BANANA PEPPER CHIPS

Banana pepper chips are a  tasty snack for the high tea time of any season. The recipe is very easy and instant one. Every one of the family will like these banana chips.  It goes very well with any fried rice, hot rice with sambar and rasam. 

Ingredients:

4 raw bananas peeled off
pepper coarse powder two teaspoons
salt required
cooking oil to fry
asafoetida half pinch (optional)

Procedure:

Make the thin slices of bananas with the help of chip maker.
Heat the cooking oil in a dry wok.
Let the temperature of the oil be ready to fry.
Drop the slices one by one.
Let the chips become crispy
Strain the oil with the ladle and transfer the crispy chips in a dry bowl.
Sprinkle salt needed and pepper powder and little asafoetida.
Serve with hot tea in this rainy monsoon.

Give it a try.

PENNYWORT THUVAIYAL/VALLARAI THUVAIYAL

Indian pennywort is packed with high medicinal qualities and high-class nutritional benefits. In Kongu regions, the people are well aware of this wonderful green. They incorporate this into regular food menu weekly once or twice in different versions. Kongu people are learned sidda experts and they know which herb is used internally which herb is used externally. These herbs are used in cooking and made their family members to consume in the version of  regular food.

It is known by a variety of names in all over India. Goto kola, Khulakhudi, mandukparni, mandookaparni or thankuni in Bengal, Brahmi in North India, Vallarai in  Tamilnadu, Saraswathy aku in Andra.

This green is one of the gifts of our nature to maintain our health.

Indian Pennywort is most often used to treat varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency according to Siddha medicine treatment. It is strongly believed that it has some extraordinary therapeutic properties to improve memory and mental ability. It improves eye vision.

This wonder herb is used to treat venereal diseases, skin impurities, rheumatism, high blood pressure, hepatitis, varicose veins, skin ulcers, minor burns, fatigue and stress, Fresh leaves have been known to be used in treating dysentery, asthma. stomach disorders and bronchitis. Juice extracted from the leaves is highly beneficial in promoting the purification of the blood. It helps to improve blood circulation and the rebuilding of connective tissue assisting in the prevention of premature ageing. Pennywort can be used for eczema and other skin related ailments, including skin ulcers. It  is also able to lower blood sugar levels.

Nutritional values:

Pennywort contains a number of minerals and vitamins, among them vitamin K, Calcium, sodium, vitamin B complex, magnesium, zinc and manganese. It is also able to help in protecting the body from toxins, This herb is also able to give great support to the central nervous system, making it effective in the treatment of ADD, senility, epilepsy, stroke and other nervous system disorders. Those suffering from leg cramps and phlebitis can be benefitted from using this herb. It is also effective in reducing fevers to a certain extent.

How to make vallarai thuvaiyal:

Washed and cleaned Brahmi leaves/vallarai leaves/indian pennywort leaves two cups

Shredded coconut half cup 

chopped shallots half cup

curry leaves half cup

garlic pulses two

red chillies two

tamarind  a grape size

jaggery small piece

fried bengal gram half cup

salt required

cooking oil two teaspoons

Procedure with image tutorials and video for reference:

Heat the dry pan with cooking oil.

Add red chillies

followed by shallots, curry leaves, garlic pulses.

Saute for a while until the shallots become transparent. 

Then add tamarind

Add pennywort leaves and saute for two minutes until the leaves half cooked without losing its green colour. 

Add jaggery and required salt, shredded coconut, fried bengal gram.

Incorporate all the ingredients together and allow them to cool.

Blend them together with little water in order to get thick paste.

You may grind coarsely or fine paste.

Collect the thuvayal in a serving bowl.

Enjoy with hot rice and this vallarai thuvaiyal with one teaspoonful of cow ghee.

Procedure with image tutorials and video for reference

Pennywort/Brahmi/Vallarai leaves, two red chillies, fried bengal gram, shredded coconut, jaggery, curry leaves, shallots, garlic pulses and tamarind

CRAVING FOR COCONUT LADDU/ THENGAI LADDU

Kongu people believe that the coconut is a superfood since very ancient times. They add the coconut in each and every meal they cooked daily.

