Jul 19, 2016

Sajja Laddulu(Bajra Laddu)

My final recipe for this week is again with a millet. Because millets are best substitute for a diabetic diet to replace with white rice. Bajra is one of those millets we used to cook it in the place of rice for lunch or we mke rotis and some sweets. Cook bajra with little salt and serve with any spicy, tangy gravy the best combination for lunch. Bajra is one of the common grain which is used widely in rural India. Bajra is well known as Sajjalu in telugu, we make Sajjaburelu (a sweet snack) with this lillet in Sankranthi festival time. This sajja laddulu is an experment for my diabetic sweet recipe. So I used jaggery for this recipe but you can replace with refind sugar. I used 1/2 cup ghee if you feel that is a large amount of ghee I used. You can reduce the ghee and sprinkle some milk to make laddu's. But when you mix with milk this sajjaladdulu won't stay for long they stay for one or two days. If you make this laddu's with melted ghee this will stay for a month.
So let's check the recipe...
                                                                   

Sajjalu (bajra)  ----  1 cup
Jaggery  ----  1 cup grated
Ghee  ---  1/2 cup
Badam ( almonds)  --- 20
Cardamom powder  ---  1/2 tea sp
METHOD:---
1. Dry roast bajra in a low flame till they lightly change the color.
2. In the same pan dry roast almonds for a while
3. Now grind both bajra and almonds in to a fine powder.
4. Add grated jaggery to the millet powder mix well.
5. Melt the ghee and add little by little to the flour mix well with your hand.
6. Add ghee little by little to the flour till you can fold the laddus.
7. Make all the laddu s and store them in a airtight container 
This bajra laddu's will stay till one month.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#66 

Jul 18, 2016

Multigrain And Date Fudge

One more ingredient that I use as a sugar substitute are Dates. You can use dates as a sugar substitute in your diet. Like take one cup pitted dates add 1/2 cup warm water and make a paste. This dates paste is equivalent to one cup sugar in taste . You can just take fresh pitted dates and finely chop them and and add it to your desserts, milk shakes etc.. you can use dry dates also, but you have to soak this dry dates for over night and then  grind in to a paste. You may think about the calories 100 grms dates contain 282 calories (one date contain 20 calories).
                                                                         In this recipe we are going to use multigrain flour to make this dessert more interesting. I used ragi and bajara flours for this recipe you can use any other flours or you can make this recipe only with wheat flour. As a sugar substitute you can use honey also for this recipe.
                                                                 
 
INGREDIENTS:--
Ragi flour  ---- 1/2 cup
Bajara flour  --  1/2 cup
Wheat flour  ---  1/4 cup
Desiccated coconut ---  1 tab sp
Milk  ---  2 tab sp (optional)
Dates  ----  1 cup pitted and ground in to a paste with warm water
Cardamom powder  ---  1/2 tea sp
Ghee  --- 1 tab sp
METHOD:---
1. Heat ghee in a pan and add all three flour and fry till nice aroma comes out, do this process in a low flame, switch off the heat.
2. Take dates paste in  a pan and heat for one second and add flour mixture, desiccated coconut and mix well by the time this mixture will become like a lump, if your mixture doesn't become like a lump here you can add 2 tab sp of milk and mix well.
3. Add cardamom powder and give a good stir and pour it in to a greased try and spread it immediately  and make marks to cut pieces.
4. Now leave this fudge try in the fridge for one hour then cut it in to pieces.
This fudge won't stay for long time one or two days in room temperature and for one week in the fridge.
If you want to make this with sugar add 150 grams sugar  and make a syrup like gulab jamoon syrup. when you make this fudge with sugar syrup this will stay for one week in room temperature.  Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#66 

