Instant Oat Flax dosai ~ Oat Alsi Dosa ~ Savory Indian Oat and Flax Crepes

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Every time I read about the health benefits of flax, I feel a little guilty that I do not include as much flax in our diet as I would like to..... don't get me wrong, it's not like I never include flax, I manage to sneak it into our diet as often as a couple of times a week. But since flax is so healthy, I wouldn't mind if I managed to sneak it into our diet everyday :-)

I think my uncle N has the right idea on this, he just eats a couple of spoons of roasted flax each day. Neat ! this way he does not have to worry about sneaking it into the diet every time :-)  Only problem for me, I like my flax disguised in my food and am not quite keen to eat it just by itself. So my solution is to come up with everyday recipes where I can sneak in flax.

In addition to using flax regularly in my bakes and rotis (Indian flatbread), I have also begun to use flax in instant dosais (savory Indian crepes). First I used it in this rava dosai and loved how the flax enhanced the taste and nutrition of it. This time I decided to make a dosai with a combination of flax and oats...... yes I have to admit oats is my other favorite healthy ingredient, so the idea of combining the two was irresistible :-)

I seasoned the dosai with some cumin, mustard, curry leaves and green chilies for some added flavor. The dosai turned out to be very tender and light. Since the rice flour added a touch of crispiness too, I felt this dosai had the perfect balance of softness and crispiness.  I have made this a few times since the first and it makes a perfect breakfast/ or tiffin or even a light dinner.

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Ingredients and Method to make Oat flax dosai
2 cups oat flour ( I powdered rolled oats in my spice grinder to give me oat flour)
3/4 cup rice flour (chawal ka atta/ arisi maavu)
1/4 cup flax seed meal (flax powder/ alsi/ ali virai)
salt to taste
approx 3 1/2 cups water
4 to 5 tbsp grated fresh or frozen coconut (if using frozen, thaw to room temperature)

Seasoning
5 Thai or Indian variety green chilies cut very fine(or to taste)
1 to 2 tbsp coconut oil
3/4 tsp mustard seeds
7 to 8 curry leaves cut fine
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

a little sesame oil to shallow fry the dosai

If you have no ready made oat flour, just powder rolled oats in a blender/ mixer/ spice grinder.

In a large bowl add oat flour, rice flour, flax seed meal and salt to taste and mix well.  Add water slowly a little at a time and mix well to form a not too thick, not too thin batter.

Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to splutter add cumin seeds, when cumin begins to sizzle add green chilies and curry leaves and mix once or twice. Pour entire seasoning on the batter and mix well. Finally add grated coconut directly to the batter and mix again.  Allow this mixture to "sit" for 20 mins to 30 mins.

 

Heat a flat pan/ griddle/ tawa. When hot pour a little batter on the center and quickly make a thin circle. Add a few drops of sesame oil on the circumference of the dosai. When the lower side is cooked to an even golden color, flip over and cook the other side until it gets golden brown spots.

Remove and serve hot with sambar/ chutney of choice/ molaga podi like this one or this one. Proceed with the rest of the batter in the same manner and store unused batter in the refrigerator and use within a few days.
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Notes
If you use the batter a day or two after you first made it, it may thicken a little more, you might need to add a little more water to get the right consistency before using again.

Suggested variation:
Sprinkle a little finely chopped onion pieces on the side facing upwards. Flip over and press down a little and cook until onion begins to get a few brown spots.

Other dosa varieties with oats in this space......


Keerai Oat Dosai ~ Palak oat dosa ~ Savory Indian crepe with spinach and oats


Mixed Vegetable Oat Dosai ~  Savory Indian crepe with vegetables and oats


Instant Ragi Oats Dosai ~ Nachani dosa ~  Savory Finger millet and oats crepe

 
Javarsi Oats Dosai ~ Sabudana oat dosa ~  Savory Oat and sago crepe

 
Keerai Oat Adai ~ Palak dhal dosa ~  Savory Spinach oat barley crepes

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Chaas (Lassi/ Flavored Buttermilk Drink)- A perfect summer cooler:-)

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Chaas is a kind of flavored buttermilk drink, somewhat similar to salty lassi that is usually served at the end of a heavy meal because it aids digestion. The first time I tasted chaas was at a Gujarati restaurant where we had had a thaali ( a meal consisting of a variety of curries/ dhals/ rice and phulkas, all made in Gujarati style). After getting stuffed with all that yum food, the waiter got this chaas at the end. I was not sure if I wanted anything more, but my father kept telling me that it would taste awesome at the end of the meal, so I tried it. He was right, it was delicious, cool , refreshing and a perfect end to a heavy lunch.

