Paan Parfait or Paan Bahaar

Bottom layer - Crust. (is optional)
Half a pack of crackers - marie or glucose biscuits work.
2 tbsp melted butter
Crush the crackers in a blender to a coarse powder. You could also put the crackers in a ziploc and crush it with the back of a ladle. add melted butter and mix to make a crumbly mixture. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little more melted butter.
White cream layer
200 ml heavy whipping cream
1/2-3/4 tsp powdered elaichi
1/2 tsp safforn ( around 10-15 strands)
2 tbsp powdered sugar
finely chopped dates (around 7-8)

Take whipping cream in a mixing bowl and beat until it becomes stiff - either with a hand held blender or a stand mixer(usually takes about 5-7 mins with short breaks). Once the cream becomes stiff, fold in all other ingredients and mix lightly with a spatula. do not mix it too rigorously - the cream will end up becoming too firm and hard, if you do. Set aside to chill
Pan Mousse layer
10 beetle leaves
2-3 tbsp saunf
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2- 3 tbsp rose water
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
a drop of green food color (optional)
200 ml heavy whipping cream
finely powder saunf in a blender. to this the rose water, chopped beetle leaves, powdered sugar, 2 tbsp cream and blend to a smooth paste. make sure not to make this paan paste too watery. take the 200 ml whipping cream in a mixing bowl. beat until stiff either with a hand held blender or a stand mixer(usually takes about 5-7 mins with short breaks). fold in the pan pasteand lightly mix.remember to be very gentle while mixing. do nt mix very rigorously. Your paan mousse layer is now ready. 

 
For Assembling
1.Take an individual dessert container. I ordered mine from amazon. they were disposable and came with lids and spoons.
2.Add a spoon of the cracker mix first. press with the back of a spoon to form a firm base.
3.Next is the white whipped cream layer. add about 2 spoons of this as the next layer. I used a piping bag to add this layer. It can be done with a spoon too, but the chances of touching the edges are higher and the layers can get smudged.
4.Next layer is the Gulkhand. The quantity of gulkhand is personal choice. I added about a tsp of it for each cup. you can either increase or decrease based on your preference.
5.After that is the Desiccated Coconut either sweet or unsweetened, doesnt matter. Since the layer below it is quite sweet already, it doesnt matter if this is sweetened or not. but the coconut definitely adds an amazing nutty flavor. I wouldnt skip this ingredient.
6.Then comes the Paan mousse . Again, about 2 spoons of it. I used piping bags but feel free to just spoon it in.
7.Garnish with Tutti Frutti and Mukhwaas Your Paan Parfait is ready!

Tips:
1. The quantity of each of these layers is personal choice. feel free to add more or less of any of these layers as you please. When i make it the next time, I will probably skip the base cracker layer.... some of my guests loved it and some didnt really care for it. so its a hit or a miss.
2. Since gulkhand is very sweet, I kept the sweetness very low on all the other layers. The combined sweetness turned out perfect.
3. Several people are not used to the distinct rose flavor of the gulkhand. So I chose to let my guests know in advance about it so that they can push the gulkhand aside if they do not relish the rose flavor.
4. garnishing with tutti frutti is also customizable. The kids took a handful extra and added it on top. so it'd be a good idea to serve some extra in a bowl for self serve.
5. green food color is definitely optional. I made the mousse layer without the color first. the taste was great but the color wasn't very pleasant. it was a light greenish brown and not very appetising. So I went ahead and added the color. no change in taste whatsoever.
6. These quantities made about 20 individual desserts for me. the saunf and beetle leaf quantity is critical for flavor. roughly, it took about 1 paan leaf for 2 serves and a little less than a quarter spoon of saunf for every individual cup

Chigali/ Powdered Til Sweetened with Jaggery

       

Hope all is well with you folks! Things have gotten so busy at my end these days, that blogging has really taken a back seat.... And every time I open my laptop, I end up losing a couple of keys from my keyboard, to my son. So, getting to blog and blog hop is almost impossible these days. Those of you that have a naughty toddler would completely understand what I'm saying :)  I spend very little time in the kitchen these days and make dishes that get done in a jiffy with very little prior preparation. Here's one such traditional dish that takes very little time and very few ingredients. But this is a bit of an acquired taste and you may not like it the very first time. Chigali is usually made for festivals and pujas like Krishna Janmashtami and Suhasini Puja.

Ingredients:

1 cup Ellu/Til, black preferably, but white would also work.

3/4 cup Powdered Jaggery

1/2 tsp Powdered Elaichi (optional)

Method:

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, dry roast til until it turns lightly brown and you smell its fresh aroma.
2. In a blender, coarsely powder the roasted til ; DO NOT add any water while powdering.
3. Empty the til into a mixing bowl; Add powdered jaggery, elaichi and mix well.
4. Take a spoon full and mould into laddus with your palm; Repeat for remaining mixture as well.
5. Store in an airtight container and relish with tea/coffee or as is.

