January 19, 2009

Easy Oatmeal Rava Dosa, Roasted Coconut chutney and a MW Paneer Chole Makhani

Easy Oatmeal Rava dosa goes to EC of "Simple Indian Food" blog who guest hosting "MBP-Easy breakfast" event this month, which is started by Coffee of "The spice Cafe". I chose this dish from Vibaas of "Delectable Vegetarian recipes" blog.

Roasted coconut, onion and chana dal chutney goes to Ramya of "Mane Adige" blog, who just launched an event called "Chutney/Dip Mania".

Microwaved Paneer dish
goes to Raks of "Rak's kitchen" who is guest hosting for her"MEC-Paneer" event which is launched by Srivalli of "cooking4allseason" blog.

Paneer chole Makhani,
cooked in the Microwave goes to MS of "Food Travails" blog who is guest hosting "JFI-Chickpeas" and event is launched by Indira of "Mahanandi" blog.

My thanks to all of you for hosting and for the time you devote to do the round ups! :))


E
asy breezy, delicious and nutritious breakfast or lunch or dinner!
I went "monthly blog patrolling" aka MBP for easy breakfast dishes and found this at
Vibaas of "Delectable Vegetarian recipes" blog's "Protein packed Oatmeal Rava dosa. Click here to see the original recipe and her yummy Oat-Rava dosa photo too! Thanks Vibaas, we enjoyed these Oats dosa with red hot chutney! :))


Roasted coconut-chana dal-onion chutney:
This red hot chutney goes well with any dosa, idli or Parathas too. It's a bit different from the usual coconut chutney I make. Inspired by Kerala Chammanthi I made for Kerala RCI cuisine, I improvised a bit on that adding chana dal. I love the taste roasted fresh coconut, gives it a smoky aroma! Whenever I buy fresh coconuts, I separate the shell from pulp inside and cut them into small pieces and freeze them in a ziplock bags. I take out some out and thaw whenever I need them. I do not use store bought dessicated coconut in any chutney at all. Use that for sprinkling on Rasam or making spice powder to add when cooking gravies etc.

You need to roast these first each separately until reddish in a bit of oil and cool: 1/2 cup fresh coconut pieces (or grated), 1/4 cup Chana dal, 1/4 of a large onion, sliced, 2-3 dry red chillies, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds. Grind the above with these ingredients until smooth and thick with very less water: 1" ginger, 1/2 tsp or less tamarind paste (I use SWAD paste from the jar), enough salt, 1/4 tsp Paprika for color, pinch of hing. Adjust the salt. Season with these and add to the chutney: Heat 2 tbsp oil, add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1-2 dry red chillies, few curry leaves until they pop, take off the heat and cool it down a bit and add to chutney to mix. That's it! :)

******************************************************************************************************************* Now comes the yummy dish I cooked completely in the Microwave!! It came out so well and it was so fast to make that I don't want to do this chole on the stove top ever again! :D My daughter loves cheese, period!! Indian cheese as she calls it, Paneer is her favorite added Indian dishes. This dish is also mild tasting, which makes the kids happy. They won't touch the above spicy coconut chutney at all but they would eat this with a piece toast gladly!! I served this dish with layered triangular parathas.

Paneer Chole Makhani, Microwaved!!
Photo didn't come out well since it was very bright in the kitchen that day but somehow I managed to save this one out of 20+ others! :D

For Paneer Chole Makhani, I used store bought Paneer which are firmer than homemade cheese and I found few cans of organic Chickpeas to add. Organic chickpeas are bit more expensive but smaller and very flavorful unlike those gigantic plump regular canned Garbanzo we get, I like the organic Garbanzo better. Enjoy the low fat dish, not much fat although it is "makhani"(with butter sauce), considering it serves 4 people.

Microwaving:
Look at the size of this Microwave! Doesn't it look like a college student's dorm room or may be a high school auditorium?! Hahaha!! Just kidding. It's a convection oven too, so it's pretty spacious to fit a regular size baking sheet. anyway, each Microwave has different power, so use your eyes and nose to judge how long each step takes when microwaving. I am giving you how I exactly I cooked this dish in my MW.


How to make Paneer chole Makhani in the MW:
Get all these in one place first and start microwaving as given below;
Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil,
1 cumin seeds,
1 bay leaf,
1 medium onion, finely minced or ground, 1" ginger
+ 2 garlic (grind these both),
1/2 cup Tomato sauce,
spice powders; 2 tbsp
plain yogurt, 1 tsp coriander seeds powder, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds powder, 1/4 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp chilli pd or paprika, 1 tsp Chole masala or Kitchen King masala pd.
1/2 cup water + 1/2 cup 2% or half fat Milk,
4 tbsp minced cilantro, 1 12oz can Organic Garbanzo/Chickpeas, drained of water, rinsed, 1 tsp sugar, enough salt,
1/2 pack of Paneer, cubed to bite sized pieces, 1 tbsp Butter.
Here is how:
1. Add oil to a deep glass dish, heat for 2 mins until hot. (Keep the bowl uncovered)
2. Add cumin seeds and 1 bay leaf, heat for 1 minute.
3. Add minced/ground onion, cook for 3 to 5 mins, keep stirring in between to prevent burning the onion, it must be slightly reddish, not brown.
4. Add ginger-garlic paste, cook for 1 minute, add tomato sauce and cover the bowl and cook for 2 mins.
5. Add yogurt, spice powders, mix well and cook for 1 minute.
6. Now mix in water and milk, cook again without the cover this time for 3-5 mins until oil shows up a bit, keep stirring often.
7. Add cilantro, enough salt, sugar (I always add sugar whenever I use tomatoes in the dishes to cut the acidity) and chole/chickpeas, cook again for 5 mins until the sauce is thick and shiny.
8. Lastly, add Paneer cubes and mix well. Just heat about 2 mins and adjust the spices to your taste.

