Gojjavalakki / Poha in a spicy sauce / ಗೊಜ್ಜವಲಕ್ಕಿ

Gojju = a sauce which is sweet, hot and sour
Avalakki = Poha / Flattened rice/Beaten Rice

Gojju avalakki / HuLi avalakki is a recipe where in you mix the poha in the spicy sauce. It is usually made as breakfast or as an evening snack. It is quick and easy to make.




Servings: 1 cup Poha / Avalakki makes 2 full servings.

Ingredients:

1 cup - Poha/Flattened Rice / ಅವಲಕ್ಕಿ
3/4 cup - water /ನೀರು
2 tsp - Rasam / Saaru powder /ಸಾರಿನ ಪುಡಿ ( home made rasam powder OR MTR rasam powder)
1 tbsp - Tamarind paste / ಹುಣಿಸೇಹಣ್ಣು
1 tbsp - sugar / grated jaggery /ಸಕ್ಕರೆ ಅಥವಾ ಬೆಲ್ಲ
1 tsp - salt / ಉಪ್ಪು
1/2 tsp - turmeric / ಅರಿಶಿನ
3 tbsp - Oil / ಎಣ್ಣೆ (divided 1+2)
1 tsp - All Spice powder / Jeerige menthya pudi / ಜೀರಿಗೆ ಮೆಂತ್ಯ ಪುಡಿ
1 tsp - sesame seeds /Ellu powder / ಎಳ್ಳು ಪುಡಿ
( dry roast few spoons sesame seeds and powder it. You can also use it in puliyogare and gojju)

Seasoning / ಒಗ್ಗರಣೆ
Oil /ಎಣ್ಣೆ, 1 tsp Mustard seeds /ಸಾಸಿವೆ, Asafoetida/ Hing /ಇಂಗು, 2 tbsp groundnuts /ಕಡೆಲೆಕಾಯಿ ಬೀಜ , 2 Dry red Chillies / ವಣ ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ , few Curry leaves / ಕರಿಬೇವಿನ ಸೊಪ್ಪು


Method:

Take poha/avalakki in a mixer or blender , just run it for 1-2 minutes and make it into a coarse powder.

Take a big pan / kadai. Add 3/4 cup water keep it on stove on medium flame. add tamarind, jaggery, salt, rasam powder, turmeric. Stir it till everything dissolves. allow it to boil and then switch off the stove. This is our spicy sauce.

(One important tip here is the correct Poha to water ratio. It has to be 1:3/4. If you just use water by approximation, the mixture can become very dry, Poha does not get soaked or mixture is too watery)


Now allow the sauce/gojju to cool completely. Once its come to room temperature, add 1 tbsp oil, all spice powder and sesame seeds powder to it .Then add the powdered poha to it. Stir nicely. At first it will all become like a paste, just leave it for 10-15 minutes, the poha will absorb the water and become grainy. (ಅವಲಕ್ಕಿ ನೀರು ಹೀರಿ ಉದುರಾಗುತ್ತೆ ) Check for the taste, u can add some salt if needed, if u feel its too sour u can add some sugar. If you want it little more sour, add some lemon juice.

To make the seasoning, heat a small kadai add 2 tbsp oil, add hing, mustard seeds, then add groundnuts, then some curry leaves and dry red chillies. Pour this over the Poha and mix well. Spicy poha or gojjavalakki is ready. It is hot, sweet and sour. You can adjust the rasam powder,tamarind and sugar to suit your taste.

It can be eaten as it is or with some buttermilk or yogurt. It can be kept at room temperature for up to 1 day without fridge. So u can take it when u are traveling.

