Totapuri Mango Pickle ~ Instant Pickle

We are recovering from avarekalu mania (though not yet ended) and mango mania has started! aah..mangoes slurrp! Totapuri Mango (Magnifera indica) is a must buy for us when we were in schools. The 50 paise pocket money (I think this had some value around 4 decades ago..) would be spent on buying one totapuri mango, candied watch on the wrist (strangely I could find them in front of Mysore Maharanis college during my recent trip to India, which I thought was obsolete) and if something remains ..then it would be for 'kallu batani' ..those were the days we really enjoyed them.

Amma made this instant pickle which used to be lipsmacking. Have it with rice (with uddinahittu) or as an accompaniment to your curd rice, chapathi , dosa anything almost but you must be an ardent lover of sour pickle with a hint of sweetness...and you will love this totapuri mango pickle. It is instant and can be refrigerated and preserved upto a month so with much merriment I bought them. It had a name at home 'kandurbindi' don't ask me the meaning as I don't know it either :D

You need the following to make Instant Totapuri Mango Pickle :
 CAUTION : Experiance says 'not recommended for any other variety of mango' however you can be adventurous

Totapuri Mango : 1 (1 mango yields little more than what is shown in the picture)
Oil : 6 tbsp (Gingely oil recomended, any other can be used. I used SF oil)
Mustard Seeds : 1tsp
Asafoetida/Hing : 1 big pinch
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds : 4
Red Chilli powder : 2 tbsp (I used 1spoon spicy+ 1spoon less spicy varieties)
Jaggery Powder : 4 tbsp (it may require more, depends on the sourness of the mango)
Salt

Method :
Wash, pat dry mango. Peel it and cut into irregular 1/2" *1/2" thick (half by half) pieces
Heat oil, pop mustard seeds, add asafoetida powder, fenugreek seeds. Fenugreek seeds should turn red and this happens in few seconds after this add cut mango pieces and sautee mango on low flame till mango is cooked. When you pierce a fork inside the mango, the fork enters mango easily which indicated done!
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, jaggery and salt.
Stir to mix and cook till oil separates. Switch off the stove and check the pickle, adjust flavors and re-heat again to mix the contents well. Take it off the stove and let it cool.
Store in your pickle container :)

MAJA MAADI with mosaranna ;)

Sending this red pickle to CLICK RED event hosted by J&B of Jugalbandi

 

DOSe / DOSA -Mysore Masale Dose, Set Dose

At home we love Dose to Idli..errrmmm...is it? naa..we love Idli too ..it's difficult to take sides when I have to choose my favorite breakfast :D Idli or Dose ? ummm..both are equally delicious and we love both. What is soo special about MMD (Mysore Masala Dose)? It's bewitching aroma which wafts the air! The difference between regular masala dosa and MMD  is the garlic chutney which is spread thinly over the dosa before the potato curry is laid over it ;)

Enamma en kodisthiya ? (hey! what would you treat us with?) Sari nadi MMD tinnona plus Mysore Pak ;) (let's enjoi MMD and Mysore Pak) would be our standard answer to celebrate all small and big occassions in college/office :D


Here is the batter recipe :

Dappa Akki (Thick Rice) - 2 cups (1 cup holds 500ml water)
Note : You can use Idli/Dosa rice or normal rice which you use
Uddinabele/Uraddal/Deskinned black gram- 3/4 cup (measure in the rice n dal in same cup)
Sago - 1/2 cup (1 cup=100ml water)
Kadalebele/Chanadal - 2tbsp
Fenugreek Seeds : 1tsp

1.Soak Rice in one container. Soak all other ingredients in another container. Soak them for 5 hrs
2.Grind them separately using little water to a smooth paste, transfer it to a airtight container, add little salt and mix them.Add enough water to aid fermentation. Less water means inadequate fermentation.
3.Let it ferment for 12-14 hrs. Fermentation is the key part here. When you open the lid you must smell sourness which indicates a well fermented batter.
4. Next day,check the salt in batter, add more if required and make dose.

