#covid19#Lockdowncooking # Moringa leaves Rasam

Again a Moringa leaf dish. Moringa leaves rasam. The leaves are rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals,  phytonutrients and antioxidants. Protects heart and support cardiovascular system. Rasam I am preparing for the first time. Had made different types of stir fry, sambar, Oothappam, chapatti, dosa and vada. It is Lockdown. Focusing on garden produce stick on Moringa leaves for today’s curry. Thus the rasam.

Ingredients 

Tender Moringa leaves a cup, 

cooked cowpeas, quarter cup, 

onion small 1, garlic cloves 7, both chopped, 

tomato 2, cubed, cilantro little, chopped 

tamarind a small gooseberry size, squeeze the juice in a little water. 

Rasam powder 1 tbsp., salt to taste.

For garnishing 

Coconut oil 2 tsp., mustard seeds 1/2tsp, 

shallots 2, chopped, 

dried red 2, broken, 

curry leaf half sprig.

Preparation 

Grind the cooked cowpeas coarse in a mixie along with 3/4th of the onion and shallots.

Mix it in two cups of water in a wok and boil. Add tamarind juice, tomato. Allow to boil. Add moringa leaves, rasam powder and salt. Cook the leaves. Put in low flame and add 3/4th cilantro. 

Heat oil in  a pan, drop in mustard seeds, allow to splutter, add red chilli, curry leaf and cilantro. Pour on the rasam. Combine well and serve with hot rice.

#covid19#lockdownspecial cooking # Semolina ( Rava)Kheer

A delicious desert. So easy to cook. 

Ingredients 

Fried coarse semolina 1 cup, milk 4 cups, sugar 1 cup, ghee 2 tbsp., salt a pinch, cashew nut splits 1 tbsp., raisins 2 tbsp.

Preparation 

Mix the semolina in two cups of water in a nonstick bowl and cook on medium flame. When it starts boiling add sugar and boiled milk into the bowl and stir continuously till it reaches your consistency. If needed add more milk. Transfer into a serving bowl.

Heat the ghee, fry the cashew nuts and raisins , add the mix into the kheer. So simple and really delicious.

You can adjust the milk and sugar less or more according to your like.

The recipe here is a dessert one. 

 I prefer a less sugar dish which can be very well have for dinner as a porridge 🥣 

It is easily digestible.

#covid19#Lockdowncooking#Watermelon rind semolina kheer

Ingredients 

Chopped watermelon rind 2 cup, 

Sugar 11/2cups,

Coarse semolina 1/2 cup,

Ghee 1 tbsp., cashew nuts 10, raisins a tbsp., milk one litre, cardamom powder 2 tsp., salt a pinch.

Preparation 

Chopped Watermelon rind 2 cups, sugar 1 cup, salt a pinch. Pressure cook for three whistles. Allow to cool down. 

Coarse Semolina 1/2 glass, cook the semolina in 4 cups of milk. Add more milk if needed for the consistency of your taste and like.

Add cardamom powder and half cup of sugar and cook. Stir it continuously. Add the cooked watermelon rind mix to the semolina. Mix and stir the kheer to the thickness you like on medium flame 🔥 Garnish with ghee fried cashew nuts and raisins. It is super delicious 😋 

#covid19#lockdownspecialcooking# Sardine Feast

Sardines is one of our favourite fish. Today we got sardines at our gate. Our fisherman started his work. Sardines are one of the healthiest fish. It is known as brain food and one of the budget friendly food. Sardines are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which prevent heart diseases due to its anti inflammatory properties. Sardines are excellent sources of vitamin B-12 and vitamin D, protein, calcium, phosphorus and other minerals. It is low mercury and other metals than in large fish. Sardines are considered one of the safest fish.

Having enough time due to lockdown, thought of making four dishes with sardines, two amma’s (mom) and two matemma’s (Mil). My Mil used to make mango fish curry and some fish fry out of the fish every day. I don’t know how even if it is not mango season she will manage to get it. So also fish fry. My mom loves to cook fish in tamarind juice, also she loves to have a dry dish fish peera in grated coconut.

