Cracked Wheat Kichdi

Cracked wheat is a very healthy food for growing toddlers.It carries a great amount of nutrition and fiber.

Ingredients:
Cracked Wheat (Daliya) – 1/2 cup (Wash and rinse using a colander to remove any impurities)
Moong Dhal – 1/2 cup, rinse well and drain the water
Ghee  – 2 tsp
Grated ginger – 1/4 tsp
Minced Garlic – 1/4 tsp
Veggies of your choice(Peas/carrots/beans/potatoes/broccoli) – 1 cup all together
Turmeric Powder 
Asafoetida (Hing)
Water – 3 cups
Salt

Method:
1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel.
2. Once the ghee warms up,add the cracked Wheat (Daliya) and saute for 2 minutes until you get a nice aroma.
3. Add the moong dhal,water,veggies(I added beans,Peas and Carrots),garlic,ginger,salt,pinch of turmeric and asafoetida.Add little chopped cilantro to give a nice fresh taste and flavour.
4. Mix well and transfer it to a pressure cooker.Cook for 4 whistles, turn off stove and allow the pressure to go down by itself completely.
5. Serve with plain yogurt or top it with a little ghee.

Gujarati Thepla

Ingredients:(Makes 12 theplas)

1. Wheat Flour– 3 cups
2. Dried Kasoori methi/Fresh fenugreek Leaves – 2 tbsp
3. Oil – 1 tbsp
4. Thick Curd – 1 cup
5. Salt – 2 tsp
6. Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
7. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Minced Garlic – 1 tbsp
9. Coriander/cumin Powder – 1 tsp
10. Chopped cilantro – 1/4 cup, packed
11. Warm Water – 1/4 cup

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, mix wheat Flour and oil and mix it well together
2. In another bowl, mix the following ingredients: 
Curd,Fenugreek/methi Leaves, Cilantro.turmeric Powder, salt,Red Chilli Powder and minced Garlic.Taste it to check salt.If needed add more as per your taste
3. Add the above mixture into the flour and slowly knead.
4. Add additional Warm Water if needed little by little. 
5.Knead to form a ball of dough.Check if the bowl and hands are dry and not sticky.If so,you have made the dough right!!
6. Drizzle a few drops of Oil, smear on the dough, cover it with a lid and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
7. Heat a tawa on medium flame.
8. Make balls of the dough and start rolling just like you do for roti. Whenever needed use dry flour to dust.Do not use too much dry flour which will make the thepla hard
9. Place on the hot Tawa and cook.
10. Once it starts to change color, flip and cook for a couple of minutes on the other side.
11. Drizzle a drop of oil and smear and flip once again.
12. Press gently with a spatula and allow to cook till you see few bubbles.
13. Take off the tawa and serve hot with pickle/raita.

Thepa is tasty by itself because of the masalas added in the dough.Usually eaten as a snack.Doesn't need a special sidedish.

Bhindi Masala gravy

Ingredients:
1.Lady's Finger/Okra- 15
2.Tomatoes- 4 (medium size chopped lengthwise)
3.Yogurt/curd- 2 tbsp
4.Chopped green chillies-2
5.Grated ginger- 2 tsp
6.Garam masala- 2 tsp
7.Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
8.Hing
9.Red chilli powder- 2 tsp
10.Salt
11.Oil- 5 tbsp
12.Cilantro
13.Jeera/cumin seeds- 2 tsps

To dry roast and grind to a fine powder:
1. Fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp
2.Fennel seeds- 2 tsp
3.Coriander seeds/dhania- 3 tsp

Method:
1.Cut each lady's finger into 2 inch pieces.Make a small slit in each and fry in 4 tbsp oil. Allow it to fry for 10 minutes till they turn light brown and lose the bright green colour.
2.Dry roast the above listed 3 items till they turn golden brown and burst and grind in mixie without adding water.
3.In a pan add 1 tbsp oil,jeera,green chillies and ginger.Slowly toss in the chopped tomatoes.
4.Add salt,turmeric,hing,chilli powder and garam masala.Allow the tomatoes to cook well for 6-8 minutes.
5.Keep stove in low,add the curd.Slowly you will notice that oil separates.Now add the ground powder and mix well.Remember to keep in low flame while adding and after adding curd, else the curd would disintegrate into the gravy.
6.Finally add the fried lady's finger/okra after draining the oil to the gravy.
7.Garnish with cilantro.
8.Don't keep mixing after adding the bhindi pieces as they would break.
9.Serve with roti/paratha of your choice.

Carrot thayir pachadi(Carrot in seasoned yogurt)

Ingredients:
1.Grated carrot-1
2.Thick curd/yogurt- 1 cup
3.Green chilly- 1 small
4.Salt
5.Oil- 2 tsp
6.Cilantro
7.Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
8.Asafoetida- a pinch

Method:
1.Add the grated carrot to the curd.
2.Add salt and asafoetida and mix.
3.Heat oil,add mustard seeds and chopped green chilly.Add to curd+carrot mix once mustard splutters.
4.Garnish with Cilantro
5.You can also grind little coconut+1 green chilly with little water in mixie and add to give extra taste.
6.Replace cucumber instead of carrot for cucumber thayir pachadi.

