RasagavaLa, a Tasty...Juicy..... Morsel.

Besan unDe

2010-11-18T11:35:00.000-08:00

Deepavali Special....

Round, Sweet, Golden, Aromatic, Melts-in-the-Mouth and very very Delicious. That is what perfectly describes a Besan unDe(laDDoo). I fell in love with this delicacy during my school days when we stayed in Gulbarga, a district in North Karnataka. All my Kulkarni, Deshpande, Patil friends' moms were an expert in preparing it. As I know it, in North Karnataka, Besan UnDe or rather UnDi as they call it, is a must on the menu for any kind of celebration at home.With all the friends I had, there was no dearth of occasions(engagements,weddings, birthdays, brother/sister got into college on merit, sister had a baby, dad got a promotion etc., etc.,) that demanded Besan unDe. So, I always had one or other friend at school, with a box full of this golden delicacy, ready to share with me :-) Each time I ate it, I fell more and more in love with it.

Years passed, since I left Gulbarga. My friends, my school, all my happy childhood days that I spent there are now just memories. And somewhere among all those memories lay the memory of those delicious golden Besan UnDes that I had eaten. Amma would make her version of Besan UnDes. She followed the same recipe as that of Godhi HiTTina UnDe(Wheat Flour Laddoo), substituting Besan for Wheat Flour. These were delicious(and somewhat guilt free, as they used less Ghee) too, but my heart lay with the traditional Besan unDes of North Karnataka.

Life went on... I got married, had a son, moved to the US, and who should I meet? but a girl called Anu, who was from Gulbarga!!. Her parents were visiting her and I got to meet them, know them and in due course, the topic turned to food. I HAD to mention Besan UnDes and her mom generously offered to teach me how to make them, the way I liked it! So, one fine day(I think in 2008), just before the Gowri-Ganesha festival I kept all the ingredients ready and under Aunty's guidance, I learnt how to make Besan UnDi! :-) Thus, I found my long lost love, and now we are together for ever and ever. I am a sucker for happy(in this case sweet)endings. There is a saying by Lao Tzu that goes... " Give a man fish, and you feed him for one day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime". You get the drift of where I'm going with this... :-)

Here's the recipe of Besan UnDe, so maybe one of you will find your long lost love, or better still, find new love in my "sweetheart" ;-)

Ingredients :

2 cups Besan(Gram Flour), fine variety
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 sticks Butter, cut into 8-10 pieces OR 1 cup ghee, melted
1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
1/8 cup Milk
1/4 cup Cashew pieces and Raisins, roasted in a little ghee

Method :

1. Take the Besan in a wide, heavy bottomed pan, and put it on low-medium heat for roasting.
2. Keep stirring the besan continuously, until the color slightly changes and it starts giving out a nutty aroma.
3. Now, add a little bit of the Ghee/Butter, (approximately 1 tablespoon wrt Ghee or 1 piece wrt Butter) and keep stirring until it gets fully incorporated. Continue adding the Ghee/Butter and stirring the Besan until you have used up all the Ghee/Butter. This is a very important stage in the making of Besan UnDe. You should take care not to burn it. The trick is in keeping it on low flame and continuously stirring it.
4. After the above stage, Besan, Ghee/Butter mixture will have a very thick paste like texture. While it is still on heat, add the milk, while still stirring. At this point the mixture will bubble up and become airy and light and then settle down.
5. Now, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool down completely.
6. Add the Powdered Sugar, Cardamom powder and the roasted Cashews and Raisins to the above mixture. Mix everything well, using your hands.
7. Take small portions of the mixture and roll them into round balls, using the palms of your hands. Keep each ball separately in a plate, uncovered. This is because, when you make the balls, the Ghee/Butter will slightly melt due to the warmth of your palms, and if you stack them all together, they tend to stick to each other and will be difficult to remove later. So, keep them separate for sometime, and then when they solidify, store them in a jar/container.
8. Enjoy anytime of the day or night ;-) !!

Dumroat-KumbaLakaayi Halwa

2010-03-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

Love sweets? Can't eat vegetables?? No worries, eat Halwa instead!! I've lately been hearing of Halwas prepared using vegetables. The most common ones being the Carrot halwa, Dumroat-BoodagumbaLakaayi/Ashgourd halwa and Soreykaayi/Doodhi/Bottlegourd halwa. The others vying to be among the top three are Sweet Potato halwa, Potato halwa, Green Peas halwa, Beetroot Halwa, Seemebadnekaayi/Chayote Squash halwa, Sweet Corn halwa etc., I heard of these varieties, from my cousin who recently attended a competition where they had to prepare halwa using a vegetable. Interesting, isn't it?

Well, personally among all the halwas prepared vegetables, I can't decide which one is my favorite, Carrot Halwa or Dumroat(Ashgourd Halwa) or Soreykaayi(doodhi/bottlegourd) Halwa. I guess I love all three equally, though Carrot Halwa tops my choices when it comes to preparing the halwa. It is the easiest one. The other two involve a lot of work wrt, eliminating all the water content. Amma finds a lot of uses for the water and the pith extracted from the Ashgourd. She makes lemonade using the water. Just add a pinch of Cardamom powder to mask the smell of raw gourd(Appa still din't like it anyway..). Use the water to make rice, chapati dough, in sambhar etc., The pith can be used to make Saasve(kinda Raitha). The seeds don't go waste either. They are a wonderful 'timepass' if roasted and salted ;-)
But for now, enjoy Amma's Dumroat - Ashgourd Halwa! (Don't ask me how it got that name :-) )

Ingredients :

4 Kilograms (Approximately 5-6 cups grated) Ashgourd
250 grams Approximately 2 and 1/2 cups) Sugar
1/2 cup Ghee
1/2 cup Milk
A pinch of Saffron Strands, soaked in 1/4 cup milk
15 or so Cashews, cut into small pieces and roasted in ghee
10-25 Raisins, roasted in ghee
3-4 Cardamoms, powdered

Method :

1. Wash, cut into 1/8ths and peel the Ashgourd. Remove the pith and the seeds.
2. Grate the gourd into a vessel.
3. Drain out all the liquid, by squeezing and pressing over a sieve/juice strainer. Take care to remove as much liquid as possible.

4. Take this grated, dry gourd into a heavy bottomed vessel and put it on medium-high flame. Add Milk and half of the Ghee and mix well. Close the vessel with a lid and let the gourd cook. Keep Stirring in between.

5. Once cooked(it becomes soft and breaks apart if squished between fingers), add the sugar. Mix it in well, until all the sugar gets incorporated. Add the Saffron and the rest of the ghee and mix. Keep stirring until it all comes together in one big lump, and you can see a glossy sheen on the surface. Then, remove from flame and set aside.

6. Add the Cashews, Raisins and the Cardamom Powder and mix well.
7. Serve warm or cold.

SukkinunDe

2010-03-05T03:41:00.000-08:00

SukkinunDe is a very traditional Karnataka(South Kanara) special. It is prepared particularly for lunch during the "Shraaddha"(Death Anniversary). Preparing this on other days is taboo.. but times are changing. This is a very rare treat at my place. I have never tried preparing this one on my own. When I expresssed my wish to eat something sweet, Amma decided to treat me to this one. It turned out not just a treat for my taste buds, but my blog too.... I was ready to tackle this one with my camera too :-)

As I sat down to put it into words, curiosity got the better of me, and I wanted to know what would sukkinunDe be known as, in other homes. The word SukkinunDe itself did not yield any results. But googling for "sweet, deep fried, moong dal filling" did give me this one result. The picture looked sooo much similar to our SukkinunDe, I bet its the same. There was no recipe, just the picture, and the name said Sugiyan. Then when I searched for sugiyan, it opened up a whole world of SukkinunDe's... with different names, Boorelu, Sugiyams etc., Its a small world after all... :-)

SukkinuDe can be made with either moong dal filling(BeLe SukkinunDe,the one shown here) or coconut filling(Kaayi SukkinunDe). Enjoyed with a little ghee, its a wonderful snack for anytime of the day!

Ingredients :
For the Outer Cover:
1/4 cup Urad Dal
2 full teaspoons Rice Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt

For the Filling :
1 cup Moong Dal
1/2 cup Jaggery, powdered
1/2 cup Coconut, grated
Pods of 2-3 Cardamoms, powdered

Oil for deep frying

Method :
For the Outer Cover:
1. Wash and soak the Urad Dal in enough water for atleast 3 hours.
2. Drain away the water and grind the dal into a fine paste, adding water as required.
3. Add the rice flour and mix in properly so that no lumps are formed.
4. Add the salt.

5. Mix the batter well and set aside. The consistency of this batter should be thinner than that of Dosay batter, so that it just forms a thin outer coating.

For the Filling :
1. Wash and soak the Moong dal for atleast 2 hours.
2. Drain away the water, and take only the dal in a pan. Add a little water, just so it covers the dal and cover. Cook on low flame until the dal softens and breaks apart. You can pressure cook the dal with very little water, for just one whistle, taking care not to make it watery and mushy.

3. Add the Jaggery and the Coconut and keep stirring until it becomes dry and forms one lump.
4. Mix in the cardamom powder. Let it cool down.

5. Once cool, make small round balls, slightly smaller than ping-pong balls and set aside.
6. Heat oil in a kadahi on medium-low flame. The oil should get hot but not smoking hot. If the oil gets too hot, the outer cover will disintegrate and the filling will be all over the place, messing up the oil. So take care to maintain a moderate temperature.

7. Dip each ball into the prepared batter, to coat evenly and gently release into the hot oil. You can fry 6-7 balls at a time.
8. Once golden-brown all over, drain and remove onto a plate lined with paper towel.
9. Repeat with the rest of the balls.
10. Serve warm or cold with ghee.

Haalubaayi

2010-02-26T03:20:00.000-08:00

My sweet tooth is in heaven right now. "Traditional Sweets Heaven" no less. Where else can that be other than India!! Yup I am in India on a two month long vacation and am enjoying every single moment of it. I am soaking up every bit of it..the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch.. my senses are on a high alert. After a month of hectic travelling around, I am now enjoying the slow paced, relaxed lifestyle at my Amma's place. The best part of staying at your parents', (other than their company ofcourse)?? Yummy Food! Dad's a foodie, and a sweet freak at that..(now you know where I get those traits from). Our(me and my 5yr old Son) arrival has automatically put a "sanctioned" seal on all his food cravings/demands. "Why don't you make this tomorrow? It's Alamelu's favorite. why dont yo make that one, its Aniketh's favorite??" Amma's only too glad to obilige, although she's well aware of what Appa's upto.. All-in-all everyone's happy, except maybe not my hubby, cos his wallet is going to be a lot lighter when I get back to US. Why? you ask?? Well, with all the gorging I'm doing, I'll have to shop for a whole new wardrobe as I'll be atleast 2 sizes bigger by the time I reach there :-)

Apart from all the other advantages, visiting India has given ample opportunities for my blog, although I haven't been as prompt in making use of the same. Anyways, here's a restart. This is one of my favorite sweet dishes. Its an easy to make, very healthy and tasty treat. My dad and my aunt fondly remembered my grandpa who's favorite dish this was. It seems he enjoyed this dish at all times, but more so whenever he was down with fever. So, here it is, for you all to try out and enjoy - the Haalubaayi. The main ingredient used in this dish is Rice. In different parts of Karnataka(my home state in India) this dish is prepared using different grains, like Raagi or Wheat pertaining to the availability/usage of grains. I've tasted the one prepared using Raagi. It's called "Khilsa" and it tastes equally good too.

Ingredients :

For the Haalubaayi :
1 cup Rice
1 cup grated Coconut
1 1/2 cups Jaggery
Seeds from 2-3 Cardamoms
1/4 teaspoon Salt

For the Kaayi Chutney:
1 cup grated Coconut
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
Seeds from 1 Cardamom

Method :

1. Smear a flat tray/plate with raised sides with ghee and set aside.
2. Fry the rice in a heavy bottomed pan, until it turns opaque and warm. It should NOT change color. Let itn cool down.
3. Soak the rice in water for an hour.
4. Drain all the water. Grind the rice with coconut and cardamom seeds using water until it becomes a fine paste. Transfer the paste to a heavy bottomed or non-stick pan.

5. Add 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water to the paste. Add Jaggery and let it melt. Add salt to this mixture.
6. At this point you can taste the liquid for sweetness and adjust as required.

7. Now, put the pan on medium heat and keep stirring the liquid using a flat spatula. The mixture will start to thicken. Keep scraping the spatla onto the sides of the pan and keep stirring the mixture. It will become thick and come together as a single solid mass. Keep on stirring until it stops sticking to the pan and you can see a shine on the surface. Add 1/2 a teaspoonful of ghee and mix well. All this should take about 20 minutes or so.

8. Put this soft mass into the tray/plate smeared with ghee and spread it out evenly using the spatula. 1/2 an inch of thickness is considered good for haalubaayi.

9. Let it cool down and then cut it into squares of desired size.
10. Grind all the ingredients for the chutney into a fine paste.
11. Serve the Haalubaayi with the Chutney and Ghee

Apple Kaayirasa/Gojju

2009-04-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

A very traditional dish, prepared using a very non-traditional ingredient. Everyone in Karnataka would have heard of one or the other version of kaayirasa which is commonly known as gojju. A sweet, sour n tangy curry, it keeps without spoiling for many days and can be made with a plethora of fruits and vegetables as the main ingredient. anaanas(pineapple), benDekaayi(okra), maavinkaayi(raw mango), doNmeNasinkyaai(capsicum) amTekaayi(donno the english name for these), haagalakaayi(bitter gourd) etc., all can be cooked using the same recipe to make the respective kaayirasa or gojju(like, anaanas kaayirasa, benDekaayi kaayirasa etc.,). Each fruit/veggie renders its own unique flavour, aroma and taste to the dish.

Granny Smith Apple

When one thinks of the kaayirasa/gojju, apples are not at all what comes to ones mind. In fact, when you say "apple gojju" people might even twist their faces in disgust. So, when I made this to be served as an item for lunch at Satyanarayana Pooje that we had performed, I did not tell anyone what it was. I just told them it was gojju and asked them to guess the ingredient. Everyone said they liked it a lot, and their guesses made me wonder "oh! why not? I can use those ingredients to make gojju too" hmmmm.... Some guessed it to be Sorekaayi/doodhi/Bottle gourd, some said it was Seemebadnekaayi/chayote squash and some said it was maavinakaayi/raw mangoes :-) No one even thought about apples! It was nice to see the expression on everybodys faces, when I told them it was apples- utter disbelief, surprise, skeptical- and then when I elaborated and said Green Granny Smith Apples - realisation, O oh! ok... 'twas real fun!

The important thing to remember here is to choose, firm, sour apples. If you dont find the Granny Smith apples, i'm sure you can substitute them with any raw, tart variety that is available. Go ahead and try, while I try making the gojju with either bottle gourd or chayote squash ;-)

Green Apples getting a bath...

Ingredients :

3 big Granny Smith Apples(if you can't find them you can use any firm, sour ones), washed, cored and cubed
1/2 cup fresh/frozen Coconut, grated
1 teaspoon Sambar Powder(don't have homemade? MTR Sambar Powder is the best alternative)
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/4 teaspoon Methi Powder(Fenugreek Seeds Powder)
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
2 teaspoons roasted yeLLu/til Seeds(Gingelly/Sesame Seeds)
1 tablespoon(or less, according to your taste) Powdered Jaggery(don't have it? you can use Brown Sugar instead)
1 teaspoon Tamarind Concentrate/paste/pulp
Salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon Jeerige/Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Saasve/Rai/Mustard Seeds
1/4 teaspoon ingu/Asafoetida
10-12 Curry leaves
4-5 Green chillies, slit lengthwise
2 tablespoons Oil

Method :

1. Grind all the powders with Coconut, jaggery, tamarind paste and the roasted sesame seeds into a fine paste and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a thick bottomed, wide brimmed vessel.
3. Once hot enough, add the Cumin and Mustard seeds. When they start sputtering, add the Asafoetida and then the curry leaves and the green chillies. Let them saute for a few minutes.
4. Now, add the apple cubes, mix in some salt and let them cook on medium heat. Cover the vessel with a lid.
5. When the apples are well cooked and tender, add the ground paste and mix well.
6. Adjust the consistency using water, as per your need. Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings.
7. Mix well and let it come to a boil.
8. Serve warm with rice, rotis, chapatis, parathas or even dosay! :-)

Ricotta Cheese Pedas

2009-04-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

I got an award today! YAY!!!! My first one..... Can't stop smiling.... :-) Lakshmi of TasteOfMysore has passed on this award to me

Here's a small token of thanks to Lakshmi for her nice gesture. A sweet treat! These pedas are easy to make and taste oh! so heavenly. I got the recipe for these from my dear friend Rajeshwari, who is a wonderful cook herself. When I asked her what she'd call these pedas, she said "Shaangulla". She made these for her son Sha"shaan"k's B'day and the "gulla" part comes from Rasgulla, so, "Shaangulla". How cool is that? Call them what you like.... they taste amazing.

Ingredients :
1 measure (15oz container) Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
1 measure Sugar (to measure, use the same container that the cheese is in)
2 measures Carnation Milk Powder
1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
1/2 teaspoon Saffron strands, soaked in 1/4 cup of warm milk
2 teaspoons Ghee
Almonds for garnish

Method :
1. In a heavy bottomed deep vessel, heat the two teaspoons of ghee.
2. Add the ricotta cheese to it and keep stirring, over medium-low heat. It will turn watery and start splattering. So, take care. You can cover it partially with a lid. Let it boil for 5 minutes.
3. Slowly add the milk powder to it and mix in well.
4. Add the Saffron strands and the milk in which they were soaking.
5. Now, add the sugar little at a time and keep mixing it until well blended. The mixture will again turn watery and start splattering. So, cover partially with a lid and keep mixing, until the mixture forms a soft mass.
6. Allow it to cool down. Shape into desired shapes and decorate with almonds.

Masaalpuri (Masaale Poori)

2009-04-15T07:28:00.001-07:00

"One Plate Massaalpuri!"

I don't think anyone from Karnataka needs an introduction to this delicious hot favorite street snack. Everyone has their own favorite street food vendor who specializes in "Masaale Poori"(It just becomes "Masaalpuri" in spoken Kannada), who makes it just the right way one wants it. But here, in the US, the land devoid of Indian Chaat Centres, when evening coffee times seemed so desolate, when cravings went unfulfilled, my dear friend Roshan, "a Cook with a Shining Ladle" a la "Knight in a Shining Armour" came to my rescue. His recipe for Masaalpuri is amazing, its a lifesaver!!. Now, though its not as easy as walking down the street and ordering a plate, it is sooo much better than nothing and cleaner than the road side vendor(Not that, it would stop me from eating street food in India anyday..) :-) . Well, all it needs is a little bit of planning... and voila! you can have Masaalpuri every evening of the week! How cool is that?

Ingredients:

1 pack Puris/Golgappas
1 pack PaapDi(optional)

For Masala:
1 1/2 cups Dry Greeen Peas
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1 1/2 tbsp Corriander powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Black Pepper powder
1/2 tsp Aamchur powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Chaat masala powder(optional)
1 small Onion, cubed
1 small Tomato, cubed
1 small Potato boiled and mashed.
8-9 Green chillies
1 inch piece Ginger
2 cloves of Garlic
2-3 Curry leaves
1/2 cup Corriander leaves
Salt, to taste

Method:
1. Soak the peas for atleast 6-7 hours and boil until tender with a little salt. If you wish to pressure cook it, take care to remove it from heat after just 2 whistles. Otherwise you will end up with mushy peas.
2. Grind about 1/2 of the peas to fine paste along with all the ingredients listed above for the masala.
3. Take this paste into a container, add the remaining peas and some water(to get somewhere near dose batter consistency) to it and let it come to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for about 10-15 min.
4. Do a taste test, add whatever is required(salt, masala powders etc.,) and adjust.
5. Keep the masala warm.

