Beetroot and Chick peas curry

This is a nutritious combination of chickpeas and beetroot which is very good for kids. It is rich in iron and protein along with some essential vitamins. Beetroot is considered to liver-friendly and is also an immunity booster. I've added some whole spices which not only enhance the flavor of the dish but also add some health-enhancing benefits. . I’ve only had them in salads with nuts and cheese. That’s actually a great combo I wanted to use it in some other way. It takes a little bit of time, but it’s worth the effort. The earthy, sweet beets with spinach greens along with some spiced ginger and chilies. Chickpeas make it a hearty one-pot-meal in a skillet. (I served it with rice cooked separately.) Speaking of chickpeas, I am a new convert to dried beans. I finally mastered the soak, boil, cook process, and wow!

 

Prep time       : 20 mins            Cook time      : 15 mins             Serves     : 4
Cuisine :North Indian

Ingredients	Quantity
Chopped Beetroot	2 cup
Chick peas	1/3  cup
Spinach(chopped)	5 leaves
Oil	2 tbsp.
Fennel seeds	1/4  tsp.
Cinnamon	1”stick
Clove	2 no
Dry red chillies	2 no
Onion	1 small
Tomato	2 no
Garlic cloves	2 no
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp.
Crushed pepper	1 tsp.
Salt	To taste
Lemon juice	1 tbsp.(optional)
Cilantro	garnish
Curry leaves	1 sprig

 

Method

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight. Wash the beetroot, peel and chop them. Boil both chick peas and beetroot with little salt in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Allow it to cool.

2. In a large saucepan or frying pan, heat a little sunflower oil and fry the whole garam masala until you can smell the spices, stir continuously so the spices don’t catch and burn. Add garlic and chillies and cook for a minute or two, stirring continuously. Add the onions and continue to cook until the onions are soft. Add the curry leaves and stir for 30 seconds. Add the spinach in the kadai and cook for a few minutes until the greens are tender.

3. Now add the boiled beetroot and chickpeas and cook for a further few minutes, stirring regularly. Add the chopped tomatoes and pour little water, bring to boil. . Now add turmeric powder and crushed pepper powder. Stir in the lemon juice, plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a generous pinch of salt.

4. Have a good taste to check the seasoning, adding more lemon, salt or pepper to suit.Turn the flame off and garnish with some fresh cilantro.

Notes

Adding lemon juice is optional.

Curd can be added to the curry for rich and creamy flavor.

Use of green chilli to this curry will be more spicious.

Discard the palak stem and use only the leaves.

Instead of fennel seeds, usage of cumin powder makes the curry smelly.

Linking this to the event "Eat Vegetables Stay Healthy" sponsored by Just Eat.

Anjeer (Fig) Phirni

Phirni is a popular sweet dish and it is easy to make. Phirni is a North Indian dessert, delicately flavored with cardamom and saffron. Actually my friend tried this recipe with sooji (rava). It actually tasted good. But I wanted to try with basmati rice…The same way how we prepare the normal phirni.A well-made Phirni should be creamy without being too sweet which has the flavors of rice, milk, a hint of cardamom and saffron. Traditionally, Phirni is plain and garnished with chopped/ slivered almonds or pistachios, and served in earthenware pots, which in my opinion is the best way to eat Phirni.Not only this dish is very easy to make, it’s also gluten-free, healthy to boot (no added fat) and can be made ahead and chilled. If you do want to add more ingredients, just go with rice, milk, sugar and cardamom and still have a delightful dessert on hand.

Prep time: 30 min           Cook time: 30 min       Serves: 8

Cuisine :North Indian(Sweet Dessert)

Ingredients	Quantity
An jeer (fig)	1 cup
Basmati rice	100 gms
Milk	1 litre
Sugar	75 gms
Cardamom powder	1 tbsp.
Saffron	3-4 strands
Cashews	1 tbsp.
Almonds	1 tbsp.
Pistachios	1 tbsp.

