Easy ..quick.. Tiffin recipes...SHare!!

Today I prepared Poha in the microwave...it was easy, healthy..not at all sticky...DD doesnt like gas cooked poha but eats oven poha with taste. For those of you who have microwave at home and would like to know the recipe -
1 bowl poha
pinch of sugar and pinch of salt mixed
salt, turmeric,black pepper/white pepper/red chilli powder..whatever you use
bolied peas
hing(asafoetida a pinch)
mustard seeds(rai)
long thin slices of onion and tomato

Wet the poha and place in a big strainer. add the pinch mixture of salt n sugar to it and mix with a fork. put some refined oil..say 1 spoon in microsafe bowl. Add hing and rai to it and place in oven at microwave setting high for 2 minutes. Now add peas, onion, tomato, salt, turmeric, chilli(whichever you wish to or not wish to ). Mix well and place in oven at microwave high setting for 4 minutes. Now add the poha, mix well, cover with the lid and place at same setting for another 4 minutes. Add little ketchup and coriander leaves when done.
This can be served as it is in school tiffin or with curd also it tastes quite good.
Takes around 10 min total...but meanwhile I kept doing my other chores when oven was busy.....chores to dress up DD were almost done in those 10 minutes itself.

 

Today's tiffin - Veg protein packed pulao -
I cooked it on gas but same can be done in microwave too. Usually I used a little turmeric in pulao...now this can be made using garam masala WHOLE ingredients too(like tejpatta, clove, moti elaichi etc)(sorry I'm bad at english names when it comes to kitchen) but I personally believe that in summers and specially for girls, its better to avoid such condiments..Otherwise also, nowadays girls reach puberty quite early..at least we moms can take care of their eating habits and tastes..so here's mine -

1 bowl rice soaked in water for about 15 min
2 bowls of water
a bowl of vegetables (peas, small carrots, cauliflower, potato, long sliced onion, tomato)
half a bowl nutrela small nuggets
2 tbsp refined oil
1 tbsp salt
a thick pinch of garam masala powder
coriander leaves..washed and cut
a thick pinch of methi powder
few curry leaves
1 tsp cumin seds(jeera)

curry leaves, methi powder, coriander not only add to taste but also have cooling effect so are good to use in summers.
once you soak rice in water soak the nutrela also in luke warm water. Place the vessel on gas and add refined oil to it and let it heat. Now add jeera to hot oil..once done, add onion and potato..stir for few minutes...add vegetables..stir..add tomato and curry leaves and coriander. Now add salt and garam masala..give a small handshower of water to this ..stir well for few minutes. Add say 2 tbsps of water and let the veggies get steamed for few minutes. Now add nutrela . The 2 bowls of water and let it boil covered with a lid. Once boiled, add rice, mix well..let boil again. Once t boils put it on Sim gas mode till done. Stir it once in between so as all veggies get evenly spread.

For such items, I cut all veggies at night itself to save time . In fact, pulao can be prepared at night and KEPT IN THE FRIDGE and reheated in morning to be packed for tiffin. Since it doesn't have much of citrus ingredient, It wont go stale ...but it should be reheated properly.
I prepared this once adding biryani masala while light frying the veggies as some guests were coming over and that too added to the taste...Garam masala gives a nice fragrance and golden brown color to rice unlike turmeric's yellow color.

I am just having a bowl of the reheated pulao while writing the recipe here ... hahaha

 

Yesterday I was just busy in kitchen and as usual DD sitting on kitchen shelf with me. First we prepared mango shake and then we started a talk revision - MY FAMILY. I asked her to speak a few lines about each member. Alongwith the basic lines, following were the specific ones ;-)

