Finger Millet Flatbread or Ragi Rotti

Finger Millet or Ragi has been a favorite with diabetics, because of the fact that it is rich in fiber, and upon consumption, blood sugar levels don't just instantly shoot up, but instead, it is all nice and slow. Ragi is also rich in iron, calcium, certain amino acids (that apparently are absent in most starchy grains), and of course protein. I also read somewhere that it helps relax you- so if you suffer from anxiety, or sleeplessness, or are just feeling the blues, try eating some Ragi. You will feel happy!

My paternal grandfather used to swear by Ragi mudde, and as far as I remember, often times dinner would be Ragi balls with a tamarind based soup. Tata would tell me to tear off a little ball, dunk it in the soup, place it in the mouth, and immediately swallow it. That was fun, really. I mean, the whole concept of not having to chew or bite food, but simply swallow, was so cool back then! And funnily enough, I quite liked that bland Ragi ball.

Another variation of Ragi that we were introduced to was Ragi rotti. This is basically Ragi flatbread, with added spices. It is super delicious! It is similar to akki rotti, the flatbread made with rice flour (Akki Rotti Recipe). In fact, I'd say that the recipe is the same, except that instead of rice flour, you use ragi flour.

Ingredients: 

1. Ragi Flour

Ragi Flour- sprouted ragi- even better! 

2. Onion- finely chopped

3. Green chillies- slit, or chopped

4. Cumin seeds- 1-2 tsp

5. Salt per taste

6. Water to make dough

7. A kadhai or wok, or a pan

8. Oil to cook

Method: 

1. Add onions, chillies, cumin, and salt to ragi flour and mix it up dry once, before adding water.

Ragi flour+onion+chillies+salt

2. Pour in water bit by bit, and begin kneading the dough, until you get a nice pliable dough. Similar to pizza dough.

Ragi rotti dough ready

3. Take a kadhai/wok or a pan, or both (like I do), pour a couple teaspoons of oil (you know your pan better- so if you think you need more oil, sure, go ahead. OR if you use a completely non-stick pan, well, skip the oil!). Then make a ball, as shown below:

Ragi ball 

4. Place this ball onto the oil in the pan, and start rolling it out with your fingers and palm of your hand:

Ragi rotti in the making

5. Now cover the pan with a lid, and get the heat going. The first 5 minutes on medium high, and the next 5-7 minutes between low and medium flame, to avoid burning.

Ragi rotti cooking in the pan

In the kadhai/wok

6. Switch off the stove, and that's it, Ragi rotti is ready to be enjoyed! You can eat it with coconut chutney, or chutney powder, or just plain as it is with some ghee or butter. YUM! You could even eat this with some rustic chicken or mutton curry- are you salivating yet? ;)

Eating off of the kadhai/wok- irresistible! 

Don't forget that butter! ;) 

I personally LOVE both varieties- akki (rice flour) and ragi (finger millet) rotti. Both kinds make me happy! You know your rotti is perfect when it is crispy on the first bite, and has this beautiful soft, chewy thing going on as you continue to eat........ SLURRRRRRP!

Uttapam

If you love dosas, you probably like uttapams too. Many blog posts ago, I had put up the recipe for this South Indian delicacy (Dosa Part 1 and Dosa Part 2). On Saturday, we had a Dosa party at home for a few friends, and it was quite a hit! I had made enough batter to last us a few days. Today the batter level went down by quite a bit, and when that happens, I know what to do- convert it into uttapam!

Ingredients: 

1. Dosa Batter

2. Onion, finely chopped

3. Green Chilies, either sliced or chopped

4. Coriander leaves/Cilantro, a bunch, finely chopped

5. Little bit of grated ginger

6. Tomato- chopped up- some people don't like it, but I love adding tomato to my uttapam

7. Salt per taste

8. Black ground pepper &/ Red chili powder

Method: 

1. Add ingredients 2 to 8 into the dosa batter, and stir it all up nicely with a ladle. You now have uttapam batter.

Uttapam batter

2. Take a ladleful of the batter, and pour it onto a hot pan (similar to how you would pour pancake batter), and then spread it out evenly. Add a few drops of oil around the entire circumference of the uttapam. Also a few drops in the center.

Uttapam getting ready

3. As you start seeing some browning at the bottom, flip the uttapam, so as to cook (and brown) the other side.

Browning on the bottom

Now browning the other side

4. That's it! Within 3-4 minutes, you'll have made the perfect uttapam, ready to be eaten with chutney, or just plain as it is. Oh, and a little bit of butter on top won't hurt! ;)

Uttapam! YUM! 

I like my uttapam to be nice and crispy. And so I let it stay on the hot pan longer. If you like it soft, don't brown it as much. Uttapam is a great way to utilize leftover dosa batter. Not to forget, it is yum!

