Carrot - Sweet Potato Avalakki

Avalakki/Beaten Rice/ flattened rice / P0ha /Aval is one of the handy food that can be prepared within a few minutes. I have prepared varieties of Avalakki and here is one more which has sweet potato and carrots. It easy, yummy quick, simple, healthy and energetic.

I have used Thick variety of Avalakki, sweet potato, carrot, lemon and green chilly for mild spicy.

Let us see some benefits of eating " Sweet Potato " in our diet.
Sweet Potatoes are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber. They are easy to digest. They are good content of iron, calcium, and B vitamins and Viamin C. They have good source of anti oxidants and good for our eye health.

No Onion or Garlic is used here in this : Carrot - Sweet Potato Avalakki ".
Carrot - Sweet Potato Avalakki is good for kids lunch box, travelling, some special fasting days and even for small gatherings .
I have used thick Avalakki.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

Avalakki : 2 Cups
Carrot : 1 ( Medium sized)
Sweet Potato : 1 ( Medium sized )
Green chilly : 2
Ginger : 1 Teaspoon /Grated
Jaggery : 2 Tablespoons
Turmeric powder : A little /1/4 Teaspoon
Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Salt : As required
Coriander leaves : 2 Tablespoons
Oil : 3 to 4 Tablespoons
Mustered Seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 8 to 10
Cashews : 5 to 6  /cut into small pieces. ( Optional ).
Lemon : 1 Tablespoon ( 1 lemon extract ).

Method :

1. Clean and wash avalakki and soak in 1/2 glass of water. Add salt, lemon extract, turmeric powder and jaggery. Mix it well and let it get set.

2. Wash and scrape out the peel of sweet potato and carrots. Grate carrots and keep it aside.
3. Cut sweet potato in to very thin pieces and wash it again.
4. Wash and slit green chilly, remove the outer layer of ginger and grate it.
5. Grate coconut and keep it aside. Cut a lemon and extract juice from it.
6. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil and Mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add cut cashew nuts.
7. Add slit green chilly and curry leaves. Add sweet potato pieces and fry till they turn soft.
8. Add carrots gratings and mix it well. Add soaked avalakki and mix it slowly. Add 1/2 Cup of water and cook till avalakki turns soft.  Add a tablespoon of ghee and mix it well.

9. Add required salt and mix it well. Add fresh grated coconut and mix it. Add lemon extract and mix it. Add a tablespoon of ghee and mix it well.

10. Shift the ready avalakki to a serving dish. Add cut coriander leaves.

11. Serve with a cup of curd.
12. Serve a banana with " Carrot - Sweet Potato Avalakki ".

Note: 

Use thick avalakki to get good taste. It should be fresh or you get a stale flavour. See that cooked avalakki turns soft. ( Not over cooked ). Use of carrots more or less is optional. More of green chilly is optional. Adding ghee is optional.
Time : 15 Minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3.

Wheat - Millet - Urid Dosa

Wheat - Millet /Jola - Urid Dosa is a healthy breakfast or snack food. It is simple and quick. It is diet, diabetic friendly Dosa and every one can enjoy having this dosa.

I have used urid dal, Wheat flour and Millet flour.
I have done in this way. Soak Urid dal and grind. In a bowl mix Millet and wheat flour with little water and grind it with required water. Now mix urid dal batter and mixed flour batter. Add required salt. Leave it for 5 minutes. Healthy Wheat - Millet - Urid dal dosa batter is ready to prepare dosa. The batter can be used as soon as you grind  or it can be fermented for 5 to 6 hours and then prepare dosa. The fresh batter turns dosa soft and the fermented batter helps the dosa to be crispy.
Diabetic Friendly, diet friendly, Millet Dosa / Dose is good for breakfast / snack or even dinner.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

Urid dal : 1/2 Cup
Wheat flour : 1 Cup
Millet flour : 1 Cup
Salt : As required
Water : As required
OIl /Ghee : As required

Method :

1. Wash and soak Urid dal for 2 to 3 hours and grind it. Use required water. Keep it aside.

2. Take a bowl, add wheat and millet flour. Mix it with little water and grind it together.

3. Take a big bowl, add ground urid dal and millet flour mix. Add required salt. Mix it well. Leave
the batter for 5 minutes. Dosa batter is ready to prepare dosa.

4. Keep a dosa pan on the fire and heat. Sprinkle some oil on it. Clean it with a clean kitchen tissue.
5. Take a ladle of wheat millet urid dosa batter and spread it on the tava. Let the fire on medium flame.

6. Add little oil on the top. Cover and cook for a minute. Turn the other side and cook for 30 seconds.
7. Wheat - Millet - Urid Dosa is ready to serve.

8. Serve with a side dish you have prepared. Add little ghee/butter on the top and serve.

9. Prepare dosas with remaining dosa batter.

Note :

Dosa batter consistency should be bit loose. So that it spreads easily and dosa turns crisp.
Adding ghee or butter while preparing dosa is optional. As I said earlier you can ferment the batter and prepare nice dosas. (It turns crisp and nice).
Time : Urid dal soaking time 2 to 3 hours + grinding 5 to 10 minutes + preparing dosa 20 minutes.
If fermenting another 5 to 6 hours.
Serves : 3 to 4.

Field Beans Dry Curry

Field beans /ಅವರೆಕಾಯಿ is one of the seasonal pods we get plenty in winter. People long to prepare varieties of dishes using this Field beans.

