THINAI UPMA

Millets are highly nutritious and non-glutinous. Milllets are  high in minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium. Foxtail millet is rich in dietary fibre, protein and low in fat  Unlike rice, foxtail millet releases glucose steadily without affecting the metabolism of the body.   Millets are good for the people who are diabetic.  

The consumption of millets should be atleast thrice in a week as it is quite heart healthy. Foxtail millet is known as kangni in Hindi, tinai in tamil, Korra in Telugu and Navane in Kannada and thina in malayalam. 

Since  our life style is very strenuous, we must adopt  health friendly foods.  I have made the upma and upma kozhukkattai with kappa.

MARACHEENI APPALAM, KAPPA PAPADAM

Cassava, often referred to as tapioca from its word in Portuguese, is called Kappa (കപ്പ) Kizhangu or Poola (in northern Kerala) or Maracheeni or Cheeni or Kolli or Mathock (മത്തോക്ക്), Poola (പൂള)in Malayalam.

Tapioca is widely consumed in the Indian state of Kerala, usually as breakfast or in the evening. It is boiled (after skinning and cutting it into large cakes of about 6–8 cm long or into small 2 cm cubes) in water till properly cooked, and the water is drained off. Once cooked, it can be mixed with grated coconut, chili, salt, turmeric etc., then steamed and mashed into a dry pudding. This can be garnished in oil with mustard, onion, curry leaves etc. if desired. Tapioca cakes (Chendan Kappa) are often eaten with simple chili sauce (a paste of Green/Red Chili + Shallot + small red Onion + Garlic + Salt + Oil).

Mashed Tapioca is paired with Meat / Fish curry. Tapioca with fish curry (especially sardines) is a delicacy in Kerala. Mashed Tapioca with Chutta Unakka Mathi (dry salted sardine directly cooked on charcoal) and Green Chili is another popular combination. Kappa Biriyani is yet another Tapioca dish.

Tapioca can be stored for longer periods by parboiling and drying it, after skinning and slicing it into 0.5 cm thick pieces. This is called Unakka Kappa or Vaattu Kappa (dried tapioca). Unakka Kappa pudding is widely consumed in Kerala. Tapioca Chips, thinly sliced tapioca wafers, similar to potato chips, are also popular.

Sabudana  (in Hindi) , jawarisi ( in Tamil), sago pearls (in English) is made out of this.  Sabaduna kichadi, sabdudana vada   are the  fasting dish of Maharashtrians.

We can make chips,papadam, subzi etc. out of this.

ELAI VADAM, ILAI VADAM

Summer season has started and it is time to make pickle, vadams, masalas, aam ka panha etc.  I have already posted Killu karuvadam, kambu karuvadam, palak papad  & thattai karuvadam.  Here is my post of simple and easy elai vadam.

This elai vadam is eaten by us raw as we love to apply little chutta ennai i.e. after frying any item, the remaining oil is called chutta ennai. my son love this and on normal days also i make it and give him.

The best part of this vadam, is you need not worry about drying it under sun as it can be dried under fan also and for one or two hour, you can keep it under the sun.  elai vadam video

THATTAI VADAM

Vadam is made out of rice basically.  You can also make it  with combination of vazhathandu, kappa, sago  etc.  Normally, it is made during summer as it gets dried up very fast.  Vadam is served with rice, samabar or chitrannam viz. lime rice, puliodarai etc. or can be had it with cup of tea also.

Karuvadam is one of the delicious, ready to fry items from Tamil Nadu. Women  prepare these during the hot summer months of April and May. They are used as accompaniments at lunch or dinner through out the  year but particularly intended to be used during monsoon when fresh veggies are hardly available.

Elai vadam, karuvadam, maracheeni appalam, killu vadam etc is made and stored in airtight containers which is fried and served whenever it is required.  It remains years together if handled properly.

