Crispy Karuppu Kavuni Rice Dosa - Crispy Black Rice Dosa Recipe

 Recently I had posted the recipe for Black Rice or Karuppu Kavuni Arisi Sweet Pongal. After seeing that my sister had tried preparing dosa with Kavuni Arisi and she had shared the recipe. So I am sharing the recipe here for you.

 

Before that I am also re-posting the benefits of Black Rice, in case if you haven't checked my previous post.

Benefits:

Rice being a staple food of Asia, this deep Black Rice has an interesting story behind it. Black Rice or Karuppu Kavuni Arisi is also known as the Emperors Rice or Forbidden Rice. It was called so because, in ancient China,  this unique rice was grown in very limited quantities and consumed only by the Emperor to ensure his health and longevity and was forbidden to any common man, due to its enormous nutritional benefits. 

This rice when soaked or cooked turns blackish purple. This is due to the presence of a pigment called Anthocyanin, present in the outer layer of the grains which has potent antioxidant properties. Anthocyanins are a group of flavonoid plant pigments that are responsible for the purple color. The amount of Anthocyanin contained in Black rice is higher than any other grain including brown rice, red rice or other colored whole grain varieties. Studies say that anthocyanins have strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer effects and also rich in Vitamin E. Furthermore, it is said that eating foods high in anthocyanins may help protect against several chronic diseases, including heart disease, obesity, and some forms of cancer.

Research says that black rice contains over 23 types of antioxidants and has the highest antioxidant activity of all rice varieties. The high amounts of Lutein and Zeaxanthin, the two types of carotenoids supports our eye health.

Black rice is low in calories, which makes it great for people who wants to reduce weight without giving up on rice. It is also a great source of plant-based protein (which is a great news for vegetarians and vegans) and provides minerals like iron and copper.

Here's a comparison of different rice varieties (100gm serving)

• Polished white rice – 6.8g protein, 1.2g iron, 0.6g fiber.
• Brown rice – 7.9g protein, 2.2g iron, and 2.8g fiber.
• Red rice – 7.0g protein, 5.5g iron, and 2.0g fiber.
• Black rice – 8.5g protein, 3.5g iron, 4.9g fiber.

Other health benefits of this naturally gluten-free rice includes; helps in treating asthma, aids weight loss, natural detoxifier, maintains sugar levels, maintains cholesterol levels, aids healthy brain function, improves digestive health and also an excellent source of good fat.

And, now here's the recipe for preparing Dosas.

 

 Ingredients:

Black Rice / Karuppu Kavuni Arisi - 1 cup

Idly Rice - 1/4 cup

Urad Dal -1/4 Cup

Vendhayam / Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp

Salt and oil/ghee as per need

Method:

 1. Wash the black rice, idly rice and ural dal. Add all the washed ingredients along with fenugreek seeds and soak them together for 5 hours.

Soak them

   

2.  In a mixer jar, blend them to a fine batter adding sufficient water. You don't have to drain the soaked water. You can use it for grinding.

Grind in a mixer jar

3. Transfer the batter to a container add enough salt and leave it overnight to ferment.

Transfer to a bowl and allow to ferment

 4. Now that the batter is ready to prepare dosa. Give a good mix, heat the dosa pan and pour a ladle full of batter. drizzle oil or ghee as per your preference, cover it with a lid and cook until it turns crispy.

5. As we have covered and cooked, it is not necessary to flip the dosa. Or if you prefer cooking on both the sides, you can also flip and leave for few seconds and then serve. Enjoy with chutney of your choice.

Karuppu Kavuni Rice Sweet Pongal - Karuppu Kavuni Arisi Sweet Pongal - Black Rice Sweet Pongal - Pressure Cooker Recipe

Rice being a staple food of Asia, this deep Black Rice has an interesting story behind it. Black Rice or Karuppu Kavuni Arisi is also known as the Emperors Rice or Forbidden Rice. It was called so because, in ancient China,  this unique rice was grown in very limited quantities and consumed only by the Emperor to ensure his health and longevity and was forbidden to any common man, due to its enormous nutritional benefits. 

This rice when soaked or cooked turns blackish purple. This is due to the presence of a pigment called Anthocyanin, present in the outer layer of the grains which has potent antioxidant properties. Anthocyanins are a group of flavonoid plant pigments that are responsible for the purple color. The amount of Anthocyanin contained in Black rice is higher than any other grain including brown rice, red rice or other colored whole grain varieties. Studies say that anthocyanins have strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer effects and also rich in Vitamin E. Furthermore, it is said that eating foods high in anthocyanins may help protect against several chronic diseases, including heart disease, obesity, and some forms of cancer.

