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 :

PANCHMEL DAL VADI

Panch means five.  Mixing up of five varieties of dal and making a dish out of it.  The panchmel dal vadi is made out of five dals viz. urid, chana, masoor, moong and tuvar.  We make adai mixing up of dals with rice and is prepared on the tava.  the same batter can be steamed, cut and served along with chutney or sambhar.  The same can be fried too.

This vaid is also similar to that style.  Grind it,  by adding some spice in it, steam it, cut it and serve as it is with chutney or deep fry and serve.  

Normally, we make kothmir vadi with the gram flour and the process is steaming, cutting and shallow frying or deep frying.  The method of preparation is similar to that only.

This is a healthy dish as most of the dals are used in it.  A snack item which can be prepared and keep it in fridge one day ahead and can be fried the next day when you want it.

You can also add onion, carrots, crushed green peas, coconut, peanut in the batter.  Pinch out some and deep fry.  another way of preparation.

So let us look at the recipe now:

BREAD MEDU VADA

vada is liked by all especially when it is served hot with sambhar.  Medu vada is a South Indian dish made for breakfast and as snack too.  The hot medu vadas dunked in sambhar with chutney is awesome and can be had at any point of time.

We are familiar with the preparation of medu vada.  I decided to add some left over bread which I had with me i.e. two slices of bread and side pieces of four slices.  Bread medu vada is a best out of waste dish for you I am sharing here.  I am sure you will love it.

Let us look at the recipe now:

VEGETABLE RICE BHAKRI

Bhakri is the specialty of Maharashtrians.  They make the bhakri with jowar, bhajra and nachni and even with rice flour.  The ari pathri is made in Kerala with rice flour.  It is a flat bread  made without any yeast or raising agents.  Basically, it is served with Jhunka, a dish made out of gram flour, lasoon chutney, thecha etc.  It is famous in Gujarat, Goa , Rajasthan and North Karnataka too.

Today I made the rice bhakri with some vegetables in it.  Since I always prefer to prepare healthy and  some variety of food for my children, I tried this and was delicious.

After the recipe, you can have a glance about the story of bhakri.

Let us look at the recipe now:

HARBARA HALVA, CHOLIYA HALVA

Fresh Green Chikpeas  or garbanzo beans or choliya or hara chana is known as in Mumbai is also called Harbara.  This juicy tender fresh green chana is also a great snack.  You can eat them raw or steam with some kala namak i.e Indian rock salt.

We can make subzi out of this, halva, poori and parathas too.  This contains Vitamin C, E, K and B Complex vitamins,folate and the minerals viz. magnesium, zinc an pantothenic acid.  They are high in dietary fibres too.  Saute some in olive oil, put some sea salt and enjoy the taste.  It can be tossed into stir fries, salads and combined with sweetcorn and green or red bell pepper also make an awesome chat.

I tried poori and paratha with it. It was awesome like any other parathas.  Since we are getting the same during the season, we can enjoy it.

Now let us look at the recipe of making the halva

CHINESE BREAD

Children as well as adults are crazy about chinese food.  I am not very fond of it but occasionally, I eat only fried rice and manchurian.  I cannot stand for the noodles somehow. 

I tried chinese bread recipe as I had some bread left with me and the sides of the bread after cutting for sandwich.   You can include all kinds of vegetables in it as everyone would love to eat this.

The crunchiness of vegetables and the crunchy bread crumbs in it make this dish delicious.  If you have the vegetables and bread in hand, this is an easy snack for the guests who arrive in your house without any notice.

You can either deep fry the bread or shallow fry the same with little ghee to make it crispy.

Now et us look at the recipe:

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CAULIFLOWER POORI AND PARATHA

Parathas are liked by all.  Garam garam paratha with a blob of butter on top and with aam ka achar or lime pickle is my favourite.  I make parathas with any kind of vegetables in hand.

