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).

EErulli Gojju /Onion Curry

Eerulli/onion is one of the vegetable that loved and used by most of the people. 

When you fall sick your tongue lose its taste and you don't feel like eating or you feel some thing spicy should be tried to make your taste bud to makes you hungry. Here is one such curry which you can enjoy, when you feel that you need to have some thing spicy, easy, quick and simple.
This is one of the curry I liked my sister in law Leelakka. She is one of the best cook whom I have come across. She used to prepare tasty curries, patrodes and many more dishes. Though she gets lots of help from others around while cooking and we do get irritated by her nature. But once the dishes are ready all our irritation disappear and we do enjoy the dish very much.
Coming back to EErulli gojju/curry, I have used onions/eerulli, fresh fried spices, jaggery and tamarind.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

To Cook :
Onions : 2 to 3 (Medium sized)

To Add :
Tamarind : One marble size
Jaggery : 2 Tablespoons
Salt : As required
Turmeric Powder : A pinch

To Season : 
Coconut Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh/ Asafoetida : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8

Spices to Fry :
Coconut Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Methi seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1 Teaspoon
Coriander Seeds : 2 Tablespoons
Sesame seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon (Optional)
Byadagi chilly : 5 to 6
Ingh/Asafoetida : A little
Curry leaves : 6 to 8

To Grind :
Fresh grated coconut : 2 Tablespoons
Fried Spices

Method :

1. Remove the outer layer of onions and cut into small pieces.
2. Soak tamarind in hot water and squeeze out the pulp after 5 minutes.

3. Grate coconut and keep it aside.
4. Keep a pan on the fire and put 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Add methi seeds and fry till they turn slightly golden brown.
5. Add urid dal and fry till they turn golden brown. Add sesame seeds and red chilly and fry for another 2 minutes. (low flame).

6. Add  coriander seeds and fry nicely. Add ingh and curry leaves. Put off the fire.

7. Grind coconut and fried spices once they are cool. Remove it from mixi jar.

8. Keep a bigger pan on the fire and add a tablespoon of oil. Add mustard seeds and urid dal.
9. Let mustard seeds splutter. Add curry leaves and ingh. Add cut onions and fry nicely for 2 minutes.
10. Add turmeric powder, tamarind pulp, salt and jaggery. Mix it well and let it cook for 2 minutes.

11. Add ground coconut - spice mixture and mix it well. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

12. Shift the curry to a serving dish. Serve with hot rice or any main dish of you desire.

Note : 

No need to add coriander leaves. The curry taste yum with the spices. Do not add any other spices or any other masala powder to get the original taste. This curry can be boiled nicely and made into thick paste to use it next day. (It taste yum). Adding more /less jaggery is optional. We udupians like little more sweet in some curries. Fresh fried spice taste best and that should be done here to get the best taste.
Time : 20 Minutes 
Serves : 2 to 3. 

Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney

Bottle Gourd is known as one of the healthy vegetable. It is filled with fiber, minerals and vitamins.
I have prepared bottle gourd peel chutney and is very simple and yummy. It can be one of the side dish when you have lunch, dosa, idli, roti or chapatis.

We do prepare mangalore cucumber peel chutney and I have adopted the same method to prepare this bottle gourd chutney.
I have used Bottle Gourd peel, coconut, fried urid dal and red chilly.
Let us see the recipe Now :
No Onion or No Garlic is used in this : " Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney "

Ingredients :

To Fry :
Urid dal : 1 Tablespoon
Methi seeds 1/4 Teaspoon
Coriander seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry leaves : 6 to 8 or little more
Ingh /Asafoetida : A littel
Bottle gourd peel : 1 Small bowl.
To Grind :
Fresh Grated coconut : 1 Cup
Tamarind : 1 Marble size ( Tamarind pulp is used)
Fried dal mixture
To Season :
Coconut Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 4 to 5
Ingh /Asafoetida : A pinch
To Add : Salt : As required
Required water

Method :

1. Wash Bottle gourd nicely and dip in water for at least 20 minutes.
2. Peel off the outer layer and keep it aside.

3. Grate coconut and soak a marble size of tamarind in warm water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the pulp. Keep it aside.

