SWEET POTATO PARATHAS, how to make breads using sweet potatoes

Sweet Potatoes........
They are a treasure box of many nutrients.....there are 3 varieties of Sweet potatoes...in India, they are white, whereas, in the US, they are Orange in color....there are also purple ones...which I am yet to see!
*Excellent source of Fiber....
*They support digestive health, preventing Constipation....
*They lower bad cholesterol levels, thus protect Heart...
*High in Potassium, maintains healthy Blood pressure....
*They can keep your Blood sugar stable.... and hence, very very good for Diabetic patients...
* They contain potent Anti Oxidants.....
*They help your body make Immune cells.....
*They contain Alpha-carotene & Beta-carotene, hence so good for Eyes.....
*They contain Manganese and Choline, which help your Brain work at its best.....
*High in Magnesium, helps you relax by calming your mind....
*High in Vitamin A and Iron, important in supporting fertility....
*They help reduce inflammation.....
So, in whatever form we can, we must add this great wonder vegetable in our diet as many times as possible.
Here's a Sweet potato curry, which is a nice side for rotis...

Please check my Roti varieties

Ingredients

Sweet potatoes,  mid sized - 3

Whole wheat flour - 1 - 11/2 cups, approximately

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Ajwain - 3/4 tsp

Paratha masala - 2 tsps

Kasoori methi - 3 tsps, crushed well

Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Ghee - 2 tsps

Oil - 2 tsps

Salt to taste

Enough oil + ghee mixed, to make the parathas

Recipe cuisine: North Indian; Category: Lunch/dinner

Prep time: 15 mts; Cooking time: Roughly 3-4 minutes for each roti

Yields 9-10 rotis

Sweet potatoes pressure cooked, peeled

Mashed without any lumps

Wheat flour, ajwain, chilli powder, paratha masala powders added

Ground fresh ginger, ghee, oil, kasoori methi and salt to taste added

All kneaded into a soft dough, then 1/2 tsp gingely oil smeared over the dough, kept covered at least for 2-3 hours.

Rolled into rotis

Dry roasted on both sides

Some ghee plus oil drizzled around

Cooked on both sides nicely

Served with moong dhal...Please check my dhal varieties here

We can serve it with a nice and tangy Ching wing chutney too! (It is a tomato-onion chutney)

Notes

*Some very finely chopped white spring onions can be added; very little...otherwise, dough may become soggy.

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

AAM LASSI PURIS, how to make puris filled with mango lassi

I have already posted Dahi puri
Please check my other Mumbai street foods too
I made a healthy twisted version of Dahi puri, filled the small puris with mango lassi, and served them with fillings.....
Also, in this recipe, instead of making the green chutney and sweet chutney separately, I have combined both and made an easy version, which can be refrigerated for 2-3 weeks and used. It's quite easy to make this chutney.
You can make green and sweet chutneys separately also. That's your wish,
Green chutney
Sweet chutney

Ingredients

Small puris - 20

Boiled potatoes - 2, chopped, some salt and chilli powder mixed well and kept

Black eyed peas - 1/4 cup, soaked for 2 hours, pressure cooked, and mixed with potatoes

Nylon sev - as required

Pomegranate arils - as required

Coriander leaves - some

For the mango lassi

Fresh curds, thick - 1 1/2 cups

Chopped  ripe mango - 1, medium sized

Sugar = 3-4 tsps

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Please refer to mango lassi 

For the 2-1 chutney, spicy and sweet

Coriander leaves - one handful

Green chillies - 3-4

Soaked raisins - 2 tbsps

Soaked dates - 2 tbsps

Chilli power - 1/2 tsp

Roasted jeera powder - 1 tsp

Chat masala powder - 3/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

For the final topping

Chilli powder - as required

Roasted jeera powder - as required

Chat masala powder - as required

Recipe Cuisine: North indian; Category: Chat/mumbai street food/starters/snacks

Prep up  time: 30 mts; Prepration time: 5 mts per plate

Yields about 20-25 puris

Mango lassi made, and chilled

Coriander leaves, green chillies, soaked raisins and dates loaded into blender jar

