Thinai-Murungai-keerai-Urundai

#ThinaiMurungaikeeraiUrundai  #FoxtailMilletDrumstickLeafBall :
Three or four days back I made ghee from butter and as usual finally added drumstick leaves into the simmering hot ghee. Drumstick leaf - Murungai keerai has to be added at the end to get an aromatic ghee. Everyone likes the crispy drumstick leaves fried in ghee and also its aroma. Then I transferred the ghee into a container. Usually I used to make kesari in the vessel in which the ghee was made. But this time I wanted to prepare something different and healthy. Suddenly an idea struck me, and I thought if I include ghee fried crispy murungai keerai to make a sweet urundai then the sweet would be a healthy snack and everybody would consume murungai keerai without any complaints. Then I decided to make the sweet with jaggery. I know from my previous preparations that Thinai and jaggery combination goes well and loved by all. That is why I have decided to prepare a tasty jaggery sweet from thinai and murungai keerai.

 #FoxtailMillet is known as #Thinai [ தினை ] or #thinaiArisi [ தினை அரிசி ] in Tamil. It belongs to minor #Millet.
The botanical name is Seteria italica.

All millet [ kodo, foxtail, finger. proso, pearl and little millets ] are gluten free and show high antioxidant activity.
Foxtail millet may help in controlling blood sugar and cholestrol.
Foxtail millet is a very good source of protein, iron, significant amount of calcium and other minerals.
It is also rich in fiber compared to other cereals.

To know more on Millet :

Millet


Nutrients of Millet

Thinai is sweeter in taste and more suitable for preparing sweet dishes.
#Murungaikeerai [ #DrumstickLeaf or #MoringaLeaf ] is rich in protein [ 9.4 g per 100 g of raw leaves ], 
vitamin A [ 378 ug per 100 g of raw leaves ], 
minerals especially calcium [ 185 mg per 100 g of raw leaves ] and 
iron [ 4 mg per 100 g of raw leaves ]. 
The amount of vitamin A present in murungai keerai is 4 times that of carrot. It doesn't loose much of its nutrients even when the leaves are cooked on high temperature.
After learning about health benefits of foxtail millet  [ thinai ] and murungai keerai  I am sure what I am going to present here would be a healthy sweet snack.

Ingredients :
3/4 cup	Foxtail Millet
1/4 cup	Green gram split
3 - 4	Cardamom
3 - 4	Dates Dried [ Sultana or raisins ]
5 - 6	Cashew nuts
1/3 cup	Murungai keerai
small piece	Nutmeg
1/2 cup	Jaggery
A pinch	Salt
4 - 5 Tsp	Ghee

Method :
Break cashew nuts into small pieces.
Chop dried dates into small pieces.
Pluck murungai keerai from its stem and wash.
Pat dry with a clean & dry cloth.
Set aside.

Heat a kadai on a stove over medium flame.
Dry roast thinai [ foxtail millet ] till it gives out aroma.
Transfer into a plate or bowl and set aside.
Now in the same kadai add split green gram and dry roast till it turns golden brown color.
Transfer into a plate/bowl.
Allow to cool down.
Take roasted thinai, split green gram, cardamom, nutmeg and salt.
Grind into a nice flour using a mixie grinder.
Transfer into a bowl and keep aside.

Heat kadai on stove over a low flame.
Add 1 Tsp of ghee and roast chopped dried dates [ sultanas ] till it turns golden color.
Transfer into bowl containing the flour we made earlier.
In the same kadai add another teaspoon of ghee and roast cashew nuts till it becomes golden color.
Transfer into the same bowl.
Again in the same kadai add 2 teaspoon of ghee and roast murungai keerai on slow fire till the leaves become crisp and brittle.
Take care not to allow the leaves to change its color.
Transfer into the same bowl.
Mix well and allow to cool down.

In the meantime take jaggery in a vessel and add 2 Tbsp water.
Heat on slow flame till it dissolves completely in water.
After dissolving jaggery boil it for 2 minutes and turn off stove.
The jaggery syrup should be thick and no need to check consistency.
Add 3 Tbsp of jaggery syrup into the flour mix and mix well with a long spoon.
Then knead with hand into a soft dough and if required add some more jaggery syrup.
Divide the dough into small portions and make into small urundai [ balls ] after dusting hand with rice flour.
Neatly arrange in a clean and dry container with lid.
Enjoy tasty, healthy and yummy thinai murungaikeerai balls!!!

