Green Channa - Mango Tokku Rice

Green Channa /Kadale kalu ( Kannada language/Karnataka/India) is available from December till February. I tried this channa with mango tokku which was prepared last year. It tasted yum.
You can try this dish with dried green channa too.

Lets see some benefits of eating Green Channa in our diet.
Green Channa is filled with fiber. They are good for controlling the blood sugar levels. It helps to keep you full for a long time. They are good for people who diet to loose weight.They are rich in protein and low in sodium. They  are rich in antioxidants. They contain vitamin B 9, vitamin A and C. They are rich in iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium. These minerals helps to keep our blood and bones strong.
I have used Mango Tokku, Green Channa, cooker rice and simple spices which are available in the kitchen store.
Green Channa - Mango tokku Rice is good for one pot meal, lunch box, travelling, brunch or dinner.
 Let us see the recipe :
No Onion or No Garlic in this  " Green Channa - Mango Tokku Rice ".

Things needed :

Cooked Rice : 2 Cups
Green Channa : Fresh /dried : 1 Cup
Mango Tokku : 2 Tablespoons
Cooking Oil : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Groundnuts : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Mustard seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Urid Dal : 1 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : One Handful
Green chilly : 2
Salt : As required
Coconut :Fresh : 1 Cup ( 3 to 4 Tablespoons).
Coriander Leaves :  2 to 3 Tablespoons

Method : 

1. Wash and cook rice and let it be cool.
2. Remove the pods from channa plant and wash it once.
3. Cook till they turn soft.

4. Grate coconut and keep it aside.

5. Wash curry leaves, coriander leaves and green chilly. Cut coriander leaves and green chilly.
6. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil, mustard seeds, urid dal and let mustard seeds splutter.
7. Add curry leaves and cut green chilly. Add ground nuts and fry till they turn crispy.
8. Add cooked green channa and mix it well. Add Mango tokku and mix all the ingredients nicely.

9. Add cooked rice and mix it well. Let the flame be very low while doing the whole process.

10.Add required salt, little turmeric and a tablespoon of ghee. Mix it well.
11. Add coconut, cut  coriander leaves and mix once again. Shift the ready " Green Channa - Mango Tokku Rice to a serving dish.

12. Serve with a cup of curd and papad.

Note :

Use of any raw rice is optional. Water quantity should be
Basumathi Rice : 1 Cup : Water 2 Cups
Sona Masuri or any other kind of rice : 1 Cup Rice :Water : 3 Cups or little less.
Soak Green Channa if you are using dried ones.( Over night)
Drain water after cooking Green channa.
Use of more or less ghee is optional.
Use of fresh mangoes instead of Mango tokku is optional.
Use of chilly, more/less is optional.
Type : South Indian 
Time : 10 Minutes. (If cooked rice is done already) or Cooking rice : 20 minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4.
 Mango Tokku /Chutney

Quick Raagi Pulka (Finger Millet Chapati )

Raagi/finger millet Pulka is an easy and perfect dish for dinner. It is soft and fluffy and fits into all age group.

I have seen this pulka in my favourite cookery group " FOODIE ". The moto of the web page is share and care attracts most of us. The adminis are so helpful and caring. Sadashiva Rao Mailankody, Shri Kripa, Madhura Pradeep and others are doing a great work. You can learn many dishes and the information they provide is really helpful to all of us.
I have used Ragi flour/Finger millet flour and wheat flour to prepare this Pulka.

Let us see some benefits of having Ragi in our diet. 
Ragi is known as one of the best Millet in the millet family. Millets are known as Siri Dhanya means rich content of minerals and provide good health if eaten regularly.
Ragi/Finger Millet is an excellent source of calcium and helps in strengthening bones for kids and aging people. It has a good source of antioxidant property. It is good for controlling blood sugar level in diabetes. It is full of fiber and slow in digestion. It has higher level of nutrition and good for people who follow diet food. Ragi has good source of natural iron and eating ragi is good for who suffer from anemia.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed : 

Ragi/Finger Milelt flour : 1 Cup
Wheat flour : 1/2 Cup
Boiling water : 1/2 Cup
Ghee/Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Salt : A little

Method :

1. Keep water for boiling.
2. Put Ragi and wheat flour in a big bowl.

3. Add salt and pour water. (Boiling water).
4. Add a teaspoon of ghee. Leave it for 5 minutes.

5. Now mix all the ingredients and prepare dough. Add water if required.
6. Keep 1/2 cup of dry wheat flour in a small bowl.
7. Mix the dough nicely and divide them in to small ball quantity.

