Sorekai (Lauki, Ghiya, Doodhi, Bottle gourd) Salan

Bottle gourd or Sorekai or Lauki, Ghiya,Doodhi is one vegetable absent in my mother's kitchen. Strangely enough even grand mother seems to have banned this one vegetable from her kitchen. I know my family is not supposed to eat Snake gourd because of the special pooja for the well being of my father long time back. There could be a similar story with this vegetable as well. I should remember to ask mom later. Well as far as I am concerned, I always felt bottle gourd looks better for musical instrument than something I did have for dinner-lunch. My opinion firmed up after eating the Lauki subzi served in Sabarmati hostel, JNU my home away from home a few years back. The mucilaginous channa dal along with the mushy lauki was anything but appetising. But this week end during our religious shopping ceremony, Honey found this real fresh bottle gourd lying cozyly in the bin. He had already set his heart upon it and there was no way I could stop him from buying the vegetable even though I had never experimented with this one before.
Despite my discouragement, the item found a place in our shopping cart, and later on, on our dining table. Being very alien to the vegetable, I took the help of Sanjeev Kapoor of Khana Khazana. He has this wonderful recipe to offer, it is a Hydrabadi style salan.
I was so sure that I will not like the vegetable nor the preparation I skipped on the Panner called for in the original recipe.(Why waste Panner when the dish is destined for the dust bin ??). I also finished the dish with some fresh mint, I happened to have that day. The result was yum. It is a very good recipe. It has already found a way into my written recipe collection and surprise I had it for both my lunch and dinner. Honey was not complaining either :) 

We will need,

Sorekayi/ bottle gourd  1 lb trimmed and chopped into 1.5" cubes
Peanut oil 4-5 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves a handful
Onion 1 medium
Garlic 3 cloves
Ginger 3/4" piece
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp (adjust according to taste)
Dhania powder 1/2 tsp
Tamarind concentrate 1/2 tsp
Peanuts 2 tbsp
Kopra 2 tbsp
Sesame seeds 1 tsp
Salt
Mint a handful
Coriander a handful

Method:

• Cook the chopped bottle gourd in about 1 cup of water till crisp tender. Set it aside.
• Combine the onion, garlic and ginger in a blender with some water and pulse till the smooth.
• Heat the oil in a thick bottom pot. Throw in the mustard, cumin, fennel and fenugreek seeds. Once they stop spluttering add the curry leaves, followed  by the onion paste. Cook till the mixture is deep golden brown.
• Throw in the turmeric, cumin, red chilli powder and dhania powder. Stir and cook for a few more  minutes till the oil separates. 
• Throw in the tamarind concentrate and about 1/4 c of water. Simmer on very  for a few minutes till the raw smell of the tamarind disappears. 
• Meantime, toast till fragrant the peanuts, kopra and sesame seeds separately on a hot pan. Remove from heat and grind it into a fine powder.Set it aside.
• Transfer the cooked bottle gourd. Simmer for a couple of minutes gently tossing the bottle gourd.
• Stir in the nut mixture into the bottle gourd. Simmer for a few more minutes till everything is well combined.
• Adjust salt, throw in the garam masala and finish with some chopped fresh mint and fresh coriander. Serve hot with rotis.

Monthly Mingle :Mexican fiesta Chutney Quesadilla

This July 4th we had a fabulous time. My brother-in-law, co-sister flew in from Atlanta, we had a friend visiting us from India, another from Jersey city and yet another from Chicago. So it was barbecue time. Barbecuing for a majority vegetarian crowd was easier than I had anticipated. For a moment I thought was making it all vegetarian. But the three non-vegetarians in the group ganged up against us and declined to participate in the absence of non-vegetarian options. So I had to make something in Chicken as well. In the end we ended up grilling Corn on the cob (just like home, Jola with chilly powder, salt and lime juice), Mushrooms, Capsicum, onions all on tacos/tortilla with cheese, beans, tomatoes, Salsa and Guc. The center piece was however Panner tikka for the veggies and chicken tikka for the others. The party was good we all had a lot of fun.