This recipe is told by Renuka Manjunath one of my fb friend and she said this has to be cooked directly and not in pressure cooker. Sogadu Avarekai should be used to get the best taste.
Here I have tried traditionally as Renuka Manjunath mentioned, which has beautiful aroma of averekai.  and it is yummy, filled with ghee taste roasted methi/fenugrik seeds and jeera/cumin seeds powder.
This Field  beans dry curry is one of the traditional dish from Tumkur district. The process of cooking is done in the night with low flame may be cooked with using the fire wood, and the butter quantity is more nearly 200 grams and with the help of slow cooking the butter turns as ghee and adds to the taste.
Let us see the recipe now :
I have used tender avarekai/field beans, onions, green chilly, curry leaves, coriander leaves, grated coconut and butter.
This curry taste better when you cook the pods directly with low flame. The aroma adds to the taste and we can have this curry with plain rice, rotis, chapati, poori and especially akki rotti.
I have prepared Akki rotti with remaining Field Beans dry curry also.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients 

Avarekai/Field Beans : 1 Cup
Onions : 2 to 3
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Butter : 2 Tablespoons full
Cumin Seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Methi /Fenugrik seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Coriander leaves : 1/2 Bundle
Curry Leaves : 1 Handful
Coconut : 3 to 4 Tablespoons
Salt : As required
Turmeric Powder : A pinch
Cooking Oil : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Remove avere kalu /Field beans and keep it aside. Use the tender pods. Do not wash it.

2 Remove the outer layer of onions and cut in to small. I have used the chopper to cut onions, curry leaves and green chilly.

3. Take a bowl, put field beans, cut onions, green chilly, curry leaves and mix it well.

4. Keep the pan on the fire and put mixed avarekai/field beans mix and little turmeric. Let the flame be very low.

5. Mix it well and sprinkle some water on the top. Do not add much water to cook. Field beans has to be cooked slowly with the help of onions and sprinkled water.

6. Add a tablespoon of butter and mix it well. Let it turn slowly as ghee. Sprinkle some more water on the top and cover the dry curry.

7. Let it cook on low flame. Stir in between so that it does not get burnt. Add a tablespoon of butter again and mix it well.
8. Dry roast jeera/cumin seeds and methi seeds and dry grind it.  Keep it aside.

9. Stir the mixture again and sprinkle some more water. Do not add much water at times.
10. See that pods are cooked and turned soft. Add dry roasted jeera and methi powder. Mix it well.
11. Add required salt and mix it well. See that it is done completely. Add grated coconut and mix it well.

12. Add cut coriander leaves and shift the curry to a serving dish. We had this curry as one of the side dish.

Note :

You should use more onions so that it helps to cook field beans nicely. Adding butter gives a ghee aroma and taste yummy. This dry curry should be cooked directly to get the best taste. It might take at least one hour to cook. But the taste is divine. You should use the tender seeds to prepare this curry.
Time : 1 Hour 
Serves : 3 to 4 
I have added the same dry curry to rice flour and prepared Akki Rotti and it tasted yummy.

Pumpkin Acchar /Pickle flavoured Curry

Pumpkin /Sihi kumbala kai is a healthy vegetable which can be kept for a long time. I have prepared this curry with little mustard along with sambar powder. It is called as Pumpkin Achar Curry because the spices gives out slightly pickle taste.

Our home in Brahmavar/Near Udupi used to have at least 3 to 4 pumpkins and that pumpkins were used to store for the rainy days in olden days. I am calling those days as olden days since my father in law used to grow pumpkins, ash gourd and mangalore cucumber in the field and the grown vegetables are to be stored in Padasale/Pooja room. These vegetables are used in rainy seasons because during the rainy days normally you would not get much vegetables. The days are gone and now is all dream that we have seen.
Let us see some benefits of eating pumpkin in our diet.
Pumpkin is low in saturated fat and low in cholesterol. It is also low in sodium. It has a good source of Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. It is filled with  Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Phosphorus. It has a good source of dietary fiber. Pumpkin is good for people who suffer from blood pressure. It is rich in anti oxidants which helps in preventing damage to our eyes.
Pumpkin Acchar /Pickle flavoured Curry has no onion or no garlic in it. Do not add more mustard seeds, it might give out bitter and strong spice taste.
Let us see the recipe now :
Things needed :
To Cook :
Red Pumpkin : 1 Bowl. ( 1/4 part of one medium sized pumpkin)
To grind :
Coconut : 1 Cup ( 3 to 4 Tablespoons)
Mustard seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Jeera /Cumin seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Rasam / Sambar powder : 1 Tablespoon
To add :
Tamarind pulp : 1 Tablespoon
Salt : As required
Turmeric powder : A pinch
Coriander leaves : 1 Tablespoon
Seasoning :
Cooking oil : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh : A little
Curry leaves : 5 to 6 leaves

Method :

1. Wash and remove the hard part of pumpkin and cut them into small pieces.
2. Cook with little water till it turns soft. ( Do not over cook )

3. Grate coconut and grind it with rasam /sambar powder, jeera/cumin seeds and mustard seeds.
4. Add required water to grind and remove it from mixi jar.

5. Soak a marble size of tamarind in hot water and squeeze out the pulp from it. Keep the pulp aside.
6. Keep a pan on the fire and put cooked pumpkin pieces. Add salt, tamarind pulp and turmeric powder to it.

7. Let it cook for 2 minutes. Add ground coconut mixture and mix it well. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
 

8. Shift the curry to a serving dish.

9. Keep small pan on the fire and heat. Add a teaspoon of oil, mustard seeds. Let mustard seeds splutter.
10. Add little ingh/ asafoetida and cut curry leaves. Put this seasoning to prepared pumpkin curry.
11. Mix it well and Add cut coriander leaves.
12. Serve with the main dish you have prepared.

 Note :

Do not over cook the pumpkin pieces. No need to add any garlic or onion to this curry. Do not use more oil to season.  Do not add much mustard seeds to grind because the food might give bitter taste.
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4.
Purely South Indian dish.