Tasty and Delicious Bengali Road side snack Jhaal Moodi

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Latha's Corner 

Cruchy Fenugreek and Horsegram Sprouts Salad, a good dish for the Diabetics

Horsegram is known as Kollu in Tamil, Mudhira in Malayalam etc  Kollu is known in Ayurveda medical texts and have been used in their treatments for centuries in the southern parts of India.
Sprouts are known to be high  in Vitamin A, Thiamine, Vitamin C, Iron and Potassium. Sprouting the horsegram helps in reducing the production of gas  and helps  to digest easier and better than the dried horse gram.

How to prepare Fenugreek and Horsegram sprouts?
Soak 2 tablespoons each of Fenugreek and horsegram separately overnight. Drain the water out from the dals in the morning.
Tie them up in a thin cloth  for 24 hours. Sprouts will appear after this period. If kept for over 48 hours like that yu can see longer sprouts appearing.
Youwill have to just see that the bag is moist all the time. If needed sprinkle a little water now and then.
Now remove the sprouts from the bag and clean them nicely under tap water.

Ingredients needed for Fenugreek and Horsegram Sprouts Salad
1 cup of sprouts
2 tomatoes, chopped coarsely
2 tbsps freshly grated coconut
salt to taste
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

How to prepare Fenugreek and Horsegram Sprouts Salad?
Mix all the in gredients mentioned together. Use immediately.
If you like you can use a dash of lime juice over that.
The salad is very rich in vitamons, iron and other minerals.
You can also mix and use other vegetables like carrot, cucumber, french beans etc.

An Healthy Curryveppila koottaan / Curry, a kerala dish

This curry veppila koottan / Curry  is a very friendly dish and a healthy one at that, for stomach. Curry leaves are known for its health benefits and nutritions.  So try to have this curry at least for one meal in a week.

Ingredients needed for Curryveppila Curry
1 cup curry leaves, cleaned nicely
2 tbsps coriander seeds
1 tbsp bengal gram
1 tbsp blackgram
1 tsp cuminseeds
5-6 red chillies
1 tsp blackpepper
tamarind 1 lemon size
a pinch asafoetida
salt to taste
2 pinches turmeric powder
2 tbsps grated coconut ( optional )
2 tsp grated jaggery / one marble size

For tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp Chundaikka vathal
1/2 tsp fenugreek
Instead of Chundaikkai Vathal, 6-8 flakes of Garlic chopped,  can also be added.

How to prepare Curryveppila Curry 
Heat oil in a fry pan, fry  red chillies, coriander seeds, bengal gram, black gram, cumin seeds, black pepper to gether to a golden brown.
Add curry leaves  and saute till they turn crispy. Let cool.
Ground the fried masalas with grated coconut and tamarind pieces to a smooth paste.
Add salt to taste, jaggery and a cup of water. Keep aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the fry pan, splutter mustard seeds  and add chopped garlic if you are using them.
Add the ground masala paste to this and saute till the oil starts oozing out on the sides.
If you are using Chundaikka Vathal leave out Garlic and add separately fried Chundaikka Vathal after the curry is ready.
Remove and serve it with hot steaming rice.

Points to Note
You can store this curryveppila curry in the refrigeratore for more than a week
If you like a thinner consistency as an Ozhichu koottan, add a little more water and bring it to boil.

Sesame / Ellu Pachadi, a Kerala style recipe

Ingredients needed for Ellu Pachadi
2 cups of Vendaikka / Lady's finger cut small pieces 2 cups
2 tsps thick tamarind extract
2 pinches turmeric powder
salt to taste
oil
1 tbsp seasame seeds
4 red chillies
1 tbsp raw rice
2 tsps grated jaggery (optional)

Ingredients for tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 red chilli broken into bits
Handful curry leaves

How to prepare Ellu Pachadi?
Roast sesame seeds, powder and keep aside.
Roast raw rice, red chilli, powder and keep aside.
Now take a vessel / a saucepan,  pour tamarind water, turmeric powder and salt to taste.
As it comes to boil add ladies finger pieces, cook until soft. Now add grated jaggery if you like.
Add chilli, rice powder and mix well. Let it boil for a minute.
In the end add sesame powder and mix well.
Temper with mustard seeds, broken pieces of red chilli and curry leaves.

Points to Note: 
Usually in Pachadis curds get added as the main ingredient but in this recipe tamarind pulp is used instead. Even though this is of a different combination the taste comes out delicious.
Since Ellu / sesame seeds and Lady'sfingers are very nutritious this can be considered as an Healthy recipe too.