Research says that black rice contains over 23 types of antioxidants and has the highest antioxidant activity of all rice varieties. The high amounts of Lutein and Zeaxanthin, the two types of carotenoids supports our eye health.

Black rice is low in calories, which makes it great for people who wants to reduce weight without giving up on rice. It is also a great source of plant-based protein (which is a great news for vegetarians and vegans) and provides minerals like iron and copper.

Here's a comparison of different rice varieties (100gm serving)

• Polished white rice – 6.8g protein, 1.2g iron, 0.6g fiber.
• Brown rice – 7.9g protein, 2.2g iron, and 2.8g fiber.
• Red rice – 7.0g protein, 5.5g iron, and 2.0g fiber.
• Black rice – 8.5g protein, 3.5g iron, 4.9g fiber.

Other health benefits of this naturally gluten-free rice includes; helps in treating asthma, aids weight loss, natural detoxifier, maintains sugar levels, maintains cholesterol levels, aids healthy brain function, improves digestive health and also an excellent source of good fat.

I’m sure all these interesting facts about black rice have made you want to include this in your  routine. Kavuni arisi is a popular sweet recipe in Chettinad region. It is served in all Chettinad wedding feast. We can also use this rice for making idly/dosa, kanji/porridge, kuzhipaniyaram etc. Or instead of white rice, you can just have this for your meal with the regular sambar or rasam. Since black rice is unrefined and denser than brown rice, the way we cook it is also slightly different. It has a mild nutty taste and a chewy texture. And it has to be soaked well enough before cooking. With enough heads-up here's a yummy recipe for making Pongal using Black Rice. Let me know how this turned up for you :-)

 

 

Ingredients

Karuppu Kavuni Arisi/Black Rice - 1/2 cup (this will yield more than double the quantity of cooked rice, as we are soaking overnight)

Moong dal - 1 or 2 tbsp

Water - 1.5 cups (2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. Here I have used extra water as I had used moong dal)

Powdered Jaggery/Country Sugar - 1/2 cup

Cardamom - 3 or 4 pods, powdered

Cashews - as per taste

Ghee - 1 tbsp or as per taste

Milk - 1/4 cup (optional)

Method:

1. Take 1/2 cup of Black rice in a bowl. Wash it couple of times and add water and soak it overnight or atleast for 6 hours.

Karuppu Kavuni Arisi

 

 

Soak Overnight

2. Next morning, the soaked rice and the water would have turned pink. Do not discard this water, measure this and use it along with more water for cooking the black rice.

 

 

 

Rice and water turns pink upon soaking

The soaked water which has turned pink, reserve it for cooking the kavuni arisi

3. In a pressure cooker, add the soaked rice and water. Close the lid and cook for 1 whistle in high and simmer for 10 mins.

Add it to the Pressure Cooker

4. Once the Pressure settles, open the lid, try to mash it a little. This rice wouldn't mash up. If you have added moong dal that would help to stick the rice grains together and give a pongal like texture. If you haven't added moong dal, the rice grains would look seperate. But still they would have a sticky texture.

5. Add the jaggery, powdered cardamom and milk and simmer it for few minutes until all the ingredients binds together.

6. Take a small pan, add ghee and fry the cashews and add it to the Black Rice Pongal. 

7. That's it.. Yummy Karuppu Kavuni Arisi pongal is ready to be tasted.

Kollu Sundal - HorseGram Sundal Recipe

Kollu or HorseGram is a miracle pulse which has been widely cultivated and consumed in India since Ancient times. It is the most protein-rich lentil which is also rich in iron, calcium, anti-oxidants etc. We also know that it aids weight loss as it is low in fat. This pulse has more and more health benefits, at the same time it tends to increase the heat in the body. So we need to balance it by taking in more fluids to cool down the system. Now, to the recipe. Spice powders are optional. I add them to have an enhanced flavor. Doing the tempering is also totally optional. I usually skip the tempering part and have it with just grated coconut.

Ingredients

Horsegram - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut - 2 or 3 tbsp (use generously)
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Sambar powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Salt - as per taste
Hing - as needed

Tempering

Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly - as per need
Curry leaves - few

Method

Soak Horsegram overnight. Wash it well couple of times and pressure cook with hing and salt for 1 whistle and simmer for 10-12 minutes.

