Uploaded a Recipe on my Youtube channel a few days ago.
This is a One pot traditional recipe that I made in a Clay pot.
This type of curry is popular in Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh.
Can be easily prepared by newbies , bachelors , working professionals, students in 10-15 minutes.
The ingredients are very commonly found in any typical South Indian kitchen.
Here is the video –
Hope you liked the recipe.
My post on Foxtail millets is one of the most popular posts on my blog.
Been getting several hits on the post.
Here is the link to that post
Millet’s are the new fad in town , the passionate Dr Khadar Valli has been promoting 5 types of Millets (Foxtail, Kodo, Browntop, Little , Barnyard) which are very nutritious Organic ancient grains that can heal the body.
There was a time when I wanted to incorporate Millets but was nervous. Thanks to several women who uploaded videos on preparing Millet Dosa’s. These videos gave me the confidence to prepare Dosa’s with Foxtail Millets.
Not just Foxtail Millets , but Little Millet, Kodo Millet, Barnyard Millet and Browntop Millet , too can be incorporated with great ease in our daily diet.
Easiest to use in the preparation of Dosas and Idlis.
Lemme share how I prepare Dosa with Foxtail Millet’s.
Usual Recipe for Dosa batter :
Ingredients for making Dosa Batter :
Urad Dal : 1 Cup . This is Whole Black Gram (with the Black skin removed)
Rice – 2 or 3 Cups (Quantity of Rice is your choice)
This is soaked for 6-8 hours. Usually soaked in the morning and the batter is prepared at night.
The batter is left for fermenting overnight .
Dosa’s are prepared the next morning.
Procedure to prepare Dosa with Millets is very much the same.
Here is my Recipe for Dosa with Foxtail Millets :
Urad Dal – 1 Cup
Foxtail Millets – 2 Cups
I soak them in the morning in separate containers for 8 hours.
Batter is prepared in the evening/night. Grind them separately into a smooth batter and then mix them throroughly.
Add salt to taste.
Leave the batter overnight for fermenting.
Make your Dosa’s the next morning.
Just replace Rice with Foxtail Millets and confidently go ahead.
Not just Foxtail Millets, you can follow the same recipe using other Millets too.
Enjoy your healthy Foxtail Millet Dosa’s with your regular Chutneys or Sambhar.
This evening , I prepared Uthappam with the same batter. I chopped a few veggies, chillies, ginger, coriander leaves , jeera and added to the Millet batter. This is my Dinner for today.
There are times when I crave for a lot of veggies. I quickly stir fry whatever veggies I have , sprinkle salt, pepper, lime juice , Olive oil and enjoy a hot bowl of veggies. This is one such day and here is what I dished out. Luckily I had soaked Chickpeas in the refrigerator too which I added to the veggies.
Here is the recipe for Stir-Fry Veggies with Chickpeas –
Ingredients :
Boiled Chickpeas – 1 Cup (soak dry chickpeas overnight and add a little salt while boiling)
Assorted Vegetables – 2 cups of Veggies (3 to 4 colourful varieties)
Salt – As per your taste
Pepper powder – As per your taste
Garlic pods – 3 chopped pods
Extra Virgin Olive Oil : 1 tablespoon
Any other cooking oil : 1 to 2 teaspoons
Lemon juice : 1 spoon
Method :
1. Add oil to the pan .
2. Add the chopped garlic before oil gets very hot. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
3. Add all the chopped veggies and stir till the veggies are partially cooked.
4. Add the boiled chickpeas and salt . Stir till the veggies are cooked but not soft. The chickpeas too will get slightly roasted and that makes them yummier.
5. Remove from the stove.
6. Add pepper powder, drizzle lemon juice and Extra virgin Olive oil . Stir all the ingredients well.
A nice hot bowl of Stir Fry Vegetables with Chickpeas is ready to be served.
A very filling, nutritious and yummy dish which can be had as dinner too.
Choose vegetables that are colorful. Red / Yellow/ Green bell peppers, Purple cabbage , Green Broccoli or Asparagus, White Baby corn / Cabbage , Carrots etc. Select a few that are in season and to make the dish colorful and appetizing.
Include roasted or Boiled peanuts, roasted sesame seeds if you wish.
A rainy evening in Hyd .
Reached home after work and was in the mood to cook something different for my son who came home very hungry, from college.
There was some dosa batter in the refrigerator. Immediately I recalled watching a Youtube Video on Pizza Dosa.
I had capsicum, tomatoes and cheese in the Refrigerator. Chopped them all into small pieces. Chopped up an onion too.
Need some red spicy sauce . Took some red chilly powder and added some ghee and salt. My Red Spicy Sauce was ready.
I spread the batter on the pan . Smeared the chilly sauce and placed the chopped veggies all over the Dosa. I had Amul Cheese slices which I cut up roughly with my hands and placed on the veggies.
