Ragi Burfi

It is Deepawali time, time to share, feast and enjoy the victory of good over and evil and to acknowledge the large heart Bali Chakravarthy who will be visiting us his beloved citizens on Balipadyami. To the feasting part. I have finished preparing my Deepawali spread. This time doing something ambitious. Prepared all the goodies at home! So now they are all nicely packed and ready to go. But had planned to do this post a few days back but could not. Here we go.
My plan was to have sweets made of different grains. Kajjaya is made of rice, Wheat Laddo out of whole wheat flour, 7 cups out of chickpea flour. Decided to try something with Ragi. The Ragi halbai is very tasty but rather time consuming so was figuring out what to do. All of a sudden came an idea to combine the goodness of Ragi Halbai and Burfi, and I should confess I did not go wrong. This was the most appreciated sweet of all. Also I adds a beautiful rustic touch to the Deepawali gift platter.

We will need,

Ragi flour over 2 measures
Khoa 1measure
Sugar 3 measures
Ghee 1 measure
Whole milk 2 measures
Cardamon 2
Saffron a generous pinch
Cashew pieces to garnish

Method:

• Grease a cookie sheet or a jelly roll tin with a little ghee and set it aside.
• Sieve the ragi flour using a fine mesh strainer. Discard any rough bits and coarse grains. We need only the fine part of the flour. Use two measures of this fine flour.
• Heat a non stick pan, place two tbsp of ghee in the pan and throw in the Ragi flour. Toast the Ragi flour till fragrant. It takes a while to get there. It took me almost 20 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat and set it aside.
• Grate the khoa using the finer side of the grater. It will be easier to use either chilled or frozen Khoa.
• Combine the Khoa, toasted Ragi flour and sugar. Make a hole in the middle and pour small quantity of whole milk mixing it into the flour mixture. Make sure that there are no lumps. Stir in all of the milk to get a slurry. 
• Place the mixture on medium heat. Pour in the ghee and cook the mixture till it leaves the side of the pan and the mixture starts to solidify on the edges. Stir in the powdered cardamon and saffron. 
• Pour the mixture onto the prepared sheet. Spread it into about 1/4" thickness. Score the sheet into Burfi of desired size, mine area about 1" *2 "
• Place bits of cashews on each of the Burfi. Cut them as scored once they are slightly cool but set. 

P.S: Use any container of choice to measure the ingredients. Just make sure to use the same container to measure out all the ingredients. Also vegetarian silver vark can be used to decorate the Burfi.

Habanero Chutney

I love-hate Habanero, love it that it starts off fruity, very fragrant and slightly sweet but ends up with frantic call to the fire department. On our last trip to the farm where we pick our vegetables on good summer days, I found some pretty looking Habaneros, some red, some sort of yellow, they were indeed so adorable. I had to pick them. Never thought of what to do them. Once home, I started thinking of making a pickle with the fiery fellows. But my heart fainted when I ended up using just a couple in a curry in place of green chillies I had just run out. Boy! That was something. So instead of making a pickles with more chilli powder and spices, decided to do a chutney instead. So here comes the Habanero chutney, call the fire department.

Well I also did something very stupid.I decided to discard the seeds and ribs of the Habaneros. Despite knowing how nasty this fellow can get, I did it with my bare hands. Needless to say, my palms were burning for a long time. Tried every possible thing in the kitchen and bathroom closets, but the fiery fellow persisted. Some one told me to rub my hands with some alcohol. It seemed to have worked. So beware, never use bare hands to work on these little fire bombs.

Honey dumped a ladleful of this chutney thinking it was Pumpkin Palya! He did think it was not all that wise of him to do that.

We will need,

Habaneros 4-6 chopped (seeds discared)
Pineapple chopped 1 cup
Kopra 1/4 cup
Peanut oil `/4 cup
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Jeera 1/2 tsp
Hing a dash
Curry leaves a handful
Jaggery 2 tbsp crushed (a little more or less depending on preference)
Salt to taste

Method:

• Chop the Habaneors and discard the seeds and the veins. Reserve
• Toast the Kopra and pound it into a fine powder.
• Heat oil in a thick bottom pan. Throw in the mustard, jeera and hing. Once the spluttering stops, throw in the curry leaves. Toss in the chopped chillies, saute for a few minutes.
• Toss in the pineapple along with their juices. Saute for a few minutes and then throw in the Kopra.
• Give it a stir. Add salt and jaggery. Add a little water if the mixture is dry. Cook till the pineapples are tender and the dish comes together.
• Serve as a part of any meal. Goes well with rice, rasam and Mosaranna (curd rice)

 

Dry Fruits Laadooo

It is Dasara time and I have been trying hard not to make any sweets for Naivendya- offering to the good gods. We have had a great time with extended family the last 3 months and a large part of it was eating manic eating! Just the time we thought we had returned to more sane eating, here comes Dasara. I have not made any of my Dasara staples this time around. But for Saraswathi Pooja I simply could not resist the urge to make something sweet. So here is something that is no cook and no sweat.

We will need,

Raisins 1 measure
Copra 1 Measure
Dates 1 measure
Figs (dried) 1 measure
Almonds 1 measure
Cashew 1 measure
Cardamon a few seeds

Method:

• Toast the copra, cashews and almonds separately on a moderately hot skillet. Set it aside to cool.
• Once the nuts are cool, combine everything in a mixer and pulse till smooth and comes together.
• Remove from the mixer and press it into balls the size of limes. 
• Enjoy it as a prasada or as a part of a meal.

P.S: I did not add sugar because the dried fruits are quite sweet by themselves. If needed sugar can be added to the mixer before pulsing as desired.

Dasara Navarathri

'Mysooru Dasara yestondu sundara..' goes an old Kannada film song. Indeed, the Dasara celebrations in Mysore is world famous. We lived just off the Mysore Palace and had the good fortune of watching festivities up close. I remember the concerts of big artists like M.S.S, Bhimsen Joshi and the there was the Palace the 'Aramane' as we call it fondly in regal splendor complete with hundreds and thousands of light bulbs. In those times the bulbs were supplied by the Mysore Lamps. Wonder who is supplying the light bulbs since the company went belly up. Then there were the elephants, Drona the magnificent. Miss him every time I see the Jambo Savari. He did not have to die the way he did. If only we were a little sensitive as a species.

The entire nine days of celebrations meant lot of food consumed, sweets, savories everything. One hallmark of the old Mysore dasara is the festivities in almost all local temples. In most temples dedicated to goddess Devi, the nine days is celebrated with nine Alankaras, one on each day. The goddess will be dressed up to represent her various Avataras. Some times the theme will be "Asta-Lakshmi' some times 'Vishnu-Dashavatara' and others as well. I love temple hopping during this time of the year, not only  for the Alankaras but also for the prasadas that are served during the evening poojas. Temples seem to overflow with prasadas at this particular time. Visiting two-three temples mean dinner not required! I know I am shameless when it comes to food.

This is our Bombe Habba part of Navarathri. Most of my collection, which is quite large is back home. These are just a few I accumulated here, meant to be taken back home to be a part of the broader collection. For now this is it. I am finding it hard to restrain Sunny boy from touching these display. Wonder how long it would last.
To all of you  here is wishing you the best on the occasion of Navarathri. Dasara Habbada Shubhashayagalu.

Masala Akki Rotti

Akki Rotti is beloved favorite among southern Kannadagidas. We love it and eat it way too often, say like the north Indian eat their Parathas. Akki Rotti is again like a blank canvas, color it which ever way you  want. Mil makes amazing Masala akki rotti, the variety that has so many goodies in it that chutney need not be served at all. This time when she made it, I pushed her to measure down ingredients and viola, here it comes.

We will need,

Rice flour 1 cup
Water 1 cup
Onion minced 1 medium
Coriander fresh chopped a handful
Curry leaves shredded 10-12
Green chillies minced 2-3 adjust according to taste
Avarekalu /Indian beans (tender ones, cooked) 1/2 cup
Jeera 1/2 tbsp
Sesame seeds 2 tsp
Salt to taste

To cook the rotits and serve we will need Peanut oil /ghee/butter as preferred, but definitely optional

Method:

• Stir a tbsp of rice flour with about 1/4 cup of water to form a slurry. Now combine the rest of the water in a non-stick pot, add salt and bring it to a boil.
• Once the slurry starts to boil, dump the remaining flour and the rest of the ingredients except the ghee/oil/butter if using and stir. Cook for about 1-2 minutes and remove from heat.
• Once the mixture is cool enough to handle, knead it as you would the dough for chapati. The mixture should be pliable but should come together easily  as well. If it is too wet, add a little extra rice flour. If it is too dry, add a little hot water. 
• Once the kneading is done and the mixture has come together and is sort of uniform, divide it into three or four smaller balls. 
• Preheat a skillet
• Place one of the divided balls on a piece of plastic sheet or a parchment paper and start spreading it out into a large flat disc using your fingers. Dab a little oil on your fingers if the dough sticks. Once the disc is about 8" to 10",  poke a few holes, one in a center and a few around it. Mil makes five of them. 
• Place it carefully on the preheated skillet. To do that, you can either gently remove the disc on to your palm and place it on the skillet or invert the Parchment disc side down on the skillet and gently peel the parchment away. 
• Once the Rotti cooks on one side and the edges look set, dab a little oil/ghee if using and flip the Rotti carefully.Cook on the other side till golden. Remove from heat and serve it right away.

P.S: Other ingredients that makes this Rotti even more lovable are chopped dill, fenugreek greens, carrots.

Mango Tokku Mavinakayi tokku

We as a culture hate wasting.  Though a land of abundance, India has always emphasized a frugal lifestyle. We almost never waste anything. Food being equal to the Goddess Annapoorneshwari is never wasted at all. That is how I grew up. My mother never cooks food in huge quantities, she never wastes anything. I was like her while growing up. But of late the culture of my adopted homeland is getting the better of me. Still I make an effort to not through away food especially  the Produce. I might throw away a musty croissant with great impunity while try an salvage most of a rotting apple. I have stopped buying a lot of produce and stuffing it in my fridge. While the same is not true for prepared foods. There are times when I pick a huge pack of croissants from Costco or some cupcakes from our super market. Many a times such things end up in the garbage.
There are such ingenious ways of making the most of what we have, Typically during the summers when we start the pickle 'factory', we fetch good tart mangoes in huge quantities. Most of the fleshy parts of the mango goes into the Mango pickles- uppinakayi, the ones stuck to the seed in the core is grated and converted to either Tokku or use up in Chitranna . The seed itself goes into a curry. The entire fruit is used up with minimal wastage. Same with a messy fruit like Jackfruit. We use up the seeds, the fleshy parts and more.
This last batch of Mango pickles, made specially for my Fil, who happened to love my Mango pickles, I dished up some Tokku as well.

We will need,

Raw mango grated 2 cups
Fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp
Peanut oil 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Hing a generous dash
Dried red chillies 3-4 (Byadagi variety preferred)
Curry leaves a handful
Chilli powder 1-2 tsp (adjust according to taste)
Turmeric 1/4 tsp 
Jaggery 1 tbsp (crushed, lightly packed)
Salt to taste

Method:

• On a hot skillet, toast the fenugreek seeds till fragrant, remove from heat and cool. Once cool enough to handle, pound it into a powder. Reserve.
• Heat oil in a thick bottom pot. Throw in the mustard, hing, dried red chillies and curry leaves.
• Once they stop spluttering,throw in the grated mangoes. Saute the mangoes till they are no longer raw.
• Throw in the remaining ingredients and simmer till the oil separates, the spices fragrant  and the mango tender about 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Once it is back to room temperature, the mixture can be filled in glass containers and it stays good for at least a couple months in the refrigerator. 

Lane Cake

If Macaroons are for french and scones for Scots, layered cakes are for Americans. I was amazed when I  discovered the layers and layers of cake and fillings that seemed to defy gravity! But this is the nation of deep fried Oreos, Tur-Duc-Chicken, multiple stack Cheeseburgers and Paula Deen. Layer cakes belong to that genre of unapologetically rich foods that can either melt your heart or and make you curl up in a ball. In fact, layered cakes might just as well do the trick in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran etc albeit inexpensively. So as a tribute to a great nation and its even heavier culinary heritage I had to try and do layered cakes.I choose Lane cake, something that is mentioned in the book 'To Kill a Mocking Bird'. Back as a kid when I read the book for the first time, Lane cake was yet another food, I knew nothing about, just like the ones in Enid Blyton's 'The Secret Seven' series and 'The Famous Five'. Boy! it sure looked like kids in 'foreign' countries ate a lot of strange foods. Thanks to the British Library, the mist lifted when I was barely out of my teens.

 
The thing that struck me most when I looked up for the recipe of Lane cake on PBS was the addition of desiccated coconut in the filling. It reminded me so much of the Iyengar Bakery 'Dilkhush' and 'Dilpasand'. Imagine the goodness of cake and the sweet filling ah! I got all the energy required that very second. and off I went to make the cake.Purist might cringe at my version, but that is what enriches and grows a culture, a nation and us.India was the greatest nation during the first millennium because it was so outward looking, so open to new ideas, a laboratory of innovations. That India embraced and internalized foreign knowledge, culture and languages leading to successful institutions like Nalanda, as well as great advances in science, medicine, politics and philosophy. The acceptance and internalization which weakened during the reign of Sultanates ultimately crumbled under the British. Sadly, post-independent India started as an inward looking experiment, the burden of which is still obvious today. May be as a nation we will realise that inward looking India can never be as glorious as the outward looking India always was. The same thing with the United States. It is the most powerful country today only because of its ability to accept and internalize traditions, thoughts and people. The best and brightest come here only because they are welcome, their idea appreciated and rewarded. As long as the country remains receptive to people, ideas, culture it will be the richest and most powerful county.  This is my humble tribute to two great nations the world's oldest and largest democracies.

 We will need,

White cakes 8" 2 (boxed mix will do, mine is from the scratch) cooled

For the filling:
Kopra/ Dessicated coconut 1/4 cup
Raisins  3 tbsp
Tutti- fruiti or candied fruits 3 tbsp
Sugar 1/4 cup
Butter 2 tbsp
Heavy cream a few tbsp
Cardamon 1 (seeds crushed into a fine powder)
Nutmeg a dash

Frosting:
Heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup
Cream Cheese 1/2 a pack (4 oz)
Sugar 4 tbsp (adjust according to taste, I went slightly overboard this time for Fil loves his desset sweeeet)
Vanilla a few drops

Method:

• For the filling, combine the raisin, Tutti-fruiti and coconut in a food processor and pulse till well combined and sort of comes together in a ball. 
• Heat butter in a thick bottom pan and throw in the raisin mixture. Saute for a few minutes till fragrant. 
• Add the sugar and cook till the sugar melts.Throw in the cardamon and grated nutmeg.
• Add cream a tbsp at a time to loosen the mixture. The mixture should be have a jam like consistency and should be spreadable. Reserve.
• To prepare the frosting, whip up the heavy cream into soft peaks, throw in about 2 tbsp sugar and work it to stiff peaks.
• Cream the cheese and throw in about 2 tbsp of sugar and vanilla and whip it till smooth and creamy.
• Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture gently till evenly combined.
• To assemble the cake, Place one cake on a cake stand and spread the cooled raisin mixture starting the center, generously all over, except the last centimeter of the cake from outside.
• Place the second cake, bottom up on the first cake-raisin filling. Press it gently making sure that the cake is sort of even.
• Slather the frosting on top of the cake and all along the sides. Garnish with chocolate shavings, fruits and nuts of choice.

Carrot Kheer

It is Blog hop Wednesday time. This time I am paired with Farah . As I went through her collection, I fell in love with her Carrot Kheer. So here it is.

We will need

Carrots  2 cups grated
Whole milk 6 cups
Sugar 3 tbsp (adjust according to taste, this was just right for me, Honey would have preferred it sweeter)

Raisins a handful
Ghee 1 tbsp
Almonds 2-3
Saffron  a pinch 

Method:

1. Combine the carrot and the milk in a heavy bottom pot. Cook till the carrots are soft.
2. Once the carrots are soft, throw in the saffron and the sugar. Simmer till the sugar dissolves. 
3. In a separate pan, heat the ghee and throw in the raisins. Cook till they plum up.Remove from heat.
4. Pour the raisins into the simmering carrots and remove from heat.
5. Garnish with almond shavings. Serve warm or chilled.

 

Egg masala

There are many nights when I get sick of the dozen or so eggs lying in the refrigerator for several weeks. We do not consume eggs all that often but once I manage to finish a carton, my hands will itch till I put another one in my shopping cart when at Costco! So the cycle repeats. Finish one and get another one immediately to think about. It is on one of those days that I badly wanted to get done with half a dozen eggs that I prepared this dish and we all enjoyed this dish with some hot Rotis.

We will need,

Eggs 6 no
Peanut oil 3 tbsp
Fennel seeds 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves 8-1074
Cardamon 2
Onion 1 medium minced
Garlic 3 cloves grated
Ginger 1/2" grated
Green chillies 5-6 minced
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Dhania powder 1/2 tsp
Jeera powder 1/2 tsp
Tomato 1 medium
Garama Masala a generous pinch
Salt to taste
Fresh Coriander a handful chopped
Mint a handful torn
Lemon juice to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a Wok. Throw in the fennel and the cardamon. Once they sizzle, throw in the curry leaves, immediately followed by the minced onions.
• Saute the onions till the onions are very well caramelized and almost brown in colour. 
• Once the onions are done, throw in the garlic, ginger and chillies. Saute for a few minutes. Keep moving the mixture lest they burn.
• Once the mixture is fragrant, throw in the turmeric, Dhania powder and the Jeera powder. Saute for a few seconds. Throw in the chopped tomatoes. Cook till the oil separates.
• Meantime crack open the eggs into a mixing bowl breaking the yolks.
• Push the onion-spice mixture to the sides and pour the eggs into the wok. Cook on low till the eggs start to cook. Stir and scrap the bottom to make sure the eggs or the masala does not burn. 
• Once the egg start to solidify, fold in the Masala. Keep stirring the mixture till all the moisture evaporates and the eggs are cooked through.
• Adjust salt. Throw in the Garam Masala. Finish with the torn mint and coriander. Serve immediately with rotis.

Cucumber Kosambari

Kosambari is our  typical  raw dish in a meal mostly with some soaked-sprouted legumes and some crunchy vegetable/fruit. This time around it was all about the summer cucumber. I had run out of the usual split green gram and had to throw a Kosambari dish on the table. So did something with just some tender, summer cucumber that we had picked ourselves from a nearby farm. The cucumbers were so tender almost sweet and as crisp as it gets.
The Kosambari has a strategic position in our meals. The sweets address the sweet tooth of course, the rice dish fills up the soul and the palya is the good-nutritious part which fills the belly. The Kosambari sort of acts like a palate cleanser along with lightening the entire meal. We adore the Kosamabri and it is a summer staple. So lets capture the warmth of the fleeting summer in this dish of cucumbers.

  We will need,

Cucumber 1 medium chopped
Coconut 3-4 tbsp
Peanut oil 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/8 tsp
Jeera 1/4 tsp
Hing a dash
Curry leaves a few
Dried red chillies 3-4
Fresh coriander a handful chopped
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste

Method:

• Place the chopped cucumber in a bowl. Toss in the coconut.
• Prepare the Oggarane. Heat the oil in a wok. 
• Throw in the mustard seeds, Jeera, hing, curry leaves and broken red chillies. Turn off the heat when it stops sizzling. Allow the Oggarane to cool down.
• Toss the Oggarane with the cucumber-coconut mixture. 
• Adjust salt and lemon juice. Stir in the chopped coriander.  Serve immediately. 

Menthya Bhaath

We had a lot of fun celebrating the Gowri-Ganesha festival with family. For a change, after a long long time we did go to the temple as well. And after the temple visit it was all about eating. It is so very important for me to put a festive spread every traditional festival. After all, most of my early childhood memories are connected to food. Hopefully Sunny boy will remember his childhood similarly. Living in a country where traditions are very different from my own, it is quiet difficult to give Sunny boy a piece of my own childhood. He will never know what it is to go to the temple first thing in the morning on Gowri Habba, tummy rumbling yet dressed in crisp and new 'Reshme-langa' the traditional silk skirt and new colorful glass bangles. And then it would be waiting for the seemingly for-ever-lasting pooja to finish so that we did get some prasada to eat. He will never know what it is to get 'Tambula','Bagina' something he would quite simply term it as a 'return gift'. Then coming back home from the temple after demolishing the assorted fruits, Kosamabari, Tambittu and all the goodies the come along with the Tambula and sitting down to a hearty meal of Kadubus and Holiges. The last is probably the only part that I can still pass on to my Sunny boy. If not all the little joys that comes as a package back home, I can put a festive spread on the table and hopefully he will remember the food as well as the good times around the table.
Traditionally our festive meals will have one sweet Payasa -pudding, one or more sweet dishes, one or more vegetable palyas, one or more salads like Kosamabari, spiced rice dishes, fried goodies like papads, fritters and spiced yogurt etc.
This time for the Gowri Habba, we had lemon Chitranna and Menthya Bhaath
 

We will need,

Cooked rice (preferably short grain) 4 cups
Peanut oil 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Jeera 1/4 tsp
Hing a dash
Curry leaves 10-15
Fresh Fenugreek greens1 big bunch
Tomatoes 2 medium

for the spice blends

Channa Dal 1 tbsp
Urad dal 1 tbsp
Dhania seeds 2 tbsp
Dried red chillies 8-10 (Preferably the Byadagi variety, adjust according to taste)
Cinnamon 1/2"
Marathi Moggu 1
Kopra 1/2 c (grated loosely packed)

Method:

• Prepare the fenugreek greens. Chop and discard the roots and tough stems. Save the tender stems and the leaves. Tear them into small pieces. Wash and keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a thick bottom wok. Throw the Jeera and mustard seeds. Once they crackle, throw in the hing, curry leaves followed by the washed and cleaned fenugreek. Saute.
• Meantime. Prepare the spice blend. On a dry skillet, toast the spices one after the other till golden brown and fragrant. Remove and pulse in a food processor till the spices are powered. Heat the same skillet and throw the Kopra on the skillet. Turn the heat off. Pulse the Kopra into a slightly coarse powder as well.
• Once the fenugreek is tender, throw in the spice blend. Saute for a few minutes till the mixture is fragrant.
• Throw in the chopped tomatoes and cook till oil separates from the mixture. 
• Dump the ground Kopra adjust salt. Cook and stir well to combine everything.
• Remove from heat. 
• Mix the prepared fenugreek and the rice with some ghee and lemon juice if desired. Adjust salt and serve immediately. 

For best results use cooked and cool rice. using hot rice will break the grains and the presentation will be poor.

Ellu-Gasgase Kadubu / Stuffed sweet rice dumplings

Gowri-Ganesha habbada shubhashayagalu..Wishing you all a very happy Gowri and Ganesha festival. Ganesha is such an adorable god,  he is cute, chubby and he is fond of food. We celebrate the occasion of lord Ganesha's birthday by feasting! (No prizes for guessing) This is the picture of our sweet little Ganesha. We lit the tea lights, offered the Kadubu to the birthday boy and then the Aarti before settling down to the feast.

We loved everything. On the menu was Menthya Baath, green beans palya, Kosambari, Nucchinaunde, kayi haalu and assorted Kadubu. I made Kayi Kadubu and MIL made the sesame-poppy seeds Kadubu. The Kadubus were served with Kayi haalu and oodles of ghee. Thanking my MIL for the Kadubu as well as the recipe.

We will need,

For the filling

Poppy seeds 1/2 cup
Sesame seeds 1/2 cup
Kopra  1/4cup
Coconut grated 1/2 cup
Cardamon 1
Jaggery 1-1.5 cup (adjust according to taste)

For the Kadubu
Rice flour
salt a pinch

Method:

• To prepare the filling, toast the poppy seeds on a hot skillet till the seeds pop and smell fragrant. Remove on a plate and set it out to cool.
• Toast the sesame seeds next on the same hot skillet till the seeds pop and are golden in colour. Remove on a plate and set it out to cool.
• Toast the Kopra and coconut separately till fragrant. Remove on a plate and set it out to cool.
• Pop the poppy seeds into a grinder and blitz it into a fine powder. Repeat with sesame seeds and coconut.
• Crush the jaggery in to a coarse powder.
• Toss the poppy seeds, coconut, sesame seeds, jaggery and crushed cardamon. Set it aside.
• For the Kadubu, mix 2 cups of water, a pinch of salt and two spoons of rice flour.Bring the mixture to a boil. Dump 3 cups of flour into the water. Stir well and cover and  cook the mixture. To know if the dough is cooked, touch the dough with a wet finger. If it sticks, it needs a few more minutes. If it does not, then the dough is ready. Allow the dough to cool.
• Once the dough is cool, pinch lime sized dough and roll it between palms. Roll out the dough into a three inch circle using either a rolling pin or your fingers. 
• Place a spoonful of filling on the right half of the dough circle and close the left half over the filling. Pinch to close the two semi circles into a dumpling. Repeat till all the filling is used.
• Serve it with ghee and Kayi haalu

P.S: To make the dough, 1.5:1 ratio of rice flour:water works well usually. But several times I have used more/less flour too. It depends on the quality of the flour. Adjust the proportions accordingly.

Sending this out to Prasada special in the let's party event.

Jeerige Kattu

Like I mentioned in my previous posts, we are enjoying a prolonged period of feasting. My aunt J used to make this delicious curry which I last tasted decades ago. The taste lingered in my memory and it took us these years to get down to the kitchen stove and simmer a pot of curry. When she visited us this time, we all wanted her to make this curry. She did and we loved the curry very much.

We will need,

Toor dal 1/4 cup
Turmeric a pinch
Black pepper corns 1 tsp
Ghee 1 tsp

For the masala paste
Onion 1 medium
Dried red chillies 6-8(Byadagi chillies)
Huli Pudi/ Sambar powder 1 tsp
Tomato 1 medium
Jeera 1.5 tsp
Coconut 3 tbsp
Garlic 3 cloves
Tamarind 1/4 tsp

Ghee 3 tbsp
Mustard 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves a handful
Dried red chillies 2-3  
Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and clean the dal and combine it with 2-3 cups of water, pepper corns and turmeric in a pressure cooker.
• In a wok, toast all the ingredients for the masala paste except the tamarind one by one. Remove and allow the mixture to cool down. Pulse the mixture into a smooth paste.
• Combine the masala paste with a cup of water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and bring it to a simmer.
• Meantime, pulse the dal and the peppercorns in a blender till smooth. 
• Pour the dal paste into the simmering masala paste. Increase heat and add a little water to bring the mixture to a desired consistency. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer the mixture again.
• Prepare the Oggarane/Tadka. Heat the ghee. Throw in the mustard, curry leaves and he dried red chillies. Once they splutter, remove from heat and pour into the simmering curry. 
• Adjust salt and serve hot with rice.