them together, you need to add more urad dal and poha. You may have to use 3:1 ratio of millet and dal if soaking them together.
You can also use Kuthiravali/ barnyard millet or Thinai/Foxtail millet instead of pearl millet.
Try this healthy Kambu idli & dosai with your favorite chutney or sambar !
White sauce pasta recipe with step by step pictures and video. My daughter loves penne pasta in creamy white sauce (bechamel sauce) than red sauce. So I made this Indian vegetarian, creamy garlic flavored white sauce pasta at home for our breakfast yesterday. Basic white sauce can be prepared with 3 major ingredients - butter, all purpose flour and milk. It makes the white sauce thick and rich without cream. Garlic and Oregano is used to give a nice Italian flavor. So never attempt this recipe without these ingredients. Original Italian white sauce pasta calls for using heavy cream instead of milk. But I used very simple and easily available ingredients in this recipe.
I referred the terrace kitchen YouTube video for this recipe. It came out really well. To make white sauce pasta more colorful and healthy, we can add vegetables like sweet corn, carrot, broccoli, mushroom etc. After trying this recipe, I learnt the knack of making white sauce without lumps. Yes, the secret is to add more butter and milk than maida. I have also used cheese slice to make the sauce more creamy. But adding cheese is optional. You can use it if your kids like it. Even though this dish is high in calories, its a tasty indulgence. You can make and enjoy it once in a while. If you want to make a low calorie version, you can use olive oil instead of butter and skip cheese.
Lets see how to make penne pasta in white sauce with step by step pictures and video.
Recently I got a herb grinder from FLINTSTOP online. You can find many useful and technologically advanced cool gadgets for the entire house. They also provide Corporate Gifting for different multinationals along with their company logo and customization as per the requirements. I used this herb grinder for garnishing pasta with oregano and dried basil. I loved this gadget. I am planning to use it in my South Indian cooking as well. You can find the picture of the herb grinder below.
In a wide bowl, boil 6 cups of water. Add cooking oil and salt. Chop the garlic and capsicum finely.
When the water starts to roll boil, simmer the flame and add the penne pasta. Stir well else it may stick to the bottom of bowl. Boil for 10 minutes stirring now and then. Cook al dente. Cover the bowl partially and cook for last 5 minutes. I do this to cook the pasta soft. Take one, break it and check for doneness.
Drain the cooked pasta in a colander, set aside. Wash with cold water and drain the water completely.
Heat 1 tbsp butter in a kadai and saute the finely chopped garlic till golden. Add capsicum, frozen sweet corn and saute for a minute. It should remain crunchy in taste. Remove in a plate.
In the same kadai, heat 3 tbsp butter. Add 2 tbsp maida and roast till its raw smell goes off. Lower the flame. Add milk in one hand while stirring with a whisk in other hand. This helps to avoid lump formation. So keep stirring with a whisk while you add the milk. Mix till there are no lumps.
Add sauteed vegetables, red chilli flakes, pepper powder and some salt. Let the sauce boil till thick. Lastly add the cooked pasta, mix well. Tear the cheese slice into small pieces. Add to the boiling sauce. Mix till it melts. Garnish with oregano, basil and other spices if you like. Remove and serve hot.
Notes
Adding oil in the water helps to cook the pasta non-sticky.
I like my pasta to be soft. So I cover & cook it for 5 minutes. But usually people won't do that.
Adding cheese is optional. But it makes the white sauce more creamy.
You can replace cheese slice with cheese cubes or grated cheese. Mozzarella or even cheddar cheese is fine.
Try this easy, yummy kids friendly white sauce pasta recipe at home and enjoy !
Easy cheese garlic bread recipe on tawa with step by step photo and video. This instant garlic bread recipe without oven was in my try list for years. Sendhil is a big fan of Pizza hut and Dominos style garlic bread. So I wanted to try garlic bread from scratch at home. But before that, I thought of trying this easy, homemade garlic bread recipe using regular white bread. I watched few YouTube video recipes and tried this easy and instant cheese garlic toast for our Sunday breakfast. I tried on dosa tawa as it would be quick to make. It can be served as breakfast, dinner or for evening snacks after the kids come back from school.