Your delicious Paneer Chole Makhani is ready to eat! :))

49 comments:

EC said...

Nice spread...loved all the dishes..thanks for the entry

FH said...

You are welcome EC, Oatmeal dosa was yummy! Because of this MBP event, we all get to taste someone else's delicious dishes!:))

ranji said...

AWESOMME!!!i love the coconut chutney..i use raw shallots instead of onions..love this chutney...Oats rava dosa is a very creative..excellent choice...MW paneer chole makhani looks delicoious as well..The MW that we have is theone the apt provided..not so good for cooking dishes..its only good for thawing and heating..it doesnt cook uniformly..:(
I watched slumdog millionaire..an excellent movie..The truth and reality abt our country!!!Feel bad and angry with the indian govt who do nothing abt it!!!

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

Thanx for the entry, Ashakka!! Love the pic of the chutney.... IT looks gorgeous! And that MW Paneer-chole sounds so easy to make... Somehow, I havent gotten myself to cook much w/ the MW. I limit myself to reheating stuff with MW, thats all... a friend of mine even makes rotis in MW!!! Its time I start, i guess!!!

Finla said...

Kerala chamothi, i love them.
We even used to have them with kanji, delicious.
I should make dosa , it is ages ago i made them.
I have MW with convection oven too.
Shyama's computer is still in the repai place, so i can only blog when Hans is not using his computer.
When ever he is not using i am just grabing them.

FH said...

Ranji, I love to use madras onions in that chutney, most of the time I get it frozen, takes time to thaw etc! :)
I was angry too, feels so bad looking at those kids living in that condition with nobody even caring about what happens to them. It's sad!!

Ramya, you are welcome, had to make another one for your event!:)
Makes roti in MW? Wish you could get that recipe and post it,really sounds interesting. I once made Tandoori roti in toaster oven, was really good!

FH said...

F, I had a regular MW before, used just for reheating etc. This is really good although I still use the oven to bake!:)
Hope S's PC gets ready quickly, Hans might not let you there for a long time! :D
Love the Chammanthi too, so flavorful and yummy. Only thing is I can't grind it without water, so it gets a bit thin.

Cham said...

Lovely spread, love the paneer dish color and the spacious microw... The breakfast is just a breeze with chutney!

Sunshinemom said...

Asha, delectable dishes:) The arrangement of the dosas remind me of Papa bear, Mama bear and the Baby bear:)

sra said...

Your MW looks like a hi-tech lab!

Vibaas said...

Glad you liked the dosa recipe, Asha.

Red chutney and mw paneer chole look delicious and very tempting.

AnuSriram said...

Thats a nice crispy dosa, Spicy chutney and delicious Panner chole makhani... Gr8 spread!

Siri said...

Oatmeal in dosa, I love the very idea of it and it looks yummy too Ashaji. so are the chutney and chole makhani!

It feels so good to comment on your blog after such a long time.

Hope you are doing good.

Hugs,
Siri

Deepthi Shankar said...

i have never tried anythng with oatmeal other than cookies. i need to start using it more. looks yummy.
Asha, I have a doubt .. why do you maintain 2 food blogs?? out of curiosity !!

Anonymous said...

hi Asha,
delicious and easy to make dosa.will surely make it.does the MW paneer chole makhani taste as good as it is cooked on stove top.should try cooking in the mw.

shalini

ms said...

Hi asha,
thanks for your great entry to JFI chickpea! I came to know of vibaas thanks to your MBP entry , and ive left a comment for her as well.


with best wishes,
ms

FH said...

Cham, try that Oatmeal dosa.It's like thick pancakes, really good! :)

Hahaha! H, now that you mentioned it, I see that too!

sra, it does, doesn't it? :D
I don't how much use I can get out of it, specially with convection oven there! :)

FH said...

Thanks for posting it, Vibaas. I was looking for something unique, loved this dosa!:))

Thanks Anu, we loved them too, specially the Paneer chole, kids polished it off quickly!:D

Hi Siri, how are you? Yeah, I haven't seen you in a long time too, busy with new job and all? Enjoy, glad you are out of Cary and into big city!:))

FH said...

