Karnataka Recipes

Vegetable Puff (12 puffs)

This is a local Karnataka speciality. Ingredients:

1 Ready to use pastry roll (Pepperidge farms) Mixed Vegetables. ( potatoes, peas may be added) to taste Masala Green Chilies to taste Salt

Method: Cook a vegetable mix with potatoes, peas, green chilies and lots of Masala. Check for salt, before you stuff it in the pastry roll; no way to rectify it later.

Thaw the roll for about 10 minutes before unfolding.

After the pastry roll has thawed, open it out on a flat sheet and roll it with a pin to make it a little thinner. The pastry sheet would now be about 12" x 12".

Cut the sheet into 6 pieces.

Place about 2-3 Tbsp of the cooked vegetable onto the sheet and fold it around it. Seal all the corners, by pressing the sheets together and applying a little water.

Stick it into a pre-heated oven (350 F) for about 20-30 minutes or until it browns. Make sure that you flip it around every 5-10 minutes.

Perhaps the most popular SALAD from Karnataka, the Kosumbari is easy to prepare, is very high in protein and is a tasty snack in its own right. Called KOSUMBIR in Maharashtra it is synonymous with festivity, and is offered as Prasada in most temples. It is really very popular as a starter in most festival foods (marriages, major festival lunch etc.)

Ingredients:

Hesaru beLe' (payar paripu, moong dal, green gram split), Kadale' beLe (kadala paripu, chana dal, bengal gram), 4-5 green chillis, Kothumbari soppu (kothumalli, coriander leaves, dhaniya leaves), freshly grated coconut. Fresh cucumber and carrot (optional) lime. Mustard for oggarane' (tarka, vagar).

Procedure:

Soak 50 gms each of Hesaru beLe' and Kadale' beLe' separately for one hour. Grate the coconut to provide one handful of turi (grated material). Drain the water from hesaru beLe' and kadale' beLe'. Peel one cucumber and cut it into small pieces of the size of a pea

(optional) Chop two green chilli. Keep one spoon of oil in a banale' (wok, kadai) warm it and put mustard. Wait till they split, then put the chopped green chillies, turn around and put a pinch of hing (kayam, asaphotida). Put the entire thing onto the bele'. Add salt to taste and then squeeze the juice of half a lime (green variety). Turn around and then put the grated coconut. Adding cucumber or the carrot is purely optional and is not in any way necessary. It does alter the taste slightly. Cucumber makes the kosumbari a little watery and therefore it must be consumed rather quickly (half to one hour). Salt tends to bring out a lot of water from cucumber. Adding either of these two is popular when it is consumed as a snack or prasada. It is not common when served as a starter during festivals along with lunch.

Traditionally both the hesaru beLe' and kadale' beLe' kosumbari are prepared together. Sometimes the Kadale' beLe' kosumbari alone is prepared.

ENJOY THIS TRADITIONAL SALAD FROM KARNATAKA. EASY TO PREPARE, VERY LOW FAT AND VERY HIGH IN PROTEIN. CHILDREN LOVE IT, THE NOT-SO-YOUNG RELISH IT.

A simple, refreshing drink, synonymous with Karnataka is Badam Milk. It simply denotes a good drink at any time of the day/night, whether hot or cold.

Take 2 Badami (almonds), soak it in water. Take 1 elakki (elachi, cadamom)crush the seeds well. Take 2 strands of Kesari (saffron, Zaffran), powder it along with the elakki. After the Badami has soaked for at least 10-15 minutes, slowly peel off the brown outer skin. Crush the white seeds well. Take a glass (or a mug) of milk, heat it to near boiling point (but nota ctually boiling). Put the crushed Badami (almond), elakki (elachi, cardamom),and Kesari (saffron, Zaffran) into the hot milk. Add 1 tea spoon of sugar,stir well.

Your favourite drink is ready. If you prefer it cold, chill it and then drink. In some stores, powdered almond or peeled almond is available. This will make the job easier. Also powdered elakki (elachi, cardamom) is available. This makes it easier to prepare Badam milk. It is often served in marriages and other functions, with sweet dishes such as Chiroti, Pheni etc.

There are some extremely good medicinal properties attributed to this drink.Taken before bedtime, it provides very peaceful, nice sleep. It also helps to heal boils in the mouth or throat area. For those who have acidity or ulcers inthe stomach, if taken regularly it helps to provide the healing touch. It is also very helpful in reducing dry cough. In pregnant women, the saffron has good effect in preventing and checking the spread of infection. The list is long, and is simply positive. It is hardly surprising that the drink has become so popular that every other corner store in Bangalore sells it.

ENJOY, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, THE DRINK FOR ALL AGES AND AT ALL TIMES

Ragi Mudde is indeed one of the simplest things to prepare. Take a large mouthed vessel, add a glass of water to it. Heat till the water boils, add salt to taste. Take a glass of ragi flour and mix it in a glass of cold water.Add the dissolved solution slowly to the boiling water, stirring it with a strong laddle (back end). Back home a strong wooden stick is used. Keep whisking till the mudde (flour dough) becomes smooth and soft without gantu(nodules). Reduce the flame, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. The consistency must be semi solid like the wheat dough. When serving, wet your hand take out and make a ball and put it in the middle of a plate. Pour some sambar around it. Add a spoon of ghee/butter if you wish.

Make it into small marble sized balls, roll it in the sambar liquid and just gulp. Ragi mudde is not eaten by biting since the ragi tends to stick to the teeth. But some like it this way. This is a very healthy dish both for the physically hard working as well as those with diabetis. It is indeed very healthy for children. It is high in protein, but very low in carbo-hydrates. Therefore, unlike rice or wheat, it is best for those with sugar complaints.

Eaten by farmers for long, its virtue has been known in recent years, by all in the state of Karnataka. It is almost synonymous with the best of traditional foods, simple, tasty, nutrious and wholesome.

Enjoy the nice, soft ragi mudde - loved by the young and the old.

'P.S: It is not essetial that the ragi flour be first dissolved in coldwater. The flour can be directly put it boiling water. But this needspractice and skill. It can be done by those familiar with the process.Otherwise, gantu (nodules) will emerge in the dough. Inside the nodulesraw flour will be left uncooked. It is essential to avoid this.

