Red rice pongal

It is my privilege to wish all readers a very Happy Sankranti / Pongal. In keeping with my wish to share tasty and healthy recipes, I have assembled a healthy version of sweet pongal. Here’s to happy, healthy eating.


You need

1. Red Rice - 1 1/2 cups 
2. Jaggery - 2 1/2 to 3 cups (I used the round ball kind)
3. Cashew nuts – halved, a generous handful
4. Ghee – melted, 1 cupful

To assemble

1. Wash the red rice at least in three changes of water. Soak the washed rice for half an hour prior to cooking.This helps the rice to cook to a soft texture.
2. Pressure cook the rice with 3 times volume of water.I used 4 1/2 cups of water for 1 1/2 cups of rice.I pressure cooked it up to 1 whistle on high flame and then simmered flame and cooked for a further 10 minutes.I had  a nicely cooked soft rice at the end of this.
3. Break the jaggery you are using into large pebble sized pieces.Take the measured jaggery in a heavy bottomed pan, pour enough  water to cover the jaggery ( I needed 1 1/4 cups of water), and bring the solution to a boil. Stir lightly. When the water just starts boiling switch off flame. Wait for all jaggery to dissolve. Use a large fine sieve / colander to filter the impurities in the jaggery solution.
4. Mix in the jaggery water and cooked rice, cook on high flame stirring briskly. Once they are mixed well, reduce flame and keep stirring continuously, mashing with the back of the ladle as you go along.
5. Add a couple of tablespoons of ghee as the pongal bubbles away.The pongal is done when it looks like a homogenous,semi-solid,  glossy mass.
6. Fry the halved cashews in the rest of the ghee, pour with love over the pongal. Your delicious, healthy, fit-for-the-Gods pongal is now ready!

 
Notes

• It is very important to cook rice to a soft mush for the pongal. Once the jaggery and cooked rice are combined, the rice will not cook any further and you could end up with a chewy or a ‘biting hard grainy’ texture.

Nutri notes

• In India, the term red rice is used loosely to denote brown rice, unpolished rice, or hand pounded raw rice. So it  means rice where the grain is dehusked but bran is retained to a full or partial degree.
• The benefits of rice bran are several. The bran is very rich in fibre –
• Hence it is recommended to avoid conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood sugar, or heart disease.
• For diabetics, and for patients of coronary heart disease, too, eating red / brown rice is recommended . It helps bring blood sugar levels down and prevents cholesterol formation in arteries.
• Fibre helps easy normal bowel movements, so regular eating of red rice guards against constipation, piles, prevents diverticulosis, and several studies show results that  a regular high fibre diet guars against colon cancer too.
• Besides fibre, rice bran is rich in iron, manganese, selenium, and most of the B complex vitamins. We stand to lose all these in white polished rice.
• Apart from red rice, this recipe contains jaggery, another ‘unpolished’ food. Jaggery has higher levels of iron and trace minerals than refined sugar. Jaggery is also sweeter, hence you can use lesser quantity in a recipe. Due to this jaggery is a safe sugar substitute for people with borderline diabetes (within allowed daily limits).
• Ghee added to this recipe does add to the fat content and to the richness of the dish – which reminds us to indulge in moderation!

Almond and dates halwa

‘A Very Happy And healthy New Year ‘ to all readers from Healthy Slurps. What better way to start a New year than with a sweet dish! If the sweet can also pack in a healthy punch - well, I can’t ask for more. Here is a super simple, yummy recipe for an un – put – downable halwa. Go ahead, start the new year with a BANG!! with this melt in the mouth creation….I must thank my dear sis-in-law, Deepa for giving me this recipe.

You need

1. Whole almonds with skin – 1 cup

               

1. Seedless soft dates – chopped fine, 1 cup ( I used Lion seedless dates)
2. Skim milk, boiled – 1 cup ( I used 3% milk)
3. White cooking butter, melted – 1 cup
4. Sugar – 2 cups

To assemble

1. Warm the almonds lightly in a microwave, this helps quick powdering. Use the pulse button in your mixer, and pulse grind the almonds to a soft powder along with the skin. The powder should look like this-

1. Take a heavy bottomed sauce pan or use a non-stick pot.
2. Pour in all five ingredients together into the pot.
3. Stir the contents over fire. You can start off with a high flame, and then reduce flame to medium once the ingredients are incorporated well together and begin to bubble.
4. It took me 15 minutes of stirring continuously over medium flame to complete cooking the halwa.
5. The halwa is done when it starts frothing around the sides of the pot and begins to leave the sides.Remove to a storage bowl immediately.
6. This does not need any garnishing, and can be served spooned warm. Perfect for cold wintry weekend treats!

