From our moms to health and fitness experts around the world, everyone would agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For starters, it is the first meal you have after fasting the entire night (break-fast, get it?). Secondly it is the only meal you have, if you’re studying or working, until noon which means that how your first half of the day goes is entirely dependent on what you eat and how healthy it is for you.
But, when we say breakfast dishes, most of you just think about bread, cereals, aloo-gobhi paranthas or idlis, right? With the same options day-after-day, we know it’s not easy to get excited for this “most important meal.” India being such a rich and diverse country, why not add a bit of this diversity to your Breakfast as well.
So, it’s time to stop telling yourself that the giant cup of coffee is the ‘breakfast of champions’ because here are 7 healthy breakfast dishes from all over India that will actually make your day better.
1. Bajra Khichdi from Rajasthan
Bajra Khichdi is one of the staple breakfast dishes from Rajasthan. Pearl millet, or bajra, has many qualities like improving digestion, building immunity, and being rich in nutrients like magnesium, iron, and B vitamins. It also increases warmth in your body due to the high content of carbohydrates, making it ideal for the cold mornings.
Here’s a simple and easy Bajra Khichdi recipe video we found just for you. To make this khichdi in a cooker you will need:
- ½ cup Bajra that has been soaked overnight
- 2 tsp ghee/oil
- 1 tsp cumin (jeera)
- 2 chopped green chillies
- 2 inch ginger
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 medium sized chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup moong dal that has been soaked for an hour
- Your choice of vegetables like carrot, peas, broccoli
- 1-½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander (dhaniya) powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- Chopped coriander leaves
Start by sautéing jeera, green chili, ginger and onion in oil or ghee in the cooker, until your onion turns a little brown. Then add all the vegetables one by one. If you’re starting with tomatoes, do give them time to soften before adding the rest. Add the spices, red chili, haldi, and dhaniya powder according to taste. Finally add the bajra and moong dal with adequate cups of water, which then can be left in the cooker to cook properly. Alternate the flame intensity as needed. Let the cooked bajra khichdi cool off for 30 minutes before opening the lid to serve with freshly chopped coriander.
Bajra khichdi is one of the easier meals that even beginners can make, so if you’ve been looking to start cooking, this is a perfect dish for you to begin with.
2. Thalipeeth from Maharashtra
Thalipeeth is a multigrain roti made from grains, spices, and vegetables, so it’s basically an entire meal in one. Not only is it rich in protein, fiber, and other essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals, but it also tastes delicious.
While scouting the net, we found this simple, quick and healthy Thalipeeth recipe video for you. Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the dough:
- 3-4 green chilies chopped
- 10-12 cloves of garlic
- ½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup jowar flour
- ½ cup bajra flour
- ½ cup gram flour (besan)
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour (gehun)
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 1 tsp coriander (dhaniya) powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 large onion chopped
- Coriander freshly chopped
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds (safed til)
- Water
- 1 tsp oil
- Ghee as required
Using a mortar and pestle or a mixer, crush green chilies, garlic, jeera, and salt together to make a paste. In another bowl, add jowar flour, bajra flour, gram flour, whole wheat flour, and rice flour with salt, dhaniya powder, haldi, kashmiri red chili powder and also the paste you’d made. Finally add onion, coriander, white sesame seeds and mix them properly. Now start adding water and a little oil, and knead until it turns into a soft dough. Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth for 5-10 minutes.
For the cooking process, start by placing another wet muslin cloth on the chakla and keep a pan on the stove to heat. Take small dough balls and make rotis out of them. Once it’s shaped, make a few holes on it with your fingertip. On the heated pan, add a few drops of ghee and wipe it with a cloth so the dough doesn’t stick. Now, without removing the dough, pick up the muslin cloth from the upper two corners and place the dough face down on the pan. Remove the muslin cloth and add ghee or oil in the holes you’d made and around the thalipeeth. Then cover it with a lid and let it cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes. Then remove the lid and flip it onto the other side, adding the ghee again in the holes. There’s no need to cover it this time as it just needs to be cooked on a medium high flame for another two minutes until it’s ready. Simply enjoy with some low-fat curd and aachar!
3. Neer Dosa from Karnataka
Craving quintessential breakfast dishes from South India? Neer (it means water) Dosa is a crepe made from rice flour, served with coconut chutney or sambar. It may be a lightweight dish, but is full of healthy fats, protein, carbs and also has iron, magnesium and calcium. The process of making it is also easier than that of a regular dosa, and a great meal for when you want to go easy on your stomach.
