Month: February 2018

RAW TOMATO PICKLE

Calin's Kitchen 2 Comments

This is a tangy spicy pickle and very easy to make too.I made this with raw green

tomatoes .You could try the same recipe with red tomatoes .Green tomatoes can be

used in fries,chutneys,cooked with dal,made into juices..and many more you could try.

This time i tried in a pickle recipe.

Health peek into the benefits ….recent research has proved that green tomatoes contain

an alkaloid called tomatine  which effectively fight cancer cells.Green tomatoes are also

rich in Vitamin C and supplies good nutrients.

Moving on to the recipe now,…This pickle is a good combination with rice,preferably

with variety rices like curd,lemon,tomato…….Some like it with chappathis too.

So do try to keep tangy pickles at hand,and send in your comments and suggestions.

INGREDIENTS

250 gm green tomatoes cut into fours

tamarind (size of a lime)

4-6 tblsp red chilli powder

1 tsp.turmeric powder

10 pips of garlic

2 dry chillies

4-5 green chillies split

few curry leaves

1 tsp fenugreek seeeds (methi)

1 tsp.cummin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

3/4 cup mustard oil/gingelly oil.

rock salt.(according to taste)

img_20180122_190551803110352907.jpg

METHOD

Mix tamarind with 1 cup water and enough salt. Add the quartered tomatoes ,cover and

leave overnight  to marinade.

Next day blend the soaked ingredients coarsely, without the water .

Lightly dry roast the bold listed spices and powder coarsely and set aside.

Heat the mustard oil,add curry leaves,dry chillies,turmeric powder.chilli powder and the

ground tomato mixture ,garlic and the slit green chilies,and cook till you see the tomato

well blended .Add jaggery .Check for salt and add to your taste.

Add the roasted powders and switch off the flame.

Allow to cool and store in sterilised jars.

 

 

 

 

 

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VALLARAI/GOTUKOLA /BRAHMI HALWA

Calin's Kitchen 1 Comment

I’m more than excited to share this awesome recipe with you..Well ….I can guess popping

thinking clouds with question marks..Believe me,it’s simply excellent.NO taste or smell of

greens.As you all know the benefits of Vallarai or Gotukola or Brahmi ,this is worth trying.

This green having the shape of the brain is very much beneficial to the brain.I am an addict

to health related programmes,and there I extracted the idea (not the recipe) to create this recipe.

All the ingredients are full of nutrients ,no sugar only jaggery is used.

Black grapes are rich in vitamin C and K and aids in boosting Immunity.Dry black grapes are

good for constipation,good to increase level of power antioxidants preventing cancer,good for

hypertension,anaemic patients and overall health.Including this daily in your diet should be

made compulsory in any form.

So let’s get on to the healthy halwa recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1cup Vallarai /Gotukola /Brahmi leaves

3/4 cup black dry grapes

1/2 cup cashewnuts

1/4 cup ghee

A pinch of salt

1 tblsp cornflour mixed with 1/4 cup water

1 – 1.5 cups jaggery syrup.(1-3/4 cup grated jaggery melted in a little water)

Few cashewnuts to top the halwa.

1/4 tsp cardamon powder(optional)

METHOD

Heat a little ghee in a thick bottomed pan,and sauté the leaves,grapes,and cashewnuts till the raw smell disappears.

Grind to a coarse paste,and return the mix to the pan .Add the melted jaggery and cornflour mixture and keep stirring,adding ghee simultaneously.

Once you see the mixture leaving the sides of the pan,transfer onto a greased plate and sprinkle the cashewnuts .Allow to cool and cut into shapes.

Send in your comments and suggestions ,after you try the recipe.

2 HEALTHY DOSAS

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Today i’m going to share with you 2 types of dosas,well suited for breakfast.The first one

will be with greens,mixed in normal iddli-dosa batter. IDDLIS (SOUTH INDIAN FOOD).

I have used karisalakanni leaves,known as the false daisy or bringaraj .This is a wonder

herb which nature has bestowed us with.To the pointers of health benefits now..

It is good for asthma and cold related ailments.

Best tonic for liver disorders.

Good to improve complexion and hair,teeth,eyesight.

Relief from piles,urinary infections ,cracked heels

Used in treating jaundice,used as a gargle to improve strength of gums.

