Oats Idly - Instant

This is an instant variety of idly. Adding the sour yoghurt will enhance the spongy texture of the idly. 

Oats idly with coriander chutney

Ingredients:
Instant oats powder – 3 cups
Semolina (Fine variety)– 1 ½ cup
Yoghurt – 4 cups (should be very sour)
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Salt

Method:
Dry roast the oats powder and semolina separately.
Mix them with yoghurt along with salt and rest it for 1 hour
Just before making the idly, add baking soda and mix everything.

Scoop the batter into idly moulds and steam for 12- 15 minutes.
Serve hot with any chutney.  

Note: If you do not have the instant oats, you can use the rolled oats and pulse them into coarse to fine powder.

Paalak pakoda / Spinach fritters

Another way of eating spinach is in the form of fritters. A nice treat for a dull autumn.

Serves for 4 members

Ingredients:
Onion – 2 large (Chopped length wise into thin strips)
Spinach leaves – 1 bunch or 1 pack chopped into thin strips
Basin / Gram flour – ¼ cup
Rice Flour – ¼ cup
Salt
Green chili paste – 1 tsp
Ginger – grated – 1 tsp
Oil to deep fry

Method:

To deep fry the pakodas, heat a pan with oil on medium heat.

Whilst the oil is getting hot, mix the chopped onion and spinach with salt, green chili, ginger, curry

leaves, gram flour and rice flours thoroughly.

Now add about 3-4 tbsp of warm oil into the onion mixture.

Mix the ingredients well, so that they resemble crumbs.

Now sprinkle enough water and mix everything thoroughly. It should be sticky like bread dough and

not watery.

Increase the flame and when the oil is hot enough, take hand full of onion mixture and drop them

into oil slowly by breaking the batter into small bite size pieces. This is the quick way. If you can’t do

it quick enough, then just pick small amounts of batter and drop into the oil slowly.

Occasionally turn the pakodas, so that they get cooked equally on all the sides.

Drain them on to a paper towel and serve them warm with Coffee or Tea

Paakam vundalu

Again this is another recipe which I learnt from my sister's-in-law friend. Pretty much similar to the one which I prepared earlier - Paakam pappu but the taste is bit different due to the slight variation.

Ingredients:

Peanuts – 2 cups

Roasted chana daal / Putnala pappu – ½ cup

Sesame seeds  / Till – ½ cup

Jaggery – 1 cup heaped

Water – ½ cup

Method –

Roast the sesame seeds until they leave the nice aroma and keep them aside.

Roast and skin the peanuts and keep them aside.

Now mix the above with roasted chana daal (Pappulu)

Melt the jaggery by adding water under low flame and filter it.

Bring the jaggery water to boil until it forms the ball consistency.

As I mentioned before, to do the candy test, place a cup of water and add few drops of boiled jaggery syrup into the cold water.

Take the dropped jaggery syrup into your hand and try to make a ball. If it retains its shape, then it is the perfect consistency. If the ball falls off, then boil the syrup for few more minutes.

As soon as the syrup reaches the consistency, turn off the heat and add the peanuts, roasted chana daal and sesame seeds.

Mix everything and make balls even when the syrup is still warm.

Tip: to avoid the excess hotness, dip your hand in cold water once in a while.

Manchi Gummadi Thalimpu / Pumpkin stir fry

This is a long shelf life vegetable. This can be used in preparing soups or curries or even in making pies. I have prepared a simple stir fry.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin - Chopped into 1 inch cubes - 2 cups

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Chana daal - 1 tsp

Urad daal - 1 tsp

Dry chilli - 2

Curry leaves 1 string

Jaggery / Sugar - a small pinch

Salt

Pumpkin

Method:

Heat a wide pan with oil. When it is hot enough, add red chilli, mustard, chana daal, urad daal and fry until they change the colour. Now add the curry leaves and then chopped pumpkin

Add pinch of turmeric and salt and stir well. Add 1/4 cup of water and cover it with lid.

In the meantime roast 1 tsp each of coriander seeds and cumin and pound them into coarse powder.

Roasted cumin and coriander

When the pumpkin has become soft and all the water is evaporated  then sprinkle the spice powder  and remove from the fire.