Prep Time: About 15-20 mins;

Makes: About 6-8 laddus;

Ellu Bella

        

Sankranti wishes to all Mane Adige readers!! Sankranti, as you all know, is the festival of harvest.In Bangalore-Mysore regions of Karnataka, this festival is celebrated by exchanging "Ellu-Bella" with family and friends. Young girls get dressed and go house hopping for Ellu-Bella, sugar cane and other goodies. For more information on the festival, check out Wiki . Will head straight to the recipe now...

Ingredients:

1 cup Copra/Kobri/Dry coconut, with its skin peeled and chopped into very fine and uniform pieces

1 cup Hurigadale/Chana Dhalia/ Putaani

1 cup Peanuts, dry roasted and skin peeled off

1 Cup Finely and uniformly chopped Jaggery

Quarter to half cup Sesame seeds/Til/Ellu (White Til)

Method:

1. Dry roast the sesame seeds until they turn golden brown in color; Keep aside.
2. Halve the roasted  peanuts and keep aside; Note: Make sure not to burn the peanuts while roasting them; Ellu bella looks good when the peanuts are lightly golden in color. Peeling off the skin is a lot easier after roasting the peanuts.
3. Mix all the ingredients together; Store in air tight containers and relish.

Antinunde/Karadantu / Laddu with Edible Gum

        

Hey folks! Hope alls well with you all... The update from my end is that, Naveen and I were blessed with a baby boy on the 13th of Oct 2009! Things have been hectic at my end ever since... Each day has been a different learning experience. Despite all the sleepless nights and Aadi's seemingly never ending crying sessions, motherhood has been a wonderful experience. It is such a pleasure to watch them grow, I tell ya! :)

Thanks to Amma and Ajji's 'Baananthana( in simple words, postpartum care and attention given to the new mom), I am learning quite a few unique dishes out here. One such dish is "Antinunde".  Edible gum, that is used in making this laddu is high in medicinal value. A lot of dry fruits also go into these laddus making them rich and nutritious. "One Antinunde a day strengthens your spine", my Ajji says. This laddu is more commonly known as Karadantu( or Karidantu) in the northern parts of Karnataka. If I am not wrong, this laddu is also known by the name "Ding Laddu" in Mangalore-Udupi regions of Karnataka.

Ingredients:

1 cup Edible gum, finely chopped

1 cup Almonds/Badami, finely chopped

1 cup Dry Dates/Uttutte, finely chopped

1 cup Raisins

1 cup Desiccated Coconut/Copra/Kobbari grated

1.5 cups Jaggery

1-1.5 tbsp Khus khus/ Gasagase (optional)

2 tbsp Ghee/Clarified butter for roasting

Ghee for deep frying

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan for deep frying.
2. Drop the chopped edible gum pieces into hot ghee and fry until they puff up; Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
3. Dry roast khus khus and keep aside;
4. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan and roast the chopped almonds until they turn lightly golden brown; Keep aside.
5. Dry roast the desiccated coconut and keep aside;
6. Mix all the dry fruits, desiccated coconut, fried edible gum and khus khus in a large mixing bowl and keep aside.
7. Heat jaggery in a heavy bottomed pan and add just enough water to cover the jaggery; Boil until jaggery dissolves and forms a syrup with thread like consistency. Note: To test if the syrup is ready, pour a drop into a bowl of cool water. If the solution forms a tiny lump and does not dissolve in water, the syrup is ready.
8. Pour the syrup into the above mixture little by little and mix well.
9. Grease you palm with a drop of ghee; Take some of the mixture in your palm and make laddus of desired size; Repeat for remaining mixture as well.
10. Let cool and store in air tight containers.

Prep Time: About 50-60 mins;

Makes: About 25-30 laddus;

Annada Kesari Bhaat / Sweet Saffron Rice

         

Hey folks! All well at your end, I hope.... Things have been good at my end,apart from the cough and cold that everyone in our house is falling prey to. The weather out here in Bengaluru has been pretty gloomy and rainy. Probably that's the reason why everyone around seems to be falling sick so often.

My Ajji- Taata are here with us since a couple of weeks and I am getting to learn a whole lot of traditional dishes from  my Ajji! One such dish that I learned from her was "Annada Kesari Bhaat". This dish happens to be one of my favorites, and I love it even more after having learned how easy it is to make :) Have a surprise guest at home? You could put this together in just 10-15 mins!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Cooked white rice ( I like mine to be mushy and well cooked)

1 cup Sugar (Adjust quantity according to taste)

1/4 cup Ghee/Clarified butter

8-10 Saffron strands

1-2 tsp Warm Milk

1 tbsp Raisin-Cashew mixture

1-2 drops Food color (optional)

 

Method:

1. Soak saffron strands in warm milk and keep aside.
2. Heat a pan on medium flame and add 1/4 cup of water to it.
3. Add all the sugar and stir until it dissolves completely and forms a thread like consistency; Note:Add just enough water to dissolve all the sugar.
4. Add half the quantity of ghee to the pan and stir until it dissolves.
5. Add the cooked and mashed rice, food color and remaining ghee; Pour the milk with saffron strands over it and mix thoroughly.
6. Roast the cashews and raisins in 1 tsp of ghee and add to the Kesari Bhaat; Serve hot and relish!