Cauliflower is the rich source of of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals. Its  beneficial effects on numerous aspects of health, cauliflower can easily be described as a superfood.  It's also a good source of Vitamin K and C,protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese.

coming back to the recipe, I made poori and paratha with it and was really delicious.  My way of introducing the food which my children won't eat is to make paratha and poories which goes into their stomach without any ? mark.

If you have fuss making children, put all the vegetables in the pav bhaji subzi, paratha, poori and feed them.

Let us look at the recipe now: 

BER SUZBI

After posting the ber chutney and molagootal,  here is another subzi made out of the ber fruit.  There is no need for me to brief about the benefits and brief about this fruit as you must have already come to know from the above two posts.

The subzi I made with the fruit can be served with roti and rice too as side dish.  It is a simple preparation as you make the regular subzis with your coriander and chilli powder and tomato etc. etc.  Though the fruit does not have a particular taste when it is made, it is really tasty with the masalas we put in it and for a change, you can really relish this.

Let us look at the recipe now:

BER MOLAGOOTAL

Recently I posted the Ber chutney which was very very tasty.  Now, I am sharing with you all the molagootal and a subzi made out of it.  These can be served with rice, roti, phulka etc. and is an excellent accompaniment.

A brief is given about the ber in my chutney post hence I am not giving you the detailed benefits of it in this post.  

This is a seasonal fruit which is available in the market from November to March and mainly, you can see this with the vendor infront of the school.   I am sure, I brought back the child hood memories in your life by preparing the dish out of this fruit. The ber, imli, star fruit and what not.  Those school days memories can be revived when you see these stuff in the market.

Coming back to the molagootal,  this dish can be prepared with the red and white pumpkin, chow chow, keerai, madras kakadi, chenai etc. by adding  tuvar, masoor or moongdal.  The kootu can be prepared with the chana dal.  Easy to cook tasty to eat.

BER CHUTNEY

Ber or Bhor it is known as is a sweet and sour fruit which is available in Indian market during the period November to March. 

It brings back the childhood memory as we used to go to pluck this near the Krishnan temple at Pallanchathanur where my  grandfather used to stay.  During vacation,  we used to go there and our time pass is this among other mischievous activities. It is a nutrient fruit with antioxidant properties and stimulates your immune system.  It is also rich in Vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, iron, and phosphorous. These nutrients will keep your skin healthy, and your scalp and hair in good  condition. 

Traditionally in India, the fruit is dried in the sun and the hard nuts are removed. Then, it is pounded with tamarind, red chillies, salt and jaggery.  In some parts of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, fresh whole ripe fruit is crushed with the above ingredients and dried under the sun to make cakes called ilanthai vadai or regi vadiyalu ) (Telugu).  This vadai I happened to taste when I went to Marudamalai in Coimbatore.  I was fascinated with the shape and colour of this and the fact that never tasted before, I purchased it for tasting.  I really liked it.

Various shapes and colours of ber is available in the market now.  I happened to see the green big ones looks like green tomato and tastes bit like a green  apple.  I purchased the same and cut it for tasting.  I felt the mild sweetness in it and thought of biting a green apple.  I made chutney, subzi and molagootal/kootu out of this and was excellent though you will not be able to identify the taste separately as you will feel that you have made it with the chow chow.  

Let us look at the recipe now and giving below a little brief about the fruit:

MAA VILAKU

Maa vilaku  (rice flour lamp) is prepared during the Thai, Adi months and for karthikai deepam.   It is a family custom for many of us.  My mother's side, my aunty used to light this lamp during Thai month.  In my in laws place this is not a practice.  However, I made this for posting the same on the blog.

This is a child hood memory for me as I love to eat this.  But after leaving my hometown, I hardly got the chance to eat this.  The combination of the rice flour, jaggery and the coconut pieces to eat is divine.  Since I had not eaten for years together, may be 15 years or more, I was craving for the same too. 

The lamp made out of this is lit with ghee in it and we have to wait for the same to completely get over.  Then neivedyam is done and it is distributed as prasadam to everyone.