I prefer it to be very soft, so I keep it simmered for almost 12 minutes. Once the pressure settles, open the lid, drain the water, it can be used for making kollu rasam, it tastes great.

Do the tempering and add to the cooked horsegram. Add grated coconut and mix well and your horsegram sundal is ready to be served.

Amla Mint Chutney - Gooseberry Mint Chutney - Nellikkai Chutney - Easy No Cook Chutney

Today morning when I had plans of preparing dosa for breakfast, I felt so lazy and bored to prepare the usual accompaniments and my taste buds craved for something super tasty. When I digged in my refrigerator, found two amla's lying seeking attention. Needless to say that the green fruit  can protect us against countless ailments,. And instantly I remembered a chutney recipe which I read in a tamil magazine somewhere. It was an instant hit and my 8 year old loved the tangy, spicy, sweet amla chutney. This chutney needs no cooking or no pre-preparations.

 

 Here comes the recipe

Ingredients:

Amla - 2
Mint leaves - 10 to 15 nos
Coriander leaves - a fistful
Green chillies - 4 (adjust as per your taste)
Ginger - 2 inch slice
Garlic - 1 (optional)
Curry leaves - few
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Coconut oil - 1 tsp (for flavor)
Salt as per taste

Tempering 
Coconut oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves

Method

Deseed the amla. Add all the ingredients mentioned above in a mixer and grind to the chutney consistency. Do the tempering and enjoy with hot idli or dosa.

Note : The right amount of spice, tangy and sweetness gives the actual taste to this chutney. So adjust the ingredients accordingly. My family prefers a mildly hot version, my green chillies were not very spicy, 4 nos were apt for us.

Ragi Halwa Using Jaggery in 15 minutes - One Pot One Shot (OPOS) Recipe

Ragi is a super wonder grain which is perfectly suitable for Indian climatic conditions. It is rich in fiber, calcium, good carbohydrates, amino acids, Vitamin D and also an excellent source of iron. I learnt this recipe from one of the OPOS facebook groups. It was super easy and my son loved it the most.  I have not added any nuts or dry fruits in this, you can add them if you wish. 

Ingredients

Ragi Flour - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Powdered Jaggery - 1/3 cup, heaped
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Cashew nut - 1

Method

1. Heat a pan, add 2 tbsp of ghee, ragi flour and the cashew. Roast the flour in low flame until a nice  
    aroma rises. The cashew will turn golden brown when the flour gets roasted. It takes approximately    10 minutes for this.
2. Once the flour gets roasted set aside. Take a 2 or 3 liter pressure cooker, add 1 cup of water,   Jaggery powder, cardamom powder, 1 tsp of ghee and cook for 1 whistle.
3. Turn off the pressure cooker. Remove the pressure manually, do this very carefully using a spoon.
4. Add the roasted ragi flour immediately to the boiling water and mix well quickly.
5. Close the lid with the weight on and leave it for 15 minutes. (Do not have to turn on the stove, it         will get set in the retained heat).
6. After 15 minutes, you can transfer it to a mould and slice them to pieces or can just serve them in       a bowl with spoon.

Note :

While roasting the ragi flour, if you over roast the flour halwa might have a bitter taste in it. In case, if your cashew doesn't turn golden brown for some reason and meanwhile you get the nice aroma, just go with your instincts. 

Sweet Ragi Kali - Kezhvaragu Kali - Keppai Kali - Ragi Urundai - Ragi Mudde - Ragi Sankati Using a Pressure Cooker

I always prefer including millets in my routine. Generally, Ragi Kali is consumed for breakfast as it highly nutritious. Learnt this sweet version of Ragi Kali from the OPOS group. As it is a sweet version I made it as an evening snack for my family. It doesn't take much of your effort as you mix in the flour with hot jaggery syrup and allow to sit for a while and then make the balls; no vigorous mixing as we do in the traditional way. They turned out super soft and so delicious.  If you have a picky eater, you can name it a chocolate ball or jamuns. Even you can just flatten it a bit, place a layer of cheese or peanut butter and give it as a cheese or cream biscuit; kids will never say a no to it. So, here is the recipe I followed. Below mentioned quantity yields 20 balls.