After the party I was literally sitting on a pile of corn tortillas, beans and of course cheese. Had to some how figure out a way to finish up all these before they go bad. So this is what I ended up doing. Quesadilla... we both loved it and the advantage of home-made version is that it is a lot more healthful and you can make it just the way you like.

We will need,

(serves 2)

Corn Tortillas 4
Chutney of choice (peanut, mango, garlic, mint etc) 2 tbsp
Cheese 1/4 cup and above
Tomato 1 big diced
Black beans 1/4 cup and above (cooked and drained)
Oil about 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Heat a tawa/ pan. Drizzle a little oil. Once the pan is hot place a tortilla. Flip the tortilla after 30 seconds, or just warmed through.
2. Spread some chutney on the tortilla, I had some peanut chutney and went ahead with it and it was very good. It will just be fine with what ever chutney you have on hand or your favorite chutney.
3. Sprinkle the desired amount of cheese. I used mozzarella, because it melts fabulously and has a fantastic taste. Monetary Jack, Cheddar or a combination of the two, will also make very good substitutes.
4. Add beans, tomatoes fold it over.
5. Press it down with the back of a spatula till it is slightly crisp
6. Turn it over and press it down again till the other side is crisp and the cheese starts oozing out.

I used low fat cheese and kept it on the lower side as well as included a larger quantity of beans and tomatoes. But again this dish is so versatile that there is no hard an fast rule about the measurements. It is just an idea, go ahead experiment and have fun.

This recipe is my entry to the Mexican Fiesta as a monthly mingle event of the month.

Chutney Pudi/ Chutney Powder

My mother-in-law is an expert Chutney Pudi maker. She makes a variety of them and all of them are equally yummy. Steaming hot rice, some Chutney Pudi and a spoonful of ghee together makes such a good combo. I love it and it is something I crave for when I get tired of the normal rice-curry routine. This time in India I noted down the recipe for her Curry leaf Chutney pudi and here it comes.



we will need,

Curry leaves 2 cups (washed and wiped dry)
Dry coconut/copra/ona kobbari/ dessicated coconut 3 cups (grated and loosely packed)
Dry red chillies 10 -12
garlic 1/4 c loosely packed
Tamarind the size of a lemon
Pepper corns 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Hing a generous dash
Oil 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan.
2. Throw in the mustard seeds, once they splutter add the hing.
   
3. Throw in the curry leaves, stir.
   
4. Add the chillies and keep stirring
5. Add the remaining ingredients, keep stirring till the dry coconut is warm and fragrant.
   
6. Remove from heat and spread it on a cookie sheet. Cool it down to room temperature.
7. Pulse the spice mixture in a coffee grinder till coarse.
   
8. Serve it as a accompaniment with meals.

Summer Citrus Salad

And finally it feels like summer here. I love it this way. I do not mind the heat a bit :) I know a lot of people who disagree with me including Honey. But these few months have been really damp and cold nothing like spring at all.. And finally when the sun started smiling at us, I was the happiest. Though too much of sun makes me avoid cooking, standing in front of the electric stove (yes we have an archaic coil stove in our apartment..) instead crave for something cool, light and 'summerish'... So one such after this week end, we had this salad. We both loved it. i am going to make it more often.


We need,

Pink Grapefruit (Chakkota ) 1 segmented
Strawberries 4-5 jumbo chopped
Avocado 1 sliced
Lettuce or cucumber 2 cups chopped (sliced)
Orange juice 1 tbsp
Lemon 1 zest + 1 tbsp juice
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Method.

1. Mix the orange juice, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil in a small bowl, beat it till it is sort of emulsifies. Alternately you can give it a spin in the blender.
2. Stir in salt and pepper. The dressing is ready. Set it aside.
   
