BARELY UPMA

Barley or Jau it is known as is a healthy grain we must include in our diet.  If we have some urinary problems/fever etc. first thing in the mind comes to boil some barley seeds in water and drink the same through out the day.  This helps in passing the urine without any difficulty as well as the toxin is removed from the body.

Normally, after boiling the same in water, it is thrown out.  I tried to make upma with the barley seeds and came out very tasty with some vegetables in it.

Though many people may not like it, we still can include the same once in a while in our diet.

The pictures and method is given below along with the health benefit of barley.

Let us look at the recipe now:

DUBKA

Dubka is prepared with moongdal.  The moong dal is soaked and ground to a coarse paste and with tomato and onion puree with masalas, it is cooked and served with steamed rice or phulka.

This recipe is from Kumaon region of Uttarakhand which is very popular.  It is a nutritious dish but very simple.  It is a powerhouse of proteins, easy to prepare  within a short period of time and tasty too .  This is a winter dish and had usually during the winter, otherwise also you can relish this dish once in a while during other seasons.   You can serve it along with any side dish.

While I made this recipe, I remembered the Maharashtrian style kulith  pitla  though slight variation in the method of preparation and masalas, the pitla is also a good dish along with steamed rice and phulka.

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Now let us look at the recipe:

METHI LEAVES MOR KUZHAMBU

Mor kuzhambu is an easy kuzhambu variety prepared in the South Indian Household.   You can make the same with vegetables or with some vathals too.  We make it with sundaka vathal,  manathakali or any dried vegetables which is available at home.

If you have no vegetables left in your fridge, this is kuzhambu is very handy provided you have coconut and curd at home.

I had some left over methi leaves in the fridge which was not sufficient enough to  make subzi.  So I thought of making the mor kuzhambu with it along with rice.

Very easy to make and tasty along with hot rice and papad.

Let us look at the recipe now:

CASHEW FRUIT JUICE

Cashew fruit juice is made out of the cashew apple or cashew fruit it is known as it  is a delicious drink.  But let me tell you one thing that it may not be liked by all as it has got an astringent taste in it and you have to develop the taste for it.

The preparation is very simple and the same has to be served very chilled.  In order to remove the astringent taste, either you can steam boil or boil it with bit salt in the water.  It contains vitamin C.  The fleshy fruit is eaten as it is,  again you should develop the taste else you will feel bit itching in the throat and some are allergic to it.

Since the same may not be consumed by my family members, I made the juice only with one fruit which I could serve for two.

CASHEW FRUIT SAMBHAR

Cashew fruit is fleshy and sweet  when it is fully ripe.  It has got an astringent taste in it hence most of the people do not like to eat it  fresh as some might have an itchy feeling in the throat.  Normally, most of the time, it is thrown out after removing the nut from it.

It is found in Kerala, Maharashtra and Goa during the month of March / April.  I had prepared the mor kuzhambu with it and has already posted the recipe.

Now I am sharing with you all the sambhar recipe made out of it.  It goes well with the rice, chapati, phulka, dosa, pidi kozhukkattai etc.  I have given some brief about the fruit in the  morkuzhambu which you must read before preparing the dish.

 Cashew apples and cashew nuts are excellent sources of nutrition. The cashew apple contains five times more vitamin C than an orange and contains more calcium, iron and vitamin B1 than other fruit such as citrus, avocados and bananas.

Let us look at the recipe now:

 

CASHEW FRUIT MOR KUZHAMBU

Cashew apple or cashew fruit it is called, is the fleshy part of the cashew fruit attached to the cashew nut.  The top end of the apple is attached to the stem that comes off the tree and the bottom end is attached to the nut, which is encased in a shell.

The curry is made with the cashew apple as well as the fresh cashew nut also.  The cashew apple can be eaten fresh, cooked in curries, fermented into vinegar as well as an alcohlic drink.. It is also used to make preserves, chutneys, and jams in some countries such as India and Brazil. It is also used to flavor drinks, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic in some parts of the country.