Ingredients

Ragi Flour - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Powdered Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Ghee - for greasing your palms while making balls

Method:

1. Heat a pan and dry roast the ragi flour until the raw smell goes. May take 3-5 mins. Once roasted set aside.
2. In a pressure cooker, add water, jaggery and coconut oil. Cook in high for 1 whistle. Manually release pressure immediately.
3. Add the dry roasted ragi flour and mix well until no dry flour is seen.
4. Close the cooker lid with the whistle. Let it sit for 20-30 mins. By this time the ragi would have been fully cooked
5. Now make them into gooseberry sized balls, use ghee for a smooth and shiny texture. Place them in an idly tray and steam for 3-5 mins as we do for kozhukattai. Alternately, you can also keep them in a vessel and put the vessel in the pressure cooker and pressure cook for 5 mins. Sweet Ragi Kali is all ready to be gobbled. 

Before Steaming

After Steaming

Note

• For roasting the flour, don't go by time. Believe in your nose. 
• After you steam or pressure cook the balls, when you touch them it should not be sticky, but soft and spongy. That's how you know your balls are perfectly cooked.
• If yours turn out to be chewy or hard, it means you had overcooked them.

Thinai Adai - Thinai Arisi Adai - Foxtail Millet Adai - Millet Recipes - Healthy Dinner Recipes

Its been a long time since I posted any recipe.  Hardly I could manage to find any time these days. Evenings are totally busy with my lil one and his homeworks, whereas daytime and late nights are totally dedicated for my Jewelleries. Thats my new venture for the past two years, ViJosDesignerBangles . Check out the collections if interested! And, very Happy to come back again :-). Nowadays, millets play an equal role in my kitchen. The best part is, millets can be substituted for rice and wheat in most recipes. Millets are highly nutritious and gluten free, they are easily digestible. Hence can be had for both breakfast and dinner. Today's recipe is going to be Thinai Adai. Thinai is known as Foxtail Millet in English, Kangni in Hindi, Korra in Telugu, Navane in Kannada and Thina in Malayalam. This adai is made using millets and lentils, so it is rich in protein, full of fiber and highly nutritious. Try making this and I am sure it will become one of the regular preparations in your house too. Now, to the recipe!
 

 
Ingredients

Thinai arisi/foxtail millet - 1 cup
Channa dal/kadalai paruppu - 1/2 cup
Tur dal/thuvaram paruppu - 1/2 cup
Whole Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 3-4
Hing and salt as per taste
Oil for making adai

Method

Wash and soak the dals together for 3-4 hours. Grind it along with hing, red chillies and salt as we grind for regular Adai dosa. The consistency of the batter should not be too thick or too thin.

Preparing the adai dosa

Heat a tawa, (check by sprinkling water to see if the tawa is hot enough to pour the batter) pour a ladle full of adai batter and spread it in a circular motion just as you do for regular dosas.

Drizzle a tsp of oil around the adai. Once it is cooked, the corners will start lifting up. Flip it over to the other side. Drizzle another 1/2 tsp of oil and cook well.

Remove from tawa and serve hot with any chutney of your choice or with Avial.

Note

You can also add finely chopped onions, green chillies, 1-2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves to the Thinai Adai batter to make it more delicious.

Dates Almond Milkshake

This is VJ's favorite milkshake. This healthy and delicious shake will both fill you up as well as give you that extra burst of energy that will refresh & rejuvenate your body after a hectic long day of work.

Ingredients

Chilled milk - 2 cups
Almonds - 10
Dates - 10
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Method

Soak the almonds in hot water for 15-20 mins. Peel of the skin and add it to the blender. 
Remove the seeds from dates and add them to the blender too. Add a teaspoon of vanilla essence and pour 1/4th of the milk and blend well until the dates and almonds are combined and smooth. Then pour in the remaining milk and give a quick whip.
Transfer these to a serving glass and enjoy

Ragi Dosa Recipe - How To Make Ragi Dosa - Fermented Ragi Dosa

Ragi is known as finger millet in English, Kezhvaragu in Tamil and nachni in hindi. It is rich in calcium, protein, iron and is also a good source of fiber. It is said to be good for diabetic patients also. It is said to be a poor man’s grain since it is cheap and highly nutritious. The most interesting fact is that this grain needs no fertilizer and no pesticide while growing up. Rarely do they get infestations. In such cases very minimal quantities of pesticides are used. This is one of the main reasons why it is preferred by most people especially in small towns and villages. Now, here comes the recipe

Ingredients

Ragi - 1 cup
Idly rice - 1/4 cup
Whole urad dal - 1/4 cup
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste

Method

Wash and soak all the ingredients together for 6-7 hours or overnight.

