Modakam & Panchakhadya for ICC-August

Know what you Eat - A modak is a vegan sweet dumpling popular in Central and South India. The sweet filling is made of fresh coconut and jaggery while the shell is of rice floor. The dumpling can be fried or steamed. Modak has a special importance in the worship of the Hindu elephant god, Ganesh as it is believed to be his favorite food.

This posting is for ICC Festival Special August Challenge . This modak recipe from Mints is almost similar to what we make, the only difference being the addition of poppy seeds instead of Bengal gram and Black Sesame seeds. It just turned out great.

Ingredients

Freshly grated Coconut -2 cups

Jaggery grated - 1 cup

Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Water - 1 tbsp

For the outer cover

Rice flour - 1 cup

Water - 1 1/4 cup

Salt - pinch

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method

1) Take a pan that has tight fitting lid. Start boiling water in that pan, add salt and oil.

2) When water starts boiling, lower the heat and slowely add rice flour little by little, mixing vigourously with a heavy spoon.

3) Now close the lid and take the pot off the heat. Let the covered pot cool down for 15 minutes or so. Then with wet hands, mix the dough properly. It will warm so be careful and use cold water to keep your hands from burning but do not use too much water.

4) When the dough cools down let us prepare the filling, roastt poppy seeds in a small skillet and let it cool down. Grind it coarsely and keep it aside.

5) In a heavy bottom pan mix all the ingredients for stuffing except poppy seed powder and let it sit for 15 min. Now start heating the mixture over medium heat. In about 10-12 minutes, the mixture starts boiling and stuffing will turn yellowish brown and will be sticky.

6) Take the pan off the heat, add poppy seeds powder and mix well. Set it aside to cool down.

7) Make about 20 balls of the dough and 20 parts of the stuffing. Start making small circles with the dough ball on a oiled paper/aluminum foil. Keep one part of stuffing in the middle of the puri and gather the dough gently to make shape like modak. You will have to handle the dough very gently. Follow the step to make remaining modaks.

8) Now dip each modak in cold water and put it in the oiled steamer. Put the steamer on boiling water and cover it. Let the modaks steam for 20 minutes on medium to high heat. Take the steamer off the vessel and let it sit for 5 minutes before removing modak from steamer.

Panchakhadya

Ingredients

Grated dry coconut - 1 cup

Powdered Sugar - 4-5 tbsp(I used raw brown sugar)
Poppy Sedds - 2 tbsp
Dried dates - 4-5 dried dates

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Coarsely powdered mixed nuts (almonds,cashews, pistachios) - 4-5 tbsp
Pinch of nutmeg powder

Method

1. Dry roast grated coconut on a very light heat and set aside
2. Dry roast poppy seeds and grind them coarsely after cooling them for 5 minutes
3. Take the seeds off the dried dates and grind them coarsely as well.
4. Mix all these ingredients and nuts powder, cardamom, nutmeg, powdered sugar together and offer to Ganesha as prasad.

The other dishes i made for this Occassion is already posted and available here.

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Sweet Mixed Nuts Ball & Janmashtami Prasadams

Know what you Eat - Eating a handful of nuts daily may help prevent weight gain and possibly promote weight loss. The fat, protein and fiber in nuts help you feel full longer, so you may eat less during the day. By helping induce a feeling of satiety, nuts may help people feel less deprived and not like they're "dieting." Just limit your portion to a healthy handful.



I was running in a crazy schedule so couldn't post the recipes earlier, i know i am little late, but just wanted to share these recipes with you all. I didn't want to flood the dashboard with all the posts at the same time, so made the last 4 posts with the date of Aug 26. But don't know what went wrong, all of them got published as of today's date.



Preparation Time - 20 mins

Cooking Time - 15 mins

Serves - Makes around 18 balls



Ingredients



Roasted Peanuts - 1/2 Cup

Roasted Cashews - 1/4 Cup

Roasted Almonds - 1/4 Cup

Chopped Coconut Pieces - 1 Tbsp

Panela(Powdered Jaggery) - 1/2 Cup

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Water



Method

1) Roast all the nuts and keep them aside, remove the skin of the peanuts and chop the cashews and almonds into small pieces, combine and set them aside.



2) Now in a pan add the jaggery and add little bit of water just to cover the jaggery and heat it.



3) Once the jaggery is completely dissolved, start stirring and heat it till the jaggery becomes thick and if you pour the dissolved jaggery with your spoon you will see threads coming out of it.



