Kallepuri Avalakki / Puffed Rice Poha

This is something you can eat as breakfast or as a snack in the evening. Usually in Bangalore, most of them make this as a snack without the veggies. I just added the veggies and made it as a breakfast.

Ingredients: Puffed rice - 6 cups Onion - 1 Potato - 1 small Chillies - 5 Curry Leaves Coriander Leaves - 2 Tb spoon Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Ground nuts - 2 Tb spoon Channa Dhal - 1/2 tsp Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp Peas - 2 Tb spoon Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil - 2 Tb spoon

Method:

• Soak the puffed rice in water for 1 minute.
• Press the puffed rice and remove all the water and keep it aside.
• In a pan, add oil and then mustard seeds.
• When the mustard splutters, add ground nuts, channa dhal and Urad dhal.
• After it is golden brown, add onions, chillies and curry leaves. Fry till the onion is golden brown.
• Then add the veggies, add salt and turmeric powder and fry till they are soft.
• Then add the puffed rice and mix well . Sprinkle coriander leaves on top.
• Serve hot with some lemon juice on top.

Avocado Akki Rotti / Rice Flour Roti

This is one of the favourite breakfast for Bangaloreans. Surprisingly this is not the common menu item in most of the restaurants I have a favourite place in Bangalore called "AraliMane" in Malleshwaram. They make very nice big rotti along with different chutneys.

You can prepare this rotti by adding any vegetables or greens or just plain. This is the season for Avarekayi in Bangalore. Averekalu rotti is famous during this season.

As I had an avocado, thought of adding and trying it out. I did not find any difference in taste. But the rotti was very buttery and soft. So enjoy....

Ingredients:

ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಹಿಟ್ಟು / Rice flour - 2 cups ಅವಕಾದೋ / Avocado -1 ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ / Onion - 1 ಶುಂಠಿ / Ginger - 1 tsp ಜೀರಿಗೆ / Jeera - 1 tsp ಹಸಿಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ / Chillies - 5 ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ ಹೂವ್ವ್ / Spring Onion - 1 Packet ಕೊತ್ತಂಬರಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು/ Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup ಕರಿಬೇವಿನ ಸೊಪ್ಪು / Curry Leaves ಉಪ್ಪು / Salt Method:

• Mix all the above ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Add little warm water to the mixture and mix until the consistency of a dough.
• On a plastic paper apply little oil, then take a ball size of the dough, spread it evenly with hand till it is thin and the size of a chapati.
• Keep dipping your hands in water while spreading to avoid any sticking.
• Fry on a hot tava on both side until brown.

• Serve hot with ghee or coconut chutney or any gravy of your choice or you can serve it by itself.

Bendekayi Fry / Okra Fry

Today is one of those days, when I am feeling very lazy to spend too much time in kitchen making tedious curries or side dishes. Seeing the okra, I wanted to make something very simple without any masala, just wanted to put the ready powders which are available.

So, I came up with this and tried it out.. It really gave the crunch and also the spice for this cold weather. You can just eat it as a snack or as a side dish..

Ingredients:

ಬೆಂಡೆಕಾಯಿ /Bindi / Okra - 1 Lb(25- 30 Pieces)

ಕಾರದ ಪುಡಿ / Chili Powder - 1 Tb spoon

ಧನಿಯ ಪುಡಿ / Coriander Powder - 1.5 tsp

ಜೀರಿಗೆ ಪುಡಿ /Jeera Powder - 1 tsp

ಅರಿಶಿನ ಪುಡಿ /Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

ಉಪ್ಪು / Salt - 1 tsp

ಎಣ್ಣೆ / Oil - 1 Tb spoon

Method:

• Cut Bindi and mix all the above powders along with salt as shown below.
• Cover it and set it aside for half an hour.

• In a non stick pan, add oil, then add bindi and fry till it is done.
• Serve hot with any main dish.

PS: If you want it crunchy, just fry without adding water. If you want it soft, you can add little water.

