Magaj for Diabetics (A Chick pea flour Indian sweet suitable for diabetics)

Magaj is a popular Gujarati sweet usually made during the Diwali celebrations.  I have been thinking about making some sweets which could be sitable for diabetics but have refrained from trying them out as a lot of Indian sweets require you to make a sugar syrup.  Magaj is one sweet where you can add sugar at the end of the cooking so I decided to experiment and make a small batch.  I would say - they turned out OK....may be 9 marks out of 10.... Now this is one sweet a diabetic can enjoy.

Ingredients for 10 magaj:

2 cups of chick pea flour (also called gram flour or besan)
1 heaped cup of Sugar substitute (I used Splenda)
3/4 cup of ground almonds
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 cups of ghee (clarified butter)
1 teaspoon of ground cardomon (Elchi)
1/2 cup milk

Method:

1. Sieve the chick pea flour through a fine sieve

2. Take a 1/4 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of ghee and add it to the chick pea flour.  Using a spoon mix this up.

3.  Cover this mixture and leave it for half and hour.

4.  Stir this mixture and sieve through a large holed sieve.  This gives the flour a nice grainy feel.

5.  Once sieved -add one and a quarter cups ghee to the flour and cook it slowly on medium heat.

6.   Continue to stir the mixture until it gets to a golden brown colour.  This could take 15-20 minutes.

7.  Once it starts to bubble slightly, add the ground almonds and cardomon powder.

8.  Continue cooking for a further 5 minutes.

9.  Once it gets a brown- take it off the heat and add the heaped cup of sugar substitute. ( I used Splenda)

10.  Mix everything well and allow to cool

11. When the mixture is cool enough to handle - shape them into small round flat bottomed sweets. Sprinkle some sliced almonds on to the magaj.

Note: when using a sugar substitute -the mixture may be a little dry and not bind together.  If that happens, add a couple of tablespoons of milk or ghee to the mixture to enable you to make the magaj ladoos.

Note:  If you wish to use sugar - You may need three quarter cup of sugar (or one cup if you have a sweet tooth) which  I suggest that you grind  before adding the mixture.

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Apple and Cinnamon Chutney for Diabetics

Most Indian dishes are accompanied by chutneys and pickles of some sort. Some are made fresh on the day and some last longer.  However, a lot of the fruit based ones tend to have too much sugar and is not suitable for diabetics. I made this apple chutney using a basic chutney recipe but substituted the sugar for splenda.  The apple chutney has a hot and spicy with a hint of sweet and sour taste - similar to mango chutney.

Ingredients for about 1 small Jam jar

1 large Bramley apple (when grated - I got 2and a half cups of gratted apple)
4 and a half heaped tablespoons of  any sugar subsitute ( I used Splenda which is a sugar substitute suitable for diabetics)
half teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
half teaspoons chilly powder (you can use more if you like hot food)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3-4 cloves
3-4  cinnamon sticks
1 dried red chili

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

Method:

1.  Wash and grate the bramley apple

2.  Add the sugar and turmeric to the apple and mix well.

3.  Add the Splenda or any sweetner to the grated apples.  (If you wish to use sugar - you can add 3-4 tablespoons of sugar)

4.  Cook the mixture for 5-6 minutes on a medium heat - until the apple softens.

5.  Add the cinnamon to the apples and stir.  Cook the apples until there is no moisture and the apples are cooked. 

6.  Note: When using a sugar substitute, the mixture doesn't get as runny as when you use sugar.

7.  In a small saucepan - prepare the tempering by heating the oil.

8.  Add the cumin seeds, red chili, cinnamon sticks and cloves to the oil.  

9. Once the cloves pop and the cumin browns, add the tempering to the apple chutney and stir.

10. Allow the mixture to cook for 2 minutes and allow it to cool until ready to be stored in a bottle.  This should keep fine for a couple of weeks if kept in the fridge.

11. This chutney is a perfect condiment to serve with an Indian thali or with puris and theplas.  I even use the chutney in my sandwiches.

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