Pavakkai Pitla | Bittergourd Gravy - Type 1 | Diabetic Recipe!

Pavakkai Pitla is very tasty sambar, I never knew this pitla until my mother in law told and taught me when she was here. I will be posting the traditional one, but this one I have changed a bit. I don't do anything for the bitterness as I just love the bitter taste in this. I had packed this for lunch to my hubby to office and everyone loved it.

Ingredients
Pavakkai - 4 nos
Black Channa /Karuppu Kadale - 1 cup
Soya bean - 1/2 cup
Tamarind water - 1 cup
Tomato - 1no
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup

For grinding masala
Onion - 1 no
Whole Dhaniya seeds - 2 tablespoon
Channa Dal/Kadale paruppu - 1 tablespoon
Urad dal - 1 tspn
Dry red chili - 3 nos(As per your spice levels)
Few curry leaves

Seasoning
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves few

Preparation Method
Soak the dals overnite, pressure cook them with toor dal  separately upto 4 to 5 whistles.
Cut Pavakkai/Bittergourd into small pieces.
Heat a vessel, add bittergourd, tamarind water, tomato, a pinch of salt, turmeric and boil it.
In kadai, put 1/2 tspn oil, and fry all the ingredients under Masala grinding till slight brown.
Allow it to cool.
Grind to a fine paste with little water. Mash or whisk the toor dal with water.
Once the bittergourd is soft and cook, add the steamed dals, ground mixture, dal and allow it to boil well.

Season/Talipu with the above ingredients under seasoning.

Serve hot with steamed plain rice.

This recipe is going to Only South Indian event by Pari and Cooking with Love Granddad guest hosted by Shama started by Saraswathi Iyer.

BBB | Spinach Soya Bisibelebath and Oats Onion Pakoda - Ver 2!

Bisibelebath(Hot Dal Rice) is a healthy dish, its also very filling. My previous post on this recipe Ver 1 click here. I mostly prepare on every weekend or fornightly and for get togethers. This is a most popular recipe and food liked in my house. 

Ingredients

Rice - 2 cups

Tuvar Dal – 1 cup
Tomato - 1 no
Potato - 1 no

Soya Beans - 1/2 cup

Capsicum - 1 no
Carrot -  few pieces

Brinjal - 4 nos

Beans - 10 nos
Brocolli - few florets
Spinach/Palak - 1 cup chopped

Broad Beans/Avarekkai - 5 nos

Tamarind Water - 2 cups(from a LEMON SIZE)

Spices Cinamon/Pattai – 2 small pieces/ Cardamom/Elakka - 2nos/ Clove/Lavang - 2 nos

Bisibelebath powder - 4 tablespoons (Adjust accordingly)
Curry leaves few

Jaggery a small piece

Salt

Preparation Method
Wash and cut all vegetables.
Soak soya beans overnite in water.
Cook rice, soya bean and dal separately in a pressure cooker.
Steam the veggies for about 15 to 20 mins with little salt and turmeric or 1 whistle.

Heat a deep vessel or a pressure cooker, add 2 tablespoons oil, add a pinch of mustard, add hing, curry leaves, spices, dry red chillies, and saute for 2mins.
Add chopped tomatoes, spinach and saute for few mins.
Add tamarind water and allow it to boil for sometime.
Then add steamed vegetables, bisibelebath powder and allow it to boil.
When pressure is up, mash or whisk the dal, and add this.
Let it boil, slowly keep stirring without mashing the veggies.
Then mash the rice, and slowly add required rice and keep mixing.
Check on salt and add jaggery. Let it boil, keep stirring.
It should be little watery so by the time you eat, it will be just right and soft.
Off the stove.

Garnish with cashews - optional

Serve Hot Bisibelebath with any vegetable curry/Potato chips/Karaboondi or enjoy as it is.

I served it with Crispy Onion Oats Pakoda. Recipe below 

Notes - I usually make it without onion and if you wish please add.

Oats Onion Pakoda

Ingredients
Onion - 4 nos(Sliced lenghtwise)
Rolled Oats - 1/2 cup 
Kadalai Maav/Chickpea flour/Besan -  3 to 4 tablesppons
Rava/Semolina - 2 tablespoons
Red chlli powder -  1/4 tspn (As per your taste)
Curry leaves - few
Salt
Water to sprinkle
Oil for deep frying

Preparation Method
In a wide bowl, put onion, oats, salt and slight mix.
Add all other ingredients and sprinkle little water and mix well. It should be thick. Leave it for few mins.
Heat oil in a kadai/wok, when its hot. slowly spread and drop the batter in oil. Deep fry till brown both sides and take out on tissue to remove excess oil. Allow it to cool and store it in air tight container.

Enjoy it with Bisibelebath/Coffee/Tea time too.

Notes - Do not store, when its warm or hot it will become soggy.

I had previously posted Cabbage Oats Pakoda check here for recipe. This recipe is going to Fast Food not Fat Food by Priya and Uma.

Write to me if you have queries at simplysara07@gmail.com

Rava Oats Upma with Moong Dal | Diabetic Recipe!

