Pundi palle(Gongura Leaves bhaji)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Today I am with one more North Karnataka's favorite dish. Easily available almost in all the months of the whole year, even it's safe to eat during monsoon where other green leafy vegetables take break. I am talking about Gongura leaves, Pundi palle in Kannada.

According to a source, these leaves are an excellent source of folate, riboflavin, iron, zinc, anti-oxidants and vitamins A, B6 and C.

These leaves are little bitter, sour and strong flavor in taste. Gongura chutney(coming soon in my blog), pachadi, rice recipes are common. 

Gongura leaves are of two types, one is the long leaves and another one is round thick leaves. Round one tastes less bitter and less sour than the long leaves. Long leaves gongura is good for chutney where as this round one is best for the bhaji or rice. 

There is a way to remove the sourness.(Check the recipe)

Here I am sharing the recipe which is commonly prepared in my town(especially Dharwad, Hubli, Bijapur, Belgaum)

Let's start.

Ingredients:

Gongura Leaves -2 bunches, small.

Peanuts - 1 tbsp or little more if you like boiled peanuts 

Thick rava or Dalia  or coarse powder of Jowar(jolada nucchu) - 2 tbsp

Chana dal - 1 tbsp

Green chilli - 3-4(depending on how spicy the chillies are), we need spicier ones

Garlic - 8-10 cloves

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Rock salt to taste(common salt also can be used)

Turmeric powder - a pinch+a pinch

Jaggery - 1 tsp(optional)

Oil - 2 tsp

Water to boil the leaves.

Method: 

• Clean the leaves with lot of clean water and drain the water. 
• Chop the leaves.
• Take peanuts, rava, chana dal in a cooker vessel(if using cooker) or in a thick bottomed vessel if you are preparing directly. Wash it once. Add the chopped leaves, a pinch of turmeric powder and water to cover the leaves. Mix well and cook it in a cooker for two whistles or boil it till the leaves become tender. 
• Allow it to cool and drain the water fully. This removes the sourness of the leaves. Taste it, if you still feel the sour taste, wash with clean water again. 
• Mix well and mash it. 
• Till it becomes cold, Make the paste of green chilli, garlic, cumin seeds and salt. (It tastes good when we use hand pastel to paste it) 
• Heat oil in a kadai. 
• When hot, add the paste and saute it for a minute. 
• Add turmeric powder and boiled gongura. Mix very well.
• Add little water. Adjust the seasoning. 
• Close the lid and boil for few minutes. 

This pundi palle is served with Jowar roti, Flax seed chutney powder, red-chilly-chutney and oil with raw onion. 

Enjoy Gongura leaves chutney by Jayashree of  evergreendishes


Keep Smiling, 

Jowar Rotti upma (ರೊಟ್ಟಿ ವಗ್ಗರಣೆ ) reposted for the event.

Tried and tasted by Nivedita 

Hi All,

Reposting my favorite breakfast from North Karnataka.

Here is the recipe, 
One day old rotti or crispy rotti - 8 to 10
(Click Jowar rotti(Jolada rotti) for recipe)
Onion - 1 big
Curry leaves - few
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp or
Green chilly - 3 chopped
(in this photo I used chilly powder)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Tomato - 1 small
(my mother used to put 1 tbsp tamarind paste, you can choose according to your taste)
Salt to taste
Haldi - 1 pinch
Water - 1 cup apprx.
Break the rotti into pieces and keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard when it starts popping up, add jeera and curry leaves. Add onions and saute for a minute.
If you are using green chilly, now only add it with onion.
When the onion changes its color, add tomato mix it properly and wait till the tomato is half cooked. Add salt, haldi and water. Once the water starts boiling, add the rotti pieces. Mix properly. Take care not to put more water.

Cook for few minute, mixing in between.

Jowar rotti upma is ready to eat with ghee, onion and pickle.

Click Award and Jowar rotti upma(ಕುಚ್ಚಿದ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ ) for original post.

Sending this to PJ's very useful event 

• Scrumptious Delights From Leftovers - An Event Announcement

Keep Smiling,

Sprouted Sorghum and onion masala

Tried and tasted by Nivedita 

Hi All,

One more recipe from North Karnataka. A very healthy, nutritious and tasty food and tastes different. My mother used to make this when we were in school. But I do not know when we stopped eating this or when mom stopped making this.

Last week when I brought  Jowar or Sorghum to make flour (in flour mill). I remembered this recipe and thought of trying with very little quantity. I was not sure, whether I will like it now or not.

But, the taste was so good that I have decided to sprout the sorghum again and try it in salads or curry.

Here is the recipe for Sprouted Sorghum and onion Masala :

To sprout :
Sorghum - 1 cup

Wash the Sorghum and soak it in 3 cups of water for 24 hours.

Drain the water, wash it 2 times with fresh water. 