The Healthy morning breakfast, Ragi Dosa

Ingredients needed for the Ragi Dosa 
1 cup Ragi
1 cup onion chopped fine
2/3 green chillies chopped
1 tsp ginger, grated
1/2 cup coriander leaves chopped fine
Salt to taste
Oil

How to prepare Ragi Dosa
Clean and soak the ragi overnight.
Drain and grind to a paste in the morning  using alittle water so that it comes to a dropping consistency.
Add chopped onion, green chillies. ginger, coriander leaves to the Ragi batter. Mix well.
Heat a non stick dosa tava, grease it with a little oil. Take a ladleful batter and spread it on the tava with the back of the spoon.
The size should be somewhat similar to Uthappams.
Pour oil on to the sides and cook till the side gets cooked. Then flip it to cook the other side. Add oil if needed.
Serve hot with any spicy curry, chutney.

Koova Kanji Recipe of Kerala

Ingredients for Koova Kanji
1 cup Koova podi
1 cup podiyari
1 cup curds
Salt to taste

How to prepare Koova Kanji:
Cook podiyari separately, keep aside.
Mix Koova podi in water. be careful to see that there are no lumps in the mix.
Then add cooked Podiyari to the mix. Bring it to boil till the kanji thickens and the koova podi gets cooked.
Add beaten curds and salt to taste .
Serve with malakkari / pachakari  Kootu  ( Vegetable Kootu)

Recipe for a fat free Apple Cake

Ingredients needed for Apple Cake

225 grams Apple

2 eggs

100 grams powdered sugar

75 grams cornflour

50 grams crushed cashewnuts or walnuts

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 cup cream

How to prepare Fat Free Apple cake?

Preheat the 0ven at 350*C

Peel the apples with a sharp knife and cut into small pieces.

In the blender, add the cut apples, powdered sugar, eggs, cornflour, crushed nuts, baking powder and the cinnamon powder. Blend well.

Take a well greased cake dish, spread the mix nicely.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 - 40 minutes.

Check if it is done, by pricking the cake with a tooth pick.

Remove from the oven let cool

Serve with cream.

Tasty and Delicious Karela / Pavaikka

Ingredients needed for the tasty and Delicious Karela / Pavaikka
4 Bittergourds / Pavaikka / Karela
2 cups besan / kadala maau
oil as required
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp jeeragam / cumin seeds
3 onions
3 green chillies
1 piece ginger
1 clove garlic
2 tomatoes
1 pinch turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsps coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 to 1 piece achu vellam / jaggery, according to your taste

How to prepare the Tasty and Delicious Karela
Clean Pavaikka and slit lengthwise in to three pieces, then cut across in to 2" long pieces. Ideally the pieces should be 1" wide and 2" long.
Blend besan and salt  together with a little water to a batter like consistency.
Dip each of the Pavaikka piece in to the batter and deep fry in hot oil till they are golden and crisp.
Drain off the excess oil and keep aside.
Remove all the extra oil from the pan keeping a little oil back. Add mustard and jeera, splutter  and then add chopped onions. Saute till the onions get golden.
Add chopped green chillies, ginger, garlic  and tomatoes and fry till they are cooked and soft.
Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and chilli powder with garam masala  and the jaggery. Mix well and cook till masalas lose their raw smell and blend with the onion and toamto paste.
Add fried pavaikka to this gravy, sprinkle some water and salt. Mix well, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Remove and serve fresh and hot.

Points to Note:
You can adjust the amount of jaggery accirding to your taste. If you like the slightly bitter taste of pavaikka do not add jaggery or add very little just for that taste.
With Curd rice this should accompany very well. See if you like this.
To know more about the nuritional benefits of bittergourds  / Pavaikka visit Lathas Corner

Other Paavaikka /  Karela Recipes
Paavaikka Pachadi
Paavaikka Pulingari

Sprouted Green Grams Sundal

Ingredients needed for the Greengram Sprouts Sundal

1 cup Sprouted Green Gram
3 - 4 Red Chillies, broken into bits
Handful curry leaves, chopped fine
1 tbsp grated coconut
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard
1 tsp urad dhal
A pinch of Asafotida
Salt to taste

How to Prepare the Greengram Sprouts Sundal
Steam the with a little salt till it is just cooked. You can also cook the sprouts in an open pan till it is soft
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and let it splutter.
Add urad dal, broken red chillies, asaafoetida, chopped curry leaves. Mix well
Add grated coconut and the cooked green gram sprouts.
Mix well, cover for a minute.

French Beans Mallum

These Mallum or Mallung Recipes are similar to our Poriyal ( Tamil Nadu) Thoran ( Kerala ) etc
Vegetables are mixed with sambar onions and coconut with green chilli or red chilli powder and cooked . It can be steamed and used as a salad too. You can use the ordinary onions too if you like.