Grind it to a smooth batter adding little water needed. This doesn't require as much water as we use for our regular idly/dosa batter. Once ground, add needed salt and mix well.

Keep the batter in a warm place for 8-9 hours so that it gets fermented. Prepare dosas just as you make regular dosas.

Heat a tawa, when it is hot, pour a ladle of batter and spread it in a circular motion. Drizzle a tsp of oil around the dosa.

When the corners start lifting up, flip it over to the other side. Let the other side also get cooked.

Then remove the dosa from the tawa and serve hot with any Chutney or Sambar of your choice.

Instant Millet Flour Dosa - Easy Millet Dosa Recipe

 I bought this Instant Millet Dosa flour few months back and tried making dosas for breakfast. I made few adjustments with the suggested making method printed at the backside of the packet and it turned out good. So, here is the recipe!

Ingredients
 
Millet Flour - 1/2 cup
Rice Flour - 1/4 cup
Big Onion - 1 small sized finely chopped
Curry Leaves - 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Coriander leaves - a fistful, finely chopped
Green Chilli - 1, chopped finely
Ginger - 1/2" piece, peeled and chopped finely
Cashews - 8-10, chopped finely (optional)
Water - 3/4 to 1 cup(adjust)
Oil - for preparing dosas
Salt - to taste

Method

1. In a mixing bowl - add millet flour and all the ingredients except water and oil. Mix well. Now add water little by little and mix well using a whisk. Set aside for 30 mins. Then add more water and make a thin batter as we make for rawa dosas.
2. Heat a dosa pan. Once the tawa is hot enough, take a laddle full of batter and start pouring it in a circular motion starting with the outer corners towards the center. Keep pouring until it fills the whole skillet. 
3. Cook in medium flame.The dosa should be thin so don't pour over then we will get thick dosas. Drizzle oil and cook until the top looks cooked.Fold and serve hot with any spicy chutney or simply with idly podi.

Notes

• The batter should be very runny. Adjust the water measurement as per the right consistency.
• Also you should not spread the batter as we do for regular dosas, the laddle should not touch the dosa tawa itself. Hold the laddle about 10 cm height above the dosa tawa and start pouring.
• Always use a deep curved laddle while pouring as it holds more and will cover the puter circle fully in one go.Then again you can take the batter another time to fill in the center areas.
• It is very important that the dosa tawa should be really hot. When you pour you should see the batter spreading by itself with tiny holes in it that the right contistency of the batter and it shows the dosa tawa is perfect for making dosas.
• You can even pour few drops of water to check if the dosa pan is hot.If you hear a bold shh sound then the dosa tawa is ready.
• After you make 2-3 dosas check the batter, if it becomes thick adjust by adding little water. Remember to mix the batter well everytime you prepare a dosa.

Apple Dates Milkshake - Apple Milkshake - Healthy Milkshake

Milkshakes are always nutritious, quick and easy to prepare. Apple and dates are a wonderful and healthy combination, so you can have this for breakfast and they leaves you feel healthy and filling for the entire day. Adding a drop of vanilla essence enhances the flavor and kids would love this for sure. You can also pack this for your kids snack box or for meal time.

 Ingredients

Apple - 1
Seedless Dates - 10-12
Milk - 1.5 cups (chilled or plain)
Vanilla essence - a drop or two
Honey or sugar - 1 tsp or as per taste
Almonds or Pistachios for garnish

Method

• Wash the apple, peel the skin and cut into cubes.  Chop the dates into small pieces. Transfer the chopped apples and dates to a blender or mixer. 
• Add little milk, vanilla essence and honey/sugar and blend until smooth. Now add the remaining milk and blend until mixed well. Add more milk if you want a thinner consistency.
• Transfer to glasses, garnish with chopped almonds or pistachios and serve as such or chilled.

Curry Leaves Rice - Kariveppilai Sadam Recipe

Curry leaves are commonly used in Indian seasoning which enhances the taste and flavor of the dish. Most of the times we used to throw these away without knowing the fact that these curry leaves are packed with carbohydrates, fiber, calcium, phosphorous, irons and vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, curry leaves help your heart function better, fights infections and can enliven your hair and skin with vitality.The best way to make your family consume curry leaves is to cook them in the form of rice. I have also uploaded a Curry Leaf thokku recipe earlier. Here comes the recipe for Curry Leaves Rice.