Coconut is a very versatile and indispensable food item for kongu people. It is a complete food rich in calories, vitamins and minerals. A medium size coconut carries 400 gm edible kernel and some 30 to 150 ml of water may provide almost all the daily needed essential minerals energy of an average man. 100 gms of kernel consists of 354 calories. The important saturated fatty acid in the coconut is lauric acid (1:12 carbon fatty acid). Lauric acid increases good cholesterol levels in the blood. HDL is high-density lipoprotein, which has beneficial effects on the coronary arteries by preventing vessel blockage (atherosclerosis). Physicians recommend high HDK to total cholesterol levels in the blood for the same reason.

 

The kernel is an excellent source of minerals such as copper, calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium and zinc.

It is also a very good source of B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin and pyridoxine. These vitamins are essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish.

Coconut water and coconut edible kernel contain a very good amount of potassium. 100 gms of fresh kernal contains 356 mg or 7.5 % of daily required levels of potassium.

source Google -nutrition and you.com

Now let us move to learn how to make coconut laddu:

This sweet is made with very few ingredients such as jaggery, coconut grates, little ghee, some cashews, melon seeds and cardamoms.

Ingredients:

coconuts two medium size

Jaggery 250 gms

cardamom ten

melon seeds 10gms

ghee one tablespoon

Cashews 15 no

Procedure:

Break the coconuts and shred the kernel of the coconuts.

Heat the jaggery with little water and allow to boil until the two string consistency.

Heat the dry pan with coconut grates with little ghee and saute until the milk thickens in the shredded coconut.

Add the sugar syrup into coconut fried with ghee.

Mix well.

Keep aside.

Dry roast the melon seeds.

Dry roast the cashews.

Allow to cool.

Blend the coconut mixed with jaggery with cardamom seeds, some melon seeds roasted, roasted cashews without adding water.

Transfer the blended ingredients into a bowl.

Make laddus of your optional size.

Now the yummy coconut laddu is ready to serve.

melon seeds, cashews, jaggery and coconut make this laddu as highly nutritional and delicious.

Yummy coconut soft laddu

POTATO CURRY KUZHAMBU

Potato curry kuzhambu is one of the best suitable side dishes to hot rice, dosai, idli, oothappam,  paniyaram, chapathi and poori etc.

 

Today we are looking forward to cook potato curry kuzhambu.

 

Ingredients:

pressure cooked potatos 6 no
shredded coconut one cup
Peeled off and chopped shallots half cup
red chillies 2 no
curry leaves half cup
curry masaal powder three teaspoons
turmeric powder half teaspoon
cooking oil one tablespoon
coriander leaves finely chopped half cup
tomato one finely chopped
cloves and chinnoman four or five each
mustard seeds one spoon
fennel seeds one spoon
fried gram one spoon
garlic grates one spoon
ginger grates one spoon
red chilly powder half spoon
salt as required

 

Procedure:

 

Pressure cook washed potatos with three whistles.
Peel off the potatos and chop into medium size pieces
Grind the shredded coconut and fried gram and garlic pulses and red chillies.
Heat the cooking oil in a dry pan.
Add mustard seeds to pop up.
Add fennel seeds to fry.
Followed by the shallots and curry leaves.
until translucent.
Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder and curry masaal powder.
Add tomato and potatos
Saute a while until the tomato pieces mushed up.
Add ground masal paste.
Saute for a while and add required water.
Add salt required.
Allow to boil for ten minutes until the gravy becomes thick.
Finally add coriander leaves.

Potato curry kuzhambu is ready to serve with steamed rice.
It combines well with any main dish like idlies, dosais etc.

