Ragi and Bengal flour dosa (Kezhvaragu, Kadalai mavu dosai)

Finger millet and Bengal flour dosa (Kezhvaragu, Kadalai mavu dosai) - Preparation time 10 mins

As I am following gluten free diet i have to consume dishes which doesn't include wheat flour and maida flour. So i tried this dosa which came out well and crispy as wheat or rava dosai. This dosai

goes well with coconut chutney or kara chutney or idli podi. 

Ingredients:-

Kadalai mavu (Bengal gram flour) - 1/2 cup

Arisi mavu (Rice flour) - 2 tbsp

Kezhvaragu mavu (Ragi flour) - 3/4 cup

Chopped onion - 1 (into small cubes)

Chopped green chili - 2

Chopped ginger - 1 tsp 

Curry leaves - 1 string

Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp

Cumin seed - 1 tbsp

Salt - To taste

Sesame oil - 3 or 4 tbsp

Water - Required to mix the flours for dosai mavu consistency

Preparation method:-

In a bowl mix all the flours (bengal gram, ragi and rice).

To mixed flour's add chopped onion, chili,ginger, chili powder, curry leaves and water slowly to avoid lumps. 

Required amount of salt is added. Cumin seed is added for digestion and mix all the ingredients well for dosai flour (This can be bit thin when compared to dosai flour) consistency.

Heat a tawa and add little oil. Now pour one ladle full of flour and make dosai.

Since the flour is thin no need to spread using ladle. A health and easy to make gluten free dosai.

As ragi is rich in calcium content good for bones and bengal gram flour is rich in protein.

Quick and healthy vegetable soup

Quick and healthy vegetable soup - Preparation time 10 mins

Actually i tried this soup when one of the family member got sick and we have to give some pulses and vegetable to gain the health. It is simple and nutritional soup which can be given to kids and aged people.

Below quantity is for one person

Ingredients:-

Carrot - 2 inch pealed and cut 

Onion - 1/2 (small size)

Tomato - 1/2

Pepper corns - 2

Cumin seed - 1/4 tsp

Mung dhal - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

2 garlic pods - peeled

Water - 1/2 cup

Pudina leaves - 4 (optional)

Preparation method:-

In a kadai add little butter sortae all the vegetable and spice to get rid of raw smell. 

Add above vegetables, spices and mung dhal with water to a vessel and pressure cook for 2 whistle and leave it to cool.

In mixer add boiled ingredients and grind (don't make it very smooth paste leave small pieces).

Transfer to serving bowl and serve. Add pepper and salt if required.

If your are serving for kids you can add little butter.

Cauliflower paratha (Cauliflower, orullai chapathi)

Cauliflower paratha (Cauliflower, orullai chapathi) - preparation time 20 mins
My husband don't like cauliflower much but i love cauliflower. So we have to cook in some way that he wont get the smell of cauliflower in the dish. If you add in kuruma in small piece cauliflower will take the juice of kuruma and taste good likewise we can use cauliflower with some spices and make this paratha.

Ingredients:-
Boiled potato - 1
Black jeera - 1/2 tsp
Cauliflower - 3/4  or one (if the flower is small size)
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Wheat flour - 2 cups
Salt - Required amount
Turmeric - a pinch
Red Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - To Knead the dough
Finely chopped Green chili - 1 or 2
Chopped fresh coriander - 1 tbsp
Sunflower or Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp

Preparation method:-
Mix wheat flour with 1 tbsp oil and salt. Knead the flour with required amount of water. Knead well so that the dough is soft. Apply little oil and rest the flour for few mins (maybe 30 mins)
Pressure cook the potatoes. Remove the skin, mash the potatoes.
In a vessel boil water with salt and turmeric. When water boils add the cauliflower florets to the water and switch of the flame. Cover the vessel and leave for few mins.
If any worms present inside cauliflower it will come out and die. After 5 mins remove the cauliflower and keep aside. 
Using a carrot or cheese grater grate the cauliflower florets.
In a kadai add 1 tsp oil, chopped green chili, grated cauliflower, turmeric. sortae till the raw smells goes off.
Add mashed potato, chili powder, garam masala, chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Stuffing will be a tight dough.
When the stuffing is cool make small ball stuffing. 
Make small ball using wheat flour. Flatten the ball, keep stuffing ball inside and close. Seal fully with the wheat flour and make like a ball. Dust the ball using the dry wheat flour before rolling to paratha.
Using chapathi roller make paratha. Heat tawa and cook the cauliflower paratha both side.
Stuffed paratha is ready to serve. Happy eating.