Gasagase Payasa / Poppy Seeds Payasam

         

Hey everybody! Hope y'all had a safe and fun filled long weekend. We spent ours at New York!! Amma Appa were awestruck by all the tall and beautiful buildings, the busy crowds on the streets, abound dining and shopping options..... They loved it all :)

And btw, have I told you guys that we are moving back to India in a couple of weeks?? In case I haven't mentioned it yet.... Naveen and I are moving back to India for good!!!! :) By the end of this month, we'd be in India among family and friends.....Oh, I am so very excited!!!! But before that, we have a whole lot of packing and winding up to do here.The next two weeks are gonna be really busy!!! In the next couple of months, I may not be able to blog as regularly as I would want to... But I'm sure you folks will understand! :)

Anyway, coming to today's recipe... Gasagase Payasa is very traditional and authentic to Karnataka. As most of you would know, poppy seeds are the source of opium. So, don't be surprised if you find yourself dozing off after having a hot cup of Gasagase Payasa :D. There are different ways of making Gasagase Payasa..... some people soak the rice and poppy seeds, while some others roast and powder it. Here's how we make it in our family....

Ingredients:

4 tsp Poppy seeds

1 tsp White Rice, uncooked

1 cup Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen

1/4 cup Desiccated coconut/Copra/Kobbari

3-4 tbsp Jaggery

1/4 cup Milk

1/2 tsp Elaichi, powdered

4-5 strands of Saffron (optional)

8-10 Cashews/Almonds (optional)

 

Method:

1. Dry roast poppy seeds and rice until they turn crisp and lightly change color.
2. Finely powder the roasted poppy seeds and rice in a blender without adding any water.
3. Add  grated coconut, desiccated coconut, some water and grind to a  smooth paste.
4. Add half a cup of water and strain the paste through a finely perforated strainer; Retain the liquid - this will  make the payasam later.
5. Transfer the coarse residue into a blender; Add some more water and grind again to a smooth paste.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 about 3-4 times.
7. Add jaggery to the strained liquid and boil on low-medium heat until all the jaggery dissolves; Remove from stove.
8. Dissolve saffron strands in 1/4 cup of warn milk and set aside for 5-10 mins.
9. Add powdered elaichi,warm milk with saffron and mix well; Serve hot and relish.

Prep Time: About 40-45 mins;

Serves: About 3-4 people;

Eggless & Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies

        

Ever since I bought this book last year, I have been doing a lot of baking at home.... Thanx to the book, I'm not scared to bake anymore!! :) This crunchy cookie recipe is also adapted from the same book. A lot of Mane Adige readers have been mailing and asking me to post more eggless recipes. So, here goes!!

Meanwhile, I have less than a week left before my parents arrive...  I am soooo excited!!!! And also a little scared... I hope the swine flu issue does not create any problems during their travel... I also have a lot of minor preparations to make, for their arrival. And these terrible rains and cold weather is not helping in any way :((.... Will keep you guys posted! Hope y'all like the cookies....

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Butter at room temperature

3/4 cup Sugar OR 1/2 cup brown sugar+ 1/4 cup sugar

1.5 cups All Purpose Flour/ Maida

1 tsp Baking soda

2 tsp Vanilla extract

3 tbsp Cooking oil

1/2 cup Chopped nuts (optional)

1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Pieces

1/2 cup Shredded coconut (optional)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 deg F.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy - approx. 2 minutes. If you are using electric mixer, set the speed to medium.
3. Slowly add the flour, baking soda, vanilla, oil and mix until completely combined. Note: For a flatter cookie, or if the batter is too dry, add a couple of spoons of water.
4. Add the chocolate chips, nuts, coconut and mix gently with a wooden spoon. Adjust the quantity of chocolate chips according to your wish.
5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets, spaced 2 inches apart; Bake for 8-10 mins or until the cookies are completely done.
6. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Serve with milk or as is and relish!

Prep Time: About 35-45 mins;

Makes: About 20-25 cookies;

"Kashi Halwa for Deepavali!" Well, now for Thanksgiving maybe.... :)

As most of you would have guessed, this post was meant to be for Deepavali!! It has been lying in my drafts folder for almost a month now.... But it somehow didn't make it to my page before Deepavali :(

P.S: The delay had nothing to do with me being lazy and not getting a picture of the dish, before relishing it right out of the cooking pan!! :D :P :)

Had this post made it on time, here's what I would have said.....

