Taste of Mysore

Soppina Huli ~ Mix greens sambar

2012-05-21T00:04:00.000-07:00

A reader requested to post this and it is my pleasure to share this with you all..

Soppina Huli and mudde is a lipsmacking combination. It tastes good with rice too. For a tasty soppina huli, you need a mixture of Spinach (palaka/palak soppu), Menthe soppu (fenugreek/methi leaves), sabsige soppu (dill leaves/suva ). But, other combinations include stems of dantina soppu (amaranth leaves) and amaranth leaves themselves. Amaranth leaves comes in two colors - red and green. A mixture of both in sambar tastes yumm too. Here I have used amaranth leaves for making soppina huli.

Chopped Amaranth Leaves ready for making Huli aka sambar

Ingredients :

Amaranth Leaves - 2 big bunches
Onion - 2
Garlic - 4 cloves
Toor Dal - 4-5 handfulls (Sambar with greens taste good if there is more dal in it)
Tamarind paste - 2tbsp (adjust according to the sourness required)

For Grinding : Red chillies, Jeera, Fenugreek, Mustard, Pepper, Coriander Seeds, Chanadal (Bengal gram), Uriddal (deskinned black gram), Jaggery (palm sugar or bella), salt, 3tbsp of freshly grated coconut

Fry all the ingredients except jaggery. Grind the fried ingredients with jaggery, salt and grated fresh coconut to a smooth paste. Set it aside.

Pressure cook amaranth leaves, onion, garlic and dal for 2 whistles. Mix them well and add in ground masala paste, tamarind paste and bring to boil. Do not make the sambar watery. Thick sambar tastes good. Adjust salt as needed.

Add Oggarane. Enjoy with ragi mudde or rice.

Gulkand & Dry fruit Ice Cream ~ Preserved Rose Petals Ice Cream

2012-05-07T00:54:00.001-07:00

We loved it, enjoyed it and wanna make more :)

This pink ice cream post is dedicated to all wonderful mothers of girl child. Save Girls!

You need the following to make Gulkand Ice Cream :

Heavy Cream - 240g

Full cream milk- half a cup

Gulkand- 5tbsp

Chopped dried fruits and nuts- haf a cup (I used almonds, raisins, walnuts)

Pink Color - 4 drops

Rose Flavor or Rose Essence - half a tsp

Sugar -use appropriately as Gulkand already has sugar in it.

Equipments : Juicer with Whipper attachment, Egg beater, bowl, ice cube bath and some muscle power :D

Method:

1. Whip cream and sugar (I used 2 tbsp) till they are mixed. Takes a minute or less

2. Trasfer this to a bowl. Add color, gulkand and whisk using egg beater. This bowl should be placed in the ice bath before you start whisking. I whisked it for around 20 mins.

3. Add dry fruits and mix well. Transfer it to a freezer freindly box and freeze for 4hrs.

4. After 4hrs, remove the container, thaw it and whip it. Put it back to the container and freeze it again for 4hrs. Repeat this cycle 4 times. After this it is ready to go into a serving bowl.

5. Enjoy it the way you want it. :) Here is a cone just for you!

This yummy ice cream travels to Dr Sameena's blog for her Ice Cream Event

Paneer and Capsicum ~ Stirfried in Spices

2012-04-27T00:33:00.002-07:00

A simple yet flavorful and tasty side dish for chapathis or Phulkas.

Ingredients:

Capsicum - 3 small (all 3 colors- red, yellow and green)
Paneer- 200g
Tomato- 1 big
Ginger-garlic-greenchilli paste- 1tsp
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Kasurimethi (Fenugreek leaf powder) - 1tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Salt-as needed
Sugar a big pinch
Oil - 3tbsp
Hotwater - 1bowl (to soak friend paneer)

Method:
1. Clean and cut capsicum into bite size pieces. Cut paneer also into cubes. Deseed tomatoes and cut them into cubes. Keep them separately.
2. Grind ginger-garlic-green chilly to make paste. Keep it aside

3. Measure all other ingredients and keep them ready.
4. Heat oil and fry paneer till they turn golden brown. Put them in hot water just after frying.
(Paneer will remain soft if they are allowed to sit in hot water for 5-10 mins.)
5. To the same hot oil, continue adding ginger-garlic-green chilli paste, coriander powder, and chilli powder, turmeric powder. Stir well to mix them.
6. Add capsicum and fry till they are soft yet crunchy. Add in tomatoes and continue to fry. Crush kasurimethi over the mixture and stir well. When you see the tomato skin peeling away, add paneer salt and sugar. Mix well and continue to cook for next 3~4 mins.
7. Taste the vegetable and check before you remove it to a serving dish. Serve hot with chapathis or Phulkas.

Another look before you leave...........

A special thanks to my collagues who took the pictures and sampled it too :)

Cooking Classess for our colleagues :)

2012-04-23T01:15:00.001-07:00

One of my colleague wanted to eat uddina vade and poori and she was equally excited to learn how-to-cook. After this cooking session, she made at home and she is slowly trying to get her hands over it.

What an enthusiasm to learn a cuisine which is not your own but you love it to the core! I love my colleagues energy levles when it comes to 'learning to cook'. Our multi racial group has Chinese, Malay, Myanmar, Indian, Malyasian etc., who love good food.

Here are some of the pictures which captures us when we were deeply engrossed in cooking..

Dishes made : Poori Saagu, Uddina Vade

Uddina Vade:

Saagu making...

Recipes for making the above dishes :

Saagu and Poori

Uddina Vade

It was fun having colleagues at home. After this session, we had few more which will be blogged in batches. Till then have fun.

Happy Ugadi

2012-03-15T20:06:00.003-07:00

Dear Readers and Visitors,

Taste of Mysore wishes you all a very happy and blessed Ugadi. Maja Maadi. :D

Lakshmi@tasteofmysore

P.S. TOM is on a short holiday. See you all back soon.

Apricot Jam

2012-02-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

Trust you all had a fantastic beginning to new year. Taste of Mysore starts with a sweet beginning too. Blogging Apricot Jam made from 1kg of fresh Apricots :)

Ingredients :

Fresh Apricots - 1kg
Sugar - approx 3/4 kg
Pectin- 1/2~3/4 tsp depending on the consistency of the jam required

Wash apricots and pat them dry. Deseed them. Blend them in a juicer blender to get thick pulp. If you want a chunkier jam, blend half of the fruit and cut the rest of the lot into small pieces.

Measure fruit pulp and fruit. If your fruit pulp measures 600ml, take 400ml of sugar. Use the same measuring cup to measure sugar also.

Take pulp (and cut fruit if you are using) in a thick bottomed vessel. Bring it to boil. Add sugar when you see Apricot pulp changing its color. Keep boiling till sugar is well dissolved. Taste the mixture. If you want add more sugar to increase the sweetness of the jam, please do so. Once you are happy with the taste, add 1/2 tsp~3/4 tsp pectin to the boiling apricot sugar solution. Reduce the flame and keep stirring till the solution starts to thicken. Switch off the stove and let it cool in the same vessel. You can add little more pectin if the mixture did not attain jam like consistency.

