This uttapam is made using whole moong dal. The veggies can be added to the batter, as mentioned in the recipe, or you can sprinkle them on one side of the uttapam and cover it to cook well.

Makes: 6 uttapams

Soaking time: 4 hrs

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• ½ cup uncooked yellow or green moong dal [soak for at least 4 hours]
• ½ cup rawa [semolina]
• ¼ cup onion, chopped finely
• ¼ cup tomato, chopped finely
• ¼ cup cabbage, chopped finely
• ¼ cup capsicum, chopped finely
• ¼ cup carrots, peeled and grated
• 4 green chillies, chopped finely
• ½-inch piece of ginger
• 4 tbsp sour curd
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped finely
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tsp oil

Preparation method

1. Heat a pan and roast rawa for 1 minute; set aside.
2. Rinse and drain soaked dal. Grind in a blender with half the chopped green chillies, ginger and ¼ cup of water.
3. Add the rawa to the batter. Add chopped veggies, salt, curd, 1 tsp oil, chilli powder, fresh coriander and remaining green chillies. Add ¼ cup water or until you achieve a semi-thick paste.
4. Heat a non-stick pan and spread 1/3 cup batter to make an uttapam [pancake] 4 inches in diameter.
5. Drizzle ¼ tsp oil around the edges, cooking over low flame for 2 – 3 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Flip the uttapam, again drizzle ¼ tsp oil and cook until golden brown.
7. Repeat for remaining batter.

The post A protein packed version of the regular uttapam appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Makes: 6 toasts

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 6 slices whole-wheat bread or rye bread
• ½ can baked beans [you can also used boiled rajma or soya bean]
• ½ cup carrots, chopped finely
• ½ cup French beans, chopped finely
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 1 large tomato, chopped finely
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp cashew paste or any vegan cheese
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp oil

Preparation method

1. Pressure-cook the carrots and French beans for 1 whistle. Drain and keep aside.
2. Preheat the oven at 160C for 7 – 10 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a pan; sauté onion for 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic; sauté for 2 minutes.
5. Add red chilli powder, immediately mix in the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes.
6. Add the boiled French beans and carrots; cook for another 3 minutes.
7. Stir in baked beans and tomato sauce; cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cashew paste or vegan cheese.
8. Lightly toast the bread. Spread the mixture on the toast and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

The post Start your day with this beans and veggies on toast recipe appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

1. A wok

2. Very little oil, that has been heated to very high temperature.

However, if you don’t cook Chinese food too often at home, you can use a big kadhai or pan for cooking. The cooking vessel has to be very hot when you throw in the vegetables/noodles/rice and it should be big enough to allow you to toss them easily. A small pan may cause you to spill the ingredients or over cook them. The veggies should retain some crunchiness and the rice/noodles should be separate, not clumped together.

Makes: 6 cups

Serves: 3

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• ¾ cup uncooked rice
• 150g silken tofu or 6 eggs [can skip]
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• ½ cup carrots, julienned
• ½ cup French beans, julienned
• ½ cup cabbage, julienned
• ½ cup fresh corn [from cob] or sweet corn kernels
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 1½ tbsp readymade red chilli sauce
• 1 tsp soya sauce
• 1 tsp vinegar
• Salt as per taste
• 1½ tbsp oil

Preparation method

1. Cook the rice in boiling water. Cook till about 80% cooked. Drain and cool.
2. If using eggs, hard-boil them, remove the shells, slice each into half, and scoop out. The yolks are not to be used in this recipe. Chop the egg whites into tiny cubes.
3. If using tofu, cut into tiny cubes.
4. Pressure-cook the corn for 5 – 6 whistles. Drain and set aside.
5. Heat oil and sauté garlic. Add onions; sauté for 1 minute.
6. Add French beans and salt; sauté for 2 minutes.
7. Add carrots; sauté for another 2 minutes.
8. Add cabbage; sauté for 2 minutes.
9. Add corn and tofu/eggs.
10. Mix the salt, soya sauce and chilli sauce in a bowl and pour it over the rice. Mix it gently and toss the rice in the pan. Cook it for a few minutes.
11. Then turn off the flame and add the vinegar. Cover and let it stay for a few minutes before serving.

