Tag: breakfast

Savory Waffles!!

Hot, crispy and slathered with butter! 🧈

Waffles are one of our favorite weekend breakfasts. Although I frequently make sweet ones, savory waffles are really what we love. It’s just a matter of adding a bunch of veggies and some spices to the batter. These are so easy and delicious! This recipe does need an egg, but I am trying to figure out the perfect way to make it vegan. All the recipes I have tried just do not measure up-to the texture that traditional waffles have. 🥲

Recently my husband opened up more about his moral struggles with eating meat and seafood. I never realized it was such a big deal for him. Now that I do, I am even more determined to transition to a better lifestyle. However, we also realized we do not need to cut out all animal derived products from out diet. As a example, we buy only free range certified humane eggs. 🥚 So I am actually okay with eating these waffles regularly! Anyway onto the recipe…

Servings: 2, Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes (this depends on your waffle maker)

Ingredients

  • Milk 1 cup (I use oat milk)
  • White vinegar 1 tbsp
  • Egg 1 large
  • Canola oil 1/4 cup
  • Baking soda 1/2 tsp
  • Baking powder 1 tsp
  • All purpose flour 1 cup
  • Onion 1/2 OR Shallots 3
  • Chili pepper 1
  • Green onions 2
  • Chili powder 1 tsp
  • Garlic powder 1 tsp
  • Pepper 1/2 tsp
  • Salt 1/2 tsp
  • Butter to brush on top

Instructions

  1. Finely chop all the vegetables, and set them aside
  2. In a large bowl, mix the milk and vinegar. Microwave for 30 seconds. This will curdle the milk, giving us a quick buttermilk
  3. Add the egg and whisk well. Then add in all the vegetable and mix
  4. Add the oil and mix till combined completely
  5. Add the spices, salt and pepper. Then add the baking powder and baking soda. Mix well
  6. Immediately add the flour and whisk till just combined. Set aside for 5-10 minutes
  7. In the meantime, preheat the waffle iron. Once hot, spray with oil or brush oil on the plates
  8. Add about 1/2 cup batter to each waffle slot, close the lid and let it cook for about 10 minutes, checking every 3-4 minutes.
  9. Remove from waffle iron when brown and crisp. Brush butter on top and consume immediately!

Tips

  • You can use whole wheat flour in this recipe as well. The waffles will not be as fluffy as all purpose flour ones, but they still taste amazing
  • You can use any spice mix you like, as long as the base recipe remains unchanged
  • The waffles will not be crispy when while inside the waffle iron. They harden almost immediately on removing from heat though. So patience is key here.
  • Cooking times will wary depending on your waffle iron. Make sure to check on the waffles frequently while they are cooking.
  • Do not over-mix the batter after adding the flour! This is key to make sure gluten is not developed. That is why I add flour at the very end.
  • You can mix the milk and vinegar and set aside for about 15 minutes to curdle as well. Oat milk does require that heat to curdle, but dairy milk should curdle fine at room temperature. I am just lazy, so I always use the microwave
  • These waffles can be cooked and frozen. Just reheat them in the toaster!
  • I have cooked the waffles without letting the batter rest, and they turn out just fine. So it is okay to skip this step if you do not have the time

There are entirely too many tips on this recipe. Just make sure to make these in whatever flavor you desire, and have fun making them! My husband loves to play around with the flavors. This one time we make some gyro flavored waffles, and I was pleasantly surprised that I liked them. So have at it, and as always let me know how it went! 😬

Upma

Upma is an Indian dish made with fine semolina. It’s commonly eaten in a number of Indian states, but everyone has their own spin on it. The South Indian version has ginger, Maharashtrians add turmeric to it, and Oriya upma has a bunch of veggies. I didn’t like upma when I was younger, except when my grandmother cooked it.

My grandmother’s upma was famous in our entire family. Nobody could come close to how soft, but rich and crisp around the edges her upma was. One day, she told me what her secret. It was so easy, I never could have guessed it on my own. It was just boiling hot water and a generous amount of fat. Since then, my upma has turned out perfect every single time. This particular recipe is our favorite, and it is not authentic to any single cuisine in India. It’s just my own take on the upma I remember from my childhood.

Servings: 2, Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooling time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • Fine semolina flour (suji/rava) 1 cup
  • Boiling hot water 1.5 cups
  • Whole green chili 1 medium
  • Ginger .5 inch piece
  • Salt as required
  • Curry leaves (kadhi patta) 6-7 leaves
  • Whole cashews 8 (optional)
  • Yellow moong dal 2 tsp (optional)
  • Clarified butter (Ghee) 4 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the green chili. Peel and grate the ginger root.
  2. Add 1 tsp ghee to a pan and allow to heat on medium heat
  3. Add the cashews and moong dal to the hot ghee and sauté till light golden. Remove to a plate
  4. Add the remaining ghee to the same pan and add mustard seeds once the ghee is hot
  5. Once the seeds have spluttered, add the curry leaves, grated ginger and chili pieces. Sauté for 2-3 minutes
  6. Add the semolina and sauté on low heat till lightly golden and fragrant. Make sure to stir continuously, or the semolina can burn
  7. Add salt and mix properly. It is important to add salt at this point since it is difficult to mix it in after adding water
  8. Slowly add the boiling water to the roasted semolina while stirring vigorously.
  9. Cook till all the water has been absorbed. Cover, switch off the heat and let rest for 4-5 minutes.
  10. Mix in the cashews and moong dal and serve hot!

Tips

  • If you like yogurt, add it right before adding the water. It will give a nice tang to the upma
  • Cashews and moong dal are optional, but provide a good crunch. In the picture added to this post, is did not add any and it tasted just as good!
  • Any kind of fat can be used, preferably one with a high smoking point. I prefer using ghee since it gives a good nutty taste and I always have it on hand
  • I finely chop the chili since we like a bit of spice, but large pieces can be added and removed before eating for a less spicy version
  • This recipe needs to be made with constant attention. The semolina burns really quickly towards the end of roasting if we don’t pay attention. Additionally, constant stirring makes sure the water is easily and uniformly absorbed
  • You can also add any veggies you want to the recipe, like carrots and peas. These should be added right before adding the semolina with a small pinch of salt. Cook them completely before adding the semolina.

This is a nice and easy breakfast recipe to have in your repertoire. It’s also very quick to make. We eat it at least once every two weeks! I hope you give this a try and let me know how it goes! 🙂