Kuthiraivaali_Sweet_Kuzhipaniyaram

#KuthiraivaaliSweet KuzhiPaniyaram  [ #BarnyardMilletSweetKuzhiPaniyaram ] :

#Kuthiraivaali is known as #BarnyardMillet in English.

The botanical name is Echinochloa frumentacea - Indian Barnyard millet and Echinochloa esculanta - Japanese millet.

This millet belongs to the genus called Echinochloa in the grass family and tribe Paniceae. 

#Kuthiraivali is known by different names in various languages as given below :

English	Barnyard millet or Japanese millet
Thamizh	Kuthiraivaali
Kannada	Oodalu
Telugu	Udalu or Kodi sama
Marathi &chhattisgar	Bhagar or Varai
Punjabi	swank
Hindi	Bhagar

Generally millets are non acidic food and non glutenous also.

#BarnyardMillet is low in calorie compared to other cereals.

The glycemic index of barnyard millet is low. So it is suitable for cardiovascular & Type 2 diabetes patients.

A fairly significant amount of grain protein is present in minor millets compared to rice. Especially the amount of digestible protein present in kuthiraivaali is the highest among minor millet.

The essential amino acids such as lysine and tryptophane are present in millets. Barnyard millet has higher amount of lysine than Little and Finger millet and more or less comparable amount like that of Foxtail millet and kodo millet.

Iron is the most essential mineral to combat malnutrition of human being. Barnyard millet shows highest amount of iron followed by  Little millet.

The dietary fiber, both soluble and insoluble present in barnyard millet is high and thus it helps in preventing constipation, bloating and excess gas formation.

100 g of kuthiraivaali contains 11.2 g of Protein, 10.1 g of Fiber, 4.4 g of minerals, 15.2 mg of Iron and 11 mg of Calcium.

Millet has to be soaked for a minimum of two hours before cooking to get its full health benefit and also to cook soft.

Soaking Time     : 2 Hours

Preparation Time : 15 Minutes

Cooking time       : 10 - 15 minutes for each batch

Nu. of paniyaram : 10 - 12 approx.

Ingredients :
1 cup	Kuthiraivaali [ Barnyard millet ]
1/3 cup	Jaggery [ Adjust ]
2	Banana
1 pinch	Salt
1 pinch	Baking powder or cooking soda
2 - 3	Cardamom
small piece	Nutmeg
small piece	Cinnamon stick
2 Tsp	Watermelon seeds
2 - 3 Tsp	Ghee
2 - 3 Tsp	Gingelly oil [ Til/sesame oil ]

Method :

Take Kuthiraivaali in a vessel. 

Wash once and add 1 cup of water. Soak for two hours. 

In the meantime dissolve jaggery with 2 Tbsp of hot water. Let it cool down.

After two hours, take soaked kuthiraivaali, cardamom, banana pieces, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & salt in a mixie jar and grind into a smooth batter adding jaggery water.

Batter should be of idli batter consistency.

Heat kuzhipaniyaarakal on a stove over medium flame.

Now add baking powder or cooking soda into the batter and mix well.

Then add watermelon seeds and mix.

When the kal becomes hot, add few drops of ghee and gingelly oil [ Til/sesame oil ] into each pit.

Fill each pit with kuthiraivaali batter and top each pit with few drops of ghee & gingelly oil.

cook on slow to medium flame for 2 - 3 minute and flip each paniyaram with the help of a spoon.

Allow to cook both sides till golden brown.

Transfer into a serving bowl.

Tasty tasty sweet kuthiraivaali kuzhipaniyaram is ready.

Enjoy when it is hot.

This sweet also tastes very good when it cools down.

Again add ghee and oil into each pit and make the next batch of kuzhipaniyaaram.

You might also like to try

Samai spicy masala bread [ Little millet spicy masala bread ]	Kuthiraivaali sweet bread [ Barnyard millet sweet bread ]	Samai Arisi Thaengai Payasam
Kuthiraivaali Sundal [ Barnyard millet Sundal ]	Kuthiraivaali pasalai adai [ Barnyard millet spinach pancake ]	Samai Methy Pancake [ Little millet methy pancake ]
Kuthiraivaali spicy bread [ Barnyard millet Bread ]

For other Kuthiraivaali Recipes

Barnyard Millet Recipes

For spicy accompaniments

Chutney Recipes

Ideas for breakfast and dinner

Tiffin Recipes

Quinoa-Paruppu-Payasam

#QuinoaParuppuPayasam #QuinoaLentilPayasam :
Just a few days back I prepared a tasty conjee or congee [ kanji ] from Quinoa and yesterday tried a payasam from it.



#Quinoa is a pseudocereal as the edible seeds are obtained from a flowering plant and not from grass. The scientific name is Chenopodium quinoa. It is a flowering plant belongs to Amaranth family.

Quinoa is gluten free and high in Protein.
The edible seeds are rich in protein, dietary fiber, B Vitamins and dietary minerals in amount greater than other cereals.