Saaru is the most common delicacy of Karnataka. Its nearest equivalent is the Rasam of the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Although these two are considered somewhat similar, there are considerable differences, which makes them taste similar yet different!

The process of making saaru consists of two distinct phases.

1. Making the powder (which is done once in several months) 2. Making Saaru using this powder (which is a daily routine, simpler too)

Making the powder:

Saarina pudi (the Saaru powder) has three separate groups of ingredients which are fried and powdered separately, later mixed together.

I. Kothumbari beeja (dhaniya, coriander seeds) and red chillis in equal quantities by volume. Take 200 gms each of the two and fry them in a BaNale' (kadayi, wok) with a few drops of oil. Use two long spoons at diagonally opposite ends, lift and drop the ingredients at regular intervals. Use both spoons/ladels to turn around the ingredients regularly. Use low fire and fry slowly until there is a distinct smell with the red chillis turn very shiny. Stop just as it starts to smoke. Takeout and put in a plate for cooling.

II. 2 teaspoons each of Saasuve' (mustard seeds, Kadagu), Menthya (methi seeds, Uluva), MeNasu (kura MoLagu, whole black pepper), Jeerige (Jeera, cumin seeds), Gasagase' (Kuskus, white poppy seeds), Fry these with a teaspoon of oil, on slow fire. Continue till the mustard seeds and Jeera start to split and turn brown.Take out and put in a plate for cooling.

III. Two handfuls of Kari-bevina soppu (KariVepalai, curry leaves), one-two small pieces of Dalchinni chekke (pattai) a marble sized Hingu or half a teaspoonof its powder (Hing, Kayam , Asaphotida) half teaspoon of Arishina (Manjal, haldi, turmeric powder). Wash and dry the Karibevina soppu and put it at the end; turnaround for a minute or two and switch off. Put the Arishina after switching off and allow it to cool in the BaNale' itself. Using a dry grinder, powder ingredients of I, take out the powder. Powder the ingredients of III and then put the powder from I. Turn in the grinder for afew minutes for them to mix. Take out the ingredients. Powder the ingredients ofII, put the mixed powder from III and I, continue to turn till the whole mixture mixes uniformly. The final powder will have a deep maroon (blackish brick red) colour and a fine flavour. Remember that in the first one-two days the hotness (khara, teekha, chilli hot ) of the mixture is felt, but will mellow down within a week. Therefore, wait before you make minor changes to the powder (adding fried red chillis to increase or add fried dhaniya seeds to decrease the "khara").

The powder can be stored in a glass jar for about an year. With time the flavour reduces, so it is recommended normally for 6 month storage.

Making the Saaru

First boil 2-3 table spoons of Togari BeLe' (tovar daal, tora paripu, Tovar lentil) which is best done in a pressure cooker. In India, the best variety of Togari BeLe' (Tovar dal) is grown in Amaravathi dist, Maharashtra. It can also be done quickly by adding more water and putting it in a rice cooker for 20-30 minutes. After this is done, the BeLe' (dal) is well cooked and can be mashed (some prefer it unmashed). Add 1/2 to 3/4 of salt (to taste), add 1-2 glasses of water and stir well. Add 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of the Saarina pudi (powder). At this point, it is common to cut a tomato and add (though not essential). Allow it to boil on low fire for at least 10 minutes. Take a small marble sized HuNise' HaNNu (PuLi, tamarind) and soak it in water for 5-10 minutes. Then squeeze it well, take out the waste (pith) and pour in the brownish solution to saaru. Put in a whole stem (8-10 leaves) of fresh Karibena soppu (karivepalai, curry leaves). For oggaraNe' (tarka,phodni, bagaar) put a spoon of ghee into a steel soutu (ladel) heat on low fire, put in 1/2 teaspoon of mustard and wait till they split. Put in a pinch of Hing (kayam or asaphotida) or one or two pieces of Garlic peeled. Put in the oggaraNe and also put in freshly chopped Kothumbari soppu (Kothumalli, Hara Dhaniya, green coriander leaves).

The Saaru is normally the first item to go with rice. The rice must be a little soft to mix well with Saaru. A spoon of Thuppa (ghee or melted butter) It is also common to drink the top watery part of Saaru (thiLi), with meals. Its fine flavouris enhanced if it is hot and just a drop of ghee is put in before drinking. A great favourite among children is Saaru-Anna (Saaru+rice) which is mild yet quite nutrious due to the BeLe' (daal, Lentil) which provides protein.

Instead of tomato, it is common to use finely cut onions. Also used are green beans (HuraLi Kaayi) broken into three-four pieces. However, quite a few KaLugalu (KaLdhanya, whole unbroken lentils) go well with saaru. The most common of these is Avare' KaaLu (Lilva) which is a raging favourite in Karnataka (Jan-March is its season). Also HuruLi (horse gram which is a flat bean and is brick red in colour) goes well with saaru and is a great favourite in the rainy season. Another popular item is soppina saaru (spinach saaru) which uses either menthyada soppu (green methi leaves) or some typical varieties of greens such as Dantina soppu, Honagone'soppu (sorry equivalents in other languages not known). Any vegetableor whole grain needs to be cooked in saaru before the tamarind water is put in. The acidic nature of tamarind slows down the cooking rate. Not many vegetables go well with Saaru, which on its own right is a very nice dish both as a soup and as something to go with rice. If only needed as a soup, there is no need to put Tuvar daal, simply cook a tomato and follow rest of the procedure (this is also called MoLag-TaNNi or in English "Mulaugtawni").

ENJOY WHAT MANY SOUTH INDIANS EAT AS THE FIRST COURSE OF THEIR MEAL.

Rotti (flat bread) made out of rice flour, is perhaps the unique speciality of Karnataka. It is in many ways similar to the Thali-peet of Maharashtra, but the ingredients are rice flour based. Consequently, it happens to be the popular breakfast item in many homes of Karnataka. Replace rice flour with Ragi flour and it becomes Ragi Rotti, another great favourite in Karnataka.

