ಮಜ್ಜಿಗೆ ಹುಳಿ/Wintermelon in yogurt sauce

ಮಜ್ಜಿಗೆ ಹುಳಿ or Winter melon(Ash Gourd) in yogurt sauce is one of our favorite item. Rice, ಮಜ್ಜಿಗೆ ಹುಳಿ, sundried chillies are mouth watering combination...sluurrrrp...... I could lick my fingers off when my mom and granny used to make this. My son does it now :D



We need the following to make Majjige Huli :

Boodukumbalakayi/Winter Melon/Ash Gourd pieces : 2 cups(Closely packed)
Mosaru/Yogurt : 4 cups (sour types, 2 day old yogurt works well)

Grind the following into smooth paste to make sauce :

Kadalebele/Chanadal : 1tbsp (soaked in water for atleast 2hrs)
Jeerige/Cumin/Jeera : 1tbsp
Hasiru menasinakayi/Green Chillies : 4 (adjust according to your req)
Tenginakayi turi/Grated Wet Coconut : 2 heaped tbsp
Salt

for seasoning or Oggarane :Oil, mustard, curry leaves, red chillies (1 broken into small pieces) and asafoetida/hing

How to proceed :
1.Do the tampering in a wide skillet by adding the ingrediants in order mentioned above.
2. Add Winter Melon pieces, sautee for a while and add salt and water. Close the lid and let those winter melon pieces get cooked.
3. Meanwhile grind the ingrediants for making sauce. Add this paste to cooked winter melon pieces and continue to boil.
4. Beat yogurt well, add water if required. Add this beaten yogurt to the sauce above. Mix to form a uniform sauce.
5. Check taste and adjust the flavors accordingly. Serve hot with rice and sundried chillies.

E N J O Y Y Y Y Y!!!!!

Spinach and Moongdal

Simple and Quick to make lunch and dinner are always on look for working women. This simple dal with rice and chapathi makes a very satisfying meal. Here you go with the recipe:

Ingrediants:
Spinach(washed, chopped and tightly packed)-2cups
Moongdal/dried skinless yellow mung beans-1cup
Green Chillies-4
Turemeric - 1 big pinch
Lemon Juice from 1 small lemon

Tampering:
Oil, mustard, curry leaves and asafoetida/hing

How to make:
1. Pressure cook spinach and mung beans with a pinch of turmeric and green chillies
2. With a hand blender or using back of laddle blend cooked dal&spinach. The resulting mix is a bit mushy. Do not make a paste.
3. Heat oil, and do tampering by adding the ingrediants mentioned in the order above
4. Now pour spinach dal mix over the tadka and add required quantity of salt and bring it to boil
5. Simmer it for another 2-3mins and remove from stove. Add lemon juice when dal is warm so as to keep the sour taste. Add only required amount of juice, mix taste and then add again.
6. Serve with chapathi and rice.

Vangibhath Powder & Vangibhath/Fried Rice with Brinjal

Our love for rice never ends :)... what else can you expect from a SouthIndian?...hehehhee... so here you go with yet another recipe on Rice.
I have seen many Vangibath (VB)/Fried Rice with Brinjal recipes around, here is my version. Before telling you the recipe for VB, let me tell you the recipe for VB powder.

Vangibath Powder:

Uddinabele/blackgram/Urad dal 400gm

Kadalebele/bengalgram/Chanadal 400gm

Chakke/Cinnamon/dalchini 25gm

Lavanga/Clove/Laung 5gm

Marati moggu/Dried Capers 10gm

Ananas hoovu/Star Anise 7gm

Byadagi Menasinakayi/Kashmiri Mirch 50gm (this is for color)

Chikabalapura menasinakayi/A spicier version of Red Chillies 75gm

Kottambari Beeja/Coriander seeds/Dhaniya100 gm

Dry coconut grated/Dessicated dry coconut = 500gm (Do not fry this)

salt to taste

Pan roast all the ingrediants separately and grind them to a coarse powder with Coconut and salt. Store in a airtight container in your refrigerator.

VangibathBrinjals (Long Green Variety) : 5 medium sized (clean and chop into 1''thick and 2''long pieces)
Cooked Rice (Basmati/SonaMasuri/Ponni)- 3 cups
Vangibath Powder : 2 heaped tbsp
Oil : 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Uddinabele(uraddal)/kadalebele(chanadal) : 1tsp each
Curry leaves 1 line
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt, Lemon Juice according to taste
Coriander for garnishing

Heat oil in a pan, when it is hot add mustard seeds. When mustard stops popping, add two bele's/dals, curry leaves and turmeric. Let bele's/dals turn golden brown, now add in brinjals. Cover and cook brinjals till they are soft. Add VB powder, salt and remove from stove. Add rice and lemonjuice and mix. Check the rice for salt, adjust the flavors. You can add more VB powder at this stage if you like it more spicy. Garnish with coriander and serve it with curd

Mango Seekarane/ಸೀಕರಣೆ A delicious dip for holige/ಹೋಳಿಗೆ/ puran poli

Yipeee....Mango season is back! With the first rain before ugadi, we are all set to eat those yummy, juicy, tasty mangoes in all avtars. Tangy ones in rice, sour ones in pickle, sweet n ripe ones in dips..it is all Mango at home.

