Khara Pongal | Ven Pongal - Step by Step | South Indian Breakfast Recipe | Festival Recipes

Khara Pongal / Ven pongal is a tasty and filling breakfast in the morning. It is also prepared during festival times. I just love the smell of the thalippu which we do during the pongal. Ven Pongal with medhu vadai is a awesome combination. If I happen to go to hotel in the morning, I always go for pongal with vadai only than any other breakfast. I already posted ven pongal, but this is with step by step pictures and here I am going to cook the dal and rice separately. Lets see how to prepare basic Ven pongal in step by step method.

You can also view some break fast recipes here
Semiya Upma
Idiyappam / String hoppers
Coconut Sevai
Simple Poori
Rawa Idli

How to make Ven Pongal / Khara Pongal Recipe

Preparation time: 5 min | Cook Time: 15min | Serves:4
Recipe Category: Break fast | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

• Raw Rice - 2 cups
• Paasi Paruppu (Split yellow moong dal) - 1 cup
• Ghee - 6 to 8 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper - 1 tsp
• Ginger - 1 inch (cut into small pieces)
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Cashews - a 15 to 18
• Curry leaves - few
• Salt - as per taste ( I used 3/4 tsp)
• Water - 6 cups for rice and 2 cups for dal

Method

1. Take the 2 cups raw rice and 1 cup dal.
2. Place the rice and dal in the cooker with enough water as mentioned. Here I have kept them separately as shown. You can also add them together. Close the cooker lid and cook for 4 whistles.
3. Now mix the dal and rice together, adding the required salt.
4. In another pan, add the ghee and when it is hot add the cumin seeds, black pepper, curry leaves, ginger, asafoetida, cashews and fry till cashews become golden brown colour.
5. Now transfer this content to the cooked rice and dal and mix well.
6. Add some more ghee if you are not health concerned.
7. Mix well and serve hot with sambar and chutney.

Notes:
1. If you are using dalda, you can add half ghee + half dalda. I used fully ghee only.
2. If the pongal is bit dry, you can add, 3 to 4 tsp, hot water, to make the perfect consistency.
3. If the pongal is watery, you can cook for some more time, till it comes to the correct consistency.

Delicious and tasty ven pongal is ready to be eaten. 

Tags: Breakfast Recipes, Pongal Recipe, Ven Pongal Recipe, khara Pongal Recipe, Easy and simple Pongal Recipe, festive Pongal Recipe, festival Recipes, easy bachelor Pongal Recipe, South Indian Pongal Recipe, Tamilnadu Pongal Recipe, how to make Pongal, how to prepare Pongal, how to make Pongal step by step, ghee Pongal Recipe

French Toast | Easy Break fast Recipes | Bread Recipes | Bachelor Recipes

French Toast - I know many people know about this quick and easy break fast. But do you know, when I came to know its name...??? Just last year... you don't believe it right.. but that is the truth... But I was doing this breakfast without knowing its name for many years... yes.. When I am in my college days, I saw the procedure of doing the French Toast in one of the Hollywood movies and from then, I used to prepare this now and then. But I don't know its name. Just last year, in office canteen, I told the recipe to my friend Shilpa and she said, its French Toast. So Funny right... From that time, I am planning to prepare this and post... but now only got the time... We will see the eggless version too soon. But now lets see how to prepare the Basic French Toast...

How to make French Toast

Preparation time: 5 min | Cook Time: 03min | Serves:3
Recipe Category: Break fast | Recipe Cuisine: American
Ingredients

• Bread slices - 6 slices
• Milk - 1 cup (150 ml)
• Egg - 1
• Sugar - 1 tsp (optional)
• Butter - 1 to 2 tsp

Method

1. Mix the egg and milk and give a nice stir. Add sugar to this and again give a nice stir.
2. Cut the bread in to triangle (or what ever shape you like) and soak it in the egg-milk mixture just 2 seconds on each side. (Do not soak more than that, as you will get more eggy smell or the bread becomes more mushy).
3. Before soaking the bread, heat the tawa and add little butter. When it is hot, add the soaked bread.
4. Flip the bread on the other side and serve hot with any tomato sauce.

5. Yummy and easy French Toast is ready....

Yummy and Easy French Toast is ready... 

Tags: Bread Recipes, Egg Recipes, Breakfast Recipes, French Toast Recipes, French Toast, Basic French Toast Recipes, French Toast step by step, How to make French toast, How to prepare French toast, Simple french toast

How to make Semiya Upma (Vermicelli Upma) | Breakfast Recipes | Upma Recipes

Vegetable Semiya Upma or Vermicelli Upma is one of a popular and easy to do breakfast recipe in TamilNadu, when u got bored of the usual Idli, dosa or pongal. Vermicelli is similar to pasta kind of a dish. During my childhood days I do not eat dishes prepared with Semiya except semiya payasam. My friend compelled me to try when I went to her house and after the taste I started liking it and now it is one of our regular breakfast item. 

