Monday, March 31, 2014

CHANNA - TOOR -COCONUT -HOLIGE

Channa dal - Toor Dal Coconut holige is a sweet dish and normally prepared during the festival, feast and celebrations. Holige is a traditional dish and can be prepared in different ways, using different kinds of dals, coconut, nuts, jaggery and sugar too.

Dal or lentil is a staple food of India and most Indian vegans and vegetarians get protein from it. 30grams of raw dal gives 7g of protein. Dals have resistant starch which acts like fibre in the body and helps to control blood sugar levels, clears bowels and aids in weight loss etc

Toor Dal is a very popular and preferrred dal in India. It is light and yemmy. Apart from protein and fibre it contain folic acid  which helps prevent anaemia and very important for pregnant women. It is low in calories, It also helps control blood sugar levels.

Channa Dal is rich in B- Vitamins. It is full of fibre which helps diabetics to control their blood sugar levels. It has potassium and folic acid. the fibre in it helps lower cholesterol levels and prevent heart problems.

Jaggery the benefits of jaggery include its ability to cleanse your body, act as a digestive agent, sweeten your food in a healthy manner. It provide good amount of minerals. It provides energy and works as digestive agent.

Poppy seeds are anti oxidants. They also contain disease preventing and health promoting properties.
the seeds helps to lower LDL or bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol levels in the blood. Poppy seeds outer coat is a good source of dietary fiber. Poppy Seeds contain good levels of minerals like iron, copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and magnesium.

Holige is also called as Obbattu in Karnataka and its known as Pooran Poli in Maharastra. The outer layer is called as Kanaka and the inner stuffing is called as Hoorana.

Here is a recipe of Channa - Toor Dal Coconut Holige. Normally Holige is prepared using Maida flour. I have tried this Holige, using wheat flour and little maida (all purpose flour), used jaggery instead of sugar, and very little oil. Total all, this is a healthy Holige and all age group will surely njoy eating this holige.

Things Needed :

Channa Dal 1/2 Cup
Toor Dal 1/2 Cup
Wheat flour : 2 Cups
Maida flour : 1 Cup
Coconut : 1 Cup (1/2 of small coconut)
Jaggery : 1 Cup (grated)
Poppy Seeds: 1 Table spoon
Cardamom : 5 to 6 Pods
Oil : 1/2 Cup
Salt : a little

Method :

1. Mix flours and salt nicely, prepare dough (chapati) using only water and put a table spoon of oil and keep it aside.




2. Wash and pressure cook dals for 8 to 10 minutes and leave it for cooling.

3. Grate coconut and jaggery. Remove the seeds from cardamom pods and keep it aside.

4. Dry grind coconut and cardamom together till powder and keep it aside.

5. Dry grind cooled cooked dal  and keep it aside.
6. Now keep a pan on the fire. Put dry ground coconut, ground dals and grated jaggery.

7. Stir till it get slightly thick. Add raw poppy seeds and leave it for cooling.

8. Now take the chapati dough and mix it well and divide into small balls.


9. Divide the sweet dal mixute and keep it aside.

10. Take a ball of wheat -maida mixtue and  keep the sweet mixture inside and cover the dough completely.






11. Just roll on dry wheat flour and roll it and flatten with the chapati roller.

12. Prepar holige in round shape and cook on tava.

13. Sprinkle oil on the top of Holige and turn the other side to cook for 10 to 20 seconds.

14. Repeat the same with remaining dough and the sweet mixture.
Holiges are ready to serve


Note :

Cook dal till soft. Must grind nicely or it is too soft you can smash the dal by hands. Drain the extra water from cooked dals and it can be used for prepare Rasam. Smash the dal when it is warm.
Use more oil if you like it oily. Using wheat flour instead of maida is an option. You can use only maida to prepare Holige.
Serve Holiges with ghee on the top. Prepare holges on low and medium flame. I did not grind the dal, Just smashed the dal with hand.
Time : 1 Hour. (The whole procedure).
20 Holiges can be prepared.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Navane Urid - Masala Dosa

Navane -Urid Masala Dosa is a healthy snack eaten at breakfast, as snack in the evening or for dinner too.

Foxtail millet (Navane) is rich in dietary fibre, protein and low in fat. Foxtail millet is one of the healthy grain and it is gluteen free.

