Saturday 25 February 2017

My Blog Story


It all started in 2004 when a chance write up of mine about the Wonder of Words in English language was published in a National daily newspaper – first time ever, I saw my name on print! That was when I was in the thick of solving Cryptic Clues in Crossword Puzzles, classifying and analyzing them and also creating my own Cryptic Clues, Word Games etc.
Later during 2006 or so, during my stint in one of the MNCs, my boss asked me to submit a write-up about our department for publication in the company’s journal. Much as I wished to write one, I couldn’t. Yet I tried and tried. For, the ego in me refused to give up (more so after I had experienced the joy of seeing my name on print in a national daily) and lo! what I started as a prose turned into a poem. Thus was born My First Poem! followed instantly by the next, this time to this boss of mine regarding “The First Poem of My Life” being refused for publication. Later on, poems started flowing from my pen at regular intervals for a couple of years, many of them were for my friends, which I shared with them via mail. Soon I did a write up - a combine of prose and poetry – about how I embarked on the reunion of us, Architecture classmates. On reading this write up, while many praised it, one good friend of mine told me that my write ups certainly deserved a much wider forum.
Signing up for art classes was at the back of my mind ever since my sibling had once helped me with my 5th grade school drawing assignment. Much to my expectation, the teacher asked me with amazement, “Did you draw this?” and I had sheepishly replied in the affirmative, albeit against my own conscience. The teacher must have wondered within “If only she knew the truth behind the learning of art, her answer would have been smart and straight from the heart!” With my mind forever wilting over this guilt, I could not wait for the opportunity when I quit my corporate job. Wings in me slowly swung into action. I just moved forward doing those many varied things I always wished to do. On learning about my writings, be they Prose, Poetry, Recipe writing, Analysis and Creation of Cryptic Clues for Crossword Puzzles or Artworks, my sibling, very frequently used to advise me to start a blog, but I never evinced much interest. One fine day, in July 2016, frustrated over his furiousness, I finally decided to start one. Thus was born, my blog “Mangala’s Potpourri”.

I continue to invest a lot of my time and effort on topics that are close to my heart, just that, mighty thanks to my Big Brother, they are all channeled in one direction, i.e.,
towards My Baby mangalaspotpourri.blogspot.in
But why blog?
Just like you have a dog, I have a blog
If only I could realise my dreams of singing n dancing, perhaps I wouldn’t have been blogging!
Blogging takes me to a world of my own, penning my passions.
If I don’t find the right time, place or ambience to meditate, I plunge into my blog!
"You can't just write and write and put things in a drawer. They wither without the warm sun of someone else's appreciation" - Thanks to this quote by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. What I hitherto failed to explicitly express, this quote has done it for me!

On entering my blog, you will find bits of art, pieces of poetry, chunks of Creative Writing, write ups of Recipes, snap reviews of Old Bollywood songs and more.

Wednesday 8 February 2017

Sweet Corn Kosambari

Brighten your meal with "Sweet Corn Kosambari"....cooked as curry, served as snack but called by the name of "kosambari"...to unravel the mystery behind this kadambari (I mean story) read recipe that begins at the end of this story! Ha....don't forget to click the link at the tail end of the recipe "Sweet Corn Song", a poem I penned just for you...it's (or is it) a..maize...ing !
Sweet Corn, which has created a niche for itself as a splendid summertime food, is a genetic variant of the maize family and is also known as Sugar Corn. It contains healthy levels of vitamin B complex and minerals, especially iron and is a rich source of fibre. Fibre helps to alleviate digestive problems and stabilize blood sugar levels.  Well known for contributing to overall nourishment, especially when combined with legumes like peas, beans, nuts etc. it is a must add to everyone’s diet.
Sweet Corn, true to its name, is sweet for the tooth and especially when cooked al dente, its tender outside and crispier inside makes one crave for more and more.

Dish Type:  Indian Vegetarian Curry
Time needed: 20 mins. approx
Serves:  4 persons approx.

Ingredients

For boiling:
Sweet corn kernels     200 gms
Water                          (200 ml approx.)