It is little tough to say how much pectin is exactly required for the jam. It all depends how do you like your jam. Do you want a runny jam then it takes less pectin, you want a thick jam then add more pectin. For 1kg of fruit pulp it does not take more than 1 tsp of pectin.

Happy Valentines Day to all my readers and visitors

Recap~ 2011

2011-12-29T03:12:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a very happy new year, 2012. May god bless you all.

Hibiscus from my garden

A quick recap of few things which I enjoyed doing this year, which is going to end in few hours.

Coconut and Carrot Layered Burfi :

Bread Making - I learned to make bread from a colleague. Thanks to her for boosting my confidence towards baking.

Iyengar Bakery Style "Khara Bread"

My friends all time favorites : Shavige (Indian "bee hoon" )

Vade/Vadai :

Christmas Party Winner @ Office: Tandoori Aloo

Hope the year 2012 will be more appetising for Taste of Mysore. Sending this post to Srivalli of Cooking4AllSeasons Blog. for her Best of 2011 event.

See you all next year, till then enjoy your new year party ...

Tandoori Aloo ~ Oven Baked spicy Potatoes

2011-12-26T00:50:00.001-08:00

A tasty starter for your parties. Takes a little effort to make, but it is worth the effort. Note the time taken here if you are thinking of making this. Marinating potatoes takes 12-13hrs. Rest of the steps take around 1-2hrs. Plan well if you want to give it a try.

Entire process can be divided into 4 stages; 1. Cook & deskin Potatoes 2. Making of tandoori spice powder 3. Marinating 4. Baking

Clean potaotes with several changes of water. If you wish to keep the potato skin intact, clean potatoes well. Half cook potatoes and remove them from water. Poke a hole into them. They are ready to be marinated. Alternatively you can deskin potatoes and poke a hole into them.
Making of tandoori spice powder : (enough for 1kg baby potatoes)

Ingredients:
Coriander seeds -2 tbps
Jeera (Cumin) - 3tbsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1tbsp (increase the quantity if you want it more spicy)
Kasoori Methi - 1tsp
Mace -1 number
Clove - 5-6 numbers
Cinnamon Stick- 2 numbers
Black Cardamom - 4grains (I prefered to use less, you can add more if you like the taste of it)
Red Food Color - a big pinch
Turmeric- 1tsp

Method:
1. In a thick bottomed pan dry fry coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mace, clove, cinnamon, cardamom separately till they are aromatic. Let them cool down.
2. Powder fried spices with kasoori methi, red color, turmeric and red chilli powder.
3. Tandoori spice powder is ready for use.

Store if extra :

Marinade Ingredients : 200g yogurt, ginger & garlic paste, Tandoori spice powder and salt.
Mix all the ingredients well. Check for salt levels and more if required. Dip all the potatoes which are ready to be marinated. Mix well to coat the marinade over the potatoes. Let the potatoes rest well with the marinade for atleast 12-13hrs. This is very important for getting tasty tandoori potatoes.

Mix potatoes with marinade :

Baking :

Line your baking tray with aluminium foil. Spray oil. Line the potatoes like this :

Bake them at 200 degree centigrade for 10 to 20 mins or till they are done. After 5-7mins or when the marinade on the top is cooked, turn them over and continue to bake till the other side is cooked.

Tandoori Potatoes are ready to be enjoyed with some cheesy dip. I prepared them for my
office Christmas party and all my colleagues loved them. I am sure, you will love them too.

Potatoes wrapped in a.foil for party.....

Will be back with more party recipes for your new year party. Till then, enjoy tandoori aloo..

Congress ~ Spicy Peanuts

2011-12-20T04:50:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is the recipe for Congress Kadalebeeja or Spicy Peanuts.

Roasted and Deskinned Peanuts - 1 cup (approx200g) (read as - as much as you wish)
Red Chilli Powder- 2 tbsp
Pepper Powder- 1tsp
Byadagi Chilli Powder - 1tsp (or you can use kashmiri chilli powder)
Food Color (red) - a pinch (I have not used, but to make it look like commercially available stuff you can use it)
Salt - as required
Rice Flour - 1 tbsp
Oil - 3-4 tbsp
Asafoetida (hing) - a pinch
Curry Leaves - as much as you want

Method :
1. Heat oil. Add asafoetida. When asafoetida becomes aromatic add curry leaves and fry till crisp.
2. Switch off the stove and add rest of the ingredients in the following order - pepper, redchilli powder, food color, salt, rice flour and mix well.
3. Add deskinned peanuts and mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea or with bakery style bread.

Till next time, ENJOYY!

Iyengar Bakery Style Khara Bread

2011-12-14T05:33:00.000-08:00

It was love at first sight with Prathy's Iyengar Bakery style khara bread. Just, finished baking and eating it with some home made congress kadalebeeja. Combo was yummy!!!!!

I made this bread using bread machine. The recipe for our bread machine is very different from Prathy's recipe. If you are baking in a oven please refer to her recipe here. Below recipe suits our bread machine :

Salt -1tsp
Sugar- 1~2tbsp
Egg- 1
Butter- 2-4 tbsp
Milk Powder- 2tbsp
Milk or Water - upto 280g (if you are using milk, then skip milk powder)

Wholemeal bread flour or Bread Flour - 400g
Instant Yeast- 2tsp

Extra Ingrediants for Khara Bread :

Oil, jeera, finely chopped curry leaves, onions cut lengthwise, finely chopped coriander leaves, black pepper powder, green chilli paste. Heat oil, add jeera and curry leaves. When jeera browns add green chilli paste, pepper powder and onions. Sautee till onions turn pink. Keep it ready to add them to bread dough.

Method:
1. Weigh the baking bowl. Add salt, sugar, butter, milk powder. Tare the weight which simply means reset the weight back to 0. Add egg and fluid (water or milk) upto 280g. Tare the weight again. Add bread flour upto 400g. Add yeast on top of bread flour. Put the baking bowl back into the bread machine and follow the instructions.Our bread machine starts mixing the ingredients and kneading them. Onion mixture is added after 30 minutes from the start time. You can sprinkle some sesame seeds when the bread is ready for baking which happens is last 40 mins. Our bread machine kneads, rests and bakes the bread. It takes 3hrs for the total process. Result is yummy bread like this...

How to make congress kadalebeeja? Come back to read the next post on Taste of Mysore for the recipe of Congress ;) Till then have a wonderful day.

Paani Poori

2011-12-12T05:37:00.000-08:00

I just can't resist the sight of paani poori, esp when it is so well presented. Akash also could not stop himself when he saw paani poori post at Prathibha's blog. Poori recipe was something which always bothered me. I tired Prathy's way to make poori and the result was good. Here is my version of paani with Prathy's version of Poori :D

For Paani : (less spicy version, which is pleasent to drink as much as you want!)
Pudina/Mint Leaves - 1 cup tighlty packed
Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup, chopped
Ginger- 1"
Garlic- 2-3 cloves (adjust accordingly if you like strong garlic flavor)

Green Chillies- 2
Sompu (Dill seeds)/Saunf - 1tsp
Pepper- 8
Black Salt - 2tsp
Salt - as needed
Lemon Juice- from 1 or 2 lemon
Water - 2 litres
Method:
Blend all the ingredients (except lemon juice) with little water to make chutney.
Mix this chutney with 2 litres of water and set aside in refrigerator for 2-3hrs.
Filter paani using a muslin cloth or a cloth filter.
Paani is ready to use
For Poori (recipe from Prathibha- the chef and her kitchen blog)

Chiroti Rava (Very fine semolina) - 1 cup
Maida (all purpose flour) - 1 cup
Urid dal flour (deskinned black gram)- 1/2 cup
Salt and 2 tbsp of oil
Water
Oil for deep frying

Mix all the ingredients to make a soft yet firm dough.
Roll them with rolling pin to make a big circle.
Using a round cookie cutter cut rounds.
Deep fry them in oil to get pooris.

