Sweet Potato Saagu/Curry

Sweet Potato is one of the yummy vegetable that I love to use it in varieties of dishes. Here we go with another dish done, using sweet potato. The sweetness in sweet potato adds to the taste and you don't need to add extra sugar/jaggery or any form of sweetness.

Saagu /Curry done to eat with Pooris. Yep, you need some thing yummy to have hot hot fluffy Pooris.
I have used Sweet Potatoes, potatoes, carrots as vegetables and some spices to add the taste and health.
As usual I have not added any onions or garlic to this Yummy Sweet Potato Saagu/Curry. This saagu is one of the yummy side dish which goes well with chapatis, dosas, rotis idli, plain rice etc.

No Onion and No Garlic Curry.

Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

To Cook :
Sweet Potato : 2 Medium sized
Potato : 2 Medium sized
Carrots : 2 Medium sized
To grind :
Fresh grated coconut : 1 Bowl /4 to 5 tbs
Green chilly : 2 to 3 (mild spices)
Jeera /Cumin Seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Coriander Seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Coriander leaves : 1 Handful
Ginger : An inch
Seasoning :
Cooking Oil : 2 Tsps
Jeera /Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Tsp
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8
Ingh : A little
To Add :
Salt : As required.

Method :

1. Wash and remove the outer layer of sweet potatoes, potatoes and scrape out carrots outer layer.

2. Wash ginger and remove the outer layer. Wash it again and cut into pieces.
3. Cut the vegetables into small and put it in a cooker and cook. Let it cool.
4. Grate coconut and grind it with jeera/cumin seeds, green chilly, an inch of ginger, coriander leaves and coriander seeds.

5. Keep  the cooked vegetables on the fire and add salt. Mix it well and cook for a minute.

6. Add ground coconut spice mixture, and little turmeric. Mix it well and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes.

7. Shift the ready Sweet Potato Saagu to a serving dish and add jeera , ingh, curry leaves seasoning.

8. Mix it well and serve it with Hot poori or choice of your main dish.

Time : 30 Minutes.

Serves : 3 to 4.

Carrot - Tamarind Tokku Chutney

Carrot - Tamarind Tokku Chutney is an quick and easy side dish. Tamarind Tokku  makes the chutney bit spicy and it goes well with plain rice and a spoon of ghee. I know When you read the above line your mouth starts watering. Thats the taste of this Carrot - Tamarind Tokku Chutney.

I got this Tamarind Tokku from Dharwad, our daughter in law Vidya's native is Dharwad and her Aunt Mala Aunty sends all the yummy pickles, chutneys and chutney pudis from Dharwad to vidya. 

I too get some portion of it and enjoy eating preparing these yummy preparations.

You must be knowing how the Tamarind Tokku is done.

Tamarind/Hunise hannu/puli / when it is still raw and green, it is plucked and removed the hard outer layer and then pounded with green chilly, salt, ingh. No moisture or water is added here. So the Tokku turns spicy and yummy. This spicy chutney goes well with curd rice or any other main dishes.

Since there is no water in it, chutney stays for long time.

I have used carrots, green chilly, tamarind tokku and coconut.

Let us see this simple Carrot - Tamarind Tokku Chutney recipe now :

Ingredients :

Carrots : 2 

Green chilly : 2

Tamarind Tokku : 1 Tablespoon

Coconut : 1 Cup

Salt : As required

Ingh /Asafoetida : A little 

Methi Seeds /Fenugrik seeds : 3 to 4 

Seasoning :

Coconut Oil : 1 Teaspoon

Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tsp

Ingh/Asafoetida : A pinch

Curry Leaves : 5 to 6 

Method :

1. Wash and grate carrots and grate coconut.

2. Wash green chilly, Curry leaves and keep it aside.

3. Now keep a pan and put 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Add methi /fenugrik seeds and fry till it turn golden brown. 

4. Add curry leaves and green chilly and fry. Add grated carrots and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. 

5. Put off the fire and add grated coconut.

6.. Let it cool. Add tamarind tokku and grind all the fried ingredients together. (Carrots, green chilly, grated coconut mixture).

7. Add salt and churn for a minute. Shift the ready chutney to a serving bowl.

8. Season with coconut oil, mustard seeds, ingh and curry leaves. 

9. Add the seasoning to ready chutney and serve as one of the side dish.

Note : 

Frying green chilly adds to the taste and aroma. Use of green chilly is otpitonal. You can use any brand of cooking oil. Tamarind tokku adds to the taste.

Time : 10 Minutes

Serves : 2 to 3 .

Baragu / Proso Millet Uppittu

Millets and Health goes hand in hand. Lots of people turning and adopting millet food in their daily life. Such a beautiful and healthy grains that they are loaded with benefits to our health.
Here I have prepared Baragu / Proso Millet Uppittu/ Upma and it is yummy to have for breakfast or as snack.

Long long ago before rice entering into Our Bharath people used to grow and eat millets. That has been a daily food grain. Even Very Famous Story Writer Shree S. L Byrappa, writes in one of his novel Uttara Kand that even during Ramayana Yuga, people used to grow millets. Even Lakshmana and Seetha used to grow millets in the land which it belongs to them.
Millets are gluten free, good for diet and diabetic people. It has minimum amount of carbohydrates.
They are full of fiber rich grains and easy to grow.

Millets are known as Siri Dhanya means wealthy grains, since it makes our life happy by taking care of our Health.

