Celebrate Monsoons with Yummy Sweet Corn Recipes

Hi folks. Here we are enjoying the Monsoons. In fact we Indians, celebrate each season with much enthusiasm. We have so many ways to celebrate them-festivals, songs, dances and of course food. 

Monsoon is celebrated as we get refreshed with the showers after a long hot and dusty summers. The rains bless us with not only, cool climate but also the much required water filling up our lakes, rivers and other water bodies. India being predominantly an agri-based country, our farmers start their activities.

Well whether in cities or towns or in villages, everyone needs some hot, healthy food which is also very yummy. Moreover, if you can make it easily with simple ingredients then it is worth noting down and trying. 

Sweet corn has become very popular in India and is now readily available through out the year in super markets as well as our local vegetable markets. We can get the corn cobs and separate the kernels or if we don't have that much time separated kernels are also available but a bit pricey. 

Sweet corn is delicious and healthy. It is rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. It is sweet to taste and can be eaten raw, if it is fresh.

Here I am giving you some recipes which are easy to make yummy and popular with young and old alike at the same time healthy and nutritious... 

Boiled Corn

Bring to boil 2 cups of water in a pan, add a cup of sweet corn, cover and cook on low heat till done. 

Drain the water, and it is ready for use. 

Note: 

• If the corn is fresh and tender, it will be cooked within 5 to 10 minutes. 
• This will serve one person.
• 1 cup of fresh corn means roughly 175gms
• 1Tbsp of butter is roughly 14 gms

The following recipes will use this boiled corn and the corn should be hot and served hot

Recipe-1- Boiled Corn-Salt and Pepper


Boiled Corn- 1 cup 
Butter - 1 tbsp
Black Pepper/White Pepper powder  - to taste
Salt to taste

Take the boiled corn in a serving cup/bowl, add butter, salt and pepper powder. Mix well and serve hot. Since we use hot boiled corn, the butter will melt by itself. Serve it hot.

Recipe-2- Boiled Corn-Salt and Papparika

Boiled Corn- 1 cup 
Butter - 1 tbsp
Red Pepper(chillies) powder  - to taste
Salt to taste

Take the boiled corn in a serving cup/bowl, add salt and pepper powder. Mix well and serve hot. 

Recipe-3-Spicy Indian Corn

Boiled Corn- 1 cup 
Butter - 1 tbsp
Red Pepper(chillies) powder  - to taste
Garam Masala powder- a pinch
Turmeric Powder- a pinch
Salt to taste

Take the boiled corn in a serving cup/bowl, add salt, butter and spices. Mix well and serve hot. 

Recipe-4- Yummy Chinese Corn

Boiled Corn- 1 cup 
Butter - 1 tbsp
Green Chilly Sauce- to taste
Salt to taste (if required)

Take the boiled corn in a serving cup/bowl, butter and sauce. Mix well and serve hot. 

The Sauce contains salt and oil. So adjust the quantity of butter or avoid it if you don't want it to be too fatty. I prefer to add butter as the sauce is spicy.

Similarly for the salt, first add the sauce to the corn and if required add salt according to your taste.

 

Recipe-5- Spicy Schezwan Corn

Boiled Corn- 1 cup 
Butter - 1 tbsp
Schezwan Sauce- to taste
Salt to taste (if required)

Take the boiled corn in a serving cup/bowl, butter and sauce. Mix well and serve hot. 

The Sauce contains salt and oil. So adjust the quantity of butter or avoid it if you don't want it to be too fatty. 

Similarly for the salt, first add the sauce to the corn and if required add salt according to your taste.

So try out these recipes, Celebrate Monsoons with my Yummy Sweet Corn Recipes...Please let me know how you like them...

Watch out for more ....

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Making Popcorn-1

We all love popcorn. Don't you? Actually snacking on it while watching a movie is what I like. It is a healthy and nutritious snack.

Have you ever made popcorn on the stove? Do you know how popcorn was traditionally made?

Well these days you have machines for that. 

But traditionally popcorn in India was made and still being made in villages and little towns in two ways. One is no oil and the other is with oil method.

No oil method:

In earlier days, some farmers in the village used to puff up the grains like wheat, rice, corn etc and sell them. They use hot sand for this. This method is also used to roast peanuts, chickpeas, peas etc. The veranda or the room in the front serves as a shop for them.

Even today some people are dependent on this as occupation. They either use their own grain, in which case they charge for the entire thing. We can also give them the grain and get it puffed up. They charge some meager amount for this.

In this method, a big iron wok is kept on a stove made of bricks and plastered with soil and cow dung mixture. Now they are using iron stoves. Wood is used as fuel. Other things like, coal, husk, wood shavings, saw dust, bagasse(the remains of sugar cane after the juice is extracted), or other agri waste like dried wheat/rice/grain stalks after harvesting may also be used.

