Healthy Sattu ( Horse gram flour) banana muffins

Sattu ( Horse gram flour)banana muffins

A staple from North India, Sattu was  originally made of roasted gram flour but has now evolved to include other nutritious flours like barley, wheat etc. Sattu is a perfect blend of balanced nutrients and is prepared in one of the healthiest cooking methods i.e roasting. In this method, the nutrient value is retained and the shelf life of the ingredients is increased.Its high fibre content makes it healthy for the intestines.Having a low glycemic index, is good for diabetics as well. Sattu has cooling properties.

How did I think of making a Sattu cake?? My younger daughter, who has recently turned very health conscious, was thinking of healthy dessert options and asked me if we could substitute refined flour with sattu and bake a cake.I told her ,one can try.She looked up the net and found a sattu cake recipe using curd, cream ( Malai) and jaggery.This meant someone had already tried & it would be possible to make a sattu cake. That was half the battle won.So i decided to experiment by partial substitution of wheat flour in my banana muffin recipe with sattu. I altered the amount of baking powder as I was slightly skeptical about the cake rising well. The experiment was successful and a great hit.So here we are... 

Ingredients:

Ripe Bananas -3 small /2 large

Egg -1

Oil-3/4 cup

Baking soda-1 tsf

Milk- 1/2 cup

Chana Sattu-1 cup

Whole wheat atta-1/2 cup

Brown Sugar-3/4 cup ( I used the Dhampur sugar which is non sticky as opposed to solar which is sticky.If using sticky one, 1/2 cup should suffice)

Baking powder- 2 tsf

Cinnamon powder-1 tsf

Method:

1.Heat milk.Add baking soda.

2.Mash bananas.

3.Add all the ingredients except the egg.Mix gently & wait for this mixture,which has hot milk in it,to cool down and then add the egg.Mix until just combined.

4.Fill well greased muffin pans 1/2 to 3/4 th with batter.

5.Bake at 200º C for 15 to 20 mins.

Variation:

1.Try adding walnuts , raisins, peel, candied fruit, chocolate chips etc.

2.You can use 1 & a 1/2 cup whole wheat flour instead of a combination of sattu & whole wheat flour.

GHIA KE PHEETAY

This is a very simple, no fuss recipe of ghia/Bottle gourd/Lauki. This is a traditional recipe,which people ( Like my parents-in –law),who hail from Dera Ismail Khan, follow. I learnt it from my mom-in –law and is a favourite of my husband. I, make it, but don't eat it coz I don't like ghia,tinda,tori family of vegetables.

INGREDIENTS:

Ghia/bottle gourd( Peeled and cut into roundels)-500 grams

Refined oil-1 tbsp

Jeera/cummin seeds-1 tsf

Ajwain/carom seeds-1/2 tsf

Haldi/Turmeric Powder-1/2 tsf

Hing/Asafoetida-1/4 th tsf

Red chilli powder-1/2 tsf

Jeera ( cummin seed )powder-1/2 tsf

Dhaniya(Coriander seeds) powder-1 tsf

Garam masala powder-1/2 tsf

Salt-To taste

METHOD:

1.Cut the ghia into round slices about ½ a centimeter thick.

2.Heat the oil in a kadhai.

3.Add the hing, jeera and carom seeds.

4.Saute for a minute.

5.Add salt & the other masalas except the garam masala and sauté for a minute.

6.Ad ghia.Saute on high for 5 to 7 minutes and brown a little.

8.Cover and cook on slow fire for 10 minutes till tender but crunchy.Dont overcook.

9.Dry out water,if any, on high heat.

10.Add garam masala.

11.Serve hot with chappati.

TORI

Tori, akin to Zucchini, is a very light healthy green vegetable. This is a very easy low cal tasty preparation.

INGREDIENTS:

Tori ,washed peeled , cut longitudinally and then cut into 3/4inch pieces-750 grams

Refined oil-1 tsf

Dhaniya sabut ( coriander seeds)- 2tsf

Jeera sabut( Cummin seeds)-1 tsf

Kali mirch sabut ( Black pepper seeds)-1/2 tsf

Asafoetida /Hing-A pinch

Haldi/Turmeric powder-a pinch

Sugar(to preserve the green colour)-1/2 tsf

Salt-to taste

METHOD:

1.Heat the oil.

2.Coarsely powder, preferably in a pestle & mortar, jeera , dhaniya & kali mirch.

3.Add the coarse powder to the oil & sauté on high heat for a minute.

4.Add haldi and hing , sauté for a minute.Add tori,with sugar,stir fry on highheat for 5 minutes.Add salt.

5.Reduce heat. Cover it with a lid & simmer for 7minutes. Little water might be left. There is no need to dry it out.

6.Remove the lid and check for tenderness. It should be tender but not overcooked and pulpy.If semi done, cover it and switch off the gas. It will cook in the heat of the vessel you are cooking it in.If done, leave it to cool without a lid/ place under the fan till serving time. Serve with chappatis.

