GREEN GRAM RICE UPMA

I made this upma for dinner yesterday. Its a simple one pot meal. It tastes best with sambhar.I add equal amount of rice and green gram dal in this upma. So its very filling and rich in protein. We wanted little mushy . So i added more water.But if u add the quantity of water given below , u'll get the rice grains separate and fluffy..Please use the water according to ur choice.

INGREDIENTS

Steamed rice or Raw rice - 1/2 cup Green gram / Pacha payaru - 1/2 cup Water - 1 - 1.25 cups Salt - As needed To temper Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Channa dal - 1/2tsp Green chilly - 1 no (slit into two) Curry leaves - A few Ginger- 1 inch (cut into pieces) Hing / Asafetida - 3-4 generous pinches

METHOD

• Heat a kadai and dry roast the rice till it slightly puffs up.
• In the same kadai add a tsp of oil and roast the green gram until nice aroma arises.It may take 5-8 mins.
• Now heat 1 tbsp of oil and temper the items given above in the same order.
• Then add the roasted rice and dal. Add the required water and salt .Transfer everything into a pressure cooker.
• Add a drop of oil and a pinch of hing .Pressure cook for one whistle.

Delicious upma is ready to serve. I served with AAB sambhar.

KITCHEN CLINIC

GREEN GRAM The green gram is one of the most wholesome among pulses in India. It is free from the heaviness and tendency to flatulence, which is associated with other pulses. The green gram forms a very nutritious article of diet. It is consumed in the form of whole dried seeds and in the form of dal prepared by splitting the seeds in a mill. The sprouted mung beans are a highly nutritious food. The beans are soaked overnight, drained and placed in containers in a dark room. They are sprinkled with water every few hours and the sprouts are ready in about three days. One pound of dry beans gives six to eight pounds of sprouts. There is an amazing increase in nutrients in sprouted beans when compared to their dried embryo. Natural Benefits and Curative Properties of Green Gram. Cooked dal of green gram is a very digestive food for invalid and sick persons. Its regular use during childhood, pregnancy and lactation helps one to get the required nutrition and promote health. It is an aperient i.e. a laxative. when given in large quantities. The soup made from it is the best article of diet after recovery from acute illness. Applied in the form of powder. it is said to be useful in relieving the heat or burning of the eyes. A poultice of this powder is useful for checking secretion of milk and reducing distention of the mammary glands Fevers :- Water in which green grams arc soaked is an excellent medicine during cholera, measles, chicken-pox, small-pox, typhoid and all types of fevers. It can be given in a small quantity even during acute phase of appendicitis. Beauty-Aid :- Flour of the green gram is an excellent detergent and can be used as a substitute for soap. It removes the dirt and does not cause any skin irritation. Its application over the face bleaches the color and gives good complexion. Black gram flour is also used for washing the hair with green gram paste to lengthen hair and prevent dandruff. Uses of Green Gram The dried beans are boiled and are eaten whole or after splitting into dhal. They are parched and ground into flour after removal of the seed-coat. This flour is used in various Indian and Chinese dishes. The green pods are eaten as a vegetable. In China and the United States it is used for bean sprouts. Green Gram (Whole dried Seeds)* Food Value Minerals and Vitamins Moisture - 10.4% Calcium - 124 mg Protein - 24.0% Phosphorus - 326 mg Fat - 1.3% Iron - 7.3mg Fibre - 4.1% Small amount of Vitamin B Complex Minerals - 3.5% Carbohydrates - 56.7% Calorific Value - 334 *Values per 100 gm's edible portion

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This unusual basil, peach, black pepper, Parmesan cobbler recipe started out as an innocent experiment making individual-sized cobblers, but somehow spun out of control into weird and wonderful new directions.

I was thinking about a cheese Danish, so I grated some Parmigiano-Reggiano into the batter. I was thinking about Gougères, so I added some freshly ground black pepper as well. I was thinking about a peach and basil sorbet I had one time, and decided that some of the sweet aromatic herb seemed perfectly appropriate.

The result was one of the more interesting and delicious desserts I've eaten in a long time. The flavors are subtle, but identifiable. I love, love, loved it. It may sound a little savory, but it was plenty sweet enough, and would make a memorable end to any late summer meal. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Note Regarding Self-Rising Flour: As we said in the regular peach cobbler post, it is recommended you go out and get some self-rising flour. You can make it yourself, by adding baking powder and salt to all-purpose flour, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't seem work as well.

