MASALA PURI

INGREDIENTS

2 cups wheat flour
1 cup besan/bengal gram flour
1/2 tsp jeera/cumminn
1/2 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
1/4 tsp kalonji/onion seeds
2 tbsp kasuri methi/ dried fenugreek leaves
1tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dhania powder/coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
a pinch of hing/asafoetida
a pinch of haldi/turmeric powder
2tsp oil for the dough
Oil for deep frying

PREPARATION

In a mixing bowl, add all the above ingredients and knead into a dough adding water. Keep aside for 15 -20 mins.

Make small balls of the dough and roll into small circles.

Deep fry in  oil.

BESAN LADDU

INGREDIENTS

3 1/2 measure besan/bengal gram flour

2tsp fine semolina/sooji/rava

1 measure ghee/clarfied butter

2 measures sugar powder (if you prefer it more sweet you can add  some more sugar powder)

Cardomom powder for aroma

Dry fruits like cashewnuts and raisins. 

PREPARATION METHOD

• In a thick bottomed pan, add ghee, and besan and start roasting on a slow flame.
• In the beginning the flour looks very dry but as you keep roasting ,the mixture turns slightly wet and the ghee starts showing.
• Keep mixing with a spatula till you get a nice aroma and the flour turns golden brown.
• Sprinkle 2tbsp of cold milk and mix well.
• Allow it to cool completely. 
• Add the powdered sugar, cardamom powder and dry fruits.
• Take a small amount of the mixture in hand and form small ball

• DONE!!!                    

ENJOY THE DELICIOUS LADDUS !!

WISH YOU ALL A VERY VERY HAPPY DIWALI !!

MAIDA CHAKKLI

It's DIWALI time and time for making ,gifting and eating lots of sweets and savories!
I started the preparations by making CHAKLI. But this time I made a chakli from Maida/All purpose flour. I MUST mention here that I learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law.
I like this as it is very easy to make and is doesn't require too much of kneading and butter or oil as  required in other chalki recipes.

Try it and do let me know if you liked it.

HAPPY CHAKLI MAKING  :)


YOU WILL NEED
500 maida/all purpose flour which is almost 4 cups
280 ml of water
1 1/2 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp til seeds/sesame seeds
1 3/4 tsp salt
oil for frying

I prefer frying all these snacks in ground nut oil as I have found out they remain fresh for a longer time as compared to sunflower oil. You can store these for more than 10 -12 days in an air tight container. When fried in sunflower oil it starts smelling a bit  after 5-6 days.

PREPARATION

• Tie the maida in a clean cloth and pressure cook till you get 4 whistles (or as much time you need to cook rice in your cooker. 
  
• When pressure reduces untie the cloth and transfer the flour to a large plate.  It will be in the form of a large lump. 
  
• Allow to cool and break the lumps and sieve the flour.
• 
  
• I used a flat bottomed katori/bowl to break the lumps but maybe a potato masher can also be used.
  
  
  
  
• Repeat the process till all the flour is free from lumps.(You can discard the last portion of lumps.)
  

Add jeera/cumin, til/sesame ,salt and water and knead into a soft dough.

Do not knead very hard.  It is enough if you get a soft ball of dough.

• Keep oil for heating in a deep frying pan.
• Fill the Chakli making machine with the dough and makepress them into circles on a piece of paper.

• You can directly press the chakli in the oil but  I prefer to first press them on paper and then fry , to get uniform shaped circles. Press the outside end properly or it the ring will open up while frying.
• Slide the chaklis in the oil and fry till they turn crisp.
  
• These chaklis will not turn golden brown but you can know the end point by seeing the oil.

• It will stop foaming when the chaklis are done.   

ENJOY THESE CRISPY WHITE CHAKLIS!

