Kulcha [Plain]

Ingredients:

• Maida - 4 cups [Heaped]
• Dry yeast - 2 tsps
• Oil - 2 tsps
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Luke warm water - Enough to mix the dough.

Method :

Dissolve yeast in half of warm water and keep in a warm place for 10 to 15 mins. Then mix salt and oil with flour. Pour dissolved yeast mixture and gather dough with finger tips, using more warm water for mixing the dough. Close with a wet muslin cloth and allow the dough to double in its volume. [nearly 3 to 4 hours] Then make even sized balls and roll into thick round chappathi using maida for dredging. Roll with a rolling bin into thick 1/4 inch inch thickness circle. Then pull one end to make it tear top shape. Apply water on top of the kulcha and turn over to hot pan so that water applied part sticks to the pan. Close the lid and allow to puff up in a medium flame. Turn the pan upside down and cook the other side on direct flame till top turns light golden colour. Serve hot with little butter applied on top.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, and fried seasame seeds.

Note : Do not use non-stick pan for this. An aluminium pan with handle is necessary. [Pan should not be deep.].

Pineapple Kuzhambu [Karnataka]

Ingredients :

• Pine apple - 1/2 cup [Cut into dices]
• Turmeric powder -  1/2 sp
• Red chillie powder - 1 sp
• Coriander powder -  1/2 sp
• Cumin [jeera] powder - 1/2 sp
• Salt - As per taste
• Tamarind paste - 1 sp
• Jaggery - 1 small lemon size.

To Roast :

• Dry red chillies - 6 to 7
• Methi seeds - 1/2 sp
• Urad dal - 1 handful
• Toovar dal - 3/4 sp
• Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup.

[Fry all these ingredients till it turns into golden brown. On the same kadai, put the coconut and fry for 3 mins and grind to a smooth paste in mixer.]

For Seasoning :

Coconut oil - 2 sp
Mustard seeds - 1 sp
Red chillie - 1 [Broken].

Method :

Take one big deep bottom kadai and pour 2 to 3 glasses of water. Put pineapple pieces, salt, turmeric powder, red chillie powder, tamarind paste, jaggery, dhania jeera powder. Allow to boil for 15 mins in low flame till the pineapple becomes soft. Then add the grained masala adding little water and boil for 5 mins more. When the kuzhambu gets ready remove from the gas. Take one small pan, add 2 spoons of coconut oil heat it and add mustard seeds, red chillie 1 [broken] and add it to the kuzhambu. Garnish with curry leaves.

Bessi Belauhuli [Karnataka spl]

Ingredients :

• Raw rice - 2 cups [Good quality]
• Tuvar dal - 1 cup
• Tamarind - Small lemon size
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
• Salt - As per taste
• Ghee - 4 tbl sp
• Peanuts - 1 hand full [Fried in ghee]
• Cashewnuts - 10 [ Halved and fried in ghee].

Roast Lightly and Powder :

• Cinnamon - 1 piece
• Cardamom - 4
• Cloves - 3 to 4.

Vegetables :

• Cauliflower - 1 cup [Flowerettes]
• Peas - 1/2 cup [Shelled]
• French beans - 1/2 cup [Cut into 1 inch length]
• Carrot - 1/2 cup [Cut into 1/2 inch length]
• Potato - 1/2 cup [Peeled and cut into same size]
• Brinjal - 1/2 cup [Washed and cut into long big pieces]
• Drumstick - 2 [Cut into 1/2 inch lenth piece].

Fry in oil and powder :

• Oil - 2 tsp
• Channa dal - 2 tbl spn [Fry till golden]
• Urad dal - 1 tbl sp [Fry till golden]
• Coriander seeds - 1 tbl sp
• Red chillies - 6 to 8
• Methi seeds - 1 /2 sp
• Grated copra - 1 cup.

For Seasoning :

Ghee - 4 tbl sp
Mustard seeds - 1 sp
Red chillies - 2  [Halved]
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 sp
Curry leaves - Little
Onion - 3 [Peeled and  cut into thin strips]
Tomatoes 3 [Chopped into fine pieces]
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup.

Method :

Wash both rice and tuvar dal together and pressure cook. Cook the vegetables in the extracted tamarind pulp adding turmeric powder, salt, and 1/4 sp asafoetida powder and cook till vegetables are tendered. Then add the fried and powdered masala and simmer for 5 mins. Heat 4 tbl sp ghee in kadai add mustard seeds, asafoetida powder, red chillies and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds splutters, add onion and fry till light brown, add tomato pieces and saute for a while. Add the cooked vegetable mixture, cooked rice dal and mix well. Add roasted and powdered gram masala towards the end stirring from the bottom of the pan.Add more ghee for taste and preference. Garnish with coriander leaves and fried peanuts, cashewnuts. Transfer to a bowl and serve hot with desired things.

Dhariwala [Sabji ]

Ingredients :

• Potatoes - 1/4 kg
• Peas 1/4 kg [Shelled]
• Tomatoes - 3 medium sized.

Grind together : 

• Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
• onions - 2 [Big]
• Garlic - 2 to 3 flakes
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
• Red chillie powder - 2 sp
• Salt - As per taste
• Sugar - 1/2 sp
• Gram masala powder - 1/4 sp.

For Seasoning :

• Ghee or oil - 2 tbl sp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 sp.

Method :

Cook peas and potatoes. Mash the potatoes. Boil water in a pan. Put the whole tomatoes in it and keep aside for few mins. Then peel the skin and grind tomatoes to smooth paste. Grind the masala using very little water or without water. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan, season with cumin seeds and fry the ground masala in medium flame, till the ghee separates from it. Add the tomato puree and bring it to a boil. Now add mashed potatoes and peas. Pour enough water and boil for a few minutes. Remove from the fire, garnish with cut coriander leaves. Serve hot with puris or chappathis.

