How to make Peanut Chutney at Home | South Indian Groundnut Chutney Recipe

 

Peanut chutney is a South Indian Chutney which is made with Peanuts, chana dal, ural dal. It is a vegan chutney which goes well with dishes like Dosa, Medu vada, Upma, Uttapam, Pongal etc.

Peanut Chutney is a vegan substitute for coconut chutney. This chutney can be made without using coconut. It is made by using peanuts, chana dal, ural dal for getting the white color. 

You can adjust the quantity of water in the blender as per your desired consistency. It goes well with Dosa, Medu vada, Upma, Uttapam, Pongal etc.

Is Tempering of Peanut Chutney needed?

This chutney needs no tempering. But in case if you want to temper the Peanut chutney. Heat 1 tbsp of oil, and add pinch of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried kashmiri mirch, asafoetida and fresh curry leaves and pour it to the chutney.

Is Peanut Chutney Healthy?

Yea, Peanut chutney is one of the healthiest chutney if eaten in moderation. It is rich in protein, fiber and healthy fats. It is a great source of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

What is the Shelf life of Peanut Chutney?

Store Peanut Chutney in an airtight container. Than you can refrigerate it for about 3-4 days.

Can you Reheat Peanut Chutney?

No, you cannot reheat peanut chutney. Chutneys are not meant to be reheat cuz they are strong and flavored with whole spices, herbs, oil.

What to Serve Peanut Chutney with?

You can try Peanut Chutney with Dosa, Medu Vada, Idli, Uttapam, Tikki, Appe, Pongal etc.

How to make Peanut Chutney at Home | South Indian Groundnut Chutney Recipe

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Author: The Food Root

Ingredients

1 tbsp Oil
1/2 cup peanuts (groundnuts), skin removed
1 tbsp Chana Dal (Split Chickpeas Gram)
1 tbsp Urad Dal (Split and Skinned Black Gram)
1 Green Chilli (as per your spice level)
4 -5  curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Add peanuts in the non-stick pan. Roast them on low fame for 2-3 mins. Switch off. Let it to cool down. Than rub peanuts between your hands by applying a little pressure so that the outer skin starts to come off easily.

2. Next, add oil in a pan, and roast chana dal and urad dal until it turns golden. Add curry leaves, green chilli and salt. Saute it for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add all these ingredients in the blender. Pour enough water and blend the chutney and bring it to your desired consistency.

4. Serve peanut chutney with South Indian dishes like Dosa, Medu vada, Upma, Uttapam, Pongal etc.

Notes:

1. The consistency of Peanut Chutney is thick, but if you want a thinner consistency, you can add little water in the blender and adjust as per your desired consistency.

2. Tempering the peanut chutney is totally optional.

3. Roast peanuts, when they cool down. Rub peanuts between your hands so that the outer skin starts to come off easily.

Click the link on other South Indian dishes like:

Medu Vada

Rava Dosa

Sambhar

Coconut Chutney

Mint chutney 

Onion-tomato chutney

Healthy Pav Bhaji | How To Make Healthy Pav Bhaji

 

The delicious healthy Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a delicious combination of thick vegetables which are mashed together and served with Pav also known as buns.

 

‘Pav’ means buns and ‘Bhaji' means vegetable dish, and are eaten together. Pav Bhaji is the most comforting and hearty meal and is worth enjoying any time of the day. This dish is much loved in the Maharashtra region of India.

It is extremely flavorful dish and is served in almost all the restaurants and food joints, streets, canteens across the country. It’s the most famous street food in India.

Well, I’m making the healthy version of Pav Bhaji. It taste exactly like the street version which includes lots of vegetables rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals.

It’s an all time favorite staple at our home. Make this bhaji with whatever veggies that are available in the season. Since mine is healthy version, and I wanted green veggies for my Bhaji, thankfully it was available in the season.

To make the healthy version of Pav Bhaji, I added all the green veggies like cauliflower, lauki (bottle gourd), tinda (ridge gourd), torai (apple gourd), brinjal, green beans. Carrots and beetroot for color and potatoes for taste. 

It is highly nutritious because green veggies contains lots of iron and protein. It's a wonderfully delicious and nutritious dish. It's rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.

Making healthy Pav Bhaji is also a great idea for kids since they run away from green veggies. Your kids will definitely have a smiley face after tasting this and than gobble it up for sure.

Pressure cook all the veggies, mash them with a masher. Sauté onions in a pan and prepare the tomatoes puree, add all the green veggies, mix and a dollop of butter on the top with some fresh chopped onions and lemon juice to make the Bhaji delicious and serve along with pav or buns. Cut the buns from between and toast it on pan with butter from both the sides.

You can also add Kashmiri Lal mirch and Pav Bhaji Masala to give a nice red color. But I substituted it with cumin powder or homemade Masala powder.

The Pav are toasted in butter and are eaten along with Bhaji. The taste, aroma, flavors are super delicious so do give it a try.

You can pin this recipe if you like it.