I made this thattai vadam with little kappa, maracheeni and rice flour.  I made an attempt to make the maracheeni appalam which turned out very thin like elai vadam and  had to fry it very carefully. I have posted palak papad.   If you make it plain, it becomes Elai vadam.  This post is with www.simpleindianrecipes.com as I used to share my recipes with Ms. Dahlia before I started my blog.

 coming back to thattai vadam, the batter is placed in the plastic sheet with spoon and spread it lightly like thattai.   hence i called it thattai vadam.  We can also make killu karuvadam by placing the batter with hand and dry it. 

KILLU KARUVADAM

Killu means pinch out hence it is known as killu karuvadam.  What we need is rice, red or green chilli, sesame seeds, hing powder (optional).

This is another way of making karuvadam during summer. 

KAMBU VATHAL, KAMBU KARUVADAM

For making kambu vathal, prepare the batter like we prepared for killu karuvadam. Then it is put in the press and squeezed out on plastic sheet to dry.

with green chilli

with red chilli

CAULIFLOWER SUBZI

Cauliflower is rich in  nutrients, cauliflower or cabbage flower is one of the commonly used flower-vegetables. Its compact flower heads hold numerous health benefiting phtyo-nutrients such as vitamins, indole-3-carbinol, sulforaphane etc., that help prevent overweight, diabetes and offer protection from prostate, ovarian, and cervical cancers. It is very low in calories.  It comprises of several health-benefiting antioxidants and vitamins in addition to be low in fat and zero cholesterol.

• Fresh cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C,  vital B-complex groups of vitamins such as folates, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B6) and thiamin (vitamin B1), niacin (B3) as well as vitamin K. These vitamins is essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish and required for fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism.
• Further, It is an also good source of minerals such as manganese, copper, iron, calcium and potassium. Manganese is used in the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Potassium is an important intracellular electrolyte helps counter the hypertension effects of sodium. 

KAPPA CURRY, TAPIOCA CURRY

Kappa, poolakizhangu, maracheeni kizhangu, kolli, tapioca , cassava it is known as is root tuber.  When you remove it, there will be lot of mud in it which has to be washed thoroughly.  Then peel the skin and cut them into small pieces.  In the middle, you will get a white string like portion which has to be discarded.

We can make papadam, subzi, chips etc. out of this.  Kappa Puttu is also made with it.  When we were small, we used to cut them into two to three pieces, boil it with salt and turmeric powder and serve with "Ulli Chammandi" means shallot chutney with little coconut oil.  It is known as kappa puzhungiyathu.   The taste is YUM.

Today, I made this curry for chapati and my husband who never tasted this liked it very much, even though it was a very simple preparation.

CUCUMBER BUTTERMILK

Cucumber in your diet- Beauty begins from inside. Cucumbers are 95%water, is a natural coolant and  helps in keeping the body hydrated. Because of the high water content, they help in cleansing the system of toxins. So it is good to include them in our diet in the form of salads, cucumber butter milk, raita etc.  

If you have a puffy ice, keep two slices on your ice, you will feel very comfortable.  In Mumbai, during summer, you can see the gadiwalas selling cucumber with bit salt and chilli powder or as it is you can have it.

It is also used as face pack and other beauty related issues.  Butter milk, cucumber and subja is having cooling effect and it is good for the summer heat to hydrate your body.  In older days, I remember, under the pipal tree, near our Shiva temple,  big earthen pot is filled with neer mor and the passer by can have a glass of this neer mor during summer.

CHUKKU, MILAGU, THIPPALI RASAM

This recipe  is lying in my draft for a long time and could not publish it3 Chuku, milagu, Kandan thippali rasam my mother used to make when we are down with cough, cold and fever.  In fact, the grandma's recipes are quite healthy and good to try before we run to the doctor now a days.

Thippali, when my brother went to native place, asked him to get it from there as I was not knowing where will I get here and no time to go around and find out.

Since I am down with fever and cold, I thought I will make this.  Frankly speaking, rasam is always favourite of mine and my elder brother.  Nothing like rasam rice, any time, we love it.

Some people think rasam is made only when you are sick.  But that is wrong.  It can be served as an appetizer, just have it as soup and of course with  steaming hot rice.

It is known as kanda thippali, thipli, pipli, long pepper etc.