Tag: breakfast

Aloo Gobi paratha

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BM #114 : Week 2, Day 3
Theme : Brighten Your Breakfast

Parathas for breakfast is a favorite of mine. Most of the times , we end up eating dinner leftovers than prepare fresh in the morning. By leftovers, I mean cooking extra so that you have some for the next morning. Aloo paratha is the most favored at home, but gobi (cauliflower) paratha comes a close second. For a variety, a combination of aloo and gobi works well too. A simple pickle and yogurt would do as a side dish instead of making a curry to serve this.

Parathas taste really good when you add a good amount of ghee while making it. I remember my brother’s cook going through almost a whole big bottle of ghee while making a big batch of parathas. You can definitely reduce the amount to your preference, but there is no question that it tastes way better with lots of ghee :D.

Read on for the recipe.

Makes 6-8 parathas, depending on the size

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour / atta
  • Salt as needed
  • Water to make a dough
  • 1 tablespoon oil/ ghee, optional

For the Filling :

  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon aamchur / dry mango powder
  • 2 cups finely chopped cauliflower
  • 2 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
  • Salt as needed
  • 1-2 teaspoon Ghee/ butter per paratha for brushing the pan

Method:

  1. Add salt as need to the flour. Make a dough by adding water in steps (1/4 cup full at a time) to the wheat flour. Knead until you get a soft and smooth dough. Set aside to rest.
  2. To prepare the filling, heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and sauté until it turns pink. Add ginger- garlic paste, followed by the spice powders. Mix everything well.
  3. Now add the finely chopped cauliflower florets. Add salt and mix everything well and let it cook.
  4. Once the cauliflower is cooked completely, add the boiled and mashed potatoes. Mix well and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Taste test and adjust seasonings. Remove from heat and let it cool a little.
  5. Make parathas using a small lime sized ball of the filling. Please watch this video or this post for stepwise pictures.
  6. Cook the rolled parathas in a heated tawa. Add some ghee to the pan and on top the parathas too while cooking it. Remove from the pan and serve hot with pickle and plain yogurt.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this Week

Ebelskivers – Danish pancakes

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BM #114 : Week 2, Day 2
Theme : Brighten Your Breakfast

I had completely forgotten about ebelskivers I used to make for my son’s lunchbox until I saw this picture in my photo archives. There was a point of time when I used to make these regularly, especially the ones filled with jam inside. The biggest plus is that it doesn’t need a side dish since it has jam inside, thus making it perfect for the lunch box.

I usually use pancake batter to make ebelskivers and in this particular instance, I remember that I was half way through making pancakes and suddenly decided to make some ebelskivers too.

The internet tells me that this Danish delicacy is served as a dessert or a snack or a breakfast snack or even a holiday treat, but at my place, this is mostly a breakfast treat. Usually a weekend brunch.

Instead of filling it with jam, you can add some Nutella or even some chocolate chips. That would ensure a chocolate treat for you :-).

Read on for the recipe. The batter is a pancake batter recipe from All Recipes.

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • Jam of your choice
  • Butter/ghee for brushing the pan

Method:

  1. Mix the dry ingredients in a pan. Whisk well.
  2. Beat the egg well in another bowl, add the melted butter and the milk. Mix well. It’s important that the milk is at room temperature, else the butter will solidify.
  3. Combine the dry and wet ingredients, mix until smooth. The batter is ready.
  4. Heat an aebelskiver pan or paniyaram pan. Once the pan is hot, add a little butter/ghee into each of the “wells” in the pan.
  5. Using a tablespoon, carefully add the batter into each mold, filling it half way through. Add a spoon of jam on top of the batter and fill it rest of the way with the batter.
  6. Wait for the bottom to cook completely, slowly using two spoons or forks or skewers, flip it so that the top can cook as well.
  7. Remove from pan and repeat with the rest of the batter.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this Week

Shakshuka

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BM #114 : Week 2, Day 1
Theme : Brighten Your Breakfast

Shakshuka is a breakfast dish from Middle East and North Africa. It’s eggs served with a tomato based sauce cooked with peppers and onions. This is an easy dish to prepare. You can add veggies of your choice and serve this dish for a quick lunch or dinner too. The regular spices that goes with this dish is paprika, chili powder and cumin.

There are many variations to this dish. You can add cooked polenta or tofu for a vegan/egg free version. I didn’t have enough fresh tomatoes to make a puree for this, so I used some readymade marinara sauce that I already had. I added some dried herbs to it and now it’s an Italian version Shakshuka :-). We had this as our brunch, so I served this with toasted bread and some avocados. This is a stovetop recipe, but it can be made in Instant pot as well. I would be trying that next.

Read on for the recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped finely
  • 1 medium red pepper, chopped finely
  • 3 cloves garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder, or per taste
  • 2 teaspoons dried herbs (Italian seasoning)
  • 2 cups marinara sauce or puréed tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup water, optional
  • 6 eggs
  • salt as needed

Method:

  1. Heat oil in a wide pan. Sauté onions, pepper and garlic. Once onion turns pink, add the spinach in and couple for a couple of minutes until it wilts.
  2. Add paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt and dried herbs. Add marinara sauce or puréed tomatoes and water. Let it come to a slow boil and cook for about 7-8 minutes until it’s not runny anymore.
  3. Crack one egg into a small bowl. With the ladle, make a small hole in the curry and carefully add the egg. Repeat with the rest of the eggs.
  4. Let the eggs cook until they are done. Covering the pan would help it cook faster. Remove from heat once the eggs are cooked to your preference. Serve with bread slices and some avocado.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this Week

Kanchipuram Idli

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BM#102: Week 2, Day 2
Theme : Restaurant recipes

Me and my husband are both from middle income families where eating out was a rarity. It wasn’t financially feasible for our parents plus there was this firm notion in their minds that outside food is substandard. After we got married and moved out of my in laws place, me and my husband used to eat out a lot. The kitchen was always closed on weekends.

My in laws and my dad still look at eating out as wasting money, but my mother, who was held back by the financial situation while we were growing up but more so by my dad, was quick to change. She always liked eating out, but lacked company to do it. I remember her trying kanchipuram idlis at a South Indian restaurant we had visited once. So when I made kanchipuram idlis recently, I was thinking of her :-).

Read on for the recipe.

Ingredients:

For the batter:

  • 1/2 cup raw rice
  • 1/2 cup parboiled rice
  • 3/4 cup urad dal
  • 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • Salt as needed

For making the idli:

  • 2 tablespoons ghee
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
  • Handful of cashew nuts
  • 1/4 teaspoon dry ginger powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

Method:

  1. Soak the rice, fenugreek seeds and dal together overnight. Grind next morning using a grinder or mixie. Set aside to ferment. Refrigerate once the batter is fermented and has doubled in quantity. This usually takes about 8-10 hours depending on the weather.
  2. When ready to prepare the idli, crush black pepper and cumin together using a mortar and pestle. Heat ghee and add the cumin pepper mix. Add cashews and sauté until it changes color. Remove from heat, let it cool completely and then add to the batter.
  3. Add the turmeric powder and the dry ginger powder also to the batter.
  4. Pour the batter into the idli molds and steam for 10-12 minutes until the idlis are cooked through.
  5. Take off the heat, serve with sambar and idli podi.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the recipe from other Blogging Marathoners.