ರಾಗಿ ಮಣ್ಣಿ/Finger Millet Halwa

Ragi/Millet is most well known for its rich calcium content than any other cereals. In South India it is the most common food fed for growing children. This is even given as one of first cereals to babies for its rich nutrition filled with calcium and iron and protein content. Moreover it is easily digestible from young age to old age even suitable for diabetic patients due to its low sugar content. It is also considered as a poor man’s food too due to its low price compared with other grains available.

Though the nutritious content many of them do not love this as one of the common daily food due to the bland taste or due to not knowing how to make use of them in the right way. I have tried several ways to make use of this grains in our daily food but somehow it has still been a rarely used grain. Making kids love the food has taken the top priority and though there are several ways of cooking Ragi like Ragi Malt, Ragi Roti, Dose, Ragi Mudde, Ragi Kai Unde… Ragi Manni is one of the best ways that my kids love which forms a semi solid state and feel of taste is similar to jelly.

All you need

Ragi - 2 cups

Jaggery - 4 cups

coconut grated - 1 cup

cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

salt if required

Method

• Soak Ragi for 3-4 hrs after washing cleanly
• Grind Ragi with adequate quantity of water
• Strain the liquid and grind the pulp again with 1 cup water
• Strain the liquid again, straining the milk from Ragi must be done 2-3 times until the milk goes very light. Discard the millet pulp
• Heat Jaggery with half cup water until dissolved and strain to remove any dirt
• Add the Jaggery solution to the milk extract from ground millet
• grind grated coconut to extract the milk about half cup
• Add the coconut milk to the Jaggery+ Ragi milk and keep on medium flame stirring now and then
• The Ragi will start to form slight lumps as you keep stirring the whole liquid will form as a smooth lumpy halwa consistency.
• Now add a tbsp of ghee and cardamom powder stir well
• Remove from fire and spread on a plate greased with ghee
• Let it cool or alternately you can refrigerate for half an hour
• Now the halwa would have set and ready to cut and serve.

note: This can also be made from Whole Wheat/ Raw Rice

I am back….

Dear friends hope all of you enjoyed the new year! We had a wonderful vacation with a mixture of climatic changes, it was total relaxing yet full of fun filled time . We are still at the verge of getting adjusted to the normal routine. .. as school started

Coming to blogging and my kitchen galore what i bought ? The few that were in my mind a couple of cook books and eyed on a new kitchen supplement Roti Maker.

It was just the day before we started from Bangalore I bought the Roti maker. With all the enthusiastic mind the very evening I wanted to try making Rotis, as I already had left over dough from the morning Chapatis. So thought of giving a try. To my very disappointment it turned out just like hard jowar bakaris :0. O lol I thought this is not what I want I was totally upset, but the next morning again never to let it go tried another hand trying to figure out what’s wrong to my horror it never tuned out as I imagined it thick small and hard. Without a second mind we called up Jaipan and requested for immediate demo as I was at the verge why the hell i need to take it if it does not work well. After call over call at last they agreed to send someone by evening.It was evening and my wait continued as we packed to leave for the night flight. A middle aged man arrived saying he has been having experience in the last 10 yrs. I had never prepared the dough but wanted to see from the scratch. So there goes he prepared the dough like the lost experience way. The dough was soft and sticky. Placed the ball of dough and i see the ‘Phulkas’ blow up wow i thought so big and so good :). At last I was satisfied felt its after all i did not made a bad choice. I realised the dough should be very smooth and we should be fast enough to press the dough to get satisfied result.

Coming to food blogging I will try to be back soon with interesting food world once I get hold of it. Sunday we had a simple lunch with kids favourite tomato rice have a look at it

Going on a real…..Break…

Sorry for keeping away substantially. This weekend we are flying to India for a real break. I thought its time a pen down before I leave.  For the last one month we were engaged in several other things going on and with that arrangements of tickets shopping which is yet i haven’t settled. This is a never ending until the time to fly comes i never realise i do not have time now pheeew…… My kids are really excited to visit their grandparents, cousins, friends of all this time we are flying with our friends which has become even the more exciting. My little son just is imagining how it is to fly with the curiosity and the innocense of his queries is real a world of dreams, I wish the time stands still now to see his innocense for ever which is what can never be captured but can never be stopped.

