Pineapple French Toast ~ Quick Snacks

French Toast is one of the quickest recipes that you can make with bread. The classic French toast consists of milk, eggs, sugar and some flavourings. But how about making an eggless French toast and that too with a fresh fruit. Sounds interesting??😁

Yeah, I tried a little different French toast than the usual. And kids totally loved the fruity flavoured toast because it has tangy and sweet flavours in a toast. Next time, I would love to add pineapple jam on one slice and close another side. Dip these two bread slices together and make toast for a jam sandwich filling. Loving the idea?? Then go ahead and give this a try for your hunger pranks and am sure they will love this too. Enjoy 😍

Preparation time ~ 10 minutes

Cooking time ~ 5-7 minutes

Author ~ Julie

Serves ~ 6 slices
Ingredients 

bread slices 5-6

pineapple half of 1(1/2 cup juice)

custard powder 2 tbsp

water 1/4 cup

Watch on YouTube-

 

 Method

• Wash, peel and chop the pineapples small. Add this to a blender jar and blend till smooth. Add the granulated sugar and blend again till sugar dissolves. Strain the juice using a strainer and keep aside.
• In another bowl, add custard powder. Mix with 1/4 cup water to get a lump free mix. To this add the pineapple juice and mix. 
• Dip each bread slices in both sides in this mix and remove immediately as the bread gets soaked and drenched in the liquid, which may make it difficult to work with.
• Heat a pan and add ghee or butter. Place the bread slices and cook both sides until nicely toasted and browned.
• Serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.

NOTES

* You can add two beaten eggs to the pineapple juice instead of custard powder. Also, use a tsp of vanilla essence to the egg mixture.

* You can add pineapple jam on one slice and close another side. Dip these two bread slices together and make toast for a jam sandwich filling.

* You can use coconut milk instead of water in the batter. Please don't use whole milk as it may curdle.

* You can even use plain corn flour instead of custard powder, but the vanilla custard colour powder adds a nice colour to the toast.

Jeera Aloo | Cumin flavoured Potatoes | Urualakizhangu Jeerakam Fry

Preparing morning breakfast along with kid's lunch box is a hectic task for all moms. You literally have to look out for quick fixes for breakfast or lunch so that both are ready before they leave to school. I also try preparing recipes from scratch and hardly rely on package foods. Therefore, this jeera aloo recipe is one such quick fix recipe that I make with lemon rice for them frequently and kids love this combo very much.

This is a very simple recipe that is ready in a few minutes, and so give it a try if you haven't. The jeera (cumin seeds) gets nicely struck to the potatoes and the potatoes are nice crisp and delicious. Watch my Instagram handle for jeera aloo reel, OR YouTube #shorts on this recipe.

Preparation time ~ 10 minutes

Cooking time ~ 10 minutes

Serves ~ 3

Author ~ Julie

Ingredients

potato 4 medium-sized, cubed small

crushed garlic 2 tsp

jeera (cumin seeds) 2 tsp

turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

chilly powder 1/2 tsp

salt to taste

oil 2tbsp

Method

• Peel, wash and cut the potatoes in cubes. Leave soaked in water till use.
• In a pan, add oil. To this add cumin seeds. When it crackles, add crushed garlic and sauté till raw flavours disappear.
• Then slide in the cubed potatoes. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt. Mix well and cook covered for 5 minutes on low flame. The potatoes get cooked in the steam when cooking on low.
• Check for salt and add a few splashes of water if needed. Finally dry up any moisture and switch off flame.
• Enjoy with lemon rice or steam cooked rice.

NOTES

* You can omit adding crushed garlic if you wish, but I like the crisp fried crushed garlic pieces in this stir-fry and for reducing gas ailments due to potatoes, garlic is good.

RELATED POSTS (Stir Fries)-

• Cauliflower Pepper Fry
• Lima Beans Stir Fry
• Kaya Mezhukuparetti
• Chembu Mezhukuparetti
• Koorka Mezhukuparetti
• Chakkakuru Mezhukuparetti
• Nithya Vazhuthanaga Mezhukuparetti

Easy Mutton Curry in a Pressure Cooker

Looking for some simple quick mutton curry to enjoy with steamed rice or phulkas?? Here is a simplified version of the elaborate Kerala style curry, with no tempering and only basic spices.

