OATS PANCAKE

Pancake is a traditional old recipe which is a very famous breakfast recipe in  European countries. I made that traditional pancake many a times but never found it healthy due to all-purpose flour added in it.

I started making this recipe with half of all-purpose flour and half of powdered oats and then finally gave it a try with 100% oats.

Once or twice I couldn't nailed it that perfect as after trying again and again I realized only one important thing and that is, oats absorb more of liquid due to which the batter consistency becomes thick. To get the right consistency you need to add extra milk.

You will realize while making pancakes that after sometime the batter will become thick and oats will absorb all the milk, so do add milk little by little as and when required.


Serve with maple syrup and let kids enjoy this healthy pancake.


INGREDIENTS
1 cup powdered oats


1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp melted butter
1 egg
1 cup warm or room temperature milk (might require 1 1/2 cup depending on the quality of oats)

METHOD
In a bowl mix together powdered oats, powdered sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Keep aside.

Melt butter. Take another bowl, beat egg till frothy, add melted butter. Now add this mix in flour mix. Add milk little by little whisking batter continuously, making sure no lumps are formed, if possible use whisker.

The batter should be thick but flowing as shown in pic below.

Heat pan, preferably non-stick. Pour 1/2 tsp oil, clean the pan with tissue paper. Pour ladle full of batter and cook on low to medium flame. Once you see bubbles appearing on the top it means it's cooked and ready to flip.

Flip and cook from other side too.


Serve with maple syrup.

1. Don't keep batter for too long or it will not give good results.

2. It's very important to note that depending on the quality of oats proportion of milk can vary from 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup.  

3. If the batter becomes thick and absorb milk after sometime do add more milk little by little to get right consistency batter.

4. Don't cook on high flame else pancake will burn from outside and will remain raw from inside.  




Pictorial:









1. Mix together flour, powdered sugar, baking soda and baking powder.










2. Beat egg, add melted butter.










3. Add in flour mix.

4. Add milk little by little whisking continuously.

5. This should be the consistency of batter, thick but flowing

6. Pour ladle full of batter. Cook on low to medium flame

7. Bubbles have appear

8. Flip!

9. Ready to serve!

10. Serve with maple syrup!

VADA / MEDU VADA

Vada is a very famous South Indian breakfast and snack recipe. This fluffy and crispy vada's goes very well with coconut chutney, peanut chutney and sambhar.

There is only and only one trick to get perfect light, crispy and fluffy vada and that is to beat the batter till it becomes light and airy. This is the only trick for no-fail recipe. 

I used stand mixer which is used to beat egg, sugar and butter for cake....if you don't have one....you can use your hands...this will take sometime and lots of effort.

Do try and share your experience.

INGREDIENTS 
1 cup urad dal
1 tsp fenugreek seeds (meethi dana)
1-2 tbsp water (if required)


1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp finely chopped coconut (optional)
1 tsp salt
10-12 finely chopped curry leaves
handful finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
oil for deep frying

METHOD
Soak dal and fenugreek seeds overnight. Grind to make paste. Try not to add water while grinding if you find it difficult don't add more than 1 -2 tbsp water. The best way to grind is to mix with spoon in meantime and then pulse keep doing this in regular intervals.

Now the most important step of making fluffy and soft and vada is only and only in this step. You have to beat it really well.

I used stand mixer for that if you don't have stand mixer (which is used to whip eggs and other things not a blender or grinder) you can do it with your hands using whisk, doing manually will take little longer and will require hard work so let your hubby show his masculine strength here ;)

Keep whipping till you see change in colour and it will rise in volume.

Now add salt, coriander leaves, ginger and coconut. Mix.

Heat oil in pan, make sure oil it really hot. Keep the flame to low.

Wet your hands. Take handful of batter dig a hole in center and drop it in hot oil.

Fry on low to medium heat till nice golden and crisp.

Serve hot as snack with coconut chutney, peanut chutney or with sambhar.


Pictorial:

1. Transfer soaked and grinded dal and fenugreek seeds in stand mixer or beater.

2. Beat till you see the change in colour and it rises in volume.












3. Look at this, it's looking so fluffy and full of air.














4. Add rest of the ingredients.

5. Mix well.

6. Wet your palm well.

7. Take handful of batter, dig in a hole.

8. Drop in hot oil.

9. Deep fry till golden in color.

10. Serve hot with sambhar or coconut chutney or peanut chutney.

11. Closer look of fluffy, crispy and melt in mouth vada.

EGG PARANTHA / CHEESE EGG PARANTHA

Many mothers have one common issue of what to give kids in their school lunch box. I try to upload more recipes for kids school lunch box. This is again an experiment which I did for kids tiffin box.

It's a simple plain salty parantha which I layered with egg and topped with cheese to make it more tasty and moreover cheese keeps the parantha moist and soft which kids can enjoy even after it comes down to room temperature.

Do try this for your kids school box, they gonna love it.

Yields: 1 egg parantha
INGREDIENTS
1 soft parantha


2-3 medium sized eggs
2-3 tbsp grated cheese (optional)
1 cheese slice
salt and black pepper to taste
some freshly chopped greens of spring onion

METHOD
1. Make a soft whole wheat parantha and keep aside.

