Multimillet Adai / sirudhaniya adai

Adai is a delicious pancake or crepes made with dal and rice. Its more tastier when made with millets.
Its more crispy and tasty.I make adai every fornightly. There are a lot of variations in making adai.Many people use different ingredients for grinding the adai batter.I have used a simple recipe.





Ingredients:

• Gram Dal - 3/4 cup
• Toor dal - 1/4 cup
• Varagarisi / Kodo milelt - 1/2 cup
• Kuthiraivali - 1/2 cup
• Salt
• Red Chilly 3-4
• Coconut Oil
• Curry leaves
• Asafoedita

Method:

• Wash and soak gram dal, toor dal separately. 
• Wash and soak varagarisi and kuthiraivali separately.
• Grind all the ingredients in the mixer grinder separately and keep the batter outside to ferment. Grind it coarsely.
• Heat tava and Put Adai using Coconut oil.

• Flip the adais on both the sides and make it crispy.

Hot Crispy Adai ready.

Serve with Avial.

Kuthiraivali / Barnyard Millet Pongal

Pongal is a delicacy made for pongal festival or harvest festival. Pongal is a popular rice dish in Tamil Nadu, and the Tamil cuisine of Sri Lanka. In Tamil, the root pong or pongu means to " boil over" or "spill over".

There are two varieties of pongal, Sakarai Pongal which is a sweet, and Ven Pongal, made from clarified butter. The unqualified word pongal usually refers to spicy pongal in Tamil Nadu, and is a common breakfast food in Tamil Nadu. The rice boiled with milkand jaggery during the Pongal festival is also called pongal - this is sweet pongal made specially in earthenware pots with a wood fire.

Pongal is made in few varieties. My mom makes different recipe and my MIl recipe is different. This pongal is made out of millet variety . It is called barnyard millet or kuthiravali. I bet the pongal is really yummy when made with millets than our normal rice.

Ingredients:

• Kuthiraivali - 1 cup
• Moong dal - 1/2  cup
• Salt
• Water - 4 cups

To temper:

• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Peppercorns - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves
• Asafoedita - 1/4 tsp
• Ginger - 1" (finely chopped)
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Cashews
• turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

• Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker. Temper all the above ingredients.
• Wash and soak the kuthiravali for 30 mins. Soaking is optional. I generally dont soak.
• Add the washed millet and moong dal. 
• Add water and salt.Stir well.
• Cook for about 5-6 whistles.

Serve hot with ghee and Peanut/ Groundnut Chutney.

Varagarisi Chakkarapongal / Kodo Millet Sweet Pongal

Millet recipes are on for this week. Millet provides a host of nutrients, has a sweet nutty flavor, and is considered to be one of the most digestible and non-allergenic grains available. It is one of the few grains that is alkalizing to the body.

Millet has always been a favorite grain of mine since I discovered it in my hippy days in the 70’s!

Read about millet’s 12 health benefits, some interesting trivia and history, 10 tips how to use it, and 3 delicious millet recipes.

12 Health Benefits:

1. Millet is alkaline and it digests easily.

2. The Hunzas – who live in a remote area of the Himalayan foothills and are known for their excellent health and longevity – enjoy millet as a staple in their diet.

3. Millet will hydrate your colon to keep you from being constipated.

4. Millet acts as a prebiotic feeding microflora in your inner ecosystem.

5. The serotonin in millet is calming to your moods.

6. Millet is a smart carb with lots of fiber and low simple sugars. Because of this it has a relatively low glycemic index and has been shown to produce lower blood sugar levels than wheat or rice. (Kamari and Sumathi, 2002)

7. Magnesium in millet can help reduce the effects of migraines and heart attacks.

8. Niacin (vitamin B3) in millet can help lower cholesterol.

9. Millet consumption decreases triglycerides and C-reactive protein. Scientists in Seoul, South Korea concluded that millet may be useful in preventing cardiovascular disease. Nutrition Research. April 2010; 30(4):290-6.

10. All millet varieties show high antioxidant activity. A team of biochemists analyzed the antioxidant activity; all varieties showed high antioxidant activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 9 June 2010; 58(11):6706-14.

