Oats Khara bhath/Spiced oats with vegetables

People are crazy about eating healthy food these days (I am no exception!). I generally buy a kilogram of oats every alternate month & look out for dishes to satisfy my taste buds. I, being a "not-so-big-fan" of oats, look for smart ways of consuming the oats. During one such search, I found the oats upma recipe in Saffola Oats book.

Don't get alarmed by the exorbitant list of ingredients. They are all common ingredients & always stored at your pantry!

Preparation time: 10mins

Cooking time: 15mins

Serves: 1 hungry me (my hubby is always "no" to oats. Hoping to change him soon :D)

Ingredients:

Quick cooking oats: 1 cup

Water: 1.5 cups

Avarekai/Surtipapdi/Flat beans: 1 tbsp, optional ( I had them handy, then used them)

Chopped capsicum: 1 tbsp

Finely chopped onion: 1 tbsp

Tomato: 1 no(small one), chopped

Green chillies: 2-3 nos

Ginger: 1/4th tsp, grated

Curry leaves: 6-8 nos

Ghee/Clarified butter: 2 tsp

Oil: 1 tsp

Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp

Urad dal: 1 tsp

Cashew nuts: 1 tsp, broken

Turmeric: a pinch

Salt: Adjust to taste

Sugar: 1/2 tsp

For garnish:

Coriander leaves: 1 tsp, chopped

Method:

• Toast the oats for 1-2 minutes in the microwave |OR| use the stove top to roast the oats lightly. Keep it aside.
• Boil the water.
• Meantime, prepare the tempering. Heat oil + ghee in a kadai. When oil is hot, throw in mustard & cumin seeds, urad dal & cashew nuts. When nuts turn golden brown, add the curry leaves & green chillies. 
• When curry leaves become crisp, add the onion & ginger. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until the onion changes its color (no need to brown the onions!).
• Add the tomato & saute for another 30 secs.
• Throw in the capsicum & saute again.
• Add the boiling water to the tempering. Follow with turmeric, salt & sugar.
• Finally add the toasted oats & cook the oats covered on a low heat for 2 minutes. 
• Turn off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves & enjoy.

Notes:

• It is very important to serve this dish hot, since it becomes goo-ey when it turns cold.
• Other vegetables like carrots, peas, french beans & potatoes could be added.
• Add a teaspoon of ghee just before serving for the extra richness.

Masoppu Recipe: A Mandya/Mysore specialty

Masoppu means mashed greens. Masoppu is a South Karnataka specialty dish. It is made using many different leafy vegetables & lentils. At least 3-5 different leafy vegetables are used to prepare this.There is another north Karnataka dish called muddipalya, which again loosely translates to mashed greens! The preparation of the two is also similar but the tastes are entirely different. Muddi palya uses more lentils where as masoppu dominates with more greens!

Being spent the half of my life in Mysore/Mandya, I wanted to try Mandya/Mysore style masoppu for a long time, but never got the recipe. I recently got it from my aunt. I cannot vouch about the authenticity of this recipe, but this sure satisfied my craving!

Here is my aunt's recipe in my words!

Ingredients:
Set 1:
Mixed greens: Around 250gms (I have used a mix of dill, amaranth, fenugreek, Indian spinach, huli soppu*)
Toor dal/Split pigeon peas: 1/3rd cup
Onion: 2 medium sized
Tomato: 2 medium sized
Garlic: 4 pods
Green chilies: 6-8 nos, more or less
Brinjal: 1 no, optional
Turmeric: a big pinch

Seasoning:
Salt: According to taste

For spice paste:
Coconut scraped: 1-1.5tbsp, fresh or frozen
Chilli powder: 1 tsp, optional
Tamarind: a big grape sized
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

For tempering:
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Garlic: 3 pods, minced
Curry leaves: 6-8 nos

* I do not know what is it called in other regional languages or in English

Method:

• Wash the greens thoroughly in water. Chop them & keep aside.
• Chop the onions, tomato & brinjal(if using) into 1 inch cubes.
• Wash the dal in running water.
• Mix all the ingredients mentioned in set 1 along with 2 cups of water.
• Pressure cook it for 2-3 whistles. Reduce the heat after 3 whistles & cook for another 3-5 minutes.Turn off the heat.
• Let the pressure cooker cool.
• Warm the cumin seeds/jeera for a minute.
• Blend together the ingredients mentioned for spice paste. Make a smooth paste & scoop out the paste to a clean bowl.
• When the pressure is released from the cooker, remove the greens mixture & mash it well using a masher/hand blender or using a mixer.
• Heat a big pot. Add oil to the pot,  followed by the ingredients mentioned for the tempering. When garlic gives out the aroma, add the spice paste to it & cook it for a minute.
• Throw in the mashed dal-greens mixture, followed by salt. Boil it on a medium heat for about 10minutes.
• Serve it hot with rice, papad or ragi mudde/finger millet balls.

Notes:

• Generally the greens that are added for making masoppu are dantina soppu (amaranth leaves), menthe soppu (fenugreek leaves), harive soppu, palak soppu (spinach), sabsige soppu (dill leaves). If you are in Karnataka, you can ask the vegetable vendor to give you mixed greens to make masoppu. They will mix some 6-7 kinds of leafy vegetables.

Last note: Updated the previous post. Want to check if you guessed it right?!

Can you identify this?

Vegetable!

Correct Answer: Round bottle gourd.

The usual paper plain & set dosa with not the usual ingredients!

The title says it all! Without wasting your time, here I go with the recipe.

Ingredients:

Horse gram/hurali kalu: 1/2 cup
Split green gram/hara moong/odeda hesaru kalu: 1/2 cup

Boiled rice/kusubalakki: 3 cups

Fenugreek seeds: 1/2 tsp

Method:

• Wash all the above ingredients thoroughly in running water for 3-4 times & soak them all together for 5-6 hours.
• Grind them & prepare a smooth batter out of the soaked dals & rice. Adjust the water such that the batter consistency should be like a thick milkshake.
• Let the batter ferment overnight (around 6-8 hours, depending on outside temperature).
• Add salt & mix the fermented batter.
• Heat a griddle. When the griddle is hot, add a ladle full of batter to the center of the griddle & spread the batter clockwise using the back of the ladle.(like a pancake)
• Add 1/2 tsp of oil,cover a lid & cook the dosa on a medium heat for 30secs. Remove the lid, turn the dosa & cook the other side for 10 secs. Remove the dosa from griddle. Repeat the same for the remaining dosas.
• Serve the dosas hot with a chutney/dip/side dish of your choice. 

Menthyada hittu/ Fenugreek seeds powder

Though this powder is a tad bitter, it tastes too delicious that the bitterness goes unnoticed. This powder is made with lentils & is rich in proteins.It is considered beneficial during both pregnancy & post pregnancy. None the less, you can include it as part your daily intake too. The shelf life of this powder is 2-3 months (without refrigeration). Preparing this one is like, putting the effort one time & reaping the benefits many a times :)

I have been waiting to put up this recipe from the last year or so. I have told this recipe to a dozen of my friends & most of them have been making this powder since then. My son & hubby can happily finish their dinner/lunch with this powder, rice & ghee.

Ingredients: (For about 3 cups of powder/hittu).
Toor dal: 1 cup
Channa dal/Gram dal: 1 cup
Moong dal: 1 cup
Urad dal: 1 cup
Coriander seeds/dhaniya: 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds: 2 tsp
Dried red chillies: 4-5 nos(non spicy chillies like Kashmiri or byadgi chillies)
Asafoetida: a big pinch
Turmeric: A big pinch
Salt: 1/2 tsp

Method:

• Dry roast the toor dal, channa dal, moong dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds seperately. The dals should slightly change the color & leave out the aroma. 
• Dry roast the chillies at the end & allow the lentils/dals to cool. 
• Once the dals are completely cooled, mix them & make a fine powder of the dals & chillies together. Use a spice blending jar to make the job easier.
• Add turmeric, asafoetida, salt to the powder. Mix well & allow the powder to cool for an hour. 
• Store in air tight container & enjoy whenever needed or daily!

