Okra, Drumsticks and Chow Chow in tangy Tomato stew

Chayote or best know in India as Chow Chow is a rich in Vitamin C whether raw or cooked. It has several names (from all over the world) including but not limited to choko, pipinola, ishkus, guatila, sayote, etc.Okra or Lady's fingers adds nutrition in terms of Vitamin A, B-6, C, D, Iron, Magnesium and Calcium. Drumstick (Moringa Oleifera) is yet another vegetable which is a rich source of several vitamins, minerals, protein, etc. This combination of Iron with rich Vitamin C sources ensures higher chances of iron absorption.

Growing up drumsticks were my favourite vegetable be in the form of its pods or leaves. My mom had no issues in my having vegetables unlike some parents who have to fuss over their kids not having their greens. She did have to force my sister though who was a die hard non-vegetarian. Ok before she kicks me (virtually), I better not add to it. I used to refer to the drumstick as 'nyum nyum'. Now my darling little one too is a fan of this vegetable. She enjoys the leaves too. These days it is not sold in the market at metros however my folks give me a good supply when I visit Kerala. It is eaten treasured by us.

There was no shortage of supply of both the leaves and pods owing to the fact that we had a huge drumstick tree growing out in our garden (even though we lived in Dubai, UAE). It also was a source of supply for the neighbours, strangers and such. I remember my mom yelling at strangers picking from our tree who shamelessly went about their business of picking despite the yelling.

There is no source of this recipe, it was been tried due to nutritional factors, tested to improve repeatedly and enjoyed by us several times in our home.

You need:

• 8-10 sticks of drumsticks, peeled and cut into pieces (1 stick makes about 3-4 pieces)
• 3 medium sized chow chow, diced finely
• 1/2 kg lady's fingers, chopped into bite sizes
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1/2" ginger, crushed
• 3-4 large tomatoes, finely diced
• 1/2 cup of tomato puree
• 2 green chilies (slit lengthwise)
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri Chili powder or Paprika powder
• 1/2 tbsp Amchur (Dry Mango Powder)
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tbsp Coriander powder
• 2 tbsp tamarind water
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 large onion, diced
• Salt
• 2 - 4 cups drinking water

The Make:

Serves 5 adults | Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes

1. In a wok, add the oil and splutter the cumin seeds and add diced onion for a minute or until translucent.
2. Next add the ginger, garlic, green chilis and saute for about a minute.
3. Add the lady's finger and saute well for about 5 minutes.
3. Toss in the tomatoes and blend in until softened.
4. Add the dry spices and saute for about a minute. Add in the tomato puree and salt.
5. Next add the chow chow and drumsticks and cover and cook for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat.
6. Add the tamarind water and drinking water as required for the gravy and cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes taking care not to over soften the veggies.
7. Toss well and serve with rice, rotis or your choice of flat bread.

Bon Appetit!

Oat and Millet (Bajra) Sweet and Savoury Pancakes

Aha! The return of the Oat and Millet combo:) Well what can I say, this is a hero combo in terms of its nutrition factor. Millet in itself has so many nutritional benefits. Having this as a breakfast meal has many advantages as well. I have heard many people complain about migraines early in the morning. Well did you you know that Millet contains Magnesium that helps reduce the effects of migraines and even heart attacks. It is also alkaline which means that it is easily digested and you know what great wonders that does to your digestive system in the morning:)

Well not to get too scientific but let's not leave out our all too common oat bran which most of you already know is a "healthy-heart" cholestrol lowering food. I find that people with lactose intolerance normally avoid consuming cereals in the morning, simply because it becomes difficult for them to have cereals without milk. These oat bran recipes resulted since that realisation. It is important to have a high fiber meal in the morning as our body is able to digest it well then.

I had two of my usual diners, my hubby and my daughter when I whipped up this meal. So, naturally the Sweet is for my Sweetheart daughter and Savoury my darling hubster. Needless to say, both of them enjoyed their simple breakfast meal.