BEETROOT CHUTNY WITH KUTTY OOTHAPPAM

Beetroot chutny is the most combatible side dish to any south indian breakfast. It gives fantastic touch of taste to oothappams.
Making the verysame side dishes to the main dish is such a boredom. We should try different items to make the breakfast, lunch and dinner special and to make the family members more tempting and eat well.
Today a very different and tasty beetroot chutny is for your view..

how to make?

 

Ingredients:

 

Beets grated one cup
coconut grates one spoon
bellary onion finely chopped one no.
ginger grates one spoon
salt required
tamarind a small piece
green chilly one
cooking oil one spoon

 

Procedure:

 

Heat the dry pan with oil.
Add onions and green chilly
Saute until translucent
Add ginger grates.
followed by shredded coconut, beet grates and tamarind
Add salt
Saute fora minute until the beet grates get half cooked.
Switch off the flame and allow to cool.
Blend all the ingredients with little water
to a fine pink paste.
collect in a serving bowl
Taste with your any main dish.
We enjoyed this chutny with kutty( small)
oothappams.

Why not you?  Try something different..!

:)

MURUNGAIPOO KOOTTU/MORINGA FLOWERS +DAL MIX

Health Benefits of Drumstick flowers:

Drumstick, as everyone knows is also referred to as moringa oleifera or even horseradish tree. It’s really a ‘yard stick’ for health, as it is known to be very therapeutic for the human health in one way or another. This particular veggie offers all type of nutritional advantages and in addition cures numerous health conditions.

Flower juice improves the quality and flow of mothers’ milk when breast- feeding.
Flower juice is useful for urinary problems as it encourages urination.
In Haiti, villagers boil Moringa flowers in water and drink the tea as a powerful cold remedy.

Furthermore, its greens (leaves) are one of the finest sources of minerals like calcium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, selenium, and magnesium. Iron alleviates anemia. Calcium is required for bone mineralization. Zinc plays a vital role in hair-growth, spermatogenesis, and skin health. They are packed with vitamins A, B, C and other nutrients. The flowers are  the very same qualities as the leaves do.

                                  Source -google

Our ancestors were well known about the health and medicinal properties of entire parts of the Moringa tree and habituated their generation to use in regular intake of our daily food. They taught how to cook the drumstick tastefully and feed the children and passed the traditional method of cooking veggies without wasting their nutritional contents. I always wonder about their scientific knowledge from the ancient period. How did they learn?

In this page,  we are going to use the floral part of Moringa or drumstick tree. The cooking of the leaves is more time consuming and the cooked leaves if consumed more it will discomfort the stomach and cause several disturbances to our body health. Instead,  we will cook the blossom of drumstick tree easily and substitute the nutritional benefits of leaves.  The flowers have the same nutritional qualities as the other parts like pods and leaves do.

How to make yummy simple and easy kootu?
It is so simple, an easy cooking and an instant method..

Ingredients:

Moringa flowers one cup
cooked toor dal one cup
green chilly one
shallots half cup
mustard seeds one spoon
cooking oil one spoon
cumin seeds one spoon
salt as required

Procedure:

Pressure cook the toor dal with half spoon of turmeric and few drops of castor oil.
Mash the dal and mix two cups of water.
Wash the flowers. You need not pluck any part of the flower.
Heat the dry pan with cooking oil.
Add mustard seeds to pop up
Add shallots, green chilly and turmeric
Saute a while until the translucent shallots.
Add moringa flowers and stir for a while.
Let the flame in medium level.
Saute until the flowers get shrunken.
Incorporate dal mixture and mix well.
Add required salt.
Let the mixture get boiled well.
The flowers are easily get cooked and become soft.
Rub the cumin seeds with your palm and add them.
Switch off and transfer it to a serving bowl.

Yummy moringa dal kootu is ready to enjoy with hot steamed rice with one spoon of ghee.. !