It can be stored for a week in normal temperature.

You might like to try 

Thinai fruit custard [ Foxtail millet fruit Custard]

Thinai Payasam [ Foxtail illet Payasam

Aval [ Rice flakes ]  Kesari

Sorghum Dosai [ Chola Dosai ]

Brown top  millet bread

For other Thinai [ Foxtail millet ] Recipes

Foxtail Millet - Thinai Recipes 

For other Millet Recipes

Millet Special

Murungai Keerai Paal Saaru

#MurungaiKeeraiPaalSaaru : #Murungaikeerai is nothing but the leaves of drumstick tree.
The scientific name is Moringa oleifera.

Drumstick tree finds a place in the back yard of each and every house in my native place, Tamil Nadu.
I brought some stem cuttings from my place and planted around my home in Raipur. Green shoots came out two or three times but withered away within a week. Then planted three small saplings given by one of our friends during last monsoon. Those three trees have grown up so well and I use the leaves regularly in my food.

The most nutritious part of drumstick tree is its leaves. The leaves are packed with the most valuable vitamins such as Vitamin B, C and A and minerals like Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium. The point to be noted is that Murungai keerai retains its nutritional value even after cooking.
These leaves are very good for mouth & stomach ulcers and also to get rid off other skin diseases.
Fresh leaves as well as dried powder of these leaves are being recommended to combat malnutrition among children and nursing mothers.

These leaves should be used in our regular diet at least twice a week in any form. Murungai keerai can be used for garnishing sambar [ when hot ] just like coriander leaves which makes it more tasty and gives a nice flavour to it. Koottu [ lentil ] can be prepared with green gram or thuvar dal. One more delicious and tasty recipe is paal saaru. Paal saru is prepared using coconut milk, a great remedy for mouth and stomach ulcers just like manathakkali keerai paal saaru.

Here let me present a very simple but nutritious recipe called paal saaru using murungai keerai.

Ingredients :
1/2 cup                                          Tender murungai keerai
1/3 cup                                          Coconut scrapping
1/2 Tsp                                          Cumin
1/4 Tsp                                          Salt [ adjust ]

To Temper :
1/2 Tsp                                         Cumin
2 Tsp                                            Small onion nicely chopped
1/2 Tsp                                         Gingelly oil [ Till oil ]

Method :
Wash the leaves and chop nicely.
Take 1/2 cup of water in a vessel and heat over a slow flame.
Add cumin, salt and chopped leaves.

Cook until the leaves become soft.
The leaves should retain its color but well cooked.
Turn off the stove.

Now keep a kadai over a slow flame.
Crackle cumin and then add onion.
Saute until onion gives out nice aroma.
Pour over the cooked leaves.

Take coconut scrapping in a mixie jar.
Run the mixie without adding water for a second only.

Add 1/8 cup of lukewarm water and again run for a second only.

Strain the milk through a filter into the vessel containing cooked murungai keerai.

Press the coconut using a back of a spoon / ladle to get the milk.

Put the coconut scrap settled over the filter again into the mixie jar.
Add 1/8 cup of water.

Run the mixie for a second and again strain through the filter into the same vessel containing cooked leaves.

In the same way take milk third time also.
Finally discard the coconut scrap.

Mix well. Adjust salt.
Murungai keerai paal saaru is ready.

Take hot white rice in a plate.
Add paal saaru liberally and mix well with hand.
Relish with murungaikai sambar or with any curry of your choice.

You may also like to try

Murungai keerai Rice

Manathakkali keerai Paal Saru

Vazhaipoo Koottu

noolkhol leaf lentil

vegetable pulillacurry

venthayakeerai thakkali koottu

venthayakeerai dhal

For other tasty dishes

Recipe Index

Ideas for breakfast and dinner

Tiffin Varieties

For Lunch Dishes

Lunch Recipes Index