Friday, September 26, 2008

Mysore Badnekai -Kothambari Palya/Green eggplant-Coriender Palya




Badnekai Palya

Mysore Badnekai/green eggplants have a unique flavour.. This is one of my most favourite vegetable. My mom has a very special way of making this vegetable with a coriender masala, it is very simple to make and yet the flavour is out of this world. Here is the recipe..

4 medium sized green eggplants/brinjals(chopped and soaked in cold water)

To make the Coriender masala
a bunch of coriender/cilantro leaves cleaned and chopped
1/2 inch piece of ginger chopped
3-4 green chillies
Make a chutney with the above ingredients..

To make:
In a pan, heat 2tsp oil. Add mustard seeds, 1tsp urad dal, and a little hing. Now add the drained chopped brinjal pieces and mix well. Leave it on a medium flame for 4minutes and these brinjal chunks become crispy . At this point add salt and mix well and leave it for a minute or two. Next, add the coriender masala and mix well for 2-3minutes in a high flame till the chunks are coated well and all the masala seeps through the chunks.
Serve this with chapati/any bread or curd rice..This really tastes very good with plain rice with ghee as well..

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Kadubu/Modak/kudumulu



Ganesha Chaturthi!!!

VAKRATUNDA MAHAKAYA SURYAKOTISAMAPRABHA
NIRVIGHNAM KURUMEDEVA SARVA KARYESHU SARVADA


O Ganapati, One with a curved trunk, a large body, and a brilliance equal to a crore (10 million) suns! O God, please make all my undertakings free from Obstacles always.



We all love to celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi dont we?..People of any age group indulge in celebrating Lord Ganapathi on this day to seek blessings and victory in any task they do..

Today, I made the traditional kadubu also called modak..Kadubu comes in various forms, either a steamed one or a deep fried one..I chose to deep fry today:)..Here is how you do it..

You need:
2cups fresh coconut
1.5 cups jaggery
1tsp cardamom poweder
1/2 cup water


For the stuffing: take a heavy bottom kadai. Now add jaggery and water and stir till all the jaggery melts. To this add the grated coconut and cardamom powder and keep stirring till all the water evoporates and forms a thick mass (6-7mins)..


For the dough
2cups maida
2tbps sooji/chiroti rava
2tsp melted butter
Make a dough like poori dough and keep it aside for 10mins.

To assemble:
make small tiny pooris, place a tsp of stuffing and close the outer edges to form a semi circle. You can seal the edges with sugar water. Now deep fry these kadubus till crispy and golden and enjoy..

Monday, September 1, 2008

Menasinakai Bajji/Stuffed Mirchi Bajji/Mirapakai Bajji


Menasinakai Bajji with Coffee....


When we think of a fiery evening snack especially on a cold evening,, the first thing that comes to my mind is the "Mirchi Bajji" lovingingly called as "Menasinakai Bajji" in Karnataka..Especially in bangalore, the cartwheel vendors made delicious bajjis and it was my favourite indulging snack..
My friend got me a bag full of the portugese peppers which are fiery hot fresh from her garden..She warned me about the degree of heat in these chillies..So I decided to make these stuffed bajjis to satisfy my snack craving:)..Here it is..

You need:
5-6 portugese peppers/banana peppers/any kind of peppers which can hold stuffing and long..
Clean them, make a vertical slit on one side and remove the vein with the seeds if you do not like it very hot..
For the stuffing:
2 boiled potatoes
1 onion chopped finely
1/2 cup coriender leaves chopped
2tsps chat masala powder
1tsp peanut powder(optional)
juice of a lime and salt

Mix everything together..

For the batter:
1cup besan/kadle hittu
a tbsp of rice flour/akki hittu
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of red chillie powder
water
salt
oil to deep fry

mix everything together toa thick batter..
To make
Stuff the potato mixture into the peppers gently and keep it aside..
Heat oil and deep fry the stuffed peppers dipped in batter till brown and crispy.
Cut them into pieces and serve them with lime, chopped onion and cilantro with a steaming cup of coffee..