I came across this one while exploring traditional pudding versions prepared around the globe. Sutlac, muhallebi and keskul are dairy based puddings from Turkey. My version today is a quick and easy rice - almond flour based pudding called keskul and is prepared along the lines of a phirni. This version is the easiest one I came across and some versions even had eggs. This is a delicious, creamy dessert with bites of coconut and nuts that provides an interesting crunch to it. I added more ground almonds than recommended and prepared it with a thicker consistency. More milk can be added if one prefers to keep it thinner.
The original recipe had an interesting anecdote, connecting 'keskul' to Ottoman empire. A keskul is a bowl prepared with a coconut shell. Sultan's people would go around disguised as beggars, collecting money in keskul bowls. The money collected would give them an indication of the people's status. And the money then used to get distributed among the poor.
Ingredients: (Yield - 2 small servings)
1.5 cup milk
2 tbsp. rice flour
1.5 tbsp. almond flour (I used about 3 tbsp. ground almonds)
2 tbsp. coconut flakes
Sugar to taste
Directions:
* Whisk about 1/2 cup milk with rice flour until there are no lumps or pass the mixture through a fine sieve.
* Add this mixture, remaining milk, almond flour, coconut and sugar in a thick bottomed pot or a non stick one. Cook on low medium flame until the mixture thickens, continuously stirring. I blindly cooked the mixture for about 15 minutes in a non stick pot, stirring the mixture intermittently. Leave a ladle inside the pot to avoid the mixture from boiling over while cooking.
* Chill the pudding and distribute between bowls. Garnish with chopped almonds / pisatchios / raisins before serving.
The three posts this week as part of the blogging marathon are going to be milk based puddings. The first one in the series is going to be this amaranth pudding with a chocolate base. I initially wanted to cook amaranth pudding, the Indian kheer style but at the end decided to change the course. I cooked amaranth in milk to a thick mass and stirred in some chocolate and sweetener which resulted in a yummy dessert. I cooked a small portion for myself but my daughter ended up eating it at her lunch. It was delicious and she didn't mind the texture of the amaranth here with chocolate playing an equal part. My daughter wanted to eat as it is but a dollop of ice cream, sauce or poached fruit may be a nice addition.
Ingredients for 1 serving:
1 and 1/4 cups milk
3 tbsp. amaranth seeds
1 oz. chocolate
Sweetener to taste (I used organic honey.)
Directions:
* Wash amaranth seeds and drain the water carefully.
* Add the drained amaranth and milk to a pot. Cook on medium flame, stirring intermittently. (I cooked for about 40 to 45 minutes.)
* Turn off the stove and add sweetener and chocolate after a couple of minutes. Gently stir in until the chocolate melts and serve immediately or chilled.
Khichdi, a medley of grain, lentils and vegetables is a common one pot meal prepared across Indian states. The regional variations keep this quick, humble meal interesting enough to keep it rotating in one's kitchen. Today's version supposedly comes from Bardoli, a suburb of Surat in Gujarat. The dish is a straight forward, no fuss kind prepared with the basic ingredients of an Indian kitchen. No special spices / spice powders are used here.
Raw mango which is a summer staple of Indian kitchens is an interesting addition to this filling khichdi, which drew me to this recipe in the first place. I had a couple of raw mangoes in my refrigerator even in the middle of winter though they don't t match up to the varieties available back home in any manner. The khichdi also had onions in the recipe which I decided to leave out. The khichdi turned out to be how it should be - nutritious, wholesome and simple. Good to go with some papad / lentil wafers, a spicy pickle and drizzled with some ghee on the top.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup yellow lentils / toor dal
1 tbsp. ghee / oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 green chillies, sliced
1/2 inch ginger, chopped
A pinch of asafoetida powder
1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 cup rice
1 big sized potato, cut into cubes
1/2 cup raw mango, peeled and cubed
A handful of green peas
Salt to taste
Red chili powder to taste
Cilantro to garnish
Directions:
1. Soak lentils for about 2 hours and drain. (It cuts down the cooking time if the khichdi is going to be cooked in a pan or if the dal cannot be cooked for three whistles in a pressure cooker. Skip this step if lentils can be cooked in a pressure cooker in 2 or 3 whistles.)
2. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan on medium flame and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add chillies and ginger. Fry until ginger turns golden brown. Add asafoetida, turmeric, drained lentils and about 2 cups of water.
3. When the lentils are half cooked, add rinsed and drained rice and potato cubes. Keep adding water if needed. Add raw mango cubes after about 10 minutes and continue to cook. After about 5 minutes, add peas and continue to cook. When the rice and lentils are completely cooked, add salt and chili powder. Check the consistency and add water if needed. Bring the mixture to a boil if water was added and if not, cook for about two minutes and turn off the stove.
* Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.
Note:
Follow this method if using a pressure cooker. Heat ghee in the cooker directly and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add chillies and ginger. Fry until ginger turns golden brown. Add asafoetida, turmeric, drained lentils, rinsed and drained rice, potato, raw mango pieces, peas, salt, chili powder and about 2 cups of water. Close the cooker lid and pressure cook for two / three whistles.
Today's recipe makes a spicy one pot meal that is filling and nutritious. Vegetables like beans, carrots, potatoes and peas can go as well into it to make it more healthier but I wanted the beans to take the lead role here. If one had soaked black eyed peas handy or even the canned ones, the dish is a breeze to make. I like onions in these kind of dishes in fried form rather than sauteing along with the spices and so have used them as garnish. A chopped onion can be sauteed before the addition of the tomato in the recipe and the garnish can be left out.
The rice is spicy on it's own and doesn't need any side dish to go with it. A simple raita can be prepared if preferred though a plain yogurt made a perfect accompaniment for the very spicy version I cooked.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup black eyed peas
3/4 cup basmati rice
1 sliced onion + oil for frying
1 tbsp. ghee / oil
1 green cardamom pod
2 whole cloves
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
1 inch piece ginger, crushed
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. coriander powder
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tomato chopped
1/2 tsp. garam masala
Salt to taste
1 and 3/4 cups of water
Chopped cilantro to garnish
Prep work:
* Soak beans for about 4 to 5 hours. If not pressure cooking, soak overnight to cut down the cooking time.
* Soak rice in water for about 15 to 30 minutes and drain the soaking water. Rinse rice in several changes of water until clear and leave it in a colander to dry.
* Heat oil in a pan and fry onion until crisp and golden, stirring frequently. Remove them with a slotted spoon, draining oil as much as possible and spread them out on a paper towel to drain. Keep aside for garnish
Directions:
* Heat oil directly in a small sized pressure cooker and add cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and cook for few seconds over medium heat. Next add ginger and saute for 30 seconds. Some chopped garlic can be added at this point if preferred. Add turmeric, ground cumin and coriander, chili powder and saute for few seconds.
* Next add tomato and cook until it turns into mush.
* Add the drained rice and garam masala, saute for about a minute, stirring gently not to break the grains.
* Next add the drained beans, salt and water and close the lid. Pressure cook the mixture fro two whistles.
* Let the rice sit for few minutes after the valve pressure is gone. Garnish with fried onions and chopped cilantro. Serve it with some yogurt on the side.
My husband loves rice based dishes and undoubtedly this tomato bhath is one of his favorites. This gets cooked whenever I am in mood to prepare a proper version and indulge him. Nowadays an instant version is replacing it for a quick fix meal idea. Thanks to MTR tomato rice powder that we came across during our last India trip. Just like their instant puliyogare mix, this powder gets sauteed in oil and mixed with cooked rice and magically one will have tomato rice ready within minutes.
