Bajre ki khichdi - A spicy pearl millet porridge is a winter comfort food from the Indian states of Rajasthan and Haryana. It is an easy, filling and nutritious khichdi. It is prepared with pearl millet, moong dal and with or without adding rice and is quite delicious on it's own. In fact the ones who are not used to eating bajra wouldn't even guess the presence of bajra in it. It reminds the spicy pongal to a south Indian mind and I immensely enjoy this version of bajre ki khichdi. The creamy khichdi is tasty by itself that it doesn't eat any side dishes to go with it but one can always serve it along with some yogurt / kadhi. I served it along with ginger - tamarind chutney which proved to be an apt combo.
This khichdi is prepared with whole pearl millet grains that are soaked overnight, drained and ground coarsely. Or if possible, one can even coarsely grind the grains without soaking and use it in the recipe. I had store bought coarsely ground pearl millet and so used it avoiding the hassle. I cooked the khichdi in a pressure cooker for a quick meal but it can be cooked in a pot over stove top with frequent stirring, adding water as needed in between. Pearl millet and moong dal are cooked together with the addition of a flavorful and spicy tadka / seasoning of ghee toasted cumin seeds, ginger and green chillies. One can even replace the yellow moong with the green gram or throw in some vegetables to make it more wholesome.
Ingredients: (Yield - 3 servings)
1/2 cup cracked pearl millet / bajra rava / sajja rava
1/4 cup yellow moong dal
1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tbsp. ghee
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 spicy variety green chilli, chopped
A pinch of asafoetida powder
Directions:
* Rinse and soak cracked pearl millet bajra for an hour and drain.(This step is optional but I do it anyway). Rinse the millet again one or two times and drain.
* Rinse moong dal as well and drain.
* Cook drained millet and moong dal adding 2 cups of water directly in a small sized pressure cooker, for 3 or 4 whistles.
* When the valve pressure is gone, remove the cooker lid. Add salt to the cooked mixture and mix well. Next add about 1.5 cups of water, stir and bring the mixture to a boil and turn off the stove.
* Heat ghee in a small pan and add cumin seeds. When it starts brown, add ginger and green chili. Saute until ginger starts to turn golden brown and add asafoetida.
* Remove and add it to the khichdi and mix well.
* Serve warm with yogurt if preferred.
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Green gram / mung beans are called pesalu / pesarapappu and dosa is attu in Telugu language. Basically pesarattu are green gram dosas which need soaking and grinding but no fermentation. If ingredients are soaked overnight then the batter can be ground in a mixer / bender in about 5 minutes for the morning breakfast. Or the batter can be ground ahead and refrigerated for a convenient meal anytime of the day. These are quite healthier since they are legume based and are protein rich. These dosas from Andhra are made with mostly green gram alone with out adding split black gram (urad dal) or rice, the common ingredients of a dosa preparation. At most a spoonful of rice is added to the green gram in a standard traditional recipe.
I haven't seen anyone in either side of our families getting enthusiastic over a stack of pesarattu though pesarattu seems to top when searching for Andhra cuisine online. However the combo of pesarattu, upma and allam pachadi / ginger chutney really tastes good and an ideal one if looking for a healthy, nutritious and filling breakfast or a meal. My husband is not a great fan of pesarattu prepared with green gram alone and I tend to add some rice / millet as well to the batter and serve it along with some spicy - sweet ginger chutney which is a classic combo.
I added proso millet in today's recipe but any other kind like barnyard, foxtail, little millet or kodo millet works too. Or rice can be substituted in place of millet. One way to enjoy these pesarattu is to make them thinner and cook longer to make them crispier.
Ingredients: (Yield 10 dosas)
1/2 cup proso millet
1/2 cup green gram
1 inch piece of ginger
2 green chillies
1 tsp. cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder (optional)
Oil to make dosas
Directions:
* Soak millet and green gram in water overnight or for at least 3 hours.
* Drain the water and rinse them once with fresh water. Grind the drained millet, green gram, ginger, green chillies and cumin to a smooth batter, adding about a cup of water.
* Transfer the ground batter to a bowl and add salt and turmeric to it. Mix well to combine using a ladle.
* Heat a tawa / skillet. To check whether the skillet is hot, sprinkle some water over the hot pan. If it sizzles and evaporates, then the skillet is ready to make dosas. If not, heat the skillet a little more but don't bring it to a smoking point.
* Pour a ladleful of batter at the center and spread it into a thin circle. Add 1/2 tsp. of oil around the edges. Flip it when the surface appears dry. Let it cook the other side as well, about a minute or so and then remove.
* Repeat the steps with remaining batter.
* Serve the dosas piping hot with ginger chutney or any spicy chutney. They taste good when they are hot.
