AKKI PHENI /AKKI SANDIGE

Akki Pheni or Akki sandige is another of those items which are made during the summers and stored for use through out the year.

These crispy sundried rice noodles are deep fried before serving.
They are served as an accompaniment with a meal or they can be served as tea time snacks.

FRIED PHENI

INGREDIENTS
1 measure Raw rice.
4 measures water (Including grinding and cooking)
Salt to taste
Beginners may first try with a cup of rice for practice
You will need a chakli/sev press.

METHOD

SOAKED RICE IN MIXIE

COOKED RICE PASTE

PHENI DRYING IN THE SUN

• Wash and soak the rice in water for three days.
• Replace with fresh water each day.
• It is important to soak the rice for 3 complete days to get a light melt in the mouth sandiges,otherwise it will be  hard even on frying .
• Grind the rice to a fine paste adding salt and water as much required for grinding.
• The total amount of water should not exceed or be less than 4 measures
• Less water will make it hard to mix while cooking the paste.
• Add remaining water and in athick bottomed vessel allow to cook while stirring continuously till it leaves the sides of the vessel and forms a ball.
• Spread out a plastic sheet in the sun.
• Fill a chakli press ( using sev plate )with the dough and press in a circular motion on the sheet. 
• Leave small gaps between each sandiges.
• Allow to dry in the sun till it dries completely and store in airtight containers.
• Take required quantity and deep fry in hot oil on high flame.
• Use a medium sized Kadai as the sandiges will expand in size on frying.

DAL PARATHA

A very simple and easy to make protien rich paratha!

If you are left with excess of daal or sambar you can convery this into tasty parathas.
If you are using sambar,mash the vegetables in it,

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole wheat flour
leftover daal or sambar
red chilli powder
1/2 tsp jeera/ cummin
oil for shallow frying

METHOD

• Take wheat flour in a mixing bowl.
• Add 1/4 tsp jeera,1/4 tsp chilli powder,1/4 tsp turmeric powder.
• Mix well,add required quantity of daal/sambar and knead into a medium soft dough
• Make equal sized balls.
• Roll out into a round shape,
• Evenly sprinkle apinch of red chilli powder ,a pinch of jeera and less than a pinch of salt.
• Add about 1/8 spoon of oil and spread everything evenly.
• Fold the flattened ball to form a square shape. (Refer pic)
• Roll out and shallow  fry on a girdle on a medium flame.
• Serve hot with butter or ghee or curd or pickle.

kneaded dough

SPRINKLE  MASALA

ROLLED OUT PARATHA

READY TO SERVE

SUNDIGE MENASU/BALAKADA MENASINA KAYI/SUN DRIED CHILLIES

With the onset of summer ,starts the preparation of pickles and other sun dried items like papads and sandiges ( I do not know the english word for this :) )

These are stored in air tight containers and are kept for consuming all through the year untill a next batch is prepared!

These are fried in oil before serving and are to be relished especially with curd rice, Bisi Bele Bhath ,majjige huli or soppina huli.

These can also be added in the oil while making upma or poha. This will give a nice flavour to these simple items.

Select green chillis which are not very spicy. Tell the local vegetable seller that you want the chillies for making sandiges /balaka and he will help. :)



INGREDIENTS

Green chillies  250 gms

Methi/ fenugreek     3to 4 tbsp

salt                          about 2 tsps
hing /asafoetida powder   1/4 tsp


METHOD

Wash the green chillies and dry thoroughly . Do not remove the stem.
Make a slit in each chilli keeping both the ends intact.
Mix fenugreek powder,hing and salt. Taste and add more salt if required, since the mixture should be saltier than the ususal salt taste.
Stuff this mixture in to the chilli .
keep aside for about an hour and then dry it in the sun by spreading on a mat or plastic sheet.

CHILLIES DRYING IN THE SUN

Dry till all the moisture is lost and the chillies become crisply dried.

SUNDRIED CHILLIES

 Store in an airtight container.
This can stay for an year.
Deep fry in oil and use.

CHILLIES ,PAPAD AND BISIBELE BHATH

HIREKAYI SOUP/RIDGE GOURD SOUP

A very simple and healthy soup for the winters.
This soup will be ready in a few mins .
Very very simple but very tasty.

INGREDIENTS
1 medium sized ridge gourd.
a pinch of ginger

1/2 tsp cummin/jeera
2 drops ghee
Pepper powder

GOURD WITH GINGER

BOILING THE GOURD

FRYING THE CUMMIN IN GHEE

THE SOUP IS READY!

METHOD
Scrape the skin and cut into small pieces.
Boil andwith ginger and grind to a smooth paste.
Add water and salt and boil.
Heat ghee and fry jeera.
Sprinkle pepper powder and relish when hot.

GURELL CHUTNEY PUDI

INGREDIENTS

1Cup gurellu(Niger seeds)
a small piece (2tsp)of tamarind
6 or 7 red chillies
8-10 cloves garlic
salt to taste

GURELLU

METHOD

Dry roast the gurellu seeds on a low flame and keep aside.
In a few drops of oil fry the red chillies.
Roast the tamarind in the pan till it becomes crisp.
Mix all the ingredients and grind to a powder.
Serve with steamed rice or jolada rotti.