MURG KE NAGME( STEAMED CHICKEN MINCE BALLS )

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken Keema/Mince( Wash boneless chicken , drain and get it minced)-250 gram

Onion (finely chopped )-½ cup

Ginger( Grated)- 1 & a ½ tsf

Garlic (finely chopped)-1 and a ½ tbsp

Green chilli (finely chopped)-1

Black Pepper (Coarsely ground preferably in a pepper mill)-1 tsf

Salt -to taste

1/3 cup raw rice-soak for 1/ 2hr

METHOD:

Mix all the ingredients except the rice. Drain the rice and spread it on a plate. Make small chicken balls , roll in rice and place in a steamer.Steam in a steamer/idli steamer, till the rice gets cooked( usually 15 minutes). Serve hot.

DALIYA MATAR VADI

This is like a one dish meal, a very tasty ,no fuss one too.I got introduced to it, after my marriage.It was regularly made at my in-laws' and now at my home too.My mom in law would make it with rice. What I found strange was that they would treat it like a sabzi/ dry vegetable and eat it with roti. Eating roti with rice seemed strange.But I would always have it without roti,like one would have a thin, slightly watery khichri.I too make it with rice , but few years back, I adapted it to daliya/broken wheat/bulgur.It looks like khichri, but is certainly not a dish meant for the invalid.You can use your imagination, add veggies/keema/boneless mutton/nutrela , so on and so forth .To make it special add fried sliced onions on top.

INGREDIENTS:

Daliya/Broken wheat OR Rice( you can also use cooked rice)-1 cup

Peas-1 cup

Vadi-preferably large spicy Urad dal/ Moong dal -1

Turmeric powder-3/4^th tsp

Salt-to taste

TEMPERING/TADKA:

Ghee/clarified butter-1 -2 tsp

Garlic chopped (OPTIONAL)- ½ to 1 tbsp

Jeera/Cummin seeds-1 tsp

Red chilli powder( if want really spicy)-1/2 tsp

Asafoetida( Hing) powder-1/4tsp.

METHOD:

Wash daliya in a fine strainer. These days ,the varieties one gets(Aahaar) ,are usually pre roasted & quick cooking and don't require to be soaked. Put this in a pressure cooker, along with the peas, turmeric powder , vadi, salt and 7 cups of water. If you wish to fry the vadi and add , you can do that too. But a lighter option would be to heat the ghee that you are going to use for tempering, in a tadka pan, throw in this vadi and shallow fry it. Remove it and use the left over ghee for the tempering/tadka. Place the lid on the cooker and pressure cook on high heat till one whistle . Thereafter simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from fire. Let the pressure drop of its own. Add tempering…Heat ghee,add jeera , hing, red chilli powder ( if using).Stir and add to the daliya in the cooker. If it seems thick, add some water and salt. Serve hot. You can have it with/without roti.

VARIATION:

1.Use rice instead of daliya.

2. Add vegetables.Cut the vegetables into large pieces, so they don't become mushy after pressure cooking. You can cook the daliya in a large, deep pan and cook without pressure.

3. Add boneless meat/keema/ chicken.For this first cook the mutton/keema till 3/4^th done and then add to the daliya.if adding chicken,just stir fry chicken in a liitle bit of oil and add.

4. Add nutrela, nutri nuggets as per the instructions on the box.

5.Add dal of your choice, after soaking and /or partial cooking,depending on its cooking time.

MIXED VEGETABLES-STIR FRY NORTH INDIAN STYLE

An adaptation of the Oriental /continental stir fry vegetables. It's a very light healthy low calorie tasty preparation. Whenever I make it, the feedback I get is very encouraging. So do try it. You can make it as part of your main course or have it like a snack, like my daughters do.

INGREDIENTS:

Paneer, cut into cubes of 1 inch-100 grams

Cauliflower-5 florets

Beans, cut diagonally into two-100 grams

Carrot, sliced diagonally 1/4^th inch thickness-100 grams

Mushroom, if small cut into two and large cut into four-100 grams

Lotus stem, sliced diagonally 1/4^th inch thickness -100 grams

Baby corn, slice diagonally into two-100 grams

Onion,chopped into 8 and the layers separated-1 medium

Green, red and yellow capsicum-1/4^th of large one of each colour.

Corn(Tinned or frozen)-2tbsp

Green peas-100 grams

Tomato, one large,with seeds removed, chopped into 6 pieces-1

Garlic chopped fine( Optional)-2tbsp

Cummin seeds(Jeera sabut)-2 tsp

Red chilli powder-1tsp

Garam Masala powder-1/2 to 1 tsp

Sugar( To preserve the green colour of the green vegetables)-1 tsp

Salt-to taste

Oil-2tbsp

METHOD:

Heat oil in a non stick pan. Add paneer and stir fry, till brown spots appear. Remove with a slotted spoon. Now add cumin seeds to the oil. Add garlic , if using and stir on high heat till slightly brown. Add sugar. Now add vegetables in the order of cooking time required i.e first lotus stem, then cauliflower and /or broccoli,carrots, green peas,beans, baby corn, mushroom followed by corn .After each vegetable is added cook on high heat for about 5 minutes.So by the time you add ,mushroom , lotus stem would be optimally tender.TThe vegetables must be constantly stirred.The vegetables must be crunchy not mushy.Now add onion .Cook on high heat for 5 minutes.Then add the 3 coloured capsicums along with tomatoes.Cook on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add paneer.Mix gently ,so tomatoes don't become pulpy.Add salt, red chilli powder and garam masala .Serve hot. Its best to make this just before serving.