Spicy Chutney:
1 cup Mint Leaves
1/2 cup Corriander Leaves
3 Green Chillies
1 big clove of Garlic
Salt

Method:
1. Grind everything to a fine paste using around 1/2 cup water. Adjust to taste.

Sweet Chutney:
1 tablespoon Tamarind pulp
8-10 dates, soaked in water and pressure cooked
1 teaspoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cumin Powder
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Grind everything to a fine paste using around 1/2 cup water. Adjust to taste.

For the topping:
Finely chopped Onions(preferably Red onions)
Finely chopped Tomatoes
Finely chopped Coriander leaves
Fresh cut Limes
1 pack Thin Sev or Sev Mixture

To Serve :-
1. Crush 8-10 Pooris and Paapdis(if using) in a plate.

2. Pour a ladlefull of the peas and masala mixture on top of the crushed pooris.

3. Add spoonfuls of the Sweet and Spicy chutneys.

4. Top with chopped Onions, Tomatoes and Coriander leaves. Squeeze Lime juice over it.

5. Finally top with the fine Sev or Sev Mixture and ENJOY!

badnekaayi-yeNNegaayi palya

2009-03-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have come across all kinds of eaters. The annoying "Picky eaters" who will just NOT eat certain kinds of foods or who will ONLY eat certain ones. They have a say in everything, this is too oily, too spicy, too bland, contains this, does not contain this, too hard, too soft, too sticky and may be even too tasty! Then, there are the equally annoying "will eat anything" kind. Food is a mere means of sustenance for these people. You'd be waiting all your life to get a comment out of their mouths, in vain. Then there are those who Love n Live to eat and those who eat to live. Those who like to experiment, try out new stuff, to cook and eat new things, new flavors and those who are happy to stick to a safe, well-known, traditional menu.

I used to be a picky eater..."radishes are too smelly", "idlis are too bland", "uppittu is yucky" etc., etc., Breakfast times always saw a sulky me, resulting in a tiff with amma. She would give up on me with the words, "you will realise one day, when you have to cook for yourself, when you have a family to feed". That day is here. I am exactly at the spot she referred to. I feel sorry for what I did and realize her worth, love and respect her all the more.

Well, coming to today's dish. It is badnekaayi/brinjal/baingan. This is one of the vegetables that probably has people on the extremes. There are people who either LOVE it or outright HATE it. I am not a big fan of brinjal but then neither do I hate it. Its just any other vegetable, something for another day of the week. But then I simply love the way it transforms itself into such lovely dishes badnekaayi chutney, gojju, huLi/sambar, aloo-baingan subzi and this exotic "yeNNegaayi palya". Typically a recipe of the Northern part of Karnataka, it has found its way into the plate and hearts of all Kannadigas. So, here's my version of the same.

One more thing I'd like to add here is the use of "huchcheLLu puDi" or nyjer seeds powder. Using this in the recipe adds a very authentic flavor and texture to the dish. But then, I guess it also takes some getting used to. It is not very visually pleasing. My aunt says it looks like "shaved off stubble", and very truly so. It is readily available everywhere in Karnataka,India. Here in the US, I've not found it with any of the grocers. But I know that Nyjer seeds are used as bird feed to attract finches. But I'm not really sure if they are fit for human consumption. More information here. My stock of the powder from India has long depleted. So, I did not used it when I made this.

Ingredients :

6-8 small, purple, Indian eggplant/brinjal
8-10 curry leaves
1 1/2 cup grated Coconut (fresh/frozen)
4-5 Green Chillies
1 medium sized Onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of Garlic
2 teaspoons yeLLu(til, sesame seeds)
2 teaspoons Groundnuts
2 heaped teaspoons huLi puDi(Sambar powder.If you don't have homemade powder, use MTR Sambar Powder)
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 heaped teaspoon kurshaNi puDi/huchcheLLu puDi(Nyjer seeds powder) - Optional
1 tablespoon Tamarind extract
2 teaspoons crushed Jaggery - Optional
Salt, to taste
Coriander leaves, for garnish
Oil

Method :

1. Wash the brinjal and set aside. Heat a small pan. Dry roast the groundnuts and then the sesame seeds. Put them into a blender. Add green chillies, garlic and a heaped teaspoon of chopped onions into the same pan. Dry roast these until black spots appear on the chillies and the garlic. Put them into the blender.

2. Add coconut, sambhar powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, tamarind extract, jaggery and nyjer seeds powder(if using) into the blender along with the above stuff and grind into a smooth paste using water.
3. Slit the brinjal into quaters such that they are still attached to the stalk at the bottom. Fill the slit brinjal with the above paste, and set aside.

4. In a flat wide pan heat about 1/4 cup of oil. When hot enough, add curry leaves and the remaining chopped onions and saute until translucent. Now, gently place the stuffed brinjal in the pan, such that they don't touch each other. Pour any remaining masala paste into the pan. Do a taste test of the gravy/paste and adjust as needed. Cover the pan and let the brinjal cook over medium heat.
5. Once or twice in between, turn the brinjal so that it gets cooked on all sides. If the gravy is too thick add some water to get the right consistency.
6. Turn off the heat once the brinjal is thoroughly cooked. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
7. Enjoy with akki roTTi or joLada(jowar) roTTi along with badnekaayi chutney

Halasina haNNina muLka(Jackfruit Fritters)

2009-03-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

Halasina haNNina muLka or Jackfruit Fritters are a very common evening time snack in the MalenaaDu and South Kanara regions of Karnataka. With almost every house having a Jackfruit tree in its backyard, people have made this fruit a part and parcel of their daily life.

This is the first time I ever made these. When I asked my mom for the recipe over the phone, the first question they asked me was " Do you get Jackfruit there in Wisconsin?". Back in India, I never felt the need to make them. Hubby is not a big fan of these...for him Fritters are to be read "savoury/spicy". He had not even heard of these until he saw them at my mom's place. So, I didn't bother preparing them, as I got my share of muLkas whenever I visited Shimoga, and I was quite happy with that. When I saw Lakshmi's post announcing AFAM-Jackfruit, I knew I wanted to these. My son loves Jackfruit. When I made these and placed them before him, he was curious and wary. After the first one though, there was no stopping him. He just Loved it! I could not be any happier. Thanks Lakshmi, for this event. :-) I enjoyed a wonderful Mother and Son moment, as we sat happily snacking away on the muLkas, until the last of the batch was GONE!

Recently when my dad sent me some pics from back home he also thoughtfully sent me a pic of the fruit bearing jackfruit tree in his small garden. My son couldn't wait to get back there and taste the fruit. That simple picture opened a floodgate of memories and made me want to go back all the more...The Jackfruit tree at my parent's place, in Shimoga

Ingredients:

For the muLka(Fritters):
1/2 cup Rice
1 and 1/2 cups of fresh Jackfruit chopped into small pieces
OR
1 8 oz can Jackfruit in syrup(This is what I used as I wasn't lucky enough to get fresh ones)
1/4 cup fresh/frozen grated Coconut
1/4 cup light colored,powdered Jaggery or Light Brown Sugar
Oil for deep frying

For the Chutney:
1/2 cup fresh/frozen grated Coconut
2 pods of Cardamom
1 teaspoon Sugar

Method:

1. Dry roast the rice on low flame until it turns light pinkish in color.
2. Once the rice cools down, grind it to a fine paste along with the jackfruit(discard the syrup if using canned ones), coconut and jaggery. Do not add any water while grinding.
2. Heat oil for deep frying in a wok/kadai. Once hot enough, drop about one tablespoonful of batter per muLka/fritter and deep fry on medium heat until golden brown. You can fry upto 8 muLkas/fritters at a time.
3. Drain and take out on a paper towel.
4. Grind all the ingredients for the chutney to a fine paste.
5. Serve the fritters with the mildly sweet coconut chutney. You can also try serving it with ghee and honey.

This plate of muLkas goes to Lakshmi of Taste of Mysore who is hosting the event AFAM-Jackfruit. Also I will be sending my other Jackfruit dish - Banana-Jackfruit Halwa over to this event too. AFAM is the brainchild of Maheshwari. Great event idea Lakshmi and Maheshwari, thanks for hosting it. I can't wait to see what others have to offer. :-)

Badnekaayi Chutney

2009-02-17T10:12:00.000-08:00

Chapati with ridgegourd raita and Badnekaayi Chutney

This here is a very rustic kind of dish. The modern day blenders don't do any justice to this one as a simple pestle and mortar would. Though it is just a condiment/chutney/dip, and it sits insignificantly in one corner of your plate, the smokey flavor, the coarse texture and the heat in every bite transport you back to an era of dark low roofed kitchens, with stoves burning firewood, heavy brass plates to eat in, a mat on the mud smeared floor to sit on and loving hands serving you.

I must warn you about the heat level of this chutney though. It is a bit(?!?!?!) on the UP side of the scale. But that is how it is supposed to be. Usually it is served with a dab of oil or ghee(clarified butter) on top of it. But the brave at heart, go for it as is. whatever you prefer, it sure is a treat! Hope y'all enjoy.

Ingredients :

1 Medium sized Italian Eggplant or 4 medium Indian Eggplants
(Eggplant = badnekaayi/baingan)
1/4 cup finely chopped Onions
3-4 cloves of Garlic
3-4 Green Chillies
1 cup Coriander leaves, washed and trimmed
1/2 inch piece of Tamarind
Salt, to taste

Method :

1. Rub cooking oil onto the eggplant/s and roast them directly on the flame until the skin gets all charred up. If you don't have access to flame, you can broil them in the oven, turning once in a while until all the sides are black.
2. Keep the roasted eggplants in a covered vessel for about 10 minutes. This will allow them to get cooked on the inside.
3. In the meanwhile, dry roast the garlic and the green chillies until black spots appear on them.
4. Now, remove the eggplant/s from the covered vessel. Peel out and discard the charred skin. Mash the flesh to a coarse pulp.
5. Add the Coriander leaves, green chillies, garlic, tamarind and salt into a blender and grind into a fine paste.(see Note below)
6. Take the paste into a bowl, add the mashed eggplant/s pulp and the chopped onions and mix well. Enjoy spicy chutney with akki rotti, or chapatis.

Note: If you don't like the texture of crunchy onions in your chutney, you can dry roast the onions too, and add it with the other ingredients to make the paste.

Closeup View

Well, for all its worth, this was meant to be an entry for the Chutney/Dip Mania event hosted by Ramya of Mane Adige and I missed it by ONE WEEK straight! :-(

Mixed Vegetable Bonda

2009-02-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

Bisi Bisi Bonda..(Bisi = Hot)an irresistible appetizer, served mostly at Buffets in India, somehow I feel this one is not as popular as its other deep fried counterparts as a street food. People eat onion pakodas, bajjis, aamboDe etc., but somehow forget this tasty, healthy(except for the deep-fried part ;-) ) snack. The other day this one came to my rescue when I had run out of ideas for evening time snacks. My memory cells juggled this one out and I said why not! Turned out to be quite a hit. Crispy on the outside, soft, savoury filling on the inside, each bite is a taste explosion.

Next time you have to make appetizers for a party, a potluck or a weekend tea, think Big, think Bold, think BONDA! Enjoy..

Ingredients:

For the Filling:
1 big Potato, boiled, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup Onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup Carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup Cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/4 cup Beans, finely chopped
1/4 cup Peas(I used frozen. If using fresh, cook them separately in boiling water)
4-5(or as required) Green Chillies, minced/finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Cumin(Jeerige) powder
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric(Arishina) powder
1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala powder, optional
2 teaspoons Lime Juice or 1/4 teaspoon Amchoor powder
Salt, to taste

For the Batter:
1 cup Gram Flour(kaDle hiTTu/besan)
Note: Use "ladu besan", if you can get it. It is coarser in texture than the fine flour and tends to make the bonDas crispier.
1/2 cup Rice Flour(akki hiTTu)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Carrom seeds(Om kaaLu)
1/2 teaspoon Red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Oil, for deep frying

Method:

1. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan. When hot enough add the onions and saute until translucent.
2. Now add the other vegetables one after the other, sauteing for 2-3 minutes after each addition, cover the pan and let them cook. Add a little(3-4 teaspooons) water if necessary. (I add the veggies in this order, Beans, Carrots, Cauliflower and Peas)
3. When all the veggies are cooked and tender, mix in the mashed potato. This acts as a binder. Then, add Salt and all other powders and mix well.
4. Take off the heat. Add lime juice and mix. Do a taste test. Adjust seasonings as needed and let it cool. When cold enough to handle, make small quarter/one rupee coin sized balls and set aside.
5. Mix all the ingredients for the batter in a vessel. Add water slowly, little at a time and make a smooth, lumpless, thick batter. When dropped from a spoon the batter should fall down in chunks and not as a stream. This is so that it will form a nice outer coating to the bondas.
6. Heat the oil for frying in a deep wok(kadai).
7. Add 2 teaspoons of the hot oil to the batter and mix in.
8. Now, dip each veggie ball into the batter so that it forms an even coat around the ball and gently drop the coated ball into the hot oil. Continue with the other balls. Depending on the size of your kadai, add as many bondas as would fit in one layer.(6 should be ideal, as the bondas will fluff up)
9. Fry until they are golden brown in color. Using a slotted spoon, strain onto a paper lined plate.
10. Serve hot with green chutney or ketchup.

Radishes - my first entry for Click!

2009-01-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

Who can say these small, juicy, red beauties are packed with loads of nutrition or are so pungent, most people find them repulsive. I love to use these in sambhar, parathas or salads. Though these look very different to the Daikon variety found in India, they taste pretty much the same.

Today, as I opened a pack of these to cook, I was reminded of the wonderful photography event, Click, hosted by Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi. I have been following through each of their events. Love the pictures... this is one place where food becomes a feast for the eyes!!! So, here's my entry for January-2009's event which is "Red".

Gobi Manchurian

2009-01-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

Wanna bite anybody?......

This so called Indo-Chinese dish is a must have on the menu of street foods. Does it really have its origins in China???. Sincerely, I don't know and frankly, I dont care. There is a saying in Kannada that goes ..."rushi moola, nadi moola, naari moola noDbaardu" that means something like, "Don't try to find the origins of an ascetic/saint, a river or a woman. It doesn't matter where they are from. what matters is what they are now". I believe the same applies to certain foods, Gobi Manchurian being one of them ;-)

From being a big "treat" among friends, a humble appetizer at lavish wedding buffets, something that satisfied my SIL's pregnancy cravings to something that we crave for here in US the Gobi Manchurian has certainly been and will be an integral part of my foodie life. I remember the first time I made Gobi Manchurian. I was new bride at my In-law's place and my culinary skills were yet to be called "skills". I had taken almost the whole day to chop the onions and garlic and chillies(for 7-8 people) to saute them and to put together the sauce. Frying the cauliflower was more time consuming. But then, I finally had achieved it. It tasted O..K..., not a disaster, thankfully. My BIL's friend turned up, and they teased me no end, refusing to eat it saying they didn't want to be guinea pigs. My FIL braved to eat it though he couldn't help commenting that it looked like Chicken. Finally, everyone ate it and I got positive comments wrt the taste of the dish. Phew! But, the one advice that I took to heart came from my hubby's granma, who couldnt see me slogging in the kitchen. She said "Why do you want to go through all that trouble? Spend 10 Rs. and you can eat all you want" :-) How true! After that day, I might have made Gobi Manchurian one or two times more in all the 5 years that I stayed in Bangalore. I truly feel its better to go out and eat such foods rather than slog at home, if you are in India. But if you are in a place like US, then, you better learn and make it yourself, at home.

Spicy, Crispy and "Bullseye" on the YUM factor!.....

Ingredients :

For the Gobi(Cauliflower) :
2 cups of small Cauliflower florets. Washed, in warm salt water
5 heaped teaspoons All Purpose Flour/Maida
3 heaped teaspoons cornflour
Salt, to taste
Oil, for deep frying

For the Sauce :
1 Medium onion, chopped fine
3 cloves of Garlic, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon Ginger paste
3-4 Green Chillies, chopped fine
1/2 cup Tomato sauce
1/4 cup Soy sauce
2 teaspoons Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 teaspoon Pepper Powder
2 tablespoons of oil
Salt to taste

Method :

1. First prepare the sauce. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil, in a pan. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies and saute, until the onions are translucent.
2. Then, add the tomato and soy sauce, vinegar, chilli powder, pepper powder and salt and let it all come to a boil.
3. Do a taste test, check the salt and spice and add as needed.
4. Now that the sauce is ready, time to fry the cauliflower. Heat the oil for frying in a deep wok.
5. While the oil is heating, make a batter of the Maida, cornflour and salt using water. The batter should be fairly thin. It should just form a thin film on the cauliflower florets.
6. Dip the florets in the batter and deep fry in hot oil, until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.
7. Finish frying all the florets this way.
8. When you are ready to serve, warm up the sauce and mix in the florets so that they are all well coated. Garnish with chopped green onions, stick some toothpicks and you are all set to sink your teeth into mmmmmmmmmm........

Banana-Jackfruit Halwa

2009-01-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

"Jackfruit" called "halasu" in Kannada conjures up a whole world of culinary adventure. The tree falls next in place to the Coconut tree which is called as the "kalpavruksha"(wishtree). Just like the coconut tree almost every part of the Jackfruit has some or the other use. The wood from the tree is used in making furniture and the musical instrument, Veena. The leaves are used in cooking a kind of dumpling called as the "koTTe kaDubu" where koTTe = packet and kaDubu = dumpling. Four leaves are pinned together using thin wooden srtips to form a packet. Batter made of black gram and rice is poured into these packets which are then steamed. The leaves impart a delicate aroma to the dumpling which is a cherished delicacy in many families in Southern/coastal Karnataka. The fruits, both raw and ripe are used in the preparation of an insane variety of dishes, ranging from chips to savoury sides to desserts. Even the seeds don't go waste. Popped into burning coal, or used in huLi(sambar, a kind of curry) along with ash gourd, it add a whole different dimension to taste. This is the extent of my knowledge. I am sure there are others out there who can add a lot more to this.

This spiky giant of a fruit poses quite a task when it comes to trimming and extracting the edible part. Used newspapers are spread out, coconut oil is kept handy, a big bowl is kept in the centre to collect the edible fruit. Someone(usually the men in the house) cuts up the big jackfruit into halves, quarters and then 1/8ths which is then handed out to everyone gathered around. Everyone then rubs coconut oil onto their palms to keep the sap from sticking and sets about separating the flesh from the sheaths, and the seeds from the fruit. The fruit goes into the bowl in the centre, if it manages to escape one's mouth ;-) . The seeds are kept aside. The peel and the non edible parts are then chopped up to bite sized pieces and set aside to treat the cows in the barn or the stray cows that come to the gate, attracted by the smell.

It is a whole ritual in itself. I can't help but remember the summer holidays of my childhood days when mangoes and jackfruit were an integral part. Funny anecdotes, laughter and great conversations flowed freely around the jackfruit. Now, it gets as difficult as opening a can. Jackfruit was one of the things I missed after marriage and moving to Bangalore. Once, near Commercial street in Bangalore, I saw a vendor selling what looked like juicy pieces of the fruit. But I did not feeling like buying any when I heard his ridiculous price of 5 Rs. per piece. After moving to US I had totally forgotten about this fruit. I always passed by the aisle of canned fruits as if they did not exist. But then my curiosity got better of me and I could not help buying a can. The taste of the fruit immersed in a sugary syrup came nowhere near to the fresh ones. After taking it out of the syrup it should be consumed immediately. Else, it becomes this fibrous mass, which gets very difficult to swallow. My lil one liked it a lot, and I couldn't help pitying him for what he is missing. :-( . I could not bring myself to eat it all, and hence thought of this halwa....