Notes

• Take care to pulse grind almond powder – avoid extracting almond oil !
• Chop dates as fine as possible.
• Keep stirring over flame to avoid burning at the bottom of the pan.
• Do not overcook – else it will turn out to be a brittle texture, instead of a moist one. If in doubt, you can remove from fire and can cool a spoon of halwa, check if it is done and then return to fire if it is still liquidy.

Nutri notes

• Almonds are a great source of protein, fat, fibre, of vitamins-thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin E; and of minerals- iron, copper, zinc. This unique combination makes it wonderful for growing children.The fat is mostly of monounsaturated kind which is helpful in building HDL cholesterol, and reducing LDL cholesterol.For more information on health benefits of almonds look here.
• Dates are energy packed, bursting with iron, zinc. Also a good source of potassium which is very necessary for smooth working of heart muscles and an efficient nervous system.Foods high on potassium also help in regulating sodium in the body, hence control blood pressure.
• Dates contain no fat. The high fibre content in dates makes sure the body escapes constipation, colon cancer.
• Dates also pack in several B complex vitamins such as niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid.This makes it a handy snack for pregnant and lactating women as well as children in growth phase, especially if they are active in sports.
• This recipe combines the two wonder ingredients almonds and dates and combines milk and butter to it as a bonus!The use of butter does make it a high calorie dish – however it is good to remember healthy, active children need no calorie restriction and you may just be able to get a reluctant child to eat this delicious form of dates or almond.As for the others, moderation is the key word to remember! Do indulge in this ‘healthy sin’ in moderation and remember to work out a little extra to deserve this lovely treat!

Sending this dish to The Veggie Hut as my entry to ongoing event ' Winter warmers'

 

Quick chana kurma

An easy-to-cook, hearty dish just right for this season! It is also loaded with all nutrients you can wish for in a power-packed meal. Once you have read through the nutri notes, I’m quite certain that everyone will try this dish out. Do let me know how it worked for you.If you have sprouts ready at hand, this delicious kurma takes no time in travelling from the pot to the tummy!

You need

1. Green chana sprouted – 1 cup heaped
2. Salt – 1 tsp heaped
3. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
4. Fresh coriander leaves – 1/4 cup chopped
5. Jaggery –1 tbsp powdered (optional)
6. Sambar powder – 1 tsp (optional)

For seasoning

1. Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
3. Curry leaves – 10 leaves torn up
4. Hing powder – 1/2 tsp (if you are not using onion or garlic)

For the gravy

1. Ripe tomatoes – 4 medium, or 3 big
2. Chutney dal – 2 tbsp levelled
3. Fresh coconut – grated 1/4 cup
4. Ginger – chopped fine 2 tbsp
5. Green chillies – 2-3
6. Garlic – 1-2 cloves (optional)

To assemble

1. Pressure cook chana sprouts until well cooked. Sprouting renders the legumes softer and you can cook it faster.
2. Grind all ingredients mentioned under gravy  to a smooth paste.
3. In a thick bottomed pan, heat oil, add ingredients for seasoning in order.
4. Pour in the gravy paste, add 1 – 2 cups of water, add salt and turmeric powder, bring to a boil.
5. Once the gravy starts boiling, reduce flame, stir well and simmer for 10 minutes, keep stirring in between to avoid burning.
6. When gravy is ready, tip in the cooked sprouts, check for salt.
7. Add jaggery and sambar powder, if using.
8. Adjust salt and consistency if needed by adding water.
9. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander and serve hot with rotis, rava idli or steamed rice.