Tie in a muslin or cotton cloth for 12 hours. Open and check whether its sprouted or not, If not, tie it and keep it for another 8 to 10 hours.

Sprouting time depends on the weather. In cold weather, it takes more time than in hot weather. 

Ingredients :

Boiled Sprouted Sorghum - 1 cup

(Add 2 cups of water to the sprout and keep in a cooker to give 2 whistles. Let it cool and drain the water in a bowl to use it later.)

Onion - 1 big, cleaned, chopped into cubes

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 10 to 12, cleaned and chopped finely

Salt to taste

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

or green chilly - 1 finely chopped

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Lime juice - 1 tbsp

Fresh coriander - 1 tbsp, finely chopped

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. When splutter add curry leaves and onion. Fry till onion changes its color. (Now add green chilly if you are using it). Or add red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix it properly. Add the boiled water about 1/8 cup. Cook for a minute. Add the boiled sorghum. Cover and cook it for 2 minutes. Remove the lid add lime juice and fresh coriander. Mix it and remove from the Fire. 

You can use fresh coriander also.

Serve it with chapati or rice or even puri!!

I would love to thank Nithu of  Nithu's Kitchen, who made me to feel happy and proud of myself by taking my interview and posting in her blog.

Check out my  interview  in her blog and enjoy her unique recipes too.
Sending this to 

Priya's Announcing Let's Sprout - A New Event

Keep Smiling,

Thaali peeth! (Masala Rotti)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

One more traditional food of India. Yes! The name is different, but prepared all over India with available fresh vegetables or simply with onions.

It is a very common breakfast in North Karnataka and Maharashtra. We call it as thalipettu (ಥಾಲಿ ಪೆಟ್ಟು ) and in Maharashtra it is famous as Thali peeth. Sindhis call it Dhoda and is prepared only with jowar flour and onion.
 I think Kannada name is influenced by Marathi word. Thali means palm, pettu means beat. Basically it is prepared with bare hands by keeping the dough and pressing it in between the palms to make round and thick rottis. But, I prepare it keeping it on an aluminum foil and press it or roll it to make a thin thalipeeth. My mom always used clean white cotton cloth to make.

And few people directly press it to the tawa to spread it thin and big. Then they fry the thali peeths on medium flame with covered lid . These come out very crispy!

Thali peeth is the best healthy break fast! It is easy, quick and can be prepared with any available vegetables in the fridge. It makes your child eat all the vegetables and Jowar flour without their knowledge. Ohh! I always love this food. You can make thali peets with

ONION, CABBAGE, SPRING ONION, METHI LEAVES, SPINACH LEAVES, CUCUMBER, CARROT, RADISH, BOTTLE GOURD, ASH GOURD, the list goes on!!!

Basically, the flour used for thali peeth is Jowar flour. But you can add other flours in little quanitity, like, WHEAT FLOUR, RICE FLOUR, OATS POWDER, SOYA POWDER, GRAM FLOUR, SEMOLINA, MAIZE FLOUR.... again the list goes on. You can check the shelves in the kitchen, and make these with whatever is available.

So it is the most versatile and friendly and healthy breakfast which is always handy and saves you from worrying about the breakfast.

Here goes the ingredients :

Jowar flour - 1 cup

Rice flour - 2 tbsp

Any other flour of your choice - 1/4 cup

Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped

Green chilly - 2 chopped finely OR Red Chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste 

Any vegetable or green leaves of your choice - 1 cup grated

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - few, chopped

Water to make dough - 1/2 cup or more

Slowly keep on adding water and mix everything in a big bowl or plate to make medium hard (not very soft, nor very hard). Do not keep it for long time or else thali peeth will be torn.

Take the aluminium foil, cut into a square. Keep a bowl of water ready to spread on the foil before making thalipeeth. Sprinkle little water and oil on the foil. Take big lemon size of dough and make a round ball. Keep it on the foil and press slowly to give round shape to make thin rotis. Mean while, heat the tawa and sprinkle oil and put the pressed roti and fry it both the ways with little oil. 

If you want to make directly on tawa,

Take thick bottomed tawa, it should be cold. spread little oil and water on that. Take the ready dough and keep it in the center. Go on pressing it with little water on fingers and give round and thin shape. Make three hoes randomly on the roti to put oil. Cover it with lid and fry on medium flame. Fry it only on one side.

Serve with Butter or ghee or curds or coconut chutney.

Sending this to Suma's  on going event, JIHVA - Breakfast which is linked to Indira's Main announcement-JIHVA

Keep Smiling,

Dal roti khao, Prabhu ke gun gaao!!!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

The most favorite combo in North Karnataka. A very common food for farmers in villages. They eat raw green chilly also with it. The most tastiest combo(as per me) that too if you have one day old Jowar rotti.

