Banana Rice Halubai ( Rice Cakes)

Halubai is a traditional sweet dish. This dish is prepared with fresh jaggery or sugarcane juice. During the sugar cane harvesting, sugarcane juice is used instead of jaggery. Rice Halubai is very famous in Dakshina Kannada. (Southern part of Karnataka and some parts of North Kannada also). Bangalore and Mysore side people normally use Ragi (Finger Millet) instead of rice. This famous dish is prepared during Nagara Panchami festival,  which falls in the month of July normally. Using Sugarcane juice and preparing Halubai is a traditional practice in and around Sagara (near Shimoga) and they call this dish as Kilsa.

Jaggery has the ability to cleanse your body. It act as a digestive agent. It also provide good amounts of minerals. According to Avurveda, jaggery strengthens the nervous system, prevents anemia and promotes bone health. It may also protect the body against environmental toxins.

Here is a recipe of Rice Halubai. I have used sugarcane juice, the organic jaggery, ripe Bananas and little ghee while preparing this Rice Halubai. Its soft and nice to have with your lunch or snack or you can munch any time of the day. Using little fresh ghee makes the Halubai more tasty and all the age group will surely love to eat this traditional dish.

Things Needed:

Raw rice : 2 cups

Sugarcane Juice : 2 cups
Jaggery : 1/2 cup
Coconut : 1 cup
Cardamom : 5 to 6
Ghee : 1 Cup (4 to 6 Table spoons)
Salt : a pinc
Bananas : 2 (small size)

Method : 

1. Wash and soak rice for 2 to 3 hours.
2. Grate coconut and powder cardamom.
3. Gind soaked rice, cardamom and grated coconut using sugarcane juice. (Strain sugar cane juice before using.

4. Grind rice coconut mixture till paste. Add jaggery and salt.
5. Remove from the Mixi jar.
6. Now keep a big pan on the fire and pour this ground rice mixture.
7. Let the mixture be little watery. (The ration should be 1 = 1, 1 rice and 1 water).

 8. Start stirring until the dough thickens, add cut banana and stir continuously.

9. Add ghee in between the stirrring.

10. Keep stirring till the batter becomes like a ball (starts to thickens) stir for 2 to 3 minutes more and put this mixture on a ghee greesed tray or plate.

11. Spread evenly and leave it for a while and cut and give a shape.

12. Rice Halubai is ready to serve.

Note :
Must stir continuously or it may get burnt at the bottom. Heat ghee and keep it aside and use little by little, inbetween the stirring. This process helps you to stirr easily since the mixture softens while adding the ghee. Not more than 3/4 cup of the ghee should be used or you feel heavy after eating. Adding ghee makes the stirring easy, since it helps the batter to be little loose. You can also use only jaggery instead of sugarcane juice if it is not available.
Time: 20 minutes.
Rice soaking time extra : 2 to 3 hours.
Serves : 5 to 6

Oats + Rava Spicy Guli Appa

Oats + Rava Spicy Guli Appa is a quick and easy dish and you can do it whenever you think of it. Oats adds to the softness and health benefits. We can have this guli appa for breakfast, snack and even for dinner.
Rava or Rave (Semolina) is derived from the Italian word Semola, meaning bran. Samolina made from durum wheat is yellow in colour. Semolina improves kidney function and it is potassium content. Semolina is a good source of two vital vitamins E and B which are essential for good immunity from disease. Samolina contain minerals such as phosphorus, zink and magnesium. These minerals are beneficial for the health of our bones and nervous system.

Oats contain loads of vitamins and minerals. Oats are anti oxidants. Oats also contain protein and dietry fiber. Oats may help you to reduce the cholesterol. They are diabetic friendly and they support the healthy digestion.

Here is a recipe of Oats + Rava Spicy Guli Appa (Paddu). We need a Guli Appa pan to prepare guli appa. Or you can even spread the dough as dosa. It is healthy, easy and dideer (quick), I am sure all age group will surely enjoy eating Oats + Rava Spicy Guli App.

Things Needed:

Rava (Semolina) : 2 Cups
Oats : 1 Cups
Curd : 2 Table spoons
Curry leaves : 10 to 12 leaves
Coriander leaves : 3 to 4 Table spoons
Ginger : 1 Table spoon
Rasam Powder : 1 Table spoon
Salt : required
Water : Required
Oil : 1/2 Cup
Eno salt : 1/2 Tea spoon
Coconut : 2 Table spoons

Method:

1. Dry roast Oats and dry grind when it is cooled.

2. Wash and cut curry leaves, coriander leaves and grate ginger and coconut.
3. Now take a big bowl and add Rava, oats, curd, salt, curry, coriander leaves, rasam powder, coconut and salt.

4. Add required water and prepare dough. Leave it for 5 minutes.
5. Now keep a Guli appa pan on the fire. Sprinkle oil to each mould in the pan.
6. Now add Eno salt and mix the dough well.

7. Take a spoonful of dough and put in the each mould and cover the lid and cook on medium heat     for 1 to 2 minutes.
8. Now remove the cover and put 1/2 spoon oil on each guli appa and turn guliappa to cook on the other side.

.

9. Cook for a minute and remove the guli appa and serve with the chutney or any curry you have      prepared. If you do not have Guli appa pan prepare dosas with the same batter.

10. Repeat the same with the remaining dough.

Note :

Must cook guli appa on low and medium flame. Adding roasted oats adds to the softness of guli appa. You must dry roast the oats. Or the guliappa dough will be more sticky and you won't enjoy eating good guli appa. Adding little rasam powder is to get the good aroma. You can also add green chilly. You can avoid using oil if you use a nonstick guli appa pan. Or you can use more oil. Use of coconut is purely optional. Do not roast Rava.
Serves : 4
Time : 20 minutes.