All Spice Powder /Jeerige menthya Powder / ಜೀರಿಗೆ ಮೆಂತ್ಯ ಪುಡಿ

You may be wondering what is this powder. It is a mixture of spices used to enhance the taste of certain dishes. As for the name, it has Cumin (jeerige), Fenugreek (menthya) plus lot of other spices. Mom uses this name so do I. I think we can also call this a South Indian All Spice powder :)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp - Cumin seeds/ ಜೀರಿಗೆ
1 tbsp - Coriander seeds/ ಕೊತ್ತಂಬರಿ ಬೀಜ
1/2 tsp - Fenugreek seeds / ಮೆಂತ್ಯ
small piece - cinnamon stick/ಚಕ್ಕೆ
3 to 4 - Cloves/ಲವಂಗ
1 pod - cardamom seeds / ಏಲಕ್ಕಿ
6-8 peppercorn/ಮೆಣಸು
4 tbsp grated dry coconut/ ಕೊಬ್ಬರಿ ತುರಿ (optional)
1/2 tsp - turmeric / ಅರಿಶಿನ
a pinch - hing / ಇಂಗು

Heat a pan on medium heat. Add all the ingredients to the pan. Dry roast them on a low flame for 4-6 minutes till you get a nice aroma. Take care not to burn the spices. If you want you can add a few drops of oil. Allow it to cool and powder in a blender. If you feel the ingredients are too less to be able to powder, you can add a handful of grated dry coconut to the spices . this will increase the volume and help in blending the powder. That is it. This powder has a nice aroma of all the spices and many uses.

Uses:

• Usually I use it in Puliyogare and Gojju avalakki to increase the flavor and taste.

• You can use it to make a quick rasam/saaru powder too!! Add equal quantity of red chilli powder and this powder. Usually if you add 2 tspn Rasam powder, you can 1tsp of red chilli powder and 1 tspn of this spice powder. It tastes close to the Rasam powder, tastes really good for a quick fix :)

• Also if your rasam, sambhar powders are old and have lost the flavor. you can just add a spoon of this spice powder to your sambar/rasam and your dishes get a nice flavor instantly :)

So its a must have powder especially if you cook kannadiga recipes like me.

Panchamrutha as Naivedya / ಪಂಚಾಮೃತ

Pancha means five, amruta means a drink of gods, nectar. Panchamruta has 5 ingredients and is made as an offering to God. (Naivedyam) There is not much recipe to this, all you have to do is just mix the ingredients.

Servings: As this is a rich drink, it is made in small quantities and given sparingly :) So 1 small bowl of panchamrutha like that in the picture should be sufficient for 2 people.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup - milk / ಹಾಲು
1 tbsp - yogurt /curd / ಮೊಸರು
1 tsp - sugar / ಸಕ್ಕರೆ
1/2 tsp - honey / ಜೇನು ತುಪ್ಪ
1/2 tsp - ghee / ತುಪ್ಪ
few pieces of banana, raisins, cashews /ಬಾಳೆ ಹಣ್ಣು, ದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ, ಗೋಡಂಬಿ (optional)

Take a small bowl, pour the ingredients one by one into it. mix it nicely. Panchamrutha is all ready. Hold on , don't drink it yet. You have to first offer it to God as naivedya, wait till the pooja is over. Then only you can take it as prasada.

Usually we do most pooja on empty stomach, so after the pooja is over, Panchamrutham is a great delicious, energizing drink

Curd Rice / Yogurt Rice / Mosaranna / ಮೊಸರನ್ನ

Rice with curd/yogurt or Mosaranna is a part of every South Indian meal. Every meal has to end with curd rice. As we like both rice and cud, this is one of the comfort foods for most South Indians :) In our everyday meal we just mix rice and curd , but we add few more ingredients to make it even more tastier for festivals and special occasions. Here is one such recipe.



Servings: 1 cup cooked rice(anna) makes around 2 servings of curd rice.

Ingredients:
1 cup - cooked rice / anna / ಅನ್ನ
1/2 to 1 cup - Curd/ yogurt / ಮೊಸರು
1/2 to 1 cup - milk / ಹಾಲು
10 to 15 - green grapes /ದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ (whole or cut into 2 halves)
3 to 5 - Green chillies / ಹಸಿರುಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ (slit them)
few sprigs Coriander leaves / ಕೊತ್ತಂಬರಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು
few Curry leaves / ಕರಿಬೇವಿನ ಸೊಪ್ಪು
small piece ginger /ಶುಂಠಿ (finely chopped/grated)
1 fist full - fresh Grated Coconut /ಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ (optional)
Cashews fried in ghee/ ಗೋಡಂಬಿ - ತುಪ್ಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಕರಿಯಿರಿ (optional)
2 tbsp - cream/ಹಾಲು ಕೆನೆ (optional)
salt / ಉಪ್ಪು to taste