For sautéing:
Oil                               2 tsps
Cumin seeds                1 tsp
Onion                          1 no. (medium size, fine chopped)
Turmeric pwd             A pinch
Salt to taste                 1 tsp approx.
Carrot                          1 no. (medium size, grated)
Sweet corn                  (steam boiled kernels)
Chilli pwd                    1 tsp
Jeera pwd                    ½ tsp
Coriander pwd            ½ tsp

For garnishing:
Coriander leaves         1 tbsp (fine chopped)
Lime juice                   1 tsp approx.
Pomegranate seeds    2 tbsps

Directions:
Wash carrot, coriander leaves and sweet corn kernels thoroughly in water. Drain out the water and keep aside.
To cook sweet corn kernels, bring water to rapid boil in a vessel. Quantity of water must be just enough for the kernels to be covered. To this rapid boiling water, add sweet corn and a pinch of sugar. Let it cook for about 5 min. Switch off the burner. To retain its sweet taste, do not overcook the kernels. Remove the steamed kernels from water and keep aside.
While water is boiling (i.e., before putting sweet corn)….
Heat oil in a pan. To this add cumin seeds. When it splutters, add chopped onion, turmeric and a pinch of salt. Sauté till onions turn transparent. Now put grated carrot and resume sautéing till carrot gratings are partially cooked. Add boiled kernels, salt, chilli powder, jeera powder, coriander powder and mix them well. Switch off the flame.
Garnish with fine chopped fresh coriander leaves, lime juice and a tiny blob of butter (optional).
Sweet corn kosambari is ready. Serve it warm or cool.

Tete - a - Tete:
(where Mangala’s Potluck shares a bit of its thoughts about a bite of food)
To pick fresh corn, just prick a kernel. It should squirt whitish juice. Husks should appear as fresh, tender and green like grass. Size of kernels need to be on the plumper side and spaced snug fit in the cob. Colour of corn is not a determinant of quality.
Cooking corn by steaming for just the optimum time required is considered to be a healthy way of cooking since loss of nutrients is minimized to the maximum extent while still retaining its color and enhancing its taste and texture.

Please do read Sweet Corn Song in this blog a poem I penned where you also get to know few other ways of using corn.


This recipe reminds me of my trip with friends way back in 2006 - 2007 when I had made this dish for the gang. Few pics of our trip















MIXED VEG TIKKI

Hey People….how do you wish to greet your daily veggies? Grate them raw and take them for a round of grind or endearingly embrace their enchanting look while you caringly cook?  Hey…see the screen guys! The writing is on the wall …An unbelievable utopic score of 50: 50! A state that’s nothing short of Euphoric that looks so, even to the odd!  
A highly healthy, tasty snack, easily prepared with minimum oil and has a good blend of raw and cooked vegetables. Mix can be prepared and kept in the fridge and used later. Do you know a trick or two about Tikkis...they can also be used as filling for sandwiches, burger or Vada Pav. 

Dish Type: South Indian Snack
Time taken: 45 mts
Yield: 12 to 15 nos. approx.

Ingredients
Aloo                            4 nos. (medium size)
Bread slices                 6 nos.
Onion (medium size)    2 nos.
Carrot (medium size)   1 no.
Green peas                 100 gms
Green chillies               6 nos.
Ginger                         1” piece
Curry leaves                1 sprig
Coriander leaves         ½ cup
Turmeric                     A pinch
Chilli powder               1 tsp
Amchur powder          A pinch
Chaat masala pwdr     ¼ tsp
Coriander powder       ¼ tsp
Garam masala pwdr    A pinch
Salt to taste                 (1 tsp approx..)

