Curry Recipes

Green gram (mung bean) Curry with Greens
Baingan Bhartha (Brinjal Curry) / Badanekaayi palya

Bottle Gourd Peels Chutney

Consider yourself lucky if you like lauki.  Better known as Bottle Gourd in English Vinglish kind of language, christened so probably ‘cos of its profile.  Grab that bottle that is mostly filled with water. Cools you down when you sweat n calms you down when you fret.  Aren’t we lucky? Thanks to Mom Nature for gifting us this wonderful veggie called Lauki. Rough it up that deadly dandruff, shoo away insomnia with this sleepwell veggie, stun yourself by trimming down those tons. Dying to dye your grey hair back to black? Oops…Don’t! Reverse effect can be adverse for Mother Nature feels averse. Instead guard them from turning grey by using Bottle Gourd. Be it halwa or chutney, kootu or curry, Bottle Gourd shows the way. Peel them away, preserve and pile those peels, pamper them, present them with perks like paste of tamarind, serve them some salt n spices, cajole them with coconut…they too will reciprocate by being pleasing to your palate. Grind them all n watch them go gaga! And you….get set for a field day right below!

Dish Type:  South Indian Side Dish

Time taken: 10 min
Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

Bottle Gourd                      1 no.

Tamarind paste                 ¼ tsp

Red chilli                           5 nos.

Salt to taste                       1 tsp approx.

Raw coconut                     ¼ of a coconut (grated)

Mustard seeds                  ½ tsp

Asafoetida                         A pinch

Directions

Wash bottle gourd. Peel the skin. Keep the pulp and peels aside.

Boil the peels and pulp in water for about 5 min. along with tamarind paste, red chillies and salt. Drain the water and keep it aside. Let the pulp and peels cool down. Grind them with fresh, raw grated coconut. Use the boiled water in small quantities while grinding. Grind to a smooth paste. Season the chutney by heating a tsp of oil in a small skillet. Add mustard seeds. When it crackles switch off the flame and add asafoetida.

Bottle Gourd Peels Chutney is now ready.

Tete - a - tete

Bottle Gourd is an excellent drink post workout since it helps restore lost carbohydrates and glucose levels. This juice is better consumed fresh without mixing any other vegetables. However amla, ginger, fresh mint or rock salt can be added to spice up its flavour.
Recipe Contributor: Smt. Saraswathi

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)

Rava Pongal
Akki Thari Upma
Ragi Malt Powder

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

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.

You can also view in this blog:
Mixed Veg Tikki
Banana Fritters / Yeridevu / Suttevu
Gulipaavate
7 Cups Barfi

You may also view in this blog:
Side Dish Recipes
Breakfast Recipes
Rice Varieties
Gojju Varieties
Dessert Recipes
Spice Powders
Sambar Varieties
Few other Snack Recipes

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

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

You may also view in this blog:

Few other Sambar Varieties
 Side Dish Recipes
Dessert Recipes

Breakfast Recipes

Rice Varieties

Gojju Varieties

Spice Powders

Snack Recipes

Few other recipes contributed by Smt. Lalithamma Ramamurthy:

Heralekaayi Gojju (Citron Lime Sauce)

Pulgura (Huli Soppu) or Greens Chutney

Sambar Powder

Rasam Powder
Hasi Majjige Huli

Menthyada Hittu (Fenugreek Powder)

Bisi Bele Baath

Vangibath Powder

Dantina Soppu Bassaaru

Vangibath Powder

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)

                        

Ondelaga Thambuli (Spicy Yogurt with Brahmi Leaves)

Omigosh, can you believe? Just now I finished making a dish, penned and posted the recipe too in my blog and now I forget its name too! While I recharge my memory cells, don’t miss reading this story…

Adam n Eve upon their creation, as a gesture of celebration, performed intense penance to appease The Creator Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma in turn, pleased by their penance granted a boon. Buoyed by the boon, they asked Him, “Oh Lord, bestow us something from nature, which when used, makes our memory All Powerful.” Thus rose from the earth, to make our memories memorable, leaves of Brahmi bestowed by Brahma The Lord.