3. On a serving plate arrange sliced or cucumber or make a bed of lettuce.
   
4. In a separate bowl, toss together the grapefruit segments, avocado slices and strawberry chunks.
   
5. Pile the tossed fruits on the bed of lettuce or cucumber.
6. Pour the dressing just before serving.
   

Enjoy it for a sunny lunch.

Batani Saagu/ Peas Stew

Saagu is again a confusing genre of 'curries'. I just finished reading a book on the culinary history of India and every time I use the term 'curry', it has started to sound very alien!! But then there is no other term that can rather capture the essence of our culinary creations than curry. That is rather strange. May be centuries of influence is not so easily shaken off :)

Coming back to Saagu, it is a thick curry kind of accompaniment to breads like Chapati, Poori, Dosa, Idli etc. I am sure every household and every restaurant in Karnataka (or rather should I say south Karnataka) has a secret recipe for this one. In my family we have multiple Saagu recipes, each different from the other. I have specific combination though. This particularly Saagu goes well with Idli and Dosa. I hate it when it is served with Poori or Chapati.
In most restaurants back home Saagu is served with Rawa Idli rather than the rice Idli. I somehow prefer to eat this Saagu with Rice Idli... Today we had it with Dosa, coconut Chutney and some Chutney powder. It was heaven, a perfect way to begin the week end.



We need,

Shelled Green Peas 2 cups
Potatoes 2 large
Onions 2 large
Tomato 1 medium
Capsicum 1 medium
Green Chilles 5 and above
Oil 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves 10-12
Hing a generous pinch
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Fresh Coriander a few sprigs.
Lime juice
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash, clean and cube potatoes. Pressure cook till tender. Alternately place it in a microwave safe bowl, sprinkle some water, microwave high for 7-8 minutes. (keep an eye)
2. Dice onions, tomatoes and capsicum. Slit the green chillies.
3. Heat oil in a thick bottom pan. Throw in the mustard seeds, when they stop spluttering, throw in the hing, curry leaves and green chillies. Cook for a minute.
4. Add onions and cook till golden.
   
5. Add tomatoes. Cook till mushy.
   
6. Reserve about 1/4 cup of cooked potato chunks and throw in the rest into the pot. Stir in the turmeric. Cover and cook.
7. Mash the reserved 1/4 cup of cooked potatoes into a fine paste.
   
8. Add green peas to the pot and stir. Throw in the capsicum and add about 2/3 cup water. The quantity of water depends on how thick you want the Saagu to be. I like mine fairly thick so I add rather a small quantity of water.
9. Now stir in the mashed potatoes. Adjust salt and bring it to a boil. Finish it with fresh coriander and lime juice. The addition of mashed potatoes creates a kind of silky gravy which I absolutely adore
   

I like my Saagu to be rather chunky and keep most of the potatoes whole. But I know many in my family they like their Saagu less chunky and more like a gravy. In that case, before adding water in step 8, mash all the ingredients in the pot using the back of a big spoon or a masher or India buttermilk churner (Maggige manthu as we say in Kannada). The Saagu will be smoother and will have a glossier finish.

This goes out to the MLLA event hosted by Annarasa

Aloo Bhendi/ Spicy Potato & Okra

Lady's finger aka Okra is my all time favorite vegetable. I know it is a slimy little thingie, but I have grown to love it in all forms... except the boiled version. It is perennial vegetable back home in Karnataka. So we always had the required supply at the market. I discovered its seasonality during my years in Delhi. It is a winter vegetable there and our miserly hostel mess used to serve us this vegetable only during winters. When ever they made Bhendi, it was my feast.. .I should say it was never Bhendi alone, it was Aloo Bendhi. Loads of aloo and a few bhendi peeping from in between. Because I used to be the first to go to the mess, I had this option of asking for more bhendi and less aloo. Our 'bhaiyyaji'- the cook in charge of serving that day would mostly oblige, after all I was one of the few hazzle free senior citizen of 'Sabarmati'. However pathetic the other food was, I still miss a few good things our mess provided us and Aloo bhendi is definitely one of them. I always wondered why Bhendi tasted so different in our mess, till one day one of the cooks revealed the secret. Deep frying...
Last week I suddenly started craving for Aloo bhendi the way they made it back in 'Sabarmati' hostel! So here it is.