Method :
Heat a tava, add little oil and spread it using a wodden spatula if you are making dose on non stick pan.
If you wanna make set DOSe do not spread the batter let the batter spread itself, just pour the batter on hot tava that's it!
If you are using a well fermented batter, you can see many holes which forms on top of the dose as soon as you drop the batter over the tava.

Once the underneath of dose becomes red turn over and roast it. This step is optional however I like my dose perfectly red both the sides

Serve hot with little butter on top and chutney. Sagu also makes a perfect companion to Set Dose with Benne (Butter)

Mysore Masale Dose (MMD)


Garlic Chutney/Kempu Chutney
Garlic Pods - 6 (big ones, 10-15 if you are using small indian variety)
Red Chillies - 4 (soaked in hot water for 15 mins)
Tamarind : 1 small piece (optional)
Salt
Grind everything to smooth paste, keep it aside

Potato Palya
Potato - 4 (cooked, peeled and mashed)
Onion - 2 (deskinned, cleaned and chopped lengthwise)
Green Chillies - 8 (slit lengthwise)
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 5-6 leaves
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1tbsp
salt
Heat oil, pop mustard, add curryleaves, turmeric and green chillies. Mix.
Add chopped onions and stirr well, sautee till onions become transcluscent. Sprinkle little water, cover and cook till onions are cooked.
Add salt, mix and add mashed potatoes mix well again. Switch of the stove. You can garnish it with little chopped coriander leaves.

MMD assembling :
On a hot tava spread the batter using the back of the spoon. When the surface and underneath of the dose is well baked, spread a 2 tsp full of garlic chutney over it. Lower the flame.
Take 2 tbsp full of Potato Palya and spread it over the chutney. Spread a tbsp of ghee over the surface.
Fold Dose into half. Serve with chutney.

A Variation, if you don't have garlic chutney :
If you have garlic and curry leaves chutney powder just sprinkle over the palya.

this is all for today..more variations in future posts..till then ENJOII MMD ! I am sending this garlic chutney and all other chutney's like Carrot, Beet, and Brinjal Chutneys, to Ramya's Mane Adige who is having Chutney Mania Event.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Gong Xi Fa Cai to all! It is Chinese New Year and we wish all our Chinese colleagues a very Happy New Year. Every (Chinese)house and offices are decorated with red lamps, red cards, and their guests, friends, colleagues are greeted by giving oranges. China Town here is decked up in red and it is a feast to eyes to see the festive decorations. Tangarines ( a variety of orange) are available during CNY. They are so sweet and cute. I mean it, they are cute little oranges which can be peeled and kept in mouth !

usually there is no need to give a make over to these oranges as they are best eaten fresh and whole! I made fruit salad with them. Since they are very juicy they yielded good amount of juice to make salad dressing too.

While we enjoy 5 days CNY holidays you guys enjoy this new year song..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIp8npK

Kumabalakayi Mosaru Gojju/Pumpkin in spiced up yogurt

I get carried away whenever I see cute mini pumpkins. Probably you will agree with me if you see it's picture here.......isn't it cute enough to pack it away in your shopping bag ? :P

So, in greed I carry atleast one of them promising myself to cook something tasty. In Kannada we call Pumpkin as 'kumbalakayi'. Recently I made mosaru gojju/mosaru sasive/salad(?) so I thought of posting it when I remembered FIC Yellow and the salad event at Cooking Station. The mosaru gojju I made here with little alteration can be made as a salad. If you are a pumpkin lover you will like the salad or mosaru gojju. Mosaru gojju is a thinner version of salad which is served as an accompaniment for rice.

Now back to the recipe of Kumbalakayi Mosaru Gojju, here is how I learned to make it from my amma.

You need the following :

Pumpkin : 1 big wedge / 1 mini pumpkin

Curd (Yoghurt) : approx100 ml

Green Chillies : 1 (use 2 for a spicier version)

Fresh Wet Coconut : 1.5 tbsp

Cumin/Jeerige : 1 tsp

Coriander leaves : 2 tsp chopped

salt

Method :

Cut pumpkin into 2" pieces and cook till done. So not overcook it unless u want it that way.