Seasoning / ಒಗ್ಗರಣೆ
2 tbsp Oil / ಎಣ್ಣೆ, 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds /ಸಾಸಿವೆ, Asafoetida/ Hing / ಇಂಗು, 1 tsp Chana Dal / ಕಡಲೆಬೇಳೆ, 1 tsp Urad Dal / ಉದ್ದಿನಬೇಳೆ

To prepare the seasoning, Heat a small pan on medium flame. Add 2 tbsp oil, when its hot add mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, hing. Once they start sizzling add slit green chillies and curry leaves. stir for a minute till chillies get cooked , then switch off the stove.

Take 1 cup of cooked rice in a big bowl. Heat 1/2 cup milk and pour it into the bowl. Leave it aside for 15 minutes. The rice will absorb the hot milk and becomes soft. Then add salt and curd/yogurt. Now add rest of the ingredients (chopped ginger, chopped coriander leaves, prepared seasoning, green grapes, grated coconut, fried cashews). Mix it well. If the curd rice looks dry add some more milk/yogurt. Adding cream prevents the curd rice from turning sour quickly and also increases the taste. Now Curd rice is ready to be served. Usually it tastes great by itself. You can enjoy it with some pickle too.

Variations:
-You can use pomegranate seeds instead of grapes. This gives a different taste.
- You can also add grated carrot to curd rice.
-You can add chopped onion which gives a crunchy effect to curd rice. When using onion, I don't add any fruits.
-When curd rice is made as naivedya I usually don't add any onions.

Godhi Tambittu / Thambittu / Wheat and jaggery laddu / ಗೋಧಿ ಹಿಟ್ಟಿನ ತಂಬಿಟ್ಟು

Thambittu is a a sweet made during festivals. I have already posted the recipe using rice. Here I will share Tambittu recipe using wheat flour. Wheat flour tambittu is very easy to make. It doesn't need many ingredients and not much preparation too. As this can be prepared in a jiffy and it does not have too much fat, moms like to give this sweet to their kids :)

Servings : This recipe makes about 12-15 laddus.

Ingredients:
1 cup wheat flour / ಗೋಧಿ ಹಿಟ್ಟು (roasted)
½ cup water / ನೀರು
½ cup Jaggery (grated/powdered) / ಬೆಲ್ಲದ ತುರಿ
4-5 tbsp fresh grated coconut / ಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ
4 tbsp ghee / ತುಪ್ಪ
a pinch of cardamom powder / ಏಲಕ್ಕಿ ಪುಡಿ
Cashews, Raisins / ವಣದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ , ಗೋಡಂಬಿ

Method:

Take a small kadai, add 1 tbsp ghee , when its hot add raisins and cashews. Fry it till its done. switch off and keep it aside.

Heat a pan on meduim flame. Add a few drops of ghee, pour 1 cup of wheat flour to the pan. Roast is slowly till it changes the colour and you get a nice aroma. It will take about 5-6 minutes. take care not to burn the flour, always keep medium heat. Once the flour is roasted take it off the stove and keep it aside.

In a pan heat ½ cup of water, add grated jaggery to it. Keep stirring till it dissolves completely. Then add grated coconut,cardamom powder,fried raisins and cashews along with the ghee to the water. When the water starts boiling add the roasted wheat flour slowly and stir it continuously till it forms a single uniform mixture without any lumps. If you feel the mixture to too dry , sprinkle a few drops of water. You can also add another spoon of ghee to give a nice shiny texture. Cover the pan and let it cook for 4-6 minutes. Then switch off the stove. (One important tip here is the correct flour to water ratio. It has to be 2:1 If you just use water by approximation, the mixture can become very dry or too watery. either way you cant make them as laddus)

Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes, then grease your hands with ghee and make medium sized balls while still hot. You can also make them as patties. Store it in an air tight container, stays fresh for 1-2 days. You can keep it in the fridge for upto a week.

