A - Z Idli Series ~ H for Halasina Hannina Idli / Halasina Hannina Kadubu (Jackfruit Idlis)

The inspiration for my idli series came from Karnataka cuisine which has a wide range of traditional idli recipes. These jackfruit  idlis are one among the bunch which are commonly prepared in the South Canara region. These idli indeed are unique compared to the other versions tastewise and in terms of preparation. They are usually steamed in envelopes of teak leaves which lend their aroma and color to the dish. In lieu of it, banana leaves are used and of course in absence of both, idli moulds or small cups can be used to make these idlis.

Jackfruit is extensively used in cooking in the coastal areas of Karnataka. It is called halasina hannu in Kannada, pelakayi in Tulu and ponosu in Konkani and so the dish goes by different names. Gujje gatti is a local name. Jackfruit idlis are called halasina hannina kadubu / gatti / idli in Kannada. The names pelata gatti or pelakayi gidde in Tulu allude to teak leaves that are used to steam them. They go by ponsa muddo in Konkani if they are steamed in leaves or else ponsa idli. 

These idlis are a common preparation during the jackfruit season in Mangalore / Udupi areas and the same batter can be used to prepare fritters by adding some extra rice flour. The idlis are usually on a sweet side, redolent with the fruit flavor. Jackfruit is the star ingredient of the dish and one cannot miss either the flavor or the  fragrant aroma of the bulbs in the dish. 

These idlis are made with a batter prepared using rice/rice rava, jackfruit, coconut and jaggery. The amount of jaggery used in the recipe depends upon the sweetness of the jackfruit bulbs used. If jack fruit bulbs are sweeter then less jaggery is used and vice versa but it should be noted that these idlis are on a sweeter side. I used tinned jack frit bulbs which were sweet. The jackfruit idlis can be prepared using either rice or rice rava / idli rava or even toasted semolina. I have used rice rava here. If using rice, it needs to be soaked for a couple of hours and then ground into a slightly coarse paste.

These idlis are served for breakfast along with coffee with no side dishes or served with just some ghee / honey. I enjoyed them on their own. The extras can be refrigerated and should be finished with in a day or two. They can be frozen as well as I have done. Just nuke them in a microwave when needed in a microwave safe dish, covered and they come out soft and piping hot.

Ingredients: (Yield - about 10 idli)

2 cups jackfruit pieces

1/2 cup shredded fresh coconut 

1 cup jaggery, powdered (or adjust as needed)

2 cardamom pods

A pinch of salt

3/4 cup rice rava / idli rava (Fine cracked rice)

2 - 3 tbsp. water 

Ghee to grease the idli plates

Directions:

* Add jackfruit pieces, coconut, jaggery, cardamom and salt together to a blender / food processor.

* Blend the ingredients together to a paste.

 * Add rice rava to the bowl and just pulse to combine. (If using soaked rice instead of rava, drain the water completely from the rice and add it to the jackfruit puree. Blend it into slightly coarse paste without adding water.)

* Transfer the rice rava - jackfruit mixture to a bowl. Cover and keep it aside for about 20 - 30 minutes.

* The mixture should be thicker than the regular idli batter. However if the mixture appears too thick after the resting period, add a few tbsp. of water to the bowl and mix well. (I added about 2 tbsp. of water.)

* Heat water in a idli cooker / pressure cooker / steamer base on medium heat.

* Grease the idli plates and fill them with the jackfruit batter. Place the idli stand in the steamer and close the lid. Don't use the pressure valve if using pressure cooker.

* On low medium flame. steam for about 20 minutes or until when the surface of the idlis don't stick when touched with moist fingers. Turn off the stove and let sit for about 10 minutes.
* Run a sharp spoon around the edges of idlis and remove the idlis. 

* They can be served plain or with ghee or honey. Serve them warm for breakfast along with coffee.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon #122 and check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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Happy Diwali & Jackfruit Halwa

Before proceeding to the recipe, we wish you all a safe and happy diwali.

My recipe for today with fruit themed cooking is jackfruit halwa. Semolina halwa / rava kesari / sheera happens to be one of the quickly prepared yummy desserts in India. It is particularly popular with the novice cooks because of the easy preparation. Adding fruits to this halwa naturally makes it more flavorful and delicious. The most common choices to prepare fruit kesaris happen to be bananas and pineapples. In today's version, jackfruit has been added. And obviously, the halwa is redolent with rich flavors of jackfruit making it a simple, droolworthy dessert.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Chopped Jackfruit (I used canned ones after draining the  syrup and washing them.)
1/2 cup Semolina
2 Tbsp Ghee,
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Almond slices
Saffron / Yellow food color - a pinch

Method:
* Dry toast the semolina and keep aside.
* Melt the ghee and fry the jackfruit for 4 - 5 minutes.
* Then add about 1.5  - 2 cups of water and food color. Bring the water to a rolling boil.
* Lower the heat and add semolina in a slow, steady stream, while constantly stirring with the other hand. Stir well so that the mixture has no lumps. Cover and cook until the semolina is done.
* Then add the sugar and sliced almonds. Cook until the sugar melts and gets incorporated into the mixture. Turn off the stove.
* Serve warm.