Grind greenchillies, coconut, cumin and salt to a smooth paste using little yoghurt and water.

Spoon this ground paste to yogurt and mix well.

Add cooked pumpkin cubes and mix gently. Set aside for 15 mins before you serve.

You can choose to season it. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in kadhai, add mustard seeds when it stops spluttering add curry leaves, broken red chillies and hing mix well and add this to yogurt pumpkin mixture. Mix gently.

For Salad : Time taken is 15 mins.

Pumpkin : 1 big wedge / 1 mini pumpkin

Curd (Yoghurt) : approx 2 tbsp

Green Chillies paste:1/2 tsp

Cumin/Jeerige Powder: 1/4 tsp

Coriander leaves : 2 tsp chopped

Method :
Cut pumpkin into 2" pieces and cook/microwave till done.
Add yogurt, chilli paste, cumin powder and salt and mix gently. Chilll and serve.

Sending this yellow mosaru gojju to Sunshinemom's FIC Yellow and it will also be posted at SWC-Salads under 15 minutes on Cooking Station.



Edited to add :
Priti of Indian Khana has passed me Lemonade Award. Thanks Priti for showering your priti(means love in Kannada) towards me. I would like to pass this award to Ashakka, Raks, Sushma, Smitha, Ashwini Kenchanna, Mangala Bhat, Rekha, Sujatha, Banana Blossom, Roochi. Enjoy them girls! Make a cool lemonade for yourselves and chill out :D

Godhi Rave Idli/Cracked Wheat Idlis

We were very impressed by these wheat idlis. I did not believe that cracked wheat can be used to make idlis, so I kept postponing this despite constant reminders by my sister who had successfully made them in her house and had gained praises from her MIL. It made a very good breakfast to diabetics at her place and they could eat them with less guilt.

Godhi Rave Idli/Cracked Wheat Idli

you need the following:

Godhi Rava/Cracked Wheat/Daliya - 1.5 cups (1 cup holds 100ml of water)
Uddinabele/deskinned Blackgram - approx 2-3 fistfuls
Menthekaalu/fenugreek seeds-5 seeds

NOTE : if you feel daliya or cracked wheat is too thick to be used, powder the cracked wheat in your grinder to make it like rava/granular cracked wheat and use it along with bran for maximum health benefits.

1.Soak deskinned blackgram and fenugreek seeds for 3hrs.
2.Dry roast/fry cracked wheat on hot tava/pan till it turns golden brown and nice aroma wafts the room. Let it cool before you add.
3.Grind blackgram and fenugreek to fine paste with little water. Spoon thebatter to a airtight container.
4.Add salt, and roasted cracked wheat to the blackgram paste and mix well. You may little water if you feel that batter is very tight. Close the lid and keep it aside for 7-8hrs for fermentation.
5.Oil the idli plates, spoon the batter into the individual wells of idli plates.
6.Transfer these plates to pressure cooker/idli cooker. If you are using pressure cooker don't forget to remove the weight before you close the lid.
7.Steam the idlis for 8-10 mins. Start counting down once you see steam escaping from the nozzle.
8.Enjoy hot idlis with your favorite accompaniment.

ENJOI MAADI.......

Vothu Shavige/Rice Noodles

Another classic dish from my MIL. We were greeted with a full plate of ottushavige/ rice noodles at my sister's place in Bangalore and my MIL made ottushavige/ rice noodles before we flew to Singapore. These two plates are for me to stare at whenever I miss home, kind of storing it for my future nostalgia ..for next 1 year or more.
Making these noodles at home means we always make podis few days ahead, as shavige making takes more time . Here is a plate which was made by my sis and her family for us..