To garnish

Almonds(sliced)	1 tbsp.
Pistachios	1 tbsp.
Saffron	5 strands

 Method

1. Soak the basmati rice for 30 min hr. Soak the dried fig in water for 30 mins separately. Drain all the water away and grind the rice. Keep the soaked water of anjeer aside and then grind this along with the rice to a very coarse paste.2. Boil the milk in a deep, heavy bottomed pan or in a normal vessel. Now slowly add the fig, soaked fig water,rice ground paste and cook on medium heat till the rice is completely done.3. Put saffron, sugar, green cardamom. Reduce heat, and then add pistachio, almond, finely broken cashews (available in supermarkets). Stir constantly to prevent the milk from burning. Keep some mixed nuts for garnishing Turn off the heat. 4. Pour Phirni into bowls or cups. It will be nice to serve with those earthen small round mud cups. (I don’t have).Garnish with the remaining chopped nuts. Serve chilled.

 Notes

It is a good idea to grind green cardamom with a little sugar for its aromatic flavor. You can store this in an airtight jar for further dessert dishes.

For people who love creamy version more, they can add some sweetened condensed milk and cream which adds extra flavor.

Fruit pulp can be added to this basic recipe for a delicious twist

You can also refrigerate 4 -5 hours. Serve chilled.

Carrot Apple Rasam

This is a rasam which you would not have tasted so far. This rasam is very good. Try this rasam and you would enjoy it to the core.  It took me sometime to discover the magic of rasam. Now it is my son’s favourite rasam. Last week, when my son was eating apple, I was wondering why not to make rasam out of apple. So decided to play with it. Then wanted to add some veggie too. 

Rasam is great to drink as it is and goes really well with some hot rice. It is totally a tasty idea!!! I think it is a very creative and fun recipe.Rasa is made with tomatoes and lots of spice. Andhra recipes are famously spicy. However it is also exceedingly tangy due to an abundance of tomatoes in it... Rasam, a soup like preparation made out of tamarind extracts and simmered with various spices such as cumin and pepper, with tomatoes adding a touch of sweetness, is a regular fare among southern Indian cuisine.

MORE RASAM RECIPES ARE LINKED HERE

Raw Mango Rasam

Prep  time	Cooking time	Serves
20 mines	15 mins	4 persons

Recipe Course: Side dish for roti
Recipe type: Indian Cuisine

Ingredients Carrot – 3 nos Toor Dal – 1/3 cup Toor dal Stock (as needed ) Tomato -1 no Apple -1 medium Tamaring Pulp -2 tsp Garlic cloves – 5 nos Peppercorns -1 tsp Rasam powder -1 tbsp. Red chili powder (optional) – ½ tsp Coriander powder – ½ tsp Salt – to taste Cilantro -handful Seasonings Oil – 1 tbsp. Mustard seeds -1 tsp Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Dry red chilies -2 nos Hing –pinch Curry leaves -3 sprigs

Method

1. Cut and pressure cook an apple (medium sized red apple with skin) and carrot along with 1/3 cup Toor Dal, a pinch of turmeric and tomato. Add water to the mixture above as per your liking (it will better if you add water touching the quantity level)…..One whistle would be sufficient. Wait till it cools

2. In the meantime blend this mixture using a ladle and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan. Temper it with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, dry red chillies and curry leaves.

3. Now add all the masala powders in the oil to get a strong flavour and fry this for one minute. Now add the crushed garlic and peppercorns. Keep stirring for some time.

4. Add tamarind pulp and salt and let it simmer. Add toor dal stock as required and boil it for few minutes at medium temperature.   Now add the blended mixture and boil for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves

5. Delicious rasa, is ready to serve!

Notes

You can do this rasam without veggie also. Can also try either carrot or apple rasam. That too tastes awesome.

Linking this to the event "Eat Vegetables Stay Healthy" sponsored by Just Eat.