Nutri notes-

• The key ingredients in this dish are sprouts and ginger. So, I shall confine the nutrition information to these two.
• Sprouting or germinating whole pulses has been known to man for several thousands of years.
• Sprouts have the starches pre-digested by the enzyme amylase activated during sprouting. This breaks down starches into simpler sugars, proteins into amino acids and complex fats into simpler fatty acids, by the action of enzyme lipase.
• Sprouts of legumes therefore are easier to digest than the dry forms, their flatulence (gas) producing factors decrease and the protein in the legume is available to the body in a more absorbable form.
• Sprouting decreases levels of trypsin (amino acid) inhibitors or protease (digestive enzyme) inhibitors (present in the legumes - these substances make the legume harder to digest)
• Sprouting increases the availability of water soluble vitamins such as Vitamin B and C by 400% to 800%.Hence it is ideal for growing teens, pregnant and lactating women, and elderly people –all groups of people whose needs for vitamins are higher.
• Sprouting increases presence of calcium and phosphorous making it important for women past age of 35 years too.Moreover sprouts contain plant oestrogens, very essential for women in peri-menopause or pre- menopause or menopause stages. In other words – from ages 35-60 and even beyond! These plant oestrogens help maintain bone density, hence help prevent osteoporosis.The hormone also helps to relieve symptoms of PMS, hot flushes during menopause.
• Sprouting helps to increase presence of anti oxidants in foods – this prevents free radical formation.Result – skin ages slower, tissues remain stronger through age, hence better vision, hearing, better muscles and stronger bones too!
• Sprouting increases iron and zinc content of legumes. Both minerals are vital during growth phase of children.
• Sprouts being ‘live’ food are considered full of ‘prana’ or life-force.Hence, better immunity, anti ageing properties, detoxifying in nature, maintains acid – alkaline balance of the body.
• Ayurveda recommends using of ginger and turmeric in dishes of legumes to maintain acid balance and improve digestability of the dish – this recipe thus has it all !

Godhumai Pongal

 
You need

1. Cracked wheat – 1 cup
2. Mung dal – 1 cup
3. Salt – 1 1/2 tsp

For seasoning

1. Vegetable oil + ghee – 2 tbsp
2. Whole black pepper- 2 tsp
3. Jeera – 1 tsp heaped
4. Cashewnuts – 2tbsp (optional)
5. Ginger – juliennes – 2 tsp
6. Greenchillies – 3 slit lenghtwise
7. Curry leaves – 12-15

To assemble

1. Wash cracked wheat (godhumai ravai) and mung dal together.
2. Pressure cook with three times the volume of water.
3. Break cashews into halves if using
4. Pound together pepper and jeera to a coarse powder
5. Slit green chillies, chop ginger into juliennes,tear the curry leaves roughly.
6. In a  small pan, Heat the oil + ghee, add the cashews first.
7. When they brown up lightly, add other ingredients for seasoning  with pepper powder in the end.
8. Switch off gas and add the seasoning to the cooked pongal, add salt and mix everything well.

9. 

   Godhumai Pongal

   Enjoy hot godhumai pongal with onion raita or sambar or chutney of your choice.

The nutri notes-
This is a typical south Indian version of the previous recipe - Dalia khichdi.This tasted very similar to usual pongal made with rice and mung dal.I hope this recipe helps people who enjoy south indian cuisine to include wheat easily in their diet.

• The nutritional benefits of this recipe are the same as that of the previous recipe.This recipe is ideal for pregnant and lactating mothers, in case of gestational diabetes or anyone who has diabetes.
• The recipe also benefits people who  need to increase intake of soluble fibre such as those with constipation or piles.
• However, please refrain from using wheat based recipes if you have gluten allergy.

Dalia khichdi

We returned tired and hungry after an exciting round of Diwali shopping. With just more than half an hour at hand, I had to rustle up a reviving meal for my family. This is what I made. Quick and easy to put together, no exotic ingredients, and healthy comfort food at it's best! Do try it out and let me know how you liked it.

You need

1. Cracked wheat-1 cup (200 gm)
2. Mung dal-1 cup (200gm)
3. Carrot-2 small, chopped-(1/2 cup)
4. Capsicum-1 medium, chopped (1/4 cup)
5. Potato-1 big, chopped (1/4 cup)
6. Large violet brinjal- 1/2 chopped (1 cup)
7. Tomatoes-3/4 kg
8. Asafoetida powder-a pinch
9. Turmeric powder-3/4 tsp
10. Salt-2 tsp
11. Coriander leaves-3 tbsp chopped

For seasoning

1. Oil + ghee-2 tbsp
2. Jeera-1 tsp
3. Whole black pepper- 1tsp
4. Cloves- 7-8
5. Cinnamon-5-7 small sticks
6. green cardamom-3-4

To assemble

1. Choose ripe red tomatoes, wash well and puree in mixer.You could also blanch them, peel skin and then puree.Retaining the skin or peeling it off is personal choice, I have not seen flavour change with either.
2. Wash all other vegetables, dice into even sized pieces.
3. Wash dalia and mung dal together, add three times the volume of water (that makes it 6 cups of water for this recipe), and pressure cook for 4 whistles.
4. Meanwhile, heat oil, ghee mixture in a broad kadai/ saucepan.
5. Add in order given, all the ingredients for seasoning.
6. When jeera crackles, and you get a pleasant aroma of spices, it ts time to add hing powder, turmeric powder.
7. Add chopped vegetables toss well and fry for 3 minutes.
8. Add tomato puree and salt.Allow to simmer for atleast 10 minutes until raw smell of tomatoes are gone.
9. When the pressure has released, add the simmering vegetables to the cooked dalia,  mix thoroughly and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
10. Finally add chopped coriander blend in and serve hot.
11. Serve with any raita / salad and papad.