Rasamalai

Wish you all a very happy, healthy and wonderful new year 2016. Let us start the new year with a sweet dish Rasamalai. Hope you all will try and taste this sweet.

Rasamalai - Preparation time 3hrs

I thought of making rasamalai in my way. I tried few years back but the milk in rasamalai didn't become very thick as we take in hotels. So i thought of making it once again with more milk so i took two and half litre milk for preparation of rasamalai. Actually this is a combination of making basundi and rasagulla. This time it came out very well.

Shared rasamalai with neighbours, parents and in-laws. I made medium size rasamalai so i got around 22 pieces. The process of making rasamalai is time consuming but it is really worth it.

Surely everyone will love this sweet. I didn't make it very sweet because the milk itself will be thick so adding required sugar is enough to experience the taste of saffron milk.
Actually this is a very rich and tasty dish. If health conscious take only one because it will add up more calories.

Making of the rasamalai milk

Ingredients & Preparation method:-

Milk 1.5 ltr - Boil the milk in low flame and keep on stirring occasionally. Do this process until the milk become thick i.e 1/4th
Saffron strings - little soak in warm milk for 20 mins and crush well
When the milk is almost done add the crushed saffron along with the milk.

Boil for few more mins and switch of the flame.

Making of sugar syrup:-
Ingredients:-
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup water

Preparation method:-
In a pan add 1/2 or 3/4 cup of sugar with little water and boil till the syrup come to one string consistency.

Keep this sugar syrup to add in rasamali. Because we don't know how much sugar to add and also the thickness of the milk will be reduced if we add sugar to milk at this stage and boil so this is the best method.
After adding the required syrup and if you have extra sugar syrup don't worry you can add to milk or keep and use in any sweet you are making.

Making of rasamalai
Ingredients:- 
Milk - 1 lt
Curd or lemon juice to curdle the milk - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 100 gms or 150 gms according to your taste or 1/2 cup 
Water - to immerse the balls

Preparation method:-
Boil the milk in a vessel and add the curd. 

The milk start curdling. When you get clear water (waye) and panner drain the water using filter. 

Wash the panner well so the sour taste of curd/lemon will goes off.
Put the panner in a thin white cloth and hung it so all the water in panner goes off. You can also tie the cloth tightly keep this over a filter and keep some weight over it. The water drains down.
Knead the dough using your hand atleast for 20 to 25 mins i.e. till the dough becomes soft.

Now start making very small ball (1 inch or less) and press to make small disc. Keep these disc separately.

In pressure cooker add sugar and water. When water starts boiling add the rasamalai disc slowly and carefully.

Close the cooker and wait for 3 whistle. Switch off the flame.

When you open and see the small will twice the size when compared to original one. Take care and use big cooker so, space will be enough and it will become spongy and soft.
Now carefully transfer all the rasamalai to already boiled thick saffron milk and boil for few mins.

Add the sugar syrup to this and check the sweet level. (Sugar is not good for health so try to reduce the sugar in possible dishes. In this recipe the tast of thick saffron milk will be very good even with less sugar).
When cool keep in refrigerator and serve chill. Surely everyone one who taste's this rasamalai will ask for one more.

My nephew(4yrs old) is not ready to share to anyone he eat and preserved for next day. Actually when i gave him first he turned his face and said a big NO. When i gave to my dad and he said it is nice then my nephew asked one and he liked it very much and went for another.