JAGGERY NUTS BURFI

Jaggery nuts barfis are very nice to have them. It takes us to our childhood days where we used to buy some gol gol (round) jaggery balls and chewing it for a long time. What a fun and relish.

I have used Almond flakes generously. It adds to the rich taste. I got this Almond Flakes from Veena/Krishnaveni Beedarahalli (Vidya's sister). She stays in U.S. and in her recent visit she brought these Almond Flakes and some chocolates too.
I have used Almond flakes, jaggery, raisins and Almonds. There is no coconut in this burfi.
Lets see some benefits of eating nuts in our diet.
Nuts in general provide energy. protein and good amount of anti oxidants. They do contain vitamins and minerals and Omega -3 fatty acids. It contain unsaturated fats and helps to lower the cholesterol levels. It is full of fiber and helps to prevent type 2 diabetes. Nuts are rich with Vitamin E and it helps to stop the plaques in our arteries. Nuts are good plant protein content. They are filled with minerals like magnesium, zinc, calcium, phosphorus. They help in by providing energy and strengthen our immune system.
Lets see the recipe now.

Things Needed :

Jaggery : 1 Cup
Wheat flour : 1 Cup
Raisins : 2 Tablespoons
Almond flakes : 1 Cup
Ghee : 2 Teaspoons

Method : 

1. Keep a pan on the fire and put wheat flour and dry roast till the raw smell disappear.

2. Remove the roasted flour to a dry plate.
3. Put jaggery in the pan. Add  2 Tablespoons of water and let it melt nicely.
4. Keep stirring. Jaggery starts to buble. Stir for 2 more minutes. ( On Low flame ).

5. Add raisins  and wheat flour slowly. Stir it well so that it mixes with jaggey nicely.

6. Keep stir till it starts to thicken and leaves the sides. Apply ghee to a plate and keep aside.
7. Add 1/2 cup of Almond flakes and mix it well. Add ghee and mix it.

8. Shift the ready jaggery mixture to the plate and spread it evenly. Spread the remaining Almond flakes and press it with spatula. Let it stick to the burfi.

9. Let it cool. Cut them according to your wish. It takes longer time to get it thick.
10. Remove the burfi (piece of nuts and jaggery) and put it in a steel box.

11. At First jaggey nuts burfi is chewy and then it turns hard once it is cooled.
12. Eat /serve according to your wish.

Note :

The burfi texture in the beginning is chewy. Later it turns hard. I have used organic jaggey. Do the whole process on low flame. Adding badam/almond taste nice. You can add ground nuts instead of badam/Almonds. Taste differ. No need to add more ghee.If you do not have Almond flakes just dry grind almonds for 1 minute and sprinkle the powder on the top of burfi, which adds to the taste of burfi.
Time : 20 Minutes
Serves : 10 to 15 pieces. (According to your wish. Small /big size).

Rice - Wheat Parota (Bili Holige)

Rice - Wheat Parota is called as Bile Holige (Kannada) in Karnataka. Bili means white and holige means a sweet kind of paratha or pooran poli (Gujarathi or Hindi ). Using Maida is a normal practice and cooked rice flour is stuffed in side the parota. It is a plain Parota and can be eaten with your favourite curry or chutney. I tried this with wheat flour instead of maida.

This Rice - Wheat Parota is a good choice for breakfast or lunch or for dinner. It is a stomach filling and a tasty dish.
Here is a recipe of Rice - Wheat Parota, which is easy to prepare and I am sure all the family members will enjoy eating this Bili Holige.

Ingredients 

Rice Flour : 2 Cups
Wheat Flour : 2 Cups
Salt : to taste
Water : 4 Cups
Oil : 4 to 6 Table spoons

Method :

1. Keep water for boiling on the fire and add salt to it. Let the water boil.

2. Take a big bowl and put wheat flour, 2 teaspoons of oil and prepare chapati dough using required water.. Keep the dough aside.
3. Add rice flour to the boiling water.

4. Mix it slowly and stir it nicely so the dough mixes well. Stir till it gets thicken.

5. Put off the fire once the rice flour is turned thick.
6. Kneed cooked rice flour nicely and divide them in to a ball size and keep it aside.

7. Now take chapati dough and divide the dough into small portion.
8.  Turn the small portion of chapati dough , dip this in dry wheat flour and flatten a bit.
9. Keep a portion of rice dough and cover from all the sides and flatten again slowly like chapati.

10. Keep a chapati pan and heat. Sprinkle oil on the pan.
11. Now put flattened rice flour chapati on the pan. Cook on both sides using very little oil.

12. Cook on medium heat till the parota turns golden brown.

13. Remove from the pan and serve hot Rice - Wheat Parota with the side dish

14. Repeat the same with remaining dough.

Note :
Proportion of rice flour and water  : 1 Cup Rice flour : 2 cups of water.
Do not use more water. Using a very fine rice flour is very important or Parota may turn hard.
No need to use more oil to prepare the dough. Normal chapati dough consistency is better.
Using more oil while cooking is optional. Using ghee or oil is also optional.
We had this Rice flour - Wheat Parota with  coconut Chutney , Chutney Powder and curd (Yogurt).
Time : 30 Minutes
Servings : 5 to 6  : 8 to 10 Parotas can be prepared.

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.

Apple -Banana Poori

Apple -Banana Poori  sounds some thing different right ? Normally banana is used with Maida (All purpose flour) to prepare Mangalore Buns. Mangalore buns have their own history and it is loved by Dakshina Kannada people.

These days Eating oily stuff one has to think twice, believe me these Apple -Banana pooris do not absorb much oil and it is soft and fluffy.

This recipe was tried since I was planning to use apple and prepare some food for  "Vijaya Next ".E paper. So using apple along with banana just struck and I tried it with Maida and wheat flour as equal portion. I did not keep the dough for long. Just mix and make procedure worked out well.

Apple - Banana Poori can be prepared for break fast , for snack in the evening or for dinner also. It does not take much oil and no need to be worried if you are on a diet side. It can be packed for kids lunch or snack box.  You can pack these pooris for picnics or when you have a long journey or touring. It is not sugar added.

Here is a recipe of  " Apple - Banana Poori ", which is very easy to prepare and I am sure the whole family will love to have them. Apple Banana Poori is soft and fluffy and  it will be liked by all age group.

Things  Needed :

Apple : 1
Banana : 1
Wheat flour : 1 Cup
Maida (All purpose flour) : 1 Cup
Ghee : 1 Tea spoon
Salt : as required
Curd : 1 Table spoon
Oil : 2 Cups

Method : 

1. Put wheat flour , maida, ghee and salt in a big bowl.

2. Wash and grate applae.

3. Add apple , banana and a spoon of curd to wheat flour mixture and mix it nicely and prepare poori dough.

4. You can use water if required while preparing thick dough.
5. Kneed well and divide into small balls.

6. Take a ball size dough and flatten with a chapati roller into small poori. (use oil to roll the poori).
7. Prepare small size of pooris and keep it aside. (Repeat the same with remaining dough).

8. Now keep a frying pan on the fire. Put oil and heat.
9. Deep Fry rolled pooris one by one and put it on a tissue.( Kitchen tissue absorb extra oil).

 

10. Serve these Hot  " Apple - Banana Pooris "  with the side dish you have prepared.

 Note :
The Poori dough should be thick. Do not use lots of water. If you find the dough can take more flour (if the dough is sticky) add wheat flour and make it thick dough. You can use little suger while preparing the dough.  Do not add more ghee to the dough.  Using wheat flour with maida helps the poori to be soft. Maida helps to give a good taste to the poori.
Time : 20 Minutes
Serves :  3.