Madhur Vada

In Karnataka, there is a small town by name "Madhur" between Bangalore and Mysore. This is the place where these vadas are very famous and you will see them being sold in all restaurants, railway stations and bus stops. If you are travelling via Madhur, you cannot resist the smell, crispiness, taste and the size of this vada. So, it has got its name too as Madhur Vada.

I make these very often, as everybody loves this and is also very easy to make if you have all the ingredients.

I would also like to post this as my savoury for the Event for the month hosted by Srilekha.

This is the recipe..

Ingredients: ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಹಿಟ್ಟು / Rice Flour - 1 cup ಮೈದಾ ಹಿಟ್ಟು / Maida Flour - 1/2 cup ಚಿರೋಟಿ ರವೆ / Fine sooji - 1/2 cup ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ / Onions - 2 ಕೊತ್ತಂಬರಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು / Coriander Leaves - 1 cup ಕರಿಬೇವಿನ ಸೊಪ್ಪು /Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup ಎಳ್ಳು / Till - 2 Tb spoons(Optional) ಜೀರಿಗೆ /Jeera / Cumin - 2 Tb spoons ಎಣ್ಣೆ / Oil ಉಪ್ಪು/ Salt Method:

• Mix all the above ingredients except oil.
• Heat half cup oil, then add the hot oil to the above mixture and mix well.
• Add water accordingly till you get the consistency of a chapati dough.
• Cover it and leave it for 1 hour.
• Take a lemon sized dough and press it with hand (or on cover) to the required size and deep fry them till brown.
• Drain it on paper towel.
• Serve it with coconut chutney or just like that.

PS: You can also add grated ginger too. It can be kept for 2-3 days.

Tiramisu

Last week was my husband's birthday, so wanted to make something different at home other than the usual stuff. Then thought of making 'Tiramisu' which he loves... so I surprised him with it & he loved it.

When I googled for the recipe, there were many ways of making this dessert. I found this recipe which was very easy & quick to make.

'Tiramisu' means 'Pick-me-up' in Italian. It is a cool, very light refreshing Italian dessert that once tasted, leaves an indelible impression on you. With all different flavours , textures & the lightness you can really say "Heaven in your mouth". So give it a try...

Ingredients:

Mascarpone cheese or cream cheese, softened - 1 package (8 ounces) Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup Light rum - 2 Tb spoon or Rum extract - 1/2 tea spoon Whipping (heavy) cream - 1 cup Ladyfingers- 3 packages (3o pieces) Cold prepared espresso or strong coffee -1/2 cup Baking cocoa - 2 teaspoons

Method:

• Beat mascarpone cheese /cream cheese and powdered sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in rum on low speed, set aside.
• Beat whipping cream in chilled small bowl on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture.
• Arrange half of the ladyfingers, on bottom of ungreased square pan, 8x8x2 inches.
• Drizzle 1/4 cup of the espresso over ladyfingers. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture over ladyfingers.
• Arrange remaining ladyfingers on cream cheese mixture.
• Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup espresso on the lady fingers.
• Spread the remaining cream cheese mixture on top of the ladyfingers.
• Sift or sprinkle cocoa over top.
• Cover and refrigerate about 4 hours or until filling is firm.

PS: You can use Rum or brandy or coffee liquor or just rum extract. You can make as many layers as you wish.

Soppina Saru / Greens Curry

In Kannada "Soppu" means greens. You can use any greens which is available .. This is one of the famous & favourite curry made in our Gowda caste. It is mostly famous along with Ragi ball.

My mom makes this almost once a week with different greens every time. This is very nutritious & also healthy which is a good combination. As we don't get so many varieties of greens, I try to make this with Palak very often.. I am not sure why this was one of hated saru while growing up. These days it makes its appearance very frequently at my home :-) . The recipe is as follows..