Directions:
Cook aloo in pressure cooker.
While aloo is being cooked, put peas in a vessel with some water and let it boil for 6 to 8 mts. on low flame. When peas is cooked transfer it to a colander to drain the water. Let peas cool.
By now aloo would have been cooked. Remove aloo from the pressure cooker. Drain out the water used for cooking aloo. Let the cooked aloo cool for a while.
While peas and aloo are cooling, get ready with the following and keep transferring them to a mixing bowl of size, say 10” dia:
Finely chopped onions
Grated carrot and ginger
Coarsely ground green chillies
Finely chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves
All powders mentioned under ingredients and salt

Peel the skin of cooked and cooled aloo. Mash them thoroughly and transfer it to the bowl
Mash peas coarsely and put it into the bowl
Dip one bread slice in a flat bowl half filled with water
Remove it immediately. Squeeze out the water thoroughly by pressing the bread slice between your palms. Any more water can now be squeezed with just one hand. The bread slice would have now turned into a lump. Add this lump to the mixing bowl. Repeat the procedure for all bread slices.

Now mix all the ingredients you now have in the mixing bowl gently but thoroughly. Make sure all the spices, powders, vegetables and bread lumps are well merged with each other.
Make round balls from this mix. Flatten each round ball between your palms.
Keep a flat medium heavy based pan/tawa on a gas burner and let it get heated on low flame
Smear a drop or two of oil on the heated pan
Keep a few of these flattened balls on the pan and shallow fry them
Flip top side down to shallow fry the other side
When both sides are done, transfer them to a plate
Repeat the process till all the flattened balls are done
Mixed Veg Tikki is now ready

Tete - a - Tete
Green chutney or Tomato sauce/ketchup are recommended side dishes for Aloo Tikki
Jeera, ajwain and/or saumph seeds may be added (optional)
Lime juice can be used instead of Amchur powder
The prepared mix can also be kept in fridge for a couple of hours before shallow frying them However this is optional
A pinch of rock salt and/or jaljeera powder may also be added
Carrot can also be chopped to fine pieces and cooked instead of grating
¼ cup boiled sweet corns can also be added while preparing mix
For a crispy outer finish, roll these flattened ball on all sides in a plate filled with bread crumbs
Crushed corn flakes / crushed oats / Noodles are substitutes for bread crumbs
Bread can be of any type - plain, sweet or spicy

Few of many other recipes you can view in this blog include:
Banana Fritters / Yeridevu 
Bun Gulkand Sandwich
7 Cups Barfi
Red Rice Laddoos
Congress Kadlekai (Spicy Masala Groundnuts)




Dedicating this post to my dearie childhood pal Dr. Rupa Nagaraj Natesh




CONGRESS KADLEKAI (Spicy Groundnuts)

It’s party time folks! Join in for a Bahuth Jhor Party at Mangala’s Potluck.. Game for it…Yesss!  Let me MODIfy this party name to a shorter one, say “BJP”. So a BJP sirf AAP ke liye from none other than Congress! A mere cursory reading of the above points one to a clear case of CONG +BJP + AAP alliance !! Impossible right? Making the impossible possible at Mangala’s Potluck is this cheffie couple Smt. Malavika and Sri Nagesh Sidhanti, contributors of a recipe that has made the most mercurial entry into Mangala’s Potluck! Homemade by this duo barely few days ago using a tasty little legume that is skinned by a veined brown shell with buttery, tasty nutties housed within. A healthy rival of fruits and even some veggies as a source of antioxidants (beats even a beet!), primarily rich in a compound called p-coumaric acid, becomes richer when roasted! Roast first. What next? Find out right below

Dish Type: South Indian Snack
Time taken: 30 mts
Yield: 250 gms approx.

Ingredients

PC: Nagesh Sidhanti
For roasting:
Groundnuts                 250 gms

For seasoning (Oggarane):
Oil                               1 tsp (Cold pressed groundnut oil preferred)
Mustard seeds                           1 tsp 
Asafoetida                   A pinch

For sautéing:
Oil                               2 to 3 tbsps (cold pressed groundnut oil preferred)
Red chilli powder        1.5 to 2 tsps
Turmeric powder        ¾ tsp
Salt to taste                 1 tsp approx.
Pepper powder           ¾ tsp. (dry roasted and powdered/crushed using mortar and pestle)
Curry leaves                2 sprigs (say 30 to 40 nos.)
Salt to taste                 (1 tsp approx..)