In Shravana month Mangala Gowri Vrata is celebrated every tuesday. We have to make Tambittu Diyas and do aarti to Goddess Gowri. I usually alternate with Rice and Wheat flour tambittu :)

You can see the Rice Tambittu recipe here

Doddapatre Tambuli / Tambli / ದೊಡ್ಡಪತ್ರೆ ತಂಬುಳಿ

Tambuli is another authentic Karnataka recipe. Tambuli is derived from kannada word tampu. (ತಂಪು ---->ತಂಬುಳಿ). tampu meaning cool/cold. So thambuli is a cooling food. It is made from many greens and vegetables. It is prepared by grinding the vegetable with the spices and then mixing it with yogurt. All ingredients are used raw, (as they are) without any cooking.

Doddapatre Plant in my home

I am sharing a recipe of Thambuli made from leaves of Doddapathre plant (doddipatre). This plant is called by many names Cuban Oregano/ Spanish Thyme/ Indian Borage etc. Its botanical name is Plectranthus amboinicus. The leaves are soft, thick, has a strong pungent flavor. It is a common plant in India. In the US also most nursery have it or you can get it from your local farmer's market. I got this plant from farmer's market as well. If you cant find this plant, don't get disheartened. If your grocery store /supermarket sells fresh oregano leaves, you can use them instead. These leaves are smaller in size than cuban oregano but it has the same flavor:)

Servings: This recipe makes about 1 litre of Tambuli(2 - 4 servings with rice)

Ingredients:
15-20 leaves of - Cuban oregano / Dodda patre / ದೊಡ್ಡ ಪತ್ರೆ ಎಲೆ
1/4 cup - Split roasted gram/ Dalia/ kadale /putani / ಹುರಿಗಡಲೆ
1 tbsp - Cumin seeds / Jeera / ಜೀರಿಗೆ
8-10 black peppercorns or 1 tsp black pepper powder / ಕರಿ ಮೆಣಸು
1/4 cup - fresh grated coconut/ ಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ
1 tsp - salt / ಉಪ್ಪು
1/2 tsp - turmeric powder / ಅರಿಶಿನ
1 cup Yogurt + 1 cup water / ಮೊಸರು + ನೀರು

Seasoning / ಒಗ್ಗರಣೆ
2 tbsp Oil / ಎಣ್ಣೆ; 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds /ಸಾಸಿವೆ; 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds /ಜೀರಿಗೆ; Asafoetida/ Hing / ಇಂಗು; 2 Dry red Chillies / ವಣ ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ

Wash the leaves and pat them dry with a paper towel or cloth. Heat a pan on medium flame, add these leaves into it. Stir them for 1-2 minutes till they wilt. Take off the flame, keep aside. In the same pan add dalia/kadle, then cumin seeds and pepper corns/pepper powder one after the other. dry roast them till you get a nice aroma. Take off the stove now. let it cool a little bit. Then transfer these ingredients into a blender. Add the wilted leaves, grated coconut, salt, turmeric to it. Add water and grind into a smooth paste. (There is no need to wilt the leaves and dry roast the ingredients. You can use them all raw. But roasting them brings out a nice flavor. My mom always roasts them before grinding, so do I)

Take some yogurt in a bowl,its better if the yogurt is slightly sour. Add this ground paste to yogurt. Mix well. Check the taste. If its too spicy add more yogurt, if its bland add more pepper powder. You can add more water or yogurt to bring to desired consistency. The consistency should like a thick gravy. Heat a small kadai, pour oil, add hing, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies. Pour this seasoning over the yogurt mixture. Tambuli is ready to be served now. It is usually eaten with hot rice. It tastes best when fresh. As it is not a cooked dish, keep it in the refrigerator for later use.

Rava Upma / Rave Uppittu / Kesaribath / ಉಪ್ಪಿಟ್ಟು ಕೇಸರಿಭಾತ್

Uppittu and Kesaribath is a very popular combination in Karnataka, commonly made for breakfast. Since both of them use the same basic ingredient namely semolina/rava, it is prepared together. kesaribath is also prepared for naivedya/prasad for many festivals and pooja. These dishes can be made in no time, so often used as quick fix when you have unexpected guests at home :)

Rava/Semolina: the upma/kesaribath rava is made from wheat grains. there are 2 kinds available in the market. one is coarse, another fine. For upma either one will do. kesaribath is always made using the fine semolina. Next is the rava to water ratio. Usually coarse sooji needs more water compared to fine sooji. I generally use rava:water in ratio of 1:3.5 for both types of rava. Adding this much water makes the mixture pretty much like a porridge/ganji but you can just keep it on the stove for a few more minutes till the extra water is evaporated. It may seem like a lot of water for the rava but it ensures that rava is cooked well, there are no lumps of uncooked sooji in the pan!!! Also by using lot more water you can cut down the use of oil/ghee :)

Servings: I cup sooji makes 2 servings of upma and 4 servings of kesaribath.

