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.

Thurumu Pachchadi

You can make several spicy pickles or chutneys with raw mangoes. This grated mango pickle is an instant one where we don't need to wait for days. We can consume this instantly. Also remember that this might get spoiled soon if we do not handle it with care as we use less proportions of salt when compared to the long life pickle.

Thurumu pachchadi

Make sure to choose the small variety as they will be more sour in taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups of grated raw green mangoes (washed and wiped dry)

2 tbsps red chilli pwd

1 tbsp roasted mustard ground into powder (aava pindi)

1 1/2 tsps roasted fenugreek ground into powder (menthi podi)

1 1/2 tbsps salt

4-5 tbsps Sesame oil (til/nuvvulu)

For popu/tadka/seasoning:

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp channa dal (bengal gram) – optional

pinch methi seeds

2 dry red chillis

10-12 curry leaves

1/2 tbsp oil

Method:
Combine grated mango, red chilli pwd, mustard pwd, methi pwd, salt and 2-3 tbsp oil in a vessel.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a vessel, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add methi seeds, dals, red chilli, garlic and stir fry till the dals turn red. Add curry leaves and stir fry for a few seconds before turning off the heat.

Pour this seasoning over the mango mixture and combine well. Store in a clean, dry bottle and refrigerate. This pickle can be eaten within two to three hours of preparation.

NOTE:
Sesame oil is best, but just in case you don’t have sesame, you can use any oil. Remember to prepare pickles in moisture free area.

Dhondakaaya / Ivy gourd fry

The ivy gourd belongs to the cucumber family and retain the same crunchy texture as the cucumber. The vegetable will get cooked so quickly, so make sure not to over cook.

There are many variations to the dondakaya fry. This is in between the dry and gravy varieties. Instead of keeping  it too dry, I have added some moisture to the fry in the form of tomato. I have prepared this in a simple style, where I have sliced the ivy gourd length wise and infused with a tempering of fresh curry leaves and mustard seeds and stir fried along with onion and tomato. Though the preparation part of slicing the ivy gourd is time-consuming, but worth the effort.

Ingredients:

250 gms /1/4 kg Dondakayalu / Ivy Gourds

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Cumin – ¼ tsp

Red Chilli – 2

Chana daal – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 string

Turmeric – 1 pinch

Onion – 1 small diced

Tomato -1 large diced

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt

Method:

Wash and nip the head and tail bits. Slice them into thin long strips.

Heat oil in a cooking vessel. Once the oil is hot, reduce heat to medium flame, add the mustard and cumin seeds and let them splutter.

Add a tsp of chana daal and 2 red chilies and fry for a few seconds. Add the curry leaves ,stir them till the aroma come out.

Add chopped onion and pinch of salt. Saute them till they turn pale.

Immediately add the sliced ivy gourd and diced tomato and combine. Add some more salt and turmeric pwd and mix well. Saute on medium heat for 3-4 minutes , keep sauteing them so that it doesn’t burn. Now reduce to low flame and let it cook covered till soft, approx 12-15 minutes by stirring in between.

Don’t overcook them as they should retain that, slight crunchy texture. Make sure all the extra moisture should disappear before turning off the heat.

Serve with rice