Pineapple Kesari [Low fat, sugar free]

It is very hard to find healthy and tasty desserts. So I altered the original Pineapple kesari recipe to fit in healthy recipe column. But this one is not shy in taste. It is simple and easy as well. So enjoy your dessert guilt free .

Ingredients:
For Pineapple kesari [4 servings]

Rawa – 1 cup
Crushed pineapple – 1 cup
Splenda (Sugar substitute) – 1.5 cups
Ghee/Butter – ½ tbsp
Water – 2 cups
Kesar (Saffron) – ½ tsp (dissolve in water)
Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
Kismis (Golden raisins) – ¼ cup
Cashews – ¼ cup coarsely chopped

Method:

• Dissolve saffron strands or Kesar in 2 cups of water.
• In a pan, add ½ tbsp of Ghee/butter. Add rawa and dry roast it on medium low temperature, till it releases rich aroma. It will look light golden in color.
• Add crushed pineapple and splenda to the pan and mix well. Immediately add the saffron water, while stirring continuously or it will be lumpy.
• Add kismis, cashews and cardamom powder to it and mix well.
• Cook for another 2-3 minutes and pineapple kesari is done.

Serving Suggestion:
Serve warm with your favorite ice-cream as a dessert after dinner.

Sabudana Khichadi with cashews (Tapioca savory snack)

 





Sabudana Khichadi with cashews (Tapioca savory snack)

Sabudana Khichadi is the most popular Indian snack during fasting. But I like it so much that I make it very often. I have added cashews with roasted peanuts for rich taste. Hope you like my version of Sabudana khichadi.

Ingredients:

For Sabudana Khichadi [4 servings]

Sabudana (Tapioca or Sago pearls) – 1.5 cups
Potato – 1
Roasted peanuts – ¼ cup
Roasted cashews -1/4 cup
Green chili – 1
Cilantro – ¼ cup
Lime juice – 2 tbsp
Sugar – 1.5 tbsp
Cumin – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – ½ tsp
Asafoetida powder -1 pinch
Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

• Soak sabudana in just enough water to cover it. Let it stand overnight. In the morning, the sabudana looks nice and fluffy.
• Peel and cut potatoes in small cubes. Finely chop green chilies and cilantro and keep aside.
• Coarsely grind roasted peanuts and cashews and keep aside.
• In a bowl mix, Sabudana with roasted and crushed nuts.
• Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds; let it crackle for 1 minute. Add asafoetida powder and turmeric powder. Add chopped green chilies to it.
• Add the sabudana mixture to the pan. Mix well. Keep the heat medium and stir occasionally. Add red chili powder, salt, sugar and lime juice to it. Cook for few more seconds. Do not add water to the khichadi at any point. It will make it lumpy.

Garnish:
Garnish sabudana khichadi with freshly chopped cilantro and some lime juice. Enjoy hot with a cup of tea or coffee.

Note: This recipe is for regular eating, but if you want to prepare it for fast, avoid turmeric powder, Jira and fresh cilantro.

Chakli or Murukku (Crispy savory snacks)

Chakli is a very common Maharashtrian snack. It is also called as Murukku in Southern India. It lasts for few weeks if stored properly in air tight container, so it is a great anytime snack.

Ingredients:
For Chakli (25 pieces approx.)
Rice flour – 2.5 cups [Roasted]
Urad dal flour – ½ cups [Roasted]
Butter – 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida powder- 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Sesame seeds – 1 tsp
Water-1.5 cups (to make dough)
cooking oil to fry
Salt as per taste

Method:

• Combine rice flour, urad dal flour, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, red chili powder, asafoetida powder, butter and salt.
• Mix together well and add water very slowly to make dough. Knead well to make it like roti dough.
• With the help of chakli press, make chaklies on a piece of wax paper, so it will be easier to transfer it to the oil. It takes some practice to make the shape.

•   Heat cooking oil for frying the chaklis.
•   Carefully with the help of flat spatula, transfer chaklies to the oil.
•   Deep fry the chaklies till it is crisp and golden in color.
•   Drain it on paper towel and let it cool down. Store it in a air tight container.

Serving Suggestions:
Enjoy Chakli with tea/coffee anytime.

Nutritious Moong-Chana dal

One of the most often cooked dish in my kitchen. It is super healthy, nutritious and tastes good.

Ingredients:
For Moong-Chana dal: [for 6 servings]

Moong (Whole Green) dry – 1.5 cup
Chana dal (Split yellow) – ½ cup

Dry Spices:
Whole garam masala – 1 tbsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder – ½ tsp
Kasoori Methi -1/2 tbsp

Wet Ingredients for tadka:
Onion -1/2 (finely chopped)
Tomatoes -1 cup (finely chopped)
Ginger – 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Garlic – 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Green chili -1 tsp (finely chopped) [Optional]
olive oil – 2 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Method:

• Wash dry moong and chana together a couple of times.
• Pressure cook it with turmeric powder, salt and 6 cups of water for 30 minutes on medium heat.
• For tadka, heat olive oil in a pan. Add whole garam masala. Let it crackle. Then add chopped onions and sauté it, till turns light golden. Add ginger, garlic and chopped green chilies (optional). Cook for 2 minutes.
• Add chopped tomatoes, red chili powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder in the gravy and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes on medium-low heat.
• Add the tadka to the cooked moong- chana and add 1 cups of water and simmer it on low heat for 10 minutes.
• Finally, add kasoori methi and let it simmer for 2 more minutes.

Garnish:
Garnish the Moong-chana dal with freshly chopped cilantro and serve with halved lemons.
Enjoy with fresh naan, paratha or steamed basmati rice.