Kulcha and Paneer Butter Masala

Its easy to make Kulcha at home unlike its tandoori cousins like Naan and Roti. Of course Kulcha is not a very healthy option as its made with white flour (Maida) and not whole wheat flour. It was my sister who prepared this during her visit to Hyderabad.

Akki Roti - The unique rice roti from Karnataka

Akki Roti is one of my favorite breakfast dishes from Karnataka. It takes a little bit of practice to perfect it but it’s simply out of the world. You don’t get akki roti in most restaurants (even in Karnataka), so best is to actually go ahead and prepare it. Given that we don’t eat onions or garlic, here is a recipe without them.

Ingredients (prepares 6-7 rotis of medium size) 

• Rice flour - 250 grams
• Chile - 2-3 nos
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• Coriander - 1 bunch
• Asafetida - a pinch 
• Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric - a small pinch

Method of preparation

• Mix all the ingredients with a little oil and warm water into a Chapati like dough.
• Smear the pan with a little oil and then spread the dough (remember the pan should not be very hot as it would be difficult to spread the dough like a roti, so you need to cool the pan a little every time you make a roti)
• Add a tsp of oil on the sides and fry on both sides.
• Your Akki Roti is now ready.

The unique Crispy Rawa Dosa - the recipe is here!

Ingredients and method of preparation is now available for the Greatest Rawa Dosa I have ever tasted. It's extremely simple to prepare. 

Ingredients (serves 2 - about 4 dosa's each)

• Fine Rawa - 100 gms
• Rice Flour - 200 gms
• Maida - 50 gms
• Wheat Flour - 75 gms
• Hing Power - a pinch
• Pepper Kernels - 15-20 nos. (without crushing) 
• Jeera - 1 tsp 
• Coriender Leaves (finely chopped) - a small bunch 
• Curry Leaves (finely chopped) - 10 leaves 
• Ginger 1 inch - grated
• Sour Curds - 2-3 tbsp
• Finely chopped Coconut (optional)
• Salt to taste 

Method of Preparation

• Mix all the ingredients well in a large bowl. 
• Ensure that the mixture is watery enough (not like normal dosa, but much watery) 
• Keep the batter aside for 1-2 hours for marination 
• Heat the tawa to high heat. 
• Pour the batter from the edges of the tawa towards the center and pouring additional batter within the gaps so formed. Do not smear/spread the dosa on the hot tawa with ladel unlike the preparation of other Dosa's. Pour little Ghee/Oil on the edges as necessary (max 1 tsp).
• Your crisp and tasty dosa is now ready - serve with coconut chutney !

Thanks to my dad (Ramamurthy) for this fantastic recipe.

Hayagreeva Sweet Dish

Hayagreeva is an excellent sweet dish made from Channa Dal. It is an authentic Karnataka delicacy and simply amazing to taste, of course when doled out with copious servings of Ghee!

Ingredients

• Channa Dal - 150 grams
• Bella (Jaggery) - 150 grams
• Gase Gase (Poppy Seeds) - 25 grams
• Lavanga (Clove) - 5-6 cloves
• Elakki (Elaichi) - 5-6 pods powdered
• Grated Dry Coconut - 50 grams
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Dhrakshe (raisins) - 25 grams
• Godambi (Cashews) - 25 grams
• Badami (Almonds) - 25 grams

Method

• Soak the Channa Dal for about 30 minutes and pressure cook.
• Roast the Poppy Seeds until they splutter, keep them aside.
• Take the ghee in a wok and add dry fruits and fry.
• Add Cloves to this mixture along with the dry fruits.
•  Now add Grated dry coconut and poppy seeds and mix.
• Now to this add Jaggery and mix till it completely melts and forms a dosa like batter.
• To this now add the cooked Channa dal and mix well.
• Garnish with Elachi powder.
• Serve hot with a generous helping of Ghee!

