Dal Faraa

After Bihari cuisine ( click HERE to view my Bihar special Spinach Dal Pithi ), We the members of Shhh Secretly Cooking Challenge group got a lovely chance to explore Chattisgarh cuisine and their food culture. It's amazing to know that there are wide varieties of healthy recipes used in Chattisgarh cuisine and most of the traditional recipes are made up of using Rice, Rice flour, Dal and green leafy vegetables. The few popular Chattisgarh recipes are Muthia, Aamat, Bara, Bhajiya, Chilla etc.

For January month, I was paired with a lovely blogger Sharanya Palanisshami who blogs at Sara's Tasty Buds and I was given Masoor dal and Red chilli powder as my secret ingredients by her. Using those lovely ingredients, prepared a delicious and super healthy dish called Faraa. Faraa is nothing but a healthier version of desi style Momos. The outer covering is prepared using wheat flour and the stuffing is usually prepared using chana dal. Since I got Masoor dal as my ingredient, I had included it along with the chana dal and yeah, it indeed made the dish more healthier. I had to mention that this dish was a super hit among family members and in-fact, I am planning to prepare it again using more varieties of dal to make it more healthier. This dish can be served as a healthy breakfast or an evening snack along with tea / coffee / green tea. The steamed ones can also be served as such but the seasoning enhances the taste of the dish. This delicious dish goes perfect with Momos chutney or any spicy chutney.

Here are my few suggestions of chutney varieties to go with this healthy Faraa...

Tomato - Garlic Chutney 

Mint - Tomato Chutney 

Mint Curd Chutney 

Click HERE to view other interesting chutney recipes.

Friends, check out my partner Sharanya Palanisshami's page to view her recipe prepared using the secret ingredients given by me.

Ingredients :

For Wheat flour Dough :

1/2 Cup Wheat flour 
1 Tsp Oil 
Salt to taste 
Water, as needed 

For Stuffing :

1/4 Cup Chana dal
1/4 Cup Masoor dal
1/2 Tsp Cumin seeds / Jeera Seeds
2 Green chillies
2 Garlic Pods
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 Tsp Red chilli powder
A pinch of Garam Masala powder
Salt to taste

For Seasoning / Tadka :

1 Tsp Oil 
1/2 Tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 Tsp Cumin / Jeera seeds 
A pinch of Hing powder 
2 Dry red chillies
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

Add wheat flour in a bowl along with a required amount of salt, water and oil.

Combine together and knead well to form a soft dough. Cover and keep aside.

To prepare the filling, soak both the dals for couple of hours in a water.

Drain the water and add it to a blender along with garlic pods, cumin seeds, green chillies, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder and the required amount of salt.

Grind into fine paste and keep aside.

Now divide the prepared wheat flour dough into equal sized balls.

Take one ball and roll into a circular shape using rolling pin.

Stuff it with the prepared dal mixture and seal the edges like we do for Somas / Karanji / Kozhukatai / Momos.

Steam it for about 15-20 minutes and allow the prepared Faraa to cool.

Once cooled, cut each faraa into 3 - 4 pieces and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.

Once it starts spluttering, add cumin seeds followed by hing and dry red chillies.

Add the faraa pieces and toss it for couple of minutes in a low flame.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with Tea /  Coffee / Green Tea.

Gongura Dal Brown Rice Pulao

The fresh green leafy vegetables are always my weakness while buying veggies in the market. To be frank, I will go crazy and end up buying all kind of leafy vegetables. Though the cleaning part takes more than an hour, the satisfaction of serving healthy meal to my family takes away all the pain.

Check out my Gongura Pachadi post to know more about the varieties of gongura leaves. Apart from the regular pachadi and dal, tried a one pot meal using gongura for my today's lunch and served it along with Cucumber - Grapes Raita and Spicy Potato fry. This pulao is a tasty and healthy rice variety which is prepared using Brown rice, Toor dal and fresh Gongura leaves. Though the addition of spices and preparation is similar to the regular pulao, the mild tangy and spicy taste with a dal flavour in each bite will give a delicious meal.

