Sesame Seed - Peanut Laddu

(This was originally published on 12/25/2012.)

From an Indian perspective, the word 'sweets' stand for all culinary things that are obviously sweet and are from the subcontinent. In a traditional sense, none of the baked goods or the western desserts usually fall under the category and they are never a part of a religious feast. 

Laddus, kheer, halwa and burfis make up a significant portion of the myriad varieties of Indian sweets. They entice me the most and so I thought of posting a nutritious and super quick laddu today. These laddus are made with just four ingredients - peanuts, white sesame seeds, dried coconut and jaggery. This is again a 5 minutes recipe if you have toasted and skinned peanuts handy. One minute to toast sesame seeds, under two minutes to blend the mixture and about two minutes to shape the laddus. These are vegan, gluten-free, no bake and a quick fix treat that satiates the sweet tooth.

Peanuts obviously are a good source of protein while sesame seeds are a source of good fats and have a rich iron content. Jaggery is the sweetener used here which is more nutritious than sugar. Adjust the quantity as needed since the sweetness of jaggery varies each time one buys a batch. There is no need of any binding agent to make these laddus. Toasted peanuts and sesame seeds are used here which when ground release oil which help to bind the laddus. Made with healthy ingredients, these protein rich laddus provide a quick boost of energy besides being yummy and easy ones to prepare.

Ingredients: (Make 10 laddus)
1/2 cup roasted, skinned peanuts
1/4 cup white sesame seeds
1/4 cup grated dried coconut /copra
3/4 to 1 cup jaggery powder (depending upon the sweetness of jaggery)

Method:
* Toast sesame seeds on medium flame, continuously stirring until they start to slightly brown and start to sputter. It takes about a minute to toast them. Turn off the stove and transfer them onto a plate. Let them cool.

* Add all ingredients to a food processor / blender and coarsely grind them.

* Transfer the mixture onto a plate. Fist a portion of the mixture and shape it into a ball. Repeat the step of making balls with the remaining mixture. (It took me about 2 minutes for this quantity.)

* Store the laddus in an airtight container. The container can be left over the counter and needs to be refrigerated only if need to be stored longer. 

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon under the theme 'Protein rich dishes'. Check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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Thambittu Unde / Hurigadale Thambittu

So far in my 'A - Z' Karnataka Recipe Series,
Akki Halbai
Biscuit Roti
Congress Kadalekayi
Davanagere Benne Dose
Ellu Pajji
Field Beans / Avarekalu Payasa
Girmit
Hitakida Avarekalu Huli
Iyengar Bakery Style Masala Toast
Jolada Vade
Kumbalakayi Idli
Limbe Hannina Gojju
Mysore Pak
Nuchinunde
Oodhalina Bisibele Bhath

Panchakajjaya
Quinoa Oralu Chitranna
Rave Vangi Bhath
Sajjige Rotti

The first dishes I planned and drafted were for letters 'H' and 'T'. In fact those dishes were the ones that gave me the idea to start this series and I had them in my drafts' folders for the past two years. I promptly posted the H dish that happened to be hitakida avarekalu huli which is quintessentially Karnataka and this A - Z series would have been incomplete without it. And today's supposed 'T' recipe needed only pushing the publish button but I decided to discard it at the last moment and cook something else. 

I had the options of cooking one of the iconic breakfast recipes from the region, thatte idli. A idli which takes the name after the plate like container it is steamed in. There is thambli / thambuli which is a soothing, yogurt based dish from the Udupi- Mangalore regions and 'thellevu' a thin pancake as the title suggests, from the north Canara region. And thalia puttu, a steamed rice cake from Coorg and tachani unde, a semolina - chickpea flour  laadu / laddu from the north Karnataka region. And there is the humble thovve, a lightly seasoned lentil dish. I decided to go with thambittu, hurigadale thambittu in partcular which I had made today as part of Krishnasthami neivedyam. These are the dishes that are on top of my head when I think of "T' dishes but I am sure I might have missed some and there are others with Konkani names.