I then smeared some Ghee on the edges and let the Dosa cook . Made sure that the Flame is low to medium. Once the Cheese started to melt I flipped the edges one over the other and let it cook for a minute on each side and the Dosa turned a nice golden brown colour.
yummy Pizza Dossa is ready to eat. You don’t need any other chutney/sauce.
You can also sprinkle some Pizza Seasoning or whatever Italian herbs you may have at home…a sprinkling of dried Oregano or Basil or Thyme or garlic powder should give the final twist 🙂 . Tastes Yummy even without any seasoning.
Enjoy !!
Amla is Indian Gooseberry. This fruit is one of the richest sources of Vitamin C. This Vitamin increases immunity in the body, thereby protecting the body from infections. There are several medicinal properties of Amla.
I always knew this fact but didn’t know how to incorporate fresh/raw Amla in my diet.
The only knew that people usually ate Amla is in the form of Amla pickle and Amla candy. These two recipes ensure that Amla can be preserved and hence can be relished throughout the year. Amla is a major ingredient in Chyawanprash.
The trees bear fruits during October, November and December months in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in India. Most vegetable stores would be selling them during these three months. I always came across these but never gave them a second look.
Amla pickle is usually made at home or can also be bought at Indian grocery stores . I don’t prefer eating Amla pickle as it has a lot of oil and salt . I like Amla Candy and always keep a stock . But I was bored of eating the candy .
One day at the Organic grocery store , that I visit regularly, I saw these fresh , round , light green Amla’s. I was tempted to buy . I wanted to make my own candy but was not confident about the recipe. I thought lemme try eating them raw. But a raw berry has a typical taste and not very appealing. It is soury – astringent with a sweet aftertaste .
I picked a few in my hand and asked the store keeper ‘what can I do with these ?’ and she immediately answered ‘Usirikaya pulihora ‘ (Amla rice ) . I asked her for the recipe and she immediately recited the recipe.
I was like wowww and felt so happy :)) . I usually make lemon, tamarind and mango rice but this was news to me… I was so excited that I tried it the next morning and it was yummilicious.
Since then I have made this dish several times. I now buy these whenever I see them. I have seen these recently and learnt that they are brought from Tamil Nadu where they yield fruit during February/March.
The Gooseberry tree is revered by Hindus. There was a time , long ago, when I found it silly that my mom was worshipping a branch of this tree during ‘vanabhojanaalu’ in the park adjacent to Gandipet lake.
‘Vanabhojanalu’ is a get together/community lunch held under the trees/park/forest along with some fun activities.
It was much later that I learnt about the potency of this fruit and then realised why the tree is worshipped.
During the month of Karthika (Telugu calendar) , people meet for Vanabhojanaalu. This is a popular event in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. ‘Vana’ is forest and ‘Bhojanalu’ is lunch. Karthika usually occurs in the months of Oct-Nov . This tree begins to bear fruit during these months. Vanabhojanalu is associated with this tree , when people form groups , cook and have lunch in a farm/nursery/forest where a Gooseberry tree is usually found. If there is no Gooseberry tree in the vicinity , a small branch of this tree is placed nearby and worshipped , followed by lunch.This is an event for get togethers along with some fun. The branches of this tree are sold in markets during Kaarthika month .
Most of the customs and traditions of Hindus are in some way connected to health , hygiene , discipline and also have a philosophical touch . They are not superstitions as they are made out to be.
The ignorant may not be able to appreciate the benefits of this fruit and hence these customs were incorporated.
Here is the recipe for Amla Rice !!
Ingredients (for 3 servings) –
Mustard seeds – half tsp
Jeera – half tsp
Urad Dal – 1 tbsp
Chana dal – 1tbsp
Cashews – 3tbsp
Asafoetida – one pinch
Curry leaves -2 sprigs
Coriander leaves – 2 sprigs
One cup raw rice . Boil the rice and keep it aside. Make sure it is not mushy. Spead the cooked rice in a wide pan so it cools and it would be easier to mix all the ingredients.
Ground nut oil – 3tbsp
turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
salt – as per your taste
Amla – 5
Green chillies -3
Juice of one Lemon
Prepare Amla for the recipe by cutting them into pieces (throw away the seed) and grind it coarsely.
For Tadka :
Add oil in a pan . Add mustard, jeera and wait till they splutter. Add urad dal, chana dal , groundnuts and cashew nuts .
Stir till they turn golden brown and then add turmeric
Add the slit green chillies, curry leaves and Amla paste and stir for a minute.
Add the above mixture to the boiled rice and mix all the ingredients slowly and thoroughly..Add the salt too.
Add lemon juice at the end and stir well.
Amla Rice is ready to be served !!
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I started googling for other Amla recipes and found recipes for chutneys , sweet , rasam and juices.
Everyone should incorporate Amla in their diet , in whatever form they prefer , for a healthier body.
Thank you Mother Nature !!
