Rajma / Kidney beans Arancini..

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This recipe is part of Recipes With A cause for Diabetes Friendly Thursday.

This time DFT theme was Rakhsha Bhandhan and Onam special and what better way to celebrate this auspicious festival then to cook and dedicate the post to your sibling ..
I decided to make one of my brother’s all time favorite food ” Rajma Chawal” but with a twist ..
This is my Indian twist on the Arancini made using Rajma , brown rice and bread crumbs …
Arancini’s were introduced in Sicily, Italy, and are traditionally deep fried rice balls coated with breadcrumbs, made with rice, cheese and saffron… Arancini’s name derives from the word arancia, which, in Italian, refers to the orange fruit.

Team DFT celebrates Raksha Bandhan which represents the love and respect between siblings along with Onam which is reminiscent of Kerala’s agrarian past, as it is considered to be a harvest festival.

Try these Arancinis at your next party and have people talking about these for weeks to come ..

Makes 10-12 Arancinis
Serves : 3-4 people
Serving size : 3 a person

For Aranchini
2 cups Rajma / kidney beans ( boiled , drained and mashed)
1/2 cup Fresh Bread crumbs
1/2 cup boiled plain brown rice
1 shallot, finely chopped
1green chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp garlic clove finely chopped
2 tbs fresh coriander, chopped
1 tsp red chili powder OR too taste
Salt as per taste
1 TBS vegetable oil

METHOD
1.In a large mixing bowl , Add chopped shallots, coriander leaves , garlic, ginger, green chillies boiled rice , red chili powder and salt with mashed rajma/ kidney beans and mix well.
2.Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 -40 minutes.
3.Form the Rajma mix into walnut size balls.
4.In another mixing bowl add the bread crumbs .
5.Roll the Aranchini balls in bread crumbs and coat nicely .
6.Heat Appe pan brushed with some oil .
7.Pan Fry the arancini until golden brown – about one minute on each side ..
Alternately they can be baked in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for about 20 min or until golden brown.. Flip them over in between …

Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce ….I served it on top of indian curry masala ..

Recipe for Curry Masala .. Makes about 1 cup

1 medium onion , chopped
2 medium tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 green chili
1 tbs ginger
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric/ haldi powder
1 tsp garam masala
2tsp oil

Method :
1.Heat oil in a pan on medium heat ..
2. Once hot chopped onion and cook them till golden brown. About 6-8 minutes.
3.Now add chili, ginger and garlic and cook for another 2-3 mins
4.Reduce the heat to low and add the tomatoes along with chili, coriander, and turmeric powder.
5. Cook the masala on medium low heat till the oil starts separating from the sides of the pan.
6. If you see masala sticking to the bottom of pan, add some water.
7. Add salt and garam masala and mix well just before putting the stove off ..

TO USE MASALA AS SAUCE
Once the masala cools down ,blend it in a blender with enough water to make it into a smooth paste or sauce consistency ..

Benefits of Ingredients used in the Recipe …

KIDNEY BEANS
The American Diabetes Association suggests that people with diabetes include kidney beans , dry beans and lentils into meals. Dry beans are also recommended as a healthy food choice in the USDA’s MyPyramid & recommends eating 3 cups of legumes per week, including beans. That is equal to approximately ½ cup per day.
Dry bean consumption has also been shown to have beneficial effects on risk factors for diabetes including reducing total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and increasing HDL-cholesterol, and has been associated with decreased body weight..

BROWN RICE
Eating for diabetes means selecting your foods wisely and choosing the best carbohydrates to suit your meal plan. Brown rice is a nutty, earthy flavored whole grain rice that is an ideal replacement for high carbohydrate white rice. Brown rice is still a member of the grain family, however, and does contribute carbohydrates. Be sure to account for them properly to reduce the impact on your blood sugar.

WHOLE WHERAT BREAD
Whole wheat bread contains the most nutritious parts of the bread: the bran, the endosperm and the germ. The more whole wheat a bread contains, the more it moderates your blood sugar.
The germ and bran contained in whole grains have large amounts of nutrients like magnesium, chromium, omega-3 fatty acids, and folate; these are stripped out of wheat when it’s processed into white flour products. Whole-grain foods also contain lots of fiber.

ONION
The American Diabetes Association recommends that you eat at least three to five servings of vegetables daily. Adding onions to your soups, stews, sandwiches, salads and casseroles boosts your vegetable intake without adding a large number or calories or carbohydrates to your diet. A half cup of chopped spring onions contains 26 calories and 5.9 g of carbohydrates. Storage onions, such as yellow, white or red onions, contain 16 calories and 3.7 g of carbohydrates per half cup.

GINGER
Recently ginger has demonstrated promising results in basic science and animal research testing its ability to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce oxidation, and improve cholesterol (Bhandari et al. 2005 and Akhani et al. 2004). We still do not know much about the impact of ginger on these parameters in humans, however the preliminary research is very promising- and ginger tastes quite good..

Disclaimer
I am not a nutritionist or dietician. My knowledge and information is based on my research and reading from different resources. Please consult your doctor or dietician before making any changes to your diet.

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