Some 'T' ingredients from kitchen:
Thaale hannu - palm fruit
Tharakari - vegetable
Thengina kaayi - coconut
Thengina thuri - grated coconut
Thogari bele - lentils / pigeon peas
Thogari kaalu - green pigeon peas
Thondekaayi - ivy gourd / tendli
Thuppa - ghee
Thindi - breakfast 
Thatte - eating plate

Thambittu pronounced thumb-it-tu is one of the traditional sweet dishes that is made in several versions using rice flour, wheat flour and so on though the method varies slightly from one version to another. The texture, looks and taste vary from one another as well. Thambittu or thambitttu unde is a part of celebrations and festival food ranging from being used as a naivedhya (offering to god) or as a base for deepa (diyas / lamps) to make aarati during worshiping to being apart of baby showers and weddings. I had made the rice based ones a couple of weeks ago but surprisingly, it didn't cross my mind to take pictures. The unde or laddu which I am posting today is made mainly with hurigadale or putani / fried gram and can be made for festivals like navratri or janmasthami. It is an easy and quick recipe and the humble laddus taste good. The jaggery that I used is so good that we felt these laddus were subtly caramel flavored. These are made with fried gram like a malaadu but taste different because of the addition of jaggery, coconut and poppy seeds.

Ingredients: (Yield 15 laddus)
1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds / gasagase
3/4 cup grated, dry coconut / ona kobbari
1 and 1/4 cups fried gram / hurigadale
Seeds from 2 cardamom pods / elakki
1/4 cup ghee / thuppa
3/4 cup jaggery / bella (I had sticky type of jaggery, firmly packed.)

Directions:
* Dry toast the poppy seeds on low flame, stirring continuously until they start to change the color. (Attention needs to be paid as they burn easily.) Transfer them onto a plate and let them cool.

* To the same pan, add coconut and toast on medium flame. Stir constantly until it turns crisp. (It takes about 2 to 3 minutes.) Transfer the coconut also onto a plate and let cool. 

* Grind together the cardamom seeds and fried gram into a fine powder.

* Powder the toasted coconut as well.

* Combine the ground fried gram, coconut and poppy seeds.

* Heat together ghee, jaggery and a tbsp. of water in a wide pan. (Adding water is optional but I find it easier and quicker to melt the jaggery.) 

 * Turn off the stove when the jaggery melts and starts to bubble. There is no need to form any syrup.
 
* Add the powdered mixture and stir well. 

* This is after a short time.

* Keep it aside for a short time and make laddus when the mixture is still warm. It hardens when allowed to cool down. 

* Store the unde in an airtight container once they cool down.

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Endu Kobbari Podi / Spicy Coconut Powder

We make a kobbari podi aka coconut powder in Andhra using fresh coconut that is usually eaten with rice and ghee. The traditional method of preparation involves a lot of stirring and in turn, loads of patience. The fresh coconut is grated (or even frozen shredded coconut can be substituted) and toasted on low flame until it is uniformly browned. The coconut is then let cool and ground with the basic spices - salt, red chillies and cumin. The powder stays fresh for months, tastes awesome and is worth the time. Today's version is slightly different and uses the dried coconut instead which makes the podi making process much simpler but tastes equally delicious.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. split chickpeas / chana dal 
2 tbsp. skinned black gram / urad dal 
8 to 10 spicy dried red chillies or as needed
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 cup grated dry coconut
Salt to taste
Optional ingredients:
1 tsp. coriander seeds. 
A pinch of fenugreek seeds 

Directions:
* Toast split chickpeas, urad dal and red chillies together on  medium flame, constantly stirring. When the dals start to turn reddish / brown, add cumin seeds and the ingredients mentioned as optional, if using. Toast for a minute or until the coriander starts to change a shade of color. Turn off the stove and let the ingredients cool completely.
* Grind the toasted ingredients along with grated dry coconut and salt finely. 
* Store in a container with a tight lid. The powder remains fresh for months with or without refrigeration.


