Doddapatre Thambuli (Spicy Yogurt with Coleus)

Cold, cough, sore throat, congestion, indigestion…oho!....then no more procrastination! Off to our gardens, let’s pluck them…and be back soon….Doddapatre leaves, fresh from my garden…those succulent, strong scented (has the aroma of oregano but a bit more pungent), thick, roundish, spongy, green foliage with toothed edges from an evergreen shrub that grows and spreads so easily even in gentle weather.

Pluck a leaf or two, boil them in hot water and sip the decoction (kashaya) when you feel sick especially with common cold or abdominal ailments. Wanna add a drop of honey and lime for that zing thing….yes please!

Even as I am chatting with you….

Mangala’s Potluck is ready to serve you Doddapatre Thambuli fresh from its kitchen. Thambuli, a simple yogurt and fresh coconut based preparation, cool dish ideal for hot summers, so healthy n tasty, so lovingly prepared and sweetly served by moms, yet so easily turned down by kids, only to realise later in life….”Well, it’s our turn now to be turned down by our kids”!!! 

Dish Type:  South Indian Side Dish

Time required:  10 min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients                 

For sautéing:

Ghee                            ½ tsp
Cumin seeds                ½ tsp

Pepper corns               ½ tsp (5 to 6 nos.)

Doddapatre leaves      12 nos.

For grinding:

All the above sautéed ingredients

Salt to taste                      ½ tsp

Fresh grated coconut       1 tbsp

Jaggery                            1 tsp (optional)

Curd                                1 cup

For seasoning:

Ghee                            ½ tsp

Mustard seeds              ½ tsp

Urad dal                      ½ tsp

Curry leaves                4 to 6 nos.

Green chilli                   1 no.

Red chilli                      1 no. (split to half or a tad smaller, optional)

Directions:

Wash doddapatre leaves thoroughly in salt water. Drain out the water and keep the leaves aside. Wash curry leaves also and keep aside.

Grate fresh coconut and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a skillet. Add cumin seeds and pepper corns. When jeera turns brown, add washed doddapatre leaves. Sauté them on low flame for 3 to 4 min. till you see the leaves wilting, watering and changing colour. Switch off the flame and transfer the contents to a plate. Let it cool.

Now added grated fresh coconut and salt to this plate. Grind them in a mixie jar using minimum amount of water to a paste consistency. Transfer the contents to a bowl and now add fresh curd / buttermilk and blend them well with a spoon. It’s time to do seasoning….

Heat ghee in a small skillet. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, green chilli (slit), red chilli and curry leaves (in that order). Fry for five seconds. Switch off the flame. Pour this seasoning on to the bowl.

Doddapatre Thambuli is now ready. Serve it cool with hot steaming rice, pickle and papad.

Tete a Tete:

Leaves can even be chopped to smaller size before sautéing.

You can use pepper corns / green chillies or a combination of both for the spicy taste.

Asafoetida is not required for Doddapatre Thambuli

Doddapatre leaves can be just chewed after a mild n gentle wash along with a pinch of pepper n salt. Good for cough n sore throat. Great stuff gifted by Mother Nature! 
Doddapatre is also used for making Bhajji, Pathrode. 
Grind few leaves of Doddapatre along with Thulasi (Basil), Hibiscus leaves, Curry leaves and soaked methi seeds and use it as a pack for conditioning your hair.

Coleus Aromaticus, Plectranthus Amboinicus, Cuban Oregano, Country Borage, French Thyme, Spanish Thyme, Mexican Thyme, Mother of Herbs, Saviara Sambara, Sambrani soppu, Sambara balli, Karpooravalli, Pattharchur and Ajwain are a few other terms used to describe Doddapatre leaves.

Recipe contributed by Smt. Mankali, a septauagenarian lady and an expert cook from Idagunji Taluk, Karnataka State.

Other recipes contributed by Smt. Mankali
Beetroot Gojju (Sauce)

Brahmi leaves Yogurt Sauce (Ondelaga Thambuli)

Cucumber Dosa

Banana Fritters / Yeridevu

Other Curd Recipes in this blog:
Ondelaga Thambuli (Spicy Yogurt with Brahmi leaves)
Hasi Majjige Huli (Veg Sambar using Yogurt)

                        

Pulgura (Huli Soppu) Greens Chutney

A typical Andhra tangy curry – when cooked with “love-lies-bleeding” can leave one with a trickly, tickling feeling. Called as curry and ground like chutney, this spicy spotlight sure drives away one’s apathy when teamed with steamed rice, roti or chapathi.

