CHANNA - TOOR -COCONUT -HOLIGE

Channa dal - Toor Dal Coconut holige is a sweet dish and normally prepared during the festival, feast and celebrations. Holige is a traditional dish and can be prepared in different ways, using different kinds of dals, coconut, nuts, jaggery and sugar too.

Dal or lentil is a staple food of India and most Indian vegans and vegetarians get protein from it. 30grams of raw dal gives 7g of protein. Dals have resistant starch which acts like fibre in the body and helps to control blood sugar levels, clears bowels and aids in weight loss etc

Toor Dal is a very popular and preferrred dal in India. It is light and yemmy. Apart from protein and fibre it contain folic acid  which helps prevent anaemia and very important for pregnant women. It is low in calories, It also helps control blood sugar levels.

Channa Dal is rich in B- Vitamins. It is full of fibre which helps diabetics to control their blood sugar levels. It has potassium and folic acid. the fibre in it helps lower cholesterol levels and prevent heart problems.

Jaggery the benefits of jaggery include its ability to cleanse your body, act as a digestive agent, sweeten your food in a healthy manner. It provide good amount of minerals. It provides energy and works as digestive agent.

Poppy seeds are anti oxidants. They also contain disease preventing and health promoting properties.
the seeds helps to lower LDL or bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol levels in the blood. Poppy seeds outer coat is a good source of dietary fiber. Poppy Seeds contain good levels of minerals like iron, copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and magnesium.

Holige is also called as Obbattu in Karnataka and its known as Pooran Poli in Maharastra. The outer layer is called as Kanaka and the inner stuffing is called as Hoorana.

Here is a recipe of Channa - Toor Dal Coconut Holige. Normally Holige is prepared using Maida flour. I have tried this Holige, using wheat flour and little maida (all purpose flour), used jaggery instead of sugar, and very little oil. Total all, this is a healthy Holige and all age group will surely njoy eating this holige.

Things Needed :

Channa Dal 1/2 Cup
Toor Dal 1/2 Cup
Wheat flour : 2 Cups
Maida flour : 1 Cup
Coconut : 1 Cup (1/2 of small coconut)
Jaggery : 1 Cup (grated)
Poppy Seeds: 1 Table spoon
Cardamom : 5 to 6 Pods
Oil : 1/2 Cup
Salt : a little

Method :

1. Mix flours and salt nicely, prepare dough (chapati) using only water and put a table spoon of oil and keep it aside.

2. Wash and pressure cook dals for 8 to 10 minutes and leave it for cooling.

3. Grate coconut and jaggery. Remove the seeds from cardamom pods and keep it aside.

4. Dry grind coconut and cardamom together till powder and keep it aside.

5. Dry grind cooled cooked dal  and keep it aside.
6. Now keep a pan on the fire. Put dry ground coconut, ground dals and grated jaggery.

7. Stir till it get slightly thick. Add raw poppy seeds and leave it for cooling.

8. Now take the chapati dough and mix it well and divide into small balls.

9. Divide the sweet dal mixute and keep it aside.

10. Take a ball of wheat -maida mixtue and  keep the sweet mixture inside and cover the dough completely.

11. Just roll on dry wheat flour and roll it and flatten with the chapati roller.

12. Prepar holige in round shape and cook on tava.

13. Sprinkle oil on the top of Holige and turn the other side to cook for 10 to 20 seconds.

14. Repeat the same with remaining dough and the sweet mixture.
Holiges are ready to serve

Note :

Cook dal till soft. Must grind nicely or it is too soft you can smash the dal by hands. Drain the extra water from cooked dals and it can be used for prepare Rasam. Smash the dal when it is warm.
Use more oil if you like it oily. Using wheat flour instead of maida is an option. You can use only maida to prepare Holige.
Serve Holiges with ghee on the top. Prepare holges on low and medium flame. I did not grind the dal, Just smashed the dal with hand.
Time : 1 Hour. (The whole procedure).
20 Holiges can be prepared.

Butter Chakkuli (Benne Muruku) & Kodubale

Benne Muruku is one variety of Chakkuli, crispy fried snack, which is very very soft and crisp and it melts in the mouth with yemmy taste. Benne means butter and the crunchy chakkuli is so soft and crispy.

Chakkuli can be made using different flours. Chakkuli is most famous crispy and tasty snack at any time of the day. Benne Muruku is nothing a Crispy Chakkuli prepared with Maida and Rice flour. Muruku is also known as chakkuli in Kannada, chakri in Gujarati, chakali in Marathi, murukulu in Telugu, muruku in Tamil.

Chakkuli or Muruku is one of the traditional treat for festivals like Diwali and Krishna Janmashtami. Now a days we get Chakkuli all over India. Chakkuli is one of the famous dish of South India. Traditionally Chakkuli is prepared with urid dal and rice flour.

Here is a recipe of Benne Muruku (Butter Chakkuli). Chakkuli here is prepared with rice flour, Maida and salt, Til seeds and oil. These chakkulis are easy to prepare. We get this Benne Muruku in Bakery acondiment stores and super markets. Home Made Benne Muruk is tastier and safe. It is a fried Item, you can have them any time of the day. You will enjoy eating chakkuli with a cup of Tea or Coffee.