This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon #101 under 'Condiments' theme.

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Kadale Hittu

Honestly speaking, this was not my intended post for today as I had already another one ready, prepared a few weeks ago. I was not even sure whether this deserved a post but a bottle of kadale hittu sitting on my kitchen counter and now being in the middle of 'Dasara' festival led me to some nostalgia. Besides this is a recipe involving only four ingredients. 

I had used it to stuff the kajjikaya that I had prepared last month for Ganesha Chatutrthi and had some leftovers. Kadle hittu is a Kannada word usually meaning chickpea flour / besan. However this finely ground sweet mixture of roasted split chickpeas, jaggery, dried coconut and cardamom is also referred to as kadale hittu. The word 'kadale' here is used in reference to the roasted split chickpeas which are called hurigadale in Kannada, (Huri+Kadale meaning roasted chickpeas). Where as 'hittu', the Kannada word for 'flour' refers to the texture of this mixture which is very finely ground. (Mine is not finely ground since I prefer it that way.) 

 

Small paper pockets filled with this kadalehittu can be commonly seen distributed as 'prasada' in temples in and around Bangalore. I know now the scenario has changed but I remember my mother used to distribute a treat each day during Dasara to the neighborhood kids who would come to our house to look at the arrangement of dolls. Ditto with the other matrons in the neighborhood. I remember that this kadale hittu also used to be one of those treats and also my reason for posting it today. 

There is also a another version which uses coconut, sugar and cardamom instead which kinda is my favorite since the coconut is the dominating flavor there and I love it. I am guessing this kadale hittu can also be used to make laddus adding ghee and roasted nuts. When not smoothly ground, it can be used to stuff kajjikaaya as mentioned above.

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted split chickpeas (The one used to make chutney.)

1/2 cup dried, grated coconut

1/2 to 3/4 cup jaggery (Adjust based on it's sweetness)

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom 

Method:

* Add all the ingredients to a mixer / grinder and grind it fine. Use as needed.

 
Check here to find out what the other marathoners are cooking as part of the Blogging marathon #69.

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A - Z Andhra Recipes ~ E for Endu Kobbari Podi

Today, I am on alphabet 'E', in A to Z series of Andhra cuisine. There are only a few recipe choices with this letter, similar to it's neighbor 'D' in Telugu language. The words 'erra' and 'endu' become important while looking for Andhra recipes starting with 'E', meaning 'red colored' and 'dry/dried' respectively.  There are erra gadda (onion) and erra gummadikaaya (pumpkin) among vegetables. Also I came to know recently that masoor dal is called erra kandipappu in Telugu which when translated becomes red toor dal or red lentils. Endu draksha (raisins) and endu kharjuram (dry dates) are in the dry fruits realm while 'eeta pandu' is the fresh palm fruit. There is endu mirapakaya which happens to be dried, red chillie.
Onion is used to make otti pulusu (sour & sweet onion stew), bajji, erra karam (spicy onion paste) and the erra karam dosa which happens to be the popular Rayalaseema dosa / pancake smeared with cooked chickpea flour paste and the previously mentioned erra karam. While the pumpkin is used to make koora and pulusu (curry and stew respectively.) 

And of course there is 'endu kobbari' which happens to be dried coconut and the star ingredient of today's recipe. I chose to go with a simple spice powder using dried coconut that can be used to jazz up plain curries or that can be eaten along with plain rice and ghee. There is kobbari podi, a popular version using shredded fresh coconut that I prepare now and then. I love the podi but hate the tedious job of roasting the coconut on slow flame until golden brown. This dried coconut version is similar to it but it is quick, cheat version and can be prepared in no time. The addition of cumin lends a subtle aroma and flavor to the podi.

Ingredients:
1 cup grated dry coconut 
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 - 3 dried, red chillies *
Salt to taste 
(* I used spicy variety chillies. The quantity can be varied according to one's preferred spice level. 1 chillie can be replaced with byadagi variety for color.)

