Thursday, March 26, 2009

VEGETABLE CHITRANNA( LEMON RICE WITH VEGETABLES)

Chitranna/Lemon rice is one of the easy and tasty dish. Just adding some vegetables to chitranna Helps to get some nutrients. Vegetable Chitranna is made of Rice and vegetables + lLemon . It can be eaten at any time of the day.
It is easy to prepare and we can have them for breakfast, brunch, Kids lunch box, one pot meal, festival or feast and ladies party,


No Onion or No Garlic is added in this Vegetable Chitranna.
Lets see the recipe Now :
Things Needed:
Cooked Rice :2 Cups
Carrots : 2
Capsicum : 1
Lemon " 1 ( Medium Size )'
Coconut : 2 table spoon ( Fresh and grated )
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Curry leaves : 5 to 6
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 sticks
Oil:  1 Tablespoon
Ghee : 2 Tablespoons
Mustard : 1/2 tea spoon
Urd Daal : 1/2 Tea spoon
Cashew nuts : 5 to 6 ( cut into small pieces )
Salt : To taste.
Turmeric : A pinch
Method :
1. Wash and cook rice and let it get cool.
2. Wash and grate carrots and cut capsicum into small. Slit green chilly.
3. Grate coconut and keep it aside. Cu lemon and squeeze out the juice and keep it aside.
4. Now Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil. Put mustard seeds and urid dal.


5. Let it splutter. Add cashews (optional). Add slit green chilly.
6. Add curry leaves and mix it well. Add grated carrots and fry for 1 minute. Add cut capsicum.

7. Fry nicely till they turn soft and add cooked rice, grated coconut and mix it well.

8. Add turmeric powder and required salt. Mix it well slowly. Let it cook for a minute.
9. Put off the fire and add lemon extract, coriander leaves. Add ghee and mix it  slowly.


10. Shift the ready Vegetable Chitranna to a serving dish. Serve with a cup of curd.
Note :
Do not over cook rice or vegetables. Adding cashews is optional. You can add groundnuts instead of cashews. Adding more chilly is optional. Adding ginger is optional. (I did not add). Adding more vegetables like beans, peas is optional. (Cook beans and peas till soft and then add). Adding onions and garlic is optional. (I have not added).
Time : 20 Minutes + Cooking rice : 20 minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4 

Monday, March 16, 2009

RAAGI...DOSA

Raagi/Finger Millet dosa is made of raagi flour and it is good for health. Raagi is known as one of the healthy grain. Raagi Dosa is good to have for breakfast and if you have a habit of eating snack. (Snack time in the evening).
I have used Raagi/Finger millet flour and little rava/semolina with water. Just used little coriander leaves to add upt the taste.
Let us see some benefits of eating Ragi in our diet.
Ragi is known as one of the wonderful grain because of its nutritious value. It is loaded with calcium, iron and dietary fiber. It has a good source of unsaturated fat and good for weight loss. It helps to digest the food we eat and makes you feel full. It helps to reduce the bad cholesterol levels in our body. Ragi is good for people who suffer from anemia. It regulates the blood sugar level. It is gluten free and very good for babies. (Baby food). It is good for diabetic people also.
Lets see the recipe now.
Ingredients:
Raagi flour : 1 cup
Rice flour or Rava : 1/2 cup ( I have used medium sized rava/semolina).
Coriander leaves : 2 to 4 sticks
Salt : to taste
Oil : 3 to 4 Table spoons
Water : 2 cups

Method :
1. Wash and cut coriander leaves into thin.
2. Take a big bowl and add ragi flour, salt and rava. Mix it nicely and prepare batter with required water.
3. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Add cut coriander leaves and mix it well.

4. Keep a tava/dosa pan on the fire. Heat tava. Sprinkle little oil. Clean it with a kitchen tissue.
5. Now mix the ragi dosa batter and take a ladle of dosa batter and spread it on the tava.
6. Sprinkle oil on the top and let it cook of 1 to 2 minutes on low and medium flame. Cover with lid and cook.

7. Flip dosa and cook for 20 seconds. Dosa is ready to serve.
8. Serve with any side dish you have prepared. Put a spoonful of ghee/butter before serving.
9. Repeat the same with remaining batter and prepare dosas.
Note :
Prepare dosas on slow flame . Cover the lid so that dosa will not get white patch on the top. Use of little more oil will increase dosa taste. Adding any grated vegetable/leaves is optional. You can use onions also. Cook on low and medium flame. Let the flame be low while you put the dough on the tava. It helps to spread the dough easily. Do not put oil first because the dough might stick to the pan or you can not spread it as thin. I have used Non stick
Time : 30 Minutes
Serves : 3 to 4.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

FRESH BADAM MILK

Fresh Badam/Almond Milk is a healthy drink and gives energy to the body and good for the skin. Badam/Almond milk is delicious and energetic drink that helps to refresh and cool your body.
I have used Almonds, milk, saffron and honey to prepare this Badam Milk.

