Tuesday 19 January 2016

MURUNGAI KEERAI RASAM/MORINGA GREENS SOUP

As you already know about the enormous nutritional benefits packed in drumstick green leaves, I need not say any more.



We are going to prepare drumstick greens rasam / drumstick greens stew in this page.

Ingredients:

drumstick tender leaves one full cup tightly packed
Toor dal extract three cups
garlic pulses grates one tablespoon
Roasted and powdered cumin seeds one spoon
Roasted and powdered pepper powder one spoon
mustard seeds one spoon
asafoetida one pinch
sesame oil one tablespoon
curry leaves one sprig
coriander leaves finely chopped
salt required

Procedure:

Mash the cooked toor dal and mix with water three cups.
Blend the drumstick greens with little water.
Heat the pan with sesame oil and add mustard seeds to pop up.
Add red chillies broken and curry leaves.
Add asafoetid in low flame.
Add tamarind and tomato pulp and add some water. salt and litttle piece of jaggery to be added. Allow to boil.
Followed by the toor dal extract, cumin powder, pepper powder, coriander leaves and garlic grates.
Allow them to boiling temmperature and switch off the flame.
Check the taste of salt and transfer the rasam toa serving bowl.
You can relish this rasam in a soup bowl hot.
or you can enjoy with hot rice.












Monday 18 January 2016

CRUNCHY PAKODA

It is one of the most favorite snack enjoyed with tea. The preparation method is very easy and instant.







How to make Pakoda?

Ingredients:

Raw rice flour one cup
fried gram flour two cups
chopped bellari onion one cup
chopped green chillies half cup
coriander leaves chopped one cup
puthina greens chopped half cup
chopped fresh curry leaves half cup
asafoetida one pinch
ajwain seeds one spoon
Salt required
Sodium bicarbonate one pinch

Procedure:

Mix raw rice flour, fried gram flour, salt, sodium bicarbonate well.
Add water little by little and knead the mixture into a soft and nonsticky dough.
Add onion, green chillies, curry leaves, coriander leaves, ajwain seeds, puthina leaves (optional), asafoetida and incorporate all the items into the dough.
Heat the dry pan with cooking oil.
Add one spoon of hot oil into the dough and knead again.
Drop irregular shaped portions of the dough by flat and twist your thumb, fore finger and middle finger carefully.
Let the pakodas be fried into golden brown and flip other side to fry evenly.
Drain the oil and transfer them into the tissue paper to absorb the excess oil.
Repeat the process until the dough exhausts.
Serve with tea.

Friday 15 January 2016

AUTHENTIC MURUNGAIKKAI SAMBAR/DRUMSTICK POD SAMBAR

This side dish is very familiar and favorite for everyone in Tamilnadu. It will go very well with hot steamed rice.
Ingredients:
Toor dal one cup
Shallots half cup
Curry leaves half cup
Sambar powder 
Turmeric powder one spoon
Cooking oil one tablespoon
Mustard seeds one spoon
Asafoetida one pinch
drumstick pod pieces (cut into two inches length ) one plate
Tomato one chopped
Tamarind extract thick one cup

Procedure:
Pressure cook the toordal with one spoon turmeric and three. drops of castor oil with four whistles.
Soak goose berry size tamarind in one cup of water for half an hour and take extract.
Heat the dry vessel with cooking oil.
Allow mustard seeds to splutter.
Add shallots, curry leaves and saute a while until translucent.
Followed by drumstick pod pieces, turmeric half spoon, sambar powder, asafoetida and saute well with ladle in medium flame .
Pour the tamarind extract and salt required.
Allow to boil and cook the pods for fifteen minutes.
Finally add cooked toordal entirely.
Allow to boil for some time and add coriander leaves chopped.
This sambaar has its own unique flavor and loved by all.
lip smacking Sambaar meal...with ghee..
U will love to eat more and more..

Sunday 10 January 2016

MANATHAKKALI KEERAI PORIAL/NIGHT BLACKSHADE GREENS STIR FRY


Manathakkali keerai or Night blackshade plant is known in the botanical world as Solanum Nigrum. Today we are going to learn about this green and its nutritional and medicinal benefits before we prepare manathakkali porial.
It is called Black nightshade in English, in Tamil and Malayalam it is Manathakkali , in Kannada it is kakki soppu , in telugu it is Kamanchi chettu and in hindi it is Makoi.