Method:
* Toast cumin seeds until they start to turn brownish and keep aside. Toast chillies on low flame until they turn crisp. Let both the ingredients cool.
* First grind cumin seeds, chillies and salt together. Next add the grated coconut and grind into slightly coarse powder.
* Transfer the ground mixture onto a plate and let cool if it is warm.
* Store it in an airtight container and use as needed. 

So far on A - Z Andhra Cuisine,
A for Alasanda Vada
B for Bellam Garelu
C for Chiyali
D for Dondakaaya Kaarapu Kaaya

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Chimmiri Undalu / Sesame Seeds Laddu

Rustic and earthy - I think that best describes these laddus. They used to be traditionally prepared using a mortar and pestle though now one can use a food processor or a mixer to grind the mixture. The black sesame seeds used in the recipe adds an intense flavor to these laddus and that's what we use in making chimmiri in our households. However white sesame seeds can replace black ones. Whatever you use just make sure the sesame seeds have not gone rancid. Sesame seeds, dried coconut and jaggery used here are all rich in iron content and so a mandatorily fed item to girls in many Andhra households during their initial menstrual cycles. Generally it is advised to go on easy with the consumption part since they supposedly generate heat and bring on an early period in women.

There are no set rules when comes to the proportions of ingredients used. One can use coconut and jaggery according to one's taste preferences. Increase / decrease the quantities from the below recipe accordingly. The recipe is quite a simple one. Lightly toasted sesame seeds, jaggery and the coconut are coarsely ground and shaped into laddus.

Ingredients: (For about a dozen laddus)
1 cup black sesame seeds
3/4 to 1 cup powdered jaggery
1/2 cup grated dried coconut / copra

Method:
* Toast the seame seeds on low heat for 60 - 90 seconds, turn off the stove and let them cool. This step is optional as some prepare laddus without toasting sesame seeds as well.
* Run the ingredients through a food processor until they are coarsely blended and can be fisted together to shape them into laddus.
* Transfer the mixture to a wide plate and shape them into lemon sized balls.
* Store the laddus in an airtight container. They can be left over the counter if one is planning to consume them in the next few days. If not, they can be refrigerated.

Note: 
Peanuts are another good source of iron and can be added to the above mixture to make another variety of laddus. Check out the recipe here.

These go to the following events.
1. Blogging Marathon #41
2. Srivalli's "Kids' Delight", hosted this month by Kalyani with the theme "Iron rich recipes". 

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G ~ Gutti-Vankaya Koora (Dry Version)

Event: Blogging Marathon
Theme: Regional Cooking

In traditional Andhra cuisine, eggplants / brinjals are put on a pedestal when compared to it's native counterparts. There are several classic preparations in the region using eggplants and gutti vankaya happens to be one of them. Eggplants are stuffed with a spice powder and cooked until tender in guttivankaya preparation. The stuffing can vary in everyday cooking depending upon one's mood. We mostly prepare dry versions like this or with besan, though I have seen gravy versions of it. Today's version is where  the eggplants are cooked with the classic koora podi - curry powder if loosely translated

Ingredients:
Six baby eggplants
3 Tbsp oil
For stuffing:
1/4 cup chanadal
2 Tbsp uard dal / skinned black gram
2 Tbsp coriander seeds
8 - 10 red chilles (Adjust as needed)
1/4 cup grated, dried coconut
Salt to taste

Preparation of stuffing:
* Toast chana dal and urad dal separately on medium flame in a saute pan until they start turning reddish brown. 
* Saute the coriander seeds till they turn slightly brownish and add the red chillies at the end. 
* Cool and grind all the ingredients into a fine powder. This can be prepared in advance and stored in an air tight container.

Method:
* Wash eggplants and wipe them dry. I haven't removed the stalks here but they can be cut off if preferred. 
* Keeping the base intact, cut twice vertically like a + shape, as shown in the picture. Fill them with the spice powder as shown. You can fill as much as the eggplants can hold without spilling. If the filling gets spilled over the surface of the eggplant, wipe it clean.

