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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Flax Seeds - Sesame Seeds Laddu

My mother had given me a few laddu recipes to try a while ago. The tempting protein laddus I posted a few months earlier was one of them. These healthy flax seed laddus are one more from the bunch that are simple and easy to prepare. The original recipe was called flax seed laddu as it used equal quantities of flax and sesame seeds. I have increased sesame seeds quantity when I made these laddus. Also the recipe had about 1/4 tsp. of ground cinnamon which I omitted favoring cardamom. 

Sesame seeds play an important role in some of the regions during Sankranthi festival. These laddus make a great choice if one needs to make a dish using sesame seeds. Or if one has some leftover 'ellu-bella' mix, transform it to some nutritious laddus which everyone can enjoy. These quick fix laddus can also make an opt choice for a 'mithai' platter or when one needs to make more sweets for festivals like Diwali and such.  

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flax seeds
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1 cup dates (More than 24 pitted dates)
1 /4  tsp. ground cardamom

Directions:
* Toast sesame seeds on medium flame until they start to lightly brown, continuously stirring all the while. Don't let them burn.

 * Toast flax seeds until they start to crackle and fly around. It takes about a minute or less to toast them.

* Let the toasted seeds cool down.

* Finely grind the toasted flax seeds in a blender and transfer it a bowl. (I saved a few seeds without grinding and added to laddus which I don't recommend.) Next finely grind the sesame seeds as well and add it to the bowl. 
* Lightly pulse the dates in a food processor or a blender until they appear coarsely ground. Next add the ground sesame and flax seeds, cardamom and cinnamon if using and run the food processor on pulse mode until the mixture comes together.  

* Transfer the contents to a bowl and shape into laddus. 

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'Kodo Millet' Paramannam / Arikala Paramannam

After last week's A - Z Karnataka Recipes theme, I am moving onto the theme of festival recipes this week keeping in mind the upcoming Sankranthi festival. Somehow savory and sweet pongal versions and paramannam kind of dishes have become synonymous in the southern parts of India with this harvest festival. However my mother was mentioning recently in one of our chats that she doesn't remember a single Sankranthi festival meal where her mother had prepared a pongali / paramannam. Her mother would prepare ariselu / athirasam or boondi laddu. Of course, ariselu, a traditional sweet dish uses the harvested rice and would have made perfect sense for the season if one didn't mind the extra labor involved in pounding the rice and the deep frying part. My mother has somehow moved the dish to the Diwali category since it is prepared commonly during then in Bangalore area and also times it during our visits to India since it happens to be my husband's favorite sweet dish. 

My mother is also content preparing a sweet pongal dish like this albeit a traditional version using rice on Sankranthis. My version today uses kodo millet which tastes utterly delicious, almost similar to rice and comes handy if avoiding rice. The recipe can be easily doubled and the preparation is quite simple and easy one. If you have any other millet handy like proso, barnyard, foxtail or little millet, they can be substituted for kodo millet here. Even quinoa, cracked wheat can be used. Or stick to rice, the original version. A little dal is always added while making rice based sweet dishes for auspicious occasions since the plain rice versions are made during death anniversaries. The color of the dish depends upon the color of the jaggery being used in the recipe. No need to fret or run to store in case if one doesn't have jaggery on hand. It can be easily replaced by sugar. Actually I enjoy the sugar and the coconut combination in the traditional rice version more. And coming to edible camphor, a tiny pinch is all that matters for that divine taste which resembles the temple prasadms. A tad more would result in an overbearing flavor. Ghee can be used as generously as one would wish. And finally don't skip the coconut if possible since it enhances the flavor of the dish. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup kodo millet
1 tbsp. split yellow gram / Bengal gram (Moong dal or Chana dal) 
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated fresh coconut
1/2 cup powdered jaggery
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
A pinch of edible camphor
1 to 2 tbsp. ghee
1 tbsp. raisins
1 tbsp. cashews

Directions:
1. Rinse kodo millet and dal with water and drain. Pressure cook kodo millet and dal adding 1/2 cup milk for 3 whistles. Add a small spoon to the millet container while cooking to prevent milk from boiling over. (It can be cooked directly in a pot as well on medium flame and the liquid quantity may need to be adjusted as needed (usually more). Milk can be replaced with water in this step to avoid the milk from boiling over while cooking. Keep stirring to avoid millet sticking to the bottom of the pan while cooking or use a non stick pot to make the job easier.)  

2. Heat ghee in a small pan and add raisins and cashews. Toast them until cashews turn golden brown and raisins turn plump.

3. Transfer the toasted raisins and cashews with a slotted spoon on to a plate. To the same ghee, add the cooked millet, coconut, jaggery, and cardamom.

