Foxtail millet Vangibath #Ssshhhhcookingsecretly

       
Event : Ssshhh cooking secretly
   Members of the Facebook  group will be partnered with each of the member every month. They will give two secret ingredients to their partner and the person has to cook with the secret ingredient according to the theme chosen. The picture of the recipe can be posted in the facebook group and the other members can guess the secret ingredient. The The recipe has to be posted at the end of the month .



For this month's ssshhhh secretly cooking the theme  was Millets. I was paired with Renu Agarwal Dongre of cook with Renu. Her blog has a wide variety of dishes and I like her Kid's Lunchbox recipes .....

   She gave me foxtail millet and salt as secret ingredients. I gave her fingermillet and chilli as secret ingredients. She made Ragi roti with secret ingredients I gave her.

   Foxtail millet is the second most widely planted species of millet and the most grown millet species in Asia. In tamil Foxtail millet is known as Thinai. It has been a staple diet among people for a long time from the sangam period. It is referred to often in old Tamil texts and is commonly assocaited with Lord Muruga . It is a famous offering to Lord Muruga  during Pankuni Uthiram and Kandha Shasti as Thaenum Thinai mavvum meaning honey and foxtail millet flour. 
  Foxtail millet is rich in fiber and is a good option for weight loss and diabetics.
 I made foxtail millet Vangibath . It is same as the vangibath , used foxtail millet instead of normal rice.

 Requirements:

1 cup Foxtail Millet 
6 small tender brinjal 
one onion chopped
salt to taste 
one tbs vegetable oil 
Half tsp mustard seeds
A sprig of curry leaves

Spice powder :
 5 Dry red chilli 
 2 tbs coriander seeds
 1 tbs Bengal gram
 1 tsp cumin seeds
 3 cloves
 1 small cinnamon stick
 1 cardamon
 Half tsp pepper corns
 2 tbs Dessicated coconut 

Method :

• Wash and soak the foxtail millet in water for fifteen minutes.
• Dry roast chilli , coriander , bengal gram separately.
• Dry roast cumin seeds , pepper corns ,cardamon , cinnamon stick , cloves together till the aroma comes.
• Add the dessicated coconut , give a quick stir and switch off the flame.
• Let these dry roasted items cool and grind into a coarse powder.

• Cook the foxtail millet with 2 cup of water in a pan or kadai.
• The foxtail must be grainy and not mushy.
• Let the cooked foxtail millet cool , give a stir to prevent lumps.

• In a pan , heat the oil , add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
• Add chopped onion and curry leaves  .
• Add in the chopped brinjal and give a quick stir.
• Add the required salt and close with a lid and cook the brinjal till it is tender.
• Now , add the vangibath powder and give a quick stir.
• Mix in the cooled cooked foxtail millet and stir well.
• Cook on a low flame for five minutes.
• Foxtail millet Vangibath is ready to serve.

Serve with Curd pachadi.

Notes : 

 I didn't add tamarind paste , if you want to add can add it while the brinjal is cooking.

Peanuts can be added while tempering it gives a crunch while eating.
Lemon Juice can be added after switching off the flame.

Indian spiced Empanadas #FoodieExtravaganza

              The National Empanada Day is to be celebrated on April 8 th in the USA .  We a group of bloggers in the facebook group Foodie Extravaganza are having an Empananda Party.

  An  empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling , common in Mediterranean , Latin American and Filipino cultures. The name empanada comes from the Spanish verb empanar , and literally translates as " enbreaded " , that is wrapped or coated in bread. 

   The  empanada are made by folding dough over a filling, which may consist of meat , cheese , corn or other ingredients and then cooking the resulting turnover , either by baking or frying. They resemble turnovers from many other cuisines and cultures including the pastry from the British Isles , the samsa from central Asia and Samosa or pedakiya from the Indian subcontinent , or the Pirozhki from Russia.


  Empanadas trace back their origins to the northwest region of Spain , Galicia . A cookbook published in Catalan in 1520 , Libre del Coch by Robert de Nola , mentions empanadas filled with seafood in the recipes for Catalan , Italian , French and Arabian food. 

    These empanada resembles the famous Indian sweet dish Somas ( Tamil Name ) / Gujiya  in its shape and method of preparation but differs in its filling. A gujiya or a pedakiya is a sweet deep- fried dumpling , native to the Indian subcontinent. It is made with semolina or all purpose flour stuffed with a mixture of sweetened milk solids and dried fruits. The earliest mention of gujiya dates back to 13th century , when a jaggery - honey mixture was covered with wheat flour and was sun - dried.

  I decided to make the Indian spiced empanadas . The filling is spiced with the Indian aromatic spices filled inside the empanadas and deep fried......
   I had used green peas and Soy Chunks ( Texturized vegetable Protein ) for the filling .

Requirements : 

For Dough 
  3 cup all purpose flour
  2 tbs butter 
  1 tsp salt 
  Half cup cold water
  2 tbs vegetable oil 

For Filling 

 a cup of Green peas
 a cup of Soy chunks
 1 tbs vegetable oil
  Half tsp cumin seeds
 1 onion 
 Half tsp ginger garlic paste
 Half tsp chilli powder
 Half tsp coriander powder 
 Half tsp Garam masala
 Salt to taste

 Oil for frying 

Method : 

•  In a bowl , add the flour and salt , mix well. 

•  Add in the cold butter and crumble the dough.

•  Then sprinkle little water at a time and knead a soft dough.

•  Add the vegetable oil and knead once. 

• Then cover the dough and let it rest in room temperature or in refrigerator.

To make the Green peas soya chunks filling

• Soak the soya chunks in warm water for ten minutes. Then drain the water.

•  Peel the skin of the onion and chop finely.

•  Heat oil in a pan , add the cumin seeds and let it splutter .

•  Add the chopped onion and saute till it becomes translucent.

• Add the ginger garlic paste and required salt , give a quick stir.

• Now add the green peas and the soya chunks , let them cook on a medium flame for five minute.

• Then  add the spices - chilli powder , coriander powder and garam masala , cook for two minutes.

• Let the green peas soya chunks filling cool down.

To make Empanadas 

• Roll the dough into flat bread , use mould or a glass to cut out circles.

• Place a large spoonful of the filling in the middle  and fold the empanada into half moon by bringing a edge of the circle to other by enclosing the filling and press the edges then twist the edges to seal.

•  Heat the oil in a frying pan , Fry the empanadas in a medium flame till they became golden brown.

Indian spiced Empanadas are ready to be served.

 

Argentine Beef Empanadas from Making Miracles

 

Beef Empanadas from Sneha's Recipe

 

Easy Cornish Pasties from Food Lust People Love

 

Easy Empanadas from A Day in the Life on the Farm

 

Empanadas de Atún (Argentinian Tuna Empanadas) from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

 

Empanadas de Picadillo from Karen's Kitchen Stories

 

Indian Spiced Empanadas from Sara's Tasty Buds

 

Spiced Potato Empanadas from Palatable Pastime

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!