"A Very Happy Deepavali to all Mane Adige readers!!!! Here's hoping that the festival of lights brings your way, bright sparkles of contentment, that stay with you today and in the days to come!

As you all know, the speciality of Deepavali festival (apart from the fireworks, of course :)...) is the multiple varieties of sweetmeats prepared in every household. Unlike other festivals, where the main focus is on worshiping God, Deepavali is a people oriented festival. It is the time for enjoyment.... It is the time when people forget enmity and join hands, back in friendship!".

But now, I'd just say, Hope you all had a wonderful Deepavali!!! :)

Kashi Halwa is an authentic Karnataka speciality sweet dish that is made with Ash Gourd (Also known as Winter melon in English and called Boodkumbalakai/ Kumbalakai in Kannada). Kashi Halwa is usually made during special occasions like weddings and festivals. How did the dish get its name?!?? I am clueless!!! Any info regarding the name would be much appreciated!! :D

There are two ways of making this Halwa

• Cook the winter melon with milk, just like how we make Carrot Halwa
• Cook the winter melon without adding any milk - This is the version I have for you today.

While both the versions are famous, I personally prefer the one with no milk. You could go ahead and choose whichever suits you best!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!! :)

Ingredients:

2 - 2 1/2 cups Grated Winter melon/Ash gourd/ Boodkumbalakai

1.5 cups Sugar

4-5 strands of Saffron

1/2 tsp Elaichi/Cardamom powder

1 tbsp Raisins/Cashew mixture

2+2 tsp Ghee/Clarified butter

Method:

1. Drain out excess water from the winter melon; Heat 2 tsp ghee in a pan and roast the grated winter melon until it is coated well with ghee.
2. Pressure cook the grated winter melon for 1-2 whistles, or until cooked completely.
3. Transfer the contents to the pan and cook on medium heat until all the excess water evaporates; Saute regularly.
4. Once the quantity is reduced to three fourth's, add sugar and mix well;
5. Cook further, until all the moisture evaporates and the winter melon comes out as a single lump; It usually takes about 40-50 mins; Saute frequently towards the end.
6. Add elaichi, saffron and mix well.
7. Roast raisins and cashews in ghee and add to the halwa. Serve hot and enjoi!

Prep Time: About 90 minutes;

Serves: About 1-2 people;

Off this goes to Aparna for her Blog Anniversary Event celebrations... Congratulations, Aparna and thanx so much for hosting!! :)

I am also sending this across to Mythreyee of Paajaka Recipes for the Sweet series- Halwa/Katli/Burfee/Peda Event that she is hosting. Thanx so much, Mythreyee!!

Rave Unde/ Rava Laddu

        

This one needs no introduction! Rava laddu belongs to all cuisines, from all  over India. This is one of the easiest sweet dishes to make and takes very little time.... And needless to say, one of the tastiest as well!!  Will head straight to the recipe, without wasting any more time...

Ingredients:

1 cup FINE Rava/Sooji

1.5-2 cups Powdered sugar

1/4 cup Desiccated coconut/Grated Copra

2-3 tbsp Ghee

1 tsp Raisins

1 tsp Cashews/Almonds, chopped

 

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a pan and roast the raisins and cashews until they turn golden brown.
2. Add the fine rava and roast well until the raw smell disappears; Saute continuously and make sure the rava does not get burnt.
3. Let cool for just a minute or two; Add few spoons of water to the rava- just enough to get the rava damp; Form a lump and set aside for a minute or two, so that the water gets absorbed.
4. Add powdered sugar and desiccated coconut while the rava is still warm and mix well; Adjust sweetness according to taste. Adding the sugar when the rava is still warm, would melt the sugar a little and make the mixture a little sticky.
5. Take 2-3 spoons of the mixture and mould them into small laddus with your hands; Cool completely and store in air tight containers.

Note:

If the rava mixture is too dry/ brittle and you are not able to mould them into laddus, you could go ahead and add a few drops of milk to the mixture. However, adding milk would make the laddus a little hard... So, you might wanna avoid it as much as possible!! :)

Sajjappa

       

Belated Navaratri and Dasara wishes to all Mane Adige readers! Barely am I out of the Navaratri festive mood, and Deepavali is fast approaching!! I have been doing a lot of cooking and experimenting, this month.... But haven't really had the patience to take pictures of each and every one of them. Sajjappa is one such recipe that I tried, and took pictures as well! Sajjappa is a Bangalore/Mysore speciality. It is usually made during festivals and special occasions. It is very similar to Obbattu, in that, both have a coconut stuffing and the outer covering for both of them is made out of all purpose flour/maida. Difference being in the way both of them are finally cooked!

For all you Udupi/Mangaloreans out there..... Sajjappa is like the sweet version of Biscuit Rotti!! Here is the recipe, Enjoi!

