Masala Puri : A Bangalore Style Chaat Recipe

Memories associated with food are very unique. The name masala puri reminds me of one such unique thing that happened during my middle school days. We were in Mysore those days & we used to visit the street vendor at Chamundipuram for his tasty masala puri. One such evening when I was waiting for my plate, a bull came from no where & hit me on my shoulders. Though it did not hit me hard, I started bleeding & was taken to the doctor. I was advised rest for couple of days. So, whenever I think of masala puri & Mysore, this incident always flashes in front of my eyes.

My mom used to make this at home. I have made lots of trial & error with this masala puri. I am sharing the one that my family loves the most. I have made this for many potluck parties too. All my friends have liked this masala puri :)

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: Upto 60 mins.
Serves: Makes about 10-12 plates

Ingredients:
For the spicy gravy/masala:
Dry green peas: 1.5 cups
Potatoes: 1 large
Carrot: 1 no
Bay leaf: 1 no
Cinnamon: 1 inch stick
Cloves: 4 nos
Marati moggu: 1 no
Coriander leaves: 1/2 cup
Mint leaves: 4-6 nos
Green chillies: 4-6 nos
Red chillies: 2-3 nos
Chaat masala: 1 tsp
Dhania powder: 1 tsp
Tamarind pulp: 1 tbsp, thick tamarind extract
Onion: 1 medium sized, coarsely chopped
Oil: 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Salt: As needed

For the garnish:
papdi or small puffed puris.
Finely chopped red onions
Grated carrots
Finely chopped tomatoes
Green chutney
taramind sweet chutney
sev
finely chopped coriander leaves
salt
red chili powder
lemon juice

Method: 
For the masala/spicy gravy:
Soak the dry green peas in enough water for 4-6 hours.
Drain the water from the peas.
Peel the potatoes & carrots. Cut the potatoes & carrots in half.
Add the potatoes, soaked peas, and carrots to a pressure cooker. Cook them for 4 whistles or for 20-25 minutes on medium-high. Let it cool.

Meantime, heat a saute pan. Add oil to it & when oil is hot, throw in the cumin seeds. When seeds turn golden brown, add in the coarsely chopped onions & saute. Cook the onions for about 3-5 mins. Onions should turn translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste & saute till the raw smell disappears.

Remove the onions from heat.
Add the cinnamon, clove, marati moggu, green chilli, red chilli, bay leaf to a blender/food processor & make a fine powder.

To this powder, add the sauteed onions & cumin seeds mixture, mint leaves, coriander leaves, cooked potatoes & carrots, a fistful of cooked peas. Make a smooth paste out of it. At this point, the spice paste will be very strong. 
Drain the water from the cooked peas. Do not discard the water. Use this water for the masala.
Add the water from the cooked peas to a sauce pan. Let it boil. Add another 1/2 to 1 cup more water, if needed. When water starts boiling, add the ground spice paste.
Add the salt, tamarind pulp, dhania powder, chaat masala & mix well. Cook it on a low heat for about 20-25 mins. The spices should blend well.
Add the cooked peas to the boiling spice mixture. Cook again for another 10-15 mins. The consistency of the gravy should be like a pancake batter (dosa batter consistency)

Serving the masala puri: 
In a large plate, slightly crush around 6-8 papdis or puris.

Add about 1/4th cup of the spicy gravy/masala.

Sprinkle the red chilli powder, salt, a tsp of green chutney, sweet tamarind chutney. (I have not added the green chutney or the sweet tamarind chutney, as our family doesn't prefer them for this chaat).

Sprinkle a tbsp each of finely chopped onions & grated carrots.

Sprinkle about a tbsp of finely chopped tomatoes.

Add a dash of lemon juice.
Add the sev generously on top & serve the masala puri immediately.

Notes:
Do not use frozen peas for this masala puri. It spoils the taste. Use the dried peas only!!
The masala or the spicy gravy needs to be hot while serving. Hence keep cooking the masala on a low heat until you serve or do not forget to heat it before serving.
If the masala doesn't thicken, mix a tbsp of corn starch in 1/4th cup of cold water. Make a paste & add this paste to the boiling gravy.
If the spice level is less, make a paste of 2-3 green chillies & add it to the boiling gravy.
You could use store bought green chutney & sweet chutney.
I used store bought papdis.

