MASALA IDLI: SPICY SOUTH INDIAN RICE CAKES

SOUTH INDIAN STYLE

Preparation Time: 15-20 Minutes (If you already have ready Idlis)
You Need: (To Serve 4 People)
Ingredients	Quantity	A Quick Comment
Idli (South Indian Rice Cakes)	20 medium sized	Cut Idlis into small pieces. (I have Cut each Idli into 4 pieces)
Finely Chopped Onions	2 medium sized
Finely Chopped Tomatoes	2 medium sized
Ginger Paste/Finely Grated Ginger (Optional)	1 tbsp
Finely Chopped Green Chilies	2-3
Lime Juice	1 ½ tbsp
Salt	To taste
Spice Powders:
Turmeric Powder	1 tsp	In Hindi - Haldi (हल्दी ) In Kannada - Arisina (ಅರಿಸಿನ)
Red Chili Powder (Optional)	½ tsp	In Hindi - Mirch Powder (मिर्च  पाउडर) In Kannada - Menasina Pudi (ಮೆಣಸಿನ ಪುಡಿ) As you will be using Green Chilies, use Red chili powder only if you like your Masala Idli more hot and spicy.
Cumin Powder (Optional)	1 tsp	In Hindi - Jeera Powder (जीरा  पाउडर) In Kannada - Jeerige Pudi (ಜೀರಿಗೆ ಪುಡಿ)
Chutney Powder	5 tbsp
For Seasoning:
Oil	1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds	1 ½ tsp	In Hindi - Rai (राइ) In Kannada - Sasive (ಸಾಸಿವೆ)
Cumin Seeds	1 ½ tsp	In Hindi - Jeera (जीरा ) In Kannada - Jeerige(ಜೀರಿಗೆ)
Peanuts/Groundnuts	A Fistful	In Hindi - Moongphali (मूंगफली) In Kannada - Kadale Beeja (ಕಡಲೆ ಬೀಜ)
Split Black Gram	1 tbsp	In Hindi - Urad Dal (उड़द दाल) In Kannada - Udiina Bele (ಉದ್ದಿನ ಬೇಳೆ)
Split Bengal Gram	1 ½ tbsp	In Hindi - Chana Dal (चना दाल) In Kannada - Kadale Bele (ಕಡಲೇ ಬೇಳೆ)
Red Chilies (Optional)	2-3	In Hindi - Lal Mirch (लाल मिर्च) In Kannada - Kempu Menasu (ಕೆಂಪು ಮೆಣಸು)
Curry Leaves	1 stick	In Hindi - Kadi Patta (कड़ी पत्ता) In Kannada - Kari Bevu (ಕರಿ ಬೇವು)
Asafoetida	½ tsp	In Hindi - Hing (हींग) In Kannada - Ingu (ಇಂಗು)
To Garnish:
Chopped Cilantro/Coriander Leaves	½ cup	In Hindi - Dhaniya (धनिया) In Kannada - Kottambari Soppu (ಕೊತ್ತಂಬರಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು)

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan. Add Mustard seeds, Cumin Seeds, Peanuts, Split black gram, Split gram one by one. Saute for few seconds till peanuts and grams turn slight golden brown.
• Add Red chilies, Curry leaves and Asafoetida one by one. Saute for 2-3 seconds.

• Add finely chopped Onions, finely chopped green chilies, finely grated ginger and little salt. Mix well. Saute for a minute till the Onions turn tender.
• Add finely chopped Tomatoes, Turmeric powder, Red chili powder and Cumin powder. Mix well and saute for 2-3 minutes till Tomatoes turn soft.

• Lower the flame. Add Idli pieces, Chutney powder and salt. Mix well and heat for 2 minutes on a low flame.
• Switch off the gas/stove. Add Lime Juice and give a gentle mix. Garnish with chopped Cilantro. Serve hot with Sweet chutney/Ketchup.