My shopping list is going on the swing….., the savories to eat is never ending…… . I always have a the great feeling which can never be described in words once the flight lands its just a elegant feeling to step on your homeland…. i think this everyone feels. i have lot more to pen down which is never ending…. Miss all of you keep blogging and will be back capturing memories and photos to come…I have missed a lot of events, blog hopping i hope to be back after New year till then

Wish you a very happy Christmas and a Happy and prosperous new year with eventfull blogging :).

ದೀಪಾವಳಿ ತಿಂಡಿಗಳು/Deepavali snacks

Coming back to blogging after a long break over the deepavali is like just landing after a jet lag. The weekend of deepavali was filled with fun and feast for us celebrating with family and friends it was overall a fun filled events and celebrations for kids.

From clockwise Rava laadu, Chakkali, mixture, kara sev, Shankar pole, karjikai, Suji cookies, dry fruit burfis

I would like to share the recipe for Mixture. Though many have their versions this is my version of masalas i used.
All you need
poha- 1/2 kg
groundnuts - 1/2 cup
split chick peas - 1/2 cup
curry leaves - 1/2 cup
raisins -1/2 cup
chilli powder - as per taste
sugar powder - 1 tbsp
salt - as required
fennel/saunf seeds - 1 tbsp
corainder seeds - 1tbsp
jeera seeds - 1 tbsp
oil for deep frying

Method:

• Deep fry poha using a strainer in a deep frying pan with oil
• deep fry rest of them groundnuts, chick peas, curry leaves
• Deep fry the coriander seeds, jeera seeds and fennel seeds strain and just pound them coarsely it must not be finely powdered
• Mix all the fried ingredients in a large pan adding salt, sugar, chilli powder well.
• Store in air tight jars can be used for 2 weeks or more.

Dry fruit Burfi

All you need

Cashew nuts chopped - 1 cup
Pistachios chopped - 1/4 cup
Almonds chopped - 1/4 cup
Grated desicated coconut - 1/8 cup
Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp
raisins - 1/4 cup
jaggery - 1 cups
ghee - 1 tbsp

Method

• Dry roast/bake cashews, almonds, and pistachois until lightly roasted
• Heat a tbsp of ghee add powdered jaggery  with 1 tbsp of water
• Let the jaggery reach a soft ball consistency for syrup
• Check the consistency by adding a drop of jaggery to cold water to form into soft balls
• Once the syrup reaches the consistency add all the dry fruits mix well
• pour it on a plate coated with ghee. Wait for a 5 mintues and cut into desired shapes.

Thanks a lot for all my friends who have left inspiring comments and asking about my well being. I am doing fine due to personal reasons i am not able to blog at present at the same time my laptop is at service. So i will be on short break until laptop is back to work. I will check on all my freinds please bear with me until then. Thanks for all the time wish you all a happy weekend

A Special thanks to Shilpa from Aayisrecipes for the stepwise rava ladoo which turned out fabulous.

ದೀಪಾವಳಿಯ ಶುಭಾಶಯ/Happy Diwali

ದೀಪಾವಳಿಯ ಹಾರ್ದಿಕ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು

 

ಬೂಂದಿ ಲಾಡು/Bhoondi Laddu

Happy navratri to one and all! hope all of you all enjoyed celebrating feasts. It was long since I made laddus so thought of making Bhoondi laddu which I learnt the very first time correctly last year during deepavali. It turned out to be a quite easy at firs try. This is one of the most loved laddus by my kids. The only one thing about this dish is it takes a lot of oil while frying and shaping into laddus when hot .

I am sending this for RCI hosted by viji from Vcuisine, JFI hosted by Vee from PastPresentandMe and Think Spice hosted by Sunita from Sunitas’sWorld. Though I wanted to post for each of these events I couldnot make it this time, finally i came out with bhoondi which goes ideally for all these events.

