Healthy Nutty Laddu/ Laadu / Unde

 Healthy Nutty Laddu is one of the healthy sweet that name it  self says " Healthy" . Nuts are always nutritious.and helpful provider of vitamins and minerals.

When it is said Nuts my mind tries to remember of my childhood days at My doddamma House. When I was about 1 and half year old my doddamma took me to her house to Udyavar. She is my mother's sister who had no children of her own. It is not that she did not get her pregnancy. When she was in her early pregnancy her mother in law made her to work very hard and because of that she lost her pregnancy. It happened twice and then she could not concive she used to say. So sad to hear that. I have seen her mother in law who was very rude and she made my doodamma to suffer so much. 

In those days all these nuts were used by rich people and not many could buy as they think.

But my doddamma used to give me some raisins every day, hiding raisins in her sari edge. She used to take me behind the cow shed and feed me those raisins. Raisins are very good for health and good for good blood as every one knows. Her mother in law will shout out if she sees that. She took care of me like her own baby until she died. Even our wedding beegara authana held in Udyavara Mane. Even now I am attached to that house. My younger sister lives there and we visit whenever we visit our home town. Its like my mother's home for me

Lets come back to Our healthy Laddu preparation.

This Laddu is good for all age group. Kids can take it for snacks. People who travel very often can carry this  laddu. It can be used as breakfast or as snack.

Things Needed :

Almonds : 2 Cups.

Cashews : 1 Cup.

Raisins : 1 Cup.

Dates : 20.

Ghee : 1/4 Cup.

Kallu Sakkare or Rock Sungar/Candy Sugar : 1 Small Cup.

Cloves : 2 

Cardamom :  4 Whole Pods. (Remove the seeds from it).

Method : 

1. Remove the seeds from dates and cut dates into small.

2. Dry roast almonds and cashews on low flame.

3. Now dry roast raisins just for 1 minute.

4. Put dates and stir till it gets soft.

5. Let all the roasted nuts get cool.

6. Now dry grind almonds and cashews with cloves and cardamom seeds.

7. Put it to a big bowl.

8. Dry grind softened dates. Add it to almond mix.

9. Dry grind Rock sugar/Candy sugar/Kallu Sakkare. Add it to nuts mix.

10. Mix all the nuts, raisins (As it is), powdered sugar candy and dates.

11. Add 1/4 cup ghee and mix it well.

!2. Prepare Laddu taking small amount of this nuts mixture.

13. Make Laddu same way with remaining Mixture.

14. Laddu is ready to serve or eat.

15. Store in Air tight box. It can stay for long time. 

Note. 

Do not add ghee while roasting.

No need of sugar or jaggery. Sugar candy helps to avoid cough.

Do not add more ghee. It might turn smelly later.

You can add small pieces of Sugar Candy. You can enjoy this sugar candy bits while enjoying Laddu.

Time : 40 Minutes.

20 to 25 Laddus can be prepared. : According to the size of Laddu.

Oats & Finger Millet Laddu 2

Oats and Finger Millet Laddu is a sweet dish and is one of the healthy laddu that helps you to keep strong and energetic for the whole day. You can have this as Laddu/Unde whenever you feel hungry OR crave for some sweets or to skip some carbs.

I do try and varieties of laddu/laadu/unde and though it looks same it has different ingredients and is mostly available at your home store.
Here in this laddu I have used Oats with its husk and Ragi flour. Dates and jaggery , handful of raisins and cashews.

Let us see some benefits of eating Dates in our diet.

Dates helps in boost energy and increasing iron in our body. They help in digestion. They are rich in fiber and contain various nutrients. They are loaded with antioxidants. They have good amount of anti inflammatory properties. Dates help in balancing blood sugar level. They help in reducing blood pressure. They are said to good brain booster. They contain minerals like, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium and zinc. They do have vitamins like, folate,  thiamin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A and Vitamin K.
Let us see the recipe Now :

Things Needed :

Oats : 500 Grams
Ragi/Finger Millet : 3 Cups
Ghee : 1 Small Cup
Dates : 20 to 30 or 250 grams or little more
Raisins and Cashews : 1 Handful
Jaggery : 250 Grams : 1 Cup (Powdered).