“Love-lies-bleeding” is a red variety leafy veggie and known as fox tail amaranth. Can’t find them…oh, don’t turn red. Pluck those green leaves (Dantina Soppu in kannada), a bunch will do. Done? Now off to the kitchen….for great health to drop on to your plate!   

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetable Curry

Time: 20 min

Serves:  5 persons

Ingredients

For boiling

Amaranth leaves         1 big bunch (Dantina soppu)

Tamarind paste           1 tsp (or tamarind 1 small lime size)

Green chillies              3 nos.

Salt to taste                 2 tsps approx. (put at the end stage)

For dry frying:

Methi seeds                1 sp

Cumin seeds                2 tsps  

Asafoetida                   A pinch

For seasoning:

Oil                               1 tsp

Mustard seeds              ½ tsp 

Curry leaves                Few (optional)

Asafoetida                   A pinch (if you forget to put while frying)

Directions

Wash dantina soppu with water, drain and keep aside.

Saute the chopped amaranth leaves in a vessel along with salt and tamarind for about 10 min. till the soppu turns just soft. (Do not overboil)

While vegetable is boiling….

Heat a medium sized kadai. Dry fry ingredients listed above one after another separately and keep transferring each of them to a plate. Let them cool. Grind this to a fine powder. Transfer the powder to a small container leaving behind a tsp of powder in the mixie. To this add the cooked vegetable and grind to chutney 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 and curry leaves (both are optional) and switch off the flame. Add asafoetida. Immediately pour it on to huli soppu.

Pulgura is now ready.

Tete a Tete: 

Pulgura can also be prepared using Ridge Gourd (Heerekayi), Egg Plant (Badanekaayi)
If you are short of time for grinding, here's a short cut: Add cumin powder, methi powder and asafoetida powder while seasoning.

Juice of Amaranth leaves helps treat diarrhea, haemorrhage, hair loss and premature greying, makes a great wash for skin that suffers from eczema and acne.

Recipe Contributor: Smt. Lalithamma Ramamurthy, a nonagenarian lady and an expert cook, mother of Sri. Sheshadri Mokshagundam
Few other recipes contributed by Smt. Lalithamma:
Vangibath Powder
Rasam Powder
Sambar Powder
Greens Chutney (Pulgura)
Citron Lime Sauce (Heralekayi Gojju)
Hasi Majjige Huli (Sambar variety using yogurt)

Tamarind Rice (Puliyogare / Hulianna)

Hey, come come, let’s review “Lunch Box”. Ondu nimisha (just a minute) )….you mean I meant that 2013 Bollywallah box? Oho….so sorry. We Archies (as we Architecture classmates fondly call ourselves) are boasting about the Bygone Box of our Ancient Architectural Class(ic) Era of 1981 !!

It’s not for nothing that we Archies often recall those historic lunch times during our college days. At the first tong of lunch bell, we hungry Archietots would run and quickly sit encircled on the lush green lawns of our campus courtyard. Amidst the many lunch boxes that quickly hovered in the centre for everyone to taste a spoonful of the others, there was “That One Box” which all of us would cast eyes on, pretty much like the most wanted winning card, one waits to grab in a game of cards. And the moment it landed, lo! the circle would suddenly morph itself into one long serpentine, yes a queue literally! to taste that much awaited dish in the dabba, so much so that often it’s “owner” Arati had to return home hungry. Realising her weeping daughter’s pitiable plight, Aunty started sending 2 dabbas, one for her dear daughter and another for us. 

After all, weren’t we too equal dearies of Aunty? We would promptly empty the dabba she used to send for us and as a kind gesture to thank Aunty, (not Arati :)) we would leave a few morsels for Arati (our return gift! J) hoping they can serve as tissues to wipe her tears!

This spicy, tangy , tasty dish commonly called as Hulianna derives its taste chiefly from “Tamarind” a major ingredient, yet not without its interplay with a whole lot of other spices. Sum of these spices equals a rich and complex flavour.