8. Take a small ball size of dough and dip in dry wheat flour.
9. Roll and make chapati.

10. Keep a tava/pan on the fire and heat. Put led ragi chapati on hot tava. It starts to bubble up.
11. Turn the other side and cook on low and medium flame.

12.Now Ragi pulka is ready to serve. Apply little ghee on both sides of  Ragi Pulka.

13.Repeat the same with remaining dough.

14.  Serve Ragi Pulka with the choice of your curry and cup of curd.

Note :

Ragi flour should be fresh to get good pulka.  If the dough turns too soft add little more flour. Take care while adding water. Do not add more water, which turns the dough very sticky. Adding oil instead of ghee is optional. Do not add any oil while cooking pulka. I have cooked pulka on tava. Cook on low and medium flame.
Time : 20 Minutes 
Serves : 2 to 3 . (According to size).

Boiled Rice - Raw Rice Dosa

Boiled rice and Raw rice Quick dosa is good to have for breakfast/snack. One more traditional dish from Udupi and Dakshina Kannada.

The rain fall is more in Karavali and the land is very good for growing paddy/rice in these areas. I have seen my aunt struggle to get workers to work in fields. It was really a struggle that she won't get people for working on time. Though there used be many workers they would flee to work in other fields. She has to plead them for coming to work in our field. Some time the rain used to play a big role. People there depend upon the rain for water supply to the field during the rainy season. Less rain means the plants dry and the more rain spoils and rotten the plants. The struggle behind the farmer is so much, at the end some or other things happen and the farmer is at the great loss.
Since my aunt used to grow paddy, we used to have home grown rice to have our food. Most of the dishes are prepared using rice. This is one of the famous and traditional dish that I learnt from my aunt.
Coming back to recipe I have used boiled rice, raw rice and little grated coconut. It makes the dosa tasty. No urid dal is used here and the batter need not to be ferment.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients : 

Boiled Rice : 2 Cups
Dosa Rice /Raw Rice : 1 Cup
Coconut : 1 Cup
Salt : As required
Oil : 4 to 5 Tablespoons
Water : As required
Oil : 3 to 4 Tablespoons ( To Prepare dosa).

Method :

1. Wash and soak boiled and raw rice together for over night or 5 to 6 hours.
2. Grate coconut and grind rice with coconut till it turns very fine paste.

3. Remove from the mixi jar and put it in a big bowl. Add required salt.
4. Add water and make the batter consistency as little thicker than normal dosa batter.

5. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Sprinkle some oil on the top of tava.
6. Spread the oil around the tava. Take a ladle of the dosa batter and pour it slowly like round shape. ( ( Use your fingers to spread dosa on the tava. It turns thin and nice). Let the flame be low while spreading batter on the tava.

7. Add a teaspoon of oil /ghee and let the dosa cooked . (low and medium flame).
8. Turn the other side and cook for a minute /till it gets slightly brown.

9. Boiled Rice - Raw Rice Quick Dosa is ready to serve.

Note :

You can prepare rotti instead of dosa. Let the batter be bit thick. Cook on medium and low flame to get the tasty rotti. I have added little more water and prepared dosa. No onion or any other ingredients added. This dosa taste very good with sambar. Use of ghee or coconut oil is optional Use of coconut is optional. (for grinding). No need to ferment the batter. Use of grinder to grind rice is optional.
Time :  5 to 6 hours Soaking time : Grinding 5 minutes. (Mixi ). Preparing dosa : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4.

Onion Sasive

Sasive is mustard seeds. We have varieties of dishes which are used and prepared with mustard seeds. Here is a simple and quick recipe that goes well with almost all main dishes and You will love to eat as one of the side dish.