Well,i have given some of the benefits ,please do explore further.There are 3 types of this

herb, bearing white, yellow and blue flowers.The blue ones are very rare to find.The

yellow and white flowers and leaves are used in Ayurvedic medicines and oils.The

minute i was enlightened by the benefits,it has been added to my herbal garden.!

To move on to the recipe now.

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup leaves

2 green chillies

1 tsp.cummin seeds or 1/2 tsp kalonji or nigella seeds

1 cup dosa batter

METHOD

Grind the bold listed to a paste,Mix into the batter and make dosas.

Variations to go green…

Spinach leaves,coriander leaves,mint leaves,balloon vine leaves,gotukola or vallarai

basil leaves ,curry leaves…….

To entice your kids ,you could make dosas like pizza,topped with cheese and tomatoes

with these greens.

The next one will be Beetroot dosa or pancakes

This dosa is made with wheat flour.Beetroot is another wonder vegetable packed with

nutrients.Story of discovery made short…had leftover beetroot water gotten after

cooking beetroot for another dish……and so it started.Let’s get into the recipe now.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup beetroot water

1  Cup wheat flour

2 eggs

1 tblsp.curd or yoghurt

salt to taste.

METHOD 

Beat eggs with salt ,add curd and the beetroot water.Gradually add in the flour and make

into a batter like for pancakes.Pour a ladle of the batter and make into shapes you like.

You  could also blend in the puree of beetroot(boiled or raw) .

Those who need to spice up  more could add chilli flakes or chopped green chillies to the

batter.

 

QUICK FISH WRAP

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This recipe came up,when I had to prepare a quick dinner.I tried this simple and quick

recipe with sword fish fillets.You could try with any type of fish(boneless) you like. I’m

going to share with you the recipe for the simple fish filling.I have used chappathis for

the wrap( you could find the recipe for the dough in my previous posts.)CHAPPATHI EGG ROLL

So let’s get into the simple and quick wrap recipe.

INGREDIENTS

250 gm fish fillets or cubed

1 small bokchoy or any greens you like

Few pieces of capsicum julienned.

1-2 tsp.chillie flakes

1 inch piece ginger chopped fine.

1 tblsp vinegar

1 tsp cornflour

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tblsp.butter or oil

Salt to taste.

METHOD

Heat butter in a pan and cook the fish lightly on both sides for 2 minutes or untill light

brown.Shove the fish to a corner of the pan,add ginger,bokchoy,and the rest of the

ingredients,and saute for another 2 minutes.(do not add water).Remove from fire and

use to make the wrap. Make chappathis and apply beaten  egg on one side.After egg is set

and cooked,remove from fire keep the filling on the side of the egg .Roll and serve.

You can add grated cheese if you like.Can be served with pickled veggies or lettuce or any

salad leaf .Do send in your comments and suggestions.

BLACK RICE LADDU

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This is my first post for 2018,and i thought to start with a recipe sweet and healthy..!

This is a laddu ,made with ingredients full of protein and other impressive nutrients.The

dried  palmyra tuber or the odiyal (mostly found in Srilanka) is also used in this recipe.

A quick peek into the benefits of black rice .Black rice ,though known to be in existence

thousands of years ago,and mostly consumed by the Chinese royalty ,the spark of healthy

and organic food search has now unraveled the benefits of the black rice.

To point a few benefits…full of antioxidants,good for detoxification,good for heart

diabetes ,and obesity.Not forgetting the palmyrah tuber or odiyal ,which also contains

calcium,iron ….and many nutrients.

You can make this laddu for those who do not like to have black rice…a healthy cheat

treat.So…now for the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup black rice

1/2 cup flax seeds

1 cup moong dal (green gram dal)

1 cup palmyra tuber pieces (optional)

1 -1.5 cups jaggery grated

a pinch of salt

1/2 tsp.cardamon powder

3-4 tblsp.ghee

a few cashewnuts.

METHOD

Dry roast rice,flax seeds ,moong dal  separately for five minutes.Powder the roasted fine

with the palmyra.Heat ghee  and pour over mixture.Melt the jaggery in a little water,and

pour over the flour graadually and form into ladoos.This can be stored for 10-15 days.

Good for a snack and good for those who are forced to skip breakfast.Send in your

comments and suggestions

NOTE:You could add the jaggery after the flours are ground well, to the mixie jar and                    blend in with the flours.