Ragi murukku known as ragi chakli in Kannada, Kezhvaragu murukku in Tamil, Finger millet flour murukku in English is an interesting murukku variety. Basically ragi is a healthy, diabetic friendly millet which is very rich in calcium.So I try to include it in our regular diet in the form of idli, dosa or porridge. Even though I have tried so many recipes with ragi flour, ragi murukku was always challenging to me. Last year during Diwali, I tried ragi murukku without rice flour but I couldn’t make proper shapes.
Recently when I saw ragi murukku recipe from Mullai (Spiceindiaonline) in my Instagram feed, I got tempted to try again. I used the same ingredients as per the original recipe except I used ghee instead of butter. Murukku came out really well, crispy with a nice flavor of ghee. I din’t find any big difference in taste and flavor of this murukku except its color.
Friends, if you are looking for any snacks with ragi flour, you must try this recipe. I am sure you will love its result. You don’t have to wait till Diwali to try this murukku. It took just one hour for me to make this murukku. So you can make it anytime and enjoy your evening teatime with this crispy ragi flour chakli. Ok, Lets see how to make ragi murukku with step by step photos and video.
Add water gradually and make sticky, smooth dough.
Cover with a wet cloth till use.
Take star mould in murukku press. Fill the dough.Make shape in ladle.
Deep fry the murukku in batches.Cook both sides till bubbles cease.Store after cool down.Enjoy !
Ragi Murukku Recipe - Step by step pictures
Sieve ragi flour, rice flour and besan in a wide bowl.
Add red chilli powder, sesame seeds or cumin seeds, hing and salt. Add melted ghee and mix well till crumbly.You can also use soft butter at room temperature. Make sure ghee or butter is well spreaded in the flour.
Add water gradually and make soft, slightly sticky dough.Cover the dough with wet cloth till use.Take star mould in murukku press.
Fill the press with dough. Make shapes in back of ladle.If dough cuts or breaks while pressing, you should sprinkle little water in the dough,make it slightly sticky. Now you can make shapes perfectly.This murukku dough absorbs more water.So sprinkle water whenever needed and make shapes.
Heat oil to deep fry. Put a pinch of dough and if it rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is right. Now drop 2 to 3 murukku per batch. Fry both sides till bubbles cease completely. Keep the flame medium else murukku becomes black.Remove in a tissue paper and cool down. Store in a box and enjoy for months.
Notes
Add more chilli powder for spicy taste.
Do not add more ghee or butter because murukku may disperse in oil while frying.
This murukku dough absorbs more water.So sprinkle water in the dough whenever needed and keep it slightly sticky.This helps to draw shapes perfectly without breaking.
Deep fry this murukku in medium flame till bubbles cease completely. If oil temperature is more, murukku becomes black and get burnt smell.
Beetroot chutney recipe for idli, dosa was in my try list for long time. Usually I make South Indian (Tamil nadu) style beetroot poriyal or kootu at least once in a week as this vegetable has lots of health benefits and is good for liver.
I have always thought of trying a chutney with beetroot just for a change. Recently I got this recipe for beetroot chutney with coconut from my neighbor Ramya. Its preparation is very easy and quick if you have grated beetroot ready in hand. Actually I was thinking the taste of beetroot chutney would be sweet with mild raw smell. But after making this chutney, I realized its the proper cooking of beetroot and its accompanying ingredients decides the taste & flavor of this chutney.
This chutney is prepared by roasting dal, onion, coconut and grated beetroot. It came out with a bright color and awesome flavor.I prepared it as a side dish for dosa. If you like this chutney, you can have it with chapathi too. Sendhil & myself loved this chutney very much. It can be kept in the fridge and used for 2 to 3 days. For variations, you can use mixed vegetables instead of beetroot. Ramya shared a beetroot vatha kuzhambu recipe too. I will try to post it soon. Now lets see how to make beetroot chutney recipe with step by step photos.
Wash and peel the skin of beetroot. Grate and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in kadai. Saute the dal, chilli, garlic, hing till dal turns golden.
Add chopped onion, grated beetroot, tamarind and salt.
Saute till beetroot turns pale red in color and raw smell goes off.
Add coconut. Mix well and grind everything to a smooth paste.
Temper mustard, urad dal and curry leaves. Add to chutney. Mix well and serve with idli,dosa!