Mutton is not frequently bought at home, and we enjoy once in two months only. But whenever mutton is procured at home, all love it.This is a simple recipe that you can prepare in a pressure cooker in no time. The gravy can be thickened or thinned as desired with the amount of water added. Mutton has adequate fat in it to give the volume to the curry. Shallots and onions are added, which balances taste and flavours. Without further wasting time on the intro, here goes the recipe :)

Watch on YouTube -

Preparation time ~ 15 minutes

Cooking time ~ 30 minutes

Serves ~ 5-6

Author ~ Julie

Ingredients

mutton 750 g

savala / onion 2 medium-sized sliced

shallots / kunjulli 1 cup sliced

ginger-garlic paste 2 tbsp

tomato 1 small chopped

garam masala 1 tsp

pepper powder 1/2 tsp

turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

hot chilly powder 1 tsp

kashmiri chilly powder 1 tbsp

coriander powder/ malli podi 2 tbsp

curry leaves 2 sprigs

whole spices-cinnamon 1' piece, star anise-1, cloves 3-4, cardamom 4

salt to taste

coconut oil 2tbsp

Method

• Wash the mutton pieces under running water 3-4 times, drain water completely and place in a strainer to remove excess water.
• Heat a cooker and add the mutton pieces, add the turmeric powder, pepper powder, whole spices and salt. Mix the spices well. Then add a cup of water and cook the mutton on medium flame for 2 whistles on high flame, wait for the pressure to release.
• In another pan, add oil and add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté until the mix gets lightly crisp and is fried. To this add the sliced shallots and sauté till slightly wilted. Then, add the sliced onions and curry leaves. Sauté till lightly browned, add a pinch of salt to speed it up.
• Then, add the coriander powder on low flame and sauté till the raw smell disappears. Add the remaining spices listed in the masala on low flame and mix well till the raw smell disappears.
• Slide in the chopped tomato and add 1/4 cup water and cook till tomatoes soften. Switch off flame. 
• In the meantime, open the cooker after pressure is released and transfer the cooked masala to this. Mix well to combine, add salt as needed. Add 1/4 cup water to the sautéed pan to wash the pan for remaining spices, add to the mutton.There should be enough stock by now to cook the masala, if not, add more water. Cover the cooker with the lid and cook on low medium flame for another 10 minutes or one whistle till the gravy thickens and masala gets combined well in the mutton. 
• Once pressure is released, open cooker and check if done. The mutton should be nicely cooked and if the gravy needs a little thickening, boil a few more minutes to thicken the gravy. Garnish a few more curry leaves, switch off flame and keep covered till serving. Enjoy with steamed rice / phulkas/ chapathis.
                                        

NOTES

* You can temper the curry by adding oil (1 tbsp) to a pan and add sliced shallots and curry leaves. Sauté until lightly browned and pour over the curry. I haven't done that as the mutton gravy is rich and doesn't need an additional oil tempering, so avoided that.

RELATED POSTS

• Mutton Stew
• Mutton- Kizhangu Curry
• Varutharacha Mutton Curry
• Mutton Thengapaal Curry
• Karnataka Style Mutton Curry

Rajasthani Style Danedar Moong Dal Badam Halwa | Cherupayar Parippu Badam Halwa

Dal Badam halwa is a famous delicacy from Rajasthan, made during marriages and other festivities. The authentic version is a tedious process of soaking, grinding the dal(split moong dal) and badam(almonds), slow cooking the mixture for long hours in ghee, but the end product is the granule form of the halwa which is worth all the efforts. Nowadays, people have created many shortcuts to this traditional recipe by coarsely grinding the dal and almonds. Storing this mixture and preparing for a quick fix halwa. That process may yield the same flavours, but I wanted to go by the original version so that I can know the efforts put in behind the making of this delicious halwa.

I haven't tried the shortcut method yet, though have seen many videos on YouTube. So I can't comment on the tastes of that method. But let me tell you that this traditional version of the danedar(granules) tasted almost like store brought delicacy. This might involve a good workout to your arms, but the end result was worth trying. The dal is first soaked along with almonds. Then ground to a smooth paste, which is then mixed with ghee and added to the pan. Use a non-stick pan for best results as it uses lesser ghee. The mixture is then roasted on low flame and then cooked with sugar syrup. The whole process of this quantity took almost an hour to finish. Less adulterated and homemade makes this so special. If you love trying out something different for this Rakshabandan, then give this a try and enjoy !!

