Category Archives: Healthy Meal

Masala Khichdi

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Masala Khichdi

Khichdi is a preparation of rice and lentils and is a comfort food. It is also a common baby food or food for people who are sick as it is a very basic and healthy food without any or much spices. It is a very quick recipe too. Rice and dal are pressure cooked with salt and turmeric and its done.

I was never a khichdi fan until I had this wonderful spicy or masala version of khichdi. In Bangalore, we were local guardians to a wonderful girl from Gujarat who was in Bangalore to study Pharmacy. Her mom made this Khichdi for us when she came to drop her to Bangalore. Since then, Masala khichdi is a regular on our menu.

Since then I have also tasted this dish at few restaurants where it is called dal khichdi. I still love this simple and quick masala version made by Ridhhi’s mom. This can be a quick and filling meal if you are tired to cook roti sabji or you just want a healthy one pot meal. You can eat this masala khichdi with pickle, curd, papad or have it the gujju way with a glass of chilled chaas (buttermilk).

Masala Khichdi

Ingredients

Serves 3

  • ¼ cup rice
  • ¼ cup mung Dal
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 2 inch piece ginger grated
  • 2-3 cloves garlic chopped (optional)
  • 1 green chilli slit
  • 1 dry red chilli broken
  • 2 tbsp groundnuts
  • 1 small onions chopped
  • 1 small potato chopped
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

Wash rice and dal 3-4 times and soak them in 3 cups of water for 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a cooker. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once the seeds pop, add curry leaves, dry red chilli, and green chilli. Add ginger and garlic and sauté. Add groundnuts and sauté. Add onions and cook till they are translucent. Add potatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, and garam masala and mix well. Add the washed rice and dal with water. Add salt and mix well.

Close the lid and pressure cook for four whistles. Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and mix well. Mash the khichdi with the back of the spoon while mixing. Add chopped coriander and mix well. Serve hot with curd, pickle, and papad.

Karela Masala (Bitter Gourd Curry)

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Karela Masala (Bitter Gourd Curry)

I am not celebrating the most hated vegetables week. My mom in law is visiting us and I am just trying to make the most of it. I am trying to learn from her the best recipes she makes. Next few weeks you might see lot of gujju stuff on Vegetarian Khana and if you want to see any gujju dish on Vegetarian Khana, do share it with me so that I can ask her to teach me that. It is Karela (Bitter gourd) masala this weekend. People either love Karela or they absolutely hate it. I don’t love it but I love the Karela fry that my mom makes, or the masala Karela that my mom in law and my aunt make. Karela is very bitter, but is eaten a lot in India because of its medicinal value.

To reduce the bitterness of Karela, peel the Karela, cut it into small pieces and discard the seeds. Sprinkle little salt on peeled and chopped Karela and leave it aside for 20-30 minutes. When ready to cook the Karela, wash it under running water and squeeze the Karela to reduce the bitterness.

Remember my mom in law’s signature mixed veg curry recipe? Well, this one uses the same masala. If you have the masala ready, this is a very quick recipe. You can check the recipe for masala here. Adding a little jaggery, adds flavor and helps to reduce the bitterness of Karela.

Make sure to take the curry off from flames as soon as you finish mixing the masala. Cooking it for a long time will make the besan in the masala stick to the pan. This curry tastes good with bajri roti or whole wheat rotis. You can serve this with fresh/pickled onions and the non spicy chillies.

Karela Masala (Bitter Gourd Curry)

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 1 cup chopped Karela (bitter gourd)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp coriander powder (optional)
  • 4 tbsp mixed vegetable sabji masala
  • 1 tsp jaggery
  • Salt to taste (Remember the masala and the karela already have salt so taste the curry and add salt only if required)

Recipe

Peel the Karela. Remove seeds and chop into small pieces. Sprinkle approximately 1 tsp salt and keep it aside for 25-30 minutes. Squeeze the Karela and throw the water. Wash them in running water and squeeze again.

Pressure cook the Karela with 1 cup water and little salt for three whistles. Once the pressure is released, strain the Karela and discard the water.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add onions, little salt, and turmeric powder. Sauté and cook for 1-2 minutes till the onions start getting brown. Add Karela, chilli powder, and jaggery. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the sabji masala and mix well. Cook for 40-50 seconds and take off from the gas. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with hot roti.

Baigan ka Bharta (Ringna no Orro)

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Baigan ka Bharta (Ringna no Orro)

Ringna no Orro or Baigan ka bharta gujju style. This is my mom in law’s world famous recipe. Everyone who has eaten this version of the bharta is a fan of her cooking. This is a very common recipe in Gujarat and people relish this with hot rotla (bajra ki roti). This is an almost no cook dish.

All you need is a big and beautiful looking Brinjal/Aubergine/Eggplant. Only cooking you will need for this dish is roasting the Brinjal on open flame. You can also grill it if you like.

Though Brinjal tops the list of vegetables I hate, I loved the smell of this one. Finely chopped onions and green chillies mixed with freshly roasted Brinjals never smelled so good to me. This cooks pretty fast and packs in lots of nutrition with very less fat.

My in laws and most of the bharta lovers enjoy this one with hot bajra roti (called Rotlo in gujarati), garlic chutney, and pieces of Jaggery. You can try this with normal whole wheat rotis too.