Beetroot Chutney Recipe - Step by step pictures
Wash and peel the skin of a small beetroot. Grate it, measure 1/2 cup and keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and saute the urad dal,chana dal, red chilli, garlic cloves and hing. When the dal starts to turn golden in color, add the chopped onion, pinch of tamarind, grated beetroot and required salt.
Saute till onion becomes transparent and beetroot turns pale red in color. Beetroot should be cooked well without any raw smell. It takes nearly 5 to 7 minutes in medium flame. Do not burn the beets.
Switch off the flame and add grated coconut. Mix well and let everything cool down. Grind to a smooth paste adding water.
Transfer the chutney to a bowl. Temper mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves in a small kadai. Add to the chutney. Mix well and serve with idli or dosa. Enjoy !
Notes
Add more chillies if you want spicy chutney.
You should saute the beetroot till its raw smell goes off else chutney smells raw.
Grated beetroot takes less time to cook without raw smell than the cubes or pieces of beetroot.So use grated beets.
If you have cooked beetroot in hand, you can use that as well.
Masala idli fry is an easy, kids friendly recipe that can be made using leftover idli.We can prepare this idli fry with fresh mini idli too. It can be served as breakfast, dinner or as an evening snack for kids. Usually I make South Indian, Tamilnadu style masala idli fry. This time I prepared it in North Indian style adding Pav bhaji masala powder.Actually speaking, recipe of masala idli varies from place to place.It can also be prepared in a simple way adding garam masala powder or fennel powder.
As this is my first attempt in North Indian style, I followed this recipe from Spice up the curry & Red Chilly and tried for our breakfast. I adjusted the spice level as per my family’s taste. It came out really well. Sendhil & myself loved it a lot. I hope Raksha will like it too. If making for kids, you can try the same with deep fried idli pieces. This recipe is a great way to use the leftover idli. You can also add vegetables like finely chopped carrot, cooked peas along with capsicum to make this dish more healthy and colorful ! Now lets see how to make Indian style masala idli at home using leftover idli with step by step photos & video.
Heat oil in a kadai. Temper cumin seeds. Saute onion, ginger, garlic and tomato.
Add all the spice powders, salt and mix well.
Add 1/4 cup of water to the masala and boil for a minute.
Lastly add the idli cubes, mix gently to coat the masala.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Sprinkle ghee & lemon juice if needed.Serve hot !
Masala idli recipe - How to make masala idli fry - Step by step pictures
Take the leftover idli and chop into big cubes. You can chop each idli into 8 or 9 pieces.Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion, capsicum, garlic and ginger pieces. After onion becomes transparent,add tomato and saute for a minute.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, pav bhaji masala powder, sugar and mix well. Saute till tomato becomes mushy. Add 1/4 cup of water and boil for 2 minutes till masala becomes semi dry.
Lastly add the idli cubes, mix gently without breaking.Coat the idli with masala. If masala has more water content, idli will break. So make sure masala is almost dry. Mix idli & cook for a minute.Switch off the flame. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, few tsp of ghee and sprinkle some lemon juice. Mix well and serve hot!
Mash few banana pieces and cook for 2 minutes in low flame. Switch off the flame, sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves if desired.I did not add it.Remove and serve with rice.
Note:
Adjust the quantity of pav bhaji masala powder as per your spice level.
Make sure the tomato masala mixture is semi dry before adding idli pieces.
Avarakkai poriyal recipe (Broad beans curry for rice) is one of the easy South Indian poriyal recipes(stir fry) which I make very often in my kitchen. In tamil nadu, people make this avarakkai curry in different ways. I prepare broad beans poriyal with coconut directly in a pressure cooker just like my carrot beans stir fry. Its so easy to make and saves lot of time than stir frying it.
Actually there are two varieties of broad beans available in the market. In Tamil, we call it as patta avarakkai (broad ones) & sanna avarakkai( thin ones). You can find patta avarai very commonly in Tamil nadu. In Bangalore, I get only the thin variety near my house. But this poriyal suits for both. I learnt this recipe from my MIL. She usually make this poriyal with thick broad beans.
Once I saw my friend Megha adding peanut powder to this poriyal instead of coconut. She told its of Andhra style. So I too make this way sometimes as Sendhil loves to have peanut powder in broad beans curry. If you want to make this avarakkai poriyal without coconut, you can either add onions or peanut powder at the end as specified in this recipe. In this poriyal recipe, I used little coconut just for attraction.