Actually I tried a toast in microwave as well. But it was slightly chewy in taste. But the ones I made in the pan was really great. The corners were crispy and middle portion was soft with a nice flavor of garlic, butter and cheese. If you are calorie conscious, you can skip the cheese and make it as plain garlic bread. If you wish, you can bake this in convection oven. As you all know, garlic bread tastes the best only when served hot. So it doesn’t suit for lunch box. You can make this for kids breakfast, dinner or evening snacks. Ok, lets see how to make homemade cheese garlic bread without oven with step by step photos and video.
Grated cheese - 1 cup (I used Amul Mozarella cheese)
Oregano + Basil seasoning - to sprinkle
Butter or olive oil - to grease
How to make garlic bread without oven
Melt 1/4 cup soft butter in a bowl.
Add crushed or grated garlic, salt and chilli flakes to it.
Mix well and apply on one side of bread.
Heat a dosa pan with butter.Cook the garlic spreaded side till golden brown.
Flip the bread and grate cheese on top.
Cover and cook till cheese melts.
Remove, sprinkle seasoning and serve hot!
Cheese Garlic bread recipe on Tawa - Step by step photo
In a wide bowl, take 1/4 cup of soft butter. Melt in microwave or stove top.
To the melted butter, add crushed or grated garlic cloves. I used my garlic press and crushed it nicely.
Add salt, red chilli flakes and mix well. Apply this garlic spread on one side of the bread slice.
Heat a dosa pan and drop the garlic spread side facing down. Cook till golden in low to medium flame. Apply melted butter or olive oil on the other side.
Flip the bread slice. Keep the flame very low. Grate cheese on the top.Cover and cook in low to medium flame till cheese melts and sides become crispy. Remove, sprinkle oregano,basil seasoning and serve hot.
Notes
For low calorie version, you can skip cheese and use olive oil instead of butter.
Add more cheese if making for kids.
You can bake in convection oven at 180c for 12 to 15 minutes.
You can also add pepper powder in addition to chilli flakes.
Paniyaram recipe with leftover idli, dosa batter is my most favorite South Indian breakfast and dinner recipes. I can have it 24x7. My mom calls it as idli dosa maavu paniyaram. In Tamil nadu, people make kuzhi paniyaram at least once in a week. Not only in Tamil nadu, this paniyaram recipe is very popular in Karnataka and Andhra as well.
In Kannada, it is called as Paddu or Guliyappa. In Telugu, it is Gunta ponganalu. In Kerala, it is kuzhi appam in malayalam. There may be slight variations in the paniyaram batter recipe but the taste and preparation is almost the same. Generally people say kara chutney ie. Red chutney is the best side dish for paniyaram but I love my mom’s watery coconut-fried gram dal chutney( Pottukadalai chutney)that tastes like road side hotel chutney. You can find the same in the pictures.
Before marriage, my mom reserves some leftover sour dosa batter and make ghee paniyaram especially for me. Yes, Kuzhi paniyaram tastes the best when prepared with sour dosa batter more than fresh idli,dosa batter. It would be crispy outside and soft inside. The flavor of ghee and smell of sour batter takes this dish to next level.
Sometimes my mom adds a pinch of cooking soda if the batter is too sour. I love to have this paniyaram as evening snack too. So my amma makes it after I come from college. After marriage, I follow my mom and make ghee paniyaram for Raksha and rarely for myself and Sendhil.
Long back, I made a post on Paniyaram varieties in which I had shared my MIL’s style sweet paniyaram, Kara paniyaram and masala paniyaram recipes. At that time, many readers asked me whether it can be prepared without paniyaram pan. I don’t think so. Deep frying in oil is the only alternative. But the shape and texture will change. Moreover it absorbs more oil and make the dish high in calories.
