Upsaaru Recipe | Three-in-one dill leaves recipe: A Mandya/Mysore Speciality

.........a very elaborate recipe made easy using step-by-step pictorial.

Upsaaru & Mudde is a staple food of farmers of Karnataka, especially Mysore/Mandya region. Though my mom used to make mudde very frequently, I did not know about upsaru until I moved to Mandya. I tried masoppu & upsaru for the first time at Mandya. My mom used to make something similar to upsaaru. She called it bassaru, meaning basida saru . The literal meaning of basida saaru is "drained water" or "vegetable stock rasam/soup".

Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Sabsige soppu: 2 cups (finely chopped)

Pigeon peas | Toor dal: 3/4 cup

Green gram | Green moong | Hesaru kalu: 2-3tbsp
Turmerice powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt: As needed

For chutney or khara or hasi khara:
Coriander leaves: 2 cups
Green chillies: 15-20, yes we want the chutney to be very spicy!!
Tamarind: small marble sized
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Pepper Corns: 6-8 nos
Garlic: 1 lobe (12-14 pods)
Salt:According to taste
Cooked dal + dill leaves: About 1-2 tbsp

For palya or poriyal or side dish:
Onion: 2 nos (finely chopped)
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 6-8 nos, torn
Salt: As needed

Notes:
Important:The khara/chutney has to be made "spicy" as the other things are relatively bland & less spicy!!!
It is important to cook the dal completely & yet keep the dals firm & seperate. You do not want a mushy dal or mashed dal for this recipe.
If you cannot find dill leaves, use greens like spinach,  or amaranth leaves.
Other legumes like black eyed peas could be used too.
If you want the palya/stir fry spicy, add some green chillies to the tempering. I do not add as we don't like it spicy!
The palya tastes good with rotis too.
The above mentioned ingredients are eye balled. Use this as a reference to create yours.
The shelf life of the chutney is about couple of days (refrigerated!)
My friend Kannada Cuisine has a similar recipe named sapneeru. Do visit her space for the recipe.

Method:
Wash the toor dal & green gram in the running water thoroughly. Add about 4-5 cups of water to the dal & boil the dal in a broad sauce pan. Add the turmeric too.
When dal is 1/2 done add sapsige soppu, salt & cook until dals are cooked & yet firm. Keep adding water if you find the dal very thick. You might need another couple of cups of water.

Drain the water using a colander & save the drained water. We will make a rasam/saru using the drained water.

For the palya/stir-fry:

Add oil to a broad sauce pan. Once the oil is hot, throw in the mustard & cumin seeds. When seeds crackle, add the curry leaves. When leaves wilt, throw in the finely chopped onions & saute till the onions turn translucent.
When the onions are cooked, add the dal + dill leaves mixture(reserve about 2-3 tbsp for the chutney) to the sauce pan. Add some salt & give it a mix. Turn off the heat & your palya/stir fry is ready.

For the khara/chutney:

Soak tamarind in about 2tbsp hot water for 5 mins. Squeeze out the pulp & discard the fiber from the tamarind.
Grill a lobe of garlic along with the skin of the garlic on the stove top or in the oven. I grill it directly on the stove. It will be messy, but that's perfectly alright. When garlic is grilled, move it away & allow it to cool.
When garlic is cooled, peel the skin of the garlic & throw it in the food processor. Add the washed coriander leaves, green chillies, tamarind extract, cumin seeds, salt, pepper corns to the food processor jar. Add couple of tablespoons of water (if needed) & grind a smooth paste out of it. Add about 2-3 tbsp of dill leaves + dal mixture to the paste & pulse again. Scoop out the chutney in a separate bowl.

For the rasam/kattu/saaru:
Add about a tbsp of khara/chutney prepared to the drained water (stocking) & mix. Adjust the salt (if needed) & boil it. Rasam/saaru is ready.

How to serve: 
Add a portion of rice or mudde (ragi balls) to a plate. Pour in about 1/4 cup of saaru, serve few tablespoons of palya/stir fry at the side along with a tsp or more of chutney. The idea of this upsaaru is to have a very spicy khara/chutney & adjust the spice level of the rasam according to each & every one's preference.

Instant Multigrain Idli

Instant Idli recipe using wheat rawa, corn meal, oatmeal & ragi flour.