Things Needed :

Maida (Plain flour) : 2 Cups
Rice Flour : 2 Cups
Chilly Powder : 1 Tea spoon
Sesame Seeds : 2 Table spoons
Salt : To taste
Butter : 1 Table spoon
Oil : To Fry (2 to 3 cups)
Chakkuli Mould to prepare chakkuli

Method :

1.Dry cook  Maida and Rice flour for 8 to 10 minutes. (Do not add water , Dry cook  in pressure cooker using weight).
2. Let the flour cool.

3. Now powder the flours  nicely using your fingers. Put it in a big bowl.

4. Add salt, sesame seeds, butter and chilly powder to the flours.

5. Mix it nicely and add water little by little and prepare dough.

6. Wash chakkuli mould and clean with dry cloth.

7. Divide the dough into small portions and put one portion into the mould.

8. Press the mould and prepare chakkuli on a tray or a wet towel.

9. Keep oil on the fire and heat. When the oil becomes hot fry chakkulis.
10. At time you can prepare 4 to 5 chakkulis. Prepare chakkuli on medium heat.

11. Fry on both sides till they turn slightly brown and remove from the oil and put them on the kitchen Tissue.

12. Prepare chakkuli with the remaining dough.

13. Now the chakkulis are ready to serve.

14. Serve with Cup of Hot Coffee or Tea.

15. You can also prepare Kodubale with the same Chakkuli Dough

You can also prepare chakkuli this way. Fill the chakkuli mould and straight leave the dough to the hot oil. giving a shape then and there while pressing the mould.

Note:

You can use dalda or hot oil instead of butter. Remember dalda is not a good option to choose. If you add more butter the chakkuli may dissolve in oil since they turn very soft. Use exactly one table spoon butter Or it may take more oil while frying and will not taste good. You can also add roasted powdered Urid dal. I have not added. Fry chakkuli on medium flame and be careful while you turn them or remove them from oil. You can also use jeera instead of sesame seeds. Using any one of them is advisable. Be aware the chakkuli sold outside may contain dalda or left over oil.
Guide  cook dry maida and rice flour before using it. 
Keep Maida and rice flour in different bowls while cooking. Do not add water while cooking. Put a glass of water to pressure cooker and keep an empty bowl up side down. Then place these flour bowls and cover with a plate. So that water does not enter the flour bowl. Close the  pressure cooker with its lid and put whistle and let it cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow it to cool and remove the flour and powder them nicely ( with out using water).  Use it when it is the flour is cool. You can also cook these flours in Idly cooker. 

Time : 40 Minutes (Including steaming the flours).
25 to 30 chakkulis can be prepared (according to the size of the chakkuli). 

Banana Rice Halubai ( Rice Cakes)

Halubai is a traditional sweet dish. This dish is prepared with fresh jaggery or sugarcane juice. During the sugar cane harvesting, sugarcane juice is used instead of jaggery. Rice Halubai is very famous in Dakshina Kannada. (Southern part of Karnataka and some parts of North Kannada also). Bangalore and Mysore side people normally use Ragi (Finger Millet) instead of rice. This famous dish is prepared during Nagara Panchami festival,  which falls in the month of July normally. Using Sugarcane juice and preparing Halubai is a traditional practice in and around Sagara (near Shimoga) and they call this dish as Kilsa.

Jaggery has the ability to cleanse your body. It act as a digestive agent. It also provide good amounts of minerals. According to Avurveda, jaggery strengthens the nervous system, prevents anemia and promotes bone health. It may also protect the body against environmental toxins.

Here is a recipe of Rice Halubai. I have used sugarcane juice, the organic jaggery, ripe Bananas and little ghee while preparing this Rice Halubai. Its soft and nice to have with your lunch or snack or you can munch any time of the day. Using little fresh ghee makes the Halubai more tasty and all the age group will surely love to eat this traditional dish.

Things Needed:

Raw rice : 2 cups

Sugarcane Juice : 2 cups
Jaggery : 1/2 cup
Coconut : 1 cup
Cardamom : 5 to 6
Ghee : 1 Cup (4 to 6 Table spoons)
Salt : a pinc
Bananas : 2 (small size)

Method : 

1. Wash and soak rice for 2 to 3 hours.
2. Grate coconut and powder cardamom.
3. Gind soaked rice, cardamom and grated coconut using sugarcane juice. (Strain sugar cane juice before using.

4. Grind rice coconut mixture till paste. Add jaggery and salt.
5. Remove from the Mixi jar.
6. Now keep a big pan on the fire and pour this ground rice mixture.
7. Let the mixture be little watery. (The ration should be 1 = 1, 1 rice and 1 water).

 8. Start stirring until the dough thickens, add cut banana and stir continuously.

9. Add ghee in between the stirrring.

10. Keep stirring till the batter becomes like a ball (starts to thickens) stir for 2 to 3 minutes more and put this mixture on a ghee greesed tray or plate.

11. Spread evenly and leave it for a while and cut and give a shape.

12. Rice Halubai is ready to serve.

Note :
Must stir continuously or it may get burnt at the bottom. Heat ghee and keep it aside and use little by little, inbetween the stirring. This process helps you to stirr easily since the mixture softens while adding the ghee. Not more than 3/4 cup of the ghee should be used or you feel heavy after eating. Adding ghee makes the stirring easy, since it helps the batter to be little loose. You can also use only jaggery instead of sugarcane juice if it is not available.
Time: 20 minutes.
Rice soaking time extra : 2 to 3 hours.
Serves : 5 to 6