WATER MELON HALVA, HALVA, TARBOOSE KI HALVA, THANNEER MATHAN HALVA

Water melon halwa is made out of the white portion of the water melon between the green skin and the red fruit.  It resembles somewhat like the Lauki/doodhi/bottlegourd halva but is really tasty withe the milk, dry fruits added in it.

water melon halva

BANANA STEM SAMBAR, VAZHATHANDU SAMBAR, KELE KI DANDAL

Banana stem sambar is made with tuvar dal, sambar powder or arachuvitta masala  (whole masalas fried and ground with coconut).  We can make thoran a stir fried subzi made in South, Pachadi, raita etc. with this.    This is also used to make karuvadams(kurudai).   

We used to make cart out of the stem when we were small, a picture of the same is shown below.   

Bananas are rich in vitam C, A, B6 & B12, iron potassium, mangensium as well.  It cures the heartburn, anemia etc. 

Banana stem

There are various varieties and shapes and sizes of bananas. It has been found that bananas have curative properties both scientifically and traditionally. Birds and animals - especially monkeys and elephants love bananas.

There are many healing and medicinal properties of bananas.

Banana Stem:

When a bunch of bananas is harvested, the stem/tree is cut away. The tender inner stem is used as food and has many medicinal properties as well.

Layers of hard outer stem are peeled away and only the tender inner stem is used. It is very fibrous, so the thread fiber has to be cleaned. The stem is chopped into small bits and soaked in buttermilk or diluted yogurt for half hour. In Southern parts of India, it is cooked as a vegetable and eaten along with rice.

The banana stem has fiber – this is very beneficial for those on a weight-loss program. It is also a rich source of potassium and vitamin B6 which helps in the production of insulin and hemoglobin. Eating banana stem once a week keeps high blood pressure in control. Banana stem also maintains fluid balance within the body. It is a diuretic and helps detoxify the body. The popular belief is that eating banana stem is very good for kidney stones.

 Let us have a look at the recipe now:

The sambar can be made in two ways 

1) with sambar powder  

(2)  arachuvitta sambar

 ARACHUVITTA SAMBAR ( GROUND MASALA WITH COCONUT)

Ingredients
Banana stem  (finely chopped) - 1 cup
Thin Tamarind pulp - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Tuvar dal boiled - 1/2 cup
Salt
Water

For sambhar masala 

  1tsp Coriander seeds
2 Red chilli (spice adjust according to your requirement)
2-3 Pepper corns
1/2 Grated coconuts (i use dessicated coconut) (without coconut also you can make it)
  very little  Fenugreek seeds
 very little  Cumin seeds
1 Green Chilli
Curry leaves
Asafoetida

Method

First cut the outer layer of the stem and use only the inner parts.

cut the round pieces first. then cut juliens of it and then chop them finely.

if you are chopping very finely, can directly cook or else you have to pressure cook the same.

 Remove from the cooker and transfer the same to another vessel.
Add tamarind pulp and boil. (if not using tamarind pulp skip this)
When the raw smell of tamarind is gone, add the ground masala, tuvar dal and boil.
Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and serve hot with rice or chappati.

 WITH SAMBAR POWDER

while boiling the stems, you can add sambar powder.  after cooking the same, add the tuvar dal and repeat the remaining process.

Cart made out of banana stem

banana-stem-chutney-vazhathandu-chutney.html
banana-stem-thoran-vazhathandu-thoran.html
banana-stem-soup-vazhathandu-soup-kele.html

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GAAJAR KI HALVA, CARROT HALVA

Gaajar halva is a favourite dish of my daughter and sons.  Normally, during winter, we get plenty of Delhi carrots and never miss the halva, payasam as sweet dish in our home.  My mother in law takes the pain to grate it and make the halva for the children with lots of dry fruits in it.

Gaajar ki halva is made of fresh carrots or gaajar with sugar, milk and lots of dry fruits.  We get two varieties of  Gaajar here one is Delhi carrot and the other one english carrot.  I made the same with english carrot now as my daughter was asking for it since last few days.

Gaajar ki halva

Let us look at the recipe now:

AVAL PUTTU, BEATEN RICE PUTTU, POHA PUTTU

Aval puttu is made for Janmashtami.  Another variety of sweet made with the beaten rice or aval or poha.  When Kuchelan (sudama) went to see Krishna, he carried some beaten rice, poha to offer him.  So one of the neivedyam offered to Krishna is aval with  vellam or sugar or milk.

Le us look at the recipe now:

VELLA CHEEDAI, SWEET RICE BALLS, SWEET JAGGERY BALLS

Vella cheedai is  one of the Bhakshanam made during the Janmashtami along with Murukku, Uppu Cheedai, Appam etc.  It is made out of Rice flour, jaggery, cardamom powder,coconut, sesame seeds etc.   Now gokulashtami, janmashtami is few days away, I am posting this recipe.