4) At this point switch of the stove and add the cardamom powder, the mixed nuts and Coconut pieces and stir fast so that the nuts are evenly coated with the jaggery.



5) Set it aside for 5 minutes, now take small amounts of this mixture and make them into a ball and enjoy these nutritious guilt free snacks.

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Whole Wheat Sweet Appam

Know what you Eat - Whole Wheat is rich in dietary fiber. High fiber foods reduces cholestrol in the digestive system that would otherwise end in the blood stream. Coconut is fruit rich in protein and helps to keep your soft wrinkle free. Panela(jaggery) is a nutritious form of sugar and rich in iron.

Cooking Time - 15 minsPreparation
Time -10 mins
Serves - Makes around 10

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour - 1 Cup
Jaggery powder - 1/2 cup or to taste
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Rice Flour - 2 Tbsp (I used brown rice flour)
Coconut(Small Chopped pieces not grated) - 2 heaped table spoons
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water
Coconut Oil - 4 tsps

Method

1) Add little bit of water to the jaggery and heat it till all the jaggery dissolves. Switch off and let this cool for few minutes.
2) Add cardamom powder, salt and the coconut pieces to the dissolved jaggery.
3) Now combine the flours and add the jaggery mixture to this and add enough water to make pancake batter consistency.
4) Heat the appam pan and add drops of oil in each of them and then pour the batter. Cover it and let it cook till one side is completely cooked.
5) Now turn it and leave till the other side is cooked.
6) Enjoy these guilt free snacks.

Event Participation
1) This dish goes to the Janmashtami & Ganesh Chaturthi event hosted by Purva.
2) This dish goes to Cooking for Kids, evening snacks hosted by Divya started by Sharmi.
3) This dish also goes to Food for Seven stages of Life Stage 1 hosted by Radhika and co-hosted by Sudeshna.
4) This dish goes to Sweet & Savouries Event hosted by Sara's Corner.

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Sweet Sesame Seed Balls, Vegan Cracked Wheat Pudding and Urad Gram Filled Rice Dumplings

Ellu Urundai (Sweet Sesame Seed Balls)

Know what you Eat - Sesame seeds are a very good source of copper and a good source of magnesium and calcium. Magnesium Supports Vascular and Respiratory Health. Calcium Helps Prevent Colon Cancer, Osteoporosis, Migraine and PMS. Panela(Jaggery) is a pure, wholesome, traditional, unrefined, whole sugar. It contains the natural goodness of minerals and vitamins inherently present in sugarcane juice & this crowns it as one of the most wholesome and healthy sugars in the world. It is rich in iron.

It is summer here and is vacation time for kids, so it is even more hectic that regular school days. There are some many recipes to post, but you know with kids around you all the time, there is absolutely no time for one's own things. I made this for Ganesh Chathurthi and i am posting these in precedence to my Janmashtami recipes.

Preparation Time - 20 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Serves - Makes around 18 balls

Ingredients

Sesame Seeds - 3/4 Cup
Chopped Coconut Pieces - 1 Tbsp
Panela(Powdered Jaggery) - 1/4 Cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Water

Method

1) Wash, rinse and soak sesame seeds for an hour.

2) Drain the water and once the water is completely drained leave them in a paper towel for it to dry.

3) Heat a pan and once it is hot, (now let the heat be on medium to low heat) transfer 1/3 rd of the dry seeds and keep stirring them till they pop nicely (Depending on the size of the pan you can add more or less seeds for popping.

4) Once the seeds are nicely popped remove them from heat and spread them in a plate.

5) Now in a pan add the jaggery and add little bit of water just to cover the jaggery and heat it.

6) Once the jaggery is completely dissolved, start stirring and heat it till the jaggery becomes thick and if you pour the dissolved jaggery with your spoon you will see threads coming out of it.

7) At this point switch of the stove and add the cardamom powder, popped sesame seeds and Coconut pieces and stir fast so that sesame seeds are evenly coated with the jaggery.

8) Set it aside for 5 minutes, now take small amounts of this mixture and make them into a ball and enjoy these calcium rich guilt free snack.





Godhumai Pradaman (Vegan Cracked Wheat Pudding)

Know what you Eat - Wheat is good source of dietary fiber, Protein, Iron, B vitamins, Thiamin, Niacin, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc. Panela(Jaggery) is a pure, wholesome, traditional, unrefined, whole sugar. It contains the natural goodness of minerals and vitamins inherently present in sugarcane juice & this crowns it as one of the most wholesome and healthy sugars in the world. It is rich in iron.