Notes

• You can fry washed wheat + dal in a tsp of ghee for a nice aroma.
• You can add more vegetables like knol khol, peas, sweet potato, onion.
• You can omit tomatoes entirely if you do not prefer the tang, or mix in juice of 1 lemon at the end.
• You can serve this hot topped with a tsp of ghee to kids and omit for those with calorie restrictions.
• Microwaved masala papad is a good accompaniment too.
• Can add more water after mixing the vegetables and cooked dalia.

Now for  the nutri notes

• This is a great one pot meal - combining cereal, pulse, vegetables and dairy allowance if served with raita.
• Eating a cereal and a pulse in the same meal ensures that the amino acids missing in one is complemented by those in the other. This is great for vegetarians since they derive maximum benefit from plant protein by eating in combination like in this recipe.
• Tomatoes, rich in lycopene take pride of place in this dish. Apart from fibre, vitamin A and vitamin C, that you get in tomatoes, the lycopene in tomatoes also is an anti carcinogenic agent.
• Using cracked wheat ensures that the benefits of bran and germ are derived fully. Hence, a high protein content (12gm/100gm), not to mention high fibre as well (1.2-1.4g/100gm).What would interest everyone is also the high niacin and folate levels in cracked wheat makes it an ideal grain for pregnant women, athletes, teenagers and elderly too.
• Carrots used here add to the beta carotene, you get half your daily allowance of Vitamin A by adding 1/4 cup of chopped carrots per person.

Here are the visuals 

chopped vegetables

frying whole spices

simmering vegetables

Mix cooked dalia with vegetables

Serve with raita

Green beetroot salad

A green beetroot salad?Well, yes, check out this recipe.Quite surprisingly, the fenugreek does not leave any bitter aftertaste, even my kids relished this colourful salad!Considering the amazing benefits of fenugreek, this salad is an all time winner, go ahead,  please do yourself a good turn by trying out this one.I must thank my dear friend who gave me this great recipe.
You need

1. Beet root, tender, small - 2, grated
2. Fenugreek leaves, tender - chopped, 1 cup
3. Onion - 2 medium, chopped fine
4. Tomatoes - 2 chopped fine
5. Hung curd - 2 tbsp
6. Salt - 1/2 tsp or lesser

For seasoning

1. Vegetable oil - 1/2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Curry leaves - 4-5 leaves
4. Hing powder - a small pinch
5. Green chilli - 2, chopped very fine

To assemble

1. Tie up a cupful of homemade skim milk curd in a muslin cloth for about an hour.Use 2 tbsp of the hung curd in this recipe, reserve the rest for later.
2. Choose tender fenugreek leaves.Remove thick stalks from fenugreek leaves, wash thoroughly.Chop up - neither too fine nor too big.
3. Select medium, tender beetroot.Wash well, peel skin away, and grate the beetroot with a fine grater.
4. Take 2 medium sized onions, peel, wash well, and chop up real fine.
5. Similarly wash tomatoes and chop fine.
6. Once chopped,  toss all vegetables together with the salt and hung curd.
7. Heat oil in a small sauce pan, add mustard .When mustard splutters, add the rest of ingredients for seasoning in order.Pour over the tossed salad and give a good mix.
8. Allow flavours to settle by keeping it covered in the fridge for atleast half an hour.
9. Serve with phulkas, or rice.

Notes

• You can use juice of 1 lemon instead of hung curd for the tartness.
• You can substitute green chilli with fresh cracked black pepper, add it along with salt.
• Always select tender fresh vegetables while assembling a salad.
• Consume a salad within an hour of tossing or even earlier.
• Keep a salad covered well in the fridge to avoid loss of freshness and to avoid other odours from seeping in.
• You can omit the beetroot entirely for severe diabetics.Else you can substitute it with fresh carrots.

