Cake House

A loo paratha is a popular Indian stuffed bread, which is very filling and will be loved by all. This can be prepared very easily, as all the ingredients added to the stuffing are very easily available in our kitchen pantries. This is a flatbread made of whole wheat flour, which is stuffed with a potato filling and cooked until golden brown. This aloo paratha is a delicious and versatile dish, which we can have any time of the day. This is a complete meal in itself. this tastes great when served with raita or pickle. This is a perfect lunch box meal for kids. Potato is very filling as it is high in carbs. I make this often as my daughter likes it a lot. Street vendors in India sell these aloo parathas along with a big chunk of butter or curd on the side. We can add mint, coriander leaves, ginger- garlic paste in the stuffing but I made it simple. Hope you may like this. Try this out and let me know. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour- 2 Cups Oil- 2 tbsp salt- as required Water - to kne...

I dli with coconut chutney is a staple breakfast at my place. Idlis and dosas were a part of my childhood. My mom used to grind the soaked urad dal and rice and let it ferment overnight for amazingly delicious steaming hot idlis and dosa for the next day breakfast. We loved this along with my mom's special coconut chutney or sambhar.  Nowadays lots and lots of different varieties of idlis and dosas are made worldwide. One of them is made by using oats. This does not require fermentation and can be made instantly. Even on a busy day, just temper the ingredients and steam this to perfection. A deliciously protein-rich, nutritious breakfast is ready within half an hour. In India, we used to buy the idli- dosa batter often as it was readily available in the market.After coming to the US, I started making regularly the idli batter at home. When I do not have a stock of the homemade idli batter, this instant oats idli is a standby. I have paired oa...

S tudies find that what you eat for breakfast influences what you eat the rest of the day. So it’s key to choose energy enhancing healthy foods. This instant Rava idli is so simple, easy and a healthy breakfast, which can be made within minutes. In my house, everybody likes different varieties of idlis. This Rava idli is made on a Sunday morning in my house so that everyone can enjoy a healthy and delicious breakfast.This doesn’t require any fermentation. Rava idli is made using roasted semolina which is mixed with vegetables, curd, baking soda/ eno salt, seasoned with a perfect amount of spices and made into a pouring consistency by adding enough amount of water. It is then steamed in idli molds till perfection and served along with your choice of chutneys. This is a perfect, filling and a quick breakfast, which will be liked by all and which doesn’t require any soaking, grinding or fermenting. Adding tempering is optional, but it enhances the flavors. Try this out and let me know. In...

P ani Puri is one of my favorite chaats from childhood. Whenever we go out, we used to thoroughly enjoy the chaat from the roadside street vendors. In every nook and corner, you can see a pani puri stall. We used to have competition, as who will have more puris. Every Indian like pani puri to the core. It is said that this not only satisfies your taste buds but also keeps the kid in you alive. Once during fasting time, in Bangalore, after breaking the fast I had 30- 35 pani puris without eating anything. I like to have them anytime of the day. After coming to the US it has become very rare to find pani puri. We will get the pani puri kit in all the Indian stores. I started making it from scratch as we don’t find the puris most of the time in stores. My daughter loves it a lot. She won’t eat anything else if pani puri is there for snacks. Pani puris have different names like the puchkas, gol gappas and so on. Pani means water and puri are the fried puffed dough balls. Yesterday was my s...

I t’s time for MFB challenge. This time it is “Ramadan Memories”. As the Ramadan fasting is going on, we will spend most of our time in prayers and by evening, we will be cooking a different variety of dishes. A lot of memories are associated with iftar. Mom used to prepare mouth watering dishes. As a kid, even though I was not fasting, I used to sit with her and break the fast when it is time. But as I grew up, during fasting, we all, me, my parents and my brothers used to sit together for iftar and enjoyed the food she made. We used to have so much fun. Feeling very nostalgic. Missing those golden days. Mom used to make lots of fried food and mostly she used to make Kerala dishes a lot. Whatever she makes, they taste heavenly. Among that, I like to eat “erachi puttu”. As I like chicken a lot, she prepares the puttu using minced chicken. She makes a dry masala using minced chicken and then layers the masala in the rice flour then steamed in a cylinder shaped puttu maker. This can be s...