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 cup Maida/All purpose flour

1 cup FINE rava

1-2 tbsp Oil

A pinch of Salt

Oil for deep frying

For the Filling:

1 cup Grated coconut, fresh/frozen

1/4 cup desiccated coconut or grated Copra (Kobbari, in Kannada)

1/4 cup FINE rava, dry roasted until the raw smell disappears.

1 tsp Elaichi/ Cardamom powder (optional)

1 cup Jaggery

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the dough in a mixing bowl; Add enough water and knead well to make a smooth dough. The dough should be softer than the usual chapati dough, but thicker than the flowing pakora batter;Keep aside.
2. Heat jaggery in a pan; Add just enough water to immerse half the jaggery.
3. After the jaggery melts, add the rest of the ingredients for the filling and mix well; Reduce heat a cook until all the water evaporates. Saute regularly.
4. Pull out a small ping pong  sized ball from  the dough;  Place in-between your palms and tap it with your hand, to form a small chapati.
5. Place 1-2 spoons of the filling at the center and close/seal from all sides, like how you would do for parathas.
6. Place in-between your palms and tap further to make a small chapati again; Keep aside and repeat the whole process for the remaining dough and filling.
7. Heat oil in pan; Drop the Sajjappas one by one and fry on low-medium heat; Fry on both sides.
8. Drain into paper towels and let cool for a while; Store in airtight containers. Sajjappa can be preserved for almost a week or two, if the coconut filling is well sautéed and all the moisture removed.

Prep Time: About 45-50 mins;

Makes: About 25-27 Sajjappas;

Karigadubu/ Karjikayi for Ganesha Chaturthi!

Here's wishing all Mane Adige readers A Very Happy Gowri-Ganesha Festival!!!! This festival brings back to me, very sweet memories of childhood. Gowri-Ganesha is one of the biggest and most important festivals in Karnataka. This is a two day festival - Gowri puja is performed on the first day and Ganpati puja, on the second day. Back home in Bangalore, the festive atmosphere sets in almost a week in advance. Markets are flooded with different varieties of Gowri- Ganesha idols, flowers and fruits, garlands, decorative items etc. The festivities started quite early at our home as well! Mom would make different varieties of sweets 'n savories couple of days in advance... A day before the puja, Dad would start making the mantap. My job was to assist him in that. Him being a perfectionist, we would un-tie and re-tie the mantap a zillion number of times before he was actually satisfied :D. Oh, how I miss all that now.... :(

Check out my last year's post on Gowri-Ganesha here- Kayi Kadubu!

The recipe I have for you today is a sweet dish made specially for the Ganesha puja. This dish is called Karigadubu (kargadbu) in Bangalore/Mysore regions and Karjikayi or Karjikai in Mangalore-Udupi regions of Karnataka. Karigadubu is very similar to "Modak" that is a Maharashtra speciality.

Off this goes to Mythreyee of Paajaka for the Sweet Series-Deep fried or steam cooked sweets event! Thanx Mythreyee for hosting the wonderful series..... You are doing a splendid job! :)

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 cup Fine Rava (Note: Please use ONLY FINE RAVA. Upma rava is not suited for this)

1/4 cup Maida

1-2 tbsp Ghee/Butter

Water, for preparing the dough

Oil for Deep Frying

Filling:

1/2 cup Desiccated coconut/ Copra/ Kobbari

1/2 cup Confectioner's / powdered Sugar

1 tsp Powdered Elaichi/Cardamom

1-2 tbsp Raisins (optional)

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the dough; Add enough water to make a stiff dough; The dough should be slightly harder than the chapati dough; Knead well and keep aside.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a mixing bowl; Adjust sweetness according to taste;Keep aside.
3. Pull out small balls from the rava-maida dough and roll them into small circular pooris. Make sure the pooris are not too thick.
4. Spoon in the filling on one half of the circle and fold along the center; Seal the ends with some water or milk. Note: If you have the plastic/metal press, you could use that as well. Place the poori with the filling in the press; Fold and press to seal; Remove excess dough.
5. Heat oil in a wok on low-medium heat; Drop the Karigadubu into oil one by one and fry until they turn golden brown in color; Fry on both sides.
6. Remove from oil an strain into paper towels; Let cool completely and store in air tight containers.

Prep Time: About 30-40 mins;

Makes: About 15-20;

Appa / Yeriyappa

       

I was talking to a friend the other day and she noted a very valid point about my posts. "You hardly have any sweets on Mane Adige", she said. I immediately checked back, and she was right!!!! It's been a while since I posted the recipe for any sweet dish... So, here goes!!!

This dish is again Karnataka's traditional dish and is called "Appa" in Mangalore - Udupi regions and " Eriyappa or Yeriyappa" in Bangalore - Mysore regions.... It's main ingredients being rice, banana and jaggery. I used the non-stick appam pan that I got from India last time. However, you could even use the "Pancake Puffs" pan that you get in the American stores. If you have neither, you could even deep fry - make the batter a little thick and drop into the heated oil spoon by spoon.