Here’s what you’ll need for Neer Dosa recipe that we have found for you:
- 1 cup rice
- 2-3 tsp grated coconut
- 2-3 tsp refined oil
- ½ tsp salt
- Water
(Yup, that’s it!)
Start making the batter by adding the rice into a mixer after you remove the extra water. Add coconut, a little water and grind it into a paste. Now pour into a separate bowl, add salt, and start mixing as you add more water until the batter has a very thin consistency.
To cook the batter, add a little oil on a heated pan and wipe it with a paper towel. Add the batter with the help of a serving spoon or a small bowl and move the pan so the batter covers the whole surface. Pour a little oil on the edges and cook until the corners start separating from the pan which takes 2 minutes. It only needs to be cooked on one side.
The entire process takes 10 minutes, so it one of those quick breakfast dishes for you to enjoy while in the rush to go to work in the morning.
4. Sattu Paratha from Bihar
Speaking of traditional breakfast dishes across India, we cannot skip this one from Bihar. Sattu powder is made from roasted grains like barley or chickpea. Since it regulates your blood sugar, Sattu Paratha, is a go-to item for diabetics. It also helps keep your stomach cooled down and hence promotes a healthy bowel movement. It also has a high protein level and rich iron content.
Here’s a Sattu Paratha recipe we found for you, and what all you will need:
For stuffing:
- 2 cups roasted gram flour (sattu)
- green chili chopped
- 2 tsp garlic
- ⅓ cup onion
- 1 tsp ginger
- 3 tsp coriander leaves (dhaniya)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
- ½ tsp nigella seeds (black jeera)
- 1 tsp any pickle
- Salt to taste
- 2 tsp mustard oil (sarson ka tel)
For the dough:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
- ½ tsp salt
- Water or oil as needed
To make the stuffing of the paratha, add sattu flour, garlic, coriander leaves, green chilies, ginger, and onion. Add ajwain, black jeera, lemon juice, pickle, salt to taste, mustard oil, and mix them with your hands. There’s no need to add water.
In a separate bowl, add atta, salt, and mix it with water and oil to knead it into your dough. Cover it with a lid and let it be for 15 minutes. The dough should automatically be a little softer when you knead it again for a minute or so.
Take a little dough and use your palms to mold it into a sphere. Use your fingers to make a little cavity in it. The shape of it should resemble a tiny bowl. Add the stuffing in the middle, pressing it inside and start to seal the edges slowly. Shape it so that the stuffing is in the center of the sphere. Now you can put it on the chakla and use the rolling pin to press it into the shape of the paratha. Make sure it is not too thin.
Place the dough on an already heated pan and cook it on a medium flame. Apply ghee or oil on both sides until they turn golden brown.
Follow the video that also shares the recipe for a tomato chutney!
You might also like to read: Nutrition Expert shares how to make your breakfast healthy yet delicious for Indian diets
5. Idiyappam with Kurma from Kerala
Next on our list of breakfast dishes is a delicacy of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Idiyappam, or ‘string hoppers’, are made up of rice flour and grated coconut, making it naturally gluten-free. It is also a great source of dietary fiber and is easy to digest. Idiyappam contains vitamin E which is an essential nutrient for good skin. When served with kurma, a vegetable stew with coconut milk, it can make for one of the most fulfilling meals to start your day with.
Morning is a rush time, which is why we found a quick Idiyappam with Kurma recipe video.
For Kurma:
- 2 tsp oil
- 4 Cardamom (elaichi) pods
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves (laung)
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1-1 ½ tsp salt
- 4 onions sliced
- 2 green chilies chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic chopped
- Few curry leaves (kadi patta)
- 1 carrot chopped
- 1 potato chopped
- ½ cup peas
- 6 beans chopped
- 2 cups coconut milk (thin)
- 1 ½ cups coconut milk (thick)
For Idiyappam:
- 2 cups rice flour roasted
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp oil
Additional tools that are needed:
- 1 mold with small holes
- 1 murukku maker
- 1 steamer
For the kurma, add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, pepper in oil and saute them on a low flame. Once it turns aromatic, add onion, green chilis, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and stir for a while. Then add carrot, potato, peas, beans and salt according to taste. Saute until the vegetables are crunchy. After that, add thin coconut milk, and close the lid to let it boil for around 8 minutes. Finally add the thick coconut milk and mix properly to have it ready.
