Quinoa and Oats Idli Milagai Podi/Quinoa and Oats Idli Spice Powder Mix

Ingredients:

Quinoa - 3/4 cup

Oats - 3/4 cup
Whole Black Urad Dal or Plain Urad dal - 1/2 cup

Chana dal - 1/2 cup
White Sesame seeds - 2 tbspns
Red chilies - 8 
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

Dry roast quinoa and oats separately till you get a nice aroma (approximately 3-4 minutes). Keep it separate. 

Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai and roast whole urad until light golden brown over medium flame. It takes roughly 5-7 mins. Remove it and keep it aside.

Heat another tsp oil in the same kadai and roast chana dal until golden brown. Remove and keep it aside.

In the same kadai add red chilies and roast until crisp and changes its color. Remove and let them cool. Add sesame seeds to the same kadai and let them pop. It takes hardly a minute or two. Set aside. Once the ingredients are cooled down grind everything with salt(according to taste) in the mixer to a coarse powder.

Spread the mixture on a plate and once it is cooled pour into the air tight container and store it in the refrigerator for longer life. Serve it with idli/dosa/upma. Mix the powder with ghee or sesame oil while serving.

Black Bean Soup

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

Olive Oil - 1 tbspn

Onion - 1 cup, chopped

Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped finely

Jalapeno - 1, de seeded and chopped finely

Corn Kernels - 1/2 cup, frozen

Black Beans - 1 - 15 ounce can drained or 1 cup dried beans soaked and cooked

Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Veg Broth - 1 cup or Water

Cilantro - 3 tbspns, chopped finely

Salt and Pepper to taste

For the topping;

Avocados 

Sour Cream

Tortilla Chips

Method:

Heat olive oil in a pot and saute the garlic, jalapenos and onions till the onions turns translucent. Add corn, veg broth, black beans, cumin powder, salt, pepper and half of the cilantro. Reduce heat, cover and let it cook for 10 minutes. Let it cool completely. Take half of the soup and blend it in a blender until smooth.

Return this puree to the soup pot and cook till the soup thickens approx for 2 - 3 minutes.

Top it with the remaining cilantro, sour cream and avocados. Serve it with Tortilla Chips!

Kadala Curry/Black Channa Gravy/Kala Channa Gravy

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Brown Kondaikadalai/Kala channa* - 2 cups (cooked)

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbspn

Onion - 1 cup, chopped 

Green chili - 1 slit lengthwise 

Tomato -1, chopped

Grated coconut - 3/4 cup or Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup, thick

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp 

Chili Powder - 3/4 - 1 tbspn 

Coriander Powder - 3 tsps 

Garam Masala - 1 tsp 

Salt as per taste

*1 cup uncooked channa yields 2 cups cooked channa

To temper;

Oil - 2 tbspns 

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp 

Hing - a pinch 

Curry leaves - few

For Garnishing;

Coriander Leaves - 1 tbspn, chopped

Method:

Soak channa overnight or for 5-6 hours. Pressure cook until soft with a little salt and just enough water.

If using coconut, heat 1/2 tsp of oil and saute coconut on medium flame until it turns golden brown. Grind it to a smooth paste. Keep it aside. If you are using coconut milk, omit this step.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, hing, when mustard splutters, add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw flavor goes. Then add onions, green chili, curry leaves and saute until onions turn light brown. Add a little salt to the onions to speed up the process.

Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes become mushy. Once the tomato is cooked, add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, salt and saute until the raw flavor of the masala powder goes. If it becomes too dry, add a tbsp of water and cook.

Then add the cooked kadala along with the water. Add the ground coconut paste or the coconut milk and cook for a few minutes. Take a ladle of cooked channa, grind it to a coarse paste and add it to the gravy along with garam masala. Add more water and cook on medium flame until everything gets blended well.

Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with puttu, appam or with chapati or dosa or idiyappam.

Inspired from here

Steamed Poha Balls/Aval Urundai/Aval Kozhukattai

Makes 10 Balls

Ingredients:

Poha/Aval/Beaten Rice(thick or thin) - 1 cup

Water - 1 cup

Salt - to taste

Grated Coconut - 1 tbspn

For tempering;

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

Chana dal - 1/2 tbspn

Red Chili - 1, broken

Curry Leaves - a few

Method:

Powder the aval coarsely in a mixer. Use juice/inch option to carefully do this evenly.

Heat a pan with oil and temper with the items given under “to temper” table. Add water, salt and bring to boil. Add the powdered aval and mix well. cook till all the water gets absorbed and the mixture resembles upma. Will take 2 minutes approximately. Switch off the stove and add grated coconut and mix well and cool down. Grease an idly plate and make balls/kozhukattais out of the aval mixture and steam it for 5 minutes.

Serve hot with chutney!

Inspired from here