Vegetable Platter: October 2020

Mandakki Oggarane | Mandaalu Oggarane | Susla

Mandakki Oggarane or Mandaalu Oggarane or Susla is a very popular dish in the North Karnataka region. For the uninitiated, Mandakki is Puffed Rice, Murmura & is also called Kadle Puri in Kannada. So, Mandakki Oggarane is Sesaoned Puffed Rice for you. You also call it Puffed Rice Upma

Thanks to my dad's transferable job, we got to live in different cities & the coolest part of it was the different regional cuisines that my mom learnt in each of these cities.

This dish evokes memories of the years we spent in Hospet, a small town in North Karnataka, which is very close to the now famous ruins Hampi

When we were newbies in Hospet, my mum was surprised to see the locals buy copious amounts of Kadle Puri every week & she wondered what they did with so much puffed rice. And one day, the lady who would go door to door selling puffed rice told her about Mandakki Oggarane. Then followed a detailed recipe from my neighbour & it quickly became my favourite after school snack

In North Karnataka, this is often served with Mirchi Bajji on the side, popular known as Mirchi Mandakki

Serves 3

You Will Need:

8-10 cups or 400 grams Bangalore Puri * (The Thicker variety Puri)
1 big or 2 Small Onions - sliced
3 Green Chilies
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
1 tsp Chana Dal
A big pinch of Turmeric powder
A sprig of Curry Leaves
Salt as per taste
2 tsp cooking Oil
Fresh Coriander for garnish

HOW TO:

In a large vessel, Soak Puffed Ric/Kadle Puri in water for half a minute. Squeeze out all the water & drain into a colander & set aside.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil & splutter mustard seeds. Add Urad Dal, Chana Dal & fry on low flame for about 30 seconds until they slightly change colour. Add curry leaves, green chillies & turmeric & give it a mix

Add sliced onions & a pinch of salt & sauté until the onions turn pink. Add washed & drained Puffed rice & salt to taste.

Tuen off the heat & chopped coriander & serve hot.

NOTE:

It does not taste good when it goes cold as it gets a little dry. So consume when still warm & fresh.

You can always reheat it in the microwave

* Puffed rice always shrinks when added to water so you will need to use a large quantity of puffed rice.

Bangalore Puri is the thicker variety puffed Rice. The thinner variety puri is known as Mysore Puri which is used to make Bhel Puri. In the US, I buy Bansi Brand Murmura

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Festive Food

Sweet Corn Usli

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Breakfast Dishes

Moringa Leaves Adai | Murungai Keerai Adai | ನುಗ್ಗೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪಿನ ಅಡೈ ದೋಸೆ

Adai Dosae or simply called Adai is one of my favorite recipes from Tamil Nadu. It makes for a great protein packed breakfast

People either love Adai or really seem to hate it. I love it. It is a bit heavy on the stomach & can keep you full for hours

Though traditionally eaten as breakfast, I like to eat serve them as dinner sometimes.

Also, what I love about this version is the addition of Moringa Leaves or Nugge Soppu as we call it in Kannada.

Moringa Leaves is a Super Food, The Leaves do not have a strong taste so they can be added into a variety of things like Dal, mixing in the chapati dough, Akki Rotti or even Upma for the dose of nutrition.

The Batter needs to be ground into a slightly coarse paste. Also, the batter is slightly thicker than a regular Dosa Batter

This is what it is going to look like.

You Will Need:

2 cups Raw Rice
1 cup Urad Dal
1 cup Chana Dal
1 cup Tuvar Dal
1 cup Moong Dal
2 cups Moringa Leaves
Salt as per taste
A big pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
Oil for cooking the Adai

To Grind:

4 Red Chillies
2 Green chilies
Half an Onion (Optional)
A small piece of Ginger
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

How To:

Soak Rice & Lentils

In a big bowl, add Rice & all the Dal's & wash them in several changes of water & soak in plenty of water.

Grind the Batter

After 4 hours or overnight soaking, drain the water & grind the soaked dals into a slightly coarse paste .. Not super smooth but not very coarse either. The batter should be slightly thicker than the regular dosa batter

Grind the ingredients listed in the 'To Grind' lost into a coarse paste

Add moringa leaves, Hing, Salt & the ground paste & mix well

Set aside for 15-20 minutes

Proceed to make the Adais like how you would make

Make Adai like how you would make Dosas

Heat a good cast iron griddle, once hot enough, Set it to medium flame.

