Porridge : Healthy, Low Calorie, Wholesome Breakfast

Husband enjoying Poha, Porridge and Sweet lime juice in breakfast.

Porridge is an easily digestible wheat and milk preparation which can be taken for breakfast.My recommendation for a whole some breakfast is :

• One serving (200 ml.)Porridge.
• 0ne Boiled egg / Two serving   Poha/upama 
• One serving fruits (seasonal)/ fresh fruit juice 120 ml.

You can see Poha and Upama recipe in :

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/poharoasted-pound-rice-cooked-with.html, http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/upama-salty-semi-dry-low-calori.html

This breakfast will provide  protein, carbohydrates,vitamins, and useful fat. I write this blog to fulfill my son in-law's demand., so he better follow it or else......

 Preparation Time : 30 min.
Cooking Time : 10 - 15 min.
Servings : 6 large servings


Material required for Porridge : -

• 100 gm. Wheat
• 500 ml. Milk.
• Sugar to taste.
• 100 ml. Water.

Direction To Make Porridge : - 

• Keep a wok on high flame and when hot put wheat in it and roast till the wheat turn brownish.

 

Roasted Wheat

• Grind the roasted wheat to coarse powder.

Roasted Wheat ground to coarse powder

• Take Milk in a pan and add roasted ground wheat to it and keep the pan on gas, on high flame.

Milk and Wheat powder being cooked together to make Dalia.

• Stir occasionally and cook Till wheat powder and milk make a fine homogenous broth, it will take 5 min. after the milk starts boiling.

• Add 50 - 100 ml. water in between to get the porridge of required thickness and cook for 5 min. 
• Remove from gas and add sugar.

Dalia(Porridge)

 Enjoy it with boiled egg. poha/upama/idly fresh fruits/fresh fruit juice.
Tips : -

• For those who intend to loose weight sugar should be avoided, egg white should be consumed, egg yolk should be discarded.
• Canned juices are not good for loosing weight so avoid them as far as possible and take fresh fruits if you find it cumbersome to make fresh juice at home.
• Since milk and fruits have got sugar in them so avoid sugar as far as possible.

Suggested Variations:

• In market coarsely ground wheat for porridge is available which is not roasted. Cook it in pressure cooker.
• For change of taste wheat can be replaced by roasted Semolina( suji) 
•  Dry fruits can be added to the porridge.

Roti/Chapati / Phulka (An Indian bread, no oil, dry so low on calories)

Roti / Chapati / Phulka

Rotis are main dish in northern, eastern, western,and central India. When I first started making them in my kitchen they used to be of all shapes and size except for round, which is what they are supposed to be :). But now of course they come out round and fluffy which my family and I enjoy with all type of vegetables and curries.My hubby dear takes credit for teaching me how to get them round ! Ha ha do not believe him :).

Preparation time: 5 min. 
Cooking time: 15 min.
Servings: From 200gm. Atta total 15- 20 Rotis can be made. 

Ingredients Required

• 250 gm. Atta( wheat flour)
• Water

 Directions for Making Dough for Roti / Chapati / Phulka:
http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2012/12/making-dough-for-roti-and-paratha-dough.html

Atta (Dough)

Direction for Making Roti / Chapati / Phulka:

• Take 50 gm. of atta and keep on a plate.
• Make 15 - 20 small balls from the dough. 

Dough ball for chapati

• Sprinkle dry flour on the dough ball and place it at the center of rolling board.

• Roll and flatten it  using rolling pin, sprinkle some dry flour if required.
  

  

  Dough ball rolled

• Heat the Tawa ( flat pan with out side walls) on the gas and put the rolled chapati on.
  

  

  Rolled dough for roti on hot tawa

• Cook it on both sides by turning it upside down with the flame on medium heat.

Cooked on one side

• When the color of chapati starts changing turn it and cook on the other side till small golden brown dots start appearing.

Other side also cooked till brown dots appear

• When done on both sides put it directly on flame and quickly turn it , the roti will swell and become fluffy or press it gently with a clean dry cloth from the sides. Chapati will puff.
• Turn to the other side and cook for 2-3 sec. 

Roti being cooked on gas flame

• Puffed soft chapati is ready.

Roti / Chapati / Phulka

Tips:

• The dough should be soft else the chapatis will come out hard not soft.

• The tawa should be neither smoking hot nor luke warm before placing the rolled chapati on it. It should.

• Keep the cooked chapatis in a clean cloth in a container to make sure the moisture of chapati is retained in them.

Suggested Variations:

• Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the flour before making the dough.

• 1/2Teaspoon caraway seeds can be added to the flour along with salt before kneading.