Manathakkali is a wonderful plant and packed with many nutritional and health benefits but it is regrettable that  nowadays people do not recognize this plant which grows in abundance and does not require much of water and soil fertility. These berries have been seen to work wonders with people who are suffering from ulcers either in the stomach or in the mouth and the pain is reduced immensely and slowly the ulcer gets healed.It is difficult to acquire these leaves, raw  and  ripe berries at all times of the year. During the November and December and January of every year . they will grow abundantly and bear lot of deep blue berries which is highly recommended for medicinal benefits.
 Medicinal Uses 
The leaves give strength to muscles and improve vision.It is the best medicine for headache and skin infections.The highlight of  Manathakkali uses is to reduce  urinary infections. Manathakkali keerai is the best medicine for constipation
Manathakkali keerai  recipes taken during pregnancy improves digestion and reduces the vomiting sensation. Manathakkali keerai has high nutritional value, plenty of  vitamins and minerals  and is very safe to be taken during pregnancy.  People in rural areas use manathakkali keerai for ulcer problem. This can be prepared as a delicious recipe like other keerai varieties. 
Manathakkali Keerai (Tamil)/ Black Nightshade (English) is a fantastic greens which is losing its importance nowadays. I still remember, whenever I got mouth sores my grandma used to give 2-3 leaves  and ask me to chew and eat it on an empty stomach., it really helped to heal my sores. 
Important health benefits of Manathakkali is that it helps to heal mouth and stomach ulcers.The other benefits are it improves eyesight, reduces urinary infections and helps to cure constipation.


Nutritional value of Manathakkali keerai and its berries:

The minerals present in black nightshade are niacin, riboflavin, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Vitamin C is the only mineral that is present in high quantity.  The energy value is 68 and it has 82.1% moisture.Fat     -1.0 g       calories -68, water 82.1 g, protein - 5.9g,     minerals - 2.1g sugar - 8.9g, calcium - 410 mg, phosphorus - 70mg, Iron -20.5 mg, Vit C- 11 mg 
      
          It acts as a healing component and  is one of the most important  in Indian medicine.  The different aches, temper tantrums and excitement are balanced with the help of these leaves.  The fruit of the plant are excellent appetizers. It reduces the body heat and prevents diseases that are caused by excessive heat.  Manathakkali keerai acts as a medicine to treat dropsy.For acne, eczema and psoriasis, Solanum Nigrum is the best medicine prescribed by grandmothers  The small berries of the herb is used as a good cure for asthma and fever. People who are suffering from urinary problems are recommended to take this greens at least once a week to get rid of the problem. The juice of the leaves with stem is used to relieve the above problem if taken on a regular basis. 
It revitalizes the functions of the body  and energizes the person to work all the time without tiredness.

How to make manathakali  Porial

Ingredients:

Black nightshade plant leaves washed, cleaned and packed tightly four cups
Shallots chopped half cup
Red chillies broken four 
Curry leaves optional
Mustard seeds one spoon
Chenna dal one tablespoon
Cooking oil one tablespoon
Shredded coconut one cup

Procedure:

Chop the Leaves by using scissors.
Heat the dry pan with the cooking oil.
Add mustard seeds to splutter
Add Chenna Dal and saute for a while until golden brown.
Then followed by shallots and red chillies and curry leaves.
Saute a while until the shallots turn translucent.
Add Turmeric.
followed by the chopped leaves.
Saute for two minutes.
Sprinkle water and add salt.
Close the pan with the lid.
Let the flame be in medium level.
Allow to cook for eight minutes.
Check the remaining water absorbed in the greens.
Saute a while and add shredded coconut.
Mix well and  switch off the flame.

Transfer the porial in a serving bowl.

Serve with hot steamed rice and ghee.
















Saturday 9 January 2016

SENGEERAI PORIAL









Red spinach is rich in iron contents. The leaves and its stem are completely used to make this porial or curry. The greens should be consumed thrice or twice in a week. Red thandu keerai belongs to the family Amaranthaceae. The leaves are looking attractive with bright red colour and green colour combine together  throughout the plant. When cooking, the colour retains and tastes yummy. It is the most nutritious dish. 

Sengeerai porial:

Ingredients:

sengeerai leaves and stems  cleaned with water several times and chopped two cups.
mustard seeds one spoon
urad dal one tablespoon
cooking oil one tablespoon
grated coconut one cup
fined chopped onions one cup
red chillies slit  five or six
curry leaves one cup finely chopped
salt to taste
half pinch turmeric.