Different dishes of sardines. I have improvised a little to suite today’s fast cooking and with the available ingredients in our pantry.

Mango sardines curry 

Sardines cleaned and cut into 2, two handful pieces, shallots 6, ginger a small piece both chopped, raw mango 2, peeled and sliced, coconut paste 1/2 cup, turmeric powder 1/3tsp., kashmiri chilli powder 1tbsp., coriander powder 1 tsp., fenugreek powder 1/4 tsp., salt to taste.

Combine all the ingredients in two cups of water in an earthen wok and cook it on medium flame. 

Sardine fry

Sardines cleaned and striped 5, 

Garlic  paste 1/2 tsp., chilli powder 1tsp., black pepper powder 1/2tsp., salt to salt taste. Combine the ingredients into a paste, rub it into the sardines, keep it for half an hour. Fry them in coconut oil.

Sardines in tamarind juice 

Sardines cleaned and cut into two, a handful 

Tamarind a gooseberry size, soak it in warm water, squeeze and take two cups of juice.

Chilli powder 2tsp., coriander powder 1 tsp., turmeric powder 1/4 tsp., salt to taste.

Shallots 4, chopped. 

Combine the ingredients in an earthen wok and cook it on medium flame till it reaches your consistency. Add a tsp or two tsps of coconut oil on the curry.

Sardine peera

Sardines cleaned and cut into three, a handful, Garcinia cambogia (kudam puli) 2 cloves, turmeric powder 1/2tsp., crushed black pepper 1/2 tsp., shallots 7, garlic cloves 6 and a small piece of ginger, all three chopped, salt to taste.

Combine all the ingredients in a cup of water and cook on a medium flame. When it is cooked and water absorbed add 2tsp. of coconut oil over the mix. 

All the dishes are delicious if you like sardines❤️

Clockwise peers, mango curry, tamarind curry and fry 

Cooking on gas stove 

Traditional way of Cooking with firewood 

Ready to cook 

#covid19#lockdowncooking# Rice upma

Lockdown is giving plenty opportunities to improvise cooking. I am looking for new recipes every day to post in my blog. If you are ready for getting new ideas, no doubt it will be on your way. That’s happening in my case. I prefer simple dishes that any one can make. Here is one of it. Delicious and nutritious.

Preparation of rice flour and broken rice at home 

Parboiled white rice 1 kg, soak it for 3-4 hours, drain it and allow the moisture to vapour. Powder it in a mixie. Sieve and separate the broken rice. Again grind and continue the process. Finally powder and broken grains are ready. Dry fry the rice flour and store to prepare puttu and ada. The broken rice is used for upma.

Preparation of Upma 

Fried broken rice 1 cup, soaked in 2 cups of water, onion 1, ginger 1inch piece, tomato 1, all three finely chopped, coconut oil 1tbsp., curry leaf a sprig, salt to taste, mustard seeds 1/4 tsp., dried red chilli 2, cut into thin circles.

Heat the oil in a shallow pan, drop in mustard seeds, allow to splutter, add curry leaves followed by onion and ginger, add salt combine well till tender. Add red chilli, mix and add tomato. Sauté till it is cooked. Drop in the soaked broken rice. Mix well and allow to cook. It will take 3-5 minutes to get cooked. Transfer into a serving bowl. Serve hot with papadum.

Those who prefer a side dish can go for a chicken or egg roast or a vegetable stew. 

#covid19# lockdown cooking special# taro stem, taro leaves and bilimbi recipes

Today’s special side dishes for lunch is cooked from the ingredients of our garden except the condiments. New cooking ideas are emerging based on law of minimalism. Today the dishes are from taro stem, taro leaves and tender bilimbi.