Here is a picture of the semolina, wheat rawa & corn meal.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins for each batch
Serves: Makes around 30-34 idlis

Ingredients:
Wheat rawa: 3/4 cup
Corn meal: 3/4 cup
Oatmeal: 3/4 cup (instant or quick cooking)
Ragi flour: 1/2 cup
Finely chopped dill: 1/2 cup
Frozen corn kernels: 1/4 cup
Plain yogurt/curd: 1.5 cups
Water: About 2 cups, divided use
Oil: 2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Channa dal | Gram dal | Kadalebele : 2 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn
Salt: As needed
Baking soda: 1 tsp

Method:
Heat oil in a sauce pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splatter, add the channa dal. When dal turns golden brown, add the curry leaves & let the leaves wilt.
When leaves wilt, pour in the wheat rawa, and corn meal. Roast the corn meal & rawa for about 3-4 mins on medium heat.
Add the oatmeal & roast again for couple of more mins.


Turn off the heat & let it cool completely.
Meantime, add about 1 cup of water to the yogurt & whisk it.
Once cool, add the ragi flour & mix it. Pour in the whisked yogurt, thawed corn kernels, dill leaves, salt & mix well. If needed, add 1/4-1/2 cup more water & mix.



Let the batter rest for atleast an hour.
Just before making the idlis, add the baking soda & mix. If needed, adjust the consistency of the batter (refer notes).
Grease the idli plates & pour about 2-3 tbsp of batter on each mould. Steam the idlis for about 15 mins.
Let the idlis cool for a couple of minutes. Scoop the idlis & serve it hot with chutney or any other side dish.


(PS: Pardon the picture. Will try for better pics next time!)

Notes:

• If you do not like ragi, you could totally skip it. 
• The cornmeal, oats & the wheat rawa absorbs the moisture & batter becomes hard. So, do add about 1/4 -1/2 cup of water to the batter & adjust the consistency.
• You could replace dill leaves with coriander leaves. 
• Use the above ingredients as a reference & modify it according to your preferences. 

Ragi rotti | Finger millet flat bread | Ragi Thalipeeth

How to make Karnataka Style Ragi rotti? 

                              (Served with spicy green chilli chutney & butter)

It's already very cold & gloomy here. The Sun is hardly seen for 4-5 hours a day. I normally cook around 3-4 p.m & by the time I'm done cooking, the Sun would sleep. I'm struggling with the pictures. When I checked my old hard disk, I found a whole lot of food photos taken during my Singapore days. Hence decided to utilize all the pictures. So, for the next couple of months, it'll be mostly clearing my old draft posts.

Ragi | Nachni | Finger millet is rich in calcium, low GI, good for diabetic & keeps you full for a long time. Not to forget, it is rich in fiber, protein, and iron too. If you are using ragi for the first time, you might not like it. You need to develop the taste of ragi to relish the goodness.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 2-3 mins for each rotti
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients: (Makes about 6-7 rottis)
For the rotti dough:
Ragi flour : 3 cups
Onion: 1 medium sized, finely chopped
Dill leaves : 1/2 cup, finely chopped (refer notes)
Grated coconut: 3 tbsp, fresh or frozen
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Salt: As needed
Water : As needed

Other ingredients:
Oil: About 1 tsp for each rotti/flat bread

For making the rotti:
Aluminium foil or parchment paper or brown paper:  about 10-12 wide.

(Served with chutney powder & ghee)

Method:
Mix all the ingredients mentioned for the rotti (Except water). Add 2-3 tbsp of water at a time & prepare the dough. The dough will be soft & a bit sticky. Consistency of the dough should be like a patty dough consistency. Let the dough sit for 5-10 mins.

Make golf ball sized dough balls.

Grease the aluminium foil & pat them on the aluminium foil. Wet your hands  in between with water to ease the patting.

Heat the griddle. When griddle is hot, grease the griddle. Put the aluminium foil(I used a brown paper this time, aluminium foil works great too!) on the griddle (rotti side on the griddle). Cook the rotti along with the aluminium foil for 30-45 secs. Slowly remove the foil. 

The rotti gets transferred from the foil to the griddle.Add oil around the rotti & also few drops on top of the rotti.
Cook it covered on a medium-high heat on both sides.

Remove the cooked rotti. Repeat the patting & cooking procedure. 
Serve the rotti hot with a chutney/dip or vegetable stew/curry of your choice.

Notes: 

• You could mix a portion of cooked rice (mash it thoroughly) for softer rottis. Adding jowar flour (sorghum flour ) works too. 
• If you do not have dill leaves handy, other green leafy vegetables like spinach, methi (fenugreek leaves) or coriander leaves could be added. 
• I have served rotti with chutney powder & ghee for my hubby, while I ate it with butter & spicy green chilli chutney.