Ingredients:for upma

1 cup - rava/semolina / sooji/ ರವೆ (coarse or fine rava)
3 1/2 cups - water /ನೀರು
2-3 onions / ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ
5-7 Green chillies / ಹಸಿರುಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ (slit them)
few sprigs Coriander leaves / ಕೊತ್ತಂಬರಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು
few Curry leaves / ಕರಿಬೇವು ಸೊಪ್ಪು
1 fist full Grated Coconut /ಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ / ಕೊಬ್ಬರಿ(optional)
small piece ginger / ಶುಂಠಿ
1-2 tbsp Ghee / ತುಪ್ಪ
½ tsp Turmeric /ಅರಿಶಿನ
lemon juice / ನಿಂಬೆ ರಸ to taste
1 tsp - salt / ಉಪ್ಪು to taste

Seasoning / ಒಗ್ಗರಣೆ
2 tbsp Oil / ಎಣ್ಣೆ, 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds /ಸಾಸಿವೆ, Asafoetida/ Hing / ಇಂಗು, 1 tsp Chana Dal / ಕಡಲೆಬೇಳೆ, 1 tsp Urad Dal / ಉದ್ದಿನಬೇಳೆ

Method:

Heat a pan on medium flame, add a spoon of oil and add the semolina. Roast it nicely till it is fragrant and turns a light brown shade. take care not to burn the rava.this takes around 8-10 minutes. then remove from stove, put it on a plate/paper and set it aside.

Heat a wide bottom pan/kadai on medium flame. It better to use a pan which has lid. make the seasoning first. add oil, mustard, hing, chanadal and urad dal. once they start spluttering, add green chillies and chopped onion. Stir them till onion is cooked, 3-5 minutes. now add salt, turmeric powder, chopped ginger, curry leaves and cilantro. Add 3 1/2 cups water to this. add 1-2 spoons ghee. mix well and let the water come to a boil.

Once the water boils, maintain a medium flame. Add the roasted rava slowly into the water while stirring it continuously. after adding all the rava, the mixture will be watery/ porridge like consistency. cover with a lid and let is cook for 3-5 minutes. The rava absorbs all the water and gets cooked. after 5 minutes, open the lid and stir the mixture. If its still watery leave it for a few more minutes. Once you get the desired consistency, switch off the stove.Add a dash of lime juice and mix well. Now upma is ready to be served. It is usually served hot along with some chutney powder and a dollop of ghee.
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Ingredients:for kesaribhath

1 cup - rava/semolina / sooji/ ರವೆ (fine rava)
3 1/2 cups - water /ನೀರು
4 tbsp - Ghee / ತುಪ್ಪ
3/4 cup - Sugar / ಸಕ್ಕರೆ
a pinch - Cardamom powder /ಏಲಕ್ಕಿ ಪುಡಿ
few strands - saffron /ಕೇಸರಿ (or any food color)
1/4 cup - grated dessicated coconut / ಕೊಬ್ಬರಿ ತುರಿ (optional)
Raisins, Cashews fried in ghee/ ವಣದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ , ಗೋಡಂಬಿ - ತುಪ್ಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಕರಿಯಿರಿ

Method:

Heat a pan on medium flame, add a spoon of ghee and add the semolina. Roast it nicely till it is fragrant and turns a light brown shade. take care not to burn the rava.this takes around 8-10 minutes. then remove from stove, put it on a plate/paper and set it aside.

Heat a wide bottom pan/kadai on medium flame.It better to use a pan which has lid.Add 3 1/2 cups water to this. add the remaining ghee to it, saffron strands or the food color of your choice. add the dessicated coconut and fried cashews and raisins too. Now leave it till the water starts to boil.

