Apple Curry/ Apple Sabji

Well, I don't know how but we landed up with a lot of apples in the house with no takers! My husband has raw apple allergy so he's excused and my daughter just decided not to eat them and that left poor me to finish all the apples. There was no way I could finish them; so then, I came up with this idea of an apple sabji!

Strangely my husband does not have the allergy for cooked apples! Anyhow, this curry is made with no onions and as such with slight variations can be adapted for eating during Fasting and Vrat.

This recipe qualifies for this blog as " An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away" and apples combined with all the good spices like cumin , turmeric, coriander and ginger!

Ingredients:

6 ripe apples
1 green chilli, slit
1/4 " piece of grated ginger
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 chilli powder
Salt to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon/lime
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

• Core and dice the apples. Peel them if you prefer. I peeled the apples.
• Heat oil in the pan.
• Once oil is heated, add the cumin seeds.
• As the seeds splutter, add the green chillies, ginger and apple pieces.
• When apples are half cooked, add all the spices.
• Cook till apples are soft. Add salt.
  
• Finally add the lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves

Apples absorb flavors very well, be careful when adding chillies or chilli powder.

KHICHDI with chilke mung dal( split green mung beans)

Enough cannot be said about the benefits of eating legumes and with its skin, there is the added benefit of vitaminized fibre. Khichdi is a 'comfort food' akin to 'chicken soup' of the western diet.
'Comfort Food' -- as it is soothing and inviting to have this after a long journey ;after or during a sickness and recovery. After any stressful period, there is nothing as nutritious and comforting as hot khichdi and dahi and it guarantees a restful sleep. It is also a acclaimed 'winter food', that can prevent winter ailments.
A slightly soggy khichdi, had with fresh yoghurt is a complete meal and filling too!


Split green mung dal with skin -- 1 cup
(This is called Chilke Mung ki dal)
Basmathi or any Long Grain Rice -- 1 cup
1 large carrot, chopped to small cubes
A handful of Green Peas, fresh or frozen
1" piece ginger
1 tejpatta or bay leaf
2-3 cloves
1" piece cinammon
1 tsp cumin seeds, slightly crushed
1 tsp peppercorns, slightly crushed
1/2 tsp hing(asafoetida)
1/2 tsp haldi
salt to taste
1 tsp oil
2 tsp ghee
6 cups water

Method:
Heat oil in the pressure cooker.
Add the spices, bayleaf, cloves, cinammon, jeeraand pepper.
Add the carrot and peas, saute for 2 minutes.
Wash the rice and mung dal and add to the cooker.
Saute for a few minutes.
Add the salt and haldi
Saute for a few minutes.
Add the water, close the cooker and cook along with the pressure on.
After it is done top it with the ghee.
Enjoy this steaming hot khichdi with fresh dahi.

Benefits:

• All spices have antioxident and anti cancer properties.
• Cumin and pepper help digestion.
• Haldi is known for its prevention of Alzheimers
• Ghee is an anti-oxident.
• The bean is popular as the perfect food for reducing weight. It is recommended as a food replacement in many slimming programs, as it has a very low fat content. It is a rich source of protein and fiber, which helps one to lower the high cholesterol level in the blood system.
• The high fiber content of mung beans yields complex carbohydrates, which aid digestion. Complex carbs are also effective in stabilizing blood sugar
  
  and prevent its rapid rise after meal consumption, apart from keeping body’s energy at a balanced level. Those who suffer from diabetes or high cholesterol are recommended frequent consumption of mung bean.

Bottlegourd/ Ghia / Louki Raitha

Ghia otherwise known as bottlegourd is now being acclaimed as a curative for various ailments from urinary problems to a liver cure. It balances the Doshas and is an antiflatulant. Insomnia, baldness and juandice are other ailments that find a cure in this wonder vegetable.
In my adventure of trying out recipes, this is about the best I have picked up. Very healthy, balances the doshas and soothing to the stomach.
Besides this is a totally OIL-FREE dish.
And what's more it goes very well with any parathas or pulaos!

3 cups Grated Bottlegourd/ Louki
1 cup thick yoghurt/Dahi, beaten
1/4 tsp powdered mustard
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp sugar
salt
Cilantro/Coriander for garnishing

• Take the grated vegetable in a pan and add water only to the level of the grated vegetable and boil till tender.
• Cool completely and add the beaten yoghurt, spices and salt and sugar.
• Garnish with coriander/cilantro and enjoy with rice or chapathi
• Or you can eat it as it is instead of a sugar laden fruit yoghurt

Healthy Spinach Wada/ Keerai Vadai

Keerai vadai/Spinach wada and Healthy!? Is that possible? All I can say is...Try This!

You will need a APPAM PAN to make this.... This is a pan with depressions that looks like a muffin pan but can be kept on the stove top.

Recipe:
1 and 1/2 cup Urad dal, soaked for 2 hours
1 bunch Spinach, chopped
green chillies-2 or 3, chopped fine.
Jeera/cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
1" piece ginger
salt to taste
Pinch of baking soda

1. Grind the urad dal with salt and ginger to idli batter consistency.
2. Mix with it the chopped spinach, green chillies and jeera.
3. Add the baking soda and mix well.
4. Heat a greased appam pan and add a tablespoon of the batter into each depression.
5. Add some oil around the batter and close the pan with a domed lid.
6. After a few minutes, remove the lid and slowly turn over each wada
7. Make sure it is well browned on the underside
8. Once again drizzle some oil around the wada and do not close it this time.
9. Let it cook to a golden color on both sides and remove the wadas
10. Enjoy with chutney of your choice and No guilt about a waistline!

Chapathis with Kala Chana Atta

Kala chana is the black chana available at most Indian stores. Also available is the flour made out of this Kala chana or Black chickpeas. It is called kala chana atta and has the fibre content of the black chickpeas and also the protein content. Being both high in protein and fibre, it makes a very ideal diabetic diet.

1 cup Wheat flour
1/2 cup Black chickpea flour or kala chana atta
pinch salt

• Make a dough of the above with warm water. Cover the dough and set aside for a half hour.
• Divide the dough into rounds of required quantity, depending on the size of the chapathi you want to make.
• Roll out the rounds into flat discs with the help of a little wheat flour and put it on a heated griddle.
• When you see a few tiny bubbles on the chapathi, turn it over on the other side on the griddle.
• Once again when you see small bubbles on it, Take the chapathi off the griddle.
• Instantly put it on the open flame with tongs and watch it fluff up like a balloon
• Flip it onto the other side and when light brown spots appear onit, take off fire and have it hot with a curry of your choice.