Tag: #healthy

TOMATO CHUTNEY RECIPE

#vegan, Healthy, Keto diet, Low carb, South Indian, South Indian Chutneys, South Indian Side dish

It’s a spicy, tangy condiment can be made in a jiffy. It can be served with indian breads, bakery breads, rice, as well as used as a dip for pasta and other dry snacks.

Ingredients

  • Tomato (chopped, fine, 2 cups)
  • Hing [Asafoetida] (small, cake)
  • Mustard Seeds (1 tsp)
  • Curry Leaves (few)
  • Urad Dal [Black Gram] (de-husked, split, 2 tsp)
  • Methi [Fenugreek] (seeds,1/4 tsp)
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Oil (4 tsp)
  • Red Chilies (3)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Breakfast\ Lunch\ Dinner\ Tiffin

Serves: 2

Method:

  • In a shallow skillet add oil and methi [fenugreek seeds] and sautee till they turn deep red in color.
  • Set aside the seeds and add urad dal [split black gram] and sautee till golden.
  • Set aside and add red chilies and sautee for a minute.
  • Set aside the red chilies and add hing [asafoetida].
  • Wait for it to double its size and set aside.
  • In the same skillet add tomatoes and salt.
  • Cook till the water evaporates.
  • In a grinder bowl add the sauteed dry ingredients and grind to a coarse consistency.
  • Transfer the ground mixture to a bowl and add the cooked tomatoes and grind.
  • Mix the ground tomatoes to the spice mixture.
  • Add some oil to the skillet and add mustard seeds.
  • Wait for the seeds to splutter and add curry leaves.
  • Pour the hot oil mixture on top of chutney.

Step by step pictures of the recipe:

Sautee urad dal, methi, red chilies and hing and keep aside.
Cook tomatoes and salt.
Cooked tomatoes.
Grind the sauteed ingredients.
Ground spice mixture.
Add the ground tomatoes to the spice mixture and mix well.
Add oil and mustard seeds, wait to splutter and add curry leaves.
Add the hot oil mixture on top of chutney.

Mango Cookies

Baked recipe, Dessert, Healthy

Whole wheat flour mango cookies are easy to make recipe with no eggs. This recipe has whole wheat flour, natural sugar and carom seeds so it’s pretty healthy too. Mangoes add flavor to the cookies.

Ingredients:

  • Wheat Flour (1/2 cup)
  • Mango Puree (1/4 cup)
  • Baking Soda (1/2 tsp)
  • Milk (2 tbs)
  • Salt (a pinch)
  • Ghee (1/8 cup)
  • Pistachio (pieces, 2 tsp)
  • Baking Powder (1/2 tsp)
  • Ajwain [Carom Seeds] (1 tsp)
  • Natural Brown Sugar (1/8 cup)
Ingredients
Ingredients

Prep time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 18-20 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Category: Snack

Yield: 13

Method:

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Step 2:

  • In a large bowl add whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and carom seeds.
  • Mix all the dry ingredients.
  • In another bowl add mango puree, ghee and sugar and with the help of a hand mixer or hand beater and beat until the mixture is increased in volume and the color is paler.
  • Combine the puree-ghee mixture and dry ingredients well to form a dough. Add milk if the dough is stiff.
  • Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick.
  • Cut the dough into desired shapes using a biscuit cutter.
  • Roll out the spare dough again and repeat the process with the rest of the dough.
  • Transfer the biscuits on to a baking sheet lined tray.
  • Garnish the biscuits with nuts.
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes at 180 degree celsius.
  • Leave on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes.
  • Cool on a wire rack to cool completely.

Step by Step pictures of the recipe:

Mix all the dry ingredients.
Add mango puree, ghee and natural sugar in a bowl.
Beat the wet ingredients using a hand beater.
Mixture ready.
Combine both wet and dry ingredients to form a dough.
The dough is ready to roll out.
Cut the dough into desired shapes.
Garnish with nuts.
Bake for 18-20 minutes at 180 degree celsius.

Notes:

  • Ingredients should be at room temperature.
  • Spoon or Manual or electric hand mixer can be used for beating.
  • More sugar can be added if preferred. The cookies I baked had less sweet because we prefer less sweet.
  • The dough can be kept in between two parchment papers and rolled out.