Grease it with oil & wipe it down with a towel before proceeding to make the dose. 

once hot enough, pour a ladleful of batter in the centre & spread in circles. Drizzle oil along the edges & roast on medium flame until it turns golden brown & crisp.

Flip the dosa & cook on the other side fora few seconds

Serve Adai with Coconut Chutney, Jaggery & butter on the side

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Bangalore Special

Pineapple Kesari Bath + {Video}

Does this Picture not Remind you of Bangalore? Chow Chow Bath is one of the typical breakfast at Bengaluru Darshinis .. A Spoonful of Pineapple Kesari Bath followed by a spoonful of Kharabath & a cup of Strong Kaapi to end it all .. Pure Bliss

It is also a very popular sweet treat at Weddings & other Traditional South Indian functions, mainly served during Breakfast

My Mother makes excellent Pineapple Kesari Bath & this recipe is from her.

We do not use Orange/Yellow Food color here. My Mom uses turmeric powder to get that bright golden color

You Will Need:

1 cup Chiroti Rava/ Fine semolina
1 cup granulated Sugar
A little more than half a cup of Ghee
3/4th Or 1 cup pineapple puree - home made/canned
1/2 tsp - Green Cardamon powder
2 tbsp chopped cashewnuts - fried in ghee
2 tbsp raisins - fried in ghee
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Saffron strands for garnish - dissolved in warm milk
3 cups water

Method:

In a large heavy bottomed pan, heat 2 teaspoon ghee & roast semolina until it slighlty changes color & aromatic. Once done, transfer into a bowl & set aside.

Heat another Tablespoon of Ghee, Roast Raisins & cashews & set aside
In the same pan, boil 3 cups of water & add sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil & add pineapple pulp. As the mixture is boiling, add turmeric & cardamom powder
Add semolina into the boiling mixture such that no lumps are formed. Keep stirring continuously.
Meanwhile, add half of desi ghee & allow semolina to get completely cooked. This should take about 3- mins.
Add the remaining letfover ghee & mix well.
Transfer to a serving bowl & garnish with fried cashews, raisins & saffron.

Note:

To make pineapple puree, take fresh pineapple, peel the skin. roughly chop into cubes & blend it in a blender.
Also, pineapple can be finely chopped & added as is instead of making a puree. You will be able to bite into little bits of pineapple. This tastes great too.

Keeping the Semolina:Water Ratio of 1:3 is very important to keep the final consistency very soft

It is important to use Chiroti Rava/Fine Semolina to make this this. DO Not use Normal Upma Rava as Upma Rava gives a coarse texture. What we want here is a silky smooth consistency

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Lunch Box Recipes

Cabbage Pulao

Cabbage is one vegetable that we are quite bored of at present. I always make a quick stir fry (Palya) out of it as my family doesn't really care about Cabbage Sambar or Cabbage Dal ..

Apart from adding it to Noodles or Fried Rice, I didn't know how to out it to use .. I made a quick Cabbage Pulao with shredded Cabbage & onions. Honestly, it was quite nice

I am going to be making this often as a weekday lunch, now that we are in the middle of Online Schooling chaos, we need loads of under 30 minute meals :)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups or Half a head of Shredded Cabbage
1 large Onion - sliced lengthwise
1 1/4 cup of Basmati Rice (I've used the traditional Paavu Measurement)
1/2 cup Frozen Peas /Edamame
2 cups Water (Preferable Hot)
Salt as per taste

Spices Needed:

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1 powder MTR Pulao Masala
1/2 teaspoon Kitchen King Masala

To Temper

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
A small stick of Cinnamon
Two bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon Ginger-garlic Paste

Method:

In a Pressure Cooker, Heat Oil & Ghee. Splutter Cumin seeds, Add Bay Leaves, Cinnamon Sticks, Ginger-Garlic Paste & Sauté for 30 seconds

Add sliced Onions & some salt. Sauté for a couple of minutes. Add all the Spices & sauté for 2-3 minutes until the Onions are slightly cooked

Add shredded Cabbage & continue sautéing for another couple of minutes Add Basmati rice & fry for a minute

Add 2 cups of water (preferable hot to speed up the cooking process)

Throw in the green peas/Edamame (I used Edamame as I ran out of Peas & I think Edamame makes an excellent substitute) , check for salt & deglaze the pot

Close the lid & Pressure cook for 1 whistle

Upon releasing the pressure, garnish with chopped coriander & gently fluff with a fork