Tomato Uppinakai/Tomato pickle...& a Tag:)

Tomato Uppinakai"..

With all the tomatoes which has been harvested this summer..my home smelled like a big tomato patch :)..I tried almost all the dishes with tomatoes and still left with many more..Finally I realised I hadnt tried my most favourite pickle which I have eaten growing up , which my grandmom made every summer which is the "Tomato Uppinakai"
This version of the pickle is little labourious for the busy bees but nevertheless its worth the effort..

You need:
3cups of ripe tomatoes (Ihave used a mixture of grape, plum, cherry tomatoes)
salt( preferably sea salt, if you dont have it, you can use the regular table salt) 1/4 cup
red hot chillie powder 3 big tbsps (I love it very hot)
hing 1/2tsp
fresh fenugreek powder/methi powder- 2tbsp
oil- 1 cup
seedless tamarind 1/2 cup soaked

To make
cut the tomatoes into big chunks and place the pieces on a baking sheet.. Now sprinkle salt generously and coat the pieces. Bake it at the lowest temperature for an hour.. Keep checking the tomatoes and tossing once in 30minutes..

Now drain all the water which the tomato leaves and dont throw it away. Now grind the baked tomatoes with all the above ingrediants excluding oil and hing..

In a thick kadai,, heat oil, add turmeric and hing to this and gently add the ground tomato paste..
In a medium heat cook this mixture for exactly 20minutes covering the mixture with a lid to avoid spluttering..

After 20minutes, the paste will be very think and oil will float on top indicating it is ready..
Cool this completely and store..This can be served with roti, rice, curd rice or even bread...

Now time to MeMe:)

Curry Leaf of http://tastycurryleaf.blogspot.com/ and SriLekha of Me&My Kitchen have tagged me for a MeMe :) Thanks guys. Here are the rules
(a) List these rules on your blog.
(b) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
(c) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

B)7 facts about me:

I am a simply complex character :) living in the US but originally from Namma Bengaluru..

I strongly believe in simplistic living and modern in thinking and trying very hard to follow this principle.

I strongly believe a good upbringing & good friendship is very important to positively influence a person. I am proud of all the people who have influenced my life..

I love my family & they always come first in my priority list..

I have a bachelors in engineering and MS in computer science from RPI, new york and presently working..

I love music from mozart to M. S. Subbalakshmi..

Finally I believe life is full of surprises and Life is very beautiful....

C) I would love to know all my blogger friends.. but sticking to the rules..I would love to tag
Divya of http://mixtomatch.blogspot.com/
Vidhya of http://iyercooks.blogspot.com/
Asha of http://foodieshope.blogspot.com/
Rashmi of http://envittuvirundhusamayal.blogspot.com/
Priti of http://indiankhanna.blogspot.com/
LG of http://testtasteofmysore.blogspot.com/
Rajini of http://vegetarianinme.blogspot.com/

Looking forward to knowing more about you guys :)..

Award & MeMe

For my friends...

A token of appreciation to my friends: I would like to thank my friends who continue to inspire and amaze me everyday. I learn something new from you guys everyday..
I would like to pass this award to Priti of IndianKhana, curry leaf of tastycurry leaf, cham of spice-club, rashmi of envittuvirundhusamayal, Suma Rajesh of suma’s cuisine, Masala Magic, Vegetable Platter, Kitchan flavours, Sireesha, Archy, & Purva

Please pick up your award guys...

I would like to thank Kitchen Flavors , Curry leaf and Srilekha for passing the "Wylde Woman Award" to me. Thanks for thinking about me guys :).. I would like to pass this award to all the wonderful bloggers out there in the blogsphere who constantly teach something new everyday..

The rules of this award are:

1.You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it's up to you.
Make sure you link to their site in your post.
2. Link back to this blog site Tammy can go visit all these wonderful men and women.

Purpose of the Award

To send love and acknowledgment to men and women, who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy. It's been a blessing and an inspiration to meet all of you through your wonderful blogs.

MeMe

Sireesha from Mom's Recipies has tagged me for a meme :)

The rules of the MeMe are the following:

Pick up the nearest book
Open to page 123Find the 5th sentence
Post the next three sentences
Tag 5 people and acknowledge the person who tagged you.

:) the nearest book is "IKEA 2009" (lovely manual btw:)

The 3 lines are (:) wow, cant believe this..) Time to make cookies. Time for a snack. With children, you sepand a lot of time in the kitchen together. So make space for it !! give them space for their things and a step up to give you a hand.. Plan your kitchen with the children in mind..

Now.. I am tagging

Divya
Suma Rajesh
LG
Usha
Cham
Curry leaf

Thanks Sireesha,, sure had fun doing this MeMe :)..