From Left to Right : Cup 1 : Gasagase Payasa (poppy seeds payasa/kheer), Cup 2: Ellu podi (sesame & jaggery powder, Lemon Shavige, Plain Shavige

Here is how my MIL and sis makes Rice Noodles at home .. :

You need the following :
1 seru akki hittu (1 Seru = 1Kg of Rice Flour ....er...serves about 8 to 10 adults )
8 tumblers of water ( the usual calculation is 1 cup rice flour : 2 cups of water )
Salt

1.Bring water and salt to boil in a thick bottomed wide pan.
2.When water starts bubbling add rice flour and cook on low flame for about 45 mins. Do not mix flour with water. Flour just floats and gets cooked . (You can close the pan, but make sure you leave some space for the steam to escape or else you will end up having overflowing water all around the pan. )
3.After 45 mins, switch off the stove and mix flour with water. Leave it aside closed till it cools down.
4.Knead the flour well and remove any lumps etc and make them into cylindrical balls. These balls should measure one palm length or less than that.
5.Take these balls in a vessel/idli plates and steam cook them for 20 mins.
6.Carefully transfer each ball to shavige mane/noodles making machine. Press them to make noodles.
7.You can use chakli making press/machine to make small quantity like 2 people for breakfast which I sometimes do it here in Singapore.
8.Properly steamed and cooked noodles will not stick to upper flour of your mouth. Eat a noodle and check, it is sticking, steam the balls for another 10 mins before you press them.

Here is a picture of freshly pressed noodles :



A closer look.......



Let these noodles cool down. Now make lemon shavige /sevai just like how you make lemon rice..

Sesame and Jaggery Powder (Sweet)

You need :
White Sesame : 50 g (roast and powder and then measure)
Jaggery :1/2 cup or more according to taste

Roast sesame seeds on low heat in a thick bottomed pan till it turns golden brown.
Break down jaggery into pieces before you put it into your mixer grinder
Grind both to mix. It may turn little pasty as sesame leaves oil if you grind to smooth powder. Keep it a bit coarse. Scoop it out and break down the lumps and spread it over a plate and leave it for 30 mins before you pack them in airtight containers.


You can use roasted peanuts and jaggery to make sweet peanut powder

Gasagase Payasa recipe can be found here


Lemon Shavige
Oil : 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds : 2 tsp
Peanuts : handful
Kadalebele/chanadal : 1 tbsp
Uddinabele/uraddal : 1tbsp
Turmeric : 1tsp
Green Chillies : 20 (slit vertically)
Curry Leaves : from 4 lines

Heat oil. Add mustard, when it stops popping, add peanuts when Pnuts have turned half brown, add dals and let them turn golden brown. Add turmeric, slit green chillies and currleaves and switch off the stove.
Pour this over plain shavige and add salt, lemon juice, grated fresh coconut, chopped coriander leaves and mix well and serve.


a plate of lemon shavige and Mysore Pak from my dear MIL..




Sending the predominantly yellow dishes on the first plate to FIC yellow hosted by Sunshinemom of tongueticklers blog

Sakkare Achchu/Sugar Figurines for Sankranti

Taste of Mysore wishes all it's readers a very happy Sankranti and Pongal.

Sankranti or Sat Kranti which means 'good movement' is the transimigration of sun from one zodiac to another. Most of us celebrate this as a harvest festival too.Whoever celebrates it  as the harvest festival  should thank Earth for blessing us with fertile land so that we can sustain ourselves. 

A little prayer to Bhu Devi (godess Earth) :

Samudhra vasane devi, parvatha sthana mandithe,
Vishnu pathni namasthubhyam pada sparsam kshamasva mae.

which means...

Salutations to you consort of Lord Vishnu,

Who is clothed by oceans,

And is adorned prettily by the mountains,

Pardon me mother, for setting my foot on you.

In Karnataka people celebrate it by exchanging sesame & jaggery  mixture along

with sugarcane and banana. Sugar Figurines are made and packed along with sesame 

& jaggery mix. As children we enjoyed 'ellu beerodu' (exchanging sesame &

jaggery mix) and the making of sakkare achchu. We were rewarded with a sakkare

achchu if we kept quite till mom finished her work. We lined up and sat obediently

without asking questions. It was ajoint effort of my mother and uncle in making 

lovely, yummy figurines.

