Multi Grained Methi Thepla

Thepla is nothing but a flatbread made from fresh fenugreek leaves, whole-wheat flour and gram flour. It’s a Gujarati snack, which can be munched anytime of the day starting from breakfast to dinner. Today I have tried to make a healthy version of thepla by kneading the dough with multigrain flour.

Ingredients:

A small bunch of fresh Methi / Fenugreek leaves

1 ½ cup of multi grain flour (It can be substituted with wheat flour) **Extra flour for dusting while rolling the theplas

1/3 cup Besan

1 tbspn Red chilli powder

1 tspn Turmeric powder

½ tspn Ginger garlic

1 or 2 Green chillies paste (U can always add green chillies as per your taste buds)

1 pinch Hing / asafoetida

1 tspn Corriander powder

1 tspn Jeera / Cumin powder

Salt as per tatse

Water required for kneading

Oil/ Butter/ Ghee for roasting theplas ( As required. Can be omitted too)

Method:

1.    Wash the Methi leaves nicely in water and chop finely.

2.    Take a kneading bowl add the chopped methi leaves and add all the spices and herbs.

3.    Add all the flour to the leaves. Sprinkle salt as per the taste and knead the dough with the help of water to soft smooth dough.

4.    Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 – 15 mins.

5.    Make even size balls of the dough

6.    Take one dough ball and press it in between the palms to flatten it a bit and coat it nicely with wheat flour.

7.    Place it on a roti making board and roll with the help of rolling pin into round shape. (If possible ;-) )

8.    Heat the tawa/ griddle. Place the rolled out thepla on the tawa.

9.    When bubbles start to appears underneath the surface of thepla, flip it over and apply oil/butter/ ghee as per your choice and cook for few seconds.

10.  Flip it again and apply ghee and let it cook for few mins. Keep pressing the thepla lightly with the help of spatula till nice golden brown spots appear on both the sides of the thepla.

11.   Transfer it to the plate and continue the process with the rest of the dough balls.

12.   Serve them hot with yoghurt or any pickle of your choice.

13.   It tastes good with tomato chutney.

NOTE:

• You will need max half or less, cup of water to knead dough.

• We can also use curd instead of water for kneading the dough. It will make the dough nice and soft.

• This theplas can be made with various leafy vegetables.

• They are can also be served best while travelling or in kids tiffin box who don’t like to eat the leafy vegetables.

Idiyappam

Idiyappam

Idiyappam is culinary specialty of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, southern areas of Karnataka but also seen in Sri Lanka. The name ‘’Idiyappam’’ derives from the words idi meaning ‘broken down’, and appam meaning ‘pancake’. This dish is also called in different names in different states or countries like- Noolappam, noolputtu, semige, sevaiya. The word nool means String or thread.

Idiyappam is made with minimal ingredients its quick and easy to make and can be served at breakfast or along with main course. It can be served with jaggery and coconut milk, alone with sugar for kids, but best accomplished with chicken curry, fish curry, egg curry, vegetable stew/ curry or kadla curry (black chana curry).

Lets get introduced first and foremost to Idiyappam maker, which is the most important part of the recipe. The most commonly used or available in the market these days is the below one with different types of disc patterns which you can change the disc depending on what you are making. So for our idiyappam recipe we need the disc with very fine holes.         

                                                      

Now lets get started with the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice flour

1 ½ cup water

Salt as per the taste

1 tblpsn Oil/ghee (I have used ghee)

¼ cup freshly grated coconut (optional)

**Use the same cup measurement for rice flour and water.

Method:

      1. Take a wide pan add water, ghee/ oil, and salt as per taste and let the water simmer on high or until you see the bubbles started appearing at the bottom of the pan.

      2. Put off the flame and add the rice flour to the simmering water, stir it with a wooden spatula to form sticky soft dough. You can keep the dough aside for sometime.

