Breakfast day 6: Bread Pizza

Another quick and yummy breakfast, that will make your morning happier :)

 

Ingredients:

1 cup malai(heavy cream)

¼ cup rawa (suji aka cream of wheat)

Sandwich bread

1 small onion (chopped)

1 small capsicum (chopped)

2 green chilies (chopped)

Black Pepper, salt

Method:

1.        Mix malai, suji, onions, capsicum, chilies, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

2.        Spread this mixture on a bread and put on a flat pan(tawa )with the layered side facing tawa.

3.        Let the bread roast for a minute or so, then reverse it to other side.

4.        Roast the bread from other side also till it turns red.

Yummy, crispy bread pizza is ready!

Restaurant Review: Bollywood Theater, Portland

Read it's review in our hotel magazine at embassy suites.. Being an Indian and a hardcore Bollywood fan, was tempted to try this place. We didn't know that we were in for such a pleasant surprise! You could never believe you are sitting in US while dining there! The ambience and food was so authentic! We ordered Thali and vada pav, loved it. Even my toddler ate daal rice just as if it was made at home. I took tons of pics of the place and sent to my family back home in India , it was hard for them as well to believe that it's US!

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g52024-d3267059-r207721283-Bollywood_Theater-Portland_Oregon.html#

Breakfast Day 4: Spicy Mushroom Omelette

Mushrooms and Eggs go very well together. A hot omelette with mushrooms and onions can be the most satisfying breakfast on a chilly winter morning. For overnight trips, me and hubby prefer hotels providing hot continental breakfasts. For ovo-vegetarians like us, this is the go-to item at such places. My usual order- medium done omelette with mushrooms, onions and jalapenos..yum yum. Later on, I started making this at home and this became our 'must make at-least once a week' breakfast items!

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

3 eggs
5-6 baby bella mushrooms (chopped in quarters)
2 thai chillies
1/2 cup red onions- chopped finely
1 tsp grated ginger
Crushed black pepper - to taste
Oil-1 tbsp
green onions 1/2 cup finely chopped (optional)
Salt to taste

Method:

1. In a medium sized pan, heat 1 tsp oil and saute green chilies and mushrooms for 2-3 minutes.
2. Remove mushrooms from the pan and add the remaining oil to the pan.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk 3 eggs. Add salt, red onions, green onions and crushed ginger.
4. Slowly pour in the egg mixture on the pan.
5. Spread the sauteed mushrooms over the egg mixture, cover and cool on low to medium heat for about 5 minutes.
6. Remove the cover and flip the omelette.
7. Turn off the heat, the pan will be hot enough to cook the other side.
8. Add crushed pepper on top and serve the sizzling hot omelette with butter toasts!

Breakfast day 3: Dahi ke Sandwich (Crispy yoghurt sandwiches)

This is my to go recipe for days when I have to fix something in a jiffy! These crunchy, creamy and light sandwiches are best eaten hot and don’t need ketchup or chutney to go with it.

Ingredients:

100 gm thick curd
 

Sandwich bread

1 small onion (chopped)

1 small capsicum (chopped)-optional

2 green chilies (chopped)

Mustard seeds

Black Pepper, salt

Ghee or butter

Method:

1.        Mix curd, onions, capsicum, chilies, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

2.        Spread this mixture on a bread generously and cover it with another slice.

3.        Heat 1 teaspoon ghee on a pan and add mustard seeds, let them splutter.

4.        Now put the sandwich on pan and apply ghee on the both the sides.

5.        Roast the bread from both  sides nicely till its golden red color.

Breakfast day 2: Sabudana khichdi

After hubby's favorite, its time for my all time favorite! This is one item which I can never get tired of eating. During first few months of my pregnancy I had developed an aversion to food with sabudana being an exception. I used to crave for warm sabudana khichdi and guess that's the reason my lil one loves it too-'Mumma, I like rolling, rolling bery much...:)'

As with poha, the first characteristics of a good sabudana khichdi is the same-
-Should be soft, must melt in your mouth but cannot be mushy
-Should have that quintessential  sweet and sour taste
-Should not be dry or chewy

The key to making just the right khichdi is how you soak it. Soak in a wide flat bottomed vessel. Water level should be just half an inch above the sabudana level.

