Dals + Oats + Dil leaves Nucchinunde

Dil Leaves known as Sabbassige of Sabsige soppu in Kannada. Nucchinude is very famous in Karnataka.

Nucchina Unde is a healthy food for breakfast, lunch, evening snack or dinner.

Nucchu means coarsely (rava consistency), unde means ball shape. We call this as nucchinunde since dals are ground coarsely and mixed with green chilly, jeera , ginger and salt. Then roll in to ball shape and steam.

Nucchina Unde is normally eaten with coconut chutney or Majjige huli. You can have your own choice now a days.

Lets see some benefits of using Dals and Oats.

Moong dal is a good body builder food for vegeterians. Moong dal provides high protein and is very digestible. It has only a small amount of fat. Moong dal is full of Vitamins and minerals.They are rich in protein, vitamin C, iron, zinc potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese and phosphorus.

Toor dal are excellent source of nutrients and plant protein and they also contain dietary fiber. they provide essential nutrients, fiber and protein for vegetarians.

Oats are good for weight loss. They help to lower the bad cholesterol. Oatl also help to control blood pressure in people who suffer from high blood pressure. Oats are great source of phosphorus, manganese. They are good source of soluble dietary fiber, iron and magnesium and Vitamin B1.

Here is a recipe of Sabbassige +Dalls and Oats Nucchinunde. It is a healthy dish and with out onion and garlic. You can have these Nucchinunde any time of the day. Even you can powder the unde and prepare dry curry or Uppittu out of Nucchinunde. It is a healthy dish as I said before and I am sure every one and all age group will surely like Sabbassige + Dals + Oats Nucchinunde. (Dal Dumplings).

Ingredients : 

Moong Dal : 1 Cup

Toor Dal : 1 Cup 

Oats : 3/4 Cup

Dil Leaves :  1 Bundle 

Ginger : An Inch 

Green Chilly : 4 

Jeera : 1 Tea spoon

Pepper Pods : 5 to 6

Ingh : a pinch

Salt : Required 

Oil or ghee : 1/2 Tea spoon

Coconut : 1/2 Cup (3 Table spoons)

Method :

1. Wash and soak dals for 2 to 3 hours. Dry roast Oats till the raw smell disappear and leave it for cooling.

2. Wash and cut ginger, green chilly and Sabbassige (dil leaves) soppu and keep it aside.

3. Grind dals with ginger, green chilly  and pepper pods with very little water.

4. Put dry ground dal mixture in a big bowl. Add ingh, jeera, salt, cut dil leaves, fresh grated coconut and roasted oats. 

5. Mix it well and take a handful of dough and make ball. Prepare the same dumplings and keep it aside. 

6. Take a big bowl which fits in to your pressure cooker and apply oil for the bowl or container you use.

7. Arrange the ready dal dumplings in the oil applied bowl. 

8. Put water in a pressure cooker or idli cooker. Keep a small bowl in the pressure cooker. (Keep the small bowl upside down). 

9. Now place the dumpling filled bowl in the pressure cooker. ( on the top of the bowl kept).

10. Cover the lid and pressure cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Check with a tooth pick or insert a knife end to a cooked nucchinunde to confirm that is cooked. Put ready Nucchinunde to a serving bowl. 

10. Serve with the choice of your curry or chutney. 

Note : 

You can use mixed lentils or each one separately to prepare nucchina unde. Like wise the leaves.  You can use lots of edible leaves like palak, methi leaves, dil leaves etc. You must use little water while grinding or you will not be able to prepare dumpling. These dumplings can be used to prepare Upma , Unde huli or dry curry. Eating with coconut chutney  adds to the taste. Adding Oats may result in little hard but it taste fantastic. Eat when they are hot. It hardens when it is cooled.

Time : 40 minutes .(Extra 2 hours for soaking).

Serves :  4 to 5
 Preparing Upma with Nucchinude :  
Powder the balls and keep it aside. Keep a pan and put 1 Table spoon of oil, mustard seeds and urid dal.
Let the mustard seeds spurt. Add curry leaves and powdered unde and mix it well. Add coconut and serve when it is hot.