Ingredients:

4 cups ripe Bananas, mashed(About 8 big bananas)
2 cups sweet ripe Jackfruit, chopped into small pieces(I used canned fruit)
2 cups Sugar
2 tablespoons Ghee

Method :

1. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel.
2. Add the mashed banana and the jackfruit pieces.
3. Mix well and close the lid on the vessel. Let it cook well on low flame. Stir once or twice in between so that the mixture doesn't stick to the vessel.
4. Once the mixture is cooked, add the sugar. Mit it in. Keep stirring the mixture, until it becomes a thick mass.
5. Add the remaining ghee and stir well once again.
6. Once the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan, and forms one thick mass, transfer it to a greased plate. Flatten and let it cool. Then, cut it into desired shapes and enjoy!

Menasinakaayi Bajji

2009-01-08T07:49:00.001-08:00

This one is an all time fav of us Kannadigas. There's hardly a person who'd say no to these bisi-bisi(hot) meNasinakaayi(chilli pepper) bajjis(fritters). Be it cold & gloomy winter evenings, chilly & mushy rainy days or even hot & humid summer afternoons, any time is the right time for this snack. Over a cup of coffee, with khara manDakki(spiced puffed rice) along the side or all by itself, this snack rules.

Conversations flow easily around a plate of bajji. The hand and mouth move in rythmic practiced choreography, eyes constantly keep track of the dwindling number of bajjis on the plate, the brain calculating the best way to make the most of the opportunity without seeming greedy and all this, while small talk and sweet smile remains glued on to ones lips. :-) Each bite, between sips of coffee is oh! so heavenly. As the heat of the chillies hit the tongue, beads of perspiration form on the forehead and tip of the nose, the ears turn red as if shied by the much anticipated taste encounter...and pure bliss descends upon your whole being...and you are ready yet again for another bite of the same thrill...

I am NOT exaggerating. This is what really happens. Next time your friends drop in, make these and serve it up and observe...You'll get to see some remarkable aspects of human behavior. During my school days, we all cousins would gather at my uncle's place for summer hols, and he would get these fried snacks(bajjis, bondas, aambodes) for us in the evening, from his favorite vendor in Shimoga. He would sit back with his cup of coffee and let us dig in. One day, years later, long after our school days and summer hols etc., as I sat talking to my uncle, remembering those days, he reveled a small secret. He would always ask the vendor to pack one extra piece of snack. As we kids ate our share, there would be that one extra delicacy waiting to be picked up. He loved to watch our reactions then. Some feeling shy to go for it, others waiting to see who would finish their share first and pick it up etc.. Sounds interesting, isn't it??

There's no such vendor here... so, here's my recipe for Menasinakaayi bajji. Enjoy it!

Ingredients:

1 cup Kadle hiTTu(besan/gram flour)
1/2 cup akki hiTTu(rice flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust as required)
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (adjust as required)
1/2 teaspoon Om kaaLu(Ajwain/Carom Seeds)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of Ingu(Hing/Asefoetida)
A pinch of Turmeric powder
2-3 teaspoons hot oil
6 Jalapeno peppers, washed and slit in half lengthwise, along with the stem
(If you find the jalapenos too spicy, discard the seeds. Or, you can use either green bell peppers cut into strips or banana peppers instead of jalapenos)
Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. In a wide bowl, mix all the ingrediens, except the peppers.
2. Add water, little at a time and mix to form a thick batter(like idli or pancake batter). Taste the batter and adjust the salt and spice levels as needed.
3. Heat oil in a kadai/deep wok. When hot, add a drop of the batter to check. If the batter sizzles and floats up to the surface then, the oil is ready.
4. Dip the peppers in the batter one at a time, so that it forms a thick coating and gently drop it into the batter. Repeat. You can fry up to 6 bajjis at a time.
5. When one side is golden, flip the bajjis and let the other side cook. Once done, take the bajjis out using a slotted spoon and let it drain on paper.
6. Finish up frying all the bajjis. Take care to maintain the temperature of the oil. If it is too hot, the batter gets burnt and the pepper will not get evenly cooked. If the oil is not hot enough, the bajjis will soak up a lot of oil.
7. Serve hot with ketchup, or chopped onions mixed with salt, lime juice and chaat masala.

Gingerbread Cookies

2009-01-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas is long gone... and so are the gingerbread cookies that I baked then. 'Twas all my son's doing. His classmate's mom made them and sent one cute gingerbread man for each kid in the class, with the each kid's name written in icing on the cookie, no less. My son was all excited. He had a big discussion with his teacher who told him she had baked some too... She told him they can be made into all different kinds of shapes. My son had reached a decision then and there. Back home that day, as he sat relishing his cookie, he divulged his plan to me. "Amma,", he said, "lets bake some gingerbread cookies for Christmas. Lets make some gingerbread boys and girls for my friends and christmas tree for me and a snowman for Appa". "What about me?" I ask. "You can make whatever shape you want".

His enthusiasm rubbed off on me. I just didn't want to disappoint him. So, I set about the task of finding the right recipe and landed on this one here. Of course, I made a few changes here and there after some more R&D over the internet, as I wanted to make do with the ingredients I had on hand, like the light brown sugar instead of the dark, honey instead of molasses, store bought vanilla icing and sprinkles etc. I converted the recipe to half the quantity as I am not a great baker and was skeptical how this would turn out.

My son helped out a lot, sifting the flour, adding the dry ingredients, cracking the egg(this was his fav part). He called us "Little Chef and Big Chef". I didn't care how the cookies turned out, cos all my efforts were paid off by his excitement and pride of being a part of the whole project. I made all the shapes he wanted, and with the rest of the dough I just made hearts. The dough yielded 10 figurines, 30 hearts and one batch of 30 burnt hearts :-( yup, I burnt a batch of cookies. I did not turn on the timer and totally forgot all about it. 30 minutes later, I had 30 hearts burning in my oven :-( Well, atleast I had some good ones too...I iced them, decorated them with the sprinkles and voila! there they were, looking cute???(I was horrible with the icing) and smelling heavenly.

A very happy and proud "Little Chef" distributed the cookies to our friends the next day. Well, the verdict? They had turned out amazing. All the kids and parents alike loved the cookies. What more can I say? It might just be the start of a new tradition in my home :-) Hope y'all enjoy tooo...

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups plus 2-3 teaspoons sifted all-purpose flour
3/8 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 stick unsalted butter (room temperature, softened)
1/4 cup Light brown sugar, packed
1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup Honey
Optional raisins, chocolate chips, candy pieces, frosting
Store bought Royal Vanilla Icing

Method

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
2. In another bowl cream the butter. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in eggs and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture and keep mixing using a long wooden spoon.
3. Divide dough in thirds; wrap each third in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Before rolling out, let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. If after refrigerating the dough feels too soft to roll-out, work in a little more flour.
4. Heat oven to 350°. Place a dough third on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper or wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate again for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Use either a cookie cutter or just freehand(as I did) use a knife to cut into desired shapes. Press raisins, chocolate chips, or candy pieces in the center of each cookie if desired for "buttons".
5. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Bake until crisp but not darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit a few minutes and then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Carrot Halwa

2009-01-05T06:59:00.001-08:00

Let me start by wishing everyone a very Happy and Sweet New Year, 2009!

I know I've been neglecting my blog. Its been sooo long since I updated it. I can list ample excuses here... but I guess I'll pass ;-) . I have a whole parade of pictures lined up, waiting to be shown off. So, without any further ado, I think I'll just put up all of them one after the other.

We happened to meet one of my hubby's friend and his family for lunch this Sunday. Two other families joined us too. Sri's friend said it was tradition for them to have Indian Buffet after Church every Sunday. All Americans, I could see that they loved Indian food, especially the Carrot Halwa. Even the one and a half year old couldnt get enough of it. The little older ones referred to it as the 'Orange Thingy' :-). No surprises there, everyone loves the 'Gajar Ka Halwa' as it has been immortalized by Bollywood, where the heroine always makes it to woo her man. Many a wedding receptions in India offer hot Carrot Halwa with cold Vanilla Icecream for dessert. I have a friend who does not like the smell of cooked carrots, but he likes the concept of this halwa sooo much that he substitutes beetroots for carrots and makes beetroot halwa instead, which tastes amazingly good too. But, for me, this is one evergreen dessert, or should I say, everOrange?? ;-)

So, here's starting the new year with a sweet note, the Carrot Halwa!

Ingredients:

2lb (1 Kg) juicy orange Carrots, washed, peeled and grated
3 cups Whole Milk
1lb (500 gms) Sugar
1 teaspoon Cardamom powder
1/2 cup Ghee/Clarified Butter
Almonds,Cashews and Raisins for garnish

Method:

1. Add milk to the grated carrots and pressure cook for about 3 whistles.
2. Once cool enough to handle, transfer the cooked carrots, to a thick bottomed pan, on medium heat.
3. Add the sugar and keep stirring until all the liquid evaporates.
4. Add the ghee and keep mixing until it all comes together in one thick mass, and starts glistening(ghee starts separating).
5. Steps 3 and 4 together should take somewhere around 40 minutes. Keep stirring on medium-low heat until you achieve this.
6. Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and add it to the halwa. Mix in the cardamom powder.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with almomds, or maybe with a dollop of Vanilla Icecream!

Tip:
You can use condensed milk for a richer taste. Just reduce the quantity of milk to 1.5 cups while pressure cooking. Add about 1 cup of condensed milk when you transfer the cooked carrots to the thick bottomed vessel. Adjust the sugar accordingly, if you are using sweetened condensed sugar.

Akki-kaDle Payasa

2008-10-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Navaratri and Dasara have come and gone. We celebrated at a friend's place one of the 10 days. We were 10 ladies, doing Kunkumaarchane, reading the Devi AshTottaras and reciting Ayigiri Nandini from printouts finally ending it all with a sumptuous meal and Dandiya(sort of..). In all we had a wonderful time. It was kind of a 'home away from home' experience, while truthfully, I wouldn't have done half the things had I been back in India. Like my dad says, its human tendency to crave for what is not 'naturally' available. When things are easily available or handed down to us, we tend to take them for granted. Rarity is what makes stuff precious. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. How very true is it all... Being here this festival, the only thing I missed was handing over the Banni leaves to my parents and seeking their blessings in person. Even hours of phone calls will not come anywhere near to it.
Thats it... I am not going to get any more 'senti' over it. I just hope you all had a wonderful Navaratri and Dasara too...

I mostly celebrate festivals here so as to let my son learn our traditions and pass on what little knowledge I have of our Culture, over to him. I definitely dont want him to grow up thinking Halloween, Thanksgiving etc., are the only festivals. I have been telling him stories of Mahishaasura Mardini, the significance of the nine days, Saraswati Pooje, Aayudha Pooje and Vijayadashami. On Navami/Ayudha Pooja day, He was all excited about cleaning up his scoter, tricycle and bicycle and decorating it with flowers and 'arashina-kunkuma' and 'akshathe' just like his dad's car. It was fun watching him hustling in and out of the house doing it all. It was a simple but satisfying affair. I had prepared 'akki-kaDle' Payasa (Rice and Bengal Gram Pudding) for the Neivedya(offering), and thought I'll share it with all my readers too...

A closer look....

Ingredients :

1/2 cup kaDle beLe (Bengal gram/Chana Dal)
1/2 cup Basmati Rice
1 cup Powdered Jaggery or Brown Sugar or Sugar
1 cup Coconut milk
2 cups Whole milk
2 teaspoonfuls Cashew pieces
2 teaspoonfuls Raisins
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
Ghee for frying

Method :

1. Mix the kaDle beLe and rice in a bowl and wash with cold water and drain. Repeat two more times.
2. Add the milk and pressure cook it for 4-5 whistles.
3. When the cooker is cool enough to handle, remove the bowl of cooked dal and rice and place on heat.
4. Add the coconut milk and the sweetener of your choice and bring to a boil. Keep stirring to avoid the milk sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5. In a small bowl, heat ghee. Add the cashews and fry until slightly browned. Add it to the rice and dal mixture(Payasa).
6. In the same hot ghee, add the raisins and fry until they plump up. Add these to the Payasa too.
7. Finally add the cardamom powder and mix well.
8. You can adjust the consistency of the Payasa by adding more milk/coconut milk. Don't forget to add sweetener accordingly.
9. Enjoy warm or cold!

This almost made it to the event hosted by Lakshmi of Taste of Mysore who is celebrating Navaratri and Dasara, a la Mysore style. But I missed it :-(
No worries, there's always a next time. All the yummy stuff that she has whipped up in her kitchen and the info laden posts on her site are so bookmarked.

Paneer-Capsicum Subzi

2008-10-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

When you want to eat/serve up chapatis and are deterred by the thought of all the hard work(Chopping Veggies!!!) that goes into making a subzi, this one here is a sure life saver. Just back from work? Can't bear the thought of standing in front of the stove for a long time??? Then try this subzi...It looks grand, elaborate and time consuming, it has paneer in it, it tastes great, it has paneer in it, surprisingly it cooks up in a jiffy, so much so that I love to call it the 'jhat-pat' subzi andit has PANEER in it!!!!! :-). Also, it is a very party-friendly dish. You can cook it as easily for a big crowd as you would for 2 or 3. So, all you paneer lovers, get ready to treat your palettes to this wonderfully simple yet tasty dish.

Back in India, I used to watch a lot of Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana. Veg-Paneer Jalfraizie was a recipe featured in this show, that caught my fancy. I learnt it and would cook it up quite often. This paneer-capsicum subzi is a toned down version of Sanjeev Kapoor's Veg-Paneer Jalfraizie which contains 4-5 mixed veggies and different spices.

You can improvise on this one in many ways. Make the gravy richer, by adding soaked cashews ground to a paste, or use different colored peppers to make it colorful etc., So, here goes.....

Ingredients :

1 big Capsicum(Green bell pepper) - Washed, deseeded and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 cup Paneer - Cut into 1 cm cubes
1/2 big onion - cut into approximately 1 cm squares
2 Tablespoons Tomato paste OR 1 big Tomato, pureed
1/2 teaspoon Jeera(Cumin) seeds
1/4 cup fresh cream (Optional)
Mixed Spice Powders:(adjust the quantities as per your requirements)
1 teaspoon Red Chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon Jeera powder
1/2 teaspoon Dhaniya powder
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala powder
2 Tablespoons Oil
Salt, to taste

Method :

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Add the jeera to it and let it splutter.
3. Now, add the onions and saute until slightly transluscent.
4. Add the Capsicum and saute. Sprinkle some salt over it and mix well. Close the lid and let it cook until tender, but not over cooked. Keep stirring in between, to avoid charring.
5. Now add the Tomato paste/puree and mix well. If you are using the paste, then you will have to add some water, about 1/4 cup, and mix. Let it come to a boil.
5. Finally add the Paneer, the spice powder mix, salt and the fresh cream(if using)and stir to blend well. Close the lid and let it cook for approximately 5 minutes on low heat. Do not cook for more than 5 minutes after adding the paneer, cos, then, it will become hard.
6. Remove from heat and serve with chapatis/parathas/phulkas etc.,

Tortilla Wrap

2008-09-10T10:09:00.001-07:00

Friday night dinners at home usually venture into cuisines from far off lands.... Mexican, Greek, Italian etc., All are experimental efforts to create and improvise at home whatever I've tasted outside and found too bland for our palette. Mexican is one cuisine that comes closest to Indian food with respect to the use of salt and spices, and a favorite in my family too...

My dad for one whould never say yes to this dish. He would have questions right from the name of the dish(why are there TWO L's if they are to be silent?? why should it be called "Tor-tee-ya"?) to the part where rice is stuffed into it(Why can't one eat them separate?). Well, each to his own. This recipe is for the 'not-so-traditionally-inclined', though I would definitely suggest everyone to TRY it at least once. The fun part of here is, everyone gets to build their own wrap. There is no hard and fast rule as to how you go about doing it. Use what you like, how much u like... roll... and rock on! So, here's my simple and fun Mexican fiesta, right at home! Enjoy!!

Ingredients :

Whole wheat Tortillas - 12
Sour Cream - 1 small tub
Grated Cheese, Mexican blend - 1 pack. Put it in a bowl
Carrots - 2 big ones, washed, peeled, and shredded/grated thick
Lettuce - 1/2 a head, washed and shredded into thin strips
Capsicum - 2 big ones, washed and cut into thin 2 inch long strips
Onions - 2, Sliced into thin long strips

Preparing the vegetables:

1. Heat a pan until its smoking hot. Add the capsicum and keep stirring. Add a little salt and a teaspoon of oil to it. In a few minutes the capsicum will start getting black spots and turn soft. Remove to a bowl and keep aside. You can use different colored bell peppers.

2. Repeat this process with onions too. Mix onions and capsicum in a bowl and set aside.

3. Mix the shredded lettuce and carrots in a bowl and set aside.

Ingredients for Avocado Salsa:

Hass Avocados - 2 ripe ones, pitted and chopped into chunks
Red Onions - 1/2 cup chopped into small cubes
Roma Tomatoes - 1/2 cup, chopped into cubes and drained
Garlic - 2 Cloves, Chopped fine
Lime juice - 1 tablespoon
Citantro - 1/4 cup trimmed and chopped fine
Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon (Optional)
Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - To taste

Method for Avocado Salsa:

1. Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings as per taste. Chill in the refrigerator until required.

Tip : keeping the pit(seed) of the avocado in the salsa will prevent the avocados from browning ;-)

Ingredients for Rice and Beans:

Black beans - 1/2 cup, soaked overnight.
Rice - 1 cup
Taco Seasoning - 3 teaspoons
Lime juice - 1 tablespoon
Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - To taste

Method for Rice and Beans:

1. Wash the rice along with the soaked beans and drain.
2. Pressure cook with 2 1/2 cups of water and a little salt for 3 whistles.
3. when cool enough to handle, remove from cooker and allow the rice to cool completely.
4. Add the taco seasoning, lime juice, salt and pepper and mix well. Adjust the seasonings according to taste.
5. Keep Warm.

Tip : You can add sauteed mixed vegetables like, corn, chopped bell peppers and onions to this rice too.

Assembling the Wrap:

1. Set the warmed up Tortillas, Shredded carrot-lettuce bowl, capsicum-onion bowl, Avocado Salsa bowl, the Rice n Beans bowl, the grated Cheese bowl and the sour cream on the table.
2. Now, its up to each one's liking.
3. I would go about it like this : Take a tortilla, smother sour cream, add the rice n beans, the salsa, top it with capsicum-onion, carrots and lettuce and the cheese and roll it up!
mmmmmmmm!!! bueno!!! rico!!!!

Cholay-Bhatura

2008-08-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

When it comes to food, I am the adventurous dare-devil, albeit a vegetarian one. I like to try new cuisines, new methods, new recipes and any new veggie food. But, my hubby is quite the opposite. He sticks to 'tried and tested', 'close to home' tasting kind of foods. Nothing that looks or sounds fancy for him. So, picking a venue for dining out always starts in an argument... I say Italian, Greek, Thai.... he says Indian, Mexican... he frets and fumes, I crib and cry and finally we end up probably in a Chinese restaurant :-) Not that my choices are always great(remember, they are mostly experimental) and his always bad. His choices are always safe, you can get back home satisfied, if not thrilled. Mine are sometimes real disasters. So it goes on..each sticking to our own, never giving up!