Ingredients:

Akki hittu or Rice flour (ground rice - the coarse variety can also be used, but will have to be kept a little longer after the dough is made using water), freshly grated coconut (the dry variety available in stores may be powdered in a dry grinder and used), green chillis, fresh kothumbari soppu (dhaniya leaves), jeerige (jeera, cumin seeds), Hing (asaphotida), salt to taste.

Optional ingredients: finely chopped onions, finely grated carrots, finely grated cabbage, BataaNi kaaLu (green peas, even the frozen variety is OK), red chilli powder instead of fresh green chillis.

Procedure:

Take 500 gms of rice flour and add 3-4 finely chopped green chillis, chopped kothambari soppu, 1 teaspoon of jeerige, a pinch of hing. Add a handful of freshly grated coconut or powdered coconut. Add water little by little as you mix them. Stop adding water when it can be rolled into one lump (similar to wheat dough). The difference though is that this rice dough does not have the elastic nature of wheat and therefore cannot be rolled out like a chapati. So, this dough has to be beaten into the pan. In order to do this, take a large flat pan or a Banale' (Wok or kayadyi), pour 2-3 teaspoons of oil at the centre. Keep a separate bowl of water. Take out a small handful of rice dough (large lemon sized) and put it on top of the oil in the middle of the pan. Wet your hand in water, start gently pressing the dough from the centre outwards in circular fashion. Keep repeating this by wetting the hand each time the dough starts sticking to your hand. Continue beating outwards, till the dough spreads uniformly making a large circle. Make sure the edges are not thick, by pressing them farther towards the outer circumference. The oil should be just about enough to seep a little at the edges, finally. The rotti will be no thicker than a thin biscuit.

Now, make one hole in the centre using the forefinger, make four more holes about 2 inches away from the centre in the four quarters of the circle. Pour in a few drops of oil into each of these holes, a few drops of oil over the surface in general. These holes allow the steam to escape and thereby keep the rotti close to the pan. Close the pan with a lid, keep it on medium flame. When the steam builds up and makes a sizzling noise (about 3-5 minutes), take out the lid, use a flat shaped skillet to ease the rotti out. Make sure that itis well baked but not blackened. If you want it crisper, add a few drops of oil, continue to bake on low flame for another 2-4 minutes. Take out and serve hot with a spoon of butter to go with.

After taking the rotti out, it is necessary to cool the pan. This can be done either by simply allowing it to cool down (takes longer) or turn the pan around, put the back of the pan under cold running tap (quenching). The pan will be ready for the next round within seconds. Generally, it is better to have two pans and alternate between them. Usually the first rotti needs more oil, subsequent ones need a spoon less.

The use of onion and grated vegetables gives an added taste to the rotti. All these are mixed before adding water and turned around well by hand. It is very common to do it with just onions, not so common to do with vegetables or just plain rotti. But adding chilli powder instead of chopped green chillis has adifference. It makes the rotti reddish instead of white, it also makes the khara (eravu, teekha) uniform. Particularly children may prefer green chillis since it can be taken off after cooking, thereby keeping the rotti mild.

BACK HOME DURING THE AVARE' KAAYI (fresh Lilva) SEASON of Jan-March it is common to add AVARE' KaaLu to this rotti (ooh, it tastes so good). Flat beans can be used elsewhere, though the taste will not be in any way comparable toAvare' KaaLu (fresh Lilva) over which the people of Karnataka go gah gah ENJOY THIS NICE ONE ON A WEEK-END. IT WILL MAKE YOU YEARN FOR MORE.

Courtesy: K. Raghunandana Prasad Venkatesh Narsipur The flat beaten rice called Avalakki (poha or Aval) is used here. There are both the dry and wet varieties made depending on the thickness of Avalakki (dry variety if it is thin). Ingredients: 250 gms of Avalakki (thick variety), 3-4 hasi meNasina kaayi (green chillis), a handful of Kadale kaayi (groundnuts/peanuts), freshly chopped kothumbari soppu (coriander leaves), 10-12 Karibevina ele (curry leaves), handful of freshly grated coconut, 1 teaspoon of Kadale bele' (chana dal or bengal gram), 1 teaspoon of uddina bele' (urid dal, black gram split), half a piece of fresh green lime. 1 spoon of mustard. Finely chopped onions (optional).

Procedure: In a banale' (kadai or wok) or aluminium pan take 2-3 teaspoons of oil, keep it on medium fire. Put the mustard and wait till it starts splitting. Add Kadale' bele' and uddina bele' and Kadale kaayi (groundnut/peanuts). Stir with a large spoon. Reduce the fire to low and continue to stir till both Kadale and uddina bele' turn golden brown and groundnuts also turn brown. Add chopped green chillis and chopped coriander leaves. Add a pinch of arishina (turmeric, manjal, haldi powder). If using onions add now and fry. (If using dry grated coconut add it now).

In a separate vessel, wash the Avalakki well, by adding water, stirring and then draining the water. Repeat this 2-3 times. Finally drain the water and add fresh water just sufficient to immerse the avalakki. Add salt to taste and allow it to soak for 2-3 minutes.

Now, take the soaked avalakki by hand and squeeze it to drain out water completely, and put it into the pan. Continue this process until all the avalakki is transfered to pan. Turn around until the avalakki is mixed well. Add the freshly squeezed juice from lime. Turn around and then add freshly grated coconut. Close the pan with a lid and turn off the fire after 1 minute. ENJOY THIS LOW FAT BREAKFAST WHICH IS LIGHT ON THE STOMACH AND TASTY TOO

P.S: The dry variety is preared the same way except that the thin avalakki is not soaked in water but fried in oil directly. Consequently, lime juice and grated coconut are not added. Instead, dried grapes (kismish or oNa drakshi) are often added. This is popular in coastal Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra too.