Today I made Cashew fruit mor kuzhambu and Sambhar as I purchased the same when I went to market.  If  I keep the same for tomorrow, it might lose the freshness so tried both the recipes.

Let us look at the recipe now.  Some more information is given below the recipe which you can read it after going through the recipe of the dish.

POTATO VADA a different version

Potato vada  or Batata vada is a street side snack of Mumbai and liked by all.  Potato vada along with a pav, red and green chutney is a yummy snack which fill your stomach.  Can have with a cup of tea or coffee.  The potato masala is made into small balls and dipped in gram flour batter and deep fried.  The real vada is made as mentioned in the vada pav recipe.

Here I am presenting a different method of making this vada.  Instead of dipping the same in the gram flour batter, the gram flour is mixed with the potato masala and deep fried.

I am sure you will like this version too as it is very delicious.

Now let us look at the recipe:

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RICE DAL MIX DHOKLA

Dhokla is a famous snack recipe of Gujarat.  We all love to eat dhokla with green chutney any time.  It is a spongy cake made out of the gram flour melt in the mouth if prepared systematically in the proper manner.

Here I have tried the dhokla with the rice and dal batter we make for making Adai.  The same batter I used to make the dhokla and stir fried and deep fried also.  The steamed ones also can be eaten with chutney but the taste of stir fried like the idly fry and the deep fry is really awesome.

The mixture of dal and the rice is a healthy and is a different version dhokla.  Hope you will definitely enjoy this and can be served with chutney or as it is.

Let us look at the recipe now:

AAPPAM

Kerala style appam can be made with yeast or without yeast.  The original recipe is made with the toddy i.e Kallu.  But it is very difficult to get the fresh toddy hence we can make it with yeast or without yeast.  The purpose of adding the yeast or toddy(kallu)  is to help the batter to rise in the centre  of the  appam.

The appam is served with Potato Stew or kadala curry or any curries veg or non veg.  It is a healthy breakfast.  I used to have with the thenga chammanthi also. (coconut red chutney).  Here I have made this aappam without yeast.  I personally try to avoid, yeast, baking soda etc. but when it is required, we have to add it,if there is no other alternative.

Some people are allergic to urid dal and cannot consume the same.  This recipe is useful to such people as they would love it since it is minus urid dal.

Whenever you visit Kerala, do not miss this dish.

Let us look at the recipe now:

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PAASI PARIUPPU KANJI

Paruppu Kanji  is some what like the Paruppu Pradhaman but not exactly the s the pradhaman as certain rich ingredients are not included in the kanji.  During my childhood, my  grandmother used to give this kanji for breakfast.

I used to love this kanji and when I started making it, I used to add little bit of dalia i.e. cracked wheat or lapsi you can call it.  Normally, coconut milk is used as we are using jaggery.  If we use the normal milk,  sometimes, it will curdle hence the milk is added just before serving.   My grandma used to add milk  while serving, after preparing the kanji so that it cools down bit and the milk will  not curdle.

 The Paruppu Kanji along with sweet dosa i.e. vella dosa  provides the staying power of protein as well as a bit of sugar for energy for keeping up the spirited chanting of bhajans. 

It is a traditional offering for Sivarathri festival which falls during the  winter season.  After fasting the whole day, family members, friends, and neighbors gather together give support to each other for staying awake the entire night praying, singing, and chanting melodious songs and bhajans in praise of Lord Siva.  My mother used to say that we should not sleep in the night during shivrathri.  It is really fun to sit together in the thinnai (veranda ) in the gramama (village)  all together to keep oneself awake during shivrathri.

Maha Shivratri  means the Great Night of Shiva, is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the Lord Shiva.   It is observed by remembering Shiva and chanting prayers whole  night, fasting etc.  Ardent devotees keep awake all night, others visit the temple.

This year Sivarathri falls on February 24th of this month.   My friend Seetha Hariharan after going through the blog asked for the recipe.  That time only I realised that I have not posted this though en number of time I have prepared and taken photographs of it.  

Happy Shivrathri to all of you and may the lord bless us. And the recipe for my friend Seetha too.

Now let us look at the recipe :