Add 1 tsp of chana dal, 1 tsp of urad dal and roast the dal till very light brown
Add 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds and let the mustard seeds crackle
Add 1/2 tsp of grated ginger, 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chili, 8-10 curry leaves and roast everything for a minute
Add 1 chopped tomato, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of coriander powder, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp of red chili powder, 1 tsp of sambar powder, and mix well
Add 1 tbsp of water and mash the tomatoes
Add 3 boiled peeled and crumbled potatoes, mash them and cook for 2-3 minutes
Add some chopped coriander leaves and the dosa stuffing is ready!
3-4 tbsp fresh chopped green garlic or 1 tbsp garlic paste
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil or any other oil
1 cup finely chopped methi (fenugreek) leaves or 2 tbsp dry methi leaves (kasoori methi)
1/2 to 1 cup yogurt for kneading the dough (or as required… dough should be soft)
Some wheat flour for rolling
5-6 tsp oil for roasting
Method:
In a mixing bowl, take the flours, salt, sugar, asafetida, turmeric powder, sesame seeds, ajwain seeds, methi leaves, dry mint (optional) and mix well
Add chili paste, ginger paste, fresh chopped garlic / garlic paste, coriander leaves, 1 1/2 tbsp oil and mix well
Knead the dough by gradually adding 1 tbsp yogurt at a time… knead it very well to form medium soft dough
Make medium size balls from the dough (about 6-7)
Take a dough ball on a flat surface, sprinkle some flour on it and roll to around 5-6 inches in diameter. Sprinkle more flour if the dough feels too stick while rolling
Heat a nonstick skillet on medium heat and gently place the rolled dough on it
Flip when one side is partly cooked
Again flip when the second side is partly cooked
Add oil on the skillet as well spread oil on the dhebru
Cook both side till it’s light brown and fully cooked… feel free to press the dhebru with spatula while cooking
Put it aside and make the rest of the dhebra by following the same steps
Add mustard seeds, channa dal and urad dal. Fry them till the dals become light brown
Add green chilies, coriander leaves, curry leaves, cashew nuts and sauté for another 3-4 minutes. Sauté till there is no moisture left in curry leaves and green chilies and become crisp
Add turmeric powder, hing / asafetida and mix well
Add rava / sooji and roast on low to medium heat till it becomes light brown… about 8-10 minutes. Regularly keep stirring making sure rava does not burn or become dark in color (it wont taste good if it gets dark / burns)
Add salt, sugar, lime juice, mix well and roast for 2-3 minutes till lime juice moisture is evaporated and the mix is dry without any lumps
Turn off the heat and let it cool completely then store it airtight container in the refrigerator. You can use this mix to make upma for 4-6 weeks
Mix Vegetable Upma
Ingredients:
1 tsp ghee / peanut oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup mix vegetables such as chopped carrots, green peas
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 inch ginger, grated
3 cups water
1 cup instant upma mix
1/2 cup spinach, chopped
Method:
Heat ghee in a pan
Add chopped onion, vegetables, salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes
Add grated ginger and sauté for 2 minutes
Add 3 cups water, bring to boil and then lower the heat. Cover and cook the vegetables for 2 minutes
Slowly add 1 cup upma mix constantly stirring it into the water
Add chopped spinach, mix well and cook on slow heat for a minute
Turn off the heat, cover and let it rest for 4-5 minutes
Enjoy with coconut chutney and sambar!
Serves:
Makes 2 cups of upma mix and 4 -6 servings of upma
1 cup rice (any kind, such as Basmati or jasmine rice) soaked for 5-6 hours
1 medium size potato
1 medium size tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped capsicum
1 cup chopped onion
1 green chili, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp cumin seeds (Jeera)
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp chopped curry leaves
1 tsp Eno fruit salt
4-5 tbsp vegetable oil, such as peanut oil
Method:
Steam / boil the potato and once cooled, remove the skin
Drain the rice and grind with minimum water in blender
Add the potato and blend well till somewhat smooth paste / mix
Take out the mix in a large bowl and add all the vegetables, spices, herbs and salt
If necessary, add 1/4 cup water and mix well. The final consistency of the mix should be relatively thick and not too runny
Let the mix ‘rest’ by keeping it aside for 15-20 minutes
When ready to make roasties, add 2 tbsp water to the mix and in that water add 1 tsp Eno fruit salt and gently stir it in thoroughly
Alternatively, you can add 1/4 cup yogurt and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. When ready, add 1 tsp baking soda + a few drops of lemon / lime juice and stir it in thoroughly
Heat 1 tbsp oil in skillet on medium heat
Once hot, pour 1/2 cup of the mix and spread it evenly in the skillet to get 1/2 cm thick layer
Cover the skillet, turn the heat to low and cook for 6-7 minutes. Periodically check to see that the cooked side is not burning / charring
Add 1/2 tbsp oil on the uncooked side of the roastie and flip over
Cook this side for 6-7 minutes. Periodically check that it is not burning / charring
Once done, keep the roastie aside for 3-4 minutes before eating. This ensures that any moisture inside is absorbed
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight or for at least 7-8 hours. This recipe will not work with canned chickpeas since they are way too wet
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 small green chili pepper, Serrano or jalapeno pepper
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp roasted cumin seeds powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
2 tbsp chickpea flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp olive oil
Method:
Drain the chickpeas and let it dry for a few minutes
Make sure that the chopped herbs are not too wet. Access water will make the falafel wet and soggy from inside. You want them moist and soft inside and not soggy!