This is my third day entry of blogging marathon #9. Check what other marathoners are cooking.

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Custard Fruit Salad

A bowl of colorful fruits is definitely an eye candy and of course beneficial when consumed. :) An addition of creamy, sweet custard takes it to a whole new level. Fruits and custard together form a delectable combo, I would love to say.

Custard fruit salad / fruit custard is a simple and easy option when looking for hasslefree, quick desserts or when you are bored to eat plain old fruits. Custard can be made in a jiffy; it can be made ahead and refrigerated for a couple of days.

Ingredients: (6 servings)
2 cups milk
2 cups fruits (chopped into cubes)*
2.5 - 3 Tbsp Vanilla flavored custard powder
Sugar to taste
* I used apple, banana, pear, strawberries, nectarine and jackfruit. Any combination of fresh fruit would work but try to use a colorful mixture for the fruit custard to look appealing. 

Method:
* To a bowl, add 1/2 cup of milk (that is at room temperature). Or if the milk is cold, just warm it in the microwave. Add custard powder to it and mix well so that it blends well with out any lumps. Don't try to add custard powder to cold milk. It just doesn't blend.
* Meanwhile, bring the rest of the milk to a boil. Add the custard - milk mixture and sugar to it. Lower the heat and go on stirring since the mixture starts to get thickened. Keep stirring till a creamy consistency is attained and the raw smell disappears.
The custard further thickens after refrigeration and hence stop cooking a little before the desired consistency is reached. And no need to panic if it thickens. Just add extra milk to it.
* Let cool the custard. Add the prepared fruit and chill the mixture before serving.
* Add a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream for a pleasant surprise while serving.

This cool salad is going to be my 5th day entry of blogging marathon - 9th edition. I am also sending this to "Soups & Salads Mela" by Srivalli.

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Kayi Holige / Coconut Poli

Holige = Obbattu = Holiga = Poli = Bobbattlu => A sweet delicacy from India



Yes, I have saved the best for the last part of my CFK.
I grew up and have spent two thirds of my life in a state where every celebration, bigger or smaller is impossible with out holige / obbattu on the menu. It would have been a shame if I had not posted a holige recipe when I am hosting an event that is dedicated to festive foods. I see all Kannadigas nodding their heads. :)  Holige plays a major role in Karnataka cuisine and this delicacy enjoys a 'royal' status there. 'Holige oota' - The food including these sweet flatbreads is considered to be the ultimate feast one can serve to their guests. Festivals, engagements / marriages, graduations, welcoming home a new son-in-law or a baby, a new home / job (for that matter, any reason under the sun that one can think of that has brought joy to life) has to be celebrated with these holiges, of course lovingly prepared by dear mothers or chefs if prepared on a big scale!
Holige making is considered an art and usually the job is reserved to the experienced matron figure of the family. As I mentioned above they are flat breads with a sweet stuffing. The usual traditional stuffing can be pureed toordal / chanadal or coconut ones sweetened with jaggery and flavored with aromatic cardamom. Usually when moongdal filling is used, sugar is the preferred sweetener. I have noticed that even a traditional poli could become versatile depending upon one's creativity and experiments. Now coming back to the traditional ones, kayi holige or kayobbattu is said to be one of the tougher ones to nail down. They are supposed to be wafer thin and some experience helps in perfecting them. My mom usually prepares and prefers coconut stuffed ones since they can be stored longer, about a month or so with out any refrigeration. Some stores in Bangalore sell them in plastic packets because of their long shelf life.
The outer layer uses the chiroti rave along with maida. Chiroti rave happens to be finer semolina than the regular version that is used to prepare upmas. As the name suggests, it is used in preparation of another delicacy from the state, chirotis. Chirotis happen to be one more sweet delicacy from Karnataka and usually appear on wedding menus. Their preparation is left to seasoned chefs since the preparation process happens to be an elaborate one.

The following ingredients make around 22 obbattus. My mother though added the ingredients for the stuffing and the dough with out any measuring tools, they were perfect. We were not left with any of the stuffing or the dough.
Since I don't do pictorial explanations, I didn't take pictures for each step. I will try to update the post with new images for a better understanding of the recipe.

Ingredients for the stuffing:
4 cups finely shredded fresh coconut*
3 cups powdered jaggery (or less if you find the mixture sweeter)
1 tsp powdered cardamom

* It is important to note that the coconut needs to be very finely shredded. I had used the frozen, shredded coconut and since the gratings were larger, I just ran it through food processor for a minute so that it was finely shredded.