Chilli powder, roasted jeera powder and chat masala added

Salt and tamarind paste added, and all given one or two quick pulses

Now, jaggery added, and blended to a smooth chutney

This is the green-sweet chutney

Chilli, roasted jeera and chat masala powders taken in a small bowl

Mixed and kept ready

Boiled potatoes cut into small pieces, black eyed peas cooked, then both these are mixed together with some salt and chilli powder, so that it won't taste bland

All kept ready, holes made gently in the puris

First, potato-black eyed peas mixture filled

Now the mixed chat, roasted jeera and chilli powder mixture sprinkled

Now, the green-sweet chutney

Mango lassi filled

Nylon sev strewn over

Now, some cilantro/coriander leaves, and pomegranate arils topped

Serve these extremely tasty puris as starters or snack

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

KODO MILLET KHEER, how to make a tasty and healthy kheer with millets

Wishing you all a very very Happy and Helathy New Year!!!

Please check my other millet recipes here
*Millet is alkaline and it digests very easily
*Millet acts as a probiotic in your inner eco system
*Millet will always hydrate your colon and prevent constipation
*Millet calms your moods
*Millet is a smart carb with lot of fibers
*Magnesium in millets helps prevent heart attacks and migraine head aches
*Niacin in millets help lower cholesterol
*Highly anti oxidant
*Millets' high protein content makes it a must in Vegetarians' diets.

Normally we make Semiya kheer/Vermicelli kheer with regular semiya, which is not too nutritious or healthy. I was having thoughts about trying out some millet for kheer and it turned out to be no less, in fact, tastier, so creamy and guilt free!!!

Ingredients

Milk - 8 cups

Kodo millet semiya - 1 1/2 cups

Sugar - 1 cup

Saffron a small pinch

Cardamom powder - 3/4 tsp

To serve

Sliced almonds, as needed

A small pinch of saffron

Recipe cuisine: South Indian; Category: Dessert/festival delicacy/kheer varieties

Prep time: 5 mts; Cooking time: 30 mts

Serves 10 small cups

Milk set to boil in a thick bottomed vessel (I kept an anodised pan) and semiya added

Saffron and cardamom powder added

Milk has condensed almost to half of what it was, semiya is completely cooked now, add sugar, keeping the flames on the lowest, and keep on stirring so that it will not stick to the bottom

Chill and serve, topping with sliced almonds and little bit of saffron strands

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

Notes 

* Any kind of millet semiya can be used. 

*Pearl millet semiya will be slightly dark brownish in color, and the kheer color may go down.

PIRANDAI THOGAYAL, how to make Adamant creeper chutney

Pirandai also called Adamant Creeper is easily home grown and has so many health benefits. Food is indeed the best medicine ever, the wealth of nutrition and health that lie hidden in the Flora & Fauna around us must be imparted to our children, I strongly believe!!! Can you just believe, my maternal home's backyard is full of this divine plant, treating all sorts of stomach disorders from gastritis, indigestion, piles etc. It must be eaten in moderation, just a small ball of this thogayal will do wonders!!! This plant grown without any fuss, cannot be destroyed by pests or rodents, needs very little water, but needs good sunlight....It is a maintenance-free plant!!!

Backyard of my maternal home!!

In my friend's balcony

Ingredients

Pirandai, broken - 1 cup

Curry leaves - 1 cup

Gingely oil - 2-3 tsps

Hing powder - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp

Broken red chillies - 2-3

Split urad dhal - 2 tsps

Pepper - 3/4 tsp

Jeera - 3/4 tsp

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Grated coconut - 2 tsps

Salt to taste

Recipe cuisine: South Indian; Category: Lunch/dinner/side

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 10 mts

Serves 3-4

First we have to take these precautions before touching pirandai. Even though it has such great medicinal values, we can't touch it, it causes lot of irritation and itch. Also tender segments have to be used, otherwise, it causes itch in the throat. So, we have to grease our palms well with gingely oil before handling pirandai. Pirandai broken into segments, and slightly scraped off.

Gingely oil heated and all the above mentioned seasonings added

Pirandai segments and curry leaves added

Grated coconut and salt to taste added, along with tamarind paste

On slow flames, nicely sauteed

A litlte after cooling down, loaded into blender jar

and blended to a smooth thogayal/chutney

While many elders lament about the unavailability pf this wonder-pirandai, it takes very litle effort...just a small segment planted in our balcony will yield everlasting supply!!!

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com