In our experience, blending raw onions make the end product somewhat bitter. We lightly sauté the chopped onions in small quantity of oil, let them cool and then add to blender / food processor
To food processor add chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, pepper, garlic, cumin, salt, cardamom and black pepper and pulse to coarse mix
Transfer the falafel mixture to a bowl, add chickpea flour and baking soda and mix well. If the mixture is too wet, you can add another tablespoon of chickpea flour. If it’s too dry and crumbly, you can add a teaspoon or two of water or lemon juice
Cover it and refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to one hour
Preheat the over to 350F
To the baking pan, add 1 tbsp oil and spread it evenly to cover the baking surface
Pour falafel mix to the baking pan, gently spread it evenly in the pan. Add 1 tbsp oil on the surface, spread it evenly and bake it for 25-30 minutes, keeping an eye to make sure it doesn’t get overcooked and become too dark
Take out the pan from the oven, insert a knife and take it out. If the knife is dry, your falafel is fully cooked from inside. If the mix sticks to the knife, you may need to bake the falafel for a few more minutes
Cut into pieces and serve with tahini / yogurt sauce
2 vegetable bouillon cubes (such as Knorr’s Vegetarian Vegetable Bouillon)
1 cup water
salt (only if needed since the bouillon cubes will add sufficient salt to the stew)
ground black pepper, 1 tsp
For garnishing
1/3 bunch dill, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoon(s) olive oil
Method:
If you are starting with raw chickpeas, make sure to soak them for 6-8 hours and then cook them till they are soft. We prefer steam cooking in an instant pot or pressure cooker. If you are starting with canned chickpeas, just drain them with some running water to get rid of the liquid.
From the cooked / canned chickpeas, puree about a cup and put aside.
Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil a pot / pan on medium heat.
To the hot oil, add chopped celery, onions, carrots and garlic and sauté for 8-10 minutes till desired level of softness. Sautéing will mildly caramelize the vegetables and bring out their sweetness.
Instant Pot: If you are using Instant Pot for this recipe, do steps 3 and 4 in the Instant Pot. For step 4, cook on high setting under pressure for 5 minutes. When it’s ready to open, go on to the next step.
To the pan / pot, add the thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, bouillon cube, pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Add the cooked whole chickpeas, 1 cup water and bring to boil.
Stir in the chickpea puree, lemon juice… mix well and cook for a couple of minutes. The stew is ready! Taste and add salt only if needed.
When serving, top the stew with finely chopped fresh dill, extra virgin olive oil and serve with warm pita bread.
Serves: 4
Notes:
Fresh herbs and lemon juice makes this stew extraordinarily tasty and flavorful. Try not to use dry herbs and not substitute lemon with lime!
1 kaffir lime leaf, very finely chopped (if not available use 1 tbsp lime zest, from about 2 limes)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp palm sugar (if not available, use cane sugar)
Green curry
2 cans of coconut milk (each can of 400 ml)
8 oz baby corn (from can), cut into inch long pieces
8 oz sliced water chestnuts
8 oz bamboo shoots (thick slices)
8 oz sliced carrots
8 oz red / green capsicum, cut into 1 cm pieces
8 oz extra firm tofu, cut into 1 cm pieces
1 tbsp palm sugar (if not available, use cane sugar)
1 bunch Thai basil leaves, picked and washed
Method:
Green curry paste
Saute chopped shallots for a couple of minutes and let them cool. In our experience, if you grind shallots / onions without sauting, they give bitterness to the end product!
Finely grate bottom third of lemongrass into a blender or food processor.
Then add the coriander and cumin seeds to blender and blend to smooth powder.
Add the rest of the paste ingredients including sauted shallots and blend into smooth paste.
Green curry
Heat medium / large pan and add a can of coconut milk.
Stir the milk regularly for 3-4 minutes to thicken it.
Add the paste to the milk and continue to stir so that the paste it well blended into the milk.
Let the milk with the paste simmer on low / medium heat for a couple of minutes.
Add 400 ml water and bring to boil.
One by one, add all the vegetables… tofu at the last.
Add sugar and bring the curry to boil. Then bring down the heat and let the curry simmer till all the vegetables soften to desired softness level (4-5 minutes).
Turn off the heat, add Thai basil leaves and serve with Jasmine rice.
Mix all the dhokali ingredients in a mixing bowl, add as little water as possible to make dough from it
In a large pan, heat the oil
Add guvar, salt, soda bicarb, water and gently mix… make sure there is enough water to fully cover the guvar as it’s tough to cook vegetable
Press small (penny-size) dhokali from the dough and put on top of guvar. Make sure that the dhokalis touch water / slightly submerge in it) and cover the pan
Cook on medium-low flame water evaporates and dhokalis are cooked
Once guvar and dhokalis are cooked, sprinkle dhana-jiru and chili powder on it and gently fold so that guvar is coated with the spices
Veggie Foodie 
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