Doodh Peda/Milk Peda

This was in my draft since Krishna Janmastami & I was hoping that I atleast publish this for Deepavali. But.., again I'm late..

Anyways, better late than never. Happy Karthika Masa/Masam/Month. Diyas are lit infront of our house for this whole month & each day of the week is celebrated.

(Photo courtesy:http://www.4to40.com/egreetings/cards.asp?festivals=Diya_Traditional_Candles_of_Diwali-Diwali-127)

So, what did you guys cook at home?Did any of you buy gold/platinum/silver on the dhanteras? At my side.., nothing. No gold/silver too. We were on a short trip to Indonesia & so not much of celebrations. We were back only after Deepavali. I'm happy that I spent all the time with my kiddo & hubby, which otherwise I would have spent in the kitchen.

My version of the doodh peda is a quick & an instant one. It almost tastes like authentic one, however expert eaters can make out the difference in this version. My take is when this method is so easy, why on earth should hours be spent on the authentic way ;)

Ingredients:(Adapted from a monthly kannada magazine)

Condensed Milk: 1 tin

Full cream milk powder: 2 cups (my one cup holds 180ml water)

Unsalted butter: 1/2 cup (melted or at room temperature)

Method:

1. Gently, mix together the condensed milk & milk powder. Ensure that there are no lumps.
2. Add in the butter & mix again.
3. Pour the batter to a microwave safe bowl.
4. Heat/cook in the microwave for 3 minutes (check the temperature settings).
5. Remove the bowl, stir well & put in the microwave again for 1 minute.
6. Repeat the steps 4 & 5, for 2 more times. Ensure that the rawness of the milk powder is removed & it is cooked well.
7. Allow it to cool for another 5-10minutes. When the batter is still warm, prepare small lemon sized balls & give it a nice peda shape.
8. Cool it in the refrigirator for 1-2hours before serving.
9. Enjoy the instant doodh peda :)

Update: Hurray!!, I won a tote bag from Foodie Blogroll. I am eagerly waiting to receive it. Thanks a lot Foodie Blogroll.

Thondekayi Palya (Ivy gourd stir-fry)

Hurray!!!, we have booked our tickets to India. I am all excited & have no mood in doing anything (of course I'm dreaming & planning about my trip to India). I'm in no mood to cook too. To add to my laziness.., my hubby is on diet. He is on some #$%^@ diet for one month. So, whom should I experiment on?!! I don't want to risk on myself ;) Hence, my kitchen is closed for experiments this month.

So, today I'm giving you a tried & tested dish that I have been cooking for many years now. A very simple & delicious 'Karnataka style' palya recipe for you all to enjoy.

Here are the ingredients & the method.

Ivy gourd/Thondekayi: 250gms
Grated coconut: 3-4 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Amchur powder/Huli pudi: a big pinch
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/4th tsp
Curry leaves: a string
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp (finely chopped)

Salt: According to taste

Method:

• Wash the ivy gourd & pat dry. Chop them into thin slices or discs.


• Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds, curry leaves & saute until mustard seeds start spluttering. Add the chopped ivy gourd & saute them well. Add 1/2 cup water & allow it to cook on a medium flame.


• Meantime, make a coarse paste of coconut, mustard seeds & chilli powder. Add a tbsp or 2 of water if required.


• When the vegetable is cooked & soft, add the salt, huli pudi(amchur powder) & the coconut masala. Cook for another 2-3minutes.


• Garnish it with coriander leaves & serve it with rice or roti.

Tips:

• The palya has to be dry & not a gravy kind of stuff.Hence, keep a watch on the amount of water added to the masala & to the vegetable.
• For faster cooking, pressure cook the vegetable before hand & then prepare the palya as mentioned above.

Southekayi Guliyappa (Cucumber rice balls)

Some of my friends have commented that I have reduced the number of posts/month. Sorry pals, I was busy with other activities. I hope to publish atleast once a week. Also, thanks for being regular to my blog.