Pooris were sold out at home!! I had to hide few of them for taking pictures.

Other ingredients you need to assemble paani poori :

1. Peas and Potato Mixture : Cook green peas and potato. Mash them separately and mix them with little salt.
2. Onion Mix - Chop onion and coriander to small pieces and mix well
3. Khara Sev (Store bought)
4. Dates and Tamarind Chutney aka 'Meetha' or 'Meethi chutney'
Lion Dates (seedless) - 1 cup packed
Tamarind Juice - 2tbsp
Jeera Powder - 1 tsp (fry and powder jeera)
Black Salt - 1tsp
Soak lion dates in little warm water till it is soft to blend. Blend dates with tamarind and water. Bring this mixture to boil. If you have a very thick chutney at this point, add little water to dilute it. Add jeera powder, black salt and switch off the stove. Meetha is ready.

To assemble paani poori :

Make a hole on one side of the poori.

Stuff in little peas n potato mixture, top it with onion mixture and sev.

Dunk it in paani and let it land inside your mouth smoothly...... ummmmm.....!!! nothing more to say

Badam Burfi/Almond Fudge

2011-10-27T23:46:00.000-07:00

This year's deepavali sweets : Almond Burfi and Jhangri

Trust you all had wonderful deepavali. I made badam burfi and jhangri for this year deepavali. Numerous blogs have shared this recipe. Here is my version of Almond Fudge aka Badam Burfi.

You need :

Almonds : approx 200gm (2 fistfulls less than one pavu)
Sugar: measured the same qty as almonds. Used same cup to measure both the ingredients
Ghee : 2tbsp (which I did not add)
Saffron strands a few

Greased plate and rolling pin (lattanige)

Step I: Blanch almonds. Pour almonds into hot water and leave it aside for 7 to ten minutes
Step 2: Deskin almonds and pat them. Let them dry. I just used my hair dryer to blow dry the almonds. Worked well. Blend them to make almond flour.

Blanched Almonds (R) Almond Flour (L)

Take sugar and saffron strands in a heavy bottomed non stick pan. Add water enough to dissolve sugar. Boil on medium flame till you get one string consistency. When you start seeing bubbles like this..

Gejje Paaka

be prepared. This stage is called gejje paka and 2-3 mins later you start seeing one string paka or consistency syrup. Pull the sugar syrup between your thumb and fore finger. The string which forms should be firm. Slowly start adding almond flour little at a time. Mix well, add again till you finish all the flour. Add 2 tbsp of ghee and keep mixing till it comes together like ball in the center of the bowl.

Grease a plate or mould with ghee. Pour this hot mixture in the non stick pan over to it. Grease a rolling pin and make it even.

Cut them into desired shape and apply little ghee on top which I did instead of adding 2tbsp ghee. But I advise you to add ghee to get much nicer burfis.

Take out and store in a air tight box.

and enjoy like this....

Kobbari Sakkare Holige

2011-10-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

ಕಾಲದ ಕಾಲು ಹಿಡಿದು ಕೇಳಲೇ ?
ಕಾದು ನಿಲ್ಲಲು ..
ನಾ ನಿನ್ನೊಂದಿಗಿರುವಾಗ (change to ಎಲ್ಲರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಇರಬೇಕಂದಾಗ...)
Nayana, from Kavithe Blog

Time! not sure why I can't snatch it for some of the things ...life has indeed become very hectic...
Let me not cry over the time which went away, I would like to share kobbari sakkare holige..

Few facts about this holige :
1. Easy to make
2. Less preparation required
3. They must be consumend when hot. Please do not keep them as they tend to become dry. Unless you like to eat that way!

What you need:
1. Maida (All Purpose Flour) - 1 cup
2. Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup (adjust sweet levles according to you taste)
3. Dessicated dry coconut (powdered dry coconut)-1/2 cup
4. Milk - 3-4tbsp
5. Oil
6. Water
Method:
1. Mix maida with water to make a very soft dough. Add oil on the dough and leave it aside. It looks like this:

Mix, grated coconut, sugar with 1-2 tbsp milk. If you need more milk, add little at a time and mix. It should look like this :

Make small balls.

For making holige, take a plastic coated paper and oil the surface. Oil the rolling pin. Take a small lemon sized maida and pat it on the paper. Roll it to have a small circle. Keep the sugar-coconut mixture in between. Close it from all sides. Roll it to make holige and transfer it to the hot pan along with the paper. Slowly remove the paper. Fry with oil on both the sides and remove it to a serving plate. Eat hot with ghee/milk.

On other note, Pratibha of The Chef and Her Kitchen tagged me for 7 links game. I went back to search the post thinking that it was only 2 weeks ago that she tagged me. I realised that it has already been more than 4 weeks since she tagged :P Ok, here I go about telling the 7 links of my blog...

My Most Beautifull Post : There are many! It would be unfair to pick any one of them.

I pick a sweet made on Varamahalakshmi vrata, Hayagreeva

What is most beautiful about this? It is the sweet itself and many memories attached to it. We loved it as children and my mom loved it too.
My Most Popular Post : Well, popularity has varied with times. But, most of the times my google side bar of 'most popular post' shows Vangibath Powder and Vangibath. So, I go with google... Well, there is no good picture of it though. Sometimes, recipe speaks better than picture and this is a good example.
The post I am most proud of: It would be good to say it this way: The post that made me proud of by the feedback of readers : Vadappi/Akki hittu poori. Again, recipe speaks more than picture.
Most Useful Post: There are many. From stotras to mantras to many readers requested recipes. Navaratri Festive Food Round up was liked by most of my subscribers.
Surprise Success Post: Rave Pongal

Most Controversial Post : None
Post Which requires most attention : Please revisit all the recipes, whenever you get time!!! ehehehee...

Have a fantastic Deepavali. Not sure when will I get time to blog again, till then take care and eat well.

Mekkejola Usli/ Quick Corn Snack for navaratri days

2011-09-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

Navaratri is fast approaching and we all need some or the other quick snacks for serving guests. Everyday is a special day and navaratri days are overloaded with usli recipes in blogs. Here is one of the simplest ones which we all love :D

It is easy to buy fresh corn from supermarkets here in Singapore. If they are not available, frozen corn works well for this.

You Need :

Fresh corn on the cob : 2
Butter/Oil : 1/2 tbsp
Kitchen King Masala+Red Chilli Powder + Salt = 1heaped tsp

Separate corn from the cob like this :

Knife works well for this purpose. Easy and neatly done.

