Amaranth Neer Khozhukattai

#AmaranthCornNeerKozhukattai #AmaranthCornDumpling : #Amaranth  is a leafy vegetable ( greens ) and its seed is also known as amaranth. Amaranth is nothing but widely used leafy vegetable called Thandu keerai or Mulai keerai in Tamil. The seeds of these plants are called amarnath seeds or simply amaranth in Tamil. It is called Rajkir Kara in Chhattisgarh.

There are many varieties of amaranth. Some are cultivated for food and some are grown as ornamental plants and some grow in wild. The leaves of some amaranth are green in color, some are green and red in the middle and some are full red in color. The whole plant is edible. The leaves are used as leafy vegetable, the stem is also cooked and the seeds are also used to make dishes. Even the white roots are cleaned, peeled and used in the preparation of sambar. Some amaranth flowers are strikingly beautiful and red in color and which produce lots of seeds. All the seeds are edible whether its cultivated or garden or wild varieties .

To know more about the plant
Amaranth Plant

Several studies have shown that like oats, amaranth seed or oil may be of benefit for those with hypertension and cardiovascular disease; regular consumption reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while improving antioxidant status and some immune parameters.
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth

Previously my trials were with amaranth seeds. This time I tried a recipe using amaranth flour.
The dish came out nicely and the taste was too good.
Here come the method of making dumpling - neer kozhukattai using amaranth flour.

Ingredients :
1/4 cup                                       Amaranth flour
1/ Tbsp                                       Rice flour
1 Tbsp                                       Broken corn ( maize )
1 Tbsp                                        Oats
2 Tbsp                                        Coconut scrap
1/2 Tsp                                       Salt ( adjust )

1 Tsp                                          Onion nicely chopped
1 Tsp                                          Carrot grated ( optional )
1 Tsp                                           Green peas ( optional )
1 or 2                                          Mushrooms ( optional )
A small amount of curry leaves and coriander leaves.

To Temper :
1/2 Tsp                                       Mustard seeds
1/2 Tsp                                       Cumin
1 or 2                                          Red chilly
2 pinches                                     Asafoetida powder

Method :
Mix the flours, broken corn, coconut scrap and salt with lukewarm water.
Make a tight dough.



Using both the hands roll the dough into small balls.
Boil a cup of water in a vessel on high flame.

When water starts boiling reduce the flame to SIM.
Now add balls into boiling water slowly. The balls settle at the bottom.

Do not disturb the balls for a while.
After some time balls slowly come to the upper surface of the boiling water.

Let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
Check whether the balls are cooked well.
Transfer the cooked amaranth balls into a bowl.

The water used for cooking the dumplings would have turned into a porridge. 
Do not throw away this porridge. It can be consumed either with salt or jaggery.

Now keep a kadai on stove with 1/2 Tsp of oil.
Splutter mustard and cumin seeds.
Then add broken pieces of red chilly.
At this stage add curry leaves, coriander leaves and onion and saute for a few seconds.
Then add all the vegetables and enough salt.
Saute for a few minutes. Now add the prepared dumplings and stir well. Saute for some more seconds on high flame.Turn off the stove and transfer into a serving bowl.




Tasty spicy amaranth kozhukattai [ dumpling ] ready!!



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