39, Long Way to Go, Stay Young Potion

39: 

Yikes, I am 39! I have only 1 more year before I enter a whole new decade, when I will truly be middle aged. *Shudder* I had a nice quiet birthday celebration with my family. In fact I completely took it easy that day and, like they say, "chillaxed." The important people in my life wished me Happy Birthday. My other 200 odd friends on Facebook did not wish me, and there was no way they could have, for I have not divulged that piece of information on my profile. ;) My dear friend S gave me a gift card to go buy myself a new pair of shoes- she's the best! My cousin from the Bay Area sent me beautiful flowers- how very thoughtful! The son played Happy Birthday on his alto sax for me- that was cute! And the husband and kids arranged delicious dinner, and got me cake, that I thoroughly enjoyed. All in all, turning 39 was quite a relaxing affair.

My Cake

Flowers

Long Way to Go:

So as a treat to myself, I thought I should indulge in some birthday shopping. And so off I went to the shop where you can "dress for less." I picked up a few things and went to the checkout area. The lady at the checkout counter looked very familiar. However, she was not making any eye contact with me. Then suddenly I remembered that we are in fact neighbors, and I said hi, aren't you so'n'so from our neighborhood? Indeed she was, and well, we exchanged some pleasantries, and I paid for the stuff, and left.

As I was driving back home, I was thinking, hmm, she is a checkout gal at that store. She? Wow! Would never have imagined- I mean, she lives in such a nice house, in such a nice area..... yep, I was totally judging her. I figured aha, that's why she was avoiding eye contact in the beginning, maybe she felt a bit embarrassed. But then, within seconds, realization struck. Dang it! Now she knows that I shop here!!

Stay Young Potion: 

When my friend, Mengyin, found out that it was my birthday, she gave me this beautiful feng shui butterfly:

Butterfly

And a recipe for a potion that is supposedly going to help me stay young forever! She gave me some haw and polygatum odoratum (called Yu Zhu) root. Per what she told me, and from what I read online, these two ingredients are used in Chinese medicine as remedies for a whole bunch of conditions including diabetes, hypertension, digestive disorders, rheumatism, lung infections, blood circulation issues, cholesterol, etc. That's pretty impressive, must say. Best of all, even when I am 75, this thing is going to keep me looking (sure) and feeling like a 25 year old- hey, that I'll take any day!

Recipe for Stay Young Potion:

1. Take a few haw flakes and a few yu zhu root slices in a cup. Give it all a quick wash. The roots (actually rhizome) tend to have small specks of soil still stuck to them.

Haw Flakes

Yu Zhu Rhizome

2. Boil some water, like you would for a cup of tea, and pour hot boiling water onto the haw and yu zhu.

3. Let it steep for a minute or so. Sip on it, and in the end, you can eat up the haw and the yu zhu. Good for you, after all!

Stay Young Potion

You could use these ingredients in soup as well.

As for the taste, well, there's no real taste as such to this. I mean, the roots are a bit similar to bamboo shoots in taste and texture. The haw does have a slightly sweet-sour taste- it is after all a berry (hawthorne fruit).

These should be available at any Asian store. Definitely available at the Asian Herbal store.

Haw Flakes

Yu Zhu 

So there, that's my little birthday account for you. I hope to sip on that special "stay young" potion every single day, and I'll tell you how that works out for me next year, when I hit my 40s. Meanwhile I also need to work on my life skills. For instance, stop forming opinions about others, because, for starters, that's not my job. At the same time, I need to not worry about what others think of me, because, really, it does not matter.

And now, I just hope that the checkout gal doesn't read this post. Who, she? I doubt she reads anything at all, forget blogs!

Mashed Potato Sandwich

I gave my kids mashed potatoes for their school lunches yesterday. Promptly enough, my son brought it all back, claiming he "wasn't hungry." Well, that's quite alright son, for you will get it again for lunch tomorrow! Perhaps in a different form.

The recipe is a no-brainer, really:

1. You take that leftover mashed potato and a couple slices of bread.

2. Spread mashed potato all over a slice of bread. If you like more, then spread it on the other slice too. 

3. You could add some slices of boiled egg, some cheese- mm mmm! Season with pepper, and salt, if you'd like. 

4. Join the two slices together (OK, didn't know how else to say it!) and grill it in your sandwich maker. You could certainly use a pan for grilling, or eat it as a cold sandwich. 

That's it. You got yourself a delicious, and hearty breakfast. Some fruit on the side, and what a great way to start your day! 

Well, in this case, what a lovely lunch idea for kids! Now if this comes back too, then it will be served for dinner! Hey, if you are a mom, I know you hear me, right?! 😉

Bitter Melon- Karela Sabzi 2

Karela in hindi stands for bitter gourd or bitter melon. I have another recipe that I posted back in 2011. That one is my most favorite way of cooking this bitterly delicious vegetable. Here's another one that I learned from Priya, and I totally fell in love with it. This recipe does not use any aromatics, and is perfect for pure vegetarians, who do not like onions and garlic in their food.

You Need (for 2 people):

1. 4 Karela (bitter gourd/bitter melon). I prefer the Indian bitter gourd available in the Indian store for this recipe. Chinese bitter melon would work OK too.