GOBI PARATHA: CAULIFLOWER STUFFED INDIAN FLAT BREAD

KOSINA PARATHA

PUNJABI STYLE

You Need: (To serve 4 people/To prepare 8 Breads)

    To Prepare Dough:

• Wheat Flour (Gehu ka Aata/Godi Hittu) - (2 medium cups)
• Oil - (½ tsp)
• Salt to taste
• Water - (1 cup)

     To Prepare Stuffing:

• Grated Cauliflower (Gobi/Hu Kosu) - (½ of a medium sized cauliflower)
• Finely Grated Ginger/Ginger Paste (Adrak/Shunti) - 1 tbsp.
• Finely Chopped Cilantro/Coriander leaves (Dhaniya/Kottambari Soppu) - (3 tbsp)

• Whole Coriander Seeds (Dhaniya/Kottambari Beeja) - (½ tbsp)
• Cumin Seeds (Jeera/Jeerige) - (½ tbsp)
• Carom Seeds/Thymol Seeds (Ajwain/Om Beeja) - (½ tbsp) Optional
• Turmeric Powder (Haldi/Arisina) - (1 tsp)
• Red Chilli Powder (Mirch Powder/Menasina Pudi) - (½ tsp)
• Black Pepper Powder (Kala Mirch Powder/Kari Menasina Pudi) - (½ tsp) Optional
• Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder/Jeerige Pudi) - (1 tsp)
• Dry Mango Powder (Amchur Powder/Ona Mavina Pudi) - (1 tsp)

• Salt to taste
• Clarified Butter (Ghee/Tuppa) - (1 tbsp)

          Instead of Ghee, you can also use Oil.

      To Serve with:

• Yougurt (Dahi/Mosaru) - (1 medium cup)

          If you are a Vegan, you can skip Yogurt.

• Pickle (Uppinakai)
• Chopped Onions
• A slice of Lemon

         You can also Serve this with any Vegetables/Gravys of your choice.

    Method:

    To Prepare Dough:

• Add 1 tbsp of Oil, salt and water to wheat flour. Mix well and prepare the dough. This will be just like your regular Chapathi dough. Leave this dough for about an hour covering the lid or covering by a wet cloth.

      To Prepare Stuffing:

• Heat Clarified Butter (Ghee) or Oil in a pan. Add whole Coriander seeds, Cumin Seeds, Ajwain and ginger paste and saute for few seconds.

• Add grated Cauliflower, Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Black Pepper Powder, Cumin Powder, Dry Mango Powder and salt. Mix well and saute for 2-3 minutes till the mixture turns soft and tender.

As you are adding both Red Chilli powder and Black Pepper powder, balance the amount you add so that the mixture doesnot become too spicy.

As the cauliflower is grated, the mixture turns soft in less than 2-3 minutes on a medium flame.

• Switch off the gas/stove and add chopped cilantro. Leave the mixture for few minutes to cool down.

• Make medium sized balls out of the wheat flour dough.
• Make medium sized balls out of the cauliflower mixture. Keep these balls same size as or little bigger than the dough balls.

• Take a dough ball and make a well shape out of it. Keep the stuffing ball inside this well and cover it completely by pushing it inside the well shape.

• Press this stuffed ball gently in the middle and sprinkle some wheat flour on it.  Roll this out into round flat breads just like you do while preparing Chapthis but keep the flatness little thicker than Chapathis.

• Grease a Pan/Tava with Clarified Butter (Ghee) or Oil and heat it for few minutes. When the pan is hot enough, put the flat bread on it and heat it. While heating, you can spread a little Clarified Butter (Ghee) or Oil on top of this flat bread. Once the bottom turns slight golden brown, turn over the bread. When this side also turns slight golden brown, remove the bread to paper napkins.

Serve hot with Yogurt/Pickle and some chopped onions and a slice of lemon.

You can also Serve this with any Vegetables/Gravys of your choice.

MANGALORE BANANA BUNS

KELE KI POORI

MANGALOORU BUNS

MANGALORE/UDUPI STYLE

This is a very common breakfast or evening snack in Mangalore/Udupi.

This is called buns because when you eat them you will feel more like you are eating bun/batura and not like Poori as this will have layered texture unlike Poori.

You Need: (To serve 4 people/To prepare 8 Buns)

    To Prepare Dough:

• Ripe Banana (Kela/Balehannu) - (1 Medium Sized)
• All Purpose Flour (Maida/Maida Hittu) - (1 ½ Cup)

• Yougurt (Dahi/Mosaru) - (4-5 tbsp)
• Cumin Seeds(Jeera/Jeerige) - (1 tsp)
• Sugar (Shakkar/Sakkare) - (1 ½ tbsp)
• Salt to taste
• Oil - (½ tsp)
• Baking Soda (Adige Soda) - (½ tsp) Optional

     To Deep Fry:

• Oil

     Method:

• Smash the ripe Banana in to paste. Make sure there are no lumps.