SEEME BADANE TOVE

Seeme Badanekayi is also known as Chow Chow.  It is known as CHOYOTE SQUASH in English.
I use it frequently for making pallya , tove and majjige huli.
Here I am sharing the recipe for making tovve.
Tovve is a lentil curry  with or without vegetables.
It has no spices and requires a simple tempering.
It is a good side dish for rotis.

INGREDIENTS
1 medium sized chow chow/choyote squash
Peel the skin, remove the seed and then chop into small cubes.
1/4 cup moong dal/green gram dal
2-3 green chilies
1 small tomato
1/2 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp jeera/cumin
1/4 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder
a pinch of hing/asafoetida
a sprig of curry leaves
salt to taste.

METHOD
Heat 2tsp of oil. 

Add mustard, jeera hing, curry leaves and chopped green chilies. 

Add the washed daal and stir for a min. 

Add the chopped vegetable, tomato, haldi and salt. 

Add a cup of water and pressure cook till the lentils/dal become soft. 

The dal should not get overcooked and form a paste!

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Can be served with rice or  rotis.

Other vegetables like ridge gourd, snake gourd  or cucumber can be used in this recipe.
If you are not using a pressure cooker, boil the dal and vegetables separately and then temper them and boil.

UPPIT ROTTI

I was left with lot of UPMA or UPPIT (as it is called ) that I had made for breakfast. I just kept it in the fridge and was wondering what I could do with it. And this is what materialized. It tastes so good that now it has become a regular evening tiffin at my home.

Hope you like it too!

Add a few table spoons of rice flour, finely chopped green chilies, finely chopped onion, coriander leaves and 1tsp of jeera  to the left over uppit. 

Sprinkle water and form  a soft dough.

On a girdle, apply oil, take a small ball of the dough and flatten with your fingers to form a round shape.

Now place the girdle/tawa on the stove and shallow fry .

Add a few drops of oil on the sides of the ROTTI.

Flip the rotti and fry on the other side.

Serve with butter or ghee or chutney.

Always use a cold tawa for flattening the dough. It will not spread on a warm tawa./girdle.

Alternate with two girdles.

SABBASIGE TOVVE / DILL AND LENTILS

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch sabbasige/dill leaves
1/4 cup yellow lentils/toovar dal
3-4 tbsp freshly grated coconut
2-3 green chilis
a pinch of turmeric/hadi
1tsp mustard
a pinch of hing/asafoetida
salt to taste
oil for tempering

METHOD
Boil the dal/lentils and keep aside. Wash and finely chop the  dill  leaves along with chopped green chilies and turmeric. Add   the boiled dal/lentils, salt grated coconut and boil.
Temper with mustard and hing.
Can be served with rice or chapatis.

OGGRANE CHURMURI

Oggrane in kannada means TEMPERING.  A simple way to make an interesting and tasty breakfast!
You can temper puffed rice, beaten rice or leftover rice.


                                                      TEMPERED PUFFED RICE
INGREDIENTS
250 gms puffed rice/churmuri
1 onion
2 green chilis
1 tbsp ground nuts
1/4 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard
a pinch of hing/asafoetida
3 tsp oil
pinch of turmeric powder
salt to taste
a sprig curry leaves
chopped coriander leaves

METHOD
Rinse the puffed rice and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add groundnuts. Add mustard and allow to splutter.
Add jeera/cumin, hing, curry leaves,chopped green chilis and onions. Saute till it becomes transparent. Add turmeric and add the puffed rice. Sprinkle salt and mix well.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve immediately.

NOTE:  Do not keep the puffed rice for a long time after rinsing.

                                               VAGRANE AVALAKKI/  POHA/BEATEN RICE


Follow the same procedure with beaten rice. But after rinsing the beaten rice, keep aside for 10 -15 mins  so that it becomes soft.
You can also add a small tomato in the tempering.

Have left over cooked rice?

Follow the same procedure and relish.