Famous as “prasadam” in temples and at home during festive occasions, Hulianna is the first dish that comes to our mind as a comfy takeaway during travel times or a quick recipe to fill early morning lunch boxes.  Gojju that is used to mix with rice for making this super dish can be prepared and stored in fridge for months!

Right below is a Perrfffect  Recipe of that much awaited dish - HULIANNA 

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetarian Rice Variety

Time required:  45 min (approx.)

Serves:  6 to 8 persons

Ingredients

To prepare Tamarind paste (wet):

Tamarind - 1/2 kg

Jaggery - 300 gm approx.  (powdered)

Oil - 1 cup (say 150 ml)

Salt to taste

Soak tamarind in just enough water (to cover tamarind) for an hour or so. Squeeze (and sieve if required) to extract thick paste.  Add jaggery, oil and salt. Boil for 20-30 min until thick and water evaporates.

To prepare Dry powder -1:

Red chillies                       1/2 kg (byadagi variety)

Corriander seeds             1/2 kg

Methi seeds                     100 gm

Jeera                               150 gm 

Mustard seeds                 100 gm

Black pepper                     50 gm

Roast chillies and pepper separately in a little oil (1 tbsp approx. )  Dry roast all other ingredients separately. Grind all to a smooth powder.  Add this powder to tamarind-jaggery paste.  

To prepare Dry powders-2:

Sesame                              150gm

Khuskhus                           100 gm

Black pepper                       50 gm

Dry roast sesame and khuskhus separately and grind to powder.  Roast pepper in a little oil and grind to powder. 

Other ingredients:

Dry copra                           1 no. (grated and powdered)

Asafoetida                          1 tsp

Turmeric                             1 tsp

Curry leaves                       1 bunch

Add dry powders-2 and all other ingredients to tamarind-jaggery paste and mix well.  Store this paste / gojju in an air tight ceramic or glass container.  

To prepare Hulianna:

Cook 1 cup (250 gms approx.) raw rice using 2 cups of water. When the pressure is reduced completely, remove cooked rice from the cooker and spread it on a plate. Let it cool. Now add salt as per your taste (2 tsps approx.) and 1 to 2 tbspns (approx.) tamarind paste to the cooked rice (quantity of paste to be used depends on your taste).  Mix well.

Its time now to prepare seasoning….Heat 3 tbsp oil and add 1 tsp of black mustard seeds.  When they splutter add 1 tbsp of peanuts and fry for a couple of minutes.  Add a pinch of asafoetida, 4 or 5 dry red chillies and a sprig of curry leaves.  Add this seasoning to rice mixture.  Mix well.

Hulianna is ready! Dear readers, It’s your turn now to enjoy!!

Tete – a – Tete

Tamarind is a powerful laxative for chronic constipation. How ironic that it is considered equally effective in treating chronic diarrhea too! Thiamine, a vital part of the vitamin family that helps improve nerve function is largely present in tamarind. 

A pod of tamarind when chewed can help overcome nausea and morning sickness.

Tamarind pulp can be used to lighten skin tone and brighten brassware.

Tamarind is known as “Imli” in Hindi, “Amli” in Gujarati, “Hunase” in Kannada, “Chintapandu” in Telugu, the list goes on…..!

Hulianna is also known by other terms like “Puliyogare”, “Gojjina Chitranna”, Huli Chitranna, Hunase Huli Chitranna and Tamarind Rice

Recipe contributed by by Smt. Pramila, Aunty of us - Archies and mother of my dear friend Arati
Rangaswamy. 

To read my poem penned for Arati, click link In search of an Archie

Akki Thari Upma (Broken Rice Uppittu)

Arise, awake, up…up…up Ma! Make your mark by cooking this….

Dish with a difference! This uppittish dish is just like you Ma. Wow…for its feel of fresh green charm and old world charisma. And like you, this dish too plays pranks Ma. Starts with seasoning saying it is Upma and ends up steaming out like an Idli…hee hee. Made out of Akki Thari….so don’t you worry. 

“Bapa” my father held an unbeatable record amngst our kith n kin of having nothing but “Uppittu” or “Upma” for breakfast all through his 4+ decades of service. A slight deviation from this rule, if at all permitted, during his lighter, brighter moods was “Avalakki”, so much so that, my mom would mumly experiment endlessly with Uppittus of several kinds.