When I checked my post, I was surprised and angry with myself for not posting any typical North Karnataka Dal or Saaru! So here is one of common saaru :

Whole Masoor  (Channangi bele or ಚನ್ನಂಗಿ ಬೇಳೆ) dal is very tasty to eat with rotti, chapati or rice. 

                                

Coming to the recipe,

Whole masoor - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1 small, chopped lengthwise

Tomato - 2 big, chopped

Curry leaves - few

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Garlic - 1 small pod(jawari), cleaned and crushed    

Salt to taste

Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp

Jaggery - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Wash masoor dal and soak for 15 minutes. Cook it till tender either in a vessel or cooker. Remove any skin comes out after boiling.

Heat oil in a vessel. Add mustard seeds, Jeera and curry leaves. Put onion and garlic. Fry till the color is changed. Now add all dry powders and tomato. Cover and cook till the tomato is almost cooked(may take 10 minutes). Now add jaggery and cooked dal. Add 1 cup of water. Boil for few minutes. Check the consistency of dal you need and adjust the seasoning. Cook for few more minutes. Dal is ready to eat.

For Jowar rotti (old post, click here)

Jowar(Millet) flour - 1 cup

Salt -1 tsp
Water – 1 cup (to make dough)
A square piece of cloth
Keep water in a vessel to boil. Add salt to it. Take Jowar flour in a big plate or wide vessel. Add little boiling water slowly to the flour and add little cold water and make the dough ready. It is not sticky like chapatti atta. It will be little softer. When you take it in hand and press it will spread easily. Keep little warm water in a vessel with cloth piece ready.
Now take a big lemon size and press it slowly to make it round. Spread little Jowar atta on the platform where you want to make rottis. Keep the flattened ball and slowly start patting. This is the tricky thing. You should be moving it circular while patting.(I don’t know whether “patting” is right word or not?). Again the tricky thing comes, to take it in hand and put it on hot tawa. Be very careful while doing this, otherwise rotti will be into pieces. After putting rotti in tawa, immediately spread little water with soaked cloth piece on the upper part. After few minutes, turn the rotti and just cook other side. You can press it with spatula to be sure that it’s cooked properly.

Serve hot with dal or wait for a day and eat with dal.

If you can eat only just one day old rotti, it tastes delicious. 

You can eat with any type of dal like toor dal, yellow moong dal or green moong dal.

Sending this to Pari's  THE COMBO EVENT 

Keep Smiling,

Jowar Vada (ಜೋಳದ ವಡೆ)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All

Back with our North Karnataka recipe. This is my favorite snack which you can have either with meals or as a tea time snack. In North Karnataka, it is prepared on every new moon day (Amavasye). I always used to wait for new moon day to eat this. Many other dishes are also prepared on this day. I will try to post those also in future.

Coming to the recipe,

Jowar flour - 1 cup

Green Moong gram flour - 1/2 cup (If it is not available, You can skip this)

Gram flour - 1 tbsp

Rice flour - 2 tbsp

(This much quantity will make around 12 to 15 vadas.)

Oil to fry

TO MAKE PASTE

Green chilly - 6 to 8 (according to your taste, use more or less)

Jeera - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - 2 lines

Fresh coriander - handful

Grind all with little water to make coarse paste

Mix all flours and the paste with water to make soft dough. Take care not to make it watery, or else the vadas will not come out. Keep it aside at least for half an hour.

Heat oil in thick bottomed kadai. Take big lime size dough, press on your palm in to round or oval shape. Slowly drop it  in hot oil. 

Let it fry for 5 seconds, turn it and fry till golden color. Repeat with other vadas also. You can make 3 to 5 vadas and fry at same time. 

Serve with curds and peanut chutney powder(click here for recipe)  when you are having with meals.

Or for tea time, you can have it with spicy coconut chutney.

Sending this to EC's event, WYF:Tea time snack event announcement

Hope all of you enjoy my come back recipe with hot cup of tea and Jowar vadas.

Keep smiling,

Award and Jowar rotti upma(ಕುಚ್ಚಿದ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ )

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi all,

After long time, I am again with North Karnataka recipe. This was very common in our house during our childhood. Almost twice a week, my mother used to prepare this in the night. As it is very simple and fast, it was easy for her to keep the dinner ready, after coming tired from the office. And we all enjoyed to eat it hot with ghee, pickle and onion. In typical North Karnataka(especially in Hubli-Dharwad language) language, we call it as Rotti oggarane(ರೊಟ್ಟಿ ಒಗ್ಗರಣೆ).

