Majjige Huli

This is a traditional recipe which is part of every day cuisine in Karnataka. It’s like the Kadhi of North India. But here we soak the channa dal and grind it into a smooth paste to make up the body of this gravy.

Apoorva, my second daughter loves to cook traditional recipes. This is for her especially.

Ingredients

1. Channa dal – 2 tbsps

2. Green Chillies – 2

3. Cumin seeds (jeera) – 1tsp

4. Ginger – 1/2 inch

5. Grated Coconut – 4 tbsp

6. Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp chopped

7. Milk – 1/2 cup

8. Yoghurt/curd – 2tbsp

9. Oil – 1 tsp

10. Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

11. Cumin seeds (jeera) – 1/4 tsp

12. Hing/asafoetida- a pinc

13. Curry leaves – 5

14. Ash gourd – 1 cup

15. Turmeric – 1/4tsp

16. Salt to taste

Method

1. Soak the channa dal for 2 hours.

2. Grind the soaked the channa with jeera, ginger, green chillies, coconut and coriander leaves together into a smooth.

3. Boil the ash gourd and once cooked add this paste to the water

4. Add turmeric and salt and milk and boil further

5. Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once it splutters add jeera, hing and curry leaves and pour it into the curry.

6. Remove from heat and beat the curd and slowly add it into the curry.

7. Serve hot with either hot rice or nuchina unde (dal dumplings)

Vietnam diaries – Ho Chi Minh – green and zen

Source: Vietnam diaries – Ho Chi Minh – green and zen

Mangalore Sauthe Sippe Gojju/ chutney

Neer Sauthe or Manglore Cucumber is the coloured cucumber that we get in the market. I read this recipe in Sudha magazine and changed it a bit as it requires a lot of grated coconut. But it really tastes yum nevertheless. I make dosa out of the pulp to go with this! I’ll post the recipe later.

Ingredients

1. Colour cucumber peel – 1 cup chopped

2. Grated coconut – 1/4 cup

3. Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp

4. Urad dal – 1 tbsp

5. Bydagi red chillies – 6/7

6.  Tamarind pulp – 1/4 tsp

7. Jaggery – 1 tbsp

8. Hing – 1/4 tsp

9. Oil – 1 tsp

10. Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

11. Salt to taste

Method

1. Dry roast urad dal, coriander seeds and chillies

2. Grind all ingredients except oil and mustard seeds

3. Check the seasoning

4. Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds. Once it sputters add it immediately to the gojju/chutney. 

Serve hot with Sauthe dosa 

   
 

Pach Kootu…a tribute

Amma ( my mother in law) passed away and it has been an introspective time for me. I lived with her more than my mom and her influence has been immense. From boiling milk to making the most complicated South Indian dishes, she’s been my teacher. As I was flipping through my hand written note book, filled with recipes I fought hard to learn, I stumbled upon her favourite recipe which she learnt from her sister. Amma for all those moments where I bugged and nagged you to teach me…

Ingredients

1. Green Beans – 1/2 cup copped into 1″ pieces

2. Chayote Squash ( Seemebadnekai) – 1 cup chopped into 1″ cubes

3. Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp

4. Jeera – 1 tsp

5. Red Chillies – 5 – 6

6. Hurgadale – 2 – 3 tsps ( depending on the consistency that you desire*)

7. Jaggery – 1 tsp

8. Tamarind pulp – 1/2 tsp

9. Grated coconut – 1 tbsp

10. Salt to taste

11. Water – 2 cups

For tempering

1. Oil – 1 tsp

2. Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

3. Curry leaves – 3 – 4

4. Hing ( asafoetida ) – a pinch

Method

1. Grind the red chillies, hurgadale, coriander seeds, jeera and the grated coconut into a smooth paste.

2. Steam the veggies in a little water. 

3. Add the paste and water and bring to a boil. 

4. Add salt, jaggery and tamarind pulp. Check the taste and adjust according to your taste

5. Heat oil in a kadhai. Add mustard seeds. Once they sputter add the hing and curry leaves and pour into the gravy.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with hot rice or chapathis

* hurgadale is also known as puttani or fried gram. It is used to thicken gravies. 

 

Sandige Huli

Sudi’s Ajji (Grandma) was an amazing lady and an awesome cook.  She was a fountain of knowledge though she never had formal education and so wonderful to spend time with. She taught me rummy and she shared so many wonderful stories that I lapped up as a young bride.

