Special Bonda

This dish is often prepared by mum. Its one of her own experiments and tastes delicious. Am yet to try it on my own.

Ingredients:

Potatoes

Little maida

Corn flour or arrowroot flour

Coconut gratings

Kismis-

Sugar- a pinch

Lemon juice1/2 tsp

Cashew optional,

Oil for frying

Method:

Boil Potatoes in a cooker with water. Mix grated coconut, kismis, salt,l juice, sugar, salt, a spoon full of maida or corn flour and make small balls and keep aside. Peel the potatoes when hot and mash it properly with salt(a liitle) turmeric powfer(optional) and few drops of lemon, and corn flour or arrowroot flour(very little) for binding. Take a ball of this flatten it, fill it with the coconut mix ball and roll it in dry corn or arrowroot flour and fry in hot oil till golden brown.

Serve hot with any khatta meetha chutny of your choice.

Rava Upma

This is one dish a girl in South India learns first. Supposedly included in some basic cooking that the girl is supposed to know :-) I am an exception. I have managed to learn to make good Upma after 7yrs of marriage, from my mother-in-law.

Ingredients:
Roasted Rava: 2 cups
Chopped carrots half cup
Chopped beans half cup
Onion: 2 no.s chopped
Ginger- ½ inch, finely chopped
Tomato: 2 medium sized chopped
Green chillies: 2-3 no.s
Water: 5 cups
Oil: 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric: a pinch
Jeera & Mustard for seasoning
Curry leaves & Coriander leaves chopped

Method:
Heat oil in a kadai, add jeera & mustard. Let it splutter, then add green chillies, ginger, Curry leaves & Onion. Once the onion is cooked, add carrot. Let it cook for a while. Then add beans and let it cook. Add Tomato into this. Once all the vegetables are cooked, add turmeric & salt. To this mixture, add 5 cups of water. Once this comes to a boil, slowly start putting in the Roasted Rava/ sooji. Ensure that you are constantly stirring at the time of putting in the Rava. This is done to avoid any lump formation. Once 2 cups of Rava has gone in, mix well and cover the upma with a lid for about 5-10 mins on low flame, till the rava fluffs up/ is cooked. Once its cooked, garnish with Coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Sabudana Khichdi

Ingredients:
Sabudana: 2 cups: Soak overnight in little water/ buttermilk & strain
Chopped Green chillies
Jeera- 1 tsp..can add more if you like
Curry leaves
Groundnut powder (dry roast the groundnut & coarsely grind it): 3-4 tbsp
Chopped Coriander Leaves for garnishing
2 tbsp shredded coconut for garnishing
Oil- 1/ tbsp
salt to taste

Method:
Heat the oil, add Jeera. Now add the curry leaves & Green chilly. Once everything crisps, add Sabudana and mix. Add salt and keep mixing till the sabudana heats up. It will also fluff up a little. Now add the Groundnut powder ad mix again. Do not cover the kadai with a lid, it will turn the sabudana into lumps (thats the mistake I have made all the time). This time it was perfect.Keep stirring. Once all the sabudana fluffs up...u could try squeezing it in between your finger to check if its done...add the shredded coconut & coriander and mix.
Serve Hot.
This dish is supposedly eaten during vraths in Maharashtra.

I was happy that for the first time by Sabudana khichdi came out so well and my parents also relished it.

Mandakki upma

Sunday morning we had decided to make Sabudana Khichdi. But the soaking of sabudana wasnt enough and it was already 9.30A.M., so I decided to prepare Mandakki Upma. It took just 15 minutes.

Ingredients: (Serves 3-4 people)
Murmura/ churmuri, wash & soak in water and remove immediately- 2 large cups
2 Green Chillies- finely chopped
2 medium sized Onions- Chopped
Jeera & Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsps each
Turmeric- qtr tsp
Curry Leaves
Kadle pappu powder/Roasted Bengal Gram powder- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil
Juice of 1 Lemon
Coriander for garnishing

Method:
Heat the oil in a large Kadai. Put the mustard seeds & Jeera and let it splutter. Now add green chillies, Curry leaves & Chopped Onions. Once the onions turn pink, add Turmeric Powder & Salt. Now add the soaked Churmuri to this and mix well, till it gets coated well with the onion mixture. Keep stirring. Now add the kadle pappu powder, and mix well again. The upma is cooked once it is hot. Remove from fire and add the lemon juice and mix. Now Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Mirchi bajji....tastes best with it :-).

Timare Tambli

Ingredients:
2 cups buttermilk
10-15 leaves of Timare(brahmi)
1 tsp of Jeera
1/2 cup dessicated Coconut
1 Green chilly
1/2 tsp of Ghee
Curry leaves & Mustard for garnishing
Salt to taste

Method:
In a small pan, heat the Ghee, add Jeera & roast, now and Timare leaves and fry along with Jeera. Now take it off fire, in a mixie grind, the Jeera, Timare mixture along with Coconut & green chilly. Once done, add this to the butter milk. Add salt to taste. Now garnish it with fried Curry leaves & mustard.

An easy recipe to awaken your dead taste buds...and good for health too..

You can also prepare this Tambli with Doddapatre leaves.

Ragi hurihittu

Ingredients:
Ragi Hurihittu- 2 cups (you would ready hurihittu pack in any of the leading departmental stores)
Jaggery- Crushed- 2 cups
Coconut- freshly grated 1/2 cup
Elaichi- 1 tsp
Milk- for mixing into dough

Method:
Mix all the ingredients and add milk little by little to mix it like a dough. Keep aside for about 15 mins. Roll it into small balls and serve with ghee on top.

Cool Cucumber

This one came on the TV in one of the Kannada Channels..and my mum gave it a try. We liked it and tried it at my place. This definetely is a good cooling option for this Hot Summer that Bangalore is facing this time.

Ingredients:
Cucumber- 2-3 skinned and cut into cubes
Lemon- 2 medium sized
Sugar- About 4-5 tbsp..or according to your taste
Pinch of salt
Pundina leaves- for garnishing

Method:
Grind the cucumber, lemon, sugar & salt together in a blender and strain it with a strainer. Serve it chilled. Dont forget to garnish it with one or two leaves of Pudina. You could also add Jeera powder for a different flavour (tip from Anjali). My mum added Elaichi instead..