In my in-laws house my MIL and SIL brings the memories of making of  sakkare achchu

by my hubby. He had dug a hole in the tumbler as he could not get the sugar cube out of the tumbler. ahahaha..

We bought a simple mold to make these figurines to make them for the festival. He very fondly made

them and me and my son were very obedient audience....

So presenting his recipe for making sugar figurines..

you need the following :

sugar : 1cup

water :1/4 cup

milk:1/4 cup

food coloring :  a pinch

Gadgets : wooden mold (soak the molds in water for 1 hrs before you make figurines. 

Secure them together with rubber band.

Method :

a.Dissolve sugar in water and bring to boil. When you see water bubbling, add milk

and bring to boil. 

b.Switch of the stove and filter the solution using a muslin cloth or a tea filter. 

c.Milk is added to remove the impurities of sugar.

d.Add the food coloring to the filtered sugar solution and bring to boil. The syrup

thickens as you boil.

Check!! ...

1.With a spoon pour a drop of solution on a clean surface. After 3-4 seconds take a

match stick and try to remove the drop and the drop should come out as a whole and

should not break which indicates the solution is thick enough to pour into the

molds.  

2. Another way is to hold a drop of solution between your thumb and forefinger and

pull the solution. 

e.If the string formed during the pull stays for 2 seconds without

breaking the solution is ready to pour into the molds.

f.Pour the thick sugar solution to the molds and wait for 5-8 mins before you

remove them.

g.They are very delicate..handle them carefully. Remove them from molds when 

they are little wet.

h.Remove them to a plate and let them dry before you store them in airtight 

container. 

Sending these sugar figurines to Priti's Festive Food-Makar Sankranti

Udaka, Khara Chutney and Jolada Mudde

This is no party food. Jolada Mudde (Sorghum flour rounds, click to see recipe) and udaka are simple or comfort food. With little khara chutney (spicy chutney) your blocked senses gain more oxygen supply :D

Udaka is well mashed togaribele/split pigeon peas with little kharachutney and lemon juice. No tampering business...Dip hot hot joldada mudde in udaka and in khara chutney (if you dare to do it..I just show it ) and gulp it down... again no chewing please....just gulp in down! Everything should be made and eaten hot hot..so no left overs also

ಖಾರ ಚಟ್ನಿ/Spicy Chutney 
Caution : Very hot chutney....

You need the following :
Green Chillies : 2 cups (washed, dried, snapped into 3 pieces and fried in a tsp of oil)
Coriander leaves : 1 cup loosely packed (washed, dried and chopped)
Garlic : 1 fistful
Cumin : 1 tsp
Lemon Juice : 3tbsp
Salt
Wash green chillies, pat them dry on a kitchen towel. Break each chili  into 2-3 pieces. Heat a wok/pan and add these chillies with a tsp of oil and fry them till chillies get white blisters. Cool them and then measure.
Grind everything to a coarse paste in a mixer grinder. Store in a clean container in your refrigerator. Can be stored up to a month if refrigerated.



ಉದಕ /Udaka
You need the following :
Togaribele/split pigeon peas/toordal : 1/2 cup (1 cup holds 100 ml of water)
Water : 1 cup
Pressure cook with a pinch of turmeric. Remove water from the pressure cooked dal and mash it with a hand blender to make a smooth paste. Add a tsp of spicy chutney, salt and lemon juice. Mix well and dilute it with reserved dal water. You may want to adjust salt after adding water. Taste and adjust the flavors.
Best when served and eaten hot.