HEALTHY PAV BHAJI | How To Make Healthy Pav Bhaji

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6 People

Author: The Food Root 

Ingredients

For cooking Bhaaji

2 cups of water

1/2 size Lauki (bottle gourd)

3 medium size Tinda (ridge gourd)

3-4 medium size Torai (apple gourd)

1/2 cup French beans

1/2 cup cauliflower florets

1/2 cup Green peas

1 Beetroot (optional)

1 small Brinjal

4 medium size Carrots

4-5 medium size Potatoes

For Tempering

2 tbsp - clarified butter

2 tbsp - butter

pinch of asafoetida

1/2 tbsp - crushed cumin seeds

1 inch long - ginger, grated

5-6 garlic cloves, chopped

3 medium size onions

4-5 medium size tomatoes

1 Capsicum

3 green chillies, chopped

2 medium size onions - chopped

4 medium size tomatoes - chopped

1/2 tbsp - Red chili powder

1/2 tbsp - Turmeric powder

1/2 tbsp - Coriander powder

1/2 tbsp Garam masala

1/2 tbsp - Mango powder

1 1/2 - Salt to taste

chopped coriander leaves

For Serving

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

2 lemon wedges

For the Buns

8-10 Pav (Buns)

4-5 Butter

Method

1. Chop all the veggies : Rinse, peel and chop all the veggies like potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, apple gourd, brinjal, green beans, beetroot and add them in the pressure cooker.

2. Pressure cook all the veggies : Add 2 cups of water. Pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles on medium flame.

3. Mash the Bhaji : Switch off the flame and remove it. Wait for the pressure to release completely before opening the cooker. Next, open the lid and mash the bhaaji with wooden or aloo masher. Do not make a smooth paste, coarsely mash it.

4. Sauté onions and garlic in a pan : Heat 2 big tbsp of clarified butter or oil and 2 tbsp of butter. Add cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida powder. After it crackles, add finely chopped garlic cloves, add grated ginger and fry them for 40-50 seconds. Next, add chopped onions and stir it. Keep stirring and adjusting the flame so that onions cook slightly golden brown.

5. Prepare the tomato puree tempering : Add chopped tomatoes and sauté it for around on 7-8 minutes on low-medium flame. Next, add the spices - Red chili powder, Turmeric powder, Coriander powder, Mango powder and Salt to taste. Stir it well. Let the mixture cook, till the oil separates.

6. Add the cooked bhaaji in the pan : Now add the cooked bhaji in the pan. Add hot water if needed to adjust the consistency. Stir it for another 8-10 minutes on low/medium flame. Add garam masala and mix it well. Add 1/2 cup of green peas. Add 2 tbsp of butter and mix it well. Garnish with coriander leaves. Turn off the heat and remove it.

7. For the Pav : Slit the Pav or buns horizontally with knife on low flame. Heat butter on the frying pan and place the Pav, toast it for 1 or 2 mins from both sides until it’s slightly crisp.

8. Serve and Garnish : Now, transfer the bhaji to a serving bowl and serve the Bhaji. Since it is so much healthier just top it with butter on Bhaji. Serve bhaji with Pav or Buns and enjoy it with onions, lemons.

Notes

You can also add Kashmiri Lal mirch and Pav Bhaji Masala to give a nice red color.

You can also add Garam Masala and Red Chilli Powder which is normally available in all the super markets instead of Kashmiri Lal Mirch and Pav Bhaji Masala.

Top Nutritional and Health Benefits of Bananas

 

Found some homegrown bananas growing in my courtyard garden. I love bananas mainly because of its sweet taste, nutritional benefits, health benefits also because it makes you feel full and energetic for a longer period of time.

Gardening helps you so much to connect with nature. Isn’t it funny, how much satisfaction you get from growing your own fruits and vegetables?

Banana is one superfood that is commonly available across the globe. I love this fruit as it provides you instant energy to kickstart your day.

Here are the Top Nutritional and Health Benefits of Bananas;

Bananas are highly nutritious

1. There is 110 calories in single banana with zero fat.

2. Bananas are rich in Potassium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Iron and Manganese.

3. Packed with fibre, it provides lots of energy.

4. They are rich sources of fibre and have lot of antioxidants.

5. It’s don’t require much pesticides so it doesn’t get dirty.

Health benefits of Bananas

There are many health benefits of bananas like -

Bananas can help regulate blood sugar

It might actually help lower blood sugar. For a lower Glycemic Index, eat green bananas. It is packed with fibre, it provides lots of energy. It helps in boosting your immune system.

Bananas may support heart health

It helps in curing heart diseases and regulates blood pressure and helps in recovering from illness, fighting fatigue, reducing the person's risk of cancer, diabetes, inflammation and other health problems,

Bananas may help with weight loss

The carbs helps you produces more serotonin, which helps regulate your metabolism. It helps in reducing constipation. Bananas contain no fat, sodium or cholesterol.

Bananas are good for digestive health

Bananas is an amazing food that help with digestion. It treats nausea, morning sickness, stomach problems and other infections. It keeps eyes and bone healthy. It also reduces the risk of kidney diseases. It helps in curing acne and pains.