Preparation Time - None
Cooking Time - 30 mins
Serves - 4

Ingredients

Cracked Wheat - 1/2 Cup
Powdered Jaggery(Panela) - 3/4 Cup or you want it sweeter increase this
Coconut Milk - 15 oz
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp
Toasted Cashews - 2 tsp
Ghee(Clarified butter) - 1/2 tsp(optional)
Water

Method

1) Heat a pan and add 1/2 tsp of ghee and once melted add the cracked wheat. If you are looking for a vegan version, avoid this ghee and go for dry roasting the cracked wheat.

2) Once wheat is well roasted and not overly browned add water and simmer it till it is cooked.

3) Now add the Coconut milk and let it simmer for 10 minutes(I used Canned coconut milk but if you are using fresh coconut milk you have to reserve the first thick milk and add the third and second milk in stages and finally add the reserved milk and cook) .

4) Add the powdered jaggery and simmer for 5 minutes till the jaggery is completely dissolved.
(Sometime jaggery may contain dirt, in that case dissolve the jaggery using little bit of water and once completely dissolved filter it and use the dissolved liquid).

5) Switch of add cardamom powder and toasted cashews.

6) You can also add toasted dry coconut pieces and chopped jack fruit pieces.




Ulundu Kozhukkatai(Urad Gram Filled Rice Dumplings)

Know what you Eat - Urad Dal(a type of lentil) is a very good source of dietary fiber and protein.

Ingredients

Raw rice flour-1 cup
Water-1 1/4 cups
Salt-1 tsp or more according to your taste
Oil - 2 tsp

For filling

Whole White Urad -3/4 cup
Coconut - 1/4 Cup
Red chilli - 2 or more according to your taste
Salt-1 tsp as required

Method

1) Soak the urad dal for 30 mins.

2) In a pan boil 1 1/4 cup water and then add salt and oil.

3) When water starts boiling, lower the heat and slowely add rice flour little by little and mix vigorously with a heavy ladle without any lumps. Once mixed thorougly switch off the heat and close the pan with a tight lid and let it get cooked and in that heat and let it cool down also, meanwhile let us prepare the filling.

4) Drain the water completely from the urad dal and grind it with salt, asafoetida powder and red chillies coarsely.

5) Steam this mixture for 15 minutes until it is well cooked and becomes crumbly.

5) Now add the grated coconut and combine thorougly and make elogated balls or cylinders using this filling.

6) Our outer covering would have cooked and cooled now, smear your hand with little bit of oil.

7) Take the rice flour dough, make a ball and then flatten it using your fingers. Keep the stuffing balls inside and join the edges and steam modaks for 15 min or till done.

Event Participation
1) All the three dishes go to the Janmashtami & Ganesh Chaturthi event started by Priti & Purva.
2) Sweet Sesame Seed Balls go to Divya's cooking for kids evening Snacks.
3) Urad Gram Filled Rice Dumplings (White Ulundu Kozhukkatai) goes to Ashwini's FIC-Zodiac Signs an event started by Sunshinemom and Susan's My Legume Love Affair 14.

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Blueberry & Strawberry Crisp

Know what you Eat - Blueberries are a source of Vitamins A and C, potassium and folate. Blueberries are very low in fat and sodium, and high in dietary fiber and potassium.Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. They are also a very good source of dietary fiber ,iodine, potassium, folate, vitamin B2, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, copper, and vitamin K. These berries are rich in phytonutrients phenol, which makes them a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one.These berries are packed with antioxidants which neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues that can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer.



I always love to try out new recipes, i get recipes from lot of sources. My Dad passes on recipes which comes in television shows over phone, my Mom sends across recipes from magazine cutting. This is one such recipe and my Uncle scanned and forwarded me this recipe, this crisp is very easy to make and a must try during the berry season.



Cooking Time - 20 mins

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Serves - 4



Ingredients



Strawberries - 2 cups(Chopped)

Blueberries - 1 cup

Brown sugar - 1 tbsp

Whole wheat flour - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp



Whole wheat flour - 1/3 cup

Brown sugar - 1/4 cup

Oats - 1/4 cup

Cinnamon powder- 1/2 tsp

Chilled Butter - 2 1/2 Tbsp (Cut into pieces)



Frozen Vanilla Yogurt - 1 cup



Method



1) Preheat Oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) Combine first four ingredients in a bowl and spoon into a baking dish.

