Basale - Channa Dal Curry

Basale is known as Malabar spinach. Basale- Channa Dal curry is a gravy dish. It is very easy to prepare and we can have this  curry with chapatis, roti, naans, pooris , dosas, idlis and plain rice.

This type of curry is called Sai baaji  in Maharasta. Leaves are cooked with channa and simple spices like green chilly, ginger, ingh etc and seasoned with jeera. ( They add onions and garlic).
Lets see some benefits of having Channa Dal in our diet.
Channa dal or Split Bengal Gram is popular legume in India. It is delicious, nutritious and easily digested. It is high in fiber and helps to lower cholesterol. It has a very low glycemic index which is very important for the diabetes. Channa dal contain minerals like zink, folate, calcium and protein. It is low in fat and it is unsaturated.
No onion or garlic used in the curry. It is easy to prepare. Basale soppu used here is grown in our home.
Things Needed :
Basale Soppu (Malabar Spinach) : 1 bowl. ( 1 Bundle ).
Channa Dal: 1 Cup
Green Chilly : 2 to3 or more
Ginger : An inch
Tomatoes : 2 to 3
Potatoes : 2
Oil : 1 Tea spoon
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Tea spoon
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon
Ingh : a pinch
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8
Coriander Leaves : 1 Table spoon.
Garam Masala : 1 Tea spoon
Pepper pods : 3 to 4
Salt : to taste
Ghee : 1 Table spoon
Turmeric powder : a pinch

Method : 
1. Wash and cut Basale Leaves. Keep it aside. Wash and cut potatoes and tomatoes. ( Removing the skin of potato is optional).
2. Wash and pressure cook Channa dal for 8 to10 minutes and keep it aside.

3. Wash and cut green chilly, coriander leaves and curry leaves. Grate ginger.
4. Crush pepper pods and keep it aside.

5. Keep a pan on the fire and put basale leves, potatoes and a cup of water. Cook till soft.

6. Add tomatoes, ginger and mix it well. Add turmeric powder, pepper pods and cut chilly.
7. Add cooked dal and salt. Add garam masla and mix it well. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Keep a small pan and heat. Add oil. Add mustard seeds, urid dal and let it splutter.
9. Add jeera and fry for 10 seconds. Add curry leaves and ingh. Pour this muster mixture to the ready dal.

10. Shift the ready Basale  - Channa dal Curry to a serving bowl. Add Ghee and mix it and serve with the main dish.

Note :
You must cook dal and leaves till they are soft and it can be mixed well. Adding more spices is optional. Adding onion and garlic is also optional. Taste may differ. Adding more or less chilly is optional. Adding garma masala is also optional. Consistency of the curry also optional.Thick consistency taste better.
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 4.

Rava - Tender coconut pulp Halubai. (Rice Halva)

READY TO SERVE RAVA HAALUBAI.

Haalubai is a sweet dish. It is something like Halva and it can be prepared using, raw rice, wheat or even Ragi  ( Finger Millet). Haalu bai is so soft and melts in your mouth.
Fresh or tender coconut, jaggery, cardamom and rice all these ingredients are grind together and mixed well ( Stir) for some time until it gets thicken. The stirring process is done till it thickens. Adding little by little ghee will enhance the taste and it is one of the healthy food I can say. As I said earlier it can be prepared using any one of the following grain like wheat, (whole or powdered), Raagi (whole or powdered) and rice.
I have used tender coconut pulp along with fresh coconut and it has added a flavour to Halubai. Instead of rice I have used this time Medium sized Rava. Roasted rava slightly and added the ground coconut and jaggery with cardamom.
Rava (Semolina) is better than rice though it contain carbohydrates. 
This is an easy recipe and anybody can try this Rava Haalubai and enjoy eating as snack or munch any time of the day.

Things Needed :

Rava (Semolina) Medium size : 2 Cups
Coconut : 1 Cup
Tender coconut pulp : 1small cup (or 1 tender coconut pulp).
Jaggery : 1 Cup
Ghee : 1/2 Cup
Cardamom : 4 to 5 pods.

Method :

1. Dry roast Rava and keep it aside.

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 2. Grate coconut and grind it with cardamom pods. (Remove the outer skin and then use).

  3. Apply ghee to a plate or tray and keep it ready. 
4. Keep jaggery in a pan and add 1/2 glass of water in a pan. Let it melt a little.
5. Now keep the pan on the fire and stir and let it  dissolve nicely. Sieve this jaggery mixture and keep the clean jaggery  aside.

6.  Grind tender coconut pulp for 1 to 2 minutes and let it be in to pieces. (do not grind into paste).

 7. Keep a big pan, add cleaned jaggery, ground coconut, tender coconut pieces and dry roasted rava.
8. Mix it well and start stirring. Add little ghee in between and mix it well.

9 The mixture starts leaving the pan that showsHaalubai is cooked and done. Add remaining ghee and stir it for 2 to 3 minutes..

 

10. Pour the ready Haalubai (Halwa) to the ghee greased plate and spread it nicely.

 11. Cut it according to your wish and leave it for some time.

12. Serve the cut pieces with ghee.

Note :

Remember add required water. ( 1 = 1/2). Adding more water will result the Haalubai too soft and it will not taste good.
You can use Big banana leaf instead of a plate or tray. Adding more or less jaggery is optional.
Time : 30 minutes
Serves : 30 pieces can be made.