Bas saaru and Bas palya

This is my last entry for RCI Karnataka! I know all of you will be wondering , why so late! I could get the authentic recipes for these preparations only now!:)) The main ingredient used is Urali Kaalu ( horse gram)

Bas Saaru

Ingredients

• Horse gram – 1 cup

• Turmeric powder – 1/8 teaspoon
• Onion – 1 medium
• Tamarind – 2 inch piece
• Tomato – 1 medium
• Garlic – 2 pods
• Curry leaves – 1 twig
• Pepper corn – 1 teaspoon
• Jeera (cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Red chillies – 2 nos
• Oil – 2 teaspoons
• Grated coconut – 1 tablespoon
• Salt – to taste
• Coriander leaves – 1 twig

Method

1. Wash and pressure cook the horse gram with 2 cups water and turmeric powder.
2. Cut the onions and tomatoes roughly. Heat oil in a kadai, fry the red chillies.
3. Add the onions and tomatoes and keep stirring on a low flame.
4. Add curry leaves, garlic and grated coconut and fry for 2 more minutes. Allow to cool.
5. Grind this mixture with tamarind, peppercorns and jeera to a fine paste.
6. Add 1 cup water to the pressure cooked horse gram. Strain the water(stock) in to a MW safe container. The whole cooked gram will be used for the palya.
7. To the horse gram water(Stock) add salt and the ground paste and MW high for 5 minutes.
8. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice and ghee.

Bas palya

Ingredients

• Cooked horse gram after stock is strained for the saaru.
• Onion – 1 medium Finely chopped
• Grated coconut- 2 table spoons
• Green chillies – 2 nos finely chopped
• Salt- to taste
• Oil- 2 teaspoons
• Curry leaves – 1 twig
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon

Method

1. Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. When it crackles add onions, green chillies and curry leaves and saute on a low flame.
2. Add coconut and saute for 1 more minute. Add the cooked horse gram and salt and saute for 2 more minutes on a medium flame.
3. Your bas palya is ready.

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My Cake Book and Hand written Note Book

We had a long weekend and I took to blog hopping and posting random musings – like this previous post on Nagapattinam with pictures of my family temple. While I was blog hopping I saw almost everyone showing off their cook books! After seeing Suganya’s Tassajara cook book, I had to muster some courage to show off my humble belongings! 🙂 . I have a modest collection of cook books. I gather most of my cooking knowledge from my mother and aunts, my friends and acquaintances and their mothers and patties, random people I meet on holidays like this person who cooks at a guest house in a remote hill station, chefs at marriages and functions at all kinds, cookery shows like that of Sanjeev Kapoor and now food bloggers and food websites. Having travelled throughout India, I have met a whole lot of interesting people and been introduced to their cuisine.

So here are my cook books with some memories. Hope you don’t find my narration boring! 😀

Just before my marriage, I was attending a Nirmal (a traditional art form) painting class, around 5 km from my home. I wanted to join the bakery course conducted in the same place. One day on my way back from the classes I lost my purse with around Rs.7! Rs. 7 in those days was a loooooooooot of money for a youngster. I was so upset that I created a scene after reaching home! My mother got scared seeing my crest fallen face and refused to send me to the class from the next day. I somehow convinced her and joined a painting class closer home, though I was pretty upset about not being able to attend the baking class. Since I was so keen to learn baking my Appa who travelled a lot as a part of his job at Telecoms bought a cake book from Manneys, Poona for Rs. 50. Yes 26 years back the book was only Rs. 50 !!

Woman’s Own Cook Book of Cake Decorating and Cake Making is a large collection of recipes published by Hamlyn Publishing, London. No author/s have been mentioned anywhere in the book. This book was my introduction to the world of baking. Though my mother baked eggless cakes in a round gas oven, I learnt baking and decoration from this book! For the rich fruit cake I follow the recipe from this book, omitting rum.