3) Place the brown sugar, whole wheat flour, oats and cinnamon powder in a food processor pulse two times until combined.

4) Now add the cut butter pieces and pulse 4 more times till the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

5) Sprinkle over the berry mixture and bake at 375 until bubbly and the top mixture slightly browns and becomes crisp.

6) Top each serving with 1/4 cup of frozen yogurt and enjoy these guilt free snack/dessert.

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Rainbow Meals(A Complete Super Nutritious Meal)-Rainbow Brown Rice, Mixed Veg Raita, Black Eyed Bean Salad & Fruits & Nut Dessert

Know what you Eat - Brown rice is good source of complex carbohydrate. It provides 15 essential nutrients, including B-vitamins, niacin and potassium. Brown rice is a very good source of selenium, which is essential for thyroid hormone metabolism and immune function. Pigeon peas are nutritionally important, as they contain high levels of protein and three important amino acids. Fruits and Vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that may help protect you from chronic diseases. Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers. Yogurt promotes intestinal health, improves lactose intolerance, builds stronger bones, enhances immunity, lowers blood pressure, and may even have anticancer and weight-loss effects. Almonds are low in saturated fat and contain many other protective nutrients - calcium and magnesium - for strong bones and vitamin E. Walnuts are a good source of fiber, protein and omega-3. Beans supply high quality protein which provides a healthy alternative to meat or other animal protein without containing the fat.

You know why i call this rainbow meals, it has all the colors and contain food from all the food group. I made this for couple of guests, yes Kids who had come over for sleep over and stayed for lunch the next day. I normally try to include food from all the food group during the normal days and that too now it is summer time and kids eat lunch at home back from vigorous activities from sports camps, i cook like this almost every day except for the dessert. We don't have the habit of having desserts except when we have guests.

Rainbow Brown Rice

Ingredients

Cooked Brown Rice - 4 Cups

Chopped Vegetables(cut into thin strips) - 4 cups(Keep them separately and do not mix it)

(Include as many colors as possible i used Carrots, purple onions, green, orange, red, yellow bell peppers, Cabbage)

Coconut Oil - 2 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Green Chillies slit - 2 or more if you need it more spicy

Salt to taste

Method

1) Heat 1/2 tsp Oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.

2) Once it stops spluttering add the Green Chillies, Onions and Carrots and once they are tender, add the chopped bell peppers all four colored.

3) Once they are little tender add the shredded cabbage and stir for few seconds and switch off the stove.

4) Now add salt, rest of the oil and cooled brown rice and combine with a thoroughly.

Mixed Vegetable Raita/Pachidi

Ingredients

Mixed Vegetables - 2 cups (Finely Chopped Onions, Grated Carrots and Cucumber(keep cucumber separately), Chopped Green and Red bell peppers)

Yogurt - 4 cups

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Cilantro - 2 tsp for garnishing.

Method

1) Squeeze out the extra water from the cucumber(you can drink this juice don't discard it.)

2) Combine the vegetables, yogurt, salt, pepper and cilantro.

3) Mix thoroughly and serve

Black Eyed Bean Salad

Ingredients

Boiled , rinsed and drained black eyed beans - 2 cups
Chopped tomatoes and yellow onions - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Lime juice to taste
Olive oil - 1 tsp(optional)
Cilantro - 2 tsp for garnishing

Method

1) Soak black eyed beans for atleast two hours and pressure cook adding little bit of salt.
2) Once cooked wash, rinse and drain the water from the beans.
3) Add the chopped vegetables, beans, salt, pepper, lime juice, olive oil, cilantro and combine thorougly.

Fruits & Nut Dessert

Ingredients
Mango - 1
Apple - 1
Chopped Almonds - 2 tbsp
Chopped walnuts - 2 tbsp
Chopped Dates - 2 tbsp
Raisins - 1 tbsp
Honey or Maple syrup- 1 tbsp(optional)
Ghee (Clarified butter) - 2 tsp
Cardamom + Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Heat ghee and roast the nuts till golden.
2) Roast the raisins till they plump and remove.
3) Now add the cardamom + nutmeg powder, dates and the chopped mango and apple pieces and saute for a few seconds and switch off the stove.
4) Now add the nuts and honey or maple syrup to the fruit pieces and combine to serve.
Event Participation
1) All the above dishes go to What you are Cooking for your Guests hosted by Raji of Rak's Kitchen.
2) The Fruit & Nut dessert spiced with Cardamom & Nutmeg go to Think Spice - think spiced sweet treats hosted by Sunitha.
3) The black eyed bean salad goes to the 14th helping of My Legume Love Affair hosted by Susan.

