Avalakki Spicy Huggi

Avalakki/Aval/ Poha/Flattened Rice is good for health and easy to digest, quick to prepare. Here is Avalakki Spicy Huggi/Pongal that we can prepare for breakfast/brunch/snack or dinner.

It is very close to kichidi ( mixed with dal), very good for all age group. Kichidi is normally prepared for dinner so that it is very soothing and healthy. This Avalakki Spicy Huggi is bit thick and is loaded with spices and little ghee which helps to be full for a long time and it can be eaten for breakfast/brunch. It is always better to have this Avalakki Spicy Huggi in the mornings, so that it is easy to digest. I have used avalakki, moong dal, green chilly, ginger, pepper and coconut.
Let us see the recipe now.

Things needed :

To Cook :
Thick Avalakki : 2 Cups
Moong dal : 1/2 Cup
To Add :
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Black Pepper pods : 5 to 6
Ginger : 1 Tablespoon (Grated)
Turmeric powder : A pinch
 Salt : As required
Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Lemon : 1 Teaspoon
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
To Season :
Ghee : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Jeera /Cumin seeds : 1 Teaspoon

Curry leaves : 8 to 9 leaves

Method :

1. Wash and drain water from avalakki. Wash and squeeze out lemon extract and keep it aside.
2. Wash and cut green chilly into big pieces, peel off outer layer of ginger and wash it again. Grate it and keep it aside.
3. Take a big bowl, add washed avalakki, cut green chilly,  grated ginger and required salt.
4. Mix all the ingredients with avalakki and keep it aside.

5.Grate coconut and keep it aside. Crush pepper pods and add it to avalakki.
6.Wash moong dal and drain all the water and keep it aside.

7. Keep a big pan and add a tablespoon of ghee. Add jeera/ingh and  2 to 3 pepper pods. ( Whole).
8. Add ingh/Asafoetida and let jeera turn little brown. Fry. nicely.

9. Add washed and drained moong dal and fry for 2 minutes. ( On medium flame).
10. Add a glass of water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful it may over flow. ( Better keep a big pan).
11. See that moong dal turns soft. Mix it well. Add washed avalakki,  Grated ginger and crushed pepper.

12. Mix it well and let it cook on low flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Let all the moisture disappear.

13. Mix it again and add grated fresh coconut, Lemon juice. Add remaining ghee. Mix it well again. Add cut coriander leaves.

14. Shift the Ready Avalakki Spicy Huggi to a serving bowl. Serve with your choice of side dish or a cup of curd.

Note :

Dry roasting moong dal helps the dal to evenly. ( Will not be over cooked ). Adding slit green chilly gives nice aroma to Huggi. You can use more/less of green chilly. Use of pepper pods adds aroma to Huggi and it helps the food to digest properly. Adding more less coconut is optional. Adding more/less ghee is optional. Thick avalakki must be used to get good consistency.
Time : 15 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4 

Chiku - Nendra Banana- Dates Milk Shake

The summer is usually hot and we need to take care of our body and mind from screeching hot. One should drink sufficient water to escape from dehydration. We can also have some fruit juice, milkshake, fresh cool drinks like tender coconut, jeera water or butte milk, eat mild food. etc.

Here is a Chiku/Sapota, Nendra Banana and a few soft dates and  fresh milk.

I have used above said ingredients and very little honey to add sweet.

Let us see some benefits of having Chiku/Sapota fruit in our diet.

Chiku / Sapota is rich in Vitamin A and C. Vitamin A is helps to take care of eye health and Vitamin C helps to keep us strong, take care of our skin in good condition and prevents heart disorders etc. Chiku/ Sapota helps as energy booster. It is rich in tannin. A good natural anti-inflammation curer. It is rich in fiber and good for easy digestion and good for people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrom. It helps to ease constipation problems. The fruit is good for pregnant women and good and helps to build strong bones. Sapota is good for our skin and hair also.

Instead of sugar I have added dates and honey.

