Roundup of 'A - Z' Karnataka Vegetarian Recipe Series

Here is a collection of 26 vegetarian recipes from the south Indian state of Karnataka that I have been posting these past few months. Starting from January, I have been posting three recipes per month in a fun A - Z series. I posted a recipe for each alphabet and so, it might have not been a true representation of the wide and vivid variety, the local cuisine boasts of. Some of the popular dishes may be missing from this series as I might have already posted them on my blog or I could not incorporate them in this series. Some recipes were chosen for being the only choice for that particular alphabet, a disadvantage while doing A - Z series. 😀Hopefully you enjoy going through / trying these recipes as much as I did. Click on the recipe names to get to the recipe links. 

A for Akki Halbai

B for Biscuit Roti

C for Congress Kadalekayi

D for Davanagere Benne Dose

E for Ellu Pajji

F for Field Beans / Avarekalu Payasa

G for Girmit

H for Hitakida Avarekalu Huli

I for Iyengar Bakery Style Masala Toast

J for Jolada Vade

K for Kumbalakayi Idli

L for Limbe Hannina Gojju

M for Mysore Pak

N for Nuchinunde

O for Oodhalina Bisibele Bhath

P for Panchakajjaya

Q for Quinoa Oralu Chitranna

R for Rave Vangi Bhath

S for Sajjige Rotti

T for Thambittu Unde

U for Ukkarisida Rotti / Ubbu Rotti

V for Vangi Bhath

W for Watermelon Rind Dose 

X for X-ploring Karnataka Cuisine

Y for Yogiratna

Z for Zhunka Vadi

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon #118 under the theme 'A - Z Karnataka Recipe Series' and 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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A - Z Karnataka Recipe Series ~ M for Mysore Pak

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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