My grandfather tells me stories. I wash the fish tank with him he likes to see CID
My grandmother gives me papaya and cucumber and melon..yummy...and she likes to see..mm...Anandi...roli simar...and few more serial character names DD took
My father plays computer games and angry birds with me and gets me coconut water.
My mother brings dresses for me..new new rubber bands...party shoes...plays doll doll with me and haan mumma..my mother gives me very tasty best tiffin...Mumma please call XX's ( a close friend of DD) mom and tell her to check her tiffin daily. SHe doesnt eat her own tiffin and keeps asking mine.
So what baby, I pack plenty of food.. you can share with her daily..
No mumma but she keeps asking for more and I feel hungry then..
You should open up both your tiffins and share them equally..
No mumma I dont like her tiffin..I dont like anyones' I want to eat only mine...(and momma felt so proud...hahaha)
Thats fine but you should share..even other moms make tiffins that are healthy and with love..
Yes, so she should eat her mumma's love na?!!
hmmm..okay I'll pack in 2 parts..1 for you and the other for complete sharing..okay?
I tried that myself mumma...but she eats like this -and DD enacted like gobbling up fast...And then asks for more..
Mumma hiding her smile...Ohh..Is it..then you too eat fast..
No mumma then how will I get the taste of the food :-(
hmmm...you can have the taste at home...there's plenty in your tiffin...
Ohho mumma...I eat little in bus before reaching school...
haan?? why..I give you at home na..why do you open your tiffin in the bus?
mmmmm :-( I can't wait to see what's in tiffin today!! ( Yuhuuu...mumma happy again)
then I eat in lunch break and leave some for the bus while way back home.
Baby it takes you just 20 minutes too reach home. You can have all in school and there's more at home.
How do I know whether what you made in morning is still there at home or it is finished.
Okay whatver..you call her mom and tell her..
No , I won't do that..You ask your teacher to help or ask your friend yourself.
No mumma, I cant..if I refuse to give her, she'll feel bad. she's my best friend...and if I give her I feel bad and hungry for more.
and I told teacher, she said solve your problem yourself.
hmmm...so you are insecure that this might make you lose your friend??
hmm..comes a nodding yes...
so, you make a group of friends..why just one.
Ohho, mumma you are giving ideas to expand my problem..more friends would mean more sharing..more tiffin..I'll have to carry 2 tiffins and you will have to cook so much...:rotfl

Okay then solve yourself!!

Evening..Papa's back home..DD - Papa you solve my problem..Mumma tell him..
You tell yourself, I might miscommunicate.
Oh God..I will have to tell such a long story, you tell na...
Both of us narrate to Papa..and the macho papa says-
why dont you finish your lunch under table before the tiffin break...:bonk
I give him a stare and DD replies..you want that I should stand out of the class thereafter??!!
hmm...then...same ideas as mine come up..and DD has answers to all.
hmm...then...you tell your friend that you will call her mom and say that Aunty XX doesn't like what you cook..Dont you add love with salt?? She eats my tiffin..Dont you check hers?(the naughty papa is in full swing!)
Ohho Papa..whats wrong with you...aunty will feel so bad and she might scold XX.
No No..I meanjust tell to scare her..You wont really call her mom na.
Papa, you let it be..You better handle your office problems :rotfl

Moral of the story - Mumma is the best cook for her !!!!

 

Todays tiffin - vegetable soya dalia.

 

todays tiffin - egg parantha .
2 ways to cook the same-
prepare a simple salt ajwain parantha...The moment its upper layer is puffing up, tear it open with a knife and pour the beated egg with salt, black pepper, coriander...in the parantha and cook it as usual..its tastier when cooked in butter than oil.
cook parantha from one side and keep it half cooked from the other...with the half cooked side on the tawa pour the beated egg on the full cooked side and continue as usual using butter preferably. I added onion and tomato too to the egg beat.

 

thanks..she's 5 and a quarter.

 

todays tiffin - moong dal parantha with NIMBU ka ACHAAR...on DD's demand

 

mommies..I'm not a chef..Please share your tiffins with me too :-(

I usually cook extra dal twice a week during the night..when leftover dal is cool..I knead dough with it and add additional - ajwain, dry methi powder, onion, coriander, some salt n white pepper. I try adding ajwain wherever possible..its a source of Calcium plus keeps tummy fine DD has a weak tummy. Also you can add little malai to the dough while keading..keeps parantha soft plus calcium and fat...DD is not too healthy, is normal built , so I dont mind giving her this extra fat