Oct 30, 2014

ಇರುಳ್ಳಿ ಬಜ್ಜಿ/ಪಕೋಡ~ Onion Bhaji

Kanda Bhaji/Onion Bhaji/कांदा बजियां

This method of making bhaji is little different.
 
Ingredients :

2 - 3 onions
1 - 2tsp  Red chilli powder (or as per your taste)
1/4 tsp  Turmeric powder
2 -3 Green Chillies
2 - 4 tbsp Gram flour (besan)
1 tsp rice flour
Few carom seeds
Finley chopped Coriander & Curry leaves  
1/2 tsp corn flour ( these two are optional to get more crispiness)

Method :

Cut the onions in to thin long slices.
 
Now add salt, turmeric powder, carom seeds, chilli powder. 




Keep it aside for abt nearly 10 - 15 mins covered.
After 10 -15 mins you can see the onions have released water.


Now add besan flour to it so that the moisture released should be absorbed by the flour, add 1/2 tsp of hot oil, now if you want, u can add rice flour, corn flour, some little amount of water can be added to get the consistency as shown in the picture below.



Take oil in a kadai, heat the oil, drop the mixture into the hot oil.
fry them, once they turn to golden brown, remove from the oil.



Serve hot.

Oct 17, 2014

Sprouted Kadale Kaalu/Chickpea Usli

Kadale Kaalu Usli is prepared mainly during Vinayak Chaturthi, Sankashta Chaturthi, Anant Padmanabha Vrata  & served as prasad.
Ingredients :
2 cups Sprouted Kadale Kaalu
2 - 4 Green chillies ( as per taste)
1 cup grated fresh coconut
5 - 6 curry leaves
2 -3 strands of coriander leaves 
1/2 - 1 tsp lemon juice
 



Recipe :
Soak chickpeas in water for about 6 - 8 hrs / overnight. Wash the it 2 - 3 times & pressure cook it for about 3 whistle.
Here am using sprouted kadale kaalu, after soaking for 6 - 8 hrs, drain the water & keep the chickpeas closed in a container to get good amount of sprout  for about 6  hrs again, so one thing can be done soak the chickpeas in morning, evening remove water & let it sprout overnight so it can be cooked in morning/evening.

Now for grinding  :
1 Cup grated Coconut
2 - 4 green chillies
1/2 - tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
4 -5  curry leaves
2 strands of Coriander leaves

grind all these together coarsely.

Now for Seasoning :
1 tsp spoon oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
4 -5 curry leaves
Pinch of hing
Now add the cooked Chickpeas & the ground mixture, add small amount of water, bring it to boil , so to get rid of raw smell of the mixture. Add salt to taste, a pinch of turmeric powder. Garnish with fresh cut coriander leaves.


This usli can be served with Ragi muddey/ Ragi balls :) as a side dish.

 
Can be had with chapathi/for evening snacks.


Oct 9, 2014

ರವೆ ಇಡ್ಲಿ ~ Rava Idli & Tomato Sambar

  Rava Idli , Tomato Sambar

Ingredients for the Batter : 
2 cup sooji/rava/semolina
2 1/2 cup of curd, fresh or sour
pinch of baking soda

Ingredients for Seasoning:
1 tsp channa dal
1 tsp Urad dal
few cashew nuts
2 green chillies chopped
few curry leaves.
Method:
Now dry roast the rava for few mins.
add 1 tbsp of oil  to it, fry until u get nice aroma of the rawa. then let it cool.
Now add curd, mix it well without lumps.
add a pinch of baking soda to the batter.
add salt to the taste.
Now take a pan with 2 tsp of oil for seasoning add mustard seeds, channa dal, urad dal fry till they turn golden color, add chopped cashew nuts, green chilli, curry leaves.
add this to the batter.

Now rest the batter for 5 mins check it, if it is in the pouring consistency, if its thick some curd can be added, keep it covered for another 10 mins.


Pour the batter in to the idli moulds.
Place the idli stand in the steamer or pressure cooker for 10 - 12 mins, if pressure cooker is used to steam the idlis then no need of using the whistle.
Let the cooker cool for few mins.

Tomato Sambar /Saaru

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 4 - 5 medium sized
(Roma or BangaloreTomatoes (Indian hybrid), or regular ones)
Onion - small size 
Garlic - 3 -4 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Grated dry coconut or Fresh - 2 tsps
Curry leaves - 4 - 5 for grinding, few for tampering
Coriander leaves - for tempering

Procedure : 
Cut tomatoes in to small pieces.
Cut onion in to long pieces.

Now take a pan, add half portion of onion, keep another portion to add while grinding, fry till it becomes transparent, add 2 -3 cloves of garlic fry for few secs, add tomatoes, fry till they become soft, add curry leaves 4 -5, add cut ginger pieces add grated coconut fresh or dry, add chilli powder, methi powder, pepper powder, jeera powder fry a little. 


Leave it to cool down, now grind the mixture with half portion of onion kept.Heat oil in a vessel, add mustard seeds  allow it to splutter, add cumin seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves,(onions can be added) fry for a minute,add coriander leaves, now pour the ground mixture to the vessel, add salt, bring it to boil, add salt to your taste.

Note : if we use Blre tomatoes they are not much sour so if you want you can add tamarind juice as per ur taste. If regular tomatoes are used u may need to add jaggery  to it.. :)



Serve idlis with Coconut chutney &  Sambar..


Oct 6, 2014

ಅಂಟಿನ ಉಂಡೆ ~ Power Laadu

Ingredients:
  • Jaggery (grated)-1 1/2 cup
  • Dry coconut (grated)-3/4 cup
  • Dry Dates/Uttatti -1/2 cup
  • Edible Gum/Antu -1/4 cup
  • Almonds/Badam - 1/4 cup
  • Cashews/Kaju/Godambi-1/4 cup
  • Dry Grapes/Raisins - 1/4 cup
  • Poppy Seeds/Khus Khus-3/4 tsp
  • Ghee as required to fry/your wish
  • Cardamom/Elaichi- 6-8 (powdered)
  • Garden crush seeds (Alavi) -4-5 tsp
  • Geru/Keru beej-1/4 cup (from Dharwad)
  • You can add Pistachio, and any other dry fruits as per ur wish..

  


Take 2 tbsp ghee in a non-stick  pan, add edible gum and fry until gum puffs up and changes its color to light brown (it shld be puffed, if not it will be hard to eat).  Cool to room temperature and crush them slightly.

Shallow fry all the ingredients in ghee [one by one, in low flame, chopped almonds, cashews, dates, poppy seeds and grated dry coconut, kharjura, poppy seeds, sesame seeds (white or black ur choice), alavi, kheru beeja].

Mix all the ingredients.

Prepare the jaggery syrup: Take a heavy bottom pan, add grated jaggery, add lil water, bring to boil to make it one layer syrup, ( too test whether one layer syrup has formed or not, take a bowl of water, add a drop of syrup if the drop forms a crystal then it’s done, if it dissolves then syrup needs to be boiled again until u get the required texture).

 
When the syrup is ready, add all the ingredients with cardamom powder and mix well, when its cooled slightly grease ur palms with ghee & make laadus.



Since dry fruits are packed with various vitamins, essential fats, nutrients, minerals and proteins, and they do possess medicinal properties  thus they keep you healthy and fit and we may call these as Power Laadu/laddoos. In fact these laddoos are  being mainly used as postnatal, children and wrestler’s/ body-builders’s food !