Today's dish is....
Southekayi guliyappa (I know the title says it, he he)
This is a Udupi/Mangalorean delicacy. Adding vegetables to dosas, idli & paddu(guliyappa/gundpongalu/appe) is quite common in these regions. The abundant availability of cucumbers(yellow cucumbers popularly known as mangalore southe) would have made those creative ladies to come up with many dishes with cucumber as the main ingredient. You can see many versions of cucumber dosa, cucumber idli, cucumber rotti being prepared in their households. These Mangalore southe will be available with them 24/7 & on all 365 days a year. People preserve their home grown cucumbers until the next crop is ready :)

Southekayi guliyappa is a very simple breakfast/tiffin/snack item that doesn't need any fermentation & also no side dish to go along with. There are sweet & savory version of the cucumber guliyappa. I prefer a savory one & hence giving you the recipe of the same ;) Sweet version is also equally tasty & loved by the sweet toothed people (not my type...)

Ingredients:
Raw rice: 3 cups (preferably use sona masoori or ponni rice)
Grated cucumber: Around 1.5 cups (remove the seeds if the cucumber is ripened)
(I use normal green cucumbers as I dont get yellow cucumbers here. It tastes good with green ones too)Grated coconut: 1 tbsp (fresh or frozen, optional)
Finely chopped onion: 1/2 cup (1 medium onion)
Curry leaves: 3 tbsp (finely chopped)
Green chilli: 3 no (finely chopped)
Salt: According to taste
Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp (finely chopped)



Method:

• Soak the rice in water for about 4-5hours.
• Drain the water & prepare a smooth paste out of it. Donot add much water as the grated cucumber oozes out water.
• Squeeze out the water from the grated cucumber.
• Add all the above mentioned ingredients(including grated cucumber) to the rice paste. Mix it well. Adjust the batter by adding the cucumber water. (Batter should be of dropping consistency & not pouring)
• Heat the appe/guliyappa pan. Add few drops of oil to each mould. Add 2 tbsp of the batter to each mould & cook it on a low heat for 2-3minutes. Turn the guliyappa & cook on the other side too.
• Serve it straight from the pan drizzled with some home made ghee.

Tips:

1. Rub the ends of the cucumber well. Also, it is better to taste the cucumber before adding it to the batter. Some cucumbers will be bitter. If the cucumber is bitter, then discard them & use another cucumber.
2. Ensure the batter is of normal idli batter consistency.
3. Eat these appe/guliyappa hot or atleast warm. If this guliyappa is consumed after it reaches room temperature, it becomes chewy.
4. Use tender cucumber for better results.

Nimbe Thovve Saaru (Lemon Lentil Rasam/soup)

Needless to mention, during my parents & in-laws stay, they prepared soo many simple & quick rasams that my maid requested them to teach it to me & her. There used to be a fight to decide who shall cook for the day. My mom-in-law would unanimously win most of the times :D. During their stay.., nimbe saaru is one of the many recipes learnt from my MIL. If you keep this rasam thick.., it is named thovve (dal).

Here is what my mom-in-law uses to prepare this: (Serves 3-4)

Yellow moong dal/Split & deskinned green gram/hesaru bele: a fistful

Water : Around 1 litre.

Curry leaves:2 strings (leaves separated & chopped)

Turmeric: a big pinch

Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp (finely chopped for the garnish)

Green chillies: 2-3 no

Asafetida: 1 big pinches

Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder: a pinch (optional)

Coconut oil: 1 tbsp (use any oil of your choice)

Salt: According to taste

Lemon juice: 2-3 tbsp (we like it tangy)

Method:

• Pressure cook the moong dal & allow it to cool (2-3 whistles or 15minutes must be sufficient for the dal to be soft).
• Mash the dal gently & add the mashed dal, water to a broad pan. Add turmeric, half of the chopped green chillies, pepper powder, salt & cook on a low heat until water starts to boil. Once dal starts boiling, turn off the heat.
• Prepare the tadka/tempering/oggarane. Heat oil in a small sauce pan. When oil is hot, add mustard & cumin seeds. When mustard seeds crackle, add the remaining green chillies, curry leaves, asafetida & pour the tempering to the rasam.
• Add the lemon juice, coriander leaves & mix well.
• Serve the hot rasam with piping hot rice, pickle & papad.

Tip:

• Reduce the amount of oil & drink it as a soup too.
• This rasam is helpful to beat the cold as it is rich in Vitamin C.
• Add a pinch of pepper powder to take double advantage for fighting against cold.

Black eyed peas 'N' pasta

Do you remember my project "shifting the house"? I had mentioned about black eyed peas starring at me in my cupboard. During that time, I was eagarly searching for black eyed peas recipes as I had almost a kilo of dried peas. During the active search, I found a recipe here. I adapted the recipe to make it suitable for Indian taste buds. Voila!!, it tasted awesome. One of the best pastas I prepared & relished until now. My hubby happened to carry that pasta to office & I got a huge fan following for black eyed peas 'N' pasta.