* At this point, if you wish, you can spray the eggplants with oil.
* Heat a deep pan and add oil. Drop the eggplants carefully. If you have not sprayed oil, just tilt them in the pan so that they are coated with oil.

* Lower the flame, cover and let it cook until all the eggplants are tender to touch. Keep stirring in between for uniform cooking.
* When they are done, sprinkle some more powder on it and fry for few seconds. Add extra salt if needed at this point. 
* Remove and serve with warm rice and ghee.

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Kodubale and Banana - Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

Srivalli chose Karnataka's famous savory kodbale/kodubale for November's Indian Cooking Challenge. Kodbale, nippattu and chakli are the savory trio that I enjoyed as a kid in my mother's kitchen and am still very fond of them. I couldn't therefore miss the opportunity to make  kodubales for this month's ICC. There are several variations to the basic version and Valli chose two - one from my blog and the second one from Lata Narasimhan's blog, that I followed obviously. :) 

 

Ingredients: (Makes 2 dozen)

1 cup rice flour

1/4 cup all purpose flour / maida

1/4 cup wheat flour / atta (or substitute with all purpose flour.)

1/4 cup roasted chickpeas / hurigadale / chutney dal

1/4 cup grated dry coconut (copra)

1 Tbsp ghee

Salt & chili powder to taste

1/4 tsp asafoetida / hing

Oil to fry

 

Method:

* Grind together roasted chickpeas and coconut, finely.

* Roast all purpose flour and wheat flour on low flame until it starts to change the color.

* Now combine all ingredients except oil in a bowl. Add water as needed to form a firm dough. (I used the same cup used to measure dry ingredients and added about 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp water.)

* Heat oil in a kadai.

* Mean while, pinch a small lime sized portion of the dough and roll into a ball. Knead into a log of about 1/4 inch thickness and about 6 inches long. Shape it into a coiled form. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough.

 

 

 

* Drop a small piece of dough into the oil. If it sizzles and comes to the surface, then the oil is ready for frying. Gently drop the shaped dough coils into the oil and fry flipping in between, until golden brown. Drain them on absorbent towels and once cool, store them in an airtight container.

 

Note:

1. Frying on low medium flame is the key for crunchy kodbales. Hasty frying on high flame will brown the kodbales sooner but will not turn out crunchier. Also at a time, fry only as many kodbales as the frying pan fits. Meanwhile, cover the remaining coils that need to be fried.

2. No offense. They were slightly softer inside even after proper frying. I am just mentioning in case if anyone wants to try this. I think it may be because of the addition of the wheat flour. Usually all purpose flour yields crunchy results in most of the Indian traditional dishes. I wondered about it when I saw the ingredients' list but went ahead as I wanted to follow the recipe exactly. I would substitute it with all purpose flour next time if I give it a try.

 

EGGLESS BANANA - CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS:

 

I have baked these muffins probably zillions of times in my kitchen and I was surprised to notice last week that I haven't posted about them yet. And so here you go with my version of these muffins which seem to be the most mundane ones in the blogosphere. This fits the theme of Magic Mingle #12, "Fruit & Chocolate".
 
Ingredients: (Yields 6)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 - 6 Tbsp semi sweet chocolate morsels
2 bananas
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Method:
* Preheat oven to 375 deg F / 190 deg C.
* Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
* Mash bananas in another bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Stir in melted butter. Gently stir in the flour mixture and chocolate morsels.
* Grease or line the muffin pan with paper cups. Spoon the batter into cups so that it fills up to 3/4th of each cup.
* Bake until a toothpick inserted at center comes out clean or for about 30 - 35 minutes.


