Health for life

Showing posts with label lotus. Show all posts

Matar Makhana Puffed Lotus Seeds Peas Gravy

Friday, March 28, 2014

If i make rotis for our dinner, i usually goes for a quick chutney or else ill serve the rotis simply with a gravy i prepared for our lunch. When i choosed puffed lotus seeds as the main ingredient for this weeks blogging marathons theme, i really want to give a try to an easy matar makhana, i know my family wont be very happy with this dish but i really want to give a try and finally cooked this gravy. As a mom, i have to break my head everytime to feed my kids with some healthy stuffs atleast twice a day. When i came know about the health values of this seeds, i really want to add them in a gravy to serve along with the rotis so that they wont notice the addition of these seeds if they are cooked along with their favourite vegetable the famous green peas.

Seriously i never cooked these puffed lotus seeds aka fox nuts in a gravy also i never had a chance to taste them, obviously i was waiting eagerly to taste this curry with some rotis. Thanks god,we just loved it, this gravy turned out extremely creamy,delicious and nutty, everyone at home simply enjoyed thoroughly this matar makhana with their rotis for their dinner.This gravy is my second day post for this weeks blogging marathon.Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#26.

30nos Puffed lotus seeds/Foxnuts/Makhana

1cup Green peas (frozen)

2nos Onions (chopped roughly)

2nos Tomatoes (chopped roughly)

1tsp Ginger garlic paste

1tsp Red chilly powder

1/2tsp Garam masala powder

1tbsp Coriander powder

Salt

1/2tsp Shahjeera

2nos Bay leaves

Oil

1tbsp Butter

Few coriander leaves (chopped)

To grind :

1/2cup Yogurt

5nos Cashewnuts

5nos Almonds

Grind the ingredients given under the list to grind as a smooth and fine paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, fry the lotus seeds for few minutes until they turns crispy,keep aside.

In the same pan,heat oil and the butter, fry the shahjeera, bay leaves until they turns brown.

Meanwhile grind the onions and tomatoes as bit coarse paste.

Once the spices turns brown,add this grounded paste,ginger garlic paste,cook for few minutes until the raw smell goes away.

Add now the frozen peas, roasted lotus seeds to the cooking paste along with red chilly powder,garam masala powder, coriander powder and salt,cook for few more minutes.

Now add the grounded paste to the pan and cook everything in simmer.

Add enough water to adjust the thickness of the gravy and cook in simmer for few minutes.

Put off the stove, add the chopped coriander leaves, give a stir.

Serve with rotis.

Lotus Root Fenugreek Sambhar

Thursday, March 27, 2014

I was planning to make a flavourful dal based curry called sambhar with lotus root, obviously i went to chinese store and picked them from frozen section. Yesterday we got a mail from Vaishali about our this months Magi Mingle challenge with fenugreek and coconut as magic ingredients, first thing came to my mind is to make some sambhar with lotus root and fenugreek. I love fenugreek in sambhar and i do add everytime while making the tempering for sambhar, this time i used fenugreek seeds in both my tempering and in my spice powder i prepared specially for this sambhar.

Yep instead of using sambhar powder, i prepared a spice powder with coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, dessicated coconut,dry red chillies along with asafoetida powder. This sambhar tastes simply awesome when served along with hot steaming rice topped with ghee and fried papads. We had a fabulous and slightly bitter lunch yesterday, since bitter is better to health its really wonderful to have this kind of dishes once in a while in your diet.

1cup Cooked toordal

1no Onion (chopped)

1no Tomato(chopped)

1cup Lotus root

1/4tsp Turmeric powder

1tsp Mustard seeds+urad dal

1tbsp Fenugreek seeds

1/4tsp Cumin seeds

2nos Dry red chillies

Few Curry leaves

Salt

1tsp Lemon juice

Oil

Roast & grind:

2tbsp Coriander seeds

1/2tsp Fenugreek seeds

3nos Dry red chillies

1/4tsp Asafoetida powder

3tbsp Dessicated coconut

Dry roast the ingredients given in the list Roast & grind one by one and grind as fine powder, keep aside.

Heat enough oil in a pressure cooker, let splutters the mustard seeds, urad dal, fry the fenugreek seeds,cumin seeds and dry red chillies,add now the chopped onions,chopped tomatoes,curry leaves,cook for few minutes until the veggies get cooked.

Now add the lotus roots cook for few minutes, add enough grounded spice powder,turmeric powder along with salt,cook everything in simmer for few minutes..

Finally add the cooked dal and enough water to the veggies, cook everything in medium flame with lid closed until the gravy gets thickens.

Add the lemon juice and put off the stove.

Serve hot with rice and papads.

Gulkand Makhana Kheer Rose Petal Preserve and Puffed Lotus Seeds Kheer

Friday, February 28, 2014

Dunno about you all,being a South Indian my tastebuds always crave for North Indian foods,earlier mom use to prepare very rarely North Indian style foods and her special dish is channa masala, but i dont hesitate a second to make some at home since ever i started blogging. Yep if i crave for something ill make them immediately, obviously my pantry is well stuffed with North Indian spices and spice powders. If you live in abroad and mostly in European countries like France, you will definitely miss chaat foods, obviously blogging teached me and my first ever chaat food i tried at home is Pani puri, still remember how they turned pretty much pect and i was gobbing like a kid.

Gulkand and makhana, the famous rose petal preserve and puffed lotus seeds these two ingredients were completely unknown for me before few years, once again i have say big thanks to blogging and many more North Indian foodie bloggers. You all know very well that am running my first week of blogging marathon and today is my third and final day of this weeks BM, my theme for this week is pick one and make three dishes and since two days am showcasing makhana/foxnuts aka puffed lotus seeds, here comes finally a dessert as todays post; i combined both gulkand and makhana and this kheer turned out simply mindblowing,my H was enjoying this kheer when they were still warm, i was surprised when he said he simply loved this kheer.Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#26.

2cups Puffed lotus seeds
2tbsp Gulkand/rose petal preserve
4cups Milk
3/4cup Sugar (decrease if you want)
1/2tsp Rose water
Few chopped nuts
1tbsp Ghee

Heat the ghee in a pan, now roast the puffed lotus seeds until they turns crispy.

Take almost a cup of the puffed lotus seeds in a mixer, grind it as bit coarse powder.

Meanwhile bring boil the milk with gulkand,sugar and cook until the sugar gets dissolves.

Now add the already prepared roasted puffed seeds and grounded lotus seeds to the hot milk,cook for few minutes.

Grounded lotus seeds will thicken the kheer, its optional,if you want to skip,you can do,but ill advice to do.

Finally add the rose water and put off the stove.

Serve this kheer warm topped with chopped nuts.