Sandige Huli is usually a specialty served during religious ceremonies. This was Ajji’s expertise. And it looked so difficult to make. But when she explained, it sounded so simple and I’ve done this several times and each time I miss her saying ” Thumba Chennagide Aadaru Sumaru” (It’s awesome but still…it’s ok). I think all the grandchildren have pulled her leg about this but the ever green Jayamma never took offence. This recipe is to thank her for those wonderful finger licking moments though I have made slight variations to make it a little healthier!

Ingredients

1. Toor Dal – 1 cup

2. Channa Dal – 1 cup

3. Moong Dal – 1 cup

4. Ginger – 1 inch

5. Green Chillies – 4 -6

6. Dry Red Chillies – 4 – 6

7. Hing – A pinch

8. Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup optional (If you are health conscious, you can avoid this)

9. Coriander leaves – 1/2 cup chopped

10. Tamarind paste – 3 tsp

11. Groundnut oil – 2 tsp

12. Salt to taste

For Tempering

1. Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

2. Hing – a pinch

3. Curry leaves – 6 – 8

Method

1. Soak all the dals for atleast 2 hours

2. Grind ginger, green chillies, coriander, red chillies and hing.

3. Coarsely grind the dals.

4. Add the masala paste to the dal and add salt to taste.

5. Take quarter of this mixture and further grind it to a smooth paste

6. Make small rounds of the remaining dal mixture and either steam it or fry it. I steam it as it is the healthier option but if you want to make it as traditional as possible, fry them.

7. Heat oil in a kadhai. Add the mustard seeds. Once they sputter add the curry leaves, hing and the turmeric powder. Fry for a few seconds.

8. Add the tamarind paste dissolved in 1/4 cup of water to the tempering and add the jaggery.

9. Once it starts boiling add the smooth dal mixture and add enough quantity of water to make a gravy and let boil. Let it simmer.

10. Add the sandiges to the huli and let it boil. Simmer for a few minutes.

11. Serve hot with rice.

Add a 2 tsps of hot oil to the dal – masala mixture to make the sandiges soft and yummy.

The sandiges are nuchina undes, but when added to the huli gives an oomph to whole dish.

Paneer in White Gravy

Rashu this is especially for you and my hero!

This is a very simple dish which can be whipped up in a few minutes. It uses bottle gourd as the base for the gravy. A vegetable which is not really relished by everyone but masked here by the flavours that are used.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1. Green Capsicum – 2 chopped into thin strips

2. Paneer – 100gms cubed

3. Kasuri Methi – 1 tsp

4. Milk – 2 cups

5. Fresh cream – 1 tsp

6. Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp

7. Salt to taste

8. Amchur powder (Dried mango powder) – 1/2 tsp

9. Cornflour – 1 tsp

10. Oil – 1 tsp

To be ground into a paste

1. Bottle Gourd – 2 cups (chopped and boiled)

2. Green Chillies – 2

3. Cashews – 4 – 5

4. Ginger – 1/2″

5. Cinnamon – 1/2″ stick

Method

1. Grind all the ingredients. No water is required as the gourd has a lot of water content in it.

2. Heat oil in a kadai. Add the capsicum strips and saute for a while.

3. Add the kasuri methi also and saute for a while.

4. Add the ground paste and salt and saute for 3 mins

5. Heat a tava and roast the paneer cubes on the tava and set aside.

6. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Add the jeera and amchur powder.

7. Drop the roasted paneer into the gravy and simmer.

8. Mix the cornflour and cream with a tsp of milk. Add this mixture to the gravy to bring it to a thicker consistency.

9. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with chapathis

I sometimes use sour cream instead of the fresh cream and cornflour. When I add this I don’t boil the gravy for long as the chances of the milk splitting is high.

Enjoy

 

 

Pineapple Pulav

Shalyanna – the delicacy which is served in Najungud was something we as kids loved. I would wait for Anna to come home with the prasadam. The kallu sakkare (Misri or sugar candy) in the sweet used give it a completely different taste altogether.

In this recipe I’ve tried using pineapple and the garam masala which gives this dish a twist. I’ve used sugar candy as it brings back memories. You can use sugar as well.

