Millet Cashew pakoda

 Have you ever thought to include millets when indulging in savories and sweets. Well, why not eat millet pakoras which are equally good to the regular besan made ones. Try this below recipe and I assure you will not be disappointed. 

Ingredients:

Blisstree Millet Pakoda Mix - 1 pack

Finely chopped Cilantro - 2/3 cup

Long slices of Onions - 2/3 cup

Finely chopped Mint leaves - 2/3 cup

Water - As required

Salt - adjust to taste

Cooking oil - For deep frying

Method:

1. Add all the above mentioned ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix with water. The mix should not be too watery.

2. Heat oil in a deep frying pan, and when it’s hot, test with a little pinch of the prepared mix. If it fries well, then you can proceed with frying the pakodas in batches. 

3. While deep frying, make sure not to crowd the pan with too much pakodas. It will take long to fry.

4. After you drop the pakodas, leave it until one side crisps and changes color and turn to the other side so all the sides are cooked even. 

5. Remove the fried pakodas with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving plate. 

6. Serve with cut onions and lemons. 

Poongar Rice Appam

 Poongar rice is one of the traditional rice varieties from Tamil Nadu. It is also called as "Women's rice" as it's helpful in boosting the health of women. It's very healthy for pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Poongar rice is red in color which is because of Anthocyanin, an anti-oxidant present in the rice.

It has a plethora of health benefits like below but not limited to,

• Controls Diabetes
• A rich source of Antioxidants and Minerals
• Contains Vitamin B1
• Provides good nutrition for Pregnant women 
• Helps to boost the immune system

We can make many recipes with this rice like Porridge(Kanji), Idli, Dosa and Appam.

My family loves the appam and I usually make appam with Idli rice. I wanted to give a healthy twist to the usual one and tried it with Poongar rice and to my surprise, the whole family was impressed with this nutritious dish and hence I'm sharing it with you.

Ingredients:

BlissTree Poongar rice - 1 lb or 2 cups

Bliss Tree Whole Urad Dal - 1 handful

Methi/Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon

Coconut milk - 1 can

Salt - as required

Water - as required to grind batter

Method:

1. Soak the Poongar rice, Urad dal and Fenugreek seeds together in water overnight or for 8 hours.

2. In a wet grinder, add the soaked ingredients, water and let it grind smooth. Note that, it takes a little longer to grind than the regular rice as the rice has good amount of fiber. That's why soaking for 8 hours is a must.

3. Once the ingredients are finely ground to a smooth batter, then take 2 tablespoons of batter separately in a saucepan and mix a little water and cook it on a stovetop to a porridge like consistency. Once it cools down, add to the batter.

This step is an important one to get soft appams and please don't skip it.

4. Add salt according to your taste and let it ferment.

5. Once it ferments, add 3/4 of the coconut milk can and start pouring on the appam pan.

4. Serve it with any kurma or add little sugar to the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut milk and enjoy the blissful appams.

Finger Millet(Ragi) Moringa Leaves Adai

 Finger millet is commonly known as Ragi. Ragi is the best source of calcium which is dairy-free. It has low glycemic index and thus aids in weight loss and to control diabetes.

This gluten-free recipe has the goodness of moringa greens and the finger millet and is one of the best breakfast options to fuel you for the day!

Ingredients:

BlissTree Ragi flour - 2 cups

Drumstick leaves/Moringa leaves - 1 cup tightly packed

Red Onions - 1 cup, finely chopped

Green chillies - 2 finely chopped (Optional)

salt - 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ( adjust according to taste)

Water - 1 1/2 cups

Method:

1. Clean the Moringa leaves from the stem and take only the leaves. 

2. Mix all of the above from the Ingredients section, and keep it aside. Split the dough into equal parts of balls.

3. Heat an iron griddle. When it's hot, Take the dough ball and start patting on the pan directly till you spread it like a pancake. Since the dough is not so loose, we need to spread it with hands.

 Alternatively, you can pat it on a parchment paper and transfer it to the pan carefully without breaking.

4. Pour oil on the sides and let it cook well on both sides.

5. Serve the healthy Ragi Moringa leaves adai with Jaggery or any chutney of your choice. 

Pearl Millet Adai

Pearl Millet Adai is a great recipe to include the nutritious pearl millet in your diet. It tastes great and you'll feel fuller for a long time.

 Pearl Millet is rich in nutritional value and is an excellent source of iron. It also helps in controlling blood sugar levels and aids in weight loss.