All you need
Bhoondis
Gram flour - 1.5 cup
rice flour/corn flour - 1 tbsp
Soda Bicarbonate - 1/8 tsp
Bhoondi stirer and fryer you can find it here
Oil for deep frying

Sugar solution
sugar coarse - 1.5 cups
saffron strands - 10-15
cardamom powder/clove - 4 -5
water - 1/2 cup
cashews/raisins/badams  of choice

Method

• Make a thick paste of gram flour + rice/corn flour +soda with water
• The consistency should be thicker than dosa batter but thinner than iddli batter
• Take another vessel add sugar water and saffron let it soak meanwhile you prepare the bhoondis
• Heat oil for deep frying boondis
• Keep the bhoondis stirer at a distance from the hot oil, pour a laddle of besan and stir quickly to the hot oil. Must be done fast
• Fry the bhoodis and strain well 
• Heat the sugar soln while you are just left with the last  2 rounds of bhoondis
• The soln should reach the consistency of strings/1 string
• Remove from heat, add in raisins/cashews/cardamom powder and mix well
• Add the bhoondis and stir well close for just 2 minutes
• Shape them into laddus while still hot.
• This can be stored in airtight jars for  2-3 weeks

Note:If you are unable to shape them and feel very liquid after adding bhoondis keep on low fire for sometime until it comes to the consistency to shape into laddus.
For first time check the consistency of the batter is right for the bhoondis. The bhoondis should come out round must not be elongated nor flat with holes. Add little water if it is soft and thick and make it faster if it falls elongated.

Methi-Paneer Rice and FAHC

Left over rice who doesn’t have ?  Last week we had been busy with events at office and cultural events over the weekend from our sangha in Singapore. Admidst of our kids final exams for non-tamil- speaking kids (hindi/gujrathi….). Generally getting home late not eating enough or eating most junk ended up lot of food were leftovers. leftover rice with sambhar or rasam is not the one likeable if the quantity of rice is a large bowl, even wasting a morsel of rice could which could have helped a little child to fulfill his hunger many of them who just have one meal a day.  Its tough to make understand  these values to our kids not to waste food.

Coming back to food making a family happy with the food at the same time satisfaction of not wasting food at my home is only attained by using left over rice for fried rice, chitraanna, masalebhath….

Last week I happen to get fresh methi, palak and gogura leaves which were irresistable same time i get all the fresh ones and its makes really hard for me to decide which one to cook. So my family is been having continuous green dishes with palak panneer, Gongura pachadi, Moolangi palya and now its methi rice. All are our favorites now I need to be lucky to get so fresh too esp the methi leaves. 

All you need
Cooked rice - 2 cups
methi leaves - 1 bunch
paneer cubes - 1 cup
Black Chick peas/ Kala chana boiled - 1 cup
Capsicum cut lengthwise - 1
potatoes cubed and boiled - 1 cup
onions cut lengthwise - 1 big
Vangibhath powder - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch
cloves - 4-5
green chillies(optional)
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
channa dhall - 1tsp
urad dhall - 1 tsp
ground nuts - 10-15
Asafoteida/hing - 1/8 tsp
Amchur/Dry mango powder - 1 tsp
salt and sugar to taste

Method

•  Sprig out the leaves from the stems of Methi/fenugreek

• Wash in salt water and let the water strain out

• Heat oil in Kadai, add groundnuts, channa dhall, cinnamon stick, cloves wait for a while until they change color

• Add the remaining unrad dhall, mustard, hing. Fry oinions and chillies once the mustard splutter

• Add the methi leaves and fry until they are cooked once the leaves wilt there will a lot of  water just continue frying on medium to high flame

• Add caspsicum, boiled potatoes, paneer cubes, kala chana salt, vangibhath powder and amchur powder and fry until all are blended well

• Continue frying on high flame until the masala flavours into the dish

• Mix the left over rice, stir well and serve hot with raita of your choice.

 

Heres moolangi palya, vegetable fry with radish and radish greens garnished with grated coconut.

Before I take leave few words on FAHC as i was writing this post i recieved an email from Indira of FAHC funding take a look

feedahungrychild.org is a not-for-profit charitable organization formed in a collaborative effort of the like-minded people from all around the world.  It aims to replace the empty plates of the underprivileged children and replace them with ones of food.  While FAHC addresses the holistic needs of each children it supports, it believes illiteracy, malnutrition, and other concerns can only be addressed when hunger is appeased.

