sprouted ragi idli -powerhouse breakfast

I love working with whole grains a lot ,and Ragi or finger millet is one of them .Did you know?(well,I didn't) that sprouting ragi (finger millet )increases the bioavailability of it's iron to 88% comparable only to mother's milk and 8 times higher than cow's milk, visit this page I found while googling for sprouted ragi benefits:International research journal of pharmacy .Since knowing this information I'm making sure to sprout this wonder grain every time I use it in a recipe .These idlis are soft and supple and go great with tomato base gravy's or just enjoy with chutney powder .If you don't want to sprout the grain then just soak it as long as the other ingredients.

Ingredients:

whole ragi: 1 cup

idli rice :1 cup

urad dal: 1/2 cup

fenugreek seed:1/2 tsp

salt as per taste

Method :

• wash and rinse ragi thoroughly to remove impurities  .
• soak overnight (if not sprouting, then grind this to make a batter.)
• drain the water and transfer to a clean kitchen towel  over a strainer,cover and keep in a warm place for the germination to take place .This may take anywhere between eight to sixteen hours depending on the climatic conditions where you live in.
• once sprouts appear ,wash,rinse and soak the rice and urad+fenugreek seeds separately for four hours.
• now grind one by one the urad,then the ragi sprouts and finally the rice using a little bit of water at a time
• bring everything together,add salt and transfer to a  bigger vessel with enough room for the batter to rise
• let ferment for 8 hours or overnight ,if you enjoy a warm climate ,the fermentation may take place earlier than the above mentioned time frame
• next grease the idli molds and pour the batter ,steam cook for 8 to 12 minutes
• serve with your favorite chutney or idli podi .

Here is a quick video tutorial:

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Instant upma mix /savory pudding - homemade recipe

A savory pudding most famous in the southern part of India as a healthy nutritious and filling breakfast, in fact it's a quick fix for any time of the day.
 Lets have a look on how to get started on this :
This recipe uses cracked wheat also know as daliya(gothumai rawai in tamil)  but you can substitute with semolina(suji) or rice rawa.

Ingredients:
cracked wheat :1 cup
Onion: 1/2 of one large
oil: 1 tsp
mustard seeds :1/2 tsp
channa dal : 1 tbs
asafetida : 1/4 tsp or adjust according to preference
dried curry leaves :about 1/4 cup
green chilies :4 slit or adjust according to taste
salt:3/4 tsp or adjust according to taste
water to dry mix  ratio - 2:1

Method:

• Start by adding 1 tsp oil in a non stick pan,add mustard seeds,let splutter,add channa dal and saute until it turns golden brown
• Add asafetida,dried curry leaves and the green chilies
• Next add in the onions ,season with salt .cook until the they turn translucent,
• Finally add the cracked wheat, season with some more salt if needed
• Mix everything well cook for another two minutes and you will notice a nice aroma of roasted wheat 
• Cool and store in an airtight container with a measuring cup.
• When ready to make the upma take twice the amount of water for every measure of the dry mix .
• Bring the water to a rolling boil and add in the mix little by little ,keep stirring until well combined.
• Cover and cook for 2 minutes and there you have your healthy quick and low fat upma 

Here is a quick video tutorial:

Notes:

1. Stores well in the fridge for upto 3 weeks (depends on the temperature of your refrigerator)
2. If not refrigerating then use dehydrated onions and cook the chilies until they start to shrink.

This instant recipe comes in very handy on a busy day and is perfect when travelling or camping ,all you need is - boiling water ,the mix and 2 minutes of your time ...to make to this healthy meal.
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Secret to soft idli

An all time classic tiffen item - Idli......now if u happen to be a south Indian you know the ratio already .....but what makes these steamed rice cakes different and sponge like, that they just tend to melt in mouth? follow the recipe to know.

Ingredients :
1 cup urad dal
2 cups rice
(Ratio 1:2)
1/2 cup cooked rice
fenugreek seeds-1tbs

• Start by rinsing the dal and rice in cold water .
• add the fenugreek seeds to urad dal and soak both the dal and rice for a minimum of 4 hrs.
• first blend the soaked urad dal into a thick paste adding very little water .
• next add the rice to the blender and also dump in the cooked rice .make a thick paste of this too
• add the rice paste to the dal paste and add desired amount of salt 
• mix with clean hands until everything is incorporated well.
• keep in a warm place overnight for the fermentation to take place 
• once fermented the batter should rise significantly ,if this fails to happen then the temperature is too low ,leave the batter in this case in a much warmer place until the fermentation takes place 
• once the batter is ready ,pour into idli molds and steam cook for 12-15 min
• serve steaming hot with your favorite condiment 

Notes:

1. Always make a thick batter ,if desired water can be added in later stage to dilute the paste .
2. mix with hands,the warmth from our hand is supposed to promote the fermentation process .
3. The batter should rise to get soft and spongy idlis, so have patience and if you live in a very cold place try keeping the batter in the oven after preheating for 2 minutes and turning it off. 

Here is a quick video tutorial :

For a recipe of the red chutney shown in the video  click :   tomato chutney                                                                                  

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