Wheat flour - Dry Fruits Laddu

Hello Every one ..Happy New Year 2019.
Let us pray and wish this New Year Brings all of us Happy Thoughts, Health and Wealth and Prosperity.
Let us begin the year with simple, healthy and quick Wheat Flour - Dry Fruits Laddu.

Laddu/Laadu / Unde all are the different names for sweet roundels.
Here I have tried wheat flour and dry fruits like anjur /figs, walnuts, raisins and coconut.
Added jaggery to give more sweet taste because wheat flour needs little more sweets. Dates do adds sweet and nutritious properties. I have added dates also.
These Wheat Flour Laddu is good to have at any time of the day. It is good for  kids snack box or as evening snack. Good for taking it for tour or when you are travelling. It is good for elders and diabetic people. ( Reduce the sweetness if you are serving to diabetic people.
Let us see the recipe Now :

Things Needed :

Wheat flour : 2 Cups
Dry fruits like figs, dates, raisins : 1 Cup
Ghee : 1/2 Cup or more
Jaggery : 3/4 Cup ( Powdered )
Coconut : Fresh : 1 ( Small One )
Cardamom : 5 to 6 Pods
Jaggery soaked rose petals.
Salt : A pinch

Method :

1. Keep a pan on the fire and put jaggery and 1/2 cup of water. Let it melt. Sieve it and keep cleaned mixture aside.

2. Keep a pan on the fire and put 2 tablespoons of ghee. Fry wheat flour nicely till the raw smell goes off. ( At least 5 to 6 minutes on low flame).

3. Grate or cut coconut into pieces and dry grind it.
4.Remove the cardamom seeds from pods and dry grind it with nuts.

5. Now keep cleaned jaggery in a big pan. Let it boil nicely and turn a string consistency.
6. Add grated and ground coconut and add it to jaggery. Stir nicely.
7. Jaggery - coconut mixes well and starts to get thick.

8. Add fried wheat flour and mix it well. Fry raisins in 2 tablespoons of ghee and add it to wheat - jaggery mixure.

 Add fried raisins and ground dry fruits and mix all the ingredients nicely. Add 2 tablespoons of rose petals with jaggery.

9. Put off the fire and keep the ready mixture down. Mix it well. Add remaining ghee and mix.

10. Take a handful of the sweet mix and prepare laddu/laadu/unde .

11. Repeat the same and prepare laddu/Laadu/Unde.

12.Store these laddu in a airtight box or bottle and serve or eat as you wish.

Note

Dry roast or fry wheat flour nicely till the raw smell disappear. Let the jaggery syrup consistency be 1 thread consistency in the beginning. Adding coconut to jaggery turns as coconut burfi./Thick. Then add wheat flour and other ingredients. Adding more ghee is optional. Add more ghee if you find to make laddu. ( If it turns dry ). Adding rose petals adds to the taste and aroma. It is healthy to eat pink rose petals.
I have kept some rose petals dipped in jaggery to use it in sweets. Rose grows in our terrace pots.
Time : 30 to 40 minutes.
Serves : 30 Laddu can be prepared.

Kesu / Colocasia Spicy Palya.

Kesu /Colocasia Spicy Palya is one of the traditional dish that goes well with plain rice and coconut oil.

 In South Canara, the use of kesu is often tried with varieties of dishes. This is one of the dish that every one likes and when you are looking for some thing spicy, traditional, quick dish that helps as one of the side dish.
Colocasia or Kesu leaves are good for keeping our body warm. They are filled with fibers. Leaves are good to have since they are loaded with nutritious value.

Kesu /Colocasia Spicy Palya is one of the traditional dish from Udupi / South Canara.

No Onion or No Garlic is used in this Kesu / Colocasia Spicy Palya.