Mustard spurt 

Ready undes (dal dumplings)

Fry it slowly

Ready to serve Dal Oats Upma

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Bottle Gourd + Carrot Curry (Kootu)

Bottle gourd (Sorekai ) Carrot curry is a gravy dish. It is also known as Kootu in Karnataka. Kootu is a vegetable curry with spices.

Bottle gourd is known as Sorekai in Kannada, Churaikai or Churakka - Malayalam, Sorakkay -Tamil, lauki - dudhi or ghiya -Hindi / Urdu, Lau - Bengali and Anapakaya in Telugu.

Lets see some health benefits of Bottle gourd and Carrots.

Bottle gourd is full of fiber and easy to digest. Cooked bottle gourd helps the body to cool and it is very good for people who are suffering from headache, vomiting sensation. Bottle gourd supports the urinary system of our body by reducing burning sensation from high acidic urination. It also reduces the chances of urinary infection. It contains many vitamins and minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, Vitamin A, and C. Bottle gourd helps to reduce the high blood pressure.It is good for diabetic patients. It is full of fiber and minerals and is a very good remedy for people who are suffering from constipation.

Carrots are rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins and dietary fiber. Carrots are rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B and Vitamin C. They contain minerals like copper, calcium, potassium, manganese and phosphorus.

Here is a recipe of Bottle Gourd + Carrots Curry. This gravy goes very well with rice, chapatis, rotis, poori , dosas, idli or even with Akki Rotti.

Ingredients :

Bottle gourd :  2 cups
Carrots : 1 Cup ( 2 carrots)
Jeera : 1/2  Tea spoon
Pepper Pods: 5 to 6
Red chilly : 4 to 5
Urid dal : 1/2 Tea spoon
Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Oil : 1 Tea spoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tea spoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Tea spoon
Curry leaves : 5 to 6
Salt : to taste
Lemon or tamarind pulp : 1 Tea spoon
Coriander leaves : 1 Table spoon

Method: 

1. Wash and cut carrots, bottle gourd and coriander leaves.
2. Boil cut carrots and bottle gourd pieces for 5 to 8 minutes and keep it aside.

3. Keep a small pan on the fire. Heat and put 1/2 spoon of oil.
4. Add urid dal and fry till brown. Now add pepper pods, 1/2 tea spoon of jeera, ingh and red chilly. Fry for 1 minute.

5. Now put off the gas and add coconut and just stir once and mix well. (Fried items).

6. Grind all the fried items using little water.
7. Keep another big pan. Add remaining oil and heat. Add mustard seeds, and urid dal.
8. Let the mustard spurt. Add curry leaves and ingh.
9. Add cooked carrots and bottle gourd pieces. Add salt and turmeric powder. Mix it well.

10. Let it boil for 2 minutes. Now Add ground coconut spice mixture. Stir nicely.

11. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes and put off the gas. Add lemon, stir and replace the curry to a serving bowl.
12.Serve with rice, chapati or any other main dish you prepared.

Note :

Adding lemon juice to Kootu is optional. Normally tamarind or lemon is not added to kootu. Using less or more chilly is also an optional. Adding a ghee just before serving the curry, adds to the taste of the curry. Adding onions and garlic is purely optional. ( I did not use).
You can also prepare using different vegetables with the same ingredients. (Beans, peas, potatoes and sweet potatoes etc). If bottle gourd is tender no need to remove its outer skin. Wash it nicely and then cut it.
Time : 30 minutes.
Serves : 5 

Simple Rava - Oats Idli (Plain)

Rava -Oats idly is a simply super dish and we can have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even as snack too.
Rava - Oats  idli normally is a quick done dish and you do not need much of time or ingredients. These idli is very easy to prepare and healthy too.

Rava is a wheat grain and Oats are known and labeled as Healthy food. Combining these too and prepared idly, using little curd, salt and Eno salt. Idlis are soft and spongy and fits for all age group people diet.

