RED POHA SWEET using Pressure Cooker

RED POHA SWEET

Ingredients:-
Red poha/ Red Aval/ Red Rice Flakes ( thick poha) - 1/2 cup
Jaggerry - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 2 tsp
Cashews, Raisins - 5 nos.
Cardomom powder - a pinch

Method:-
Wash the poha 3 times to remove dust & impurities. Add all the ingredients mentioned in a bowl, gently mix, cover it with a plate and place it inside the cooker. Using double boiling method, allow 3 whistels on high flame, switch off the flame. Let the pressure release  on its own.
Delicious Poha sarkarai pongal is ready. Garnish with cashews, raisins roasted in ghee.

RED AVAL KESARI

Aval, also known as Poha or Flakes. Like corn flakes, Aval are called as Rice Flakes, enriched with iron, calcium, fibre etc.

RED AVAL KESARI

Ingredients:-
Red aval - 1 cup

Brown sugar - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 5 tsp
Water - 2&1/2 cups
Cardamom powder ..as required
Saffron strings ..3 to 4 ( optional)

Method:-
Using a sieve, remove the impurities from Aval/poha.
Dry roast the red aval ( i used the thicker variety) for 2 to 3 minutes or till the time that the flakes can be broken into two pieces. Allow it to cool. Using a mixer jar, make a coarse powder.
 Now boil water in a kadai, add 1 tsp of ghee, saffron stings and add the coarse powder. Keep it in sim flame.

Mix it well to avoid lumps. When there is no moisture content, it is said that the flakes were cooked.

Now add sugar & cardomom powder, mix well till it all binds well.
 Add ghee while mixing. Remove from the flame, when the kesari leaves the sides of the pan.
Healthy red aval kesari is ready to be served....

VENDHAYA KEERAI KARA KUZHUMBU | METHI LEAVES KARA KUZHUMBU

Vendhaya Keerai/ Methi leaves/ Fenugreek is one of the greens variety which has immense medicinal value and health benefits. It helps to lower diabetes, maintains liver health and also helps to increase good cholesterol. It is rich in iron and is a good source of fiber. Many recipes 

like poriyal, kootu can also be done using methi leaves. Tender leaves will be apt for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
Vendhaya keerai - 1 bunch
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Garlic pods - 6
Tamarind -  gooseberry size
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Jaggery - 1/4 tsp
Gingelly oil - 3 tsp
Salt

For Seasoning
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek-  1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - little

METHOD:
1. Wash and chop the methi leaves, onion and tomato.
2. Extract juice from tamarind and keep aside.
3. In a tawa, heat oil and add all the ingredients given under seasoning one by one.
4. Add garlic and onion and saute for a while.
5. Add tomato and cook until it turns soft and juicy.

6. Add methi leaves, stir for few minutes.
7. Add sambhar powder and tamarind juice, mix well and allow to boil for few minutes until raw smell goes off.
8. In a mixer, add coconut and rice flour and grind to paste by adding little water.
9. Add the paste, jaggery and required salt and boil for 2 or 3 minutes .
10. Taste for salt and spice. If needed add accordingly.
11. Tasty and aromatic Vendhaya Keerai Karakuzhumbu is ready.

Rice Pakoda

This recipe was prepared using leftover rice.

RICE PAKODA

INGREDIENTS:-

Leftover Rice - 1 cup ( approx. 250 gms)

Thinly Sliced Onion - 1

Finely chopped Curry leaves - 1 leaflet

Finely chopped Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Sambhar Powder - 1 & 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 3/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Corn Flour - 2 tsp

Besan Flour - 2 tsp

Oats Powder - 2 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp

Grated Ginger - 1/2 tsp

Oil for deep frying

METHOD:-

Add all the ingredients given under ingredients list except oil. Smash well using hands. 

Heat oil in a Kadai. While making Pakodas, there is no definite shapes like vadai or bajji. Drop the pakoda mix little by little. Fry it in sim flame for 2 minutes and increase the flame to high. Flip it and fry the other side too. 