Heat butter/oil in a pan. Fry corn till it is golden and starts to pop. Add the masala mix and stir to mix. Switch off the stove. Scoop it into a bowl and serve hot!

For variation, I added cooked rice flour balls (cooked, kneaded and made into small rounds) to this and it worked well. It was Prathibha's avarelalu usli idea which I extended to corn.

Khara Bath

2011-08-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

Khara Bath is nothing but Upittu with a gorgeous name. I got tempted to make it the way Pratibha made after she flaunted her awesome clicks. Basically anything with too much oil or ghee gets a 'no' ticket at home. But, I was heads over heels to make this...err..like this...

(Aditya @17 months)

Here is the outcome ..

It was delicious. Akash and Nita (our helper), who dislike upittu, took two servings!

Ingredients:

Vegetables cut into very small pieces : Carrot, french beans, brinjal, onions

I added a half a handful of peas too.

Green Chillies, cut length wise: 6 (depending on the spice levels of chillies)

Ginger-Garlic Paste: 1 tsp

Garam Masala Powder: 1tsp

Semolina/Rava : 1 cup (250ml) (roast rava till fragrant, before you use it for upma)

Ghee : 4 tbsp (You can add more if u wish, this is the highlight of the dish which makes it a winner)

lemon juice : 1tbsp; coriander leaves chopped: 2tbsp and grated coconut : 2tbsp

Seasoning Ingredients : Mustard, Cashewnuts (handfull), chanadal (1tsp), uriddal(1tsp),curry leaves (few)

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a pan. Add cashew nut,chanadal, uriddal and fry till golden. Add curryleaves, greenchillies and fry for 30 sec.

2. Add onions, fry for 30 secs, and ginger garlic paster.

3.Add vegetables and fry till they are soft. Add little salt to aid quick cooking

4.Add 2.5 cups of water (use same cup to measure rava and water) and bring it to boil. Add salt. Mix well and lower the flame. Taste water and check salt levels. If required, add and adjust the taste. Add garam masala powder. Switch off the stove. Slowly add rava with constant stirring. After all rava has been added, switch on the stove again. Cover and cook for next 3-4 mins. Switch off the stove.

5. After 10 mins, add lemon juice and mix well. Sprinkle few coriander leaves and coconut when you serve.

Aloo Tikki Chat

2011-08-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

Ingr edients:

For Aloo Tikki:

Potatoes : 3
Cornflour: 2 tbsp
Salt

Cook potatoes, deskin and grate them. Add salt and two tablespoon of cornflour and knead. Divide them into equal portions and make ball from each portion. Flatten the ball to get a disch shaped 1" thick. Shallow fry them on a pan. Tikkis are ready for chat.

For Pudina/Dhania (Mint/Coriander) /Green Chutney :

Roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves : 1 cup
Roughly chopped fresh mint: 1/2 cup
Green chillies: 2-3, stemmed and chopped
Black Salt-1/2 tsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Freshly squeezed lemon juice: 1tsp

1. Take coriander leaves and mint in a blender and add 1/4 cup ( 50ml) of water and blend to a smooth paste
2. Add the black salt and sugar and blend again.
3. Transfer to a bowl and stir lemon juice.

For Dates and Tamarind chutney

Deseeded Dates : 15-20
Tamarind Pulp: 350 ml (soak tamarind in water and squeeze the juice)
Jaggery : 200gms (grated or powdered)

Roast and Powder: 2tsp cumin seeds and 1/4 tsp fennel seeds

Red Chilli Powder : 2 tsp
Ginger Powder: 1tsp
Black Salt: 1tsp
Table Salt: 1tsp

1. Tear/Roughly chop dates. In a non stick pan, combine dates, tamarind pulp and jaggery. Bring to boil. Add all powders and boil over medium heat, continue to cook for 6 mins.
2. Let it cool to room temperature. Preserve in a jar.

Additional Ingredients:
Cooked Green Peas : 1 cup
Finely chopped onions: 1/2 cup
Finely chopped tomatoes: 1/2 cup
Finely chopped coriander: 1/4 cup
Aloo Bhujia/Sev: 1 cup
Chat Masala: 1tsp

To Assemble:
Place Aloo Tikki in a plate. Spread a tsp of green chutney and tamarind chuteny. Top it with few peas, Add onions, tomato and coriander. Drizzle little chat masala and Sev. Serve.

Enjoy!!

Menthe Menasu Gojju/ Fenugreek seeds & Pepper Curry

2011-07-19T01:13:00.000-07:00

An absolutely finger licking gojju for akki rotti is menthe menasu gojju. We love it. This is my dear M-I-L style gojju, which was in draft for the past 2 years. Whenever I prepared m. m gojju I could not click pictures for some or the other reason. Finally! here is the picture :D

You need the following for making gojju:

Ingredients:

Onions : 5
Kaalu Menasu/Whole black pepper : 20 kaalu (powdered coarsely)
Menthya/Fenugreek Seeds : 1 tsp
Mustard : 1tsp
Tamarind Juice: 2 tbsp of thick extract
Curry leaves: few

Blend with water :
Kadalepoppu : 1.5 hidi(fist fulls)
Grated fresh coconut : 4 tbsp
Red Chillies : 6

Other ingredients:
salt and jaggery
Oil

Method:
1. Cut onions into small pieces. Blend the ingredients under the list and keep it ready.
2. Heat oil in a cooking pan. Add mustard. When mustard stops popping, lower the heat and add fenugreek seeds, whole balck pepper and curry leaves. Fry till fenugreek seeds become red. Add onions and fry till transcluscent.
3. Dilute 2 tbsp of thick tamarind juice with sufficiant plain water (enough to make the volume of gojju). Bring to boil.
4. Add coconut paste, salt and jaggery. Mix and bring gojju to boiling point. If gojju is not thick, you can add more kadalepoppu (fried gram/chickpeas) powder to make it thick. Adjust the flavors before you switch off the stove.
5. Allow to sit for 30 mins before you serve. This will allow the flavors to settle well.
6. Enjoy with your favorite akki rotti.

Change is the essence of Life ..

2011-07-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

Change is the essence of life. Life once never existed on Earth but 'change' changed the whole scenario. From one celled organism to human being, we all were and are part of this word. From an infant to middle aged woman, change has always made a better person. ..

If you are still wondering why am I so hooked to this word 'change' today, it is because this post is dedicated to Indiblogger's topic "Change is easy".

The event is hosted by Dell Inspirion with Indiblogger. I loved the topic, so picked up to write what I feel about change; change in the gadgets we have been buying over a decade.

Working in research field, I totally believe in change. Without this word, I probably will not earn my bread and butter :D . Research has always brought changes to the gadgets we use and shrinking the world every day. I started with Nokia series which doesn't even exist in the market today. It was like holding on to something precious in those days. From Nokia to Sony Ericson's to Apple I have had the opportunity to feel the various application these gadgets offered. But, when I 'changed' from Nokia to SE, getting used to the keypad took some time. From 'arrrgghhhh I hate the change' to 'I love it', it took some time but I think I adapted well. Now, I am enjoying the era of 'touch screen'. If 'research' was unable to bring 'changes' to the gadgets we used, the 'fun' would have seized and companies would not have grown and churned out new jobs. I say change is essential and it's easy isn't it ?