Ingredients :

Kesu Leaves : 10 to 15 : Small and medium sized
Raw Rice : 1/2 Cup
Methi /Fenugrik Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Coriander Seeds : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Jeera /Cumin Seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Red chilly : 6 to 8
Tamarind : 1/2 Lemon size
Salt : As required
Turmeric powder : A pinch
Ingh / Asafoetida : A pinch

Method :

1. Wash and soak raw rice and methi seeds for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Grate coconut, grind it with coriander seeds, jeera, red chilly and tamarind.

3. Add soaked rice and grind it like rava consistency.

4. Add salt and churn for a few seconds.
5. Remove it from the mixi jar and keep it aside.
6. Now wash and clean Kesu /Colocasia leaves. Remove the stem part if it is hard.
7. Cut it into very small pieces.

8. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil.
9. Add mustard seeds and urid dal. Let mustard seeds splutter.  Add ingh and a few curry leaves.

10. Put cut Kesu leaves and stir slowly.

11. Spread them evenly. Add ground rice - spice mixture like dosa batter on the top of the leaves.
12. Sprinkle some water on the top and cover. Cook on low flame for 5 to 8 minutes.

13.Now remove the cover and mix it slowly. Let cooked leaves and the batter mix well.

14. Cook on low flame till it is done. Add little oil on the top. ( 1 Tablespoon ).

15. Shift the Kesu /Colocasia Spicy Palya to a serving dish and serve.

Note :

Use a thick bottom pan to prepare this dish. Let the flame be low and medium while cooking this dish. Do not use so much water while grinding. Let the batter be like rotti consistency. Sprinkle some water on the top while it is cooking. You can repeat the process of sprinkling water on the top at least 4 to 5 times. So that it does not get burnt. Low flame helps the dish to cook well. Do not add any jaggery. It should be only khara/spicy and slightly savoury.
Time : 30 Minutes
Serves : 2 to 3.

Soft -Spicy and Yummy Potato Chapatis

Chapatis/Rotis/Indian bread is a staple food for many Indians.. That too it is a must food for some people. I have tried here some soft Chapatis and it is yummy too. You too try and enjoy that is what I want to say.

North India  and Punjabis and Chapatis, that is what it was to be. I mean only the North Indians and Punjabis used to have chapatis regularly. We South Indians rarely used to make chapatis in those days. Making chapatis was a big news and what ever you do it used to turn hard or dry in our home.
Punjab is known as wheat cradle since the growth of wheat is highest.
Making chapatis or eating chapatis are good for diet is a well known version now. These Indian breads of different varieties, have got very famous in these days. Even some doctors suggest the people to have chapatis instead of rice because rice digest easily and you get hungry soon. That might be true. Eating wheat helps to stay full for a long time.
Anyways chapati turns soft and fluffy and we have become experts these days.
Soft Chapatis are good for any age group and it helps to digest the food easily.
I have used wheat flour, little oil, very little coriander leaves and a boiled potato to prepare these soft chapatis. They are healthy and energetic. Remember boiled potatoes are good for every one. Even the diabetic people also can have boiled potato in limit proportion.
Adding boiled potatoes make the chapati really soft and fluffy.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

Wheat Flour : 2 Cups
Boiled Potato : 1 ( Medium sized )
Green Chilly :
Jeera :Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Coriander Leaves : 1 Tablespoon
Salt : As required
Ghee : 1 Tablespoon
Oil : 2 t 3 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Boil 1 potato and remove the outer layer and smash it. Keep it aside.
2. Wash and Green chilly into very small pieces.
3. Wash and cut coriander leaves into very small. (Use only leaves).
4.Take a big bowl and put wheat flour, smashed potato paste, cut green chilly, jeera/cumin seeds, salt and ghee.
5. Mix all the ingredients nicely and then add water and prepare chapati dough. ( Add little water at time).
6. No need to rest the dough. Kneed the dough nicely and divide them into small portion. Turn them as ball shape.
7. Take a small portion of the dough and dip in dry wheat flour. Roll them as chapati.
8. Keep the tava on the fire and heat. Put rolled chapati on tava and put little oil on the top.
9. Turn the chapati and cook on other side. Spread some oil on the top.
10. Soft Potato Spicy Chapati is ready to serve. Serve with the side dishes you have prepared.