4. Mix well and add the remaining milk. Stir well. Cook on medium flame stirring intermittently until the mixture starts to bubble. Simmer on low heat for about 3 - 4 minutes until all the jaggery melts and incorporates into the mixture. Finally add edible camphor if being used and turn off the stove. Add the toasted cashews and raisins as well. Stir well and serve warm. It tastes good even when cold. Leftovers can be refrigerated and warmed before serving.  

Some points to be noted:
1. I directly added jaggery to the millet mixture since it was clean. In case the jaggery appears not clean, melt it separately in a small pan adding small amount of water and filter the solution. There is no need to add too much water since we don't need the paramannam to be very diluted.
2. Sometimes the milk may split when added to jaggery directly and cooked. It has not happened to me but in case if you suspect that to happen and to be on a safer side, the addition of milk can be omitted in step 4. Instead, the milk can be boiled and cooled separately and added to the mixture after turning off the stove.

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Celebrating Blog's 13th Anniversary with Akki Haalubai / Akki Halbai

Wish you all a joyous new year ! Hopefully the new year will usher in health and happiness to everyone around us and my readers. I am back after a brief hiatus which was very much needed from a personal point of view. In the meanwhile, my blog completed 13 years this past month when I was away. A blog which was supposed to be an online recipe diary has somewhat turned into a hobby and habit of mine in the process. Also this turned out to be a pursuit that has lasted longer without me losing attention along the way. A big hug for those who follow and appreciate my posts and for people in my life who share and inspire to continue this blog. 

And now to the main event of this week. I am planning to do a vegetarian recipe series on Karnataka cuisine starting this month. Karnataka is one of the states in southern India where I grew up and is dear to me. The format would be in an alphabetical order, that is A to Z style though the alphabets in the local languages are different. I am going to post 3 recipes on the first week of each month. There are going to be 3 recipes this week that start with letters A, B and C. The next three recipes with names starting with D, E and F are going to be posted in February and so on. I am starting the series with a sweet recipe, also to celebrate my blog's milestone. 

Today's post is the first in the series featuring letter 'A'.  The first alphabet in the local language in the state of Karnataka or for that matter in most of the Indian languages sounds like 'au'. The words starting with that sound typically fall under 'A' recipes of Karnataka though I am not making a comprehensive list here. I am just noting down some of the common Kannada culinary terms, Kannada being the widely spoken and official language of the state. We will start with the basics like aduge, aduge mane (au-do-gay  ma-nay), and aduge bhatta which respectively mean cooking, the kitchen and the cook who cooks / caters for a group. In everyday usage, aduge becomes 'adige (ah-d-gay) most of the times. A also stands for the two staple and indispensable ingredients of the region, akki and anna. While Akki (pronounced uck-e) means the rice grain, anna (un-na) is the cooked version of rice. Coarsely ground rice is akki tari (tha-ri), finely ground version would be akki hittu and akki shavige is rice noodles. While avalakki is the beaten rice flakes, arka is kodo millet and aralu would be the popped grain. There are plenty of breakfast dishes made with avalakki / beaten rice flakes.

Aloo gadde would be the ubiquitous potato while amtekai is the hog plum. Ananas would be pineapple while arishina is ground turmeric which is an integral part of an Indian spice box. The roots (kombu) and leaves (ele) are used in cooking. Alasande is the black eyed peas while the most important beans of all for the region or at least for us, the Bangaloreans would be the fresh hyacinth beans called avarekalu. Anabe, the mushroom is not part of a traditional, vegetarian kitchen.

A also stands for a tasty snack aambode, the popular south Indian masala vada sans onions. Appe huli is the famous green mango rasam from the coastal and Malenadu regions. A ton of dishes are made with avarekayi aka hyacinth beans whose names obviously start with avarekayi. Similar in the case of akki aka rice. The famous one has to be the rotti, the flat breads that are mainly prepared in three different ways. Today's sweet is also made with rice and hence the name akki halbai.

The first one in the series is going to be a sweet recipe of the old era kind where grand mothers used to whip up a treat for the eagerly waiting grand kids. The kids of those times who didn't have a zillion number of calorie laden, ultra-processed snack options would have definitely found halbai alluring. It is a traditional dish from Karnataka and also called as manni in the coastal areas of the state, if I am not wrong. It doesn't need any fancy ingredients and uses the basic staples of a south Indian kitchen as many other traditional delicacies do. Kids of the present may or may not appreciate this old world 'sihi' (sweet) before the allure of the modern desserts but I certainly has a weakness for it. The ground batter of rice, coconut and jaggery is cooked until thickened, cut into bite shaped pieces and served. Don't be fooled by the burfi shaped halbai, It is basically a dish with a soft and literally 'melt in mouth' kind of consistency as that of a halwa. Haalu means milk in Kannada.