There is an entirely different version of avalakki which is purely for munching. This is called Avalakki puri. Depending on ones taste either puffed Avalakki or simply puri (muri or puffed white rice) is used. Even puffed rice available in cereal boxes can be used for this. To prepare this munching the procedure is simple and is as follows:

In the pan keep 4-5 teaspoons of oil, add mustard and wait till it splits.Reduce the heat, add 4-5 pieces of broken red chilli, add pieces of dried coconut (kobbari) or a handful of dry grated coconut. Add a pinch of hing (asaphotida), a pinch of turmeric. Add two handfuls of groundnuts, also add a handful of huri-Kadale (bhunja chana or puri-kadala). Add a handful of fresh curry leaves and turn around frying till they become crisp. Stir well and finally add the puffed rice (puri or avalakki puri as the case may be). Turn around for a minute and switch off the fire. Mix with salt to taste and allow it to cool, before storing in a box. It makes a tasty, crispy munch anytime, which can be stored for well over a fortnight.

This is one of the most common items, often bought from stores. It is also easy to make at home, though a bit slow. For those who need the *homely* taste and also those who have kids etc here is the recipe which *does not* use oil and can give the Khaara (hot/eravu/teekha) to your taste.

Cut 25 fresh limes (must be semi-ripe at best, but preferably on the green side)and put them in a large mouthed jar/vessel which has a cover. It is necessary to wash and dry lime and also this jar/vessel thoroughly, before starting. While putting the cut pieces, sprinkle salt as you put the pieces layer by layer. Also, after putting salt on each layer, cut a lemon, squeeze its juice uniformly. For about 25 limes the juice of 5 limes must be sufficient. After a day, turn itaround with a clean spoon (it is better this turn-around is done daily).

The next day, cut pieces of Haagalakaayi (Karela, pavakkai), to almost 1 cm squares and put them along. You can also cut and put Maavinakai shunti (mango flavoured ginger), green chillies cut to 1cm length, or chopped green-beans if you wish. Remember to trun it around daily, add a small pinch of turmeric (arishina/haldi). The turmeric added must be really minimum, but is necessary as a preservative. Remember to sprinkle a little salt after putting vegetables. It must be mentioned that the whole of this paragraph is an option, many do not like adding anything to the lime pickles, which in its own right, has fine taste.

After 15 days, take a handful of Menthya (methi seeds) dry fry them along with a small teaspoon-ful of mustard and hing. After it is cooled, grind them well in a dry girnder and add red chilli powder to taste. Then mix it and add these to the well turned, salted limes (with/without vegetables etc). Turn it around.

After another week of turning around, the pickle will be ready for use. Now take it out and put it into bottles of convinient size. Any additional salt, hing, chilli powder etc., can be added before bottling them. After bottling, ensure that it settles, leaving the red pasty layer on top (i.e the cut pieces should stay submerged). The juice squeezed in initially, decides the amount of pasty layer. For those who like the uppinakaayi rasa (this pasty-tasty part) a liberal amount of squeezed juice is advised, but it will also need a proportionally additional amount of salt to taste. While using, ensure that you use a dry spoon, remember to keep the mouth of the bottle clean and closed after use. It is not necessary to refrigerate the pickles but these days most people do, more as a precautionary step.

It is important to wash and clean and dry everything thoroughly. Any trace of water reduces the shelf life, so it better to take extra care in doing the whole process in a clean, systematic way. Once done, the pickles easily last well over an year. For children and those who need less of chilli, the chilli proportion can be reduced. A favourite with curd rice, the lime pickle goes equally well with dose' (dosa), idli, bread toast or for that matter anythingthat needs a spicy-tasty side-dish.

P.S: For a good reddish colour the powder from Byadagi menashinakayi (red chilli from Byaadagi, North Karnataka), is used. This may not always be available. It is good to remember that Byadagi chilli gives good colour but has less khara (teekha/eravu). Any chilli powder basically does the job, colour is just a matter of aesthetics and has very little to do with the taste of the pickle.

This is one of the widely known snacks of Karnataka, perhaps also popular in other parts of South India. It is fairly easy to prepare, but needs some initial patience and effort. A trial on a week-end is suggested. KODU means Horn (like that of a cow) and BALE means Bangle, the best one is made by grand-mother.

Ingredients: Rice flour (slightly coarse, gives more crispy touch), red chilli powder, Jeera (cumin seeds), Hing (asaphotida), grated coconut, dried & crushed curry leaves,Til(yeLLu or white sesame seeds),butter, salt to taste. Oil to fry. Proportion is for 500 gms of rice flour, put in a handful of each of the other ingredients (except chilli powder, ooh, just a table spoon of that would do).

Preparation: Mix the rice flour, red chilli powder, salt, butter (one quarter piece of the commerically available pack), and all the above ingredients in the dry form. Knead with hand to ensure that butter gets uniformly mixed in the dry flour. At this stage some people prefer to put 1 or 2 red chillis in hot oil, take out after 1 minute, cool, powdered by hand and mix with the dry flour. This gives a traditional flavor to KODUBALE. Also, freshly grated coconut gives a much better taste than the dry coconut powder available in stores. If using fresh coconut, save the coconut water, to mix the dough.This enhances the taste.

Frying procedure : The proper method is not to mix water to the flour all at once, but to sprinkle, enough to make a handful of wet dough at a time, finish that and proceed again. So, mix water to a portion of the dough (preferably at the centre), mix it to a semi-wet paste (not as wet as a chappathi/bread dough - remember - rice flour does not have the stickiness of wheat and stays together more loosely, held by ingredients). Take a lemon sized ball and start rolling on a cutting board. The consistency should be sufficient to roll, but not too wet/soggy. If the water is less, the rolled rod breaks. If this happens, add a little water (coconut water if you have). Remember, do not put too much pressure on the semi-wet dough, but gently roll to form a smooth natural rod, rolling sideways to get an even thickness of about the small finger on your hand. When the rolled rod becomes 4 inches long, slowly turn around the ends, join them to form a circle (like a bangle). The correct consistency is that at the points of bending, small cracks may appear, but the roll will not break. Carefully hold it at the circumference and slide it along Wok-edge into hot oil. Use medium flame to heat the Wok(BaNale or Kadayi). Sunflower oil is preferable to others since it does not have any odour of its own. Back home, the popular medium is unrefined groundnut oil (coconut oil is popular in S.Canara dist).