Immediate Mission:

• Join the fight against global poverty.
• Help feed hungry children one by one.

Larger Vision: feeahungrychild.org aims to improve the lives of a good many underprivileged children in their efforts to support themselves, their families, and their communities by giving them the chance for better food, better education, better healthcare, and other welfare.

To contribute by donating smilies/chipin please visit FeedaHungryChild also visit Indira’s Mahanandi for details of how this event works.

Thank You

ಮಾವಿನಕಾಯಿ ಭೂಥ ಗೊಜ್ಜು/Mango Gojju

Mangoes mangoes , the thought of summer vacation one of the most wanted one to taste the different types of mangoes, the raw from thotapuri to the gojju mavinkayi (wild varieties) used for making gojju, sasve, thambili to the ripe wonderfull malgovas, raspuri, the neelam and not the least alphanso. I remember during our childhood times as my memory draws  with my bunch of friends at my aunts and even at my grandparents place would gather mainly in the afternoons hunt the backyards to strike the mango trees. One of them would be ready with uppu menasu(salt and chilli powder) and one other with some (crushed green chillis with salt and coconut oil) would mainly use for the raw thotapuris. We would just gather one by one all the mangoes and run to the front yards and munch those mangoes…….There are lot of recipes with mangoes which i just cherish. Here i fail to get the Kuchkayi mangoes( the wild huge mangoes) which is boiled and stored in salt bharanis at my native mainly used for making gojjus/currys which has a pulpy texture and the seed wise is quite small.

Mavina kayi Gojju

Mavina kayi gojju

All you need
Raw Mangoes - 2 boiled
jagerry - 1/2 cup( as per taste)
Sandige menasu/ dried yogurt dipped Chillies - 6-8
Chilli powder/green chillies (optional)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Asafoteida - 1/8 tsp
salt to taste

Method:

• Boil mangoes until soft you can used preserved mangoes in Bharanis

• how do i make discard the mango skin cut into big chunks just use minumum water and boil until soft

• Take a kadai add 2 tsp of Ghee/oil when hot add mustard seeds, asofoetida.

• once the mustard splutters add curry leaves and dried yogurt dipped chillies (green chillies also if using). Fry well

• Add the pulpy mango from the boiled mangoes, if using preserved you need to extract the pulp you can even preserve the skin if you like

• add jaggery and salt boil until the desired consistency is reached.

• The gojju should be sweet sour and spicy totally lip smacking for mango lovers. Enjoy with hot rice

 Mavina Hannu Sasve

All You need 

wild Ripe Mangoes or ripe mango which is slightly sour - 1
mustard - 2 tsp
coconut grated - 1/4 cup
green chillies - 2
dry red chillies - 2 broken
yogurt - 1 tbsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig
salt and jaggery as required

Method:

• Make a paste of coconut, green chillies and 1 tsp mustard

• Squeeze out the pulp of the mango and discard the skin

• Add the coconut paste, salt and jaggery if required to the mango pulp mix well

• Add the 2 tbsp of yogurt and stir well

• Prepare the tadka with mustard, asofoteida, dry chillies and curry leaves. Serve with rice

Kadabu and panchgajaya on Ganesh chaturti Event

Normal menu at my native usually consists of 21 different variety of sweets and savory items along with 2 kosumbaris, 2 types of palya(vegetable fry), 2 types of Hasi/pachadi with coconut and yogurt base, gojju/kayirasa, tilisaru, thambli, huli(sambhar), majjige huli, masala bhath, bhajjis/vadas, 2 types of kadabu and lot more. I restricted our food to one of each and even skipped some of them as the effort is baseless when we cannot afford to eat so many items.

My Banana leaf consists of from 3 colums, the first left column carrot kosumbari, beans palya, ginger-coriander chutney
The Second column goes with karikadabu, Karji kayi, modak, panchgajaya, potato/plaitain bajji (fritters),Chakli, Rave undde, followed by Pumpkin and cucumber kadabu, rice Sambhar and Thili saaru.

