Poustic Rotti (Nutritious Indian Flat bread)

This rotti is one of the most successful experiment till date. I used whatever was handy & the result was yummilicious rotti. It all started with my pantry running short of rice flour. I thought for a long time about what to name for this rotti & finally came up with "Poustic rotti" because this rotti as the name suggests is literally filled with nutrition.

                            (Rotti served with eggplant-capsicum gojju/curry & badam milk)


Ingredients: (Makes 8 rottis)
For rotti:
Drumstick leaves: 1.5 cups
Rice flour: 1.5 cups
Jowar flour/Sorghum flour/Jolada hittu: 1/2 cup
Ragi flour/Finger millet flour: 1/2 cup
Corn meal/makki ka aata/mekke jolada hittu: 1/2 cup 
Fine semolina/Cheroti rawa: a fistful
Flax seed powder: 1 tbsp
Cooked rice: a fistful
Onion: 1 medium (finely chopped)
Grated coconut: 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Green chilli paste: 1/2 tsp (optional, I normally donot add this)
Salt: According to taste
Water: As needed


For cooking the rotti:
Oil: 1 tsp for each rotti


Wax paper/Brown paper/aluminium foil to pat the rotti.

Method:

• Remove the drumstick leaves from the stem (use only the leaves, discard all the stem), wash it thoroughly in water & finely chop them.
• Mash the rice thoroughly.
• Mix the mashed rice, drumstick leaves with all the above mentioned ingredients(except water) in a large bowl. Add water little at a time & make a smooth dough with it. (Dough consistency should be similar to that of a cutlet or patty dough).
• Make medium orange sized balls with the dough. 
• Heat the griddle. Meantime, sprinkle 1-2 drops of oil to the brown paper. Place the batter on the paper & start patting them. Wet your hands in between (this helps in patting the rottis easily).  
• When the griddle is hot, smear few drops of oil to the griddle & put the brown paper on the griddle.
• After 5-10secs, slowly take off the brown paper alone. Add 1/2 tsp of oil & cook on slow-medium heat for 1 to 2 mins on both sides. 
• Repeat the process for the remaining rottis & serve it hot/warm with a curry/chutney/dip of your choice. 

Notes:

• Drumstick leaves could be replaced by other leafy vegetables like coriander leaves, dill leaves or fenugreek leaves.  
• Grated carrots or grated cucumber could be added for extra nutrition :)

Verdict: I am forced to write this, all Karnataka style rotti lovers will love to eat this rotti again & again. 

Bendekayi huli | koddel | Okra Sambar : Vegan Okra Side dish

Though I stayed in India for 5 weeks, I feel I could have stayed there for long (btw, this was my second visit this year..).., yeh dil maange more! My son's condition is no better than mine. Last weekend.., he was telling me.., appa mane aithalla, eega punah ajji manege hogona!! (Now that we visited daddy's house, I think we should go now to grandmom's home!!).


This recipe is to revive the memories I spent with my loved ones. My mom-in-law makes excellent ladies finger sambar. I learnt this from her. Before I jump into the recipe, here is a quick note. For this recipe, you don't have to fry the ladies finger to remove the stickiness from it. Tamarind water + jaggery + salt will do it for you. (I have mentioned here about how to remove the stickiness of the ladies finger). So, even if you are an amateur in using ladies finger, you can go ahead preparing this one.  


Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)
Ladies Finger/Okra: 2 cups (chopped into 1 inch long pieces)
Tamarind : 1 medium lemon sized (soaked in water)
Jaggery: 1.5 tsp (adjust according to your family needs)
Salt:According to taste
Toor dal/Pigeon peas: a fistful (optional, my mom-in-law never adds it)
Turmeric: a pinch


For sambar masala/spice paste:
Grated coconut: 1 cup (fresh/frozen)
Oil: 1 tsp
Urad dal: 1 tsp
Cinnamon: 1/2 inch stick
Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Dhania/Coriander seeds: 2.5 tsps
Curry leaves: a string (8-10)
Red chillies: 4-6 nos (adjust according to the heat needed)
Asafoetida: a pinch


For tempering:
Coconut oil: 1 tsp (any oil of your choice could be used)
Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos


For garnishing:
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp (finely chopped)


Method:
For spice paste:

• Meantime, while the ladies finger is being cooked, prepare the ground paste. Add the oil to a small pan, when oil is hot, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds. When the seeds turn golden brown, add cinnamon, coriander seeds, curry leaves. Saute till the seeds leave out a nice aroma & curry leaves become crisp. Add the red chillies & saute till the red chillies change color(takes around 30secs to 1 minute). Turn off the heat & add asafoetida. Allow the roasted spices to cool. 

