Ragi - Apple Haalubai. (Finger Millet Pudding).

Haalubai (in Kannada Langurage) is one one of the traditional sweet dish/desert.  Normally haalubai is prepared using rice and coconut. I have used Ragi/finger millet instead of rice. Here is a recipe of Ragi/Finger Millet and it is a healthy desert and yummy to have it.

Haalu means milk and this particular sweet dish is prepared using coconut milk and jaggery. Use of coconut is a healthy option and we do get benefit from coconut and coconut milk. It is not only adds taste to the dish you prepare, it adds the healthy properties in it.
Let us see some benefits of having Coconut in our diet.
coconut is referred as Kalpavruksha (means provide the needs of human).
Coconut is one of the wonder food on the earth and it provides multiple health benefits. It helps in lowering cholesterol, healing and stabilizing blood sugar in our body. It is a top immune booster, anti fungal, antibiotic, antiviral and antibacterial remedy for thousands of years. Coconut helps to imporve digestion, stabilize glucose levels, ward off wrinkles, build cells, regulate hormones, fight infections and good for weight loss. Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fibre. It has vitamin C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6 in it. It has minerals like iron, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous.
 Ragi - Apple Haalubai can be eaten as desert, for kids snack box, breakfast, travelling and kitty parties.
I have used ragi flour, apple, jaggery, cardamom, cinnamon (very little) and some ghee.
Let us see the recipe now.

Things needed :

Ragi flour : 2 Cups
Jaggery : 3/4 Cup or little more
Apple : 1 (big size)
Ghee : 3 to 4 Tablespoons
Cinnamon : Very small pieces.( 1/3 of an inch)
Cardamom : 6 to 8 Pods
Salt : A pinch
Coconut : 1 Cup

Method :

1. Grate coconut and grind it nicely with cinnamon and cardamom seeds. (Remove the seeds from the pods and then use it). Let it be paste consistency.

2. Dry roast ragi flour for 2 to 3 minutes on low flame and let it cool.
3. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Put jaggery and 1 glass of water. Let jaggery melt completely and starts to boil. Remove from the pan and sieve it.

4. Wash and remove outer peel of an apple. Remove the seeds and hard portion. Cut them into very small pieces.
5. Keep a pan on the fire and add sieved jaggery and ground coconut mixture.
6. Add roasted ragi flour to jaggery mixture and slowly stir. Let it mix well.

7. Keep on stirring till it turn slightly thick. Add a tablespoon of ghee and keep stirring the pudding.

8. Add little ghee in between and stir the haalubai on low flame. It starts to leave the edges of the pan.
9. Add cut apple pieces and let it mix it with ragi coconut mixture nicely. Add little ghee.

10. Stir for another 5 to 8 minutes and pour the dough to a ghee greased tray or plate.

11 Spread it evenly on the plate. Cut it once it is cooled.

12. Serve or eat whenever you want to. Add little ghee on the top of Ragi - Apple Haalubai just before serving.

Note;

You can add grated apple instead of pieces. I have added the pieces so that you get a piece while eating haalubai. Adding more ghee is optional. (Remember it does not take much ghee). Use of oil instead of ghee is optional. Taste differ and ghee taste better. Adding any other flavour instead of cinnamon and cardamom is optional. Adding more jaggery is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 25 to 30 pieces. (According to size and shape).
Type : Desert/Sweet/Indian.

Jaggery -Wheat Coco Cake

Cakes are special and it is loved by all age group people. Here is a try of Jaggery -Wheat Cake which I have seen in one of the television show.

I was very happy to note this cake is prepared using jaggery and wheat instead of maida/all purpose flour and sugar. Use of wheat and jaggery is a healthy option and we can enjoy this cake at any time of the day.
Lets see the recipe now :

Things needed :

Wheat flour : 1 Cup
Jaggery : 1/2 Cup or little less
Milk : 1 Cup
Coco Powder : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Ghee /Oil : 2 Tablespoons
Lemon : 1 Teaspoon
Vanilla Essence : 2 to 3 Drops.
Baking Soda : 1/4 Teaspoon
Salt : A pinch

Method :

1. Sieve wheat flour, coco powder, salt and baking soda together. (Sieve twice, so that all the dry ingredients mixes well).