You will go crazy to take more and more.. I am sure..!😇😊 

:)

AGATHIPOO RASAM/SESBANIA FLOWER STEW

The Agathi flowers are also bitter and astringent, but the white are less so than the red. It’s possible to reduce the bitterness by removing the stamen. The flower’s texture is mildly crunchy and fibrous, but pressure cooking or steaming for ten minutes will soften it. It’s also best to choose the flowers that have not yet bloomed, as these too will be softer and less leathery.

Nutritional Value

According to the USDA nutrient database, 100g of Sesbania flower contains the following values:

91.58g Water
27 kcal
113 kJ
1.28g Protein
.04g Fat
.38g Ash
6.73g Carb
18mg Calcium
.84g Iron
12mg Magnesium
30mg Phosphorous
184mg Potassium
15mg Sodium
.8ug Selenium
73mg Vitamin C
.083mg Thiamin
.081mg Riboflavin
.430 Niacin
102ug Folate
102ug Folate (food)

To prepare the flower rasam, remove the stamen and calyx. This will improve the flavor substantially—otherwise, expect the flower to taste bitter. Wash gently. Some recommend squeezing the flowers to drain its water, while others insist that this clears the flower of its sweet nectar. Prepare by deep-frying in batter, sautéing, stewing, steaming, grilling or simply eat raw. If steaming the flowers, do so for ten minutes, and then transfer to cold water. Adding salt to the warm water will also boost the flavor.

I use red sesbania flower to prepare this delicious stew. There is white sesbania flower also. You can use white flower for making of this yummy and nutritious soup.

Ingredients:

Red Agathi flowers 250 gms
shallots peeled off and chopped half cup
curryleaves chopped half cup
garlic pulses grated one tablespoon
pepper powder one and a half spoon
roasted cumin seeds powder one spoon
chopped coriander leaves chopped optional
asafoetida one pinch
cooked dal one cup
you may use toor dal or masoor dal or huskless moong dal as per your option.
I opted for masoor dal for this stew or rasam.
turmeric powder one spoon
Tamarind extract one cup
tomato pulp half cup
salt as required
cooking oil one tablespoon
red chilly one

Procedure:

Wash the Agathi flowers.
Remove calyx to avoid bitterness
Chop the flowers with the scissors
Heat the cooking oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to crackle.
Add red chilly and curry leaves and finely chopped shallots.
Add turmeric powder
Add flowers and fry for some time.
Allow to cook. The red colour completely disappears and shrinks.
Add a pinch of asafoetida and tamarind and cooked tomato extract.
Add salt and little jaggery.
Allow to boil for some time.
Meanwhile,  mash the cooked dal and add two cups of water.
Add garlic grates, cumin powder, and pepper powder.
Transfer this mixture into the boiling extract.
Check the salt.
Add coriander leaves and pepper for flavor and spicy taste.

Sesbania spicy stew or agathipoo rasam is ready to serve as starter or with hot steamed rice.

Relish this vegan soup or stew or rasam as your dietary food. It is packed with calcium and iron. It is of high protein value since this stew has dal content.

So give a try ..
:)

KATHIRIKKA PULI KULAMBU/BRINJAL TAMARIND CURRY

Today we are going to make brinjal tamarind curry which is so yummy with hot rice. As you already know, brinjal has some nutritional qualities which is beneficial to our health.

Ingredients:

Medium size Brinjals 10 nos
Cooking oil one tablespoon
Mustard seeds one spoon
Asafoetida one pinch
Shallots peeled off and chopped half cup
Curry leaves one spig
Turmeric powder one spoon
Sambar powder one tablespoon.( you may use sakthi sambar powder or achi sambar powder or any other sambar powder available in your nearby shop.)
Tamarind extract one cup
Jaggery half piece
Salt as required
Gingelly oil one tablespoon
Coriander leaves chopped optional

Procedure:

Heat the pan with cooking oil. 
Add mustard seeds to splutter
Add shallots, curry leaves, turmeric powder, sambar powder, asafoetida respectively.
Let the flame in sim level.
Then add brinjal pieces and saute a while.
Then add tamarind extract.
Add jaggery and salt 
Allow to boil by increasing the level of flame to medium.
Close the lid and cook for ten minutes.
Finally add gingelly oil and switch off the flame.