• Once the spices come to room temperature, make a fine paste of the spices + grated coconut, by adding enough water. 

For the sambar:

• Pressure cook the pigeon peas/toor dal with a small pinch of turmeric for 3-4 whistles. Allow it to cool & mash it gently.
• Extract the juice from the tamarind. Squeeze the juice & dilute it by adding 2 cups of water. 
• Pour the tamarind juice to a big vessel. Add salt, jaggery to the tamarind juice. Add the chopped ladies finger to the tamarind water. Boil the vegetable till soft & yet firm.

• When the ladies finger is cooked, add the cooked dal, spice paste & mix well. Pour in a 1/2 cup (a little less is fine too) of water & allow the mixture to boil on a medium-high heat. 
• Finally prepare the tempering* using the ingredients mentioned under tempering section & pour the tempering on the sambar prepared. Garnish it with corinander leaves. Mix well & serve hot with rice & a side dish of your choice.

*Here is the method for preparing the tempering. Heat oil in a small pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves & saute till curry leaves are crisp. Turn off the heat. Tempering is ready.

Karibevu Tambuli (Curry leaves in yogurt sauce)

Curry leaves tambuli is good for digestion, has cooling effect on the body & rich in iron. Just like other tambuli, this is very easy to prepare. This dish goes well with rice. 

Refer here to know more about curry leaves.

Ingredients:

For tambuli:

Grated coconut: 2 tbsp (fresh/frozen)

Curry leaves: a fistful (use tender leaves. Use light colored leaves. Refer here to understand on how to choose tender leaves) 

Green chilli: 3 nos (adjust according to the spice level needed)

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Buttermilk: 2 cups

Salt: According to taste

For tempering:

Oil: 1 tsp

Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida/hing: a pinch

Curry leaves: 4 nos

Method:

• Make a smooth paste of coconut, curry leaves, green chillies, cumin seeds. Scoop out the paste. Add buttermilk, salt to the paste prepared & mix well. 
• Prepare the tempering. Heat oil in a small pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When seeds splutter, add curry leaves, asafoetida & finally pour the tempering on the tambuli prepared. 
• Serve it cold or at room temperature with rice & fritters/papad/pickle.

Other tambuli recipes:
Shunti(Ginger) tambuli
Menthya(Fenugreek seeds) tambuli
Brahmi leaves tambuli
Basale(Malabar spinach) tambuli
Heerekayi(Ridge gourd) tambuli

Shunti chutney (Ginger chuntey/dip)

Sorry people for vanishing without notice. I was enjoying my vacations in India. After I'm back from my trip, I am in no mood to cook. Hence, for the next couple of weeks until I settle down, I am planning to post the recipes that are waiting in my drafts.

Shunti/Ginger chutney is a versatile side dish/dip that goes well with any South Indian breakfast items like dosa, idli, rotti, chapathi, upma or uttappam. Here is the recipe for those who wish to try!

Ingredients:
For chutney:
Grated coconut: 1 cup
Ginger: 1 inch (fresh)
Roasted gram dal/putani/hurigadale: 1 tbsp
Tamarind extract: 1/4 tsp (thick extract)
Green chillies: 2 nos
Salt: According to taste
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp (optional)

For tempering:
Oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves: 4 nos
Urad dal: 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:

• Remove the skin of the ginger & chop it.
• Mix all the ingredients(except tempering ingredients), add little water & grind them to a smooth paste. Adjust the consistency of the chutney by adding water. Scoop out the paste in a bowl.
• Now prepare the tempering by adding oil to a small pan When oil is hot, add mustard seeds & urad dal. When dal turns golden, add curry leaves & turn off the heat. 
• Pour the tempering over the chutney, mix well & serve.

PS: During my vacation, I have received many comments. I remember that there were some recipe requests & awards too. I'll collect the awards and look at your requests soon. Thanks for your patience !!!