Things Needed :

Chikku/Sapota : 2 to 3 (Medium sized)
Nendra Banana /Nendra bale : 1
Fresh boiled and cooled milk : 2 cups/Glasses
Cashew nuts : 2 to 3
Dates : 6 to 8
Honey : 1 Tablespoon

Method :

1. Remove pods from dates and cut into small pieces.
2. Remove banana skin and cut the fruit into small pieces.
3. Remove the outer layer of chiku fruits and remove the pods.

4. Now put all the ingredients to a mixi jar. Add a cup of milk and grind it into nice paste consistency.

5. Add another cup of milk and churn for a minute.
6. Put the ready milk shake to a bowl.

7. Add a tablespoon of honey and mix it well.

8. Put to the serving glass and serve.

9. Adding ice cubes just before serving is purely optional. (I have not added).

Note : 

Adding more water /milk to dilute the milk shake is optional. If you do add little more honey. Adding jaggery /sugar instead of honey and dates is optional. Adding more chiku fruits is optional.
Time : 10 Minutes 
Serves : 2 to 3 .

Dil Leaves - Sweet Potato Palya (Dry Curry ) & Samosa

Palya (Kannada language) is a dry curry and we can prepare palya with almost all vegetables. It is one of the side dish and goes well with plain rice, chapatis, roti and poori. I just tried Dil leaves- sweet potato palya as I always do a bit different from the normal. Combination of dil leaves and sweet potato goes very well. A bit of sweetness from sweet potato and aroma from dil leaves makes the dish really yummy.

I prepared Samosas using the same palya. Used 2 cups of wheat flour and 1 cup of maida for the outer layer. Indeed Samosa came out very well and no need to say that we all enjoyed eating and eating these Samosas
I have not used onions or garlic but there is always an option you can add onion & garlic if you wish to.

Things Needed : Dil Leaves - Sweet Potato Palya .(Dry curry)

Sweet Potatoes : 5 to 6
Dil leaves : 1 Bundle
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Ginger : grated : 1 Tea spoon ( a small piece )
Garam Masala powder : 1/2 Tea spoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon
Curry leaves : 6 to 8
Coriander leaves : 2 Table spoons
Salt : to Taste
Oil :1 Table spoon

Method : 

1. Wash and cut dil leaves. Remove the outer skin of sweet potato and cut them into small.

2. Wash and cut green chilly, grate ginger and keep it aside.
3. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add  1 Table spoon of oil and mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter.

 4. Add jeera and fry for 10 seconds. Add dil leaves and cut sweet potato and fry for 1 minutes.

5. Add little (1/4 cup or less) water and cook on low flame. Let the vegetables cook. (Do not over cook).

6. Mix it nicely and add grated ginger, garam masala  and cut green chilly. Mix it well.
7. Let all the moisture disappear. Add little turmeric and required salt. Mix it well.
8. Add coriander leaves and mix it well and put the ready palya to a serving bowl.

Note : 

Do not over cook or do not add more watery. The taste differ. You can also add cut onions to this Curry. Adding less oil is always a heathy  ppoint. You can also add grated coconut to this curry. ( I did not add coconut ). You can also add little red chilly powder to make the palya little spicy.
Time : 15 Minutes.
Serves : 4 to 5

Dil Leaves - Sweet Potato Samosa

Things Needed : 

Dil leaves - Sweet Potato curry : 2 Cups
Wheat Flour : 2 cups.
Maida (All purpose flour) : 1 Cup
Oil : 2 cups
Ghee : 1 Table spoon
Salt : to taste
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon

Method :

1. Dry roast wheat flour and maida separately for 2 to 3 minutes each. Allow them to cool.

 2. Put roasted flours in a big pan or bowl and add a spoon of ghee and mix it well.

3. Add water ( little by little ) and prepare the thick dough.
4, Divide the dough in to small portions and turn the small portion in to round.

5. Dip each ball before you roll and flatten it with a chapati roller. Cut the rolled chapati in to two portions.
6. Take one cut flattened chapati and fill Dil leaves - Sweet potato palya and press it nicely and prepare samosas.

7. Keep a frying pan and put oil. Heat oil and fry Samosas one by one on low flame till they turn crispy.

 Fry on both sides til brown and remove from the pan. Place it on kitchen tissue. It helps to absorbs extra oil.