Otherwise I don’t add it. This poriyal tastes the best with sambar rice. I served with Radish/Mullangi sambar and microwave roasted sago vadam. It was yummy ! Actually I was planning to make a post on sweet recipe or murukku today but I couldn’t do it as I am unwell. So I am posting this poriyal recipe which I scheduled for this weekend. I will try to share the sweet recipe tomorrow. Ok, Lets see how to make South Indian style broad beans poriyal with step by step photos.
Roasted peanut powder - 1.5 tbsp or Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
To Temper
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - Few
HOW TO MAKE BROAD BEANS PORIYAL
Wash and chop broad beans thinly.
In a cooker base, heat oil. Temper it.
Add chopped avarakkai, saute for a minute.
Add sambar powder, moong dal, salt and 1/2 cup water.
Pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles.
Boil & drain if excess water else add roasted peanut powder. Mix well and cook for a minute. Serve with rice.
AVARAKKAI PORIYAL RECIPE WITH STEP BY STEP PHOTOS
Wash and chop the broad beans thinly. If you are adding peanut powder, roast 1 tbsp peanuts in a microwave for 3 minutes in high power or dry roast in a kadai. Powder it with skin and set aside.
In a cooker base, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds.After it splutters, add curry leaves and chopped broad beans. Saute till it turns dark green in color. Keep the flame medium.
Add turmeric powder, sambar powder, moong dal and salt. Add 1/2 cup water and mix well. Pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles or till broad beans become soft.
Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mix well and check if there is excess water as shown in the picture below. If its there, cook in high flame for 2 minutes till all the water drains out.
Reduce the flame low to medium when the poriyal is becoming dry else it may burn at the bottom. Lastly add the grated coconut or peanut powder. Mix well and serve with sambar rice.
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per your taste.
You can use red chilli powder instead of sambar powder. My mom does this way.
You can also saute finely chopped onions after tempering. In that case, you don’t have to use coconut.
You will like it . I used grated coconut just for garnishing.
I tried Andhra style raw banana curry/ Plantain curry (Aratikaya kura in Telugu) as side dish for rice for the first time. Being a South Indian, Poriyal / Dry curry is a must in our daily lunch menu. As I got bored of my Tamil nadu style vazhakkai poriyal, I wanted to try something different with raw banana. I found this curry recipe very simple and easy.This aratikaya koora has no masala or coconut, still it tasted great with rice. We loved it very much. Its taste reminded our vazhakkai podimas to me.
I tried this recipe referring Swasthi's recipes& Cooking from heart blogs.In South India, people make raw banana curry in different ways. Kerala style raw banana thoran and Tamil nadu’s Vazhakkai poriyal tastes great in its own ways.I am happy that I learnt this Andhra style raw banana curry.Soon I must try Kerala style thoran too. This recipe would be suitable for bachelors and working women as it has no grinding job. Friends, do try this plantain curry. I am sure you will love its taste and easy to cook steps. Lets see how to make Andhra style raw banana curry recipe with step by step photos.
Cook raw banana with skin in 3 cups of water till soft.
Prick a toothpick and check if its done.Peel the skin, chop into cubes.
In a kadai, heat oil. Temper all the ingredients.
Saute onion, green chilli, ginger till transparent.
Add turmeric powder, salt and raw banana pieces. Mash few banana pieces and cook for 2 minutes. Serve with rice.
Andhra raw banana curry / Plantain curry (Aratikaya kura) - Step by step pictures
Wash and cut the banana into two or three. Cook with skin in 3 cups of water. Cover cook for 8 to 10 minutes till banana becomes soft. Prick with a knife or toothpick and check if its done. Make sure you do not over cook the banana.You can also pressure cook it in high flame for 2 whistles.
Remove & keep the cooked banana in cold/plain water for 2 minutes. It helps to keep it firm yet soft. Peel the skin and chop into cubes.
Finely chop the onions,ginger. Slit the green chillies and curry leaves. Heat oil in a kadai and temper mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and cumin seeds.
Saute onion,curry leaves, green chilli and ginger pieces till onion becomes transparent.Add turmeric powder, salt and raw banana cubes.Mix well.