Ingredients

Cooked rice - 1 bowl
Salt as per taste

To Temper

Gingely oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Peanuts - 1 tbsp (optional)
Hing and turmeric powder - a pinch

To roast and grind

Curry leaves - 1 cup, tightly packed
Channa dal - 2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2

Method

1. Rinse the curry leaves well and allow them to dry completely. Heat a pan and dry roast all the ingredients except curry leaves mentioned under "To roast and grind" until they turn golden brown. 
2. Then add the curry leaves and saute for couple of minutes until they turn crisp. Allow to cool and then grind to a coarse powder. 
3. Take a wide pan add oil and do the seasoning with the ingredients mentioned under "To Temper". Roast them until all the ingredients turn golden brown. Add hing and turmeric powder, mix well and turn off the flame. 
4. Add the rice, required salt and the ground curry leaves powder. Mix well. Serve with papad or raita.

Notes

• You can even make this powder in bulk and prepare mix it with rice as and when needed.
• You can also add cashews instead of peanuts.
• You can also use this as a side dish for idly/dosa
• Finely chopped onions can also be sauted till golden brown and added to the rice as we do for biryanis. This will enhance the flavor of the rice

Green Moong Pulav - Green Moong Rice

I always love preparing one pot meal, the reason being very obvious, they are healthy and quick. Here is another nutritious dish which also can be made when you run out of vegetables. That too prepare this with the sprouted moong, it is a perfect healthy lunch box recipe. Serve it on its own or with a spicy side dish or with a simple raita.

Ingredients

Sprouted moong dal or soaked moong dal - 1/2 cup
Uncooked rice - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Salt - as required
Onion - 1, sliced lengthwise
Green chilli - 1
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Hing - a pinch

To Temper

Ghee - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsps
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 2, 1" piece
Cloves - 2
Curry leaves - few

Method

1. Wash and soak the rice in water for 15 minutes. Simultaneously prepare the other ingredients and start with the tempering.
2. Heat ghee and oil, add cumin seeds and once they splutters add cinnamon stick, cloves and curry leaves. They add slit green chilli and onions. Saute until the onion turns transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes off.
3. Then add green moong and hing. Mix well and add 3 cups of water. Add required amount of salt, allow the water to come to a boil. Now add the rice, give a stir, close the pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles and simmer for 5 minutes. 
4. Once the pressure subsides, mix gently without breaking the grains. Serve hot with any spicy gravy or a simple raita or your choice.

Kollu Masiyal - HorseGram Masiyal

Until couple of days back I had never thought of including kollu (horsegram) in my menu. I was actually thinking they were used only for cattle feed. But when I happened to watch a cookery show in which Madam Revathy Shanmugam was making a dish out of Kollu and she was talking about its health benefits, instantly I started browsing to know more about it and I prepared this masiyal the next day itself. As I haven't tasted any dish made out of this legume I was little scared as how it would taste, thankfully there was no compromise :-)

Few things has to be noted while cooking this legume. Like any other legume this has to be soaked overnight or atleast for 5-6 hours and then pressure cooked for 3 whistles and then simmer for 5-10 mins. It doesn't mash up well like the dals. So I had to give a pulse using my mixer to get a coarse texture. You can use the kollu cooked water for making kollu rasam. I made the rasam too, recipe to be posted soon. You can also sprout this like any other pulses to improve its nutritive value

Ingredients

Kollu - 1/2 cup (soaked overnight)
Shallots - 6
Garlic cloves - 5 or 6
Tomato - 1
Green chilli - 1
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Salt as per taste

To Temper

Oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and red chillies

Method

• Take a pressure cooker and add the soaked kollu, shallots, garlic, chopped tomatoes, green chilli, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and hing. Add enough water to pressure cook. Close the lid and cook for 3 whistles in high flame and simmer for 7-10 minutes.
• Allow the pressure to subside. Drain excess water and reserve this for using Kollu Rasam. Use a hand blender or a mixer to mash/grind it coarsely. If using a mixer just pulse twice or thrice. A coarse texture should be fine. You cannot mash it easily like we do for the dals. Add required salt and  mix well.
• Do the tempering and add it to the masiyal. Enjoy the nutritious kollu masiyal with hot rice.