If you want to taste this delicious paniyaram in a healthy way with low calorie, you need to buy a non-stick paniyaram pan. Just a few drops of oil or ghee would be enough to make this yummy delicacy.
In South India, you can find this pan commonly in all the vessel shops. If you are in abroad, you can buy it online as well. Ok, lets see how to make this most popular Paniyaram recipe with step by step photo.
Paniyaram recipe / Kuzhi paniyaram recipe with idli, dosa batter
How to make Kuzhi paniyaram recipe using leftover idli, dosa batter
Take the leftover dosa batter in a wide bowl. Add little water, say 1/4 cup if the batter is too thick.
Heat oil in a kadai.Temper mustard, urad dal, chana dal and hing. After dals turn golden, saute the finely chopped onion, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves and little salt. Saute till onion becomes transparent.
Add to the dosa batter. Mix well. Paniyaram batter is ready. Check for taste, add salt only if needed. If the batter is too sour, you can add a pinch of cooking soda. Mix well and rest the batter for 10 minutes.
Heat paniyaram pan adding 1 tsp oil or ghee in each hole. Pour the batter and keep the flame medium high. Cover the pan and cook for sometime.
Use a stick like pointed tool or spoon to flip the paniyaram. Cook the other side. Remove in a plate. Serve with your favorite chutney !
Notes
To make it more healthy, you can add grated carrot, cooked peas to the paniyaram batter.
You can add finely chopped chilli to make the paniyaram taste spicy.
Adjust the flame from medium to high to cook the paniyaram with golden tint on top as shown in the picture.
Adding coriander leaves is optional but it adds a nice flavor.
Add ghee instead of oil if you are making for kids. I make this way and pack for Raksha's lunch box
Masala idli fry is an easy, kids friendly recipe that can be made using leftover idli.We can prepare this idli fry with fresh mini idli too. It can be served as breakfast, dinner or as an evening snack for kids. Usually I make South Indian, Tamilnadu style masala idli fry. This time I prepared it in North Indian style adding Pav bhaji masala powder.Actually speaking, recipe of masala idli varies from place to place.It can also be prepared in a simple way adding garam masala powder or fennel powder.
As this is my first attempt in North Indian style, I followed this recipe from Spice up the curry & Red Chilly and tried for our breakfast. I adjusted the spice level as per my family’s taste. It came out really well. Sendhil & myself loved it a lot. I hope Raksha will like it too. If making for kids, you can try the same with deep fried idli pieces. This recipe is a great way to use the leftover idli. You can also add vegetables like finely chopped carrot, cooked peas along with capsicum to make this dish more healthy and colorful ! Now lets see how to make Indian style masala idli at home using leftover idli with step by step photos & video.
Heat oil in a kadai. Temper cumin seeds. Saute onion, ginger, garlic and tomato.
Add all the spice powders, salt and mix well.
Add 1/4 cup of water to the masala and boil for a minute.
Lastly add the idli cubes, mix gently to coat the masala.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Sprinkle ghee & lemon juice if needed.Serve hot !
Masala idli recipe - How to make masala idli fry - Step by step pictures
Take the leftover idli and chop into big cubes. You can chop each idli into 8 or 9 pieces.Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion, capsicum, garlic and ginger pieces. After onion becomes transparent,add tomato and saute for a minute.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, pav bhaji masala powder, sugar and mix well. Saute till tomato becomes mushy. Add 1/4 cup of water and boil for 2 minutes till masala becomes semi dry.
Lastly add the idli cubes, mix gently without breaking.Coat the idli with masala. If masala has more water content, idli will break. So make sure masala is almost dry. Mix idli & cook for a minute.Switch off the flame. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, few tsp of ghee and sprinkle some lemon juice. Mix well and serve hot!
Mash few banana pieces and cook for 2 minutes in low flame. Switch off the flame, sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves if desired.I did not add it.Remove and serve with rice.
Note:
Adjust the quantity of pav bhaji masala powder as per your spice level.
Make sure the tomato masala mixture is semi dry before adding idli pieces.