Directions:
Dry roast groundnuts in a kadai on low flame. While roasting, keep stirring continuously so that they get roasted uniformly all over. Remove the skin by wrapping them in a turkey towel or bag and rubbing them with your palms or just smash the wrapped bag on a hard surface. Once the skin is peeled, break the nuts into two. Keep it aside.
Keep the seasoning ready by heating a tsp of oil in a small kadai. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, switch off the flame. Add asafoetida immediately. Keep it aside.
Now take a bigger kadai. Heat oil on low flame. Now add all ingredients listed above under ‘For sautéing”. Mix thoroughly for about 4 mins. Now add the roasted, peeled and split groundnuts. Mix them well again for say 3 to 4 mins. Did you notice an even colour all over? Yes, switch off the flame. Break curry leaves to smaller pieces and mix them well again. Now, test the taste, If need be, add more salt and chilly powder but only after seasoning them. Let it cool down.
Oh your snack hungry guests…have they driven you nuts? By all means go ahead and readily serve them this Homemade Congress Masala Groundnuts! Don’t miss eyeing that sweet smile dressed on their faces, for, haven’t you redressed their hungrievances! J

Tete - a - Tete
How to check if roasting of groundnut is done: When you get the roasted smell ( say after about 5 to 6 mins. of roasting) pick a nut or two in a spatula and let it cool. Rub the peanut between your thumb and forefinger. If the skin peels out easily, it means roasting is done.
If roasted non salted groundnuts are available, they can be added straightway to the heated powder mix in the kadai.
You may also dry roast curry leaves separately, crush them to smaller bits when completely cooled and add this to the kadai before adding nuts.
Being rich in proteins, vitamins, antioxidants and more, the health benefits of groundnuts are more than skin deep.
Parable of this pet name “Congress” for this recipe goes this way (I remember hearing this from my school friend’s father Late Sri M R Ramakrishna Iyengar who once owned the famous “Basavanagudi Bakery” in Bengaluru): This was a favourite snack of members at the Congress Emergency meets in the late 70s. Also, during this time, Congress party led by Indira Gandhi split into two. One headed by Indira and the other by Kamaraj. Which is why even the 2 split parts of the nut post roasting are comically christened as Kamraj Congress and Indira Congress!

Glad to dedicate this 100th   post from Mangala’s Potpourri to Sri Nagesh Sidhanti and his wife Smt. Malavika Sidhanti contributors of this recipe.

Few other recipes you may view in this blog:
Gulipaavate
Banana Fritters
Wheat Flour Halwa
Bun Gulkand Sandwich
Mixed Veg Tikki
Hum Paanch Lime Pickle
Red Rice Laddoos
Menthyada Hittu (Spicy Fenugreek Powder)

BUN GULKAND SANDWICH


A delightfully delicious sandwich that can be done in a jiffy. “Gulkand” also called “Rose Petal Jam”, is a rose petal preserve and an Indian traditional recipe. It derives its earthy sweetness by preserving crushed rose petals along with sugar powder in a glass jar kept under sunlight for a few days. Consuming it has multiple medicinal benefits. Gulkand with its cooling properties alleviates heat related problems like tiredness, lethargy etc. It is also used for treating acidity, body odour, excessive perspiration. List of benefits are much more.

Dish Type: Quick  Snack
Time required: 5 mts
Serves: 1 person

Ingredients
Bun                              1 no.
Butter                          2 tsp
Gulkand                       2 tsp
Spicy Groundnuts         2 tsp

Directions
Slice bun into half horizontally.
Spread butter on to each cut side.
You can also spread butter mildly on the outer brown side also if you wish to toast it (optional).
Just a mild gentle toast will do.
Now spread gulkand evenly over the butter. Leave little space from the edges.
Sprinkle Masala Peanuts over one of them above gulkand. Top it by covering with the other half portion of bun.
Gulkand sandwich is now ready.