Lets see some benefits of having Almonds (Badam) in our diet.
Almonds do contain lots of healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium and Vitamin E. They help to lower the blood sugar levels, reduces blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels. Almonds are rich source of many nutrients that help in the development and health of the human brain. It is said that consuming almonds regularly helps to a higher intellectual level and is good for growing children.  Almond is a rich source of a healthy mono-unsaturated fats, fiber, protein and other important nutrients. Almonds are loaded with antioxidant properties. Almonds can reduce hunger and promote weight loss.
Lets see the recipe. Sugar is not used in this "Fresh Badam Milk " and even diabetic people also can enjoy this drink. 

Ingredients :
Almonds : 20
Fresh boiled and cooled milk : 4 to 5 Cups
Saffron : 5 to 6 Rakes
Cardamom : 2 Pods (Optional)
Honey : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Method :
1. Soak almonds in hot water for 2 minutes and remove the skin.
2. Grind almonds, cardamom pods with required water and put it in a big bowl. (Dry grind and then grind it with water ).
3. Boil ground badam milk and allow it to cool. Add saffron rakes and let it dissolve.
4. Add boiled and cooled fresh milk.
5. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of honey when the Badam milk turns warm or cool. Mix it well.


6. Serve warm/cold Badam Milk.
Note :
You can add sugar instead of honey to badam milk. (Optional). Adding more honey is optional.
Adding more milk is also optional. Adding cool fresh milk helps the badam milk not to curdle. (Boiling milk may some time curdle and it spoils the badam milk taste. Do not add more water while grinding almonds/badam.
Time : 20 Minutes
Serves : 4 to 5 people.  

SPICY DOSA

Spicy dosa is prepared using Patrode dough. Patrode is one of the traditional dish from South Canara and Malnad. Patrode dough contain, raw rice, urid dal methi seeds and some spices like, coriander seeds, jeera, red chilly, tamarind and jaggery.
Other day I had prepared Patrode. I got Kesu leaves from my relative house in Ooru. (Udupi). After preparing patrode, the dough was still remaining. So it helped me to prepare this spicy dosa for breakfast.
Onions, palak, dil leaves, cabbage or even brinjals can be added to this dough and prepare dosa.
I just wanted to try this dosa, didnot add any of the above said vegetables. Plain spicy dosa is nice to eat with butter, honey, ghee or jaggery.
Lets see the recipe now:
Things Needed :
Patrode dough : 1 Bowl
Oil : 5 to 6 Table spoons
Water : 1/2 cup
Ghee/Butter :  1 to 2 Teaspoons

Method :
1. Just mix the patrode dough once and keep it ready.
2. Keep a dosa pan/tava on the fire and heat. Sprinkle oil on the top of tava. 
3. Clean it with kitchen tissue. Take a laddle of dough and spread around on the hot tava.
4. Sprinkle some oil on the dosa and cover it. Cook on medium and low flame. 
5. Turn the other side of dosa and cook for 10 seconds.
6. Remove Spicy Dosa from the pan and serve adding little butter on the top.

7. Repeat the same with remaining dough.

Note : 
Let the flame be low once the tava heated. Cleaning with a kitchen tissue on the tava helps to
be thinner. One must take care while turning dosa to the other side. Adding more/less jaggery is optional. Using more oil/ghee is optional.
Time : 20 Minutes. (if the dough is ready).
Serves : 3 to 4
How to prepare patrode dough : 
Soak 2 glasses of raw rice for 2 to 3 hours. Add 1 teaspoon of urid dal and 1/2 Teaspoon omethi/fenugrik seeds while soaking rice.  Grate coconut 2 Tablespoons and  Wash and grind the
all the ingredients like 2 to 3 tablespoons of coriander seeds, red chilly powder, jaggery and little jeera.  together till paste. . Remove from the mixi jar and put it in a big bowl. This is patrode dough.
You can use it for heerekai dosa(Ridge gourd, cabbage, onions, brinjals also. Palak , dil leaves, methi leaves also can be cut into small pieces and then prepare Dosa.

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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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