How to make Vegetable Semiya Upma Recipe

Preparation time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10min | Serves:3
Recipe Category: Breakfast | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients 

• Semiya/vermicelli - 2 cups
• Water - 4 cups
• Mixed Veggies - 1 cup ( carrot, beans, cauliflower, peas, potato)
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard - 2 pinch
• Black gram - 1/2 tsp
• Bengal gram - 1 tsp
• Green chillies - 2 or 3
• Onion - 1
• Garlic - 3 pods (finely chopped)
• Curry leaves - few
• Cashews - few ( optional )
• Ghee - 1 tsp ( optional )

Method
1. Take 2 cups vermicelli.

2. Dry roast the vermicelli till they become nice golden brown. ( you can skip it if your vermicelli is already roasted).

3. Chop the garlic, onions and green chili and the other veggies into fine pieces.

4. In a kadai add oil and throw in the mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, chilies and the curry leaves.

5. When the mustard splutter and the dals turn nice golden brown colour, add the garlic and fry for a min.

6. Add the chopped onions and Saute till it turns pink.

7. Add in the veggies now and sauté it.

8. Add the salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.

9. Now add the water and let the veggies get cooked. (3/4th cooked)

10. Now add the roasted vermicelli and give a stir keeping the flame low.

11. Allow to cook.

12. Check whether the upma is ready by taking little vermicelli and slightly smash by fingers and if they broken, it means it is cooked.  Switch off the flame.

13. Add ghee and give a light stir.

14. Serve hot with any chutney or pickle.

15. We had it with pottukadalai chutney. 

Note:

1. You can add any veggies of your choice. 
2. If you like you can roast few cashews in ghee and add it to make it rich. 
3. Adding ghee is optional, but it tastes great when added. 

You can check other upma recipes below
Idli Upma
Aval Upma
Vegetable Rice Sevai Upma
Crab upma

Tags: Breakfast Recipes, Upma Recipes, Semiya Recipes, Tiffin Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Semiya upma Recipes, Vermicelli Upma Recipes, Vermicelli Upma, How to make Semiya Upma, How to make Vermicelli Upma, Semiya Upma, How to make Vegetable Semiya Upma, How to make Vegetable Vermicelli Upma

Idiyappam / String Hoppers with Potato Kurma

Idiyappam or String Hoppers is one of my favorite dish, But, In our house, we do not make this often, as my mom was also working, she never find time for it. But next to our house, one grandma, used to sell this. So my mom used to buy this from her. I do not know how they will make it, but it was the soft and yummy and tasty idiyappams I have ever tasted. After coming here, my hubby used to get the ready made idiyappams as I do not know how to make it. But I want to try this for myself so that I can have my own fresh idiyappams. So last december when I went India, I bought the Sevei press/Idiyappam maker (Called Sevai Nazhi) the one, which is used to make the idiyappams.

My first experience in making idiyappams was really very tough. After 3rd idiyappam, I could not press the sevai at all. My hands were paining so much. I was thinking, why it is so hard to press, though I used to remove and clean the dough from the sevai each time. I actually called my hubby to press and give it for me. You know what happened, he too, could not press it, the dough has become so tight. Then my idiyappam flour, finally turned to kozhukattai. I lost my hope of making it. Three weeks later, I got store bought idiyappam flour and I wanted to give a try again. This time, instead of adding the full flour, I added 1/2 cup flour and added 1.5 cup water and water and started pressing idiyappams when the dough is still hot and to my surprise, it came out so easily. I was so happy. I repeated the same and I find this way to be very easy. I had it with kurma. So, for the beginners like me, you can follow this method. Ok, now lets go to the idiyappam recipe.

You can check how to prepare the other idiyappam below
Ragi idiyappam
Tomato Idiyappam

Idiyappam Recipe

Preparation time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Serves: 4

Recipe Category: Breakfast | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

Raw rice flour/Idiyappam flour - 2 cup
Boiling water - 4 cups or as needed
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 1 to 2 tsp

Method to Prepare Idiyappam

1. In a bowl add the rice flour, salt, oil and add the boiling water little by little and start mixing it so that the flour gets cooked and comes to a pliable dough.

2. The dough should be soft and not to be watery. (When you try to make it to a shape, you should able to do it easily without any problem). Make the dough in to oval shapped balls, and fill 3/4 in the idiyappam maker

3. Now grease the idiyappam plates with little oil and press the idiyappam maker slowly in circular motion.

4. Now keep the plates inside the idiyappam cooker or idli cooker and  steam cook the plates as you cook for making idli's. After 8 to 10 minutes, reduce the flame and slight touch your idiyappam to check if it is cooked (The dough should not stick in your fingers).

5. Tasty idiyappam is ready.

My old photo

Notes:

• If using Idiyappam flour, check for the salt first. If you really need the salt, then add it.
• Before steam cooking, you can sprinkle the grated coconut, sugar and little cardamon powder, to make the idiyappams more flavor. As my family members, like to have it with kurma, I did it with potato kurma normally. 
• You can also use the idli plates or the plate which contains holes, so that, the idiyappams can be steam cooked.