Deesha, try this Oatmeal dosa, yummy!
Aroma is created only for posting dishes for events and Foodie's Hope is my main blog. I created this blog so I don't have to clutter the other one with too many dishes! Aroma is fun blog and FH is a serious foodie blog!!Hahaha!:D

Shalini, I was surprised too to see how easy to MW this dish and without any mess too since we cover it and it cooks so fast in MW. Try it, I think I found a new way of cooking now!

ms, that's why I like these events. We could meet so many new bloggers and try new tastes too. Glad you liked the Paneer Chole, enjoy! :)

Suganya said...

Nice recipe. Loved ur roasted coconut chutney. Lovely color. Chole makhani in microwave.... Great!... YUM!

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

WOW.. LOVELY DISHES. I LOVE YOUR MICROWAVE :) LOOKS BRAND NEW AND SO CLEAN. AND PANEER-CHOLE IS A NEW COMBO. LOOKS GOOD.

Raks said...

Asha,Thank you somuch for that lovely entry for the event and feel happy that you remembered :)
Oat meal dosas I too tried and liked the texture a lot! Lovely spread:)

amna said...

i am always wary of cooking in the microwave. still old fashioned in a way i guess :D

Daily Meals said...

Oatmeal rava dosa seems very healthy Asha! love the coconut chutney and paneer chole makhani...

Divya Kudua said...

So many events covered in one post...you always amaze me!!Like always,love all the dishes that you've presented..rava oatmeal dosa definitely sounds like a must try..chammanthi is something which I absolutely love and I make it using small onions..Paneer chole makhani is a winner-two of my fave recipes rolled into one,that too in a MW,fantastic.I use a MW with convection features too and that is def a BIG MW you've got!!!

KonkaniBlogger said...

Oatmeal dosa, sounds really good and looks awesome Asha! I have a similar chutney at a keralite friend's place, tastes really good. And for the MW chole paneer, am just awed, it looks really simple to make. All great dishes.

delhibelle said...

mw chana paneer? cool!
great spread, as always

Raaga said...

You are becoming the event queen now :-) I loved all the dishes you put up in this post (what's new about that, you ask?) :-)

Jaishree Iyer said...

Oatmeal rava dosa, the chutney and chole makhani all r yummy..I liked all your recepies..Like the paneer dish wish to try.. Love the pic of the chutney and the paneer dish colour . looks gorgeous! Gr8 spread!

notyet100 said...

agin eveythin lookin yummy,..liked the dosa lotz,..will give it a try,..nd ya waitin for ur next yummy post,..:-)

Purnima said...

Asha, the dosas wt oats sure look yummy, chutney ooh fiery! Chole wt paneer - new combo n mw ooh-must try! Tks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

We eats oats everyday ,the oat dosa is a unique savory recipe.And I must forward the paneer chole recipe to my mom,she absolutely loves paneer:)

Sum Raj said...

all these looks healthy rich food..chammanti looks really yummy..

FH said...

Sukanya, Mahimaa, Raks, Nags, Vijaya, Divya, Maya, Delhibelle, Raaga,Jaishree, N, Purnima, Suma Rajesh and Yasmeen, thanks to all of you for visiting me.

It snowed 3" here today which is rare to NC, all the schools are closed which keeps me pretty busy at home. Just came here to check all the comments. Be warm, see you all later! :)

Ashwini said...

Oatmeal dosa..Looks yummy and delicious..Love any kind of chutney..Panner chole looks very easy and mouthwatering..Nice photos too..

Laavanya said...

Those are some yummy dishes and looks like you've covered quite a few blog events too. The roasted coconut chutney has all my attention. The paneer-chole is a combination i haven't tried before.. looks like that's a winner too.

Meera said...

Lovely spread, as always, Asha. Oats dosa is really innovative. Bookmarked to try. Your microwave is really cool.

Kalai said...

Ashakka, welcome back! Missed your presence and your posts a lot, dear! I wish I could have visited sooner, but have been preoccuppied with personal stuff and committments. Looks like you're back to cooking up a storm! All of the entries look delicious! :)

anudivya said...

LOL. The microwave looks like a disco floor! I acutally like it! :)
I make oats dosai very often and I remember posting it too... one of my faves.

FH said...

Ashwini, Laavanya, Meera, Kalai and Anu, thanks girls.

Kalai, take your time and blog when you can. No problems Hugs! :)

I have been typing furiously for next post! I really need to take a break from posting for events for sometime! ;D

Unknown said...

mw chole paneer is so very interesting,,,dosas looks yumm too....

Pallavi said...

As always.. yummy tasty dishes Asha.. Good to hear from you..

FH said...

Thanks Sowmya and Pallavi. I try my best to get something for events, glad you support me! :))

Pavithra Kodical said...

Oatmeal dosa!! Something new to me..All the dishes are delicious..

Usha said...

All the dishes look fantastic, great pictures :-)

FH said...

Thanks Pavithra and Usha, Oatmeal dosa is really tasty, hope you try! :))

Srivalli said...

Beautiful entries Asha...

FH said...

Thanks Sri! :)

Rajee said...

I can smell the aroma of oats dosa with yummy chutney. I love to have it with chutney. Can I have? Great spread and lovely pictures. Let me try it.