Put in 5 to 6 Kodubale at a time and deep fry slowly till brown. Use the back of stainles steel spoon or a wooden rod to lift them thro' the centre hole.To test consistency, break one after cooling; it must be crispy with crums at the center. If the butter is too much,the KODUBALE breaks into pieces after getting into the hot oil. If the water is too much, the KODUBALE becomes smooth and soft. Lack of butter makes it pretty hard, which, many people do like. Adjust your proportion, Khara (chilli powder) etc by tasting one,then proceed with the further batches. It can be kept in bottles for 15 days to a month and eaten at tea time (all the time - for kids :-), as experienced people will tell you). The right thing to have on a rainy day; if it is a little on the hotter side (taste-wise) it will go very well with beer :-)

If you have a tough time/run out on your patience, beat the lemon sized balls into flat round pieces like mini poppudums and fry. If you have decided to do this, add roasted groundnut seeds and Purikadale (bhoonja chana) to bring a distinct taste. This is also called Nippattu in Kannada (I know the Telugu people have a name for this, but can't remember).

KODUBALE, KODUBALE, KAASIGONDU KODUBALE (Kodubale - for a penny each) is a song of the good-old times. May not be as cheap now, but still is sold in all the bakeries - isn't it :-)

Another koduballe recipe: Courtesy: Pushpa Sudhakaran

Ravi, I use rice four. The secret however is to use 1/4th of the rice four (one cup of rice flour and 1/4 the cup of) kadalepoppu roasted and ground in dry grinder. You should also use 1-4 tespoons of butter or oil. a pinch of baking soda and salt. Also, red chillies roasted in a drop of oil and powdered coarsely. Mix every thing with water and roll and fry. I bet you know what to do after this! EAT

BaaLekaayi Bajji (unripe banana bajji) Courtesy: K. Raghunandana

This is a very tasty, crunchy yet soft, saltish snack widely made popular by Udipi restaurants. Unripe banana (BaaLe' Kaayi) is widely available the world over, and this simple, quick, dish can be prepared in minutes.

Ingredients: 4-5 BaaLe' Kaayi (unripe, green bananas - firm and green), kadale' hittu (besan flour, chicpea flour), rice flour, hasi kharada pudi (red chilli powder), 1/4 litre of cooking oil (groundnut oil or sunflower oil depends on individual preference), a small marble sized tamrind, salt to taste.

Procedure: Take a bowl of water and soak the tamrind. Lightly squeeze the tamarind to make a weak solution of tamarind water. Take the green bananas, lightly peel the skin (optional, since many prefer to retain the skin which is very high in fibre content), cut the end tips. Make thin slices (about the thickness of a coin) lengthwise. Put the rectangular cut pieces in the tamarind solution (this solution prevents pieces from turning black).

Take 150 gms of kadale' hittu (besan flour, chickpea flour) and 50 gms of rice flour (besan gives the colour while rice flour gives the crispness). Add 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder. Add a few drops of oil (to give a crunchy outer crust), add salt to taste and mix it with hand, adding water slowly. Stop adding water when it becomes a thick paste that drops as you take hand out of the bowl, but does not run-off the hand. Some people prefer to add paprika powder to get some "extra-hot" colour but this is purely optional.

Take oil in a BaNale' (kadaayi, wok), heat it on medium-low fire. After the oil is hot but not fuming (can also be tested by putting a drop of the mixed flour and seeing that it comes up to surface bubbling, within 1-2 seconds). Take the cut banana pieces from the tamarind solution, dip it in the pasty dough to cover it fully and then slide them into the BaNale'. At this stage the dough's consistency can be checked. If it is too thick, the pieces dont get covered well and if too thin, dough runs off leaving the pieces exposed. At least 4 or 5 of them can be put in one round. Allow them to fry, turn around, till they are deep brown in colour. Take them out, serve them with coconut chutney. The unique taste of BaaLe` kaayi (raw plantain/banana) has a sweetish hint. It is an excellent vegetarian equivalent to the fish fingers, both in consistency and taste. It is very popular in the rainy season.

Useful hints: The same procedure can be used to make bajji from a variety of other vegetables. Some of the popular vegetables for bajji are - onion (cut in circular pieces), potato (again cut circularly), DoNNa MeNasina Kaayi (green pepper), Heere' Kaayi (ripple gourd available in Indian/Chinese stores), large green chillis (MeNasina kaayi bajji) which are very popular in rural areas, several american gourds. Even greens can be used to make bajji, the most popular being sappaseege' soppu (Dil - available in most supermarkets), and menthyada soppu (Methi leaves). The greens must be washed, dried, cut and directly mixed with the dough. One teaspoon of greem mixed dough can be slid into oil to make a bajji. Bajjis make an excellent snack with afternoon/evening tea or coffee.

ENJOY THIS NICE ONE FROM COASTAL KARNATAKA - OTHER BAJJIS ARE POPULAR IN VARIOUS OTHER REGIONS, BUT THEY ALL TASTE GREAT.

This is one of the traditional dishes of Karnataka, which is also popular in parts of Tamil Nadu (in a slightly varied version though, and is called Mor KoLambu). It is a simple, tasty, low fat, semi liquid, commonly mixed and eaten with rice. In its simplest form it has no vegetables at all, but there are a select variety of vegetables, each of which add a distinct taste to this exquisite dish. Only a single vegetable is used in this unique dish.

Ingredients: HuLi Majjige with a little of HuLi Mosaru (sour curds or yogurt kept out of fridge for 1 day or so, with butter milk), green chillis 5/6 (hasi meNasina kayi), 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds (jeerige'), 2 spoons of Dhaniya (Kothumbari beeja) or a few cut pieces of Dhaniya leaves (kothumbari soppu), half a spoon of mustard (Saasuve'), two spoons of Kadale beLe"(Chana dal/ bengal gram) soaked in water for half-an-hour, a pinch of turmeric powder (AriSinada pudi),a pinch of hing (asaphotida), one half of a coconut (grated fresh) or one handful of the dry variety can be soaked in water for half-an-hour and used. A small piece (strawberry sized) of ginger, two seeds of whole black pepper.

