Sapaada Bhakshya /Satyanarayana Prasada /ಸಪಾದ ಭಕ್ಷ್ಯ /ಸತ್ಯನಾರಾಯಣ ಪ್ರಸಾದ

The best part of the Sathyanarayana Pooja is the Sathyanarayana prasaada which is served in the end. It truly tastes devine :)It is also called Sapaada Bhakshya.
Sa means same,similar [ಸ - ಸಮಾನ]
Paada means one fourth, quarter.[ಪಾದ - ನಾಲ್ಕನೆಯ ಒಂದು ಅಂಶ, ಕಾಲುಭಾಗ]
So sapada bhaksha has 4 ingredients, each in the same quantity - namely Rava/sooji, Ghee, Sugar and Milk.

Servings: This recipe makes 15 - 20 rounds/balls.

Ingredients
1 cup Sooji/Semolina/Rave/ಸಣ್ಣರವೆ
[usually fine sooji is used]
1 cup milk /ಹಾಲು
1 cup ghee/ ತುಪ್ಪ
1 cup sugar/ ಸಕ್ಕರೆ
3-4 big ripe bananas/ ಬಾಳೆ ಹಣ್ಣು
Handful of cashews,raisins/ಗೋಡಂಬಿ,ವಣದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ
1/2 tsp cardamom powder/ಏಲಕ್ಕಿ ಪುಡಿ
few strands of saffron /ಕೇಸರಿ [optional]



Method :
Take 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan, heat on medium flame. add cashews, raisins and deep fry them in the ghee. Once done keep it aside.

Put 2 tbsp ghee in big pan/kadai. Add sooji and roast it on a medium flame till you get a nice aroma and a slight change in color. Keep the sooji aside. Peel bananas and cut into thin slices,keep aside.

Pour milk into the pan and bring it to a boil. Keep it on medium flame all the time. When the milk is coming to a boil add the banana pieces and half of the ghee. Then stir it for 2-3 minutes so the banana gets slight cooked. Add the saffron threads,cardamom powder.

Now add the roasted sooji slowly into the boiling milk, keep stirring it as you add sooji. Mix well and cover it. Leave it for 3-5 minutes till sooji gets cooked. Once sooji is all cooked, add the sugar, the remaining ghee, deep fried cashews and raisins. Mix well till sugar is dissolved and incorporated. The whole mixture starts comes together like a lump, that is when it is done so you can switch off the stove.

Usually Satyanarayana prasada is served as small rounds/balls. If you have had the prasada you how rich and tasty it is. Adding this quantity of ghee and sugar definitely makes the praasada melt in your mouth :)

For people who are calorie conscious, I am posting another version of the same recipe with lesser quantity of ghee and sugar.

1 cup Sooji
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup ghee
3 cups milk [OR 2 cups milk + 1 cup water]
3-4 big ripe bananas
Handful of cashews,raisins
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
few strands of saffron

Since we are using less ghee here, we need more milk to cook the sooji.The procedure is the same as above.

Click here to read how to perform Satyanarayana Pooja

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

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:)

Hayagreeva / ಹಯಗ್ರೀವ

Hayagreeva is a sweet dish from Karnataka. It is a Madhwas recipe made as prasad to Lord Hayavadana. It is an easy recipe to make.

Servings: This recipe makes about 6 - 8 servings.

Ingredients:

1 cup Chana dal / kadale bele /ಕಡಲೆ ಬೆಳೆ
¾ cup Jaggery/ ಬೆಲ್ಲ (grated/powdered)
¼ cup fresh grated coconut /ಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ
3 tbsp ghee /ತುಪ್ಪ
1tsp of cardamom powder /ಏಲಕ್ಕಿಪುಡಿ
Raisins and Cashewnuts / ದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ + ಗೋಡಂಬಿ

Method:

First step is to cook the chana dal. You can cook in a pressure cooker or on stove top. For cooking in pressure cooker, use 1:1 measure dal and water.So for 1 cup of chana dal add 1 cup of water and cook for 3 whistles and switch it off. The dal should be just cooked, it should not be mushy. So use as little water as possible. Once dal is cooked, drain the water from the dal.

Using 1 tbsp ghee , fry raisins and cashews and keep it aside. In a thick bottom pan add the grated jaggery and half cup water and keep it on medium flame. let the jaggery dissolve and the mixture thickens a bit. Add 2 tbsp ghee, grated coconut, cashews, raisins and cardamom powder and cook for 5 minutes. Now add the cooked dal and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes or until all moisture evaporates. Hayagreeva is ready to be served.

Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai / ಕೊಬ್ಬರಿ ಮಿಠಾಯಿ

Coconut Burfi or Kobri Mithai is one of the commonly made sweets at my home. Recipe is easy and fast to make.

Servings: This recipe makes about 12-15 pieces of burfi.

Ingredients:

1 cup Fresh grated cocononut /ಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ
3/4 cup sugar / ಸಕ್ಕರೆ
2 tbsp milk / cream / ಕೆನೆ
1 tsp ghee to grease the tray / ತುಪ್ಪ ಸವರಿದ ತಟ್ಟೆ
a pinch of cardamom powder / ಎಲ್ಲಕ್ಕಿ ಪುಡಿ
food color (optional) / ಬಣ್ಣ

Method:

Mix grated coconut, sugar and milk/cream in a bowl. keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.Keep ready a plate/tray greased with ghee to pour the cooked mixture in the end.

Take the coconut mixture in a thick bottomed pan, preferably a non stick one. Keep it on medium flame and keep stirring the mixture. After a while the sugar melts and the whole mixture becomes a thick and forms a single mass. This will take about 15-20 minutes. Now add cardamom powder.Once the mixture leaves the sides of the pan, switch off the stove. Pour it immediately into the greased tray. Pat the tray once or twice to spread the mixture uniformly. Let it cool for about 15 minutes. Using a knife cut the burfi into desired shape. Allow it cool completely before taking out the pieces. Coconut burfi is ready.

If you like your burfi to be colorful, you can add some food color to the mixture while cooking. I prefer the natural white color.

As this recipe does not use any water, burfi stays fresh for a long time. You can keep them at room temperature for upto 2 weeks.You can keep it in the freezer for upto 6 months. Just before serving, microwave it for half a minute and it tastes fresh. This way there is always a dessert ready in hand for you and your unexpected guests :)

Thambittu / Tambittu / Rice - Jaggery laddu / ಅಕ್ಕಿ ತಂಬಿಟ್ಟು

Thambittu is a traditional kannada sweet. It is made for Naga Panchami, Krishna Janmashtami, Mangala Gowri festivals.

Servings : This recipe makes about 12-15 laddus.

Ingredients:
1 cup Rice / ಅಕ್ಕಿ
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 (optional) / ವಣದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ , ಗೋಡಂಬಿ

Method:

Soak 1 cup rice (I used sona masoori) in water for about 2 hours. Then drain the water and spread the rice on a cloth or paper towel, leave it for about 30-45 minutes. This removes most of the water. Then put it in a blender and make a fine powder.

In a pan heat ½ cup of water, add jaggery to it. Keep stirring till it dissolves completely. Then add grated coconut, ghee, cardamom to it. When the water starts boiling add the powdered rice slowly and stir it continously to form a single uniform mixture without any lumps. Now reduce the heat , cover and cook it for 4-6 minutes. Switch off the stove.

If you are adding cashews and raisins, deep fry them in ghee and add it to this mixture. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes, then make it into your desired shape. 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 about a week.

I made the Tambittu for Mangala Gowri festival and used them as diyas to do aarti to Goddess Gowri.

You can also make Tambittu with wheat flour, see the recipe here.