Ingredients:

•  Bliss Tree Parboiled Pearl Millet - 1 cup
• Bliss Tree Idli Rice - 1 cup
• Bliss Tree Toor Dal - 1 cup
• Shredded Coconut - 1/3 cup
• Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Red Chillies - 2 or 3
• Salt - To taste
• Water

Method:

1. Soak Pearl Millet for 8 hours separately, Idli Rice and Toor Dal together for 3 hours separately.

2. In a wet grinder or a blender, add Pearl millet with little water and grind until its broken into half.

3. Then, add the rest of the ingredients and grind until the batter comes to a coarse rava consistency.

4. Water should be added just enough to grind. The batter should not become watery.

Note: 

1. Don't grind it fine. Adai batter should be in thick coarse consistency. 

2. If using blender, use the pulse option, so the batter is not ground fine.

Millet Watermelon rind Adai

Make this delicious Foxtail millet Watermelon Rind Adai and reduce the food waste.  Do not discard the nutritious rind of watermelon after scooping out the sweet pink flesh, instead put it to good use with this recipe.

Ingredients:

• Blisstree Foxtail Millet - 1 cup
• Watermelon rind, chopped - 1 1/2 cups
• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Red Chillies - 3 or 4
• Coriander Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Salt 
• Water 

Method:

1. Soak Foxtail millet for 8 hours or overnight.

2. After scooping out the flesh of watermelon, scrap the outside thick green skin and chop the white rind portion. 

3. Add all the ingredients listed in the Ingredients section in the blender and blend it together and make the batter a little coarse and thick.  

4. Turn the stove on with Medium-high flame setting and heat a griddle pan. Apply a little oil on the pan, take a ladle full of this batter and pour it in the center and start spreading the batter out.

5. Drizzle a little oil on the sides and let it cook. Once it cooks on one side, flip it over and let the other side cook and then serve with side dishes of your choice.

Note: 

• Add just enough water to grind the batter thick and coarse. If more water is added, it becomes runny.

Street Foods: Salem Style Thattu Vadai Set

This spicy and tasty snack is very popular in Karur and Salem in Tamilnadu, India. 

It has a lot more variants but this is a very popular Sandwich style snacks.

Ingredients:

Blisstree Thattai - 1 pack

Carrot - 1 Grated

Beetroot - 1 small, Grated

Medium- sized onion - 1 finely chopped

1 handful of Cilantro leaves  - finely chopped

For Green Chutney:

Mint leaves - 1 handful

Cilantro leaves - 2 handfuls

Green chillies - 1 or 2

Salt 

Lemon Juice - 1/2 teaspoon or adjust according to your taste

Oil - 1/2 teaspoon

For Red Chutney:

Onion -1 Chopped

Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves

Tomato - 1 Chopped

Tamarind - a little piece (about 1/2 inch)

Red Chilli - 1 or 2 

Salt

Oil - 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

1. To prepare Green chutney, heat a pan, add oil and add green chillies, mint and cilantro leaves. Saute for a minute and grind in a mixer with little salt and lemon juice. Adding lemon juice helps prevent discoloring.

2. To prepare Red Chutney, heat a pan, add oil and add all the ingredients mentioned under For Red Chutney and saute it well for 5 minutes. Transfer the contents in a mixer jar and grind it.

3. Assembling the sets:

a) Apply Green chutney on a thattai on one side,

b) Apply Red chutney on a thattai on one side, fill it with grated carrot, beetroot, chopped onions and cilantro.

c) Top it off with the Green chutney applied thattai like a sandwich.

d) Blissful Thattu vadai set alias Thattai Sandwich is ready. Assemble more of this and enjoy.

Pearl Millet Flour Pizza (Gluten-free)/Kambu mavu pizza

 This is a fun way to make pizza with gluten-free flours on stovetop instead of using ovens. My kids also loved their mini personal sized pizzas and gobbled them without making any fuss.

Ingredients:

• Blisstree Pearl millet flour - 2 1/2 cups
• Onions finely chopped - 1 cup
• Carrots grated - 1 cup
• Cabbage finely chopped - 1 cup
• Salt - as required
• Water - 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups

For topping:

Pasta sauce/Pizza sauce 

Cheese 

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together and then add water gradually and form a dough.

2. Make little balls of the dough.

3. Heat an iron griddle on the stovetop and when its ready, smear oil and pat the dough balls on the griddle directly. If you need, you can sprinkle a little of water on the dough and spread/pat the dough.

 

4. Once it's cooked on one side, flip it over and spread the pasta sauce and sprinkle cheese on the top and cover with a lid.

 

5. Once its cooked and the cheese is melted, slice it and serve.

 

Note:

• I used Chihuahua Cheese. You can substitute with Parmesan or Colby Jack Cheese as well.
• After spreading the sauce and cheese on the top of the roti, cover with a lid and after a minute, add few drops of water on the griddle on a side . The water should not touch the roti and close the lid. This is to create the steam to melt the cheese.

Barnyard Millet Roti

Ingredients 
Recipe for the dough:

Barnyard millet flour 1 cup,
Water-1.25 cup,
Oil - 4 teaspoons
Salt - as required.