Ingredients:

1. Rice – 1 cup (Red rice takes a long while to cook. It doesn’t come out that soft. So I use organic basmati rice)

2. Sugar Candy – 1 cup of broken misri (If using sugar – 3/4 cup, brown sugar – 1/2 cup. The colour of the rice changes with brown sugar)

3. Almonds – 1/2 cup slivered

4. Cashews – 1/4 cup chopped

5. Raisins – 1/4 cup roasted in ghee

6. Milk – 1 1/2 cup

7. Saffron – few strands soaked in 1/4 cup of warm milk

8. Ghee – 1/4 cup

9. Garam Masala – 1/2 spoon

10. Pineapple – 1 cup chopped finely

11. Clove – 2

12. Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Wash the rice well. Soak for 15 mins

2. Heat the ghee in a kadhai, add the cloves and the garam masala to it and fry for a few seconds

3. Drain the soaked rice and add it to the ghee. Fry for 3 mins

4. Add the milk to it.

5. Let the rice cook in the milk till it is soft.

6. Add the sugar candy to it along with the soaked saffron.

7. Let the mixture thicken a bit.

8. Roast the almonds and cashews in a tsp of ghee

9. Add the pineapple, almonds, cashews and the raisins and cardamom powder and stir well till well mixed

10. Serve hot garnished with slivered almonds

If you are planning on using the sugar/brown sugar, the sugar can curdle the milk. So wait till the milk has evaporated completely, bring the vessel off the fire and then add the sugar.

It’s a complete meal by itself. I also add dates to bring in a variation when I pack my girls’ lunch.

Enjoy!!

Drumstick Curry

Drumsticks along with radish is not considered as sattvic by some. It is a very nutritious vegetable and one can find this vegetable in most houses in the villages of South India. Infact drumstick leaves are considered to be extremely beneficial as they have a high content of vitamin C. 7 times more than oranges!!! The whole plant is an amazing source of medicinal value.

In South Indian kitchens, drumsticks have only a few ways of cooking. This recipe that I saw was fascinating as it had a dry look to it, but I converted into a gravy. You can try both ways and use as you like. 

Ingredients:

Drumstick – 3 – 4 sticks

Coconut – 1/2 cup grated

Jaggery – 2 tsp

Dry mango powder – 1 tsp

Ginger paste – 2 tbsp

Coriander leaves – 4 tbsp chopped finely

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Jeera powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 3/4 tsp

Red Chilli powder – 2 tsp

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Water 2 cups

Salt to taste

Method

1. Chop the drumsticks into small pieces. Peal the drumsticks well.

2. Grind coconut, mango powder, ginger paste, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt and the garam masala together

3. Take half of the masala and mix it with the drumsticks. Steam the drumsticks with this masala till soft.This will take about 10 to 12 mins

4. Mix the other half with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add jaggery to it.

5. Add the drumsticks to the gravy and mix well.

6. Remove from the fire immediately and garnish with chopped coriander

7. Serve hot with rice or chapatis.

In the 4th step you can boil the mixture till it becomes semi dry and then add the drumsticks for a relatively dry subzi.

Enjoy!

Spinach & Paneer Dumplings in Makhni Gravy

Every time we eat kofta (dumpling) curry it is fried and very heavy with a lot of cream and cashews.The recipe that I saw used onions and of course the garlic. Not to forget the green chillies. So I made a few changes and the recipe comes out beautifully. The dumplings are steamed and so healthy. I make my own paneer(cottage cheese). I love the softness of homemade paneer. I keep what’s left over in the fridge for either salads or for any other curry. I have added that recipe as well. But you can always buy ready paneer which is easily available in stores.

Ingredients: Serves 6

For the Paneer:

1. Milk – 2 lts

2. Juice of lime – 1 lime

For the Dumplings:

1. Paneer – 1 cup

2. Rice flour – 6 tsps

3. Spinach – 1 cup finely chopped

4. Chilli flakes – 1 tsp

5. Salt to taste

For the Makhni gravy

1. Tomato – 6 firm large ones, chopped. (Or 4 – 6 cups depending on the tanginess of the the tomatoes

2. Red pumpkin – 1/2 cup finely chopped

3. Cinnamon – 1″

4. All spice leaf – 1 (If you don’t have the allspice leaf you can replace it with 3 to 4 cloves & a pinch of nutmeg powder)

5. Chilli powder – 1 tsp

6. Ginger – 2″

7. Jeera powder – 1/2 tsp

8. Kasuri Methi (Dried Methi leaves) – 1 tsp

9. Milk – 1 cup

10. Cornflour – 1/2 tsp

11. Sugar – 1/4 tsp

12. Oil – 2 tsp

13. Salt to taste

Method:

To make Paneer:

1.Set the milk up to boil.