It is a festival dish, mostly made on Nagara panchami day though it can be made on other occasions too. Halbai can be prepared with wheat and ragi too instead of rice. I have noticed there are versions with fine semolina and even beaten rice flakes (Chiroti rave and avalakki). Halbai making actually doesn't need any other skills than stirring. However this is a recipe where one cannot ignore the proportions of the ingredients mentioned. The dish would end up being a disaster if one eyeballs the measurements as many Indians do with most of the dishes. The ratio of rice and water is always 1:3 in this recipe. The trick is to cook until the mixture is no longer sticky. 

The process appears tedious to many, especially during the first half part of the cooking as lumps start forming if not constantly stirred. I would recommend a non stick pan for this recipe. The whole cooking process took me about 20 minutes and I paid constant attention only for the first ten minutes. I was also preparing a small quantity and so the process didn't bother me at all. Besides I was trying a recipe that had been on my mind for more than two decades. I never got a chance to try this rice version though my mother and I have tried wheat and ragi versions before. I am not sure if it is an acquired taste but it is delicious for people like me who has a sweet tooth, especially biased towards traditional south Indian 'rice' based sweets. 

Cooking time: About 20 minutes
Yield: 8 - 9 pieces
Ingredients:
1/4 cup rice
1/4 cup fresh / frozen shredded coconut (I used 2 tbsp. more)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. jaggery
3/4 cup water (divided)
2 cardamom pods
1 tbsp. ghee (divided)
Cashews to garnish
  
Prep work:
1. Soak rice in water for about 3 hours. Drain the water after the soaking period and rinse with water twice and drain the water completely.
2. If using frozen coconut, thaw by heating it in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
3. Finely grind the cardamom seeds.
4. Grease a small rectangular or a circular plate with ghee. Choose a plate with some depth.

Directions:
1. Finely grind the soaked (and drained) rice and coconut adding 1/4 cup water. 

Add jaggery next and grind until it is incorporated into the batter. Grinding jaggery is optional. Jaggery can be added to the pan later too while the rice - coconut mixture is cooking. (See notes if the jaggery being used is not clean.)
2. Add the ground mixture and 1/2 cup of water to a pan, preferably a nonstick one to make the stirring job easier. Start cooking on low flame, stirring constantly. Add jaggery now if it was not added to rice and coconut while grinding. 

3. The mixture needs constant attention at the early stage as it turns easily lumpy if not stirred continuously. 
4. The mixture looks like this after about 10 minutes of cooking. Add cardamom and a tsp. of ghee and keep cooking on low medium heat, stirring continuously. 

5. The mixture looks like this after 15 minutes of cooking. 

6. Add one more tsp. of ghee and keep cooking on low medium heat, stirring continuously.

7. After 3 - 4 minutes, the mixture should start coming together and leave edges of the pan, forming a single mass like halwa. Add the remaining ghee and stir well to combine.

7. Turn off the stove when the mixture doesn't stick when touched with wet fingers. It means that halbai is ready. 

8. Transfer the mixture to the greased plate, level it with the back of a spatula, Cut into square or diamond shapes when it is slightly warm and garnish with cashews if desired and serve. (I forgot to take pictures for this step.)

Notes:
In case if the jaggery being used is not clean then skip adding it to the ground rice - coconut mixture. Add it to a separate pan along with 1/2 cup water and heat until the jaggery melts. Turn off the stove and filter the jaggery water to remove any impurities present. Add the filtered jaggery solution in the step 1 and omit the addition of water in step 2. The total water used in the recipe should not exceed 3/4 cup for this measurement.

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Apple, Banana & Cashew Custard

 

After the breakfast puddings I posted these past two days, I thought of going with a quick and lovely dessert option for today which happens to be an easy preparation. Though it falls under the dessert category, I wouldn't mind if a bowl of yummy fruit custard is served at breakfast. Indians need no introduction to the eggless custard which is served with mixed fruit. It used to be one of the popular dessert options during kids' based birthday parties and I hope it is still so. I usually go with an array of fruits when making this custard but I noticed this version in a family party using the basic fruits found lying in anyone's kitchen.
 
Indians usually go with the readily available commercial brand custard powders while preparing fruit custards at home. It is nothing but vanilla flavored corn starch with yellow food coloring added. The preparation of custard is simple and basically, the custard powder is whisked into a small amount of milk to an uniform consistency and added along with sugar to boiling milk and cooked until it thickens. 2 tbsp. of corn starch + 1 tsp. vanilla extract + yellow food coloring can be substituted for the amount of vanilla flavored custard powder used in the recipe.    