Of the few things that he really likes that is NOT traditional-South-Indian-home-made stuff, is the 'Cholay-bhatura'. That is one thing he loves ordering at hotels and relishes eating. I learned to make the cholay, from recipes on the net, using the readymade cholay malsala. I never tried making the Bhatura at home. I would always serve the cholay with Pooris, until I met my neighbour here, in Wisconsin. She is from UP, India and makes the most delicious tasting cholay-bhatura. I got the recipe from her MIL(whose cholay was better than my friend's) who was visiting, and trust me, this one is a keeper. I am never ever going to buy readymade cholay masala. Using the simple fresh spices gives it a whole new taste dimension. This home-made cholay-bhatura is a a killer combination, and off it goes to Latha's WBB-Combi Breakfasts! Hope y'all enjoy!

Ingredients for Cholay:

2 cups Kabuli Chana(Garbanzo Beans), Soaked overnight and pressure cooked with a little salt
1 big Tomato, finely chopped
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
1" piece of ginger, grated
3-4 Green Chillies, Slit lengthwise and halved
1/2 teaspoon Amchur
1/2 teaspoon Kala Namak
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Spices - Grind them to a fine powder:
Cloves(lavanga/laung) - 5
Bay Leaf(palav yele/Tej Patta) - 3 t0 4 small ones
Cinnamon(dalchini chakke) - 1" piece
Pepper corns(kaaLu meNasu/kali mirch) - 8 to 10
Dried Pomegranate Seeds(oNagida daaLimbe beeja/Anaardaana) - 1 teaspoon

Method for Cholay:

1. Heat oil in vessel. When hot, add the green chillies and grated ginger and fry.
2. Add the Onions and fry until translucent.
3. Add the Tomatoes and let them cook well.
4. Add a little water if you feel it is too dry.
5. Mix in the cooked Garbanzo beans.
6. Add the spice powder, amchur, kala namak, turmeric and salt and bring to a boil.
7. Take off heat and serve hot with bhaturas.

Ingredients for Bhatura:

3 Cups Maida(All purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Om kaaLu(Ajwain/Carom Seeds) - optional
1/2 cup curds
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
Oil for deep frying and to make the dough

Method for Bhatura:

1. Sift together Maida, Salt and the Carom Seeds.
2. Mix the yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water with 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and keep aside for 5 minutes.
3. Rub in oil into the maida. You will need atleast a 1/4 cup of oil, or maybe some more. My friend gave me this tip - after you are done rubbing in the oil into the flour, take a tight fistful of flour and drop it. It should hold its shape like a lump and not fall apart. If it falls apart, it needs more oil.
4. Add the yeast solution and curds and mix well.
5. Now, add water as required and knead into a soft dough. Smoothen with oiled hands and keep covered for atleast 4 hours.
6. The dough would now have risen to more than double its size. Punch it down with your fingertips and knead again gently.
7. Heat oil in a kadahi/deep frying pan.
8. Take lime sized portions of the dough and roll into 5-6 inch rounds. Deep fry in hot oil, until it puffs up.
9. Serve hot with cholay and onion salad with lime wedges on the side.

Sorekaayi-AlasanDe KaaLu Palya(Bottlegourd-Blackeyed Bean Curry)

2008-08-19T08:02:00.001-07:00

Rice is the staple diet in South Inida. And to eat along with rice are prepared curries in liquid form, curries like sambars, rasams, gojjus, kootu or yogurt based tambuLis, majjige saaru etc., for hot summer days. Stir fried vegetables in the form of palyas/poriyals/vepudu are eaten as accompaniments for the above rice-curry combinations. Breakfast mainly comprises of uppiTTu, dosay, iDli, paDDu, avalakki, poori, chapati, roTTi etc., The side dishes for poori, chapati, rotti etc., are usually vegetables in gravies based on coconut and tamarind, like saagu, brinjal curry, capsicum curry, etc., Where as the scene in North India is different in that, the staple food is Wheat. Wheat roti's are a must for lunch and dinner. Rice is barely eaten. A family of four will make do with 1/2 a cup of rice per day, which is unthinkable for a South Indian. To go with the roTis, at least 2 types of subzis are prepared, one dry(the stir fry kind) and another with gravy(rasedaar meaning juicy - as one of my friend from UP explained to me). So, North Indians have a comparatively greater variety of gravy based vegetables than South Indians. A friend once asked me, dont you get bored of eating sambar everyday??? Then, I had to explain to her that we make sambars of different vegetables or vegetable combinations everyday. She was surprised that there were different kinds of sambar too... Anyways, that was the scene probably some 15 years back. But now, what with Globalization and all... everyone is making all kinds of food. South Indians have started making phulkas for dinner and North Indians are preparing idlis and dosays for breakfast.

Now, why all this story???, you might wonder. Well, Srivalli, of Cooking 4 all Seasons , has launched a Curry Mela. While reading through the details, I sensed her dilemma that a staunch South Indian usually faces while wondering 'what to make that will go with the Rotis?' Cos, our parents or may be grand parents never made phulkas for dinner everyday. So, the knowledge of subzis was not handed down to us. The palyas/poriays/vepudus are too dry to eat with phulkas and the gravy ones are few and somewhat tedious to make. Some North Indians curries like, Cholae, Palak Paneer, Vegetable Korma, Dum Aaloo, Veg Jalfraize etc., are wonderful accompaniments, which have now become common in South India too...

This below, is a curry that is totally my creation. I just went about making it on the fly. I've used Coconut milk and tomato puree as the gravy base and the basic North Indian spice powders for aroma and taste. When I first made it, I started off thinking of making Lauki(sorekaayi/bottlegourd) subzi. When I was half way through, my dear hubby called me and said he is bringing along a friend for dinner. I had soaked black eyed beans lying on my kitchen counter top, and on a whim pressure cooked and added it to the lauki, just to increase the quantity. I found it to be too dry, so I added coconut milk to give it some thickness and texture. The overall effect was that, it saved my face that day and everyone liked it. So, here goes.... hope you all like it too..

Ingredients :

1 medium sized Sorekaayi(bottlegourd), washed, peeled, cored and cut into small cubes
1 cup alasanDe kaaLu(Black eyed beans), soaked overnight and pressure cooked with a little salt
1 teaspoon Jeerige(Cumin Seeds)
2-3 Green Chillies, slit lengthwise and cut in half
1 big clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chopped Onions
1 big Tomato, pureed (You can substitute this with 2 full teaspoons of tomato paste)
1/4 teaspoon each of Jeera powder, Dhania Powder, Garam Masala, Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder and sugar(optional)
1/2 cup canned coconut milk)
Chopped coriander leaves, for garnish

Method :

1. Heat oil in pan. When hot enough, add the Cumin seeds and let them splutter.
2. Add the Garlic and Green chillies and saute for a minute.
3. Add the onions and saute until translucent.
4. Next, add the chopped bottle gourd. Add 1/2 a cup of water and a little bit of salt and mix well. Cover a lid and let it cook, until the bottle gourd is tender.
5. Add the cooked beans and mix well.
6. Add the tomato puree/paste and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Adjust the consistency by adding water. The gravy should neither be too thick nor too thin.
7. Now, add all the spice powders and sugar, if using, and mix well and bring to a boil.
8. Take off heat, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapatis/roTis/paraThas.

Akki Rotti

2008-08-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Indian cuisine boasts of a variety of flat-breads/tortillas in the form of roTTi/roTis, chapatis and parathas. Each kind of roTTi gets its name by the flour used to make it. Like, for example, akki roTTi is made from rice flour, joLada roTTi is made from jowar/sorghum flour, ragi roTTi is made from finger millet flour, godhi roTTi(chapati/phulka) is made from wheat flour... so on and so forth... Eaten with different kinds of palyas(subzis), the roTTi forms an essential part of the Indian diet, along with rice. I present hereby the first of my series of roTTis. The Akki Rotti.

Before I divulge into further details I would like to dedicate this post to my long-out-of-touch friend, Rupali. When during my first visit to the USA, we were in Salt Lake City, Utah, she was my good friend there. We definitely had some wonderful times together.... festivals, movies, malling, girl-talks, pregnancy!!!, I even gave her a hair cut once(which was a disaster!!) etc., and FOOD was like the common factor in all that. She taught me a lot of North Indian stuff and I taught her the South Indian stuff. The one thing that I never came about teaching her was this Akki roTTi. It just did not happen.... :-( . This one here is for you Rupali, and for all the wonderful times we've had together. Hope you will read it and like it too...

A malnad speciality, these roTTis made from rice flour are well worth all the effort that goes into making them. Suganya of Tasty Palettes describes Idlis as "pillows of heaven" Going by those standards, I won't be exaggerating if I call these roTTis "Angels Blankets". hee hee.. They are white, soft and fluffy, and taste heavenly. They dont have a taste of their own, i.e., they are bland tasting...hence rendering them a perfect match for a myriad of side dishes both veg and non-veg. The most popular veggie side dish for akki roTTi or joLada roTTi for that matter, is "badnekaayi-yennegaai" palya (brinjal curry)and shenga chutney puDi(spicy peanut powder). But the roTTi has zero complaints even if you consume it with a simple coconut chutney. Other good recommendations that go wonderfully well with akki roTTi, would be capsicum palya, tondekaayi palya, kaaLu huLi(mixed legumes sambar) etc., When I took these pictures, I had made tonDekaayi (Ivy gourd)and capsicum palya. So, here it is, Akki roTTi with shenga chutney puDi and tonDekaayi-Capsicum palya. Phew.... :-) Enjoy!!!

There is one more thing I would like to add here... when I was making the dough, my son looked at it and said, "amma, it looks just like snow". So to amuse him, I made a snowman with the dough :-) here is a pic of that one too....

Now, for the recipe......

Ingredients for the roTTi:

1 cup Rice flour(you can make approx 6 rottis with 1 cup of rice flour)
A pinch of salt
2 cups Water
Rice flour for dusting while rolling out the rottis

Method for the roTTi:

1. In a vessel, bring the 2 cups of water to a boil. Add salt to it.
2. Add the rice flour in a heap. Do not disturb. Continue boiling for another 2 minutes. Close a lid on the vessel and switch off the heat.
3. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the lid, and with a spatula(preferrably wooden), mix in the rice flour into the water, with steady stirring motions. Take care not to form any lumps.
5. When cool enough to handle, bring the dough together to form one big mass. Divide into equal portions. Roll each portion between your palms and form smooth balls. Keep them covered.
6. Take each ball and using a rolling pin roll it out into thin flat rounds on a flat surface. Use rice flour as needed for dusting, to prevent it from sticking. This is just like making chapatis/phulkas.

7. Once you are done rolling out all the roTTis, heat a girdle and cook the roTTis one at a time. Put the rolled out roTTi on the hot girdle and leave it undisturbed until bubbles appear. Flip it over. Again, leave it undisturbed until it puffs up like a poori. You can press gently with a cloth at places where the hot air tends to escape, so as to aid puffing up. Remove any rice flour remaining on the girdle, using a cloth, before putting another rolled out roTTi.

8. Stack all the roTTis on a plate, slightly overlapping each other. Serve warm.

Ingredients for the palya:

(In case you have either one and not both the vegetables suggested here, go ahead and use just the one that is available. This palya tastes equally good made with either capsicum, or tonDekaayi or both together)

15(approx) tonDekaayis(Ivy gourd/tinDora/tenDli/donDakaaya)
1 big Capsicum
1 big Onion
1 teaspoon Tamarind concentrate(or equivalent amount of freshly extracted tamarind pulp)
2 teaspoons Jaggery powder
1/2 cup fresh(or frozen) grated Coconut
2 teaspoons huLi puDi(sambar powder, homemade or MTR)
6-8 Curry Leaves
1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
A pinch of hing/asefoetida
A pinch of Turmeric powder
Oil for oggaraNe(taDka)
Salt to taste

Method for the palya:

1. Wash, trim and cut the tonDekaayi and capsicum into thin long strips. Also, cut the onions into long slices to match the tonDekaayi.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan.
3. Add, mustard seeds and let it sputter. Then, add the curry leaves and hing. Add the sliced onions and fry until translucent. Add the turmeric powder. Now, add the tonDekaayi and capsicum strips and stir. Add 1/2 a cup of water and salt. Cover and let it simmer until cooked.
4. While the veggies are simmering, grind into a fine paste the coconut, jaggery, tamarind and huLi puDi.
5. Add this paste into the pan, mix well and bring to a boil.

Ingredients for the Chutney pudi:

1 cup roasted, skinned peanuts/groundnuts
1/4 cup puTanNi (roasted chana dal)
1/4 cup grated dry coconut
1/4 cup roasted red chillies
2 teaspoons jaggery powder
1 inch piece tamarind
Salt to taste

Method for the Chutney puDi:

1. Grind all ingredients in a mixer to a coarse powder.

Well, thats that! seems like a laborious process. But, with a little planning it will be a very easy task. I usually prepare the palya and chutney puDi on fridays, and make the roTTis on Saturday mornings, keeping in mind my tradition of special, elaborate weekend breakfasts. Idli-Vade-Sambar, Rotti-Palya-Chutney puDi, Masale Dosay, Poori-Saagu, Chole-bhature etc., are some classic combinations that make weekend breakfasts really special. Speaking of combinations, our dear blogger pal Latha of Masala Magic is hosting the WBB event for August and "Combination Breakfasts " is the theme! So, this is my entry to the event.

AvarekaaLu kaDubu (Steamed rice Dumplings)

2008-07-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

AvarekaaLu is a legume, that much I know, but I dont know what it is called in English. The frozen version which is available here in the Indian Stores is labeled 'Surti-Lilva'. Sounds to me like Hindi/North Indian nomenclature.... anyone with more info please share....

Anyhow, AvarekaaLu as it is known in Kannada, claims a very special place in the hearts of us Kannadigas. The versions in which it is devoured are tongue teasingly, palette pleasingly innumerable. To list a few:

AvarekaaLu hurigaaLu - deep fried and seasoned with spices n salt
AvarekaaLu uppiTTu
AvarekaaLu roTTi
AvarekaaLu chakkuli
AvarekaaLu koDubaLe
AvarekaaLu saagu
AvarekaaLu huLi
etc... etc....

Come the AvarekaaLu season and the mundane everyday question posed across the compound walls of houses "ivattu yenu thinDi/aDige?" (whats for breakfast/lunch today?)takes a small tasty twist and becomes "ivattu avarekaaLindu yenu nimmaneli?"
(what version of avarekaaLu have you cooked today?), cos, invariably every house would have cooked something or the other using the versatile bean. I have a friend here who's from Bangalore and who gets nostalgic and fondly remembers how her aunts back there buy avarekaaLu, peel the pods and extract the beans, sort them by the size(the young tender beans are used for rotti's etc., and the robust big ones are used for saagu, huLi etc.,), soak them or not..... I am soooo with her on this one, I just dont know what to say. It totally leaves me 'tongue' tied.

Typically druing this season, the hands of housewives are constantly working on the avarekaaLu, in one way or the other, peeling, soaking, 'hichk'ing ha haa haaaa... well, 'hichuku' in KannaDa means the act of squishing. The fresh beans are soaked for 3-4 hours and then squished between the thumb and forefinger to extract the transparent external skin on the beans. Removing this external rubbery skin renders the beans more tasty compared to the otherwise bland taste. It is a very tedious task and is pursued in leisure. It is a common household scene where women(kids and hubbies get involved too..) sit in front of the TV watching the late night melodramatic Soaps, their hands rigorously working on squishing the avarekaaLu. In the mornings you can see mounds of avareKaaLu peel in front of most of the houses, and stray cows literally fighting each other to eat their seasonal delicacy. AvarekaaLu thus squished, becomes 'hichukida avarekaaLu'. Now-a-days you get avarekaaLu in all its stages, in the pod, peeled and even hichukida avarekaaLu.

Not all recipes call for 'hichukida avarekaaLu', and it is more of a personal preference. Some like it skin-on, some like it without. Here, if you are using the frozen ones, then you can use it as is, as it cooks fast. So, here goes the recipe of avareKaaLu kaDubu. Hope you all enjoy it!

Ingredients :
2 cups akki tari(akki rave/rice sooji/cream of rice/broken rice)
4 cups of Water
3/4 cup avarekaaLu, fresh or frozen
2 full teaspoons or more of ghee(clarified butter)
1 teaspoon jeerige(Cumin Seeds/jeera)
1/2 teaspoon Pepper powder
8-10 Curry Leaves, chopped fine
A pinch of ingu(Hing/asafoetida)
Chopped coriander leaves(optional)
Salt to taste

Ingredients :
1. In a pan slightly fry the rice sooji on low heat until it is just warm. Pour it on to a plate and set aside to cool.
2. In the same pan, heat the ghee and when hot but not smoking, lower the head and add the Cumin Seeds. When they start sputtering, add the Hing, Curry leaves and pepper powder. Keep stirring.
3. Add in the avarekaaLu and fry for a minute or two.
4. Add the water and let it come to a boil.
5. Season it with salt and coriander leaves(if using). This is the only time you get to add salt, taste the water if you have to, to decide on the right amount of salt.
6. Slowly add the rice sooji while stirring continuously. Take care not to form any lumps.
7. When all the water has been soaked up, take of the heat and let it cool down a bit.
8. When cool enough to handle, form balls out of fistfuls of the mixture, and steam them for 5 minutes, just like idlies. You can say they are done when the surface starts glistening.
9. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Khara Pongal with Tamarind gojju

2008-07-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

Here's the final part of my Tamarind Trilogy. This one is an accompaniment, a sauce to the main dish 'Khara pongal'. Sweet and savoury Pongals are generally prepared for the festival of Sankranthi, using the fresh crop of rice,moong dal, jaggery etc., The star of this post, the 'Tamarind gojju', is a thick tangy tamarind sauce to go with khara(savoury) pongal. It is not common practice to make this gojju/sauce, as usually, coconut chutney takes its place by khara pongal(thats what the hotels serve). Mostly because it is an unknown dish or because the chutney is already present, and that means one less item to prepare.
In any case, this sauce enhances the flavor of khara pongal and gives it a totally new taste dimension. If you love tangy flavors, this one is going to be a sure hit! Try it and Enjoy!!

Ingredients :

For Tamarind Gojju :
1 big lemon sized ball of tamarind
or
2 tablespoons of Tamarind Concentrate
Equal amount of Jaggery
Salt to Taste
A pinch of Red Chilli Powder
A pinch of Turmeric Powder
A pinch of Rasam Powder(homemade, or if store bought try the MTR Rasam Powder)
2 teaspoons of Oil
1/2 teaspoon of Mustard Seeds
2-3 Curry Leaves

For Khara Pongal :
1/2 cup Moong Dal
1/2 cup Rice
2-3 Teaspoons Ghee
2 Green Chillies, slit
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon grated Ginger
6-8 Curry Leaves
A pinch of Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 cup fresh/frozen grated Coconut

Method :

For Tamarind Gojju :
1. If you are using tamarind, soak it in water for atleast 30 mins, and extract a thick pulp. Discard the fibrous residue.
2. Heat oil in a small vessel.
3. When hot, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add the curry leaves.
4. Take off the heat and add the extracted tamarind pulp. If you are using tamarind concentrate, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water to it.
5. Put the vessel back on low heat.
6. Add all the other ingredients and let it come to a slow simmer.
7. Adjust the salt/jaggery/chilli powder to taste.You can adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding water. Ideally it should be thick like honey.

