Ragi Laddoos

To keep up with the great demand of " energy balls" from Little M, I decided to use up some Sprouted Ragi flour my parents sent me and make some Laddoos. I have to say- these are the bomb! So delicious! I'm a fan, more so than little M.

Ingredients

1.5 C sprouted Ragi flour

1/3C- 1/2 C ghee

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

2 Tbsp broken cashews

2 Tbsp raisins

2 Tbsp dried coconut powder

3/4 C grated or powdered jaggery

Method

Start with melting 2T of ghee in a hot skillet. Fry the cashews and raisins and then pick them out. Add the Ragi flour in the left over melted ghee and stir constantly. The ghee should be completely incorporated into the flour and the flour should take on a darker color and smell nice and toasty. Finally, add the powdered coconut and roast for a minute. Now, transfer to a mixer and add the grated jaggery along with a few Tbsp of ghee ( I added four) and the cardamom powder. Give it a whirl in the mixer until it gets incorporated. The warmth of the flour should melt the jaggery and the ghee. 

Dump it out into a plate and add the fried raisins and cashews. Mix and while the flour is still warm, work quickly to make laddoos. If it's hard to keep the balls together, add more ghee as needed. At one point, the flour should become easy to shape.

Verdict

I find these positively addictive. 

Energy balls ( Amaranth Peanut laddoos )

Little M has developed quite a sweet tooth now. He asks for sweet treats regularly and I'm trying different " healthy " treats that have some nutrition other than just sugary sweets.

I don't have an exact recipe for most of these, because this is my first time making these treats and each time has been an experiment.

For these scrumptious amaranth laddoos ( Energy balls, as little M likes to call them), here is the rough sketch.

Ingredients

1 C popped amaranth

1/3 C jaggery

1 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp ghee

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1 C peanut butter

Method

Melt the jaggery in the water and boil until it reaches softball stage. Add ghee and cardamom and the popped amaranth and mix well. Turn off the heat and start making balls. This failed for me- it was an unholy crumbly mess. So I added peanut butter until it came together. 

Miso Ginger Soup

We've been getting pelted by colds and coughs for the last several months. Little M finds this soup the most appetizing and comforting among all the foods offered to him. 

Ingredients 

2 C water

1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

Handful of cilantro( leaves and stems) finely minced

1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 allspice, crushed

1 star anise

3 scallions, sliced

1/3 C tofu cubes

1/2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp Miso paste

Method 

Bring all ingredients except for the soy sauce and the miso to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 min. In a small bowl, dissolve the miso paste in a few tablespoons of the broth. Turn off the heat and return the dissolved miso into the main pot. Add soy sauce to taste and serve immediately. 

Tendli Bhaat

I love this stuff. It's so flavorful. This is Tendli Bhaat, my way.

Ingredients 

3 C Ivy gourd - slit lengthwise or chopped into rounds

2 C rice

3 T oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 C cashew nuts

2 tsp tamarind paste

2 tsp Goda masala

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

4C water

10-15 curry leaves

1/2 C shredded coconut

1/2 C chopped cilantro

Method 

Wash the rice thoroughly at the beginning and let it rest. Heat oil in a pressure cooker or instant pot. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Once they pop, add the curry leaves and cashew nuts along with asafetida. After a few seconds, add the ivy gourd pieces, garlic, and the powders. Saute for 5 minutes. Next, add water, tamarind paste, and salt. Mix well. Proceed to cook the rice as usual if using a pressure cooker. Or, if using an instant pot, use manual mode high pressure 8 minutes with natural release. Garnish with fresh shredded coconut and cilantro.

Final notes 

- I ran out of Goda masala this time and I subbed garam masala. Sure, it isn't the same, but not a disqualifier

- I ran out of cashew nuts and threw in some sliced almonds instead. The texture it brought did work.

- I like using tamarind in this. I enjoy the acidity it brings to the party.

Black eyed peas Sundal

Sundal is a preparation of seasoned and cooked legumes. During Navarathri it is customary to prepare Sundal as neivedhyam every day. Many Indian families prepare a different legume each day of the nine day festival.

Texture is an integral part of a good Sundal. The legume must be thoroughly cooked but retain it's structural integrity. It should absolutely not become mushy.

I was not sure how little M would like Sundal, since in the past, he has had trouble with the texture. He surprised me by digging into it with gusto. I'm determined to make this a part of the regular meal rotation, since it's so nutritious.

Ingredients 

1 C dried black eyed peas

1 T coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric

1 T coriander powder

Pinch of asafetida

1 T minced ginger

10 curry leaves

Hand full of minced cilantro

1 T lemon juice

salt

Method 

Soak the dried peas overnight in plenty of water. Drain and cook with 2.5 C water. I used the instant pot, manual mode high pressure 8 minutes with natural release. Drain the cooked peas.

In a hot skillet, melt the coconut oil. Add mustard seeds and wait for them to pop. Add asafetida and curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients except for lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and garnish with chopped cilantro stems and leaves.

Happy Navarathri!

Popsicles!

I remember eating delicious frozen kulfi on hot summer days. My mom would make them in blue moulds. I don't recall clearly, but I think they came with "Milkmaid" condensed milk tins. These memories made me want to prepare popsicles for Little M. I was eagerly awaiting his reaction to these cold treats - especially he had never had anything like it before. 

The first time I prepared popsicles, I made it too berry-heavy. It became too tart. Little M humored me and spent a few minutes licking the popsicle, but I realized I had to make some adjustments to the sweetening. The first recipe I made had berries, lemon juice and a smidge of honey. That just didn't cut it.

Today, I used a slightly different combination of fruits and this worked out well. M sucked the last drop off the popsicle stick.

Ingredients

2 large ripe bananas

8-10 strawberries

1/2 C pineapple juice

Method

Blend together and pour into popsicle moulds. Freeze for a minimum of 4 hours before un-moulding.

Peanut Chutney

Having Idli or Dosa batter ready to go is such a boon! 5.30pm is a busy time in our kitchen. Dinner prep begins in full swing. After a busy work day, some days it is convenient to have Idly or Dosa for dinner with a vegetable on the side. Little M loves these foods and he likes dipping the pieces in a chutney or podi.

One chutney that takes very little time to throw together is this one, if you have roasted peanuts on hand. It is a "raw" chutney. For something so simple, it tastes quite delicious. I think it would make a good salad dressing as well.

Ingredients

1/4 C crushed roasted peanuts

1 tsp minced ginger

Handful of chopped cilantro

1 tsp date syrup

3 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Method

Blend all ingredients in food processor or mixer. Taste and adjust balance of sour, sweet, and saltiness.