Holige / Obbattu ~ Poli With Sweetened Toordal Stuffing

Any occasion small or big ranging from a festival to welcoming a freshly minted son in law calls for a holige oota (festive platter that includes the delicious holige) in and around Bangalore. Making soft, thin, flaky holige / obaatu is a skill that is developed over years of practice and experience and usually the job is left to the matron of the home. Whether the holiges are stuffed with sweetened coconut (kayi hoorana) or sweetened dal mixture (bele hoorana / poorna), getting them ready to fry without tearing the outer shell while stuffing and patting is the crucial step. And seriously it needs some practice to make thinner versions that are popular in Bangalore. The dal stuffing can be made with toordal, chana dal or the moong dal.
The holige making involves two steps. Preparation of the stuffing and the outer case.

Toordal stuffing:
Ingredients:
1 cup toordal
1/2 cup jaggery powder (or as needed since the sweetness of the jaggery varies)
1 tsp cardamom powder

Method:
* Cook toordal adding 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Cook toordal in such a way that it gets cooked while still holding shape. Don't cook until mushy.

* Drain the cooked toordal in a colander and let cool.

* Completely drain the toordal. Grind toordal, jaggery and cardamom powder finely. If toordal mixture turns watery accidentally, just cook it in a non stick pan until it thickens. Cool and use as needed.

Ingredients for the outer layer:
3/4 cup chiroti rava / very fine semolina 
1/4 cup maida / all purpose flour
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
8 - 10 tbsp oil (yes that is not a typo.)

Preparing the dough for the outer layer:
Combine the flour, rava and turmeric in a bowl. Add sufficient water and make a thick dough as roti / poori dough. Then add the oil gradually and keep kneading so that the oil gets incorporated well into the dough. According to my mother's instructions, I kept kneading it for at least 15 minutes.  My mother swears that this much of kneading (and the addition of that much of oil too) is really important and one shouldn't skip this step. 
Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

Making holiges:
* Pinch about a small lime sized dough and place it on a generously greased banana leaf or a thick plastic sheet.
* Now using your fingers, pat and flatten it into a thin circle of about 3 inch diameter.
* Place about a lime sized ball of stuffing at the center of the dough circle.

* Bring the edges of the dough from all sides to cover the stuffing completely. Now the stuffing should be well inside the dough casing.

* Again flatten it with your fingers and go on patting it carefully so that it results in a thin, flat circle with spilling the stuffing out.

* Meanwhile heat a griddle / tava / or a shallow pan. Now reverse the leaf / sheet with the disc directly on the tava. Gently pull away the leaf. Add 1/2 tsp of ghee / oil along the circumference and fry it both sides till it is done and you see brown spots all over. Flip it once or twice while doing so.

This is going to be my final post of this week under "Festive Foods" theme. Check what other marathoners are cooking during BM#33.

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Vangi Bhath

Coming from the rice belt of India, the possibility of any festivity / celebration sans a rice dish is practically a zero occurrence to us. Or to any south Indian for that matter. Traditionally, south Indian lunches and dinners meant vegetable and bean dishes served with hot, steamed rice. Till this day, millions of Indian households eat at least a meal of rice everyday though work, time constraints, health consciousness and globalization of food has changed the food patterns / habits of people.
And so naturally, I thought of going with a rice dish - one of the popular vegetarian rice dishes, vangi bhath. Considering the frequency and love with which vangi bhath is prepared in my husband's family, this post is long due. Though vangi bhath is said to be from the state of Karnataka, it is equally popular in the southern states as well. As the name suggests, eggplants are the star of this dish and a good quality vangi bhath powder is a must to turn it into a crowd pleaser.
The preparation of vangi bhath and the spice powder of course change regionally and here is our beloved version. Usually potato is not a part of vangi bhath and also the vegetables are not crisp fried. However I don't mind the frying part and extra calories since it makes the dish more yummier than sauteing eggplants that get mushier while mixing with rice.

Vangibhath powder:
This version of vangi bhath powder comes from a sister in law of mine and it absolutely perks up the dish. I am told by family and friends that I make a very good vangi bhath and the secret behind it is this powder. :) I usually double the ingredients, make extra powder in advance, preserve in an airtight container and refrigerate it.

Ingredients for the vangibhath powder:
1/4 cup chana dal 
1 Tbsp coriander seeds 
4 cloves
8 one inch cinnamon pieces
2 -3 Tbsp dry coconut / copra
10 dried red chillies (I used byadagi variety. If using hotter variety, reduce the chillies.)

