Can’t Figure Out What To Cook Through The Festive Week? Check This Out!

On the KSP team, we have one member fasting for Paryushan, another prepping for Onam celebrations and everyone is looking forward to modaks for Ganesh Chaturthi. So it’s super exciting with everyone exchanging recipes and for those going into work lots of interesting food options. The meal plan this week has meal ideas and recipes for everyone! You gotto check it out!
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It’s raining festivals all through the week and at Kidsstoppress we’re loving it. On the KSP team, we have one member fasting for Paryushan, another prepping for Onam celebrations and everyone is looking forward to modaks for Ganesh Chaturthi. See, I was serious it’s full of happenings this festive week.

For everyone fasting for Paryushan, I have tried to add meal ideas for you through the week so you don’t have to stress too much. A lot of people are not aware of what Paryushan is so let me give you a little insight. I didn’t know about it till I joined Kidstoppress and my teammates were fasting for 8 days.

So for the Jain community, this is one of the most important festivals. They fast for 8 days and this is their way of cleansing one’s body and their bad karma. They seek forgiveness for their sins and try and forgive those who have wronged them. That’s a nice thought, right?

We also have Onam and Ganesh Chaturthi to look forward to. I personally love the Pulissery Rasam, Pachadi, Papad with rice. Can’t eat more than that. A full Sadya has 25 dishes traditionally. What are your favourite dishes for Onam Sadya?

Ganpati is around the corner and it is 10 days of good food, festivities, and more good food! Every family has their own unique way of making modaks-the way the dough is prepared and the filling varies from each state to another. Sharing some ideas from the KSP family below.

Get ready for an amazing mix of meal ideas and recipes.

Recipe Of This Festive Week

Ingredients

For the katori

  • 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
  • 2 Tbsp hot Oil
  • ½ Tsp Salt
  • Water to knead
  • Oil to fry

Filling

  • 1 Cup Moong & Chana sprouts boiled
  • 2 Tbsp Mint-Coriander Chutney
  • 2 Tbsp Imli Chutney
  • 1 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
  • ½ Tsp Jeera Powder
  • 1 Tsp Chaat Masala
  • ¼ Tsp Black Salt
  • ½ Cup Curd whisked
  • Sev to top

Method

  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour and salt. 
  • Add 2 tablespoons of hot oil over it and knead a soft dough with water. 
  • Divide the dough into small balls. Take a ball and flatten it.  
  • Roll out like a roti and prick all over with a fork.  
  • Wrap the rolled out dough on a small katori and stick the edges. 
  • Trim off the extra dough from outside 
  • Deep fry it in hot oil. Sprinkle the oil over the bowl until the dough is separated from it, remove the katori and fry the prepared tokri till it is golden and crisp. 
  • Remove and dry the excess oil on the kitchen paper and keep it aside. 
  • Alternately, you can bake it in a muffin tray

Filling

  • Mix together chilli powder, roasted cumin seeds powder, chaat masala, salt, and black salt. Now, in another bowl, mix the moong & chana with dry mint chutney.  
  • Fill the filling in the prepared tokris. Top it with spice mix, tamarind chutney, whisked curd, sev and serve. 

Did You Know

Ash Gourd/ Petha has become immensely popular in recent times. 

Ash gourd is considered a vegetable, which is used in cooking a variety of staple Indian dishes. Dishes such as kootu, curry, sabzi and dal, besides sweets and candies called petha. 

Ash gourd is high in water content and has zero cholesterol which makes it great for heart health and is packed with a plethora of vitamins and minerals to facilitate key metabolic functions in the body.

It is suggested that we should drink one glass of ash gourd juice in the morning. Daily consumption of ash gourd greatly enhances your intellectual capabilities. Especially children must drink ash gourd juice. If you drink it for one week, you will notice a distinct change in the sharpness of your mind.

Hack Of Week

The perfect mash: Potatoes are a super popular, much-loved staple of many pantries and are also an undervalued ingredient. But not by chef Marco Pierre White. Mastering the basics, such as a silky potato mash, will give home cooks the building blocks to take on bigger challenges.

A hint from the chef himself: use baked, not boiled, potatoes.

“I bake potatoes in tin foil on a bed of salt,” he explains.

Once baked, leave them wrapped until ready to serve the rest of the meal. Then, scoop the flesh into a bowl, add olive oil, salt and chopped parsley and smash it with a fork.

White also brings the butter to room temperature before incorporating it. “It knocks the heat out otherwise”.

Got to try this one!

