Spicy Oats Khichdi

For the final week of this month's blogging marathon, I need to cook from three blogs that are a part of this marathon. Valli chose our partners and my first post is from PJ's blog. She has a good collection of vegetarian recipes and I cooked a couple more from her blog other than this khichdi. I have been following her enough during these marathons to know that Padma is gungho over oats as I am about ragi/quinoa. :) I have been seeing these spicy oats posts everywhere and decided to try her masala oats porridge for my breakfast today. The plain old, boring oats get a spicy south Indian touch here. I skipped the onions and went with old fashioned oats and had a healthy, filling breakfast under 10 minutes. Using frozen vegetables / quick cooking oats hasten the cooking process.

Ingredients for 1 serving:
For tadka: 1 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp minced ginger, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp urad dal / skinned black gram, few curry leaves
1 tsp sambhar powder
Salt to taste
1 cup water

4 - 6 Tbsp chopped mixed vegetables (I used carrot, beans and peas)
1/2 cup oats


Method:
* Heat oil and add the tadka ingredients. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add water, salt and sambhar powder. If you want a thicker version like the one pictured above, then go with 3/4 cup of water. I added a cup of water.
* Add vegetables to the water and cook. Or meanwhile, cook the vegetables in a microwave for about 4 -5 minutes. If using frozen vegetables, there is no need to cook them. They can be just added along with the oats.
* Add oats and cook according to the instructions on low flame until done. Old fashioned oats take about 5 minutes to cook. 
* Serve warm.

Check out here to know what other participating marathoners are cooking.

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Mango Lassi

Lassi is a traditional yogurt based drink, preferred during the summer months since yogurt acts as a coolant. Lassis originated from the Punjab region though they are now equally popular everywhere in India. There are both savory and sweetened versions. And the modern versions use fruits too, the mango being the most popular one.

And for me especially who grew up eating mangoes along with yogurt rice, mango - yogurt combination is irresistible. Be it the mango shrikhand or this lassi / smoothie, anything is more than welcome at my home. I couldn't complete this week's marathon without our favorite drink lassi, especially when I was using the mango pulp. I find mango lassi appealing to both eyes and palate. Sweetened mango pulp blended with yogurt and milk yields a rich, flavorful and yummy drink. A perfect one for these scorching days. If using fresh fruit, remember to use ripened, sweet and less fibrous variety.

Ingredients for each serving:

1/2 cup kesar mango pulp (or slightly more quantity if using fresh mango pieces.)

1/2 cup yogurt 

1/4 cup milk

Sugar to taste (I added 1 oz sweetener.)

A few strands of saffron soaked in 1 Tbsp of warm milk

Almonds / Pistachios to garnish 

Method:

Blend mango pulp, milk, yogurt and sugar. Garnish with saffron and nuts. Serve chilled if preferred or add ice cubes while blending the ingredients. I personally don't prefer adding ice cubes since they dilute the beverages. I instead had put the mango pulp in the freezer for about an hour and added chilled milk to blend. You can even add cardamom powder if preferred.

Check out here to know what other participating marathoners are cooking.

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Kesar Exotica

 

During the summer months, a serving of mixed fruits with vanilla ice cream, custard or mango sauce sounds so soothing and appealing to our palates. I found a similar recipe on the kesar mango pulp can I had and tried it as I was sure that we would like it. We were immediately sold though my presentation doesn't do much justice to this yummy dessert. I would have ended up with a better picture showing all the ingredients if I had put the mango pulp for a while in the freezer. I didn't and so all the ice cream  ended up looking melted. However I assure you that this delectable dessert is an appealing one. A quick one to put together and needs no cooking. My kind of dessert when there is company. :)

Ingredients: (2 servings)
1 cup kesar mango pulp
1/2 cup chopped mixed fruits (I used orange, nectarines, bananas and apples.)
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
Wafer cookies (optional)

Method:
* Scoop out vanilla ice cream into a tall glass.
* Pour mango pulp over it.
* Top with mixed fruits and also some whipped cream if desired.
* Decorate with crumbled wafer cookies. Serve chilled.

Check out here to know what other participating marathoners are cooking.

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Mango - Sago Kheer / Mango - Tapioca Pearl Pudding

 

Blame my luck, I couldn't get hold of mangoes either raw or a good variety of ripened ones when I chose to post mango based recipes  this week for BM#28. The kesar mango pulp can I had in my pantry came for my rescue for my Day 1 post. If I cannot get hold of some mangoes even during this week's grocery trip, the other two recipes are also going to end up being made with the pulp. :)
I usually prefer the commercially sold sweetened puree of the kesar mango variety when making aamrakhand or the cake because of the beautiful, vibrant hue it imparts to the dishes. For today's recipe, I chose to go with a kheer that is simple, quick and yummy. I had previously tried this mango version kheer with both vermicelli and rice. And so thought of trying with sago today as the previous versions were liked at home. Using readymade pulp of course reduces the mess and this kheer is done in no time. It is done faster than the vermicelli kheer.

Ingredients: (2 servings)
2 Tbsp sago / sabudaana (I used fine variety)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup kesar mango pulp
Sugar / sweetener only if needed
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

  
Method:
* Wash sago and cook in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle adding a cup of water. If using not fine variety, sago can be cooked up to three whistles. Or the sago can be cooked in a nonstick sauce pan on stove top until sago is cooked. The sago would look transparent when properly cooked.
* Pour the cooked sago into a fine meshed sieve or a tea strainer and wash with plenty of water to get rid of the starch.
* Boil milk in another sauce pan and add the cooked sago. Add cardamom and cook for a couple of minutes more. Turn off the stove and let the mixture come to room temperature.
* Just stir in the sweetened mango pulp to the sago milk mixture and serve chilled if preferred.

