Khus Khus Kheer - Karnataka special festive recipe

Ingredients:
Khus/Khus - 1/4 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Rice - 2 tsp
Jaggery - 2 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Cashew nuts - 8 to 10 nos
Ghee - 2 tbsp

Method:
Dry roast or microwave Khus Khus for about a minute. Soak rice in warm water for about half an hour. Grind khus khus, rice, grated coconut, elaichi to a fine paste. In a thick pan add the paste and add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil.

In another pan add half cup of water and jaggery and keep stirring till the jaggery melts. Drain to remove impurities.

Add the drained jaggery syrup to the boiling paste and stir well till both mix well. Boil it for about 10 mins in medium flame. Keep stirring to ensure that it doesnot settle at the bottom. Turn off the flame and remove from the stove and then add milk to it and stir.

Heat ghee. Add the broken cashew nuts to it and fry till it becomes brown. Add it to the kheer.

This also helps in treating cold and cough.

Tomato Curry Karwari Style

Ingredients:

Tomato - 6 nos
Onion  - 2 small nos
Garlic pods - 8 nos
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom - 2 nos
Cloves - 2 nos
Cinnamon sticks - 1 no
Saunf - 1/2 tsp
Khus Khus - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1/4 cup

Method:
In a pan fry cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, saunf, cinnamon sticks, garlic one by one till they emit an aroma. Cut onions and tomatoes into fine pieces. Grind the spices along with red chilly powder and coriander powder.

Grind onion, tomato, garlic and coconut to a fine paste.

In a pan heat oil and add the tomato paste and fry till it becomes golden in colour. Add the masala powder to it and bring it to a boil. Serve hot with hot rice and ghee or idly or dosa. Goes well with aloo parotta or green poori too.

Recipe for raw mango chutney

Ingredients:
Raw Mango - 2 nos
Fenu greek - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Green chillies - 8 nos
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Dry roast mustard and fenugreek. Grate the mangoes. Grind all the ingredients in a mixer with little water.

Season with mustard seeds and 1/4 tsp of asafodeita. Makes a great side dish for rice, dosai, idly and chappati.

Huli Powder - Karnataka style Sambar Powder

Ingredients:
Coriander seeds - 1 cup
Gram Dal - 3/4th cup
Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Cinnamon - 2 inch piece
Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies - 1 cup (24 to 30 nos)
Grated Copra - 1/4 cup

Method:
Roast all the ingredients except copra. Dry roast the copra separately. Powder all the ingredients together and store it in an air tight container. This powder can be used to make Bisibela Huli or any kind of Karnataka type sambar recipes.

This can be added to Vangi baath alon with Vaangi baath powder to enhance the taste and flavour. Can also be added to hot rice and ghee and have it as a mixed rice .

Masala Mango Pickle

Ingredients:
Raw Mangoes - 25 nos
Garlic - 250 gms
Ginger - 250 gms
Gingely OIl - 1/2 litre
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Methi seeds - 2 tsp
Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilly powder - 250 gms
Salt - 500 gms

Method:
Wash and wipe the mangoes. Cut them into bigger pieces. Wash and peel ginger and grind it to a fine paste. Peel the garlic and grind that separately to a fine paste. Mix both the pastes together in a shallow bowl. Add salt and chilly powder to the same and mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Make a well in the middle.

Heat the oil add mustard seeds and when it splutters add the methi seeds and asafodeita. Pour this into the well and let it cool. Add the mango pieces little by little and mix well. Ensure that all the pieces are coated with the masala on all the side. Keep the pickle in sun for an hour or two for about 2 weeks. Store it in an air tight container.

This pickle lasts for about an year.

Recipe to make Mysore Sambar Powder

Ingredients:
Coriander seeds - 1 cup
Dry Red Chillies - 2 1/2 cups or 40 nos
Copra grated - 1.5 cups
Cumin seeds - 1/4 cup
Black Pepper - 1/5 cup
Turmeric Powder - 50 gms
Cloves - 12 nos
Cinnamon - 2 inch piece
cardamom - 8 to 10 nos
Marata moggu/ Rose moggu - 2 to 3 nos
Bay Leaves - 2 to 3 nos
Asafodeita (solid) - 1 inch piece.
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Heat 1/2 tbsp of oil in a pan and roast the solid hing and red chillies. Remove from pan and let it cool. Add 1 tbsp of oil and roast copra till golden brown. Mix it with red chillies. Add all the other ingredients and roast in the remaining 1/2 tbsp of oil. Let them cool and grind all the ingredients to coarse powder. Store in air tight bottle in freezer. Will be good for a month or two. If Copra is not available desiccated coconut can also be used. But it have to be roasted slightly longer.