Baigan ka Bharta (Ringna no Orro)

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 1 big Brinjal (Aubergine/Eggplant, Baigan, Ringana)
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 green chilli finely chopped
  • 2 tbp fresh coriander finely chopped
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp + ¼ tsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

Brush the aubergine with ¼ tsp oil and make a vertical slit. Roast on cooktop, or grill in oven grill or barbeque grill. Keep turning it periodically till the Brinjal is charred on all side. Let it cool completely and then peel off and discard the charred skin and the green top. Chop the Brinjal as finely as possible. You can even mash it if you prefer.

In a bowl, combine the chopped Brinjal with rest of the ingredients and mix well. Serve with hot Bajra roti, Garlic chutney and some pieces of Jaggery.

Dal Dhokli (Fresh whole Wheat Pasta in Lentils Gravy)

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Dal Dhokli (Fresh whole Wheat Pasta in Lentils Gravy)

Dal dhokli for me is the Indian version of ravioli pasta. This is just spicier and healthier. For those who haven’t heard of it, it is fresh homemade whole wheat pasta in lentils gravy. You want a simpler explanation? In my mom’s words, it is a perfect dish to finish off the leftover dal at home. This one pot meal is a gujju dish but it is a common menu item at my place. This is my family recipe of dal dhokli so it is slightly different from the traditional Gujarati dal dhokli. My mom makes it without the sugar.

Boiled toor dal (split pigeon peas/arhar dal) is tempered with spices and dhoklis made with whole wheat flour and gram flour (besan) are added to create this one dish meal. The thing you need to take care of while making this dish is to add the dhoklis when the dal boils, or else they will stick and get lumpy. You can shape the dhoklis as you like. Diamond shape is the most common one.

You can make the dhoklis in advance and freeze them to use them next time you have a leftover dal or when you want a quick meal. Though this is a one dish meal, some families make rice with this dish. It is a perfect meal for a cold winter evening. Serve the dal dhokli with fresh cut onions and a piece of lime.

Dal Dhokli (Fresh whole Wheat Pasta in Lentils Gravy)

Ingredients

Serves 4

For Dal

  • 1 cup toor dal (split pigeon pea lentils) washed and soaked
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • 5-6 cloves
  • 1 piece cinnamon
  • 8-10 fenugreek seeds
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 dry red chillies broken
  • 1 green chilli slit
  • 2 inch piece of ginger
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida (heeng)
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • ¼ tsp garam masala
  • salt to taste

For Dhokli

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tbsp gram flour (besan)
  • ½ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

For the Dhoklis

Combine all the ingredients for dhokli and make a stiff/firm dough using enough water. Cover and keep it aside for 15 minutes (you can prepare the dal in these 15 minutes). Knead the dough again after 15 minutes and divide it into five equal rolls. Roll out each portion into a 7-8 inch circle. Do not roll the dhokli very thin. You can look at the image above for approximate thickness of the dhokli. Cut the rolled circle into small diamond shapes using a knife or a cutter.

For the Dal

Pressure cook the dal with little salt in 1 ½ cup of water. Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and blend the dal the dal till it is smooth. Add 3 ½ cups of water, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, and salt. Bring to boil. Heat 2tbsp ghee in a separate pan. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, ginger, green chilli, cloves, cinnamon, fenugreek seeds (methi dana), bay leaves, dry red chillies, and asafoetida. Sauté on a low flame for 1 minute. Add this tadka to the boiling dal and mix well.

Just before serving, bring the dal to boil. Once the dal boils, add the dhokli pieces one by one and stir gently. Cook on low flame for 8-9 minutes stirring occasionally. Add more water if the dal thickens while boiling. Add the lime juice and chopped coriander.

Serve hot with fresh cut onions and a wedge of lime and You can also add a spoonful of ghee (optional).

Oats Frittata (Oats Uttapam)

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Oats Frittata (Oats Uttapam)

This is my version of vegetarian frittata and I can bet this is one of the healthiest breakfast options. You can call it oats uttapam if you like. I like oats for breakfast but I don’t like the sweeter version. It is very quick to make and you can add different vegetables and play with the flavors. I have added the veggies I like. You can also add sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, and grated carrots, fresh herbs like parsley or coriander.

The batter needs to be thicker like uttapam batter. Oats will absorb water when you keep the batter for long time. You can check the consistency before making the frittata and add little water. Make sure the tava(griddle) is not too hot or the frittata will break.

This frittata is not only very healthy but also keeps you full for long time.  You can eat it with ketchup if you like. Another good option is to add some Parmesan cheese to the batter if you want a cheese frittata. If you try this out and like it, do share the feedback/pics. Happy eating!

Oats Frittata (Oats Uttapam)

Ingredients

Makes 2

  • ¼ cup oats (I use Quaker’s quick cooking rolled oats)
  • ¼ cup semolina
  • ¼ cup mixed vegetables chopped (red, yellow and green capsicum, onion, broccoli)
  • 1 tbsp rice flour
  • ¼ tsp oregano
  • ¼ tsp pepper powder
  • 4-5 olives chopped
  • 1-2 pinches chilli flakes
  • Salt to taste
  • 8-10 fresh basil leaves chopped
  • 1 pinch soda
  • 1 tbsp fresh yogurt
  • ½ cup water

Recipe

Grind the oats and semolina to a coarse powder. Add yogurt, ½ cup water, salt, and rice flour. Mix well and keep it aside for 10-15 mins. Add rest of the ingredients and mix well. If the batter is too thick add little water.

Heat a thick tava (griddle) pour half of the batter and spread like a pancake/uttapam. Spray or drizzle some olive oil around and on top of the frittata.

Let it cook for 1-2 mins till it is brown and crispy. Flip and cook the other side for 1 minute.

Serve hot.