Ingredients:

ಪಾಲಕ್ ಸೊಪ್ಪು / Palak leaves – 2 bunches ತೊಗರಿ ಬೇಳೆ / Thoor dhal – ¼ cup ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ / Onions - 2medium ಟೊಮೇಟೊ / Tomato - 2 ಬೆಳ್ಳುಳ್ಳಿ / Garlic – 1 whole ಹಸಿ ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ / Chilies - 6-7 ಜೀರಿಗೆ /Jeera/cumin - 1tsp ತೆಂಗಿನಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ / Coconut- 1/4 cup ಸಾಸಿವೆ / Mustard seeds- ¼ tsp ಕರಿಬೇವು /Curry leaves ತುಪ್ಪ / Ghee/Oil – ½ tsp ಉಪ್ಪು / Salt Method:

• In a pressure cooker, add the thoor dhal, whole onions(if too big then cut it to half ), whole tomatoes, whole garlic, chillies & palak.
• On top of palak put the jeera and pressure cook for one whistle.
• After the cooker has cooled down, remove the boiled palak, jeera, onions, tomatoes, garlic and chillies.
• Grind the above along with coconut.
• Then add the paste to the boiled thoor dhal water. Add water according to your consistency.
• Add salt and allow it to boil for few minutes.
• Heat ghee/oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds & curry leaves.
• Add this to the curry and serve it with hot rice or Ragi ball.

PS: This is the full meals of our Gowda family. Personally, bajji's or pakodas will be very nice along with this gravy..

ಅವಲಕ್ಕಿ / Avalakki / Poha

This is one of my favourite breakfast menu with veggies and is also easy to make too :-)

Ingredients: ಅವಲಕ್ಕಿ / Poha - 2 cups(thick)

ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ /Onion - 1 medium

ಹಸಿಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ / Green chillies - 6

ಆಲೂಗಡ್ಡೆ / Aloo - 1 small(cut to small pieces)

ಕ್ಯಾರೆಟ್ / Carrot - 1 (grated)

ಬಟಾಣಿ /Peas - 2 Tb spoon

ಕಡಲೆ ಬೇಳೆ / Channa dhal - 1 tsp

ಉದ್ದಿನ ಬೇಳೆ / Urad dhal - 1 tsp

ಸಾಸಿವೆ / Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

ಕರಿಬೇವು / Curry Leaves

ಕೊತಂಬರಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು / Coriander Leaves

ನಿಂಬೆ ಹಣ್ಣು ರಸ / Lemon Juice - 1 Tb spoon

ತೆಂಗಿನಕಾಯಿ / Coconut - 2 Tb spoon (optional)

ಎಣ್ಣೆ /Oil - 2 Tb spoon

Method:

• Wash poha and drain water. Keep it aside.
• Heat oil and add mustard. When they start popping, ground nuts, channa dhal, urad dhal . Fry for sometime till light brown.
• Add onion & chillies & fry till they turn golden brown.
• Now add potato pieces , carrots & peas. Add little salt, cover and cook till potatoes become soft.
• Roughly break the curry leaves with hands and add to it along with turmeric powder.
• Now add poha. Mix well. Fry for 1-2 mins on a medium flame.
• Add coconut and coriander leaves. Mix well and remove from flame.
• Serve with lemon or squeeze lemon juice before serving.

PS: You can use any veggies you like. It all tastes good.

ಮಸಾಲ ಉಪಿಟ್ಟು/ Masala Upma

I wanted to make something very fast & which is easy and also healthy. So thought about this & tried with coarsely broken wheat. . Ingredients: ಗೋಧಿ ರವೆ / Broken wheat - 2 cups ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ / Onions - 1/2 small ಟೊಮೇಟೊ / Tomato - 1 medium ಶುಂಠಿ ಪೇಸ್ಟ್ /Ginger Paste - 1/2 tsp ಬೆಲ್ಲುಲಿ ಪೇಸ್ಟ್ /Garlic Paste- 1/2 tsp ಉಳ್ಲಿಕಾಯಿ / Beans -1/4 cup ಕ್ಯಾರೆಟ್ /Carrot - 1/4 cup

