Sweet Corn Ragi Cutlet

Ragi or called as finger millet. Scientific name Eleusine coracana. This contains amino acids which is found in rice, maize, plantain. It gives good source of energy. Its one of staple diet for the farmers who toil hard under the sun. Most of the village side in India consider this millet to boost  their energy. Its cooked in buttermilk to make chill porridge or made into ragi balls which is eaten along with onion, chilly.
It is also mixed with hot milk with sugar and given to growing kids. Flat breads, dosas etc are also made.
It doesn't exactly have any particular taste.
It takes the flavour and taste of the additions which are added to it.

From the usual treats i wanted to make a healthy evening snack and this is where i landed up!!!!

Ingredients:

Ragi flour - 1cup

Sweet corn - 1cup

Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Boiled potatoes - 2
Spring Onion - 1
Green chilly -2
Green coriander - 4-5 strands
Water - 1cup
Milk - 5tbs
Red chilly powder - 1tbs
Garam Masala powder - 1/2tbs
Chat masala powder - 1/2tbs
Amchoor powder - 1/4tps
Salt - 1 1/2tbs
Sugar 1/2tps
Oil - 5tbs

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Dry roast for 1min the ragi powder and cool it.
2. Meanwhile boil the potatoes. Peel of the skin and mash them.
3. Finely chop the green chilly, onions. Grind the sweet corn into coarse powder.
4. Add few drops of oil in a pan. Saute the onions till they turn soft add potatoes.
5. Mix them well add all the dry masalas, salt, sugar
6. Cool them.
7. Take a bowl add the ragi flour, rice flour, green coriander,sweet corn powder,mixed potato masala.
8. Ragi flour is bit hard to knead. So Knead hard but slowly.
9. Add Milk as mentioned.
10. Add water as required so that it becomes a sticky mixture to make cutlet balls.
11. Do not knead too tight as they would turn hard once they are fried.

12. In a pan add oil to shallow fry the cutlets.
13. Make big or medium size balls and flatten them like tyres.
14. If the dough sticks to your hand rub oil/water to your hand and start rolling the dough.
15. Now drop one each time if the cutlet is big. Take care that they have to be cooked on all sides.
16. Do not blacken them :)
17. Shallow fry them till they turn golden brown on both sides. Fry in medium or low flame.
18. To fry the sides. Sprinkle oil from the sides of the cutlet to centre with a ladle.

19. Drain them onto tissue paper.

Serve hot with tomato sauce. Goes well with mint tamarind chutney.
Caution: Its a energy snack so do not stack too much into your tummy :)

Soya Sukha Sabzi

Ingredients:
Soya chunks - 200gms
Spring Onions - 3
Tomatoes - 2
Green chilly - 1
Ginger - 2inches
Shahi jeera - 1tbs
Kashmiri chilly powder - 1tbs
Turmeric powder - 1/2tbs
Jeera powder -1 tps
Amchoor powder - 1/2tbs
Garam masala powder - 1tbs
Oil - 2tbs
Water - 4cups
Salt -1tbs
Green coriander for aroma and garnish

Method/ Vidhiee:
1. Boil the soya chunks in water.
2. Drain them and sqeeze excess water.
3. Again wash them in cold water and sqeeze water.
4. Meanwhile finely chop onions, tomato, green chilly, ginger.
5. In a pan add oil shahi jeera splutter them.
6. Add onions, green chilly, ginger and saute till onions turn transparent.
7. Add toamtoes and saute them.
8. Add all dry powders and mix well. Add salt and mix again.
9. Add the soya chunks and mix well.
10. Keep the pan closed for 3mins in medium flame.
11. Open the lid of pan and saute agiain. Garnish with green coriander.

Serve hot!! Your Soya Sukha Sabzi is ready. You can have this as a snack too..

Manathakali Keerai Poodi/ Powder

One fine day i found 5-6 bunches of Manathakali Keerai. Please read the link of Wikipedia >>>  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_nigrum to know the features of this spinach.
I tried to find the exact name of this plant and its called as Black Nightshade. As i browsed still further about this wonderful plant which has high medicinal properties. It has the element to cure ulcers, cleans of bad enzymes. But, the other side of the fact is that its berries are considered to be poisonous when they are ripe.
Down south of India even the berries of the plant are eaten when they are green. The green berries are mostly dried under sun, salted and then fried in oil. Which is very much edible.

 Well from my childhood i have seen my mom, grand mothers making Manathakali Keerai kootu, Koyambu, Curry etc.. but for the first time i have tried to innovate a bit and made powder from the leaves of this spinach. This keerai has absolute medicinal properties and can cure ulcers, stomach aches.
Making every 2 weeks gushes out bad worms from our system.