Muthiya | Muthia | Steamed whole wheat & greens dumpling : Gujarati Cuisine

Muthiya has all the goodness & nutrition needed. It has loads of greens, whole wheat, and jowar flour. To top it all, it is steamed & not deep fried. Any greens of your choice could be added. In case you do not have leafy vegetable, you could add grated carrots/ grated bottle gourd/ grated cabbage. I tried hard for good pictures, but could't do justice for the dish with the pictures :( 

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

For the muthiya:

Wheat flour: 1.25 cups

Jowar flour/Sorghum flour: 1/2 cup

Besan/Gram flour: 1/4 cup

Chopped dill leaves: 1.5 cups, loosely packed

Chili powder: 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Green chili paste: 1 tsp

Yogurt: 1/4 cup

Oil: 3 tbsp

Sugar: 1 tsp

Baking soda: 1/2 tsp

Salt: As needed

Water: As needed, to make the dough

For the seasoning:

Oil: 1-2 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Sesame seeds: 1 tbsp

Method:

Mix all the ingredients mentioned for the muthiya (except water) in a large bowl. 

Add sufficient water & make a dough out of it. (The dough should be cutlet or patty consistency).

Make dumplings out of it & steam it for 15-20 mins on medium-high heat. 

Turn off the heat & let the steamed dumpling cool completely. Observe: the steamed dumplings have expanded in size 

(I'm stressing again, cool completely.., else it will crumble while cutting them!)

Cut the steamed dumpling into 1 inch bites.

Prepare the tempering/seasoning. Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds. When mustard seeds crackle, throw in the sesame seeds & let it turn golden brown (Take care not to burn the seeds!)Add in the cut dumplings & mix it gently. Cook it till it is slightly brown & crisp.

Serve it with a dip/chutney/sauce of your choice.

Notes:

The ratio of greens to flour is 1.5: 2. You could play around with any other flour of your choice. I sometimes add corn meal too.

You could add a fistful of left over rice to make the muthia's soft.

Sabsige Soppu Pulao (Dill leaves Pulao)

It took me awhile to digest the fact that Dill leaves are native of Mediterranean region, South Russia, Scandinavia & not India. I have seen my mother, aunties cooking dill leaves since my childhood. I was assuming dill leaves to be our very own ;)

Dill leaves are consumed in abundance during the post pregnancy period. Dill is a soothing medicine that improves the functioning of the stomach. Not only that, my granny used to mention about numerous health benefits of dill leaves. Few of them as stated by her:

1. Helps in lactation
2. Prevents constipation (most common problem during first phase of post delivery)
3. Improves secretion & discharge of urine
4. Excellent source of iron & calcium.
5. Prevents bone loss. For more information: read this & this

Aren’t these sufficient for one to indulge in this leafy vegetable? Our grand moms and moms are indeed treasure houses of knowledge.

Recently when I cooked biryani, I ended up with a big jug of unused savory water. I wanted to use the water & found that I had dill leaves & frozen avarekayi (surti papdi) in my refrigerator. Hence, started experimenting with the available ingredients & the final result made me happy. Mild spiced rice with strong fragrance of dill leaves was loved by everyone at home. My husband was happy that he did not find cinnamon pieces & star anise in his plate :)

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice: 2 cups
Dill leaves: 1 bunch (around 100-120 gms)
Avarekayi: ½ cup (I took very tender ones)
Savory Water: 4 cups
Yogurt/Curd: 3 tbsp
Onion: 1 thinly sliced
Ginger paste: ½ tsp
Green Chilli: 2 chopped
Pulao Masala: ½ tsp (I used MTR pulao masala, just for the flavor)
Salt: According to taste
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Dry coconut: 2 tbsp (optional)
Lemon juice: 1tsp (optional, one can relish with a raitha by skipping this)
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp oil

Method:

• Wash the basmati rice thoroughly & soak it for 20mins.
• Wash the dill leaves & chop them finely. Keep it aside.
• In a broad pan, heat oil + butter. When hot, add cumin seeds followed by ginger paste. Saute for 10secs. Add onion & sauté till raw smell of onion disappears (no need to fry till brown). Add avrekayi & sauté again.
• Add green chilli, soaked basmati rice & sauté for 20-30secs. Add savory water, salt to it & cover the lid. Cook the rice on a medium flame.
• When rice is 3/4th cooked, add dill leaves, pulao masala, dry coconut, curd & mix it gently. Now start cooking this on a low flame for 10-15 mins or until rice is nicely cooked (grains should be separate).
• Cool the rice for 10 mins, add lemon juice, mix gently & serve it with a raitha of your choice.

PS: If the avarekayi/surti papdi is not tender, boil it before adding.