Karela (Indian Bitter Gourd)

2. Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

3. Cumin seeds 1 tsp

4. Coriander seed powder 4-5 tsp

5. Red Chilli powder 3-4 tsp (obviously this is per level of heat you like)

6. Aamchur (dry mango powder) 1/2 tsp (again, if you like sour, then you can add more)

7. Peanuts- a small handful

8. Salt per taste

9. Cooking oil about 3-4 tbs (you gotta use a good amount of oil for this if you want it to be tasty!)

Method: 

1. Wash and peel the karela roughly, and cut into discs.

If you are more the adventurous kind, or want to eat karela for its medicinal properties, then skip the peeling step, and straight go to step 2. 

Sprinkle turmeric powder all over, and a pinch of salt and mix up the chopped karela. Set aside for 1/2 hour.

Science involved here: The salt drains out the bitter liquid from the karela. The turmeric, I believe, cuts the bitterness down (?).

Thereafter, squeeze out the bitterness out of the karela with the help of your hand.

Ready to be cooked

2. In a kadhai (wok) pour in oil, get the heat going, and fry peanuts. Remove the peanuts, and set them aside in a bowl, lined with paper towel to drain off excess oil.

Fried peanuts

3. In the remaining oil in the kadhai, crackle 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, and throw in the karela. Start frying the karela.

4. Add salt per taste and the coriander powder and continue frying, while keeping the flame on medium. You don't want to burn it. After about 10 minutes of frying, check to see if the karela has cooked according to your liking.

Note: For this dish, the karela needs to be nice and crispy. You can add a tablespoon of water, if you'd like to fasten the cooking process in the beginning.

5. Add the aamchur and the red chili powder, and give it all a good stir. Adjust the seasonings according to taste, and if satisfied, switch off the stove.

6. Finally roughly crush the fried peanuts (I use my pestle and mortar) and mix it into the cooked karela. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves/cilantro and serve with hot parathas. YUM!

Karela Sabzi 

Check out more on the karela here. I know that not many people are fond of this vegetable, but really, give it a chance, and try to incorporate it into your diet. I promise it is good for you! :)

Organic Eating

I got another opportunity to guest blog for Full Circle (thanks FC!) last week. The topic given to me this time was  "How Eating Organically can keep you Healthy."  This is such a vast topic, and a very debatable one too, and trying to stick to a 500 word limit sure was tough! 

My personal opinion is that not every food you eat has to be organic- I mean, if you can afford it, sure, but going all organic can become an expensive affair. There are several good alternatives to organic foods out there. So does eating organic directly equate to eating healthy? Well, think about this- you buy all those organic vegetables, meat, and poultry- great start! And then you just deep fry everything in lard and consume it. What do you think just happened? ;) 

Eat healthy, exercise, stay healthy, because after all, health IS wealth! 

To understand more about organic foods and their labeling, check out USDA. 

Mediterranean Garlic Sauce

My daughter and I are crazy about that insanely delicious garlic sauce they give in Mediterranean restaurants. We can eat bowls and bowls of that sauce- not exaggerating! You dip a piece of pita bread into that sauce, and place it in your mouth- and boom! there is an explosion of this garlicky-with-a-hint-of-tangy goodness that just makes your taste buds ecstatic, and then you just don't want to stop...... yeah, that's how good it is.

I don't know how they actually make this stuff, and I did not do any internet searches for the recipe either. I just whipped up my own recipe, just from remembering how it tastes, and it turned out pretty good. And there couldn't be an easier recipe than this. Here it is:

You Need: 

1. Fresh garlic- you can go crazy with this. I use about 7-8 cloves for a small bowl full of sauce.

2. Sesame seeds- toasted, about 3-4 teaspoons.

3. Thick yogurt- Greek is great, any other yogurt is fine too, and buttermilk works just as good. Say about 3-4 tablespoons.

4. Salt per taste.

5. A pinch of Oregano- fresh would be great, dried works fine too. You can even use a pinch of italian seasoning.

6. 1 lime.

Method:

There's only one step to this- Put all the 6 ingredients into your blender (I have a nice small little one that works well for small quantities), and blend it all into a beautiful sauce. Yeah, that's it!

You could drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle a pinch of red cayenne pepper powder, maybe throw in a couple olives, and voila! you got yourself some real good garlic sauce (guess, you could call it a garlic-tahini sauce).

Mediterranean Garlic Sauce- my take

This sauce is bound to be a hit at your next party. Just serve as a dip with pita, pita chips, or even some fries. Make that garlic fries! ;) Or you could do what I did- spread it onto roasted cauliflower, and serve as a side dish. Delicious!! My daughter likes to mix it up with her mashed potatoes, and that tastes pretty darn good too.

Roasted cauliflower topped with my Mediterranean Garlic Sauce- YUM! 

Friendly Advice: Don't forget to brush and floss, and rinse your mouth with mouthwash after having indulged in this garlic affair! ;)