Mash few banana pieces and cook for 2 minutes in low flame. Switch off the flame, sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves if desired.I did not add it.Remove and serve with rice.
Note:
Adjust the quantity of chillies as per your spice level.
Do not over cook the banana. Check with a toothpick whenever needed.
Mango payasam/ Mango rice kheer(mambazha payasam in Tamil)is an easy, Indian dessert recipe made with cooked rice, mango pulp and sugar or condensed milk. It can be prepared with cooked rice or vermicelli/sevai. Alphonso & Banganapalli mango tastes the best for this kheer. Actually this payasam is prepared in all the states across South India in their own style. Recently I tasted this mango kheer in a hotel lunch buffet and loved its taste. It was tasting more like paal payasam with mango flavor. So I tried to recreate the same at home and prepared it adding condensed milk(milkmaid). It was tasting so rich and yummy when served chilled. Mango season has almost come to an end. This year, I couldn’t post much using mango. So I thought of sharing this yummy kheer as my contribution for mango recipes this year. Do try this delicious kheer and enjoy with your family. Lets see how to make mango payasam recipe with step by step photos.
Mango payasam recipe / Mango Rice kheer Recipe
How to make mango payasam / mango rice kheer with condensed milk
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker base. Roast the cashews & remove in a plate. Soak saffron in 2 tbsp warm milk. In the remaining ghee, roast the rice till it turns puffy & white.
Grind it coarsely in a mixie jar. Add the ground rice in the cooker, add milk & pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles.
After the steam is released, mash the rice well. Add condensed milk, cardamom powder and boil for a minute. Switch off the flame and let the payasam cool completely.
Take the mango, peel the skin and chop into pieces. Grind into smooth paste. Add this pulp to the cooled payasam. Do not add the mango pulp when the payasam in hot, milk will curdle.
Add the roasted nuts. Mix well & check for taste and consistency. Add more condensed milk or sugar for sweetness & boiled milk for thin consistency if needed. You can make it thick like pudding. Mix well & refrigerate for an hour. Serve chilled for best taste.
Note: Adjust the quantity of condensed milk as per your taste.
Kothavarangai kootu recipe / Cluster beans kootu (Gawar Ki Phalli sabji in Hindi) is an easy, healthy side dish for rice.We call this as Kothavarangai poricha kuzhambu in Tamil.
We make it as a gravy and eat it by mixing with plain rice adding ghee.We serve with puli kuzhambu too. Usually I make kothavarangai sambar or poriyal. But recently I started making this kootu learning from my MIL. It is prepared with cluster beans, moong dal, tamarind sambar powder and ground coconut paste. We love its taste and flavor. To make my job simple, I make this kootu directly in a pressure cooker. So this side dish for rice can be prepared under 15 minutes. Do try this healthy cluster beans kootu at home and enjoy with plain rice & ghee. Lets see how to make kothavarangai poricha kuzhambu with step by step photos !
Tamarind or tomato - small piece( 1/2 tsp extract) / 1 no.
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Salt & Water - as needed
To grind
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Small onion - 2 nos or big onion - 1/4 no
Cumin seeds /Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Water - to grind smooth
To Temper
Coconut oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
METHOD
Wash and chop cluster beans into 1 inch size pieces.Grind coconut, onion, cumin seeds to a smooth paste and keep aside.
In a pressure cooker base, heat coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves. Add the chopped cluster beans and saute for 2 minutes in medium flame.
Add 1 cup of water, turmeric powder, sambar powder, moong dal, tamarind extract or chopped tomato and ground coconut paste. Mix well.
Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles. Open the lid after the steam is released. Mix well and check for thickness. If the kootu is very thick, add 1/4 cup water, mix well and boil for a minute. If its watery, boil for 2 minutes till kootu becomes thick.
Serve this kootu with puli kuzhambu or vatha kuzhambu. You can mix this with plain rice adding a tsp of ghee. Tastes great !
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per your taste.
If you don’t have sambar powder, you can replace with 3/4 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp dhania powder.
You can also use one tomato ( finely chopped) instead of tamarind extract.
Addition of cumin seeds & onion for grinding adds a nice flavor to this kootu. So do not avoid it unless you make a no onion no garlic kootu.
Use chana dal instead of moong dal for variations.
Try this easy kothavarangai kootu and enjoy with plain rice or vatha kuzhambu !