Menthe soppu bath | Spiced fenugreek leaves rice : A Karnataka Specialty!

This is one of the rice dishes that I often cook for guests. All of them have liked this & in fact they all wanted me to share the recipe with them. This is a slight variation from the gorikai bath. The slight bitterness from the fenugreek leaves, sweetness from the jaggery, tanginess from the tamarind & the spice from the masala powder makes this a very delicious rice!

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 45 mins (including the cooking of rice)
Recipe Source: Amma (my mom)

Ingredients:
For the rice:
Sona masoori rice: 2 cups
Water: 4-5 cups
Salt: a pinch, optional

For the menthe soppu palya / spicy fenugreek mixture:
Oil: 1 tsp
Fenugreek leaves: 1 medium sized bunch, about 2 cups tightly packed
Frozen peas: 3/4 cup
Tamarind: lime sized soaked in 1/2 cup warm water.
Turmeric powder: a big pinch
Brown sugar/jaggery:/bella 1 tbsp
Vangi bath powder*: 2 tbsp, a little more or less
Salt: As needed

* I do not use vangi bath powder, instead use a home made bath powder. I get this from my mom. Will share the recipe of my mom's bath powder soon. You could use MTR Vangi bath powder for good results.

For the tempering:
Oil: 1.5 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Urad dal/uddina bele : 2 tsp
Peanuts : 2 tbsp
Curry leaves: 6-8 nos, torn
Red chili: 1 no, broken
Asafoetida: a big pinch

Method:
Cook the rice & let it cool.
For the fenugreek spice mixture:
Seperate the leaves from the stem & wash the leaves thoroughly. Chop them fine.

Heat oil in a broad pan. When hot, throw in the fenugreek leaves & saute till the leaves wilt. Cook the leaves on a medium heat.

Once the leaves reduce in size & gets half cooked, throw in the peas.

Add the turmeric powder.

Squeeze the water from the tamarind & pour the tamarind water to the pan.
Add the jaggery, salt & vangi bath powder. Cook on medium heat till the mixture becomes thick.

Meantime spread the rice on a large mixing plate or bowl. Add the prepared fenugreek mixture to the mixing bowl.
Prepare the tempering. Heat oil. When hot, add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds & urad dal.

When seeds crackle & dal turns golden brown, add the peanuts & saute till peanuts are nice golden brown.

Reduce the heat to low, add the curry leaves, broken red chili. Let the curry leaves wilt. Finally add the asafoetida & remove the tempering from the heat.

Pour in the tempering to the rice. Let the tempering cool a bit. Once cool enough to handle, mix the rice thoroughly. I prefer using my hands to mix this kind of rice bath.

Let the rice sit for at least 30 mins before serving. The flavors talk to each other & blend well.

Serve this rice warm or at room temperature with a fritter/vada/chips or a salad/kosambari.

Notes:

• This is a very forgiving recipe. You could adjust the taste of the dish at the time of mixing the rice too. 
• Whenever I felt the dish lacked the sourness, I have added some lemon juice at the end while mixing the rice. 
• If you feel the spice powder is less, then heat about 2 tsp of oil in a small pan. Add the needed vangi bath powder to the hot oil, saute for 15-20 secs. Pout this oil mixture to the rice & mix well. 
• You could replace the tamarind juice with the lemon juice & it does taste delicious. 
• I prefer using the fresh tamarind extract over the readily available tamarind pulp. The sweetness from the fresh tamarind enhances the taste.
• Instead of the peas, you could use avarekai/lima beans.

Sutta badanekai bajji | Sutta badane gojju | South Indian Smoked eggplant Curry : Vegan eggplant side dish

.................a South Indian baingan bharta or Smoked eggplant curry!

