Chatni Pudi

In Karnataka we eat a lot of “chatni pudi” which is a dry powder of dal etc. it is used to enhance the flavour of any dish be it “masuru avalaki”i.e curds and beatten rice, plain dosa or with ghee on a slice of bread, upma....

As an accompaniment it can be served mixed in curd or even oil.

Ingredients:

1 cup chana dal (heaped)

1 cup urid dal (levelled)

¼ cup ground nuts

1 dry coconut/khobra

1 tblspn til

10-15 Dry chillies (Badgi) or 1/8 cup chilli powder (as per taste)

2 tsp asafoetida

8-10 springs of curry leaves

Tamarind a small ball

Jaggery(optional)

Salt

Method:

1. 1. Dry roast chana dal on low flame till reddish in colour. Cool and grind coarsely.
2. 2. Dry roast urid dal on low flame till reddish in colour. Cool and grind coarsely.
3. 3. Dry roast ground nuts. Add til, they will splutter. Add curry leaves, then add dry coconut, if you are using dry chillies now is the time to add them. Fry on low flame till the coconut is reddish and you get a nice aroma. Add the tamarind. Add the red chilli powder after you switch off the flame and keep stirring till all the ingredients are well coated.
4. 4. Grind the above mixture with jaggery and salt after it cools a bit.

Mix with the dry powders.

This mixture can be stored outside for about a month. Only use dry spoons to remove them from the jar.

Wish you all a very Happy Gudi Padwa (Ugadi)!!

Wish you all a very Happy Gudi Padwa (Ugadi)!!

Wish you a very Happy New Year.

Yesterday my father asked me what I will be cooking today.

Frankly I was at loss as the traditional foods that Amma or my MIL, Kaku, used to cook are something that my family are not very happy about basically because, I cook them badly, so I decided to innovate by elimination.

Since kid No1 and I do not appreciate 'Shrikand' it was out. I decided to try Dhudhi Halwa.

Pooris out, as you see I have started looking like one now and besides I have to go to work so chapattis it is.

As I am low on vegetables instead of two vegetable we had one flower and potato.

Instead of raw mango and moong dal kosambri we had cabbage tomato salad.

Tomato Saar, of course, the all time favourite as curry.

Plain rice, which no one touched, I don't know why I bothered...

Synthetic Sharbat

There are times when I get irritated as all the cold drinks in the house are finished and nothing is left when we have unexpected guests. So I have decided I am going to make this squash this summer (after exams of course) which will be Apr 16^th this year as Eldest is answering her 10 Std.

1 kg Sugar

400 grams water

6 grams citric acid

Colour

¼ tsp Essence

1. Mix sugar and water bring to boil.
2. Add citric acid and boil. Keep testing the boiling mixture till a drop between you thumb and finger stretches to form a single strand.( 1 tari pak)
3. Cool add colour and essence of your choice.

Go easy on the colour, use a few drops mix well and add more if required.

Colour and essences in general

Yellow--- pineapple, mango, lemon

Orange – orange,

Red – strawberry, raspberry

Apple green—khus

Serve mixed with cold water, ice use salt if required.

I had made a batch for Holi today. I had used mango essence and yellow colour. For ¼ of the concentrate made above we got 1 ½ litres of sharbat.

Moong Khichadi

This has been one of the current favourites with my hubby and daughter. Every time I am hard pressed for time and I offer to make this, I find them nodding and smiling in anticipation. Both of them are not picky eaters, they eat almost everything I prepare, and don't complain!!!!!I know what u all must be thinking, Lucky gal!!Well, that's true. But when it come to this khichadi, they always do justice to the dish....by finishing it!!!So here goes the recipe...

1/2 cup rice, washed and drained

1/2 cup moong dal, washed and drained

1 big tomato

7-8 flakes of garlic, chopped fine

2 green chilles, chopped fine

2 tbsp ghee

Mustard seeds, jeera, hing, turmeric powder for tadka

Coriander leaves, chopped fine

Salt for taste

Combine the washed and drained rice and dal together and add the chopped tomato, a pinch of turmeric, hing and jeera and some salt and pressure cook. Note that you need to add some more water than the usual to this khichadi so that it gets a running consistency, after being cooked. Once the khichadi is done, it is time for the tadka.