In Thai month or thai  masam, it is done normally on Friday.  Since Thai masam is on, you can prepare this and enjoy it.

Now let us look at the recipe:

BABY BANANA PLANT STEM CURRY

I have got the habit of watching food and travel channels because we get to know various places and the food habits of that particular region / state/country.  Since we are connected with food through our blog, it is an interesting channel for us to pass our time.

As I was watching the Travel XP channel, I happened to see them cooking the  tender banana false stem.  Though I do not remember, the ingredients put in for cooking the same due to some work in between could not be noticed and missed the recipe.  However, I saw them cutting the baby plant for preparing the subzi.

Since then I was also thinking of making the subzi out of it.

Recently, we had Satyanarayan Pooja in our Society and the Baby plants are used for the Pooja.  I brought the baby plant and removed the outer false stem till such time I got the tender stem. video

I cooked the subji out of it and to my surprise, it was really really delicious.  Here I am sharing with you the recipe and giving below little brief about the benefit of the banana plant.

Let us look at the recipe now:

GREEN METHI, CHUARA, KISHMISH LAUNJI

Green Methi, chuara, kishmish curry is a Rajasthani dish which is quite healthy.  All the three ingredients used in this dish are having several health benefits.   This dish is made by soaking the ingredients overnight with mild spice and goes well with the roti, chapatti and rice.

My friend Mrs. Rinku Shinde shared this recipe with me yesterday and I am glad to post the same in the blog for the benefit of all my viewers.

Methi seeds are the rich sources of minerals, iron, vitamins, natural soluble fibres, potassium, sodium, Saponin, amino acid, phytochemicals, etc. Soaked methi seeds in the morning treats the digestive disorders like; loss of appetite, stomach upset, indigestion, bloating, constipation, eases emptying of bowl.

Date fruit or Phoenix Dactylifera is one of the most nutritious foods that can either be taken fresh or consumed after drying. Dry dates, also known as ‘Chuara‘ in Hindi, ‘Endu Kharjuram‘ in Telugu, ‘Pericham Pinju‘ in Tamil,  ‘Vana kharjura‘ in Kannada, ‘Sookno Khejur‘ in Bengali, ‘Kharik‘ in Marathi and ‘Kharek‘ in Gujarati. Dry dates are known to be an all-in-one natural remedy for a number of health-related problems.

From boosting your energy levels to taking care of your cardiovascular health, date fruits have multifaceted benefits to offer. You can also consume them for enhancing your beauty.  You can further google search for the  benefits of dry dates for health, skin and hair.

Improves Overall Health:

Dry dates are considered to be a gold mine of vitamins. They contain a wide range of vitamins including Vitamin A, C, E, K, B2, B6, niacin and thiamin. These vitamins are vital for our health and wellness. Therefore, consuming dry dates is beneficial for improving our overall health.

Source of Essential Minerals:

Dry dates also have all essential minerals like iron, potassium, selenium, magnesium, phosphorous and copper, without which our body cells cannot perform their regular activities.

Raisins or dried grapes  look very simple and unpalatable with their aged appearance and dry texture but they are one of nature’s healthier alternatives to those sugar-rich manufactured candies and sweet products.   Raisins, also known as ‘Kishmish’ in Hindi, ‘Yendu Dhraksha‘ in Telugu, ‘Ular Dhraakshai/Kaintha Thratchai‘ in Tamil, ‘Kismis/Unakku Munthiringa‘ in Malayalam, ‘Ona Drakshi/Vonadraakshe‘ in Kannada, ‘Lal Draksh/Khismis‘ in Gujarati, ‘Bedane/Manuka‘ in Marathi, ‘Khishmish‘ in Punjabi and ‘Kash/Kishmish‘ in Bengali.  Consumption of raisins keeps the bowel movement regular and the fibers help to keep toxins and waste products out of the system.  Raisins are beneficial not only for gastrointestinal problems but also for constipation.

Now let us look at the recipe now: