Idly Upma

My maternal grandmother used to make this for me when I was younger and I loved it! Usually, she'd make this for lunch or dinner, and would make it with leftover idlies from the morning. I think it makes a great snack and goes very well with South-Indian filter coffee!

You need -

3 left over idlies

3 tsp idly powder/mollagapodi (recommend MTR if you don't have the homemade variety)

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp mustard seeds for seasoning

What you need to do -

- Powder the idly with your hands until it gets a rough consistency like rava upma

- In a pan, heat the oil and burst the mustard seeds

- Add the powdered idly and sautee until the oil spreads evenly

- Add the mollagapodi and sautee for another 2-3 minutes

Serve hot with coconut chutney!

*Apologies for the poor picture quality. My camera's out of order and I am using my phone to take pictures.

Corn and Pepper Sandwiches

Credits for this recipe & picture go to one of my closest friends, Deepika -

It takes about 5 mins to get all the veggies cut and about another 5 minutes until you serve.

You need -

2 cups of sweet corn (you just scrape off 3 quarters of a corn)

1 capsicum/bell pepper

20 gms butter

Salt & pepper

Basil

Parsley

Broken wheat bread (or brown)

What you need to do -

- Melt butter in a pan

- Add a little salt

- Add the cut corn & capsicum/bell pepper

- Stir for a minute and turn the stove off

- Toast broken wheat bread (it’s the yummiest and crunchiest)

- Spread some corn and capsicum mix on the toast and garnish with herbs on top according to taste

You can even eat it with a single slice of bread (as opposed to a two slice sandwich). And eat the left over mix just like that!

On nice cozy morning, whether a weekend or not, this could make a yummy start to the day.

Banana Preserve

A bunch of bananas were rotting on the kitchen top when I decided to try make something of them. It took lesser time than I expected and turned out quite well!

You need -

6 Bananas

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp powdered cardamom

1 pinch of citric acid

What you have to do -

- Chop up the bananas and in a kadai let them get soft

- Add the sugar and wait for everything to turn into pulp

- After about 10 minutes, turn off the flame and wait for it to cool

- Once it cools, use a blender to get a fine paste

- Once again, pour it back into the kadai and cook after adding the powdered cardamom and citric acid

- Take it off the stove after about 5 minutes and store in a bottle for future use

Kill your evening hunger by making these quick choco-banana sandwiches: put the jam and some chocolate syrup between slices of fresh toast and you're good to go!

Bread-Jam & Milk

Serves one.

My mother would make this for me when I would return from school ravenously hungry. It's fuss-free, fast, filling and delicious!

You need -

2 slices of bread

1 glass of milk

Jam of your choice (I prefer the fruit preserves by St Dalfour)

Vanilla essence (optional)

What you have to do -

- Make jam sandwiches and then chop it up into small cubes

- Heat some milk until it's warm enough to drink and then add a drop of vanilla essence

- Put the sandwich cubes in a bowl and pour the milk over it

Spoon it up and you won't be hungry anymore!