Ingredients:

Two 10-oz ramekins with 2 tsp melted butter in each

For the batter:

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 cup self-rising flour

2/3 cup milk

1 tbsp finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

pinch of black pepper

For the peaches:

1 large peach, peeled, pitted, sliced into 10-12 slices

2 tbsp sugar

2-3 torn or sliced basil leaves

1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp water

AVAL PAYASAM | RICE FLAKES PAYASAM

I make this payasam every friday for pooja. This is the simplest & delicious payasam that can be made in 10-15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• Thick rice flakes / poha/ Aval - 1 handful
  
• Powdered jaggery - 1/4 cup or little less
  
• Cardamom seeds - 2 nos (powdered)
  
• Ghee - 1 tsp
  
• Water - As  reqd
  
• Roasted Cashews - a few

For additional flavor

• Cloves /Krambu- 2 nos
  
• Roasted Nutmeg powder/ Jathikkai - A pinch
  
• Edible camphor / Pachai karpooram - a pinch

METHOD

• Heat a kadai with a tbsp of ghee and roast the cashews.Set aside
  
• In the same kadai, roast the aval and cardamom together for 3-4 mins. Aval becomes crispy and turns little brown.
  
• Allow it to cool. Powder it finely along with cardamom.
  
• Now take the water in a bowl and add the powdered aval.Cover and cook for 5 mins. Stir in between and check the water level.
  
• Add more water if needed. Now add the powdered jaggery and mix well.
  
• Allow it to boil for 5-10 mins. Finally add the roasted cashews. Add the items given under 'flavor' if necessary.

****Add  little milk at the end to adjust the sweetness. Enjoy !!
NOTE:

U can add coconut milk for richness. But it should be added at the end before switching off the flame. If u feel sweetness is more, add little boiled milk. When u add milk along with jaggery , payasam gives a curdled look.To avoid this, add milk only at the end. If u want, u can replace jaggery with sugar. Here i've powdered the aval. If u wish, u can roast the aval and cook as it is. It will take little more time to cook.

Technorati Tags: Aval payasam,poha payasam,dessert with rice flakes,Avalakki payasam,Easy payasam

Sausage, potato and dill pasties

I suddenly realised we were almost half way through this week and I hadn't posted a recipe. Not having done any cooking for the last few days (long story) I've had to dig out an old one but an apposite one as it's British Sausage Week.

To tell the truth I'd completely forgotten about it but I do remember it being extremely tasty. It comes from my book Sausage and Mash and was inspired by one of The Ginger Pig's butchers Paul Hughes who told me they used to make a Swedish potato sausage flavoured with dill. Apparently there wasn't huge demand for it so they dropped it but it seemed a brilliant idea to me and one that would make a great filling for a pasty.

The pastry is really easy and well worth making from scratch. The technique comes from Delia Smith's Cookery Course, published back in 1978.

Makes 6 pasties

For the filling
425g new potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
400g coarsely cut traditional pork sausages, at least 85% meat
2 rounded tbsp finely chopped dill (about 5g)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pastry
200g butter
50g vegetable shortening e.g. Cookeen or Trex (I think they still do it - if not use lard)
350g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
6-8 tbsp iced water
1 medium egg, lightly beaten, for glazing

Measure out the butter and shortening for the pastry, wrap it in foil and put it in the freezer for half an hour.

Put the potatoes on to boil in boiling salted water. Cook for 7-8 minutes then drain.

Heat a large frying pan, add the oil then the butter. Fry the onion for a couple of minutes until softened then turn off the heat and roughly crush the potatoes into the pan. Season with salt and pepper and leave to cool.

When the fats are really cold, measure the flour and salt into a large bowl. Coarsely grate the semi-frozen butter and shortening into the flour, dipping each block into the flour as you go, and lightly working it in with a flat-bladed knife.

Cut the fat into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs then make a well in the centre and add about 5 tbsp of iced water. Work the pastry mix into the liquid and gradually pull the pastry together, adding as much extra liquid as you need to form a ball. Turn the pastry onto a floured board, pat into shape, put in a plastic bag and refrigerate for half an hour.

Take the sausages out of their skins, break up roughly and add to the potato mixture along with the dill. Take the pastry out of the fridge and divide into four. Roll out each portion thinly into a circle then cut round an 18cm plate or flan tin base, saving the offcuts. Pile 2 tbsp of filling into the centre of the circle and form it into a lozenge shape. Brush round the edges of the pastry with beaten egg. Bring the edges together in the middle, seal firmly then crimp to get a wavy line down the centre.

Repeat with the rest of the pastry then roll the offcuts to make two more pasties.

Refrigerate the pasties for at least 30 minutes then bake at 225°C/425°F/Gas 7 for 20 minutes. Turn the heat down to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 and cook for another 30-35 minutes until the pasties are thoroughly cooked and well browned. Cool for at least half an hour before eating but don't refrigerate them.

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Snails&Mint Tapa - Picture courtesy: Becky Lawton This looks like a déjà vu to me... The...

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