Lets see some benefits of using Oats and Curd.(Yogurt).
Oats enhance immune response to infection. It stabilizes the blood sugar. Oats are rich source of magnesium. They are full of fiber and they have antioxidant compounds. Oats help to control the blood pressure. They are great source of phosphorus, iron and vitamin B1

Using curd in your diet helps to improve the digestive system and strengthen the immune system. Helps to
cope with stomach problem and helps to get strong bones and teeth since it contain calcium. Helps to minimise the risk of high blood pressure.It also helps control high level of cholesterol.

Here is a recipe of Rava - Oats Idli , that is very easy to prepare and minimum ingredients that you have at home. As I said it before we can have these idli for any time of the day.

Ingredients :

Rava (Semolina) : 2 Cups (medium sized)
Oats : 2 Cups
Curd : 1 Cup
Eno Salt : 1 Tea spoon
Salt : Required
Water : required.

Method :

1. Roast oats and rava for 3 to 4 minutes and dry grind oats when it is cooled.

2. Put 1 glass of water to curd and mix it well.

3. Take a big bowl and add Semolina,, dry ground Oats, salt and curd.
4. Mix it well and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Apply oil or ghee to the idli plates and keep it ready.\\\\

6. Put 2 glasses of water in a pressure cooker or idli cooker and keep it on fire. Let the water boil.
7. Now add Eno salt to rava oats mixture and mix it nicely. 

 8. Place a spoon of rava oats mixture in each mould in the idli plate.
9. Arrange the plates in the pressure cooker and steam for 10 minutes. (do not use weight).
10. Take out the idli from the pressure cooker and serve with your choice of side dish you have prepared.

 Note : 

Roasting rava is purely optional.  ( I have roasted).

Adding sour curd helps to get the best idli. You can also use cooking soda instead of Eno. You can add some grated coconut if you like. These idlis goes very well with any kind of sambar and coconut chutney.
Serves : 4 to 5 (20 idlis can be done)
Time : 30 minutes.

Simple Banana Cake

Baking a cake without eggs is the excellent idea for me. 

I have gone through many recipes, browsed many blogs and I did try and baked the cake very recently. Thinking of Easter I thought of trying to go for baking once again and yeppy the cake came out very well and we the whole family liked it very much. Last time it was with oil and this time it is with butter more richer and better taste.

It is simple and not much of ingredients required. The ingredients are like Maida (all purpose flour), ghee, sugar, banana, curd, cardamom and baking powder and Soda .

Maida is a refined wheat and normally used to bake bread, cakes, cookies etc. Maida is also used in Indian cooking and so many sweets and other dishes are prepared using Maida.
Banana cake can be munched any time of the day, goes very well with tea time and we can eat with any kind of ice creams.

Ingredients :
Maida : 1 1/2 Cup
Melted Butter : 1/2 Cup
Sugar : 3/4 Cup
Cardamom Pods : 5 to 6
Curd : 1/3 Cup
Baking Soda : 1/2 Tea spoon
Baking Powder : 1 Tea spoon
Salt : a pinch
Banana : 1

Method :
1. Sieve maida, baking powder and baking soda. Remove the outer cover of cardamom and keep it aside.

Baking powder

Sugar

2. Dry grind sugar and grind this with ghee or melted butter.(I used ghee).

3. Add curd and cardamom  to the sugar mixture and grind for 2 to 3 minutes. Add banana and grind.for one minute.

Curd

4. Now remove the ground sugar mixture from the jar and put it in a big bowl. Dust the container or tray with some dry maida and keep it ready.

5. Add sieved maida slowly and prepare dough. If you feel its thick add little milk.

6. Preheat the oven for 10 minutes.
7. Now pour the ready cake mixture to a baking tray or a container and bake for 35 to 40 minutes 350 degree C.

8. Insert a spoon or tooth pick to make sure the cake is baked well.
9. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.

10. Serve cake with Hot cup of coffee or tea or with a scoop of  ice cream.

Note :
You can use clarified butter or oil instead of ghee. You can also use vanilla or any other essence of your choice. Adding nuts to the cake adds to the taste. Roll nuts in dry maida and then add it to the mixture.
The point we must know :
The difference between Maida and All purpose flour is that Maida is refined many times flour and All purpose flour is mixture of Maida and Barley flour.

Preparation time : 10 Minutes
Cooking time : 35 Minutes
Servings : 4 to 6.