Urad dal is used as a major ingredient in Indian cuisine for preparing a healthy diet. It is highly valued due to its numerous health benefits. It has protein, fat and carbohydrated which is required by the body. This dal is one of the richest sources of proteins and Vitamin B. Urid dal contain iron, folic acid, calcium, magnesium,potassium. Urid dal is rich in fibre which makes it easy to digest. Urid dal helps to reduce cholesterol and improves cardiovascular health.
I have used organic Navane (foxtail millet) which is de-husked) , dosa turns as normal rice urid dosa. 
Here is a recipe of Navane Urid - Masla Dosa. Masala is prepared with carrots and potatoes. This dish is without onions and good to prepare even on fasting and special days.

Things Needed :

Recipe for Navane Urid Dosa :

Navane (Foxtail Millet) : 41/2  cups
Urid dal : 1 Cup
Awalakki (flattened or beaten rice) : 1/2 cup
Methi (Fenugrik seeds) : 1 Table spoon
Water : Required  
Salt : to taste
Ready to Serve Foxtail Millet Masala Dosa

Method : 

1. Wash and soak foxtail millet, fenugrik seeds and urid dal for 3 to 4 hours. ( All together).
2. Wash flattened rice and soak in warm water. 
3. Grind all the ingredients including flattened rice with required water and prepare the dough.

4. Add salt and leave it for ferment for 6 to 8 hours or over night.
Dosa dough is ready to prepare dosas.

Recipe for Potato Masala:

Things Needed :

Potatoes : 3 to 4 
Carrots : 2 
Capsicum :1 
Ginger : 1 Table spoon
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Oil : 1 Table spoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Tea spoon
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon
Curry leaves : 8 to 10 
Coriander leaves : 2 Table spoons

Method : 

1.Wash and boil potatoes in pressure cooker for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the skin when it is cooled.
Smash boiled potatoes and keep it aside.
2.Wash and grate carrots, ginger and cut, capsicum, green chilly and coriander leaves.

3. Keep a pan on the fire and add oil and heat.
4. Put mustard seeds and urid dal. Let the mustard spurt. Add jeera. 
5. Add cut green chilly and curry leaves. 
6. Now add grated carrots, cut capsicum and fry nicely for 2 minutes. Add ginger.

7. Add smashed potatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Mix it well.
8. Add coriander leaves and put off the fire.
                                                      Potato - Carrot dry palya is ready.

Potato Carrot Dry can be served as one of the side dish with Chapati, Roti, Poori or Plain Rice.
Ready to Serve Potato - Carrot -Capsicum Dry Curry

Mango Coconut Chutney:

Things Needed:

Raw Mangoes : 4 to 6 (Tender Mangoes)
Green chilly : 2 
Coconut : 1 coconut
Salt : to taste
Ingh : a pinch 

Method : 
1. Wash and cut raw mangoes, grate coconut.

2. Grind coconut, raw mangoes, green chilly, Ingh and salt together. 
3. Shift this ground mixture to a serving bowl.

4. You can add spurt mustard with curry leaves to the coconut chutney.                                        
Raw Mango Coconut Chutney is ready to serve
                                       

Masala Dosa :

Things Needed :

Dosa dough
Potato - Carrot Masala
Oil : 1/2 Cup

Method :

1. Keep a Dosa pan and heat.
2. Just sprinkle oil on the pan and clean with a tissue.
3 Take a spoonful of dosa dough and spread it slowly.




4. Sprinkle 1/2 Tea spoon of oil on the dosa and cover the dosa, cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Now turn the dosa and cook for 10 seconds and turn back the dosa.

6. Put a table spoon of Potato - Carrot Palya and cover the dosa on both sides.





Now Navane Urid Masala Dosa is ready to serve. Serve with the favourite chutney or Sanbaru you have prepared.