Procedure:

Wash the sengeerai or red spinach several times and clean the leaves and stem carefully. 
Chop the leaves and stems. Don't waste stems. It also contain nutrients.
Heat the Oil in a pan.
Add mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.
Add urad dal and wait for the golden brown colour change.
Add red chillies.
followed by onions and curry leaves.
Saute together for a while until the onion becomes translucent.
Add little turmeric.
Then Add sengeerai pieces  and toss well.
The leaves becomes shrinken and wilt
Sprinkle little water and salt to taste.
Let the flame in medium level.
Stir in between.
Let the water absorbed completely.
Finally add coconut grates and mix well.

Sengeerai porial is ready as side dish for plain rice , curd rice, Add Sengeerai porial to rice and one spoon of ghee and mix well and try. It igives an excellent taste . Curd rice  with sengeerai porial  is a super combined food.

Just give a try and let me know how it turns out to you...





LIVE GREEN GRAVY/PANNAI KEERAI KADAISAL







Pannaikeerai is known by the name silver cock's comb or plumed cock's comb. Celosia Argentea is the biological name of silver cock's comb or plumed cock's comb. It can be seen in pink and white that are seen growing along the sides of the field and mostly in dry lands in our India. It is cultivated along the both sides of the park for decorative purposes.
The two feet height plant grows in tropical region.  It needs more sunlight for essential nutrition in the plant.  Ayurvedic and Siddha medicines uses this plant for curing some common and uncommon diseases. People in South East Asia and Africa uses silver cock's comb for edible purposes.  It is laxative and astringent.  It has large amount of fibres and fat content that helps in reducing body heat, constipation, cures skin diseases and gut problem. Choose the baby leaves for tasty and nutritious dish. Pannai keerai contains all nutrients as in other greens. Usually our mothers collected the tender leaves from our garden and field and made wonderful kadaisal and fed us with Ragi flour kali with cow ghee. Highly nutritional and yummy food ever we love. It will go very well with hot steamed rice with ghee .

We can prepare pannai keerai kadaisal without dal. It pairs excellently with hot steamed rice and kali made with ragi flour kali.

Ingredients:

Pannaikeerai /silver cock's comb four cups
Cooking oil one tablespoon
Mustard seeds one spoon
Cumin seeds one spoon
shallots half cup
green chillies three
curry leaves half cup
turmeric one spoon 
salt required

Procedure:

Clean and wash the pannai keerai leaves/silver cock's comb leaves.
Transfer the entire leaves into a pan and add very little water , salt required, turmeric, shallots, green chillies and cumin seeds.
Close the pan with lid and allow them to cook for eight minutes in medium heat.
Care should be taken to avoid overcooking time. 
The green colour of the leaves retained  when cooking within seven minutes
Keep aside to cool.
Blend the entire cooked ingredients for a while.
Temper with cooking oil , mustard seeds pop up, curry leaves.

Live green kadaisal is ready.

Serve with hot steamed rice plus ghee.

so yummy ... what a wonderful dish? you will  go crazy to its taste.. unforgettable food..

















Friday 8 January 2016

LEMON RASAM

Lemon Rasam is having its unique flavour of lemon and its procedure is very same as we prepare other rasams like tomato rasam, pepper rasam, cumin rasam, paruppu rasam/dal rasam, garlic rasam and so on. The only difference is observed by you in this preparation of rasam.

Ingredients:

Toor dal extract three cups
roasted one spoon cumin seeds+pepper seeds one spoon coarse powder.
grated garlic pulses one spoon
coriander leaves chopped half cup
asafoetida one pinch
lemon one
gingelly oil one spoon
mustard seeds one spoon
broken red chillies three
curry leaves

Procedure:

Heat the oil in a dry pan.
Add mustard seeds to pop up.
then red chilies and curry leaves.
Switch off the flame before you add red chillies and curry leaves to avoid burning.
Add asafoetida
Followed by the dal extract cooked withone spoon turmeric and three drops of castor oil.
Switch on the burner.
Add salt.
Allow to boiling temperature.
Add  chopped coriander leaves
Switch off the flame.
Keep aside to cool.
After ten minutes, squeeze the lemon.
Yummy and flavorful lemon rasam is ready to serve with hot rice.
It can be tasted as lemon dal soup.
It is highly nutritional and an easy recipe.

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