Relish this kuzhambu with steamed rice.

PEPPER MURUKKU BITS

Pepper Murukku is one of the most favorite snacks of Kongu people. It is good for health. It is so delicious and also nutritious. These crunchy murukku bits are made with the fried channa dal flour and raw rice flour as major ingredients. Ajwain seeds powder added to easy digestion and mild flavour. Coarse pepper powder is added to dominate the taste.

Ingredients:

Raw rice flour two cups
fried channa dal flour two cups
ajwain seeds powder one spoon
crushed coarse pepper powder one and half tablespoon
hot oil one spoon
water as required to knead a soft and nonsticky dough
salt as required
cooking oil as required

Procedure:

Mix the two flours, salt, pepper, ajwain powder well in dry condition.
Add enough water to get nonsticky and soft dough.
Add hot oil one spoon and knead softly.
Use murukku maker with star holes to squeeze murukku directly into the hot oil.
Heat the cooking oil to the right temperature to fry.
Squeeze the murukku directly into the oil carefully.
when sizzling sound ceases, take out the murukku with the laddle.
Collect all the murukkus into a dry bowl.
Break them softly.
Serve with tea.

How is it? How do you like this crunchy and tasty murukku bits with pepper flavour?

CARROT GREENS PORIAL

These greens are packed with chlorophyll, a phytochemical that gives plants their green colour and pigmentation. Chlorophyll is an excellent source of magnesium, which promotes healthy blood pressure as well as strong bones and muscles, and has been noted to purify the blood, lymph nodes and adrenal glands

They are high in potassium, which can lower blood pressure, support your metabolism, and help prevent osteoporosis. People most at risk for heart disease are the ones who get too little potassium.

What's more, carrot greens are rich in vitamin K, which is lacking in the carrot itself and is vital to bone health. They have also been noted to deter tumour growth.

Carrot greens contain alkaloids (which are toxic bitter compounds produced by a plant) and all alkaloids are bad because substances like caffeine and cocaine are alkaloids. BUT! - all leafy greens (including “good for you” greens like spinach and kale) contain varying levels and types of alkaloids, some higher than others. Alkaloids are chemical compounds believed to be part of a plant’s defence mechanisms.

This applies to both Wild Carrot leaves as well as domestic.

Source: www.carrotmuseum.co.uk

My son went to kodaikanal to enjoy his holidays and purchased beetroot with green tops and carrots with topleaves and asked me to prepare any dish using this greens. Just I tried cooking in our kongu traditional method as porial and the cooked greens tasted excellent with steamed rice and ghee.

When I googled to trace the nutritional qualities of carrot greens for blogging, I came to know about the alkaloid qualities of carrot top green, however it has high nutritional value. Practically it did good for us without any reaction. 

I think that well cooked carrot greens are having no side effects. 

Cook this greens in the same manner as we cooked our domestic greens with coconut grates.

Ingredients:

Carrot greens 

shallots one cup

green chillies two

mustard seeds one spoon

chick pea one spoon

cooking oil one tablespoon

curry leaves one cup

coconut grates half cup

Procedure:

Wash and chop the carrot greens using scissors.

Heat the cooking oil and add mustard seeds.

When the crackling sound seems less, add shallots chopped, green chillies, chick peas and curry leaves.

Add little turmeric.

Add the greens and salt required.

Saute for some time and sprinkle some water and close the lid

Let the flame be medium.

After five minutes, remove the lid.

Saute again till the water completely evaporated.

Incorporate coconut grates softly and transfer the cooked greens in a serving bowl.

Yummy carrot greens porial is ready to relish. Combine your cooking intelligence and creativity.  You will rock the kitchen world..!!

:)

Understanding ways to use the greens, and how best to cook them, can bring a whole new green vegetable into your meals.

Carrot greens are highly packed with chlorophyl and potassium. Don't forget..!