Wood Apple Chutney | Kaitha - Bel Chutney

Many of you must have heard about the wood apple fruit which is known as "kaitha", "kabit", or "Bel" fruit in the Hindi language. 

It is known as "Velaga Pandu" in Telugu.

The chutney of this fruit gives you a wonderful taste which you need to enjoy occasionally in your life. It will give a taste of hotness mixed with a tangy and light sweet odor.

Three different styles of Wood Apple Chutney

1. Plain hot chutney
2. Curd chutney
3. Sweet chutney

Ingredients for Velaga/ Kaitha Chutney (Hot/Normal)

1. Kaitha/ Kabit/ Velaga 2 nos
2. Green Chili 2 or 3 (depends on size and hotness) 
3. Salt 
4. Turmeric Powder
5. Tamarind (a very small bit of the pulp)
6. Topping Ingredients (see below)

Topping Ingredients

• Dry red chili (2 to 3 nos) 
• mustard seeds ½  spoon
• cumin seeds ¼ spoon
• fenugreek seeds ½  spoon
• white lentils (one spoon)
• Oil to fry (two spoons)

Preparation Tips for Wood Apple Chutney Hot

1. Break the wood apples and separate the pulp from them into a plate or bowl.
2. Light the stove and put a frying pan on the flame (a very small frying pan or bowl that is used for topping purposes).
3. Add oil to the pan as measured above.
4. Put the topping ingredients one by one into the heated pan. White lentils, Red Dry Chilies, fenugreek, mustard, cumin- in that order. 
5. After frying, add the pulp of wood apple also to it and mix it well. Then, turn off the flame immediately and let it cool.
6. Take the grinding jar and transfer all those ingredients to it. Add the green chilies, tamarind, turmeric, and salt also to it. 
7. Grind the ingredients to become a paste.
8. Now, your wood apple chutney is ready. You may add finely cut coriander leaves to it for a good flavor before serving.

This Kaitha or Kabit chutney is very good when eaten by mixing it with plain cooked rice. It can be used with any breakfast or even with Paratha or Roti as a side dish.

Wood Apple Chutney With Curd

When you prepare the kaitha / Velaga chutney by adding curd, you need not add tamarind to it. Instead of tamarind, you will be adding the Curd here.

You can either mix the ground chutney with the curd separately in a bowl or add the curd also while grinding the chutney in the grinder. It is up to you, at your convenience.

Sweet Chutney With Wood Apple

If you like the sweet chutneys, you can prepare wood apple sweet chutney. For this purpose also, no need to add the tamarind. You will be adding Jaggery in place of tamarind or curd.

Grate or peel the jaggery at first, as per your requirement, and add it to the ingredients before grinding. Your sweet chutney will be ready.

All three varieties of this Kaitha / Velaga chutney are good with either plain rice, chapati/roti, or with paratha. 

Broken Wheat Recipe: Upma | Dalia Recipe

Broken-Wheat Upma

Broken Wheat recipe can be used as a whole food item or as a breakfast recipe. Many people all over India prepare this dish because of its healthy nutritional qualities. It is one of the many varieties of Upma recipes that are popular all over India and the world. It is widely referred to as 'Dalia Recipe' by most North Indians.

Upma is best for breakfast. It is very easy to prepare and requires less involvement. It can also be used as a snack item in the evening and is most popular in Southern India. It is found in almost all the hotels, restaurants, and tiffin-centers located in even the smallest lanes of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala. It is available early in the morning for breakfast or in the evenings as a snack item at some places.

Upma is of many varieties and is made up of either wheat or rice granules. It is a savory recipe using spices and salt. The quality and size of the ingredients vary according to the likes and habits of the people.

But for all purposes, I suggest using medium-sized granulated broken wheat for preparing this Upma recipe. It is rich in fiber and is good for your body as it effectively clears your colon.

I provided the nutritional facts for one cup of cooked broken-wheat upma at the bottom of this post for your information.

Upma Preparation Styles and Time Taken

I prepare Upma in a simple manner using only the basic ingredients necessary for this broken wheat recipe.

I don't add any vegetables or other extra ingredients to my dish. However, you can add some green vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, or other ingredients according to your preference if you want to enhance the flavor and appearance. This depends on the time and effort you have available for slicing the ingredients.

Preparation Time

Preparation Time: 05 minutes

Cook Time:           10 minutes

Total Time:            15 minutes

100 grams upma serves two people.

Ingredients for Wheat Upma

• 100 grams or 1 cup broken wheat, medium granules
• 3 cups water, for boiling before adding the broken wheat
• one green chili (medium), chopped into small pieces
• ginger  a small piece, chopped into small pieces
• a small quantum of mustard seeds and cumin for frying at the start
• coriander leaves
• salt
• half a tablespoon cooking oil, for frying the ingredients

Step-By-Step Preparation of Upma

1. First, keep ready all the above-mentioned ingredients within reach. Cut the chili and ginger into small, tiny pieces and keep ready.
2. Place the deep cooking pan on the flame. Add half-a- tablespoon or two small spoons of cooking oil into it and allow it to heat.
3. Now, add the mustard seeds, cumin, chili and ginger pieces and coriander leaves to it and fry till a splitting sound comes.
4. Then, pour the water of 3 cups into it and add salt. Allow the water to boil.
5. After the water gets boiling, add the broken wheat ingredient to it, mix with the spatula and allow it to cook. You need not place a lid on it. Otherwise, it may come up with intense pressure of steam and spill out during the process.
6. Mix the recipe two or three times during cooking. It will get cooked within 10 minutes. When the water dries up, place the lid and turn off the flame.
7. Allow the recipe to set for 2 minutes and then, serve hot.
8. If you wanted to add vegetables to the recipe, you should add the minutely cut pieces while frying the mustard seeds and other ingredients and let them fry for a minute or two before adding the water.

In the below video, I prepared the Recipe by adding only the main ingredients that are essential as mentioned in the Ingredient Requirement.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1
Calories	180
Calories from Fat	27
% Daily Value *
Fat 3 g	5%
Saturated fat 1 g	5%
Unsaturated fat 2 g
Carbohydrates 18 g	6%
Sugar 0 g
Fiber 1 g	4%
Protein 2 g	4%
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 1 mg
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. So your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Health Benefits of Broken Wheat Recipe

• This variety of Upma recipe is good for health as it contains rich fiber quantity.
• The fiber content is very helpful to your digestion process as it cleanses your colon more efficiently and maintains a clean, unclogged colon.
• The calories or energy that you get from this recipe are quite substantial and lasts for much time even though it is slightly less than other refined varieties of the broken wheat because of their refined contents.
• More fiber means more time for digestion and so you need not feel the necessity of eating frequently. You can keep working for long hours by eating this breakfast recipe in the mornings.
• Even though the fat quantity is more, it gets nullified due to the ample fiber content.