 On sharing this story with “Honey” my hubby, hoping he will be inspired to make sincere attempts to boost his power of memory instead of using me as a Ready Reckoner for his bills n pills, the boss in him quickly quipped in admiration, “From this day on, you‘ve been promoted as ‘My Permanent Reminder’ for the remainder of our lives!”

While there is no magic bullet heard of, so far, to fight Alzheimer’s disease, Brahmi leaves, a traditional therapeutic herb, botanically known as “Bacopa monnieri”, if used regularly from a early age, promises to be theraupetic enough to keep us away from brain degeneration at old age.  A potent therapy for neuropathy, a reducer of stress and booster of cognitive abilty, let’s include these leaves in our daily menu and pride ourselves with a bounty of benefits offered only by Brahmi.

Ha see…now I remember this unforgettable recipe! Brahmi Soppina Thambuli  (Spicy Yogurt with Brahmi Leaves) 

Dish type: South Indian Side Dish

Time required: 10 min

Ingredients

Brahmi leaves                     1 small bunch

Raw grated coconut            ¼ coconut

Cumin seeds                         1 tsp

Yogurt (Curd)                      3 tbsps

Jaggery                                 1 tbsp

Salt to taste                          1 tsp approx.

Directions:

Wash Brahmi leaves along with its roots in water 2 or 3 times thoroughly till the leaves and roots are completely clean. Drain out the water.

Grind the leaves and roots and filter the ground paste. Now grind raw grated coconut and cumin seeds to a smooth consistency. Add the brahmi paste and grind for few more seconds till they blend well. Transfer this to a bowl. Add curd, jaggery and salt. Mix them well. Let it stand for a while till salt and jaggery dissolve.

Spicy yogurt with Brahmi leaves is now ready. Use it at the start of lunch as first course by mixing with hot rice. Savour the beauty of Brahmi!

Tete a Tete

Extremely easy recipe. No need to switch on the stove since all ingredients are used raw. No need of seasoning too!

Ideal for summer. Brahmi leaves are known as “Ondelaga soppu” in Kannada.
Recipe contributor: Smt. Mankali, a septuagenarian lady from Idagunji Taluk and an expert cook

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

You may also view:

Few other Dessert Recipes
Sambar Varieties
Side Dish Recipes
Breakfast Recipes

Rice Varieties

Gojju Varieties

Spice Powders

Snack Recipes

Few other recipes contributed by Smt. Mankali
Banana Fritters / Yeridevu
Brahmi leaves Yogurt Sauce (Ondelaga Thambuli)
Cucumber Dosa
Banana Fritters / Yeridevu

Other Recipes using Curd:
Doddapatre Thambuli (Spicy Yogurt using Coleus)
Hasi Majjige Huli (Sambar using Vegetable and Curd)

VEG FRIED RICE

Come to think of a dish that’s healthy for our tummy, do “fried” n “light” go hand in hand? Here’s one at Mangala’s Potluck that answers our question in an affable affirmative.

Basic Ingredients: Rice, Vegetables, Oil.

Short statement that looks so simple when read fast. Stretch the outline. It feels so vague and vast. We are lost! “Which oil should we use, which rice is better, which vegetables to choose, which flavour is most favoured, which garnish for finish and then the questionnaire pans out to which pan Sauté Pan or Frying Pan, should we blanch, saute’ or stir fry….” Oh these doubts, “Will they ever clearly finish?” Do you fear?  Sure they all will dear, at Mangala’s Potluck, only if you carefully read the recipe from start to finish!

Ingredients for Veg Fried Rice

For cooking rice

Basmati Rice               1 cup

Water                          2 cups

Oil                               1 tsp

Salt                              a pinch

For stir frying:

Oil                               2 tbsps

Cumin seeds                ½  tsp

Onion                          2 nos. (medium size, cut to thin, long slices)

French beans               ¼  cup (cut into diagonal pieces)

Carrot                          ¼  cup (cut to matchstick size)

Capsicum                    ¼  cup (shredded)

Cabbage                      ¼  cup (shredded)

Sweet corn                  ¼ cup

Turmeric                     Just a small pinch (it’s antiseptic…why miss it?)

