Raagi Haalu bai./Finger Millet

Raagi/Finger Millet is one of the healthy grain that one should have in his/her diet. Many many dishes can be prepared using Raagi/Ragi/Finger Millet.

We can do rotti, dosa, pakodas/pakoras and sweet dishes like laddu and halubai, Huri hittu (Rosated flour), etc.
Halubai is something like pudding, which is ground or used ragi flour and then ground with fresh coconut and stir with all the ingredients. The ingredients are really very easy and we normally have it in our kitchen shelf.
Let us see the recipe Now.

Things Needed :

Raag  ( Finger Millet ) Powder : 2 Cups.
Water : 4 Cups
Coconut : 1 cup. ( Grated ).
Jaggery : 3/4 of the Cup.
Ghee : 2 ro 3 Table spoons.
Cardamom : 5 to 6 Pods.
Salt : a pinch.

Method :

1. Melt jaggery if it is hard. Just keep it in a big pan and put some water. It start melting slowly.

2. Keep a big pan on the fire and put jaggery and the water which is used for melting.
3. Strain the jaggery once the jaggery is completely dissolved. and keep jaggery water aside.

4. Grate coconut and grind it with cardamom pods. Use required water.

5. Keep a big pan on the fire and put cleaned jaggery water. Add ragi flour.

6. Add ground coconut and mix it well. Stir it on a low flame.

7. Add a tablespoon of ghee and stir till it starts to leave the edges.

8. Continue stirring for another 6 to 8 minutes. It starts to form a shape in the middle.

9. Add the remaining ghee and mix it well.
10. Greece ghee on a big plate or tray and pour the ready halubai mixture on the top of the plate.

11. Let it cool completely. Then you can cut it into desired shape and serve.
12. I packed some Ragi Halubai for my relatives.

Note : 

Must stir continuously on low and medium flame to get the good result. ( Other wise it may get burnt and becomes difficult to stir ).You can add more jaggery to get sweeter taste. You can add more ghee too. The correct amount of  required water should be used. 1 Cup Raagi/Finger millet = 3 1/2 to  4 cups of water can be used. Adding any fruit like apple, banana is optional. One should do it on low flame to get the tasty Halubai.
Time : 30 Minutes
25 to 30 Pieces can be prepared.

Ridge Gourd Chutney & Poooris.

Ridge Gourd/Heerekai is one of the healthy vegetable and it is loaded with minerals and vitamins.
Ridge gourd is used in many dishes. Ridge gourd chutney is one of the healthy dish that we can prepare using its outer layer/Peel.
Here I have tried Ridge gourd chutney and it is simple and yummy. This chutney can be eaten with chapatis, pooris, any type of rotis or even bread. It goes well with plain rice.

Let us see the recipe Now.
Ridge gourd chutney can be done in many types. You can roast dals and add cooked ridge gourd peels and grind it with coconut. The other way is also the same but no dals are used here and green chilly is used instead of red chilly.
Here I have used Green chilly and prepared this chutney.

Things Needed for Chutney :

To Cook :
Ridge gourd skin: 1 Cup .
Green chillies :  2 to 3
Tamarind : 1 Tablespoon.
Salt : to taste.
Ingh or Asafoetodia  : a pinch.
Coriander Seeds : 1 Tea spoon.
Turmeric powder : A pinch
To grind :
Coconut : 1 cup.
Cooked ridge gourd mixture.
To season :
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 4 to 5
Ingh/Asafoetida : A little

Method : 

1. Wash and remove the edges from the ridge gourd and wash again. Wash green chilly.
2.Now remove the peels of ridge gourd and cut it into small pieces.
3. Cook them with 1/2 teaspoon of coriander seeds, green chilly, salt, tamarind and turmeric powder.
4. Let it cook till soft. Remove it from the pan and let it cool.
5. Grate coconut and grind cooked ridge gourd mixture with little more salt.
6. Remove it from the mixi jar and put it in a serving dish.
7. Season with coconut oil, mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.
8. Serve with your choice of main dish or one of the side dish.