Taro leaves and stems are rich in vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals. The anti inflammatory, anti cancer and analgesic properties are high lights. They are low in calories and contains dietary fibre.

Taro stem masala curry 

Taro stem 6, peel out the outer skin, cut in to slender pieces, onion 2, garlic cloves 8, ginger 2inch piece, tomato 1, all thinly sliced, green chilli 4, silted 

Coconut oil 2tbsp., curry leaf 2 sprigs, chicken masala powder 1tbsp., salt to taste and coconut milk 1cup.

Heat oil in an earthen pot, drop in curry leaves followed by onion, garlic and ginger. Allow to become tender, add green chilli and tomato. Sauté till tender, add taro stems, salt and allow to cook. The of the stems is enough to cook. Close with a lid and allow to cook for five minutes in low flame. Add chicken masala, cook for two more minutes. Add coconut milk. Allow to bubble. Masala curry is ready. Transfer into a serving bowl.

Taro leaf in yogurt 

Taro leaves are to take special care before cooking. The acrid taste is be removed. Wash the whole leaves. Cut the leaves thin. Dip the leaves in turmeric and salt water for 5 to 10 minutes. Wash it thoroughly and allows to drain. Immerse the cut  leaves in a wok of boiling water for three or four minutes. Drain out the water and keep aside.

Onion 1, garlic 2 cloves, both chopped, green chilli 2 silted, coconut oil 1tbsp., cumin and mustard seeds 1/4 tsp. each, red chilli dried 2, turmeric powder 1/2 tsp., chilli powder 1/3tsp., thick yogurt 1cup, salt to taste, sugar 2tsp.

Heat oil in a shallow pan, drop in mustard and cumin seeds followed by red chilli, allow to splutter. Add onion, garlic and salt , sauté it till tender, add turmeric and chilli powders, mix it and add the boiled taro leaves, mix with a fork to avoid crumbling. Put in low flame and add sugar and yogurt. Combine well with the fork. Transfer into the serving bowl. Prefer tender leaves to avoid the itching.

Bilimbi Thoran 

Bilimbi is rich in vitamins and minerals. Reduces blood sugar and high cholesterol levels.

Tender bilimbi 2 handfuls, cut head and tail. Wash it and drain. Chop it.

Shallots 12, garlic cloves 4, both chopped

Coconut oil 1tbsp., cumin and mustard seeds 1/3 tsp. each, red chilli dried 2, curry leaves a sprig, turmeric and chilli powders 1/3tsp. each, grated coconut 1 cup.

Heat the oil in a shallow pan, drop in mustard and cumin seeds and allow to splutter, drop in red chilli followed by curry leaves, onion and garlic. Allow to sauté. Add salt , turmeric and chilli powders, mix well, add bilimbi, combine well and allow to cook. It gets cooked fast. Add the coconut. Combine well. Thoran is ready. 

#covid19#lockdown# Special today is Mampazha Sambar

Today is Vishu. Vishu is a Hindu festival of Kerala, India. Vishukani,  Vishukaineetam and Vishu sadya are the main observations. Due to lockdown no specials. Prayers for the whole world 🌍 to overcome the hard situation of Covid 19 and wipe out the corona virus 🦠

No purchase for Vishu. Thought of using the ingredients in the pantry. 

The curry mangoes are ripen. Usually make mampazha kootan means mangoes in yogurt. For a change thought of making sambar which we had years back from Malabar. It’s not common.

Ingredients 

1. Ripen small mango 10, peeled

2.  Toordal 1/2 cup, shallots 10, pressure cook and allow to cool down 

3. Tamarind gooseberry size, sqeeze the juice in warm water. Keep aside 

4. Green chilli 4, silted, chilli powder 1 tbsp., coriander powder 1 tbsp., turmeric powder 1/2 tsp., salt to taste, coriander leaves chopped 1 tbsp., curry leaf  2 sprigs, jaggery powder 1 tbsp., fried coconut powder 2tbsp.