4) This also goes to Well balanced three course meal event hosted by Yasmeen.

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Multigrain Banana Nut Bread/Muffin & Awards

Know what you Eat - Bananas are an exceptionally rich source of fructooligosaccharide, a compound called a prebiotic because it nourishes probiotic (friendly) bacteria in the colon. These beneficial bacteria produce vitamins and digestive enzymes that improve our ability to absorb nutrients, plus compounds that protect us against unfriendly microorganisms. When fructooligosaccharides are fermented by these friendly bacteria, not only do numbers of probiotic bacteria increase, but so does the body's ability to absorb calcium. Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Walnuts are also a very good source of the manganese and a good source of copper. In addition, walnuts contain the antioxidant phytochemical, ellagic acid. Whole wheat is good source of dietary fiber, Protein, Iron, B vitamins, Thiamin, Niacin, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc. Finger millet(Ragi) is a very nutritious food with a complex carbohydrate profile and low glycemic index. Oats, via their high fiber content, are known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream. Panela(Jaggery) is a pure, wholesome, traditional, unrefined, whole sugar. It contains the natural goodness of minerals and vitamins inherently present in sugarcane juice & this crowns it as one of the most wholesome and healthy sugars in the world. It is rich in iron.

AWARDS TIME ONCE AGAIN

We got this award once again from two of our blogger friends. Thanks Suparna and Ashwini for passing on this award. Really appreciate it. The rule of this award is to share it with 7 people, and this time we would like to pass this on to Iraw Vegan, Pavani, Priya Narasimhan, Preethi, Sangeeta, Shubha and Vidya and to share 7 things about us.

Listing down 7 things about us:

Sadhana

Something i would like to achieve as a foodie- Gluten free, low carb & sugar baking

Something i would like to learn - Sanskrit

Short term goal - Do Yoga for atleast 15 mins.

Long term goal - To go and settle down back home

One of my weak points - Brooding over

One of my strong point - Not giving up

Hope Quotes - Shradha(Faith) & Saburi(Patience)

Muskaan

Something i would like to achieve as a foodie- Baking & Cake Decorating

Something i would like to learn - Salsa Dancing

Short term goal - Do Aerobics Everyday/Working for long term goal.

Long term goal - To work for a govt firm/ hospital

One of my weak points - Jump on Conclusions

One of my strong point - Caring & Responsible

Hope Quotes - 1.."Chinta Nahi Chintan Karo"(Stop Worrying But Enchant Gods Name) 2.. "Pay Attention for No Tension"

Now let us come back to the recipe. I normally bake a vegan version of this banana nut muffin, but this time i tried adding Panela(Jaggery) instead of Sugar. So replaced Sunflower Oil with butter as Jaggery/Molasses give a little harder texture to the baked goods and water with milk. It just came out perfect.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 Cup

Whole Oats Flour - 1/2 cup

Whole Ragi(Finger Millet) Flour - 1/2 cup

Banana(Very Ripe ones) - 3

Panela(Jaggery) powder - 3/4 cup

Walnuts chopped - 3/4 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup (If you are using all purpose instead of hard whole wheat flour you wouldn't need this much, so combine the batter and add if necessary)

Butter - 1/2 cup

Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 Tbsp

Baking Soda - 2 Tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Preheat Oven to 350 deg Fahrenheit.

2) Beat the butter, add the jaggery and mix well.

3) Combine whole wheat flour, Oats flour, Millet flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder and sieve it well.

4) Mash the bananas and add it to the butter and jaggery mixture.

5) Now add the flour to the banana, butter, jaggery mixture and add the milk and combine thoroughly.

6) Add chopped walnuts and apple cider vinegar and stir to combine evenly.

7) Line a muffin pan with baking cups and pour 3/4th of cup with the batter .

8) Bake for around 15-20 mins till a knife inserted comes out clean, enjot this guilt free snack.

Event Participation

1) This dish goes to Divya's cooking for kids evening snacks.

2) This dish also goes to Madhu's Whole Grain - Whole Wheat Baking Event.

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