Vallarai Keerai Thuvaiyal

The elder people in our houses would always mention the type of foods that they used to have which would also act as a medicine during their times. Now a days, its all been only the English medicines and the rest have gone from all our minds. So i give you one such recipe that would increase your memory power, so that you would remember this the next time you search for an item to increase your child's memory.

 

Vallarai Keerai Thuvaiyal

Ingredients

Vallarai Keera - 1 bunch

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Jaggery (Vellam) - 1 to 2 tsp as per taste (If available, use Panai vellam which is good for health)

Salt to taste

For the seasoning

Cooking Oil - 1 tsp

Urad dal  - 1 tbsp

Asafoetida - 3 pinch

Red chilies - 2 to 3 numbers as per taste

Preparation

Pluck out the leaves of the Vallarai keerai. Wash the leaves 2 to 3 times in water.

Method

In a frying pan put 1 tsp of cooking oil and fry urad dal until golden brown. Now add asafoetida and red chilies and fry for a while.

Add the green leaves and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the raw smell disappears.

Now switch off the flame and add grated coconut with the mixture.

Wait till the fried items come to room temperature.

Put them along with Tamarind paste, jaggery and salt into a mixer jar and firstly grind without water and add little water with the mixture and grind again. Transfer to a serving vessel.

Now the dish is ready to serve.

This thuvayal is good with cooked rice and appalam or as a side dish for sambar rice.

Health benefits

Vallarai keerai is for improving memory power.

Banana Flower and Drumstick Leaves Rice

Bananas are always welcomed in our homes even by kids, but the florets from where those bananas came from are never considered in the edible list in many of the houses. These florets are actually very healthy and when made into recipes like this along with drumstick leaves, they are mouth-watering. Yum!!

Banana Flower and Drum Stick Leaves Rice

Ingredients

Banana flower (Vazhai poo) - 1 (small size)

Raw rice or Jeera samba rice – 1 cup (in loosen form and not in sticky form)

Drum stick leaves cleaned 2-3 handful

Big onion - 1 medium size

Apple/Bangalore Tomato - 1 (medium size)

Green chilli - 2 or 3 numbers as per taste

Ginger - ¾ inch

Garlic pods - 2 numbers (medium size)

Fresh lemon juice - 1 tsp (optional)

Salt to taste

For the seasoning

Butter - 2 tsp
Cooking Oil - 4 tsp
Cardamom -1
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cloves - 2

Bengal gram - 2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp

Kashmiri chilly or red chilly - 1

Preparation

Clean the ball headed string in the middle of each floret of the Banana flower. Chop and keep aside.

(If it is not cooked immediately the colour of the chopped florets will become dark due to oxidation. To avoid, keep the chopped florets in water with little curd or in plain water with little salt.)

Wash the Drum stick leaves 2 to 3 times in plain water and keep aside.

Make a paste of green chilies, ginger and garlic.

Method

In a Frying pan put 2 tsp of butter and fry the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Add 2 tsp of oil and fry the Drum stick leaves until the raw smell disappears and keep aside.

Add the remaining oil in the same frying pan and fry the bengal gram, urad dal, red chilly.  Add the chopped onion pieces with little salt, fry to golden brown. Add the chopped tomato and chilly paste and fry until the raw taste disappears. Add the chopped banana florets and fry till you get a soft texture.

Then add the fried drum stick leaves mixture with this.

Add the cooked rice and salt to taste in the mixture, mix well in high flame for a while and switch off the flame. After a few minutes add some drops of lemon juice. Now the dish is ready to serve.

If drumstick leaves are unavailable, avoid the steps and make the dish only with banana florets.

Side dish preferable

Palak Paneer or any type of raitha

Health Benefits

Banana flower helps to reduce the problem for women who are suffering from stomach pains during mensuration period.

The tips for cooking rice varieties is also available in this blog.