For Khara Pongal :
1. Wash and pressure cook the rice and dal mixed together, with 2 and 1/2 cups of water and a little ghee.
2. Heat the remaining ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel. When hot, add the cumin seeds and coarsely ground peppet and let them splutter. Then, add the slit green chillies and curry leaves. Stir in the grated ginger and turmeric powder.
3. Add the cooked rice and dal with salt and grated coconut and mix well.
4. Serve hot with Tamarind Gojju.

kuTTunDe/chigLi (imli ki goli)

2008-06-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Here's the second of my 'Tamarind' series. I bet every place in India has its own version of this..should I call it a 'dish'?, no it's more like a candy. Long forgotten, it symbolizes a girl's childhood. Sadly, not anymore... though it may still exist in some rural places. Known as kuTTunDe in Kannada, it is the rustic version of the commercial sugar-coated Malaysian tamarind toffees available in Food World etc., kuTTu = pound and unDe = ball, hence the name, as the process of making it involves pounding tamarind with spices and condiments. It is also known as 'chigLi' in some parts of Karnataka. As suggested in my post on Tamarind, making this justified stealing the ingredients from the kitchen in my childhood days. We friends would get one ingredient each, find a safe, 'clean' place and stone for pounding them and get to action. The final product would then be divided among all, rolled up into balls and stuck on the back of spoons or ice-candy sticks and Voila! our savory lollipops would be ready. Compared to those, current day lollipops SUCK.

Even today when I wanted to make it, I had to resort to 'thieving', if you can call it that. I had all the ingredients on hand, there was no need to steal any of those. What I did not have was a mortar and a pestle for pounding. So, I picked up a smooth oblong stone from below some plants on the lawn of a shop as I was walking along the sidewalk. After thoroughly scrubbing and washing it with soap, it was all ready to pound away. What I thought to be very easy, took me really some time to complete. As kids what we would achieve in no time, today took me several taste tests and more than 1/2 an hour to get there. Finally, it turned out as good as it used to be. Tangy and spicy... totally heavenly! Please do share with me your version of this treat. I would love to hear it all!

Ingredients :
Tamarind, one Lemon sized. Remove the seeds and the fibrous veins.
Salt, to taste
Jaggery, a little less than the tamarind
Chilli Powder, to taste
Cumin Seeds, 1 teaspoon
Oil, 1/2 a teaspoon

Method :
1. Using a mortar and pestle(if you dont have one, use a stone and a hard surface), pound together the cumin seeds, salt and chilli powder until coarse.
2. Then add the jaggery and tamarind and pound with one or two drops in between, until everything comes together and feels soft and smooth.
Adjust the ingredients to desired taste.
3. Divide the whole lump into small portions and roll out smooth balls of desired sizes.
4. Stick them on spoon handles or sticks and lick away to glory.
5. Beware of getting addicted!

Tamarind Trilogy

2008-06-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

I know.... I had vanished into thin air(wish I could...). Well, May and June was a whole month of travelling - packing, taking off, returning, unpacking, LAUNDRY.... and falling ill and recovering (of which we took turns).... so, my blog had taken the backseat. But now I am back with a Bang!!! or should I say TANG, the Tamarind Tang I mean :-) Through all the mayhem of May and June, I always found time to peek into the food blog world. The other day I saw Sig's JFI-Tamarind announcement and was lured back into my own sadly neglected blog.

Tamarind, the very name brings back to me lots of sweet(!?) memories and doesn't fail to make my mouth water in anticipation of the tangy taste. I just love the sweet 'n' sour taste. The first bite into raw tamarind, that unfailingly makes you squeeze your eyes shut or wink, pucker up ur lips and fills up your mouth with saliva is oh! so heavenly. It immediately transports me back to my school days where a piece of tamarind was the BEST treat one could possible get or give. More than 90% of the girls I know, love tamarind. It surely must be a 'girly' thing, something in our genetic construction that triggers the love.

I remember an incident that happened during my 10th Standard. There was this girl called Ronia C George(yup, I remember her full name), who was new to school, and was desperately trying to fit in. She would come to school everyday from a nearby village. She somehow let a few of us know that there was a tamarind tree back at her place. After much pestering she agreed(she had no other choice, poor thing) to get some to school, and her 'some' turned out to be a huge plastic bag full of juicy ripe tamarinds in their shells! It was a dynamite combo, 'A class full of about 70 or so girls and a bag full of fresh ripe tamarind' It was the worst kept secret. What was meant for just a few of us, passed from hand to hand and the whole class was a giggling, signalling, begging, passing, slurping, tamarind eating, shell throwing frenzy. By midday, the whole floor of the classroom(below the benches only) was strewn with tamarind shells. We miraculously escaped being caught by all the 4 teachers who took classes before lunch. The frenzy continued right through lunch time. Some girls from the neighbouring classes joined in too...Before anyone of us could realize lunchtime was up and Sister Chantel(hope I got her name correct, but I definitely remember her face that day) who had the first class after lunch walked in. She was horror struck to see the classroom. By now, most of the shells had escaped the confines of the benches and desks and were scattered all across the room. You can imagine what must have passed after that.....
Poor Ronia ended up gettig the max number of 'bad points' for the month, and we all had to stay back and sweep the classroom clean :-( But, no regrets there ;-)

My infatuation with tamarind goes waaaaaaaay back, when as 8-9 year olds we would steal tamarind, jaggery etc from the kitchen, pound them all together to form a ball that we would stick on a stick and suck on it happily, ending up with cracked tounges....I guess I was among the first ones to rejoice when Hajmola came up with their 'Chulbuli Imli' and I would never return from the Rajasthan/UP/Orissa etc handicraft melas without a stash of the lip smacking imli, mango, pomegranate churans. Even to this day, a small piece of tamarind inevitably ends up in my mouth while I take some out for cooking, for which I have endured many a teasings(you are eating tamarind!! anything special???). Sweet, huh?? or is it rather Sour???

This event has brought all that back to me. I want to present these three dishes for the event, honoring those days and my favorite Tamarind.

Paani-Poori
kuTTunDe
Khara Pongal with huNase gojju

Thanks Sig for choosing this wonderful ingredient and Indira of Mahanandi for starting the JFI event.

Paani Poori

2008-04-30T19:49:00.001-07:00

Evening 6 O'Clock and later....
A drizzly kind of day......
Boring, what to do?
Tired from work, need a break...
On a walk with friends/cousins/family....
Hungry, craving for a snack...

Confused??? Well, all the above are scenarios that can eventually lead you up to the paani-poori gaaDi/shop. Going to the nearby chaat center and eating paani-poori, masala poori, bhel puri, sev poori, dahi poori, etc., in the evenings has become second to tradition in India. My parents, in-laws abhor the very idea. But I have remained immune to all their lectures of 'junk food'. Cant help it, peer pressure ;-) ha ha haaa....

Everyone has their own fav chaat center. Back in India I have 2 favorites. One being the Chaat vendor in front of the Kote Aanjaneya Swami temple, in my hometown Shimoga. He amazingly whips up chaats from 'u name the item' Moong dal chaat, methi chaat, boti(the long cylindrical fryums, not non-veg) masala, nippat masala, chakli masala , coke masala(drink), are a few of his specialities. The other hot chaat spot is Gullu's chaat, Sheshadripuram, Bangalore. Situated in a coy residential area, it has transpotred the whole place into a bustling 'mela'. Come 6 in the evening and you wont find a parking spot there. He has employed a person just to take care of the traffic, imagine that! Even with the hundreds of customers that pour in, the guy serving paani pooris, immediately hands me a paper napkin cos he knows that I like to have 'running nose, watery eyes' kinda spicy paani with my pooris, with the last one being sweet. I call that customer service!

Now, I would never discredit all the others who range in between the above two. Each one serves the purpose of curbing your craving. What can beat that? Every time we shifted to a new place, we went hunting and discovered a chaatwalla, who would meet our specs and satisfy our taste palettes. Chaat eating in South India, is to an extent, confined to evenings. But I was surprised when I had been to Orissa once and saw people eating paani-pooris(or gupchup as it is cutely known as) at 11 in the morning! I know of chaat fanatics who cant do without it and US is a big place of disappointment in that area. I tried eating chaat at one such place here and it was such a revolting experience, I decided to make my own. To all those who say it is unhealthy, you should listen to what Nikhil Chinnappa has to say about it. I once read in some magazine, where he was asked about a fitness routine/diet. He said something to the effect of "Eat lots of golgappas(another cute name), fill yourself up with water". Cool, huh? Here's to all chaat lovers, my first in the Tamarind series! Enjoy!!!

Ingredients :
1 pack Pooris (You can make these at home too.. I tried but found that they are too crisp and dont hold up to the liquid)

For the Paani :
You can vary the quantity of salt, jaggery, tamarind, chillies etc., to reach a taste that suits you. The measurements given below are just a guideline.

1 bunch fresh Mint(Pudina) leaves removed from stems
2 cupfuls fresh Cilantro leaves removed from stems
5-6 Green Chillies(more or less according to your taste)
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 tablespoon Tamarind Extract
1 tablespoon Date paste(optional)(You can use the ready tamarind-date paste that you get in the Indian grocery stroes)
2 teaspoons Jaggery, powdered
1 teaspoon Black Salt(Kaala Namak)
2-3 Cardamoms
Salt to taste
Jaljeera powder, chaat masala powder(These are optional. Use in moderation)

For the Filling :
You can use different kinds of filling, like, Peas-Potato, Boiled moong dal, Boiled Kabuli chana etc., Here, I have used a Yellow Peas and Potato filling.

3 Potatoes - boiled, peeled and mashed
1 cup Yellow Peas - Soaked overnight, and pressure cooked
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
A pinch of dhania powder
A pinch of jeera powder
Salt to taste

For the Topoing :
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cupful finely chopped cilantro leaves

Method :
1. Grind all the ingredients for the paani to a smooth paste with sufficient water.
2. Add enough water(about 2 litres) and mix well.
3. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
3. Strain the mixture to get a clear green liquid.
4. Refrigerate.
5. In a bowl mix well, all the ingredients for the filling.
6. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

To Serve :
1. Make a small hole on the top of each of the pooris.
2. Stuff about 1/2 a teaspoon of the filling into each.
3. Top with chopped onions and coriander.(I mix these with the filling to make it easier)
4. Arrange 6 on a plate and serve paani in cup.
5. Be ready for 2nd, 3rd etc., helpings ;-)

Raama Navami (paanaka, kosambari and godhi hiTTina unDe)

2008-04-21T07:28:00.001-07:00

The day of Raama navami dawned bringing with it among other things the task of explaining the significance of the day to my 3 yr old. I had told him the story of Raama's birth many times. He loves to hear how Dasharatha performed the putrakaameshTi yaaga, how Agni appeared and gave him a bowl of 'paayasa' and how after drinking the paayasa the three queens gave birth to sons. There was even a day when I had made paayasa at home and he refused to eat it, saying he would have a baby just like Kaushalya if he ate the paayasa. Dont ask how, but I was able to convince him that he would not have a baby as he is a boy just like king Dasharatha and not a girl like queen Kaushalya(He does not know male/female yet, everything is still either boy or girl). On that day too he wanted to hear the story again and as expected I recieved a barrage of the "W's" (why, what, where, where and who s). I did my best to explain everything to him and he seemed satisfied. I was proud to have sowed in him the seeds of OUR culture, belief, traditions etc., until....(follow the conversation below to know more...)
Me: Puttu, after bath you should go and do namaskaara to Raama maami. (maami is baby talk for God in Kannada)
He, fresh from his bath, wrapped in a towel, looking like the embodiment of bhakti: ok amma. Why only to Raama maami? not to others??
Me: Well, to others too... but especially to Raama maami today, as it is His B'day. I told you all about the story of Raama's birth, right???
He: yeah... Why should I do namaskaara to maami everyday, amma?
Me: Then the Gods will be happy with you.
He: Can God talk?(I later understood it to be his version of "does God exist"?)
Me: why??
He: (taking my answer to be No)then, how can he be happy??
Me: He does not say anything, but He knows everything...
He: ......
Me: (wondering if I succeeded in making him a Believer?)

Standing in front of the pantry shelf that has been converted to the pooja area, my son asks me to carry him, as he is not able to see the Gods, who ironically are perched high up just so that they can be safe from him and don't end up being his toys. He joins his hands in prayer and I proudly expect to hear either the 'raamaaya raamabhadraaya.....' or 'raam raam seetha raam....' that I taught him and he knows so well. Guess what I get to hear? Hands joined, head bowed, eyes closed, wrapped in a towel, my son seriously sings "Happy bday to you, happy bday to you, happy bday dear Raama, happy bday to you" correct to the tune and the last word. He is not done yet.. he opens his eyes, looks Raama straight in the eyes(in the pic) and asks, "Where is the cake?" I cant help laughing and I cant help wondering either... Is Raama happy with my pooja, shlokas and offerings of the naivedya or by the simple, innocent expression of belief by the 3 year old boy? No prizes for guessing the right answer.

Well, traditionally in Karnataka, Raamanavami calls for preparing the paanaka(juice) and kosambari(salad) for naivedya. Guess it goes with the weather too... Being the hot and sultry time of the year, the cool paanaka and refreshing kosambri are more than welcome. You can see the autorikshaw stands in some parts of Karnataka serving these as prasaada to tired and thirsty passers by on this day. It is said that Wheat was Raama's favorite. So a sweet dish made of wheat in the form of either paayasa, or halwa or as in my case here, unDe(laddu) is offered as naivedya.

Ingredients for Paanaka:

6 glasses of Water
Juice of 4 Limes
1 cup of Brown Sugar or Jaggery
A pinch of Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper powder
1 teaspoon Cardamom powder
8-10 strands of Saffron, crushed and soaked in a little warm water

Method for Paanaka:

1. Mix everything well, until Brown sugar/jaggery dissolves and serve chilled.
2. Adjust the sweet and sour tastes to liking.

Ingredients for Kosambari:

1 cup Moong dal washed and soaked for atleast 2 hours
1 cup grated Carrot
1/4 cup grated Coconut
2 teaspoons Lime juice
1 Green chilli, finely chopped
A few sprigs of coriader, finely chopped
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons Oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
A pinch of Hing
5-6 curry leaves torn in half

Method for Kosambari:

1. Mix the first six ingredients well, in a bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a oggaraNe/tadka ladle.
3. Add the mustard seeds. When they sputter, add hing and curry leaves and stir. Take off heat and add to the bowl. Mix to combine well.

Ingredients for Godhi hiTTina unDe:

1 cup Wheat flour
1 cup powdered Sugar
1/4 cup Ghee
1 teaspoon Cardamom powder
A few Cashews and Raisins, fried in ghee.

Method for Godhi hiTTina unDe:

1. Add two teaspoons of ghee to a heavy bottomed pan and heat.
2. When melted, add the wheat flour and fry until you can smell a nutty aroma. The color of the flour should have turned just a shad darker.
3. Remove from heat and add all the other ingredients and mix well.
4. Wait until it slightly cools down.
5. Take handfuls of the mixture and form into balls pressing them between the palms of your hands. This takes some practice. But you will get the hang of it. If the mixture gets too cold, put it back on heat and warm it up a little bit and add a few teaspoons of ghee. Adding more ghee will make it easier to form the laddus.

Enjoy!

Yugaadi and Holige-Rasaayana

2008-04-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

HoLige with Maavina haNNina rasaayana

HoLige-tuppa,sautekaayi kosambari, beans palya, anna-nimbe saaru, maavinakaayi chitraanna, Maavina haNNina rasaayana in a bowl and a spoonful of Yugaadi bevu-bella

I make hiTTina hoLige at least once a year and for sure on Yugaadi, so as to start the new year on a sweet note and to keep the tradition alive!. Another traditional item for Yugaadi is the 'bevu-bella'. Though translating it would mean just 'neem-jaggery', it constitutes of all the six tastes(sweet, bitter, sour, heat, salty and bland) as it is a mixture of jaggery pieces, chopped neem leaves and flowers, diced raw mango, chopped green chillies, salt and roasted split chana dal(dalia or puTaaNi). Offered to God as 'naivedya' and eaten as 'prasaada' it signifies that Life is made of all kinds of moments, and that we should all be prepared to face joys,sorrows and all else with equal strength. Read more about Yugaadi here and here. Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead! Happy Yugaadi!!

HoLige's are many in variety. It basically consists of a sweet filling(hoorNa) stuffed inside maida(all purpose flour)(kaNike), rolled out like a chapati/tortilla and pan fried. The filling may be a mixture of either chana dal, tuvar dal, coconut, groundnuts, sweet potato etc., with jaggery or dates too...Sounds simple? But it is a knack that needs mastering. The trick lies in keeping the consistency of the filling just right. It should be neither too stiff nor too soft. The hoLige that I have described here is a South Kanara speciality. It is called as hiTTina hoLige. Hittu means flour. Maybe it is named so, cos of the process involved. Usually hoLiges are rolled out on oiled surfaces and oil/ghee is used while frying them too... but in this case, it is rolled out just like chapati, using flour and no oil/ghee is used while frying it on the tawa. So it is a totally fat(guilt)free dish ;-) . Enjoy it with either ghee or mango rasaayana or kaayi haalu(sweetened coconut milk).

Ingredients for Hittina HoLige:

For hoorNa(filling):
2 cups kadle beLe(bengal gram/chana dal)
2 cup sugar or brown sugar or powdered jaggery
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
A pinch of powdered Jaaikaayi(Nutmeg)

For kaNike(covering):
1 1/2 cup maida(all purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
A pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup Oil

Method:

For kaNike(covering):
1. Sift together maida, turmeric and salt in a bowl.
2. Add enough water and knead into a soft dough. As the dough comes together, add 2-3 teaspoons of oil and roll into a soft ball. The dough should be thinner than chapati dough. When you make a ball out of it, it should not stand stiff, but should tend to flatten on its own.
3. Cover the dough in oil and let it rest for at least 1/2 an hour. Making the kaNike first will give it more than enough resting time, by the time the hoorNa is ready.
4. If used correctly, this will yield enough covering for 25 hoLiges. You can divide the dough into 25 parts and keep or pinch out as you go. Even if you divide beforehand, the dough will stick back together as it is not a stiff kinda dough. So, you be the judge.

kaNike and hoorNa

For hoorNa(filling):
1. Wash and soak the chana dal in water overnight.
2. Drain all the water and cook in pressure cooker, using just enough water to cover the dal.
3. Once cool, remove and drain any water remaining. You can reserve this dal water to make hoLige saaru, but I use very less water which would have all evaporated. And in any case, chana dal water is not as good as tuvar dal water for hoLige saaru. Grind the dal in a mixer to form a fine paste. Do not add water.
4. Put the dal paste in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add the sugar/jaggery. Mix well and keep stirring on a low flame. This is the toughest part of making hoLige. You have to take care not to burn the paste. It tends to stick to the bottom of the pan. So, you have to keep stirring it. You will need to do this for about 45 minutes on medium-low heat to achieve the right consistency.
5. Add the cardamom and nutmeg powders and mix well. The hoorNa is now ready.
6. Once cool enough to handle, divide the hoorNa into 25 equal parts and smoothen them into ovals.

Putting it together:
1. Flatten out a ball of kaNike in the oiled palm of your hand. Place the hoorNa in the center of the kaNike and cover on all sides pressing the hoorNa into the kaNike. Roll in both your palms to make a smooth flat ball.

2. Dust the surface with maida and roll out the stuffed ball like a chapati, using more flour as required.

3. Roast evenly on a hot tawa, turning once in between, until light brown spots appear on both sides. Fold in half and keep on a sheet of paper to cool down.