A cup of Quinoa gives twice the amount of Protein and 5 g more fiber than the same amount of Rice.

100 gms of uncooked Quinoa contains 14.1 gms of protein [ 20% of daily value DV ], folate 184 ug [ 46 % of DV and higher amount of dietary minerals like Magnesium 197 mg [ 55% ], Manganese 2 mg [ 95 % ], Zinc 3.1 mg [ 33 % ], and Phosphorus 457 mg [ 65 % ].

100 gms of cooked Quinoa is rich source of Manganese and Phosphorus [ 30 % and 22 % respectively ], moderate source of dietary fiber [10 - 19 %],
folate, Iron and Zinc [ 11% of DV each ].

To know more on Quinoa

Split green gram has to be roasted in a kadai till golden brown and cooked with quinoa. After quinoa and lentil mixture has become soft and cooked well, ground coconut mixture and jaggery are combined together. Then it is cooked on slow fire till it attains porridge consistency.

Preparation time                     : 5 minutes
Cooking time for quinoa        : 20 minutes
Cooking time for payasam     : 10 minutes
Quantity                                 : 2 cups approx.

Ingredients :
1/4 Cup	Quinoa
1 Tbsp	Split green gram [ Moong dal ]
1/2 Tsp	Bengal gram [ optional ]
1/3 Cup	Jaggery
1 pinch	Salt
Ingredients To Grind :
2 Tbsp	Coconut scrapings
3	Cashew nut
2	Almond
1/2 Tsp	Khus khus [ poppy seed ]
2	Cardamom
1	Clove
small piece	Nutmeg

1 Tsp of Sara paruppu [ Chironji /charoli ] to garnish

If sara paruppu is not available, then almond shavings or roasted cashew nuts or dried grapes [ kismis ] can be used.

Method :
Heat a kadai on a stove over slow flame.
Dry roast split green gram and bengal gram [ chick pea ] till golden color.
Turn off the stove.

Now take quinoa and roasted lentils in a big veseel.
Rinse well with clean water.
Add 1 1/2 cup of water and heat over medium flame.
Once it starts boiling reduce the flame completely.
Let it cook on slow flame till quinoa and lentil becomes soft.


Meanwhile combine all the ingredients to grind in a mixie jar.
Grind into a smooth paste adding enough water.
Transfer into a bowl and set aside.

Dissolve jaggery in 1/2 cup of hot water.
Strain through a tea filter to remove impurities.
Set aside.


Check whether quinoa has cooked well.
Then add coconut paste and a pinch of salt.
Mix well and let it be on slow flame for 3 minutes.
Now add jaggery water and stir well.
Allow to simmer until payasam attains poriidge consistency.
Turn off the stove and add garnishing.


Pour into serving bowl.
Garnish with Sara paruppu or any roasted nuts of your choice.
A nice dessert for lunch.
Enjoy with vadai or bajji or pakoda.

Other recipes you may like to try

Buckwheat Rice upma	Amaranth - Buckwheat Payasam	Quinoa Conjee [ Quinoa porridge ]
Idli milagai podi with flax	Appam from Samai [ Little millet ]

For yummy desserts

Dessert Recipes

For snacks and savories

Savory Recipes

Ideas for dishes from Edible seeds

Edible seeds Recipes

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

Amaranth-Urundai

#AmaranthUrundai #AmaranthBalls : #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 #amarnathSeeds or simply #amaranth in Tamil. It is called #RajkirKara in Chhattisgarh. Amaranth seed is beneficial to people with hypertension, cardiovascular disease.


Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth

Just like puffed rice, #PuffedAmaranth is also available in the market. I have used #PuffedAmaranth here to prepare a tasty yummy sweet. 

Ingredients :
1 cup	Puffed Amaranth
2 Tsp	Ground nut roasted and split
3/4 cup	Jaggery
1/4 Tsp	Cardamom powder [ optional ]

Method :
Smash jaggery with a stone to break it into small pieces.
Put in a vessel and add 1/3 cup of water.
Heat on a stove over medium flame.
Stir well to dissolve the jaggery in water.
Turn off the stove once it dissolves completely.
Strain through a filter to remove impurities.

Take the strained jaggery mixed water in another vessel and heat over medium flame.
After some time a nice aroma of jaggery comes out.

To check the consistency of the jaggery syrup pour a few drops of boiling jaggery syrup into a bowl containing water.
If it forms a ball inside the water and does not dissipate in water then its at the right consistency.
The syrup ball thus formed makes tang sound if it hits at the sides of the bowl.

Now switch off the stove and add puffed amaranth & groundnut.
Mix well.
Dust hand with rice flour and make balls.
Store in a dry container with lid.
Enjoy!!

It can be stored for 10 days to a month.

Some more interesting recipes you might like to try

Payatham Paruppu Urundai

Flax Urundai

Amaranth Ragi Chikki

Rawa [ Sooji ] Urundai

Karthigai Aval Pori