The other book I cherish is my handwritten note book which is a treasure house of recipes from my mom and aunts, with exact measurements and rare dishes! This is the only book I follow 100%, with no modifications to the recipes. 🙂

I am also fond of the Tupperware cook book in which some of my recipes were published. 😉

I have a few cook books by Tarla dalal – some of them are with my daughter now. I like her North Indian recipes – simple and practical. Supersoft naans with Navratna kurma is the first dish I prepared from her books. TarlaDalal comes across as a simple and lovable person in her cookery shows! 🙂

I would like to send this as my entry for “Show me your Cook Book” the event hosted by Nags (Nags, please do accept my entry even if it is 3 days late!:)

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Tomato paste prepared in Micro Wave

In bangalore tomato is available throughout the year. The only problem is , the price fluctuates from Rs.5 per kg to Rs.40 per kg with in a span of three months! I buy a few kilos when it is cheap and make this paste. The paste can be stored in the freezer for more than three months, in Tupperware containers. I am giving the timings for 1 kg tomato.

Fresh tomatoes

Method

1. Wash the tomatoes and drain the water.
2. In a Microwave safe container, MW at 600 watts covered for 10 minutes.
3. Allow to cool for a few minutes and grind to a smooth paste. Pass through a strainer if required and grind again.
4. Transfer the pulp to the same MW container and MW at 600 watts for 1/2 hour stirring once in 5 minutes.
5. Pour this into a freezer container and allow to cool. Keep in the freezer and use as you like.
6. Take out the pulp from the freezer 15 minutes before use. It is easy to scoop out with an ice cream scoop.

This is my entry for Srivalli’s basic MW cooking event.

After cooking in MW for 10 minutes

Storing in freezer container

You can use the pulp for Preparing

1. Tomato thokku.
2. All gravies for which you need tomato paste.
3. Chutney
4. Rasam
5. Soup
6. Tomato rice

Hope all of you find this preparation useful.

I have published a post on Microwave cooking tips almost 2 months back. That is my second entry for Srivallis event.

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Ragi Rotti

Ragi Rotti is another unleavened bread made in Karnataka. For previous ragi recipes from Karnataka refer to Ragi Mudde and Ragi Dosa.

Ragi Rotti with Uchellu Podi

Ingredients

• Ragi flour – 2 cups
• Fresh Sabakki Soppu (Dill) or Fresh Coriander – 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
• Onions – 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
• Water
• Green chilly – 2 finely chopped (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Oil

Method

1. Mix all ingredients except the Oil and knead into a smooth soft dough. The dough is a softer than Wheat flour Roti dough. Divide the dough into 2 inch diameter balls and set aside.
2. Spread a plastic sheet/ banana leaf on a smooth surface. Grease with a drop of oil. Take a ball of the dough and pat into a round pancake of 6 inch diameter. Use a little oil to aid in patting the roti.
3. Transfer to a skillet and cook both sides over a medium flame until the roti turns brown in colour.
4. Repeat for the remaining dough.

Serve hot with Uchellu Podi, Green Tomato Chutney, Vethal Kozhambu or Gojju.

Asha, Ragi Rotti for RCI Karnataka.

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Hulianna

Hulianna

Hulianna for me is similar to puliyogere. There is a slight difference in preparation. Aaruni’s recipe goes like this.

Ingredients

• Rice – 2 cups
• Tamarind – 2 lemon sized balls
• Coriander seeds – 1 table spoon
• Channa dal – 1 table spoon
• Urad dal – 2 teaspoons
• Jeera/ Cumin – 1 teaspoon
• Methiseeds – 1 teaspoon
• Hing – a small piece
• Red chillies – 4 nos + 2 nos for seasoning
• Groundnuts 2 tablespoons
• Curry leaves – 2 twigs
• Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Sesame oil – 2 table spoons
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

*cups= 225ml or 8oz.