We have changed at least 3 laptops till date. We loved our IBMs so much that they died a sad death one day. I learned a lesson. 'Too much is too bad'. Then we 'changed' ourselves, we spent only 'quality' time with our new love 'Dell Inspirion'. Dell reciprocated well and it still is with us. He sits quietly when my toddler pounces on him, followed by Akash's repeated google searches for his class homework/holiday 'research' work. He beems with smile when I blog my tasty dishes with him. He is my husband chess companion too. Well, in total he has adapted to the 'change-in-love' we have offered him after his successor's sad demise. He understood 'change is easy, love it!'

Do you love this post? Log in to Indiblogger and vote for this post...

Granola Bars

2011-07-05T00:59:00.000-07:00

I tried these from Prathibha's "The Chef and her Kitchen" They were absolutely yummy and we were like "yeh dil maange more" Thanks Prathibha. I will be making this more often.

A step by step procedure to make granola bars with measurements can be found at her site here: Granola Bars

Rewriting her recipe here for my reference:

Ingredients:

(Yields around 18 big bars)

2 cups quick cooking Oats

1/2 cup cornflakes cereal

1 cup honey

1 tsp cinnamon powder

3 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbsp water

dry fruits and nuts:(This comes around 1-1/4 cup)

12-15 almonds,finely chopped

12-15 walnuts,finely chopped (did not use)

10-12 pistachios,finely chopped

2-3 tbsp raisins

2-3 tbsp dried cranberries

5-6 seedless Arab dates,finely chopped

3-4 dried figs/anjeer,finely chopped

1 tbsp watermelon seeds(did not use)

2 tbsp flax seeds (did not use)

1 tsp sesame seeds (did not use)

Method:

1.Dry roast oats and cornflakes separately until a nice aroma comes and oats starts slightly browning up,take care not to burn them while frying.Keep them aside.
2.Now dry roast flax seeds until they pop and followed by sesame seeds and add them to the oats mixture.
3.Add almonds,walnuts and pistachios to the pan and roast them until they are slight crisp and then add watermelon seeds,chopped dates,figs,raisins,cranberries and fry them for a minute and add them to the oats mixture.
4.Mix everything well and keep the vessel aside.
5. Heat the same pan and add butter and let it melt.Now add brown sugar to it and let ir caramelize a bit and bubbles form.
6.Add water,honey,peanut butter and cinnamon powder and heat the mixture until it starts bubbling up.
7.Add vanilla essence and give a quick stir.
8.Now add the roasted oats, cornflakes,nuts and dry fruit mixture and mix well until the honey mixture is coated uniformly all over the oats cornflakes mixture.Let it cook for 2 mins and keep stirring it in between.
9.Divide the mixture into two portions and transfer the mixture on to a baking sheet or a butter paper and spread it using a spoon or a wooden ladle to 1/2 inch thickness.
10.Straighten the edges with the help of a spatula into a square or rectangle and let it cool a bit.Smoother the top portion using hands or a butter paper and gently make it uniform.

This is how it looked when we transferred it to a plate for cutting into squares. I did not have butter paper, so just poured it into a big plate.

11.Allow them to cool for 5-10 mins and then cut them into bars.If it does not hold shape just press the sides with hands to form the clean edges.
12.Arrange them on a aluminum foil on a baking tray and bake in preheated oven @ 160 degrees for 4-5 mins.This step is completely optional and you can avoid it if you do not have oven.I do this way which helps in holding its shape and can be stored for longer.Let them cool completely for 30 mins.
13Wrap them in aluminum foil and store them in airtight container.

We enjoyed every bite of these chewy granola bars.

Mango Pickle in Oil\Enne Uppinakayi(ಮಾವಿನಕಾಯಿ ಎಣ್ಣೆ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ)

2011-07-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

ಮೈಸೂರಿನಿಂದ ಆಮ್ಲೆಟ್ ಮಾವಿನಕಾಯಿ ಬಂತು ಸಿಂಗಪುರಕ್ಕೆ, ಮತ್ತೆ ಕೇಳಬೇಕೆ ನನ್ನ ಸಡಗರ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ಹಾಕಲಿಕ್ಕೆ ?

ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇದನ್ನು ಎಣ್ಣೆ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ಅಂದೇ ಅಭ್ಯಾಸ. ಊರು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಬಂದಮೇಲೆ ತಿಳೀತು, ಬೇರೆಕಡೆ ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಆವಕಾಯಿ ಅಂತ ಕೂಡ ಅಂತಾರೆ ಅಂತ. ಯಾರು ಏನಾದ್ರು ಹೆಸರಿಡಲಿ ಬಿಡಿ, ನಂಗೆ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ರುಚಿ ಮುಖ್ಯ. ಪ್ರತಿ ಸರ್ತಿ ಎಣ್ಣೆ ಇಲ್ಲದ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ಮಾಡುವ ನನ್ನ ನಿಶ್ಚಯ ಬದಲಾಗಿ, ಈ ವರ್ಷ ಎಣ್ಣೆ ಹಾಕಿ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಉತ್ಸಾಹ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಆಯಿತು. ಅದರ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದೆ ಇರುವ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ಫೋಟೋಗಳು ..

ಆಮ್ಲೆಟ್ ಮಾವಿನಕಾಯಿ ಹೇಗಿರತ್ತೆ ನೋಡಿ..

Photo Courtesy : The Hindu

ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯ ಶೈಲಿ ಎಣ್ಣೆ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ಮಾಡುವ ವಿಧಾನ :

ಮಾವಿನಕಾಯಿ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ತೊಳೆದು, ಅದನ್ನು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಒಣಗಿರು ಬಟ್ಟೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಒರಸಿ ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಳ್ಳಿ. ಈಲಿಗೆಮನೆ/ಚಾಕು ಕೂಡ ಇದೆ ರೀತಿ ತೊಳೆದು, ಒರಿಸಿ ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು. ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ಹಾಕಲಿಕ್ಕೆ ಬೇಕಾದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಪದಾರ್ಥಗಳನ್ನೂ ಇದೆ ರೀತಿ ಸಿದ್ಧ ಮಾಡಿ ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು.

ಮಾವಿನಕಾಯಿಯನ್ನು ಸಣ್ಣ ಹೋಳುಗಳನ್ನಾಗಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿ ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು.

ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿಗೆ ಬೇಕಾದ ಪದಾರ್ಥ : (Mango Pieces from 1 Omlette Mango )

ಉಪ್ಪು: 3 ಬಟ್ಟಲು ಹೊಳುಗಳಿಗೆ 1-1.5 ಬಟ್ಟಲು iodine ಇಲ್ಲದ ಉಪ್ಪು
ಕೆಂಪುಮೆಣಸಿನಪುಡಿ(ಅಚ್ಚ ಖಾರದಪುಡಿ) : ೧ ಬಟ್ಟಲು ಹೊಳುಗಳಿಗೆ ೧ ಬಟ್ಟಲು ಕೆಂಪುಮೆಣಸಿನಪುಡಿ
ಹರಿಶಿನದ ಪುಡಿ : ೧ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಚಮಚ

ಕೆಳಗಿನ ಪದಾರ್ಥಗಳನ್ನು ಬಾಣಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹುರಿದು, ನನತರ ಪುಡಿ ಮಾಡಿ ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಳ್ಳಿ :
ಸಾಸಿವೆ : ೩ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಚಮಚ (tablespoon)
ಮೆಂತ್ಯೆ: ೩ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಚಮಚ (tablespoon)

ಬೇರೆ ಪದಾರ್ಥ :

ಎಳ್ಳಿನ ಎಣ್ಣೆ : ೧ ಬಟ್ಟಲು
ಹಿಂಗು : ೧ ಸಣ್ಣ ಚಮಚ (teaspoon)

ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ಭರಣಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾವಿನಕಾಯಿ ಹೋಳುಗಳನ್ನು ಉಪ್ಪು ಮತ್ತು ಹರಿಶಿನ ಹಾಕಿ ಬೆರೆಸಿ ಇಡಿ. ಬೇರೆಸಲಿಕ್ಕೆ ಮರದ ಚಮಚ ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸಿದರೆ ಒಳ್ಳೇದು. ಬೆರೆಸಿದ ಹೋಳುಗಳನ್ನು ೫ ಗಂಟೆಗಳ ವರೆಗೆ ಹಾಕೆ ಬಿಡುವುದು. ಉಪ್ಪು ನೀರಾಗಿ ಹರಿಶಿನ ಮತ್ತು ಹೊಳುಗಳ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಸೇರಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಉಪ್ಪು ನೀರು ಬಿಡದಿದ್ದರೆ ೧ ದಿನದವರೆಗೂ ಬತ್ತಲಿನಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಬಿಡುವುದು. ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ಭರಣಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ತಟ್ಟೆಯನ್ನು ಮುಚಿ ಇಡಿ. ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಭರಣಿ ಇಲ್ಲದ ಕಾರಣ ಪ್ಲಾಸ್ಟಿಕ್ ಡಬ್ಬಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ಹಾಕಬೇಕಾಯಿತು.

ನೀರು ಬಿಟ್ಟ ಹೊಳುಗಳಿಗೆ ಕೆಂಪುಮೆಣಸಿನ ಪುಡಿ, ಸಾಸಿವೆ ಮೆಂತ್ಯೆ ಪುಡಿ ಹಾಕಿ ಬೆರೆಸುವುದು.

ಎಳ್ಳೆಣ್ಣೆಯನ್ನು ಬಾಣಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿಸಿ ಮಾಡಿ, ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಹಿಂಗು ಸೇರಿಸಿದ ಮೇಲೆ ಒಲೆ ಆರಿಸುವುದು. ಎಣ್ಣೆ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿ ತಣ್ಣಗಾದ ಮೇಲೆ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ಹೊಳುಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಹಾಕಿ, ಬೆರೆಸಿ, ಮುಚಿ ಇಡಿ. ವಾರಕ್ಕೆ ೨ ರಿಂದ ೩ ಸರ್ತಿ ಮರದ ಚಮಚದಿಂದ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕ್ಯಿ ಹೋಳುಗಳನ್ನು ಕಲಿಸಿ ಇಡಿ.

೧ ತಿಂಗಳು ಆದಮೇಲೆ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿಯನ್ನು ಲೊಟ್ಟೆ ಹಾಕಿಕೊಂಡು ತಿನ್ನಬಹುದು. :)

Mango Pickle in Oil :

Every Year the pickle I make sans oil. This year I decided to make pickle in oil because I had the most delicious mango for pickles (Omlete variety) from Mysore. Here is the recipe from my mother, who usually called this pickle in oil rather than avakaya. What is in a name ? Delicious Pickle is more important than a name :p

You need the following to make Mango Pickle in Oil :

Mango Pieces (I used pieces from 1 Omlette Mango)

Salt : 3 cups of closely packed mangoes requires about 1 to 1.5 cups of iodine free salt (depends on the sourness of the mango)

Redchilli Powder : 1 cup (use more if you need it to be ultra spicy)

Turmeric: 1 heaped tbsp

Dryroast/fry the following and powder:

Mustard Seeds : 3 tbsp

Fenugreek Seeds: 3tbsp

You also need :

Sesame Oil : 1 cup (use same cup for all measurements)

Asafoetida : 1tsp

Method:

1.Wash and Wipe all pickle making things including Mangoes in a clean n dry towel.

2.Measure Mangoes and salt. Put them in pickle making jar or any jar you have kept ready. Add turmeric and mix well using a non reactive spoon or wooden spoon. You can simply toss without spilling ... :D

3. Leave this mixture aside till you see most of the salt is turned to water. It takes anything between 5hrs to a day.

4. At this stage, add red chilli powder, mustard fenugreek powder and mix.

5. In a thick bottomed pan, add sesame oil and make it hot. Add asafoetida and switch off the stove. Let the oil cool down.

6. Pour this oil over the pickle and mix well. Close the lid and set it aside without disturbing it. Mix the contents 2 times a week.

7. By the end of 30 days, the pickle is almost ready to eat. Spoon out little pickle in a cup and check it out. Mango pieces would have softened and spices would have settled well.

8. Enjoy the pickle with your favorite dish.

Hasi Saaru/ No Cook Rasam

2011-06-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

Perhaps, this rasam was (is?) a poor man's delight. I was told by my dad, about the humble begining of my great grandfather and my grandfather. Whenever he remembered those good old days, he never forgets Pachi Charu/Hasi Saru which used to be their favorite. Bele/Dhal was considard feast and was cooked only few times a year. His eyes turn moist when he remembers those days but he says: "those difficult times strengthened the bonding between us brothers and sisters"
I had totally forgotten this rasam untill my lovely sis reminded me of it. Recipe was shared and I made it also. Before posting, I even got a comment from one of the reader, requesting this recipe or did I understand it incorrectly? god knows....! All though, it is simple to make, you need some skill to balance the flavors of sour-sweet-salt.

Hasi Saru/Pachi Charu

Tamarind Paste : 2 tbsp
Jaggery : As required to balance the taste
Salt : As Required to balance the taste
Water : To make sufficient qty rasam
Green Chillies: 2 (chopped into big pieces)
Garlic: 1 clove (chopped into fine pieces)
Onion: 1tbsp (chopped into fine pieces)
Oggarane : little
Grated fresh coconut: 1tsp (you can omit this, if u don't want to add)
Coriander Leaves : 1tsp (finely chopped)

1.In a thick bottomed pan, take Green Chillies, garlic and onion with little salt and crush them together with your hands. You can throw away chilli skin if u do not want them to float in rasam.
Caution: Wash your hands well, after crushing chillies
2. Add 2 tbsp of tamarind juice, jaggery and salt. Add powdered jaggery to save yourself from crushing jaggery in tamarind juice. Mix well.
3. Add required amount of water and mix well. Taste little and adjust the flavors if needed.
4. Add chopped coriander and grated coconut, mix and set it aside for 1hr or 2.
5. IMPORTANT : This rasam tastes better only if you set it aside for an hour or two. Flavors settle well and tastes better with time. If it is summer time, you can refrigerate it to have a cooler rasam.
6. TIP: You can drink it as a soup and slurrrp! it tastes ...