Ingredients:

1 cup White rice, soaked in water for about 3-4 hrs

1/2 cup Grated coconut, fresh/frozen

2 Ripe Bananas, mashed

1/2 cup Jaggery

1 tbsp Sugar (optional)

1 tsp Powdered Elaichi

Method:

1. Grind rice, coconut, jaggery and banana to a smooth paste; Make sure to add VERY LITTLE water while grinding. Add sugar, elaichi powder and mix well. Note:  Sugar is an optional ingredient. Adding some sugar gives a golden brown color to the eriyappa.
2. Heat the appam pan on low- medium heat.
3. Add a couple of drops on oil in each depression of the pan; Fill the depressions with the prepared batter. Cook covered on low heat - increasing the heat might burn the outer parts of the eriyappa while the inside is still uncooked.
4. Turn eriyappa with the help  of a spoon and cook on both sides; Remove from pan and drain on paper towels; Serve hot and enjoy!!

Variation: You could even use jackfruit instead of bananas.

Prep Time: About 20-30 mins, excluding soaking time

Makes: About 15-20

Thambittu ( Wheat-Jaggery Dumplings)

One more authentic Karnataka recipe for you guys today..... Thambittu is a sweet dish that is usually made during festivals - Shivratri, mainly. Mostly prepared in the Bangalore/Mysore regions of Karnataka, Thambittu can be made with different ingredients - like wheat flour, rice flour, urad flour etc.... Godi/wheat thambittu being the most popular one among them all.

As a kid, I disliked thambittu, and my mom had to do a lot of forcing - scolding - yelling to get me to even taste it!! I'd try my best to avoid it...I'd cry and make a big fuss, I'd make a pitiable face with tears in my eyes and hope that Amma would just let me go... But nothing really worked, I HAD to eat at least one small dumpling! Slowly, I developed a liking towards thambittu.. thanks to my mom!!! I guess its the kind of taste that's acquired over a period of time.... Whatever, I love thambittu now!

Couple of other reasons I like thambittu..... Its super easy to make... It takes hardly about 10-12 mins!! And, its healthy too!! Very little (negligible, you can say) fat... wheat-which is anyway healthy... some jaggery- which is again better than sugar!! I can have a decent serving of thambittu without any feeling of guilt within me... what more can one ask for?!?!?! :)

Ingredients:

1 cup Wheat flour / Godi Hittu

1 cup Jaggery

1/2 tsp Ghee

1/2 tsp Elaichi / Cardamom powder

Optional :

1 - 2 tbsp Desiccated Coconut / Grated Copra (Kobri/Kobbari)

1-2 tbsp Raisins- Chopped nuts mixture

Method:

1. Dry roast the wheat flour for a couple of minutes, or until the raw smell disappears; Saute continuously.... the flour would get burnt otherwise; The flour should turn light brown in color. Remove from stove and keep aside
2. Take about 1.5 cups of water; Add few drops of ghee, jaggery and boil well until all the jaggery has melted. Adjust sweetness according to taste.
3. Reduce heat to low; Add the elaichi powder, nuts and mix well;
4. Add the roasted flour little by little; Mix continuously so that no lumps are formed;
5. Remove from stove immediately and let it cool; After it cools, grease your hands with a few drops of oil/ghee and shape them into laddus/ laadus. Store in airtight containers and enjoy. It's shelf live is about 3-5 days.

Note: Thambittu is usually a little soft and not as hard as other laddus. Its consistency is somewhere between halwa and laddus.

Prep time: About 10-12 mins

Makes: About 8-10 laadus

Huggi / Sweet Pongal

Most kids love sweet dishes... and I was no different when I was one. My mom tells me that when I got back from school daily, I would stand at the gate of our house and ask my mom, "Amma, en sweet maadidiya nange ivattu?" Meaning, what sweet have you made for me today? I believe I used to enter the house only after she told me what she had made for me that day :D..... Such was my love for sweet dishes....Huggi was one of my favorites( Huggi!! Yes, that's what sweet pongal is called in Kannada). I loved the taste of melted dollops of ghee on the sweet rice and dal dumplings!!

One more reason why I loved huggi so much was.....My mom used to often tell me a story called "Huggi ya holay" (meaning, a stream of huggi). It was about a woman who tried making huggi with a stolen magic pot, and how she forgot the mantra that would stop making huggi .... The pot started overflowing and slowly the the whole village was filled with delicious huggi and blah blah blah....

And every time I ate huggi, I imagined I was eating it out of the magic pot from the story... and that made me like it even more!!!! Silly, I know.. But hey, I was still a kid !! :) Anyway, coming back to the recipe.... I am posting this on the request from one of my readers and also a good friend, Vimala. I hope you like it!