Method

1. Wash and cook the rice with 4 cups water so the the grains are separate.
2. Soak tamarind in warm water and squeeze adding required amout of water to make 1 and 1/2 cup thick pulp.
3. In 1 teaspoon oil roast coriander seeds, channa dal, urad dal, jeera, hing, redchillies and methi seeds till golden.
4. Grind the roasted ingredients to a fine powder.
5. In a kadai heat 1 table spoon oil and add the mustard seeds.
6. When it crackles add red chillies cut into small pieces.
7. Once the redchillies is brown add curry leaves and fry for a minute.
8. Add the tamarind pulp and cook for a few minutes on low flame till the oil rises up.Add salt and turmeric powder and cook for 1 more minute.
9. Roast the ground nuts in the MW or in a kadai and remove the skin.
10. In a shallow dish, spread the cooked rice and sprinkle the remaining oil. Add the powder, tamarind pulp and groundnuts and mix with a *thuduppu with out breaking the rice grains.
11. Serve with sandige (papads/ vattals) or aloo chips. Good dish to take for travel and picnics.

* Thuduppu is a flat laddle used to turn dosas.

For Mysore Style puliyogere

If we use sesame seeds and dry coconut and leave out jeera/ cumin the same recipe will be Mysore Style puliyogere.

Asha was desperately waiting for this recipe! I hope this matches her expectations. This is my next entry for RCI Karnataka!

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Ragi Mudde with Avarekaalina Saaru – Finger Millet Cakes with Flat Beans Sambar

Ragi mudde (Finger Millet Cakes) and Avarekaalina Saaru (Flat Beans) are 100% Karnataka recipes. I know Asha is excited to see these recipes. Do I need to say that I am sending this for RCI karnataka! 🙂

I am surrounded by many interesting and talented people – like this lady who makes and sells sandige(papads etc). She is also a good cook and does catering during monsoon and winter. Her name is Aaruni and she comes to my place to help me with some odd jobs and learn new recipes. She has learnt to make perfect mysoor pak and milk chocolate. When I told her about RCI karnataka, she was very excited and promised to help me in making some Authentic Karnataka recipes. Ragi mudde is one of them.

Aaruni lost her husband quite a while back and is not educated one bit. She brings both her children with the money that her culinary skills bring her. Having a recipe published in her name with pictures in the blog means a whole lot to her. After cooking she always asks “photo thegithiraa?” (Will you take a photo?). Some of my friends and I are helping her to get catering contracts so that she can educate her children. One of her daughter is doing BBA (Bachelors in Business Administration) and the other is doing + 1.

Here goes the recipe for Ragi mudde and Avarekaalina saaru which Aaruni made for my lunch today.

For Avarekaalina saaru

Ingredients

• Avarekai – 1/2 cup(Tender seeds)
• Potato – 1 medium size
• Tomato – 1 small
• Onion – 1 small
• Sambhar powder – 2 teaspoons
• Grated coconut – 1 table spoon
• Tamarind – 1 inch
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Hing – 1 pinch
• Oil – 1 table spoon
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Cut potato into small cubes. Wash avarekai and potato.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add the potato and avarekai.
3. Add hing and turmeric and saute on a medium flame.
4. Grind all other ingredients together in to a smooth paste. Add to the vegetables.
5. Add 1/2 cup water and close and cook on a low flame till the vegetables are soft.

Tastes good with all kinds of rotis and chapathis also.

 

For ragi mudde

Ingredients

• Ragi flour – 1/2 cup
• Water – 1 cup
• Salt – 1 pinch

Method

1. In a heavy bottomed pan boil water on a medium flame. Add salt and 1 teaspoon ragi flour.
2. Allow to boil for a while and add remaining flour and leave for 1 minute on low flame. Do not stir.
3. Now stir the contents with the back of a laddle and mix well and let it cook for a while. The mixture will look crumbled.
4. Put off the flame and Knead to a ball when still hot. Serve hot with Avarekaalina saaru.

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