Tete – a - Tete
Bun can either be sweet or spicy variety. I generally use the spicy one since gulkand by itself is sweet.
Masala peanuts are easily and readily available in bakeries and condiment stores. To view recipe in this blog, click Masala Peanuts (Congress Kadlekai)
Gulkand made of Rose petals mixed with Dry Fruits and Cow Ghee is a very tasty and healthy variety of Gulkand readily available in Organic shops.




DHIDEER CHAKKLI

Aaaa….uuuu…hmmm…..
Thaka dhimi thaka dhimi thaka dhimi thai…. dhiththai…hoy, hoy watta jaai it is to watch my dolly Veena jolly well dance with her best foot forward…haa fine….but why skip her repast when lunch time is well past and make me too spin in spiral to her steps” wonders Amma of Veena. Frowning Veena stops dancing n starts singing….
“MmmmMaa, if you are happy n you know it, stomp your feet, tup tup tup….If you are happy n you know it, cook me a treat, chukchukchakk…”
Chakachuk in Ma springs an idea. She quickly thinks of a trick to woo her daughter. Off she speedsteps to the kitchen just like light, speedier than a deer and dhideer she returns well before sun is down with a munch that spirals round n round, looks spiky like and brown….showered even by a toddler with a kind of love that lasts till he/she is grown n called by all as older. Now we know why these spirally, spiky, yummiekkus tanned goldie brown forever remain Joyalukkus of the Town.

Ma ends up singing to her dearie “When you are happy with the murukkus and you’ve munched it, arre re ….shout out a Hurray le!

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetarian Rice Variety
Time required:  30 min approx.
Yield:  20 pieces approx.

Ingredients
For dough:
Rice flour                    750 gms
Roasted gram             250 gms
Salt to taste                 1 tsp approx.
Asafoetida                   A pinch
Til seeds                      A fistful (dry roasted)
Cumin seeds                1 tsp (optional)
Butter                          1 scoop (lemon size)
Oil                               as required for deep frying

Directions
Finely powder roasted gram. To this add all other ingredients listed above except oil till it forms a dough (add minimum quantity of water required). Knead this dough thoroughly. Fill this into the gadget used for making chakklis.
Heat oil in a kadai. Let oil quantity be enough to fry about 2 or 3 chakklis at a time. Press the chakkli gadget filled with dough on to this heated oil in slow and circular motion. Repeat this 2 or 3 times so that there are 2 or 3 chakklis frying in the oil. If the dough gets over in the gadget refill it with more dough and continue pressing.
While chakklis are frying, flip them using a ladle so that the other side is also fried. When the chakklis turn golden brown in colour, remove them and place them on a plate topped by a tissue paper. This is done so that excess oil in the chakklis get sucked by the paper.
Repeat the procedure for rest of the dough.
Tasty chakklis are now ready and tempting you…right?

Tete - a - Tete:
If butter quantity is in excess, chakklis tend to break
Another method of making dough was shared by Smt. Gayathri, a friend of mine. Soak 1 cup of urad dal overnight. Grind it to a fine, smooth paste. To this add 2 cups of rice flour and all other ingredients listed above and mix them well to make smooth dough. Rest of the procedure remains the same as above.
Another variation in ingredients used for the dough as told to me by Smt. Krishnaveni, cook from my neighbourhood is to add equal quantities of besan and rice flour. Add other ingredients as listed above to make dough.
Recipe Contributor: Smt. Nagarathnamma, an expert cook and mother of my dear friend Smt. Veena Vani


Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog  
You may also view in this blog:
Few other Snack Recipes


Tuesday 7 February 2017

Sabsige Soppina Kootu (Dill Leaves Sambar)

Kill Dill Kill Dill…..armed with an axe, many hard “dil”led men are all out to slay this soppu.
Oh men, please pause. Why kill them when they help your Lady Love during nursing and menopause?

