Ela Ada

Banana leaves and coconuts are readily available items in all households in Kerala.Thus Ada used to be the popular breakfast/snack item in Kerala.

Ingredients:

For dough:

2 cup rice flour(roasted)

3 cup water(may vary)

1/2 tbsp ghee

1/2 tbsp sugar

salt to taste

For filling:

2 cup grated coconut

1 cup grated jaggery

1 tbsp ghee

1 pinch sesame seeds

1 cardamom pod

1/4 tsp jeera powder

2 shallots sliced

Method:

Preparing the dough:

1.Boil the water with ghee,salt and sugar. Add rice flour and mix thoroughly.Switch off the flame.

2.When the mixture cools down mix thoroughly with hand until you get a smooth dough.

Preparing the filling:

1.Heat a pan and add ghee and sesame seeds.

2.Throw in the grated jaggery and let it melt.

3.Add grated coconut,jeera powder,cardamom and shallots. Mix well.

Assembling and cooking:

1.Make small balls out of the dough and spread them into circles on banana leaves.

2.Keep one or two spoon full of filling on one side of the circle and seal with the other side.

3.Steam cook the adas for 10- 15 minutes and serve hot.

PS: Adas can be frozen after assembling and can be steamed just before serving.

Poori Masala

Poori masala is a popular breakfast item in India. Poori is deep fried wheat bread. Although it can be served with many different curries, a simple potato masala is the most common accompaniment.

Poori :

Ingredients :

2 cups wheat flour

4 tbsp sooji/rava(optional)

1 tbsp oil

salt to taste

water

oil for frying

Method:

1.Mix salt in wheat flour and prepare dough with it by adding little water at a time.

2.Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

3.Roll out small balls of dough using a rolling pin.

4.Deep fry in oil until golden brown.

Potato Masala:

Ingredients:

To Boil:

2 medium potatoes cut into pieces

2 medium onion cut into pieces

1 carrot cut into pieces

4 cashews broken(optional)

1 tsp grated ginger

4 green chillies chopped

1 sprig curry leaves

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 cups water

To Temper:

2 tbsp oil

2 dried red chillies

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp urud dal

few curry leaves

Method:

1.Mix all the ingredients under "to boil" and cook until done. Mash the potatoes with spoon.

2.In a hot pan add oil and throw in the mustard seeds.When they splutter add other ingredients under "To Temper".

3.Pour in the cooked potatoes and mix well.

Mutta Dosa

Egg dosa or omlette dosa can be made in a jiffy if you have dosa batter at home. This tastes good as it is or can be had with onion-tomato chutney.

Ingredients:

Dosa Batter

2 Eggs beaten

4 tbsp chopped Onion

few curry leaves

1/2 tsp chopped coriander leaves

2 chopped green chillies

one pinch turmeric powder

salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix together the eggs,onion,green chillies, coriander leaves,curry leaves,turmeric powder and salt.

2. Pour the dosa batter onto a non stick pan and make dosa.

3. Pour the omlette mixture on top of the dosa. Flip the dosa and cook till done.

Velleppam

Velleppam and chicken stew is a delicious breakfast combo. Velleppam is lacy, soft,fluffy rice pancakes. Here goes amma's recipe.

Ingredients:

To Soak:

2 cups pachari (white rice)

2 tbsp urad dal

To Grind:

1/2 cup coconut

1 tsp yeast

2 tsp yogurt

2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup cooked rice

salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Soak the pachari and urad dal for 4 hours. Grind them to a smooth paste and keep aside.

2.Grind coconut,yeast,yogurt and salt. 

3.Add cooked rice to the coconut paste and grind well.

4.Mix everything together and keep aside for 8 hours to ferment.

5.To make the appams pour some batter into appa chatti and rotate the pan.

6.Cover and cook for 1 minute.

 

PS : Adding coconut water instead of water while grinding will help the batter ferment quickly.

Aval Upma

Ingredients:

1 cup aval

1/4 cup ground nut

1 chopped onion

3 chopped green chillies

1 tbsp chopped garlic

3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp ghee

1 pinch turmeric powder

salt to taste

Method:

1.Spray some water on the aval and keep aside for 5 minutes.

2.Add ghee to hot pan. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.

3.Add garlic and saute till light brown.

4.Add onion,green chillies and coriander leaves.Saute for 2 minutes.

5.Add turmeric powder and saute till raw smell is gone.

6.Add aval and salt. Saute for 1 minute. Switch off the flame.

7.Garnish with roasted groundnuts and serve.

Mani Puttu

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/2 tsp ghee
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste

For Syrup :

1/2 cup thick coconut milk
4 tbsp sugar
2 cardamoms crushed
1/2 tsp cumin seeds crushed
1 shallot crushed

Method:

1.Add ghee,sugar and salt to water and bring it to boil.
2.Add rice flour and grated coconut to the boiling water and mix well on low flame for 30 seconds.Switch off the flame.
3.Make small balls out of the dough and steam them.
4.To make the syrup mix the ingredients under 'For Syrup'.
5.Mix the steamed mani puttu with the syrup and serve.

Wheat Upma

Cracked wheat upma is another quick fix breakfast item. Cracked wheat is very nutritious and is a good source of fiber.

Hareena chechi had asked amma for the recipe of wheat upma. Here goes amma's recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup cracked wheat
1 onion chopped
1/4 cup grated coconut
4 green chillies chopped
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
10 cashews split (optional)
1 tbsp urad dal (optional)
2 tbsp ghee or oil
curry leaves
salt to taste

Method:

1.Add the cracked wheat,2 cups of water and salt to a pressure cooker and cook till 1 whistle.
2.In a pan add the ghee and add the mustard seeds.Let it splutter.
3.Add the urad dal,cashews and saute till golden brown.
4.Add the onion,green chillies,curry leaves and saute well.
5.Add coconut and saute for one minute.
6.Add the cooked wheat and mix well for one minute on low flame.Switch off the flame.

PS: For making upma more nutritious add grated carrot and green peas at the stage when onion is added.

Wheat Dosa

This is another quick and easy to prepare breakfast item.Batter for this dosa can be prepared just before making it.

Ingredients:

1 cup Wheat flour

1 chopped onion

3 chopped green chillies

1tbsp chopped curry leaves

1 tbsp chopped ginger

1/2 tsp chilly powder

1/2 tsp asafoetida

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp ghee

salt to taste

Method:

1.Add ghee to a pan and add mustard seeds.Let it splutter.

2.Add the onion,ginger,green chillies and curry leaves and saute till golden brown.

3.Add the chilly powder and asafoetida.

4.Switch off the flame and add this mixture to wheat flour.

5.Add water to the flour and make dosa batter.

6.Make dosas with the batter.

Upma

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Upma is a quick and easy to make South Indian breakfast.

Ingredients:

1 cup rava

1 onion chopped

1 small carrot chopped(optional)

6 green chillies chopped

curry leaves

2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped

1 tbsp chopped ginger

3 tbsp ghee

12 pieces of broken cashew nut(optional)

1 spoon urad dal(optional)

2 whole red chillies(optional)

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 cups of water

salt to taste

Method:

1.Heat ghee in a pan and add the whole red chillies,mustard seeds,cashew and urad dal.Saute till dal becomes light brown.

2.Add onion,ginger,coriander leaves,green chillies,curry leaves ,carrot and saute for 1 minute.

3.Add rava and saute for 3 minutes.

4.Mix salt and sugar in the water and boil it separately.

5.Add the hot water to the rava and mix well until upma becomes dry.