5 For garnishing 

Coconut oil 1tbsp., mustard and fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp. each, green chilli 2, silted, dried red chilli 2, broken each into 2, curry leaf a sprig.

Open the pressure cooker, add ingredients 1&4 to the cooked dal and combine well.

Allow to cook, add tamarind juice, allow to boil. Transfer into a serving bowl.

Garnish the ingredients in pan by heating coconut oil, drop in mustard and fenugreek seeds, allow to splutter, add green and red chilli followed by curry leaves. Pour the mix into the sambar. Serve hot with rice. 

Mampazha sambar is a good recipe for mango season. It’s not a common dish and that’s it speciality. The tanginess of mango makes it is so delicious, aromatic and flavourful. It is good to have as a thick or thin soup as how you prefer. 

This is my way of easy cooking. I use to keep fried coconut powder in my refrigerator for ready to cook in some dishes. A great tip to my friends. That will be easy.

#Covid 19# Lockdown Special# Banana Ottada

Are your banana over ripen? Here is a tasty 😋 easy to cook recipe.

Why it is Ottada. Earthen cookware when translates to malayalam it means odu pathram ( ഓട് പാത്രം). This can be make on a skillet, griddle or on a nonstick tawa. You can call it simply as Phazham ada. Here since I made it on an earthen tawa I love to call as 

Pazham Ottada. Lockdown gave me enough time to take out my rarely used earthen cookwares.
Ottada recipe is in my blog which was posted long back.
Ingredients
Robusta banana 3, wheat flour 1 cup, cumin powder 1/3tsp., salt to taste, sugar 2 tbsp., ( you can substitute sugar with jaggery), grated coconut 1/2 cup and ghee 1 tsp.
Peel the banana, put it in a bowl, squeeze with your fingers and mash it nicely. Add all the other ingredients to it, mix and make a thick batter. Keep aside for five minutes. Heat your earthen tawa in low flame, put a handful of batter in the centre of the tawa, moist your fingers and circle it to the shape of a pancake. Close it with a lid. Cook for a minute. Flip the other side and and cook without closing. Serve for breakfast or brunch. Delicious 😋 Dear friends, please try and comment😍

#Covid19#Lockdown Special# Parboiled Rice Dosa

Happy for the new recipe during lockdown 

Attukallu in our garden surrounds the red palm 

Lockdown special journey in my kitchen is giving new ideas and recipes making me creative and innovative. I made a new recipe to prepare Dosa batter. Totally new for me and a great lesson that everything is as good as anything. The free ration rice is the super heroine here.

Dosa is taking me to a journey long back. Long time back dosa batter was made in traditional wet grinder known as ‘Attukallu’. It is hemispherical in shape with a central hollow space along with an assistant called kozhavi. Kozhavi is a round cylindrical shaped granite piece with a broader end which rests inside the hollow space and the tapering end to hold for rotating.  It was part of households in Kerala and almost South India. Attukallu means a moving stone used to grind rice, lentils manually for making dosa, idli and appam batter. As kids we were not allowed to grind in Attukallu. Two persons are needed. They sit opposite facing each other. One rotates the Kozhavi and the other person  moves the grains towards the cavity to facilitate the grinding. It is not easy. It is a skill. They won’t keep quiet. They tell stories, they gossips like that it is an interesting task. Sometimes me and my sister wants to join, when we get the opportunity it will not last long, starts aching in shoulders and hurting the fingers getting into the cavity while moving the grains in.We were been throwing out of the activity with a suggestion, ‘go and study your lessons’.

I also bought one in our home in 1976. I don’t remember that I have used it. By then the  Attukallu has been gone back behind the curtain on the launching of electric grinders and nixie. Now our Attukallu got a nice spot in our garden. It’s nostalgic to travel like this.

Let me directly go to the subject. The dosa batter recipe I learned and following was two ways. The traditional way out of the rice, parboiled rice, methi seeds and urd dal. The second way is out of sona masuri rice or dosa/idli rice, methi seeds and urd dal.

