Soya Chunks Masala

Soya chunk is a soya flour product, a by-product of extracting soybean oil. It is easy to cook, with a protein content equal to that of meat.  These chunks are a wonderful option for vegetarians.

The nutritional values per 100 grams of soya chunks:

Energy value – 336 k Cal

Fat – 0.4 g

Iron – 21.2 mg

Protein – 54.2 g

Carbohydrate – 28.9 g

Calcium – 533 mg

Ingredients

1 cup Soya chunks

2 chopped onions

1 chopped tomato

2 sliced green chillies

4 garlic pods, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped ginger

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

A pinch of turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

¼ teaspoon of chicken masala or garam masala

Rice bran oil ( or coconut oil)

Method

• Soak the soya chunks in boiled water for about half an hour.
• Pour oil in a vessel and sauté the onions, green chillies, tomato, ginger, garlic and curry leaves.

           

• Drain out the water from soya chunks. Squeeze well and cut into small pieces.
• Put the squeezed soya chunks into the sautéed mixture.
• Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and chicken masala/ garam masala.

• Pour some water into it and let it cook for some time, with the lid on.
• When the water in the vessel dries up, remove the lid and stir for 2-3 minutes.

• Serve hot with rice, biryani, chapatti or bread.

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Broken wheat dosa

               

                         Broken wheat or cracked wheat is the cracked berries of whole wheat. You should not confuse between broken wheat and bulgur wheat. Bulgur is also made from wheat kernel which is cracked after they are steamed and cracked. But in cracked or broken wheat, the whole raw wheat is cracked. So it contains outer bran which is rich in nutrients. Cracked wheat is also rich in fibre.

                       Broken wheat helps in maintain body weight. It helps to decrease the metabolic syndrome when it is included in daily diet. It is also a source of magnesium.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup broken wheat
• ¼ cup chana dal
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 green chillies chopped
• Small piece of ginger, chopped
• ¼ cup grated coconut
• Salt to taste

Method

      Take broken wheat and chana dal in a bowl. Wash properly. Soak it for 1 hour. After 1 hour put broken wheat, chana dal, grated coconut, chopped onion and ginger in a mixi jar and prepare dosa batter. Transfer the batter to a bowl. Add required salt. The batter should not be too watery.

      Keep a non-stick dosa pan over alow flame. Pour 1 spoonful dosa batter. Make it round using the back of the ladle. Use a spatula to lift the dosa and flip it over. Let both the sides become light brown colour. Transfer the dosa to a plate. Prepare dosa with the remaining batter. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

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Sweet rice flakes

         

                   Rice flakes or flattened rice is de-husked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. Sweet rice flakes or ‘Aval vilayichathu’ is very popular in Kerala.

Ingredients

1 cup rice flakes

2 lumps of jaggery

1 1/2 teaspoon ghee

¼ cup grated coconut

A pinch of cardamom powder

A pinch of dried ginger powder (Chukku podi)

A pinch of cumin seed powder

4 cashew nuts

Method

         Keep a pan over a low flame. Pour 1 teaspoon of ghee into it. Add rice flakes and roast it. Prepare jaggery syrup and transfer it a bowl through a sieve to remove impurities if any.

Add roasted rice flakes to this syrup. Now add grated coconut, cardamom powder, cumin seed powder and dried ginger powder. Mix all the ingredients. Now fry cashew nuts in ½ teaspoon ghee. (Split the cashew nuts). Mix it with the rice flakes. Serve the sweet rice flakes with banana and papad.  

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Kachil Puzhukku

           

                 Purple yam (Kachil) is a tuberous root vegetable. It is also called white yam, Greater yam, Guyana arrow root, and ten-month yam. In some countries it is cultivated for medicinal uses.

                Kachil puzhukku is a very easy and tasty recipe.

Ingredients

1 medium sized white yam

2 green chillies, each split into two

1 sprig curry leaf

2 garlic pods, chopped

1 small piece of ginger, chopped

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Salt to taste

Method

• Wash the yam to remove the mud.
• Peel it and wash again.
• Cut it into small pieces.

