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.

Cucumber - Green chilly Sasive

Cucumber - Green chilly Sasive/mustard curd curry is one of the side dish we relish in the beginning of the lunch. It is served /eaten first and then other side dishes arrive /served one by one.

In Kannada /Karnatka State Language, Sasive means Mustard seeds. Use of mustard seeds label the curry as Sasive. 
Curd gives coolness to our body and at the same time mustard used in the curd curry helps in taking care and protect us from catching cold.
I have used small cucumber, green chilly, fresh grated coconut, pepper pods, mustard and very little jeera/cumin seeds.
We Udupians do not add jeera or pepper to this Sasive. Its only cucumber, red or green chilly, coconut and little ingh. But the taste of Bangaloreans change a little. They do add little jeera and pepper. It might be because of the weather here. Jeera and peeper not only adds to the taste they do have medicinal value of their own. They try to avoid getting cold and helps in digestion.
Eating pepper in our daily life helps to avoid gas in the food and protect us from getting alzemere disease.
Cucumber Sasive is prepared even in some festivals and feast.

No onion or No Garlic is used here in this recipe.

Let us see the recipe Now :

Ingredients :

Small variety Cucumber : 2
Coconut : 1/2 Cup / 2 to 3 Tbs
Green chilly : 1
Pepper Pods :  5 to 6
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tsp
Jeera : 1/4 Tsp
Ingh : A little
Salt : As required
Curd : 1 Cup
For Seasoning :
Coconut Oil /Any cooking oil : 1 Tsp
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tsp
Ingh /Asafoetida : A little
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6 leaves

Method :

1. Wash nicely and cut cucumber into small pieces.
2. Grate fresh coconut and keep it aside.
3. Wash green chilly and curry leaves and keep it aside.
4. Now grind grated coconut, cut cucumber, green chilly, pepper pods, mustard seeds, jeera and little ingh with required water. Shift the ground mixture to a bowl.

5. Add salt and curd to the mixture and mix it well.

6. Add mustard seasoning with coconut oil, ingh and curry leaves.

7. Cucumber - Green chilly Sasive is ready to serve. Serve as one of the side dish for lunch. It goes well with plain rice. Eating this cucumber sasive helps to digest your food easily.

8. Serve as a dip to fried dishes. Serve as one of the side dish to chapati, poori palav and other masala rice dishes.

Note :

Do not make Sasive very watery. It does not taste well. Use minimum water while grinding. Cucumber provides water to grind. Adding any cooking oil to season is optional. Do not add much spice. It should be mild.
Time : 10 Minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3.