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Kheer / payasam is one of those Indian desserts that can be prepared in no time and is always delicious. Though the basic kheer is made with rice, there are plenty of other varieties to entice. It can be prepared using any grain, some varieties of beans and fruits and so I bet even a sparse pantry can afford a kheer preparation. Milk and sugar are the other required ingredients to make a kheer. The traditional version kheer is cooked mostly using dairy milk though some south Indian version recipes use coconut milk. Sugar / jaggery are the usual sweeteners whereas cardamom and toasted nuts add flavor and a yummy garnish to a kheer.
Today's kheer is made with cracked pearl millet. Pearl millet aka bajra has been cultivated in India for thousands of years now and like other millets, it is one of the healthiest grains on earth. It is specifically beneficial to diabetics and can be incorporated into various everyday Indian dishes even if one is not familiar with the grain. This gluten free grain can be used to make rotis, idlis, dosas and so on.
I kept the kheer to a simple, basic version though it can be made richer by addition of nut paste or condensed milk. Coconut milk also works in the recipe in place of dairy milk. I made the kheer with jaggery since it is healthier compared to sugar. I directly add it to the kheer since the jaggery I buy is usually very neat. In case, the jaggery appears to have any impurities, boil it with some water, filter out the impurities and then use the jaggery solution in the recipe. However in lieu of jaggery, sugar can be substituted in the recipe. Sometimes I refrain from using both and add a little stevia to each bowl before serving.
Also there is a possibility that sometimes the combination of hot milk and jaggery would end up being curdled. I have never faced that problem but in that case either of the following can be done. The milk can be boiled separately, cooled and then added to the cooked millet and jaggery mixture when it is not too hot. Or the jaggery can be melted separately with little water and added to the cooked millet - milk mixture when it cools down. One can follow any one of the methods and basically, the point is to not to mix the milk and jaggery when they are hot.
Ingredients: (Yield - 3 to 4 servings)
1/4 cup cracked pearl millet / sajja nooka
1/2 cup water
2 cardamom pods
1 tsp. ghee
1 tbsp. cashews
1/2 cup jaggery powder*
1 and 1/4 cups full fat milk
* Adjust the quantity of jaggery to taste. I added less than 1/2 cup.
Directions:
1. Rinse the cracked pearl millet once with water and drain. Pressure cook it adding 1/2 cup water for 2 or 3 whistles.
2. Lightly mash the cardamom pods and separate out the seeds. Grind the cardamom seeds finely and keep aside.
3. Heat ghee in a pan and toast cashews until golden brown. Transfer the toasted cashews into a small bowl.
4. Add the cooked millet, jaggery and ground cardamom along with pods to the same ghee pan and stir on low flame until the jaggery melts.
5. Next add the milk and cook on low flame until the milk starts to boil and switch off the flame. (Sometimes addition of milk to the hot jaggery mixture may end up being curdled. I never had this issue and so follow the above method. However if one is worried about the problem, then the milk can be separately boiled, cooled and then added after step 4. )
6. Add the toasted cashew nuts and serve either warm or chilled.
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So far in my 'A - Z' Karnataka recipe series,
A - Akki Halbai
B - Biscuit Roti
C - Congress Kadalekayi
D - Davanagere Benne Dose
E - Ellu Pajji
F - Field Beans / Avarekalu Payasa
G - Girmit
H - Hitakida Avarekalu Huli
I - Iyengar Bakery Style Masala Toast
J - Jolada Vade
K - Kumbalakayi Idli
L - Limbe Hannina Gojju
M - Mysore Pak
N - Nuchinunde
'O' dishes / culinary terms in Kannada:
There are some traditional and popular recipe choices for the alphabet 'O' from Karnataka cuisine like obbattu, obbattu saaru, oralu chitranna, ottu shavige and open dose. 'O' also stands for 'oota' and 'outhana' which means a meal and a feast respectively. Anything dried is called 'ona' and the tempering / tadka is called oggarane in Kannada.
I opted to go with oodhalu which is barnyard millet in Kannada for today's post in spite of the 'O' choices I had. My A - Z Karnataka Recipe series appeared incomplete with out the inclusion of bisisbele bhath in it. I have already posted the standard version on my blog and I therefore decided to prepare it with oodhalu. Bisibele bhath is a rice - lentil dish in Karnataka cuisine that is both traditional and popular. The rice- lentil- vegetable mixture is leisurely cooked in a pot on stove top and then freshly ground spices are added which lend the characteristic, special flavor to the bhath.
