Kitchen Mishaps!!!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Is there any one who learnt cooking before messing up the whole kitchen, self painting your face with flours or burning poor vessels!!! I really feel very bad for the vessels in the kitchen, these are our victims which tolerate all our crime on them. But may be even the vessels will feel happy if our food turns out good, which is not regular for new bees.(hey, just for fun)

Sending it to Kitchen Mishaps - Event Announcement! by Malar Gandhi of  Kitchen Tantra - tease your palate. 

I do not believe in PRACTICE MAKES MAN PERFECT!!   NO! Because no one is perfect in this world.

But  FOR SURE, PRACTICE BRINGS MAN NEAR TO THE PERFECTION.

So Girls, do not loose your hope if you are not getting success in the beginning.

Now coming to the title, I started thinking about my funny, bad or very bad experiences or mishaps. But these are not funny to sit and enjoy the reading.

As I told before, first thing I learnt to make was  Upma. When I learnt(at the age of 7) and started making it, first it was always either more watery or was half cooked with raw onion smell. But as the days passed I learnt to make it tasty and edible.

Next I remember is to make Jowar rotis. I really do not remember how many rotis I might have wasted either while patting it or frying or cooking. But I learnt it after very long time practice.

And then comes the TEA. I always used to get scoldings from my uncle(Father's brother), because he never liked my tea. Either it used to be like hot water or it used be more sugary or some times like only plain milk!!

My most worst mishap is with sago kichadi! It becomes like rubber always. Now also, if kichadi comes out perfect, its like a celebration for me.

Then comes the rice preparations, Till 6 months back , I always got scared to make any type of pulao, bath, biryani!It always turned out to a disaster. No one liked my rice as it was always bland without salt or any masala. But as my daughter loves to take rice for her lunch I forced my self to learn more of these dishes and now I can make variety of rice!

Now a days my most disaster food is baking the cake. My cake always turns out like a stone!!! or comes out with dark burnt ring on the edge. Or my cake is never cooked.

But!! I do not have any pictures taken when these mishaps took place. 

I hope you will visualize the photos and read it. Sorry!

Keep Smiling,

Polished wheat halwa (ಗೋಧಿ ಹುಗ್ಗಿ ) for new year!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Starting my first post in this year with traditional sweet called Godhi Huggi or polished wheet halwa. This is the heaviest sweet which is common in most of the functions in North Karnataka. It is not for weight watchers, as it has lot of dry fruits, jaggery and cups of ghee in to it. And its like, some medicines have instructions written  "not to drive when you take the medicine". You will feel drowsy and lazy after you have this.

Again, one of my favorite sweet.

Here is the recipe,

Polished Wheat : 200gm (Available in Indian store)

Chana dal - 4 tbsp

Jaggery - 200gm, powdered

Cardamom - 4 to 6 crushed

Nutmeg powder - 1 tsp

Poppy seeds - 4 tbsp

Dry desiccated coconut - 1/4 cup

Salt - 1 tsp

Ghee - 1 cup

Water depends on the wheat.

Soak the wheat overnight. In the morning, soak chana dal for an hour or two. Mix wheat and chana dal in a cooker with double the water of soaked wheat. Give 10 to 12 whistles. Yes, wheat takes time to cook. Once cool, open and check the wheat, I mean, take one seed in the hand and press it. If it breaks into pieces then its done. Otherwise you have to grind it to coarse paste.

Once this is done, add powdered jaggery, salt and 1/4 cup ghee and mix well with hand or churner. Keep it on medium heat to boil, keeping in mind to stir in between. once it starts boiling, check the sweetness of the dish and if you feel you need more sweet add some more jaggery(because, it has different taste always, depending upon the sugarcane)

If you feel the sweet is fine, add salt, poppy seeds and coconut. Mix properly and allow it to boil for few more minutes. Now add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder with 1/4 cup ghee. Let it boil for 10 minutes with stirring it often. 

The sweet is ready to eat with more ghee on the top with some spicy chilly and sandige.

Wishing everyone a very happy, prosperous and beautiful new year.

Keep Smiling,