Ingredients:

1 and a half cup of sabudana

2-3 green chillies-chopped
Medium sized potato-finely chopped
1 cup roasted peanuts- crushed (peanuts with skin are preferred as they give a nice brown color to khichdi)
Oil/ghee- 1 tblsp
jira- 1tsp
sugar- 3 tsp
black pepper - to taste
ginger-1 inch grated
salt to test
Fresh Coriander/Cilantro leaves-chopped (for garnishing)
Lemon juice-to taste

Method:

1. Wash sabudana and soak in water overnight. 
2. Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan, add jeera.
3. Add green chillies, saute for few seconds, then add finely chopped potatoes and some salt. Saute for few minutes till they are soft.
4. If using potatoes add at this point, cover and cook till they are soft.
5. Lower the heat, add crushed peanuts, sabudana, salt, sugar and black pepper.
6. Saute for few minutes and turn off the heat.
7. Squeeze some fresh lemon and garnish with cilantro.

Breakfast day 1: Poha

I start this series with Poha of course, being married to an Indori its hard to think of any other most popular morning meal :)

An ideal poha -

• -should be soft, but not mushy.
• -should have flavor, but not spicy.
• -should have crunch but should not be over crowded.

There are number of ways people make poha, I am presenting the simplest and quickest method.

 

Poha in its most pristine form!!!
 

Ingredients:

2 cups thick poha

1/2 cup red onion -chopped(save some for garnishing)
2-3 green chillies-chopped
half of a medium sized potato-chopped (optional)
1 tblsp oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
sugar- 2 tsp
salt to test
Fresh Coriander/Cilantro leaves-chopped (for garnishing)
Lemon juice-to taste

Method:

1. Wash poha in running water in a wide flat bottomed dish. After straining the water add a little(2-3 tablespoons of water) and keep it aside. (The key to making soft poha is to let it soak in a little water, this will not make poha mushy but will help it to absorb water and get softer)
2. Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan, add mustard seeds and let it sputter. (Do not substitute mustard seeds for jira, also make sure oil is hot enough before you add the seeds)
3. Add green chillies, sautee for few seconds, then add onion and some salt. Sautee for few minutes till onions lose the crunch.
4. If using potatoes add at this point, cover and cook till they are soft.
5. Lower the heat, add poha, salt and sugar, mix well.
6. Cover the pan, turn off the burner and let poha sit for few minutes. The steam inside will make all the flavors combine and the trapped steam will keep the poha soft.
7. Squeeze some fresh lemon on poha and garnish with cilantro, chopped red onion and spicy sev.

Notes:

• Red onion is the most ideal to cook and garnish on poha. I find white and yellow onion totally tasteless, colorless and without any texture.
• Do not overcrowd your poha with potatoes, peanuts, corn, anardaana. Using only one of the crunch items should be enough.

The ultimate secret of making a good Breakfast: LESS IS MORE

On popular demand, starting the breakfast series on the blog. Its no secret that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But with busy lifestyle, these days more and more people are bending towards cereal or butter toasts in the morning.

Fortunately (or unfortunately ;)) hubby is very sentimental for a good hot breakfast. My mom also used to make great items daily morning.

Its a myth that hot breakfast takes lot of time. You can fix a good one in less than 15 min because the good thing about this meal is "LESS IS MORE."

Do not overcrowd the breakfast items with too many spices or other ingredients. Keep it simple.

There is no compulsion to use all the spices in your kitchen every time you cook. Save your coriander powder, garam masala, chilli powder for more complex meals of the day.

In the morning, stomach does not need all the spicy stuff, all it needs is some inviting, hot mini meal which will keep you full till lunch.

Presenting 7 great items for all of your week, now it shouldn't be that difficult to fix that yummy nummy morning treat :)

Mirch ki subzi (Long Green pepper sautee)

Time for a super easy Marwari subzi. I have used long green peppers for this, alternatively green bell pepper can also be used.

 

Ingredients:

 

3 long green peppers(or 3 bell pepper)- finely chopped

Oil - 1 tbsp.

Mustard seeds (Rai) – 1 tsp

Asafoetida (Hing) – 1 pinch

Turmeric (Haldi) – ¼ tsp

Green chili – thinly sliced (optional)

Salt - to taste

Chick pea flour (besan) – 1 tblsp
 

 

Method:

   

1. Heat oil in a pan on medium flame.
2. Add Mustard Seeds and let them sputter.
3. Add Asafoetida, Turmeric, and Green Chili.
4. Add peppers, salt and sautee for a minute.
5. Cover and cook for about 4-5 min on low-medium flame.
6. Uncover and add chickpea flour, sautee for 3-4 minutes or until the raw aroma of flour is gone.
7. Turn off the burner, your subzi is ready! 

Chopped chilies

Long green chilly pepper