All you need is

Mangoes (fully ripe) : 4
Sugar as per taste if mangoes are not sweet (which does not happen most of the times)
Cardamom powder : 1/2tsp
Bananas: 2 (cut into small pieces)

1.Wash mangoes nicely. Peel the skin with your hands. Soak the skin in water, do not throw them. Repeat the same with all mangoes.
2.Take the fruit in a large pan and hand squeeze all these fruits. break down larger lumps if there are any.
3. If the seed has any fruit adhered to it, soak them along with those mango skin. Now squeeze all the juice from skin and seed using your hands. Do not apply more pressure while doing this. Add the juice obtained from squeezing the skin and seed to mango pulp.
4.Mix rest of the ingrediants with the mango juice. Chill and serve with hot holige/puran poli

Other related posts :
Biliholige/white puranpoli
Holige Saru

This post goes to Live StrongWith a TasteofYellow
event hosted by Winos and Foodies blog. LIVESTRONG Day is the Lance Armstrong Foundation's one-day initiative to raise awareness and funds for the cancer fight. LIVESTRONG Day 2008 will occur on Tuesday, May 13. When cancer affects your loved ones, it hits home. So fight cancer from your own backyard. Thanks for hosting the event Winos and Foodies.

Chrysanthemum Tea

Tea drinking is a ritual in Chinese. I love their undying passion for different types of tea. When I first saw them drinking green tea, chrysanthemum tea I have frowned at them on many occassions! Chrysanthemum!!! aila..it is used for prayers and these drink them with hot water...???!!! so was my thoughts and expressions.. Ask me now, I can recommend ten others to have this mildly sweet and fragrant chrysanthemum tea which stores some good benefits for you in that percolated hot water.

Here is my teapot which I constantly fill with chrysanthemum, green tea leaves and rose buds and enjoy my hot cup of tea.


You can see medicinal properties of white chrysanthemum, green tea etc here :

1. Chrysanthemum Tea Benefits
2. Green Tea Benefits
3. Rose Tea benefits

Mixed Flour and Veggie Akkirotti

A thin crisp rotti made of the combination of Rice Flour and Sorghum/Jowar Flour along with grated carrots and finely chopped spinach and onions are a treat to eat with a dollop of white butter and stuffed brinjals. If you are lazy to make any side dish you can even do away by eating with chutni powder
and curd. This rotti is made on a thin tava which is specially made to make this rotti. If you do not have one, just pat the dough on a food-paper (laminated paper). You can even pat them on banana leaf and transfer it on to tava directly. The rotti surface should be placed on the tava with the leaf and the leaf is removed carefully from the surface. Fry rotti on both sides with oil.

You need the following :

Rice Flour : 1 cup
Sorghum/Jowar Flour: 1 cup
Coriander : 2tbsp Chopped finely
Green Chilli Paste : 1tsp
Grated Carrot : 3tbsp
Chinese Spinach : 3tbsp (you can use indian spinach too)
Other optional veggie that can be added : Dill leaves, grated cabbage, onions, avarekaalu/surtipapdi, etc
Salt to taste and water to mix the flour

How do you make it :

Mix all the ingrediants first without any lumps. Then slowly add water and make dough. The dough here should be a bit loose, a finger inserted into the dough should go inside without any effort.
Grease the rotti pan with oil, and take a orange sized dough ball and pat on the tava to make a thin rotti.



Place the rotti on stove and cover it with a lid. Slowly turn the tava around so that the whole rotti is baked properly from all sides. You can open the lid to see the unbaked portion and then turn it to the appropriate direction.



Remove it from the pan using a steel spatula and enjoy it hot with your curry of choice.



We also call it banale (pan) rotti because it is directly made on pan and then roasted.