11. Millet is gluten-free and non-allergenic. A great grain for sensitive individuals.

12. Millet’s high protein content (15 percent) makes is a substantial addition to a vegetarian diet.

I have already posted few millet recipes. SNow, starting with a sweet recipe. It can be all time favorite for most of us. Its none other than Chakkapongal. Its most yummiest when done in millets. 

Ingredients:

• Varagarisi  - 1 cups
• Moong dal - 1/2 cup
• Jaggery- 11/2 cups
• Ghee
• Cashew
• Milk - half cup
• Cardamom powde
• Water

Method:

• Wash and soak millet and moong dal together for about 30 hr.
• Cook the soaked millet and moong dal for about 4-5 whistles in cooker.
• Dissolve the  Jaggery in water and Strain it.
• Allow it to boil.
• Add milk to the jaggery and allow it to boil.
• then add the cooked millet and dal. Stir it well.
• Add ghee,cardamom and cashew.
• Ready to serve. :D
• 
  
  

Green gram Sabji / Pacha payiru Masala

Green gram, also known as the mung bean, is a small round bean similar in shape to the field pea. People in the U.S. primarily eat green gram as a sprout, and as a bean it cooks up fast and has a sweet flavor. With its high fiber and nutrient content, it offers a number of health benefits.

Helps With Weight Control

Lowers Blood Pressure

Lean Source of Protein

Nonmeat Source of Iron

A Sabji that can be relished with chapathies, rotis, dosa and even bread. This aromatic sabji is very nutritious and can be had just like that. This curry is made by cooking in onion and tomato base gravy.It can be had once a week.

Ingredients:

• Green gram - 1 bowl soaked
• Onions - 2
• Tomatoes - 2
• Green chilly - 2
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Channa masala powder - 1 tbsp
• Coriander leaves
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Oil
• Water

Method:

• Soak the green gram overnight or for 6 hours and pressure cook for 4 whistles.
• Heat a pan, add oil and season cumin seeds.
• Add Green chillies and chopped onions into juliennes. Add ginger garlic paste.
• Fry till golden brown. Add chopped tomatoes or tomato puree. Stir it well.
• Add the boiled Green gram and salt.
• Add the Channa masala powder and the required water, stir well.
• Close and cook it for 10 mins.
• Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Serve it hot with chapathies or Dosais. Delicious and nutritous!

Mysore masala dosai

Masala dosai is all time favorite for most of us. Most of us have had masala dosai in hotel in Tamil nadu. I was never fond of masala dosai to this extent. We stayed in Bangalore.Whenever my hubby wanted breakfast from hotel or Resto. He wanted masala dosai. Its called mysore masala dosai. One dosai is sufficient , our stomach would be full. They accompany masala dosai with chutney. They also apply spicy chutney in between the dosai.

Mysore masala dosai is definitely tasty than other masala dosais. I learnt to make their chutney. I also tried my hands on the dosas.


Dosa batter :

Ingredients:

• Idly rice - 3 cups
• Urad dal - 3/4 cup
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Salt
• Water

Method:

• Soak rice separately for 7-8 hrs. Soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds separately for 1 hr.
• Grind them separately and mix them with salt.
• Leave it overnight to ferment.

Potato masala:

• Potato - 250 gms
• Onion - 2 finely chopped
• Green chilly - 2 finely chopped
• Ginger - 1" finely chopped
• Mustard seeds
• Gram dal - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves
• Coriander leaves
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Oil
• Water

Method:

• Boil potato and smash them well.
• Heat oil in pan, add mustard seeds, gram dal.
• Add curry leaves, green chilly, ginger.
• Add chopped onions. Saute well.
• Add turmeric powder, salt.
• Add the smashed potatoes and little water.
• Keep it closed and cook well.
• Turn off when its mushy.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Coconut chutney for accompaniment

Ingredients:

• Coriander leaves - a bunch
• Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Roasted gram - 3-4 tsp
• Ginger - small piece
• Salt
• Green chilly - 2
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Method:

• Grind all the above ingredients using water. 
• For the last pulse add the lemon juice and pulse it.
• A perfect chutney is ready.
• You can also increase the chillies if you want it more spicy.

Ingredients for red chutney:

• Bengal gram - 1 tbsp
• Coconut - 4 small pieces
• Garlic - 3
• Red chillies  - 3-4
• Salt

Method:

• Heat a tsp of oil in a pan , roast bengal gram till it becomes brown.
• Add red chillies and fry for another 30 seconds. 
• Fry garlic .Switch it off .
• Add cocout and salt and grind using water. Red chutney must be in thogayal cnsistency since we are going to apply on the dosa.