You can also pin the below picture if you like it.

Bananas can be eaten both ways, riped and raw. Raw bananas are used to make different kinds of dishes. It can be eaten as banana chips or banana fritters. There are different recipes which can be made with riped bananas as well like smoothies, porridge, pancakes, ice creams, muffins, granola, blueberry bars. All of these recipes doesn’t take more than 15 minutes.

Love this? Try these..??

8 Mindful Eating Tips To Help You Eat Better

Mindless Eating

Mindless eating means eating food without paying attention to what and how much is eaten.

Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating means being aware of your own body and food cravings. It's about paying full attention to what you are eat and drink. Eating mindfully is the practice of being aware of all your senses in the present moment. It helps us to develop a positive and a truly healthy relationship with the food.

Make peace with your mind and try these 8 simple mindful eating tips and get real results.

1. Keep a food journal

Food journal is a smart way to track of what you eat each day. You can document everything of what you plan to eat before eating it. This will put back you on track towards the goals you hope to fulfil and hence help you to look at your eating habits and making healthy changes. A regular practice of journaling can evoke mindfulness, increase self-awareness and nurture self-growth.

2. Practice Intuitive eating

Intuitive eating is all about trusting your own body when making decisions about food without feeling guilty. It's a non-diet approach that addresses the importance of rejecting the dieting mentality, respecting your body and helps you in coping with emotional eating.

- Eat when you are hungry.
- Stop eating when you’re feeling tired, sad or stressed.
- Eat things that make you feel good.
- Do not eat when you are full.
- Pay attention to what you are eating.
- Know your body’s personal hunger signals.

3. Move your body

It's not about going to the gym or going to the run every single day but it's about bringing small changes in your life. A walk, jog, dance or doing the simple household chores also counts.

Meditation : Meditation is the most effective way to jumpstart mindfulness. Practice meditation for the sense of ease in your life. It improves mental health and general well-being. It reduces stress, anxiety and depression, improves focus and concentration and increase empathy and compassion.

4. Develop healthy eating habits

Eating a small, healthy snack in between meals can prevent you from overeating. Snacking on fruits, granola bars or handful of almonds is a good way to fulfill daily nutritional requirements of the body.

5. Compose smart cheat meals

It's good to eat a cheat meal that is well balanced and higher in both calories and carbs than your normal meal. Rethink them as your weekly rewards. Just make sure to keep the record of your cheat meal and not go overboard. Everything in moderation always works. If you're eating healthy and exercising every day, indulge in a sugary treat from time to time but avoid nutrient poor foods that can ruin a week's worth of progress.

For example try our Dry-fruit custard recipe - you're going to love it! 😋

Indulge in a sweet treat - dig in a bowl of vanilla dry fruit custard 

If you are always eating a low-carb diet and exercising most days of the week, you are likely to burn more calories than what your consuming, but after a point of time, your body will get used to this and you won't be able to burn as many calories. By incorporating a 'Cheat Day' to your diet, you can increase your calories-intake and burn more calories and reset your metabolism.

6. Change your eating habits

- Eat in a relaxed environment and focus on eating. Just eating.
- Eat very far away from your bedtime.
- Try eating clean through the day.
- Focus on the textures, flavors and savor every bite you take.
- Focus on how you feel - hungry, satisfied, relaxed
- Pay close attention to your food and and how it makes you feel.
- Chew : The way you eat has a large impact on how your digestive system works. Chew 20-25 times and break down your food properly into smaller digestible particles, that can easily pass through digestive tract. This will help to avoid bloating and other GI symptoms.
- Use small plates and serve yourself small portions : Reducing the amount of food you serve to yourself can make a significant difference to the amount of calories you consume. One easy way to reduce portion sizes is to use smaller plates. It’s a great way to delude yourself into eating less.
- Eliminate the distractions : Turn off the tv, turn off the computer, turn off the phone and eat your food peacefully in an electronic-free zone. Distraction while eating can lead to overeating and disrupt our digestion. Mindful eating is about savoring your food and eating slowly without distraction.
- Do not overeat : Do not overeat unless your hunger is genuine and strong enough. Limit how often you eat foods that are high in fat, salt, sugar or calories. When you eat mindfully, you will be able to recognize when you are starting to get full so you can stop before you overeat.

7. Do not starve the whole day

Don't go more than five hours during the day without eating. Eat at the regular intervals. Eat healthy, low fat snacks in between if you are going to go more than five hours of eating. Do not starve the whole day as this will only lead to binge. All you need to put is mindfulness, discipline, moderation and balance!

8. Express Gratitude

Acknowledge your food and appreciate everyone who gave their time and effort to prepare it. Think about where your food comes from and be thankful! This will help you control your hunger pangs!

I hope you find this information useful! Do let me know in the comments below! I'd love to hear from you guys! Oh before I sign off, I want to thank you all to follow me on facebook, pinterest, twitter, google+ and instagram! 💓 Keep the love coming!

Happy weekend and stop by again as next few weeks are shaping up to be good with few posts in a pipeline!

Much love
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