Method :

1. Dry roast Oats and keep it aside.

2. Dry roast ragi flour till the raw flavour disappear.

3. Dry grind Oats and keep it aside.

4. Remove the seeds from dates and cut or smash it nicely.

5. Keep a pan on the fire and put 1/2 cup of water. Add jaggery and let it melt nicely.

6. Sieve jaggery mixture and Put cleaned jaggery to a pan.

7. Boil liquid jaggery till it get one string consistency.
8. Let it boil for 2 minutes. Add powdered Oats and Ragi/finger millet flour to it.

9. Mix it nicely and take out from the fire. Add ghee

10. Add cut dates and mix it nicely and handful of cashews and raisins. Mix it thoroughly.

11. Dry Grind this mixture including dates, cashews and raisins. ( Do not grind for a long time. Just churn twice or thrice).
12. Put the ground mixture to a big bowl. Mix it nicely and prepare laddus.

13. Serve or munch when ever you crave for some sweets.

14. Store in a glass jar or  air tight boxes.

Note :

No coconut is used in this Oats and finger millet Laddu recipe. Adding cardamom is optional.
If the mixture turns dry, please do add some melted ghee or drops of hot milk. It helps to prepare laddu easily. Ghee used laddu shelf life is more and the taste does not change.
If laddu turns more moisture stir the laddu mixture little more.
Time : 40 Minutes
Serves : 50 Laddu can be made.
Use of more jaggery is optional.
Use of less/more ghee is optional.

Nendra baale Sheera/Kesari Baath

Nendra Baale /Nendra Bananan is a type of Banana, and is fiber rich, filled with Vitamins, Minerals and other healthy sources. I have tried Sheera /Kesari Baath using this Nendra Banana.

We from Dakshina Kannada make use of this banana. We do eat this banana, when it is fully ripen, steamed Nendra Bale is good for health. Preparing varieties of dishes like payasa/kheer, dosa and jamoon, just shallow fry in ghee. The ghee fried Nendra banana is good for kids and the people who suffer from anemia. It is full of energy and provides vitamins and minerals.
I have already tried shallow fried bananas, mild spicy dosa, jamoon and now this time it is used in Sheera/Kesari baath. Kesari baath is well known dish for every one in India. Some call it as Sheera.

Let us see some benefits of eating Nendra Banana in our diet.

Nendra banana is provides energy and people do steam and have it for their breakfast. It is also given to small children with honey or sugar.
Nendra Banana is full of vitamins and minerals as I said earlier. It is a rich source of Vitamin C, potassium and other vitamins and minerals. They do help to maintain good health. The fruit's sweetness is balanced with fiber and helps to maintain healthy blood glucose level.
I have used medium sized Rava/Rave/ Semolina / Sooji, sugar, ghee, 1 Nendra Banana, cardamom and dry fruits like cashews, raisins and Saffron.
Let us see the recipe Now :

Ingredients :

Rava /Sooji /Semolina :  1 1/2 Cups
Sugar : 1 1/2  Cups
Ghee : 3/4 Cup
Nendra Banana : 1 Big size
Cashews : 2 Tbs
Raisins : 2 to 3 Tbs
Cardamom : 5 to 6 pods
Saffron : 5 to 6 Rakes
Boiling Water : 3 Cups

Method :

1. Powder Cardamom and keep it aside. Peel off Nendra banana skin and cut into circle shape.
2. Keep a pan on the fire and put 2 to 3 tbs of ghee to it. Let it melt.
3. Add cashews and raisins and fry till the raisins get fluffy.

4   Fry Nendra banana pieces in ghee separately and keep it aside.
5. Add rava and fry till the raw smell disappear.

6.. Now add fried bananas and mix rava nicely.