Here is the recipe,
One day old rotti or crispy rotti - 8 to 10
(Click Jowar rotti(Jolada rotti) for recipe)
Onion - 1 big
Curry leaves - few
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp or
Green chilly - 3 chopped
(in this photo I used chilly powder)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Tomato - 1 small
(my mother used to put 1 tbsp tamarind paste, you can choose according to your taste)
Salt to taste
Haldi - 1 pinch
Water - 1 cup apprx.
Break the rotti into pieces and keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard when it starts popping up, add jeera and curry leaves. Add onions and saute for a minute.
If you are using green chilly, now only add it with onion.
When the onion changes its color, add tomato mix it properly and wait till the tomato is half cooked. Add salt, haldi and water .

Once the water starts boiling, add the rotti pieces. Mix properly. Take care not to put more water.

Cook for few minute, stirring in between.

Jowar rotti upma is ready to eat with ghee, onion and pickle.

I have received this award from *sangi* 

Thank you so much Sangi.

This award goes with a fun meme which has to be passed onto 6 of ur favorite blogs and which has to be answered with only one word.

Here is the meme part: 

• Where is ur cell phone : Bed
• Ur hair:black
• ur mother: Sarojini
• Ur father: Mohan
• Ur fav food: Raw
• Ur dream last night:Forgets
• Ur fav drink:Carrot Orange Juice
• Ur dream:Live one day at a time
• Wat room u r in:Bedroom
• Ur hobby:Reading
• Ur fear:snakes
• Where do u want to be in 6 yrs:India
• Where r u last night:home
• Where did u grow up:Karnataka
• Last thing u did: watched movie
• Ur t.v:Off
• Ur pets:no
• Ur friends:very few
• Ur life:Simple
• Ur mood:Confused
• Missing some one:My freedom
• Vehicle:yes
• Something u r not wearing: Finger ring
• Ur fav store:Many
• Ur fav color: Green
• When was the last time u laughed:Just now!
• Last time u cried: Forgot
• Ur best friend:Books
• One place I go over and over:Nothing special
• One person who emails me regularly: Bhavana
• Fav place to eat: Dining Table

I would like to share this award with,

Sanghi
PJ 
Srivalli 
shanthi
Padma 
Malar


Keep smiling,

Jowar rotti ball(ಜೋಳದ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ ಉಂಡಿ)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi all,

Jowar Rotti ball(ಜೋಳದ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ ಉಂಡಿ) was one of my favourite food, my granny (ajji) used to make. Her food was always very tasty and the aroma of her food would reach the last house of chawl which was almost half kilometer long. I miss her food very much.
She used to make these rotti balls during night when we all used to sit around her and eat. As this has to be prepared only with hot rottis and should eat immidiately, night was the best time.
Here is the recipe,
The ingredients for one ball, as we can make only one ball at a time.
Hot rotti -1(Big and thick) for one ball (There is recipe for rotti also in my blog)
Garlic 1 clove
Fresh coriander - 1 tbsp(chopped)
Green chilli - 1 or 1/2 (as per your taste)
Curry leaves -2 to3
salt to taste
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Take all ingredients except rotti, crush it in the crusher or blender. keep it ready. Once the rotti is ready remove it, tear it into pieces and put with the ready paste. Crush again with the paste. Add ghee and make ball with both the hands and serve hotttttttt.

You will not count how many you had!!!!!!

Keep smiling,

Jowar rotti(Jolada rotti)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi all,

Jowar (Millet) rotti (ಜೋಳದ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ)is very common in North Karnataka.(They call Bhakkari also for this rotti.)
It is a healthy food. Back in India, in my house we eat both the times. And there is always full one box of crispy and thin rottis(In Hubli - Dharwad we call it "kataka rotti"(ಕಟಕ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ) or "birasa rotti"(ಬಿರಸ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ), which we can have with different types of chutney powder and curds.
But to make this rotti is little tricky and comes only by practice. I always remember a lady “Mallavva” who used to come to make rottis in my house and I am thankful to her that she taught me to make rottis. She always used to say, Man is born before all these things, so nothing is impossible.
Here is the recipe:
Jowar flour - 1 cup
Salt -1 tsp
Water – 1 cup (to make dough)
A square piece of cloth
Keep water in a vessel to boil. Add salt to it. Take Jowar flour in a big plate or wide vessel. Add little boiling water slowly to the flour and add little cold water and make the dough ready. It is not sticky like chapatti atta. It will be little softer. When you take it in hand and press it will spread easily. Keep little warm water in a vessel with cloth piece ready.
Now take a big lemon size and press it slowly to make it round. Spread little Jowar atta on the platform where you want to make rottis. Keep the flattened ball and slowly start patting. This is the tricky thing. You should be moving it circular while patting.(I don’t know whether “patting” is right word or not?). Again the tricky thing comes, to take it in hand and put it on hot tawa. Be very careful while doing this, otherwise rotti will be into pieces. After putting rotti in tawa, immediately spread little water with soaked cloth piece on the upper part. After few minutes, turn the rotti and just cook other side. You can press it with spatula to be sure that it’s cooked properly.
Remove and serve hot.
But I like to eat one day old rotti.

Keep smiling,