When you are just tired and do not want to go out for buying vegetables or want to have simple meal you can try this and enjoy your food.
I have used onions, mustard seeds, fresh coconut and tamarind.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

Fresh coconut : 1Cup
Onions : 1 (Medium sized).
Tamarind : 1/2 Marble size
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh : A pinch
Salt : As required
For Seasoning :
Coconut Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6 leaves

Method :

1. Remove the outer layer of onions and cut into big pieces. Keep it aside.
2. Grate coconut and grind it with  4 to 5 byadagi chilly, 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds, tamarind, required salt and cut onions.

3. Add required water to grind. Grind it nicely and remove it from the mixi jar to a serving dish.

4. Add coconut oil seasoning with mustard seeds, ingh and curry leaves.
5. " Onion Sasive " is ready to serve.

Note :

Use of byadagi chilly is optional. It not only adds to the taste, it adds good colour to chutney.
You can also cut onions into very thin pieces and add it sasive mixture. It taste differ.
Use of coconut oil is optional. Do not add more or big onion to grind. It does not taste good.
Time : 10 Minutes
Serves : 2 to 3 .

Shanka Pushpa - Lemon Juice.

Shanka Pusha is a flower. I have used this flower and prepared lemon juice. This flower adds natural colour to water when it is slightly boiled.

Shanka Pushpa is known as clitora tematee, commonly known as Asian Pigeonwings. It is also known as bluebell vine or blue pea, butterfly pea, condofan pea and Darwin pea. This plant species belongs to the fabaceae family. The latin name of this genus is " Clitoria ", from clitoris.
Since this flower gives out the natural colour and it is used in many dishes mainly in Asian Countries.
I first tasted the juice that prepared by my sister in Udyavar. She added lemon and was too good.
Then I saw Shri Kripa one of the FOODIE group admini putting up the pic of the juice.
I brought this plant seeds from Udyavar and planted it in a pot. It did not come up. One day I suddenly noticed a flower that grew by the side of the compound wall on the terrace. Saw the plant in a mud bag and removed the plant and replanted it in a pot. For my bad luck the plant died. I brought some more seeds in my next visit to sister's house and planted it in a pot. It has come out nicely and Here we go  :)  me a happy person to see the plant growing and flowering.

Let us see some benefits of Flower Shanka Pushpa.
Shanka Pushpa plant is known for years for their healthy properties in them. They are used in Ayurvedic medicines from ages. They are good for hypertension. They contain the properties that are good for control the production of body's stress hormones and helps in reducing anxiety and stress.
They are the good remedy for improving memory power. The plant has anti -ulcer properties and is very good for fighting against any type of ulcer which is formed in the body. It also helps to improve the nerve tissue. Shanka Pushpa herb helps and controls cholesterol level in our blood. They help in flushing out the fatty acids which are harmful to our body.

Note : One who is suffering from hypertension and low blood pressure must consult the doctor and get his advise. Since it has a quality of decreasing the blood pressure level it might cause problems.
I have used this flower for preparing the juice and added jaggery which turned its colour slightly golden and the other time I used salt and very little sugar. It was ok with  less sugar and good too
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

Shanka Pushpa flowers : 5 to 6
Water : 2 Glasses
Jaggery /Sugar  : As your requirement.
Salt : A pinch

Method :

1. Wash Shanka Pushpa flowers nicely and separate the petals.

2. Keep water for boiling. Add Shanka Pushpa flower petals.
3. Let the water boil. The flowers start leaving their colours and the water turns colourful.

4. Put off the gas and sieve boiled water. Throw away the remained flower pieces.
5. Let the water turn cool.

6. Wash and squeeze out the lemon extract to the bowl. ( 1 to 1 1/2 lemon extract).

7. Add a pinch of salt and required sugar. Mix it well.

  8. The healthy drink is ready to serve. Serve the juices that you have prepared.

Note :

Let the water boil nicely. Clean the flower nicely so that no harmful worms go off.
Adding sugar /jaggery / or honey is your choice. I have used Kama Kastorri seeds which I collected from our home garden. Using these seeds helps to cool the body and mind safe and cool.
I have added some kamakasturi seeds/sabja seeds. Remove the husk nicely and clean it. Soak the seeds in little water. Add this water to the juice. Using Sabja seeds helps to cool the body.

Time : 10 Minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3  (According to the requirement).
Shanka Pushpa Juice with Jaggery
Followed the same above mentioned method. The change is, used jaggery instead of sugar.