Crispy Crunchy Rice Pakodas are ready. It lasts the crunchiness throughout the day.

JACKFRUIT MINI PANCAKE

Seasonal fruits and vegetables retain more nutrients than their counterparts making them the better choice for the health. Seasonal fruits being, Mangoes and Jackfruits, occupies the major space in the market.

I tried this receipe using Jackfruit. (This recipe is similar to Apple-Carrot Pancake. )  Jackfruit is rich in Vitamins, Minerals, Anti-oxidants. It increases Red blood Cells, thereby preventing anemia. It also prevents Colon Cancer, protects Eyes and reduces Asthma symptoms. 

JACKFRUIT MINI PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS:-

Jackfruit edible pieces -  5 nos

Organic Sugar/brown sugar - 1tsp

Salt - a pinch

Cardamom Powder - 1/8 tsp

Oats Powder - 50 gms

Wheat flour - 50 gms

Lukewarm milk - 50 ml ( use the same cup for measuring all)

Ghee - for making pancakes.

METHOD:-

In a mixer jar, add all the ingredients except Ghee. Add required milk for grinding the mixture to a fine paste. Now transfer the contents to a bowl. Add wheat flour and oats powder to it. Mix well to avoid lumps. If needed milk/water can be added to make a pouring consistency or in dosa batter consistencey. Set aside for 15 minutes. Check the consistency.

Heat a non-stick dosa tawa, or Pancake tawa, with little ghee. Pour a small laddle full of batter and spread gently, neither thick nor thin. Cover with lid and cook in sim flame. After 5 minutes, flip the other side, allow it to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the flame, once it is done.

Now pancakes are ready to be served.

BURFI using Oats

Burfis were made using all purpose flour/maida. But this version of Burfi is made using Oats.

 BURFI

INGREDIENTS:-
Powdered Oats - 3/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water for making sugar syrup - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1/4 cup + 1tsp for greasing a plate
Boost powder / Bournvita powder - 2 tbsp (optional)

METHOD:-
Heat ghee in a kadai and add powdered oats to it and fry for 4 to 5 minutes till a nice aroma arises. Add boost /bournvita powder (it is completely optional, instead for regular sugar, you can use brown sugar).
Restore it in a bowl.
Now in the same kadai, add sugar and water and allow it to boil till you reach 1 string consistency. It took nearly 8 minutes in medium flame. Once one-string consistency is reached, pour the oats mixture to this sugar syrup and mix well so that no lumps formed.
When the mixture doesn't stick to the kadai, pour it over a greased plate. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Cut into desired shapes, when it is in lukewarm heat. Remove the pieces, when it completely cools down. The total time to prepare this burfi, is 20 minutes only.

Eggless Apple-Carrot-Oats Pancake

Pancakes are made with limited ingredients in less time. Regular Pancakes are made using eggs, maida/all purpose free. Here, is tried it using Oats, a gluten-free food. To add sweetness, instead of regular sugar, i added Apples & Carrots. Along with Oats, we can even prepare Beetroot Pancake using Beetroot, Banana Pancakes using Banana etc.

APPLE - CARROT - OATS PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS:-

Peeled Apple - 1/4th
Peeled Carrot - 1/4th
Lukewarm Milk - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Powdered Oats - 1/2 cup
Oil /Ghee - for making pancakes

METHOD:-

In a mixer jar, add 1/4th apple, 1/4th carrot and make a fine paste using milk. Now pour this mixture to the powdered oats and add required salt. The batter is ready to make pancakes.

Heat a tawa or non-stick pan and smear a 1/2 tsp of oil/ghee. Pour a small ladle full of the batter on to the tawa and spread gently. Cover with lid and cook in medium flame, till it cooks well.

Flip it and cover & cook the other side in low flame, till you see some golden spots on the pancakes.

Pancakes can be eaten as it is or it can be served with smearing 1/2 tsp of honey over it.

