Madike kaalu usli | Matki usal | Moth bean sundal

Hot, spicy and nutritious madike kaalu usli/matki usal/moth bean sundal
08/06/2016 10:05:09 PM vindhyadesai

Moth beans or madike kaalu or matki beans are rich in protein, easy to cook and digest. Matki usal forms the base of Misal a popular street food dish from Maharashtra. In Karnataka, especially in the Northern parts, this is very famously served during festivals. It is cooked with groundnuts, grated coconut and a quick squeeze of lemon juice on top gives it a super flavour punch. The water in which it is boiled is highly nutritious and is very tasty. ... “Madike kaalu usli | Matki usal | Moth bean sundal”

Tambittu | Puthani Unde | How to make tambittu for Naga Panchmi

Tambittu/Puthani unde/ladoo for Naga Panchmi
08/04/2016 11:24:32 PM vindhyadesai

Another sweet for the line of festivals coming up. This sweet is also from Karnataka and is made for Nagara Panchmi as offering/naivedya to Nagappa (snake god). It is made from roasted gram dal/fried gram/puthani/huri gadale/kadale pappu/daria/chutney dal, whew! a lot of names for one ingredient. I learnt this recipe from my mother and is mainly made in North Karnataka. In South, another type of tambittu similar to ‘sajjige‘ is made. This is a very easy ladoo/unde to make. You can even cut them into barfis but for Nagara Panchmi they need to be in the shape as shown in my hand below. I am not an expert in making that shape for unde/ladoo like my mother. Add cashews, almonds if you want. ... “Tambittu | Puthani Unde | How to make tambittu for Naga Panchmi”

Hayagreeva | Hayagreeva Maddi | Kadalebele payasa

Festive and authentic hayagreeva maddi
08/04/2016 11:02:37 PM vindhyadesai

Hayagreeva maddi is a payasa/payasam dish from Udupi region. I made this for Bheemana Amavasya but it can be made for many festivals. It is simple to make, the only detail to pay attention to is when you are cooking gram dal/chana dal/kadale bele. Before we begin the recipe, I would like to mention a little *story/legend* associated with the origin of ‘Hayagreeva Maddi’, I read in a book.
Once there was a sculptor who was trying to make an idol of Lord Ganesha, however all his efforts in making the sculpted idol turned into the head of a horse. He finally gave up and sculpted the idol into the shape of a horses’ head and stashed it away. One night, the Lord himself appeared in the scluptors’ dream and blessed him and asked him to donate the horses’ head idol that he had sculpted to Sri Vadirajaru. The same night Sri Vadirajaru also dreamt about the idol. The next day the sculptor brought in the idol and Sri Vadirajaru established the idol in Sonda in Sirsi, Karnataka. Everyday he started worshipping the idol and as offering/naivedya he made Hayagreeva Maddi a payasa made of gram (horses’ favourite food) and jaggery. Make this authentic and traditional dish from Karnataka for an upcoming festival šŸ™‚ ... “Hayagreeva | Hayagreeva Maddi | Kadalebele payasa”

Puliyogare | Puliyogare Gojju | Pulihora | Puliyodarai | How to make puliyogare?

Traditional Iyengar puliyogare with homemade gojju
08/02/2016 5:46:18 PM vindhyadesai

Tangy, sweet, spicy and even slightly bitter, all tastes in one dish. Puliyogare has to be one of those dishes. Traditional Iyengar Puliyogare made at home is an excellent dish for festivals. You can make the gojju ahead of time and store it and make puliyogare quite easily for your lunch box or even for a quick picnic. It is just mixing in gojju evenly with cooked and cooled rice. Cooked rice should not be sticky and you can eat the most wonderful puliyogare at home. The prasada/offering they give at temples has a unique taste. I would say this one will come quite close and it’s homemade, so no complaints. There are a few steps to make the gojju. I have segregated them to make it easy and each stage can be done separately. ... “Puliyogare | Puliyogare Gojju | Pulihora | Puliyodarai | How to make puliyogare?”

Sajjige | Sajjge | Bellada Sajjige | How to make sajjige hoorna

Super quick and easy, sajjige or jaggery rava sheera
08/01/2016 10:33:03 PM vindhyadesai

The festival season is here. Shravana masa for year 2016 starts in 2 days. Tomorrow is the big festival/habba ‘Bheemana Amavasya‘. Celebrate festivals with fervour yet with simplicity. It will make the festivals more enjoyable. Here’s a quick sweet recipe. Sajjige is made in different ways, I learnt this recipe from my MIL. Simple and super quick to make. ... “Sajjige | Sajjge | Bellada Sajjige | How to make sajjige hoorna”

HuLi Avalakki | Gojjavalakki

Spicy, tangy avalakki/poha with crunchy groundnuts served with curd/yogurt
07/25/2016Ā 10:04:22 PM vindhyadesai

