Raita, Mosaru gojju, Pachadi / ಪಚಡಿ / ಮೊಸರು ಗೊಜ್ಜು / ರಾಯಿತ / ರಾಯತಾ

Raita is a yogurt based dish which is usually served as an accompaniment to some rice dish(bhaath) like Bisibelebath, Vangibath etc. The 2 main ingredients are Yogurt and some combination of vegetables - fresh or cooked.

Ingredients:

1 cup Yogurt / ಮೊಸರು
1 cup Vegetables / ತರಕಾರಿ
few sprigs Coriander leaves / ಕೊತ್ತಂಬರಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು
few Curry leaves / ಕರಿಬೇವು ಸೊಪ್ಪು
1 fist full Grated Coconut /ಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ / ಕೊಬ್ಬರಿ(optional)
small piece ginger / ಶುಂಠಿ (grated)
1/2 tsp - salt / ಉಪ್ಪು to taste

Seasoning / ಒಗ್ಗರಣೆ
I tbsp Oil / ಎಣ್ಣೆ, 1 tsp Mustard seeds/ಸಾಸಿವೆ, pinch of Asafoetida/ Hing / ಇಂಗು,3-4 chopped green chillies / ಹಸಿರುಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ

Cut/Chop the vegetables to small pieces. Transfer them to the bowl. Add the cilantro, curry leaves, grated ginger, salt. Then beat the yogurt and add it to the vegetables. You can make the raita thin by adding water or milk. Adjust the consistency as per your liking. Then make the seasoning with little oil, mustard seeds, hing and green chillies, add it to the yogurt mixture, give it a good mix. Raita is ready to be served.

Here are some of the raitas using raw vegetables: Tomato,onion & cucumber raita(either used alone or in some combination) is the most common and popular raita.

1. Tomato raita
2. Cucumber Raita (Chop/grate)
   
3. Radish Raita (Chop/grate)
   
4. Tomato & Onion Raita
5. Tomato+ Onion + Cucumber Raita
6. Banana Stem Raita (baaLe dindu raita)

Here are some of the raitas using Cooked vegetables:

Chop/Cut the vegetables,stir fry in little oil till done, then add to yogurt. Rest same as above.

1. Tomato Raita
2. Okra/Bendekayi Raita
3. Spinach Raita (Soppu raita)
4. Raw Banana Raita (baaLekayi)
5. Beetroot Raita (beware this raita will be a red one :)
6. Potato Raitha (Boil potatoes in water, peel and chop them to bite sized pieces, add to yogurt)

Variations:

1. Instead of adding seasoning, you can pinch of hing, some cumin powder, pinch of red chilli powder, chat masala powder to the yogurt. This gives a different flavour.

2.Thiruvida Mosaru gojju - One more version where you grind some ingredients making the raita thicker in consistency.

Above ingredients + these below
1/4 cup - Split roasted gram/ Dalia/ kadale /putani / ಹುರಿಗಡಲೆ
1 tbsp - Cumin seeds / Jeera / ಜೀರಿಗೆ

In a small pan dry roast the Dalia and cumin seeds. Take green chillies, small piece of ginger, roasted gram, grated coconut, cumin seeds in a blender. Grind it in mixer/blender adding water. then mix this with yogurt and vegetables. Add salt, cilantro and seasoning. This raita will be thicker than the other kind. This will increase the volume of raita, especially useful if you have to make a lot of raita.

One last tip from me, add some milk or cream to raita(cream is best), this prevents it from turning sour. it tastes sweet for a long time. this is especially useful if you taking it for lunch or on a trip where u don't have a fridge.

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.