Salt to taste                 2 tsps approx. (put it in pinches at different stages of cooking)

Pepper powder           3 tsps

For garnishing:

Spring Onion               ¼  cup (fine chopped)

Coriander leaves         2 tbsps (fine chopped)

Directions:

Wash rice thoroughly in water. Drain out the water and keep rice aside for half an hour.

Wash vegetables thoroughly in water. Drain out the water. Chop or shred vegetables (as the case may be) as mentioned above under “Ingredients – for sautéing” and keep aside.

Cook rice in a pressure cooker along with the other ingredients listed under “Ingredients – for cooking” for upto 2 whistles. A tip or two before you begin cooking….

Rice has to be just cooked al dente. Cooking rice in vegetable broth adds to the flavour. Adding lime juice while cooking rice also adds to the flavour.

Heard 2 whistles…now switch off the flame. Let it cool.

While it is cooling….

Heat oil in a frying pan (or sauté pan) over medium heat. Swirl oil all round the pan to form a coat. The secret here lies in selecting a sturdy pan so that the veggies can be cooked evenly.

Put cumin seeds. When it splutters, add onions, a pinch of turmeric powder and salt. Sauté till it turns golden brown. (If you wish, you can keep this aside for garnish at the end). Now add all other vegetables and sauté. Also add pepper powder and continue tossing the veggies till they are cooked enough to be tender inside, crispy and crunchy outside.

By now, pressure in the cooker would have subsided. But has the rice turned cold….no, for sure.

Now that the rice has cooled down, add a pinch of salt and mix well. Its time to heat it up! Add this to the cooked veggies in the pan or vice versa (i.e., transfer the cooked veggies on to the cooled rice). Mix them well. Garnish with fine chopped coriander leaves, fine chopped spring onions…many more choices listed a wee bit below.

Veg Fried Rice is ready to serve.

Tete – a – Tete ….about

Choice of oil, rice, vegetables, garnish and flavour; Basmati Rice; Technique to turn hot rice cold; Sauteing; Stir Frying; Saute Pan; Frying Pan.

Choice of oil: Olive, canola, dark sesame, peanut, soy

Choice of Rice: Basmati Rice, Brown rice or any long grain rice since they remain fluffy and don’t get clumpy.

Choice of Vegetables: (In addition to the ones listed under ingredients) Onions, Peas, Bell Pepper, Garlic, Ginger, Green soybeans, Baby beans, Baby corn, frozen Broccoli, Button mushrooms etc. Adding sugar retains colour of veggies. Whichever vegetables you choose, the time spent in the pan is short n sweet, so choose those that are tender by nature.

When using tougher, thicker vegetables head them straight not into the pan for sautéing but for blanching them briefly (by cooking in boiling water). They are now ready to be mixed with the other softer veggies.

Choice of Garnish: Toasted slivered almonds, fresh coriander leaves, fresh lime juice, fried brown crisp onion slices.

Choice of flavour: White pepper powder preferred. Crushed red pepper gives a hint of heat (optional), Toasted sesame seeds (optional), Soy sauce

Basmati Rice:  A variety of rice that is long bodied with a unique aroma. Cooked basmati rice results in grains that are long, dry, light, fragrant, slender, separate and non sticky.

Technique to turn hot rice cold: The golden rule of thumb to follow while sautéing rice for “Fried Rice” and certain other rice varieties is to make sure that the hot cooked rice is cold. To cool down the hot cooked rice grains and keep it separate, spread it on a wide flat tray and let it become warm. Rub it with a spoon of oil and keep aside till you use it.

Sautéing is a cooking term that means “to cook food fast using minimum amount of fat on a fairly high heat” as against Stir Frying which means “to cook food fast using relatively higher amount of fat on a fairly high heat”. Food is tossed once in a way during sautéing whereas stir frying needs accelerated and constant stirring action. The word sauté originates from a French verb “sauter” which means “to jump”. Sautéing preserves the texture and flavour of food intact.

Sauté pan has a long handle with slightly taller sides compared to a frying pan. This permits stirring food easily without spilling or jumping out of the pan. Frying pan is deeper to accommodate larger quantities of fat for frying.

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

You may also view in this blog:
Few other Rice Varieties
Dessert Recipes

Sambar Varieties
Side Dish Recipes
Breakfast Recipes

Gojju Varieties

Spice Powders

Snack Recipes

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