Seemebadnekaayi Gojju ; Chayote Squash Curry Made In a Kannadiga Style ; Karnataka Cuisine

 

 

Hi all!!

Gojju is a very popular preparation in Karnataka. It is slightly sweet, quite sour and also quite a spicy curry which is very popular in a Kannadiga household. A variety of vegetables are used to cook this popular curry, one of the most popular being Bendekayi Gojju but I have never heard any one trying the Chayote Squash or Seemebadnekayi for making the Gojju.

I experimented with the Chayote Squash and to my surprise it tasted really good. Also, the Chayote absorbed all the flavours very well. Hubby was extremely surprised and loved the preparation. A gojju preparation, steamed rice and some curds and one is sorted. Simple wholesome meal which is far better than any five star hotel’s meal.

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Lunch Menu-1: Karnataka Thali

 

Hi!

My regular readers would know that I’m married into a Kannadiga family. Though my husband loves trying new cuisines and all the kinds of food that I experiment with, his soul lies in the home style Karnataka food. I ensure to provide him his favourite food once in a while.

It was one of such days that I cooked most of his favourite food and served it on his platter. They are very simple preparations but very high on taste and flavour and the best part is that they complement each other well and also make a wholesome meal that has all the components for a balanced diet.

Served on the plate are Aloo Gadde Hurda Uperi which is a recipe very popular in my in laws family made using finely sliced potatoes. Then there is Maatvaadi Palya which is a North Karnataka preparation made using Fresh fenugreek/Methi leaves. There’s Jeerige Kattu as the lentil preparation which goes well with both the curries.

 

Rice, which is staple food for South Indians goes well with all the three and to add more crunch their are deep fried papads to complete the Thali. A little ghee on top of the rice and this combination is so delectable. My husband loved the Thali and was beaming with joy. When I shared the pic with my BIL, he was absolutely J.

This Thali is gluten free as there are no wheat products used in any preparation. If ghee is not put on the rice, it’s a completely dairy free, vegan preparation too.

Try the combination and treat your family with Karnataka delicacies.

Avarekaalu Akkitari Uppittu Made Using Borosil’s Digi Kook Rice Cooker- A Product Review

Hi!

Here comes the last and final review of the three products, that I had received from Borosil . The previous two reviews can be read here and here.

I can very happily say that this product has become an innate part of my kitchen. My every day rice gets cooked in the Borosil Digi Kook Rice Cooker and I’m very happy with the outcome.

Not only is the rice cooker very sleek and smart looking, with a great finish but the final product cooked in it has always turned out very well. There are days when I get busy with work and the delay timer on the rice cooker has come to my rescue there.

I put the rice in the rice cooker with the delay timer ‘ON’ and get absorbed in my work. The delay timer helps me get a well cooked rice at a time I want. Once the rice gets cooked, it moves into ‘Keep Warm’ mode, so one always gets a hot rice on the plate. Sounds fuss free right!!

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Halsinkayi Rassa ..A Heirloom Recipe For 6th Blog Anniversary | Vegan | Step Wise

Hello all!

21st May marks the anniversary day of my blog and today happens to be the 6th blog anniversary. Time does fly..looking back, there are so many memories associated with my blog..right from the day I started with my first post Maavinkaayi Chutney, to my recent last post on Vegan Galauti Kebab.

Yeah, I know that the kebab post was almost 2months back. Past two months were frantically busy during which I packed, moved into a new city and got settled. But today being a special day, I decided to post without any procrastination.

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Heralekai Chitranna | Citron Flavoured Rice | Narthangai Saadam | Gluten Free Recipe

 

Hi all!!

As much as I want to post here regularly, I’m unable to. It’s not that I do not cook regularly but some how it’s just not happening. And with exams round the corner, my head is focussing more on the kid who still needs to mature up and show responsibility towards his scores, leaving me a worried Mom. Please do pray for him, a sincere prayer has the strength to move a mountain too.