Recipe for Mysore Rasam - Method 2

This is a typical Karnataka style recipe, which is served with rice. Made as a special kind of rasam in Tamilnadu during festivals or during functions at home.


Ingredients:
Tamrind Paste - 2 tbsp
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Bengal gram - 1 tbsp
Pepper corns - 8 to 10 no.
Red Chillies - 3 to 5 nos.
Turmeric powder - pinch
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Asafodeita - 2 pinches
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Thuvar Dal - 1/2 cup

Method:
   Pressure cook Thuvar Dal and mash well. Make tamrind water out of tamrind paste (which should be equal to 1 cup).

   In a pan add 1 tbsp of ghee and fry coriander seeds, pepper corns, red chillies, Bengal gram till they turn golden colour. Add the grated coconut and fry it till it turns golden brown. Cool and grind it to a fine powder.

   In a shallow vessel add tamrind juice and a cup of water, salt, turmeric powder and asafodeita. Grind tomato, curry leaves and coriander leaves to a paste and add it to the boiling liquid. Boil the liquid till the raw smell of tamarind is gone. Add the cooked and mashed thoor dal to the boiling liquid and when it starts bubbling add the ground powder, chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves and leave for 1/2 a minute. Remove from fire. Add 1 tbsp of finely chopped mint leaves.

In a seasoning laddle add 1 tbsp of ghee and mustard seeds, when it splutters add cumin seeds and a pinch of asafodeita and add it to the rasam.

Serve hot with steamed rice and fried appalam(south Indian Pappad)

Bafat Masala - Recipe for Manglore Spicy Masala Powder

A hot and tangy masala powder that gives an immense taste to the Manglorean recipes. The chilly used in this Bafat Masala is mainly Kashmiri Red Chillies that gives a deep red colour to the recipe. To give more colour, more chillies are used. Though this Bafat Masala Powder is used mainly to make fish or meat recipes, it gives an intense taste to the vegetarian dishes also.

Ingredients:
Red Chillies - (Kashmiri Chillies to give the colour) 500 gms
Red Chillies - 100 gms
Coriander seeds - 1/3 cup
Cumin - 1/4 cup
Cloves - 4 nos
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Pepper - 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tbsp

Method:
In a heavy bottom pan add a tbsp of oil and add both the type of chillies and roast it for 2 to 3 mins. (adding oil helps in reducing the strong stench produced by frying the chillies). Remove and spread on a flat plate. Add all other ingredients in another dry pan except turmeric powder and roast for about 5 mins till the aromatic smell is produced. Remove and let it cool. Grind little by little in a small dry grinder. Mix all the portions of the powder thoroughly and store it in an air tight jar.

Note: Even though refregirated, this powder have to be used within a month of preparation.

Tip: Instead of using two pans, better fry all the other ingredients except chillies first and then add little oil and fry the chillies.

Aval Payasam - Ugadi Special Recipe

Ingredients:
Beaten Poha - 1/2 cup
Cream Milk - 1 litre
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom - 2 pinch
Cashew Nuts - 8 to 10 pieces
Badam (Almonds) - 8 pieces
Unsalted Pista - 8 pieces
Raisins - 10 to 12 nos
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method to make Aval Payasam:
Soak Beaten Poha in water for about a minute. Drain the water and let it set for a few mins.

Boil milk and let it reduce to 3/4th. Add the poha and mix thoroughly. Add sugar and stir till it mixes well. Remove from flame and add cardamom to it.

Fry cashew nuts and raisins in ghee and add it to the payasam. Deskin Almonds and cut that and pista into small pieces and add to the payasam.

Athirasam, Ariselu (Ugadi Special)

The dish which is called as Athirasam or Adirasam in Tamilnadu is known as Ariselu in Karnataka and Andhra. On Ugadi, this dish is made as a special dish.

