How many times have we heard, ‘Eat breakfast like a king’? While in the run of life, many skip the first meal of the day, why not start the month of February by inculcating the habit of starting your day with a plate of hot breakfast? It can not just elevate your mood but is also energetic, healthy, and wholesome. As we get ready to enter the shortest month of the year, Anushree Madhavan, Aparna U, Devrishi, and Sonu M Kothari bring you a few recipes that are easy to make at home.
Mehti na dhebra
Sangeetha Bagani, home maker
Ingredients
Bajra flour: 1 cup
Wheat flour: 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Sesame seeds: 1 tbsp
Sugar: 1 tsp
Ajwain (crushed): 1/2 tsp
Ginger (crushed): 1 tsp
Green chilli (chopped): 1
Handful of chopped methi leaves
Oil: 2 tbsp
Yoghurt: 1/2 cup, approx
Method
Mix bajra flour, wheat flour, salt, hing, turmeric powder, coriander powder, sesame seeds, sugar, and crushed ajwain.
Add crushed ginger, chopped green chilli, chopped methi leaves, and oil. Mix well.
Gradually add yoghurt and knead the dough until smooth and pliable.
Drizzle oil over the dough and knead for 2-3 minutes.
Divide the dough into portions, make smooth balls, and roll into 6-7 inches diameter circles.
Heat a tawa and cook each rolled dhebra for 30-40 seconds on a side.
Flip, apply ghee, and cook until golden spots appear. Repeat for the other side.
Avocado Rosette sandwich
Khushboo Bafna, founder of Kitchen Dairies
Instagram @kitchendiaries_bykhushboo
Ingredients
Bread (toasted): 4
Avocados (sliced thinly): 2 small
Coriander: 3 tbsp
Mint leaves: 8
Turmeric: 1/2 tsp
Green chilli: 1 small
Onion (finely chopped): 1 small
Tomato (deseeded and chopped): 1 small
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Chaat masala: 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/4 tsp
Toasted sesame seeds to garnish
Method
In a mortar and pestle pound coriander, mint, turmeric, and green chillies until they form a smooth paste.
On the toasted bread, spread the paste and make a rosette with avocado, sprinkle some salt and black pepper on top of it.
Finally, put the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle chaat masala.
Beetroot/Spinach Poori
Joyadrita Ragavendran Chatterjee, home chef
Ingredients
Beetroot/spinach (puréed along with salt): 1
Sugar
Green chilli: 2
Whole wheat flour or any healthy flour of your choice
Salt
Carrom seeds
Oil for deep frying
Method
Mix everything and make a soft dough. Sprinkle some oil and keep it covered.
Make small balls out of the dough, roll them into circles and deep fry them.
Serve beetroot/soinach poori with any curry or pickle.
Daler Porota (Lentil stuffed flatbread)
Joyadrita Ragavendran Chatterjee, home chef
Ingredients
Leftover dal
Onion (chopped): 1
Green chilli (chopped): 1
Coriander leaves (chopped)
Salt and sugar to taste
Roasted jeera powder: 1 tsp
Whole wheat flour: 2 cups
Oil/ghee to fry the flatbreads
Method
Mix dal, chopped onion, green chilli and coriander leaves, salt, sugar, jeera powder, and whole wheat flour to make a soft dough.
Roll into semi-thick rotis, and shallow fry them with ghee/oil.
Serve hot with tea and pickle.
Open Toast
Radhika Madhavan, homemaker
Ingredients
Bread slices: 4
Chopped vegetables: 1 cup
Grated paneer: 1/2 cup
Chilli flakes and oregano
Salt: a pinch
Ghee/Butter: to toast
Method
Heat a tawa. Once hot enough, turn it to low heat.
Apply ghee/butter on one side of the bread slices.
On the top of the slice add a mix of chopped vegetables (can use onion, tomato, capsicum, and corn).
Generously garnish with grated paneer and sprinkle some red chilli flakes, oregano and salt.
Place the ghee/butter-applied side of the bread on the tawa.
Close the tawa with a lid and let the bread cook.
Do not flip. Use a spatula to take the bread off to check if it has turned crisp.
Once it has turned crisp to your liking, remove it.
You can have it as is or cut it into triangles or squares.
CHILLA
Nia Crystal Franklin, student
Ingredients
Besan: 1 cup
Onion: 3
Ajwain: 1/2 tsp
Green chilli: 1
Method
Take a cup of besan, add salt according to your taste and mix it with water.
Chop onions, green chilli, and coriander leaves into small pieces.
Add ajwain to the bowl and mix it with the chopped ingredients.
The batter should be thick and loose in consistency (similar to a dosa batter).
Heat the pan and put some oil. Pour the batter like a dosa. Flip and cook both sides.
You can also add any vegetables in the batter to make it healthier.
Golaruti (whole wheat pancake/ crepe with seasonal vegetables)
Joyadrita Ragavendran Chatterjee, home chef
Instagram @foodofjoyflavoursofbengal
Ingredients:
Chopped vegetables of your choice
Whole wheat flour: 1 cup
Gram flour: 1 tbsp
Salt and sugar to taste,
Black pepper
Ghee/refined oil to fry the crepe.
Method
Mix vegetables, whole wheat and gram flour, salt, sugar and black pepper.
Heat an iron skillet, spread the batter evenly, and sprinkle some oil/ghee on the sides.
Cover and cook until both sides are done well.
Serve hot with ketchup or any chutney of your choice.