ದೊನ್ನ್ಮೆನಸಿನಕಾಯಿ / Green Bell pepper -1/4 cup ಬಟಾಣಿ / Peas -1/4 cup ಉದ್ದಿನ ಬೇಳೆ /Urad dhal - 1 tsp ಕಡಲೆ ಬೇಳೆ / Channa dhal - 1 tsp ಕಾರದ ಪುಡಿ / Chili powder - 1tsp ಸಾಸಿವೆ /Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp ಧನಿಯ ಪುಡಿ / Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp ಅರಿಶಿನ / Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp ಕೊತ್ತಂಬರಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು /Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup ಕರಿಬೇವು / Curry leaves ಗೋಡಂಬಿ /Cashews - 1 Tb spoon (optional) ತುಪ್ಪ / Ghee - 1 Tb spoon (optional) ಉಪ್ಪು/ Salt ಎಣ್ಣೆ / Oil - 2 Tb spoon ನಿಂಬೆ ಹಣ್ಣು ರಸ / Lemon Juice - 1 tsp Method:

• Fry the coarse wheat till golden brown by adding a little oil to it.
• Then put the remaining oil in the pan and put mustard seeds, channa dhal & urad dhal and curry leaves.
• When they turn to light brown, add the onions and fry them till golden brown.
• Add tomato, ginger & garlic paste and fry for a minute.
• Then add all the powders and fry till oil leaves on top.
• Then add the all the veggies, add little salt & allow them to soften a bit by closing the lid.
• After the veggies are boiled, add 4-5 cups of water.
• When the water starts boiling add the rava and cover it for few minutes till the wheat is cooked.
• Then add coriander leaves & lemon juice.
• Fry the cashew in ghee & add it to the upma.
• Serve hot.

ಕಡಬು / Kadabu

Though I am not a sweet person, this sweet is my favourite. I made this sweet on the Ganesha Chathurthi day. This is entirely different from modak which usually many people make. This usually takes little time to make but is really worth every second. This can be eaten either by itself or along with plain payasam & ghee.

As both me & my husband likes to eat it like that , I did not prepare payasam.

The inside filling is called Gun powder. I have no idea why they call that, may be it looks like that:-). It taste yummy though..

First to make Gun Powder:

Ingredients:

ಕಲ್ಲೇ ಪಪ್ಪು / Kalle Pappu /- 1 cup

ಬೆಲ್ಲ / Jaggery - 1 cup

ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಅಕ್ಕಿ /Till - 1Tb spoon

gasagase /ಉಪ್ಪು ಉಪ್ಪು ಸಾಲ್ಟ್

Method:

• Grind dhaliya along with elaichi to a fine powder.
• Fry Till & poppy seeds seperately till golden brown & then grind to fine powder.
• Mix the grind ingredients along with dry coconut & jaggery.
• Mix until there is no lumps of jaggery.

For the outer covering:

Ingredients:

ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಹಿಟ್ಟು /Rice flour - 1 cup

ಉಪ್ಪು /Salt - 1/2 tsp

ನೀರು /Water - 1 cup

ತುಪ್ಪ / Ghee - 1/2 cup

Kadabu mould

Method:

• In a pan allow water to boil, then add little salt & rice flour.
• Cover the lid and let it boil for 5-10 minutes on low flame.
• Mix nicely with a wooden spatula until they all come together.
• Again cover for few minutes until the rice flour is fully cooked.
• Sprinkle the wooden cutting board with little water.
• Remove the rice flour ball & put it on the wooden board.
• Then by dipping your hands in water nicely kneed the ball by removing any lumps available.
• Make a smooth ball after kneeding the rice ball.

Now the filling part:

• Take a hand full of the rice ball.
• Apply little ghee on a board/counter. Place the rice ball & make rounds of poori shape.
• Apply ghee on the Kadabu mould too & place the small rice poori & fill it with a spoon full of Gun Powder.
• Close the mould & press it little bit & remove the extra rice dough that comes out of the mould.
• Open the mould & remove the kadabu.
• Keep applying ghee to the mould, roller & the board so that the rice dough does not stick.
• Yummy Kadabu is ready.