2. In a bowl, beat 2 eggs with some salt and pepper. Add grated cheese and green of spring onion.

3. Take a pan with lifted edges as shown in pic below. Don't use tawa else egg will spread out too thinly.

4. Spread oil all over the pan, keep parantha, on top of parantha put egg batter, cook for a minute on medium heat.

5. Flip and cook from the other side. Flip again and keep cheese slice. Fold the parantha and reduce the flame to low.

6. Cook for a minute or till cheese melts.

7. Slice and pack in kids school lunch box.

NOTES:
1. Egg will spread out from the parantha,you can either tuck it inside or pour less egg if you don't want. 

2. Parantha might become crispy in the process of cooking egg, to make it soft, cover and keep inside the casserole, within 2 minutes it will become soft.

3. While making parantha I sprinkled some salt and ghee.

4. I used multi-grain fresh atta due to which you can see some white dots on parantha in final pic.

Pictorial:

1. Make paranthas and keep aside.

2. Beat eggs, add salt, pepper, cheese and spring onion.

3. Spread oil and keep chapati in pan.

4. Spread egg over it, try to keep thicker layer on the top. cook for a minute.

5. Flip and cook other side.

6. Flip again.

7. Keep cheese slice.

8. Fold and cook for a minute.

9. Slice and serve.

10. Pack in kids school lunch box.

11. They will fall in love with this.

TIL LADOO / SESAME LADOO / GUR TIL LADOO / SESAME JAGEERY LADOO

Sesame seed is a super food. It is rich in calcium, copper, magnesium which keeps bones strong, facilitates beautiful hair and skin and is a good source of protein and fiber. Consuming these ladoos in winters help keeps the body warm from inside. Mixing jaggery with it makes it all the more healthy and tasty.  Jaggery is rich in iron which is a better and healthy substitute of sugar.

I feel these ladoos are one of the healthiest ladoos that can be consumed in winters. Mother's specially those who are feeding kids and have problems in knees should consume one of this ladoo everyday.

I have shared two methods by which you can add jaggery. You can use any method according to your convenience.


INGREDIENTS 
1 cup white sesame seeds

1 cup gud or jaggery
2 tbsp ghee
few chopped nuts (I used only cashew-nuts)
1 tsp cardamom powder

METHOD
1. Dry roast sesame seeds till little golden and aromatic. Don't turn it too brown or it's taste will become bitter.

2. Let it cool down completely.

3. In a blender jar, grind it coarsely. I gave it only one pulse.

4. Transfer in a plate. Mix cardamom powder, chopped cashews.

5. One way is, blend the jaggery using same blender till it's smooth. Mix in sesame powder, add 2 tbsp ghee (add 1 tbsp at a time). Bind everything together to make small sized ladoos. If you find the dough too dry add more ghee and bind.

6. Other way, is to melt jaggery on low heat by adding 1 tsp water. Immediately switch off the flame once it's completely melted. Add in sesame powder, cardamom powder and chopped cashews. Add 1-2 tbsp ghee and make small sized ladoos.


Pictorial:

1. Roast till golden in colour. Don't turn it brown.

2. Once it cool down completely, grind to make coarse powder.

3. Either grind jaggery in blender to make fine paste.

5. Like this.

6. Add cardamom powder, chopped cashews and jaggery paste. Mix well and make ladoos.



Or the other way is to:

1. Add chopped jaggery with 1 tbsp water.












2. Cook on low flame till it's completely melted.

3. Add sesame powder.

4. Mix well.

5. Add cardamom powder, chopped nuts and ghee.

6. Mix well and make ladoos.














7. Serve in Makar Sakranti.














8. You can store up to one month.

SCHEZWAN SANDWICH / PANEER SCHEZWAN SANDWICH

When you want to pack something different and healthy for kids school lunch box do try this recipe it's a very different and yummy sandwich your kids will love it.

I had leftover schezwan chutney so just did this simple and yummy experiment. My kids loved it in their school lunch break. 

If you have want to try more recipes with schezwan chutney do try peppy paneer schezwan recipe

INGREDIENTS 
1 small finely chopped onion
1 small finely chopped capsicum


1/4 cup boiled corn
1 spring green onion (green part)
100 gm finely chopped homemade paneer (1/2 cup paneer)
 2 tsp schezwan chutney
1 tsp tomato sauce
2 tsp mayonnaise 
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup grated processed or mozzarella cheese
8-10 bread slices
softened butter for toasting the bread (1/4 cup)


 METHOD
1. Mix together all the ingredients mentioned above except for butter and bread.

2. Trim the edges of bread slices, place generous amount of filling. Cover with other slice.

3. Apply softened butter on one side and toast the bread on low flame, keep some heavy weight to get the crispiness. Don't keep too heavy weight else bread will squish too much.

4.  Let it cool lit bit then slice.

5. Pack in kids school lunch box or serve as breakfast.


Pictorial: 









1. Mix together chopped veggies. 

2. Add schezwan chutney. 

3. Some tomato sauce. 

4. Mayonnaise. 

5. Grated cheese and little bit of salt. 

6. Mix well. 

7. Put generous filling on bread.















8. Serve.