4. When fully cooled, store in an air tight container. Keeps upto 15 days. Enjoy with kaayi haalu or maava haNNina rasaayana or with plain ghee.

Chow-Chow Bhaath

2008-04-05T19:28:00.001-07:00

One sweet, coy and rich. The other, firey and spicy. Two totally opposite versions.. very different avatars.. Introducing the extremely versatile 'Semolina'! in a double role, a super-hit act since ages... a perfect example where opposites attract.. "The Chow-Chow Bhaath" (Drumrolls... music.... applause!) Need I say anything more? Ladies and Gentlemen, sit back and enjoy the chow (oops! I mean, show)!!! :-)

Ingredients for Khara Bhaath:

1 cup Coarse semolina(Uppittu rave/ Upma sooji)
2 1/2 cups of Water
1/2 cup Cabbage finely chopped
1/4 cup Cauliflower florets
1/4 cup Carrots cut into small cubes
1/4 cup Capsicum cut into small cubes
1/4 cup Tomato finely chopped
1/4 cup Peas
2 teaspoons Vangibhath masale powder
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1 sprig of curry leaves, separated
1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1 teaspoon Chana dal
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
A pinch of Hing
1/4 cup grated coconut
10-12 Cashews, roasted in ghee
1 tablespoon Lime/Lemon juice
5-6 sprigs of Coriander chopped
2-3 tablespoons Ghee
Oil
Salt, to taste

Method for Khara Bhaath:

1. Roast rave/sooji in a pan with 1 teaspoon of ghee, until a nutty aroma emanates and it turns light brown in color. Remove from heat and let it cool.
2. In a deep pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the seasonings(mustard seeds, chana dal, hing) and fry until just browned(1 minute).
3. Add the green chillies and curry leaves and fry for another minute or so.
4. Add the vegetables one after the other and cook until done. (You can even cook the vegetables separately in the microwave and add here)
5. Add the water and let it come to a boil. Add salt and turmeric powder.
6. Slowly add in the roasted rave/sooji while stirring continuously.
7. When all the water has been absorbed, add the lime juice, grated coconut, coriander leaves, cashews, 2-3 tablespoons of ghee and Vangibhath powder and mix well.

Ingredients for Kesari Bhaath:

1 cup chiroti rave/fine sooji
1 cup sugar
1 cup ghee
3 cups water
5-6 strands of Kesari/Saffron, soaked in 1/4 cup of warm milk
A pinch of saffron color
10-12 cashews, roasted in ghee
12-15 raisins, roasted in ghee
2 cloves and seeds of 4 cardamoms, powdered together

Method for Kesari Bhaath:

1. Roast rave/sooji in a pan with 1 teaspoon of ghee, until a nutty aroma emanates and it turns light brown in color. It burns easily, so take care. Remove from heat and let it cool.
2. Boil the water in a deep pan. Add the saffron color.
3. Slowly add the roasted rave/sooji to the boiling water, stirring continuously to avoid formation of lumps. It will start sputtering and popping out. So be careful and reduce the heat if needed.
4. When the water has all been absorbed, slowly add the sugar, stirring continuously, to avoid formation of lumps. As the sugar melts, the mixture will turn watery again and will start sputtering. So be careful.
5. Once the mixture hardens and starts looking shiny, add the ghee a little at a time and keep mixing it in. Use as much ghee as you want.(1 cup will be just right, you can add less if you feel guilty.
6. Turn off the heat and add cashews, raisins and cardamom-clove powder, and mix well.

Pear Upside Down Cake

2008-04-01T14:41:00.001-07:00

I had this book 'Fine living by Martha Stewart - Desserts' sitting on my table past soo many days. All I'd do was turn the pages, read through the recipes, drool over the pictures and set it aside. Then, on April 1st, while surfing through the food blogs, I came across Raaga's AFAM-Pears event with April 1st being the deadline! Its amazing how the human brain sometimes works... It was a stroke of inspiration,will,creativity and luck all at once for me. Reading through the AFAM-Pears event details, the picture and recipe of the Pear Upside Down cake from the above mentioned book loomed large before my eyes. It was April 1st(deadline day), I did not have some of the ingredients and there was just ONE pear in my fridge, and above all, believe me when I say I am a big flop wrt baking. Trust me to turn any simple baking into a perfect disaster. Pathetic situation, huh? but I just wanted to do it. I went ahead, and given the situation, can you imagine my joy when it turned out to be just a perfect little cake. Moist, juicy, aromatic and oh! so Yummmmm!!! Back from school, soon after entering the door, my 3 yr old son inhales deeply and exclaims... "mmmmmmm.... it smells like cookies!.....", and I did not need a crown to feel like a Queen, a Queen of Baking, i.e.,!!!
My entry made it to Raaga's AFAM-Pears event... My son and I had a wonderful treat. So, all's well that ends well, huh? I am not sure if my recipe would work if I tried again, so, here I have given both Martha Stewart's original recipe and my 'suited to availability' version of the original. :-) Pears Zindabaad!!! ciao!

-----------My Recipe-----------

Ingredients :

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 large ripe Bosc pear, peeled, cored and sliced lengthwise
1 teapoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
A Pinch ground ginger
A Pinch ground cinnamon
A Pinch ground cloves
A Pinch ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup warm milk
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Method :

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a mini loaf pan and set aside
2. In a bowl, toss pears with lemon juice. In a large skillet set over medium high heat, melt 1/2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Add the pears, cut-sides down, in a single layer; cook until brown on bottoms, 2-3 minutes. Turn pears over, cook other cut-sides until brown, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add a little water(2-3 teaspoons) to pear juices remaining in skillet; sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar over liquid. Cook, stirring until reduced to syrup, about 1 minute. Pour into the mini loaf pan, swirl to coat. Spread out pears in single layer on the base of the pan. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.
5. In a mixing bowl cream together butter and brown sugar, beating steadily; Beat in honey and grated ginger. Add half of flour mixture; mix well. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and 2 tablespoons boiling water; beat into batter. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until combined.
6. Pour batter into pan, evenly over the pears; bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Bake until springy to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack, 1 hour. Run a knife between cake and pan and invert onto a serving plate.

-----------Martha Stewart's Recipe-----------

Ingredients :

10 tablespoons butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
5 large ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons brandy
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda

Method :

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan and set aside
2. In a large bowl, toss pears with lemon juice. In a large skillet set over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Add half of the pears, cut-sides down, in a single layer; cook until brown on bottoms, 2-3 minutes. Turn pears over, cook other cut-sides until brown, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining pears.
3. Add brandy to pear juices remaining in skillet; sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar over liquid. Cook, stirring until reduced to syrup, about 1 minute. Pour into pan, swirl to coat. Starting in one corner, fan out pears in single layer; arrange tapered sides in same direction. Set pan aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream remaining 8 tablespoons butter until fluffy. add brown sugar, beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs; beat to combine. Beat in molasses and grated ginger. Add half of flour mixture; combine on low speed. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and 2 tablespoons boiling water; beat into batter. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until combined.
6. Pour batter into pan; bake 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. bake until springy to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack, 1 hour. Run a knife between cake and pan and invert onto a serving plate.

This post goes to Raaga's AFAM-Pears event. :-)

A Sweet Craving......(Strawberries with Ricotta Cheese)

2008-03-25T11:15:00.001-07:00

I am a very "Sweeeeeet Person", well, as in "I Love Sweets" :-) I have not one but 32 Sweet Teeth!! Sweets are a 'Yes! Yes!!' anytime anywhere. I share my dad's passion for sweets. He has all 32 Sweet Teeth too... even the artificial, root canaled, filled up, capped/crowned ones. Everytime I call my parents, one invariable question will be 'What did u cook today?' and I almost always immediately regret the question and miss them all the more wishing I had been there...Reason? mom would have cooked up some delicious sweets, which dad would describe to me in such elaboration. I'd feign anger, pick a fight, say its not fair that I did not get my share blah... blah... and I know that they know its all in good will. All I am is, happy that even at this age they are able to make and eat sweets, wishing their good health lasts for ever. Touch wood.

The other day..... I had this intense urge to eat something sweet(BTW, these urges are nothing new to me, so, please dont assume any 'sweet' news). I went and ransacked my kitchen, though I knew there was nothing there to satisfy me.... In the process, I opened the fridge and there it was... sitting coyly in one corner.... waiting to be picked up, a tub of Ricotta Cheese. Giada de Laurentiis, of Food Network's fame, flashed before my eyes. Luckily I had Strawberries too... and Voila! I had a satisfying, creamy, sweet craving-curber ready in a jiffy.

Looks delicious, huh? Its as easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 cup Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup Sugar (adjust to your liking)
Fresh Strawberries, washed, trimmed and sliced

Method:

1. Mix the Cheese and Sugar, until sugar melts and the mixture becomes creamy
2. Serve with sliced strawberries.

Go on... Help yourselves..
I can eat ricotta cheese-sugar mixture all by itself. Dipping strawberries into it just makes it more heavenly. My son and I polished off the whole plate :-) yummmmm....mmm... mmm.. mmm. :-)

Raagi Dosay, Baadaami Haalu

2008-03-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

I've been planning to upload a post on Raagi Dosay for a long time now...and Mansi's WBB-Balanced Breakfast event was the catalyst that actually made me do it :-). Reading through the event details, 'raagi' the humble grain was the first to strike to me as being 'healthy'. The dark, small, unassuming grains are a rich source of proteins,calcium and iron.

Nutritive value of Raagi per 100 g
Protein 7.3 g
Fat 1.3 g
Carbohydrate 72 g
Minerals 2.7 g
Calcium 3.44 g
Fibre 3.6 g
Energy 328 KCal
(courtesy: Wikipedia)

Raagi is used in a myraid of recipes throughout the southren part of India esp, in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. In the kitchens of Karnataka raagi is dished out in the form of Raagi Mudde, Raagi Malt(Beverage), Raagi Dosay, Raagi Rotti, Raagi Khilsa(Pudding), Raagi Ambali, Raagi Hurihittu etc., Maharashtra and the remaining states of the South India too have their own versions of raagi delicacies like, Bhakri, Puttu etc.,

I intend to post most of the above said recipes gradually. But for now it is going to be Raagi Dosay. Dosay spells 'weekend' and raagi helps in making up for the 'Balanced' part. This lacy, fragrant dosay is everybodys fav in my household. My parents to my in-laws to my hubby and even my lil one all really enjoy this delicacy. Being loaded with all the above goodies it makes me really happy to be plating out something so nutritious. And another great plus point??, ragi dosay is THE 'fast food' in all reality though it doesnt look the part. Forget all the worries about soaking, grinding and fermenting...So, what better than a healthy, tasty, 'laboriously prepared' looking, easy to make dish for a weekend breakfast??

The only skill required in making the dosay is the way in which you spill the batter on to the skillet/tawa. It is exactly like making Neer dosay, for those who are familiar with it. For other all I can say is that it is not like making normal dosay. Firstly, the batter is very thin, almost like water...and secondly, you have to make a whole dosay with just one ladleful of batter. You cannot put the batter in the centre of the skillet and try to spread it around. It is just not possible. Raagi starts to cook as soon as it hits the skillet and becomes non-spreadable. The trick is to spill the batter on to the skillet. Start from the top end of the skillet and work downwards. It would really help if you have a round skillet with raised edges, so that the batter will flow around and adjust itself to its shape and you will have a round dosay. So, have I succeeded in confusing most of you out there? Dont be deterred. Just go ahead and try it. It is easier than it sounds.... :-)

Mansi's event wanted us to balance out the different food groups like dairy, fruits, veggies, grain and nuts. So, instead of trying to incorporate everything into one single dish I kept them separate, giving it more variety. I added the refreshing, rich commonly known 'baadaami haalu'(you could call it dry fruits milk shake) and a fruit(a Pear in this case) to make it complete and balanced! Though 'Baadaami Haalu' contains Kesari(saffron strands) and other dry fruits like, pista, cashews and chironji too it is somehow referred wrt only Baadaami(Almonds), in Kannada. And here I cannot stop but mention the hot and cold baadaami haalu served at Asha sweets (esp, the Malleshwaram branch) in Bangalore. All my Malleshwaram tours invariably end with a glass of chilled Badaami Haalu from Asha sweets. Even my dad who hardly(could be even read as 'never') likes to eat out, treats himself to it whenever he happens to be in Bangalore.

Well, thats that, I guess. What are you waiting for?? Go ahead and indulge in the bliss of this balanced breakfast with your fav novel alongside....Have a wonderful weekend!

Ingredients for Raagi dosay :

1 cup Raagi flour
1/2 cup Rice flour
1/2 cup ChiroTi Rave(fine sooji)
1/4 cup Wheat flour
1/4 cup chopped Onions
1/4 cup chopped Dill leaves
1/4 cup grated Carrot
1/4 cup grated Coconut
2 teaspoons Jeerige/Cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Salt

Method for Raagi dosay :

1. Mix all the above ingredients well, in a big bowl.
2. Add water to the mixture, stirring constantly so that no lumps are formed.
3. The batter must be of a very watery consistency. You can add upto 6 cups(or more) of water to the above mixture.
4. Heat a skillet to sizzling(water sprinkled on it must sizzle away) but not 'smoking hot' point.
5. Take a big ladle full of the batter and spill it on to the skillet until the surface is covered in a thin layer of batter.
6. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil all over the dosay.
7. When done(abt 3 to 4 mins), use a spatula and slowly flip the dosay over. Cook for another minute or so and remove from the skillet and fold in half.
8. Keep mixing/stirring up the batter every now and then or just before making another dosa as the raagi tends to settle down.
9. Serve hot with any spicy chutney of your choice.

Ingredients for Baadaami Haalu :

2 glasses of Milk
4-5 strands of Kesari(saffron) soaked in milk
4-6 Almonds soaked in water and skinned
4-6 Cashews soaked in water
4-6 Pistachios soaked in water and skinned
2 teaspoons of Chironji seeds soaked in water
Sugar to taste

Method for Baadaami Haalu :

1. Grind all the nuts into a coarse paste using little milk
2. Add the sugar, saffron milk and the rest of the milk and blend until frothy
3. Serve chilled(this is the way I prefer) or heat it up if you like it warm/hot

Off this post goes to Mansi's WBB#20-Balanced Breakfast Thank you Mansi, for the wonderful opportunity. Hope to see a great roundup.

Poori-HesarubeLe Payasa

2008-03-14T12:00:00.001-07:00

Shivaratri continued.... had taken the pic but cud only post it today :-) . yup it is Poori with HesarubeLe payasa(Moong Dal Kheer). It might be a very odd combination for most of you...and I know this 'cos that's what my hubby thinks. As for me??? I grew up with this. And once again, I dare you all to try it out. It is a wonderful combo.

Some points worth noting with respect to the Payasa...
* The Payasa tends to become thicker with time. The starch in the BeLe/dal is to blame. So, if you want to thin it out, add a little milk/coconut milk and sugar/jaggery and heat it before serving it.
* Jaggery is the best sweetener to use, followed by brown sugar and sugar.
* Instead of just adding Cardamom powder, try adding Clove powder too. You can powder them together... the heat and flavor of the Cloves gives the payasa an extra punch.

Well, here goes the recipe...

Ingredients for HesarubeLe Payasa:

1 cup HesarubeLe(Moong dal)
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Coconut milk
3/4 cup Sugar/Brown sugar/Crushed Jaggery
Cashews and Raisins fried in ghee
1/2 teaspoon 'Clove and Cardamom' powder

Method for HesarubeLe Payasa :

1. Wash and pressure cook the beLe/dal with just enough water to cover it. If you dont want the dal to get mushy, you can dry roast the dal until just warm, let it cool down and then cook it.
2. Add milk, coconut milk and the sweetener and mix well and bring it to a boil. Keep stirring and let it boil for five minutes.
3. Take off the heat, add the cashews, raisins and the Clove and Cardamom powder.

Ingredients for Poori :

2 cups Wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil/ghee
Warm water
Oil for deep frying

Method for Poori :

1. Sift together flour and salt until well mixed
2. Rub the oil/ghee into the flour
3. Add the water little by little and knead into a stiff dough. The dough should not be too soft. It should be stiffer than chapati dough
4. Keep the dough covered and rest it for atleast 15 mins
5. Make small gooseberry sized balls out of the dough and roll out on a floured surface into round discs of about 4 inches in diameter
6. Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the rolled out pooris until they fluff up and become golden brown on both sides.

Enjoy!!!!

Fruit Chaat

2008-03-05T09:28:00.001-08:00

Today is Shivaratri. A day of fasting, praying and 'jaagaraNe'(giving up a night's sleep). Devout Hindus spend the day in Shiva Dhyana, going to temples, offering prayers and performing abhishekas to Lord Shiva. They eat sparingly or not at all and spend the whole night singing bhajans and chanting shlokas. Well at least that is what this festival is all about. But over the ages everything has changed, fasting has become equivalent to 'not eating rice and grains', 'jaagaraNe' has taken on the meaning of staying awake the whole night watching movies(hopefully devotional ones) etc., as my grandma would put it 'kaalaaya tasmai namaha' ironically where Lord Shiva is also referred to as "Kaala" or 'Time'. However, each to his own. My dad never approved of fasting. He would say, instead of fasting and always thinking of food, it is better we eat and be done with food and let the mind dwell upon God. I remember we would eat really good and tasty food during Shivaratri. Fruits like Watermelon and Musk melon would abound. Mom would always make Poori-HesarubeLe Paayasa(moong dal kheer)[I know it sounds wierd, but I dare you to try it, it is a wonderful combo]. Well, I am planning to the same thing tonight(shall take the pics and post it soon), but am missing the melony fruits. They have entered the market, but are so insanely priced, thot I will wait until spring sets in. So, I made the Fruit Chaat instead, very tasty and refreshing.

It is said that Shivaratri also marks the end of winter. People in Karnataka say "ChaLi Shiva-Shivaa antha horaTu hogutte" (Winter hurries away in the name of Lord Shiva)
On a lighter note, this is the day when all the TV/radio channels back in Bangalore compulsorily air songs and movies like
"Shiva Shiva yendare bhayavilla..." from bhakta siriyaLa
"Shivappa kaayo tande..." from beDara kaNNappa
"ee dehadinda dooravaade yeke aatmane...." from ohileshwara
etc., such oldie-goldies....and makes me oh-so-nostalgic

Here are some links that provide more information about Shivaratri:-
Wikipedia
Shaivam
TajOnline
Shaivam
About Hinduism

Fasting or not, have faith and He is sure to bless you. Eeshwara is said to be the most easily pleasable Gods of all. So go ahead and make the most of it. Happy Shivaratri to one and all....

Ingredients:

1 Big Banana, peeled and cut into rounds
1 Apple, cored and cut into cubes
1 Pear, cored and cut into cubes
2 Oranges, peeled and segmented
A bunch of Grapes, halved
(Use any other fruit you like.. strawberries, pineapples etc.,)

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup Honey
1 teaspoon ground Pepper
2 teaspoons lime/lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chaat masala powder

Method:

1. Mix all the fruits in a bowl
2. Take the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and whisk until well blended
3. Drizzle the dressing over the mixed fruits
4. Enjoy as a refreshing evening snack or to sustain you through a fast

Bagel Sandwich

2008-03-04T16:43:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

Something American, something easy and filling too...The addition of raw veggies and sprouts makes it nutritious and fresh. I find this to be a fitting start to a busy day. Even my husband who does not easily take to anything 'new' and 'non-traditional' wrt food liked it(I think). For me it was like doing something different from the regular run-of-the-mill stuff. If you want to cut on the fat, use low-fat cheese and skip the ranch dressing. Want more spice, use a spicy chutney or sauce instead of the ranch dressing. :-)
Enjoy!!!