Last month was Pongal, which is one of the biggest festivals in TamilNadu. Four days of celebrations and most of the people and workers travel back to their native to celebrate the festival with their family. Many new buses and trains are run during this period, keeping the travel rush in mind. It’s believed that 35% population travels back to their native. My maid was no different, she had told me a month in advance that she would be taking leave for 5days.

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Gojju Podi | Spice Mix/Masala From Karnataka Cuisine

 

Hi all!!

Sharing another important spice mix used in Karnataka cuisine. This podi/spice mix/masala is used to make a traditional preparation called Gojju which is spicy-sweet-sour curry made using a select few vegetables and fruits. The most commonly used veggies and fruits are Okra, bittergourd, pineapple, mango, onion, tomato etc.

The freshly ground masala adds a better flavour to the gojju which tastes best with steamed rice.

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वांगी भात​ / Eggplant Rice | Karnataka Cuisine | One Pot Meal | Vegan | Gluten Free

Hello!!

It’s been raining here and I’m more than happy to see that. Monsoon..a beautiful season, in which the sun plays hide and seek behind the clouds. The kids play in puddles and the trees are green, shining with the pearl drops sitting on their leaves. The cool breeze, the thundering, the sunless days..everything is so beautiful!!! My kid loves to go out and stand in the rains with his umbrella and listen to the pitter patter of the falling rain drops…they seem to travel so much distance before they hit the ground, he loves looking at them!!

I love to cook when it’s raining. It’s beautiful to see the rains through my kitchen window, while I cook. Mostly I cook elaborate meals but sometimes I indulge in a one pot meal and then while it rains, cuddle inside the comforter and cherish memories of my childhood.. when after getting drenched in rainwater, me and my brother were pushed to have a bath and then we would cuddle inside the comforter and sleep. Childhood was so much fun!!!

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Avarekaalu BissiBele Bhaath..a nice twist to the regular Bissi Bele Bhaath, Step Wise

 

Hi All!

I’ve already mentioned my husband’s love for the Avarekaalu/Hyacinth beans. Whenever I get hold of these beautiful beans, they definitely make it to my kitchen. Earlier I would always buy them in bulk at Bangalore and stock then it in the freezer. But now, since it’s available here, I buy the fresh pods and peel them and over the period I’ve mastered quick peeling too..

This time when I got the beans I decided again to experiment it with the regular bissi bele bhaath, where instead of adding all the veggies I added the beans and I must tell you, it was very tasty. The beans with it’s prominent flavor made the bhaath delicious and worth the try. Earlier too I’ve experimented with these beans  and made Ambode using Oats and an Upma using Barley. Other than these two experiments, the akki rotti , uppittu and saaru using these beans are the commonly made dishes at my place.

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Jeerige Kattu- Version I ( Traditional Karnataka Style Jeera Daal)

 

Hi!

Today I’m posting a traditional Kannadiga preparation which is very popular at my place. It is an excellent accompaniment with spicy curries and is S’s and my elder son’s favorite. In recent days now that the elder son was around, I made this several times for him.

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Maavinkaayi Touvve...a Lentil Preparation From Karnataka

Hi all!!

This is a very tasty and traditional preparation from Karnataka, which is very commonly seen in summers on any festive occasion, when the complete spread of food is served on a banana leaf. During my recent visit to S’s hometown, where I attended my nephew’s thread ceremony, in one of the elaborate meals, this version of touvve was also served.

Touvve is nothing but a thick daal which is tempered with mustard seeds and Bengal gram. The addition of the word Maavinkaayi to the Touvve simply indicates the addition of raw mango to the cooked lentils. The raw mango adds a nice tang to the preparation.

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Jhunka - Chapati..DH’s favourite breakfast, from Karnataka

Hi All!

Today again I’m sharing another favourite of S. This is easily the easiest way of making DH happy. He loves this preparation a lot and now me too.