Serves 4 ||  Calories per serving  275 Kcl | Protein 5.5 gm |  fat 14 gm || Fiber 7.52 gm |

Okra 1 lb
Potatoes 2 big
Oil to deep fry + 2 tbsp
Red chilly powder 1 tsp
Dhania powder 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Cumin ground 1/2 tsp
Coriander fresh 1/4 cup
Onion 1 big
Tomato 1 big
Garam Masala 1/4 tsp
Lime juice
Salt to taste.

Method:

1. Wash the Okras and spread it out to dry for at least an hour. That way it will be a lot less slimy.
   
2. Trim the tops and tails of the okra and cut it into 2.5" pieces. Chop the potatoes into one inch cubes.
   
3. Heat oil in a pot. Once it is hot enough, gently lower okra pieces and fry till done but still bright green in colour about 3 minutes or so. Drain it on a paper towel
4. Deep fry potatoes and drain them on a paper towel.
5. Heat the 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Throw in diced onions. Cook till the onions are light brown, that is a tab more brown than say if it were golden!
   
6. Add all the spice powders, toss well and throw in the diced tomato. If the tomato are not juicy enough, add about 1/4 cup of water. Simmer till the tomato breaks down. Now throw in the fried okras and potatoes. Sprinkle some water, and cover with a tight fitting lid.
   
7. Once the potatoes of tender and breaks down between two fingers, adjust the salt, throw in the garam masala and turn off the heat.
8. Sprinkle the coriander and lime juice and serve hot with Phulka and a raita. We had it with Bajra phulka, raita and Bharwan Karela... It was a yummy meal.

Bisibelebath/ Curried Rice & Lentils

It is rather surprising that after such a long time in the blog-o-sphere, I still have not posted the poster child of Kannadiga food! I did call it the emperor of Kannadiga food as well...May be not the emperor, personally it is always Vangibath for me :) So definitely the king. And I have met loads of people who tend to think of only Bisibelebath as Kannadiga food, clubbing everything else as 'Madrasi' meaning 'South-Indian'. I get mad, feel like screaming 'folks, I am as much alien to 'Madrasi' culture/language/food as you are'. But what is the point convincing folks who hardly know the difference between Masale Dose and Set Dose. Ha!
It reminds of this cute friend of mine, who of course moved to Bangalore post-software boom. Being a Bihari, he was hardly into South-Indian foods. He kept telling me that the Masala Dosa he used to have, back in Patna or where ever it was in Bihar, was much better than what they make in Bangalore!! and he had major problem with 'double beans' the big plump bean that is very expensive and is copiously used in Kannadiga Pulaos. I found it so very funny. This time when I was in India MIL wanted to prepared Pulao and she belongs to that category of cooks who cannot go ahead without all the listed ingredient, and in this case it was double beans and fresh peas. So we got quater kilogram of each. The peas costed Rupees 40 per 1/4 kilo. The double beans costed Rupees 50 per 1/4 kilo!!! While the shelling the two, I was just thinking what my Bihar friend would do if we served him the pulao that day.. Such a sheer waste right. But then that is way they say, 'Loko-bhino-ruchi', that is taste is not uniform.

Bisibelebath also reminds me of this puccha Delhite friend of mine in Delhi. My mom made all nice bisibelebath with loads of ghee. My friend happened to drop by and my mom served him a ladle full of steaming bisibelebath. I was so anxious to see his reaction. He did seem to enjoy it. But then my heart sank when he said, " Auntyji, badiya hai, like Khichdi". Comparing Khichdi to bisibelebath! what a sacrilage. The two have nothing in common except rice and the consistency. Thankfully there were others who throughly enjoyed and really appreciated it.