This instant tomato rice can prepared in under five minutes if one has some cooked rice handy and only following the directions on the pack and keep it simple. I don't stick to the basic version and end up frying some chopped onion and tomatoes and mix it along with the dehydrated tomato and spice powder. I haven't tasted it as it contains garlic but my husband vouches for the taste of this no fuss tomato rice and keeps asking to prepare it often.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Basmati rice
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. cashews
1 small sprig of curry leaves
1 finely chopped small onion
1 tomato, chopped
3 tbsp. MTR tomato rice powder
Salt to taste (1/4 tsp.)
Directions:
* Rinse rice twice with water and drain the water completely. Pressure cook adding 3/4 cup water for 3 whistles. When the valve pressure is gone, remove the rice container and let the rice cool a bit. Don't try to scoop the cooked rice immediately since the rice grains may break.
* Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and fry cashews until golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon draining as much as oil as possible and keep them aside. Add curry leaves and onion to the same oil. Fry until onion turns golden brown and add tomato pieces. Cook until tomato turns mushy and add tomato rice powder and saute for about 30 seconds. Add rice and mix gently until it is coated well with the tomato mixture. Taste and add salt if needed. Mix well and serve with papad and yogurt.
So far in my A - Z Karnataka Series
A - Akki Halbai
B - Biscuit Roti
C - Congress Kadalekayi
D - Davanagere Benne Dose
E - Ellu Pajji
Finding a 'F' dish with a Kannada name is like looking for a needle in a haystack. There are practically no recipes that begin with 'F' sound and I had no choice other than to resort to using an English name. Even the south Indian favorite Filter coffee that has been so entwined in the morning routine of millions of households cannot be claimed as a Kannada word. Recipes involving menthya - fenugreek in seeds or greens form, agase - flax seeds were some of the choices I had. And then I remembered avarekalu, the beloved winter beans of Kannadigas also can be called as field beans / hyacinth beans and that's what is the star of today's paayasa aka kheer.
Avarekaalu or field beans is a winter crop and the markets in the Bangalore region are flooded with it during the season. My mother was mentioning that nowadays there is no seasonal limit as they are available year round. The quality however is superior during the winter season, she thinks. I am not sure about it but I got hold of some peeled beans during the month of August at V.V.Puram tindi beedhi during my last India visit.
The stores did not carry peeled beans while we were growing up and trust me, peeling these avarekaalu is a chore. It used to be a family activity during evenings in many households especially when one has loads of beans on their hands. One need to separate the beans from the pods initially, being careful to check for the worms that may be lurking in some of the pods. The separated beans then get soaked in water for a few hours and again the thin, transparent covering over the beans are removed by squeezing in between one's thumb and forefinger. The beans need to be used immediately or need to be refrigerated since they go stale quickly. Freezing is a better option over refrigeration if there are no power cuts that happen to be a frequent occurrence in India. Nowadays one can find the ready to use, shelled beans which is an obviously an easier option.
Avarekaalu paayasa is one of the traditional kheer recipes from the state of Karnataka though not well known as much as the gasagase payasa or the poppy seeds kheer in the online world. Though the use of field beans in a sweet dish may sound unusual and even downright weird to some but trust me, it tastes delicious. Mostly people associate avarekaaalu with the local spicy curry preparations or throw a few in while making breakfast dishes like, rotti, dose, uppittu or make a chivda kind of snack. Trust me, try this if you can get hold of avarekaalu aka fresh field beans or hyacinth beans and you will be hooked.
This paayasa has a pudding consistency and milk is not used in this preparation. The peeled beans are cooked and then simmered along with a coconut - poppy seed paste and jaggery. The addition of cardamom brightly flavors the payasa and the toasted cashews and raisins add a nice contrast to the smooth consistency of the payasa. Skip ghee from the recipe if vegan and add the cashews and raisins directly to the payasa at the final stages of cooking. Or they can be toasted in any flavorless oil. Add the cashews and raisins and skip adding the oil.