Carrot Rice (Chettinad style)

Ingredients:
1.Grated carrot- 2(1 cup)
2.Basmati Rice- 1 cup
3.Chopped onion-1/2 
4.Cloves-2
5.Cinnamon- 1 small stick
6.Jeera/Saunf- 1 tsp
7.Oil/Butter- 2 tbsp
8.Cilantro- handful
9.Green chilly-1
10.Salt
11.Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

To grind without adding water:
1.Chopped tomato-1
2.Red chillies- 1-2(as per taste)
3.Grated coconut- 2 tbsp
4.Chopped onion-1/2

Method:
1.Soak basmati rice in water for 20 minutes
2.Cook with 1.5 cups of water in rice cooker. Do not overcook rice.
3.Heat oil in a pan, add jeera/saunf,cloves,cinnamom,green chilly and when jeera splutters add chopped onion and saute till they become golden brown.
4.Toss in the grated carrots,add little butter,salt and turmeric and cook for 5-8 minutes in low-medium flame sauteing now and then so that the carrots don't get burnt.
5.Set aside the carrot+onion mixture.
6.Add oil/butter to the same pan and empty the ground paste to it. Cook for 10 minutes in medium flame sauteing inbetween till the raw smell of onion fades away.
7.Add the carrot+onion mixture,mix,sprinkle little water and cook for 5 minutes.
8.Add this to the cooked basmati rice and  mix gently without mashing the rice.
9.Garnish with cilantro
10.Serve with raita

P.S:For people who don't like the flavour of clove/cinnamon,skip that or you can add a clove and cinnamon stick while cooking rice to get the masala flavour and remove it while mixing so that you don't bite into it.Or use a pinch on any garam masala when you saute carrots+onions.

Ashoka Halwa

Ingredients:
Use the same CUP for all measurements.

1. Moong dhal- 1 cup
2. Wheat flour- 1 cup
3. Sugar- 2 cups
4. Cardamom powder- 2 tsp
5. Cashews- 10-15
6. Saffron strands soaked in milk
7. Kesari powder/food color- a pinch( optional)
8. Ghee- 8 tbsp

Method:

1.Dry fry the moong dhal till it turns golden brown.

2.Pressure cook it well for 5-6 whistles with little water.Once it cools,mash it well to a thick paste after draining out all the water.You can also pressure cook the dhal directly.But frying a little will give us a nice aroma and also to get rid of the raw smell of dhal.

3.Heat 2 tsp ghee in a non stick pan.Roast the cashews till golden brown.Set aside.

4.In the same pan add the wheat flour and fry till golden brown.Keep aside

5.Making Sugar syrup: Add 1/2 cup water and then 2 cups sugar.Keep stirring till you get a string like consistency.This would take about 7-10 minutes.

6.Slowly add the wheat flour and keep stirring. 

7.In 3 minutes add the mashed moong dhal paste and keep stirring without any lumps.Add 3 tbsp ghee.

8.The main thing to remember is never stop stirring and keep the stove on medium flame.

9.Add the kesari powder & saffron with milk.Whenever you feel the halwa sticks to the vessel,add ghee and continue to stir.

10.The halwa will take around 15-20 minutes to cook.Wait till the ghee oozes out and you are able to get a nice ball like consistency.

11.Add the cashews and the remaining ghee.

12. The yummy halwa is ready to serve:)

Thiruvadhirai Kali and 7 veg kootu

Thiruvadhirai Kali

Ingredients:
Please use the SAME cup for all measurements

1. Raw Rice - 3/4 cup 
2. Chana dhal- 1/4 cup
3. Moong Dhal - 2 tbsp
4. Grated Coconut - 1 cup
5. Grated Jaggery - 1 1/2 Cups 
6. Water - 2 1/2 Cups 
7. Cardamom powder - 1 tbsp
8. Cashewnuts roasted in ghee - handful
9. Ghee - 1/2 cup

Method:
1.Fry the raw rice,moong dhal,chana dhal in a kadaai until they become golden brown.
2.Once it cools down,grind to a coarse powder(rava consistency).Dont grind it to a fine powder.Keep aside.
3.Boil 2 1/2 cups water,once it boils add the grated jaggery.Cover with a lid and allow to boil for 5 minutes.
4.Once the jaggery mixture begins to boil and you see bubbles,add the grated coconut,cardamom powder and 2 tbsp ghee.
5.Add the powdered rice slowly like how we do for rava upma, cover with a lid and cook in a low flame.
6.Stir now and then to avoid lumps. 
7.After around 15-20 minutes,see if the mixture is cooked well and water is absorbed.
8.Add the remaining ghee and roasted cashew nuts.
9.Switch off stove and remove the kadaai from the stove.
10.Cover with lid even after setting it aside and stir 2-3 times to get a fine upma like consistency.
11.The kali is ready to be served.

Thiruvadhirai 7 vegetable kootu

Ingredients:

1. Carrot-1(cut into 1 " cubes)
2. Chayote/Chow chow- 1(cut into 1 " cubes)
3. Raw banana-1 (cut into 1 " cubes)
4. Potato-1 (cut into 1 " cubes)
5. Pumpkin-1/4 cup (cut into 1 " cubes)
6. Beans-10
7. Broad beans/avarakkai- 10 
8. Curry leaves
9. Mustard seeds
10. Oil- 1 tbsp 
11. Tamarind
12. Salt
13. Hing- a pinch

To roast and grind to form a fine powder:

1. Raw Rice - 2 tsp
2. Red Chillies - 6
3. Thoor dhal - 1 tbsp
4. Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Method:
1. Soak the tamarind in the water,extract the juice and keep it separately.
2.Heat little oil and roast the above 4 ingredinets .Once the dhal turns golden brown add the grated coconut and fry for a minute.Switch off.Grind to a powder once it cools.
3.Pressure cook all the vegetables adding little salt and turmeric
4.Add tamarind water to the cooked vegetables and allow it to cook for 10 minutes.
5.Finally add the ground powder,salt and hing and allow it to boil for a while till you get the desired thickness and aroma.
6.Seasoning: Oil+Mustard seeds+lots of curry leaves.
7.The kootu is ready to be served with the kali.