So here comes my second love.... Bisibelebath. This is what my Doddamma had prepared when we visited her in Chikkanayakanahalli, Tumkur dist. She has a coconut plantation and it was lovely meal of Bisibelebath, obbattu etc. It was so much more enjoyable because of the Mutukada leaf plates that we had it in. I simply have to eat that way - plantain leaf or Mutukada leaf, and the meal will be so much better.



You will need,

For the pressure cooker:

Rice 3/4 cup
Tur Dal a little less than 1/2 cup
Vegetables (green beans, carrots, potatos, green peas) 2 cups
Water 6 cups
Turmeric a pinch
Ghee a teaspoon

For the Masala /Bisibelebath Pudi

Channa Dal 1 tbsp
Urad Dal 1 tbsp
Dhania seeds 2 tbsp
Dried Red Chillies - Byadige -20 and above
Fenugreek a generous pinch
Kopra/ dry coconut/ dessicated coconut 4 tbsp
Cinnamon 1/4"
Marathi Moggu 1
Tamarind 1/2 tbsp
Jaggery size of a lemon (adjust according to taste)
Salt to taste

For the tadka

Ghee 3-4 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Hing a generous dash
Curry leaves 20-25
Dry red Chillies broken 4-5
Cashews broken 15-20 pieces

Method:

1. Wash rice and dal, combine it with the rest of the ingredient mentioned under 'for the pressure cooker' in a pressure cooker. Turn on the heat
2. Cook for two/three whistles till soft and completely cooked. Set it aside
   
3. Mean time, toast all the spices under the 'masala' individually till fragrant.
   
4. Toast the Kopra as well. Make sure it is still pale golden in colour.
5. Combine the toasted spices, Kopra and everything else under the 'masala' with a little water in a blender and grind it into a paste. The paste should be slightly coarse, not too smooth like say Sandal paste, but still slightly coarse, like say chutney.
6. Pour the ground masala and some water into a thick bottomed big pot. Bring it to a boil. simmer. Make sure there is enough water in the masala and it is not sticking to the bottom of the pot. So keep and eye on it and keep stirring. Simmer it for 20 minutes, till the rawness of the masala disapper and the aroma is mellow and heady. If you have any doubts about the doneness of the masala, go ahead and simmer it for another 10 minutes, but do not hurry into the next step.
7. Once the masala is cooked and aromatic, carefully mix in the cooked rice-dal-vegetable mixture. Needs to be very careful, it is gonna scald in the matter of seconds.
   
8. Combine eveything well. Bring it to a gentle boil.
9. Prepare the tadka. Heat ghee in a pan. Throw in the mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves, chillies and the cashwenuts one by one. Pour the sizzling mixture on the rice mixuture.
10. Adjust salt. Add more ghee if needed. Serve hot with Bundi or chips or mixture of choice.

Serves 5-6 people

P.S : I am adding this after a complaint from my cousin who grew up in Bellary. He says had not tasted a good BBB till he moved to Tumkur! And that no one in North Karnataka really calls BBB their own..It is sort of very alien to folks from the northern parts. So I stand corrected and say BBB is very representative of South-Karnataka instead of just Karnataka. He also suggest I do something that highlights the regional cuisines of Karnataka. Now that is a jabardast Idea.

Ugadi ...as it lingers in my memories

This Ugadi the Kannada new year was fun. If the day was any indication as to how the year was going to be, I could not ask for more...not more love, family and great food, it was all there. Of course it has been ages that we celebrated Ugadi like that back home. Ever since my University days, my visits home was determined by the academic calender. My mother used to joke that it was Ugadi-Dipawali when ever I went home :) After university it was marriage and then relocation etc. But this time it had to be good after all, my sister was due to get married after Ugadi, so was my younger cousin. Therefore we all decided we will celebrate it together like we always did when we were kids; who know when our next Ugadi will be like that. We all got together, me, sister and my two cousins. As usual my mother was more than eager to feed us.

Our morning started early. By the time I woke up, mother was already in the kitchen, that means she had finished her oil-bath and prayers. She had also decorated the front courtyard with a small Rangoli. Rangoli is generally super fine granite powder. As an outline, clay is used. The picture below is that of the small Rangoli. Apparently it was still in the small hours of the morning that she finished her ritual bath and before she could start her ritual prayers, it is a practice to wash the front courtyard and draw Rangoli. Larger Rangoli would have taken her longer in the dark, so she did a small one just for the sake of practice. Then she happily went on to her prayers. Well all these before I could even stir out of my bed :)


Well after I woke up, well after day break, Mother decided to draw the festive Rangoli. In her dictionary it means covering the entire 20 feet or so of asphalt with a pretty Rangoli. So this is what we ended up with after a while or I should say a few hours.....


As a kid, I was raised in Mysore, where we always had asphalted roads, but back then in my grandmothers little town, they did not have asphalted roads, they had muddy roads. To tame the mud and the dust, it was a practice there to cover the courtyard with a thin layer of cow-dung. It was an art, to fetch fresh dung of the right consistency, mix it with just the right amount of water and spread it evenly. Even before the dung dries up, the Rangoli was drawn. It used to looks so pretty once it is all dry. I know there are a lot of people thinking 'yuk cow dung, that is obnoxious'. But then it was one of the most creative use of resources, no carbon foot prints, no imported coal-tar, no need of fancy equipments, engineers... Just some very creative use of what was available on hand. Of course if we think cow dung as a cheap source of cellulose and an insect repellant, it might be rather easy to accept this kind of usage.
Any ways we did not have anything like that this time around thanks to the asphalted roads. But I do miss it, was it not such an integral part of festivals?

Next was the 'Torana' programme. It is a practice to replace the 'Torana' -the string of mango leaves that hangs on the frame of the main door, with a fresh one on every major festivals. On Ugadi it is a must. These days of course the cheaper plastic version have taken the place of fresh mango leaves, but mon being old fashioned still insits on the fresh ones. It is a fun job. All of us cousins, three girls and a guy decided to take up the job as a team work. One of us picked and tore the right leaves, the other one held the string while one more stapled the leaves to the string. The brother had to tie the string to the nails on the door way. Finally fresh neem branches act as tassles at each end of the door way. It was so much fun making it all, one for the front door, one for the puja room and another for the back door. Boy! how much miss all such celebrations.


The centre piece of any Hindu festival needless to say will be the food. Especially so on important festivals like Ugadi, Gowri-Ganesha, Deepawali. Mother as usual was at her top form and by noon we were ready to dig in. Papa had got big Plaintain leaves, so green and so fresh. We spread it on the floor, squatted in front of it and were waiting for mom to arrive with all the side dishes. This was what my plate-leaf looked like.

This is definitely not the best of pictures, but I was so eager to finish the shots and start eating, I probably did not care for the pictures much. This is usually what is made in most Kannadiga homes on Ugadi. The dishes are as follows, the top row: Mango pickles, beans Palya , Cucumber Kosambari, Channadal Kosambari, Moongdal Kosambari, Peni Sandige, Ganghi sandige, Pakoda.
Bottom row: Rice and Obbattina Saaru, Payasa, Mango Chitranna , Hulianna, Obbattu . The rest of the recipes will follow soon. For now, it is time for me to linger over the pictures and the try to remember the few hours we spent together, like we always did when we were kids.

