Ragi Nutri Mix

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What you need: 

• 1/2 kg ragi (finger millet)
• 1/4 kg wheat
• 100g jowar 
• 50g green gram 
• 50g horse gram
• 50g chick peas 
• 10-12 almonds 
• 4 cardamom 

Method:

• Wash all the ingredients separately (except cardamom). Dry them on a clean towel and keep in the hot sun for a day or two to dry completely.
• Heat a kadai and dry roast each ingredient separately, till they slightly change colour and become aromatic. Let it cool to room temperature.
• Place all the ingredients along with cardamom in a dry mixer jar and powder it. Store in an air tight container.

Preparation of porridge:

What you need: (makes 2 cups) 

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 small piece jaggery
• 2 tsp nutri mix powder (prepared above)
• Pinch of salt

Method:

• Pour 1 cup of milk and 3/4 cup water alongwith jaggery on a sauce pan. Let it boil. 
• Meanwhile, mix 2 tsp mutri mix powder to the remaining 1/4 cup of of water and mix thoroughly. Add this 1/4 cup to the boiling milk. 
• Stir continuously so that no lumps are formed. When it boils, keep it on simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the salt. Turn off the flame. 

This porridge can be enjoyed in the morning in place of tea or coffee along with breakfast. 

Dahi Chicken

 

What you need:

• 1/2 kg chicken cut into medium sized pieces 
• 1 tbsp coriander powder 
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• Turmeric powder 
• 3/4 cup curd
• 1 large tomato (chopped)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder 
• 2 medium sized onions (chopped) 
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder 
• 2 tbsp ghee 
• 2" cinnamon 
• 3 cloves
• 1 star anise 
• 2 green chillies (finely chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method: 

• Wash the chicken. Marinate with curd, coriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, and tbsp ginger garlic paste and salt. Keep aside for half an hour.
• Heat ghee in a pan. Add in the cloves, cinnamon and star anise. Fry. Add in the onions and fry till they turn transparent. Add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes turn soft. Add the marinated chicken. Stir well. Add in the green chillies and red chilli powder. 
• Cook on high flame with the lid closed. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes. Keep stirring in between. 
• The onions and the tomatoes will be cooked by now and a thick gravy will be formed. Check the salt. 
• Garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy! 

Pork Chilly

 

What you need:

• 1 kg pork (cut into bite-sized pieces)

• 4-5 onions (medium, cubed)

• 10 garlic cloves 

• 1" ginger

• 6 green chillies 

• 1 large capsicum (cubed)

For masala:

• 10 red chillies (long)

• 4 cloves

• 2 tbsp vinegar

• 2" cinnamon 

• 1/2 tsp jeera

• 1 tsp coriander seeds 

• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

• 1 tsp turmeric powder 

Grind the above ingredients to form a fine paste.

• 1 tbsp chilli-tomato sauce 

• 1/2 tbsp soya sauce

• 1 tbsp pepper powder

For marination:

• 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste 

• 1 tbsp vinegar

• 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder 

• 2 tbsp coconut oil 

• Salt to taste

Method:

Chop the pork, wash and drain. Marinate with ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, vinegar and salt. Marinate for 30 minutes. Boil the pork with one cup of water for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and let it cool. 

Heat just 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan. Add the cooked pork pieces and fry on medium flame for 10-15 minutes till it turns golden brown. If your pan is small, fry in two batches. Keep aside.

In the same pan add the remaining oil, and add in the cubed onions, green chilies, ginger and garlic. Fry till they are slightly cooked. Add the capsicum and mix well. Add the ground paste and stir well for about 3 minutes. Add the fried meat and chilli tomato sauce. Sauté well. Close the lid and let it cook for 2 minutes. Serve hot. 

Veg Dosa

We need

2 cups dosa batter

2 tbspns grated carrot

2 tbspns finely cut cabbage

1 finely cut green chilli

1 inch grated or finely cut ginger

2 tbspn finely cut onion 

little finely cut coriander leaves or tender curry leaves

little jaggery or sugar (optional)

Let's begin

Mix all the items well.  Adjust salt and chilli. Keep aside for 15 minutes or more for the batter to absorb flavors.

Make dosas till the batter gets over. Smear ghee before taking off the tava for more taste.

Serve hot. No need of chutney as these dosas are very tasty.

Note: Increase or reduce the vegetables according to your preference. Jaggery/sugar makes the dosas much tastier. Left over dosa batter works out best.

Prawn/Shrimp Masala

 

This recipe is easy to make, packed with loads of flavours and tastes amazing! 

What you need:

• 100 prawns (medium in size, deveined & cleaned)
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• Salt to taste

To grind:

• 7 long red chillies 
• 3 short red chillies 
• 2 tbsp coconut 
• 1 small tomato 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

For tempering:

• 5 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 10-12 curry leaves 
• 2 tbsp oil

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan. Add the crushed garlic. Fry until it turns brown. Add the curry leaves. Add the masala. Fry the masala on low fire for about 10-12 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water. Let it boil. Add the prawns. Close the lid and let it cook. Check the salt and add lime juice. 
• Serve hot with rice. 

Bitter gourd/Karela Rings

 

Bitter gourd is a great source of several key nutrients. Bitter gourd rings are easy to prepare and can be enjoyed as a side dish. 

