Dates & Nuts roll

This is very healthy dessert and easy to make also.  Dates provide essential vitamins and minerals - such as B-complex vitamins, Potassium, Magnesium and Iron.    Some kids are fussy eaters; for them this is a very good healthy snack.

 

 

Ingredients:

• 5 cups pitted and chopped Dates

• 1 cup finely chopped Almonds

• 1 cup finely chopped Walnuts

• ½ cup finely chopped Cashew nuts

• ½ cup finely chopped Pistachios

• 1 cup milk

• 8 tbsp. Condensed milk

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 tbsp. butter

• 2 tbsp. dry coconut powder

 

Procedure:

• Slightly fry all chopped nuts one variety at a time in a wide skillet for avoiding raw smell.

• Cook chopped Dates with ½ cup of milk in a Microwave/stovetop till the Dates become soft.  It will take approximately 12 minutes to cook.

• Once the Dates mixture completely cools down, then blend the mixture with the remaining ½ cup of milk in a blender.

• Now melt the butter in non-stick skillet and then pour the ground Dates mixture in it.   Stir the mixture continuously to avoid burning.

• Now add the condensed milk and sugar; cook the mixture until it becomes thick.  (The mixture should not stick to the hands. Please view the below picture)

 

• At this stage add the fried chopped nuts one variety at a time to the mixture and stir it well at the low heat.  (The final mixture looks shown in the below picture)

•         Switch of the heat and leave the Dates & Nuts mixture to cool down.
• Once the mixture completely cools down then follow the below procedure to roll them.
• Sprinkle some dry coconut powder on a plastic wrap and then put some Dates & Nuts mixture on it; fold the wrap and then slowly roll it like a log.  This way the dry coconut will equally spread on the roll.  (Please see the below picture)

 

 

• Keep these rolls in a refrigerator for at least 6 hours. 
• After that unwrap the plastic wrap and slice the rolls.
• Store them in an air tight container. 

 

 

Chayote Squash/Cho-Cho (Bengaluru Vankaya) Gravy Curry

                                                  
Chayote squash/Cho-Cho (Bengaluru Vankaya) is an edible vegetable and belongs to gourd family.  This vegetable is widely used in South American cuisines.  This vegetable is available in American produce stores and Asian produce stores as well.  Using this vegetable you can make very easy delicious dishes.  This curry gravy is white in color and it has coconut. You can eat this curry with boiled Rice or Roti.

 Ingredients:

• 2 medium size Chayote Squash
• 1 small onion
• Few curry leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp.  Cooking oil

      Masala ingredients:

•  1 tbsp. Kus-Kus/poppy seeds
•  Few cashew nuts
• 1 tbsp. Soump/Fennel seeds
•  2 green Chillies
•  2 tbsp. Fresh coconut

Masala Ingredients

Procedure:

• Wash and peel the Chayote/Cho-Cho’s.  Remove the seed and chop the Chayote into small pieces.

 

• Cook these Chayote squash pieces in a pressure cooker till 3-4 pressures.
• Dice the onions; keep it aside.
• Ground all masala ingredients with little bit water; like a fine paste.
• Warm the oil in a non-stick skillet.
• Then add cumin seeds, curry leaves, bay leaf and diced onions.
• Once everything is fried then add ground masala; stir it thoroughly.
• Once oil separates from masala then add cooked Chayote/Cho-Cho pieces in it.
• Add some salt and mix it well.  Cook this mixture for a while by covering the pan.
• Now add 1 cup of water and boil the mixture for a while.
• Once it reaches the required consistency then garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve this curry with hot boiled rice or Chapathi or Roti.

Note:  For extra flavour you could add coconut milk while boiling the curry.

Creamy Thotakura (Amaranth) curry

 

Thotakura is a green leaf vegetable. The English name for Thotakura is Amaranth. You can mix Thotakura leaves in Dal and also you can make stir fry dishes using Thotakura leaves. But this creamy curry is little bit different and very easy to make. I learnt this recipe from my mom. This dish can be served with hot rice, Roti or Chapathi.

Ingredients:

• 1 big bunch of Thotakura/Amaranth leaves
• ¾^th cup warm milk
• 1 tbsp. Rice flour
• 2 small red chilies
• Few garlic cloves
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 ½ tsp. Urad dal
• One pinch of Hing
• 1 tbsp. Cooking oil or Ghee

Preparation:

 

• Wash and separate the Thotakura leaves from the stem and chop them finely.
• Peal the garlic cloves skin and chop them.
• Heat the non-stick skillet and warm the 1 tbsp. of cooking oil/Ghee.
• Gradually fry mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Urad dal, Hing and red chilies in the oil.
• Then add diced garlic cloves and fry them as well.
• Now add chopped Thotakura leaves fry them for a while.
• After that; add the required amount of salt and cook the curry for a while by covering skillet with lid.

Note: Don’t add more salt; normally this recipe takes less salt and spice.

• Don’t add water; cook the Thotakura leaves until completely cooked.
• Now add the milk and cook it for a while without the lid.
• Once the curry starts boiling then add rice flour and stir it quickly.
• When the curry becomes little bit thick; then switch off the flame.
• Take this dish in a serving bowl and serve it.