Note : 
Foxtail Millet Urid Dosa dough consistency should be the same as dosa consistency. It should not be too thick or too watery. You can add little rice powder if you feel the dough is watery. Let the dosa dough be well ferment. You can use ghee instead of oil while preparing the Masala dosa. You can also sprinkle little chutney powder before placing the dry curry. Adding more chilly is purely your option. You can use onions in the dry palya. ( Add cut onions to the mustard spurt first, then add capsicum and carrots).
Time : 
Chutney : 1o Minutes
Dry Curry : 30 Minutes (Including boiling potatoes)
Masala Dosa : 20 Minutes 
Soaking Foxtail Millet, Urid dal, Awalakki and Methi seeds : 4 to 5 Hours
Grinding : Grinder : 30 minutes : Mixi : 20 Minutes. ( To get a good taste grind the mixture in the grinder).
Ferment Time : 5 to 6 Hours (Minimum). 




Thursday, March 27, 2014

Gojju Awalakki ( Huli Awalakki )

Awalakki (Flattened rice) is prepared in many ways. Huli Awalakki is a traditional breakfast dish in South Canara and in Karnataka.


Awalakki (Flattened rice or beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids.

This easily digestible form of raw rice is very popular across Nepal, India and Bangladesh. This is normally used to prepare snacks or light and easy fast food in a variety of Indian cuisine styles

This flattened rice is called Awalakki in Kannada, Baajil in Tulu (language spoken in South Canara),Atukuluin - Telugu, Awal - Tamil and Malayalam, Chinde - Bengali and parts of Bihar and Jarkhand, Chira - Assamese, Chudaa in Oriya, Chiura in Nepali, Bhojpuri and Chhattisgarhi, Poha or Pauwa in Hindi, Pohe in Marathi, Phovu in Konkani and Pauaa/ Paunva in Gujarati.

Here is a recipe of Gojju Awalakki. We can have Gojju Awalakki for breakfast, snack or even dinner. We can also prepare this Gojju Awalakki during fasting or special days. It is also served during weddings (one of the breakfast item) and festivals too. Its spicy - sweet taste defenitely loved by all age group.

Ingredients :

Thick Awalakki :  3 Cups
Tamarind : Small lemon size (2 Table spoons of tamarind pulp)
Jaggery : 3 to 4 Table spoons
Sesame Seeds : 2 to 3 Table spoons
Turmeric Powder :  a pinch
Salt: to taste
Coconut : 1 Cup (fresh and grated).
Oil : 2 Table spoons
Ghee : 2 Table spoons
Mustard seeds : 2 Tea spoon
Urid Dal : 1 Tea spoon
Curry leaves : 1 handful
Jeera : 1 Tea spoon
Ingh : a pinch
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 Table spoons.


Method :

1. Clean and wash Awalakki and put it in a big bowl. Wash coriander leaves and cut into small.
2. Wash and soak tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and squeeze out the pulp and add it to Awalakki.

3. Add jaggery and salt to the awalakki.

4. Add turmeric powder.
5. Mix all the ingredients nicely and add 1/2 cup of water. ( Leave it for 5 minutes).
6. Keep a pan on the fire. Add Sesame seeds and dry roast till brown. When they start popping up put off the fire and leave it for cooling.

7. Dry grind sesame seeds, 1 spoon of mustard seeds, cut or grated coconut and jeera. (2 to 3 churn will do).

8. Keep the dry ground coconut mixtur aside.
Dry groumd coconut - mustard mixture
9. Now keep a bigger pan on the fire and heat. Add oil and 1 tea spoon of mustard seeds and urid dal.

10. Let the mustard seeds spurt. Add curry leaves and ingh. Add groumd nuts and fry till they are brown.
11. Put soaked awalakki mixture and mix it well. Let the fire be on low flame.

12. Add 1/2 cup of water and let it cook on low flame. Stir in between.
13. When all the water dries up add ground coconut, sesame - jeera mixture. Mix it nicely allow it to cook for 1 miunte.
14. Put ghee and cut coriander leaves on the top.

15. Mix it nicely and shift the ready awalakki to a serving bowl.

Serve with a cup of curd or Banana

Note :

You can also use more oil instead of ghee. You can use home made Rasam powder. You can also add cashew nuts instead of ground nuts. Adding red chilly powder or red chilly with mustard seeds will give a spicy taste and the good aroma. You can also add or reduce the amount of jaggery according to your wish. You can use lemon jucie instead of tamarind pulp. (2 lemons extract). You can use cut coconut or grated coconut. If you are using grated coconut, no need to dry grind the coconut. You can add it at the end and mix it well.
Serves : 4 to 5
Time 30 Minutes.

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My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, travelling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.
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