For the last week or so,  the temperatures here have been soaring and 100 deg days seem to have become the norm. In this sweltering heat, I wanted something cool and refreshing to round out Sunday lunch. And a tall glass of chaas seemed like the perfect thing for it. I loosely followed this recipe to make the chaas and it tasted very authentic and it felt great to have a tall cooling glass of this drink on a super hot day. So if you are looking for a summer cooler to go with your Indian themed lunch/ dinner, give this one a try :-)

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make chaas
2 cups plain yogurt (curds/dahi)
4 cups chilled water
Small piece of Thai or Indian variety green chili (or to taste)
sliver of ginger
1/2 tsp black salt (kala namak/ sanchal)
1/2 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder)
pinch of asafoetida powder (hing / perungayam)
salt to taste

Mince the green chili and ginger together. It yielded about 1 tsp of minced chili + ginger

Using a blender, blend all the ingredients together.

Serve chilled. Refrigerate the balance, stir well before serving.
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Yields 6 cups of chaas.

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Indian style Roasted vegetable wrap

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If I was ever given a choice of selecting a particular kind of food that I could easily have for days, sandwiches and wraps would win hands down. That is because it is so easy to vary flavors and tastes with both sandwiches and wraps. Change the chutney, use different vegetables or patties as filling and voila you have something completely different............easy way to get some variety.  Of course this does not mean that I am having wraps and sandwiches for lunch and dinner each and every day , but I think I could ..... :-)

Surprisingly the idea for this wrap came to me when R was describing a Mexican wrap that he had had earlier that day. I have no idea why his description of a Mexican wrap led me to think of an Indian style wrap, only glad that it did :-)   Between roasting the vegetables and adding spices to them, the vegetables are very very flavorful and I have to admit I enjoyed quite a few pieces just like that :-)  The cilantro mint chutney adds more flavor and some heat to the wrap. We liked it so much that I have already made it a few more times since the first time and have enjoyed it  thoroughly each time. If you are looking for a quick, simple and flavorful wrap, this could be the one you are looking for..... :-)

Here is a closer look at the wrap........


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Ingredients and Method to make Roasted Veggie Wrap

This cilantro mint chutney as required
Whole wheat flat bread as required (recipe follows) (see notes)
Roasted vegetables as required (recipe follows)
a few toothpicks (optional) (to hold the wrap together)

For the roasted vegetables
2 large green bell peppers deseeded and cut into long 1/4 inch sticks
1 large eggplant cut into half then cut into 1/4 inch long sticks
2 red onions cut lengthwise
6 mushrooms cut into thin slices (optional)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or cayenne) (or to taste)
1 tsp garam masala ( or any other curry powder ) (or to taste)
1/4 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) (optional)

Pre heat oven to 425 deg F. Prepare a couple of flat baking trays by lining them with aluminum foil.

Wash and dry all the veggies except onions. Peel onions and cut all the vegetables to desired lengths.

Add all the spices to oil and mix well.  Take a large bowl and add one type of vegetable. Sprinkle with a 1/4th of the oil and toss well until all the pieces are evenly coated. Spread the vegetable on the prepared tray.
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Proceed with the rest of the rest of the vegetables in the same manner and spread on the prepared trays. Place the trays in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the veggies begin to get light brownish spots. Remove and keep the vegetables aside.

For the Flatbread 

1 and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
salt to taste
approx 3/4 cup water (or as needed)
a little extra flour for dusting.

In a large mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour and salt to taste and mix well. Add water slowly and knead to make a soft and non sticky dough. Keep the dough covered for about 30 minutes or so.

Pinch out a lemon sized piece of dough, roll it into a smooth ball. With the help of a little flour roll out the dough into an even circle. Heat a flat pan/ griddle/ tawa and place the rolled out dough on it. Cook until the lower side has small golden brown spots. Flip over and cook the other side. Press slightly if required with a spatula to ensure even cooking. Remove and keep aside. Proceed with the rest of the dough in the same manner.

To assemble the wrap

Take one whole wheat flat bread, apply a small amount of chutney of one side, place required quantity of roasted vegetables in the center. Pull one side of the flatbread over the veggies and roll gently. Pierce with a toothpick at the center to hold the wrap if using. Enjoy the wrap :-)

Notes:
Whole wheat tortillas or even other kinds of tortillas can be substituted in place of whole wheat flat bread in a pinch.