Meal Plan This Week

Recipes To Help You Through The Festive Week

Avial

avial onam sadya

Ingredients

For Coconut Masala Paste

  • 1 Cup Coconut cut into small pieces- fresh/desiccated
  • 1 Tsp Cumin ( jeera)
  • 4 Green chillis
  • Water as needed to blend it

For Curry (go with all or some of these vegetables)

  • ½ Ashgourd, cubed
  • ½ Cup Indian Cucumber diced
  • 5 Green Beans chopped
  • 10 Ivy Gourd (Tindora/Kundri) chopped
  • 1 Raw Banana chopped
  • 1 Carrot chopped
  • ½ Cup Elephant Foot Yam (Suran/ Jimikand)
  • 1 Drumstick chopped
  • Handful of Curry Leaves (Kadhi Patta)
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ Tsp Turmeric powder (Haldi)
  • 1 Tsp Coconut Oil
  • ½ Cup Sour Curd (Dahi)

For Tempering

  • 2 Tsp Coconut Oil  or any other oil
  • 1 Tsp Mustard Seeds (Kali Rai)
  • ½ Tsp White Urad Dal
  • 2 Dried Red Chillies
  • Curry leaves
  • Pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)

Method

  • Put the coconut, cumin and green chillies in a blender. Add water and blend to smooth paste. Keep aside
  • In a large kadai, cook the potatoes in saltwater. Add the vegetables of your choice.
  • Add curry leaves, turmeric and mix well.
  • Cover and cook the vegetables for about 7 -8 minutes or till they are well cooked.
  • Add the coconut masala to the vegetables and boil for another 5 minutes.
  • Switch off the gas and add the sour curd.
  • For the tempering, heat the oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal, dried red chilis, curry leaves and asafoetida. Let it start spluttering.
  • Pour the tempering on the avial and mix well.
  • Serve with plain rice.

Olan

olan recipe onam sadya

Image Source: https://coconutcraze.files.wordpress.com

This is a non-spicy kid-friendly dish that is part of Onamsadya.  No Kerala feast is complete without Olan on the menu. Traditionally red cowpeas are used, but if you don’t have them, black-eyed beans or lobia can also be used. The green chillies only impart flavour and do not add spiciness to the dish.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium-sized Ashgourd/Yellow Pumpkin (Kumbalanga/Kaddu)
  • 2-3 Green Chillies slit
  • 1 Cup Coconut Milk
  • 1/4 Cup Cow Peas ( Red Lobia) / Black Eyed Beans (Black-eyed Lobia)
  • 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
  • Handful of Curry Leaves
  • Salt as per taste

Method

  • Cut the pumpkin into fine slices.
  • In a pressure cooker boil the peas/ beans with salt as required.
  • Once the peas are cooked, add the pumpkin slices and slit green chilli. Boil for 3-5 minutes.
  • Add coconut milk and bring to boil.
  • Switch off the gas. Sprinkle in the curry leaves and coconut oil.
  • Mix it well. Cover and let it infuse for a few minutes before serving it with white rice.

Paruppu Payasam

paruppu payasam onam

Image Source: http://cdn2.foodviva.com

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Moong Dal
  • 1 1/4 Cup Water
  • 3/4 Cup Jaggery Powder
  • 1 Cup Milk
  • 1 Tsp Almonds – chopped
  • 4-6 Raisins
  • 1 Tsp Cardamom powder

Method

  • Dry roast the moong dal in a heated pan until the raw smell goes away and the dal starts to change its colour.
  • Put it into a sieve and rinse it with water.
  • Put the washed moong dal in a pressure cooker, add a cup of water and pressure cook it for up to 2 whistles and allow it to cool.
  • Meanwhile, put jaggery powder in a heated pan and add 1/4 cup of water and allow it to cook until the jaggery melts.
  • Remove it from the gas and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
  • Open the lid of the cooker and mix the dal well.
  • Put the gas back on and add milk to the dal mix. Bring it to a boil.
  • Add the jaggery syrup and mix well.
  • Cook for 7-10 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Put the chopped almonds, raisins and cardamom powder and mix well.
  • Serve it hot.

Papad Sabzi

Image Source: www.archanaskitchen.com/

Ingredients

  • 1 gooseberry-sized Tamarind soaked
  • 4-5 pieces of small Papad torn
  • 2 Tbsp Sambhar Powder
  • 1 Tsp Mustard Seeds/ Kali Rai
  • 1-2 Dry Red Chillies
  • Salt
  • Pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
  • 1 Tsp Methi/ Fenugreek Seeds
  • Handful Curry Leaves
  • A bit of Jaggery/ Gur
  • 1-2 Tbsp Rice Flour
  • 1 Tbsp Haldi
  • Oil

Method

  • In a kadai, fry the papad pieces (don’t deep fry them).
  • Ensure the papad pieces are small crescent shaped and not too big.
  • Remove from hat
  • Heat a little oil and add the mustard seeds.
  • Once it starts spluttering add a pinch of asafoetida, dry red chillies, methi seeds and curry leaves.
  • Add in the tamarind extract along with 1 cup of water.
  • After it boils well, add the fried papad pieces.
  • Mix in the salt, haldi, and sambhar powder.
  • Once it boils well and you can smell sambhar powder, add a pinch of jaggery.
  • Prepare a small mixture of rice flour mixed in water and add to bring in the desired consistency. (It should come to sambhar-like consistency).
  • Mix it with hot rice and ghee and serve with any fried sabzi or with curd rice.

