During my childhood, aayi was always there for us when we returned home from school. She had a set of dishes that she made for breakfast and another set of dishes that were evening snacks. My brother and I threw a big tantrum if she switched between the two. Vermicelli dishes like upma , idli were mainly prepared for evening snacks. We demanded different snacks every evening.
Now for Ishaan, I try to make something fresh for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But I don’t make anything for the evening snacks. I keep breakfast very simple and sometimes even make these simple dishes for lunch. One such dish that I make for breakfast and lunch is this upma. I have tried different variations of these, but he seems to like this version the best.
Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups vermicelli 1/4 cup carrots 1/4 cup green peas 1/4 cup green bellpepper(capsicum) 1 and 1/2 water 1/2 tea spn garam masala 1/2 tea spn sugar 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds 1/2 tea spn urad dal 3-4 green chillies 4-5 curry leaves A pinch asafoetida Oil/Ghee 1 tbl spn fresh/frozen coconut (optional) Salt
Method: Heat oil/ghee and fry vermicelli till it turns brownish. Take it out on a plate, keep aside. Heat a little more oil, add mustard seeds, when they start popping, add urad dal, green chillies, curry leaves. Add the vegetables and fry for few minutes. Add little water (a couple of table spoons), cover and cook till all water is absorbed. (I do this so that vegetables soften a bit, they get completely cooked with vermicelli later). Add garam masala, vermicelli, salt, sugar, fry for few minutes. Add remaining water, cover and let it cook completely. Garnish with coconut(if using). Serve hot.
Serves : 2 Preparation time : 30mins
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We have a big breadfruit tree in our garden which gives big fruits, sometimes twice a year. My children loved this. We usually share them with our neighbors. Besides preparing randayi , phodis, bhajes and talasani , I prepare these chips very often. They are crispy and tasty when prepared from fully grown up breadfruits. The chips are not prepared from yellow coloured ripe fruits or the ones that fall down. We take out fresh fruits and make the chips. These can be stored and used for many days.
Check out chips made from bananas , raw jackfruit , potatoes .
Ingredients: Breadfruit Oil Salt water Turmeric powder Chilly powder or Pepper powder (optional)
Method: Peel off the skin of breadfruit. Cut it into pieces and immerse under water for about ten minutes to remove any gum. Prepare salt water by adding about 1 tea spn salt to a cup of water and add a little turmeric powder and keep it aside. Make thin slices and deep fry them in oil. When the chips are almost done, add a spoonfull of salt water. Fry till they are completely done. Remove them from the oil. If you want, you can sprinkle chilli powder or pepper powder as per your taste. When they get cooled, store them in an airtight container.
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