MILK KHOA using Organic Sugar

Milk Khoa, otherwise called as Paal kova in Tamilnadu. In traditional milk kova recipe, regular sugar is used. But, I used Organic Sugar and followed the traditional method of preparing milk kova.

This is my all time favourite in my childhood days. My mother prepares this often, even though it is time-consuming in preparation.

MILK KOVA, using Organic Sugar

INGREDIENTS:-

Milk - 1000 ml
Organic Sugar - 100 gms
Ghee - 2 tsp (optional)
Elachi powder - 1/4 tsp

METHOD:-

Heat a thick bottomed kadai with Milk. I used Non-stick tawa to prepare. It will be easy to scrap the sides, if we use a non-stick kadai or tawa.

Stir continuously to avoid burnt at the bottom. Allow the milk to boil, then keep it in sim flame. The milk should reduce to half of the quantity and it thickens.

Stir the milk for every 10 minutes, scrape the sides and mix well.


It took me nearly 1 and a half an hour to prepare this recipe.
Once the milk starts to thickens, add the organic sugar to it and mix well.


Now keep it in high flame and stir continuously, till it doesn't stick to the sides of the kadai. Add ghee and elachi powder at this stage. 

Grease a bowl with ghee and transfer the contents. Delicious Traditional Milk Ka is ready to serve.

   

VALLARAI KEERAI THOGAIYAL | வல்லாரை துவையல்

Vallarai keerai / Brahmi leaves  is one of the Indian herbs which has immense medicinal values. It boosts the immune system and memory capacity. It can be consumed once in a week. Other recipes like sambhar and kootu can be prepared using this keerai. It tastes slight bitter, but can be reduced by adding appropriate ingredients. It tastes well with hot rice sprinkled with ghee/ gingelly oil. Can also be used as side dish for idli and dosa.

INGREDIENTS:
Vallarai keerai - 2 cups
Urad dhal - 3 tbs
Red chilly - 4 or 5
Tamarind - small gooseberry size
Small onion - 6
Jaggery - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Gingelly oil - little
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Salt

METHOD:
1. Wash the leaves well and keep aside. Tender stems can also be used.
2. In a pan, heat little oil, add mustard, cumin.
3. After it splutters, add red chilly, urad dhal and stir well until dhal turns golden brown.
4. Add asafoetida and remove to a bowl.
5. In the same pan, add oil, small onions.
6. Saute well for few minutes and add vallarai leaves.
7. Stir well till the leaves are well cooked and nice aroma comes out and allow to cool.

8. Transfer all to a mixer and grind adding jaggery and little water and required salt.
9. Tasty and healthy VALLARAI KEERAI THOGAIYAL  is ready.

MUDAKATHAN DOSAI | முடக்கத்தான் தோசை

Mudakathan keerai known as baloon vine is popular for its medicinal value for reducing joint pain. Here, it is used to make healthy dosa along with rice, urad dhal and fenugreek. Fermenting the batter reduces the bitterness and even Children will not resist eating it. This is easily available in market and can be grown easily in houses too. 

Mudakathan dosai with Onion tomato thokku

INGREDIENTS:

Idly rice - 1 cup

Raw rice - 2 tsp

Urad dhal - 3 tsp

Fenugreek - 1 tsp

Mudakathan keerai - 1 cup

Salt

METHOD:

1. Soak idly rice, raw rice, urad dhal and fenugreek together for 2 hours.

2. Clean and Wash the greens and add to the mixer.

3. Add the soaked ingredients and grind to a smooth batter adding required water like idly batter.

4. Add required salt and mix well and allow to ferment for 6 to 7 hours/ overnight.

5. Heat a dosa tawa.

6. Mix the batter using a ladle, add little water if needed. 

7. Spread the dosa, sprinkle oil and cook well both sides on medium flame.

8. Tasty  and Crispy Mudakathan dosai is ready and can be served with any chutney/ sambhar.

Note:

• Adding more greens is up to individual preference.
• Adding more urad dhal makes dosa soft.