Savoury Pancake

Sweet pancakes

You need:

For both the sweet and savoury pancakes:

• 2 cups of oat bran (powdered)
• 1 cup of millet flour
• 2 tsp of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of milk (optional)/1 cup of filtered water
• 1 tbsp of cooking oil
• 2 tsp baking powder

For the sweet pancakes:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder

For the savoury pancakes:

• 1 medium sized onion, finely diced
• 2 green chilies, diced

The condiments:

• For the savoury, you can serve it as is or with coconut chutney
• For the sweet one, you can serve it with maple syrup, honey, chocolate syrup and chocolate chips, fresh fruits or nuts.

The make:
Makes 6 savoury pancakes, 3 sweet pancakes | Cooking Time :30 mins | Preparation Time: 15 mins

1. Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl for the sweet and savoury pancakes combined.

2. Next whisk in the eggs, milk/water and oil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

3. Divide the batter into 3/4 for the savoury and 1/4 for the  sweet pancakes in a separate bowl. I did this considering my little one's appetite. You can choose either way.

4. For the savoury, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

5. For the sweet, add the remaining ingredients and mix well in the separate bowl.

6. Meanwhile, preheat two iron skillets or non-stick skillets on high. Grease the pans, using a paper kitchen towel dipped in cooking oil. Repeat this between pancakes until the batter is used up.

Cooking the pancake on one side

7.  Lower the heat on both pans to medium-low and pour 1/4 cup of batter quantity using a ladle and pour in the center of the pan and spread the batter in clockwise fashion to a medium sized circle.

8. For the savoury, owing to the chilies and the onions, you make not be able to spread it out as much as it would lead to gaps and would not evenly spread the onion/chilies on one half or the other. You may need to either fill in the gaps or pour the batter evenly without the clockwise spreading technique.

9. Cook the pancake for 2 minutes on each side or until cooked and lightly browned.

10. Continue this process until all the batter is used.

If the alternating between sweet and savoury pans is too much, you can also do it one at a time. My mornings are usually a lot of juggle and multitasking so this technique works well for me.

11. Serve with the condiments of your choice or the suggested ones in this recipe.

Cooking on the second side

Sweet pancakes served up with honey drizzle

Hope your family and you enjoy this breakfast treat. Bon Appetit!

Papaya pies and Papaya Pancakes

I hope my readers are enjoying my Breakfast creations as much as I am enjoying creating them. I know that after the initial requests for Breakfast week, it continued into the second week as well. Seriously I am considering continuing for another week simply because I am so enjoying creating these breakfast creations. I still have a couple more to post however I just cannot stop creating new ones. I just made one this morning, finger licking good and kids will so enjoy it as well. Plus, each of these recipes are so nutritious and filling that your energy lasts till afternoon.

PapayaPies

My lil one has been learning about fruits and food types in school. Papaya has been a fancy for her in its imagery and seeds. She does not like to eat it as is but this recipe was enjoyed by her esp. the pancake.

Papaya Pancakes

Now for the pies, I had to add extra ingredients but the base mix was just the same. Papaya by itself is rich in  provitamin A carotenoids, vitamin C, B vitamins, dietary minerals and dietary fibre. I cannot reinstate how important it is to have a breakfast rich in dietary fibre. Kick starts your entire day;-)



*You need:

I have the whole Papaya in my hand:)

• 1 medium sized ripened papaya, chopped into small pieces
• 2 cups all-purpose flour or plain flour or whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp sugar or honey
• A pinch of cinnamon powder
• 1 cup milk (if slim milk, then use 2 cups)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil 
• 1 tbsp butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1/2 cup yoghurt or 1 mashed banana or 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp cooking oil for dipping (take in a small bowl)
• 1 tbsp powdered or split flax seeds or blanched and finely diced almonds or other nuts (*Optional - adds crunch)

The make:

Makes 10 pancakes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes | Preparation Time: 15 minutes

1. Puree the papaya. You can also opt to cut it into thin slices.
2.  Mash banana if you are using banana or whisk eggs if you are using eggs or else skip this step.
3. Combine dry ingredients and mix slightly and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
4. Add the papaya puree to the mix with the milk, oil, water,vanilla and yoghurt or banana or eggs.
5. Whisk together until just combined. Do not over mix as it has to be slightly thick and lumpy. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
6. Add butter to the mix after resting period and give it a good stir. Meanwhile heat an iron skillet or dosa pan or non-stick skillet on high heat until hot.
7. Lower the heat to medium-high and with a oil - dipped kitchen paper towel, rub the surface of the skillet from middle to slightly outer ring of the skillet.
8.  Stir the batter mix. Then take a 1/2 cup quantity of batter in a ladle and pour it in the center of the skillet and in a circular fashion, spread the batter to the outer ring of the skillet.