Health Benefits

Kollu aids in reducing cholestrol to a great extent. It helps relieve menstrual problems in women. Regular intake of horsegram water or adding adding sprouts or any horsegram recipes in your diet daily treats irregular periods. Horsegram water is also used for regulating fever and treating cough/cold. Taking horsegram powder  in a little bit of water regularly, helps in treating and controlling skin rashes and boils.

Purple Cabbage Poriyal

I have been spotting this purple beauty frequently in the vegetable shops these days. Had a hesitation on how it would taste. Last week I decided to give it a shot. I just tried it the same way we used to prepare the normal cabbage poriyal. It tastes the same, but the vibrant color attracts everyone. Now to the recipe!!

 

Ingredients

Purple cabbage - 1/4 kg or a small one
Peas - 2 tbsp, soaked overnight or you can use fresh peas
Onion - 1, chopped
Shredded coconut  - 2 tbsp
Salt as per taste

To Temper

Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves as per taste
Green chilli - 1 or 2, slit lengthwise

 Method

1. Soak the green peas over night and pressure cook for 3 whistles or until done. You can also use fresh peas.
2. Grate the cabbage or finely shred into thin slices. Chop the onion and slit the green chillies and set aside.
3. Heat a pan, add 2 tsp of oil and add the mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering add the urad dal and saute until the dal turns golden brown. Then add the curry leaves and the green chillies. Saute and then add the onions. Fry until the onions turns transparent.
4. Then add the cabbage, peas and salt and saute for few mins. Then sprinkle some water and cover with a lid and allow to cook. Stir in and sprinkle more water as and when required. Cook until the vegetable is all done. Take care not to burn the cabbage. 
5. Finally add the grated coconut and mix well and turn off the flame. Serve with any kuzhambu or rasam rice.

Chilli Bread

Whole wheat breads are always a healthy option for a snack or breakfast. Making it colorful and look attractive is an easy way to make the kids finish the plate in just minutes. The first time I prepared this was for my lil one's snack time and I actually had bread upma in mind. But while preparing I just started experimenting and the end result was too good. VJ tasted it and he too liked it. Then I had to prepare this again for him :-) I am glad my sweethearts loved this new recipe. You can also prepare this the same way as you prepare Chilli Parotta, garnishing with the spring onions. Here I haven't used them. And now to the easy recipe!

Ingredients

Whole wheat bread - 4 slices, cut them into small cubes
Onion - 1, bigger one, thinly sliced
Tomatoes - 2, thinly sliced
Green chillies - 2, slit lengthwise
Garlic - 2, finely chopped
Tomato sauce - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp or as per taste
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 or 2 tsp
Mustard seeds and curry leaves for tempering
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method

1. Heat a pan, add one or two tsp of oil and the mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Then add the curry leaves followed by green chilles and garlic. Saute and then add the sliced onions. Fry until onion turns translucent.
2. Then add the tomatoes and fry until it turns mushy. Then add the garam masala and tomato sauce and saute for a minute. 
3. Now add the cubed bread slices and salt and stir gently so that it gets well coated with the onion tomato mixture. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Mix again, turn off the stove, keep covered for 2 minutes. This helps the bread to turn soft and the flavor of the coriander leaves blends well with the bread mixture. Enjoy with plain curd or any Yogurt dip.

** You can also slice the green chillies into thin slices instead of slitting lengthwise, if you are serving for adults. This would increase the spice level.The sweetness of the bread along with onions, tomatoes and the green chillies would taste great.
** If you feel your bread is not soft enough just sprinkle few drops of water while adding the bread to the onion tomato mixture. Be sure you do not add more water, else your bread will be mushy.
** You can also drizzle few drops of lemon juice for a tangy flavor.

Dates Vanilla Smoothie

A Smoothie is a blended beverage which has a consistency thicker than a milkshake. They can be prepared using milk, yogurt or ice cream. This is a quick, easy and nutritious recipe that can be had for breakfast. I have used yogurt which gives a sour taste to the smoothie. You can omit yogurt and increase the quantity of milk and honey. If not diet conscious you can add ice cream too.

Ingredients

Seedless dates - 10 or 12
Milk - 1/2 cup
Curd - 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Honey - 1 tsp
Chocolate shavings - 1 tsp

Method

1. Soak dates in boiling water for 10 minutes or until they become soft.
2. Puree together all the ingredients until smooth. Transfer to drinking glass, sprinkle some chocolate shavings and enjoy!!