Ingredients you need French Beans Mallum Recipe:
500 grams french beans
1/2 cup finely sliced onions
1 cup grated fresh coconut
3-4 green chillis
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

How to get the ingredients ready for the Recipe.
Wash and Clean the French Beans and cut them into 1inch pieces. Then again cut them diagonally  to get thin longer shaped pieces.
If you know how to cut and are an expert just cut the beans in to 1 1/2 inches long and diagonally cut pieces just like that.
Slice onions finely. Chop green chillies and crush green chillies and the grated coconut together with your hand.
Take a pan with a lid, add the french beans, onions, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix well, cover with the lid and  in simmer till tender.
When the beans get tender add the grated coconut and green chillies.  Mix well and simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove and serve hot.

Note:
This recipe is similar to our Beans Poriyal / Thoran of South India. The only difference is that we temper the dish with a little oil, mustard and curry leaves.  They do not seem to be doing it here.
Since it has no oil, it should be a good recipe for the Diabetics and the all the fat related problems. It is really an healthy recipe to boot.

Soya Chilli Fry Recipe

Ingredients Needed for the Soya Chilli Fry:
1 cup Soya Chunks
1 cup Onions sliced fine
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic
5 green chillies, remove the stem and slit
2 stalks of Curry Leaves
fresh coconut chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup carrot cut into small pieces
1 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsps Coriander powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 tsp pepper powder
Salt to taste
1/2 cup tomatoes chopped
3 tbsps oil

How to prepare the Soya Chilli fry
Boil water, add the soya chunks and cook till it get tender.
Wash with cold water, drain out the water and squeeze the chunks dry.
Cut the chunks into small pieces and keep aside.
Heat oil in a fry pan, add onion, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, chopped coconuts and saute till the onions and coconut pieces are golden. Add carrots and saute them too. If you like the carrots tender you can parboil them beforehand and then add the pan.
Add the chilli powder, coriander powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt to the pan. Mix well.
When the aroma starts coming add the chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes blend well with the masala.
Now add the soya Chunks and simmer for about 5 minutes till all the ingredients combine well together.
You can serve this garnished with coriander leaves.

Note:
Soya chilli fry serves as a side dish without gravy to any type of main dish, like, Cooked Plain Rice and Curry, as a side dish to Pulaos and Biryanis and to Paranthas and Pooris.

Plantain Stem Salad Recipe

Ingredients for the Salad Recipe
5" long Plantain stem
1 tsp oil
3 green chillies
1 tsp asafoetida water
1 lime
1 tsp mustard seeds
salt to taste

How to prepare the salad:
Wash and clean the stem properly.
Cut the plantain stem into small and thin pieces in to the salad bowl. Add salt to taste and turmeric powder.
Season with mustard seeds and slit green chillies.
Flavor with a tsp of asafoetida water. ( A pinch of asafoetida should be soaked in a teaspoon of water for an hour and only the water used).
Just before serving squeeze the lime and serve chilled.

Note:
To soak asafoetida, do not use powder available  from the suprmarkets. Get the whole packet of asafoetida , pull out a little from that and then  soak in a little water  before using it.  This will give you a good flavour just a pinch should be enough for the salad.

Green Peas and Mixed Sprouts Chaat

Ingredients needed for the Green Peas and Mixed sprouts chaat:
2 cups shelled green peas
2 cups mixed sprouts
1 tsp chaat masala
1/2 tsp anardhana / Pomegranate seeds powder
2 chopped green chillies
2 tsps oil

How to prepare the Chaat:
Heat oil in a fry pan ( non stick can be preferred ) .
Stir fry the shelled green peas and the sprouts for about 4-5 minutes. Keep stirring from time to time so that the ingredients get sauteed uniformly.
Add the spices chaat masala , Pomogranate powder and green chillies. Check for salt, if needed add a 2-3 pinches. Continue stir frying for another 2-3 minutes and remove from fire.

Ingredients for Garnishing the chaat:
1/2 cup bhujjia or sev
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup pomogranate fruits ( cleaned ad shelled )
2-3 slices of pineapple

How to garnish and serve the chaat:Take a beautiful Serving Dish, put in the stir fried sprouts and green peas. Spread them nicely, add chopped onions and tomatoes over the green peas and sprouts. Sprinkle pomogranate fruits over this.
Sprinkle bhujjia or sev on top and then arrange the cut pineapple pieces around the edghe of the serving dish.
Serve the colourful and healthy chaat to your guests and family and get ready to get wopnderful reviews from them.