My recipe here is parboiled white rice. Got ten kg rice free from State Government through ration shop. It was a little bit hard job to clean it, wash it and dried up. Then stored and start cooking different dishes. The rice is so good. I am a person of short cuts. So many years back I used to soak all the ingredients together instead of soaking separately or grinding separately. It’s good and no worries for my family or friends. 

Batter preparation 

Parboiled white rice 2 cups, 1/2 cup urd dal and 1 tbsp. methi seeds. Soaked for 7 hours. 

Cooked rice( red rice) 2 tbsp. Then grinded all the ingredients in a mixie.

 (I prefer mixie for my works, so not having a wet grinder)

Grind to a soft batter. Pour it in a large bowl and kept  it overnight. Morning it was fermented and raised up. Take the required quantity of batter and add salt to taste. 

Even though having, I am not using the griddle.

Heat the non sticky pan, pour a ladleful of batter on it and spread in a circular motion to a circle ⭕️ Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil over it. Holes appear on the top. Flip over the dosa and cook the other side. Served hot with red chutney.

Preparation of red chutney 

Grated coconut 1 cup, red chilli 4, shallots 3, ginger a small piece, cumin seeds 1/4 tsp., salt to taste.

Grind the ingredients to a semi coarse smooth mix. Round the chutney in your clean palm. 

Lockdown special free ration rice 

#Covid19#Lockdown Special# Moringa leaf Patties ❤️

Lockdown special is my target everyday which is awakening the creativity in me. My husband is here with full support to taste and enjoy. I have mentioned about our Moringa tree in our garden a few days before. About Moringa leaves again. For us Moringa leaf is one among in the list of super food. The leaves are rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre and amino acids which help your body heal and build muscles. As an antioxidant it protects cells from damage. 

Thought of making Moringa leaf rice patties. No flour in the pantry. But have parboiled white rice. Decided to prepare for evening tea. Prepared two types. Green and Red. 

Ingredients for green 

Parboiled white rice 1 cup, soaked, drained and grinded into a  semi coarse  mix.

Moringa leaves a handful. Add to the ground rice and mix it for once in the grinder. 

Shallots 4, dried red chilli 2, ginger 1 inch, finely chopped, salt to taste. 

Mix all the ingredients together. 

Coconut oil enough to deep fry.

Heat oil in a shallow pan, take a gooseberry size dough, flatten it and deep fry.

Ingredients for Red patties are same as above. Instead of red chilli used 1/2 tsp., chilli powder. Combined all the ingredients in a bowl and fried as above. 

Place the fried patties on a plate layered with a kitchen tissue to absorb the excess oil. 

Serve hot with your favourite sauce and drink.

We had it simply with tea 🍵. Super healthy. Proud of my creativity to cook the healthy delicious snacks for tea ☕️ 

Red and Green patties along with green tea 

#Covid19# Lockdown Specials# Steamed Banana leaf Pancake ( Ela ada)

Lockdown specials are coming up everyday with some dishes. Travelling back in my teenage. Nice old nostalgia is a great thing that we always like to talk and share. Our home in village surrounded by our garden land comprised of all the garden crops coconut, arecanut, jackfruit trees, mango trees, cashew apples, jambakka , custard apple, sapota, bilimbi, gooseberry, Moringa likewise all the fruit trees and seasonal crops like banana, papaya, vegetables it goes on. Our mom used to prepare different types of ada twice or thrice in a week. At that age the value was not known to me. We kids preferred fried and baked snacks more than steamed. My Agriculture college days gave more interest in home grown and traditional dishes. I became more interested to get involved and enjoy. There starts my passion in knowing more about ammas cooking magic.