1 Bagel
2 Slices of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
4 slices of Beefsteak Tomato
4 slices of Onion
4 slices of Carrot(sliced vertically and halved)
1/2 cup chopped Lettuce
1/2 cup Alfalfa Sprouts
Butter
Ranch Dressing(Optional)
Salt
Pepper

Method:

1. Halve the Bagel, so you will have four pieces and apply butter on the inner sides of the bagel pieces.
2. Place a slice of cheese on two of the lower pieces. Toast all the four pieces in an oven/toaster with the buttered side up, until the cheese is melted.
3. Now, build the sandwich. First place 2 onion slices on the cheese, then 2 tomato slices, then the carrots. Finally top with the shredded lettuce and alfalfa sprouts. You can season each layer with salt and pepper.
4. Apply Ranch dressing(if using) to the top slice of the bagel, and cover the sandwich. Repeat and make the other sandwich.

Paddu/GuLiyappa (Sweet, Savoury and Simply Plain)

2008-02-28T14:52:00.000-08:00

PaDDu(D as in Daniel) or GuLiyappa(guLi[L as in 'guLika kaala'] in Kannada means dimple or depression. The pan used to make this has depressions like in a muffin pan, and 'appa' my guess is equivalent of 'appam' in Malayalam or Tamil, and hence the name) is one breakfast item elaborate enough to be savoured at a leisurely pace on a weekend or provided the batter is ready, can solve ones busy weekday morning breakfast issues too...You can prepare this with leftover idly batter too, albiet with a lil compromise on the aroma, texture and taste of the final product. As my title suggests, this is one versatile batter... make sweet, savoury and/or plain Paddus and get three times the compliments ;-), satisfying three different taste palettes. For the savoury paddu, let your imagination rule....chopped palak, grated carrots, methi leaves are some tasty and healthy options, but I like the Dill leaves best of all.

I had once prepared this for breakfast when my parents had come over to my place at Bangalore, and my dad said it was the best, better than even what my mom prepared. Though I would never agree to it, it was the best compliment I ever got. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, they really make weekends(even weekdays for that matter) very special.

Ingredients for the Batter(Plain Paddu):

2 cups Idli Rice
1/4 cup Urad Dal
1/4 cup Moong Dal
1/4 cup Chana Dal
1/4 cup Methi Seeds
Method:

1. Wash and soak the rice in a big bowl of water for at least 5 hours.
2. Wash and soak together, the dals and methi seeds in another bowl of water for the same amount of time.
3. Grind the rice in a grinder/blender to form a coarse batter. It should feel like fine semolina/rave to the touch. Do not add too much water.
4. Grind the dal and methi seeds mixture to form a fine smooth paste.
5. Mix both the ground pastes. The final batter should be of Idli batter consistency.
6. Close and keep overnight in a warm place to ferment.

Ingredients for Sweet Paddu:
3 cups of the fermented batter
1 Ripe mashed Banana
1/2 cup closely packed Brown Sugar/Powdered Jaggery
1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
A pinch of Salt

Mix all the above ingredients thoroughly.

Ingredients for Savoury Paddu:
3 cups of the fermented batter
1 cup of chopped Sabasge Soppu(Dill leaves)(You can use grated carrot with or instead of Dill)
1/2 cup or more, finely chopped Onions
1/2 cup finely chopped Coriander Leaves
2 teaspoons Green chilli paste(Optional)
2 teaspoons Jeera/Cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Salt

Mix all the above ingredients thoroughly.

Method:
1. Keep the Paddu pan on the stove and add oil/ghee into each of the moulds. Put it on high heat.
2. Once the oil/ghee heats up, pour the desired(sweet, savoury or plain) batter into the mould, until slightly more than 3/4th full. You should hear the pan sizzle while pouring the batter. It will be convenient to use a spoon to pour the batter.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-high and let the batter cook for 7-10 mins. Then flip over and cook the other side(5-7 mins). You can add oil/ghee on this side too if you wish.
4. Remove from the pan and serve hot.
5. You can serve the sweet Paddu with honey and ghee, and the savoury/plain paddu with coconut chutney.

I came across Suganya's blog and this wonderful event that she is hosting. I am a fairly new blogger and thought this would make a good first entry. Hope you all like it.

And, thank you Suganya and Nandita of Saffron Trail for this beautiful event!

Nippattu

2008-02-26T15:48:00.000-08:00

Most of our evening coffee times start with the following comments from my son and hubby.. "amma, yenaadru karum-kurum koDamaa"(Mom, gimme something crunchy-munchy) "yenaadru khara-khara ideya?" (have anything spicy to eat?)How often can one serve the same old Haldirams mixtures or chips etc.,??? After wishing for a magic wand that will conjure delicacies, and finally facing the harsh reality that no such thing is going to happen...and after running out of all lame excuses....I decide to wield the ladle instead of the wand :-( I felt like doing something for which I wont have to stand infront of the stove during coffee-time. I tried to think of doing something that I can prepare ahead of time and store for days. Something that even I can enjoy sitting down with my family. What else should strike but the traditional chakkuli, koDubaLe, nippaTTu.... Oldie-goldies.... perfect snacks and healthy too... So, in full "josh" I selected the nippaTTu and set about with the preparation. Finishing all my other chores in a hurry, I fished out my diary in which I have written my mom's recipes. There it was, tucked away in a least opened page, the recipe for nippaTTu, staring at me, bringing back to me the memories of my school days... when I would pester my mom for snacks, how she would patiently prepare stuff for me.... I could almost feel the crunch, the taste even the smell of those snacks lingering in my memory lanes....Can't thank her enough. Guess, now's my turn. Hope I will be able to leave at least a small percentage of that impression in my Son's memories. Well, shook myself out of the revrie and checked for the ingredients. Had everything. Well, once I started with it, took me almost 3 hours to prepare about 35 nippaTTus. Anyways, I was happy with the outcome. But what made me the happiest was the reaction of the two guys in my life when they saw what I had set in front of them with coffee/milk. :-) Well, it is undescribable...saying this shoud suffice though, that all the nippattu's simply disappeared in 2 days flat...whereas the store bought snacks just refuse to leave my shelf once they are about 1/2 to 3/4th empty. They just lie there until I show them to the trash can out of frustation. Anyways, I was lucky enough to click the pics before they(nippaTTus) disappeared.
I had thought of making "NippaTTu Masale" which is a yummmmmmy street chaat. But, maybe next time(dont ask when, cos it sure is a tedious task. Anyone having any easier solutions are most welcome to suggest).....Till then, enjoy them plain....

Ingredients:
2 cups Rice Flour
1/2 cup Maida
1/4 cup Roasted Bengal Gram(PutaaNi/HurigaDle, Dalia) coarsely powdered
1/4 cup Peanuts roasted,skinned and coarsely powdered
1/4 cup grated Coconut
2 teaspoons white Sesame seeds, roasted
1/4 teaspoon hing(asoefetida)
2 teaspoon Red Chilli powder
15-20 Curry leaves, chopped finely
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Salt, to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:
1. Mix the rice flour and maida and heat it in a pan, until just warm.
2. Add all other ingredients except butter to the flours and mix well.
3. You can make this ahead and store it in an air tight container, for upto 2 months.
4. When you want to make the nippattu, take as much of the above mixture as you want, and rub in the butter until the mixture is of a crumbly texture.
5. Add water and knead to form a stiff but pliable dough.
6. Take a heaped teaspoon full of the dough and roll it into a tight ball between the palms of your hands
7. Grease a sheet of plastic/butter paper and flatten out the ball to form a round disc of about 3 inches diameter.
8. Prick the disc with a fork, to prevent it from puffing up while frying.
9. Deep fry in hot oil. Fry one at a time. While one is in the oil, you can make another disc and keep it ready. Flip once or twice in between and fry until golden brown.

Bread Toast

2008-02-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

Another walk down the lane leading to that culinary khazana called the Iyengar Bakery. Being in the US and denied of such luxuries, I feel like I should know how to make everything they make there...Bakeries being synonymous with the humble bread, bread toast is what strikes me first. Easy on the purse and on the stomach too, I have seen so many people making a meal out of it. Prepared at home, it doubles up as either a 'Ready in a jiffy' breakfast or 'Curb that Craving' kind of evening snack.
Hope y'all enjoy it!

Ingredients:
2 Carrots, washed, peeled and grated
1 cup Onion, finely chopped
4-5 Green Chilles, finely chopped
1/2 cup Tomatoes, seeds and juice removed and cubed (Optional)
1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
2-3 teaspoons Oil
Salt and Sugar to taste
6 slices of Bread, buttered and slightly toasted

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a pan. When hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it sputter.
2. Now, add the chopped chillies and fry for a few seconds.
3. Add the chopped onions and fry till transluscent.
4. Add the turmeric powder.
5. Add the carrots, mix well and let it cook.
6. If using, add the tomatoes and cook until just warm. Dont let it get mushy.
7. Finally, add the salt and sugar as per your needs, mix well and take off the heat.
8. Spread two(or more!) spoonfulls of the above mixture on a slice of toasted bread. Repeat for all the slices and serve warm with a hot cuppa java!

Broccoli-Carrot Soup

2008-02-19T10:30:00.001-08:00

I like to call it the 'Green Cauliflower'. The resemblance is uncanny. High in Vitamin C and soluble fibres, its a great source of nutrients. During my pregnancy I was advised by many to eat broccoli as it is supposed to gift the child with cancer resisting powers. I had seen it being served raw in veggie trays, with dips. I dint want to eat it raw, and thats when I googled for recipes involving broccoli and hit upon this simple, tasty, comforting soup. Broccoli is a winter crop. What better time to have warm soups and drive away the horrible winter blues??? And hey, dont stop there...let your imagination loose...use it in palya(subzi), grate and add it to chapati dough and make parathas.....Go Broccoli!, it rocks!!!! :-) for now, try this simple soup...

Ingredients:
10-12 medium florets of Broccoli
1 big Carrot, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup chopped Onions
1 clove of Garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup Milk
1 tablespoon Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cook the broccoli and carrots with a little water and salt until tender.
2. In a pan, heat the butter.
3. Add chopped onions and garlic. Saute until the onions are transluscent.
4. Add the cooked broccoli, carrots, onions and garlic along with salt and pepper to a blender, and blend until smooth.
5. Transfer the contents of the blender back to the pan and add the milk.
6. Bring to a boil.
7. Adjust the seasoning. Adjust the consistency by adding milk or water as required.
8. Serve hot.

Mosaraambode

2008-01-31T08:33:00.000-08:00

I consider this delicacy the South Indian counterpart of the North Indian Dahi Vada. Mosaru = Dahi and Aambode made from chana dal can be dubbed 'Dal Vada', so, Mosaraambode = Dahi Dal Vada. Easy, eh?? Aambode is a well known, very common South Indian snack. Mostly prepared as part of festival meal spreads, this crunchy snack is a favorite with everyone. There is rarely a person who doesnt like it. Serving it like this, dipped in seasoned curds is a very rare practice though. I havent come across anyone, (but my mom) doing this before. I even googled it and found no results... So, is my mom the first one.... well, as much as I would like to believe that, I definitely dont think so. May be it just is rare. Aambode is crispy, crunchy and very tasty all by itself, a wonderful snack for the cold, rainy evenings and Mosaraambode is like its alter ego, soft and tangy, an ultimate summer evening snack. Hope y'all enjoy it!!

Ingredients:

For Aambode:
2 cups Kadle BeLe(Chana Dal), soaked for atleast 2 hours
1 full teaspoon Kothombri beeja(Whole Dhania/Coriander seeds)
1/2 to 3/4th of a cup grated fresh/frozen Coconut
2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped
A handful of Pudina(mint) leaves, finely chopped
A few sprigs of Coriander leaves, finely chopped
8-10 Currry leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped Onions(Optional)
1/4 teaspoon Ingu(Hing/Asefoetida)
Salt, to taste
Oil, for deep frying

For Mosaru(Dahi):
4 cups Curds, beaten/mixed up to a smooth consistency
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon chaat masala powder
Salt to taste

Method :

1. Coarsely grind the chana dal, along with dhania seeds and coconut in a blender. Avoid adding water. If your blender is not cooperating, try adding just 2-3 tblspoons of water. It will also help if you keep aside a quarter of the dal before grinding. You can add it whole later, if the rest of the dal turns out too fine. If the mixture turns too watery, adjust by adding a little bit of gram flour(besan) or rice flour.
2. Add rest of the ingredints for Aambode to the ground dal and mix well.
3. Heat oil in a kadai.
4. Take lemon sized portions of the above mixture and flatten it form a round of about 1.5 inches diameter.
5. Add it to the hot oil and deep fry on medium heat. You can fry about 6 Aambodes at a time.
6. Keep turning and fry until they are golden brown in color.
7. Similarly shape and fry the rest of the mixture.
8. Eat them right now! or Set aside until all the Aambodes are cool.
9. Prepare the curd by adding all the ingredients and mixing well. Add a little water, if you find it too thick.
10. Two hours before you serve, add the Ambodes(if any are left i.e.,) to the curd and let them soak.
11. Serve garnished with a sprig of mint. :-)

Idli-Vade-Sambhar

2008-01-20T19:32:00.001-08:00

Another typical South-Indian breakfast. I used to hate idlis during my school/college days. Everytime my mom made it I would end up either fighting with her or just grudgingly eating one idli, much to my mom's disappointment. I was a stubborn, adamant spoilt brat, and how much I repent that. But now, I make it a point to prepare Idlis once a week(Thankfully everyone at home loves it.) For me it is a matter of convenience. Once the batter is ready, the idlis get done in 10 mins max, and the chutney can be prepared while the idlis are being steamed. So, a totally hassle free breakfast item. On weekends when I(everyone else, rather) have a lot of time to spare I team up the idlis with sambhar and vades making an elaborate and tastier weekend breakfast/brunch.
Idlis are considered easy to digest, going easy on the GI track. So, they are a much preferred food for kids, aged or ailing persons. I once had this misfortune of being admitted to a hospital and I was really happy that I had soooo many visitors. Now, as I sit down to key this, a small doubt is creeping into my mind nagging me as to the real reason I had so many visitors. Well, this hospital that I was in was quite close to a small place called Veena Stores(18th Cross, Malleshwaram, Bangalore). It might be of the dimension 10X10. But then they serve up the whitest, fluffiest, softest idlis ever, aptly named "mallige" idli. Mallige is Kannada for Jasmine. As the saying goes in Kannada, "Moorti chikkadaadru, keerti doddadu" (small in stature, high on fame), though it is a small place(and not changed in the least in the last many years)its idlis are ever so famous. The crowd in front of the place makes it very clear. So, whoever came to visit me at the hospital, was it just for me or for the Mallige Idlis???? Just kidding, I know it was for me. Cos I know you all love me, if not more at least as much as you love the Mallige Idlis :-) No hard feelings there.
My grandma had this thing about making vade at home. In the Brahmin community of Karnataka, uddina vade(Urad dal vada) is a dish to be prepared only during "shraaddha/tithi"(death anniversaries). Especially the ones that are shaped like the doughnuts, with a hole in the centre. They are usually eaten with either hesarubeLe payasa(moongdal kheer) or baaLehaNNina payasa(banana kheer). Wierd, some of you might say. But that is how it goes and it really tastes heavenly. And nothing spells shraddha more than Vade-payasa. Well, anyways, she(my grandma) did not like it when we expressed a desire to eat vade on days other than shraaddhas. Someone had found a way around that too... it was ok to prepare vade without the hole in the centre, so that it resembled a round bonda. They would call it biskut vade. Funny but true....anything for the love of food. Hole or Whole, it is the vade that mattered most.
Served with sambar, the idli and vade are a treat to the gastronomical senses. The sour, tangy sambar takes it a notch higher on the taste scale.
Usually, I have seen that people prefer eating idli-vade, immersed in a bowlfull of sambar. Hotels have special bowl shaped plates just to cater to this need. I used to make sambhar with finely chopped potatoes, tomatoes and onions. But to eat as said above, it is convenient if the sambhar is just plain liquid with all the flavors but no obstructing vegetable pieces in between. Then I found this recipe from my dear friend Rajeshwari which I am posting below. So, Njoi!!!

Ingredients and Method:

For Idli:
2 cups idli rice(You can use 1 cup rice and 1 cup rice rava)
1 cup urad dal (I use the whole white urad dal)

1. Soak the rice and dal separately for at least 5 hours.
2. Grind the Urad dal into a fine paste
3. Grind the rice into a coarse paste.
4. Mix well and keep overnight in a warm place to ferment. I Usually preheat the oven and switch it off and then keep the batter there.If you are using the rice rava, wash it in a bowl and let the water stand. Slowly drain away all the water and mix it in after you are done grinding the rice and the dal. If the rava is too coarse, you could just run it in the mixer for a few rounds.
5. In the morning, add salt and mix the batter well.
6. Grease the idli plates and pour in batter and steam.

For vade :
1 cup whole white urad dal
Less than 1/4 cup rice rava(akki tari)
Salt to taste
A Pinch of hing
Coarse cracked black pepper(Optional)
1/8th cup thin sliced fresh coconut(Optional)

1. Wash and soak the urad dal overnight
2. In the morning, grind to a fine paste using no or just 1-2 tablespoons of water.
3. Wash the rice rava and let it stand. Carefully drain off all the water.
4. Mix it well with the urad dal paste.
5. Add all the other ingredients and mix well.
6. Heat oil in a frying pan.
7. Wet your hands and take a lemon sized ball of the batter, shape it round and puncture a hole in the middle, using your thumb.
8. Carefully put it into the hot oil.
9. You can fry 5-6 vades at a time.
10. Fry on a steady medium flame.Keep turning in between.
11. Remove when golden brown in color.

For the Coconut Chutney :
Grated coconut - 2 cups
Green Chillies - 4
Coriander leaves - 8 to 10 sprig
Split roasted chana dal - 3 teaspoons
Tamarind - the size of a small marble
Jaggery - the size of a small marble
Salt - to taste
Oil for seasoning
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Urad dal
6-8 curry leaves
1 pinch of hing

1. Put everything (upto to salt)in a blender and grind to a fine paste.
2. Heat oil for seasoning. Add the mustard seeds. when they start sputtering, add urad dal. When it turns slightly brown add the curry leaves and hing. Add to the chutney and mix well.

For the Sambhar :

1/4 cup Toor dal(washed and well cooked in the pressure cooker)
1/2 cup grated coconut
2 tomatoes, cut into big chunks
1 onion, cut into small cubes
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons(or as per your taste) tamarind pulp
1 gooseberry sized lump of jaggery
1 teaspoon sambar powder
1 teaspoon rasam powder
Salt to taste
4 teaspoons of oil
8-10 curry leaves
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
one pinch of hing
Chopped coriander leaves, for garnish.

1. In a deep vessel, heat 2 teaspoons of oil and add the tomato cubes.
2. Saute until well cooked. It should become soft and pulpy and fall apart.
3. Blend the cooked tomatoes along with the cooked dal, coconut, sambar and rasam powder in a blender to form a smooth paste.
4. Add the remaining oil to the vessel and heat. Add the mustard seeds and let it sputter. Then add curry leaves,hing and the turmeric powder. Add the onions and saute until translucent.
5. Add the dal-tomato-coconut paste, tamarind pulp, jaggery and salt. Add enough water and bring it to a boil. Switch off the heat.
7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
8. Adjust the seasonings(salt, jaggery, tamarind, sambar powder) according to your taste.

Yellu-Bella

2008-01-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

Sankranthi Shubhashayagalu

Happy Sankranthi Everyone!!!! Missing the 'melt-in-the-mouth, snow-white, delicate, sugary' sakkare achchu's i.e., sugar figurines. Here's how to make the yellu-bella..