 My joy knew no bounds in 1977 or so, when I, the handpicked one amongst v4 sibs, accompanied my father, an avid movie buff, to watch my first ever Hindi film “Amar Akbar Anthony”at Kapali Theatre. I barely understood the story, yet I enjoyed the movie. For the first time ever, if I remember right, I was the privileged one to be taken to a restaurant, when then, watching movie and going to a restaurant or two (“Vidyarthi Bhavan” or “Dwarka Hotel”) was almost always a “Housefull Family” event. When I shared about this “Away Alone with Bapa” with the rest of my family, they asked me wide eyed “What did Bapa buy for you?” The proud me declared “Khara Bhaath” only to be bullied by my brothers back home “Ayyo dinaaglu thinno uppittu, ashtenaa?!!”. My overjoy toppled with a tear or two. How tasteless I was about taste and how ignorant I was about cooking! That timeless, endless JOY however remains evergreen!

One of those Uppittu experiments by Amma done under the able guidance of my Bapa was “Akki Thari Upma”. Read down for Recipe.

Dish Type:  South Indian Rice Variety

Cooking time: 30  to 40 min

Serves:  8 to 10 persons

Ingredients

Oil                                   50 ml

Mustard seeds                 ½ tsp

Cumin seeds                    ½ tsp

Pepper corns                   ½ tsp (coarsely crushed)

Green chilli                      4 nos. (slit)

Curry leaves                    1 sprig

Ginger                             ½” pc (grated)

Turmeric pwd                 A pinch

Broken Rice                    500 gms

Salt to taste                     1 tsp approx.

Cooked avarekaalu         (optional)

For garnishing:

Raw coconut                  ½ coconut (grated)

Coriander leaves            1 cup (fresh and fine chopped) 

Directions:

Wash green chillies, curry leaves, coriander leaves and ginger. Drain out the water. Chop, grate or split them as mentioned above (under “Ingredients”). Keep them aside.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add cumin seeds and crushed pepper corns. When they splutter, add slit green chillies, grated ginger and coarsely chopped curry leaves, salt  and turmeric powder. Now add broken rice and fry them together for 6 to 8 min. Add grated coconut. (If using cooked avarekaalu, add them at this stage along with the water used for cooking.)  If not add 500 ml of boiled water.  Mix well. Adjust the quantity of water and salt at this stage. If more water is required, then add more boiling water as required. Add fine chopped fresh coriander leaves. Mix well. Switch off the flame.

Shape them into balls with your hands made damp for making each ball. Arrange them on a greased plate and steam them in pressure cooker like idlis for about 10 min.

Switch off the flame. Let it cool a bit.

Akki Thari Upma is now ready. Serve this with a dash of ghee.

Choice of side dish: Urad Dal Chutney, Coconut chutney, Green Chillies Gojju, Hasi Majjige Huli.

Tete a Tete:

To make broken rice, wash rice thoroughly with water.Drain out the water completely. Dry the washed rice in shade by spreading it on a thin clean cloth. It takes 4 to 6 hours or more depending on the weather. Grind the dried rice coarsely to rava consistency. Or.

Soak the washed rice in curd (quantity just enough to cover the rice) for 15 to 20 min. and then grind.

Rice Rawa need not be roasted like Upma Rava. If Idli Rawa is used, upma becomes a bit sticky.

A handful of Tur dal can also be powdered and added along with broken rice.

Recipe Contributor: My sis Shyla H Rao on behalf of our dear mother Late Smt. Indira J Rao (Kaveri) 

 

Also view: Cucumber Dosa Gulipaavate
Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog 

Cucumber Dosa (using Mangaluru Southekaayi)

Feeling thirsty or hungry….oh both is it?…so sorry, don’t get angry! Why not have this….yeah it’s not a broth….but something that you can almost swallow down that shallow pipe called oh…eeh…yess got it…oesophagus!” Ha…now I see you smiling. For, with this dish, you can “grind” your water and eat it too! While the water is grinding, let me share my poem in praise of “Mangalore Southekaayi” – click  Hu hoo, Cu Coo, Cucumber

Read down for Recipe - Cucumber Dosa

Dish type: South Indian Breakfast Dish

Soaking time:  5 to 6 hours

Grinding time: 10 to 15 min

Yield: 10 nos. approx.