Hayagreeva !
(Clockwise form top) Dry Fruits & Poppy Seeds, Grated Jaggery, Final Result!, Pressured Cooked Channa Dal

Ganesh Chaturthi 2010 Spead

We had a great Ganesha Chaturthi; obviously it all ended with a sumptuous lunch prepared by my wife Sirisha and my sister Lavanya. The ladies, typical of our culture are excellent cooks and cooking somehow comes all but naturally to them !

• (1) Uppu (Salt)
• (2) Hesaru Bele Kosambri (Split Green Gram Salad)
• (3) Kadle Bele Kosambri (Split Bengal Gram Salad)
• (4) Ambode (Fried like bonda/vada, made from Bengal Dal, Toor Dal, Coriender Leaves and Red/Green Chilies)
• (5) Modhaka (Steamed Sweet Rice dumpling filled with Hurna - a mix of coconut and jaggery simmered into a thick paste over an hour)
• (6) Bendekai Palya(Bhindi Fry)
• (7) Aloo Palya/Masiyal (Potato Curry)
• (8) Plain Rice
• (9) Nimbehannu Chitranna (Prepared rice of Lemon, Peanuts & Cashews)
• (10) Panchambrutha - A holy offering to the lord (containing Jaggery, Sugar, Ghee, Honey, Milk & Banana)
  
• (11) Appi Paysa (Milk Based kheer with Soaked broken Papads made from Rawa mix)
• (12) Ghenasu Raitha (Sweet Potato Raitha)

Simple indiennes Cottage Cheese Burger

Well that means Simple Paneer Burger from India in French. In my previous post, I had mentioned how to make lovely patties for Indian styled burgers, I experimented some more and found out that using breadcrumbs and making a dough, which is then made into patties is cumbersome and does not necessarily up the taste factor either.

So, to save time, I made simple potato based patties (low fat) and topped it with Paneer instead of the cheese slices. The burgers were excellent this time too.

Ingredients (Serves 3)

• Burger Buns (you get good ones in Hypercity in Hyderabad)
• Potato - 250 gms
• Green Chilies – 4-5 nos
• Ginger – 1 inch/ground to a paste
• Fresh Coriander – 1/2 cup
• Garam Masala – 1 tsp
• Amchur – 2 tsp
• Jeera – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Some oil
• Paneer Slab – cut into thin slices.
• Turmeric – a small pinch

Method

• Boil the potatoes with some salt until completely done and soft.
• Take a pan with some oil.
• Add Jeera till it splutters, to this add finely chopped Green Chilies, Ginger paste and turmeric.
• Make a mixture of it and then add potatoes.
• To this mixture, add Garam Masala, Amchur and salt; mix well in the process mashing up the ingredients into a fine paste. Add coriander and mix again.
• Make small balls of the mixture and pat it into the shape of a patty.
• Shallow fry the patties (fry with minimal oil like chappatis on a flat pan on both sides).
• Toast the paneer slices as well sprinkling salt if necessary.
• Toast the buns by cutting them in halves.
• Place the patty and paneer on the buns and your Burger is now ready !

Rawa Dosa - The best I have ever tasted

The best and most satisfying Rawa Dosa I had was prepared actually by my Dad using his self-devised Recipe which he came up with after lot of trials. The Rawa dosa was not only out of the world, but also easy to make on a Tawa. I'll let me dad share this unique and divine recipe of the best Rawa Dosa I have ever eaten ! Watch out for more on this post.

Rawa Dosa comes up easily

Rawa Dosa and Chutney on a Banana Leaf was a delight (Taken at Mysore)

Mirchi Bajji

Typical Mirchi's

Mirchi Bajji's done and ready to serve.

Ingredients

• Bajji Mirchi – 1/2 kg (20 pcs)
• Besan Flour – 1/4 kg
• Maida Flour – 50 gms
• Huri Gadale (Daliya Dal/Roasted Bengal Gram) – 50 grams
• Ajwain – 1 tsp
• Aamchur – 2 tsp
• Tamarind Juice – 100 ml
• Peanuts – 50 gms
• Jeera – 1 tsp
• Lal Mirch Power – 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

Method of Preparation
1) Wash and dry the Mirchi’s, there are several varieties available in the market. But you must specifically ask for Bajji Mirchi’s. They are widely available Hyderabad and are dark green in color. Light green & big varieties are also quite common.

2) Make a thin list along the length of the Mirchi ensuring that you don’t cut it into deep or into two halves. Using a spoon remove the seeds from the Mirchi as they can be extremely hot and unpalatable for most. Ensure that you retain the stem.

3) Drop the slit into water and give it a good wash again so that all the seeds drain out and the hotness of the chilly if any reduces significantly. Keep them now aside.

4) Roast the peanuts and grind it into a fine power along with Hri Gadale (Daliya Dal) and Aamchur.

5) Add Ajwain, 1 tsp Lal Mirch and Salt to this mixture. Slowly add tamarind water and make this into a thick dough (Similar to Chappati dough).

6) Take small amounts of this mixture and roll it to about the thickness of a pencil and about 1 inch long.

7) Insert the rolled mix into the Mirchi as fillings and keep them aside.

8) Prepare Besan batter with Besan Flour, Maida Flour, Water, Salt to taste, Mirchi Power and Jeera (optional). It should have the consistency of Dosa Batter.

9) Dip the filled Mirchi into the batter and deep fry on medium until golden brown.

10) Sprinkle with some Chat masala (optional) and serve with Chutney.

Nanjangud Rasabaale – A unique variety of Banana from Nanjangud and unfortunately endangered

Apart from the famous Najundeshwara (Shiva) temple, the famous five Brindavanas of Swamiji’s of Sri Raghavendra Swami Mutt lineage and the river Kapila, Nanajangud, a small town about 21 kms from Mysore is rather famous for its unique variety of Banana called the “Nanajangud Rasabale”, “Rasabale” itself is a unique variety of Banana and is known for its sweetness and flavor. Unlike the Plantain types, which we get normally, Rasabale is sweeter and has a smoother texture. Nanjangud Rasabale is a variety of Rasabale that has a very unique taste and slightly grainy to smooth texture. This banana is grown only in the areas surrounding Nanjangud. These bananas are rarely available in the market but are picked up immediately once they arrive in the famous Devaraja Market at Mysore. It could be quite expensive and cost anywhere between 5-10 rupees each.

I heard from a local person that the area under cultivation for Nanjangud Rasabale has dwindled over the years due to the difficulty in nurturing and growing the Banana plants which is prone to diseases. Also, the farmer indicated that due to government apathy and lack of price support, incentives and crop protection, the chances of the famous Nanjangud Rasabale surviving the next few decades are rather slim.

Interesting Yellow Salad

I made an interesting salad a few weeks ago. I cant’ think of a good name for this (Yellow Salad?), but found it very tasty and colorful with an yellow theme.

Ingredients

• Yellow Capsicum -2 nos
• Baby Corn – 7-8 pieces
• Sprouts – 100 grams
• Freshly ground black pepper – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste.
• 1 lemon Juice
• Olive Oil (optional) – 1 tbsp

Method

• Cut the capsicum and baby corn to shape as shown.
• Mix everything else in a bowl.
• Your salad is now ready!

Jackfruit, Giguje & Udupi Cuisine

The Udupi Cuisine its own locus standi. I am one of the devotees of Udupi Cuisine. Lot of vegetarian self-styled Udupi restaurants have cropped up not only in the south but also across India claiming authenticity. I suspect less that 2% of these have actual Udupi folks in the kitchen. The authentic Udupi vegetarian spread originated from the Shivalli Brahmin community owing allegiance to the Sri Krishna Temple and the Mutt initiated by Sri Madhvacharya in the 12th century at Udupi, Karnataka.

Jackfruit (both raw & ripe pods) is a key ingredient in the Udupi Cuisine. Jackfruit seeds have an excellent nutty taste and are used extensively in special preparations like Kootu, etc. Jackfruit tree leaves are also used to impart that distinctive flavor to the food. Most food requiring steaming like Idlys, Puttu are wrapped in Jackfruit leaves (which are themselves too fibrous to be consumed).

When I was in Madikeri during early 90s, my mom used to prepare Giguje Palya, Giguje is a fruit from the Jackfruit family and is known as Breadfruit in the tropical countries, where it is extensively grown as a staple food. You prepare it similar to Aloo and has one of the best textures and flavors.

My father extracting the pods from the fruit (which is a skilled effort on its own). I got a big jackfruit on my way back from Madikeri near Hunsur (about 50 kms from Mysore)

This is the famous Giguje grown extensively in Madikeri, South Canara and surrounding areas. Excellent source of Carbs tastes similar to potato when cooked.

For the love of Indian Mangoes !

I had gone y'day to a hypermarket and got all these mangoes - help!! the season is ending. My perennial favorites are of course Banganapalli, Raspuri & Malgova - you don't get Raspuri in Andhra, it's available abundantly in Mysore/Bangalore areas - It has a very rich flavor of it's own and has a reddish-orange pulp. I also like Chinna & Pedda Rasalu - excellent taste indeed.

I also got Himayat, which is a native cultivar of Hyderabad developed during the Nizam times. I read some history about it years ago, but unable to trace it back on the web. It has a rich flavor and looks like a cross between Alphonso and possibly Banganapalli (Benisha). It's freaking expensive these days ranging about 100/- a kilo (2 fruits at max) and available only at few places. Not a great fan of it though.

I don't like Mallika (above), but I got it for the heck of variety. I also don't like Langada and Dasheri - they all lose hands down to Banganapalli and Badami. I found that Malgova unlike what is available in Mysore/Bangalore is not as sweet, probably it has added chemicals to enhance the ripening.

My Dad's Pav Bhaji Preparation

My dad is an expert in making Pav-Bhaji, everybody in the family (near & far) knows that a great treat awaits them when they visit “Ashirwad” at Mysore. Thanks to him, we have had Pav-Bhaji for breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner too. His main ingredient (I understand) is “love” and I believe that this works and makes it one of the best pav-bhaji’s – lip smacking indeed.

Bhaji is pretty simple to prepare if you are not investing in making the masala yourself. Pav bhaji masala is generally available from Everest or MDH and is good enough to go. No need to invest all your time making the Bhaji powder these days. Pressure cook all the “right veggies”, i.e. Potatoes, Carrots, beans, peas, tomatoes, etc and transfer it to a wok on low simmer and mash them up. Add 1 tbsp of Everest Pav Bhaji Masala with salt to taste. Mix the broth well and leave it to simmer for a long time – add a block of butter for that extra taste. Sprinkle lots of coriander too.

Once ready, toast the Pav’s with ghee or butter and serve with the Bhaji and coriander.

Avalakki Vaggarne

Ingredients

• Gatti Avalakki (Hard Beaten rice) - 250 grams
• Raw Mango - 1 (finely chopped or grated)
• Green Chili - 2 nos (finely chopped)
• Groundnuts - a handful
• Cashew - a few
• Hing (asafetida) - a pinch
• Haldi (turmeric) - a pinch
• Salt to taste
• Lemon Juice - 1 lemon
• Kotambri (Dhaniya, Cilantro) – finely chopped
• Karibevu (Curry leaves) – a few
• Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
• Urad Dal (Black Gram) – 1 tsp
• Channa Dal (Chickpea split) - 1 tsp
• Oil – 1 tsp

Method

• Soak Gatti Avalakki in water for about 3 minutes or after a clean wash.
• Take a wok and heat oil
• Add Mustard and Hing until it splutters.
• Add Urad & Channa Dal till light brown, add Haldi
• Add Karibevu, Groundnuts and Cashew at this stage and fry; ensure that Groundnuts are well done.
• Add chopped Green Chili and Raw Mango (grated) and sauté.
• Add the soaked Avalakki after completely draining out the water.
• Toss with Lemon Juice and Kotambri.

Your excellent breakfast is now ready. This is called Poha too, but has a strong south touch and known by various names like Avalakki Vaggarne, Avalakki Uppit, etc. I generally add extra hing for the unique flavor.