Let me stop this description now or otherwise I shall get away from the track. Coming back to Ela ada, it is a traditional delicacy of our State. For me, now I should say for us, Ela ada is one of the healthiest delicacies. If we are out in a restaurant in evening I love to have this delicious dish wrapped in banana leaf. The smell and flavour of the banana leaf adds better taste to this steamed dish. Here I am sharing two types of ela ada, one is stuffed and the other one is direct mix. Both are good with its unique taste. I prepared the ada with wheat flour, why, because we like wheat more than rice in case of ela ada. Ela means leaf and it is referred to banana leaf here.

Stuffed Ela ada

Banana leaf 1, stew both sides of the leaf over flame, cut into small pieces, wash it, wipe it dry.

Wheat flour 1 cup, ghee 1 tsp., crushed cumin seeds 1/2 tsp., sugar 1 tbsp., salt to taste. Combine the ingredients in a bowl, add enough water to prepare a soft dough. Divide it into lemon size balls. Place the balls on the centre of the leaves, flatten and spread the dough thinly with your fingers moist.

For stuffing 

Jaggery 150gm, water an ounce,

Grated coconut 1 cup, ghee 1 tsp.

Melt the jaggery in a pan pouring the water. When done, pour it through a sieve to the coconut and ghee . Mix together. Stuffing is ready. Let it cool down.

Place enough stuffing on one half of the banana leaf and fold. Press down with your fingers to seal the sides of the ada. Place the raw adas in the steam wok. Cook the ada in a steam cooker like idli or momo pot. Put enough water on the base pot, when the water starts to boil, put the ada wok on top of the steamer and cook for 15 minutes. You can smell the delicious flavour of the cooked ada and aroma of banana leaves. Serve hot with your favourite tea or coffee ☕️ 

Stuffed Ela ada 

Banana ada 

We both love to eat raw bananas. That’s more healthy and hassle free. But what if it gets over ripen. Banana is highly perishable. We don’t like to waste food. That’s so cruel. This Corona season is not allowing us to share. Then ammas magic cooking awakes me. The basic idea is amma’s but always I take the liberty to improvise. Here the bananas got transformed into ela ada in our kitchen. Being a steamed food ada is having top priority in our meal.

Ingredients 

Robusta banana 4, mashed in a bowl 

wheat flour a cup, ghee 1 tsp., crushed cumin 1/2 tsp., grated coconut 1 cup, sugar 2tbsp., salt to taste.

Instead of sugar you can use jaggery powder. 

Put the ingredients on the mashed banana, knead it to make a loose dough. 

Prepare the banana leaves like above.

Scoop a small ladle of dough, place it on the centre of the banana leaf. Fold it and put it in the steam cooker and cook for 15 minutes like described above. Serve hot.

The taste of ada is really heavenly. The crunchiness of coconut, sweetness of jaggery and richness of ghee turns the ada super delicious. 

We prefer ela ada for breakfast and dinner also. Why because steamed foods are super healthy foods. 

Pazham Ela ada 

Our homestead with banana, taro 

Add caption

#Covid 19# Lockdown Special# Mango news from our garden

Mango is the National fruit of India. Mangifera indica is a tropical crop widely grown in our country. In Kerala every house plot will have a mango tree. Normally mangoes are available from December to June. From tender to ripen mangoes are used in cuisines. It can be cooked alone or with other veggies, yogurt and fish also. Raw mango is rich in vitamins and minerals. Mango is a super food with fibre and antioxidants. Sour unripe mangoes are used in curries, chutneys and pickles. Kids eat raw mango with salt while grownups take chilli too along. 

Clockwise from Center
Green chutney, dried pickle, dried slices to store, mango paste curry, ripen mango curry( mampazha pulissery), raw mango pickle and inside one pachadi( raw mango in yogurt) 

Reminding me our teenage years in our village home. Summer vacation is the great time for us to enjoy the fruits direct from the garden. We shall play with our friends, pick the mangoes, cashew apple, rose apple, bilimbi and eat with salt . Drink plenty of water too. At lunch time we shall not be hungry. Now I can realise the raw fruits are enhancing the immunity level in us. The mango tree in our garden now is a country variety good for culinary purposes. Ripen mangoes are full of fibre. So it is good to cook rather than to use as a fruit. Here are some dishes I made with our produce during the lockdown. Peeled , Sliced and dried some mangoes for further use. For the time being the harvested mangoes are finished. That’s why the post today. Waiting for next harvest probably next week for further trials and updates. If it is  not lockdown time I am pretty sure that I am not going to take these efforts. Now enjoying so much, feeling nostalgic remembering my childhood and teenage.