Ingredients   (for preparing batter)               

Rice                             250 gms

Methi seeds                1 tsp

Raw grated coconut    ¼  fresh coconut

Cucumber                   250 gms (measure after chopping it fine)

Salt                              1 tsp approx.

Directions

Soak rice and methi seeds together for about 5 to 6 hours with just enough water required to soak. Drain the water after soaking time is over. Save this water in case more water is needed for batter later.

Wash Cucumber (Mangaluru variety), peel the skin and chop cucumber fine. Grate raw coconut.

Grind the soaked n drained rice and methi seeds along with fine chopped cucumber, raw grated coconut and salt in grinder or mixie. Stir the batter at intervals.

The batter keeps sticking to the sides of the grinder/mixie. Keep clearing the sides off the batter by pushing the batter towards the centre.

Let the grinding continue till the texture of batter becomes smooth with a flowing, buttermilk like consistency. To test the consistency, dip a spoon in the batter. If the spoon has a thick coating of the batter, then more water has to be added. If required, use the drained water that you saved earlier. Transfer it to a vessel.

Cucumber Dosa Batter is now ready. This batter doesn’t need fermenting and can be used immediately.

To prepare dosa….

Heat a greased tawa (preferably iron) on high flame. Sprinkle few drops of water on the hot tawa. It should sizzle. Now reduce the flame to low.

Mix the batter thoroughly with a ladle. Do this for every dosa. Pour a ladleful of batter on the tawa in circular fashion starting from the outer sides of tawa towards the centre.  Actually, the batter flows by itself towards the centre. Fill big holes if any with the batter. Let tiny holes remain. No need to add oil, unlike many other types of dosas.

Cover it with a lid. Turn the flame to medium and cook the dosa for a few seconds. Cucumber Dosa cooks quite fast and doesn’t turn brown. So, make sure dosa is not overcooked expecting it to turn brown. When the top layer appears no longer raw and looks cooked, lift the sides by sliding a flat spatula from beneath. No need to flip the dosa to cook the other side. Fold the dosa into half and again into half to form a triangle. Place it on a platter of size bigger than the size of the dosa you prepared. Wipe the tawa clean, before making the next dosa.

When you continue to prepare more Cucumber Dosas, place them away from each other, since they tend to stick to each other when hot. Once cool, they can be placed one above the other in a covered bowl and served warm later. A fully cooked Cucumber Dosa will have a rich white colour.  

Serve it steaming hot or cool, with coconut chutney, peanut chutney, ginger chutney, sambar, pickle, onion tomato curry or jaggery-coconut mix.

Tete-a-Tete

Cucumber dosa batter can be refrigerated. Before using, thaw it to room temperature. Also you will see a layer of water on top and the batter settled below. Discard this layer of water and add fresh water (it should be at room temperature). Mix thoroughly and if required, do add a pinch of salt.

Ideally, Cucumber Dosa boasts of a rich white complexion.

Cucumber is known as “Southekaayi” in Kannada, “Dosakaayi” in Telugu, “Vellari” in Tamil, “Kheera” in Hindi

Recipe Courtesy: Smt. Mankali, a septuagenarian lady from Idagunji Taluk and an expert cook.

Other Recipes contributed by Smt. Mankali:
Beetroot Gojju (Sauce)
Brahmi leaves Yogurt Sauce (Ondelaga Thambuli)
Banana Fritters / Yeridevu
Spicy Yogurt with Coleus (Doddapatre Thambuli)


Also view:
Akki Thari Upma (Broken Rice Upma)
Black Grapes Gojju
Heralekaayi Gojju (Citron Lime Sauce)
Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog 

Black Grapes Gojju (Sauce)

DEE paavali…days are round the corner. Time to brush up some easy, breezy recipes to help our loved ones cook up a smile in admiration of our creation! While a sweety, soury saucy side dish is cooking up in my mind, let me share a short story.

How about recalling “Grapes Tales”? Oh no….not the bedtime moral kind. That sounds sleepy n soury. Prefer something sweet n nice that makes the story spicy. How about a fairy story that starts like this….Grapevine has it that….Oh so juicy! Let me resume…

Imagine you n I are dreaming of returning home with a Queen! Right in the middle of a warm, sheltered sunny site, we find a bunch of berries, deep bluish black in colour, called “Queen of Fruits”. Try tasting one of them. It is unique in its taste n flavour. Let’s savour. A board up there reads “Pluck them please, your appetite, they shall appease”. Wow, hurry…let’s waste no time. Each one pluck one, fist size bunch will do….All of Queens, mind you! Oh my…can’t believe, our dream has turned so sweet n true! Off now tothe recipe below for a spicy Black Grapes Gojju recipe. Thanks a bunch to my dear octagenarian sodaratthe Smt. Ahalya Bai for sharing this splendid saucy delicacy.