Sajja Rotte / Millet roti

Sajja / Bajra / Millet is the staple food in most of the South Indian villages. So simple to know,but one should be efficient to make Sajja rotte perfectly. Of course, any one can become a perfectionist with whole hearted efforts.

Ingredients:
Millet flour – 2 cups
Water - Approximately 1 1/2 cup
Salt

Method:

Take a wide plate to mix the dough. Add salt to the flour.
Now bring the water to rolling boil. 
Add this water to the millet flour by mixing it well using a spoon. 

Cover with lid and allow it to cool down. 
Knead the dough till soft and divide into roughly 12 - 14 balls.
Roll out each dough ball into a circle, using wheat flour for dusting. 

Best part is rolling the roti into thin disc. To make it easier, I have covered the dough with a plastic sheet and rolled it. So simple....

Place the roti on a hot tava 

Cook until it is done and turn on to the other side.

Traditionally these rotis will be placed besides the flame to make them bit crispier, such that we can have them for longer periods. Up to 1 week or so.

Bise-bela-bath

I call this as one pot meal. A classic Karnataka rice dish. A wholesome nutritious meal with carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins.

Ingredients:

Toor Daal – ½ cup
Rice – 1 cup
Besi bela bath Powder – 3 tbsp
Finely chopped vegetables of your choice – 1 cup
Onion – 1 thinly sliced
Tomato – 1 thinly sliced
Pulp taken from ½ a lemon size tamarind

For Besi bela bath powder:

Coconut grated / sliced – 1 tbsp
Urad daal – 1 tbsp
Chana daal – 1 tbsp
Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
Cloves – 4
Cumin – 1 tsp
Red Chilli – 7 to 8
Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp
Mustard – ¼ tsp
Coriander Seeds – 1 tbsp
Roast them all on medium flame, let it cool and grind it into powder.

Note: You can do the same in large quantities and preserve the powder for up to 1 month.

Method:
Wash and Soak rice and daal separately.
Pressure cook the daal and keep it aside.
In the meantime heat oil in a broad pan
Add mustard, jeera, dry chilli and curry leaves.
Once they splutter, add green chilli and onion. Sauté for a moment
Add chopped tomato and then Vegetables. Stir everything slowly and cover it with lid to get steam cooked for about 5 minutes.

Now add turmeric , hing and the soaked rice and the boiled daal to the vegetables. 

Add 3 cups of water, mix everything and cover the pan.
Once the rice is ¾th cooked then, add the besi bela bath powder and tamarind pulp.
Once again stir everything, reduce the flame to medium low and cook the rice till soft.

Note: You can cook daal along with the rice.

Serve with kaara boondhi...

Karappodi - Spicy Powder

This is an absolutely a very spicy powder especially prepared in villages. An incredible blend of spices.

Ingredients:

Dry chilli – 200 gms

Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp

Coriander seeds – 1 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds – 2 tsp

Garlic – 1 whole – nip the head and tails of the cloves

Curry leaves – Full bunch or couple of hand full leaves

Salt

Ghee – 2 tsp

Curry leaves, Red Chilli, Garlic, Fenugreek Seeds, Coriander seeds, Cumin

Heat a broad pan with ghee. Add dry chilli and roast them till they are half done.

Now add garlic cloves, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and curry leaves.

When everything is almost done, add cumin and toss for few seconds and remove from the flame.

Allow them to come to the room temperature.

Grind them into coarse powder.

Can be eaten with rice and a dollop of ghee or can be sprinkled over dosa.

Kheema Roti

This is a special roti, stuffed with spicy minced meat. A best treat during picnics. To make this, the curry should be absolutely dry.

Ingredients:

Kheema curry (Dry) – 1 cup
Whole wheat flour – 2 cups
Salt

Method:

Mix the flour and salt. Add approximately 1cup of water and knead it into soft dough.
Now divide the dough into 8 to 10 balls
Roll each ball into approx a 5 inch medium disc.
Place a heaped tablespoon of minced meat at the centre of the disc 

Fold it as shown below.

Roll it back into a 7 inch square.
Make sure that the curry should not be leaked.

Another simple way is roll two small squares. 

Spread the mince on top of one square.

Cover it with another square.

Seal the edges thoroughly.

Roll it into a medium thick roti.

Fry the roti on both the sides by drizzling little bit of oil.

Tip: Chill the curry before making the rotis as the mince will get stiff when it is cold.