Bisi Bele Bath

A very famous Karnataka recipe. This dish tastes very good at MTR (Mavalli Tiffin Rooms) in Bangalore. They serve it with a delicious raita. It is a one dish meal, easy to make and one of my favorites to cook after i mastered the art of preparing BBB. It took me 10 times of trying to get the perfect BBB recipe. Now i prepare as often as once in 10 days and it improves with every time i cook it. My kids like to eat potato wafers alongwith it, for me, i like it as is or with raita. Replace white rice with brown rice and it makes for good diet recipe with all the nutrition of vegetables and very less oil. This is how i prepare BBB.

BISI BELE BATH:





Ingredients: (powder)

2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp urad dal
1 tbsp channa dal
1/2 tbsp jeera
6-7 methi seeds
2 pieces of 1 inch each , chinnamon
2 cloves
5 tbsp dry coconut (grated)
8 dry chillies (adjust this to your taste)

1. Dry fry all the above ingredients seperately and blend it into a powder together. Divide this powder in two portions.

For the BISI BELE BATH:

1 cup rice
3/4 cup toor dal
1 portion of the Bisi Bele Bath powder (recipe above)
1 cup of mix vegetables chopped evenly and washed (carrot, beans, capsicum, turnip)
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2. Wash the rice and dal together.
3. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and add the asafoetida, add the vegetables.
4. Stir fry vegetables for 1/2 a minute, add salt, turmeric powder and the BBB powder, stir fry.
5. After a minute of stir fry, add the washed rice and dal, mix well, add 4 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Let the pressure reduce and then open.
for the tamarind mix:

2 tbsp thick tamarind extract
1 tbsp jaggery

6. Mix the above 2 ingredients in 1 cup water and bring it to a boil.
7. Add this to the rice in the pressure cooker and mix well.

for the tempering:

1 tsp mustard seeds
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 dry chillies (split, i used the byadagi variety)
1 tbsp halved cashewnuts (optional)
1 tomato (cut fine)
the second portion of the BBB powder
1 tsp ghee
1/4 tsp asafoetida

8. Heat the ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add asafoetida and reduce flame and add chillies.
9. Add curry leaves and the tomato. Stir fry the tomatoes till cooked.
10. Add the powder and fry for 10 secs and immediately transfer this to the rice. Mix well.

You can also add onions for the tempering.

Though the recipe looks tedious with the number of steps, it isn't when you cook it.

Seafood platter (Mackerel fish curry)

One of the good things of moving to mumbai is the seafood- fresh, variety, abundance. My kids and I love seafood. My daughter does not eat rice or anything else when seafood is prepared at home. She is satisfied only with eating fish all three meals in the day. The prawns here is excellent. I used to not prepare prawns much when in Bangalore but here i love preparing it since it is fresh and does not smell a lot. I marinate prawns in a little turmeric and salt for 15 mins after cleaning and washing it. For curry, mackerel is the best and tastes yum. The meal posted below was prepared the last sunday before diwali (we don't eat non-veg for a month after diwali).

MACKEREL FISH CURRY:





Ingredients:

1 kg mackerel (wash and pat dry)
1/2 cup coconut
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp dhania powder
a pinch turmeric
1 tbsp thick tamarind extract
salt to taste
8-10 peeled shallots (sambhar onions)
10 cloves of garlic (peeled)
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp vadiyam (if you do not have vadiyam, use 1 tsp mustard seeds, a little jeera, 5 methi seeds)

Method of Preparation:

1. Make a paste of coconut, chilli powder, tamarind extract, turmeric, dhania powder and salt with a little water.
2. Heat oil in a wide thick bottomed vessel. Add vadiyam and fry for 30 seconds.
3. Add the peeled shallots and garlic and fry for a minute
4. Add curry leaves and stir fry for 15 seconds.
5. Add the ground coconut paste and add a little water as the curry will thicken.
6. Let the curry come to a boil and add the fish pieces. Cook for 10 mins, garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice. Also tastes superb with dosas and idli.

Prawn Fry (Royalla vepudu)

There are so many different kind of prawns in all sizes available in the market here, i enjoy shopping for them. They are sold in small heaps and the price differs on the size of the prawns. I love the tiger and jumbo prawns than the small ones. Though it is tedious to de-vein them, i just love the taste. If you are averse to the smell of prawn you can make use of the following method to get rid of the smell. After de-veining the prawns, wash it well and marinate in lime juice and turmeric for 15-20 mins and then use it in your recipe.

PRAWN FRY: (ROYALLA VEPUDU):

Ingredients:

1/4 kg prawns (de-veined)
1 large onion (chopped)
1 tomato (chopped)
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp vadiyam
salt to taste
coriander leaves to garnish
1 tbsp oil

Method of preparation:

1. Heat oil in a kadai (wok), add vadiyam, fry for 30 seconds and add onion.
2. Once the onion turns translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
3. Add curry leaves and fry.
4. Add the chopped tomato and fry well till it gets mushy.
5. Add chilli powder and salt and mix well. Let this cook for a minute
6. Add the prawns and cook for 15 mins.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves

Goes well as an accompaniment with rice and dal.