PS: You can steam all the kadabu's in a pressure cooker. But if you have cooked the rice flour properly then there is no need of steaming.

After few hours of making the Kadabu, the gun powder inside becomes like paste. It tastes very nice.Sorry, forgot to take pictures of the Gun Powder. You can preserve the Gun powder and can prepare when ever you want or you can just eat it by itself :-). It is very tempting to eat it like that.

Happy Gowri & Ganesh Chathurthi

Vakratunda Mahaakaaya,

Suuryakoti Samaprabha..

Nirvighnam Kurume Deva,

Shubha Kaaryeshhu Sarvadaa.

Wish You all a very happy Gowri & Ganesha Chathurthi.

As you celebrate Ganesh Chathurthi, may Lord Ganesha shower his choicest blessings on you & your family.

Ganesha Chaturthi or Ganesha Festival is a day on which Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, resurrected to life on earth with the head of elephant. It is celebrated as it is the birthday of Lord Ganesha.. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi in Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu, Chavath in Konkani. Typically, the day falls sometime between August and September . The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Ananta Chaturdashi.

This festival are widely popular, with local communities (mandalas) vying with each other to put up the biggest statue & the best pandal. The festival is also the time for cultural activities like songs, dramas and orchestra.

We just celebrate the festival for two days. The first day is Gowri pooja & the next day is the Ganesha Chathurthi. We dont have the custom of keeping the idol, we just make sweets on both days & do pooja.

The sweet below is called Sajjige. Mom makes this very often as everyone likes it a lot. It is similar to Kesari bath. I thought of making this sweet on the Gowri festival day as it is very easy & fast to make.

Ingredients:

ಸಣ್ಣ ರವೆ / Fine Rava-1 cup

ಬೆಲ್ಲ / Jaggery - 1 cup

ತುಪ್ಪ/Ghee- 1/4 cup

ಏಲಕ್ಕಿ / Cardamom - 2

ದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ / Raisins - 1Tb spoon

ಗೋಡಂಬಿ / Cashews - 1 Tb spoon

ಹಾಲು / Milk- 1 cup

ನೀರು / Water - 1 cup

Method:

• Fry rava with little ghee until golden brown.
• In a non stick pan add milk & water & allow it to boil.
• Then add jaggery & cardamom powder.
• After the jaggery has melted, add the rava & add the ghee & give it a stir.
• Close the lid & allow it boil on low heat.
• Fry raisins & cashews in ghee & add to the above.
• More ghee you add, the more it tastes good.

Thondekayi Palya / Thindoora Sabzi

This is one of my favourite side dish. It is healthy as it has got chick peas and is also easy to prepare. This is how it is done:

Ingredients: ಕಡಲೆ ಕಾಳು / Kabul Channa - 1/4 cup

ತೊಂಡೆಕಾಯಿ / Thindora - 1 cup

ಸಾಂಬಾರ್ ಪುಡಿ /Sambar Powder - 1 tsp

ಉದ್ದಿನ ಬೆಳೆ / Urad dhal - 1tsp(optional)

Coriander leaves - 1 Tb spoon

ಉಪ್ಪು / Salt

Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

• Soak kabul Channa for overnight.
• Pressure cook them for one whistle with little salt.
• In a heavy pan, add oil, then add urad dhal.
• When the urad dhal is golden brown add the thindoora & fry little.
• Then add the channa, sambar powder & salt together.
• Mix all together, close the lid of the pan & allow it to boil on low heat.
• Give occasional stirs to it until cooked.
• At last sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves on top. Serve with hot chapathi or with rice & sambar.