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Btw folks, I have recently added the Star Ratings option below every post... So, go ahead and feel free to rate the recipes!! Thanx :)

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Ingredients:

1 cup Yellow moong dal

1 cup White rice

1-2 tbsp Dry/Desiccated Coconut, grated/powdered ( Kobbari / Copra)

1.5- 2 cups Sugar OR Jaggery (OR as per taste)

1/2 tsp Elaichi/Cardamom powder

1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, coarsely crushed (optional)

2 cups Milk (optional)

1 tbsp Cashews and Raisins

1-2 tbsp Ghee/ Clarified butter

A pinch of turmeric

Method:

1. Dry roast yellow moong dal for a couple of minutes, or until it slightly changes color and the raw smell disappears; Do not let it turn brown, though.
2. Wash white rice under running water, a couple of times and combine the roasted dal, crushed pepper and turmeric; Add about 3.5-4 cups of water... At this point, you could substitute half the quantity of water with milk (i.e about 2 cups of milk and 1.5-2 cups of water);
3. Pressure cook the rice dal mixture until done ( It takes about 4 whistles in my cooker); Do not worry if it gets over cooked.... the dal and rice blend well when they are a little overcooked.
4. Take the sugar/jaggery in a pan; Add enough water to JUST cover the sweetener. Boil on low-medium heat until all the sugar/jaggery is dissolved. Note: I personally prefer using sugar bcause it gives a pleasant color, but the jaggery version tastes great too!
5. Add the dal-rice mixture, copra and half the ghee; Mix well and remove from stove.
6. Heat 1 tsp of ghee and roast the raisins and cashews until golden brown; Add to huggi and mix well.
7. Transfer into separate bowls and serve hot, topped with a generous dollop of ghee!!!

Prep Time: About 30-40 mins.

Serves: About 3-4 people.

Maavina Hannu Rasaayana / Aamras

One of the many things about India that I miss here in the US is the sweet and juicy mangoes!! Almost every time I see mangoes in the stores, I pick up a couple of them hoping that atleast some time they might turn out to be good.... But I am disappointed every time :-(. I'm sure many of you have been through this too!! But that doesn't put my spirits down.... I still go ahead and make my favorite dishes with these "not so sweet and not so juicy" yellow beauties by adding some extra sugar!! Here is one such famous mango dish, called Rasaayana (pronounced as Rasaaina) in Kannada or more commonly known as Aamras all over India. Here is the recipe... Enjoi!

Ingredients:

2nos Mangoes (medium sized)

1/2 cup Milk

1/2 tsp Powdered Cardamom/Elaichi

8-10 Cashews soaked in warm water for about 30 mins

1/2 tsp Ghee/Clarified butter

1-2 tsp mixed nuts(cashews/almonds) and raisins

Sugar, as per taste

Method:

1. Peel the skin off the mangoes and chop the pulp into very tiny pieces;You could even mash the pulp coarsely with your hands; Add sugar, elaichi, mix well and keep aside.
2. Heat ghee in a small pan and add the nuts and raisins. Roast them for a minute and add to the mango mixture.
3. Grind the soaked cashews to a smooth paste with some milk and add to the mango mixture; Cashews give thickness and richness to the rasaaina.
4. Just before serving, add the milk and mix well; Make sure NOT to add milk much ahead of time... The milk would curdle if the mangoes are very sour.
5. Pour into individual bowls and serve with pooris/chapatis or as a dessert.

Variation:You could even add coconut milk instead of ordinary milk. This gives it a completely different flavor and taste.

Prep Time: About 10 mins

Serves: 3-4 people

Other Mango dishes on Mane Adige...

Mango Something!

Mango Ice Cream

Raw Mango Rice

Menaskai

Carrot Halwa

This one needs no introduction, I'm sure!! There are several ways of making carrot halwa. The one that I follow is the simplest and the most basic version, but the end result is quite good and has never disappointed me. I'm posting this on the request from one of my readers....Enjoi!

Ingredients:

5-6 Grated Carrots

2-3 tbsp Ghee/Clarified butter

1.5-2 cups Milk

1.5-2 cups Sugar

1 tsp Powdered Elaichi/Cardamom

1 tbsp Raisins

1 tbsp Cashews/Almonds

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan; Add grated carrots and saute for a minute or until it is coated with ghee.
2. Add milk to the grated carrots-ghee mixture and pressure cook for about 2 whistles or until done; The quantity of milk should be enough to just cover all the grated carrot. If you are using a separate vessel within the cooker, make sure to cover it with a lid/plate.
3. Once done, transfer the carrot-milk mixture to a heavy bottomed pan and boil on low to medium heat; Saute regularly.
4. When the mixture is reduced to half, add sugar and mix well. Continue to boil until all the milk evaporates and the ghee starts separating from the pan; This might take about 50-55 mins on the whole. Saute frequently towards the end to avoid burning or sticking of halwa to the bottom of the pan.
5. Heat a tsp of ghee and roast the raisins and cashews for a minute; Add elaichi, roasted cashews and raisins to the halwa and mix well.
6. Remove from stove and pour into separate container; Garnish with chopped nuts and serve hot.