• Keep a pan on heat.
• Transfer the white yam into the pan.
• Pour ½ cup of water.
• Add salt, chilli, curry leaves, chopped garlic and chopped ginger.
• Close it with a lid.
• After 5 minutes, open the lid and stir. It will be very soft, if cooked properly.
• Mash the pieces and add coconut oil.
• Mix properly.
• Serve hot.

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Brinjal Fry

     

 Brinjal is one of the most common vegetables seen in purple, green and white colours. Due to its wide use in both every day and festive South Indian food, it is often called as the ‘King of vegetables’ in South India.

                 It is a good source of calcium, potassium, magnesium and thiamin. Brinjal fry is a very tasty dish and it can be served as a special dish for the vegetarians.

 

Ingredients

1 brinjal

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon corn flour

Salt to taste

Coconut oil for frying

1 sprig curry leaf

Method

• · Wash brinjal properly. It is better to dip it in salt solution for 1 to 2 hours before using it.
• · Cut it into round pieces.
• · Take turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, corn flour and curry leaves in a plate and make a paste using required quantity of water.
• · Put brinjal pieces in the plate and apply the paste over the pieces.

• · Keep a pan over the flame.
• · Add 1 teaspoon of coconut.
• · Place the brinjal pieces in the pan and fry them just as we fry fish.
• · Turn it over and add ½ or 1 teaspoon coconut oil according to you choice. Fry till both the sides become golden brown.
• · Serve hot.

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Broken wheat-Rice Upma

                        Broken wheat or cracked wheat is the cracked berries of whole wheat. You should not confuse between broken wheat and bulgur wheat. Bulgur is also made from wheat kernel which is cracked after they are steamed and cracked. But in cracked or broken wheat, the whole raw wheat is cracked. So it contains outer bran which is rich in nutrients. Cracked wheat is also rich in fibre.

Broken wheat helps in maintaining body weight. It helps to decrease the metabolic syndrome when it is included in daily diet. It is also a source of magnesium.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup broken wheat
• ¼ cup rice (pachari/pacha araisi or unangalari)
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 green chillies chopped
• Small piece of ginger, chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaf
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon ghee (optional)
• 2 cups water
• Salt to taste

Unangalari: Rice not boiled in the husk, before husking. (Unbranned rice)

Method

Take broken wheat and rice in a vessel. Wash thoroughly to remove impurities. Place the pressure cooker with coconut oil over the flame. Add mustard seeds. Let it pop in the oil. Sauté chopped onion curry leaves, chopped chilli and chopped ginger. Pour 2 cups of water and add salt. Now add broken wheat and rice to it. Close the pressure cooker. Remove the cooker from heat after the first whistle. Wait till all the pressure inside the cooker is released. Now open the cooker. Transfer the upma to another vessel. Add ghee and mix gently.

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Nullippittu

                 Nullipittu is a special type of snack prepared especially by the ‘Chetti’castes of Wayanad district in Kerala. It is prepared using rice flour and ripe banana. (Rice flour used for making ‘puttu’. i.e.; the rice flour should not be very fine. It should be roasted at least for 5 minutes.) But I use to prepare ‘nullippittu’ by adding jaggery and grated coconut, in addition to banana and rice flour. The presence of jaggery and coconut gives a special taste to the ‘nullippittu’.

Ingredients

8 teaspoons of rice flour

Jaggery syrup prepared from 2 lumps of jaggery

4 teaspoons of grated coconut

1 ripe banana (Palayankodan, Mysore poovan or Poovan)

Coconut oil for frying

Method

Take rice flour in a bowl. Add grated coconut to it. Peel the banana and squeeze it with your hands. Ten mix it with the flour. Pour the jaggery syrup into the bowl through a sieve to remove unwanted impurities if any. (The syrup should not be too watery. Add only less water while preparing the syrup.) Now mix all the components together with your hand. It should be tight dough.

Place a fry pan with oil over a low flame. When the oil has heated, put small portions of the dough either with a spoon or with your hands into the oil. Slightly increase the flame. Stir gently with a turner till they become light golden brown. Now transfer them to a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. You can prepare 2 or 3 at a time. You can store it for 2 to 3 days.

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