Vanjaram Fry (Anjal/Surmai/Seer Fish Fry)

Vanjaram Fry is a perfect complement to Rasam rice. I buy a whole fish, a minimum of 1 kg will be a good one - anything less would be too small and the pieces will not be so good. In Bangalore, i used to buy half kg or 1kg slices. Here, since there is a good choice, i buy a whole one. I marinate the slices in spices and keep them in the sun for 2 hours and then freeze them. When necessary, i take the required number of slices and fry them. This comes very handy when i have less time to spend for meal preparation and yet my kids demand something yummy and their favorite..... Rasam rice and fish fry.

VANJARAM FRY (ANJAL/SURMAI/SEER FISH FRY):

Ingredients:

1 kg Seer fish (sliced, wash and pat dry)
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp dhania powder (coriander powder)
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp vinegar
6 tbsp tamarind extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
Oil for shallow frying

Method of preparation:

1. Mix all the above mentioned spices. The tamarind extract and vinegar should be enough to bind the dry spices together to a paste, if it is still dry, add some water but the paste must be thick.
2. Coat each slice on both sides with the paste. Keep it aside for 2 hours.
3. On a hot griddle add 1 tbsp oil and place the fish on the oil.
4. After 2 mins, turn over the fish, add a little oil to the sides and cook for another 2 mins. At this point, you can sprinkle pepper powder on the slice.

Serve hot with rasam rice or dal chawal.

Tomato Rice and Chicken Curry

I like trying out different combinations when preparing non-veg dishes. Biriyani always stands alone without any accompaniments when there are no guests, or else, biriyani with green chicken curry. Ghee rice/coconut rice with green chicken/mutton/vegetable stew. Tomato rice usually is prepared when i'm unable to prepare any vegetable dish or curry, hence one dish meal. Last time, after i had made all the preparations for tomato rice when i remembered that i had chicken in the freezer. So, i decided to make red chicken curry to go with the tomato rice. Posting the recipe for the same.

TOMATO RICE AND CHICKEN CURRY:



Ingredients:

for tomato rice:

1 cup rice (washed and soaked for 15 mins before cooking)
1 large onion (sliced)
3 tomatoes (chopped fine)
50 gms green peas (optional)
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp oil

for chicken curry:

1/2 kg chicken
4 tbsp coconut
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
a pinch of turmeric
1 tbsp tamarind thick extract
1 tbsp vadiyam
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

Method of Preparation: (Tomato Rice)

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add onions and stir fry till they turn translucent.
2. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
3. Add the green chillies, green peas and curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds.
4. Add the tomatoes, fry for 30 seconds and add chilli powder, fry for 1 minute
5. Add the rice, 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles and switch off the flame. Open after the pressure is completely released.

To cook this dish in rice cooker, follow steps 1-4 in a kadai in place of the pressure cooker. Add the seasoning for the rice alongwith the rice in the rice cooker.

(Chicken curry):

1. Grind coconut, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, turmeric and salt into a smooth paste
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add vadiyam and fry for a minute.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes, then add curry leaves.
4. Add chicken and fry for a minute, add the ground paste and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

You can serve this curry with dosa and idli also.

Puliyogare

One of the easiest to make in an emergency. Maybe that is one of the reasons most of friends at college and my first workplace would get this in their lunch boxes. I for one, hated the ready mix puliyogare and have not had puliyogare anywhere other than Kadambam restaurant in Bangalore. Mummy makes good Vangi bath but even her puliyogare recipe falls short of the taste of Kadambams. I then got this recipe from a Kannada cook book and tried it out with a little variation of my own. Since the first time i prepared this, my husband and kids want this mix ready always so that they can have it as often as they feel like having it. At last, I'm satisfied with the taste of home made Puliyogare. Now, i always have puliyogare gojju stocked in my fridge always.

PULIYOGARE:

 











 

Ingredients: (for gojju)

6 tsp chana dal (kadale bele)
6 tsp urad dal (uddin bele)
24 red chillies (mix of 14 byadagi and 10 guntur chillies)
18 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp jeera
3/4 tsp methi seeds
9 tsp black sesame seeds
9 tsp grated dry coconut
a small piece of jaggery
6 tsp thick tamarind extract
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1 and 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4 tsp groundnuts
3 sprigs curry leaves
pinch of hing
10 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Method of preparation:

1. In one tsp oil, fry the chana dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, jeera, methi and chillies seperately.



