VEG MEAT BALL CURRY/SOYA KOLA URUNDAI KUZHAMBU

I like soya chunks for its nutritional value and it becomes a life saver when there are no vegetables at home. More than soya bean, this gives us lot of space to try new dishes. We can make kurma, fry, tikka, cutlet, meat ball curry with soya chunks. This is my recipe of soya kola urundai. This can be served as an appetizer or you can make a gravy with it which is a great accompaniment for idli, dosa and chappathi.

This recipe involves 2 steps. Making of the kola urundai and the gravy.

Here is the recipe...

Step 1:  Making of Veg meat balls/ Soya kola urundai

Preparation time: 30 min.
Serves: 5-6
Yields: 20 balls (lemon size)

INGREDIENTS:

Soya chunks/Meal maker -- 2 cups (cooked)
Small red onions/Shallots -- 10-15
Fennel seeds -- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds-- 1tbsp
Roasted gram/Pottukadalai -- 3 tbsp
Corn meal -- 3 tbsp
Garlic -- 5
Ginger --1/4 inch piece
Coconut shredded --3 tbsp
Red chilli -- 4
Red chilli powder -- 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder -- 1/2 tsp
Garam masala -- 1/2 tsp
Rice flour --3 tbsp
Coriander leaves -- 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Mint leaves/Pudine -- 2tbsp (finely chopped)
Oil -- for deep frying
Salt -- as required

Method:

1) Cook Meal maker and squeeze out excess of water from it.

 2) Make a smooth paste of shallots, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, roasted gram, corn meal, garlic, ginger, coconut, meal maker and salt.

3) To the ground paste, add red.chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, rice flour, finely chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves. Mix them well.

 4) Now make small lemon sized balls and depp fry them in oil. The veg meat balls are ready. These can be served directly as a starter too. 

 Step 2: Gravy

Preparation time: 30 min
Serves : 3

INGREDIENTS:

Veg meat balls -- 10
Onion -- 1/2
Tomato --3
Coconut shredded-- 2 tbsp
Star anise -- 1/2
Cardamom -- 1
Cinnamon -- 1 inch stick
Cloves -- 2
Red chilli powder -- 1/2 tbsp
Coriander powder -- 1 tbsp
Oil -- 3 tbsp
Salt -- as required
Water-- 2 cups

Method:

1) Make a paste of  onion, tomato, coconut and whole garam masala( cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise). Use only half the quantity of onion and tomato mentioned for the paste.

2) Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wide pan. Add onions, fry them till they loose their moisture content. Then add tomatoes. Fry them for 4-5 min.

3) Once the tomato changes colour, add the ground paste, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Fry them till it looses all the moisture. This would take about 10 min.

4) Add 2 cups of water to the mixture and bring to boil. Let it boils for 5 min. Then add the meat balls and cook them for 5 more min.

5) Veg meat ball curry is ready to serve. This goes well with roti/pulka, dosa and idli. I served mine with Hot Crispy dosa.

Note:

-- When trying to make smooth paste for the meal balls(step 1), initially make a paste of all the ingredients except meal maker.

-- Rice flour can be substituted with Maida/All purpose flour.

-- In step 1, the mentioned quantity would yield 20 balls, where as in step 2, I have used only 10 of them.

-- You can make the soya balls a day ahead.

Health benefits of Soya chunks:

-- Soya is an important source of protein. The recommendation is for 25 g of soya protein each day in order for it to be beneficial.

-- The FDA found that the consumption of four servings of soya products each day may lower levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) by up to 10 percent. It can lower cholesterol indirectly via replacing fatty animal proteins in the diet.

-- Soya Chunks may prove helpful in reducing the risk of osteoporosis in menopausal women. In fact, the textured protein chunks can ease other menopausal symptoms.

-- Soy protein is rich in B vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids calcium and iron.

-- However, an excessive intake of soya can actually lead to health issues too. Excessive intake can reduce the body's ability to take in minerals. In women, soya contributes to the development of hormones associated with cancers of the prostate and breast. In men, it reduces fertility and in children it affects mental development. Go easy on the soya intake. A moderate consumption is just about right.

-- Avoid Soya if you have

    Thyroid disorders
    Dampness in the form of excess mucus, yeast sensitivity, tumours and cysts
    Digestive problems like loose stool, irritable or bloated bowel
    Mothers should avoid feeding infants with soymilk as there is no healthier substitute for breast milk.

POPPY SEEDS KHEER/KASA KASA PAYASAM

Hi friends...

This is my first post. So I am starting with a sweet :) (traditional way to start something new) This sweet is something which i wanted to try for a long time, but made it possible few days back. I came across this recipe in a TV show. I have made my alteration to it and made it simple. (a reason to support my laziness :) )

I have never used poppy seeds or kasa kasa in my cooking till date. When I came to know about its health benefits, I was eager to try this.

Here is the recipe...

Preparation time: 45 min (includes 30 min of soaking)
Serves: 3

INGREDIENTS:

Milk -- 1.5 cup
Coconut milk -- 1/2 cup
Poppy seeds/Kasa kasa -- 1 tbsp
Sugar -- 1/4 cup
Cashews -- 10
Almonds -- 5
Raisins -- 5
Semiya/Vermicelli -- 3 tbsp
Saffron -- 4-5
Elachi/Cardamom powder -- 1 pinch
Ghee -- 1 tsp

Sorry for missing out semiya/vermicelli and cardamom powder in the pic.

Method:

1) Soak Kasa kasa, 6 cashews and 5 almonds in water for about 1/2 an hour. Dry roast the vermicelli/semiya and keep it aside.

2) Roast  the remaining 4 cashews and raisins in a tsp of ghee and keep it aside.

3) Mean while boil the milk. Let it simmer and reduce 1/4th of its quantity. It roughly takes about 15 min.

4) After half an hour, make a paste of the soaked ingredients. (almonds, cashews and poppy seeds)

5) Once the milk has reduced in quantity, add the ground paste, coconut milk, saffron, sugar. Let it boil for another 5 min. Then add vermicelli and let it cook for 5-7 more min.

6) After about 20-25min, the mixture would start to thicken. Add the roasted cashews, raisins and elachi. Wait for 2 min. Yummy and healthy kasa kasa payasam is ready to serve :)

Note:

-- I have added less sugar, as we dont like too much of sweetness in our sweets :) U can add 2 tbsp extra if u want it to be sweeter.

-- Traditionally jaggery is added instead of sugar, and coconut is added instead of coconut milk. 

-- Need not soak the saffron strands in milk seperately.

-- The payasam thickens later hence its better it to take it out when the mixture starts to thicken. 

Health Benefits of poppy seeds/kasa kasa:

-- Kasa kasa/poppy seeds helps in treating nervous disorders specially sleeplessness.

-- It helps in healing gastric and duodenal ulcers. It also helps in mouth ulcers.

-- They are rich in omega 3 fatty acid and oleic acid, which helps to lower LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increase HDL or "good cholesterol".

-- They contain good levels of minerals like iron. copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and magnesium.