Soppukadale Chitranna/Fresh Chickpeas in Lemon Rice

Soppukadale/Kadalegida is my all time favorite. It had been ages since I feasted on them. Winter vegetables like fresh peas, avarekaalu, soppukadale etc are cooked in different ways in each household of Karnataka. A housewife has to be creative to create as many dishes as she can out of them. Although avarekaalu (hyacinth beas/surti papdi) are available through out the year these days, the crop harvested in winters are most flavorful (sogadu tumbida kaayi as we say in Kannada)

Mom and MIL makes kosambari/salad, chitranna and adds these fresh chickpeas to upma also. We love all three. Here is Chickpeas Lemon Rice for you. The recipe for lemon rice is very simple.

You need the following to make Chickpeas Lemon Rice :
Chickpeas : 1 cup (Variations: cooked Avarekaalu/Fresh Peas)
Cooked Rice : 2 cups (left over rice is also suitable)
Green Chillies : 4 chopped length wise (or adjust according to your hotness levels)
Kadalebele(Chanadal) : 1tsp
Uddinabele (Uraddal) : 1tsp
Mustard : 1/2 tsp
Turmeric : 1tsp
Curry leaves: 8
Coriander leaves : 1tbsp (chopped)
Lemon Juice : 1 tbsp (or adjust according to your taste)
Oil : 2 tbsp



Method :
If you are using hot rice, spread the rice on a wide plate and let it cool
Heat oil in a wide pan. Add mustard seeds and let it crackle.
Add chanadal, uraddal and let them brown
Now goes curry leaves and chopped green chillies. Give a good stir.
Add turmeric and fresh chickpeas. Stir well again. Lower the flame and cook them with lid covered on the pan. Add little salt to avoid dehydration of freshchickpeas. Chickpeas get cooked very fast. It may take around 1-2 mins for them to get cooked. Swith off the stove.
Add rice, remaining salt, chopped coriander and lemon juice. Mix well. Serve hot.

Variation to the above recipe which is already blogged on Taste of Mysore :

Sprouted Green Chana Rice Where dried green chickpeas were used.
Sprouted chana usli - a stirfried vegetable
Longbeans and sprouted kadalekaalu palya - a stirfried vegetable

Also Check Out SWC-SALADS Under 15 mins on Cooking Station

Event Participation:
Soppukadale Chitranna goes to JFI-Chickpeas hosted by Sometime Foodie . JFI was a brainchild of Indira of Mahanandi blog.
My Legume Love Affair was started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook. Also this goes to Srivalli's My Legume Love Affair-7th helping.

Trip down the memory lane.....

Missing home, winters and delicious food cooked by my sisters and mother-in-law everyday in our name......we are back here and back to routine as well. Month long holiday gave me some energy, atleast I was away from my normal office-kitchen-teach(Akash)-office mode. Days ran like seconds! and a month seemed too short for vacation :D

Everyday was a Sunday. I woke up with the wonderful aroma of avarekalu dishes and others which are my favorite and miss them in Singapore.

I thought of sharing few pictures of our trip ........

Shringeri is the abode of Godess Sharada Devi. The temple is on the banks of river tunga....

Akash enjoyed feeding these giant catfishes on the banks of river Tunga in Shringeri...




We enjoyed temple prasadams/annadanams and hot steaming idli, vada sambar through out our trip..


Chennakeshava Temple, Belur an architectural beauty. Belur and Halebeedu temples were built by Hoysala ruler Vishnuvardhana.



Akash tried to pose as shilabalike (stone carved beauty) and we all enjoyed his poses......one of them..



A shilabalike inside Chennakeshava temple in Belur



Hoysala emblem :



Chennakeshava Temple, Belurin brief...

Kapila Tirtha, Tirupathi




Before we flew to Singapore we quenched our thirst with fresh, cold tender coconut at uncle's coconut farm..





They grew maize in the year 08. Akash enjoyed playing on the maize . He happily went around the coconut farm picking little coconuts which fell down, jumped and played. He knows little kannada and little telugu but the farm workers knew only kannda yet he communicated with them in his English-Kannda-Telugu mixed language. They happily carried him on their back and showed him the whole farm..



Shopping, eating and masti in exhibition grounds, Mysore



exhibition grounds by night



that was our trip and the memories of these places go with these photos....I am missing all these and many more..