So far in my A - Z Karnataka Series
A - Akki Halbai
B - Biscuit Roti
C - Congress Kadalekayi
D - Davanagere Benne Dose
The northern and southern regions of Karnataka is divided topographically as bayaluseeme region, which is largely plain area with few hillocks. Coast lies along the western region and situated between coastal and bayaluseeme regions is Malenadu or colloquially Malnadu. Kodagu or Coorg, located on the slopes of the Western Ghats / Sahyadri mountain range is one of the districts of Malenadu. It is a gorgeous hill station and Cauvery, an important river of south India originates from this region. The native and probably the oldest inhabitants of the area are known as Kodavas. The picturesque region with lush green forests and hills had little to no access to the outside world in the past and the people had to rely on farming and hunting for their food. The reason why Kodavas are non vegetarians and pandi curry (Curry prepared using the hunted wild hogs) appears to be the most popular dish is for the same reason.
The local rice which is said to smell like ghee during the harvest season was a coveted crop here. Rice features as the main staple and one would be surprised to note the variety of rice dishes Kodavas have come up with. Not the biryani, pulao or the bhath kind. The dishes that end with the word 'puttu' are plenty and are all rice based. Here are kadumbuttu, and paputtu for instance. Among the lot, the most common and popular rice dish for outsiders has to be akki rotti or otti as it is called locally. I am not elaborating on it as my focus today is not on it but on an accompaniment to go with it. It is called ellu pajji which is going to be my 'E' dish in the series. Ellu means sesame seeds in Kannada and this is a Kodava version of sesame chutney. Ellu pajji and pumpkin curry seem to be the most popular vegetarian options to go with akki rotti, the rice based flat breads from the region.
This recipe has been on my to do list for years and I could make it over weekend to go with akki rottis. Toasted sesame seeds. shallots roasted whole and coconut together makes it an enjoyable chutney to go with rottis. I halved the recipe and tried to grind the small quantity of chutney in my stone mortar. I didn't want to use my blender as the quantity wasn't enough to grind without adding water. Also I had coconut pieces to work with which I couldn't grind smoothly. The chutney can be ground in a blender or food processor adding as much as little water possible.
Ingredients for chutney:
1/2 cup white sesame seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 shallots / sambhar onions
3 green chilies or to taste
1 tbsp. thick tamarind extract / or to taste
1 tbsp. jaggery or to taste
Salt to taste
Ingredients for tempering:
1 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 dried red chili, broken to pieces
6 curry leaves
Directions:
* Wash and dry sesame seeds if preferred. (I didn't do it.) Dry toast the sesame seeds on medium flame, stirring continuously, until they splutter and change a shade darker.
* Roast onions with their skins on until they are blackened outside and peel. (This was done traditionally in embers. It can be mimicked over open flame, under the broiler or in a hot pan, the author mentions. I chopped a red onion and toasted it until golden brown instead.) Let it cool.
* Grind the sesame seeds finely before adding other ingredients if using a food processor or blender. Then add onion, green chillies, tamarind, jaggery and salt, Blend them together coarsely adding water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Grind it to a smooth consistency. (Add water if needed to facilitate grinding but only as little as possible.)
* Tempering is optional. Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds and red chili. When mustard starts to splutter, add curry leaves and turn off the stove, Add it to chutney and mix.
* Serve with rottis or rice. Any leftover chutney can be refrigerated.
So far in my A - Z Karnataka Series
A - Akki Halbai
B - Biscuit Roti
C - Congress Kadalekayi
The letter 'D' in my series stands for dose or to be precise, gari - gari benne dose. The crispy butter dose from Davanagere, a city in Karnataka. I thought the dish for 'D' gas been sorted out more than a year ago when I took pictures of a dish my Kannadiga sister in law was cooking. It was an authentic, traditional recipe unique to the state and I had saved it in the hopes of using it when I do a series on Karnataka food. I know I sound crazy when putting it that way. Guess what when the time came for the 'D' recipe, this lady went looking for other options, sounds more crazier, I am sure.
