Buckwheat Porridge

The name 'buckwheat' or 'beech wheat' comes from its triangular seeds, which resemble the much larger seeds of the beech nut from the beech tree, and the fact that it is used like wheat.

I always thought buckwheat is nothing but wheat, but when I saw this in the grocery store, I wanted to learn more about it and since it's packed with fiber and protein, wanted to use as a main ingredient in my recipes. So here I go another recipe invention here. Very simple and easy to make...Since this is my first recipe, I didn't want to complicate much but make simple recipe and feel the real taste of the grain. This grain is no wonder very flavorful by itself.

Medicinal Uses:

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Buckwheat contains a glucoside named rutin, a medicinal chemical that strengthens capillary walls, reducing hemorrhaging in people with high blood pressure and increasing microcirculation in people with chronic venous insufficiency. Dried buckwheat leaves for tea were manufactured in Europe under the brand name "Fagorutin."

Buckwheat contains D-chiro-inositol, a component of the secondary messenger pathway for insulin signal transduction found to be deficient in Type II diabetes and Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It is being studied for use in treating Type II diabetes. Research on D-chiro-inositol and PCOS has shown promising results.

A buckwheat protein has been found to bind cholesterol tightly. It is being studied for reducing plasma cholesterol in people withhyperlipidemia.

Ingredients:

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1 cup Buckwheat

2 cups Water

2 Carrots peeled and grated

1/4 inch ginger thinly sliced

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 cup Cilantro chopped

Method:

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1. Wash the buckwheat in water twice and add two cups of water and bring to a boil in a heavy bottom sauce pan.

2. Simmer the flame to medium, add salt and pepper, cover 3/4 th cover and cook until the wheat is cooked for about 10 to 15 mins.

3. You can add more water or reduce the water as you need, off the flame and add grated carrot, ginger, and cilantro and stir well.

4. The prepared porridge is hot enough to cook the vegetables add and will help to release the aroma of the fresh herb (cilantro).

5. Cover and let it stand for 5 mins.

6. Serve it hot like a soup, but it's more like a porridge. To make it more flavorful you can add some butter over the top just before serving.

Mango Mint Sour Cream Dipping sauce

I made Chicken Kababs for the dinner party we were having at our house, but didn't know what to make as a dipping sauce. I thought the chicken kabab might be little spicy for those who do not eat much spicy food, so thought of making some dipping sauce which will suppress the heat front he kababs. 

Always looking and thinking to make something new, drives my mind crazy. It was almost time for our friends to arrive...I opened the fridge and saw mint, sour cream and mango, suddenly this idea clicked to my mind, because we usually add lime juice when we are making mint chutney, so I thought why not add raw mango instead of lemon juice and sour cream instead of yogurt.

So here I go making this last moment wonderful and flavorful dipping sauce.

Ingredients:

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1/2 Raw Mango (peeled and chopped)

1 cup fresh Mint leaves washed

1/2 Cilantro washed

1/4 Sour Cream

1 Green Chili

1/8 tsp Red Chili powder

1/8 tsp Cumin powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

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1. In a blender add mint, cilantro, mango and green chili and grind it into fine paste adding little water if needed.

2. Transfer the ground mint mixture into a serving bowl, add sour cream, salt and pepper, chili power, cumin powder and mix well.

3. I serve this wonderful dipping sauce which tasted way better than the normal mint chutney with Chicken Kabas. You can also serve this with roti or naan.

Millet (Raagi) Squares

I was grown up with millet, but never liked it all through my childhood. I was very skinny and my mom always  (daily :-( ) used to make this raagi ganji with milk and used to make me drink before I go to school. I never liked to eat raagi this way, but I enjoyed eating "mudha" with mutton curry and yogurt rice, I still love eating it. When we used to stay in Bangalore, India...Karnataka people made so many recipes out of it. Shoj never liked it, so I didn't try any recipes, except the raagi dosa with lots of onions and green chilies and made these pancakes with ghee...he just ate it. So I never tried any more recipes.

But now I want to introduce it to my son, definitely not by giving the raagi ganji :-), so thought of this recipe.

I made this recipe in a hurry to post on to my event and I was not having much millet at home, so could not take from scratch photos. I liked this squares, but I am not yet sure whether Anush will like it or not. 

I also tried making "mudha" at home and mixed more rice to it and gave with curry to Anush, well he ate it, because he was not able to find the difference, so I will continue it. But for Shoj, it's a tumbs down. :-)

I used "Finger Millet" in this recipe which looks like this.

Nutrition

Finger millet is especially valuable as it contains the amino acid methionine, which is lacking in the diets of hundreds of millions of the poor who live on starchy staples such as cassava, plantain, polished rice, or maize meal. Finger millet can be ground and cooked into cakes, puddings or porridge. The grain is made into a fermented drink (or beer) in Nepal and in many parts of Africa. Thestraw from finger millet is used as animal fodder. It is also used for as a flavoured drink in festivals

Nutritive value of Ragi per 100 g

Protein 7.3 g

Fat 1.3 g

Carbohydrate 72 g

Minerals 2.7 g

Calcium 344 mg

Fibre 3.6 g

Energy 328 kCal

In India, finger millet (locally called ragi) is mostly grown and consumed in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra andGoa. Ragi flour is made into flatbreads, including thick, leavened dosa and thinner, unleavened roti. Ragi grain is malted and the grains are ground. This ground flour is consumed mixed with milk, boiled water or yoghurt.

In Andhra Pradesh Ragi Sankati (Telugu), which are ragi balls are eaten in the morning with a chilli, onions, sambar (lentil based stew)or meat curry and helps them sustain throughout the whole day.

Ingredients:

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1 cup finger Miller

1/2 cup Sugar

1 Stick room temperature Butter

1 pinch Salt

Method:

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1. In a pan dry roast the millet on a medium low flame for about 5-8 mins or until the grains get slightly toasted. Allow it to cool and powder then in a mixer to a fine paste. Else you can use ragi powder also. Since I am hosting an event and mentioned myself to use whole grains, I used the whole grain.

2. Preheat oven to 375F.

3. Mix the sugar and butter and mix it until it forms to a dough.

Note: There are two methods to prepare the dough before baking

Method 1:

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4. On a line baking sheet with parchment paper spread the mixture evenly into a big square and even it out with a pastry knife.

5. Bake this for about 10-12 mins until the dough is cooked.

6. Let it stand in the oven for more 4-5 mins.

7. Take a cookie cutter and cut desired shapes or if you don't have one, cut with a knife to desired shapes and allow it to cool. Once cooled you can separate the squares and store it in a air tight container.

Method 2:

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4. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap just in a dough shape or roll out to shapes or cylinder, as of your convenience. Keep the dough in the fridge and allow it to cool for about 45 mins to 1 hr.

5. Preheat oven to 375F.

6. Roll the dough and cut to desired shapes either with a cookie cutter or knife and arrange the pieces on a parchment paper line baking sheet and bake it for about 10-12 mins.

7. Allow it to cool and then transfer it to a airtight container.

Sending this recipe to the event "cooking with whole foods - Ragi" hosted by Oh Taste n See and Sumadhura.