The words 'Bisi-Bele-Bhath' literally translate the essence of the dish in a nutshell. Bisi literally means hot in Kannada, temperature wise. The syllable 'bi' is pronounced as in the word 'Bin' while 'si' as in the word 'Sin'. Bhath is a term generally used for rice dishes. Now coming to the middle part of the name. Though not phonetically correct, somehow the accepted spelling is 'bele'. Now the syllable 'be' is pronounced as 'bay'. 'Le' is pronounced as 'lay'. (Actually English language doesn't have the la sound used here. You kind of roll out your tongue and say it). Here, the la used is the one that comes after the Indian alphabet 'ha'. Now bele refers to the lentils used in the dish. Bisibelebhath so literally means hot rice - lentil mixture.
Bisibele bhath is a nutritious and filling one pot dish that is delicious as it is but substituting millet for rice makes it more healthier. Don't let the long list of ingredients intimidate you. It doesn't take much time to cook this dish if pressure cooker is used and you have the spice powder handy. I always keep homemade spice powder handy and in fact I cook this dish when I am looking for a quick one pot meal. Store bought spice powder can be used in a cinch though home made spice powder tastes superior. Use equal quantity of spicy and byadai chillies in the spice powder ingredients. The latter add the hue to the powder. I have run out of byadagi variety chillies this time and that's why my bhath is lighter in color. Bisibele bhath is served as a special or festive meal at homes / functions and also as a breakfast / lunch option at restaurants. If you are looking for other variations, check these posts.
Bisibelebhath
Brown Rice Bisibelehulianna
Cracked Wheat Bisibele Huli
Oats - Masoor Dal Bisi Bele Huli
Poha Bisibelehuli
Quinoa Bisibelehuli
Ingredients: (Yield - 6 generous servings)
3/4 cup barnyard millet / oodhalu
1/2 cup pigeon peas / yellow lentils / toordal
About 2 cups chopped vegetables (I used 2 small carrots, 2 small potatoes, 1 big sized tomato, 25 -30 green beans)
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tbsp. tamarind puree
Salt to taste
Ingredients for bisibele bhath masala powder:
1.5 tbsp. split chickpeas / chanadal
1.5 tbsp skinned black gram / uradadal
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
2 one inch cinnamon pieces
4 pieces of moggu
4 spicy red dried chillies
2 - 3 tbsp. grated dried coconut
Ingredients for tadka:
2 tbsp. ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp. cashews
A sprig of curry leaves
Directions:
* Wash millet and lentils thoroughly and drain the water. Add them along with vegetables, turmeric powder and about 2 cups of water to a pressure cooker directly and cook till they are done. Alternatively, they can be cooked in a sturdy pot. It needs intermittent stirring and the water needs to be added accordingly.
* Meanwhile add split chickpeas and skinned black gram to a sauté pan and dry roast them on medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients mentioned under 'the masala powder' list when they start to change their color. Toast until the coriander seeds start to turn a few shades darker and the split chickpeas and black gram had turned reddish. Turn off the heat and let cool the toasted ingredients. Once cool, grind them into a fine powder.
* When the valve pressure is gone, remove the cooker lid. Add the prepared bisibele bhath powder, salt, tamarind to the cooked millet- lentil mixture and mix well. Add water as neededto adjust the consistency (about 1 cup). Let the mixture come to a boil and then simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes.* Meanwhile, heat ghee in a small sauté pan. Add the tadka ingredients and toast till the cashews turn golden brown. Remove from heat and add the tadka to the cooked bisibele huli and mix well.* Serve with papads, chips or kara boondi.
So far in my 'A - Z' Karnataka recipe series,
A - Akki Halbai
B - Biscuit Roti
C - Congress Kadalekayi
D - Davanagere Benne Dose
E - Ellu Pajji
F - Field Beans / Avarekalu Payasa
G - Girmit
H - Hitakida Avarekalu Huli
I - Iyengar Bakery Style Masala Toast
J - Jolada Vade
K - Kumbalakayi Idli
L - Limbe Hannina Gojju
M - Mysore Pak
Today's dish nuchinunde or nuchina unde is a traditional, protein rich recipe from Karnataka. Basically these are steamed lentil dumplings which are nutritious, healthy and filling. They can be made under 30 minutes if lentils are soaked ahead. Any coarsely ground grain / lentil is called 'nuchu' in Kannada whereas 'unde' refers to the round shape. The word 'nuchu' is pronounced with a stress on the 'ch' sound.
Nuchinunde can be prepared with either yellow lentils / toor dal or split chickpeas / chana dal or combining the both. The lentils are soaked and coarsely ground with other ingredients, shaped as dumplings and steamed. They can be either served as a breakfast with chutney or as a lunch item with majjige huli , the Karnataka version of kadhi.
Ingredients: (Yield 15)
1/2 cup pigeon peas (togari bele / toor dal)
1/2 cup split chickpeas (kadale bele / chana dal)
1 inch piece of ginger
2 green chilies
Salt to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded fresh coconut
2 sprigs of curry leaves, finely chopped
A handful of cilantro, finely chopped
A pinch of turmeric powder
A pinch of asafoetida powder
(Chopped dill leaves are added as well which I did not have on hand when I made these.)