                                                             

                                                        

    

      3. When the dough is still warm knead the dough well with your hands to form nice and very soft dough.

      4. Place the fine holes disc in the idiyappam maker. Take a portion of the dough, make it into a cylindrical shape and place it in idiyappam press. Close the lid of press.

      5. Grease the idly trays with little oil or if using coconut sprinkle freshly grated coconut on the idly moulds. Turn the handle of the idiyappam in clockwise direction and let the noodles swirl on idli moulds in circular pattern don’t make mount of noodles just make 2 – 3 circular rounds of noodles.

                                                               

     

     6. Steam them for 12 – 15mintues. Then remove from steamer and let it cool down for few minutes before spooning out in the plate.

      7. While still hot serve them with your favorite curry. I have served it kadla curry.

  

  

NOTE:

• Sometimes depending upon the quality of the rice flour it soaks the water, you can always keep little more hot water ready and rice flour if required.
• Don’t use boiling water it will cook the rice flour and make it hard to press; water just needs to be very hot.
• If making idiyappams in bulk make sure you keep the dough covered with wet cloth. Best idiyappams are when the dough is still slightly hot. Or else make the dough in batches.
• You can also sprinkle grated coconut on top of noodles to prevent the upper tray sticking them.
•  If fresh banana leafs are available cut them in small rounds and press the idiyappams over it and steam, it gives a nice aroma and flavor to idiyappam.

APPAM

Appam

Appam is a type of South Indian pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk. It’s a popular food in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Srilanka. Srilankans commonly refer it as Hoppers. It is eaten most frequently for breakfast or dinner. They are perfect to enjoy with egg curry, Potato stew and chicken stew.

There are varieties of appam like Kallappam, Palappam, Vellayappam. Today here Im presenting the recipe of Appam, which is simplest of all, made from rice, coconut and is fermented with yeast.

Appams are made in a special pan known as “Appa Chatti”.

 

So lets proceed with the recipe here.

Ingredients:

Raw Idli Rice/ Pachari  2 cups washed and soaked for 6-7 hours

Idli rice

1 cup Cooked rice

1 cup fresh shredded coconut

½ cup warm water

¼ tspn Rapid rise active Yeast

5 tbspn Sugar

Salt

Method:

Preparing the appam batter -

     1.   In a warm water glass add sugar and active yeast, Mix till the sugar dissolves. Cover and set aside until the yeast rises to foamy.

     2.   In a grinder, grind little by little raw soaked rice, cooked rice, fresh coconut and yeast water adding water as required to make a smooth batter.

     3.   Collect the batter into a large container and add more water if required. As the batter should be loose in consistency similar to dosa batter. Add salt as per the taste and mix it well with your hand. Keep the container in a warm place to ferment for atleast 8 hours.

I have kept it in the oven to ferment.

After 8 hrs batter is still fermenting because of yeast. Now you can keep the batter in fridge till next use.

Making of Appam - 

     1.   Whenever making the appam add 4 – 5 tbspn of sugar to the batter and mix well.

     2.   Heat the appa chatti until water droplets sprinkled evaporates immediately.

     3.   Pour a ladle full of batter into the appa chatti and pick up the appa chatti and swirl it around so that the batter swirls around the sides of the chatti / pan.

     4.   Cover it with lid and allow it to cook for 3 -4 mins on medium heat till the centre of the appam is done and the edges are golden brown at this time the edges will automatically detach from the pan.

     5.   Remove the appam carefully from the pan onto a plate and serve it immediately. I have served it here with egg roast.

NOTE:

     1.   Once the batter is poured in the appa chatti you have to be quick in swrilling the batter to the edges of the pan.

     2.   If you add more yeast by mistake keep a close watch on the batter, as it will ferment very quickly. If this happens keep the batter in the fridge or the batter will taste more of yeast.

    3.   The more sugar in the batter, the more crispy edges of the appam.

    4.   To raise the yeast properly water should be luke warm and not boiled water.

    5.   The same appam can be made as Egg Appam by breaking the egg into the appa chatti as the appam cooks.