Masala Oats Dosa

 Growing up my favorite breakfast was Idli. But as I grew up I realized the amount of planning it takes to get Idli on your plate.

But as I grew up a bit more, I found the convenience of the ready made "mix" for idlis. Then I discovered Oats idlis, rava idlis and then the bst of both worlds Rava Oats idli.

And then I finally wanted to make Dosa/Cheela with the batter of Rava Oats idli and they were super delicious. I know my mom would have been proud of me :)

Masala Oats Dosa (Crepes made with oats and samolina with Indian flavors)

Masala Oats Dosa

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup quick cooking oats (pulse once or twice to make the oats a bit small)
2. 1/2 cup sooji/samolina
3. 1 masala packet from the masala oats (or 1 tablespoon chat masala)
4. 1 tablespoon oil + oil for frying the dosa
5. 1 tablespoon chana dal
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of mustard, cumin, urad dal
7. 1/2 cup yogurt
8. Salt if needed
9. handful of finely chopped cilantro
10. 1/4 cup finely grated carrots , cabbage
11. 1 teaspoon baking soda
12. 1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a pan heat one tablespoon oil add the mustard seeds. Cover and cook until they start splattering. Add chana dal and fry for 30 minutes. Add cumin and urad dal. Add the Sooji and fry for a couple of minutes.

In a dish beat the yogurt and add all the ingredients (except baking soda) to it and 1 to 11/2 cup hot water and stir well. Set it aside for 10 minutes.

Add baking soda and stir lightly and set aside for 5 minutes.

Heat a griddle and take a ladle of the batter and add to the center of the griddle. With a light hand spread it into a circle with a light hand. Add some oil to the edges of the dosa and let cook for 2 minutes. Flip and add some oil and cook for 2 more minutes. Enjoy with coconut or peanut chutney

Lemon Dill Chicken Soup

 This is the most delicious chicken soup yet. And its so easy to make.

Lemon Dill Chicken Soup

Lemon Dill Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1. 1 Canned chicken breast 7 oz
2. 2 eggs lightly beaten
3. Juice from one 1 lemon (Use fresh)
4. Lemon jest
5. 1 tablespoon dried dill or a handful of fresh dill
6. 1/2-3/4 cup each of onion, carrots celery chopped small
7. 1-2 garlic pods chopped fine
8. 1 carton chicken broth
9. Sale to taste (adjust according to the salt content of the chicken broth)
10. 1/2 teaspoon fresh grond pepper
11. 1/2 cup orzo pasta (optional)
12. 1 tablespoon olive oil

In a pot heat the oil and add the onions, carrots and celery and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir and cook for 30 more seconds. Add chicken and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add lemon zest. Add orzo and boil for as long as the instructions say. Otherwise. Let boil for 5 minutes. Give it a good stir and add the beaten egg (to make like egg drop soup) . Add lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper and serve as is or with some crusty bread. 

Thai Green Egg curry with vegetables

 I usually do not like to add sweet potato to the curries. I always have a feeling that the curry would turn out to be sweet and I will not like it. But today I dared and I added sweet potato to this amazing gravy and it was super delicious. The original recipe is here . Of course I had to modify it. I added boiled eggs top it and made it more hearty.

Thai Green Egg curry with vegetables (Boiled egg curry Thai based coconut gravy with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans)

Thai Green Egg Curry

Ingredients:

1. 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons oil
2. 1¾ cups Unsweetened Coconut Milk
3. 4 oz Green Beans, ends trimmed and sliced length wise
4. 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
5. 1 medium Onion sliced into half circles
6. 1 medium small Sweet Potato cubed into 1 cm cubes
7. 2 Tbsps Green Curry Paste
8. 6 hard boiled eggs peeled

In a deep pan heat the oil and add the ginger garlic paste and the green curry paste and fry for a minute stirring. Add the onion slices and the sweet potato cubes and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the coconut milk + 1 cup hot water and bring to a boil. Add the green beans and let it boil for 10 minutes. 

In the mean time, in another pan add the 2 teaspoons oil, give the eggs small slits with the knife. Do not cut the eggs. This is just to create space with the skin of the boiled eggs, so that when you fry it, it will not explode in your face. Fry stirring 2-5 minutes*.

Add the fried eggs to the curry and simmer for 5 more minutes. Give it a taste test, adjust the salt and garnish with cilantro and enjoy with White/Ponni rice

*My Hubby likes the skin crispy and rubbery...so fry till the skin becomes brown. The rest of the family does not, so fry it just for 2 minutes, to get better flavor

More Yummy Curries:

Thai Red Curry Mushroom

Thai Coconut Peanut Wings

Thai Chicken Watercress Soup

Healthy clam chowder

The first time I had clam chowder in a bread bowl, I had no idea how it would taste. It was in the farmers market in Los Angeles. It was like a warm hug from inside. It was great. But of course clam chowder is quite calorific. And if you try to use less of the  butter, it doesn't taste as good.

The version I made of the clam chowder today, it has a ton of vegetables and it is sooooo super delicious. And on a cold night like tonight, there is nothing better for dinner

Healthy Clam Chowder (New England style Clam Chowder with veggies)

Healthy Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

1. 2 cans minced clams or substitute 1 can with tuna in water
2. 1/2 cup each of chopped onions, chopped carrots, chopped mushrooms, thinly sliced spinach, chopped broccoli...try to cut all the vegetable to be of same size
3. 2 medium small potatoes peeled and diced and microwaved covered for 4 minutes (stir mid way...be very careful)
4. 1 teaspoon each of salt, thyme, minced garlic
5. 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
6. 2 tablespoons olive oil
7. 2 tablespoons butter
8. 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
9. 3 cups milk and 2-3 cups water...hot

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and fry the onions till soft. Add the vegetables one after the other and cook on medium heat for 7-8 minutes. Take it of the pan and set aside.

In the same pan melt the butter and fry the garlic for a minute. Add the flour and continuously stir for 5 minutes. Add the milk and stir to combine. Add salt, thyme and pepper and add all the vegetables along with potatoes, clam and fish. Stir well. Add the water depending on how thick you want the soup to be. Enjoy hot with crusty bread

Here is another versions of Clam Chowder

Confetti Soup

This soup is super delicious an looks pretty too and one of the healthy soups you would eat. I made this soup to serve with my chicken stuffed bread

Confetti Soup (Broccoli and carrot soup)

Confetti soup

Soup and chicken stuffed bread

 Ingredients:

1. 4 cups broccoli florets
2. 1 cup chopped carrot
3. 1/2 cup chopped onion
4. 2 large or 4 small garlic pods
5. 1 chicken buillion
6. 2 tablespoons each of flour, butter
7. 1 tablespoon olive oil
8. 1/2 teaspoon garlic
9. 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
10. 2 cups milk
11. 1 cup water

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and carrot and cover and cook for 8 minutes. Add garlic and cover and cook for 2 more minutes. Let cook and grind to a small coarse pieces.

In the same pan heat the butter and fry the flour stirring continuously for 3 minutes on medium low heat. Add heated milk and water to it and mix until there are no more lumps. Add the ground paste and everything else and simmer for 10-15  minutes. Give it a taste test and adjust the salt. Serve with breadsticks