Closeup of my papaya pancake batter

9. Cook the pancake for 2 minutes on each side or until bubbles appear on the surface of the first side. Since    I had added ripened papaya and sugar to the mix, I had a darker appearance of the surface of the pancake.  It was not in the least bit burnt just darkened because of the fruit factor with sugar.
10. Serve hot as is or with coconut cream, chocolate sauce or sour cream.

Papaya Pancakes

Now for the Papaya Pies, I added

You need:
The above ingredients *

• 1/2 cup more of flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 3 tbsp of butter at room temperature
• A pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• Sour cream (couple of tbsp)
• Almonds - a few

The make:
Makes 10-12 pies | Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes | Preparation Time: 10 minutes

You can also just use the above batter to make as many pancakes as you like and use the remaining batter with the pie ingredients to make 8-10 pies. In my case I made 7-8 pancakes and then used the remaining ingredients with the pie ingredients to make 8 pies.

1. Either add the pie ingredients to the pancake ingredients as described in the method to make only pies or use the remaining batter of pancake and add in all the above ingredients, except the sour cream and almonds. and whisk well. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
2. Next into a muffin cake tray, pour 3/4 of each pocket with the batter mix and set into a preheated oven of 160°C and cook until golden brown on top or until cooked (check with a skewer). It would normally take 20-30 minutes in an oven of 170-180°C.

Undressed Pumpkin Pies

3. Once cooled, transfer the pies onto a wire rack and top with sour cream and blanched split almonds or whole almonds.

Papaya Pies

Bon Appetit!

Oat and Millet/Bajra Dosa (Oat and Millet Fermented crepes)

In an attempt to keep breakfast as the most nutritious meal of the day, I tried my hand in creating Oat and Millet Dosas. I have never had this dosa elsewhere nor had I read any recipes anywhere. I just got creative and created it from scratch as Anup does not have cereals with milk for breakfast these days. Of course I made the batter the night before. Served with Dosa-Idli chutney powder, this makes for a very tasty start to the day.

Oat and Millet Dosa with Dosa-Idli chutney

I started out small. This recipe makes for 8-10 medium sized dosas.

You need:

• 1 cup of millet flour
• 3 cups of Oat powder/flour
• 3 cups of filtered water
• Salt to taste
• Cooking oil (to dab on the skillet)

The make
Makes 8-10 medium sized dosa | Preparation Time: 8 hrs | Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Tip:For the Oat powder, you can either dry grind the oat flakes in an electric grinder or use oat flour off the shelf.

Prepared batter

1. Combine the flours in a large bowl.

2. Add the water 1/2 a cup a time and mix the flour well.

3. Continue till dosa-like consistency is reached. It should run in a thick (not watery) stream when using a ladle to pour it back into the same bowl.

4. Cover and keep in a warm, dry place overnight. Remember the bowl has to be large enough to allow the batter to rise.


5. The next morning, add the salt and stir well and set aside for 10 minutes.



6. Heat a iron skillet/dosa pan or any flat skillet on high. Take the cooking oil in a small bowl. Dip a cut quarter of an onion or a rolled thick kitchen paper towel into the cooking oil and dab the skillet with the oil.

7. Using a round ladle, take the batter and pour in the center of the skillet and then using the bottom of the ladle in a clockwise fashion, spread the batter to the desired thickness and size.

Making the dosa

8. Lower the heat to medium-low and allow to cook on each side for 2 minutes or until light brown.



9. Continue till the batter is used up. Serve with Dosa-Idli powder or desired condiment. This dosa would go well with coconut chutney or pudina (mint) chutney.


Bon Appetit!

Oat and Millet Dosa served!