For the Idiyappam, prepare the dough of rice flour and salt. In a separate clean pot, boil water with a little oil which then has to be added in batches to the flour to be mixed. Repeat this process, kneading the moist flour as well, until you have non-sticky dough. Grease the murukku maker with oil, and add the dough into it so you can get the noodles. Once you have them on an already greased plate, you can place them inside the steamer for 10 minutes until they’re ready.
This recipe will make sure you have the sweet aromas floating in your home early in the morning.
6. Thepla with Methi from Gujarat
One of the most popular and breakfast dishes of India, Theplas are high in fiber and rich in vitamin B-complex. And, when made with fenugreek (methi) it is also rich in magnesium and calcium. It is a meal that helps control your portions since even a few of them can satiate your hunger well. Usually paired with pickle or curd, this can be one of the tastiest dishes that you can make for breakfast.
Ingredients that you will need for Methi Thepla recipe:
- Freshly washed fenugreek leaves (methi) chopped
- Carom seeds (ajwain)
- ½ – 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1½ tsp Sesame seeds (til)
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder (haldi)
- A pinch of asafoetida (heeng)
- 2 spoonful Curd
- Salt
- 4 tsp white oil
- Green chilies
- White oil
- Whole wheat flour (atta)
- Water
To prepare the masala for the dough, start by crushing the green chilis in a mortar pestle till they turn into a paste. Add a little quantity of it, according to the spice level that you want, into a clean bowl with the freshly washed methi leaves. Add salt, ajwain, red chili powder, til, haldi, heeng, dahi and oil. Mix it well. Add atta to the mixture, along with water and a little oil as needed, and knead it until it forms your dough.
Once your dough is ready, you need to follow the regular method of making a roti. Take some dough to make a tiny sphere. Use the chakla and belan to press it into the shape of a roti. Have a heated pan ready to cook your thepla, adding oil to the edges and on the surface of it.
Within 15-20 minutes, authentic Gujarati Methi ke Thepla will be ready for you to gorge on.
7. Pesarattu Upma from Andhra Pradesh
Last on our list is a dish that resembles a taco but is way more healthy. This is one of those weekend breakfast dishes when you have time on your hand and want to indulge your taste buds a bit more. Pesarattu Upma is made by combining two dishes – dosa and upma. The batter of the dosa is made up of green moong dal and rice, making it high in fiber and protein. Along with generous levels of potassium and calcium, it also has a low fat content. The upma is made from urad dal that is well known for its vitamins and minerals that help improve immunity.
Here’s a recipe for Pesarattu Upma that we found for you, and for this you’ll need:
For the Dosa:
- 1 cup green moong dal soaked for 3 hours or more
- 1 tsp raw rice also soaked for 3 hours or more
- 2 tsp coriander leaves (dhaniya)
- 1 green chili
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- Water
- 1 onion chopped
For Upma:
- 2 tsp Oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 green chili chopped
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp urad dal split
- Few curry leaves (kadi patta)
- 1 inch garlic chopped
- A pinch of asafoetida (heeng)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup rava
- 3 cups water
- Ghee as needed
To make the batter of the dosa, add the dal and rice into a bowl after straining the water. Add coriander leaves, green chili, ginger, salt, and water. Blend it until it becomes a fine thick batter. Add onion and mix it well. Your batter is ready.
Start making the upma by adding oil to a pan placed on the stove. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and saute for 2 minutes. Then add onion, green chili, ginger, and cook it until the onion turns translucent. Next add heeng, salt, rava, and water. Cook for 5-7 minutes on a medium flame. Then add ghee and mix it well.
Cooking this requires adding batter on a heated pan, spreading it a little thin with the back of the spoon. Add ghee and cook on both sides. Add some upma on one half of it and then fold the pesarattu dosa in half. Your dish is ready.
After so many surveys have concluded that skipping, or even picking a junk food alternative for breakfast is detrimental to health, there are no excuses for not doing what’s best for your body and your overall well-being. Your body supports you through your long work days, your exhausting shopping trips, and your late night binge watch sessions. It is only fair that you indulge it too with some delicious and healthy breakfast dishes.
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