Chef Ranveer Brar takes the breakfast staples, idlis and parathas, and transforms them into the ideal tiffin treats that are fun to look at and yummy to eat.
Photographs: Kind courtesy Hershey India
Strawberry and Chocolate Parathas
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- ¼ cup strawberry syrup
- 1/3 cup chocolate syrup
- ¼ cup ragi or finger millet flour
- ¼ + ½ cup aata or whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup beetroot juice
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp ghee
- ½ cup grated cheese
- Few mint leaves
- Water, if required
- Honey, optional
Method
For the chocolate parathas
- In a bowl, mix the ¼ cup ragi and the ¼ cup wheat flour.
Add the chocolate syrup, ghee and knead into a firm dough.
Add water if required.
For the strawberry parathas
- In a bowl, mix ½ cup wheat flour with the strawberry syrup, beetroot juice, ghee and knead into firm dough.
Add water if required.
- Roll out the chocolate and strawberry parathas.
- Heat a tava over medium heat.
Drizzle some ghee and cook the parathas, one at a time.
Flip so it cooks evenly.
Once all the parathas are cooked, garnish with grated cheese and mint leaves.
If you like, you can makes shapes with the parathas and use it as decoration.
Drizzle honey or ghee, if preferred, and serve warm.
Note: For a sugarfree recipe, use sugarfree strawberry and chocolate syrup, available online.
To make this recipe vegan, use oil instead of ghee and skip the cheese.
Emoji Idlis
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- ¼ cup strawberry syrup
- 1/3 cup chocolate syrup
- 1 bowl idli batter
- 1 cup rice flour, if required
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ cup beetroot juice
For the idli batter
- ¼ cup urad dal
- ¼ tsp methi or fenugreek seeds
- 1 cup white or brown rice
- ½ cup poha
- Salt to taste
- Water
Method
- Wash and soak the urad dal, fenugreek seeds and the white/brown rice separately.
Drain the water from the urad dal.
Add ¼ cup water and grind together with the fenugreek seeds in wet grinder.
Keep aside.
- Now grind the poha in a mixer/blender into a fine powder.
Mix with the urad dal batter.
- Drain the water from the white/brown rice and grind in the wet grinder.
Add ½- ¾ cup water while grinding.
Mix all the batters together.
Add salt, mix again thoroughly.
The batter should be thick in consistency.
Ferment the batter in a large bowl in a warm place for 4-5 hours.
Once the batter is fermented, give a good stir.
- Separate into three equal parts in separate bowls.
In the first part of the batter, add a little beetroot juice and the strawberry syrup.
Mix well.
Add the rice flour if needed to thicken the batter.
Divide the second part of the batter into two bowls.
In one bowl, add a little beetroot juice and the strawberry syrup.
Mix well.
In another bowl, add the chocolate syrup and the cocoa powder.
Mix well.
Make two cones from butter paper or use piping bags.
Fill the strawberry flavoured batter in one cone, and the chocolate flavoured batter in the other.
Keep aside.
Keep the third part of the batter as it is.
- Heat water in an idli steamer.
Grease the idli moulds with oil.
Pour the strawberry batter into few of the idli moulds.
Pour the white batter into the rest.
Steam the idlis to steam over medium heat.
Once the idlis are cooked about 75 per cent (about 10 minutes), open the steamer and then using the piping bag batter make emojis on the idlis.
On the white idlis, use the strawberry batter, and on the strawberry idlis, use the chocolate batter.
Wipe the idli steamer lid and put the idlis back to cook fully for about 5-10 minutes.
Take off heat and let the idlis cool slightly before removing them from the mould.
Serve warm with chutney and sambar.
Note: For a sugarfree recipe, use sugarfree strawberry and chocolate syrup, available online.
Chef Ranveer Brar is an author, MasterChef India judge and restaurateur with over 25 years of experience in the food industry.