Chutney 

Mango slices 1 cup, green chilli 3, ginger chopped 1tsp., shallots 1, chopped, grated coconut 2 cups, cumin seeds 1/4 tsp., salt to taste, curry leaf and  cilantro a little. Grind these ingredients in a mixi. Ball the chutney while transferring into a serving bowl.

Dried sweet and sour pickle 

Semi dried mango slices a cup, sesame oil 2 tbsp., kashmiri chilli powder 2 tsp., asafoetida powder 1/2 tsp., salt to taste, jaggery syrup 2 tbsp.

Heat the oil in a shallow pan, add the powders, mix and off the flame. Add rest of the ingredients, combine well. Allow to cool and store in airtight glass bottles.

Dried mango slices

Peel the skin, slice it, spread out on a tray. Keep under sunlight. Evening mix a little salt on the pieces and dry for half day in hot sun. Refrigerate and use later. You can dry it nicely and keep in your store.

Grated mango curry(Manga arachukalakki) 

Grated mango 1/2 cup, dried red chilli 3, shallots 3, cumin seeds a pinch, grated coconut 1 cup, salt to taste. Grind these ingredients into a paste. Add 1/4 tsp., asafoetida powder, add enough water to dilute the curry, put on the flame and allow to bubble up.

Garnishing 

Green chilli 2, sliced, coconut oil 2tsp., mustard seeds 1/4 tsp., curry leaf a sprig. Heat the oil, add green chilli, sauté it, add mustard seeds, allow to splutter, add curry leaves. Pour the garnish over the curry. Serve with rice. 

Mampazha pulissery

Mango ripen 6, peel and place as whole in a wok. Green chilli 5, silted, salt to taste, turmeric powder 1/3tsp., curry leaf a sprig.cook the ingredients in a cup of water. 

Grated coconut 1 cup, cumin seeds 1/2 tsp., garlic cloves 2, grind the ingredients in a mixi to a paste. Reduce the flame add the coconut mix in the wok, allow to bubble. Add 2 cups of thick yogurt mix well. Off the flame.

Garnishing 

Coconut oil 2 tsp., fenugreek and mustard seeds 1/3 tsp. each, dried red chilli 2, broken, curry leaf a sprig. Heat the oil in a pan, drop in fenugreek and mustard seeds, allow to splutter, drop in dried chilli followed by curry leaves. Pour the garnish over the pulissery. Serve with rice.

Mango pickle 

Raw mango 2, washed , sliced and chopped, chilli powder 2 tsp., asafoetida powder 1/4 tsp., coconut oil 2tsp., salt to taste. Heat the oil, add the powders, add mangoes, reduce the flame, mix well and stir for a minute. It’s ready to use. Allow to cool down. Store in glass container. Can keep for three days. Serve with rice, poori or chapatti.

Manga pachadi 

Raw mango 3, wash peel and chop, green chilli 2, cut into rings, curry leaf a sprig, salt to taste. Cook the ingredients in medium flame. 

Grated coconut 1/2 cup, cumin seeds 1/3 tsp., grind both into a paste. Add the coconut paste to the cooked mix. Allow to bubble. Add a cup of thick yogurt. Off the flame and mix softly. 

Garnish with mustard seeds, dried red chilli and curry leaves as above, pour the garnish over the pachadi. Serve with rice. 

The red curry recipe I had already posted. It is taro with mango. 

Have fun in the lockdown period with the available ingredients with you. 