Once the water boils, maintain a medium flame. Add the roasted rava slowly into the water while stirring it continuously. It is the same process as we made upma. cover with a lid and let is cook for 3-5 minutes. after 5 minutes, open the lid, rava must be cooked by now. Add 3/4 cup sugar now and mix it well. taste it and adjust the sugar accordingly. You can add few more spoons of ghee to give a smooth and shiny texture to the dish. Switch of the stove and Kesaribath is ready to be served.

Shavige Payasa / Vermicelli Kheer / ಶಾವಿಗೆ ಪಾಯಸ /ಖೀರು

Shavige payasa or vermicelli kheer is one the common sweet made during festivals and special occasion. It is an easy and quick recipe.

Servings : This recipe makes about 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup Vermicelli/ Shavige /ಶಾವಿಗೆ (roasted)
(Vermicelli used here is made from wheat. One of the commercially available popular brand is BAMBINO which has to be roasted. Some brands sell roasted vermicelli. If you use that you can just add it to milk without roasting it.)

4-6 cups Milk / ಹಾಲು (can use half water & half milk too)
½ cup Sugar / ಸಕ್ಕರೆ (can use upto 1 cup depending on your taste)
1 tbsp ghee / ತುಪ್ಪ
a pinch of cardamom powder / ಏಲಕ್ಕಿ ಪುಡಿ
few strands - saffron /ಕೇಸರಿ (or any food color) - optional
1 tbsp Cashews, Raisins / ವಣದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ , ಗೋಡಂಬಿ

Method:

Take a small kadai, add 1 tbsp ghee , when it is hot add raisins and cashews. Fry it till it is done. switch off and keep it aside.

Heat a pan on medium flame. Add a few drops of ghee, pour 1 cup of Vermicelli Shavige to the pan. Roast is slowly till it changes to brown colour and you get a nice aroma. It will take about 3-5 minutes. Then take it off the stove and keep it aside.

In a pan heat around 4 cups of milk, bring it to a boil. Once the milk is boiling add the roasted vermicelli into milk. stir it and let it cook. This will take around 10 - 15 minutes. Check if there is enough milk in the pan, if not add some more milk. Stir it in between.The Vermicelli becomes soft to touch, that is when you know it is cooked. Now add the sugar, cardamom, saffron strands, fried cashews and raisins along with ghee into the pan. Give it a good mix and switch off the stove. Shavige Paayasa is ready to be served. It can be eaten hot or cold, either way it tastes great :)

Dumrot / Kashi Halwa / ದಂರೋಟ್ / ಕಾಶಿ ಹಲ್ವ

Dumrot or Damrot reminds me of the sumptuous marriage banquet or "maduve mane oota". It is usually served along with idli chutney for breakfast. This is a popular combination. It is also called kashi halwa. It is prepared from ash gourd or winter melon (boodukumbalakaaayi). This week I was lucky to find ashgourd in the Indian store. I decided to make damrot right there :)

Servings: I used about 1/4 kg ashgourd, which yielded about 2 servings of halwa. Yes the ashgourd shrinks in volume and the final halwa is much less compared to the raw vegetable.

Ingredients:
1 cup - grated Ash gourd/ Winter melon / ಬೂದುಗುಂಬಳ ಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ
4 tbsp - Ghee / ತುಪ್ಪ
6 tbsp - Sugar / ಸಕ್ಕರೆ
a pinch - Cardamom powder /ಏಲಕ್ಕಿ ಪುಡಿ
Raisins, Cashews fried in ghee/ ವಣದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ , ಗೋಡಂಬಿ - ತುಪ್ಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಕರಿಯಿರಿ

Peel the ashgourd , take out the seeds, cut it into big pieces. Then grate the pieces. Ash gourd has lot of water in it.Take the grated ashgourd and squeeze it with a cloth or hand remove as much juice as possible from it. Save this juice for later.

Take a pan, keep in on medium flame. Add 2tbsp ghee. After it heats up add the grated ashgourd to it. Stir it nicely for around 7 - 10 minutes ,till the ashgourd gets a slight brownish color. Now add the ashgourd juice you have saved from before to the pan. Stir for a minute, put a lid and leave it. the ashgourd gets cooked in its own juice. This will take 15-20 minutes. Check in between, if the mixture is getting dry add 1-2 spoons of plain water. Taste the ashgourd to see if its cooked.