Avial

South Indian, South Indian Curry

Avial is a simple mixed vegetable cooked in a coconut gravy with curd and seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves. My grandma used to add some chopped tomatoes and beetroot to get the pink color which was loved by all in our family. But, here I have given the authentic recipe without beetroot.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Pumpkin (white, long cut, 2 cups)
  • Coconut (grated, 1 1/2 cups)
  • Carrot (long cut, 1 cup)
  • Beans (long cut, 1 cup)
  • Coconut Oil (1 tbs)
  • Green Chilies (3)
  • Drumstick (1/2 cup)
  • Curd (1/2 cup)
  • Banana (raw, long cut, 1/2 cup)
  • Brinjal (long cut, 1/2 cup)
  • Potato (long cut, 1 cup)
  • Jeera [Cumin] (seeds, 1 1/2 tsp)
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Curry Leaves (few)
Ingredients
Ingredients

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Total time: 1 hr and 10 minutes

Category: Lunch \ Dinner

Cuisine: South Indian

Serves: 4

Method:

  • Add water to a skillet and add Pumpkin, potato, carrot, yam, brinjal, banana, beans, drumstick, and salt.
  • Cover with a lid and cook on a low flame.
  • Cook for 10-15 minutes or till the vegetables are cooked.
  • Grind grated coconut, green chilies and jeera to a coarse consistency.
  • If water is required add few teaspoons of water to adjust the consistency.
  • Make some space in the center of the pan and add coconut oil and in the same oil add curry leaves.
  • Switch off the flame and after 10 minutes add curd.

Step by step pictures of the recipe:

Cook the vegetables in a skillet and add some water.
Cover with a lid and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Grind coconut, jeera and green chilies to a coarse consistency.
Add the mixture to the cooked vegetables.
Make space at the center and add coconut oil and curry leaves.
Add curd once it is cooled.

Notes:

  • While cooking vegetables neither it should be over cooked nor under cooked.
  • Whisk the curd before adding to the cooked vegetables.
  • Fresh curd is preferred always.

Paruppu Urundai [Lentil Dumplings] Rasam

#vegan, Healthy, Rasam, South Indian

Paruppu urundai rasam is not a very common dish like paruppu urundai mor kuzhambu or urundai kuzhambu. Paruppu urundai rasam is my husband’s favorite dish. In our family we make during the weekends and this is one of our special recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Toor Dal [Pigeon Peas] (split, 1/2 cup)
  • Red Chilies (4)
  • Sambar Powder (1 tsp)
  • Mustard Seeds (1 tsp)
  • Tomato (chopped, 3/4 cup)
  • Tamarind (a gooseberry size)
  • Jeera [Cumin Seeds] (1/2 tsp)
  • Green Chili (1/2)
  • Ghee (1 tsp)
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Ginger (a small piece)
  • Turmeric Powder (1/2 tsp)
  • Cilantro (chopped, fine, 4 tsp)
  • Hing [Asafoetida] (cake, a small piece)
Ingredients

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Category: Lunch \ Dinner

Cuisine: South Indian

Serves: 4

METHOD:

RECIPE FOR PARUPPU URUNDAI [LENTIL DUMPLINGS]

  • Wash and soak toor dal [pigeon peas] for 45 minutes. Add red chilies and hing [asafoetida] along with toor dal.
  • Strain the water, add salt and grind to a coarse consistency.
  • Save the water.
  • Form the mixture into balls of a small lemon size.
  • Grease a plate with oil and steam on a low flame for 10 minutes.

PARUPPU URUNDAI RASAM RECIPE:

  • Soak tamarind in water for 30 minutes and extract the juice.
  • In a pan add one cup of tamarind juice and one cup of plain water and bring it to boil.
  • Add chopped tomatoes, sambar powder, turmeric powder, green chili, salt and cilantro.
  • Cook until the raw smell of sambar powder is substituted with good aroma.
  • Add the saved water.
  • Add the steamed paruppu urundai [dumplings] one at a time and cook till the urundais start floating.

FOR TEMPERING:

  • Heat a shallow skillet and add ghee and mustard seeds.
  • Wait for the seeds to splutter and then add jeera.
  • Switch off the flame and add the hot mixture to rasam.

Step by step pictures of the recipe:

Wash and soak lentils, red chilies and hing for 45 minutes.
Strain the water and add the ingredients to a grinder bowl and add salt.
Grind to a coarse consistency. Grease a plate with little oil.
Form the mixture into balls.
Steam the dumplings for 10 minutes.
Add tamarind water, chopped tomatoes, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt and chopped cilantro.
Cook for 10 minutes then add the saved water and dumplings to the rasam. Cook until the dumplings float.
Add ghee and mustard seeds to a skillet. Wait for the seeds to splutter and add jeera.
Add the hot mixture to the rasam and garnish with chopped cilantro.

NOTES:

  • Tamarind pulp can be diluted and added.
  • Hing powder can be substituted for hing cake.
  • Dumplings can be dusted with rice flour and added to rasam instead of steaming but this method requires lot of practice and skill. When dumplings are steamed they won’t break.
  • While steaming open and check if it is soft as also cooked.
  • Dumplings can be added in two batches. Wait for the first batch of the dumplings to float. After they started floating check there is enough water and then add the second batch.
  • Beginners strain the lentils using a strainer instead of directly adding it to the grinder bowl. If the lentils are grinded with water it becomes soft and chances of breaking is more.
  • As soon as you add jeera stop the flame. jeera gets burnt fast and spoils the smell of rasam.
  • For sambar powder recipe please check my channel and I have given the link in the description of the video.