Notes:
1. If fresh mango is being used instead of the readymade sweetened pulp, just pass the mango flesh through a blender and stir in at the end. Taste the mango and check if sugar is needed. While boiling the milk - sago mixture, add sugar if needed. Let cool and stir in the mango puree.
2. Garnish of ghee toasted raisins and cashews can be added if preferred. Or garnish with mango cubes.

Check out here to know what other participating marathoners are cooking. 

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Sanna ~ Mangalorean Idlis

Blogging comes across as a rewarding experience whenever I get a chance to try out a new recipe - a recipe that turns out great and  satisfies our palates beyond our expectations. A recipe that I have pretty slim chances of trying out personally, if not for blogging. My interest is piqued more when the recipe is an authentic, traditional one and the blogger appears to have a local knowledge about the recipe in a true sense unlike the cookbook authors. That's what happened when this month's Indian Cooking Challenge "Sanna" was announced. We got introduced to a new recipe which I am going to cherish forever.
The recipe came from Shireen's blog Ruchik Randhap , sannas being a speciality from Mangalore / Goan regions. Practically my whole life in India was spent in Karnataka but still I had never heard of "sanna". The reason being the differences between Bangalore and Mangalore / Konkani cuisines are as wide as chalk and cheese. Now I have heard about it, I am  wondering how to pronounce the name. :)

 

Now coming to what sannas are, they can be loosely translated as cousins of fluffy, soft idlis - another speciality of the south Indian region. Rice - urad dal mixture is ground and fermented like idlis albeit the sanna recipe uses yeast / toddy / arrack to ferment. And needs less time to get fermented when compared to idlis, given that it is warm outside or the batter is fermented in a warm place. And one more pronounced difference is that the sannas are steamed in ramekins called gindul and steamed in a special steamer called tondor. In absence of those, one can use any stainless steel / aluminium small cups and a steamer / pressure cooker. Idli stand should work too but I am guessing the shapes of idlis / sanna vary slightly. Preparing sanna is a breeze if you know how to make idlis. Even if you haven't, the detailed pictorial description below should give you a decent idea. It is not really hard as it sounds.

It was mentioned that the batter left overnight to ferment turns sour. Owing to the weather I have in my neighborhood, I can never get the batter ready for breakfast at 6 am in the morning. What I did was soaked the ingredients overnight, ground the batter around 7 am in my wet grinder and had the batter ready by 11 am so that I could have my sannas for lunch. The extras I refrigerated and again steamed them for few minutes next day morning for breakfast. They taste fresh and good as a new batch. Preparing them in advance for next day's breakfast sounds sensible.

Ingredients: (yield a dozen)
3/4 cup parboiled rice (I used idli rice.)
1/4 cup raw rice (I used extra long grain rice.)
2 Tbsp / a fistful skinned black gram (urad dal)
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar (for yeast solution )
2 - 3 Tbsp tepid water(for yeast solution)
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar

Note: I have noticed that parboiled rice and idli rice are not one and the same though par boiled rice is called idli rice. Parboiled rice is slender, and beige / creamish colored while the idli rice pictured below is short and white. Correct me if I am wrong and those two rices are the boiled and unboiled versions of the same rice.

I was skeptical initially about the yeast and was worried about the smell it may impart to the dish. However after trying out the recipe which indeed yields true kind of fluffy, light, soft sannas, the light yeast odor was negligible. I was mostly worried about my husband's response as he is a great fan of idlis. To my surprise, he was the one who enjoyed them most saying that they were really good. We had them with chutney and sambhar.

Preparing the batter:
* Soak rices and urad dal separately for a minimum of three hours. 
Throw away the water used to soak and wash them once with fresh batch of water. 

(I soaked the ingredients together overnight. I usually soak all the ingredients together while preparing idli / dosa batters. It doesn't make a difference whether you soak/grind them separately or individually as long as the final battter is ground fine.)

* Grind dal and rice finely, adding water only as much as needed. The batter should be like a thick dosa batter and not runny. You can grind the dal and rices individually but I ground them together. Collect the batter into a container big enough to hold it when it ferments and more than doubles.

* Combine sugar and yeast to a bowl and add tepid water to it.  Allow it to stand for about 10 minutes. By the time, the yeast ferments and the solution turns frothy. Stir once to make sure that the yeast is dissolved.
* Stir and add the yeast mixture to the batter. Then add salt and sugar and mix well.

* Cover the batter and allow it to ferment undisturbed for a couple of hours in a warm place. ( I hardly had around 15 deg C temperature outside when I prepared the batter. I left the batter in my convection oven only leaving the light on. Please note that I did not turn on my oven. It took about 4 hours for the batter to ferment but what I gathered is that it takes only a couple of hours to ferment in warm climates.)
Just notice how the batter more than doubled after fermentation and so remember to use a big container.

Now the important tip. Don't try to stir the batter once it is fermented. If you try to do it, the sannas may turn out flat. This is how the fermented batter looks - light and fluffy.

* Pour enough water into a steamer or pressure cooker. Grease the ramekins  / small cups and spoon the batter, just filling them up to half. (I found just placing the cups on my idli plates easier for steaming.)

* Place them in a steamer and steam them on low for 15 - 20 minutes. Turn off the stove and remove them after about ten minutes.  
* Gently run a sharp spoon around the edges and unmold the sannas.

Shireen mentioned that the sannas are usually a part of festivities and they can be served along with sambhar / chutney just like idlis or with any vegetarian / non vegetarian curries or even with sweetened coconut milk. They can be dunked in evening coffee / tea or left overs can be used as a snack by deep frying them. Or sweeter or savory versions of sanna can be made too.

 

Phew, I didn't foresee this turning out to be such a long post. :)

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