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Cilantro Mint Chutney version 2.0

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For the last few weeks I have been running around trying to complete a long list of projects that I have taken on. Even though I have completed some,  it seems like it is going to take just a little longer for me to finish up most of them.  These distractions are the main reason that I have not been able to devote enough time to this site. In addition I ended up with a fever last week that set me back another couple of days. I am hoping that from now on I am able to get back to blogging more regularly.........fingers crossed :-)

Moving on, wraps and sandwiches stuffed with a lot of vegetables are my favorite kind of food. Last  week when I was looking for a quick solution to dinner, I decided to make an Indian style veggie wrap.I will post the recipe for the wrap in my next post,  but first here is the chutney I used to add some flavor to the wrap. This chutney is similar to this one that I had posted earlier, but the big difference is the addition of yogurt. The yogurt added a nice creaminess to the chutney that really enhanced its taste and texture. I used this chutney in both sandwiches and wraps and loved it in both, but it can be used in chaats/ with samosas/ or as a dip, pretty much any way that you care to use it :-) 

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Ingredients and Method to make cilantro mint chutney
1 bunch cilantro (coriander leaves/ kothamalli) (yielded approx 1 1/2 packed cups of cilantro leaves)( rinsed clean )
one handful mint leaves (pudina) approx 15 large mint leaves (rinsed clean)
6 Thai or Indian variety green chilies (or to taste)
1 inch ginger cut fine
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 cup plain yogurt (curds/ dahi)
salt to taste

Puree all the ingredients above except salt in a blender until smooth. Add salt to taste and give it another turn in the blender until it mixes well.
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Remove and use as required in sandwiches or wraps/ as a dip, or with samosas or chaat or any other way you want. Refrigerate the balance in an air tight container and use up within a day or two at most. I use this chutneys in both wraps and sandwiches :-)

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Egg Free Apple banana chocolate chip muffins

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For a while now I have been experimenting with spelt flour in my bakes and so far I have enjoyed the results of my experiments with spelt flour. What I like most about spelt flour is that unlike wheat flour, spelt does not make muffins/ cakes very dense and chewy, so I find this a more appropriate substitute to apf in quick breads/ muffins and cakes.  Spelt is a cereal grain in the wheat family. It has a nutty and slightly sweet flavor similar to whole wheat flour. Spelt is said to have a strong nutritional profile, it has slightly fewer calories than whole wheat flour and a little more protein. Another important thing about spelt flour is that the gluten in this flour is different from wheat flour. In wheat flour the gluten is resilient and needs long kneading time to strengthen it and give breads structure. But the gluten in spelt flour breaks down easily, so it is important not to over mix it, otherwise it causes a crumbly texture.



The first time I tried these muffins, the combination of banana and apples happened mainly because these were the fruits in my fruit basket that needed to be used up :) I added the chocolate chips on a whim and loved the combination of flavors in my muffin. Since then I have made this muffins quite a few times and have found that this is a very forgiving recipe and yields consistent results. Don't have spelt flour, no problem works just as well with all purpose flour or a combination of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Don't have yogurt, not a problem it works just as well with banana as a substitute :)  This has become my go to recipe for when I want quick and easy muffin these days.  Give it a try and tell me what you think of it :)



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Ingredients and Method to make Apple banana choco chip muffins
Wet Ingredients
1 apple peeled, deseeded and cut into small pieces
1 ripe banana peeled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt (can be substituted for 1/2 cup mashed banana, see notes)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour (maida) (or spelt flour, see notes)
1 cup whole wheat flour (atta/ godumai maavu) (or spelt flour, see notes)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chip (use vegan chocolate chips for a vegan version)

Pre heat oven to 350 deg F. Line muffin tray with muffin liners and keep aside

In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients except chocolate chips and keep aside.

Puree the apple pieces and banana pieces without adding any water until smooth. Yielded 1 slightly heaped cup of pureed fruit, keep this aside. Whisk yogurt until smooth and keep aside. Add pureed banana+ apple, yogurt to the dry ingredients and mix gently.
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Add oil, vanilla extract and mix gently. Finally add chocolate chips, mix again and spoon into prepared muffin cups and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool slightly, peel the liner and enjoy.

Store any leftover muffins in an airtight container and use within a day or two for best taste.

Yielded 12 regular sized muffins.

Notes:
For a vegan version, or if you do not have yogurt on hand you can substitute it with half a cup of mashed ripe banana (approx 1 large banana)

The entire quantity of flour in this recipe can be substituted for 2 cups of spelt flour. It works well with spelt flour too. If you use spelt flour just make sure not to overmix the ingredients and just as soon as the ingredients are mixed spoon them into the pre lined muffin cups.

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