HIREKAYI MOSARU BAJJI /TURAI KA RAITA

This is a very simple and quick to make recipe. This is usually served with steamed rice.

INGREDIENTS

I medium sized ridge gourd/hirekayi/turai

1 or 1/2 green chilli

2 tsp grated fresh coconut

1/2 cup fresh curd

a pinch of hing/asafoetida

salt to taste

1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

FOR TEMPERING

1/2 tsp oil (coconut oil would be preferable)

1/2 tsp mustard

1/4 tsp udad dal

1/2 dry red chilli

METHOD

Wash and lightly scrape the skin of the ridgegourd.

• Chop into pieces. Remove the seeds if any and add water and cook along with green chilli and salt till it is soft.
• Allow to cool.
• Grind the above mixture with all the  ingredients (except curd)to a smooth paste.
• Add beaten curd and temper.
• Serve with steamed rice.
• This is to be mixed with the rice and eaten.

STUFFED BRINJAL IN GREEN GRAVY

INGREDIENTS

4 small brinjals
1 medium sized onion
1 small tomato
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp tamarind paste
a pinch of jaggery
salt

FOR THE GRAVY
ONE SMALL ONION (Cook in a tsp of oil and keep aside)
2-3 GREEN CHILLIES
8-10 CURRY LEAVES
1/4 CUP CHOPPED CORRIANDER LEAVES
1 '' PIECE GINGER
4-5 CLOVES GARLIC
1/4 TSP JEERA/CUMMIN
SALT TO TASTE

Green paste

FOR THE MASALA
1/2 cup groundnuts (roast and remove the skin)
1/4 cup gurellu (niger seeds)

Gurellu

Grind to a powder and keep aside.

Gurellu and groundnut powder

METHOD

• Slit the brinjal into quarters till the stalk.
• Heat oil in a pan and saute the brinjals for a min or two.
• Allow to cool and stuff it with the green paste.
  
• Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a pan.
• Add chopped onions and fry.
  
• Then add choppped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes become soft.
  
• Add a pinch of haldi, chilli powder, remaining green paste, groundnut and gurellu powder.
• Add the stuffed brinjals and allow to cook for some time.
  
• sprinkle a little water and cover the pan and cook till brinjals become soft and oil leaves the sides of the pan.
• Serve with jowar rotti, bajra rotti or chapatis.
  

PUNDI PALLE WITH AKKI NUCHHU

Pundi Palle is also known as Gongura .It is mostly popular in Andhra and North karnataka regions

The hybrid varieties have large leaves and are very sour in taste while the native variety has small leaves , is less sour with a tinge of bitterness.

You can find the recipe for making the  Gongura Chutney on this page under the heading, CHUTNEY VARIETIES.

PUNDI PALLE CHUTNEY

Gongura is rich in iron, vitamin B , vitamin C , flavanoids and anti oxidants.

The recipe that I am going to share is prepared in North Karnataka region. 

It is used as an accompaniment for jowar roti. or it can also be savored as a one pot meal.

 INGREDIENTS

1/2  cup broken rice (whole rice can also be used)

1-2 cups gongura leaves

2 tbsp ground nut

1-2 green chillies

1/4 tsp haldi/turmeric powder

salt to taste

FOR TEMPERING

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp jeera

1/2 tsp rayee

1/4 tsp methi seeds

4-5 cloves garlic, crushed

1-2 green chilli, crushed

2 red chillies ,broken

METHOD

• Mix together rice, chopped gongura leaves, slit green chilli ,groundnuts ,haldi and salt .
  
• Add 1 1/2 -2 cups water and pressure cook till rice becomes soft.
  
• Mix well with a ladle while hot so that the rice gets mashed .
  
  
• Heat oil in pan and add mustard, jeera, methi, red chilli and then crushed garlic and green chilli.
  
• Add the rice and gongura mix and mix well.
  
• Serve hot with jowar roti or relish just like a rice variety.                                                                                                                    

VARIATION

Whole rice can also be used instead of broken rice or you may  dry grind the rice for a sec to get broken rice. DO NOT POWDER THE RICE.

Some varieties of gongura  are very sour. In such a case boil the leaves separately and drain the water. Then mix with the boiled rice.

Crushed garlic can also be added while cooking the rice.

MOOLI SABZI

This is a dry variety of side dish which goes well with rotis or phulkas.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups diced radish/mooli (Approx 1cm cubes)
1 slit green chilli
2tbsp oil
1/4 tsp jeera/cumin
1/4 tsp rayee/mustard seeds
1/8 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp besan/ bengal gram flour
1/4 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste


METHOD

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add jeera and rayee.
  
• When mustard splutters add the split chilli and then diced radish.
• Add haldi, salt and chilli powder.
  
• Cover and cook on a slow flame till the radish becomes soft.
• Sprinkle water while cooking if required.
• (do not add too much water.)
  
  
  
• Now sprinkle the flour and mix well. 
  
• Allow to cook for a minute or two till the raw smell of besan goes away.
  
• Add lemon juice and mix well.
• Serve hot with rotis.