 Note : 

Use of any cooking oil is optional. Use of more spice is optional. Cook the peel till they are soft.  Fresh coconut should be used to get good and healthy chutney.
Time : 15 Minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3 

You can prepare Pooris from Ridge gourd chutney..Here is a recipe of  Yummy Pooris.

Pooris from Ridge gourd Chutney.
Ridge gourd Chutney: : 1/2 cup.
Wheat flour : 2 cups.
Jeera : 1/2 Teaspoon.
Salt : to taste.
Oil : 1 cup . ( To fry).

Method :
1. Put Ridge gourd chutney, jeera, salt, wheat flour and mix it well.
2. Add required water and prepare dough.
3. Keep a pan and add oil. Let it get hot.
4. Now divide the poori dough into small portion and turn then as round ball.
5. Just apply a drop of oil and roll it as round.
6. Fry these pooris in hot oil on both sides.
7. Remove it from the oil and put it on a kitchen tissue.
8. Repeat the same with remaining dough.
9. Serve hot pooris with a cup of curd or your choice of side dish.

Note :
Do not add much water to the dough while preparing the dough.
Do not add any ghee or oil since coconut has the oil substance .
Fry the pooris on medium heat to get the good result.
Do not use any stale chutney since it gives a foul smell and it is not good for health.
You can use garam masal powder or red chilly powder to the mixture  while mixing the dough.  It gives a different taste and remember lots of spice is not good for health too.
2 to 3 serves.

Channa Daal Chutney & Vada

Channa Daal chutney is a  side dish , you can have this chutney with rice , idly, dosa, roti, chapatis.  Vada made from this chutney is a good startar and it can be eaten as evening snack.
Ingredients :
Channa daal : 2 Table spoons.
Red chilly : 5 to 6
Coconut : 1 cup.
Salt : to taste.
Ingh : a pinch.
Water : required.
Oil : 1 Tea spoon.
Curry leaves : 6 to 8.
Tamarind :1 table spoon of  pulp.
Method : 
Keep  a pan on the fire. Put oil and heat. Add channa dal and red chilly and roast till it is brown. Add curry leavs and ing to it. and put of  the fire.  Leave it for cooling . Grate coconut ( 1/2 of 1 coconut ).  Now grind roasted channa dal, coconut, tamarind pulp together till paste and add salt and remove from the  jar.  Channa dal chutney is ready to serve.
Note : You can also spurt mustard seeds and curry leaves to chutney.  Can add more chilly if you like spicy.  Soak  a small ball size of tamarind  to hot water and squeeze out the pulp and use it.
Serves : 2 to 3.

Channa Dal chutney Vada:
Things Needed:
Channa Dal chutney : 1/2 cup.
Oats : 1/2 cup.
Bread Slices : 6 to 8.
Coriander leaves : 2 table spoons.
Salt : Required.
Oil : 1 Cup .( To fry ).
Method : 
Roast oats for around 5 minutes and leave it for cooling.  Powder the bread or make it into small pieces and mix with channa dal chutney . Add roasted oats and cut coriander leaves and mix it nicely and prepare the dough.
Keep a pan on the fire. Put oil and heat.  Now  take a small ball size dough and flatten it on you palm and put it in  the  hot oil and fry on both sides. Fry on medium flame . Repeat the same with the remaining dough.. At time 3 to 4 vadas can be fried.  Serve the Vadas with tomato sauch or even you can have them as plain too.
Note : Do not use the stale channa dal chutney as it may give the bad result and smell. Can add Garam Masala powder to the mixture. (1/2 tea spoon). Can add cashew nuts also . Fry them on the  medium heat to get  good taste.
Serves 2 to 3.

Simple Godi Halva ( Wheat Flour Halva ).

Godi Halva is  a sweet dish and you can have them at any time of the day.

Things Needed : 

Wheat flour : 1 Cup.

Sugar : 3/4 cup.

Ghee : 1/2 cup.

Cardamom : 5 to 6 pods.

Water   1 1/2 cups .

Haldi or Safron: a pinch.

Cashew nuts : 3 to 4 Table spoons.