7. Add boiling water and mix it slowly. Keep the flame very low while you pour boiling water.
8. Stir continuously till it turns thick.

9.  Once Rava gets thick, add sugar and mix it slowly. It turns as liquid.
10. Stir slowly and increase the flame to medium.

11. Sheera gets thick. Stir and add powdered cardamom, saffron flakes and remained ghee.

12. Stir slowly and leave it for a minute. Shift the ready Sheera/Kesari baath to a serving dish. We had this sheera with Coconut Uppittu.

Note :
Fry on low flame to get good texture. Fry rava till the raw smell disappear. Adding more ghee to kesari is optional. Adding kesari colour instead of saffron is optional. Fry Nendra bale nicely in a tsp of ghee before you add it to rava.
Time : 30 Minutes
Serves : 4 to 5 .

Hayagreeva

Hayagreeva is one of the sweet dish, that is normally prepared for Shree Krishna Prasada / Naivedyam. Hayagreeva is prepared using Channa dal, lots of ghee, coconut and jaggery.
There is a story behind it about this sweet Hayagreeva.

My Mother used to tell this story to us and we would listen to her.
Guru Thirtha Vyasarayaru used to prepare this sweet praying Lord Vishnu and used to take it for Naivedyam. But the bowl used to be empty when it is kept in front of the God. Guru Vyasarayaru used to feel very sad but still continued preparing Hayagreeva and taking all the way to Naivedya. Guru always thinking of Lord, Lord Vishnu used to come in the form of horse and eat all the prasada, whitle walking behind Shree Vyasarayaru while he is taking the prasada bowl on his head. Lord used to eat and disappear. This sweet is arpitha for Lord Vishnu. Since Lord Vishnu used to come as Horse faced animal / Haya means Horse, Vadana means the face and since He came in the form of  Horse and ate all the sweet prepared by his bhakta, the sweet got its name as Hayagreeva.
We people from Udupi call this Hayagreeva as Maddi. Maddi means is mixed. Hayagreeva is prepared using Channa dal, ghee, coconut, jaggery and cardamom. Lots of cashews and raisins are used on the top. It is heavenly to eat. It is a must for Naivedya for  Lord Krishna in Krishna/Vishnu Temples.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

Channa Dal : 1 Cup
Fresh Grated Coconut : 1 Cup
Jaggery 3/4 Cup
Ghee : 1/2 Cup or little more.
Cardamom : 3 to 4 Pods
Cashews and Raisins : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Method : 

1. Wash and cook channa dal in pressure cooker with required water.
2. Powder or crush cardamom seeds into small.
3. Grate coconut and keep it aside.

4. Now put cooked channa dal in a big pan and add jaggery. Take out the extra water from cooked channa dal before adding jaggery.

5. Jaggery starts to melt and mix dal nicely with jaggery.

6. Let jaggery turns as 1 string consistency.

7. Stir in between and add coconut and a tbs of ghee. Stir nicely.
8. Stir till all the moisture disappear. Fry cashews and raisins in a tbs of ghee and keep it aside.

9. Now add the remaining ghee and powdered cardamom and mix it well.

10. Shift the ready HAYAGREEVA to a serving dish and add fried raisins and cashews. Mix it nicely and serve.

Note :

You can also cook channa dal in a big bowl. (Without using pressure cooker). Optional.
You can add more /less jaggery according to your requirement.
Adding more/less ghee is optional.
See that coconut and jaggery is mixed well with channa dal to get a good taste.
Time : 30 Minutes

Serves : 4 to 5.

Simple Laddu

Lovely laddus are good to have to boost your energy. I try and make it as simple as they are but a healthy way. These laddu is filled with soft dates, lots of raisins, almonds and cashew pieces with poppy seeds. They are real energy booster, healthy filler and delicious crave builders.