Ingredients:
Processed Rice Flour - 4 cups
Jaggery - 3 cups
Oil - For frying
Cardamom Powder - 2 pinch
Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup (this is must if Ariselu is made for Ugadi)
Water - 1 cup

Method:
In a thick bottom pan add water and when it boil add grated jaggery and when it dissolves remove from flame and drain to remove the impurities. Keep the jaggery mixture again in flame, add cardamom powder and let it boil till it forms a syrup (if a drop of the syrup is put in water, it should settle well in the bottom).

Add the rice flour slowly and keep stirring without forming any lumps. Remove from flame and when warm make balls and spread them in the shape of puris. Dab the puris with sesame seeds.

Heat the oil in a pan and fry these puris in low flame till they turn golden brown. Store these in air tight container.


Sesame seeds can be added directly to the jaggery before adding the rice flour.

Bisibela Bath Recipe

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup (wash and soak in warm water for 15 mins)
Toor Dal 1 1/2 cups
Potato - 2 peel and cut into big pieces (can also pressure cook, peeled and cut into pieces)
Small Onions (Sambar Onions) - 1/4 kg
Carrot - 2 medium size cut into big pieces
Beans - 12 nos cut into big pieces
Pumpkin - 1/4 kg cut into big pieces
Chow-Chow - 1 cut into big pieces
Peas - Fresh or Dried peas (soaked the previous night) - 1/2 cup
Salt - To taste
Water - 3 cups

Tamrind - 1 lemon sized or 3 tbsp of Tamrind paste

To Grind:
Coconut - 3/4th cup or copra - 1 medium sized
Coriander Seeds - 2 tbsp
Gram Dal - 2 tbsp
Thuvar Dal - 2 tbsp
Jeera (Cumin Seeds) - 1 tsp
Red Chillies - 12 to 16
Pepper corns - 6 nos
Clove - 1 no
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Asafodeita - 1 inch piece
Tomato - 1 big
Onion - 1 big
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup

To Season
Ghee - 1/4cups
Gingely Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup

Method
In a pan add 1 tbsp of Gingely oil and 1 tbsp of ghee and roast coriander seeds, gram dal, thuvar dal, red chillies, pepper, clove, cinnamon. When cold grind it along with tomato, onion, curry leaves, coriander leaves and coconut. (If copra is used, cut it into small pieces and fry that too). The paste should be very smooth and thick.

Pressure cook the thuvar dal for one whistle with 1 cup of water. In a pressure pan or a kadai, add oil and let the mustard splutter. Add the peeled sambar onions and fry it till it turns glassy. Add the curry leaves to it. Add the tamrind water slowly and add all the cut vegetables to it. When it starts boiling, add the salt and the ground paste to it and mix it well. Add the cooked dal too to it.

Drain the water from the rice and add it to the remaining and mix well. Add the remaining water and pressure cook the entire mixture for about 4 or even 5 whistle.

When cool, add ghee to it. Serve hot with papad or chips.

Mysore Rasam recipe - Method 1

Ingredients:
Tamrind Paste -1 tsp
Tomatoes - 2 big and ripe(finely chopped)
Mysore Rasam Powder - 3 tsp
Thoor Dal - 1/4 cup
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Salt to taste

To Temper
Ghee - 1tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
Freshly grated coconut - 2 tsbp
Red Chillies - 1 or 2

To garnish
Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup finely chopped.

Method
Add water to the Tamrind paste and make it watery. Add  salt, turmeric powder, hing, tomatoes and mysore rasam powder to the Tamrind paste and let it boil till the raw smell goes off.

Mix 1 1/2 cups of water to the cooked toor dal and make it quite watery. When the tamrind mixture comes to a boil add the toor dal water to it and when it starts bubbling remove from flame.

In a laddle add ghee and when hot add mustard seeds. When it splutters add Jeera, coconut and red chillies. Sprinkle the curry leaves on the rasam and on top of it pour the tempered ghee.

Decorate the rasam with chopped coriander leaves.

Note:
Instead of using the stored Rasam powder, one can fry the ingredients fresh (use fresh coconut instead of copra), and grind it and use it.