Rajgira (Amaranth) Laddoo

Rajgira laddoo are very popular and low fat dish for fasting. Some people eat these laddoos with milk.

It makes enormous nutritional sense therefore to use this super non-cereal on fasting days.

You just bite into a simple light rajgira laddoo , you get a good source of  fiber and minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and especially manganese. Rajgira is rich in lysine, the one essential amino acid that is hard to find in vegetable protein sources. 

ही पाककृती वाचा मराठीतून.......इथे क्लिक करा.

Ingredients:

• Special jaggery- 1 cup (usually jaggery used for Tilgul is stickier than the normal jaggery and called 'chikkicha gul' in Marathi. )
• Puffed rajgira- 5 cups
• Clarified butter (ghee)- 2 tsp
• Peanuts (roasted and crushed into pieces)- 1/4 cup (optional)
• Cardamom powder- 1 tsp

Method:

• Melt jaggery with ghee in a non stick pan or heavy bottom pan/wok to make a thick syrup. See this method in making of Tilgul. (Click here)
• Turn off the gas and mix in the rajgira, roasted peanuts and cardamom powder. Mix well.
• Take it off the heat and make small (like Tilgul or bite size) round balls. Leave to cool and serve.

Or......

• Transfer the contents onto 2-3 greased stainless steel plate and spread it by patting with greased wooden spatula or katori.
• Mark in squares with a knife when warm.
• Cut into pieces when cooled, store in air-tight container. 

Though we get this laddo or chikki in shops, I prefer it homemade. It's simple.

Chili Broccoli Chinese Stir-fry

ही पाककृती वाचा मराठीतून....

Ingredients:

Julianne onion- 1 cup

Broccoli florets- 1 cup

Julianne capsicum- 1 cup

Julianne carrot- ½ cup

Soy sauce- 2 tsp

Chili sauce- 1 tsp

Vinegar- 1 tsp

Red chili – 2

Garlic cloves- 6

Ginger crush- ½ tsp

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil- 2 tbsp

Method:

Combine soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Mix well and add broccoli florets for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan. Add marinated broccoli, red chili slices, ginger crush, minced garlic. Mix well and sauté for a minute. 

Add all remaining vegetables in a pan add mix well. Sauté for 7-8 minutes.

Tasty Stirfry is ready. Serve hot with fried rice or noodles.

Spinach Oats Uttapa

We  mothers are always worried that how to feed our kids oats and leafy vegetables like spinach.  This is one of the solution. It's healthy breakfast too. This is ideal for tiffin also. 

ही पाककृती वाचा मराठीतून .......इथे क्लिक करा.

Ingredients:

• Chopped spinach – 1 cup
• Chopped onion- ½ cup
• Semolina (suji or rawa)– 1 cup
• Oats flex- 1 cup
• Curd – ¼ cup
• Chill crush – 2 tsp or as per taste 
• Garlic crush- 2 tsp
• Coarsely crushed cumin seeds - ½  tsp
• Sugar- ½  tsp
• Asafetida (Hing) – 1 pinch
• Soda bi-carb- 1 pinch
• Water- 2 cups (or as required adjust consistency of batter)
• Salt to taste
• Oil  - as required

Method:

• Combine suji and oats in a bowl. Add curd and water, mix well. Keep this mixture for at least one hour. Then add remaining all ingredients except oil. Mix well. 
• Heat the frying pan. Sprinkle little oil and pour the batter in middle of pan. Spread in round shape like pan cake. Fry both sides until it turns golden brown. 
• Serve hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

You can use other vegetables also. 
You can make "Appe" From this batter.

Raw Jackfruit Kebab ( Kacchya Fansache Vade/Aambode)

Many recipes are made from raw jackfruit in our Konkan. I developed this recipe raw jackfruit. There is similar recipe in southern konkan, called "Aambode". I added raw jackfruit with some changes. 
It’s flavorful and unique treat for your friends. It is substitute for chicken.

ही पाककृती वाचा मराठीतून.........इथे क्लिक करा.

Ingredients:

• Raw jackfruit, (peeled, boiled & shreaded)- 1 ½ cups
• Spilt Bengal gram- ½ cup
• Cumin seeds- 2 tsp
• Coriander seeds- ¼ tsp
• Green chilies- 6 to 8
• Chopped fresh coriander leaves-  ½ cup
• Corn flour- 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Asafetida (Hing)-  ¼ tsp
• Chat masala- 1 tsp
• Dry mango powder (amchur)- ½ tsp
• Salt- to taste
• Oil to fry- around 2 tbsp

Method:

How to Prepare raw jackfruit , we have seen in last post (phanasachi bhaji).

Soak Bengal gram in water for 5 hours, drain.

Put jackfruit into food processer and grind coarsely without water, transfer to a bowl.

Put coriander seeds, cumin seeds, green chili, coriander leaves and spilt bengal gram into food processer and grind coarsely without water, transfer to a bowl.
Add turmeric , hing, aamchur, salt and conflour.

Knead with your hands and shape into small kebabs.

Shallow fry  them in a nonstick pan on simmer , using a little oil as required, until they are golden brown.  15 to 20 minutes required for this.

Arrange these kebabs in serving dish with salad. Sprinkle chat masala on it. Serve hot with mint chutney.

This recipe had been selected as Winner in Chef Ritu Dalmia's "Diva Green Contest".