STAY SAFE and STAY HEALTHY 

  

#Covid 19# Lockdown creativity # Moringa leaves recipes

Our Moringa tree is a star in our garden. For me I love moringa leaves from my childhood. My mom became diabetic at the age of 23. She was very conscious about the diet of us. She used to cook Moringa leaves every alternate days. If possible she used to stir fry a bunch of Moringa leaves every day. With her special care she survived upto 84 years along with her diabetes companion. After our marriage, when we visit our mom, she didn’t forget to cook my favourite Moringa leaves for me. Dedicated this blog to my beloved mom ❤️

Moringa is a miracle tree. Moringa oleifera is a fast growing, drought resistant tree. It is known 

as drumstick tree. It’s highly nutritious. One cup of cooked leaves have 25 calories, 4g dietary fibre, 4g carbohydrates, 2g protein, 344mg potassium, 151mg calcium and contains magnesium, iron, 

vitamin D and antioxidants. Moringa leaves provide  a lot benefits. It is good for arthritis, asthma, anemia and rheumatism. It strengthens digestive and excretory systems. Enhances the immunity level. The flowers and fruits are edible. 

It is a hectic task to clean the Moringa leaves for cooking. After cleaning wash it and strain. If you are directly using the leaves alone for stir fry I advise you to cut it for blending. If you are using with lentils, you can directly cook the leaves. Leaves are used for a variety of dishes including snacks. Moringa leaf tea with your favourite cinnamon or nutmeg is an excellent anti caffeine beverage. The whole parts of  Moringa tree are widely used in traditional and naturopathic treatment. This lockdown period gave me the opportunity to become more creative and innovative to try new dishes in our kitchen and add new recipes in my blog. Sharing the recipes of Moringa leaf chapatti, pan cake, Moringa dal curry and moringa leaf egg stir fry.

Preparation method 

Chapatti 

Wheat flour 2 cups, salt to taste, Moringa leaves 1 cup, turmeric powder 1/3 tsp.

Combine the ingredients together, add enough water to prepare the dough. Divide into lemon sized balls. Spread the balls into chapatti. Heat a pan and cook the chapatti both sides and have with your favourite curry.

Moringa leaves pan cake (Appam)

Appam batter 2 cups, Moringa leaves 1 cup, salt to taste, ginger garlic paste 2tsp.

Combine the ingredients. Heat a pan and put a ladle of batter. Holding the handle of the pan spread the batter round. Close with a lid. Cook both sides. Serve with your favourite red or white stew. 

For kids to make it funny you can use their favourite sauce to make a face on the pan cake.

Moringa leaf egg stir fry 

Moringa leaf  2 cups, eggs 2, 

Onion 1, garlic cloves 4, both chopped 

Turmeric powder 1/3 tsp., coriander powder 1/2 tsp.

Coconut oil 1 tbsp., mustard seeds 1/3tsp., cumin seeds 1/4tsp., pepper corns 1 tsp., salt to taste. 

Heat a shallow pan on medium flame, pour in coconut oil, drop in mustard , pepper corns and cumin seeds, allow to splutter, drop in onion and garlic, sauté till tender, add Moringa leaves, mix well, allow to cook, break the eggs in the centre of the pan, add salt top of it, mix well and cook for another two minutes. Serve with rice or roti.

Moringa leaf dal curry 

Moringa leaf 2 cups,Toor dal 1 cup, small onion 1, garlic cloves 4, both chopped, green chilli 3, silted. Pressure cook the ingredients. Allow the pressure to settle down.

Grated coconut 1 cup, cumin seeds 1/2 tsp.,  grind it in a mixi.

Open the pressure cooker, place it on medium flame, add Moringa leaves, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Combine well and allow to cook. When cooked add the coconut mix, combine well, adjust salt. Add the one tbsp. coconut oil. Mix well and transfer to the serving bowl. Can serve with rice, chapatti and poori.