Mysore masala Dosa:

• Heat tava, add the dosa batter, add oil.

• Take the red chutney over the dosa and spread it.

• Add the potato masala in between. Flip the Dosa.

• Serve it along with chutney.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Vazhaipoo Vadai / Banana flower fritters

The banana flower is the flower of the banana plant and is native to the Andes mountains of Colombia.. The banana flower is a large, dark purple-red blossom that grows from the end of a bunch of bananas. If you open the inside, you can see small flowers that would turn into banana. The flavour is a little starchy and bitter, and is normally eaten as a complement to a dish.

Vadai is a yummy sreet food. There are a lot of varieties in Vadai. starting from medhu vadai, masal vadai, keerai vadai, thayir vadai, sambar vadai, aama vadai, vazhaipoo vadai is one such vadai. Its very crispy and yummy. As we all use every part of the plantain tree. We also make use of flower, stem, vegetable and fruits. Banana flower is rich in vitamin A and C.


Ingredients:

• Vazhai poo - 1
• Gram dal - 1 cup
• Salt
• Green chillies - 2
• Mint - 4-5 leaves
• Fennel seeds / Saunph - 2 tsp
• Curry leaves
• Water
• Oil
• Onion -  1 finely chopped
• Buttermilk - one bowl

Method:

• Wash and peel the banana flower. Take the flower in hand and squeeze a little, in every flower there will be a stem that pops out with a bulb on head. Remove it.
• Chop the banana flower into fine pieces and add it to the buttermilk.
• Soak gram dal for an hour.
• Before grinding taking a handful of dal aside.
• Grind dal,mint leaves,fennel seeds,curry leaves,water,salt.Grind coarsely.
• strain and add the banana flower and pulse it once using mixer.
• Add chopped onion, green chillies, little curry leaves, dal which was kept aside. Mix the batter nicely.

• Heat oil in a pan, take little  batter,slightly flatten it and fry the patties.

Crunchy Vazhaipoo vadais ready to munch! Awesome side dish for all the rice varieties.

Idly / Dosa Batter using mixer

Grinding Dosa or idly batter in grinder will get soft and fluffy idlies. After coming here to Singapore, I do not own a grinder. I jus manage in grinding in mixie. For 2 or 3 times when i ground the batter, the idlies were not soft. My MIL used to soak rice and urad dal for appam in refrigerator.Then this idea clicked me. I tried soaking in same format and grinding the batter. Its working fine and I get soft fluffy idlies and crispy dosas.



Ingredients:

• Idly rice - 3 cups
• Urad dal - 1 cup
• Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
• Salt
• Water

Method:

• Soak rice separately for 7-8 hrs and keep in fridge and soak. Soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds separately for 1 hr in fridge.
• Grind the rice into fine paste.
• Grind the Urad dal separately til it turns white and it leaves bubbles.

• Grind them separately and mix them with salt.

• Leave it overnight to ferment.

• Steam soft idlies the next day .

Ragi dosa / Kezhvaragu Dosai

Today I am writing on a healthy tiffin variety. It can be had for breakfast and dinner. Dosa is most of our favorite tiffin. Here is the ragi version of dosa, very tasty and lip smacking one. A very easy procedure, whenever you run out of odly dosa batter, this will be handy,



Ingredients:

• Ragi flour - 2 cups
• Urad dal - 1 cup soaked
• Salt
• Water
• Oil
• Onions and chillies optional. It gives a aromatic taste to this dosa when mixed with batter and made.

Method:

• Soak urad dal for 1 hour, like we soak for idly batter.
• Grind it in the same consistency ,we grind for idly batter.Transfer the ground urad flour to a vessel.
• Add the ragi flour, salt and mix well and keep it aside in the morning.
• It will be fermented before dinner time.( Add onions and chillies, if you are adding).
• Mix the batter a little thin for crispy and crunchy dosa.
• Heat the dosa tava, take the batter and put like regular dosas and add oil.
• Cook on both the sides.

Serve it with chutneys or thuvayals. I served it with coconut chutney and pudhina thuvayal.