This sutta badanekai gojju is my mom-in-law's recipe. She makes it often to go with rice. It uses very less ingredients and yet tastes delicious! It is quite healthy too. This could be used as a side dish to rice, roti, phulka or akki rotti.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: An hour for smoking the eggplant
Serves:2-3

Ingredients:
One large eggplant: about 1 pound
Finely chopped red onion: 1/2 cup
Finely chopped green chilli: 4-5 nos
Brown sugar/jaggery/bella: 1 tbsp
Tamarind water: 1/4th cup (extract from a small lime sized taramind)
Salt: As needed

For tempering:
Coconut oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-5 nos, torn
Hing/Asafoetida: a big pinch

Method:
Wash the eggplant & pat dry. Prick the eggplant using a knife at several places. Roast the eggplant on a stove top or in an oven. I normally roast it in the preheated oven at 375‭⁰F for about an hour.
Let it cool. Once cool, peel the skin & finely chop the flesh of the eggplant.

Add the chopped onion, green chilli, jaggery, tamarind water, salt to the chopped eggplant.

Get your hands dirty now. Mash the whole thing thoroughly until the spices mix well.

Let it sit aside for 30 mins for the flavors to develop.
Prepare the tempering. Heat the oil, once hot, drop in the mustard seeds & curry leaves. When the leaves wilt, add the asafoetida & turn off the heat.
Pour the tempering over the eggplant mixture. Mix well & serve.

Notes:

• You could roast the eggplant on the stove top. Stove top method of roasting the eggplant takes much less time than roasting in the oven.
• I do not add coriander leaves to this curry recipe as I do not want any other herbs to overpower this dish.

Indo Chinese Tortilla | Tortilla Noodles | Masala Tortilla

I buy a pack of tortilla once a while to make the breakfast burritos or the cheese quesadilla. I pack the burritos to my hubby's lunch box too. Most of the times after making a couple of burritos, I forget about the remaining tortillas. They rot in the fridge for many days & one fine day, tortillas find its way to our tummies in the form of Tortilla noodles or this masala tortilla.
I couldn't think of a proper name to this recipe. Could you guys suggest me something? It is similar to the noodles but I cut the tortilla into bite sized pieces. I call it masala tortilla at home, but I haven't used any Indian spices. Request you guys to come up with an apt name.
If you like Indo Chinese recipes, you will love this for sure. For a healthier alternative, use whole wheat or multigrain tortilla.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
Tortilla* : 3 nos, cut into bite sized pieces (about 1 inch long)
Oil: 2 tsp
Onion: 2 tbsp, chopped fine
Cabbage: 1/4th cup
Garlic: 1 pod, minced
Bell pepper: 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Vinegar**: 2 tsp
Soya sauce: 2 tsp
Chilli sauce: 2 tsp (I have used Sriracha sauce)
Salt: As needed
Pepper powder: a pinch

* I have used flour tortilla. Feel free to use any kind of tortilla you have at hand.
** I have used distilled white vinegar.

For the garnish:
Spring onion greens finely chopped (I did not have it & so skipped it)

Method:
Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, add the onions. Saute the onions on a medium-high heat for 2 mins until the onions are slightly browned & crunchy.
Add the garlic & saute. Throw in the finely chopped cabbage & toss.
When cabbage is cooked, add in the bell peppers & toss. Always maintain the medium-high heat.
Add in the chopped tortilla, vinegar, soya sauce, chilli sauce, salt, pepper powder & toss until the sauces blend in. 
Turn off the heat & serve it hot.

Horse gram idli upma | Idli uppittu | Mashed and seasoned idli : Left over magic

I always plan & make idlis in bulk so that I can use the left overs to make idli oggarane, idli upma, podi idli etc. In fact, I love these left over dishes more than the plain idlis :)
Here is my version of the idli upma with bell peppers.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Serves: 1 

Ingredients:
Left over idlis: 4 nos*
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 3-4 nos, torn
Green chili: 1 no, chopped
Onion: 1 small, chopped fine
Bell pepper: 1/4th cup
Salt: As needed
Lemon juice: 1 tsp

* I have used the hurali idli / horse gram idli

Method:
Heat oil in a broad pan.
When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds. When seeds splutter, add in the curry leaves & green chili. When leaves wilt, add the chopped onion & saute till the onions become translucent.
Meantime, mash the idlis & keep them aside.
Throw in the chopped bell pepper to the sauteed onions. Saute the bell pepper on high heat until crunchy.
Add in the mashed idlis, salt & mix well.
Add the lemon juice, mix well & turn off the heat.
Serve the idli upma with a chutney/dip of your choice.