Let us see What do we call these millets In our language Kannada which we Kannadigas speak in the State of Karnataka.

         English                     -             Kannada
1. Barnyard Millet                  Oodalu (ಊದಲು)
2. Kodo Millet                        Araka / Haraka (ಹರಕ/ಅರಕ)
3. Little Millet                        Saame (ಸಾಮೆ)
4. Foxtail Millet                     Navane (ನವಣೆ)
5. Brown Millet                      Kooralu (ಕೂರಲು)
6. Finger Millet                      Ragi (ರಾಗಿ)
7. Proso Millet                       Baragu (ಬರಗು)
8. Pearl Millet                        Sajje (ಸಜ್ಜೆ)
9. Soghum/Millet                   Bili Jola (ಬಿಳಿ ಜೋಳ).
I have powdered Baragu /proso Millet into rava consistency and then I used the baragu rava to make uppittu.

No Onion or No Garlic is used in this Baragu / Proso Millet Uppittu.
Let us see the recipe Now :

Ingredients :

Proso Millet /Baragu : 1 Cup
Carrot . 1
Ginger : An inch
Coconut : 1 Cup
Salt : As required
Ghee : 2 Tablespoons
Lemon : 1 Tsp
To Season :
Oil : 3 to 4 Tablespoons
Mustard seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1 Teaspoon
Cashew nuts : 1 Tablespoon
Curry Leaves : 10 to 12
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Water : 2 Cups

Method :

1. Wash and cut green chilly, curry leaves into thin. clean Baragu grains and keep it aside.

2. Wash carrot, scrape out the skin and grate it.
3. Wash ginger and remove the outer layer and wash it again. Grate it.

4. Grate coconut and keep it aside.
5. Keep water for boiling. Powder baragu into Rava consistency.

6. Keep a big pan on the fire and heat. Add oil and heat. Add mustard seeds and urid dal.
7. Let mustard seeds splutter.
8. Add cashews, green chilly and curry leaves.
9. Add powdered baragu and fry nicely on low flame till the raw smell disappear.

10. Fry nicely and then add boiling water. (Let the flame be very low while pouring water to rava).

11. Mix it well and cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on medium flame.
12. Add salt and grated carrot. Mix it well and let it cook on low flame.

13. Add grated ginger and 2 tablespoons of ghee. Mix it slowly
14. Let baragu/proso millet cook nicely. Let all the moisture disappear completely.
15. Now its time to add coconut. Add lemon extract and mix it and mix it. Shift it to a serving dish.

16. Serve with a cup of curd and enjoy eating healthy Baragu /Proso Millet Uppittu.

Note :

Baragu should be powdered properly into medium size rava. If it turns powdered completely Uppittu will not taste good. Adding more water makes Uppituu watery and it does not taste good.
Adding onion is optional. Adding more ghee is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes

Serves : 2 to 3.

Carrot Holige

Holige / Sweet Chapati /Poli / Pooran Poli is a sweet dish normally done during festival, feast and marriage functions. There are many types of holige and here is Carrot Holige, done with carrot gratings and jaggery stuffed inside. The outer layer is with wheat flour and maida mix.

Carrot Holige / Pooran Poli is easy to do and yummy to eat. It fits all age group and festival will be full of colours too.
Let us see the recipe

Things needed : 

To Stuff : We call it as Hoorana or Hoorna 

Carrots : 2 to 3
Jaggery :  2 Cups. /Powdered
Rava /Semolina : 1 Cup
Salt : A pinch

To Outer layer/ We call it as Kanaka 

Wheat flour : 1 1/2 Cups
Maida : 1/2 Cup
Salt : A pinch
Turmeric Powder : A little
Oil :  3 to 4 Tablespoons

Method :

1. In a big bowl add,  wheat flour, maida, salt and turmeric powder. Mix it nicely and add required water. Prepare the dove. The texture should be soft.

2. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil on the top and cover it. Leave the dough to rest for 1 hour.

3. Keep a big pan on the fire and put jaggery. Add 1/2 Cup of water and let jaggery melt completely.

4. Sieve the jaggery with siever and keep the clean jaggery aside.

5. Wash and grate carrots. Powder  6 to 8 cardamom and keep it aside.

6. Keep a pan on the fire and put cleaned jaggery. Let it get slightly thick.
7. Add grated carrots and mix it nicely. Add rava / semolina and mix it well. It starts to turn thick.

8. Add powdered cardamom. Put off the fire and shift the hoorana to a bowl. Let it cool.

9. Kneed the dough nicely and divide them in to small portions.

10. Take a small portion of the dough and spread a little by on your palm.
11. Now stuff 1 tablespoon of sweet carrot mixture and close the dough nicely bringing all the edge at the center.

12. Put little wheat flour in a big plate/bowl.
13. Now take stuffed dough and dip in dry flour and roll it slowly and make holige /round shape.

14. Keep tava on the fire and heat. Put holige on the tava and cook on both sides.

15. Holige is ready to serve.  Put ghee on the top just before serving.

16. Eating hot holige is such fun.

 Note :

The holige dough should be soft. Put oil at the end and then let it rest. Kneed the dough well. Do not put weight on roller while rolling holige. No need to use oil while rolling. Dip in dry flour and then roll it. Use of oil while preparing is optional. I have not used it.
Time : Mixing 10 Minutes + resting dough 1 hour + preparing 40 Minutes. 
Serves : 12 to 15 Holige can be prepared.