Adai Dosa

I have tasted adai only in my college hostel. But I haven't liked the taste much. But VJ loves it. So I learned this recipe for him and started liking it, both for its actual taste and its nutritious contents. It is a protein packed wholesome breakfast which keeps you energetic throughout the day.

Ingredients

Raw Rice - 1/2 cup  
Idli Rice - 1/2 cup  
Channa dal - 1/4 cup  
Urad dal - 1/8 cup  
Toor dal - 1/8 cup
Moong dal - 1/8 cup
Red chillies - 3  
Ginger, garlic, onion, green chillies, salt, hing, curry leaves, coriander leaves as per taste
(Garlic and onion are optional)

Method

1. Wash and soak the rice,dals and red chillies together for 2-3 hours. Grind along with ginger and garlic into a coarse and thick batter. The batter need not be as smooth as the dosa batter.
2. Add chopped onions, green chillies, curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt and hing and mix well.
3. Heat a skillet, take a laddle of batter and prepare dosa's. Drizzle few drops of oil and cook on both sides. Healthy adai dosa is ready. 

Goes well with any kind of chutney or Tomato Pickle. But the best combination for this dosa, as I am told is Avial.You can also grind the onion along with the batter instead of chopping and adding them. 

Nutritional Information

Adai is a savory pancake made with lentils and rice. Lentils are considered wholesome as they include all the beneficial nutrients like  fiber, protein, minerals (potassium, calcium, zinc, niacin) and vitamins, and are still low in calories and contain virtually no fat.

Oats Uthappam

Oats are considered a very healthy food. So how about a healthy and fiber rich oats dosa for breakfast?

Ingredients

Oats - 1/4 cup
Rava - 1/4 cup
Curd - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1, chopped finely
Green chilli - 1, chopped finely
Grated carrots - 2 tbsp
Grated ginger - 1 tsp, approximately
Curry leaves - one full strand, chopped finely
Coriander leaves - a handful, chopped finely
Salt and hing as per taste

Optionally you can also add fried cashew nuts to the batter as you do for rawa dosa.

Method

1. Powder the oats finely. Alternately, you can dry roast the oats, cool down and grind it to a coarse powder for added flavor.
2. In a bowl mix oats, rawa, curd, cumin seeds and salt and set aside for half an hour. After half an hour add the other ingredients (onion, green chilli, grated carrots, ginger, curry leaves and coriander leaves) and mix well. Add water to make it to an adai batter consistency.
3. Heat a tawa, once it is hot enough, take a laddle full of batter and spread it to a thick circle as you would do for uthappams. Drizzle some drops of oil, cook on both sides and enjoy with any tangy, spicy chutney or coconut chutney. Handle the uthappams very carefully while flipping on sides as they may break apart.

Nutritional Information

Researches reveals that including oats in your regular diet provides you a wide range of important health benefits.Oats have a high fiber content, well-balanced protein and essential fatty acids. They are also a good source of essential vitamins such as thiamin, folic acid, biotin, pantothenic acid,vitamin E and minerals like zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium. Oats helps reduce hypertension or high blood pressure and have been linked with longevity and general good health. So EatMoreOats!

Pesarattu or Moong Dal Dosa

Pesarattu or moong dal dosa is a popular breakfast recipe of Andhra Pradesh. Pesarattu is prepared by soaking and grinding the green moong dal. Green moong is packed with proteins which makes it wholesome and a filling breakfast. You can make the batter thick or thin depending on your taste buds. Both ways the dosas tastes good.

Ingredients

Whole Green Moong Dal - 1 cup
Rice Flour - 1 tbsp (Optional)
Onion - 1
Green Chilli, Curry leaves, Corriander leaves, salt and hing as per taste

Method

1. Wash and soak the moong dal for atleast 4-5 hours. Drain the water and grind it to dosa batter consistency
2. Chop the onions, green chilli, curry leaves and corriander leaves to very small pieces and mix along with the batter. Add in the salt, hing and rice flour if desired. Batter is ready
3. Heat a skillet, take a laddle full of batter, drizzle few drops of oil and cook on both sides. Healthy pesarattu is ready to serve with any kind of chutney!.

Nutritional Information

Green moong dal is a rich source of low-fat protein and fiber which helps one to lower the high cholesterol level in the blood system. Rich in minerals such as calcium,magnesium, potassium, B vitamins and an appreciable amount of Vitamin C. It fills you up, satisfying your appetite. Including this bean regularly in your food helps you stay healthy and resistant to common weaknesses.