The wok is filled with fine sand. Once the stove is lighted, the sand is left to heat up. Then they add the maize kernels(corn seeds), on to the sand and close it with a lid. When the kernels pop out, they are removed and sieved to remove any sand. In order to make it salty, the corn kernels are put into salted water for sometime and then dried.

You can watch it here:

Popcorn making the Indian way

Unlike what people think, sand does not stick to it. So it is quite safe to eat. This is healthy as there is no oil is used for making the popcorn. My grandmother and my mother too used to make this way. Even I use this method it some times.

Oil Method:

This was most popular before the machines came into the market. Here is how I often make simple popcorn.

Simple Salty Popcorn

Ingredients: 

Maize kernels(corn seeds)  1/4 cup

Oil    1 Tbsp or Butter  1+1/2 Tbsp butter

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Salt   To taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. I use my cooker.
• Once oil(butter) is hot, reduce the flame to minimum, add turmeric, salt and the kernels.
• Just stir it once so that turmeric and salt get coated onto the kernels and close with a lid.
• Let it sit for a while. The kernels start popping. Wait until the popping stops.
• Switch off the stove.
• Now it is ready to eat.

This is very easy to make, healthy, hygeinic  and less costly. It can be prepared in just 10 minutes. Goes well with afternoon tea too.  

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Healthy N Nutritious Snacks-5

Nuts N Seeds-1-Sun Flower Seeds-3

Some more recipes...

1. Fruit N Seed Chat

Here is something for those who love sweet, spicy and tangy..Indian chat recipe...

Ingredients:

Musk Melon cubes        1 cup

Chickoo pieces           1cup

Pomegranate  seeds     1 cup

Grapes                       100gms

Sunflower seeds          1-2 fistfuls

Lemon Juice               1-2 tsps

Pepper powder           1/2 tsp

Chat Masala powder     1 tsp

Salt                            To taste

      Sapota or Chickoo

         Pomegranate

Method:

• Musk Melons are available in very small sizes. Peel, de seed and cube them.
• Chickoo as known in Hindi is known as Sapodilla in English and Sapota in Telugu. Peel de seed and cube.
• Separate the seeds of pomegranate from the skin and keep aside.
• You can use any type of grapes. If you are using green, red or black bigger sized grapes cut into halves, de seed and keep aside. Black ones are sweet as well as sour. Small variety of seed less grapes are also available. They can be used as it is. But soak any grapes in water for 10 to 15 minutes rinse well, drain and use.
• Use roasted and shelled sunflower seeds.
• In a bowl toss together all the fruit and chill them till serving time.
• Before serving, add seeds, lemon juice, salt and spices. Toss them well and serve.
• Adjust the quantity of spices according to your taste.
• You can omit pepper powder as chat masala powder is enough for a spicy taste.

2.  Summer Time Chat
This one is best for Summers

Ingredients:

Ripe Mango cubes      1 cup

Musk Melon cubes       1/2 cup

Pomegranate seeds    1 cup

Sunflower seeds         1-2 fistful

Chat Masala powder   1 tsp

Salt                           To Taste

         Golden Yellow

               Crimson 

Method:

• Mangoes are basically available in two varieties- for juice and for cut and serve. Choose those mangoes which are ideal for cut and serve. Banginapalli or Benishan  variety is the best. They are golden yellow in colour with good sweet and tasty flesh and also a great smell. Red and yellow varieties are also good. Alphonso is the most costliest of the mangoes and preferred one. But I don't like that variety.
• The mangoes should be ripe. It should be fresh and  firm to touch. The skin should be clear of all blemishes and of good colour and good to smell
• Peel and de stone Mango and cut into cubes
• Peel and de seed and cube the musk melon
• Separate the seeds of pomegranate from the skin and keep aside.
• Mix all the fruit and chill till serving time
• Just before serving toss the fruits along with salt and chat masala powder and sun flower seeds

These snacks are healthy and can be eaten any time. Try these recipes and let me know how you feel...

Keep a watch on my blog...more to come....

Healthy N Nutritious Snacks-4

Nuts N Seeds-1-Sun Flower Seeds-2

Here is a glimpse the seeds with stripes...

            Sun Flower Seeds

These are not that costly when compared other nuts like cashews or pistachios and have more plus points then them.