2. Take a big bowl and put jaggery, milk and oil.
3. Mix it well and add lemon extract. Mix it nicely.
4. Add dry ingredients and mix it slowly in one direction.

5. Let all the ingredients mix it well. Add vanilla essence and mix it slowly. Add lemon extract. (Lemon Juice). Mix it nicely.

6. Apply ghee to the baking tray. Sprinkle little dry wheat flour.
7. Pour the ready cake mixture and tap it so that the cake mixture settles well equally.

8. Pre heat the oven for 5 minutes.
9. Keep the cake mixture tray in the oven and let it bake for 25 to 30 minutes ( 180 D .cl).
10.Prick the knife end or spoon to make sure it is done. (The mixture does not stick to the spoon).
11. Take out the tray and place it above the oven for at least 10 minutes.

12. Cut Jaggery - Wheat Coco cake and serve with a cup of tea.

Note :

See that the cake mixture is mixed well. You can use 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk and then mix the mixture. Adding any fruits or dry nuts is optional. There is no sugar or butter in the cake. Adding any dry nuts are optional. It adds to the taste. I have added organic jaggery which is very liquid. If you are using normal jaggery powder it and then melt it with a teaspoon of water, sieve it and then use it.
Time : 30 minutes to bake and 10 minutes to prepare
Serve : As you Like. 

Little Millet & Walnut Laddu

Happy Deepavali to One and All. These Little Millet Laddus are specially prepared for Jayashree Trao's Deepavali special post.
Thanks to Jayashree Trao. She has asked us to join her, for posting recipes for Deepavali. It is a good gesture and nature. Thanks Jayashree and I feel very happy to be part of it.

Deepavali is here and the celebration starts. The sweets and savoury dishes pour and you need to start preparing them ahead of the festival. Exchanging/distributing/serving all turns you into world of "JOY".
Once you start preparing sweet the festive moods already starts and the sweet wave brings you happiness around you.
Preparing sweets is fun. Let us keep in mind and prepare some healthy dishes too. Here is such one and I love to prepare these sweet round balls/laddu/Laadu/Unde as it is easy, healthy and quick. These Little Millet Laddu is filled with Healthy nutritions and you can enjoy them at any time of the day.
I have used little millet, jaggery, walnuts, coconut and cardamom. Added some raisins and cashews.
Little millet is one of the millet which is gluten free and loaded with minerals and healthy properties.
It is known as " Same " in Kannada and is a spoken language of Karnataka /India.
Let us see the recipe Now:

Ingredients :

Same/Little millet : 2 Cups
Walnuts : 1 Cup
Jaggery : 1 Cup (Powdered)
Cardamom : 6 to 8 pods
Dry coconut /Copra : 1
Cashews and Raisins : 3 to 4 Tablespoons
Ghee : 1/2 Cup

Method :

1. Clean and dry roast little millet nicely till the raw smell disappear. Let it cool.
2. Cut or grate coconut in to small pieces and dry grind into powder consistency.
3. Remove the cardamom pods and powder the pods.
4. Now dry grind walnuts nicely and keep it aside.
5. Dry grind roasted little millet and cardamom pods and keep it aside.
6. Keep a pan on the fire and put jaggery. Put 1/4 cup of water and let jaggery melt completely.
7. Sieve melted jaggery with a strainer and remove all the dust particles.
8. Put cleaned jaggery mixture in a big pan and let it boil and it starts to bubble up.
9. Stir in between and check for one thread consistency. ( just 2 to 3 minutes after bubbles).
10. Add powdered little millet and stir nicely and let it mix it well. Add powdered walnuts mixture.
11. Mix it well and add coconut mixture and put off the fire.
12. Shift the ready mixture to a big bowl.
11. Keep a small pan on the fire and heat. Put 2 tablespoons of ghee, cashews and raisins.
12. Fry till raisins turn golden brown. Put these ghee fried nuts to little millet mixture.
13. Add remaining ghee and mix it well. Take a small portion of the mixture and prepare laddu.
14. Repeat the same and prepare remaining laddus
15. Arrange them in a tray and let it completely cool.