'D' stands for the word 'Dhaanya' meaning grains in Kannada which forms the basis of any cooking. I could have cooked something with donne menasinakayi (capsicum), doddapatre (Mexican mint), dantu soppu (Amaranth greens), drakshi (grapes) or dalimbe (pomegranate.) and my 'D' dish would have been ready. There was Konkani duddhali which is prepared along the same lines of a halbai and so it did not even come to my consideration.
The two options that were on the top of my list happened to be calorie laden, mouth watering delicacies - Benne dose which has become synonymous with a city in the central part of the state called Davanagere or a melt in mouth peda, again synonymous with the city in which it was originated, Dharwad from Northern Karnataka. Not exaggerating, Dharwad peda is one of the popular sweets of the state with it's own GI tag and a history of 175 years. The secretly guarded recipe originated in the city of Dharwad, concocted by a family that had migrated from Uttar Pradesh. May be it's nostalgia or I am biased, the real version is a treat and the rest doesn't meet the standards.
The benne dose has not been posted yet on my blog which came handy now and became my "D ' dish. Besides I wanted to post one dose recipe in this series from the state which has given so many iconic dose recipes to the world like masala dose, Mysore masala dose, set dose and such. I have never eaten these benne dose in the town they originated in but I knew what makes it benne dose, Davanagere style. The side dishes to go with this dose are a bland, colorless potato curry along with a fiery coconut chutney prepared adding cardamom as well. Believe it or not, the curry and chutney complement each other well and one wouldn't notice the blandness of the curry. The dose usually served as a set of two unless specifically ordered as a single benne dose. They are not large sized as masala dose, and are soft and crisp at the same time. The dosas are cooked in loads of white butter and ghee and served again with a lump of butter on the top.
Pronunciation:
Davanagere is a city in the central part of Karnataka state. The part 'Davana' is pronounced as the Hindu mythological character 'Ravana'. The 'da' sound is as in the name 'Damini'. And the part 'ge' as in the word 'get' and 're' as 'ray'.
Benne means butter in Kannada. (pronounced like benn-a, stressing on the 'n' sound. The 'n' sound here is not the soft one that comes after alphabet 'dha' in south Indian languages but the one that comes after 'da' alphabet.).
Dose is a 'Kannada' word for south Indian style pancakes and is pronounced as 'though - say'. Dose can be singular or plural.
I came across an article here which came handy for this dose preparation, which gave me hotel style butter dosas which I have always thought was impossible to create at home. The recipe makes superb dosas even in case if it is not authentic as the original version that was created. Whereas this article talks about the origins and gives some more tidbits about the preparation. According to it, benne dose originated in Mahadevappa benne dosa hotel, which opened in 1928 in Davanagere. The third generation of the family is running the business now and the owner's grandfather's family had moved from a village in Belagavi / Belgaum to Davangere in 1927 after a severe drought in their region. The grandmother, named Chennamma who happened to be a good cook started selling ghee dosas made with finger millet and other snacks near a drama theater which gave them enough patronage. When it was time for her sons to take over the business after a decade or so, the menu changed from her ragi / fingermillet ghee dosas to rice based dosas and as they say, the rest is history. Those dosas went on to became popular as benne dose in the entire state. Even though they don't divulge in the secrets of the trade, it seems that they use a particular brand of rice called Jaya brand, use butter prepared in a special method and used to cook over wood fire. Only potato, onion and salt go into the curry. No chillies or tempering are used and not even turmeric for a hint of color. They add byadagi and Guntur variety dried red chillies for the chutney recipe though most of the other restaurants use green chillies. Also the chutney uses only cardamom as the first article mentions which is an unusual addition to the coconut chutney. I have seen online versions where clove and even cinnamon have been included in the chutney recipe.
1 cup = 235 ml
Ingredients for dose:
2 cups rice / akki *
1/2 cup skinned black gram / uddina bele / urad dal
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds / menthya / methi daana
1 cup puffed rice / mandakki / murmura
2 tbsp. all purpose flour / maida
2.5 tsp. salt
About 1 and 3/4 to 2 cups water to grind
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Butter and ghee to make dosas
* Any rice can be used. Even cheaper variety rice can be used in the dosa preparation and I usually go with extra long grain rice. The recipe makes at least 2 batches of dosas for a family of four and so the batter covers two days of breakfast. It can be used to make regular dosas or uttapams. The ingredients can be halved or doubled depending upon the quantity of the dosa batter one needs.