Secret, secret..., we both (who else other than me & my hubby) have stranger anxiety. We don't want to try anything other than penne(because of their funny shapes). So, all my pasta recipes use penne only. I am planning to try macaroni soon. I am not sure whether it will be accepted or not.

This is what I used:

Black eyed peas: 2 cups
Penne: 500gms
Tomato puree: 2 cups
Onion: 1 cup (sliced)
Parmesan Cheese: 3 tbsp (optional)
Pasta herbs: 1 tbsp
Garlic: 3 pods
Capsicum: 2 cups (sliced)
Paprika: 1 tsp
Pepper powder: 1 tbsp
Salt: According to taste

Sugar: 1 tbsp
Butter: 4 tbsp
Olive oil: 3 tbsp
Coriander leaves : 3 tbsp (finely chopped)

Method:

• Soak the black eyed peas for 5-6 hours.
• Add little salt & pressure cook or boil the black eyed beans until soft & yet firm (It would take around 3 whistles in the cooker). Allow it to cool & drain the water from the peas.
• Cook the pasta as per the package instructions. ( I add 3-4 litres of water(for 500gms penne), salt & few drops of olive oil & allow the water to boil.When water starts boiling, add penne & cook on medium-high heat for 10-15minutes, until soft & firm. Refer to the tip here to find out when pasta is properly cooked).
  
• Drain the water from penne & add few drops of olive oil. Olive oil helps in keeping the penne seperate & the pasta doesnot stick to each other.
• Heat olive oil, butter in a broad pan/wok. When oil is hot, add garlic, onion & saute till they turn golden brown. Add tomato puree, pasta herbs, sugar, paprika, salt(be very careful when adding salt as we have already salt while cooking penne & black eyed peas).& cook on a medium flame. The raw smell of tomato should disappear & the sauce must become thick.
• During midway, add capsicum & keep heating the sauce. When capsicum is half cooked, add cooked black eyed peas, cheese & reduce the heat. Cook for another minute or two. Add pepper powder.
• Toss the pasta with the sauce, garnish with coriander leaves & dig in.

Last but not the least, I have got quite a few awards from my friends. Sorry..I missed announcing them in last couple of posts. Thanks a lot Jyothi & Sushma. I have put the awards on the sidebar. I will talk about "The honest things" in my next post. Keep waiting !!

Update: This recipe goes to MLLA hosted by Sia & started by Susan.

Yennegayi/Yengai (Stuffed eggplant)

I believe that for anybody to fall in love with a cuisine, he/she needs to actually taste the authentic version first. If we try the cultured/modified version, we might not appreciate it much. Take my example.., I tried pasta at a Chinese resturant (Bad choice, isn't it!!) & decided not to eat any more pasta. Thanks to my friend, she took me to an Italian resturant to make me feel how the authentic pasta would taste.Same was the case of my hubby, he being born & brought up eating Udupi Cuisine didnot appreciate North Karnataka Cuisine, until I made him eat jolada rotti + yengai in a small food joint in D.D. Urs Road, Mysore. I need not specifically mention that he became a regular customer to them :)
Though I have spent a part of my childhood days in North Karnataka, I didnot have the recipe of this. I got this recipe from my friend who has literally grown up eating them. Thanks a lot for the recipe.

Ingredients: (Serves: 4-5)
For stuffing (Spice powder)
Coriander seeds/dhania: 1 tbsp
Ground nuts: 2 tbsp
Urad dal: 1 tsp
Roasted channa da(gram)l/hurigadale: 1 tbsp
Cinnamon: 1 inch stick
Clove: 3 nos
Cumin seeds/jeera: 1 tsp
Black sesame: 1 tsp
Niger seeds/hucchellu: 1 tsp (Thanks a lot for correcting me Jayasri)
Dry coconut: 1-2 tbsp (grated)
Red chilli: 12-15 (I like it hot & spicy)
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 3 strings
Asafetida: 2 big pinches
Salt: According to taste

For the gravy:
Small eggplant: 14-18
Tamarind: 1 big grape sized
Powdered Jaggery: 1 tsp(optional but recommended)
Onion: 1 big
Garlic: 2 pods (optional)
Oil: 3-5 tbsp
Water: 1.5-2 cups
Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 2 strings
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp (finely chopped, for garnishing)


Method:

For the masala/spice powder

Dry roast all the ingredients mentioned (except coconut, roasted channa dal, asafetida & salt). Allow the spices to cool.