Here are some recipes. In all these recipes, you have to used roasted and shelled sun flower seeds:

1. Carrot Sunflower Seeds Salad

          Grated Carrot

Ingredients:

Carrots grated        1cup

Sun flower seeds    1-2 Tbsp

Lemon juice           2 tsps

Olive oil                2 tsps

Pepper Powder      To taste

Salt                       To taste

Method:

• Clean scrape and grate carrots. The quantity should be one full cup. Sore it in fridge till it is time to serve but don't keep for long that they loose their nutritional values
• In bowl mix lemon juice, olive oil, pepper powder and salt thoroughly.
• Just before serving, add grated carrots and seeds to the bowl, mix well or toss and serve
• Adjust the lemon juice and pepper powder according to your taste.
• You can add a little of castor sugar if you like it to be a bit sweet. Though I feel that carrots would fill in for sweetness.

2.Carrot -Tomato -Seeds Salad

      Chopped Tomatoes

Ingredients:

Carrots grated        1cup

Tomatoes               2-3 Tbsps

(chopped  fine)

Sun flower seeds    1-2 Tbsp

Lemon juice           1 tsps

Olive oil                2 tsps

Pepper Powder      To taste

Salt                       To taste

Method:

• Mix or toss together grated carrots, tomatoes and seeds along with all other ingredients and serve immediately

3. Cool Cool- Summer Salad

         Cucumber or Kheera

         For Tempering

I have used Mustard, cumin, curry leaves and asafoetida in this recipe

Ingredients:

Carrots grated        1cup

Cucumber              1/2 to 1 cup

(chopped fine)
Tomatoes               1/2 cup     

(chopped fine)    
Sun flower seeds     a fistful

Green chilli          1

(chopped fine)   

Coriander Greens     1 tbsp

(chopped fine)   

Sugar                     1-2 tsp

Salt                       To taste

For Tempering:

Refined or sunflower oil     1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds                    1 tsp

Cumin seeds                      1 tsp

Asafoetida                         a pinch   (optional)

Turmeric                           a pinch

Curry  leaves                     one sprig

Method:

• I have used long green cucumber known as kheera in Hindi.  Peel the skin and remove seeds if they are too hard.
• Mix in or toss together grated carrots, chopped tomatoes and cucumber in abowl and keep in refrigerator till it is to be served
• Just before serving, add the seeds and coriander greens, slat and sugar and toss well
• Heat oil to a smoking point in a pan, add mustard seeds, fry for a minute. Add cumin seeds, green chilli, curry leaves. when the seeds start spluttering add asafoetida and turmeric. Remove from fire and pour the mixture into the bowl. Close with a lid, toss well for a minute and serve
• Reduce the quantity of spices especially green chilli according to your taste as it is quite spicy

Note:

Adjust the ingredients and spices according to your taste. These can also be eaten as an afternoon snack or any time snack as these are healthy .

You can avoid oil or use very less quantity of oil as per you requirement.

Watch my blog for more recipes in next post......

Healthy N Nutritious Snacks-3

Nuts N Seeds-1-Sun Flower Seeds-1

I have started doing a series of posts on Healthy N Nutritious Snacks.My previous posts are here:

http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/search/label/Healthy%20N%20Nutritious%20Snacks

I have not yet completed posting on the puffed rice recipes. But I have to do this post as I want to share with you something else.

One of the healthy N nutritious Snacks are Nuts and Seeds. Nuts and seeds are tasty healthy can be eaten as a snack or added to some of our foods and consumed. Now here is one of them...

Recently I have been on a visit to Rayalaseema area of Andhra Pradesh- a very dry area, where climate is dry and very hot. Added to that they have scarcity of water. Ground nuts are major crop and are used very extensively in their recipes. However I am not going to talk about it here. I will post about it separately.

On one of my walks in the evening, I came across some street vendors, selling roasted peanuts, salted peanuts, and fried and spiced lentils. I came across Sunflower seeds. I know Sunflower seeds as I grow them in my garden, and I also know that Sunflower oil is being widely used in Indian homes as a medium of cooking, I was surprised to know that the seeds are eaten as a snack. Many people were buying a handful or two to munch along their shopping or walking. 

So I bought some...and they were very tasty. Here is a glimpse for you..

Here are the flowers. These are of small variety. There are also very huge flowers. I used to grow them. The flowers used to attract parrots in large numbers. I think they like the seeds. Now I have enquired around and found that the parrot feed contains these seeds as these are very healthy. 

These are the seeds. They have tear drop shape. Their husks are black or grey with black stripes. These seeds are small. I have seen bigger seeds.

I removed the husks with my hands as I didn't have any other method. Here are the nuts inside. These are roasted and salted. They have mild nutty flavour and very tasty. They are also eaten with out roasting. But since they are high in oil content it is better to roast them before eating. Sunflower oil is extracted from these seeds. Today it is the most popular medium for cooking in Indian homes because of various health benefits.