 8. Repeat the same with remaining dough and prepare samosas.

9. Serve with any type of chutney or ketch up.
10. We had this samosa with green and sweet chutney and coconut chutney.

. We also had this Samossa with a cup of Curd (Yogurt ).

Note : 

Do not prepare the dough too soft. It will absorb more oil. Fry them on low flame to get the crispness.
Use of Maida instead of wheat is optional. I just tried with wheat and it was good . Use of more vegetables like carrot, peas and beans also can be used along with sweet potatoes.Do not roll the dough too thin or too thick. Do not use stale palya. It should be fresh.
Time :  40 Minutes
15 to 16 Samosas can be prepared.

Crispy Mandakki (Murmure) Kadle Puri

MandakkI (Puri ) or Puffed rice is used to prepare many dishes like chats, bhel puri, masala puri or masala mandakki even mandakki unde or puri unde (sweet version) also can be prepared. Puffed rice or Mandakki oggarane is very famous in North Karnataka side. I just tried this snack and we can munch them as it is or try your own version and create your chat.

Mandakki or Puffed rice is used in breakfast cereals, snack food like puffed rice cakes. Mandakki is also used in temples and gurudwaras as Prasad.Mandakki and Menasina bajji from Davanageri in Karnataka is world famous. Likewise Churumuri which is a popular chat which is prepared using  grated carrots, fried or roasted groundnuts, onions and some spices.

Puffed rice is known as Puri or Kadle puri in Kannada, Murumure - Marati, Muri in Assamese and Bengali, Murra or Murmure-Hindi, Mamra - Gujarati, Malaru - Malayalam, Bhuja - Oriya, Pori - Tamil, Fulla - Sindhi and Murmural in Telugu.
Here is a Crispy, yemmy riecipe of Mandakki which you can prepare and store for 2 to 3 days (at least) and go ahead with your creations and tongue licking recipes.

Ingredients 

Mandakki (Puffed rice) : One big bowl. ( 1 Pack ).
Plain Corn flakes.(Any brand) : 2 to 3 cups
Ground Nuts : 1/2 cups
Oil : 3 Table spoons
Salt : as required
Green chilly : 2
Curry leaves : Handful (or more)
Red chilly Powder : 1 Tea spoon
Ingh : a pinch
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Tea spoon
Turmeric powder : a pinch or 1/4 Tea spoon

Method :

1. Keep a dry pan on the fire and heat. Roast Mandakki on low flame till they are crisp. Stir gently in between slowly so that it does not get burnt at the bottom.

2. Remove the mandakki once they turn crispy.
3. Keep a small pan on the fire. Put oil and heat. Put mustard seeds and urid dal. Let the mustard seeds spurt.

4. Add cut green chilly and fry till they turn crispy. Now add curry leaves and fry.
5. Add ground nuts and fry till they turn brown. Add ingh and mix it well.
6. Add corn flakes and fry them for 10 seconds.

7. Add Crispy Mandakki and mix it well. Add chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt.
8. Mix all the ingredients well and put off the gas .

9. Shift the ready Mandakki to another bowl. Let it cool.

10. Store this Mandakki in a tight tin or in a bottle.

11. Use this Mandakki to prepare your own chat.

12. You can munch this Mandakki as it is with some coconut pieces too.

Preparation time : 20 minutes 
Servings : 5 to 6

 Note : 

1. Churumuri preparations : Cut onions, tomatoes, grate carrots and green chilly. Mix all this with little coconut and some rasam or sambar powder, lemon juice or mango powder (amechur powder). Add the required mandakki and mix it well and put a nippattu or chips on the top and serve immediately.
2. Bhel Puri : Cut tomatoes, onions, grate carrots, raw mango pieces. Add green chutney (coriander leaves, green chilly) and sweet chutney (dates and jaggery ). Mix it well and add Mandakki and put fried Semiya (Sev) on the top and serve.
 You can add some Chenna ( Huri Kadale) and more ground nuts and have them with some fried mixture. They taste fantastic.