Puffed Rice Porridge

Ingredients (feeds 2)

  • 1 Large Ripe Banana
  • Sprinkle of Cinnamon
  • 1 Cup Brown Puffed Rice Cereal/ Murmure/ Muri
  • 1 Cup Almond Milk
  • Light Brown Sugar, To Taste

Method

  • Reserve about an inch from the end of the banana, leaving the peel on and blend the rest of it with the almond milk. If you don’t have a blender you can just mash it with a fork.
  • Next, tip the puffed rice in. As it sinks in, sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar over it as per your taste.

Tip: Try this with natural low fat yoghurt too, for a change. It tastes really good.

Rava Uttapam 

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Rava
  • Oil
  • 1 Tsp Baking Soda
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 Cup Curd
  • 1 chopped Onion
  • Coriander Leaves
  • 1 chopped Tomato

Method

  • In a bowl put rava, curd and salt. Mix and keep it aside for 20 minutes.
  • Add a spoon of baking soda to the batter.
  • Heat a tava and pour a little oil.
  • Drop a ladle of batter on the tava and top it with chopped vegetables
  • Cook it on both sides.
  • Your uttapam is ready to serve with coconut chutney and sambhar or coriander chutney.

Puffed Rice Upma

Ingredients

  • 4 Cups Puff Rice – Kurmura/Mumra/Moori
  • 1/2 Cup Tomato chopped
  • 1/2 Cup Cucumber chopped
  • Coriander For Garnishing
  • 1/2 Cup Carrots grated (optional)
  • 1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tsp roasted Channa Dal Powder (blend handful of roasted Channa Dal or Daria in a food processor to powder it)
  • 1 Tbsp Oil for tempering
  • 1/2 Tsp Mustard Seeds (Black Rai)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
  • Then, 1/4 Tsp Chilli Powder ( optional)
  • 1/2 Tsp Cumin (Jeera)
  • Few Curry Leaves (Kari Patta)
  • 1 Green Chilli chopped (optional)
  • 1/2 Cup Onions chopped (optional)

Method

  • Soak the puffed rice in a broad vessel filled with water for 10 minutes.
  • Heat the pan on low flame. Put oil in the pan and then add jeera and mustard seeds.
  • Wait for it to start spluttering and then add the curry leaves, chopped green chilli, chopped onions, grated carrot, cucumber & tomato. Mix it well and add a little salt. Let it cook for 2 minutes.
  • Squeeze the water out of the puffed rice by pressing it between your palms and keep it aside.
  • Add the turmeric powder, channa dal powder and chilli powder (optional). Mix it all up well.
  • Add the puffed rice, salt and lemon juice. Toss all together on high flame for a minute and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
  • Serve it with a Turkish fig and a few almonds. Enjoy this wholesome and healthy breakfast with your family.

Bajra Cookies Makes: 16 Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/8 Cup Palm Sugar
  • (pearl millet) 1 Cup Bajra Flour
  • 1/3 Cup Coconut Oil, solidified in the fridge
  • 1½ Tsp Cardamom Powder
  • ¼ Cup Walnut Paste
  • 1 Tbsp Orange Zest

Method

  • Whisk the bajra flour, palm sugar, cardamom powder and orange zest together.
  • Add the walnut paste and coconut oil and rub into the mixture with light hands. Be careful that you do not transfer too much heat into the dough.
  • Create small balls, less than 1 inch in diameter.
  • Place on a baking sheet and press down slightly with the back of a fork, creating impressions.
  • Place the tray in the fridge for 10 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 160° C.
  • Place the cold cookies in the oven for around 10 to 13 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and cool slightly before removing it from the tray.

Note: To make walnut paste, pulse down 1/3 cup of walnuts until you achieve a paste

Note 2: It is recommended to have each ingredient cold or refrigerated for at least 10-15 mins prior.

Ragi Cereal Pancakes

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Ragi Flour
  • 2 Tbsp Arrowroot starch/Cornflour 
  • 1 Tsp Baking Powder 
  • Pinch of salt 
  • 1 ripe Banana 
  • 1 Flax Egg (1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp water) or 1 Egg
  • 2 Tbsp Coconut oil/ melted Butter
  • 2 Tbsp Coconut/ Cow Milk 
  • 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon 
  • 2-3 Tbsp Coconut Sugar/ Jaggery 

Method

  • Remove and replace 2 Tbsp of Ragi flour from the 1 cup of flour with arrowroot starch.
  • Blend all the ingredients in a mixer jar, add a splash of water if needed to get the batter right.
  • Here I have filled the batter in a sauce dispenser and made cereal pancakes. 
  • Serve it with bananas, freshly grated coconut and a nut butter date caramel. 

Oats Chocolate Modak

Oats Chocolate Modak

Image Source: timesupdate.com

Ingredients: 

  • ½ Cup Finely Chopped Dark Chocolate
  • ½ Cup Oats
  • Nuts finely chopped for garnish
  • ¼ Cup Milk
  • ¼ Cup Crushed Digestive Biscuits

Method:

  • In a non-stick pan, heat milk and chocolate till it gets a smooth ribbon-like consistency.
  • Add the oats, crushed biscuits into the chocolate mixture and knead to form a soft dough.
  • Cool the dough in a refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.
  • Shape into modak and serve with finely chopped dry fruits.
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