Once the ashgourd is cooked soft , add 6 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp ghee to it. Sugar extracts more water from the ashgourd making the mixture liquid like. Keep stirring till the moisture evaporates. The sugar makes the mixture sticky and thick as the same time. It should get the consistency of halwa.

Add cardamom powder, deep fried raisins and cashews to the mixture. Dhumrot is ready :) You can eat it warm or keep it in fridge and eat it cold. Either way its tastes great!!!

Henceforth if you crave for Dumrote you don't have to attend a marriage, you can make it at home yourself:)

Set Dosa and Vegetable Saagu / ಸೆಟ್ ದೋಸೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಗು

Dosa is a dish which most people enjoy and relish, I am no different :) Set Dosai and Vegatable Sagu combination is always yummy and irresistible. Set Dose is called so as it is served as a set of 3-4 dosas in any restaurant. The batter is fermented for a longer time and the dosa is slightly thicker than the regular dosa.



Ingredients for Dosa:

2 Cups - Rice / ಅಕ್ಕಿ (I use sona masoori)
1/2 Cup -Urad dal/ಉದ್ದಿನ ಬೆಳೆ
1/2 Cup - Thick Poha / ಗಟ್ಟಿ ಅವಲಕ್ಕಿ
2 tsp - Fenugreek seeds / ಮೆಂತ್ಯ
2 tsp - Yogurt / ಮೊಸರು
1 tsp - Yeast (optional)

Soak Rice, Poha, Urad dal and fenugreek for about 6 hours. Then grind them together in a blender. Add very less water. The batter should be thicker than regular dosa batter. Add yogurt and leave the batter in warm place to ferment (8-10 hours)preferably overnight. The next morning the batter should have increased in volume. add salt to taste, mix well and batter is ready to make set dosa. Additionally you can add some yeast to quicken the fermentation. Heat a griddle on stove, pour a ladle of batter on it, do not spread it too much, set dosa is thicker than regular dosa. drizzle some oil , cook on both sides and dosa is ready to be served.

Servings: This batter makes around 15-20 dosas.





Ingredients for Saagu:

Vegetables - Carrots, Green beans, peas, capsicum, potato, cauliflower.(around 3 cups)

For Masala:
2 tbsp - Chanadal/ಕಡಲೆ ಬೆಳೆ (dry roast)
1 tbsp -urad dal/ಉದ್ದಿನ ಬೆಳೆ (dry roast)
1 tsp - cumin seeds/ ಜೀರಿಗೆ (dry roast)
1 inch piece - cinnamon/ಚಕ್ಕೆ (dry roast)
3-4 cloves/ಲವಂಗ (dry roast)
6-8 peppercorn/ಮೆಣಸು (dry roast)
4-6 green chillies/ಹಸಿರು ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ
2 tomatoes/ಟೊಮಾಟೊ
1 big onion/ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ
few sprigs coriander leaves/ಕೊತ್ತಂಬರಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು
2-3 tbsp grated coconut/ಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ


Servings: With this amount of ingredients you can make upto 3 quarts/3 litres of saagu which is sufficient for 15 dosas.

Dry roast the spices adding one by one till you get a nice aroma. Transfer it to a blender. Add green chillies, coriander leaves, cut tomato and onion, grated coconut to the spices. Blend it with little water into a paste. Cut the vegetables to bite sized pieces. Put the vegetables into a big pan/vessel(4 quart/4 litre) , add some water and cook on stove top. Let it cook for 10-15 minutes. Add some salt, turmeric powder and the ground masala to the vegetables. You can add more water to bring it to desired consistency. Stir well and bring it to a boil.If the mixture is too watery,leave it on a low flame for some more minutes till the extra water evaporates. Now remove the pan from the stove.

Take a small pan/kadai to make the seasoning. Add some oil, when its hot add hing, mustard seeds and red chilllies. Pour the seasoning on the vegetable mixture. Vegetable Sagu is ready. Vegetable saagu goes well with dosa, poori, chapathi, even rice.