What you need:

• 2 large bitter gourds

• 2 tbsp rice flour 

• 1 tbsp corn flour 

• Juice of half lime 

• 2 tsp red chilli powder 

• 1/2 tsp coriander powder 

• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

• Salt to taste

• Oil for frying 

Method:

• Trim the ends of the bitter gourds and chop them into even sized rings. Discard the hard seeds. Wash and squeeze out the excess water. Apply salt and turmeric powder. Mix well and keep aside for half an hour.

• Squeeze the bitter gourd again and throw the excess salt water. Mix rice flour, corn flour, lime juice, red chilli powder, coriander powder and apply the paste evenly on the bitter gourd rings. Add salt if required. Marinate for 2 hours and shallow fry till crisp. 

Curd Rice

 

Curd rice is a very popular south indian dish. It’s easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of effort. Curd rice can be served with pickle or it can also be served plain. 

What you need:

• 2 cups of raw rice

• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds 

• 1 tbsp cashew nuts (broken)

• 2 cups of fresh sweet curd

For tempering:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil 

• 1 tsp mustard

• Few curry leaves 

• 1 tsp coriander leaves

• 3 chopped green chillies 

Method:

• Wash and cook the rice in enough water till soft. Let it cool completely. Beat the curd and add it to the rice. Mix well.

• Take 1 tbsp coconut oil in a pan, add the mustard, curry leaves and green chillies. Add the cashew nuts and fry till they turn brown. Pour it over the corn rice. Also add the pomegranate and mix well.

• Refrigerate it or serve immediately with pickle. 

Mutton Korma

 

This mutton korma is delicious and easy to prepare. Made with easily available ingredients, this dish will leave you wanting for more. 

What you need:

• 1/2 kg mutton

• 1/2 cup curds

• 1 small onion (sliced)

• 1 tbsp ghee

• Salt to taste

For masala:

• 1/2 cup dry copra

• 1 small onion

• 1” ginger

• 3 garlic cloves 

• 4 long red chillies 

• 1/2 tsp coriander 

• 1/2 tsp kuskus

• 2 green chillies 

• 6 pepper corns

• 3 cloves

• 1” cinnamon 

• 1 cardamom 

Method:

• Wash the meat. Marinate with curds and keep it aside for half an hour. 

• Grind all the ingredients of the masala to form a fine paste. 

• Heat ghee in a pan. Fry the sliced onions until they turn golden brown in colour. Add the masala & fry till the raw aroma disappears. Add the marinated meat and stir fry for 15-20 minutes. Transfer the content to a cooker and cook for 5 more minutes. 

• Serve hot with roti, chapati or naan. 

Vermicelli/Semiya Idli

 

These idlis are prepared by mixing roasted semiya/vermicelli and curds. Vermicelli idlis are served hot with coconut or tomato chutney. This can be served for breakfast or as an evening snack!!

What you need:

• 2 cups of vermicelli (MTR or Bambino) 

• 2 cups sweet curd

• 1 tbsp semolina

• 2 green chillies (finely chopped)

• 1 tsp coriander leaves

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 2 tsp oil

• 1 tsp mustard

• 1 tsp urad dal

• 1 tsp chana dal

• 1 tsp cashew nuts (roughly chopped)

• Curry leaves

Method:

• Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add the mustard, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves and cashew nuts. Stir. Add the vermicelli and fry until it turns golden brown in colour. Add the semolina and fry for 3 more minutes. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool. 

• Now add the curd to the cooled mixture. Add salt. Add the green chillies, coriander leaves and baking soda. Mix well and let it soak well for at least 15 minutes. Pour this mixture in the idli mould and steam for 10-12 minutes. 

• Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Jackfruit Payasam

 

Jackfruit payasam is one of the most delicious and flavourful payasam you can ever have! 

What you need:

• 2 cups jackfruit pods (remove seeds)

• 1 cup jaggery

• 3 cups scraped coconut 

• 1 tbsp ghee

• 1/2 cup semolina (roasted lightly)

• 1 pinch salt 

Method:

• Extract thick and thin coconut milk from the coconut. 

• Clean the jackfruit pods and chop into small pieces. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan and add the chopped jackfruit and fry on medium heat till a nice aroma comes out. Add the third extracted coconut milk, salt and jaggery. Keep stirring in between. Add second extract milk and roasted semolina. Stir well. Finally add the thick extract of coconut milk. 

• Boil for 1-2 minutes. Serve hot.

Aloo Poha

 

Poha is well known for its high nutrient value. It is a good source of carbohydrates, antioxidants and essential vitamins. It is gluten free. Hence, it is one of the healthiest indian breakfasts!

What you need:

• 2 cups of thick poha

• 2 potatoes (medium sized)

• 3 green chillies (chopped)

• 1/2 cup coconut

• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

• 2 tsp lemon juice 

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp sambhar powder (optional)

For tempering:

• 2 tsp oil

• 1 tsp mustard

• 1 tsp urad dal

• 1 tbsp groundnuts 

• Curry leaves

Method:

• While the potatoes, peel and mash. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan, add the tempering. Add in the mashed potatoes and salt. Add the green chilies and sambhar powder. Stir well on low flame. Add coconut, turmeric powder, lemon juice and sugar.

• Meanwhile, wash the poha in sufficient amount of water, squeeze out excess water and add it to the potato mixture. Mix all the ingredients well. If desired, add 1 tablespoon of water. Close and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.