Grind the ingredients in a pestle (or dry grinder). Add half a litre of Majjige (butter milk+sour yogurt) to it and allow it to warm up. Add salt to taste, and water to make the mixture fairly thick but semi-liquid. Just as it starts to boil, switch off the heat, add a few curry leaves (Kari-bevina soppu). For oggarane (phodni/tarka) first heat a spoon of oil, add mustard seeds, after they split take off the heat, add one-half broken red chilli. After it cools, add it to the boiling hot Majjige HuLi.

Adding vegetables

Only one vegetable gets into the Majjige HuLi. This is necessary to maintain the unique flavour combination of that vegetable and Majjge' HuLi.

1. BENDE KAAYI (Bhindi/Okhra): Wipe each okhra with a semi-wet cloth. Allow it to dry. Cut them into really small pieces of not over half an inch. In a separate BaNale' (Wok or fry pan) keep a few spoons of oil, heat it and then put the okhra (Bende' kaayi) and continue frying on low fire. In about 5/10 minutes they will fry fairly well changing colour, to avoid the ends getting burnt, low fire and continuous stirring is needed. Add little amounts of oil, if needed. After frying, transfer them into the Majjige' Huli, and start the heating process.

2. BADANE' KAAYI (Baingon/egg plant): The thin, longer variety is preferable, but the fat version can be used if cut properly. Cut them first into half (circumference-cut), then each cylidrical piece into further half, another half will make each quarter of the cylindrical piece (the ideal size), the length being no more than 1and1/2 to 2 inches maximum. Keep a bowl of water and put the cut pieces into this water.This prevents browning of the cut edges and keeps the edges clean and whitish. Then use a BaNale' (Wok or fry pan) to fry them with 2 spoons of oil. If eggplant is the longer variety, closing the lid will allow easier cooking and needs less oil. But the fat variety of egg plant has more moisture, so will become soggy and watery if lid is closed. It therefore needs an open pan frying and more oil.

3. Soppu (Spinach): This is the simplest of all since it has be just cut into small pieces and put into the Majjige HuLi.

4. BOODA KUMBALA KAAYI (Ash-gourd): One of the classic vegetables that blends ideally with Majjige HuLi. The Ash gourd is usually cut into large pieces of 2 inch square. These pieces come out naturally as one cuts the gourd, takes away the seeds and starts cutting them into rectangular pieces after removing the thick, hard skin. The pieces are direclty put into the Majjige HuLi and as heated the watery pieces absorb the soury/salty juices making it a wonderful experience when you eat them. This is also the most common vegetable used in ceremonial occassions (marriages etc.,).

5. Cucumber: Somewhat like the Ashgourd but not quite as good is the cucumber. All water-based vegetles need to be cut into larger pieces, else they melt away as they are boiled. Even here just remove the skin and cut the cucumber into large pieces of 2 inches, cut cylindrically first and then just split into half once. Add the pieces directly to the Majjige' HuLi.

6. DoNNe MeNasina Kaayi (green pepper): One of the good vegetables that adds its distinct flavour to the Majjige HuLi. Cut it into larger pieces and put it directly, before starting the heating process. Alternately, the pieces can be boiled/cooked in plain water and then added to the Majjige HuLi at the boiling point.

ENJOY, THE UNIQUE FLAVOUR OF KARNATAKA - ITS SIMPLE AND HEALTHY FOOD.

Maavinakaayi Anna Courtesy: K. Raghunandana

This is a traditional dish usually prepared during the beginning of the mango season (early spring) when sour, unripe mango (kuchcha) becomes available. They are used when the mango is big but pulp has not yet started turning yellow.

Ingredients: 2-3 green unripe mangoes. Handful of peanuts (kadalekaayi beeja), 7-8 cashewnuts (godambi), 2-3 teaspoonful of bengal gram (Kadale' beLe' or Chana daal), 4-5 green chillies, a handful of chopped kothumbari soppu (dhaniya leaves, coriander leaves), 8-10 curry leaves (karibevina soppu, karivapalai), a pinch of arishina (haldi, Manjal, turmeric), a pinch of hing (asaphotida), a teaspoon of Saasuve' (mustard). A handful of grated coconut (preferably freshly grated, but the dry variety from stores may be used if it is the unsweetened variety).

1 lb or 1/2 Kg of plain rice (long grain, not basmati or jasmine).

Preparation: Keep the rice in a rice cooker, with a little short on water, so that when cooked, the rice will be non-sticky and separate.

Cut the mangoes, remove the seed. Grate the green mango pieces. It is essential that the mangoes are not ripe and are sour to taste. If they are not sour, use half a piece of lime's juice to make up for the sour taste. After grating the mangoes, keep the pulp aside. Take the grated coconut and a teaspoon of mustard, 3-4 green chillies, in a dry grinder, grind them well. This should provide a fine, freshly ground mustard flavour. Add the mango pulp, grind for a short period, take the paste out and keep it aside.

In a separate banale" (wok) or non-stick vessel, take 2-3 table spoons of oil, warm it up on a low fire. Add the Kadale' beLe', groundnut seeds, fry them well, add godambi (optional), after the whole thing starts to turn golden brown, add the chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves. Add a pinch of turmeric (arishina) and a pinch of hing (asaphotida). For hot flavour half a piece of red chilli can be added. Move all the things to the edge (circumference) and keep the middle part clear. Add just one teaspoon of oil, add the ground paste (coconut,green chilli, mustard and mango pulp) to this centre part and slowly turn around for a minute or two till the musky green colour of mango pulp changes to a milder green. The key is to mellow the fresh sour taste but "not to overcook" which can completely change the sour taste to a bitter taste. Switch off the fire mix all the things (centre and circumference) and allow it to cool. Spread the cooked rice evenly on top of it, allow all of it to cool. Add salt to taste, and turn around the whole thing by hand (softly) so that the rice mixes well and evenly with the paste and the fried ingredients. Add 1 spoon of ghee while turning around, to give a fine flavour. Allow it to sit for an hour or two before serving. This rice can be reheated in a microwave before serving.