AVALAKKI DOSA /BEATEN RICE DOSA

INGREDIENTS
1 cup poha/ avalakki /beaten rice
1/2 cup fine rava/ semolina
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup curd/ yogurt
1 onion
1/2 tsp chili powder
a pinch of haldi ( turmeric powder)
 a few coriander leaves
1 tsp jeera (cumin)
salt to taste
oil

METHOD
Wash the poha/ beaten rice and soak for 15-20 mins. Grind to a paste along with curd.  Mix all the ingredients and form a batter of dropping consistency. Keep aside for 10-15 mins.

Heat a tawa/girdle and pour a ladle full of the batter and spread into a round shape. Pour a few drops of oil at the sides. Allow it to cook on medium flame.Flip it on the other side, add a few drops of oil and remove when it becomes properly cooked.
Serve with any chutney.

You can  also use leftover poha or tempered beaten rice to make this dosa!

KOSAMBRI / SALADS

Kosambri is a part of the menu in a traditional Karnataka meal. These  salads are very nutritious and very easy to make.
ENJOY THESE  VARIOUS TYPES OF KOSAMBRI!!!

                                      CHANA DAL KOSAMBRI / LENTIL SALAD


Soak the chana dal  (split bengal gram)for 3-4 hrs.   Wash well and remove the water completely.
In a tsp of oil temper with mustard, hing(asafoetida), finely chopped green chili(about 1/2 or 1 green chili is enough),  curry leaves. Add salt and mix well. Then add a few spoons of freshly grated coconut and finely chopped coriander leaves. 

This article about chana dal interested me and hence I am sharing it here.

http://www.mendosa.com/chanadal.html

                                      MOONG DAL KOSAMBRI/GREEN GRAM SALAD

Soak moong dal (split green gram) and follow the same procedure as above.

VARIATION :    To this salad you can add grated cucumber or grated carrot also.

CHANA DAL AND MOONG DAL KOSAMBRI

                                   CARROT KOSAMBRI/ CARROT SALAD

Grate carrot and follow the same procedure as above. Add a pinch of sugar for extra taste.

LIME JUICE IS OPTIONAL. YOU CAN ADD IT AS PER YOUR TASTE TO ALL THE SALADS.

ONION TOMATO RAITA

INGREDIENTS

1 onion

1 tomato

Curd/ Yogurt

Salt to taste

2 tsp coconut ground to a fine paste (optional)

FOR TEMPERING

1/2 tsp coconut oil or refined oil

( coconut oil gives a nice flavour)

Mustard seeds

Udad dal (black gram)

1 red chili broken into 2-3 pieces

Mix finely chopped onion and tomato with the curd and salt and temper.

This raita can be eaten with meals mixed with white rice. 

Try crushing a piece of the red chili and mixing it with the rice to get that extra hot punch!!

TONDEKAI FRY/ IVY GOURD FRY

INGREDIENTS
 Tondekai/kundru/ivy gourd cut into rounds 2 cups
1tsp chili powder
3-4 tsp oil
salt to taste
A pinch of haldi (turmeric powder)

METHOD
Heat oil in a pan. Add the vegetables and all other ingredients and saute for a few mins. Cover for some time and then stir fry till they become soft and then crisp.

NUGGE SOPPINA CHUTNEY/DRUMSTICK /MORINGA LEAVES CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS

2 cups drumstick leaves (Do not use the stems, pick only the leaves)

3-4 red chilies

1tsp dhania (coriander seeds)

a small piece of tamarind

1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)

5-6 tbsp grated coconut

salt to taste

METHOD

In a vessel boil all the ingredients except coconut, till the leaves become soft. Remove from flame and add the grated coconut. Allow to cool and grind to a paste. Temper with mustard ,udad dal (black gram) and hing.

Nutritious chutney is ready to be served. This can be mixed with steamed rice and eaten. For extra flavour mix a few drops of coconut oil to the rice and mix the chutney and relish.



                                                        ASH GOURD PEEL CHUTNEY


Peel the skin of Ash gourd and follow the same procedure for making the chutney. Here I have used green chilis instead of red.