Taste it to believe it :D

Sihi Kumbalakayi Akki Rotti

2011-06-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

I am a great fan of akki rotti and I love all it's variations. I recieved an email from Savita Keshav, who had given me a new variety of akki rotti. She was kind enough to get me photographs too.. Here is Savita Keshav's delicious and finger licking sihi kumbalakayi akki rotti :

"Sihi kumbalakai akki rotti (Makes 12 small sized akki rotti)

Ingredients:
1. Rice flour 6 cups
2. Grated sweet pumpkin 2 cups
3. Finely chopped green chillies 6 - 8
4. Cumin seeds 1 - 2 teaspoon
5. Finely chopped coriander leaves 1 tablespoon
6. Salt to taste
7. Hing (aesofotida) 1/2 teaspoon

Method:
1. Mix all the above ingredients together with water to make dough of toothpaste consistency.
2. Take a lemon ball size of dove and spread it on a non stick pan with your hand so that the thickness is even.
3. Cook the rotti until light brown. Pour 1 teasoon of oil around the rotti.
4. Serve hot with a dollop of butter and tomato chutney."

Antinaunde Pudi/ Gum arabic with dry fruits powder, Postpartum food n care

2011-06-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

A post written on 17 Feb 2010, went on shelf without getting published! The reason: No picture :D Finally, I decided to publish without a picture. Many thanks to friends who had written to me with loads of advises without which this post would have been incomplete.

Disclaimer: All the advises claimed here are from my experiance, family or friends advises. Follow them using your best judgement.
___________________________________________________________________________________
I am counting down my days to deliver my second baby. I still have to sail through 90 days!!! My dear sister sent me this powder recently for my post natal care. It is usually given during early mornings along with a tall glass of milk. Here you go with the recipe for Antinunde Pudi..

Ingredients :
Antu/Edible Gum/Gum Arabic : 50g
Dry Dates : 1/4 kg (deseeded)
Almonds: 100g
Raisins: 100g
Cashewnut: one handful
Baje (not sure what it is called in other languages!): 1~2 teaspoon
Dry grated coconut: 200g (grated and weighed)
Jaggery/Palm Sugar: to sweeten up, use as required
Ghee: for frying

Optional Ingredients :
Cinnamon, Fennel seeds, Nutmeg, Cardamom(All ingredients to be toasted/dry roasted before they are deep fried)

1. Breakdown big pieces of gum acacia into small pieces.
2. Deseed Dry dates and cut them into small strips
3. Clean raisins
4. Roast almonds and casewnut till they are crisp. Let them cool down.
5. Heat ghee on medium flame in a thick bottomed pan. Fry all the above ingredients from Gum Arabica to Baje. Let them cool down.
6. Breakdown palm sugar into small pieces.
7. Powder the fried ingredients in a blender and keep it aside. Take little at a time to grind and do not overload grinder/blender/Food processer.
8. Powder jaggery and mix fried powder and jaggery. Take them in the blender again and pulse them to mix thoroughly.
9. Store in a air tight container.

Direction to Eat : Take 1-2 tablespoonful of this powder followed by a tall glass of milk for breakfast.

Post Partum Diet

Probably every mother ponders over this topic and perhaps the most discussed topic in our women forums. Every household has traditional approach for the care given to a mother. Many years before, when I delivered my boy, I had a misconception that all these traditions were outdated and never believed what they said!! Probably over the years I have reasoned all those advises and tried to find that there is a definite reason for each advise given. I thought of sharing some of these traditional customs with some sensible reasons attached to it. All these are my personal views and reasons have been widely searched over the internet so users are advised to take them only if they feel it is suitable to them.

Minimum postpartum care that is advised at home is for 45days. What do they ask you to do? These are my reasons to them.........

1. Take good rest or sleep well
Reasons: a. Your spine had taken that extra weight supporting your foetus during your pregnancy for 40 weeks or more and it needs to be rested well. Look at it as a long term investment to mother's health.
b. Sleeping well makes you stress free. A well rested mother can nurse well and produces more milk. A sleepless mother is likely to go into depression. You can google to find numerous articles to support this.
2. Drink Milk/Warm Liquids
Reasons: a.Fluids are most important for a nursing mother. Milk is a good source of calcium and protein which is why it is given more importance especially in vegetarian families.
b.Warm liquids also helps to keep away from constipation and infections.
c. Esp for Places like India- Drinking normal water may end up with diarrhea and both mother and baby
have to suffer.. Drink warm water.
3.Drink Soups, Eat Semi solid food for first 2 weeks of delivery
Reasons: a. Delivery must have made your body systems go weak. Your digestive system is very weak. Sqatting is another painful thing and sticking to such diet makes your life easier.
4. Moongdal is preferred dal for first two weeks
Reasons: Moongdal is light on stomach and it is digested quickly compared to toordal/pigeon peas
5. Yogurt and Tomatoes are not given for some reasons.
6. Ghee is recommended!!!Yes it is. But remember Calories Smalories :) Use it in small quantities. Stay away from eating large unrealistic quantities which only adds weight to your system.
7. Garlic is reccomended:
Reasons: a. Garlic is believed to have healing qualities. It helps to heal up those wounds inside and outside the body. You can google to read numerous health benefits of garlic.
8. Leafy green vegetables are reccommended.
Reasons : a. Leafy green vegetables are good source of folic acid. b. Certain leafy veggies like Dill leaves, Fenugreek leaves and spinach are believed to enhance milk production.
9. No Snacking!!
All women wanna get back to their pre-pregnancy shape. What can be the best way ;) Do not snack and eat 1 big meal (afternoon between 11 and 1PM when your digestive power is at it's max) and a lighter meal at night.
10. Start Exercising or walking after 45 days. Walking is considered as a light aerobic exercise which can be started after 45 days of delivery. However consult your doctor before you start doing it. Note that a diet is incomplete without exercise to loose that extra weight you have gained during pregnancy.
11 Wear corset/belt around your waist. This not only helps to get back the lost shape but also helps uterus to contract back to it's normal position. It is believed that by doing this uterine health is promoted and menopause will be delayed. Just do it for having back healthy uterus.
12 Some homes in India has practices of warming up the body (after bath) by sitting in front of charcoal stove. It is believed that warmer body burns fat much faster and also helps you to sweat away that extra calories..
13. Applying turmeric paste to your skin helps to reduce stretch marks and also reduces skin darkening which was caused due to excessive female harmone levels during pregnancy. Many females have pigmentation problems during pregnancy and all these can be taken care by applying turmeric.
14 Oil massage and hot water bath for mother and baby are reccomended every day. Massage helps to relax those straneous muscles during child birth. For a baby who had been accomodating itself in the small space of your uterus definitely needs a good massage to relax!!! :D
15 Exercise! Consult your gynecologist how soon you can start exercising after delivery. Start with a light walk around your block or house and slowly increase by doing some stretching exercise and brisk walking.