Ingredients:
Leaves of Manathakali Keerai - 3 cups (Washed and dried)
Dry red chilly - 3-4
Channa dal - 1/2 cup
Asafatida - 1tps
Vellam/Jaggery - 2tbs
Salt to taste or approx - 1tbs

Method/ Vidhiee:
1. First step is to separate leaves from the stem. Then wash them thoroughly.
2. Drain excess water wipe them with soft cotton towel.
3. Dry them under sun (1 day) / under shade (2-3 days)
4. On the day of doing this powder follow the below steps.
5. Heat a pan dry roast channa dal till they turn light brown.
6. Dry roast red chilly after plucking their nodes.
7. Also saute the dried leaves on the pan till they turn crisp
8. .Off the flame and just saute the asafatida and salt.
9. After all ingredients cools down. In a mixer jar put channa dal, red chilly, asafatida, salt, jaggery.
10. Grind them into fine powder.

How to eat ?????

Have hot steamed white rice. Pour some spoons of til oil/ ghee mix well. Add the Manathakali powder mix well and eat 3-4 balls of it. I must really say first the toungue would taste jaggery then salt, at last the bitterness of the leaf.

Sri Rama Navami Neivedhiyas

Sri Rama Navami - This day is celebrated as the birth day of Lord Rama. Rama was the 7th incarnation of Dasaavathara of Vishnu. Rama was born to Raja Dasharatha and Kausalya. It occurs on the ninth day, or navami, beginning count from the "no moon day" or Amavasya, during the waxing moon duration called "Shukla Paksha". Sri Rama Navami generally occurs in the months of March and April. In north of India it is also celebrated as Navarathra.

From the day i remember this day is celebrated with devotion along with different neivedhyas. Unlike other Hindu festivals neivedhyas Sri Rama Navami neivedhyas are very diffrent. Simple and not much of hard work :)
1. Panagam - Vellam/Jaggery/Gur Water
2. Neer Moor - Spiced thin buttermilk
3. Kosmalli - Split Moong dal lentils with added spices
4. Payasam - This time Javarici Payasam was made
5. Tulsi Water

Panagam
Vellam/Jaggery/Gur - 200gms
Elaichi/Elakai/Cardamom - 4-5 pods
Suk/Dry ginger powder - 1tbs
Chilled water - 10 glasses

Method/Vidhiee:
1. In a vessel powder the jaggery and add water.
2. Make sure that the jaggery mixes well in water and dissolves completely. Starin the water as there may be some impurities in the jaggery.
3. Break open the elaichi pods. Seperate the outer layer and the inside seeds.
4. Crush the seeds into powder.
5. Add the elaichi powder and dry ginger powder to the jaggery water.
6. Chill it in fridge.
Your panagam is ready.

Neer Moor
Curd/Yougurt - 6 cups
Water - 10 cups
Green coriander leaves - bunch
Curry leaves - 5 strings
Mustard seeds - 1tbs
Asafatida - 1tps
Oil - 1tbs
Ginger - 2inches
Salt - 2tbs

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Split the curd into buttermilk by whisking them.
2. Add water and blend them using a hand blender or odden stick.
3. Strain the buttermilk so that the excess lumps stays away.
4. Add salt and mix well.
5. In a small pan add oil splutter the mustard seeds, asafatida, curry leaves.
6. Clean the ginger and take of the skin.
7. Crush them or cut them into fine pcs.
8. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and ginger on to the butter milk.
9. Finely chop the green coriander leaves and add them to the butter milk.
Your Neer Moor is ready.

Kosmalli
Split Moong dal - 50gms
Raw mango - 1 medium
Green chilly - 1
Curry leaves - 2 strings
Mustard seeds - 1tbs
Asafatida - 1/2tps
Salt to taste
Oil 1tbs
Lemon - 1
 Green coriander leaves to decorate
Water - 1cup

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Soak the moong dal in water for  2hrs
2. Drain excess water and keep aside.
3. Finely chop raw mango, green chilly, green coriander leaves and add to the moong dal.
4. In a small pan splutter mustard seeds, asafatida, curry leaves in oil.
5. Add them to the moong mixture.
6. Add salt and mix well.
7. At end cut the lemon and sqeeze the juice to the mixture and mix well.
Your Kos malli is ready for neivedhiya

Javarici / Sabudana Payasam
Javarici/Sabudana(sago/Tapoica) - 4tbs
Milk - 3cups
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cashew nut - 4-5
Kismis - 6
Ghee - 1tbs
Cardamom powder - 1/2tbs
Yellow food colour optional

Method/Vidhiee:

1. Soak the Jav arici/sabudana in water for 15 minutes if it is small in size, otherwise for big sized sabudana soak it
2. Heat a pan with a ghee, add kismis and cashewnuts.Saute them. 
3. Boil the milk for 10 min.
4. Now add soaked jav arici in it. Cook till it  can be easily pressed between fingers.
5. Now add sugar and mix well till the sugar dissolves completely.
6. Add cardamom powder, mix it & serve it hot

Payasam is quite thick as the jav arici pulls up the milk. If, want thin then add 1 cup milk to make it thin & then serve.