After dry roasting the peanuts, peel the skin & keep them aside. Mix roasted channa dal, coconut, asafetida, salt to the other spices & prepare a fine powder. Finally add peanuts & run the mixie for 5secs (idea is to powder the peanuts to a coarse powder).



For yennegayi

1. Wash the eggplant & pat dry. Make a slit of the eggplant as shown below.
2. Fill a tbsp or less of the spice powder to each of the eggplant. Keep the stuffed eggplant aside.Heat oil in a broad pan (ensure to take a very broad one, as it has to fit all the eggplants). Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves, garlic & onion. Saute until onion turns golden brown.
3. Add tamarind extract, remaining spice powder, stuffed eggplants & stir well. Oil should coat on the eggplants. Add water, salt (check the taste & then add, because we have already added salt to the spice powder), jaggery & mix well.
4. Cook the eggplants on a low heat sitrring occasionally. Add few tbsps of water if required. Cook until the gravy becomes thick & eggplants soft. (It takes around 10-15 minutes).
5. Turn off the heat, garnish with coriander leaves & serve it with hot rotis.

Tips:

1. Yennegayi literally means kayi(vegetable) cooked in yenne(oil). The more oil you put, the tastier the dish would be.
2. The dish would tast equally good without garlic & onion too. My mom doesn't add them & I love that version too.
3. Try to take equal sized eggplants as all of them get cooked evenly.
4. Nigella seeds are a must to get an authentic taste to the dish.

Veg Burger

I was clean bowled by her pictures & step-by-step procedure. I went to NTUC & bought all the things required to prepare the burger. Thanks a lot Nags for inspiring me to prepare veg burger.
I modified her patty recipe to suit our taste. Also, I used iceberg lettuce instead of the baby greens. Rest of the procedure remains same.

I offered this to my maid. She was tasting this for the first time. She struggled to bite the burger. The lettuce & onions started peeping out. She kept the vegetables aside. Just ate the bun + patty, later ate her greens :) I asked whether she liked the burger. Her answer was "this burger tastes good, but cannot be eaten outside". Me & my hubby laughed for 5 mins at her sincere & innocent answer. Ha ha...

Ingredients for the patty(This makes around 8 patties)
Potatoes: 4 medium sized (boiled)
Cottage cheese: 3 tbsp (grated)
Carrot: 1 medium sized (grated)
Green peas: 1 fistful (boiled)
Garam Masala: 1 tsp
Chat masala: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Corn flour: 1 tbsp
Bread: 2 slices (Used whole wheat bread)
Salt: According to taste
Oil : 1-1.5 tbsp for each patty
Ingredients for burger(For 8 burgers)
Ham burger buns : 8
Iceberg lettuce: 8 big leaves
Tomato Sauce : 1 tsp for each burger (Use any spread/dressing of your choice)
Onion: 2 slices for each burger
Tomato: 1-2 slices for each burger
Cheese: 8 slices ( One for each burger)

Patty preparation:
Mash the potatoes ensuring no lumps are left. Add all the ingredients mentioned (except bread). Soak the bread in water for 5 secs. Squeeze out the water from the bread. Mash the bread & then add it to the mixture. Mix them thoroughly. Prepare 8 equal sized balls (around the size of a ping pong ball). Pat them gently. Heat the oil on a griddle/tawa. When oil is hot, place the patties & shallow fry them on a medium/slow heat for 5 minutes on each side. Remove the patties from the griddle.
Assembling the burger:
Cut the burger bun (There would be an indication in the burger bun itself. Use this to slice the burger bun). Tear the lettuce leaf & place them on the lower portion of the burger bun.
Place the cheese slice above the lettuce. Now, place the hot patty over the cheese.
Smear some sauce/spread over the patty. Place the slices of onion & tomato over the patty. Finally close the other slice of bun over the slices of tomato & onion & enjoy!!


Tips:

• Place a relatively hot patty over the cheese slice as it helps to melt the cheese a little. This adds an extra zing to the burger.

• Donot skip the usage of iceberg lettuce. The crunchiness of iceberg lettuce takes the burger to another level.