I love Rava Upma, and mostly make once a week for breakfast or dinner. This time tried to make healthy version for cholestrol and diabetic people. I usally buy quick cook oats, this time wanted to try rolled oats.

Ingredients

Rava(Semolina/Sooji) - 2 cups
Rolled Oats - 1 cup
Pasiparuppu/Siru paruppu/Moong dal/Split green gram - 1/2 cup
Water - 5 to 6 cups

Onion - 1 no (thinly sliced)
Capsicum - 1 med(thinly sliced)
Cabbage - 1/2 no((thinly sliced)/shredded)
Olive Oil - 4 tspns

Ghee - 1 tspn

Green chilli - 2 nos(As per taste)

Mustard - 1/2 tspn

Urad/Channa dal mixed - 1 tspn

Asafotida(hing) - 2 pinches

Curry leaves - few

Turmeric - 1/2 tspn

Salt to taste
Corainder for garnishing.

Preparation Method
Wash and soak moong dal in warm water or normal water in a vessel.

Heat a kadai, roast the rava slightly till it becomes brown and gets nice aroma. Transfer it to a plate.
In the same kadai, dry roast rolled oats till slight brown. Transfer it to a plate.

In a vessel boil water and keep aside.

In a same kadai, add 3 tspns olive oil and mustard wait till it splutters. Now add dal and asafotida. Saute till its brown.

Add onion, ginger, garlic, green chilli, curry leaves and saute till onion is slightly brown.
Add capsicum, cabbage, a pinch of turmeric and saute for few mins. Add soaked  moong dal and mix.

Add boiled water, 1 tspn oil allow it to boil. Once its boiled reduce the heat. Check whether moong dal is cooked. Then add salt and curry leaves.

Slowly add the rava and mix well immediately without allowing it to form lumps. Add water if required. Close with a lid till rava cooks.
After 2 mins add roasted oats and mix well.

Slowly stir until no water is left. Check whether rava is nicely cooked otherwise sprinkle water mix and close the lid. Keep in low flame.

Off the stove. Garnish with coriander/cilantro.

Rava Oats Upma is ready to serve. You can eat with sambar.

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Easy Ragi Idli!

Ragi Idli is a healthy breakfast. Its very filling. Its also good for diabetic and cholestrol. I have already posted recipe for Soft Idlis here.

Ingredients
Idli Batter -7 laddles/karandi(click here to make Idli batter recipe)
Ragi/Millet flour - 2 small cups
Water as required
Salt

Preparation Method
In a vessel or bowl, add Idli batter, ragi flour, salt and water as required. Mix well and leave it to ferment.
Grease idli plates with Gingiley /olive oil.(Dont put more oil, add few drops just required and for easy removal of idlis)
Mix well and pour batter in the greased plates. This batter is good for 8 idlis.
Steam for 15mins.

Allow it to cool a bit and remove carefully from the plates.

Ragi Idlis are ready. Serve Hot. I served it with Tomato Chutney. You can serve with sambar or any chutneys.

Tomato Chutney | No Onion No Garlic!

This Tomato Chutney is prepared without onion and garlic. I have been thinking of recipes prepared without coconut nowadays which are for lowering cholestrol and for diabetic. This is quick and tastes delicious for Dosas and Idlis.

Ingredients
Tomatoes - 2nos(Red n Ripe)
Urad Dal - 2 tspns
Green Gram/Pacha Payaru - 2 tspns
Dry red chilli - 2nos (As per your taste)
Gingely Oil/Olive Oil - 1 tspn
Salt
Curry leaves - few

Preparation Method
Heat a wok or kadai, add oil, urad dal, green gram, red chilli, curry leaves and saute till the dal is brown. Transfer it to a plate. In the same kadai, add chopped tomatoes, a pinch of salt and cook till its soft. Allow it to cool.
Add salt and grind to coarse paste when cool.
Season with oil, mustard and Hing/Asafotida.

Tomato Chutney is ready to serve. I served it with Ragi Idlis, the recipe will be my next post.

Notes - You can also have it without seasoning, I wanted the hint of hing. If you wish you can add hing while grinding.

Ragi Semiya Upma!

Ragi/Millet  is very healthy food. Ragi is staple food in villages as they grow. To know more Benefits click here. This is also good for diabetic people. I love Ragi Mudde.

Ingredients
Ragi Semia (Anil Semia) - 1 pkt
Bengal gram - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1 tspn
Aasafotida - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - 10nos
Oil - 4 tspns
Onion - 2 nos chopped
Ginger - 1 tspn chopped
Green chilli - 2 nos
Fresh Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1 tspn chopped
Salt

Preparation Method
Crush the semia to small pieces.

Boil water in a vessel add 1 tspn oil and 1 tspn salt.
When water boiling add semia and boil for 3mins. Check whether is cooked. (If u leave for more time it will become soft.)
Then drain the water and run over cold water.
Now in a kadai, add oil, mustard, asafotida and wait till it spulters.
Add bengal gram and wait till its brown. Add green chilli, ginger, onion, curry leaves and saute till its transparant.
Now add cooked semia and little salt.

Cook for few mins and off the stove.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Ragi Semiya Upma is ready.

Notes - You can also add vegetables.