Vangibath Uppittu

Vangibath Uppittu
How much I hated uppittu while I was growing up. Everytime it was made, heard lot of scolding from Mom for not finishing it completely. Sometimes it was the onion we did not like, sometimes its too hot, sometimes hated the tomatoes..many reasons were given to escape eating this concrete. Yes, thats right, thats what I called it. Mom even stopped using tomatoes in it. She always made uppittu on weekends and made us eat it in front of our Dad. She knew the trick. In front of Dad, we would only whisper to her or make signs that we are done with it. Nope..she was cruel when it came to uppittu, she wanted us to finish it. She never gave up though... Now I crave for bisi bisi uppittu.
Below is her version of uppittu using the vangibath powder.

Ingredients:
Rava - 2 cups ( either whole wheat rava or the white rava)
Onion - 2
Mixed vegetables - 3 cup (cabbage, beans, peas, carrot, double beans, etc..)
Vangibath powder - 3 tsp or more according to spicy requirement
Turmeric - 1tsp
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Kadle bele - 2 tsp (Channa dal)
Curry Leaves - 10
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Grated Coconut or powder - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 3 (slit the chillies)
Oil - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Roast the rava for 6-8 mins on low flame and keep aside. ( this is necessary so that it does not form lumps)
2. Take deep falt pan or pressure cooker and heat oil.
3. Add mustard and kadle bele after the mustard dances around in the pan.
4. Next add kadle bele and fry for 2 mins until it turns light red in color.
5. Add sliced onions, green chillies, ginger pieces, curry leaves and fry until onions are half done.
6. Add vegetables and fry for 5 mins.
7. Add vangibhath powder, turmeric and 5 cups of water and salt and let it come to a boil. ( Taste and let it be little saltier. The salt gets absorbed by veggies and later by rava)
8. Boil until the veggies are cooked.
9. Using a stirrer as shown in the image below, slowly add the rava and constantly keep stirring so as not to form lumps.
10. When all the rava goes in, it will almost very thick in consistency and will be difficult to use the stirrer. At this point add the coconut and coriander leaves and let it stand on low heat for 5-8 mins. Turn off the heat and let it stand for another 10 mins.
11. Serve uppittu with pickle or raita.

Bendekai Huli

Bendekai is also called as Lady's finger or Okra
Ingredients:
Bendekai - 1 pound
Onion - 2 small
Coconut powder - 1/2 cup
Curry powder - 2 tsp ( increase if you need it spicy)
Turmeric - 1tsp
Tamarind paste - 2tsp
Coriander leaves - 3 stalks
Mustard - 1 tsp
Oil for sauting - 1 tblsp
Onion slices for sauting
Salt to taste

Directions
1. Grind all the following into a paste. (Onion, coconut, coriander leaves, curry powder, turmeric, tamarind paste)
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and wait till slplutters.
3. Add onion slices and fry for a min.
4. Add bendekai or cut okra and fry for 5-6 mins. (Make sure the okra is not wet due to wasking. Wash the okra before cutting)

5. Add the grinded mixture and fry for 2 mins.
6. Add salt and let it cook until the bendekai is just cooked but not mushy.
7. Serve with rice or chapathi.

Beet Root Palya

Beet Root Palya

Ingredients:
Beet root - 3
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Channa Dal - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies - 6
Curry leaves - 10
Oil for tadka
Ginger (grated) - 1/2tsp
Coriander Leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Grate the beet roots.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and wait for it to splutter.

3. Add channa dal, fry until it turns slight brown. (make sure not to burn it)

4. Add ginger pieces, green chillies, curry leaves and fry for a min.

5. Add chopped onions and fry for 2-3 mins.
6. Add grated beet root and fry for 2 mins.

7. Add salt to taste, cover and cook for 5-8 mins on low flame and stir the contents in between.

8. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Enjoy the side dish.

Tomato Bhajji

Tomato Bhajji

In Bengaluru, just like any south indian household, rice is the main staple. Cooked rice is mixed with different types of saru, sambhar, gojju, bajjis, rasams,..etc. As kids I and my sisters were ok with saru, sambhars but bajji's , never liked them. They are thicker in consistency than sambhars, and have no vegetables or lentils in them. But there was always a side-dish to go with it or happala (papads). As we grew up like most of adults started liking it. Also one of the quick recipe to prepare.

Ingredients:

Onion - 1

Tomato - 2

Fried grams (hurigadale) - 4 tsp

Coconut - 1/2 cup

Curry powder - 2tsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves - 3-4 stalks

Oggarane

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves

Onion slices - 3-4

Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Except the oggarane items, blend rest of them into fine paste.