THAI RAW PAPAYA SALAD

An awesome tangy sweet and sour healthy salad.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups julienned ( like matchsticks) raw papaya

1cup diagonally thinly sliced French beans

1tsp sugar

1 medium sized tomato.

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

2 tsp light soya sauce

3 dry red chillies( Can use fresh red/ green too)-If using dry, soak in hot water for 5 minutes to soften it

4 to 5 fat garlic cloves

Juice of 3 lemons

Salt-To taste

1/2 cup -Roasted coarsely crushed peanuts

METHOD:

Julienne the raw papaya.

Boil the sliced beans in water just enough to cover it.Add 1 tsp sugar to it, coz sugar helps to retain the green colour.Take it off from the fire , immediately after the first boil.Let it remain in the pan for 5minutes.Then drain the water and add ice cold water.The beans must be crunchy and green.Mix it with papaya.

Dice the tomatoes, discarding the seeds.Add this to the papaya , beans mix.

Make a paste of dry red chillies and garlic in a pestle and mortar.( Tastes better than the one made in a mixie)

Boil sugar and water till sugar dissloves.Add this to the chilli garlic paste.

Add the sugar chilli garlic mix to the vegetable mix.Add salt and lemon juice. Mix well.

Sprinkle groundnuts just at the time of serving, otherwise they will cease to remain crunchy.

VARIATION: 1 cup of diced cucumbers (after discarding the seeds) and ½ cup of fresh pomegranate seeds (Fresh anar ) added to the above mix tastes very nice too. Accordingly, increase the amount of red chillies, garlic and lemon juice.

SUNDAL( South Indian chick pea salad)

SUNDAL (South Indian chick peas salad)

Sundal is a traditional salad and snack.Its easy to prepare healthy, filling, spicy, tasty and tangy.It is served as a Prasad ,very often during the 10 day festival of Dussehra/Navratri, called " Golu"in Tamil Nadu .( which is where I hail from) This is the time when one goes to the homes of friends and invites them to come and witness the display of “ Golu Bommais”, at one’s home.Golu is a display of dolls & figurines, decorated in 5/7/9 /11 (i.e odd numbers) step like tiers, so as to have optimum visibility of all the figurines. Beautiful kolam or rangoli is made. When visitors come, the women (only married and unmarried but not widows-!!horrible practice ) are offered kumkum (Vermillion), haldi , chandan ( sandal paste) , betel leaves ( Paan) with betel nut (supari), Prasad and a gift – usually a blouse piece.The Prasad is very often “ SUNDAL”, made with white chick peas, black chick peas, white or red lobhia or black eyed beans, Bengal gram dal( chana dal) etc.Occassionally sweets are given as prasad after offering it to the Gods , following the puja.As kids , me and my siblings would love to go to various homes , sampling an array of the prasad.It was so much of pure and simple fun.

INGREDIENTS:

Chick peas (motay safed chole)- 2 cups

Turmeric powder( Haldi)-1/2 tsp

Refined Oil-1 tbsp

Asafoetida( Hing)-1/2 tsp

Dry red chillies-2

Cummin( Jeera) seeds- 1tsp

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Bengal gram( Chana Dal)- 1tsp

Black Gram ( white in colour) i.e Dhuli urad Dal- 1tsp

Curry leaves-10

Salt –To taste

Red chilli powder -1/2 to 3/4^th tsp ( Depending on how spicy one likes)

Raw mangoes peeled and chopped into tiny pieces-2 tbsp

METHOD

Soak peas overnight.Pressure cook with turmeric ,salt and just enough water to cook till done. In case you have forgotten to soak or decide to make it without advanced planning, pressure cook unsoaked chick peas.Simmer for 10 minutes after the 1^st whistle.Let it soak in the cooker for an hour and a half. Then add turmeric & salt and pressure cook again for one whistle and simmer for ten minutes.Let the pressure drop spontaneously.

Now take a pan , add oil, heat it up.Add asafoetida, broken dry red chillies, cumin and mustard seeds till the seeds splutter.Now add the two dals-bengal gram and black gram, cook on slow fire till they are slightly brown in colour.Now add the curry leaves. Add the boiled & drained chick peas, salt and red chilli powder.Mix well.Turn off the heat.Garnish with chopped raw mangoes and have it hot.It tastes very nice even at room temperature.
Optional garnishing-grated fresh coconut and lemon juice.

You can substitute chick peas with green peas, peanuts, other beans and all the other alternatives mentioned in the introduction.The same recipe can be used to cook various vegetables like fresh green beans, finely chopped potatoes, green or purple cabbage, small boneless fish pieces, boiled mutton & chicken cubes etc.Make sure the veggies remain crunchy and not overcooked.Let your imagination run wild and try the recipe with other alternatives of your choice.