Event link

http://www.samayaldiary.com/2013/11/event-announcement-eat-vegetables-stay.html

Healthy Porridge

Mom used to prepare Ragi Milk. I will post what I know the best I would love to see what all can be prepared from this healthy grain. The mentioned Porridge was a summer special drink Finger-millet or ragi is widely grown in arid areas of Asia and Africa. Finger millet can be ground and cooked into cakes, puddings or porridge. It is a storehouse of protein, calcium and fiber. Ragi flour is made into flatbreads. Ragi grain is malted and the grains are ground.I was in a hurry to do this because of my daughter crying.So please dont mind for the step wise pictures.Try the recipe according to the given requirements…

 

Prep time     :10 mins          Cook time     :20 min           Serves: 2

Ingredients	Quantity
Ragi (finger millet)flour	¼ cup
Cold Water	½ cup
Sugar	½ cup
Milk	½ cup
Almonds & cashews (paste)	¼ cup
Walnut powder	2 tbsp.
Cardamom powder	pinch

  Method

1. Take a bowl, add ragi flour and slowly pour the cold water in order to avoid the lumps. Make it in the form of a paste.In a vessel, bring the milk and water to boil. Add the ragi paste slowly to the boiling milk. Once the color changes to transparent brown add sugar and stir it.

2. In the meantime, prepare the  nuts mixture. Soak the almonds in hot water and Peel off the skin. Paste it like how to you prepare for badam milk. Take handful of walnuts and blend it properly. It should be in powder form. Store it in an air tight box.

3. Take 3 tbsp. of walnut powder and mix with the almond paste. Boil for 3 min and add almond cashew paste, walnut powder and cardamom powder. Cook on low flame for few minutes. The mixture thickens.

Notes

You can use more ragi powder or milk to alter the consistency of the paste as you like.

Sweet Potato and Corn Fritters

An Easy to make to Fritters. Just feel like having something hot and crisp. I definitely found that these sweet potato and sweet corn fritters were no different. I love fritters of all kinds, and these are really, really delicious. This recipe looked as good as is that I couldn’t resist. They tasted so yum and made a great Evening Snack with Hot Coffee!!!!


Prep time: 20 mins                Cook time: 10 mins              Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS	QUANTITY
Sweet potato	2 cups
Sweet corn	1 cup
Onion	½ cup
Garlic(minced)	½ tsp.
Grated ginger	¼ tsp.
Paprika	¼ tsp.
Cilantro	1/3 cup
Chilli sauce	1 tbsp.
Egg(beaten)	2
Maida	1/3 cup
Baking powder	2 tsp.
Salt	To taste
Crushed Pepper	1 tsp.

 

 

Method

1. In a saucepan boil the sweet potato until half done (they should be soft but not completely done). Remove from saucepan, let cool for 10 minutes and coarsely grate the potatoes. Squeeze and drain the liquid from the grated potato and put it in a mixing bowl. ….(OR)

Pressure cook the sweet potato  leaving one whistle.Drain the water and keep the potato aside.After cooled down,peel the outer layer and mash them with your fingers.2. Keep boiled corn kernels, chopped onions, minced garlic, grated ginger, paprika, cilantro, chilli sauce ,eggs, crushed pepper and maida ready.3. I used a whole egg  instead of just an egg white, because I couldn’t be bothered to separate an egg. Plus, all the good stuff is in the yolk, so I’m a proponent of just eating the whole egg.In a bowl, beat together the eggs add the flour and mix until well blended. Add baking powder with salt and pepper then add in the prepared mixture. Mix well.4. Add all the ingredients one by one, keep blending all the spices simultaneously.5. Heat the oil in a separate frying pan over a med-high heat. When hot, add tablespoon-sized dollops of the fritter mixture to the pan in batches of 5 or 6. Cook for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side until fluffy and golden brown on both sides. set aside on kitchen paper while you cook the remaining mixture 6. Serve each fritter topped with any chutney or with your favorite sauce.

Notes If you don't have/prefer using chilli sauce, mince 2 green chilies and use. Adding rice flour to the fritters makes it crispier. You can even shape them as patties and fry To make croquettes–which are essentially breaded fritters–set up 3 bowls:  one with flour, one with an egg beaten with a splash of milk, and another with bread crumbs?  Carefully dredge each shaped fritter in the flour, then the egg mixture, and finally the bread crumbs.  Fry until crisp and golden.