Wishing All Bloggers a Very Happy Ugadi

ಸಂತೋಷ, ಸಂವ್ರುಧಿ, ನೆಮ್ಮದಿ, ಶಾಂತಿ, ಈ ಉಗಾದಿಯಂದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಬಾಳಿನ ಬಾಳೆಲೆ ಮೇಲೆ ತೃಪ್ತಿಯ ಮೃಷ್ಟಾನ್ನವೇ ಸಿಗಲಿ

Image from www.shubhashaya.com

Bhindi/Okra&Potato in Red Sauce

Not every kitchen experiment is a success like the one I am posting here. Over the years, I have seen many failures too, but when I succeed making something which suits our taste I am all happy on that day. Try it out to know it




You need the following :

Okra/Bhindi - 250 g (washed, wiped and cut into pieces)
Potato - 1 medium sized, cut into thin pieces
Onion - 1 medium sized
Tomato -1 big/2 small
Red Capsicum - 1 cut into small pieces
Coriander seeds - 1tsp (dry roast on pan)
Garlicky Cumin Powder - 1tsp
Red Chillies - 2 (dry roast on pan)
Peanuts - 1/2 fistful (dry roast on pan)
Oil & Cumin for tampering

Method:

1. In a wide skillet, heat oil and add cumin/jeera
2. Add red capsicum pieces sautée till they are soft, onion follows, sautéed them till onions are transcluscent. Now add tomatoes continue to stir and fry till tomatoes turn mushy. Remove the pan from stove and allow it to cool.
3. Take roasted coriander seeds, redchillies, garlicky cumin powder.
4. Blend them to a coarse powder. Add roasted peanuts and pulse. Peanuts should break down into large pieces.
5. Take the capsicum onion mix in the same blender and blend well to make a coarse paste.
6. Fry Okra/bhindi in a nonstick pan. When Okra stops sticking to each other add potatoes and fry further till u see potatoes turning brown.
7. Add the capsicum onion paste to fried bhindi n potato. Add little water and simmer for around 5 mins.

RCI-Kashmir Round up and Announcing next theme

A much awaited post for few of us on the Singapore Women's Group. I could see 4 entries including mine, which is not bad for a start. Enjoy Kashmiri Roti, Kashmiri Kofta and Phirni for your weekend lunch with the mouth watering tried n tested recipes.

Here you go :

Priyanka has contributed Phirni
















You can read the recipe for making Phirni here
She also has couple of other mouthwatering dishes so check her out at ASAN KHANA

Vanisri from illatharasi has contributed Phirni, do check her blog for mouth watering veg and non-veg dishes.














Hemali Doshi Kothari, tigress of our Women's Club who is ever enthusiastic with strong determination decided to make something special for the event. She has gladly contributed Kashmiri Kofta Curry.


You can read her recipe here :

Kashmiri Kofta

Ingredients

For Koftas:

Pototoes - 2-3 medium size
Green Peas - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Corrainder leaves - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Chilli Paste - 4-5 tsp
Garam Masala - 1-2 tsp
Grounded Cashewnuts - 1/2 cup
Cornflour
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

For Gravy :

Tomatoes - 4-5 medium size, make it into puree
Onion - 2 medium size finely chooped
Ground Cashewnuts - 1/2 cup
Cornflour - 2 tsp
Fresh curd - 1/2 cup
Garam Masala pwdr - 4 tsp
Bay Leaf - 1
Cardamom pod - 1
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon
Salt to taste

Method

For Koftas :

Boil the potatoes alongwith green peas. Mash it. Add grated coconut, chopped corrainder leaves, cashnetnuts, chilli paste. garam masala and salt. Mix the enitre portion well. Make it into small balls.

Put some oil in a pan. Roll those balls on corn flour and fry it till golden brown. Take it in a plate n put it aside.

For Gravy :

Take about 2-3 spoons of oil in a pan.Add bay leaf, cardamom, cloves n cinnamon to it. Then add chopped onions and fry it till golden brown. Now add tomato puree, garam masala powder and salt. Cook it for around 2 mins. Add curd, cornflour and ground cashewnuts.Cook it for abt 1 minute. Mix well. Make the gravy thick.

Serving :
Heat the gravy till luke warm. Add koftas to the gravy. Garnish it with grated coconut and corrainder leaves. Have it with Naan/Paratha.

Last but not least is my own entry. I had made Kashmiri Roti. The mixture of spices which was added to the dough made rotis flavorfull and they tasted good. Do remember to leave the dough for 30 mins before you roll them to make Rotis. Recipe was taken from Tarla Dalal website. You can read my earlier post here
I also blog at Taste of Mysore, do check it out for Karnataka style recipes



Next month theme would be PUNJAB. Fold your sleeves, look around for Punjabi recipes, cook click and send it to me at vasurag1993@yahoo.com.sg Good Luck Ladies!

Now all of us are winners because we have invested equal amount of enthusiasm, work and made sure that the final dish is superb. Viewers, your coments are valuable to us, so please leave them in our coment section.

A round of applause for all the participated ladies from my side.