Green Apple Chitranna

The winter is in full swing with unbearable cold,one good thing we can look forward in winter is winter crops.Among number of  winter crops apples top the list with its amazing nutritious properties as a saying eating apple a day keeps the doctor away.We have tasted apples in desserts,pudding and pastries but not much in savoury dishes apart from chutneys.Here is my take on popular rice dish chitranna which got a little twist with the addition of grated sour apple instead of lemon or lime juice.This gives a rice new fresh taste  and easy way to add the fruit to your daily intake.Hope you like it. 

Ingredients:

2-Green Apples sour variety(grated)

2cups-Cooked rice

2 tbsp-vegetable or sunflower oil+ oil extra oil for mixing
1/2 tsp- cumin seeds
1/2 tsp- mustard seeds
1/2 tsp- turmeric
4- green chillies finely chopped
12 to 15 fresh curry leavesA
1 tbsp- channa dal/bengal gram
1tbsp-urad dal/blackgram
1/4 cup- roasted peanuts
1/4cup-fresh coconut,grated
1 salt to taste
Fresh coriander chopped

Method:
1.Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat,add mustard and cumin and allow them to splutter
2.Now add both dals,make sure to keep an eye on the flame other wise it will burn the tempering,after the dals become lightly brown add green chillies,red chillies,curry leaves and turmeric and salt, saute for 1 minute,mix well
3.And grated apple with little water(1Tbsp),cook for 3-4 minutes and take out of the flame and keep aside to cool for 5 -10 minutes.

For mixing:
Take a wide bowl and add all the rice,break the lumps very gently with wooden spatula(clean hand is better),now add the cooled tempering,chopped coriander,and 1 or 2tbsp of oil,roasted peanuts,grated fresh coconut on top of the rice.mix gently with wooden spatula ,making sure not to break the rice.If you find salt is less you can add and mix it along with other ingredients.
Before serving garnish with fresh coriander,fresh grated coconut and fried peanuts and enjoy with pickles and curd rice.

Note:
1.If the apple is not sour you can use lemon or lime juice while mixing the rice.
2.You can store the leftover gojju in fridge for 2-3days in refrigirator.

Tomato Dosa/Dose

Ingredients:
Rice-2cups
Tomatoes-2-3(roughly chopped
Fresh coconut-1Tbsp
Green chillies-2
Cumin/jeera-1tsp
Oil for preparing dosa as required
Salt to taste 

Method:
1.Wash and soak rice for -4hours,Grind rice along with coconut,tomatoes,green chillies and jeera into fine paste adding little water.
2.Add water to make it thin as buttermilk consistency.
3.Add salt to taste.mix well, no need to ferment.Prepare dosa's like neer dosa.
4.Heat tawa,take a ladle full of batter and spinkle evenly,sprinkle little oil over dosa.
5.No need to cook both sides of dosa.Fold twice and serve with coconut chutney or any vegetable side dish.

Avalakki Uppittu /Kanda Pohe/Aval Upma/Rice flakes upma

Ingredients:
Avalakki/Poha/Rice flakes-1cup (Thick variety)
Onions-1,finely sliced
Green chillies-3
Curryleaves-2sprig
Oil-1tbsp
Mustard-1tsp
Urad dal-1tsp
Channa dal-1tsp
Peanuts-2tbsp
Salt to taste
Fresh grated coconut-2Tbsp
Lemon juice-2tsp
Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
1.Wash the avalakki thoroughly for 3-4 times until the water runs clear and leave it in the colander
and let the excess water drains out.
2.In the same pan fry the peanuts on a medium low flame until crisp.take out and keep it aside.
3.Heat a oil in a pan add mustard and let them pop then add dals fry until light brown,then add
sliced onions,green chillies,turmeric and curry leaves fry until onions turns light brown,then add salt to taste.
4.Now add  drained avalakki and mix well with the tempering then close the lid and lower the flame and cook for 2-3minutes.
5.Sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with fried peanuts,fresh coconut and chopped coriander.
6.Before serving mix well and serve hot.

Note:
1.You can use veggies to make it more nutritious and colourful.

Instant Tomato Pickle

Ingredient:

Tomatoes/Cherry tomatoes-1/4 kg(I have used cherry tomatoes here)
Mustard-1tsp
Curry leaves-1 sprig
Hing/asafoetida-1/2tsp
Oil-3tbsp
Chilli powder-1Tbsp
Methi powder-2tsp
Salt-2tsp
Sugar-1/2tsp

For powder
Methi-1/4 cup

Method:
1.Dry roast the methi seeds on a low medium flame until light brown and aroma comes.
leave it to cool,In a mixie grind coarsly into powder.Store it in a air tight jar for future use.
2.Wash and cut cherry tomatoes into halves,cut on a plate so that the juice is not wasted.
3.Heat oil in a pan,add mustard and wait until they crackle then add curry leaves and hing,fry for second then after add tomatoes fry for a minute and add salt sugar,chillipowder and methi powder.cook for 2-3 minutes,switch off the flame.Leave it to cool.Store in a air tight jar.
4.Serve as accompainment with sambhar and rice or yoghurt rice.