The post How to cook restaurant-like Chinese fried rice appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Makes: 12 cups
Serving Size: 2 cups
Serves: 6
Pre-preparation time: 6 – 8 hrs
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• 1½ cups rice, uncooked
• ½ cup uncooked red chana [soak for 6 – 8 hours]
• ¼ cup French beans, chopped finely
• ¼ cup carrots, chopped finely
• ¼ cup green peas
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 cup tomato purée [made from 3 large tomatoes]
• 1/3 cup fresh curd, made from toned milk [or peanut curd for vegans]
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cardamom pods
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 cloves
• ½ tsp jeera [cumin seeds]
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped finely
• 2 dry red chillies
• 1½ tsp lemon juice [juice of ½ lemon]
• Pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 3 tsp oil
• 2 tsp salt or as per taste

For the garlic paste

• 7 large garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 2 green chillies, chopped finely
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1-inch piece of ginger, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 2 tbsp water

Preparation

1. Rinse the rice and soak for 20 minutes.
2. Pressure-cook the chana for 8 – 10 whistles.
3. Heat ghee in a pan; add the jeera. Once the seeds begin to splutter, add red chillies, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks. Sauté for 1 minute over a low flame.
4. Add rice, 4 cups of water and 1 tsp salt. Cover and cook over a low flame.
5. When the rice is half cooked, add saffron along with the water in which it was soaked; add lemon juice. Cover and cook until all the water dries up. [Keep checking that the rice does not get burnt at the bottom].
6. Remove from heat and cool. Discard the red chillies, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks.
7. For the garlic paste, grind the ingredients together in a blender.
8. Heat 2 tsp oil and sauté the paste for 5 minutes.
9. Stir in the tomato purée and add 1 tsp salt; sauté for another 8 minutes.
10. Add the boiled chana, carrots, beans, peas and curd; cook for 5 – 7 minutes.
11. Add sugar and remove from heat.
12. In a separate pan, heat 1 tsp oil and sauté the onion until dark brown.

To Serve

1. Preheat the oven at 160C° for 7 – 10 minutes.
2. In a baking dish, first spread the chana.
3. Top with the rice.
4. Garnish with the sautéed onions and bake in pre-heated oven for 5 – 7 minutes.
5. Serve hot.
6. Complete your plate with a bowl of mint raita.

The post How to Make the Perfect Vegetarian or Vegan Biryani From Scratch appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Makes: 5 cups beans and 6 cups rice

Serving Size: ¾ cup beans and 1 cup rice

Serves: 6

Pre-preparation time: 6 – 8 hours

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rajma [kidney beans; soak for 6 – 8 hours]
• 1 cup uncooked rice [soak for 20 minutes]
• 1 cup fresh corn [from cob] or sweet corn kernels
• 1 large capsicum, chopped finely
• 4 small bulbs of spring onion, sliced into rings
• 1/3 cup greens of spring onion, chopped finely
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 2 – 3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 2 dry red chillies, broken
• 9 tbsp readymade salsa
• 9 tbsp sour cream
• Salt as per taste
• 2 tbsp oil

Preparation method

1. Cook the rice in boiling water. Strain and spread on a plate to cool.
2. Pressure-cook the rajma with 3 cups of water, dry red chillies, garlic and 1 tsp salt for 5 – 6 whistles.
3. Pressure-cook the corn for 5 – 6 whistles. Strain and set aside.
4. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain and cool. Peel the skins; chop finely.
5. Heat 1 tbsp oil. Sauté onions for 2 minutes. Add the chili powder, ½ tsp salt and tomatoes. Sauté for 7 – 8 minutes, until mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan.
6. Add cooked rajma, along with the water it was cooked in to the onion mixture. Cook for 3 minutes; add salt as per taste and water as required to achieve desired consistency. Keep aside.
7. Heat 1 tbsp oil in another pan and sauté the capsicum for 1 minute. Add ½ tsp salt and sauté for another minute.
8. Add the sliced spring onions; sauté for 1 minute.
9. Add the spring onion greens along with the corn; sauté for 2 minutes.
10. Add the cooked rice and mix well. Add salt as per taste.
11. To serve [for one person], place 1 cup rice in a bowl and pour ¾ cup rajma over it. Top with 1½ tbsp sour cream and then 1½ tbsp salsa.

Complete your plate with a glass of spicy buttermilk.

The post No fuss homemade burrito bowl appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.