Notes: 

• Grated carrots could be added to this as well.
• You could use the leftover normal idli, horse gram idli, vermicelli idli, oats idli or the rava idli to make this upma.

Bendekai Gojju | South Indian Bhindi Curry | Indian Okra Sauce: Karnataka Recipes

...Okra in a sweet, sour 'n' spicy sauce....

Tender, fresh, light green colored, smooth skinned & small sized okra always tempt me to buy them. I'm also lucky to get fresh okra in the nearest Indian stores here. My son loves bhindi/okra & he always tempts me to buy them. He used to love the bhindi besan & nothing else from okra. This time I convinced him for this gojju & told him that it is amma's classic gojju recipe. He loved every bit of it. In the coming months, it will be only bendekai gojju at my home & you know why ;)

Bendekai gojju / Bendekayi gojju is a Karnataka specialty. It is spicy, sweet n sour & blends beautifully with the stir fried okra. Each & every member of my family/extended family prepare this gojju & I haven't heard from any of them not liking it.. Some love to eat them with akki rotti, some with white rice & some more with chapathi/roti. I love to eat them with all of them.

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Serves: 2-3 

Ingredients:

Okra/Ladies Finger/Bendekai : 1 lb (around half a kilo)
Oil: 1 tbsp
Brown sugar/Jaggery/bella: medium lime sized
Tamarind paste: 1 tsp*
Salt: As needed 

For the spice paste:

Oil: 1/2 tsp

Gram dal /Channa dal /Kadalebele : 1 tbsp

Black gram dal/ Urad dal/Uddinabele : 1/2 tbsp

Sesame seeds: 1 tsp
Green chilies: 4 nos
Coriander leaves: 1/4th cup, tightly packed
Grated coconut: 1/4th cup, fresh or frozen

For the tempering:
Oil: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn

Method:
Chop the okra into thin slices.(about 1/4th of an inch). If you are handling the okra for the first time, refer to the notes below before doing anything. It is that important!!

For the spice paste:
Heat the oil in a small pan. When the oil is hot, throw in the channa dal & urad dal. When they turn light brown, add the sesame seeds & broken green chilies. Turn off the heat after 30-40 secs. Let it cool.

Throw in the coriander leaves, grated coconut & the roasted dal + green chilies to a food processor jar. Add  about 2-3 tbsp water & grind it to a smooth paste.
In a broad pan, add oil & saute/stir fry the okra slices on a medium-high heat until the okra is soft & crunchy.
Transfer the fried okra to a bowl.

Take another sauce pan, to prepare the gojju. Heat oil. When oil is hot, add the mustard seeds & curry leaves to it.

When seeds crackle & leaves wilt, scoop in the spice paste, add the salt, jaggery, tamarind extract, and add around half a cup of water to it. Cook on a low-medium heat until the raw smell of the jaggery & tamarind disappears.

Throw in the fried okra to the sauce & boil it on a medium heat. Once it starts boiling, turn off the heat.

Serve it hot with rice, roti or akki rotti.

Notes:

• As okra is used in a sauce, it is very crucial to remove the slime from the okra. Below are some tips to remove the slime from the okra. 
• Never cut a wet okra. Keep the chopping board, knife & the okra completely dry. 
• After washing the okra, dry them on a kitchen towel & wipe them all dry again before using. 
• Use a broad pan to saute the okra. Add more oil & saute it on a high heat to remove the slime & keep the okra crisp. 
• Adding a pinch of amchur powder/mango powder (easily available at Indian Stores) while sauteing the okra does the trick of removing the slime too.
• My other tips on how to remove the slime could be found here. 
• Adjust the consistency of the sauce as preferred by your family.