I will share some of the recipes

Panchgajaya

kari kadale/Brown Chick peas - 1 cup
jaggery - 1/2 cup
Seaseme seeds - 1 tbsp
coconut grated - 1 tbsp

Method:

• Wash the peas well and dry it well
• Roast the seaseme seeds until golden brown
• Dry roast the peas until fragrant and powder to a coarsely in a blender
• Heat jaggery in 1 tbsp of water strain to remove impurities
• Continue to boil with coconut grating until is sticky and add the powdered peas mix well
• add the seseme seeds and mix well.

For a dry version make it with Channa Dhall/Kadale Bhele

Pumpkin kadabu

Raw Rice - 1 cup soaked for 2 hrs
pumpkin grated - 1/2 cup
jaggery - 1/4 cup or more
coconut grated - 1/4 cup
cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:

• mix grated pumpkin and jaggery in a seperate vessel
• Drain the water from rice and grind it coarsely with the jaggery liquid from 1
• Mix in all the other ingredients to the paste along with the grated pumpkin
• if the mixture feels very thin heat the mixture in a thick bottom vessel until it forms a batter of texture like rava iddili batter
• Take a tumeric leaf spread the a small amount of dough with required thickness on one half of the leaf fold it, continue for the rest or if the leaf is too small use 2 leaves crossed add the batter in the center and fold it from four sides tightly.
• Steam the iddlis in a steamer for 15-20 mins. The leaves must change color or wilt for the flavour to build in the iddilies

For cucumber just follow the same way leave the jaggery and cardamom powder. Serve with chutney of your desired choice.

Sorry I could not take picture of iddlies/kadabu exclusively. I will try to post it next time.

Ready for Steaming iddilies in turmeric leaf

Kadabu at the left most on banana leaf

This goes to my contribution to Latha’s yum blog for the Ganesh chaturti event

ಬಾಳೆಹಣ್ಣು ದೊಡ್ಡನ/Banana Dosa(Pancake)

This is one of the dosas made at my home. This dosa/pancake has a very soft and spongy texture. One of my favorite dosa with a dollop of ghee tastes delicious. I have used the dark brown liquid jaggery from my native prepared freshly from cane sugar just after Makara Sankranti/Pongal. My Mother in law makes sure to place order just before sankranti. When its fresh it tastes so good like honey. My MIL place even iddilis, dosas, chapaties are had with jaggery and ghee,though we avoid using ghee. Every year I carry back atleast 5 kilos of jaggery from home. This does not contain sodium carbonate which is added in the process to solidify the jaggery. Look at the preparation of jaggery here.

 This goes to my contribution to JFI-Banana hosted by Mandira from Ahaar which is initiated by Indira of Mahanandi and also for RCI hosted by Asha from Foodieshope initiated by Laskshmi from Veggiecuisine.

All you need
parboiled rice/iddli rice - 1 (1 cup - 150ml) cups
raw rice - 1 cup
Ripe bananas - 2
methi seeds - 2 tsp
Jaggery - 1/2 cup(according to taste)
salt as required

Method:

• Soak rice  with methi seeds for 2-3 hrs in water along with methi seeds
• Drain water and grind to a slightly coarse batter like we make for dosas. Batter should feel like very fine rava in it not ground like a paste
• Make a fine paste of bananas
• Mix the banana paste to the ground rice. let it ferment overnight in a warm place
• Next morning add jaggery and salt mix well.
• Make sure the batter is of pouring consistency like pancake/dosa batter.
• Heat a dosa/pancake pan, smear some oil/ghee
• When the pan is hot, spread the pancake in circular direction cook on low flame covered with a enclosed plate so that it covers the dosa and has place for steam to develop.
• Wait for few a minute check whether the dosa has steamed, flip the dosa and slighlty roast the other side
• Serve with a dollop of ghee.

Note: Take care while over turning it will be slightly sticky. Add correct amount of jaggery adding too much will be difficult to lift the dosa. Subsitute jackfruit for bananas to make variation.Add 1/2 cup of Poha while grinding to make crisper dosas suggested by Sia and Sushma. Make dosas on a non stick pan to avoid sticking suggested by Asha