Useful hints: The same procedure can be followed to make nimbehannina chitranna (lemon rice). Instead of the mango, the juice of one/two lime can be squeezed in to provide the sour taste. He'raLe' kaayi (jumbo lime) or cranburry or cooking apple can be used instead of mango, to provide different flavours of sour taste, depending on the season. All of them make equally fine rice dish.

Usually prepared on festivals, special holidays, or at times at a special request by the pregnant women ..(Bayake) :-)

Enjoy this fine saltish sour delicacy from Karnataka. It makes a great change from the bland bread/cornflakes routine for many.

i) To make powder

ii) To make Bhaath using the powder

Powder : The powder can be made and kept for use upto 8 weeks (after that the flavor goes down). Take equal quantities of Dhaniya seeds and red chillis (one handful of each, for a small bottle-full of powder). For one tumbler of dhaniya about 15 red chillis would do the job. Fry them "together" with a "few drops" of oil-just enough to keep the "Baanale"(WOK) oily. (You will find that using 2 spoons at diagonals makes it easy to fry). Fry on low fire till you get that "nice-smell" with very little fumes, take out before dhaniya starts changing colour (the other indicator is the red chillis become shiny with oil). Put them on a plate to cool.

Put one handful of chana daal (kadale bele) and half of udad daal (uddina bele) and fry slowly using 1 teaspoon of oil.Fry till both start to turn brown,remove. Then take 1 spoon each of pepper (meNasu) lavanga (cloves) and gasagase' (poopy seeds or khuskhus), 1/2 spoon each of jeera (cummin seeds) and menthya (methi seeds) , fry them till it smells good (menthya should only turn deep brown but without blackening). In the end add two table spoons of dry coconut (grated coconut normally available in all supermarkets will do well - but not the sweetened variety). Also add a pinch or two of HING powder. Just "one-full-piece" of daalchini chekke (pattai) must be added now. Some dried curry leaves and a pinch of turmeric are also be added at this stage (if you have them). After adding these do not continue frying for long, not more than a few seconds. Allow these to cool in the Baanale (WOK), by switching off gas and keeping the Banale on another (cold) stove, for example.

Powdering with dry grinder: Firstly, powder the dhaniya and chillis. After finely done, take out and then grind the cooled ingredients of daals etc. Grind the jeera and others separately till the poppy seeds also powder well. Grind them well, then add the powdered chilli, run the dry grinder once more to mix. Take out, mix with a spoon and store in a cleaned bottle, close it tight. Some people add turmeric only at the stage of mixing, this is to avoid the grinder for getting the "yellow" tinge of turmeric. But turmeric is essential for the "keeping quality (storage)" of the powder.

Making Bhaath :

Soak a large lemon sized tamarind in water.Cook equal amounts of Toor Dal and rice alongwith a pinch of turmeric and two spoons of oil,in the pressure cooker. After it is well cooked (15 minutes in low flame after the steam hissing starts) allow it to cool. Take it out, add the tamarind (squeeze tamarind well and put only the thick tamarind solution), one small lemon sized bella (gur) or two large spoons of brown sugar. Add a few spoons of oil, cook slowly turning it around. Then add the powder, cook for a short period, turning it around well. Add fresh curry leaves (if you have) and finally put "Oggarane" (Tarka/Bhagaar/Phodni in Hindi or Urdu) with mustard seeds , Godambi (cashew nuts) and a pinch of Hing added to it.

Note: Traditionally Bisi Bele HuLiyanna contains only the daal, rice, and tamarind as given above. The HOTEL version of this bhaath contains vegetables of sorts,which is not the traditional style,but is only the version popularised by hoteliers. It is upto individuals to put sweetish vegetables such as peas, carrots etc,but onion is generally never used since it takes the flavour in an entirely different direction (inion dominates).

Useful Hints: The same powder can be used to make the vegetable Bhaath, Vaangi Bhaath etc. Here, cook the rice with a little short of water (to keep it from becoming soggy). Spread the cooked rice to cool. In a separate pan with 2 spoons of oil heated, put in mustard, after they split/splash (putr ... putr.....putr), add a pinch of turmuric and then put a piece or two of broken red chilli (depending on how hot you want,add more) put 1 handful of groundnuts (cashews if you prefer)fry them for a few seconds,add curry leaves. Now put the cut vegetables or Badane Kaayi (baingon or egg plant) if it is vaangi-bhaath. Turn around, cover the lid and cook or low fire. After the vegetables are done, put salt to taste. Allow cooling time. Put the cooled rice, put 2-3 table of the sambar powder, little salt (only to make-up for the rice now added). Add freshly grated coconut (fresh coconut pieces put in dry grinder and done), Mix with hand well using 1-2 table spoon of oil and also at this time squeeze in the juice of half a lime. Keep it away for an hour or so. Reheat (in oven/microwave) before serving.

This is a traditional preparation from Karnataka and is a very fine combination of sweet, sour, saltish and Hot (chilli) tastes. The dish is eaten both with rice and with Chapathi (some even spread it on the bread !).

Ingredients: 4-6 green chillis, marble sized tamarind, grated coconut (two handfuls), two spoonfuls of Menthya (methi seeds), two spoonfuls of Jeerige (Jeera, cumin seeds), one spoonful of Sasuve' (mustard seeds), two spoonfuls of yellu (til or sesame seeds), fresh Kothumbari soppu (dhaniya/coriander leaves), a pinch of Arishina (turmeric powder), a spoon of rice (akki). A large picece of Jaggery (1-2 cubic inch), or two tablespoons of brown sugar.

In a pan, dry fry the Menthya seeds, Jeerige and Yellu. After you get the nice smell in 5 minutes, take it out and allow it to cool (the menthya seeds turn dark brown but should not turn black). Grind it in a grinder/mixer, and then wet grind it again using water with coconut, green chillis, mustard seeds, and Kothumbari soppu Akki (rice) and Arishina. Use water to make it a thick liquid.