Back from India

My India trip finally came to an end.. As usual I will be home sick for the next few days till the daily routine takes it toll...I indeed got a lot of recipes to try-click-post. Just a matter of days now. Two months went like a flash and it always does when one is surrounded by loved ones. As usual I am into the loop, wondering weather it is worth living away from loved ones. I know I will be fine in the next few days and like my fellow expats will settle down to more mundane of things and thoughts. I also managed to carry more than 30 kilos of goodies, including Kajjaya, Mysore pak, Gujjia, fried Avare bele, assorted mixtures, Nippattu etc. Of course there are boxes yet to be opened and sweets identified; as of now I have absolutely no idea what they contain. Got sweets from all landmark sweet shops in Bangalore including Venkateshwara, Sri Krishna, Gudappa's in Basaveshweranagar, Warriar Bakery. The only sad part is that this time around I could not go miles to eat out at my favorite eatery because of paucity of time :( I know two months is long time but still not long enough to squeeze in errands to eateries and three weddings ....

Coming to the three weddings, it was fun. I got to wear all the silk sarees that I had not worn since my wedding three years back. The food was fabulous, but as luck would have it, I was so tired of all the heavy food by the end of the third wedding that I settled down for rice-tili saaru-curds, the dal-chawal stuff :)As they say diminishing marginal utility of feasts, somehow the law does not apply to rice-tili saaru- curds...
So with a heavy heart and a much heavier luggage I boarded my mid-night flight to cross the seven seas.... I should definitely mention my circus at Bangalore International Airport, opening the suitcase, making the difficult choice of pulling out sweet boxes to reduce the weight as per prescribed limits. So my luggage that weighted more than 55 kgs had to be brought down to 46 kilos. As I unpack I am indeed surprised to see that there is hardly anything in my suitcase except goodies!!!

So here comes another India trip to an end. The only cheer is that spring is here in eastern US, the temperatures have crept up to double digits. It is fabulously green, the lawn looks lush, the tennis courts and swimming pools are open, I hear the birds chirping. So it is that time of the year when time flies by with the warm salty sea-side breeze. Indeed there is always something positive to look forward to even when it is absolutely blue. Is it not?

Yet another copy cat!

Folks yet another copy cat. But this time, it is a discussion form not a food blog as such.
There is this forum askamma /askagent where someone requested for ennegai recipe. One response is a URL for my blog. Such responses are welcome. The next response by some lady called Neeraja Naveen who also charges money for such advice, come to my blog as directed by the previous respondent and searches for an ennegai recipe, ends up with my Brussel Sprouts recipe, unscrupulously copies my recipe and posts it as her advice. How smart? Very nice way of posting advices. She might as well post an advice as to 'how-to-google-up-stuff-and -claim-it -as-your -own' .... Copy cat.

Copycat they not only lack scruples but also basic netiquettes. Looks like they feel everything google-searched is their own property! Shame on such people. It is like a chimp wandering into my kitchen all muddy and dirty, encroaching my space and having the liberty to call it his own. Grrrh!!! If only there was a way to banish all such lawless, junglee creatures back to where they deserve to be.

Bloggers take note and of course make sure your contents have not met the same fate.

Menasinakai bajji/ Jalapeno Fritters

For all Kannadigas (north, south, coastal...)there are few endearing foods that are very close to heart. We all love them with equal passion. One such food is Menasinakai - aka Menasina kai Bajji -Mirchi Bajji. The nomenclature differs, in south Karnataka it is called Menasinakai bajji, in central Karnataka it is called Menasinakai, in the northern part it is called Mirchi bajji. Again the way it is relished is also different. In south, it is rather stand alone, we just eat them without any accompaniments! or eat it with a small salad like sprinkling of carrots, onion, lime juice and some masala. In the central and northern parts it is relished with Churmuri- Mandakki oggarane/ Puri oggarane/Mandoli vagani or Pav. My cousin who was raised in Bellary which is sort of north-central part of Karnataka, is a big foodie as well. Well I should say every one in my family are true foodies, we all compete with each other for the top spot. I wonder who will eventually win. (May be my grandfather, no one can beat his age :)) So each one us being very particular about how a dish should taste, it is a hard job to please every one of us!! My mom, my cousin, my sister are few people who mostly end up pleasing all of us. Me on the other hand, can be very highly rated, or very poorly rated. I lack the consistency. May be in these two years, my skills have indeed improved! I will get to test it this time when I head back home.