There is no cooking here to prepare these laddus. It is as simple as it is. No cooking on fire, no ghee, no jaggery or sugar or any other forms of sweets except the soft dates.
It is good for kids snack box, good to take it for travel, good energetic when you feel tired. It is good for people who diet and it is diabetic friendly.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

Dates Soft and fruity dates : 500 Gr
Raisins : 2 Cups or 200 Gr
Almonds : 200 Gr.
Cashews : 100 Gr.
Poppy Seeds : 50 Gr.

Method :

1.Remove the pods from dates and keep it aside.
2. Cut almonds and cashews into small pieces and keep it aside.
3. Now put dates, almonds, cashews, raisins in a big bowl.
4. Kneed them together. Add poppy seeds/ gasgase to the dates mixture.
5. Mix all the ingredients nicely and prepare laddu.
6..Take a handful of the almond, dates, raisins and cashew mixture and make small round ball shape laddu.

7. Laddu is ready to eat /serve.

8. Keep them in a steel box or air tight container.

Note :

Use very soft dates. Smash them nicely and then add all the other dry fruits you use. You can powder the nuts instead cutting. But you can relish the bigger pieces. No sugar/jaggery or any other sweet content is not added. Use of more raisins helps to add the sweet to laddu and good for health. You need to kneed them well to get the perfect taste. no ghee or oil is added here.
 Time : 30 Minutes.
15 to 20 Laddus  or according to the size you prefer.

Almonds - Oats - Ragi Laddu

Laddu/Laadu/Unde as we call it a sweet round ball of different healthy ingredients like jaggery or sugar, ghee and other ingredients. I always prepare varieties of laddu, and I do give it to our relatives and friends. Here I have prepared Rag and Oats laddu with dry fruits like almonds and raisins.
I have used Oats, almonds, raisins, ragi flour/finger millet flour and jaggery.

Oats are very rich in fiber and good for diet. Almonds filled with minerals and vitamins. Ragi flour is gluten free and good iron content.Raisins are best dry fruit and loaded with good health benefits. Jaggery provides energy and take care of our health.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

Sesame Seeds : 2 Tablespoons
Oats : 250 Grams
Ragi /Finger Millet flour : 2 Cups
Almonds : 1 Small Cup
Raisins : 1 Small Cup
Jaggery : 1 1/2 Cups
Ghee : 1 Small Cup
Dates : 1 Big Bowl

Method :

1. Dry roast sesane seeds,  finger millet and Oats till the raw smell disappear. (Dry roast in low flame).

2. Dry grind Almonds, sesame seeds, Oats separately and remove it to a big bowl.

3. Powder Jaggery and keep it aside.
Remove the seeds from dates and smash the dates and see that it turns as one bundle.

3.Keep a pan and put powdered jaggery and 1/2 cup of water. Let it melt completely.
4. Sieve the liquid jaggery and keep it aside.

5. Now keep a pan on the fire and heat. Put cleaned jaggery and stir till it turns into one string consistency.
6. Add raisins and mix it well and stir for  a minute.

7. Put powdered Oats, Almonds and dry roasted Ragi/Finger Millet. Mix the ingredients nicely.
8. Pour jaggery mixture on the top of Ragi - Oats - Almonds powder. Do not pour at once. (
Add it little by little).

9. Add a cup of ghee and mix the ingredients nicely.

10. Take a small amount of laddu mixture and give a laddu shape. ( Round Ball shape).

11. Repeat the same and prepare all the laddu. Let it cool completely.

12. Store in a air tight box. Eat or Serve as you wish to.

Note :

The jaggery consistency should be Little more than one string consistency. Adding any nuts on the top is optional. Frying raisins in ghee is optional. I have used it with out frying. Use of more ghee is optional. You can add little more melted ghee, if you feel that laddu mixture is dry and not able to prepare laddu. (If it dries up it breaks while you are making laddu).
You can also use organic joni bella to prepare the laddu. No need to clean it.
Time : 30 to 40 Minutes.

Serves : 25 to 30 Laddus.