Excellent for lactating mothers, playing vital role in reducing bone loss, these leaves of Dill that grow in a plant less than 2’ tall look feathery n fernlike, which when cooked turn crispy n strandlike. Striking feature is its texture that’s soft n rich, aroma arising out of it..aah ha… as pleasant as anise. Spicy seeds of this, that look n taste pretty similar to caraway are a great takeaway, for, though they taste slightly bitterly, it’s their distinct sweety flavour that favours us instantly. 
Come Oh men n women, let’s greet these greens right below. They are waiting to dish.hum us back with a super traditional uber tasty treat that straightdrives us to a total retreat.
So what if the weather is cold n cloudy…do we have to turn glum n gloomy? Not really...let’s simply rush to the kitchen and cook this Kootu! Why wait when it can warm our body when cold and lift us up when moody. Simply spiced with strong smelling pepper corns, it’s an uber comfort recipe with super medicinal values. Being a tad bit thicker than sambar, tad more watery than curry, showering its love for us with a healthy taste derived by grinding a spicy paste, tempting us to fallback on it for cooking, even when in a hurry.

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetable Stew
Time taken:  40 min
Serves:  4 persons


Ingredients

For pressure cooking:
Tur dal                         50 gms
Water                         250 ml
Turmeric powder        A pinch
Ghee                          A drop
Dill leaves                   1 bunch

For grinding:
Black gram dal            1 tsp (dry fry)
Coriander seeds          1 tsp (dry fry)
Cinnamon                    ½” pc 1 no. (dry fry)
Pepper corns               1 tsp (dry fry)
Khus Khus                   ½  tsp (dry fry)
Asafoetida                   A pinch (dry fry)
Raw grated coconut    3 tsps
Rasam powder            3 tsps approx. (adjust to suit your taste)

While  boiling
Salt to taste                 3 ½ tsps approx. (3 tsps at the start of boiling + ½ tsp when you add ground masala)
Water                          500 ml

For seasoning:
Ghee                           1 tsp
Mustard seeds             ½ tsp
Red chillies                  2 nos.
Curry leaves                1 sprig
Asafoetida                   A pinch

Directions
Wash dal with water, drain and keep aside.
Pluck Dill leaves along with its ‘tender’ stalks (discard roots and long thick stalks). Wash them thoroughly in water. Keep aside in a colander for water to drain out. Chop them fine.
Cook dal in a pressure cooker along with chopped Dill leaves, water, turmeric powder and a dash of ghee.

While dill and dal are being cooked…
You can do dry frying. Heat a medium sized kadai. Now start dry frying ingredients listed under “For grinding” one after another separately and keep transferring each of them to a plate. Let them cool thoroughly.
Grind the dry fried ingredients. Add rasam powder, raw grated coconut and water just enough to get chutney consistency. Add this ground masala to the cooked dal and vegetables. Also add ½ tsp of salt and water as required. Boil for about 10 min. Did you get the fragrant flavour of kootu? Yesss….now is the right time to get ready for seasoning.
For this, heat ghee in a small skillet. Put mustard seeds. When they crackle put broken red chillies and switch off the flame. Add asafoetida. Immediately pour it on to the boiling kootu.

Garnish it with thoroughly washed and chopped fresh coriander leaves.
Sabsige Soppina Kootu (Dill Leaves Kootu) is now ready.

Tete – a - Tete:
This type of Kootu (a kind of Sambar) can be made using other green varieties like Spinach, Mountain Spinach (Chakotha Soppu), Malabar Spinach (Basale soppu) and Amaranth (Dantu, Harive)
Apart from greens , other vegetables (except Brinjal and Lady’s finger) may also be used.
Kootu, defined in generic term is a variety of Sambar. Key difference however lies in spice and consistency. It is generally prepared thicker than sambar. Tamarind is not used in “traditional style” of preparing Kootu. 
Recipe contributed by nonagenarian and expert cook  Smt. Lalithamma Ramamurthy

SANDIGE HULI (Sambar Variety without vegetables)


Dekho dekho….baar baar dekho, hazaar baar dekho, dubara dubara dekho. Bas bas, ruko…no matter how many times be your dekho at this dish, baar baar you will sign off with a mile of smile! Here’s a sample of an example. Listen to this conversation between a Da and a Dude. Says Dude “Hey ….see this sambar, Da” Replies Da “Ouii, today’s Sambar dolloped by many an ‘Unde’ (balls of ground dal) looks deliciously different Dude” Now listen to this duel between a duo “Oho spousie, don’t be fussy, this dish begs to differ. Come on, it’s not the same old sambar I keep cooking hazaar baar yaar”!