When I tasted this preparation for the first time I had a major discussion with DH. When my MIL informed me that she was making Chapati-Jhunka for the breakfast, I had visualised roti and a dry besan curry, as in North and Central India chapati means the ‘basic phulka’ or ‘roti’ and Jhunka in Marathi means ‘dry besan curry’. Actually there’s always a confusion with those terms too, because in all Maharashtrian homes, Jhunka is dry besan (chickpea flour) curry and Pithala means a  thick curry with besan. But if you have ever visited a Jhunka-Bhakar Kendra in Maharashtra, they actually serve the Pithala (wet version) with Bhakari.

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Aloo Gadde Hurda Uperi..Karnataka Style Stir Fried Potatoes

Scene1

It's her first day after marriage in her new home and she is midst a new family  where every one is trying to make her feel comfortable and saying nice things to her. There are kids playing in the house and MIL and her co-sister cooking breakfast in the kitchen assisted by her own co-sisters. FIL is watching news on TV and inspite of such normal activities happening around her she is feeling lost and left out. She sits in a corner observing everyone and suddenly notices that her younger brother in law is sitting on a sofa chair with a chopping board and knife and next to him are almost 6-7 kg of potatoes soaked in water. He would remove a potato, clean and wipe it and then meticulously cut thin slices. She wonders, why is he spending so much time cutting thin slices at such a slow pace with so much of patience. Hesitantly, she asks him why are you cutting them? The reply she gets was a simple sentence 'for making Hurda Uperi'.

She is not able to understand the word and with a confused face looks towards her MIL for an explanation, the explanation comes but from MIL's co-sister. The new bride is informed that the dish is a family favorite made using the potatoes and all family members fight, so that they get to cut the potatoes. The bride is satisfied to an extent but not completely. She relishes the preparation during lunch  along with rice and Jeerige Kattu and her husband explains her later on that Aloo Gadde means Potatoes, Hurda means fried and Uperi means slices in Kannda. After given an explanation, she keeps wondering, how difficult the preparation would be...?

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Avalakki Bissi Bele Bhaath..A Quick Fix With Beaten Rice

Hi!

I'm kick starting contributions to my event 'Only' South Indian, hosted here at Foodelicious, with a very tasty preparation from the state of Karnataka, which is S's native state. I have reiterated several times that my MIL is an excellent cook and is my guide and tutor to Karnataka style cooking or in more romantic word's she has guided me clearly on the correct path to my husband's heart who is fond of good food and especially his Mom's food.

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Avarekaalu-Oats Ambode…Field Beans-Oats Fritters, the Indian Way

Hi!

As I’ve mentioned earlier too that I was introduced to Avarekalu just before my marriage as these beans are very popular amongst Kannadigas. S, has always loved the beans and today, so do I. As I have already mentioned in my post on Avarekalu Uppittu, we make it a point to source the Avarekalu  from S’s hometown and whenever we visit or someone visits from there, we get the stock of beans. Peeled beans are a little expensive but so much easy to use. I do not mind shelling out a few pennies extra for my convenience. I freeze the beans and use them whenever I require.

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300th Post - Holige.. A traditional sweet from Karnataka & Two Cookbook Giveaways

Hi.

They say slow and steady wins the race and today as I post my 300th post I definitely find myself a winner. I’m a winner because, not only have I managed to post 300 recipes in the last 2-1/2yrs but also I’ve managed to make a small niche for myself in the big world of food blogging. I’ve recently started book reviewing and both my recent reviews- Master Chef India Cookbook & Southern Flavours have had a good readership.

The world of food is like an ocean and we the food blogger’s are like droplets that form it. There’s so much to learn and absorb that  even if I try to be at my best all the times through out my life, I guess I’ll be able to fill a jar full of knowledge for myself.

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Spring Onion Chutney

 

Life is so unpredictable and at times I wonder, if only I could control it …nevertheless, I’ve learnt to take life as it comes. Last week was one of such unpredictable ones…We had made plans to attend a wedding in Bangalore and then head to Mysore for a weekend with the family. I was all packed to start on the 25th but on 24th we got a call that S’s uncle was serious and the hopes of his surviving were dim, we had to rush to Bangalore for a completely different reason and I’m glad we did that, as S lost his Uncle. We were there for the mourning family and S accompanied his cousin  to perform the final rites. After that everyone insisted that we should go to Mysore, but I was not up to it.. was to saddened by the loss, so we returned early and stayed at home.