2. In a medium pan, heat oil and add mustard, red chillies, onion slices and curry leaves (not shown as I did not have curry leaves this time).

3. To this add the blended mixture and add water so as to maintain a thick consistency.

4. After 15 mins, add salt accordingly and cook for another 5 mins.

5. Serve with rice and little ghee.

Cabbage-Channa Palya

Cabbage Chickpeas Palya

Wow! its spring time now and weekend on top of that. Should be the best days but weather was not on our side this time. Its cloudy, chillier to venture outside. Thought having a Bengaluru oota for lunch. I was in the process of making tomato bhajji and the only veggie which was still sitting in the fridge was Cabbage. Last time I made cabbage with chickpeas, R's friend's family enjoyed it. So here is the side dish from today's lunch.

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 1/2

Chickpeas - 1 cup

Capsicum - 1 optional (Bell Pepper)

Green chillies - 2

Grated Ginger - 1/2 tsp

Mustard - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 Tblsp

Kasuri methi - 2 tsp

Coriander for garnishing

Salt for taste

Directions:

1. Chop cabbage & capsicum and cook chickpeas if not using canned one.

2. Heat oil in a big pan.

3. Add mustard, slit green chillies ginger and fry for 30 secs.

4. Add chopped cabbage and fry for 5 mins.

5. Add capsicum and fry for another 5 mins.

6. Next add turmeric, chilli powder, kasuri methi and masala powder.

7. Add cooked chickpeas, salt and stir the mixture and let it cook on low flame for another 5 mins.

8. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Masala Puri

Bengaluru Masala Puri.

Hmm Yummy..What I miss most in US and this one makes to the top of the list. While in 12th grade I ate this almost after every lunch. The Masala puri guy was always parked in front our college. Last time when I was in India, I ate this every day the last seven days. Even on the day I was to leave, thanks to my sis Dee, she took me out for the last plate of namma Bengaluru Masala puri. All I can say about it is while typing and uploading the pictures for this blog, I am already craving for it.

Ingredients:

Puri - 1pk (Indian shop)

Dry peas soaked - 3 cups

Onion - 2 1/2

Carrot - 1

Tomato - 2

Coriander Leaves = 1/2 bunch

Pudina(mint leaves) - handful

Ginger - 1 inch

Garlic - 4 cloves

Ginger - Garlic paste - 2 tsp

Black pepper - 10

Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp

Bay leaf - 3

Green Chillies - 10

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Chat Masala - 2 tsp

Tamarind Paste

Sev for garnishing

Lemon - 1

Oil - 2tsp

Directions

1. Cook the well soaked peas and keep aside

2. Fry cumin seeds, 1/2 chopped onion and 3 green chillies for 2 mins

3. Transfer them to a blender and add rest of the green chillies, cinnamon powder, pudina, 1/2 coriander leaves, black pepper, ginger garlic, 1/2 cup of cooked peas and grind them to a paste.

4. Fry 1/2 onion, ginger garlic paste in little oil on low flame.

5. After 3-4 mins, add the paste and bay leaves and let the masala cook on low flame for 10 mins until you get the desired consistency.

6. Arrange puri and some peas as shown in the image below

7. Pour the masala mixture over it.

8. Layer the top with chopped onion, tomatoes, coriander leaves and sev.

9. Squeeze lemon juice over this and enjoy the tasty Masala puri before it becomes cold.

Cabbage Peas palya

Cabbage Peas palya

This was one of the side dish, I had prepared when we had friends for dinner. This recipe is for Dee, who searched for this recipe on this lemon spice kitchen.

Ingredients

Cabbage - 3 cup

Peas - 1 cup

Oil - 3 tsp

Mustard - 1tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Kasuri Methi - 2 tsp

Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp ( increase if need more spice)

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves - 10 stalks

Salt to taste.

Directions

1. Heat oil and add mustard and cumin seeds.

2. Add the frozen peas or cooked peas and fry for 5 mins.

3. Add red chilli powder and turmeric.

4. Add the chopped cabbage and fry for few mins.

5. Add salt and kasuri methi and let it cook on slow heat for 8 mins.

6. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Coconut chutney

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:
Coconut (grated or powder) - 1 cup
Green chillies - 8
Garlic clove - 1
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Fried grams - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 5 stalks
Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp
Salt for taste

For Tadka
Oil - 1tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Channa Dal - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 5
Red chilli - 2

Directions
1. Blend all the items under ingredients list with enough water to get a thick consistency and a rough texture.

2. Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard when it is hot.

3. Add channa dal and fry until it turns light brown.

4. Add curry leaves and red chilli and fry for 30 secs.

5. Add this tadka mixture to the chutney.

6. Serve chutney with iddli, dose or rotis.