Moth bean curry/ madki kalu palle

This is generally eaten in north karnataka along with jowar (pearl  millets). rotti or bajra (black millets) rotti (flattened bread)
These millets form  the staple diet of people in North karnataka. They are eaten in the form of rottis along with different varieties of bean curries, raw onion, curd and chutney pudi.( spicy powder)
I learnt this recipe from  my cousin who makes very good north karnataka dishes.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups soaked moth bean
3-4 green chilies
1/2 tsp jeera (cumin)
1'' piece ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 large onion
A few curry leaves
A few coriander leaves
2 tsp oil

METHOD
Grind the green chilies ,cumin,ginger, garlic, curry leaves and coriander leaves  along with salt to a  thick paste and keep aside. This paste can be store in the refrigerator for a week and used when required.

Heat oil in a pan.  Add a little mustar and cumin. When mustard splutters, add curry leaves.
Add chopped onions and saute till they become transparent.Now add the soaked moth beans/madki. Add 2-3 tsp of the ground paste.Add salt. Sprinkle a liitle water and cover with a lid. Cook for a few mins till the beans become 3/4th cooked and remove from flame. The beans should not become too soft.
Serve with chapatis.

BISI BELE BHATH

Bisi Bele Bhath which means Hot Lentils and Rice is a dish from Karnataka.. It is a complete meal in itself as it contains rice, dal and a mix of vegetables.
Here I have shared a quicker way of making this dish,
Though it sounds very complex, it's very easy to make.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup rice
1 cup toovar dal (pigeon peas)
3-4 cups of mixed vegetables (beans, carrot, potaoes, peas etc)
Chop the vegetables into large cubes to prevent them from getting overcooked.

• SPICES USED

3-4 cloves ( laung/lavang)
1 1/2'' piece of cinnamon  (dalchini)
1 small cardamom (elaichi)
1 1/2-2tsp sambar powder
1 tsp coriander powder(dhania powder)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder(haldi)
1/4 tsp asafoetida ( hing)
salt
2-3 tsp Tamarind pulp
Curry leaves

FOR TEMPERING
6-7 tsp oil
3 tbsp groundnuts
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
3-4 whole red chilies
Curry leaves
2 onions, sliced
2 tomatoes finely chopped

METHOD

• Add about 5 cups of water to a pressure cooker and add rice, dal , vegetables, 1 tsp salt, turmeric powder and cook till you get one whistle.

• Meanwhile fry the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom in a drop of oil and powder them.

• In a vessel add a cup of water, the powdered spices, turmeric powder, sambhar powder ,coriander powder,1tsp salt ,asafoetida (hing) curry leaves and boil well till the raw smell of the powder is gone. You will get a nice aroma of the spices.

• Check your pressure  cooker now. The presuure would have subsided and you may be able to remove the lid. Check to see that the dal is cooked.

•  Add a cup of water and mix lightly. The rice should not turn to a paste.

•   Mix the  spiced up tamarind water and simmer. 
• Add water to make the mixture of a medium pouring consistency. Stir occasionally, but always be careful not to mash up the rice. Check the taste now. You can then adjust the sourness and spice (chili) in your  tempering.

• Heat oil. Add the groundnuts, mustard and  hing.  When the mustard splutters, add the red chilies and curry leaves
• . Add the sliced onions and saute till they become transparent .
•  Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and fry till  the water starts evaporating from the  tomatoes and the oil  starts leaving the sides . You can add an extra tomato if you want the rice mix to be  sour. Remember you have checked the mixture before!! 
•  Add sambhar powder or chili powder as per your requirement and mix this to the rice mix.

The whole mix should be semi solid in consistency.

Serve with papads and fried chilies and sandige . (These are sun dried products easily available in the super markets)

SANDIGE MENASU, HAPPALA , ARALU  SANDIGE