Restaurant style Pongal / Ven pongal - Lemon n Spice Kids Lunch box ideas

Pongal, carrots, grapes, protein bar and apple jack loops

Another busy Monday morning!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Vinayaka Chathurthi. Today I packed -   Lunch: Pongal, Snacks - Bar, grapes, carrots and Apple Jack cereal loops

How to make Pongal / Ven Pongal / Ghee Pongal at home using a Pressure cooker?

Cooking time: 15minutes Serves: 2 kids / 1 adult

Ingredients :

Sona masoori rice / Pachari : 1/4 Cup

Moong Daal / Cherupayaru parippu : 1/4 cup

Salt : 1/2tspv v    

For Tempering :

Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp

Pepper corns: 10

Ginger: a thin slice or 1/2 tsp, finely chopped

Curry leaves: 1 spring, finely chopped

Cashews: 10, broken into pieces

Asafoetida powder: 1/4 Tsp

Green chilly: 1, finely chopped (I don't add it if it is for lunchbox)

Ghee: 1 tbsp (My homemade ghee became a bit dark this time, so the color of ven Pongal was not white ;) )

Pongal, carrots, grapes, protein bar and apple jack loops

Directions to make Pongal at home :

1. Transfer the rice and moong daal to a pressure cooker. Wash and clean the rice and pressure cook with 2 cups of water and 1/2 Tsp of salt. When the pressure releases, open the lid and mash the pongal with the back of a spoon or potato masher.

2. In a tadka pan, heat the ghee and add the mustard seeds. When it splutters, add the cumin seeds along with cashews and pepper corns. Fry till the cashews are golden and then add the curry leaves, ginger, green chilly and asafoetida powder. Turn off the flame and add this to the pongal. Combine everything together and serve warm with pickle or sambhar.

Happy cooking,

Lena

Instant Khaman Dhokla - Lemon n Spice Kids Lunch Box Ideas

Dhokla - Lemon n spice Lunchbox ideas

In her lunch box - Khaman Dhokla, Snacks - dried organic mangoes (Wholefoods), Carrots and graham crackers

Dhokla - Lemon n spice Lunchbox ideas

How to Make Khaman Dhokla for picnic /Lunchbox/breakfast / Snack:

Preparation time : 10mins, Cooking time: 15mins, Cuisine: Gujarati , Indian

Ingredients :

Besan / Chickpea flour / Kadalamavu :  1 1/2 Cup

Semolina/ Rava : 1 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida powder /Kaayam podi: 1/4 tsp

Ginger : 1 inch piece

Green Chilly : 2

Grated rind of a lime / Cheru naranga Tholi (Optional)

Lemon juice from 1/2 of a Lemon : 1 tsp

Eno or Fruit salt : 2 tsp

Sugar : 1 tsp

Salt : 1 tsp

Oil to grease the pan

For Tempering :

Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds : 1/2 tsp

Sesame seeds: 1/2 tsp

grated coconut : 2 tbsp (Optional)

Sugar : 1 tbsp

Curry leaves : 5-6

Vegetable Oil : 2 tbsp

Green chilly : 1 , halved*

Water : 1/2 Cup

Coriander leaves : 1 tbsp, chopped

Directions to make the super soft Khaman Dhokla :

1. Prepare the pan - Heat a steamer / Appachembu / Iddli vessel / Pressure cooker with enough water to steam a Dhokla. Grease the pan / plate ( 7 to 8 inch diameter ) to pour the Dhokla batter.

2. Mix the ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, combine the chick pea flour, sugar, semolina / rava, salt, turmeric Powder and Asafoetida powder. Grate or crush together the ginger and green chilly and make the ginger-green chilly paste, add it to the mixing bowl. Now make the dhokla batter by adding lemon juice and enough water, approximately 1 Cup (Quantity of water depends on the chickpea flour, so add gradually). Whish very well to remove the lumps.

3. Add the fruit salt / Eno and steam immediately - Just before steaming, add the fruit salt / Eno and mix lightly. Pour the mixture immediately into the greased pan / plate and steam for 15 minutes.

4. Add the Tempering to the Dhokla - Heat oil in a Tadka pan and add the mustard seeds. When it splutters, add the sesame seeds, cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves and grated coconut, stir fry for a minute and turn off the flame. Allow it to cool for few minutes and carefully add 1/2 cup of water and sugar. Turn on the flame and allow to boil. 

5. Cut and serve - Run a knife along the edges of the khaman dhokla and pan to make it loosen from the pan. Now invert to a flat plate and cut into squares. Add the tempering all over the dhokla evenly to moisten it nicely. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with green chutney.

Notes* : a) I don't add green chillies in the tempering because my daughter doesn't eat spicy. But adding green chillies in the tempering gives extra taste to the Dhoklas. b) Use a whisk to mix the batter and finally to combine the fruit salt. if the Eno / Fruit salt is not mixed properly, you will find an uneven surface on Dhokla and sometimes cracks in the middle.

Similar steamed recipes :

• Soft iddli using mixer grinder
• Modak / Kozhukkatta

Happy Cooking,

Lena

Ginger Garlic Fried rice with Snap Peas,Garbanzo beans / Chickpeas and Brown rice - Lemon n Spice Kids Lunch box ideas

#lnslunchboxideas

In her Lunchbox - Ginger garlic fried rice with chickpeas, snap peas and brown rice. Snacks - Graham crackers, cherries Drink - Cool Plus probiotic drink.

How to make ginger garlic fried rice with brown rice, chicken peas and snap peas?

Cooking time : 5 mins

Ingredients :

Brown rice : ¼ cup

Snap peas : 8

Boiled chick peas : ¼ cup

Butter : 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste : ¼ tsp

Coriander leaves : 3 leaves, finely chopped

Salt

Directions :

Heat oil in a skillet and add ginger garlic paste. Now add the snap peas and stir-fry for a minute. Add in the chickpeas and brown rice. Combine everything together. Finally, add the coriander leaves and salt. Toss well and turn off the flame.

Similar recipes :

• Kids Lunch box - Grilled Sweet potato fries
• Kids Lunch box - Avocado Parathas
• Kids Lunch box: Semiya Upma

Happy Cooking,

Lena

Day 5 - Lemon n spice Lunch box ideas

Lemon n spice Kids lunch box series

Today I packed healthy Semiya and Vegetable upma and banana for Rihtika's planetbox. Its is an easy and healthy lunchbox option for her, start to finish under 15 minutes. For snacks - Kid Z granola bar, babybel light mozzarella cheese and Cool plus pro biotic drink.

Similar Recipes :

• Semiya and vegetable Upma
• Cracked wheat / Broken wheat upma
• Oats Upma
• Poha / Beaten rice / Aval upma

Happy cooking,

Lena