Wipe 1/2 Kg of Bende Kaayi(Bhindi/Ladies finger/Okhra)with a wet towel. Cut them into medium sized (1 inch long) pieces. Take a pan with a table spoon of oil, fry the cut pieces in low fire. Continue to fry till they are fairly well cooked (add a little of oil if needed). Soak the tamarind (HuNise' HaNNu) in a cup of water. After 5 minutes of soaking, squeeze the tamarind thoroughly to get all the juice and then take away the remains of tamarind. Pour the tamarind water onto the cooked Bende Kaayi. Allow it to soak and boil for 5 minutes (this takes away the loLe' or soapy layer, from the okhra). Now put in the grinded mixture, add salt to taste and stir well. Also add the Jaggery (bella) and keep the mixture on low flame. Add a few curry leaves (Kari Bevina soppu) and allow the mixture to cook on low fire, till it becomes a semi thick liquid. For Oggarane' (tarka, phodni, vagar) heat a spoon of oil, and when hot add mustard. After they split add half a red chilli (broken), take it off flame and put it into the hot Gojju. Stir well.

NOTE: Instead of Bendekaayi, Badane kaayi (Baingon, egg plant) can be used. Also Seeme Badane' kaayi (a flat pear shaped greenish vegetable available in Indian and Chinese stores), Sore'kaayi (kaddu) or Sihi KumbaLa (Pumpkin), several types of amercian gourds, or even plain onions chopped into larger pieces and put into Gojju. In all these cases, it is necessary to cut them into somewhat larger (1 inch cube) pieces, fry them in a little oil and cook them before pouring in the grinded mixture. There is no need to cook them in tamarind water, although tamarind water is added as usual, towards the end.

Invariably, only one vegetable is used in Gojju, to preserve the distinct taste of that particular vegetable.

The word "Khara Bhath" is to a large extent credited to the hotel industry. They were the ones who popularised it, but it is also made in some form at home. Incidentally, the instant version (made by MTR, Bangalore) is available for those "quickies". Really, khara-bhath is a variation to Uppittu (Uppumav) in that instead of the chilli etc, the Saambar powder is used to provide both khaara (eravu, theekha) and flavour. Bhaath (means rice in Marathi) is used in Karnataka in a very liberal sense, it often applies to rice as well as things made out of Rava (sooji). I have reproduced my Saambar recipe to include the Khara-bhath which can be done using the saambar powder.

i) To make powder

The sambar powder can be made and kept for use upto 8 weeks (after that the flavor goes down). Take equal quantities of Dhaniya seeds and red chillis (one handful of each, for a small bottle-full of powder). Fry them "together" with a "few drops" of oil-just enough to keep the "Baanale"(WOK) oily. (You will find that using 2 spoons at diagonals makes it easy to fry). Fry on low fire till you get that "nice-smell" with very little fumes, take out before dhaniya starts changing colour (the other indicator is the red chillis become shiny with oil). Put them on a plate to cool.

Put half handful of chana daal (kadale bele) and half of udad daal (uddina bele) and fry slowly using 1 teaspoon of oil. Fry till both start to turn brown then add two table spoons of dry coconut (grated coconut normally available in all supermarkets will do well - but not the sweetened variety). Also add a pinch or two of HING powder. Just "one-piece" of daalchini chekke (pattai) must be added now. Some dried curry leaves and a pinch of turmeric are also be added at this stage (if you have them). After adding these do not continue frying for long, not more than a few seconds. Allow these to cool in the Baanale (WOK), by switching off gas and keeping the Banale on another (cold) stove, for example.

Powdering with dry grinder: Firstly, powder the dhaniya and chillis. After finely done, take out and then put the cooled ingredients of daals etc. Grind them well, then add the powdered chilli, run the dry grinder once more to mix. Take out, mix with a spoon and store in a cleaned bottle, close it tight. Some people add turmeric only at the stage of mixing, this is to retain the grinder for getting the "yellow" tinge of turmeric. But turmeric is essential for the "keeping quality (storage)" of the powder.

ii) To make Khaara Bhaath

The sambar powder can be used to make the vegetable Bhaath, Khara Bhaath, Vaangi Bhaath etc. Here, cook the rice with a little short of water (to keep it from becoming soggy). Spread the cooked rice to cool. In a separate pan with 2 spoons of oil heated, put in mustard, after they split/splash (putr ... putr.....putr), add a pinch of turmuric and then put a piece or two of broken red chilli (depending on how hot you want,add more) put 1 handful of groundnuts (cashews if you prefer)fry them for a few seconds,add curry leaves. Now put the cut vegetables or Badane Kaayi (baingon or egg plant) if it is vaangi-bhaath. Turn around, cover the lid and cook or low fire. After the vegetables are done, put salt to taste. Allow cooling time. Put the cooled rice, put 2-3 table of the sambar powder, little salt (only to make-up for the rice now added). Add freshly grated coconut (fresh coconut pieces put in dry grinder and done), Mix with hand well using 1-2 table spoon of oil and also at this time squeeze in the juice of half a lime. Keep it away for an hour or so. Reheat (in oven/microwave) before serving.

Instead of rice, medium size rave' (sooji, rava, samolina) can be used to make Khaara-Bhaath. In this case, the rave' is first dry fried on a low fire (use just one tea-spoon of ghee or a small piece of butter if you prefer) till it is rid of moisture. Then fry finely cut vegetables in 2 teaspoons of oil, then add water and salt to taste. Continue to heat till the water starts to boil and then bring down the heat and add the dry fried rava slowly. Add 3-4 tea spoons of oil, sprinkle 2-3 spoons of sambar powder, cover the lid and keep on very low fire for 2-3 minutes. Open the lid, add the juice of half a lime, turn around, add grated coconut. Turn off the fire. Add one or two teaspoons of ghee and close the lid. Before serving, turn around slightly and serve hot.
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This dose is found in several parts of Karnataka but is rarely served in restaurants. It is easy to make and is delicious to taste.

Ingredients: Rice, Sauthaekaai (Cucumber), Geragae' (gera), 4-6 green chillis, Salt to taste.

Procedure: Soak the rice in water overnight. Peel and grate the fresh cucumber. For ever one cup of rice add one and half cups of grated cucumber to form a mixture add green chillies and geregae' and grind the mixture into a fine paste.
 

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