Dish type: South Indian Side Dish

Time required: 10 min

Ingredients

For boiling:

Black grapes             100 gms (seedless variety and sweet to taste)

Tamarind                  1 piece (small gooseberry size ball)

Chilli powder            2 tsps

Salt to taste              1 tsp approx.

Jaggery                     3 tbsps approx. (powdered)

For seasoning:

Oil                            2 tsps

Mustard seeds          1 tsp

Cumin seeds             1 tsp

Asafoetida                A pinch

Turmeric                   A pinch

Curry leaves             Few (optional)

Directions

Soak tamarind in a small cup of water for 10 to 15 min. Squeeze thoroughly and sieve the juice.

Heat a kadai with a tsp of oil. Put the ingredients mentioned under “for seasoning” in the same order as listed. Stir them. Put thoroughly washed black seedless sweet grapes. Keep stirring for a few seconds. Now add dilute tamarind juice, salt, chilli powder and jaggery. Stir and let it boil for a few min. till they all merge together. Switch off the flame. When it cools, you can see this Gojju looking jam-like.

Black Grapes Gojju is now ready.

Tete a Tete

Important: Precise quantity of tamarind and jaggery to be used depends on the taste of grapes and also one’s individual preference.

Tamarind paste may also be used instead of soaking tamarind pods in water. Add water to the paste and mix thoroughly to get diluted tamarind juice.

Black grapes are supposed to be the best bet for eyesight. They also lengthen, strengthen and straighten our hair, good for indigestion, help maintain a healthy glowing skin, help battle tussles with our tresses by keeping them long and healthy.

Recipe contributor: My dear octogenarian aunt and expert cook, Smt. Ahalya Bai.

Other Gojju (Sauce) recipes:
Beetroot Gojju
Heralekaayi Gojju (Citron Lime Sauce)
Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog 

Beetroot Gojju (Sauce)

Roundish root, deep pink flesh, purplish skin. Wow, whatta vibrant colour! Hmmm … earthy flavour. Looks pretty rich, tastes so sweet. Suits best for dishes that are sweety n savoury. Close comrade of spinach and a cousin of chard, called by the name of Beetroot. Pluck them raw, root intact with their stalks, fresh n green, and not wilting. Cut the stalks and use the root, it is sweet. Stalks are bitter. But for good health they are better, for they are rich in calcium, iron, vitamins A and C. Cook them too and enjoy just like you do with spinach.

Recipe: Beetroot Gojju - using the bulb of beet.

Dish Type:  Side Dish

Time required:  20 min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

For boiling:

Water                          200 ml

Beetroot                      1 no. (small size)

Pepper corns               ½ tsp

Tamarind paste           ¼ tsp

Salt to taste                 ½ tsp (approx..)

For grinding:

Raw coconut grated    ½ cup + ingredients listed                                         above

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds             ½  tsp

Black gram                  1 tsp

Cumin seeds                ½  tsp

Red chillies                  2 nos.

Directions

Wash beetroot, peel the skin and grate it.  Boil the grated beetroot along with water, tamarind paste, pepper corns and salt for about 10 min. Drain out the water and let the vegetable cool. Store the drained water in a container and reuse it the same day for making soup, sambar, rasam etc.

Grind the above boiled vegetable with raw grated coconut to a smooth consistency. Use the drained water if required. Transfer it to a bowl.

Now is the time for seasoning.

Heat oil in a small skillet. When oil is heated, add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add black gram dal, cumin seeds and broken red chillies. Switch off the burner. Immediately add asafoetida (optional) and pour it over the gojju (sauce)

Beetroot Gojju is now ready.

Tete - a – Tete

Black gram dal, Red chillies and asafoetida can be dry fried, ground with raw grated coconut and boiled beetroot mix. To this you can add seasoning that includes only mustard seeds and/or  cumin seeds.