Ingredients :

1 Cup Brown Basmati Rice ( I have used Dawaat brand in this recipe )
1/2 Cup Toor dal
1 Onion, Thinly sliced
1 Tomato, Finely chopped
3 Green chillies, Slitted
1 1/2 Cups or 1 Bunch Gongura Leaves
1 Tsp Ginger garlic paste
3 Tbsp Oil ( I have used Olive oil )
1 Bay leaf
1 Elachi
1 Lavang / Clove
1/2 inch Cinnamon stick
1 Star anise
2 3/4 Cups Water
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 Tsp Red chilli powder
Salt to taste

Method :

Wash and soak rice and dal together before starting the cooking process.

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan or cooker and add bay leaf followed by elachi, clove, cinnamon stick and star anise.

Add sliced onion and saute till the color of onion turns translucent.

Add ginger garlic paste followed by green chillies and saute till the raw smell of ginger - garlic goes off.

Add chopped tomato, cook till it turns soft and add turmeric powder followed by red chilli powder, salt and gongura leaves.

Saute till the leaves turns mushy and gets a gravy consistency.

Meanwhile, drain the water from Rice - dal and keep aside.

Now add the measured water and let it boil.

Add the drained rice - dal and simmer the flame. ( Adjust salt at this stage )

Cover the pan with aluminium foil and place an iron pan on top of it so that steam doesn't escape.

Cook it for about 20 - 25 minutes or till the rice - dal gets cooked completely.

Once done, let it rest for 5 minutes and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with Onion Raita or Cucumber Raita and Potato fry.

Juice Cleanse - Guest Post by David from "thejuicechief.com"

Trying to shed some weight ? Then, my today's guest post article will help you for sure !

Excited to share a wonderful and informative article by David who run the site over at thejuicechief.com. Thank you David for being my guest on my space. Personally, I am very much impressed over the varieties of healthy juice recipes in his site and its my privilege to share one of his article on my space which in turn helps my readers to get benefited to lead a healthy lifestyle.

The 9 best ALKALINE fruits and vegetables to use for a juice cleanse

Meta Description: Consuming alkaline fruits and veggies have been known to improve a person’s quality of life. Find out the best alkaline ingredients for juicing right here.

Going on a juice cleanse is seen as an effective way to lose weight. It has become quite popular among weight watchers, but HOW effective it is will vary from one person to another.

Of course, there are many things that can affect its efficacy. For one, the juice cleansing concept is the same but the fruits and vegetables you use will vary. Another thing we must remember is that because our bodies are different, they also tend to react differently to the one million and one diets we subject it to.

The key to juice cleansing, aside from getting a superb juicer, is picking the right ingredients for your juices. Rather than just choosing the first fruit or vegetable you come across, you’d definitely benefit from picking alkaline ones. 

9 best alkaline fruits and vegetables to use for juice cleansing

Alka-what? Alkaline. It’s a word that keeps getting mentioned in the world of dieting and weight loss, and for good reason.

Just think of your body as a balancing act. It has to maintain a normal blood pH level, which is around 7.35 and 7.45. This balance is more alkaline than water, and if you upset this balance because of the food you eat, it can be a hindrance to weight loss.

Choosing alkaline fruits and vegetables will help normalize this, ensuring that you’re right on track with your weight loss goals:

• Cabbage

Cruciferous vegetables are superstars in the juicing world. There’s a reason why your mother forced you to eat green leafy vegetables when you were younger, and chances are it’s because they’re packed with nutrients.

Cabbage is a great source of vitamins C, K, and B6. It also contains manganese, potassium, and alkaline minerals, aside from being an excellent source of fiber. Cabbage is also known to be anti-inflammatory, effective in cleaning your GI tract as well as the rest of your digestive system and body.

• Spinach

Popeye isn’t the only one who will benefit from eating that much spinach. In fact, you can take your cue from Popeye and understand that spinach is largely beneficial.

For one, Swedish researchers have found that spinach can help suppress your food cravings by as much as 95%. That alone makes it a great ingredient for any juice cleanse, because curbing your appetite is critical to making you last throughout the fast.

Spinach is also packed with carotenoids and vitamins, which keeps unwanted health in check. 

• Avocado

The benefits of avocados are almost limitless. This article highlights that half a cup of avocado has 8 grams of dietary fiber. Aside from that, it’s rich in glutathione, which is critical in the detoxification process.

Avocado is also a good source of phytonutrients, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and Vitamin B6. But more importantly, avocado is one of the best sources of good fat, which you’ll need during a cleanse as you’re depriving your body of its normal food intake. This will give you healthier skin as well as speed up your metabolism.

• Cucumber

Cucumber is a famous juice cleansing ingredient, and that’s partly because of its legendary water content. About 95% of cucumber is made of water packed with antioxidants, so consuming cucumber will not only give you nourishment, it will also keep you hydrated.

What else can be found in cucumber? All the good stuff you can’t pronounce. Secoisolariciresinol. Pinoresinol. Lariciresinol. These lignans help in reducing the risk of certain cancers as well as cardiovascular disease, contributing to cucumber’s super-food status.

With cucumber, you also get an automatic base for any alkaline juice.

• Celery

If you think munching on celery sticks is great, just imagine packing all that goodness into a juice concentrate. Celery is an alkaline staple because it’s rich in vitamins that increase your immunity, reduce inflammation, and boost your overall health.

Another thing celery has going for it is that it’s a natural diuretic, helping your body rid itself of excess fluids. If the goal of a juice cleanse is to detoxify, you can only imagine how important celery is.

• Broccoli

Another one of the cruciferous vegetables, broccoli is famous because it’s packed with fiber, which helps in keeping you full. Aside from this, broccoli has potassium, manganese, iron, protein, and vitamins C, A, and K.

The more broccoli you consume, the more you get of sulforaphane, a great compound that is known to fight cancer. Broccoli’s cancer-preventing powers is something everyone can benefit from, whether or not weight loss is the goal.

• Lemons

If life gives you lemons, make an alkaline solution.

Lemons are the ultimate alkaline superstar, and this is why many people swear by the benefits of drinking water with some lemon squeezed in. This is the best way to start the day, because not only is it refreshing, it boosts your immune system and metabolism as well.

Adding lemon to your juice cleanse recipes will also ensure that you get all of its wonderful nutrients. Aside from that, it gives your juices a little punch or kick, adding the right flavor.

• Ginger

Ginger is great for the digestive system, but it also has a lot of therapeutic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Because of the compounds that are naturally found in ginger (gingerols and shogaols), the movement of the food through your intestines is increased. This is how ginger helps detoxify.

Aside from that, you’ll also be surprised to know that ginger is a great way to add flavor to your juices. 

• Garlic

Another way to add a different kick to your juices is to use garlic. Garlic is actually a great way to boost your immune system because it has a lot of anti-inflammatory and nutritional benefits. 

Alkaline foods remind us that it’s not just about how hard you diet, it’s also about how smart you diet. You are not alone in this weight loss journey, and you should actually think of these fruits and vegetables as your friends, cheering you every step of the way.

References:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/295328-ph-weight-loss/

https://thejuicechief.com/juice-cleanse-recipes/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2742026/Spinach-extract-boosts-weight-loss-50-curbing-cravings-sweet-treats-junk-food.html

http://liveenergized.com/alkaline-diet-guides/the-9-most-cleansing-alkaline-foods/

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20475957,00.html#broccoli-7

https://liveenergized.com/alkaline-diet-resources/lemon-water-alkalising-superstar/