Eggless Chocolate Rolls

Hey folks! A chocolate recipe for you guys this time. I found this simple yet different recipe on the Internet some days back. I tried querying for it again today, but couldn't find it :(..... I was using the wrong name or something I guess, I don't know. Anyway.... I made it with whatever I remembered and it turned out quite good!!! Here's the recipe.. Enjoi!

Ingredients:

1/2 pack Marie/Tea Biscuit

2-3 tbsp Cocoa powder

1/2 cup Milk

1 cup Dry Coconut Powder

3/4 cup Powdered Sugar

2-3 tbsp Butter

1 tsp Powdered Elaichi

Method:

1. Powder the Marie/Tea biscuits in a blender; Add cocoa powder, milk and knead it to a smooth pliable dough; The consistency should be like that of Chapati dough. Keep aside.
2. Mix the coconut powder, sugar, elaichi powder and the melted butter in a mixing bowl; The mixture should be sticky and not too powdery. You can adjust the sweetness according to your taste.... However, you might want to make it a little more sweet than usual as the outer cocoa layer is bland.
3. Pull out a lemon sized ball from the cocoa-biscuit dough; With the help of a rolling pin, roll it into a thick chapati.
4. Spread the coconut-sugar mixture all over the chapati; Roll the chapati to form and cylinder and keep aside. Repeat the process for the remaining dough.
5. Refrigerate the rolls for about 30-45 mins; Remove from freezer and cut them width wise . Store in air tight containers in the refrigerator and serve cold.

Prep time: About 30-40 mins

Makes: About 25-30 pieces

Eggless Moist Chocolate Cake

Here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas!!!!! May Peace, Hope and Love be with you Today and always......

The other day while blog hopping, I found this recipe for Moist Chocolate Cake on Priya's Kitchen. It was eggless and it looked delicious too!!! So, I tried it out couple of days back and it came out really good..... Moist and fluffy. I picked the frosting recipe from here : Buttercream Frosting. Hope you people like it as much as we did. Enjoi!!!

Shrikhand

I always thought that shrikhand was the most difficult dish to make and it needed a lot of skill, experience n all that..... So, I was hesitant to try it out all these days. But when I was talking to my friend couple of days back, she mentioned that she had made shrikhand for her guests... I immediately collected the recipe from her and realized that it was not really difficult. My only concern was that I didn't have any spare cotton cloth with which I could tie the yogurt. I googled and found here that I could even use a colander instead. So, here goes the recipe. Thanx Sangeeta, for sharing this one with me.. It turned out really tasty!! :)

Ingredients:

2-3 cups Thick curds (I used Danon All Natural Plain yogurt
3/4 - 1 cup Powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp Honey (optional)

1-2 tsp Chopped nuts (cashews/almonds/pistochios)

1/2 tsp Elaichi, powdered

5-6 strands Saffron,soaked in a little warm milk

Method:

1. Pour the curd into a colander with very thin perforations and place a vessel underneath to collect the water. Let cool in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours. Note: You can even tie the curd in a white linen and hang it up so that the extra water drains out.
2. Transfer the curds into a bowl and beat well; Add sugar, honey, elaichi and beat further.
3. Garnish with chopped nuts and serve chilled with pooris. It can even be served separately as a sweet dish. Tip: Adding a few strands of saffron soaked in warm milk gives it a good color and flavor.

Kharjura Payasa / Dates Kheer

Like I said in my previous post, Diwali ws comparitively dull for us this time. We were missing home and family a lot... Naveen wasn't keeping all that well..... Inorder to get ourselves out of that mood, I decided to make something that I had never tried before. I decided to go make Kharjura payasa as both of us love dates!!! And as you all know dates have a high nutritional value. And the best part is that you need to add very little external sweetener as the dates are already sweet!! So, here goes the delicious, yet healthy diwali recipe....Couldn't have asked for more!! :). This will be my entry for AFAM-Dates event hosted by Chandrika of Akshayapatra. Thanx Chandrika for hosting!! :)

Ingredients:

1 cup Dates, deseeded and chopped into small pieces

1-2 tbsp Jaggery, powdered

1 tsp Elaichi/Cardamom, powdered

3-4 tbsp Cashews

2 cups Thin coconut milk, fresh or canned

1/2 cup Whole milk (optional)

Method:

1. Keep aside few pieces of dates for garnishing and grind the rest to a smooth paste along with half the coconut milk.
2. Empty the paste into a heavy bottemed pan and bring to boil on the stove. Add the remaining coconut milk, jaggery, elaichi and boil well. If the mixture is too thick, add milk and boil for some more time. Adjust the sweetness according to your taste.
3. Remove from stove; garnish with the remaining date pieces and serve hot.