2. As the milk is readied, dissolve the lemon juice

3.Reduce the heat and stir continuously until the milk is completely curdled.

4.Remove from the heat when the separation of the curds and yellowish whey is complete.

5.Strain the mixture through a clean muslin cloth.

6.Hold it under running water for a minute and then press out the excess water.

7.Hang the muslin for 15-20 minutes so that all the whey is drained out.

8.To make the paneer into a block tie the muslin and place it under something heavy. The paneer can now be cut into chunks and used as required.

To make the dumplings:

1. Mix all the ingredients together

2. Make small rounds of the dumplings and steam them for 4 to 5 mins.

3. Keep them aside to cool

 To make the Makhni gravy

 1. Combine the tomatoes, pumpkin, allspice leaf, cinnammon, ginger, jeera powder, chilli powder with 2 cups of water and bring to boil.

2. Cook till the pumpkin is soft

3. Once it cools, grind the mixture into a smooth puree

4. Heat the oil in a kadhai, add the kasuri methi to it and fry for a few seconds

5. Now add the ground mixture and let it boil for 5 to 6 mins

6. Add the dumplings carefully into the gravy

7. Mix the corflour into the milk and add to the gravy

8. Boil for another 2 to 3 mins

9. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with chapatis or steaming rice

Carrot Gojju (Tangy curry)

At home we make different kinds of Gojju! It’s a tangy, sweetish gravy dish which can be eaten with steaming hot rice and rotis as well. Decided to make this day into a day for experimenting. So took out whatever veggies I had at home and decided to try out Gojju with carrots and apples. Will post the Apple Gojju later. First of all, wanted to make fresh Gojju powder.

Ingredients

For Gojju Powder

1. 1/2 cup Channa Dal

2. 1/2 cup Urad Dal

3. 1/4 Coriander seeds

4. 1 1/2 cups of Dried Red Chilli (I used Bydagi as this gives an awesome red colour and is not the spicy. Kashmiri Chilli is also fine)

5. 3 Cloves

6. 1″ Cinnamon stick

7. 1 pod of Green Cardamom

8. 6 – 8 seeds of Methi seeds

9. 3 tsps of grated desiccated coconut (Ona Kobbari)

10. 6 – 8 curry leaves

For the Gojju

11. 2 tbsp grated Jaggery

12. 2 – 3 tsp of Tamarind Paste

13. 1 tsp fresh grated Coconut

14. 3 Carrots diced

For the tempering

15. 1 tsp ground nut oil (You can use any oil. But the flavour of Ground nut oil is awesome)

16. 1/4 tsp mustard seeds

17. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

18. a pinch of asafoetida (Hing)

19. 4 curry leaves

Method

For the Gojju Powder

1. Dry roast the dals together until they turn golden brown

3. Dry roast Corianders seeds, red chillies, methi seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and curry leaves. Roast till the coriander seeds start sputtering. Do not over roast as the chillies will darken and the look of the curry will turn brown.

4. Warm the desiccated coconut. Cool all the ingredients and store in an air tight jar. This can be used to make other gojjus as well.

For the Carrot Gojju

1. Dice the carrots into cubes

2. Heat the oil in a kadhai or a wok. Add the mustard seeds. Once they start sputtering add the hing and curry leaves and turmeric powder.

3. Saute for a few seconds and add the diced carrots. Cook on medium flame covered. This retains all the nutrients of the vegetable.

4. Once the carrots are soft add the tamarind paste, jaggery powder, salt to taste and 2 cups of water and let it simmer.

5. Meanwhile, take 2 to 3 tsps of the gojju powder and the grated coconut and grind into a smooth paste.

6. Add this paste to the simmering water and bring to boil. Check on the seasoning and adjust according to taste. We usually prefer both sweet and tangy to be on the higher side.

7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or rotis.

These naturally sweet and crunchy vegetable is a healthy addition to our diet. They are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin A and anti-oxidants. No matter how you eat this vegetable, it is rich in nutrition. Though studies have shown that cooked carrots contain more anti-oxidants than the raw carrots. This is because cooking releases the anti-oxidants. There are so many websites which give you info about carrots do look into it.

We’ve always been told that carrots are great for our eyes. I saw a post recently on FB which shows that when looked closely, a chopped carrot resembles the cornea!! That was a very interesting post.