Ingredients for potato curry:
4 big sized potato (About 3 cups chopped)
1 tbsp. oil or as needed
2 red onions, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Ingredients for coconut chutney:
1 cup shredded fresh / frozen coconut
Green chillies to taste
Salt to taste
Seeds from 1 cardamom
Preparing dosa batter:
Dosa batter needs advance preparation. If one needs to make dosas for breakfast then the ingredients need to be soaked by mid morning or afternoon the previous day. It needs to be ground by evening (or afternoon if living a cold place) and allowed to ferment overnight or a few hours extra depending upon where one lives. The standard 8 hour fermentation rule apply only if one lives in warmer areas. I soak the ingredients around 11 am and grind by 3 pm during winters, leave it to ferment in a warm place and make dosas around 7 am next morning. My batter takes double the time to ferment. In the recent years, I have started to leave my batter container on a heating vent which works perfectly fine. I set even the yogurt that way. Or one can leave the covered batter container in an oven, keeping the light on. Just remember not to turn on the oven.
Steps:
1. Rinse rice, black gram and fenugreek seeds with water twice and drain. Wash the puffed rice in a colander and drain the water. (If any of the ingredients being used contain stones or any other things need to be picked, do so before soaking.) Add all the rinsed ingredients in a container and soak them in water. Add enough water so that water level is at least 2 inches higher than the ingredients. Let them soak at least for 3.5 to 4 hours.
2. One can use the soaked water to grind the batter or drain and use fresh batch of water. I prefer the latter method. Whatever method is preferred, use as much water as needed to grind into a smooth, thick batter. The batter shouldn't be too runny. If not sure how much water is needed, drain all the water used to soak the ingredients and follow according to the given measurement. One can even collect the drained water into a container and use it if preferring that way.
Add the drained rice, black gram, fenugreek, puffed rice, all purpose flour and water as needed to grind the batter in either a wet grinder or a mixie. If living in a cold place, add salt as well while grinding. (I used a little less than 2 cups of water to grind in my 14 speed Oster blender but the batter can be ground using less water in a grinder. If using a mixer / mixie, the ingredients may need to be ground in two batches since the quantity is more.)
3. Transfer the smooth and thickly ground batter to a container with space enough for the batter to rise during fermentation. Cover the container and leave in a warm place overnight or until fermented. When ready to make dose, add sugar and baking soda to the fermented batter (or to the portion of the batter that is going to be used) and mix well. (Salt need to be added as well if it was not added during grinding.)
4. Heat a cast iron or non stick pan on medium flame until drops of water sprinkled over it sizzles and evaporates. No need to bring it to a smoking point. Pour a ladleful of batter and lightly spread. One can spread the batter thinner too. I poured a little ghee around the edges of the dose which is optional.
5. Let it cook until the raw batter is no longer seen / dose appears dry on the surface. Spread blobs of butter over the surface and lightly spread when it is melting. Cook until the butter melts, fold and remove. (The dose can be flipped and cooked the other side too for few seconds and I didn't do it.)
6. Repeat the dose making steps with the remaining batter.
Preparation of aloogadde palya:
* Peel the potatoes and cut into big chunks. Pressure cook them adding water for 2 or 3 whistles. When the valve pressure is gone, drain the potatoes and mash them.
* Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions and fry them until translucent. (Some skip the frying part and boil the onions in water and drain.) Add mashed potatoes and salt to the pan. Mix well and turn off the stove.
Preparation of kaayi chutney:
* Add all the ingredients mentioned under chutney and grind fine adding enough water to make a thick chutney. The chutney is supposed to be spicy but one can adjust the spice levels according to taste.
* Serve the hot benne dose with palya and chutney.
