Mavinahaaina goojju / Mango curry

My sister is married to a wonderful man from Coorg. Coorg is known for its coffee estate and of course fabulous non-vegetarian food. This recipe is courtesy bro-in-law. This recipe calls for both raw mango and sweet ripe mango. Initially I was hesitant to try the mixture, more so, because it also called for shrimp! But lo behold, the curry was exceptional. This one makes it to my bucket list. Ah...it is a treat to the senses and I strongly urge all the skeptics to give it just one shot to get hooked.
I made a vegetarian version and added shrimp to a separate small portion of the curry. I am sure Panner/ Tofu/ Broccoli makes a good addition to the vegetarian version. The curry is just fabulous without any vegetables or protein.
Honey's verdict....ummm...ah......yummm...

We will need,

Shrimp/Tofu/ Panner   1/2 lb
Green chillies               2 slit
Coriander fresh            a handful
Oil                               3 tbsp
Mustard seeds             1/4 tsp
Curry leaves                 a handful
Pearl Onions                4-5 (optional)
Sweet ripe Mango       1 big (I should yield a little over one cup of mango pulp, extracted without any addition of water)

For the masala paste:
Tart Raw mango         1 medium cut into pieces
Dry red chillies            4 Byadigi chilles (for the colour)
Dry red chillies            2 Guntur (hot version)
Ginger                         1/2"
Garlic                          2 cloves
Dhania seeds               1.5 tsp
Cumin seeds               1 tsp
Fenugreek                   1/4 tsp

Method:

• On a heavy skillet, toast all the whole spices listed under the 'Masala Paste' till fragrant. 
• Combine the toasted spices and all the other ingredients for the Masala paste with some water and pulse till smooth.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pot. Throw in the mustard and the curry leaves. Once the cracking stops, pour in the Masala paste. Simmer till oil floats on top.
• Once oil floats on top, pour in the sweet mango pulp, 1/2 cup of water. Bring it to a boil.
• Toss in the shrimp/ panner/ tofu/ vegetables.Cover and simmer till it is done. 
• Just before serving, heat the remaining oil in a pan. Throw in the fresh coriander, onion and green chillies.Saute till the onion is golden. Pour this over the simmering curry. bring it to one last boil and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Koli Saaru /Chicken Curry

Susheela Aunty gave us this bowl of heavenly chicken curry that Honey demolished in minutes. It is a typical Gowda style curry that goes very well with Mudde . This recipe goes on to show that Karnataka has some very good non-vegetarian recipes to offer. Watch out for more such recipes...it is on the way.

We will need,

Chicken         1 lb cut into 1cubes
Peanut oil       3 tsp
Salt to taste

For the masala paste:
Garlic             3 cloves
Ginger            1" piece
Cloves           3
Cinnamon       1/2" piece
Poppy seeds   2 tbsp
Chilly powder  2-3 tsp or there about
Dhania powder 2 tsp
Coconut           1/4 cup grated
Onion               1 medium
Coriander fresh   a handful

Method:

• Heat a pan. Toast the poppy seeds in the pan till fragrant. Remove from heat and crush coarsely. Set it aside.
• In the same hot pan, toast chopped onion till golden in colour.
• Combine the toasted onion, poppy seeds and all the other ingredients for the masala paste and grind till smooth.
• Heat oil in a thick bottom pot. Drop the chicken cubes and brown the cubes on all sides.
• Pour over the masala paste and enough water to cover the chicken very well. 
• Cover and simmer till the chicken is cooked through and the masala is well cooked, about 30 minutes. 
• Adjust salt. Chop and sprinkle some fresh coriander on top of the curry if desired.

Rave Unde

Rave unde is a simple and easily scalable sweet dish. We love it in our family. This recipe is courtesy Susheela aunty.
Actually Rave Unde reminds me of Maha Ekadashi, a festival that we are supposed to celebrate by fasting but most often than not we end up feasting. Typically my grandmother would make Chakkli, Kodbale, Nippattu, Kobari Mithai, Rave Unde and Karjikai and store it in huge tins! The entire family would gather for the festival and everything would disappear by the time we did all leave. Ah! how I like those days.

We will need,

Sooji/ Rava   1 Cup (Chiroti rave / or finer rava)
Sugar            1.5 Cup a little more or less ( Coarsely powdered or use the finer variety, preferably Boora sugar)
Ghee                            About 1/2 Cup or little more
Cashew and Raisins      1/2 Cup (more or less is fine)

Method:

1. Heat about 1.4 cup of ghee in a Kadai.Throw in the cashews and Raisins. fry till golden, remove from heat and set it aside to cool.
2. Heat the remaining Ghee and dump in the Rava, toast it on low flame till the sooji is fragrant. Keep tossing the Rava and make sure not to burn it. Remove from heat. Sprinkle a few tbsps of hot water on the rava and mix well. Stand it for a few minutes.
3. While the Rava is still warm, mix in the sugar and the dry fruits and the ghee. Check for the sweetness. If you need it sweeter go ahead and add more sugar. 
4. Grease your palms and press about 2 tbsp of the mixture into small balls. Set it up in a wire rack and when it is cooled and completely set, store it in air-tight jars. They last for weeks this way but will not :)

Ragi Sari

Introducing solids to little ones is a daunting task.. First time moms are especially confused! What to feed, when to feed, when to start, how to feed...etc. We need to figure out answers all by ourselves but then I can do my bit by posting the recipe for Ragi Sari the ragi gruel that is feed to babies back home. We have been feeding our little one Ragi Sari and he loves it...Go ahead and try it with your little one.



We will need to prepare the Ragi powder first and then make a gruel.

To Prepare the Ragi powder/flour,

• Pick and clean Ragi. Wash it in multiple changes of water.
• Soak it for about 6-8 in plenty of water.
• Tie it in a cotton cloth and sit it in a warm place for it to sprout. 
• Once it has sprouted takes about 24 to 48 hours depending on where you live and the season, spread it out on a cotton cloth in shade preferably indoors. 
• Once the Ragi is completely dry, pulse it in a coffee grinder. The mixture should be coarse not fine. 
• Then pass the broken Ragi on a Muslin sieve. Collect the fine Ragi dust store it for future use. I use half a kilo of Ragi for every batch. It does not store very well, not more than two months.

To prepare the Sari/Gruel.

Ragi Sari powder   1/2 tsp
Ghee                      1/4-1/2 tsp
Crushed jaggery      1/4 tsp
Water                     4 tbsp

Method:

• Mix a tsp water with the Ragi powder and set it aside. 
• Heat the remaining water and jaggery together and filter the water to remove any impurities in the jaggery.
• Heat the filtered jaggery-water. Pour the Ragi powder mixture. Bring it to a boil and to a desired consistency. 
• Stir in ghee at the last minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool down completely before feeding your baby. 
• Increase the amount of Sari once you know your babies appetite.