Ragi(Finger millet flour) Adai

Ragi is one of the healthiest cereal that can help control diabetes,cancer , osteoporosis . . It has high protein,calcium content and reduces "bad" cholesterol and prevents cardiovascular diseases .  Here is a evening tiffin recipe made from ragi flour.

INGREDIENTS:
Ragi(Finger millet) flour - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Onion -1 big no(Chopped finely)
Green chilli- 1 (Chopped finely)
Gingelly (sesame) oil - 1 teaspoon
salt - As required.
Curry leaves- As required

SEASONING:
Oil- 1 teaspoon
Mustard-1/2 teaspoon
Channa daal(Bengal gram)- 1/2 teaspoon
Urad daal - 1/2 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. In a bowl, add  ragi flour,salt, sesame oil and mix well.
2. In a vessel, boil water. Pour the hot  water little by little on to the flour and mix using a spoon. Do not add all the water at a stretch, as it will make the dough soggy and difficult to make adais. Check the consistency of the dough when you are adding water. The dough consistency should be as that of chapatti dough.
3. In a pan add some oil and once it gets heated, add mustard, channa daal and urad daal. Once mustard splutters, add onion , green chilli and fry for a minute. Now , add this content to the ragi flour and mix the dough well.
4. Take any unused plastic cover( oil covers or any other cover that is thick). Grease it with some oil. Take some dough and press it on the cover  using your fingers and make round shaped adais.
5. Heat a pan, and fry the ragi rotti golden brown on both sides by adding oil. Raagi adai is ready !..
6. Serve with coconut chutney or idly podi.

Rava Kichadi

Rava kichadi is an easy and tasty recipe for evening tiffin. It goes well with coconut chutney and sambar.

INGREDIENTS:

Rava - 1 cup

Water - 3 cups

Mixed vegetables - 1 cup( Carrot,beans,peas diced finely)

Onion- 1/4 cup(chopped finely)

Tomato-1/2(Diced finely)

Red or green chilli - 1 

Ginger - 1 teaspoon 

Cinnamon - as required

Clove - as required

Cashews - 10 no.s( Diced finely)

Coriander - for garnishing.

SEASONING:

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Urad daal- 1 teaspoon

Channa daal - 1 teaspoon

Ghee -3tablespoon

Oil-2 tablespoon

Ghee - 1 teaspoon for roasting rava. 

METHOD:

1. Cut tomato, onion finely. prepare all the ingredients and set ready.

2. Add a teaspoon of ghee, and roast rava till you get a nice flavor.

3. Add 2 tablespoon of ghee and 2 tablespoon of oil , add cashews, cinnamon, cloves,mustard,channa daal and urad daal .Fry till golden brown.

4. Add onion now and fry for 2-3 minutes.

5. Now add ginger and red chilli and fry for another 2 minutes.

6. Now add the diced mixed vegetables. Add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder and mix well.Fry for 5 minutes, till the vegetables gets soft.

7. Now add diced tomatoes and fry for another 2 minutes, till the tomatoes gets soft.

8. Add 3 cups of water now and allow it to boil. Add the required salt.

9. Now add rava little by little in one hand and with other hand , keep stirring contiguously, so that it doesn't form any lumps. When it becomes semisolid, add a tablespoon of ghee and mix well and cover the lid and keep in full sim for 6-7 minutes.

10. After 6-7 minutes, simply switch off the flame. Garnish with fresh corriander leaves... kichadi is ready !.. It goes well with coconut corriander chutney and sambar.

Wheat ladoo

This ladoo can be made within 5 to 10 minutes... very easy recipe..

INGREDIENTS:

Wheat flour - 1 cup(150 ml cup)

Sugar - 1 cup( If you want more sugar, you can add 1 1/4 cup)

Ghee- 6 tablespoon

Cashews - 10 ( diced)

Cardamom powder - a pinch.

METHOD:

1.Grind sugar finely in to  powder. 

2. In a flat pan, add little ghee and fry cashews till it change to golden brown and set aside.

3. In the same pan, add 2 tablespoon ghee, and fry wheat flour for 2 minutes, till nice flavor comes from it. Do not roast it for long time , as the color of the wheat flour may change . 

4. Transfer the wheat flour to a large vessel. Add powdered sugar, cashews and cardamom powder and mix well.

5. In a small pan, heat ghee and pour it over the wheat flour mixture. As it will be very hot, use a spoon to mix well.After few minutes, when the mixture is warm, make ladoos by taking small quantity. 

6. This wheat ladoo can stay for 4 to 5 days . 

NOTE:

If you want to reduce the amount of ghee u use, you can also add 1/4 cup of warm milk to the wheat flour -sugar mixture, before adding ghee. Milk reduce the amount of ghee required to make ladoos. After adding milk, you can add little ghee and can make ladoos. But, if you add milk, ladoos should be consumed within 1-2 days.

Potato Capsicum Pulao

Tasty and easy potato capsicum pulao... Try it !

INGREDIENTS:

Basmati rice - 1 cup

Potato - 1 big size( 2 nos, if medium sized)

Capsicum-2 nos.

Tomato(Pureed)- 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon

water - 1 1/4 cup

SEASONING:

Oil - 4 teaspoon

Ghee - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Cinnamon- as required.

MASALA PASTE(To grind):

Grated coconut - 3 tablespoon

Dry red chilli - 5 nos.

Big Onion - 1/2

Channa daal - 1 tablespoon

Garlic - 2 cloves

Ginger - 2 pieces

Corainder seeds - 1 teaspoon

Tomato - 2 nos.