4. Wash curry leaves and keep it aside.
5. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil and put methi seeds.
6. Add urid dal and fry till methi seeds and urid dal turn light golden brown.

7. Add coriander seeds and red chilly. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes on low flame.
8. Add curry leaves and ingh. Add bottle gourd peels and fry nicely for 3 to 4 minutes

9. Put off the fire and add grated coconut and mix all the ingredients nicely.
10. Let it cool. Grind the fried mixture with coconut and tamarind extract. (Pulp extract).
11. Add salt and churn it for a second. Remove the chutney to a serving dish.

12. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and ingh/asafoetida seasoning to chutney and serve.

Note:

Frying the ingredients on low flame adds to the taste. You can cook bottle gourd peel with little coriander seeds and tamarind and use it. Turns soft and nice. Frying urid dal is a must if you want to add urid or any other dals. Example : Toor dal, channa dal, Horse gram etc. Use of more/less chilly is optional.
Time : 20 Minutes
Serves : 3 to 4 .
Type : South Indian Chutneys

Carrot Chitranna

Carrot Chitranna is a rice dish and it is very easy to prepare.  Chitranna is Lemon rice and lemon is added at the end it gives a little tangy taste. 

Carrot Lemon is a simple rice dish and you can have them for breakfast who likes to have rice dishes in the morning. It can be eaten for brunch who gets up late and miss breakfast and can combine breakfast and lunch and it is said as brunch. It is good for lunch too. Lazy days or holidays when you want to relax and not much of time to spend in kitchen can plan for this rice. It is also ideal for dinner.
Let us see some benefits of eating Lemon in our diet.
Lemon is used for treating indigestion, constipation, dental problems, throat infections, fever, obesity, respiratory disorders, cholera and high blood pressure. It is also good for hair and skin care. Lemon helps to strengthen our immune system, cleanses our stomach. They are considered as a blood purifier. Lemon is used for treating kidney stones, reducing strokes and lowering body temperature. Lemon juice is one of the best refreshing drink. They are filled with vitamins like vitamin C, Vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin E, folate and minerals like copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus and protein. they are filled with antioxidant properties and it helps in peeventing diabetes, constipation and high blood pressure.
As  I said it is simple, quick and takes very less time to prepare once you cook your rice.
I have used plain rice (Sona Masuri ), lemon, carrots, coconut and green chilly.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

Cooked rice : 1 Cup
To Add :
Carrots : 2
Lemon : 1
Coconut : 1 Cup
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Salt : As required
Turmeric powder : A pinch
For Seasoning :
Cooking oil : 1 Tablespoon
Ghee : 2 Tablespoons
Mustard seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1 Teaspoon
Curry leaves : 6 to 8
Green chilly : 2

Method :

1. Wash and cut green chilly, coriander leaves and curry leaves.
2. Wash and peel off the outer layer of carrots and grate it. Keep it aside.
3. Wash and cut lemon and squeeze out the juice. Keep it aside.
4. Grate coconut and keep it aside.
5. Keep a pan on the fire and put oil. Put mustard seeds and urid dal.
6. Let mustard seeds splutter. Add cut green chilly and curry leaves.
7. Fry nicely for 10 seconds. Add grated carrots and fry nicely for 1 to 2 minutes.
8. Add cooked rice and mix it well. Add salt, turmeric powder and mix it well.
9. Let it cook on low flame for 1 to 2 minutes. Add grated coconut and put off the fire.
11 Add lemon extract (juice) and mix it again. Add 2 tablespoons of ghee and mix it well.
11. Shift the ready " Carrot Chitranna " to a serving dish.
12. Add cut coriander leaves and serve with a cup of curd.

Note : 

Cook rice and cool it before adding to seasoning. Use of any brand of rice is optional. I have used sona masuri and required water ration is 1: 3 ( 1 cup rice and 3 cups of water). Use of green or red chilly is optional. Use of more /less chilly is optional. Use of ghee adds to the taste. Use of onions or garlic is optional.

Time : 20 Minutes if rice is already cooked. Or 20 more minutes to cook rice.
Serves : 2 to 3.
Type : South Indian ..