ಒಳಿಗೆ / Olige / Puran Poli

Olige, also known as Obattu, is the sweet we make for Varamahalaksmi festival. This is the main item for this festival. It is a very long & time consuming procedure but it is worth the effort. My husband loves all the sweets but this is one sweet he likes a lot. All of his relatives remember him whenever they make this sweet. Our daughter too is following his footsteps :-). So I try to prepare once in a while.

Ingredients:

ತೊಗರಿ ಬೆಳೆ /Thoor Dhal - 2 cups

ಕಡಲೆ ಬೆಳೆ /Channa Dhal -1/4 cup

ಬೆಲ್ಲ / Jaggery - 2 cups

ತೆಂಗಿನಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ/ Fresh grated coconut - 1/4 cup

ಏಲಕ್ಕಿ / Elichi / Cardamom - 2

ಮೈದಾ /Maida /All purpose flour - 2 cups

ಚಿರೋಟಿ ರವೆ / Fine sooji - 1/2 cup

ಅರಿಶಿನ / Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

ಎಣ್ಣೆ / Oil - 1/2 cup

Method:

First for the outer covering:

It is called Kanaka in Kannada.

• Mix the all purpose flour & fine sooji together.
• Add little salt & turmeric powder & mix with water till you form a dough.
• Then add oil & start kneading nicely. As you knead it will soak up all the oil. You can add more oil accordingly.
• Cover it with a cloth or plate & keep it aside for minimum of 2 hours.

For the inner filling:

This is called Hoorana in Kannada

• Keep both thoor dhal and channa dhal together for boiling.
• After it has fully boiled drain the water to another container & keep aside.
• In a heavy pan, add jaggery & allow it to melt.
• When the jaggery has melted, add the dhals & boil altogether.
• Then add the grated coconut & elaichi powder to it.
• After the consistency has become thick you can off the stove.
• Then grind all to smooth mixture.
• Take a ball of dough and spread with hand with little oil to your hands.
• Keep a ball of the above mixture and cover with the dough and seal the ends.
• Apply oil to a plastic paper, keep the ready ball on it and roll it like chapati (The plastic and oil prevents it from sticking).
• Fry on hot tava till it gets golden brown color.
• Serve hot/cold with ghee.
• You can also mix this in warm milk & eat. It tastes delicious.
• PS : This can be preserved for ten days outside or in fridge.

Varamahalakshmi Festival

I wanted to start my blog on an auspicious day, so I decided to do so on the Varamahalakshmi Festival day.

In Bangalore this is one of the biggest festivals and is the beginning of festival season. This festival brings back lots of memories. The festive atmosphere starts almost a week in advance. You can see the markets filled with different varieties of flowers, fruits, pooja items etc. We took our daughter to one of the markets in Bangalore during this festival time. She was very exited seeing everything on the road & she wanted to touch everything.

The atmosphere starts a week before in our house too. Cleaning the whole house, buying a kanchivaram saree for the God :-), polishing all the siver items etc.. We used to be so exited when this festival comes. I used to do all the arrangements in the pooja room & my mom & sister used to do all the cooking in the kitchen. After the pooja we used to have lunch & then again get ready for the evening as all neighbours used to come for kumkum. It used to be really fun.

Myself & my daughter were in India but were returning 3 days before this festival. As this festival can be done on any fridays of that month, my mother-in-law wanted to do it on first friday. My daughter was very excited and had lots of fun. On returning to US, we celebrated this festival again.

As always cleaned & decorated the house, decided the menu previous day & we had few friends on the evening of the festival day. These are the few items which I prepared on that day.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog of cooking.

I am Ashwini, living in US for the past 6 years with my husband & our sweet daughter. I am originally from the Garden city, Bangalore.

I am a stay at home mom. I got the inspiration to start this blog by seeing all of your blogs and an interest to cook and try out new delicacies.

In my regional language Kannada, "Nanna Adige" means "My Dish". In this blog, most of the dishes posted will be authentic food from Bangalore which I have learnt from my mom. The other posts will be the dishes which I prepare from experimenting or learnt from other sources.

Please have a look at my blog & wish me luck to keep going.