Easy Chutney Pudi Made With Leftover 

Ellu Bella Or Sankranti Mix 

It is also very easy to put together & will take about 15 minutes of effort.

You Will Need:

• 2 cups Ellu Bella Mix 
• 12 - 15 Dry Red Chilies *
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp Asafoetida/Hing
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• Salt as per taste
• A lemon sized ball of tamarind
• 2 tsp cooking oil

How To:

In a mixer grinder, coarsely grind the Ellu mixture & set aside. In a small pan, heat a tsp of oil. Add Asafoetida, curry leaves & turmeric powder. Next, Add the red chilies & roast on low flame for 3-4 minutes until it slightly changes colour. set aside to cool

In the same pan, fry roast tamarind until it turns crisp. Add the red chilies, curry leaves & tamarind into the mixer & make a fine powder. Add this to the coarsely ground Ellu mixture & add salt as per taste.

Run in the mixer for 1-2 rounds until it gets mixed well. The powder should have a slightly coarse texture. Do not grind it into a smooth powder

Store in an airtight jar & use as needed. It stays fresh for about 3-4 months

* I used Byadagi Chilies. You can replace half of the chilies with Kashmir Red Chilies 

• 250 grams of tender Raw Tamarind
• 12-15 Green Chilies or Ripe Red Chilies - I used Green Chilies
• 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds/Methi seeds
• Salt as per taste - Usually about 4-5 Tablespoons
• A big pinch of Turmeric Powder
• 4 tbsp Oil - I used Groundnut Oil

Store in a clean & dry, air tight jar & consume as needed. I usually refrigerate the those & it stays well for almost a year

The best way to eat Thokku is to mix it with hot steamed rice & a little bit of groundnut oil. 

Unlike Chutney, this those is slightly on the spicier side & will not go well with Idli/Dosa as it. You can take a couple of spoonfuls of those & grind it with grated coconut & a little bit of water to get a chutney like consnitency. Add mustard seeds tempering & use it to go along with idli/dosa

Though I love trying out different cuisines, I mostly prefer eating our regional cuisine. From those teenage days when good food meant Pizzas, Burgers & Bombay Pav Bhaji, I've come a long way. 

Somewhere down the line, I realised that when I am really really hungry for food, I crave for the comfort a good home made meal. And, this Bassaru,Palya with the good old Ragi Mudde certainly features on the list.

If you grew up eating Kannada cuisine, you would definitely agree that Bassaru, Palya & Ragi Mudde is a match made in heaven. Not to mention, that this scores quite high on the health quotient too

• 2 cups Mung Sprouts
• 2 Tomatoes - Halved
• 1 large Onion - Roughly chopped
• 2 Green Chilies
• 2 tsp Rasam Powder
• 4 cloves of Garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh grated Coconut
• 2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4th tsp Turmeric powder
• A sprig of curry leaves
• 1 tsp Ghee
• Salt as per taste
• A big lump of Jaggery
• Fresh Coriander for Garnish

Note:

• This Saaru is usually on the runnier side & it tastes good that way.
• Feel free to add any greens of your choice. Spinach, Amaranth or Dill Leaves are my favourite.
• If I don't cook the greens along with the lentils/sprouts, I use them to make Palya & stir fry them along with cooked sprouts/lentils
• Since I used sprouts, I didn't need to pressure cook them as they would turn mushy. cooking them for 3-4 minutes was enough to retain the bite
• You can also use Green Chilies instead of Dry Red Chilies to make the palya. Since, the palya is almost green in colour, It's easier to fish out the red chilies than the green ones

Serve the Saaru Piping Hot along with a serving of Palya on the side along with Ragi Mudde (Another favourite recipe that I got to blog) Add a few slices of onions on the side. And, don't forget that dollop of Ghee .. It's good for you, believe me :)

• 2 cups Milk
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 tbsp semolina
• 1 tbsp fresh curds
• 3 tbsp desi ghee
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• Almond slivers for garnish

• Pressure cook Toor dal along with chopped tomatoes with a pinch of turmeric
• Heat a small pan, & roast the ingredients mentioned in the list in a tsp of oil
• Gring the roasted ingredients along with grated coconut & Dalia into a smooth paste along with little water
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add mustard seeds & curry leaves, when they splutter, add the onions & saute until the onions turn transparent.
•  In a pan, add chopped drumsticks & potatoes with enough water for the vegetables to cook. Cover the pan with a lid
• When the vegetables are fully cooked, add cooked toor dal & tomatoes & the ground Sambar paste.
• Add a small piece of jaggery, Tamarind juice & salt to taste. Add some water, if necessary to get the desired consistency of a sambar
• Bring it to a boil & turn off the stove.
• Temper with mustard seeds & red chillies & transfer to a bowl.

• To make Sambar powder, roast all the ingredients mentioned in the list. Add roasted desicated coconut & powdered Dalia to this mixture & store in air-tight jars. Just add about 3 tsp of this powder to cooked vegetables & lentils & bring it to a boil. The sambar will thicken as you boil. This saves quite a bit of your time.
• Add copped Brinjal/Eggplant for enhanced flavors

• 2 cups Avarekalu/Flat Beans
• 2 large ripe tomatoes - halved
• 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
• 5-6 green chillies
• 3 tsp Rasam powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• Half a bunch of fresh coriander
• Salt as per taste

• 1 tsp desi ghee
• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• Add about 4 cups of water in a large pot, add some salt. Add Avarekalu, tomatoes & green chillies. Cover & allow them to cook. The avarekalu should be completely cooked yet firm. When done, fish out the green chilllies, tomatoes & about 2 tbsp of avarekalu, set aside & allow it to cool. Set aside the remaining avarekalu along with water
• Grind fresh coconut, cooked tomatoes, Green chillies & avarekalu that was set aside along with cumin seeds, turmeric powder, coriander & Rasam powder into a smooth paste adding little water.
• Reheat the avarekalu & water that was set aside. Add the ground paste & some salt. Let it come to a gentle boil. Turn down the heat & simmer for aboyt 5-6 mins.
• Temper with mustard seeds & garnish with fresh chopped coriander.