Method

• In a saucepan, bring water, salt and oil to a boil, and just pour the Barnyard millet flour as a heap and continue to cook covered with a lid for 15 minutes in a reduced flame. 
• Then, open the lid, give a good stir to the contents and form like a dough.
• Then, knead the dough well and let it cool.
• Now, split the dough into little balls and roll them like chapathis. Dust the rolling surface with millet flour generously as this is gluten-free.
• Heat a tava and cook the roti on both sides.
• Serve with any kurma or spicy chutneys.

Little Millet Bell Pepper/Capsicum Rice

I was thinking of making a simple and delicious variety rice for lunch, and I remembered to make this Millet Bell Pepper/Capsicum Rice. This is my MIL's recipe and is a great dish that I love it very much. Do try it once, you'll like it.

Ingredients:

• Blisstree Little Millet - 1 cup
• Green Bell Pepper/ Capsicum, finely chopped - 2 cups
• Onion, chopped - 1/2 cup
• Lemon juice - juice from half a lemon
• Salt - per your taste

To roast & powder:

• Cinnamon stick - 1 inch stick
• Marati Moggu/ Indian Capers / Kapok Buds - 1
• Urad Dal - 2 Tablespoon
• Chana Dal - 2 Tablespoon
• Coriander seeds/ Dhaniya - 3 teaspoon
• Dry Red Chillies - 2 to 3 depending on your spice level
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon(add while grinding powder)
• Sambar powder - 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ( add while grinding powder)

Method:

• Wash the little millet in water and add it in an inner pot that will fit in your cooker.
• Add a cup of water to the cooker, place the pot and add 2 1/2 cups water to the millet.
• Close the cooker and keep the flame in medium high. Cook for 5 whistles and let the pressure settle.

• Heat the oil in a wok or a non-stick pan, add the finely chopped green bell peppers/capsicum. Saute the veggie well until all the water is evaporated and is shrunk.
• Add onions to the pan and saute it well. The veggies will look like as shown in the picture below.

• 
  In a smaller shallow pan, roast the ingredients and make powder mentioned under the To roast & powder. 
• Add the powder and salt to the bell pepper and onion mixture, and saute it well again.

• 
  Add the cooked and cooled little millet to the pan, give a good stir so that the rice and the veggies are mixed well and add the lemon juice.
• Switch off the stove and Millet Bell pepper/ Capsicum rice is ready to serve.

I paired the rice with cucumber raita. It tasted heavenly.

Eggless Millet Health Mix (Sathu Maavu) Pancakes

Are you bored of your regular pancakes? You should try the super healthy Eggless Health Mix Pancakes! You'll want to rate this 5 stars!

  

Ingredients: 

Bliss Tree Health Mix / Sathu Maavu- 1 cup

Almond Flour- 1/3 cup

Ground Flaxseeds / Flaxseeds Powder- 1/2 Tablespoon

Baking Powder- 1 Teaspoon

Salt- A Pinch

Melted Butter- 1 1/2 Tablespoon

Milk- 1 1/4 Cup

Cardamom Powder- A Pinch

Vanilla Extract- 1 Teaspoon

Jaggery Powder / Brown Sugar- 1 Teaspoon

Method:

Sift the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl together.

Then, add melted butter, vanilla extract, milk and mix everything together well.

Heat a pan and spread a little butter and pour a ladle full of batter. Once its cooked on one side, flip it and cook on the other side as well.

Enjoy the healthy eggless health mix pancakes with maple sugar and butter.

Note: I've used flax seeds instead of egg to give the binding.

Black Kuruvai Rice Masala Dosa

Black Kuruvai Rice has a lot of great nutrients. It boosts immunity and strengthens nervous system.

Try our very healthy Black Kuruvai Rice Dosa! It is so cool and good with any side of your choice. The dosa batter needs only 3 ingredients! So that's why the batter is so easy to make. 

 Ingredients:

• BlissTree Black Kuruvai Rice - 2 Cups
• BlissTree Idly Rice - 2 Cups
• Whole Urad Dal - 3/4 cup
• Sea Salt - 2 Tablespoons

Method:

• Soak Black Kuruvai Rice and Idly rice separately for 8 hours or overnight.
• Soak Whole Urad Dal for 3 hours.
• In a Wet Grinder, grind the urad dal first and transfer it to a container.
• Then, add the Black Kuruvai rice in the wet grinder and grind it until its half done and add idly rice to it and grind until it's ground fine.
• Mix it with the ground urad dal.
• Add sea salt to the mixture and let it ferment.
• Pour into dosas and stuff with potato masala or bombay chutney and enjoy the healthy crispy dosa made with traditional Black Kuruvai rice.