Come “Wedding Week” in some South Indian samsaraas (families), first dish that’s listed on priority in the menu especially on Devarasamaradhane (first festive event prior to actual wedding ceremony that involves offering prayers to the family diety) is the Total Traditional Sandige Huli.

“Sandige” typically is a common summer condiment which when fried, finds itself firmly footed in the “Fryum” fraternity. But the “Sandige” prepared for this rare recipe called “Sandige Huli”, sorts itself out to a different breed, that is ground out raw, rolled as balls of dal and dunked into boiling sambar (needs neither steaming nor sautéing leave alone frying!). While boiling, do your usual rounds in the kitchen for other chores. Come back quick to have fun watching the balls too doing their rounds floating, leaving the liquid boiling right below these fearless, fryless Sandiges.

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetable Stew
Time required:  25 min approx.
Serves:  5 persons

Ingredients

For grinding:
Tur dhal                       125 gms
Rice                             1 tbsp
Red chillies                  4 to 5 nos.
Raw coconut grated    2 tbsps
Asafoetida                   A pinch
Salt to taste                 1 tsp approx.
Coriander leaves         1 tbsp (chopped)

For boiling:
Water                          1000 ml approx.
Rasam powder            2 tsps
Tamarind paste           extract from a small lime size ball
Jaggery                        2 tbsps (coarsely powdered)

For seasoning:
Ghee                            1 tsp 
Mustard seeds              1/2 tsp 
Asafoetida                   A pinch (if you have forgotten to use it while grinding! J )
Curry leaves                1 small sprig

For garnishing
Coriander leaves         1 tsp (chopped) 

Directions
Wash tur dal and rice with water, drain out the water completely. Using just enough fresh water, soak them together for about 30 min. Grind them along with red chillies, raw coconut, asafoetida, salt and coriander leaves. To achieve perfect consistency, grind them to a smooth consistency using minimum water, just enough to be able to make firm balls out of them.
Transfer the ground mixture from mixie to another bowl. Make balls out of this mixture and keep aside. Grind remnants in the mixie to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
Add tamarind extract, salt and rasam powder to water and let this boil. While boiling, add those balls into it in raw state itself (no need to steam them). Drop them one by one slowly. As you drop them, you will see each of these balls rising up to the surface. Once you are done dropping all the balls, add the ground paste which you had kept aside. Let boiling continue for few mins. more. Sambar by now would have thickened to gojju (sauce like) consistency.
Now is the time for seasoning…
For this, heat ghee in a small skillet. Put mustard seeds. When they crackle put broken red chillies (optional), curry leaves and switch off the flame. Add asafoetida. Immediately pour it on to the boiling sambar.
Garnish it with thoroughly washed and chopped fresh coriander leaves.
Sandige Huli is now ready.

Tete - a - Tete:
Quantity of tamarind extract depends on your taste.
If consistency of dal/rice ground mix is perfect, they will float on top and not crumble inside the Huli. If they crumble, it will result in a much thicker, gravier sambar than the ideal gojju kind.
As Smt. Vijaya Murthy says, Madras sambar podi (which is devoid of cinnamon) can also be used in place of rasam powder. Thanks Vijaya Murthy for your input
Variation: Sandige balls can be steamed in pressure cooker for about 10 to 15 min. and the steamed sandiges can then be dropped in to sambar just before serving. These steamed balls are more commonly known as “Nuchina Unde” in Karnataka cuisine. Nuchina Unde can also be used as a stand alone all time dish to be served as a healthy snack or during breakfast, lunch or dinner. However, for Nuchina Unde, the dal mixture is ground to a coarse consistency.
Tur dal is also known as pigeon pea

Recipe contributed by Smt. Nagarathnamma, expert cook and mother of my dear friend Smt. Veena Vani Jodidar