11. Repeat the same and prepare all the chapatis.

12. We had this  Soft Potato Spicy Chapati with carrots mosaru bajji, raita, pickles and mango tokku.

Note :

Add only required water while preparing the dough. Adding boiled potato helps the chapati to be very soft. Adding any masala is optional. Use of more /less oil is optional. Use of more chilly is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 6 to 8 Chapatis can be prepared.

Baragu /Prosso Millet Sakkaare /Chakkara Pongal.

Huggi / ಹುಗ್ಗಿ /Shakkara /chakkara  Pongal  is a sweet dish with Rice and Moong dal.

Huggi is normally prepared during the month of Dhanurmasa, that falls in between mid of December to mid January. This month is chill ( Cold ) winter. So as the food helps to keep our body warm and healthy. Eating dals is a good option and our Ancestors knew to take care them selves by adopting the good food habits.

Huggi is known as pongal in some parts of India. The sweet huggi is known as Shakkara/Chakkara pongal and is very famous in Tamil Nadu /Andra Pradesh. Though they use jaggery  This Pongal is known as Shakkara/Chakkara ( Sugar ) Pongal. They do not use coconut here or may be some ghee fried coconut pieces to be added. As you desired.

As I said this Pongal is prepared with Raw Roice and Moong dal. 

Here I have tried using Prosso Millet/Baragu instead of rice and Moong dal. Shakkara Pongal came out well and I can say it is delicious.

Baragu /Prosso Millet is one of the grain in Millet family. Millet is a healthy grain which has no gluten and it helps to control blood pressure and good for people who suffer from diabetic. It is full of fiber and keeps you full for a long time. Millet helps to control our cholesterol level.

I have used Prosso Millet / baragu, organic joni jaggery (jaggery in liquid form ).

December is here and the month of Dhanurmasa starts from 15th of this month and it ends on 15 of January. That day is celebrated as Sankranthi/Pongal. Sweet Pongal is special on that day to celebrate the festival. 

Let us see the recipe Now:

Things Needed :

Prosso Millet : 1/2 Cup

Moong Dal : 1/4 Cup 

Jaggery : 3 to 4 Tablespoons

Ghee : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Cardamom : 3 to 4 Pods

Cashews and Raisins : 2 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Wash and drain the water of moong dal and Prosso Millet. No need to soak them in water. 

2. Keep a pan and put washed Prosso Millet and moond dal and dry roast. 

3. Put dry roasted prosso millet and moond dal to a bowl. 

4. Add 1 Cup of water and pressure cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Let it cool. Powder cardamom and keep it aside.

5. Keep  a pan on the fire and put cooked prosso millet and moong dal. Mix it well.

6. Add jaggery and mix it again. Add a tablespoon of ghee. Mix it well and let it cook on low flame.

7. Add one more tablespoon of ghee and mix it slowly. Let it cook for 2 minutes. 

8. Stir in between. Add powdered cardamom and mix it. Stir it slowly and let it get thick.

 Shift the ready pongal to a serving dish.

9. Add ghee fried cashews and raisins to Baragu/Prosso Millet Shakkara /Chakkara Pongal and serve.

Notes :

Dry roasting prosso millet and moond dal adds to the taste. It does not become too soft. Taste good.

Adding more /less ghee is optional. Use of any type of jaggery is optional. Adding 1 or two cloves powder to pongal adds to the taste. I have used very little quantity of Prosso Millet and moong dal. You can double the quantity if you are preparing it for more people. 

The measurement is like 

1 Cup of Prosso Millet :

1/2 Cup of Moong dal. 

You can use the same quantity of each grain. ( Optional ).

Time : 30 Minutes.

Serves : 2 to 3.