Directions:
* Soak pigeon peas and split chickpeas in water for about 3 hours or overnight if planning for breakfast.
* Drain the soaked dals / lentils. Rinse with fresh water and drain completely.
* Coarsely grind together the drained lentils, green chilies, ginger and salt without adding any water.
* Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add shredded fresh coconut, chopped cilantro, curry leaves, turmeric, asafoetida and dill leaves if using.
* Mix all the ingredients well.
* Shape them into oval shaped dumplings and place them in a greased container or a greased idli stand if making in a large quantity.
* Steam them for about 12 to 15 minutes. Don't overcook them. (I used a pressure pan to steam them.)
* Here are the steamed nuchinunde / nuchina unde. Serve them warm with majjige huli / chutney.
Comments
So far in my 'A - Z' Karnataka recipe series,
A - Akki Halbai
B - Biscuit Roti
C - Congress Kadalekayi
D - Davanagere Benne Dose
E - Ellu Pajji
F - Field Beans / Avarekalu Payasa
G - Girmit
H - Hitakida Avarekalu Huli
I - Iyengar Bakery Style Masala Toast
J - Jolada Vade
K - Kumbalakayi Idli
L - Limbe Hannina Gojju
My daughter loves and eats only one Indian sweet and my husband loves two more. The common factor between them being Mysore pak and so this beloved sweet is made frequently at our home. I therefore could not leave out this iconic sweet dish from my Karnataka recipe series. Mysore pak or Mysore paaka as it was originally coined is one of the traditional and popular sweets from Karnataka. The term 'Mysore' refers to the place where the dish originated. Where as the term 'pak', pronounced 'paa-k' comes from the word 'paaka' referring to the sugar syrup.
Mysore, colloquially called Mysuru is one of the important cities in the south Indian state of Karnataka presently and was the capital city of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom for about six centuries. The city of Mysore known for it's royal heritage is the cultural capital of the state and is associated with several iconic things. Mysore palace, Mysore dasara, Mysore silk sarees, Mysore sandalwood soap, Mysore mallige (jasmine) to name a few. And Mysore pak, Mysore masala dose and Mysore saaru from the culinary point of view.
The sweet dish originated in the royal kitchens of Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. The dish was created and named by his chef Kakasura Madappa when he had to present a sweet dish to the king in a hurry. To this day, his descendants run sweet shop in Mysore where Mysore pak are sold as hot cakes. They sell innovative ones made with milk, almonds and cashews as well.
The rich, melt in mouth Mysore pak basically needs three ingredients - chickpea flour, sugar and ghee. Vegetable oil aka vanaspathi / dalda can be used in lieu of ghee though ghee version tastes superior. Some sweet shop versions have turmeric as well for color which is basically not needed. Sugar and water are cooked to reach a sticky syrup and then toasted chickpea flour and ghee are added in parts quickly and vigorously stirred. The mixture turns frothy and porous and starts to come off the pan when done. (I usually cook quarter the recipe and it takes about only 2 to 3 minutes of stirring / cooking after all the ingredients are added.)
The sweet can be cooked to soft melt in mouth versions to hard crumbly kind. Some of the store versions have a light brownish tinge at the bottom. Knowing when to stop is the key in making Mysore pak. Removing off the heat before done doesn't set the Mysore pak and cooking longer turns the sweet harder. The ridges you see on the surface of my Mysore pak is courtesy of my husband. I poured the cooked mixture into the plate and tapped it to set and went away. My husband thought that it needs to be leveled. Instead of using the back of the spatula, he held the spatula upright and kind of stabbed it. 😕
Ingredients:
1 chickpea flour
1.5 cup melted ghee
1.5 cup sugar
Directions:
* Melt the ghee, if it is not done yet. Grease a small plate with edges, with ghee and keep aside. Use a square shaped one if you have it.
* Sieve and toast chickpea flour on medium flame until you start to feel the aroma, stirring continuously. Turn off the stove and keep it aside.
* Add sugar and a little water just to wet the sugar (about 3 to 4 tbsp. water) in a kadai / pan. Keep stirring and boil until the solution is slightly sticky when touched with fingers. There is no need to bring the sugar solution to any thread consistency.
* Add quickly chickpea flour and ghee in turns to sugar solution, stirring continuously. Take care that no lumps are formed.
* Cook stirring continuously until chickpea flour is cooked. Initially it bubbles and turns frothy. We get to see the mixture turning porous after a few minutes.
* Keep stirring until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan.
* Pour the mixture immediately into the greased plate and level it with the back of a spatula.
* Leave it for a couple of minutes and then score it with a knife to squares / diamonds.
* Cut them into squares once they completely cool down and store them in air tight container.
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