Benefits from Sunflower Seeds

• Sunflower seeds are the best whole food source of vitamin E. They contain around 90% of Vitamin E, which is an antioxidant and protects against heart disease . 
• They also contain 30% of Selenium which along with vitamin E works as an antioxidant and protects cells from damage that may lead to cancer, heart disease, and other health problems.
• They also contain contain  Manganese  36%, Magnesium 31%, Phosphorus 25%, Copper, Iron Zinc  etc which are good for our health.
• Sunflower seeds are a good source of plant protein, which supplies amino acids, that build, maintain and repair body tissues.  
• Sunflower seeds contain Folate or B vitamin for a good and healthy heart and Pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6, Thiamin and Niacin which give energy.  
• Sunflower seeds and oil contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat which lowers Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol, and Triglycerides,  maintaining beneficial High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is needed to carry the “bad” cholesterol away. Around 90% of the fat in sunflower seeds is good, unsaturated fat.
• They contain Fiber which help in easy digestion, lowering constipation and there by many diseases.

However since these seeds contain high amounts of oil, and source of high energy level, one should consume them moderately as per their life styles.

Tips for buying and storing:

• They are available unshelled where I saw but may be available shelled too. I have to enquire. In other countries shelled and unshelled are available.
• They should smell fresh
• The unshelled ones should be firm and not limp or soft and the shells should not be broken 
• The shelled ones should not be yellowish in colour. 
• Due to oil content these seeds turn rancid quickly.
• Store them in air tight container and better not to store for long
• Store them in air tight package in the deep freezer

Tips for using:

• Shelling is a problem especially with hand is painstaking and difficult
• Few handfuls at a time can be put in small container of the Mixie and just on and off few times. This way some of the seeds might be crushed but many may be shelled. Pour the mixture into this bamboo kitchen aid which is available in all Indian homes known as Chaata in Telugu and Soop in Hindi. I don't know the English equivalent. The crushed seeds are then tossed which throws out the husk and seeds remain back.

• These seeds (with shells) can be roasted in a thick bottomed pan and then shells removed before eating. Traditionally in India, these are roasted over hot sand. While roasting them salt water is sprinkled to give them salty taste. These salted ones are easily available in Indian markets. Roasted one keep for a long time.
• But I feel it is better to avoid salted ones as the salt intake of Indians as it is , is very high
• A handful of roasted or unroasted and shelled seeds can be eaten as it is. These can be added to salads, sweets and desserts like halwa, burfi etc. Add these slightly crushed or whole to curries or chutneys.

Watch my blog for recipes using Sunflower seeds...

Healthy N Nutritious Snacks-2

Pidata kindi Pappu Or Masala Maramaraalu-2

In continuation of my previous post some more recipes are here...

1.  Simple Recipe-2

Ingredients:

Puffed rice                    1 cup
Ghee (clarified butter)   1 tsp or 1 Tbsp

Corrainder seeds            1Tbsp

Red chilli Powder           1/4  tsp
Salt                               To taste
Lemon juice                   to taste

Method:

• Roast coriander seeds in a hot pan carefully. Cool it and grind it to a fine powder
• Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve. 
• Roast the puffs for crispiness
• To maintain crispness of the puffs, mix the ingredients just before serving.
• But I like it a little soggy as the flavours of the spices take a few minutes to get absorbed into the puffs.
• Adjust spices according to your taste as this may be too spicy for Western Platter

2.  Puffs N Nuts Mix Recipe-1

Ingredients:

Puffed rice                       1 cup
Roasted Peanuts                 1-2 Tbsps
Puffed Chickpeas               1-2 Tbsps
Roasted Sesame Seeds        2 tsps
Dried Coconuts shredded    1/2 Tbsp
Ghee (clarified butter)       1 tsp or 1 Tbsp
Red chilli Powder              1 tsp
Salt                                  To taste
Lemon juice                      To taste

         Puffed Rice

         Roasted  Peanuts

        Puffed Chick Pea

          Sesame seeds

         Dried Coconut

        Red Chilli Powder

        Coriander seeds

Method:

• Some like to remove the skin of the Peanuts after roasting and cooling them. That can be done just by rubbing them between the palms. But I prefer no to remove it for its nutritional value.
• Dried coconut is readily available in markets in halves as well as in scrapped form. 
• Sesame seeds should be roasted carefully as they have the tendency to pop out.
• Sesame seeds can be used as it is or ground into a coarse powder.
• Its better to slightly roast puffed chickpea too so that it is crispy.
• Adjust the spices according to your taste as this may be too spicy.
• Mix all the ingredients and serve.
• This can also stored for some time say a week or so. Mix peanuts, puffs, coconut and sesame seeds. Avoid the lemon juice, ghee, spices including salt. Just before serving add all these, mix well and serve.
• This mixture is also eaten without, salt, spices or lemon juice.
• This combination if eaten at least a fistful once in a day or once/ twice in a week is very good for health

More recipes to come ...keep an eye on my blog.....