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Fresh/Raw Pigeon Peas Saaru…my first experience with the beans

Hi.

Days here are quite gloomy as we are amidst heavy rains, one can see flooding all over and the city. Telephone and Internet services are badly affected. Commuting has become painful as one faces traffic jams and the roads too are in bad condition. The state government declared holiday for schools since Friday itself but the kid’s school seemed quite indifferent to all the chaos and was still functional. On top of it they also conducted the KET exam on Saturday and the parents were supposed to drop their kid to school.

Since S, was busy with his CEO it was my turn to drop the kid to school in the rains. My car’s battery was down so I had to drop him on the two wheeler and was thoroughly drenched by the time I reached home. Wading in the floods on the two wheeler where the road was not even visible was surely very scary. I simply followed the vehicles in front observing for any potholes and ditches. By the time I reached home I  already  had headache and throat pain. I decided to have warm food and nothing is more welcome than either some hot soup or saaru (rasam).

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Alasande Palya…Karnataka Style Long Yard Beans and the WINNER OF OCTOBER is..

Hi everyone.

Days are passing by and we are kind of getting used to the city but still deep in my heart I long to go back and I keep praying almighty to help us on that.

This week has been terrible for me, all of a sudden I picked up a severe nerve pain in my right hand making me difficult to hold things, so cooking took a back seat. S was kind enough to take me out for dinner and we enjoyed eating Chinese Food at ‘The Cascade’.

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Maavinkaayi Chitranna (Raw Mango Rice)– Recipe 1, Step Wise|Karnataka Cuisine

 

Hello friends.

As I have mentioned earlier too that with the onset of summer the markets get flooded with Mangoes. We try to use mangoes in all forms whether it’s ripe or raw. I make many recipes using raw mangoes and this is S’s favorite. He had reminded me several times that I had not prepared this and his favorite Maavinkayi chutney which I have posted earlier.

Today I decided to please him so I made this Chitranna, which is a preparation with rice. Now when it comes to regional recipes from Karnataka my ultimate source is my MIL so to re-affirm the recipe I called her up and am glad I did that because she gave me more variations to the basic recipe, I thought mentally ‘Sone pe Suhagaa’. This is the very basic recipe and the  many variations  which I learnt will surely post gradually.

 

 

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Mensin Saaru..Coconut and Pepper Rasam

Hi.

Today I am posting an extremely simple yet a very very tasty rasam. This is an all time favorite in my family and every body craves for it on a chilly winter day or a rainy day. There’s an immense satisfaction in drinking this rasam. This is my MIL’s version and I tasted it the first time when post marriage I was down with cold and cough and she very sweetly offered me a glass of this and I was instantly a fan of this preparation.

A few days back my elder son demanded this and then my younger one was showing signs of a throat infection…so this healer mom concocted this ‘RAMBAAN DAVA’ for sore throat and every one enjoyed sipping this hot soup/rasam.

This soup/saaru/rasam  has  the sweet gentle flavor of coconut blended with the strikingly hot flavor of black pepper. In the first sip it soothes the throat and as you sip in further your body just gets engulfed in the warmth that the soup provides. This can be eaten with rice  and can be a part of the meal too. It needs very basic things which are readily available in the kitchen..

Ingredients

1 cup grated coconut

2 spoons urad dal

1 spoon pepper corns

1/4-1/2 cup milk

1 tsp ghee

1/2 tsp mustard

few curry leaves

salt to taste

Method

Heat half spoon ghee and fry Urad dal and pepper corns, grind it along with coconut to a very fine paste. Take the paste in a sauce pan and add about 3 cups water, milk and salt to taste. Boil it. Take the remaining ghee and add the mustard seeds, once they splutter add curry leaves and immediately pour it on the Saaru. Bring another boil and serve immediately.

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