Karnataka Tiffin series--Mallige Idli

Karnataka Tiffins Series...

One of the most common and versatile Karnataka breakfast is the "Idli"..These white puffy steamed rice cakes are very simple to make and very healthy with almost nil oil content in them..
We all know what idli is and love it..Here is how you make soft Mallige idli's...These idli's are very soft and extremely delicious..

You need
1 cup whole urad dal (deskinned)--soak if overnight with luke warm clean water
21/4 cup Idli rava--Soak it for 2hours in warm water
1tbsp-poha/cooked rice

Method:
drain the soaked dal and wash it once more under running water. Grind it with a cup of water for atleast 20-25minutes till it turns frothy.The more you grind, the softer your idlis come out..Now mix the idli rava and run the grinder for 6-7minutes till everything is incorporated, add the poha or cooked rice and grind it for 2minutes. Now add salt and mix well.
Take the batter in a big clean vessel and fill it upto 3/4th the vessel. Keep the batter for 4hours in a warm place..(I generally turn on the rice cooker stand for warm setting keep the batter inside the vessel)..
After the batter is fermented , it rises up to the brim of the vessel. Now the idli batter is ready to be used. Grease the idli mould with little ghee/oil,add the batter and steam it for 15minutes till they are nice and fluffy..
Enjoy this with sambhar or coconut chutney or spiced chutney powder...

Karnataka Festive Food

Varamahalakshmi Pooja

Who wouldnt love festive feasts..We all do especially the color, the various rituals, new clothes, holidays and Food..Karnataka festive food is a delicious melange of various tasty dishes..

As the history goes Varalakshmi Vratam is an important pooja performed by many women in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and some parts of Tamil Nadu.The Hindu festival going by the name 'Vara Lakshmi Vrata' is celebrated on the last Friday of the bright fortnight in the month of Ashadha, also called Adi, which corresponds to the English months of July-August
This pooja came to be practiced year after year by women. Done with devotion, it is said that boons would be granted and thus many wishes would be realized.
This pooja can be done with no restriction to caste or creed. To this day, the faithful of modern times observe this tradition.

Some of the popular dishes prepared during this festival are

Hesarabele Payasa/Moong dal Payasam
Aaama Vade/Channa dal fritter
Kosambaris (Kadlebele kosambari/Hesarabele kosambari)/Dal salads
Seemebadnekai Palya
Thovve
Majjige Huli

For Hesarabele payasa/Moongdal Kheer
Grind to a paste (1/2cup coconut, 1tsp dry roasted poppy seeds, 2 cloves, 3-4 cardamom pods,3-4 almonds)
Dry roast 1 cup of moong dal with a tsp of ghee and pressure cook till soft.
To make:
In a thick pan, add the pressure cooked dal, mix with 11/4 cup jaggery and the ground paste. boil till all the ingrediants mix well and jaggery fully melts. Add a cup of milk (optional)..Serve hot or cold..

For Aama Vade/Channa dal fritters
Soak 2 cups of channa dal/kadlebele. Drain and pulse this with a cup of fresh grated coconut, 4 green chillies. Do not overgrind.
To this mixture add chopped mint, chopped coriender leaves and a tsp of jeera.
Flatten small rounds of the mixture into your palm and drop it in hot oil and deep fry till crispy and brown..

Seemebadnekai palya/Chayote Palya
For Take 2 Chayote/Chow Chow and chop into small pieces. Microwave them for 5-6 minutes with little water till soft.
Now in a pan, season with oil, mustard, green chillies and a tsp of turmeric. Now add the boiled chayote. Add salt and fresh grated coconut and serve with hot rice.

Majjige Huli
Please refer to my previous post using Taro leaves. Instead of Taro leaves, I have used a mixture of drumsticks, white pumpkin and okra.

Maavina Seekarane/Mango Relish

Mango, the fruit of the Gods they say..Dont we all love it..I havent come across a variety which I have not liked so far..Here is an authentic simple dessert which is made during festivals in any Karnataka home..I am sure, a variety of this dish must be popular in other regions of India as well.

For Mango Seekarane, you need..
2 very ripe juicy mangos (preferably sweet ones to avoid adding more sugar)
1/2 cup milk
1tsp green cardamom powder
4-5tbsps pure honey
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
a pinch of ginger powder (optional)
chopped dates and raisins for garnish

To make
Peel mangoes and chop the pieces. If the mango is overripe, try to squeeze out the pulp and juice in a bowl. To this add honey, fresh grated coconut and cardamom powder. Now add ginger powder and mix well. Finally add milk and garnish it with chopped dates and nuts..Serve as it is or chilled.
This can also be eaten with chapatis or rotis..