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted yellu(sesame seeds, til)
2 cups roasted,skinned and halved groundnuts
2 cups Hurigadle(putaani, roasted chick peas, daalia)
2 cups Jaggery cut into small fine pieces
2 cups kobbari(dry Coconut) skinned and cut into small pieces

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients and store in an air tight container.

Baalehannina Buns(Banana Buns or Mangalore Buns)

2008-01-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

Buns???? A misnomer. It is not a 'bun' as in a baked bun. It is deep fried, like a poori. But then, thats how its know and cherished. I cant help but remember the Sitanadi stop on the way from Shimoga to SouthKanara. The Bari Akki Dosay(Neer Dosay) and buns being hot favs at a hotel there. Seems like from some other world. Its been sooooooo long since I traveled that route. Here's to refreshing all those long lost memories..... Hope you all enjoy this one :-)

Ingredients:

1 over ripe banana
1 cup Maida(I use wheat flour, a healthier option)
1/3 cup sugar
1 heaped teaspoon ghee
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of salt
Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Peel and mash the banana.
2. Add all other ingredients and mix well to form a soft pliable dough.
3. If the dough is too soft add a little more flour/sugar and adjust.
4. Let the dough rest for at least an hour.
5. Pinch out a small portion of the dough, roll it into a round ball and pat out a poori on your greased palm or on a greased sheet of plastic. Keep it a bit thicker than you would a poori.
6. Deep fry in hot oil on medium flame, until golden in color and fluffy.
7. Eat with chutney or just like that!!

Cheenikaayi Kadubu(Sweet Pumpkin Idli)

2008-01-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

1 cup cheenikaayi(pumpkin) - 50% grated, 50% finely chopped
1/2 cup fine akki tari (rice rava)
1/2 cup jaggery
1/2 cup grated coconut
Cardamom powder

Method:

1. In a pan fry the rice rava until just slightly warm. Let it cool. (If the rava is too coarse, run it in the mixer until it resembles fine rava.)
2. Mix it with all other ingredients in a bowl, squeezing it nicely with your palm and fingers until a bit of the juice is released.
3. Let it rest atleast for an hour.
4. Then, put this batter into greased cups and steam for 10-15 minutes or until done.
5. Cool and unmould from cups.
6. Serve with Coconut chutney, honey and ghee.
For the Chutney:
1 cup Grated coconut
2 teaspoons Sugar
Cardamom powder
Grind all the above to a fine paste.

Cheenikaayi Saasve(Pumpkin Raita)

2008-01-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Saasve, it might kind of sound strange to anyone who can understand Kannada. Saasve, in Kannada actually means mustard seeds. Then why is raitha called saasve??? I really do not know. But that's how it is referred to at my place. Most of the Kannadigas refer to raithas as "mosarubajji"(now, don't ask me why it is called bajji if it's not deep fried). The same goes for many other things. Like for example, my hubby's place everything is Saaru....BeLe saaru, tiLi saaru, tarkaari saaru etc., where as, at my place Saaru is of thin consistency and does not have any vegetables(except for maybe tomatoes) and huLi is thicker and has vegetables and spice blends ground with coconut. And my hubby is quick to tease me here, 'huLi' in Kannada means 'sour', so... why that name. Then we make amends deciding that Sambar would be more appropriate. Well, 'Culinary nomenclature' now, guess that would make for a serious study. But, as for me, honouring my origins from where I've been handed these recipes, I will call this Saasve and everything else as it is referred to back home. I feel I owe them that much. You are free to call it what you like, raitha, mosarubajji, saaru, huLi.... hey, 'What's in a name?'. And personally, I feel, these subtle differences add more spice to life. You talk about it, maybe you even have mock fights and make up. It is these little things that make life more interesting and lively. Don't y'all think so??? :-)

Now, getting back to Saasve. Saasve has always been this humble meal accompaniment, this side kick, (side dish I mean). Its importance at the dining table keeps varying depending upon the season. Cold, shivery, unkind winters are not at all the time for this dish. You remember to do it when the stock of veggies in the fridge is dwindling or just withering away. Prepared in the smallest possible vessel, the poor dish waits eagerly to be just noticed, asked to be served, to be eaten. Come summer and it rules the mealtimes. The tables turn in its favour. Who would feel like eating the hot and spicy sambars that leave one feeling too full and heavy and sweaty on sweltering summer days??? The cool and refreshing saasve leaves everyone happy and feeling good. Rice and chapathis just seem to disappear when served with saasve. Accompanied by either happaLas or sandiges(pappads/badis) it is heaven spread out on a plate. My mom used to make these wheat sandiges, that were oh! just so right with saasve. I promise to post the recipe of that (wheat sandige)one some time. But I dont think I will ever be able to prepare it due to the cumbersome work involved. So, no pictures. My mom herself has stopped making them and where is the place to sun dry them here anyway???(he... he... ;-) I've got good excuses too).

Saave can be made from so many different vegetables...benDekaayi(okra), (cheenikaayi)
pumpkin, (heerekaayi)ridgegourd, doNmeNsinkaayi(capsicum), which need cooking and the regular cucumber, tomato, onion which can be used raw. There is even a Maavina haNNina saasve, yup mango raita, for which you will need wild ripe mangoes. That will take up a whole new blog entry, so, someother time. Well, in any case Saaves are yummmm... dont ignore them. Go ahead and try...For right now, here's the recipe of pumpkin raitha.

Ingredients:

3 cups Pumpkin cubes, peeled, washed and deseeded
2 cups Curds
1/2 cup fresh ground Coconut
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Salt to taste
For Tempering:
Oil
Mustard seeds
Urad Dal
Curry Leaves
Hing

Method:

1. Cook the pumpkin cubes using very little water, until tender. You can cook them in either a pressure cooker or the microwave. Just take care not to over cook them.
2. Let it cool compeletely. Add the curds, salt,ground coconut paste and the coriander leaves and mix well.
3. Heat oil for tempering. Add the mustard seeds. When they start sputtering add urad dal, curry leaves and hing. Add this to the pumpkin bowl and mix well.
4. Serve with rice and sandige(fryums).

Benne Biscuit / Butter Cookies

2007-12-29T00:03:00.000-08:00

For me it has always been "gunD"(round) biscuit. When my mom first started sending me to school, she says, she always had to bribe me with sweet treats. "ivattu neenu baro ashTaralli jamoon/gunD biscuit/shenga unDe maaDirtini" (I will make jamoon/biscuits/laddoo by the time u return). I guess, the thought of yummy sweetmeats waiting for me back home would make the ordeal of school worth it :-). I wish my son would ask the same from me.... but for him its always either M&Ms or LifeSavers or some other wierd colored candy stuck on a stick. The one exception however being, Jamoon. Its his anytime/anywhere kind of favorite sweet. Anyways, this one here today, is dedicated to the white, fluffy, melt-in-the-mouth Benne Biscuit. When I talked to some of my friends, about putting this up on my blog, not one failed to remnicise and get all nostalgic over their favorite Iyengar Bakery back in Bangalore. Everyone wanted the recipe ASAP! Well, I remember my mom doing it(she still does) in a stove top oven which uses sand as the heating element. I use the convectional oven to bake it in. Mom's recipe calls for Butter/Ghee as the name says but, well, this recipe has a twist to it. I use the Crisco Shortening in place of butter. "Cheating" you may call it, but trust me, there is no compromise on the taste at all... after all, one needs to watch where the calories are going too... ;-)I recently had a chance to visit my friend in Minneapolis during Christmas. She has a 6 year old son and I thought, what better than to take him these home baked cookies. Christmas, cookies and kids... everything just gelled in. I dint forget to
take pictures...:-) So, here goes...All you out there craving for that favourite evening time snack, for that Iyengar Bakery Smell... have fun!!!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Maida/All Purpose Flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup poppy seeds, slightly roasted
1 stick of Crisco Vegetable Shortening. (Available in 3 stick packs. You can use either original or butter flavoured one)
A pinch (1/4 teaspoon) of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Raisins/cashews and cake decorating gel for decoration - Optional

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients(except the ones for decoration) properly.
2. Add the shortening and mix well to form a soft ball of dough.
3. Take a little dough and make a small ball, rolling it smoothly in the palm of your hands. Similarly use up all the dough to make around 40 balls.
4. If using, firmly press either a raisin or a cashew on the top of each ball of dough.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
6. Place the cookie dough balls on a greased baking sheet at a distance of 1.5 inches each.
7. Bake at 350 degree Farenheit, for 20 minutes or until the cookies start cracking at the top.
8. Let it completely cool outside the oven, before you take it out of the pan.
9. Use the cake decorating gel, to your imagination. My mom would never approve of it, though. Keep it simple, she'd say.

Note: The dough should neither be too stiff not too soft. Adjust the consistency by adding more flour/sugar powder or more shortening. It also depends a lot upon the quality and age of the flour. So, experiment a bit, try for just 1/2 the quantity of shortening and all other ingredients, until you get a hang of it.

Rave Idli

2007-12-20T21:32:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

1 Cup fine rave/sooji/semolina
3 Cups curds
1/2 teaspoon baking soda or Eno
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1 teaspoon Chana dal
8-10 curry leaves, chopped finely
6-8 sprigs of Coriander leaves, chopped finely
Fried Cashews for garnishing(Optional)
Ghee for frying the sooji and greasing the Idli mould
Method :

1. Fry the semolina in a little ghee, until slightly browned and nutty smelling. Keep aside
2. Heat ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering add chana dal and the chopped curry leaves.
3. Switch off the heat. Add the fried rave and let it cool
4. Once cooled, add coriander leaves, salt, sugar and eno/baking soda and the curds and mix well.
5. Place the cashews first and then pour the batter over, into the greased Idli mould and steam for about 8-10 mins, until done.
6. Savour with Coconut chutney.

Pav Bhaji

2007-12-16T09:43:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

Potato, boiled and mashed - 3 medium
Tomato, finely chopped - 3
Onion, finely chopped - 2 medium
Mixed vegetables, finely chopped - 1/2 to 3/4 th cup each
(Cauliflower, Capsicum, Carrot, Beans, Peas)
Pav Bhaji Masala - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Jeera Powder - 1 tsp
Dhania Powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon Juice to taste
Lemon Wedges
Coriander leaves, chopped finely to garnish
Butter
Buns

Method :

1. Cook until done, the mixed vegetables with a little water in the microwave.
2. Reserve half of the chopped onions and tomatoes for garnishing.
3. Heat a little butter in a pan. Add the remaining Onions and fry until translucent. Add the remaining tomatoes and cook until done.
4. Add all the cooked vegetables and potatoes and mix well. Mash them all together.
5. Add all the masala powders, salt, sugar and lemon juice and mix well. Adjust according to taste. The Bhaji should not be too thick. Add water and adjust.
6. Finally add a dollop of butter and mix well.
7. Lightly toast the buns on a pan using butter.
8. Serve the toasted buns with bhaji garnished with chopped onions,tomatoes, coriander and lemon wedges on the side.

Masaale Dosay

2007-12-12T14:06:00.001-08:00

mmmmmm.............Masaale Dosay. For Chunni Baabu of Devdaas, it was 'da' se dost, 'da' se
duniya, 'da' se dard etc., but for my hubby dear, it was, is and forever will be 'da' se
Dosay :-) . Come Sunday morning and he is all set to annihilate the crispy ones with no ado.
I call him to his plate only after at least 3 Dosays are in place, or I will not be able to
match his devouvering speed. He used to get Dosays in his lunch box, to office. I always
thought he brought so many just to share with everyone. This belief of mine was undone when
I made Dosay the first time after my wedding. I literally had to pry him out of the chair
using the Dosay 'setka'(the flat spatula used to lift dosays off the pan). I knew then that
all the dosays in his dabba were just for him. His expectation, the relish and the
satisfaction are all worth the trouble(??? is it any???). After his morning dose of Dosay I
can be sure to have all my wishes granted, just that he would be too sleepy to listen to any
of them.

His love for this delicacy is soooo strong, he has passed on the genes to my 3 yr old son,
whose every mealtime starts with the question, "ivattu yenu tindi?" or "ivattu yenu oota?"
(what's for breakfast/lunch/dinner today?). When i tell him its dosay, he goes "Yay
yippeee.....Dosay.... hoooray!! and i know for sure that it is gonna be one hasselfree
morning. He somehow becomes this well mannered boy who can eat by himself, who does not
spill while eating, who eats without having to be told 100 times!!!! Really, miracles do
happen around the Dosay. He loves to sit on the counter top and watch me make the dosay. He
loves the sizzle as the batter makes contact with the hot pan, and I just like to watch him
like that.... eyes wide with astonishment, giggles and squeals of excitement, my day would
be done! It is also a great way of pumping in all different vegetables into my son's
system. The leftover batter magically transforms into "Palak Paneer Dosay", "Carrot Dosay",
"Cabbage Dosay", "Sabbasge(dill) Dosay", "Tomato-Onion Uttappa" .... the options are
endless.

I remember the grinding stone back at my grandparents place, Shankaranarayana a village in
South Kanara. It was made of this huge block of stone, with a big depression in the centre for grinding. My mom had told me this incident where my cousin(when he was....abut 2 yrs old) went missing and they searched for him in all possible places, only to find him sleeping in the grinidng stone, happily sucking on his fingers!!!! My grandma would make atleast 6 to 8
gallons of dosay batter for a single day's breakfast as there would be atleast 20 stomachs
to be filled. Who now, has that kind of vessels even??? Catering buisnesses, I guess :-))

As for me, I love dosay too... but not to the extent of either my son or hubby. It brings to
me the mouthwatering memories of visits to either Meenakshi Bhavan hotel or City Club
canteen of my hometown Shimoga, where my uncle would take us on Sunday mornings for
breakfast. I think it would be very unjust of me to not mention the 'Benne Masale' dosays of Davanagere. I had the honor of tasting them while visiting my Sister-in-law who stayed there. I doubt anyone would eat it once and not be enthralled by its rich buttery taste. No mortal(I am not mentioning Gods here, cos I doubt they have the pleasurable access to Dosays) can escape its EORF(Eat Once Remember Forver) taste. After moving to Bangalore, it was the dosay camps of Shivananda Circle,
Jayanagar, Basavanagudi or the dosay at Janatha Hotel, Malleshwaram complete with 'wedding-lunch' style seating and music. The list goes on and on, each one as yummy as can be and introduced to me by my ever (dosay) loving husband.

Well, all you dosay lovers out there.... Indulge!!!

Here's my recipe for Masaale Dosay......

Ingredients and Method :
For the Batter :
Idly Rice - 4 cups
Urad Dal (Use whole dal, if available) - 3/4 cup
Chana Dal and Methi Seeds combined - 1/4 cup
(so, in effect, urad dal, chana dal and methi seeds together make up 1 cup)

Soak the rice and dals+methi seeds separately for at least 5 hours.
Grind into a fine paste. Keep the consistency to a little thinner than that of store bought condensed milk.
Keep covered in a warm place and allow it to ferment. I heat the oven, until it is just warm enough, and switch it off, and place the batter in it, overnight. By morning you will have good fermented batter.
Add a little salt and sugar and beat well.

For the Potato filling :

3 Medium Potatoes, boiled peeled and mashed
1 Big Onion, sliced into thick 1 inch long slices
3 green chillies slit lengthwise and then halved
Curry leaves
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp
Chana Dal 1/2 tsp
Oil 2 tablespoons
Salt to Taste
Lime juce to Taste
Coriander leaves, chopped

Heat the oil in a pan.
Add mustard seeds and let it sputter.
Add the Chana dal and fry until lightly toasted. This should take about 3 seconds.
Then add the curry leaves and the green chillies. Fry for a minute.
Add the onions and fry until just translucent.
Then add the turmeric power, mashed potatoes and salt. Mix well.
Dont let it get too dry. Add 3-4 teaspoons of water to keep it moist. Turn off the heat.
Finally add the lime juice and Coriander leaves and mix well.

For the Coconut Chutney :

Grated coconut - 2 cups
Green Chillies - 4
Coriander leaves - 8 to 10 sprig
Split roasted chana dal - 3 teaspoons
Tamarind - the size of a small marble
Jaggery - the size of a small marble
Salt - to taste

Put everything in a blender and grind to a fine paste.

For the Red Garlic Chutney :

Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Garlic pods - 3
Red Chillies - 4 to 5
Tamarind - the size of a small marble
Salt - to taste

Put everything in a blender and grind to a fine paste.

To make the Dosay:

Heat the pan to a medium. It should not be smoking hot, cos then the batter will get
cooked as soon as it hits the pan and you will not be able to spread it. It should neither
be on low heat cos then the dosay will take a long time to cook and will not be crispy and end up being rubbery. Keep adjusting the heat. I usually do the following:-

1. Heat the pan.
2. Pour a ladlefull of batter in the centre and spread outward forming a concentric
pattern of thin and thick batter areas.
3. Add a teaspoon of oil and let it cook, about 3 minutes or so.
4. When done, reduce the heat to low, and turn over the dosay and let it cook on the
other side (you can say it is done when the sizzling sound dies off, or when the dosay
starts to come off the pan at the edges, you can see the nice coloring too...). Fold in half
and take off the pan. That would make plain dosay.

If you dont want plain dosay, then, follow instructions from 1 to 3. Continue cooking for a little longer. Smear the red garlic chutney. Place a dollop of the potato filling in the centre. Fold the two opposite sides to converge at the centre, and take off the pan.
5. Now increase the heat again and repeat the process 1 to 4.
6. Serve hot with Coconut chutney.

:-) Majaa maaDi.....

Sapaada Bhakshya, Satyanarayana Swami Prasada

2007-12-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

Satyanarayana Swami Vrata is supposed to be the most easiest and most rewarding vrata of all, not just for the performer of the vrata, but also for everyone who has the punya of partaking the prasada. Anyone, anywhere can perform this vrata anytime and reap the immense benefits. There are no strict conditions attached. The only must do is the method of preparing the prasad. It is very important that the ingredients be used in the right quantities. "Sa" means equal and "paada" means a quarter and hence the name "Sapaada Bhakshya" One measure each of the four main ingredients(semolina,sugar,milk and ghee) and quarter measure of the 5th ingredient(banana) makes it the sa-paada bhakshya. I heard about it from our purohit who had come to help us perform the pooja once. I failed to ask him why it is to? Like the 7, 14,21....etc., pleats for the Modaka of Ganesha prasada, no sour ingredient in Santoshi Maa prasada this one too.... I guess it is a clever way devised by our ancestors to keep us focused ....Anyways, may God bless one and all... here goes the recipe.....

Ingredients :

1 cup fine Semolina
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Milk
1 cup Ghee
1/4 cup Banana pieces
2 cups Water
Raisins and Cashews fried in Ghee
Cardamom Powder

Method :

Fry semolina in a little ghee until golden in color and nutty smelling.
In a thick bottomed pan mix the milk and the water and bring to a rolling boil.
Slowly add the semolina to it. Keep stirring continuously to avoid lumps. It will be easier if you drop in the semolina from a piece of parchment paper. You can then use the other hand to stir.
Be careful as the semolina will now start spluttering. Reduce the heat a bit.
Once all the liquid has been absorbed, slowly add the sugar and banana pieces and keep stirring. The mixture will once again liquify, so take care not to form lumps.
Now add the ghee and mix. It will be better if you add the ghee in batches and mix.
When the mixture turns soft and starts glistening with ghee, take off the heat and mix in the cardamom powder and fried raisins and cashews.
Don't forget to offer it to God before u savour it. :-)