2. Dry fry the sesame seeds and once the start crackling, add the dry coconut and immediately switch off the flame.


3. Powder all the ingredients in step 1. together.
4. Powder the sesame seeds and dry coconut together. Keep both the powders seperately.
5. Mix the tamarind extract, jaggery and turmeric with a little water in a bowl.
6. Take a thick bottomed karahi and heat the 10 tbsp oil. Add grounduts.
7. Once the groundnuts turn reedish brown, immediately sputter mustard seeds, curry leaves and add hing.
8. Add the tamarind extract mix and let it boil. Once it starts boiling, add the step 1. powder.
9. Mix well and later add the step 2. powder.




The gojju is ready. You can mix this with hot rice, if necessary garnish with coriander leaves.
This stays good for 5 days at room temperature and for more than 15 days when stored in refrigerator.

Nippattu

Another fried snack. I prepared this for Ganesha festival, but could not post the recipe till now. In fact, all the recipes from now on for quite sometime is backlog being uploaded. Mummy used to prepare all these together - rave unde, chakkali, nippattu, kodubale. She used to prepare in large quantities with the assistance of my aunts and granny. It used to be a large group gathered when such snacks and festivities were prepared. Now, with everyone busy in their works none of us staying in close proximity to each other, we end up cooking in small quantities and at times not cooking this stuff at all. I have seen more number of people buying from supermarkets and groceries where they sell this stuff ready. I had done it once but did not like the items much and it did not give me the fulfillment and satisfaction i have when i do it myself. So here goes, another of the fried stuff recipe......

NIPPATTU:



Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup besan (fried gram flour)
1/2 cup dried coconut (grate and powder)
3 tbsp fried, peeled and lightly crushed groundnuts
6-7 dry red chillies (byadagi variety), coarsely powdered
2 sprigs of curry leaves roughly chopped
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp hing
2 tbsp hot oil for mixing the dough
a pinch of salt

Method of Preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients mentioned above into a dough.
2. Make small balls and flatten it into 1/2 inch thick discs on a plastic sheet.
3. Slide it into hot oil and once reddish brown, remove it from the oil.
4. Repeat the same till you exhast all the dough.
5. Cool it and then store it in a air tight container.

Alasande Husuli (Black eyed beans salad)

Legumes being a good source of protein, i include it quite often in our diet. The kids love eating sprouts and beans when it is a salad. They especially like the green gram and alasande (lobia/black eyed bean) salad a lot. My son eats this as a whole meal instead of as an accompaniment. I prepare this without onions if it is on fasting days and if it is prepared as prasadam.

ALASANDE HUSULI:




Ingredients:

1 cup alasande (lobia/black eyed beans)
1 large onion, chopped fine.
3-4 green chillies (slit lengthwise to make it easy for the kids to remove the chillies when eating)
2 tbspn grated fresh coconut
1 tsp mustard
1 sprig curry leaves
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp oil
salt to taste
coriander for garnish


Method of Preparation:

1. Cook the beans for 2 whistles and strain completely
2. Heat the oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, add hing.
3. Add onions and fry till it turns translucent, add curry leaves.
4. Add salt and mix well, now add the beans and mix thoroughly.
5. Add the grated coconut and coriander, mix well and switch off the flame.


Serve this as an accompaniment or as an evening snack

See Kadubu

The preparation for Ganesha festival starts off a week in advance. I remember my mother soaking rice for the preparation of Kadubu dough a week previous to the festival. The main offering to Ganesha on the festival is this Kadubu (also known as modak). There are different kinds of modak, deep fried, steamed and just stuffed. The recipe given below is for the plain stuffed kadubu. For preparing the rice flour for this recipe, rice needs to be soaked for 3 hours, strained and then spread on a clean muslin cloth for drying. Dry this in shade for 1 whole day. Next day it is powdered very fine. My mother, aunt and me would sit and make kadubus with our hands without moulds, when the dough was still hot. Now that moulds are available and i'm the only hand to make kadubus, i use a mould. The kadubus should be made when the dough is hot.

SEE KADUBU:




Ingredients:

For the stuffing
1 cup fried Bengal gram powdered roughly (hurikadale)
1 cup white sesame (fried and roughly powdered)
1 cup jaggery powdered
1 cup dried coconut, grated.
1/4 cup poopy seeds (fried)
6-7 elaichi (seeds powdered)

For the dough:
2 cups rice powder
1 and 1/2 cup water ( adjust according to necessity)
a pinch of salt


Method of preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing and keep it in an airtight container.
2. Boil water and add a pinch of salt, as the water starts boiling, add the rice flour till all the water is absorbed.
3. Keep mixing with a thick spatula (preferably wooden) to avoid lump formation.
4. As you keep mixing, bring the whole flour together into one huge dough.
5. Make lemon sized balls of the dough when it is still hot.
6. Pat this ball flat and put it into the kadubu mould and fill the stuffing powder into it and make hot hot kadubus.
7. You can further steam this kadubu or eat it without steaming.