• Add All Purpose Flour, Yogurt, Cumin Seeds, Sugar, baking soda and prepare the dough. While preparing dough if the mixture becomes very sticky, add a little oil. Do not add water.

          The dough will be just like Chapathi/Poori dough.

• Keep aside the dough for 5-6 hours to ferment.
• Make small balls out of this dough and roll them out into round flat breads just like you do while preparing Pooris but keep the flatness little thicker than Pooris.

• Heat oil in a deep frying pan and fry these flat breads by pressing the edges slightly in a circular motion so that the bun can puff up. Once the bottom turns slight golden brown, turn over the bun and fry gently pressing down. Once this side also turns slight golden brown, remove the buns to paper napkins.

Serve hot with Coconut Chutney or Sambar.

MANDAKKI OGGARANE: SPICY PUFFED RICE

KURMURA POHA

KARNATAKA STYLE

You Need: (To serve 4 people)

• Puffed Rice (Kurmura/Kadale Puri) - (8 cups)
• Lengthwise Chopped Onions - (1 medium sized)
• Green Chillies (Hara mirch/Hasi Menasinakai) - (2-3)

• Turmeric Powder (Haldi/Arisina) - 1 tsp

• Lemon juice (½ Lemon/1 tbsp)
• Salt (To taste)
• Water

     For Seasoning (Tadka/Oggarane):

• Oil (for seasoning) - (1 tbsp)
• Mustard seeds (Rai/Sarso/Sasive) - (½ tsp)
• Peanuts (Moongphali/Kadale Beeja)- (2 tbsp)
• Split Black Gram (Urad Dal/Uddina Bele) - (1 tsp)
• Split Bengal Gram (Chana Dal/Kadale Bele) - (1 tsp)
• Curry leaves (Kadi Patta/Kari Bevu) - (1-2 sticks)
• Asafoetida (Hing/Hingu) - (2-3 Pinch)

      To Garnish

• Grated Coconut (Nariyal/Turida tenginakai) - (½ cup)
• Chopped Cilantro (Coriander Leaves/Dhaniya/Kottambari Soppu) - (½ cup)

Method:

• Wash puffed rice in running water and leave for 5 minutes. The puffed rice will turn soft and spongy. (You can use vegetable strainer to wash. Wash till all the rice grains get wet. Don't wash for too long as it will turn the rice to paste.)

• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, peanuts, split black gram (urad dal), split bengal gram (chana dal) one by one and saute till peanuts and grams turn a slight golden brown.

• Add curry leaves, asafoetida, chopped green chillies, chopped onions, turmeric powder and salt one by one. Saute till onions get tender.

• Add wet puffed rice and mix well. Saute for 2 minutes and switch off the gas/stove.

• Add lemon juice, grated coconut and chopped cilantro and mix well.

Serve Hot :)

SABUDANA KHICHDI: SPICY TAPIOCA

SABBAKKI UPPITTU

You Need:

• Tapioca (Sago Pearls/Sabudana/Sabbakki) – 2 cups
• Peanuts (Groundnuts/Moongphali/Kadale Beeja) – 2 tbsp (To Powder) 1 ½ tbsp (To Toss)
• Grated Coconut (Nariyal/Turida Tenginakai) – ½ cup
• Cubed Potato – 1 cup (Peel the skin and chop into thin cubes)
• Chopped Green Chillies (Hara Mirch/Hasi Menasu) – (3-4)
• Chopped Cilantro (Coriander Leaves/Hara Dhaniya/Kottamabari Soppu) – ½ cup
• Lime Juice (Nimbu Ka Ras/Nimbe hannina Rasa) – (2-3) tbsp.
• Sugar – (2-3) tbsp
• Salt
• Oil (To Fry)

Method:    

• Soak Tapioca overnight or for minimum 5 hours in water. Don’t soak tapioca with excess of water as it will make tapioca sticky.
• Roast Peanuts in a pan for about 4-5 minutes and keep it aside for about 5-10 minutes so that it can cool down. Grind coarsely the roasted Peanuts into powder.
• To the soaked Tapioca add peanut powder, salt, sugar, lime juice and mix well.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, peanuts (Optional) and saute for a minute till peanuts turn light brown.
• Add half boiled cubed potatoes, chopped green chilies and a little salt. Saute till Potatoes are cooked and get tender.
• Add Tapioca mixture. Mix well and cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes.
• Switch off the gas/stove and garnish with grated coconut and chopped cilantro. Serve hot.