Recipe contributed by Smt. Mankali, a septuagenarian lady and an expert cook from Idagunji Taluk, Karnataka

Other recipes contributed by Smt. Mankali
Banana Fritters / Yeridevu
Brahmi leaves Yogurt Sauce (Ondelaga Thambuli)
Cucumber Dosa
Spicy Yogurt with Coleus (Doddapatre Thambuli)

Other Gojju (Sauce) recipes in this blog:
Heralekaayi Gojju (Citron Lime Sauce)
Black Grapes Gojju

Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog 

Mangala's Potluck

Namasthe

Welcome to Mangala’s Potluck – a space in my blog where you can reach out to a range of Easy Recipes. For lazy ones like me and busy ones like you, to refer to, during our prime time, Mangala’s Potluck suits us all fine. It is also a place where the reader (as the meaning of potluck implies) “takes a chance that whichever recipe that is posted here will prove to be good, better or the best.” Reason: They are THE Recipes... Tasty Healthy Easy

Recipes posted here are those contributed by my kith n kin n yeh…me too! (for, by hook or crook, I too have earned the title of a cook!) They are centered chiefly around traditional vegetarian Indian cuisines, practised by generations from yester years. 

Recipe contributors take up the tall task of  "telling me the recipes", while I don a few small roles… recipe writer, cook…er, click…er , editor n ye, post….er! J

Step in, savour these recipes and devour those dishes.

First recipe posted in this section: Gulpaavate (Quick version) on Sept. 4th, 2016

Contributors so far:
Smt. Shyla H Rao
Smt. Lalithamma Ramamurthy
Smt. Mankali
Smt. Sreeja M
Smt. Ahalya Bai
Smt. Pramila
Smt. Anjana Krishnamurthy on behalf of her mother Late Smt. Seetha Krishnamurthy
Smt. Nanda Ramesh
Smt. Meena Lakshminarayana
Smt. Uma Nagaraj
Sri K V Ramesh
Smt. Malavika Sidhanti and Sri Nagesh Sidhanti
Smt. Nagarathnamma
Smt. Mohana Mangala

Ps: Consider Recipe Contributor as the Author of this blog unless otherwise specified in the recipes

Rasam Powder

A splendid blend of spices that is so simple to prepare, once you discover the power of this powder, you will never wish to pick a packet from those super stores!

This delightfully aromatic spice powder - “Rasam Powder” -  is the basic ingredient used in making “Rasam” a delicious South Indian vegetarian stew made with or without dal and eaten with hot, steamed rice or simply sipped like any other soup. However, sans this powder, can there be no rasam? Wait n watch for my future posts to find out the magical answers. Right now I’m busy cooking some “Rare Rasam Recipes” just so I can serve them to you soon!

Dish type: Spice Powder

Time required: 45 min

Yield: 3000 gms 

Ingredients

Red chillies                  125 gms (Byadagi variety) 

Red chillies                   125 gms (Guntur variety)

Coriander seeds          1000 gms

Jeera                            500 gms

Methi seeds                 500 gms

Mustard seeds             250 gms

Pepper corns               250 gms

Curry leaves               1 big bunch

Turmeric pwd             2 tsps

Asafoetida                  Crystal (1 small gooseberry size)

Directions

Dry fry each of the ingredients separately in a kadai on low flame till they change colour.  Ensure they are not over roasted since they should not turn black in colour.  

Transfer each of them to a plate after dry frying. Allow them to cool well.

Grind them to a fine powder. For better shelf life store it in a completely dry air tight container.

Tete - a – Tete

Red chillies alone can be fried using just a drop of oil.

To make 1 litre of rasam, approx. 2 tbsps of rasam powder is required.

1 fistful of red chillies = approx. 20 nos. = approx. 50 gms

Recipe Contributor: Smt. Lalithamma Ramamurthy, nonagenarian lady and an expert cook.

Other recipes contributed by Smt. Lalithamma Ramamurthy include:
Menthyada Hittu (Fenugreek Powder)

Sambar Powder
Vangibath Powder
Greens Chutney (Pulgura)
Citron Lime Sauce (Heralekayi Gojju)
Hasi Majjige Huli (Sambar variety using yogurt)

Also view:
Pepper Rasam Powder
Miligayi Powder (Spice Powder for Idli/Dosa)

Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog