South Indies: Gojjavalakki
Today is Krishna Janmashtami & you can have a look at my Krishna here. All the worshipping was done by my family & the eating was done by me 
-
1 Cup Poha - Thick or Medium variety
-
2 tsp Rasam powder - Home made or any other brand. MTR works great
-
A small piece of jaggery
-
Tamarind extract from a lemon sized tamarind ball
-
1 tbsp seasme seeds - roasted & powdered
-
1 tsp mustard seeds
-
4-5 red chillies - broken
-
A sprig of curry leaves
-
1 tsp chana dal
-
1 tsp urad dal
-
A handful of groundnuts
-
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
-
Salt as per taste
-
Cooking oil
-
In a pan, dry roast poha until slightly warm. Transfer to a mixer & pulse the poha for a couple of times so that it is crushed coarsely. Do not make it into a fine powder.
- In a vessel, take a little more than 3/4th cup of water, Add Rasam powder, tamarind extract & jaggery. Mix well & allow the jaggery to dissolve completely.
- Add this water to the poha mixture, little at a time. Mix well such that no lumps are formed. Set aside for about 15-20 mins. The poha would have soaked up all the water & should be crumbly. If there are any lumps, separate them with your fingers. It should look like Rava.
- Heat oil in a kadhai, splutter mustard seeds. Add groundnuts, red chillies, curry leaves. urad & chana dal & allo them to slightly change colour. Add poha, sesame seeds powder, Salt & a tbsp of oil & mix well.
- Keep mixing over low heat for about 3 mins.
Transfer to a bowl & serve with yogurt. Enjoi !!!
NOTE:
-
I used thin variety poha today. If you are using the thick variety, you made need a little more water. But I really does not make any difference in the taste
-
Grated dry coconut can be added instead of fresh coconut. But I personally prefer using fresh coconut
-
A tsp of roasted cumin & pepper powder can be added towards the end. I usually do not add this.
-
Gojjavalakki is a dry dish so, it pairs well with yogurt.
South Indies: Balaka/Majjige Menasu - Marinated Sun Dried Green Chillies
When the sun is at its peak, why not make good use of it?? Atleast this is what my grandmom believed in. Of all the things that my grandmom made during summer, I particularly love Balaka - sun dried green chillies.
Though these are readily available in most stores, there is something very charming about home made stuff .. Go ahead & make good use of the sun.
These are usually made in bulk & are stored for over more than a year. And, these are fairly simple to make as compared to papads & the like. Though, a time consuming process, its totally worth the wait. These are perfect for monsoons, when one craves for something fiery & spicy.
You Will Need:
-
50 Green Chillies
-
3 cups Sour Buttermilk
-
3-4 tsp Salt
How To:
-
Wash & pat dry green chillies. Make slits halfway along, such that the chillies remain intact & do not open up. You could use a toothpick or a small knife for this
-
In a huge bowl, mix buttermilk & salt
-
Immerse the slit green chillies in the buttermilk-salt mixture. Keep them in the mixture for 3 complete days. Keep stirring the chillies atleast twice a day.
-
Now, take a wide plate or spread a huge plastic sheet & sun dry the chillies. At the end of the day, transfer the chillies back to the buttermilk mixture.
-
Repeat the procedure for about 3 days.
-
Throw way the sour buttermilk & sun dry the green chillies for another 4 days until the chillies lose all moisture & are completely dry.
-
Store in a air-tight container.
-
Fry them for a few seconds, until golden brown.
Enjoi with a simple Dal Tadka , Majjige Huli or Curd Rice . . .
NOTE:
-
You could also use these chillies to temper plain Dal Tadka & Green Mango Dal in particular.
-
Those of you who are not used to spicy food may find this very fiery. So first, take a small bite to see if you can take the heat
South Indies: Dry Cabbage Curry/Palya
Palya is a vegetable/ mixed vegetable stir fry typically served as a side dish with anna-saaru or chapatis, in most kannada households.
Cabbage makes way into my kitchen very often because, whenever I send my husband to buy vegetables, he comes back holding a large head of cabbage. Not that cabbage is his favorite, its just that he really finds it convenient to buy them. He wouldn’t really need to test it for its tenderness. Just pick it up, weigh it, pay for it, & he’s done with vegetable shopping.
So I find myself making this palya quite aften as accompaniment with some simple anna-saaru. And, it sure does make an awesome comination with saaru. Simple & homely food that is.
You Will Need:
-
2 cups cabbage - finely shredded
-
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut ( Optional )
-
2 tsp mustard seeds
-
2 tsp cumin seeds
-
A handful of curry leaves
-
4- 5 green chillies - chopped finely
-
1 tsp urad dal
-
1 tsp chana dal
-
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
-
2 tsp cooking oil
-
Salt as per taste
Method:
-
In a heavy bottomed pan, cook shredded cabbage with about 1 cup of water. Add turmeric powder & a little bit of salt while cooking. Cover with a pan, & cook on medium flame, till the cabbage is soft. Add more water if the water has already dried up. But DO NOT add too much water as cabbage leaves additional water while cooking.
-
Or simply, cook cabbage in the microwave. gets done pretty quickly.
-
Once the cabbage is cooked yet crunchy, Add grated coconut. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, chana dal & urad dal.
-
Check for salt, Mix well
Serve HOT with steamed rice/chapatis .. Enjoi !!!
NOTE: You can even do without adding grated coconut. If you do not like the taste of coconut, or if you are calorie counting, give it a miss. It will taste as great.
South Indies: Kokum Saar
I wasn’t very familiar with dishes made out of kokum before my wedding. I wasn’t aware of anything beyond Kokum Sherbet. After my wedding, Shankar’s grandmom introduced me to a variety of kokum dishes.
Kokum Saar is one such dish I really fell in love it. If you are aware of the many health benefits that kokum has to offer, I am sure this would be on your menu.
I love this saar mainly because its very light. If you’ve had a heavy lunch/dinnernat your favorite restaurant, then this is perfect for you.
You Will Need:
-
8 - 10 dried kokum
-
3 1/2 - 4 cups of water
-
1 1/2 tsp grated jaggery
-
3 dry red chillies
-
A sprig of curry leaves
-
1 tsp mustard seeds
-
1 tsp desi ghee
-
Salt as per taste
How To:
-
Soak dried kokum in warm water for about 30 minutes. Extract juice & discard dry skin
-
In a heavy bottomed vessel, add kokum extract, 3 -4 cups of water & bring to a boil.
-
To this, add grated jaggery & salt as per taste. If the saar turns out too strong or is tangy, add more water.Bring it to a rolling boil & turn off the gas.
-
Temper with mustard seeds, red chillies & curry leaves.
Serve HOT with rice or if you prefer to gulp it down, even better .. Enjoi !!
I love this with plain steamed rice. If I’ve had a heavy meal, then this is usually my lunch the next day. Makes me feel light …
South Indies: Akki Rotti with Fenugreek Leaves
Akki Rotti is a unique speciality of Karnataka. It is in many ways very similar to Thalipeeth form Maharashtra.
I was wanting to post this one ever since I started with this blog. Akki Rotti is made so often at home, infact it is a very common dish at most homes in Kannada households. But I somehow never got around photographing it.
There are quite a few variations to the usual plain Akki Rotti. You could use a medley of grated vegetables, finely chopped spinach/fenugreek or methi leaves/dill leaves or even flat beans
I particularly love the ones with Methi leaves. The taste of fresh methi leaves really stands out. We made Akki Rotti for breakfast this morning, & there was quite a bit dough remaining. I was in the mood to photograph too.
Here’s how to go about it.
You Will Need:
- 1 cup rice flour ( a medium sized cup will yield about 4 rottis )
- 1/2 cup finely chopped methi/fenugreek leaves/Menthya Soppu
- 4 green chillies - chopped finely
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp grated coconut - fresh/frozen ( The more you add, the tastier it gets )
- Salt as per taste
- Oil
Method:
In a large bowl,mix all ingredients except oil.
Add enough water to make a soft dough. The dough should be softer than a chapati dough but shouldn’t be very watery. It should be form enough to make a medium sized ball out of it.
Grease a iron Kadhai /Tava with a tsp of oil.
Take a meduim sized ball, Pat it into the greased tava. The thinner you pat, the crispier it gets. Pour a tsp of oil around the center & the edges.
Cover the tava /kadhai with a lid. After about 3 mins, check with a spatula if the bottom of the rotti has turned slightly brownish. Let it cook for another minute if you want a crispier rotti.
Remove once done. Serve with pickle, chutney powder, butter or some yogurt. Enjoi …
I like mine with some fresh yogurt mixed with a pinch of Rasam powder & salt. Yes, Rasam Powder with yogurt. Do give it a try, you will love it too.
Translator
-
Chatseva Visitors