Method : 

1.Roast wheat flour on a low flame until the raw smell disappear. (At least for 4 to 5 minutes).
2.Keep water for boiling. Powder cardamom and keep it aside.
3. Keep a big pan on the fire.  Put 1 tablespoon of ghee and put cashew nuts  and fry for 1 minute. 4.Add roasted wheat flour and mix with nuts.
5.Add boiling water and stir slowly and dissolve the wheat flour nicely.
6. Keep on stirring until it becomes thick.
7. Now add sugar and mix it nicely. It turns into liquid . Stir continuously till it turns into big ball. 8.Keep on adding ghee  in between.
9.Put haladi or safron and mix well. Halwa starts to leave the sides. Add powdered cardamom.
10. Stir it for another 5 minutes. Put the ready halva to a ghee greased tray/plate.
11. Cut it once it is cool down. Cut it according to your wish.

12. Serve after food or any time of the day. (As you wish).

Note :
Wheat flour must be roasted well to get the better taste. You can add more ghee if you wish. It gives a better taste. Adding powdered cashew adds to the taste. Just powder the cashews and add it while preparing Halva. 

Patrode Gidde - Oggarane.. Colacasia leaves

Patrode is a spicy dish which is prepared using raw rice with spices and Kesu/Colocasia leaves. This dish is very famous and one of the traditional dish of Udupi/ Dakshina Kannada/Malenadu (Karnataka - India).

Normally Patrode is prepared during rainy and winter season , The reason is that  we get lots of Kesu leaves during rainy season and its not that itchy during rainy season.  This patrode helps our body to be warm and energetic because of the spice that we use help us to be strong.
Lets see the recipe Now:
Things needed:
 Colacasia leaves  (Kesu Leaves )   10 to 15.
Rice : 2 cups .( Dosa Rice ).
Methi ( Fenugric seeds ) : 1 Teaspoon.
Urd daal: 1 Tablespoon.
Toor Daal : 2 Tablespoons.
Coriander seeds : 4 to 5 Tablespoons.
Jeera : 2 Teaspoons.
Red chillies : 10
Coconut : 1 Cup. (Half of 1 coconut).
Tamarind :  1 Ball size: ( 1 handful).
Salt : To taste.
Turmeric : a pinch.
Ingh : a pinch.
Jaggery : 3 to 4 Table spoons.

Method :
1. Wash and soak rice, methi seeds and rice together for two to three hours.
2. Wash and remove the hard stem on the leaf. (Behind the leaf if it is hard).
3. Grind all the ingredients along with coconut nicely.
4. Add jaggery and salt at the end and grind till jaggery mixes well. Remove from the mixi jar.
5. Cut washed colocasia leaves into thin.

6. Mix the dough with the cut leaves and keep it aside. Wash the idli plates.
7. Apply oil to each plate and put dough to each plate.

8. Put some water to idli cooker/pressure cooker.
9. Now arrange the idli plates and keep it in idli cooker/pressure cooker and cook for 25 to 30 minutes.
10. Poke a knife edge/spoon edge to confirm that is well cooked. (It does not stick to knife edge).

11. Remove Kesu gidde/Patrode gidde and put it a serving plate.

12. Serve with butter and jaggery.

Note : Must use proper amount of tamrind the dough or it may  give itching feeling while eating.  You can also roast all the spices and then grind with fresh coconut. Do not use much water. The dough should be thicker. You can also try this patrode with palak leaves and cabbage.
Time : 25 to 30 Minutes.
Serves : 4 to 5
You can also cut them into small pieces and add Mustard seasoning and coconut.

Patrode Vaggarane :

Tak cooked Patrode and cut it into small pieces. Grate 3 to 4 spoons of fresh coconut.  5 to 6 curry leaves and   1/2 spoon of mustard seeds and urd daal  and 2 to 3 Table spoons of  oil. ( Any cooking oil will do).
Keep a pan on the fire.  Heat and put mustard seeds and urd dal. Let the mustard seeds spurt. Add curry leaves and cut patrode pieces. Mix it nicely on low flame. Add coconut at the end and put of the gas. ( You can also add jaggery to it if you wish ). Mix nicely and serve hot Patrode  Vaggarane . Its yemmy and spicy and good for evening snack.