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Oat - Walnut Laddus

My Day 2 post for BM#16 are these healthy and delicious laddus and I would just say that you can't stop with one when they are around. Have to mind the calories though. I really love them since they are ready under five minutes besides tasting really good. I just keep playing with the ingredients whenever I make these kind of super quick, no cook laddus and so end up with a different version each time. :)

Ingredients: (Yield 6 laddus)
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup grated, dried coconut
1/2 cup jaggery powder

Method:
 * Toast the oats on medium flame until you start to smell the aroma. (This step is optional and I skip it sometimes). Turn off the stove and let cool.
* Add the toasted oats, walnuts, coconut and jaggery to a food processor / blender and process until the mixture comes together.
* Remove the mixture from the processor. Take a fistful mixture at a time and shape it into laddus/small balls. 
* Store it in a closed container if you have any leftovers. :)

Check what my fellow marathoners are cooking during BM#16.

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Plantain Rice

This plantain rice recipe comes from my mother's kitchen and obviously is a favorite of mine. :) This one is simple and quick yet yummy. This rice dish uses a spicy lentil - coconut powder that can be prepared ahead and refrigerated. We use a slightly different version of this powder but I simplified the ingredients to suit kids' palates. It is usually used to go with plantains, potatoes and eggplant. However it works fine with most of the vegetables.

Ingredients for 4 Servings:
1 cup Basmati rice / Sona Masuri rice (Any rice that doesn't turn mushy after cooking can be substituted.)
1 plantain - peeled and cubed
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp chana dal / Bengal gram
1 Tbsp urad dal / skinned, split black gram
3 Tbsp grated, dried coconut
5 - 6 red chillies (Adjust the quantity as preferred.)
Salt to taste
Juice from a small lime (optional)
For tadka:
2 -3 Tbsp oil / ghee, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dal/ skinned black gram, 1tsp chanadal / Bengal gram, few curry leaves

Preparation:
1. Wash the rice and drain. Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook. Let cool.
2. Pressure cook the plantain cubes adding turmeric powder and about a cup of water. They should be firm and not turn mushy. Drain and keep aside.
3. Toast on medium flame 1 Tbsp each of chanadal and uraddal until they start turning reddish. Then add the red chillies and toast for few seconds. Turn off the stove and let cool. Grind together finely the toasted ingredients and coconut in a mixer.

Method:
Heat oil in a saute pan and add the tadka ingredients. When mustard starts to pop, add the cooked plantain cubes, ground powder and salt. Saute for a few seconds until the cubes are coated well with the powder and then add rice. Mix well and turn off the stove. Next add the lime juice if using and mix one more time.

Check here to find out what the other marathoners participating in this BM are cooking.

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Dalia - Cilantro Chutney Podi

Spicy lentil powders / podis are a part of Indian cuisine and every home has a stock of their favorite ones. While some of these are added during cooking, some are served along with the breakfast dishes or even plain rice to add a spicy kick. Chutney powder / chutney pudi / podi chutney what ever you call it falls in the latter category and is a must in South Indian homes and mine is not an exception.
While the kids love this version because of the jaggery addition, I am mostly used to another version since childhood. My mother prepares chanadal - urad dal combo chutney powder, flavored with cilantro and asafoetida and is more spicier and flavorful than the former version. I have also eaten dalia - uraddal combination powder in one of my SIL's house and today's recipe is based on it. Tamarind, chillies and salt need to be adjusted according to one's own preferences. The color of the powder mostly depends upon the type of chillies used.

Ingredients required: (Makes about 1 & 3/4 cups)

Dalia / Roasted chickpeas / Pappulu - 1/2 cup

Urad dal / Skinned, split blackgram - 6 Tbsp / 3/4th quantity of dalia 

Dry coconut (Copra) grated - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - a big marble sized

Red chillies - 12
Salt accordingly
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Cilantro leaves - 1/4 cup (wash and wipe dry.)

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - A pinch

Method:
* Toast the urad dal in a pan on low heat until it changes to a few shades darker (light brownish color) and let cool.
* Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard starts to pop, add the cilantro leaves and saute for a few seconds. Turn off the stove and let this mixture also cool.
* Now add everything to a mixer / spice grinder and grind the mixture to a desired consistency. Some grind their chutney powder very fine and people like me prefer a coarser texture.

This is my second day entry for blogging marathon #12 under "delicious dals" theme. Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find out what other marathoners have been cooking.

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