16. Shift the laddus to an airtight bottle box. Serve as you wish.

Note :

Be careful while preparing jaggery syrup consistency. Do not over boil. Laddu turns very hard and is difficult to make into small portions while eating. Prepare it on low and medium flame. Add more ghee if you find hard to prepare laddu. You can also use warm milk instead of ghee but the shelf stay of laddu is short when you use milk. So ghee is a  good option. Adding more jaggery is optional. Adding normal coconut instead of dry coconut is optional. Adding ghee helps the laddu to be soft and tasty.
Time : 30 Minutes
Serves : 20 to 25 Laddus/Laadu/Unde.


Sending this above recipe to : for Deepavali sweets

www.evergreendishes.com 

Banana -Wheat-Rava Sweet Poori

Banana-Wheat-Rava Sweet Poori is good to have for breakfast/snack and loved by sweet lovers. It is done with banana, wheat flour, chiroti rava (thin variety of rava), and little jaggery.

 It is similar to Our Mangalore Buns but used wheat and rava and jagery instead of sugar. No need to add any cooking soda or baking powder and no need to allow the dough to rest for many hours.
Now it is Navarathri and many people will Arrange dolls according to their tradition and culture. Keeping dolls during Navarathri is one of the beautiful and excellent custom it keeps you busy and active. The creativity in arranging dolls is really wonderful activity and it helps to younger generation to know about our culture and moral. People come to visit and see dolls and you can serve these sweet pooris to them.  
 Happy Navaratri to All . 

Banana Wheat- Rava Sweet Pooi is good for breakfast/snack/kids snack box and even for travelling. 

Lets see the recipe Now:
 

Things Needed :

Wheat flour : 2 Cups
Chiroti Rava : 2 Tablespoons.
Ripe Banana : 1 Ripe
Curd /Milk : 1/4 Cup
Ghee : 1 Tablespoon
Jaggery : 2 Tablespoon
Salt : A little
Oil : 1 Cup or little more

Method :

1.Peel off the banana skin and put banana fruit in a big bowl. Add a tablespoon of curd/milk and jaggery.
2. Add salt to it and mix it well. Smash banana nicely and let jaggery mix with banana. ( Powder jaggery before adding).

3. Add wheat flour, chiroti rava and ghee. Mix all the ingredients nicely and prepare Poori dough.

4. Add little more wheat flour if the dough turn sticky. Kneed the dough well.

5. Divide the dough into small portions and turn them as small ball shape.
6. Just apply little oil on each small portion and roll them as small poori shape. (Round Shape).

7. Keep a pan on the fire and add oil. Let it get heated.

8. Fry pooris on hot oil. Fry till they turn slightly golden brown. Fry on both sides.

9. Remove it from hot oil and put them on a kitchen tissue. Banana - Wheat -Rava Sweet Pooris are ready to serve.

10. Serve with coconut chutney or choice of your curry.

Note: 

Add wheat flour if the dough gets sticky or watery. Do not use any water. I have used boiled and cooled milk. Adding milk to prepare the dough is optional. Add milk little by little so that you can prepare thick dough very easily. Adding jaggery more /less is optional. Powdering jaggery before adding helps jaggery to mix with curd easily. Adding curd helps the dough to be soft. Adding ghee helps the poori to be crispy.
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 25 to 30 Pooris can be prepared . (According to size).