Note:
1.You can use any variety of tomatoes,if big varieties cut then into bite size pieces.
2.I have mentioned 1/4 cup of methi because you can't use less than this quantitiy
in a mixer jar to grind.and will be difficulty to grind.
3.Use only 2 tsp of methi powder for this recipe as mentioned above if you are preparing in large quantity increase the amount.store rest of the powder in air tight container.
4.This can be last upto week in a refrigirator.make sure you use a clean dry spoon every time 
you serve.

Bale Hoovina Palya/Banana Flower Stir Fry/Subzi

Hi friends I got lot of request for this recipe,so here it is my tried and tested recipe and please read my post regarding heavy menstruation.The banana flower grows at the end of a bunch of bananas. It is a leafy maroon colored cone with cream colored florets layered inside. These florets need to be cleaned well before they are cooked as a vegetable. The banana flower is rich in vitamins, flavonoids and proteins. The flower has been used in traditional medicine to treat bronchitis, constipation and ulcer problems. It eases menstrual cramps. The extracts of banana flower have antioxidant properties that prevent free radicals and control cell and tissue damage.Source- Medindia.
If you have any doubts regarding this topic please leave your queries in the comment section, I will answer as soon as possible.

Ingredients:
Banana flower/Bale hoovu-1 medium size
Whole moong dal/green gram/Hesaru kaalu - 1/2cup 
Channa dal - 1tsp
Urad dal- 1tsp
Dry red chilli-1
Mustard Seeds - 1/2tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2tsp
Green Chilies – 3
Garlic-2 cloves crushed
Onion-1,finely chopped
Curry Leaves – Few
Red Chili Powder - 1/4tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4tsp
Jeera powder-1/2tsp
Salt to Taste
Oil - 1tbsp

Method:

1.Take banana flower remove the red colored outer petals and discard, now you can see small tubular
shaped florets attached to the thicker stem in layers.Remove all the flowers from the stem, now this has stamens and petals which are not edible remove these in all the flowers.Wash them in water and chop them finely and keep it aside.You can see the my post for reference.
2.Pressure cook the whole moong dal and keep it aside.
3.Heat a oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds when they begin to pop add channa dal and urad dal fry until golden brown then add splited dry red chillies, crused garlic,chopped onion,turmeric, green chillies and curry leaves, fry everything until onions are light brown in color.
4.Now add chopped flowers  and fry along with onion for a second,then add chill powder,cumin powder and salt.Cook it for 5-6 minutes on a medium heat with out adding any water.If it is sticking  to the bottom,sprinkle little water.
5.After 5 minutes add cooked moong,mix well and cook for further 5-6minutes on a low flame or until it becomes dry.
6.Serve with chappatis or rice as a side dish.

Notes:
1.Before cleaning banana flower apply some coconut or any edible oil to your palm to avoid the sticking and blackening.
2.I f you are preparing this dish for treating heavy menstruation then i would highly suggest to prepare this same recipe without whole moong for faster recovery.
3.If eating for treating heavy menstruation,take it along with yogurt/curds.
4.Some people suggest soaking chopped banana flowers in buttermilk before preparation to remove the astringent taste but if you are preparing for treatment I would suggest not to soak because the astringent property is the one which treats the heavy mentruation problem.

Nuggekayi/Drumstick Palya

Ingredients:
Nuggekayi /drumsticks-4
Onion-1 small,roughly chopped
Dhaniya/coriander seeds-1Tbsp
Dry red chillies-4(I have used 2 milder and 2 hotter variety)
Peppercorn-1tsp
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Sesame seeds-1Tbsp
Freshly grated coconut-1/4cup
Tamarind -thumb size piece
Salt to taste
For tempering
Hing -pinch
Mustard seeds-1/2tsp
Curryleaves-1 sprig
Dry red chillies-2
Oil-1Tbsp

Method:
1.First wash and cut into 2.5inch long pieces,lightly peel the drumsticks and cook them
on a stovetop adding water 1/2 cup of water or in a microwave  for3-4 minutes(I cooked them in
 a microwave with 1/4 cup of water) and keep it aside along with water.
2.Dry roast the dhaniya seeds,dry red chillies,cumin,peppercorns on a medium flame until the
aroma comes,switch off the flame then add sesame seeds and stir it so that it fries in the remaining
 heat of the pan.leave it to cool.
3.In a mixie grind the roasted spices along with freshly grated coocnut and tamarind with little water
into a fine paste.

4.Heat a oil in  a pan,add mustard wait until it crackles add hing,dry red chillies fry for a second, then
add chopped onions and curry leaves,fry until the onions turn brown.
5.Add grinded masala fry for one minute then add 1/4cup of  water and close the lid and allow  to boil
for 2-3 minutes.
6.Open the lid when its boiling add drumstick along with water,add salt to taste.Cook for 3-4 minutes
or until gravy thickens.Nuggekayi palya is ready to serve.
7.It goes well with rice or chappatis or as a side dish.

Note:
1.Don't over peel the drumsticks,my mother says most of the nutrients and flavour of nuggekayi is in the skin.
2.If you want the thick  gravy reduce the water and if you want have thinner gravy for rice add more water
and adjust the salt as per taste.
3.You can also add potatoes along with this.for this you need to boil the chopped potatoes seperatly  just the way you cook drumsticks.
4.When gray begins boiling add potatoes and drumstick together.
5.I told you to retain the water in which drumstick are cooked because it has got more flavour and ofcourse
nutrients.you can retain both potato and drumstick water and use it instead of using plain water.