Jul 17, 2016

Ragi Rava Kesari

My theme for this week is diabetic friendly sweets. I am not an expert in making diabetic friendly recipes. But I do experiments with natural sugar substitutes and millet's. In that list ragi is my favorite millet, I use ragi for making breakfast and lunch like ragi rotti, ragi mudda, ragi java many more like this. But I avoid ragi for dinner because it will take long time to digest. 
                                                                     This ragi rava kesari is from one of my experiments after I tried ragi halwa. Actually I made this kesari accidentally, I wanted to make wheat rava kesari with palm sugar by mistake I have added ragi rava in a hurry. When I saw the color of the kesari then I realize, any way by mistake I made a delicious kesari :).
                                                                  For Ragi rava wash ragi well and dry in a shade for one hour or till the ragi seeds are totally dry. Don't dry the ragi under sun, make sure and dry them under shade. Now grind ragi in to a rava consistence in a blender and store this ragi rava in a airtight container. This will stay good for one week in the room temperature or you can store this rava in fridge for one month. You can make ragi upma, ragi kudumulu(kozhukattai) and ragi instent idli, ragi kheer many more like this.
                                                               I used palm jaggery for this recipe you can use normal jaggery or honey for this recipe. Since I am posting this as diabetic friendly recipe I used jaggery but you can also use sugar to make this recipe. I have used unsweetened  kova, you can use sweetened kova or condensed milk. In this case reduce the amount of jaggery or sugar.  
So lets check the recipe.....  
                                                           
 
INGREDIENTS:---
Ragi rava  ---  1 cup
Water  ---  1 cup
Palm jaggery ---  1/2 cup grated (or according to your taste)
Kova (unsweetend)  ---  1 tab sp
Cardamom powder  ---  1/2 tea sp
Cashew nuts  ---  1 tab sp broken
Ghee  ---  2 tab sp
METHOD:---
1. Heat one tab so ghee in a thick bottom pan add cashew nuts and fry till golden remove and set a side.
2. Add ragi rava to the same pan and fry in the ghee for two minutes then add 3/4 cup of water keep the heat in low and let it cook for 10 minutes
3. In the mean while heat 1/4 cup water in a pan add grated palm jaggery let it melt and add this jaggery water to the ragi mixture keep mixing and let it cook for 5 more minutes
4. Add cardamom powder, kova and half tab sp ghee mix well and cook for five more minutes and keep mixing.
5. Now add cashew nuts, leftover ghee and give good stir and switch off the heat.
Sprinkle with kova and cashew nuts and serve hot.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#66

Jul 11, 2016

Mirapakaya Bajjilu (Andhra style Mirchi bajji)

My second recipe for this month regional recipes theme is a very popular snack recipe from Andhra cuisine. I never saw a single person who dosen't like mirchi bajji in Andhra pradesh. Mirapakaya bajji and punugulu are the favorite tea time snacks in Andhra pradesh. Specially in Vijayawada you can find a mirchi bajji shop in every corner. Near by my house there is a tiffin center (we call this bajji shops as tiffin centers). This tiffin center will start at 6 A.M. for morning breakfast they have idli, Atlu (dosa, these dosas are not like hotel dosa crisp and golden color, but soft and spongy dosas,) and pesrattu. For evening tiffin you can find this mirchi bajji's and punugulu with coconut chutney and ginger chutney. All the time this tiffin center will be filled with crowd and you have to wait for at least for 10 minutes to get your batch of bajji and punuguku.So I am going to post that favorite snack from Andhra cuisine.
Lrt's check the recipe
                                                     

INGREDIENTS:--
Green chillies   ---- 10 Any big variety mirchis
Besan (chick pea flour, sengapindi)
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder --- 1/2 tea sp
Baking powder – 1 pinch
Water for making batter 