Now for the nutri notes

• There are numerous studies which show the benefits of fenugreek on lowering blood glucose levels and lowering blood lipid levels.These have been shown in ancient Ayurvedic medicine too.Space here does not permit detailed analysis of such studies, suffice to say that we do have a wonder vegetable at hand.DO consume either seeds or leaves raw on an empty stomach to benefit fully from the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of fenugreek.Consuming just 5- 8 gms of seeds per day seem to bring on all the benefits of this wonder plant.
• The leaves also give us good amounts of Vitamin A,and sizable amounts of  vitamin B and C when consumed fresh and raw.
• Among trace elements,while it contains only fair amounts of iron, the leaves pack in good amounts of copper (0.10mg/100gm), zinc (0.36mg/100gm) Due to the presence of copper and zinc,quality of iron absorption is good.Those with iron deficiency anemia, please go all out for this fragrant green!
• It is a low source of sodium (76mg/100gm and potassium (31mg/100gm).Hence it is a welcome food for hypertensive patients.

Here are the visuals

chopped salad veggies

Blended and seasoned salad

Chilled salad with hot phulkas!



Palak and sweet corn sandwiches

Mummy, please make Cafe Coffee Day sandwiches for us! This was the refrain from my kids for the past few months!This was the result of the trial.While the outcome was not exactly like the famous cafe chain,(that version had a more pronounced garlicky flavour),try this version and give me your comments.

You need

1. Palak leaves-chopped, 4 cups (frozen palak can also be used)
2. American sweet corn-2 cups
3. Salt-1/2 tsp or to taste
4. White pepper powder-1 tsp to 1 1/2 tsp
5. Crushed garlic-1 tsp (optional)
6. Bread-1 loaf (can be any variety, whole wheat is good)
7. Melted butter- 2 tbsp, for brushing

For white sauce

1. Skim milk-200ml
2. Whole wheat flour-1/4 cup (50gms)
3. Unsalted butter-15 gms
4. Cheddar cheese-100 gms cube (can add more if you wish)

To assemble

1. Remove thick stalks from palak leaves, wash well, and chop roughly.Measure 4 cups after chopping.
2. Cook in its own juices in an open pot over stove top for 8-10 minutes or cook in a  micowave for 4 minutes  (800W).If using frozen palak, thaw and then cook.
3. Rinse if using frozen corn, boil in microwave until just tender (4-5 mins).
4. For the white sauce, melt butter in a thick bottomed pan, add crushed garlic, if using, and then add whole wheat flour, fry stirring rapidly to avoid burning.
5. After the raw smell of flour subsides, switch off stove, add the milk, stir briskly to remove lumps (you could use a whisk too).
6. Return to fire and simmer.
7. Grate the cheese you are using and add to the simmering sauce, mix well and allow to melt well into the sauce.
8. The sauce is done when it coats the back of ladle, add salt and white pepper powder now, and stir.
9. Add the cooked palak and corn, mix well.
10. Simmer for a minute or two until the filling turns into a moist homogenous mass.
11. To make the sandwiches, brush one side of each slice of bread very lightly with melted butter.
12. Place one slice buttered side down on a sandwich maker, spoon some prepared filling onto the slice evenly.
13. Cover with another bread slice, buttered side up and close the sandwich maker.
14. Sandwich should be ready in a minute or so.
15. Switch off the sandwich maker and remove gently, rest for a minute and then serve.
16. Repeat until your bread and filling is used up.

Notes

• You could add boiled peas instead of corn or in addition to corn.
• You could add more of cheddar cheese or add half measure each of cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
• Add more garlic as per taste.

Now for the nutri notes

• Spinach is only a moderate source of iron.However what makes it a great green is that it comes packed with 51 micro gms of folic acid per 100gm spinach, as well as comes loaded with beta carotene (5580 micro gms)  and vitamin C (28mg/100gm).It thus packs a super healthy punch. Given this ideal combination-of folate and vitamin C necessary  for optimum iron absorption in the body,it is a must have veggie on a weekly basis.
• Corn is a low fat, fibre laden, cereal.It is not a signifiacnt source of calcium or iron.However it's low sodium (40mg/100gm) and fair potassium content (151mg/100gm) makes it a good bet for hypertensive patients.
• Cheese loads the dish with calcium and of course plenty of sodium and saturated fats too.Reason enough to use sparingly.While this recipe is a treat for kids, adults can tweak the recipe to add fresh homemade paneer made from skim milk-this obviously ensures calcium without the sin!
• Milk alongwith cheese ensures that your kids' daily dairy protein needs are met in a fun way!
• Using whole wheat bread for the sandwiches gives you carbs of a low glycemic index.
• A dish that has it all- good carbs, dairy protein, bursting -with -good -health -veggies,plenty of fibre and super yummy to boot,Wow.

Here are the visuals

cooking palak

Add flour to butter for white sauce

Add milk and cheese

Add cooked palak and corn to the white sauce

Sandwiches with filling ready!