HuLi (tangy/sour) avalakki is a tangy and spicy poha dish. It is made by adding powdered poha/avalakki into a masala made using saarina pudi/rasam powder, tamarind and jaggery. It is a specialty dish from Mysore-Bangalore region. This is one of my favourite breakfasts. In top 5 :)! I love the spicy, tangy notes in this dish. I make this for festivals especially for no feast festivals like Mahashivaratri, Ram Navami, Nagara Chauthi/Panchmi and other festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi. It is also served as prasada/prasad/offering in temples (the tastiest). Serve with curd/yogurt, a winner combination. I learnt to make this from one my aunts, full credit to her for teaching me this recipe. My MIL makes a slightly different version, she boils the masala mixture which gives a more gojju like taste (hence the name gojjavalakki),Ā which isĀ again super yum! ... “HuLi Avalakki | Gojjavalakki”

Doodh Pedha | Milk Pedha | Doodh ke Pedhe | How to make soft milk pedhas | Doodh pedhas without condensed milk

A mouthful of milky fudgy goodness, soft doodh pedha
07/22/2016 8:05:28 PM vindhyadesai

A small thing of joy is to eat a doodh pedha. It is one of the most popular sweets sold in sweet shops. Imagine a big line of pedhas lined up on the other side of the counter. There are so many versions of this pedha, kesar-elaichi, elaichi, pista-kesar and so on. The ones that you get in Nandini (a milk brand in Karnataka) are pure milk pedhas. The marking on them makes the pedhas even more inviting. Try making these soft doodh pedhas at home, roll them up into small balls or pedhas/pedhe or even try and make the Nandini replicas. I used a fork to create a Nandini shop/bakery like pedha with a fork. It is actually a reverse of their shape (complementary shape). I love them nonetheless, they are milkĀ  pedhas after all.
Here are I have used only milk and there is also a short-cut recipe with condensed milk which I will post soon. I have flavoured them with elaichi/cardamom, I wanted to make them plain this time. I sometimes add kesar/saffron or pista or both but elaichi/cardamom is something that I always add to the pedhas/pedhe. I have added a lot of pictures stepwise to show consistency in each step. ... “Doodh Pedha | Milk Pedha | Doodh ke Pedhe | How to make soft milk pedhas | Doodh pedhas without condensed milk”

Seviyaan Kheer | Whole Wheat Seviyaan Kheer | Shavige Payasa | Vermicelli Kheer

Creamy and delicious seviyaan kheer with roasted dry nuts
07/14/2016 9:40:46 PM vindhyadesai

This is one of the most common sweets/desserts made in India for any festive occasion. For festivals, celebrations, weddings, functions, seviyaan kheer/shaavige kheer is a default option. It tastes good at room temperature or warm or even chilled. I have used whole wheat seviyaan (thin and long) and added less sugar. Add more sugar if you like and add more milk if you want the consistency to be thinner. Chopped dry nuts like almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins add a wonderful aromatic flavour and crunch. I have dolled up my vermicelli kheer, it is one of my favourite desserts and I love it slightly chilled. ... “Seviyaan Kheer | Whole Wheat Seviyaan Kheer | Shavige Payasa | Vermicelli Kheer”

Sorekayi Kootu | Sorekayi Masale Kootu | Lauki Masala Kootu

Hot, spicy kootu with sorekayi/lauki
07/12/2016 7:58:48 PM vindhyadesai

There is nothing like a wholesome meal of rice mixed with saaru/rasam or sambar/huLi/kootu. Imagine hot sambar/kootu on rice with some ghee on top, that is a great combination. Kootu is a Karnataka style masale huLi/sambar, it is made with freshly roasted spices and ground with freshly grated coconut. Kootu also has a special type of tadka/vaggarne/tempering generally with groundnuts added to it. Any kind of vegetable can be used, doodhi/white pumpkin or mixed vegetables like carrots and beans can also be used instead of lauki/sorekayi. ... “Sorekayi Kootu | Sorekayi Masale Kootu | Lauki Masala Kootu”

Bisi Bele Bhaat | Bisi Bele Bhath | How to make bisi bele bhaat

Favourite and festive bisi bele bhaat
06/27/2016 9:27:47 PM vindhyadesai

Bisi Bele Bhaat (BBB) is the default dish for a big function like weddings in South Karnataka. It is a crowd favourite dish and made for most festivals and grand celebrations. It is a thick rice and lentils dish with loads of vegetables, fragrant spices and topped with cashews and groundnuts. Very filling and super tasty, generally served with masala corn flakes, potato chips and mixed raitha. Use freshly made masala and your BBB will be a hit. BBB is probably one of those dishes which people like it best when homemade rather than hotel style. Not many restaurants serve good bisi bele bhaat. So, why not try making it at home.
There are quite a few steps, keeping everything organized makes it easy without making you feel overwhelmed. Make dry BBB masala previous day or first thing before starting bisi bele bhaat. I have learnt this recipe from many people each with their own proportions for masala but credit has to go to my friend’s mother who gave me her handwritten recipe which I tried with some variations. Enjoy! ... “Bisi Bele Bhaat | Bisi Bele Bhath | How to make bisi bele bhaat”