Oil for deep frying
Onion  --- 1/2 cup finely chopped
Lemon  --- 1 no.
FOR FILLING:--
Vaamu (ajwain, carom seeds)  ---  1 tea sp
Putnalu (fried gram, daliya) ---  1/4 cup
Salt to taste 
Tamarind paste  ---  1 tea sp
Water  ---  2 teasp to mix the filling
Asafoetida  ---  a big pinch (optional)
METHOD:---
1. Dry roast vaamu(ajwain), don't over roast just heat them remove and set a side now heat fried gram also a little bit and add to vaamu, grind these two with a little salt in to a fine powder.
2. Add tamarind paste and little water to make thick paste and set a side.
3.  Now slit the green chilli its entire length and remove seeds.
4. Take vaamu and fried gram mixture and stuff this mixture in to green chillies.
5. In the mean while make a batter with chick pea flour, salt to taste , red chili powder, and baking powder then add water and make a batter like fitters batter or thick dosa batter.
6. Heat oil in a deep frying pan, now dip the stuffed chilies in this batter and slowly drop them in to hot oil and fry till nice golden color.
7. Remove from oil and set a side to cool a bit so that you can hold them to slit again.
8. Now slit the mirchi bajji length wise again and stuff with finely chopped onion and sprinkle witha few drops of lemon juise.
Serve this Andhra special mirapakaya bajji (mirchi bajji) witha hot cup of tea or coffee...
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#66



Jul 10, 2016

Majjiga Pulusu

Majjiga Pulusu is a buttermilk base gravy which is a South Indian version of Kadi. There are many variations for this recipe in Indian cuisine. In south India it self there are many variations for this recipe. This one is a traditional recipe from Andhra cuisine (of course from Indian cuisine). This majjiga pulusu is a every day recipe in Andhra cuisine. Means this is not a special dish which we serve in a special thali like festival feast. I don't know some how we don't make this for festival feast. But we make this for occasions like family gatherings and other occasions. 
                                                            Majjiga Pulusu is one of my all time favorite side dish with rice, dosa, idli, and upma. My mother used to make this when ever she have left over sour curd. That left over sourcurd makes this majjiga pulusu more delicious. My mother's recipe is little different then other recipes. She use both green chillies and red chilli powder to make this pulusu little spicy side. She never use coconut in the masala, Amma said that coconut will give a sweet flavor to the majjiga pulusu. For today recipe I used okra but you can use other vegetables like ash gourd, bottle gourd, taro root(arbi, chama dumpa), but no tomato for this recipe.
Let's check the recipe.....
                                                             
   
INGREDIENTS:--
Sour curd (yogurt)  ---  1 and half cup
Onion  ---  1 medium sliced
Okra (bendakayalu)  ---  8 cut in to two inch pieces
Green chillies  ---  3 slit
Curry leaves  ---  1 spring
Oil  ---  1 tab sp
Mudtard seeds  --  1/4 tea sp
Cumin seeds  ---  1/4 tea sp
Fenugreek seeds  --- 10 seeds
Dry red chillies  --- 2 broken
Asafoetida  ---  one big pinch
Red chilli powder  --- 1/2 tea sp or according to your taste
Turmeric powder  --- 1/4 tea sp
Salt to taste
FOR MASALA PASTE:--
Toor dal  --  1 tab sp
Coriander seeds  ----  1/2 tea sp
Cumin seeds  ---1/4 tea sp
Fenugreeek seeds  --- 6 seeds
Green chillies  ---2
METHOD:---
1. Soak toor dal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds in enough water for one hour and grind with green chillies in to a fine paste.
2. Beat curd till smooth and add this ground masala paste and one and half glass of wtaer mix well.
3. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, slat to taste to curd mixture mix well and set a side.
4. Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds let them splutter then add cumin seeds broken dry red chillies, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, fry for a while then add sliced onion and cook till onion slices turn in to transparent. Then add green chillies and okra pieces and sprinkle with a very little salt cover and cook till okra pieces become tender.
5. Now add curd mixture mix well check the seasoning ad adjust and bring to a full boil in a high flame and reduce the heat to low, let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
Switch off the heat ad serve majjiga pulusu with rice and Aritikaya bjji or masala vada...