Preparation time ~ 20 minutes

Cooking time ~ 1 hour

Author ~ Julie

Serves ~ 6-8 bowls

Ingredients

split parippu / moong dal 1/2 cup

almonds blanched and soaked 1/4 cup

ghee 1/2 cup

granulated sugar 3/4 -1 cup

cardamom powder 1 tsp

saffron, a good pinch 

milk 2 cups

sliced almonds 2 tbsp

sliced pistachios 2 tbsp

Watch on YouTube-

Method

• Wash and soak the moong dal for 3-4 hours. Blanch the almonds in hot water, remove skin and soak the almonds too. Drain all the water after soaking and add the dal to a blender jar without water and grind to a coarse paste. To this add soaked almonds and  grind to a smooth paste, adding very little water. 
• Mix half of the ghee(1/4 cup) with the ground paste. Add this to a non-stick pan and heat the pan on low flame. Continue to cook on low flame till the dal mixture looks roasted and the raw smell of dal disappears.
• The mixture turns to a lump and is nicely roasted. To this, add the milk and break the lumps. Cook on low flame to cook the dal again. Scrape anything to the bottom each time so that it doesn't get burnt at the bottom.
• Then add the saffron soaked milk and cardamom powder. Once saffron is added, the colour of the halwa mixture turns to golden yellow colour (which I loved the most).When the mixture looks dry, add the granulated sugar and give a quick mix. The dal mix then turns thin and sugar dissolves. Cook again till the mixture again starts to leave the pan and forms a lump. Add the sliced pistachios and almonds (half), mix well.
• Now keep adding a tsp of ghee, continue stirring with a wooden spoon on low flame. Biceps gets a good work when making this halwa, but the end result is worthwhile. Keep adding a tsp of ghee till the bigger chunks break into smaller lumps and the smaller lumps to granule form. By then, the ghee starts to show up or the mixture starts to give out the added ghee. At this stage, stop adding ghee and mix to get the fine granular halwa. Takes one hour to get granules, so have patience to stir continously.
• Finally, garnish with left over sliced pistachios and almonds. Enjoy warm or cool. Refrigerate leftovers, thaw before serving.

NOTES

* Use a heavy bottom non-stick pan to get desired results and to reduce usage of ghee. Works perfect.

* I started making this halwa in the evening, but by the time I finished making it turned dark and so had to put on lights in the video.

* If you don't like granules, then add a few more tsp of ghee to get the usual halwa consistency. But I personally loved the granule form of this halwa.

Please check out more halwa recipes listed in my space-

• Carrot Halwa
• Thirunelveli Halwa
• Raw papaya Halwa
• Mixed Fruit Halwa
• Fresh Orange Halwa
• Papaya Halwa
• Pineapple Halwa
• Homemade Ghee Soan Papdi
• Jackfruit Halwa

 

Dosa Wraps | After School Snacks < 30 minutes

 What do you usually prepare for snacks, or what do you feed kids as after school snacks? My kids take lunch to school, and so they expect a snack when they return from home. But am not a person who would like to feed the packet snacks as those snacks are not filling at all for my kids age. They just grab a pack of snacks and finish in no time and still feel hungry. 

I always try to make things with left over dosa batter, left over idiyappam or make something else that's filling and healthy. This is one such snack that you can prepare in a jiffy, and they totally enjoy. Am also happy as I finish up the dosa batter too. I have added totao chutney in one quarter, salad in anothe, corn fritters in the third and grated cheese to finish the fourth quarter. You can always add a chicken fritter or paneer fritter for a variation. Also, tomato chutney can be replaced with mayonaisse or ketchup or a spicy green chutney. Chat masala can be added to spike it up a little. Give this a try and enjoy !!