Coming back to my cousin, he is an armature photographer has clicked some wonderful pictures. He is very lucky that his work involves a lot of traveling and he gets pictures from places far and wide. You can find some of his work here. Here is a sample of his work! Man I was drooling the minute I saw this picture... The bajjis looks absolutely mouth watering.



Also, this is what he had to say about the lick smaking goodie.

"... Menashinkai as we call it and love to eat it with Pav, Mandoli(Churmuri as you would call it) and the our fav. Mandoli vagani ( you should eat this on the road side, just yummmY)....."

One version of the recipe is here.

Khanavali Part 5: Madike Kal Palya

Now for the last part of Khanavali series. The madike Kal Palya. Unlike the Huli/dal/Sambar meals, this meal till now has no protein component apart from the yogurt. So generally north Kannadigas do have a lentil in their meal, mostly raw salads or sparsely cooked palya. This is a sprouted Moth dal Palya.

You will need,
Sprouted Moth/ Madike Kal 1/5 cups
Khara Masale 1 tbsp
Onion medium 1 chopped
Coconut powder (coconut paste) 3 tbsp
Green chillies 2-3
Garlic 2 cloves
Curry leaves 5-6
Oil 2 tsp
Hing a dash
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Jeera 1/2 tsp
Fresh Coriander a handful
Salt to taste
Lime juice to taste

Method

• Heat oil. Throw in the mustard seeds, Jeera, Hing and curry leaves.
  
• Once the spluttering stops, toss in the chopped onions, grated garlic and chillies.
  
• Cook till the onions are soft.
• Now throw in the moth dal. Add the khara masale, coconut and about half a cup of water.
• Cover and cook till the moth dal is tender but still firm. (al dente!)
• Adjust salt and sqeeze some lime juice, finish with fresh coriander.
  
• Serve with hot Jowar rottis!

Khanavali Part 4 -Ennegai/ Stuffed Eggplant/Aubergines/Brinjal

This is yet another version of Ennegai. No wonder, eggplant being a native vegetable to India, we have cultivated so many different ways of cooking it! It is such a tragedy that Indian government has given a go ahead for the field trails of genetically modified brinjal/Egg Plants. Never know what will be the consequence! If BT cotton is of any indication, there will be more tragedy to follow..That is for another day, perhaps I will turn yet another blind eye on another impending catastrophe.
But now for the ennegai.


Brinjal/ Eggplants 6 small
Onion medium 1 chopped
Butter 1 tbsp
Oil 1 tsp
Jeera 1 tsp
Mustard 1 tsp
Peanuts 2 tbsp
Curry leaves 8-10
Tamarind Paste 3/4 tsp
Jaggery 1" piece
Khara Masala entire quantity mentioned except 1 tbsp
Hing a dash
Salt to taste.

Method:

• Toast peanuts. Cool and grind them into a smooth power using a coffee grinder.
• Mix the ground peanuts with the Khara Masale. Set it aside
• Make two perpendicular slits on the eggplants starting from the tip running all the way up to a centimeter from the stalk. Make sure the stalk still hold the vegetable together.
• Stuff the Khara masale and peanut mixture generously into the egg plant.
  
• Heat a thick bottomed pan with a tight fitting lid.
  
• Drop the butter and oil. Toss in the mustard seeds, Jeera, hing and curry leaves. Once the spluttering stops, add the onions. Cook till they are soft.
• Now gently place the stuffed egg plants in a single layer on the bed of onions. Cover and cook for five minutes. Turn them over after five minutes.
• Once the skin of the egg plant has turned darker, add the tamarind, 1 cup of water, jaggery, salt (remember the khara masale already has some salt!). Simmer till the egg plants are soft
• Serve hot with Jowar rotti!