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
2 cups milk
2 tbsp. vanilla flavored custard powder 
3 tbsp. sugar
1 big sized banana
1 apple
A handful of cashews
 
Method:  
* Pour milk into a preferably a non stick pan or a sturdy sauce pan and heat it on medium flame. When the milk starts to get warm, transfer about 1/4 cup of milk to a small bowl. Continue to heat the milk in the pan, stirring frequently until it starts to boil. When it starts to boil, turn down the heat setting to low.
* Meanwhile, add vanilla flavored custard powder to the saved milk in the bowl and whisk well. Add this and the sugar to the boiling milk in the pan and whisk well. Stir frequently and continue to cook until the mixture thickens and the raw smell of the custard powder leaves.
* Let the custard come to room temperature and then place it in the refrigerator to chill.
* Chop banana and apple to fine bits. Chop cashew nuts into small pieces as well. Add them to the chilled custard.
* Serve immediately or within a day.

This goes to Blogging marathon #74, under the theme 'Are you Pudding me'. Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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Celebrating 10th blog anniversary with Sukhdi / Gud Papdi

This post has been due for a couple of months now but the lazy me kept postponing it. My blog reached a milestone last December, hitting the 10th year mark. Quite an achievement from a personal stand considering that I lose interest in things after a while. Thanks to my readers and fellow bloggers who visit and leave a positive trail and keep me going.

I thought the celebration deserves a treat and so, here comes the sukhdi aka gud papdi. This sweet dish seems to be a quite popular one in Gujarat and the neighboring state of Rajasthan. The basic preparation includes only three ingredients - wheat flour, jaggery and ghee which all are considered to be healthy ones. Yes, in spite of the flak the butter receives because of it's calorie content, the traditional belief in India is that ghee in moderate amounts is good for the body. I am neither fond of nor prepare ghee laden sweets, the only exception being 'Mysore Pak' which is a favorite of everyone at my home including the father-daughter duo who claim to be sweet phobics.

This is a quick preparation but tests your arm strength since you need to keep stirring the mixture the whole time. Properly made sukhdi has a melt in mouth texture. Additional ingredients like nuts / spices can be added to the basic preparation. I used very pale colored jaggery and my sukhdi had a brownish yellow hue but somehow they are looking yellow in the pictures. (That's for people who are wondering why my sukhdi have that color. And also they look firm since they were in the refrigerator for a week or so by the time I took pictures.)

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour / atta
1/2 cup ghee 
1/2 cup powdered jaggery
 
Method:
* Grease a plate or a circular pan which is at least one inch deep. Take care to powder the jaggery leaving no bits and chunks.
* Heat ghee in a wide non stick pan on medium flame and add the wheat flour. Stir well so that the whole flour is coated with ghee. Continue to stir without stopping until the flour attains a darker hue than the one you started with and you begin to notice the aroma, about 5 to 7 minutes. (If the mixture appears dry while stirring, add a tbsp or more of ghee and continue to stir.)
* Turn off the stove and remove the pan from the heat. Place it on the counter top or any solid surface and immediately add the jaggery and stir quickly to mix until the jaggery gets incorporated into the mixture.
* Pour the mixture into the greased plate and even out the surface with the back of a spatula. Cut into desired shapes when the mixture is still warm and set it aside to let cool. When the sukhdi cools, separate the pieces and store in an airtight container.

This goes to Blogging marathon #73, under the theme 'Sweets prepared in less than an hour'. Check here to find out what the other marathoners are cooking as part of the BM.

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Poha Laddu / Sweetened Beaten Rice Flakes' Balls / Atukula laddu

 
Here are some delicious laddus which happen to be a quick preparation. These are very easy even for a novice and are apt sweet choice for festivals like Diwali, and Krishnasthami.

Ingredients: (Yield 10 laddus)
2 cups beaten rice flakes / poha / atukulu
1/2 cup sweetened desiccated coconut / grated dry coconut
3/4 cup powdered jaggery *
2 cardamoms
2 tbsp. ghee
1 tbsp. each - cashews and raisins
2 tbsp. melted ghee or milk at room temperature to shape the laddus
* Adjust the quantity of the jaggery depending upon it's sweetness
 
Method:
* Toast rice flakes on medium flame in a wide pan until crisp. Transfer the flakes to a wide plate and let cool.
* Toast cashews and raisins in ghee until the cashews turn golden and the raisins turn plump. Keep them aside.
* Grind the cardamom seeds finely.
* Grind the beaten rice flakes, coconut, jaggery and cardamom in a blender / food processor finely. Remember to grind the mixture fine since coarsely ground poha bits are hard to chew.
* Transfer the ground mixture to a wide plate and add the toasted cashews and raisins along with the ghee. Mix well and add extra ghee / milk as needed to shape the mixture to balls.
* Make lime sized balls using the mixture. Store them in a bottle or a container with a tight lid. Refrigerate them if milk was used to shape the balls.
 

This goes to Blogging marathon #73, under the theme 'Sweets prepared in less than an hour'. Check here to find out what the other marathoners are cooking as part of the BM.

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