Preparing the stuffing:
Add everything to a thick bottomed or a non-stick pan and start cooking on medium low flame till it thickens. It took me around 25 minutes to cook it. To know whether it is done, do this test. Take a tsp of the stuffing, make it into a ball and try to pat it on a plastic sheet with your fingers. You must be able to spread it with out any difficulty. It should not curl back.
Let it cool. At this stage, either you can use it to prepare holiges or can refrigerate it to use later. It can be stored refrigerated for at least a couple of weeks. This step can hence be done very well in advance.

Ingredients for the outer layer:
Chiroti Rava / Very fine semolina - 1 & 1/4 cups
Maida / All Purpose flour - Half the quantity of rava
Oil - 6 to 7 Tbsp



Preparing the dough for the outer layer:
Combine the flour and rava in a bowl. Add sufficient water (I added about 1 cup minus 1 Tbsp) and make a thick dough as roti / poori dough. Then add the oil gradually and keep kneading so that the oil gets incorporated well into the dough. According to my mother's instructions I kept kneading it for at least 15 minutes.  My mother swears that this much of kneading (and the addition of that much of oil too) is really important and one shouldn't skip this step. 
Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

Making obbattus:
* Pinch about a small lime sized dough and place it on a greased banana leaf or a thick plastic sheet that is greased.
* Now using your fingers, pat and flatten it into a thin circle of about 3 inch diameter.
* Place about a lime sized ball of stuffing at the center of the dough circle. Bring the edges of the dough from all sides to cover the stuffing completely. Now the stuffing should be well inside the dough casing.
* Again flatten it with your fingers and go on patting it carefully so that it results in a thin, flat circle with stuffing not spilled out. Take care that the edges have stuffing too so that you don't end up eating hard edges.
The below one was stuffed by me on my first trial and hence looks like that.:)



* Meanwhile heat a griddle / tava / or a shallow pan. Now place the disc on it and fry it both sides till it is done by flipping it once or twice and adding a half spoon of oil / ghee around the edges while doing so.



* Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough and the stuffing. You can prepare the discs and do the frying part simultaneously. 
Enjoy them with a spoon of melted ghee.
Cool the rest and store them in an airtight container. They remain good atleast for a month, unrefrigerated.

I am really glad to send them over to my CFK - Festive Foods, an event originally started by Sharmi.

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Jack Fruit Halwa

My procrastination always ends me up in either sending last minute entries for the cooking events on blogosphere or totally skipping them, though I would have thought well before hand what I am going to do. This time it was different, when Bee and Jai announced Jack fruit as the ingredient for JIHVA. From the day, they announced their ingredient for Jihva to the moment when I added ingredients to the pot to come up with an entry, I was clueless.

Though we are fond of the fragrant, flavorful fruit, I had never seen my mom cooking with jack fruit, I had never eaten any jack fruit dish or never liked a fruit in savory dishes. My husband who had tasted raw jackfruit curry earlier was not interested in it either. A big thanks to Bee and Jai. Like that Poirot, after a long time, they put my grey cells to work.

Finally, I thought of experimenting for a sweet dish. I put all those ingredients that I thought would make the dish delicious, into a pot. Until the final stages, I was not sure what it is going to be. I thought if it reaches burfi stage, then I would call it burfi or else halwa. As you see, it became jack fruit halwa. By the way, it IS delicious (like any Indian sweet should be) with a hint of jackfruit flavor and I am going to make it more often.

Ingredients:

Jack fruit (sheaths around the seeds), chopped into pieces - 1/2 cup

Besan / Gram flour- 1/2 cup

Coconut, grated - 1 /2 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee - 4 or 5 Tbsp

Cardamom Powder, Powdered - 1/4 tsp

Raisins and Cashews - 2 Tbsp

Dry fry the besan on low flame in a nonstick pot, till you start to notice the aroma. It would take around a couple of minutes. Keep aside.

Grind the jack fruit pieces, coconut along with milk till all the jack fruit pieces are ground.

Add the ground mixture, sugar, 4 tbsp of ghee and cardamom powder to the besan and start to cook on low flame. Within a short time, you would notice all the mixture starting to turn into one big mass.

After the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan and turns into a big mass, Keep stirring for about another 5 - 10 minutes and turn off the stove.
Heat a Tbsp of ghee in a small pan and add raisins and cashews to it. When cashews turn golden brown and raisins turn plump, turn off the stove. Add them to halwa and stir once.

Serve Warm or cold.

* I wanted to see if I could make burfis out of it and therefore kept stirring for another 20 minutes till my arms started aching. I am not sure whether that mixture could have reached burfi stage. So, anybody following this recipe could happily skip this part.

Jack Fruit Halwa ~ My entry for JFI - Jack fruit event hosted by Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi this month.

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