Recommended Spices : Ajwain/Omam, Cumin/Jeerige/Jeera, Fenugreek/Menthe/Methi, Turmeric/Harishina/Haldi, Fennel/Sompu, Garlic/Bellulli

Recommended Vegetables: Green Leafy Vegetables, Bitter vegetables like bittergourd, heralekayi(Rough Lemon)

Stay away from eating green chillies as they may irritate your stomach. Eat bland food or less spicy food.

Apart from these advises it would be good to keep TV viewing at minimal, have a good Ayurvedic massage, stay away from dusty environment, have less visitors at home, eat EFA rich foods like flax seeds and almonds, eat slowly and chew well before you swallow. Take good care of yourself and stay away from house work if possible.

Few Recipe Links @ TasteofMysore:
Bittergourd Powder
Rave Ganji/Semolina Congee
Ukkarisida Akki Rotti
Garlic Rice
Menasina Saaru
Garlic Rasam Powder
Nimbe Saaru (avoid using lemon juice..take it plain)

Note to Blogger s : Please include your recipe links which suit this topic 'postpartum diet' in the comment section. Thanks.

Lemon Barley Water

2011-05-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

A lot has been said about barley and its health benefits from ages. My mother failed to convince us, to drink but she had it regularly. Here, I am blogging it's benefits, drinking regularly and remembering my mother's advise. Most of us take our parents advise very lightly, probably because we all strictly follow the adage " ಹಿತ್ತಲ ಗಿಡ ಮದ್ದಲ್ಲ"

This is for all women out there who want to have healthy UT and to all pregnant ladies who are prone to UTI. You can google to get loads of information about barley water and their benefits.

Few lines from one of the website :

" Barley water is an ancient home remedy that was supposed to clear up the complexion and stop the formation of wrinkles. This solution is said to be good for someone whose digestive fire is low, as per ayurvedic concepts. It is very easy to assimilate and is known to nourish fat tissue, which in turn is essential for the development of healthy bone tissue. According to some scholars, barley is extremely nutritious and provides energy for the body, besides also being beneficial in pharyngitis and cough. It reduces the inflammation of the stomach (gastritis), expels toxins from the body, and is a good diuretic, i.e., it induces urination.

This solution is an excellent thirst quencher. It is given to sick people and to those who have lost their appetite. Barley water is a traditionally acclaimed drink, which nourishes the kidneys during times of stress. It is an integral part of all kidney cleansing programs. According to one of the treatises, a suspension prepared by boiling one part of barley in fifteen parts of water till the volume decreases to two-third of what it originally was, is useful in the treatment of at least a hundred diseases of the body. It is also used to treat cystitis, which is the inflammation of the urinary bladder.

Drinking barley water can help to prevent urinary tract infections during pregnancy. Regular consumption causes any foul smell in the urine or discomfort associated with urination to go away completely. Barley water has been used as a baby food during weaning, before starting off with barley mush. Considering the health benefits, barley is definitely a cereal that is a must in the diet of health conscious people. As they say 'Prevention is better than cure,' it would make perfect sense to incorporate this tasty food item in our day-to-day eating patterns

Here is how I make it :

Pearl Barley/Barley Akki : 1 cup

Soak for 15 mins and cook in cooker with 2 litres of water. When cooker cools down, strain the water and reserve water and barley separately.

Barley Drink (sweet):
Barley Water, lemon juice and sugar. Mix and drink

Barley Drink (Indianised, salty)
Barley Water, roasted jeera powder a pinch, salt, lemon juice. Mix and enjoy your drink. You may add few leaves of pudina for additional zing.

Alternatively, get creative to make your style drink using barley water. (Use Jaljeera powder or any store bought powder to make your drink)

You have cooked barley also as a by-product. You can make lemon rice, khichdi or fry them as you like and enjoy it.

P.S:
If you are not pregnant , consider adding chinese barley and winter melon(boodukumbalakayi) and cook it in cooker. Scoop out melon cubes and use in sambar. Water can be used in making barley drink as given above.
Image Courtesy : google images

Kancheepuram Idli ~ for a weekend breakfast

2011-05-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

When I saw kancheepuram idli recipe on Chitra Amma's Kitchen, I decided to make it for our weekend breakfast. Chitra Amma, thank you so much for making for breakfast a yummy one. You all should visit Kancheepuram Idli recipe.

Kancheepuram Idlis as written by Chitra Amma in her blog:

INGREDIENTS

Uddinabele/Uriddal/Split black gram dal - 1 cup
Hesarubele/dhuli moong dal/Green gram dal - 1 cup
Avalakki/Rice Flakes/Beaten rice - 1 tbsp
Menthe/Methi/Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Idly rava ( broken par boiled rice )- 1 cup
Salt - 2 tsps
Sugar - 1 pinch

SEASONING INGREDIENTS
Ellina enne/Til ka kel/Sesame oil - 2 tbsps
Kaalu menasu/Black pepper - 2 tsps
Jeerige/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Kadalebele/Bengal gram dal - 1 tbsp
Hasiru menasinakayi/Chopped green chillies - 1 tbsp
Shunti/Chopped fresh ginger - 1 tbsp
Karibevu/Curry leaves - a few

METHOD

1. Wash and soak Uddinbele/uriddal, hesarubele/green gram dal, avalakki/beaten rice and feugreek seeds for one hour.
2. Wash and drain the idly rava and keep aside.
3. Grind the soaked lentil mixture till it becomes smooth and fluffy.
4. Add the drained idly rava and grind for two more minutes.
5. Blend the salt and sugar into the ground batter.
6. Store in a big container with a lid and leave it overnight for fermenting. The batter will rise to twice its volume after fermentation.

TO PREPARE THE KANCHEEPURAM IDLIES

1. Heat oil in a pan and add crushed black pepper and fry till it emanates a pleasant aroma.
2. Next add the cumin seeds.
3. Add bengal gram dal and fry till it is golden in colour.
4. Add chopped green chillies and fresh ginger.
5. Finally add curry leaves and pour the seasoning into the idly batter, and mix well.( cashew nuts or fresh coconut pieces can also be added to the seasoning).
6. Grease the banana leaf cups with ghee and fill the cups with the seasoned batter.
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Uddina Vade Recipe from Me:

Uddinabele/Uriddal - 1 cup
Kaalu Menasu/Whole Black Pepper: 1/2 tsp
Hasirumenasinakayi/Green Chillies: 1 (chopped into fine pieces)
Shunti/Ginger: 1 tsp (grated)
Tenginakayi chooru/Fresh Coconut: 1 tsp (finely chopped)
Kottambari Soppu/Coriander leaves: 1tbsp (chopped finely)

Method:
Soak Uddinabele/Uriddal in luke warm water for 1 -2hrs. Do not soak more than this.
Blend uddinabele with salt to a fine paste using minimal water. Mix rest of the ingredients.
Heat oil in a deep pan.
Wet your hands and scoop little batter and make a hole in the center. Dip it into the oil and fry both the sides till golden. Enjoy with your choice of sambar :)

Edited to add:

Sending this breakfast platter to :

Smita of Kannada Cuisine who is hosting MLLA -35 started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook

Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipe is hosting Bookmarked Recipes- Every Tuesday started by Aipi of US Masala.