Variation :

Whole green gram and any leafy vegetable can be substituted in place of peas and potatoes. Soak green gram 6 to 7 hrs before, cook with keerai [leafy vegetable or palak] and do as per recipe. Omit coriander leaves if keerai is used.

Diet dosa

Ingredients :

Take equal portion of ragi, bajra, wheat, horse gram [ kollu ] and grind  to a fine powder.

• Mix grain flour - 4 cups
• Butter milk - 2 cups
• Chopped onion - 1 / 2 cup
• Green chillie - 1 [finely chopped ]
• Salt - As per taste
• Oil - As required.

For Seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 sp
• Cummin seeds - 1 sp
• Curry leaves - Little
• Chopped coriander leaves - Little.

Method :

Take one deep bottom vessel, put the flour into that along with butter milk and mix well with out lumbs. Add water. [if required]. Add chopped onion, green chillie, curry leaves and mix well. Take one small pan and  pour1 sp of oil, heat it and add mustard seeds, if it spultters put jeera and wait for a second and add to the batter. Keep the batter for 15 to 20 mins. Mix chopped coriander leaves to that. Then keep non- stick tawa on the gas. On a hot tawa pour dosa batter in thin layer. Add a teaspoon of oil while frying. Fry both sides with oil, like normal dosa. Turn over and cook in medium flame till it becomes golden colour. Serve hot with onion chutney.                             
The above mix can also be best used for bakri rotis.

Fresh Juices & Drinks

1.  Almond Syrup [Badam Syrup]
                                                                                                    
Ingredients :

• Kernels of almonds - 3/4 kg
• Sugar - 1 3/4 kg
• Rose water - 125 gms
• Water - 500 gms
• Orange colour - 1 pinch.

                                
Method :

Select fresh almonds which are not bitter. Wash them well and soak in hot water for 1 hour. Then remove the red outer skin and grind the almonds to a fine paste using rose water. Then mix sugar and water in a vessel and boil until the sugar is completely dissolved, add the almond paste to the sugar syrup and boil further for 5 mins. Strain the syrup through a thin cloth. In 1/4 cup boiled and cooled water, mix the colour and add it to the almond syrup. Pour in sterilized bottles leaving 1 inch space and store in cool dry place. Add 3 table spoon of the syrup in 3/4 cup cold milk and serve as badam milk.


2. Banana Pineapple Juice

Ingredients :

• Pineapple pieces - 1 cup
• Ripe banana pieces - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Cool milk - 2 cups
• Vanilla ice- cream - 2 cups
• Yellow colour - Few drops
• Pineapple essence - A few drops.

Method :

Put banana pieces, pineapple pieces and sugar in a mixer. Add cool milk, crushed ice and blend well. Then add a few drops of yellow colour and a few drops of pineapple essence. Add vanilla ice- cream and blend for a second. Pour in a tall glass tumblers and serve chilled.


3. Coconut Milk Mango Delight

Ingredients :

• Red ripe sweet mangoes - 6 to 7
• Ripe coconut - 1
• Powdered sugar - 1 cup
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Saffron - Little
• Cashewnuts - 8 [cut into bits]
• Ghee - 2 tsp.

Method :

Peel the mangoes and squeeze out the pulp. Add a little hot water to the mango and squeeze out all the pulp. Grate the coconut and extract the milk twice. Then add sugar, cardamom powder, saffron to the mango pulp and mix well. Add coconut milk and blend well in a mixer. Fry the cashewnuts in little ghee, add them to the kheer and mix well. Chill till serving time. Serve cold with ice-cubes.


4. Colourful Drink

Ingredients:

• Pineapple juice - 2 glasses
• Orange juice - 2 glasses
• Melon juice or pomegranate juice - 2 glasses
• Vanilla ice-cream - 2 cups
• Cherries - 8 [for decoration].

Method :

In 8 tall aluminium tumblers, first pour pineapple juice [less than quarter part] and keep in the freezer. When it is set, pour melon or pomogranate juice till it is half filled. Set again keeping in the freezer till it thickens. When it is set, pour orange juice till it is 3/4 filled. Keep inside the freezer till it thickens. Before serving time, keep these glasses inside a basin of ordinary plain water. Gently turn this upside down, each in eight glass tumblers. Now 3 different colour juices will be seen through the glass. In the remaining portion, pour thums up [cold drink] to add to the colour. Pour a scoop of ice-cream at the top, and keep one cherry at the top. Serve with spoon and straw.

I had learned this from my friend.

Snake Gourd [Pudalangai] Green Mat Masala Curry

Ingredients :

• Snake gourd - 1/2 kg [cut into small pieces]
• Green mat [mulai keerai] - 1/2 bunch [chopped nicely]
• Grated fresh coconut - 1/2 cup
• Green chillies - 2 to 3
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
• Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
• Coconut oil - 2 tbl sp
• Salt - As per taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 sp.

For Wet Grinding :

Grind coconut, green chilllies, fresh coriander leaves, ginger in mixer coarsely and keep aside.


For Seasoning :

• Oil - 2 tbl sp
• Mustard seeds - 1 sp
• Urad dal - 1 sp
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig.

Method :

Take one deep bottom kadai and pour oil to that and heat it. Add mustard seeds to that. When it splultters, put urad dal when the dal turns to golden brown colour. Add cut pudalangai to that and  fry for 10 mins in lower flame. Then add the chopped green mat to that & mix well. Add salt, turmeric and fry for some more time till the sabhji becomes soft. Now add the grained masala to that and mix well. When the sabhji becomes dry, remove from the gas. Serve with sambhar rice, rasam rice etc. Garnish with curry leaves.