Vella cheedai can be relished at any time not necessary that you have to make during Janmashtami only.  The combination of rice, jaggery, ghee, coconut , sesame seeds  and cardamom is very flavourful and tasty.

In our village, we used to sit and roll the balls while our elders starts frying them in batches.  It was the childrens job to sit and make (cheedai uruttarathu) the uppu cheedai and vella cheedai and we used to enjoy.

Let us look at the recipe now:

CHEEDAI, UPPU CHEEDAI, SAVOURY CHEEDAI, FRIED RICE MARBLES

Gokulashtami is two weeks away.  I am sure everyone willl be busy with their preparation of making cheedai, vella cheedai, murukku, thenkuzhal etc.

 Most people in India celebrate Krishna Janmashtami based on Lunar Calendar but few temples and some regions in South India observe Krishna Janmashtami based on Solar Calendar. In most years these dates don’t differ by one or two days but in some years Janmashtami date based on Lunar Calendar and Janmashtami date based on Solar Calendar might differ up to one month.

In Kerala, Tamil Nadu and in some parts of Karnataka, Krishna Janmashtami is popularly known as Ashtami Rohini and is observed based on Solar Calendar.

Two famous temples, Udupi Sri Krishna temple in Karnataka and Guruvayur Guruvayurappa temple in Kerala celebrate Krishna Janmashtami as Ashtami Rohini based on Solar Calendar.

Ashtami Rohini is also known as Sri Jayanthi and Gokulashtami which falls on 28th of this month.  (kannan pirantha naal) and uri adi i.e. gopalakala, dahi handi is on 29th August 2013.

Let us look at the recipe now:

TRICOLOUR DOSA, TIRANGA DOSA

TRICOLOUR DOSA, TIRANGA DOSA


Four days ahead of Independence day, I am posting tiranga dosa or tricolour dosa.  We can make various items viz. idli, dosa, rice, halva, sabdudana, burfi, dhokla etc.

this dosa is made with normal dosa batter by adding tomato for orange colour, coriander for green colour.  you can use carrots, gun powder and dill leaves, palak also.  I have uploaded this recipe in you tube http://youtu.be/ZqqxveRkcJw

Last year, i had shared with www.simpleindianrecipes.com more tiranga varieties recipes.  

Let us see the recipe now

NEEM FLOWER PACHADI, VEPAMPOO PACHADI

 I remember six year old, we were going to Madras (now Chennai).  I was fed up of sitting in the train for a longer hours and asked my mom when are we going to reach?  my mother said tomorrow.  I said i want to get down and go home to which my mother said, i will allow you to get down at the next station and you go home alone.  I got scared and kept quite.  After reaching Madras, we were playing,  that time,  my mom told me and my cousin to go to terrace and collect the neem flowers.  when we went to terrace, i could not believe,  such a lot of fresh flowers were lying like a carpet. we collected plenty of it in a bag and brought down.  Since that age, i am familiar with the rasam, pachadi.  In the beginning i felt it bit bitter, but we used to have karela, bitter gourd subzi, i liked these dishes also very much.

Neem flower pachadi, rasam is made during the Tamil New Year which falls mostly on 14th April.  This flowers are also available at that time, very fresh.  This pacahdi is made with mango, jaggery, chilli powder. You can use tamarind instead of mango.  Use the mangoes which are not ripe but not raw which will have a sweet and sour taste.  If you are using raw mango, ensure that less sour one is picked.

Neem flower pachadi

  Vepampoo pachadi has got five unique flavours viz salt, bitterness (neem flowers), sweetness (jaggery, vellam, sarkara), mango (sour), spice (red chilli powder).
neem-flower-rasam-vepampoo-rasam-rasam,   neem flower raita  watchyoutube : neem flower pachadi

NEEM FLOWER RAITA, VEMPAMPOO RAITA

You will think that the neem leaves are bitter so as the flower.  yes it is bitter but when you fry them in ghee, you will not feel much of the bitterness.  the flowers are usually available in the month of April during the beginning of the year i.e. New year (Varsha Pirappu) and the cuisines like vepampoo rasam, pachadi and raita are made.  if you cannot get fresh flowers, dried flowers are also available in the market.

neem flower rasam, vepampoo rasam
neem flower pachadi

SHEER KURMA (SEVAI KHEER)

Sheer kurma is made with vermicelli i.e. semiya, milk, sugar and dry fruits and dates.  Today is Ramadan, Ramzan and it is the special dish today made in every household.  It is a delicious kheer one can enjoy any time. This has got the similary to sevai kheer  or semiya payasam.  in semiya payasam, we do not add dates.  we can add kishmish also in both but my daughter does not like it hence I have not added the same.