LAUKI TIKKIS, How to make the Nutritious Bottle gourd tikkis

 THE SIMPLE LAUKI/ BOTTLE GOURD.....

Many families, Don't know due to what reason...avoid the Great Lauki...They are unaware of its health benefits......

Offers many potential benefits, helpful in liver functions

Good for brain

Antioxidant, good for diabetes

It is very low in calories, so good for weight watchers!!

Good source of Vitamin C, which is an essentialvitamin for overall skin health

Ingredients

 Medium sized Lauki / Bottle gourd - 1

Potatoes, medium sized - 3, pressure cooked and mashed

Besan - 2 tsps

Sooji / rava - 2 tsps

Oats - 1/3 cup, coarsely pulsed

Mint leaves - handful, washed & drained

Coriander leaves - 1 handful, washed & drained

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Small onions - 6, finely chopped

Jeera - 1 tsp

Green chilli - 1. very finely chopped

Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Dhania powder - 1 tsp

Jeera powder - 1 tsp

Kitchen king masala - 1 tsp

4 -5  tbsps oil to pan fry the tikkis

Salt to taste

Recipe Cuisine: North Indian; Category: Anytime meals

Prep time: 30 mts; Cooking time: 20 mts

Yields 12 Tikkis

Bottle gourd, washed, wiped and kept ready

Skin peeled, grated , gratings put on a fine towel over a strainer, with a vessel below

Then, the towel closed, this is very easy to squeeze out the water, Atleast for 20 - 25 minutes, this has to remain like this

Mashed potato taken in a bowl

2 tsps sooji and 2 tsps besan added

Oats taken in a blender

Coarsely pulsed and added

Mint and Coriander leaves added

Chopped onions and ginger paste

Chilli, dhania, jeera and Kitchen King masala powders added

Jeera enters the pan now

Finely chopped green chillies and salt to taste added

Everything kneaded to a stiff now. If we do not keep the lauki gratings in the cloth, you cannot squeeze water to this level. That water, is not going to be wasted, it is going to be added to soup. It can be added to anything, since it is bland and has no specific flavour.

Shaped into tikkis

Cling wrapped and refrigerated for 3 - 4 hours

Heat 3-4 tbsps oil in a pan, refrigerated, firm tikkis placed one by one gently, on lowest flames. Again, this shows how "Shraddha" and "Saburi" are needed in every minute of our lives!!!!

When golden at the bottom, gently flip the tikkis, like this, patiently, tikkis have to be turned both sides 5 to 6 times, till finally done.

Look at the golden colored, healthy tikkis, loaded with nutrition!!! Wow!!!

Served with Sweet potato & Yellow pumpkin soup

This post appeared first on www.malpatskitchen.com

THIRUPPAAGAM, Lord Muruga's Special Prasaadham

 “ Thiru” means , sacred and divine; “paagam ” means, portion. This Thriuppagam is offered to the Arupadai veettu Murugan !!! 

🙏🙏

Just now, Kandha Sashti, Soora Samhaaram got over, Today is the Thirukalyanam...and I thought of making a neivedhyam to Lord Muruga, this being his favorite prasaadham, always given in Thiruchendur temple. 

Another wonderful thing about this sweet/prasaadh is...it tastes like badham halwa, looks like badham halwa, but is made of simpler, less costly  ingredients....My dad's kuladeivam being Pazhani Murugan, I always have a special liking towards Muruga.

வேலுண்டு வினையில்லை

மயிலுண்டு பயமில்லை

குஹனுண்டு குறையில்லை

கந்தனுண்டு கவலையில்லை மனமே........ 

is a very famous song...

Also, needless to say, we all know the effects of Kandha Sashti Kavacham, which drives away all illness from each part of our body....

Ingredients

Besan - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup (Boiled & cooled )

A pinch of saffron soaked in warm milk

Fine powdered cashews - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee - little less than 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp (edible camphor is optional, in that case, omit elaichi)

Recipe cuisine: South Indian ; Category: Prasaad/sweets

Cooking time: 15 - 20 mts

Yields roughly 400 to 500 gms  of prasaad

1/2 cup besan taken in a vessel

saffron soaked in warm milk

Milk added to besan, mixed without any lumps

like this

This mixture taken in a non stick kadai

Cashew powdered, it is very important, cashews have to be in room temperature and not cold

cashew powder added

Saffron milk  enters the pan

Now sugar

Cardamom powder and some of the measured ghee

Keep on medium flame, constant stirring is required. Remember to pour 2 tbsps of the remaining ghee

Slowly it keeps thickening, leaves the sides of the vessel, white froth coming in the corners, immediately switch off, it’s a must, since after 3-4 hours, the halwa solidifies!! So, if you keep on stirring, it may become very hard.

The lovely Subrahmanya Special Prasaad is ready!!!! 

This post appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

* can be in room temperature for a couple of days, then can refrigerated and microwaved before serving.

MOONG DHAL IDLIS, how to make nutritious yellow moong dhal idlis

 YELLOW MOONG DHAL is a SUPER Food !!!!!!!

Many hardly know this!! It's made by splitting whole green gram dhal, and then skin is removed..the other one, split, but with skin, is called Chilka moong dhal.

Constant research reveals that plant based functional foods can help reduce the risk of several health problems, such as, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, high uric acid levels  etc.

Moong dhal is packed and loaded with protein, fiber, carbohydrates, calcium, iron and sodium.It also contains many important Amino acids along with many Vitamins.

Moong dhal helps...

blood sugar levels...

regulates cholesterol levels...

reduces hypertension...

contains powerful antioxidants...

improves digestive health...

low fat option, it is...

very ideal for pregnant women...

great for eye sight, keeps the skin healthy

This Yellow moong dhal, being the key part of the Indian diet, I tried moong dhal idlis, recipe of Tarla Dalal, but with some changes according to what I saw on Food Network...

Please refer to my dhal varieties, wherein I have used this cute moong for several dhals...

And one most important thing about this recipe is…all ingredients are ever available at home, nothing exotic or extravagant to buy!!!

Ingredients

Moong dhal - 1/2 cup, soaked in hot water for 2 hours

Semolina/sooji - 1/2 cup

Curds - 1/2 cup

Grated carrots - 3 tbsps

Ginger - a small piece

Green chillies - 2-3

Cashews a few

Enos fruit salt - 1 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves - little bit

To season

Oil and ghee - 2 tbsps

Hing powder - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Split urad dhal - 3/4 tsp

Channa dhal - 3/4 tsp

Recipe cuisine: South Indian; Category: Breakfast, dinner

Soaking time: 2 hrs; Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 15 mts

Yields 12 idlis

Yellow moong dhal, washed twice, then soaked in hot water for 2 hours

1/2 cup curds  added to the sooji

and let to rest for the same 2 hours

Ginger, green chillies loaded into blender

then the drained moong dhal, salt to taste

Ground to a fine paste

taken in a bowl

soaked rava in curds added too

all seasonings done and kept ready

Grated carrots added along with the seasonings made

Chopped coriander leaves added

everything mixed well

add some water to the blender, mix well and add that too

Idli  plates greased,with ghee and gingely/Cooking oil,  ghee roasted cashews kept one in each pit, in the center

water kept boiling

enos fruit salt added

some water added, look at the froth!!!

Batter  mixed well, but very gently

and poured into the greased idli plates, and steamed for 15 minutes

taken gently...

Served with the saatvik Tomato kuzhambu. can be served with any kind of chutney too

This post first came on www.malpatskitchen.com

*It is very soft when eaten as soon as it is taken from the Idli plates.

* while reheating, sprinkle some water on the idlis, steam for 5 minutes.