10. Herb Bread

Bread is one of those breakfast staples that we can't do without. The trade of the baker is one of the oldest crafts in the world. In the British Museum's Egyptian galleries you can see actual loaves which were made and baked over 5000 years ago. You don't need to go back in time to have these fresh mini loaves on your breakfast table! 

You'd be blown away by how easy this herb bread is: there's no kneading! Yes, you heard it right, no kneading. You just stir the dough with a wooden spoon until the dough stops sticking to the sides and let the resting of the dough do all the work to produce air spaces for poofy bread.


Ingredients
1 tsp yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg, whisked
2 cups bread flour
3 tbsp margarine
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried dill

1. Stir together the yeast, sugar and warm milk. You don't have to leave it to be frothy.
2. Mix the egg into the yeast mixture.
3. Add the flour into the liquid ingredients and stir till combined.
4. Once combined, add in margarine, salt and dry herbs. Keep stirring with the wooden spoon till the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Leave it covered to rest in a warm spot for 1 1/2 hours (this may depend on weather conditions, if it is a rainy or cold day, leave it for 2 hours).
6. After resting, punch the air out of the dough and divide into 8 equal portions.
7. Roll out a portion of the dough into a ribbon and roll it back into a sausage shape, twisting in the ends and pinching any open seams. Repeat with the rest of the portions.
8. Place in a tray lined with baking paper and leave it covered to rest for another 30 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Brush egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp milk) on the top of the loaves and sprinkle toppings of your choice (chili flakes, poppy seeds, etc., this is optional, if you like plain bread leave it with only the egg wash).
10. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top looks golden brown.

And walla! You have wonderful herb bread in just a few hours with very little labor on your part. As the smell of baking bread wafts through the kitchen, family members will be scrambling for breakfast. You can have it toasted with butter or even on its own. Deliciously savory in every way, it's one foolproof recipe that will get you baking this again and again.

9. Vazhakkai Podimas (Stir Fried Plantain)

Vazhakkai Podimas or Stir Fried Plantain is a very simple and healthy recipe prepared with raw bananas. It does not require much oil or ingredients and can be prepared very quickly. It also tastes delicious as a side dish with rice. 

Plantain is a vegetable that is used not only in Indian cooking but in many parts of Asia and Africa as well. It's a starchy vegetable (think unripe bananas, bananas contain carbohydrates a.k.a. fructose, a by product of starch once bananas ripen). Being quite bland on its own, it absorbs flavors well so you can tinker with a variety of flavorings, sauces and condiments.

The long and tortuous history of plantain can be traced back to as early as 500 B.C. It is of South East Asian origin, mostly in Malaysia and Indonesia. This food item was introduced into India by traders. Plantain and banana trade along with yam and other food crops became a very important factor in the wealth, prosperity and rapid expansion of the Bantu Kingdom of central and southern Africa around 1500 AD. 

Plantains may look like the average green banana, but it is chock full of healthy vitamins, minerals and fiber that are essential to our body. One plantain supplies several grams of fiber to our diet thus preventing constipation by keeping your intestinal tract working the way it should.

Surprisingly, plantains also have vitamin C, a common vitamin found in most orange-colored fruits and veggies like carrots and citrus fruits. Consuming enough vitamin C helps our body fight off infections that can lead to sickness and also promotes healthy gums, teeth and skin. 

8. Mulanggi Chutney (White Radish Chutney)

Chutneys in Indian cuisine is a condiment that is found almost daily on the plate. Providing a plethora of flavors, salty to sweet to sour to spicy, it makes for a great dip for dosas (fermented rice pancakes) or idlys (fermented steamed rice cakes). It can also work as a delicious sandwich spread! For kids who find it difficult to stomach vegetables, especially radish with its strong sulphurous smell, this is one dish that ill get radishes many vitamins into their bodies.

So where did this delicious condiment famous the world over actually originate from? Chutney originated over 2000 years ago on the Indian subcontinent on the form of a sauce or paste made from fresh ingredients. Chutney was eventually adopted by the Romans and then the British.

Though radish is an acquired taste, it has been around for sometime in food history. Radishes enter the historical record in 3rd century BC. Greek and Roman agriculturists of the 1st century AD gave details of small, large, round, long, mild, and sharp varieties. The large, mild and white East Asian form was developed in China, but is mostly associated in the West with the Japanese daikon, owing to Japanese agricultural development and larger exports. 

Radishes are chock full of health benefits. Radish is one of the many cruciferous vegetables containing several great antioxidants associated with fighting free radical damage, a known cause of cancer. Besides that, radishes can act as a diuretic, helping the kidney discharge excess water.