METHOD:

1. Soak basmati rice for 30 minutes. Cut tomato , onion. Prepare tomato puree for 1/2 cup separately( approximately 1 no of tomato required). Cut capsicum in big pieces. Boil potatoes for 1 whistle in pressure cooker and cut in to big pieces. 

2. Dry roast channa daal, corriander seeds for 2-3 minutes and set aside. 

3. Grind the items mentioned in the "masala paste" section in to a smooth paste .

4. In pressure cooker, add oil and ghee. Once it gets hot, add Cumin seeds and cinnamon. 

5. Add capsicum and fry for few minutes.

6. Then add  masala paste, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt.Mix well.

7. Then add potatoes.

8. Add tomato puree and mix well.

9. Mix well and fry for few minutes, till the raw smell reduces. Add 1 1/4 cup of water(as we are adding tomato puree, for 1 cup rice,  1 1/4 cup water is enough). If you are not adding tomato puree, you can add 2 cups of water. Allow it comes to boil.

10. Add soaked and drained basmati rice and mix well.

11. Cover the lid, Keep in medium sim and check the time. The total cooking time in 5 to 6 minutes. After that, switch off the flame. Within that time, you may get 1 or 2 whistles.Turn off the flame. Open the lid and add corriander leaves and sprinkle some asafoetida powder. Pulao is ready ! Serve with cucumber raita. 

Rasam Powder

Here is a recipe for making rasam powder. Please do try it.

INGREDIENTS:

Black whole pepper - 1/2 cup

Coriander seeds - 1/2*5 =  2.5 cups(It should be 5 times of the quantity of black pepper. I have taken                                                                   1/2 cup of black pepper. Hence 2.5 cups of corriander seeds.)

Cumin seeds - 1/2 cup

Toor daal(Tuvaram paruppu) - 1/4 cup

Dry red chilli -  50 gms

Turmeric powder - 2 tablespoon

METHOD:

1. Dry roast black pepper in a pan. No need to add oil.

2. When it starts to splutter, remove it and keep aside. In the same pan, dry roast corriander seeds  for few minutes,  till flavor comes out of it . keep it aside. 

3. In the same pan , dry roast cumin seeds, toor daal,dry red chilli one by one separately and keep aside to cool.

4. Once it cools down, grind all together in to a coarse powder. After that, add 2 table spoon turmeric powder and mix well. Rasam powder is ready !. 

Garlic Kaara Kuzhambu

Gaarlic Kaara kuzhambu goes well with rice and papad. Instead of using sambar powder, I prepared instant spice powder that adds flavor to this gravy.

INGREDIENTS:

Onions - 1/2 cup
Garlic- 1/2 cup
Tomatoes - 1 cup(Finely chopped)
Tamarind - 1  lemon size, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

SEASONING:
Mustard - 2 teaspoon
Urad dal- 1/4 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

SPICE POWDER(To Grind):
Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon
Black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
channa daal (Bengal Gram)- 1 teaspoon
Urad daal - 1 tea spoon
Dry red chilli - 4-5
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Cut tomatoes, onion finely and set aside.

2. In a pan, dry roast  the items mentioned in the "Spice power" section for 2-3 minutes. Do not over roast and burn it.

3. Once roasted, add some water and grind it in to a paste.

4. In a pan, add 4 tea spoon of oil, add mustard, urad daal, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds. 

5. Add garlic, onion. Add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt. Fry , till it changes to golden brown.

6. Add diced tomatoes and fry till they turn soft.

7. Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.

8. Add Tamarind water to the mixture and boil for 7 minutes.

9. Then add the spice paste and add 1/2 cup water and boil for another 8 minutes. 

10. Finally add required salt and asafoetida powder. Kaara kuzhambu is ready.

Tomato Kurma

A simple tomato,onion kurma with no vegetables added. You can use the same gravy base and cook with any vegetable of your choice or paneer as well. It goes well with any type of rotti.

INGREDIENTS:

Tomato -2 (Big size)

Big Onion - 1/2 

Roasted Gram(Pottu kadalai) - 2 tablespoon

Fennel seeds(Perunjeeragam) - 1 table spoon

Ginger - 1 tablespoon

Fresh red/green chilli - 2 nos.

Coriander - a bunch

Cinnamon - 1 nos

Cloves - 2-3 nos.

Cashews - 6 nos.

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt - As required

Sugar - 1/4 teaspoon

Oil - 3 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Cut tomato, onion in to fine pieces.

2. Dry roast fennel seeds for 2 minutes, till nice aroma comes and set aside.

3. In the same pan, add a teaspoon oil and fry cinnamon and clove .Set aside.

4. In the same pan, add a tea spoon of oil, then add ginger and red/green chilli and fry for a minute.

5. Now grind fennel seeds, cinnamon,cloves,ginger,red chilli,corriander leaves,cashews,roasted gram with 1/4 cup water in to a smooth paste. 

6. In a pan, add 3 tea spoon of oil, add onion. Then add required salt, 1/4 teaspoon sugar and fry well for 3 to 4 minutes, till the onion color changes and gets soft.

7. Then add dices tomatoes and fry for another 4 minutes, till the tomato and onion gets soft. Add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Cook for another 2 minutes.

8. Add the masala gravy paste which you have prepared .

9. Mix well and cook for a minute. Then add 2 cups of water. Allow it come for a boil and switch off the gas.

10. Sprinkle some asafoetida powder. Tomato kurma is ready !