(Serving suggestion: For a cup of cooked steaming hot rice, add a tbsp of this powder, a tsp of ghee & salt (according to your taste). Mix well & enjoy the rice)


Notes:

1. For this recipe alone, I have used a smaller cup. 1 cup holds 100 ml of water.

My blog completes it's third year. A game for its celebration!

My blog completed THREE years this August & I failed to remember it. My bad :(

                                                                              (Photo courtesy: here)

Let me repeat it for the last time, promise! I have become damn lazy after moving back to India. Easy availability of my favorite food is one of the major reasons for my blog to take a back seat. I repent for it! Let me say it honestly, I am trying to get back to blogging, but I can't promise when I can kick start it again in full action. Sorry folks!

My dear blogger friend Prathibha, had tagged me in a 7 links game. She has given a beautiful write up about it too. Thought it would be apt to celebrate my blog's birthday by playing a game of revisiting the past. 

My most beautiful post: Broccoli ka kheema

I love the simplicity of this dish. This one is healthy, quick & a versatile side dish.

My most popular post: Tomato Bhath: Karnataka Style

It is undoubtedly the most popular recipe of my blog. Thanks to all of you for making it so popular!

The post I'm most proud of: Breakfast Burittos

I never dream't I would try any other non-Indian dishes. I am proud that I tried Mexican at home & addicted to it :)

My most useful post: Idli/Idly

Most of my beginner series posts are appreciated & found useful by many. However my personal choice would be idli.

Surprise success post: Hotel sambar

This is my own experimental sambar. Two of my friends tried it the same day & gave a thumbs up. Felt so good.

Most controversial post: None

Happy that none of my got into controversies.

Posts which deserves attention, but did not get as much:

My posts in the early blogging years have not got much attention, partly because of poor pictures. So, request the readers to have a look at my older posts whenever possible. Thanks.

Nimbe appehuli saaru/Lemon soup: A Havyaka Speciality!

Haven't visited this space for a month? Alas, can't believe!!

Was I busy? Not really. The fact is I was/am enjoying all the family functions & festivals that I missed for four long years.  I am not in a mood to cook any elaborate meals & most of the days, try to whip up something under 20 mins. During one of those quick cooking sessions, I spoke to my co-sis & learnt this nimbe appehuli.  A saaru/rasam that is ready in less than 10 minutes!

Preparation Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: Nil (Can count 1 minute for tempering the rasam!!)

Ingredients: (Serves 3)

Juice extracted from 2 lemons(Around 2-3 tbsp)

Water: Around 500ml

Salt: 1 tsp, more or less

Sugar: 1 tsp, optional

Finely chopped green chilli: 2 nos

For tempering:

Coconut oil: 2 tsp, preferred
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida: a pinch
Dry red chilli: 1 no, broken

Method:

• Add salt, sugar, finely chopped green chilli & lemon juice to a vessel. Mix them well. 
• Add 400ml of water & mix well. Adjust the water according to the sourness level preferred! 
• Prepare the tempering. Heat oil in a small pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When seeds splutter, throw in broken red chilli & asafoetida.
• Pour the tempering over the lemony water. Let it sit for 10-15mins for the flavors to soak in!

                                               (PS: Before crushing the red chilli)

• Crush the red chilli using your hand & mix it again.
• Enjoy the cold appe huli saaru with steaming hot rice, pickle & papad. 

Notes:

My co-sister suggested me not to add any curry leaves or garlic for the tempering!. She says, curry leaves don't go well with this appehuli & hence her aunties prepare it this way. I just followed her words. If you want to add curry leaves, feel free to add. But, never add both asafoetida & garlic to this. Go with either one!

Last but not the least:

Prathibha of Chefandherkitchen has tagged me in a 7 links game. It sounds fun. Thanks for thinking of me Prathibha. Will do it shortly.