Broccoli Vada/ Garbanzo Broccoli Fritter

               There are two kinds of garbanzo beans/ chickpeas: 1. kala channa 2. kabuli channa. The smaller and darker kind is called kala channa /bengal gram/ desi/ kadalai parupu. It has more fibre content than the light colored and larger kabuli channa, making it very low in glycemic index (wikipedia)   
             Parupu vada is a South Indian snack, it's made with split and de husked garbanzo beans and combined with onion, chillies, curry leaves and cumin seeds/ fennel seeds. This is an indian version of falafel. I made this vada with whole garbanzo beans and broccoli
 Garbanzo beans, ceci beans, chana, sanagalu,kondai kadalai and bengal gram are some of the common names for chick peas. 

Broccoli vada !!!

      Soak 1 cup of dry garbanzo beans overnight, it'll swell and double it's original size (1 cup of dried, uncooked beans gives 2-3 cups of cooked beans), drain and wash it. If using canned garbanzo beans, drain the liquid, wash it and mash it with the back of a spoon.
Ingredients:
2 cups   garbanzo/ chick pea
1 cup     finely chopped broccoli
1 tsp      fennel seeds/ saunf
1 clove  garlic (minced)         
few        finely chopped curry leaves
4          red  chillies
1 tbs     besan flour/ chickpea flour or corn starch
salt to taste
Method:
1. Grind garbanzo/ chick peas, fennel seed and red chillies  coarsely. 

2. Combine it with the finely chopped broccoli, besan flour / corn starch, garlic, curry leaves and salt.

3. Take 1 tbs of mixture in the palm of the hand and flatten it  (the middle of the vadai should be thicker than it's side), continue making vada discs with the remaining mixture and arrange it on a plate.

4. Heat oil in a pan (med/high), when the oil becomes hot enough (dip a wooden spoon inside the oil, it should get steady bubbles around it), drop 1-3 vada in the oil. Reduce the heat to medium and fry it for few mins. Flip it and cook, until both sides become golden brown.

Yum!!!

5. Take the vadai out with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel. Repeat the process with the remaining vadas, increase the heat before dropping the vada and reduce it to med during cooking. Serve it with spicy chutney Coconut chutney recipe or tomato ketchup
Tips for taste:
1. Fry 2-3 vadas at a time, over crowding the pan will decrease the heat, making the vadas absorb more oil.
2. Slightly wet the hands before shaping the vadas.
        Feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Have a blessed day :)   

Cauliflower And Egg Fry/ Salad/ Poriyal

    This is a simple, yet nutritious dish made with cauliflower and eggs, both food have amazing health benefits. This cooking method (stir fry) will not reduce it's nutritional value. Cauliflower blends well with eggs, making this a kid- friendly recipe. 

Egg & Cauliflower Fry

Cauliflower nutrition facts: A high intake of cauliflower has been associated with reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer.  Cauliflower is low in fat, low in carbohydrates but high in dietary fiber, folate, water, and vitamin C, possessing a high nutritional density. It contains several phyto chemicals, common in the cabbage family, that may be beneficial to human health. Sulforaphane, a compound released when cauliflower is chopped or chewed, may protect against cancer. Other glucosinolates, carotenoids, indole-3-carbinol, a chemical that enhances DNA repair, and acts as an estrogen antagonist,  slowing the growth of cancer cells. Boiling reduces the levels of these compounds, with losses of 20–30% after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 75% after thirty minutes. However, other preparation methods, such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, have no significant effect on the compounds - Wikipedia

Eggs: All of the egg's vitamin A, D, and E are in the egg yolk. *The egg is one of the few foods to naturally contain vitamin D. A large egg yolk contains approximately 60 Calories; the egg white contains about 15 Calories . A large yolk contains more than two-thirds of the recommended daily intake of 300 mg of cholesterol (although one study indicates the human body may not absorb much cholesterol from eggs. The yolk makes up about 33% of the liquid weight of the egg. It contains all of the fat, slightly less than half of the protein, and most of the other nutrients. It also contains all of the choline, and one yolk contains approximately half of the recommended daily intake. Choline is an important nutrient for development of the brain, and is said to be important for pregnant and nursing women to ensure healthy fetal brain development- Wikipedia

Healthy egg salad...

Ingredients: 
2 cups           shredded cauliflower
2                   large eggs 
3                   green chillies     
1                   onion (finely chopped)
1/4                ground pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp          ginger and garlic paste
2 tsp             oil
few strands   cilantro/ coriander leaves
salt to taste 
Method:

1. In a bowl, beat the eggs and salt with a whisk or electric egg beater, until the egg looks uniformly yellow.

2. Heat oil in a non stick, large flat pan. Fry onion and green chilli until the onion becomes soft and golden brown.

3. Add the ginger and garlic paste, reduce the heat and add the shredded cauliflower, stir it well and cook till it becomes soft but not mushy (cover it and cook, if needed).  

4. Move the cauliflower to one side of the pan. Increase the heat, a little and add the beaten eggs to the other side of the pan and stir fry, until the eggs become soft and moist curds. Combine the scrambled egg and cauliflower, check for salt and add the ground pepper. Reduce the heat and stir till the mixture becomes dry. 

5. Transfer the egg to a serving dish and garnish it with chopped cilantro/ coriander leaves.

                                                             ENJOY:)