Sweet Potato - Poppy Seeds Payasa / Kheer.

Sweet Potato Payasa is one of the traditional Payasa/kheer done during the harvest of sweet potatoes.  You get plenty of fresh sweet potatoes during winter season.
It is normally during winter and sweet potatoes helps the body to be warm and energetic.

 I normally prepare sweet potato payasa without poppy seeds and use coconut milk.
I thought of using poppy seeds and wanted to try and enjoy this payasa. Anyways it is an easy dish and it taste delicious.
Normally we do use coconut milk in payasa and this time I have used poppy seeds/gasgase with coconut and use the whole ground paste. Use of poppy seeds helps us to get rid of gas in food.

Let us see some benefits of eating Sweet Potatoes in our diet.
Sweet Potatoes help us to lose weight. Eating sweet potatoes helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure. It is high in fiber and helps to prevent constipation. Sweet potatoes helps to improve immunity. It helps to control diabetes.
Sweet Potato contain no fats and filled with antioxidants. It is rich in carbohydrates and proteins. It contain Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and potassium. It contain minerals like Vitamin E, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc.
Sweet Potatoes are good for diabetic people. It helps to improve the digestion and reduces the inflammation. It helps in reducing the stress and strengthens the body immunity.
I have used sweet potatoes, jaggery, coconut, cardamom and poppy seeds.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

Sweet Potatoes : 3 to 4 ( Small in size ).
Jaggery : 1 Small cup  ( Powdered jaggery 4 to 5 tablespoons ).
Fresh grated coconut : 1 Cup
Poppy Seeds : 1 Tablespoon
Cardamom : 4 to 5 Pods
Avalakki :2 Tablespoons ( Optional )
Salt : A pinch

Method :

1. Keep a pan and put jaggery and 1 cup of water. Let jaggery melt nicely. Let it boil for 2 minutes after it melts. Sieve this mixture and keep the clean jaggery aside.
2. Wash and peel off the skin of sweet potatoes and cut in to small. Wash it again and soak in clean water for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Now cook sweet potato pieces with required water till they turn soft. Wash and soak a tablespoon of avalakki / flattened rice.
4. Grate coconut and remove the seeds of cardamom. Grind it with 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds with required water till it turn as paste.

5. Add jaggery water to cooked sweet potato pieces and let it boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to boiling mixture.

6. Now add ground coconut and poppy seeds - cardamom mixture. Mix it well.

7. Add soaked avalakki /flattened rice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. It helps to bind the payasa nicely.

8. Shift Sweet Potato payasa to a serving dish. Add a cup of fresh milk just before serving.

9. Serve delicious Hot or cold " Sweet Potato Payasa /Kheer " and enjoy.

Note :

Cut sweet potato pieces into small to relish the taste. It helps to cook sweet potatoes fast. Adding flattened rice/Avalakki helps to bind the payasa well. You can use a teaspoon of soaked raw rice instead of avalakki. Wash and soak raw rice for at least for 5 minutes. Use of poppy seeds is optional. Use of coconut milk instead of coconut paste is optional. Adding more / less jaggery is optional. Use of sugar instead of jaggery is optional. Adding fresh milk adds to the taste. Add it once the payasa turns slightly cool.
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves :  5 to 6.

Field Beans Dry Curry

Field beans /ಅವರೆಕಾಯಿ is one of the seasonal pods we get plenty in winter. People long to prepare varieties of dishes using this Field beans.

This recipe is told by Renuka Manjunath one of my fb friend and she said this has to be cooked directly and not in pressure cooker. Sogadu Avarekai should be used to get the best taste.
Here I have tried traditionally as Renuka Manjunath mentioned, which has beautiful aroma of averekai.  and it is yummy, filled with ghee taste roasted methi/fenugrik seeds and jeera/cumin seeds powder.
This Field  beans dry curry is one of the traditional dish from Tumkur district. The process of cooking is done in the night with low flame may be cooked with using the fire wood, and the butter quantity is more nearly 200 grams and with the help of slow cooking the butter turns as ghee and adds to the taste.
Let us see the recipe now :
I have used tender avarekai/field beans, onions, green chilly, curry leaves, coriander leaves, grated coconut and butter.
This curry taste better when you cook the pods directly with low flame. The aroma adds to the taste and we can have this curry with plain rice, rotis, chapati, poori and especially akki rotti.
I have prepared Akki rotti with remaining Field Beans dry curry also.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients 

Avarekai/Field Beans : 1 Cup
Onions : 2 to 3
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Butter : 2 Tablespoons full
Cumin Seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Methi /Fenugrik seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Coriander leaves : 1/2 Bundle
Curry Leaves : 1 Handful
Coconut : 3 to 4 Tablespoons
Salt : As required
Turmeric Powder : A pinch
Cooking Oil : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Remove avere kalu /Field beans and keep it aside. Use the tender pods. Do not wash it.

2 Remove the outer layer of onions and cut in to small. I have used the chopper to cut onions, curry leaves and green chilly.

3. Take a bowl, put field beans, cut onions, green chilly, curry leaves and mix it well.

4. Keep the pan on the fire and put mixed avarekai/field beans mix and little turmeric. Let the flame be very low.

5. Mix it well and sprinkle some water on the top. Do not add much water to cook. Field beans has to be cooked slowly with the help of onions and sprinkled water.

6. Add a tablespoon of butter and mix it well. Let it turn slowly as ghee. Sprinkle some more water on the top and cover the dry curry.

7. Let it cook on low flame. Stir in between so that it does not get burnt. Add a tablespoon of butter again and mix it well.
8. Dry roast jeera/cumin seeds and methi seeds and dry grind it.  Keep it aside.

9. Stir the mixture again and sprinkle some more water. Do not add much water at times.
10. See that pods are cooked and turned soft. Add dry roasted jeera and methi powder. Mix it well.
11. Add required salt and mix it well. See that it is done completely. Add grated coconut and mix it well.

12. Add cut coriander leaves and shift the curry to a serving dish. We had this curry as one of the side dish.

Note :

You should use more onions so that it helps to cook field beans nicely. Adding butter gives a ghee aroma and taste yummy. This dry curry should be cooked directly to get the best taste. It might take at least one hour to cook. But the taste is divine. You should use the tender seeds to prepare this curry.
Time : 1 Hour 
Serves : 3 to 4 
I have added the same dry curry to rice flour and prepared Akki Rotti and it tasted yummy.