Preparation time ~ 10 minutes

Cooking time ~ 15 minutes

Author ~ Julie

Serves ~ 6-7 wraps

Ingredients 

for corn fritters

corn kernels 1/2 cup mashed + 1/2 cup whole

salt to taste

corn flour 3tbsp

onion 1 medium fine chopped

garlic 1tsp fine chopped

pepper powder 1/2 tsp

coriander leaves 2 tbsp chopped

lemon juice 1 tsp

for dosa wraps

dosa batter 1.5 cups

corn fritters 5-6

cucumber 1 sliced

tomato 1 sliced

mozarella cheese 1 cup grated

tomato chutney 1/2 cup

Watch on YouTube -

 

 Method

FOR CORN FRITTERS

• I have used frozen corn. Thaw and use. Pulse half of the corn kernels in a mixer to crush and add the remaining half just like that in a bowl.
• To this add fine chopped onion, garlic, coriander leaves. Add corn flour, pepper powder and salt. Mix well and add water little by little to make a thick pakora like batter.
• Heat oil in a pan and add tbsp full of batter to the pan. Spread lightly with the spoon and shape. Once one side is cooked, flip the other side and cook till lightly browned. Drain from oil and keep aside.

FOR DOSA WRAPS

• Add salt to the dosa batter. Mix well.
• Heat an iron griddle, make regular dosas. Keep aside to cool lightly.
• Then place a dosa on a plate or cutting board. Using a pizza cutter, cut from the center on one side (check video for better understanding). Then place tomato chutney on one corner of the dosa, spread in that corner. Place corn fritter on second quarter. Place sliced cucumber and sliced tomato on the third quarter. Finally, place grated mozarella cheese on the fourth. Starting from the tomato chutney corner, fold the dosa in quarters and make a wrap.
• Heat the iron griddle, apply ghee or oil and place the wraps. Press gently and cook. Flip both sides till crisp and cheese is melted. Remove on a plate.
• Similarly, make all other wraps and enjoy with ketchup.

NOTES 

 *You can use tomato ketchup or mayonnaise or spicy green chutney instead of tomato chutney if you wish. 

* You can make chicken fritters or paneer fritters instead of corn and enjoy.

RELATED POSTS

filling snacks

* Tri Color Sandwich

* Bakery style Meat Rolls

* Moricha Gothambu Ada (Roasted Wheat Ada)
* Misal Pav

* Dabeli

* Murmure Namkeen

Chaat

* Kabuli Chana Chaat

* Fruit Chaat

* Groundnut Chaat

* Corn Chaat

* Papdi Chaat

If you have any of the below mentioned left overs,remake them in a healthy snack -
*overcooked rice-crispy rice balls, Uthappam
*left over dosa batter-kuzhi paniyaram, Punugulu
*left over idlis-idli upma, Baked Idli fry, mushroom idlis
*left over cooked rice-lemon rice, egg fried rice, 

*leftover dhokla- Amiri Khaman

*leftover idiyappam- Idiyapam upma

Fried Peanuts | Quick Snacks

Rainy days demand some hot quick snacks like pakoras, fried peanuts and so on to keep yourself warm with garam chai. Isn't it ? The fried peanuts are a simple, quick recipe that you can make in the time the tea is boiling and serve hot. What do you usually love serving on a rainy day for tea?

Though I love rains, but when it rains continuously day and night. Then the scene may not be in a joyful mood. The rains have been playing a havoc here at many places this week. Stay Safe, guys. Hope the rains stop soon. Kids are at home for a week now as schools are closed. Every year after the 2018 floods, we are receiving more rains during August than the month of June. 

Anyway, let's enjoy this simple quick fix snack recipe for tea. Love it !!

Find the recipe making below-

YouTube #shorts 

Insta Reels

Preparation time ~ 5 minutes

Cooking time ~ 10 minutes

Author ~ Julie

Ingredients

peanuts (kappalandi) 2 cups

garlic crushed 2tbsp

curry leaves 2 sprigs

asafoetida (kayam podi) 1/2 tsp

chilli powder, 1 tsp

salt to taste

oil 2-3 tbsp

Method

• Heat a kadai and add oil. When oil is hot, add the peanuts and fry till crisp. Add chilli powder and salt. Mix well and drain from oil in a plate.
• Add the crushed garlic and curry leaves. Fry till crisp and add to the fried peanuts. 
• Add the asafoetida powder, chilly powder and salt. Mix well.
• Enjoy with tea !!

RELATED POSTS

If you are interested to try out some pakora(fritters) variations,then here it is-
Onion Pakoras(Ulli vada)
Vazhapoo(banana flower) pakoras
Spinach pakoras 
Parsley Pakoras
Bread Pakoras 
Milagu Bajji(Banana Pepper Fritters)