Note :
Proper amount of tamarind should be used or it might itch your tongue when you eat. Use of more coconut turns the gidde soft.
Use of proper amount of spices adds to the taste. Use of more/less jaggery is optional.
Time : 10 Minutes
Servess 4 to 5. 

Simple Rava Idly.

Rava idli is easy to digest and keeps you full for a long time. Rava idli can be prepared within 15 minutes. You can have these idlies for breakfast or in the evening for snack. Not much of things needed and its does not take much of your time.

I have used little Oats with Rava. Oats helps to soften the idli. You should remember to use sour curd to prepare and you will get good result.
No need to roast rava and oats. No needs to powder either.
Lets see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

Medium sized Rava .( Sooji ) Samolina ).: 2 Cups.
Curd /Yogurt : 1 to 11/2 cup.
Mustard seasoning : 1 Teaspoon
Cashew Nuts : 1 Tablespoon
Salt : To taste.
Cooking/Bicarbonate soda : 1/4 Teaspoon
Coriander leaves.

Method :

1. Put rava and oats in a big bowl. Add little salt.
2. Add curd and requird water and mix it well. Wash coriander leaves cut it into thin and add it.

3. Keep a small pan on the fire and put oil. Heat it. Add mustard seeds, urid dal.
4. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add cashew nuts Fry till they turn slightly golden brown.
5. Add this to Rava - Oats Mixture. Mix it well.

6. Wash and apply oil to all the idli plates.
7. Keep a pressure cooker/idli cooker on the stove. Put required water. Let the flame be slow.
8. Add cooking soda to the idli mixture.
9. Put a small ladleful of mixute to each idli plates. Arrange them in the stand.

10. Keep this idly in the pressure cooker.idli cooker.

11. Let it cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Idli is ready to serve.
12. Put them in the serving bowl and serve with the side dish you prepared.

Note : 

No need to add any extra oil. You can add coriander leaves or carrots gratings to the idli mixture. Let the dough consistency be like normal rice idli dough. Do not make it watery or thick. You should use sour courd to get the best result. Adding ENO salt is optional instead of cooking soda.
Serves : 4 to 5 People 
Time : 15 minutes.

You can also prepare tatte (plate idli) with same dough.

Lemon Rasam.

Lemon Rasam is a liquid type of dish.  You can drink this as soup or starter or even you can eat with rice. It also helps as appetizer. It helps for easy digestion and it helps to improve your taste bud when you are sick.

Pepper seeds, jeera and jaggery is used while preparing this rasam and that adds to the healthy ingredients which helps you to get well soon.
Lets see the recipe Now:

Things Needed:

Lemon : 2 to 3.
Water : 3 to 4 cups.
Green chilly : 2.
Pepper Seeds : 6 to 8.
Jeera : 1/4 Tea spoon.
Jaggery : 1 Table spoon.
Salt :  To taste.
Ingh (Asafetida) : a pinch.
Turmeric Powder : a pinch.
Oil : 1 Tea spoon.
Curry leaves : 6 to 8 leaves.
Coriander Leaves 1 Table spoon.
Ginger : an Inch .

Method:

1.Wash coriander leaves, green chilly, ginger and curry leaves and cut them small.
2.Grate ginger and crush pepper seeds. Keep them aside.
3.Now keep a pan on the fire. Put oil and heat.
4.Put jeera and crushed pepper. Leave it for 10 seconds.
5. Now add curry leaves and ingh to it. Put water and let it boil.
6. Add cut green chilly and ginger to it.
7. Add turmeric powder, salt and jaggery to the boiling water.
8. Let it boil for 1 minute.
9. Squeeze out juice from lemon to the boiling water.
10. Let it boil for 3 to 4 minutes.
11. Add coriander leaves and serve Lemon Rasam with hot rice. OR serve as starter or use it when you have throat pain or fever. This works as kashaya too.
12. Hot Rasam is good for throat.
Its a good appetizer too.

Note : 

You can add more lemon juice if you want. Be careful not to add the seeds since it gives the bitter taste. You can add garlic to this rasam if you are fond of garlic flavour. Definitely it gives a different taste. Adding a spoon of ghee will give better taste. But remember if you are preparing this rasam for the sick person strictly do not add ghee.
Serves. 2 to 3.