Method:
* Dry toast the chanadal till it starts to turn reddish. Then add the coriander seeds, cloves, chillies and cinnamon and sauté for a few seconds.

* Remove from heat and cool them. Grind them along with the coconut to a fine powder.

Preparation of vangi bhath:

Ingredients:
1 cup sona masuri rice
3 violet colored baby eggplants - stalks removed and sliced thin lengthwise
1 big potato - peeled and sliced thin lengthwise
Oil to fry
3 tbsp vangi bhath powder (recipe above)
Salt to taste
For tadka:
2 - 3 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp chana dal, 1 tsp mustard seeds, few curry leaves and a handful of cashews

Method:
* Cook rice adding 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker or rice cooker and keep it aside. Let it cool a bit.
* Fry eggplant slices in hot oil on medium flame, until crisp and golden brown.

 

* Repeat the same with potato slices. Drain on absorbent paper towels and keep them aside.

* Heat oil in a kadai or a big non stick pot. Add the cashews and toast them till they turn golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Add chanadal and mustard seeds to the same oil and sauté till the dal turns reddish. Then add curry leaves and the fried vegetables. 
* Add the vangibhath powder and salt to the pan and mix properly so that the vegetables are well coated.

* Then add the cooked rice and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Garnish with the toasted cashews.

* Serve with some papads / chips.

Check what other marathoners are cooking during BM#33.

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Ulundu Kozhukattai / Khara Kadubu

 

We are in the midst of festival season and so it seemed opt to choose the "festive dishes" theme for this week's blogging marathon. The first recipe for this series is going to be these traditional, spicy kozhukattais. Kozhukattai / kudumulu / kadubu / modak call whatever you may depending upon where you come from, are commonly prepared for Ganesh Chathurthi using a savory or sweet filling. 

Growing up, I remember that we kids preferred to eat only the sweet stuffing before chucking the outer layer into the trash. My mother after watching our ways entirely stopped preparing them and shifted to kajjikayalu instead since we ate the shell too. Somehow in the recent years, I have developed a liking towards the outer shell and started to prepare these kudumulu / kozhukattais. :)

 

This recipe involves two steps. Preparation of outer covering and the spicy stuffing. If you are not preparing this as an offering on a festive day, you can prepare the stuffing in advance and keep it refrigerated for a few days.  

 

Ingredients for urad dal stuffing:
1/2 cup urad dal / skinned black gram
2 green chillies
a sprig of curry leaves
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few pinches of asafoetida
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut
 Method:
* Soak urad dal at least for an hour in water and discard the water after soaking period. Rinse urad dal with fresh water and completely drain.
* Grind urad dal, green chillies, salt and curry leaves together coarsely without adding water. I used a food processor for this. 

* Grease idli moulds and place about 1/4 cup of ground paste into each grove. Steam this in a pressure cooker without the whistle on / idli cooker for about 10 - 12 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Remove and let cool.

* Pulse it in a food processor / blender until the steamed mixture is coarsely crumbled.

* Heat a non stick saute pan and add mustard seeds and asafoetida. Add the coarsely ground dal powder and coconut. Stir and saute for about five minutes. The ulundu stuffing is ready now and can be used as needed.

Ingredients for the outer shell:
1 cup rice flour
1 cup water or as needed
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp oil 
Method:
* Add water, oil and salt to a sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil and turn off the stove.
* Take the rice flour in a mixing bowl. Slowly add the water to the flour , mixing with a wooden spatula /spoon all the while.

* Leave it aside for 5 minutes or until it is easy to handle. Knead it into a smooth dough with greased hands.

* Grease your palms with ghee / oil and pinch out small lime sized portions out of the dough.

* Put the ball on your left palm and flatten it with your right hand fingers.

* Place some filling at the center. Fold it to form a crescent moon shaped one and seal the edges.

* Repeat the steps with the remaining dough and filling to form kozhukattais.

* Steam them for about 10 - 12 minutes or the outer layer is shiny. A idli stand / steamer / pressure cooker can be used.

 

Check what other marathoners are cooking during BM#33. 

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Z ~ Zucchini Biscotti

 

The A - Z marathon comes to an end today. The marathon and month seemed to whiz by so fast that it seemed like it was done in the blink of an eye. However "Behind the scenes" was a different story altogether for everyone who participated in it, if I am not wrong. The frenzy and the excitement started months before the actual marathon started. The participants through chain of emails decided on the themes, shared ideas and helped each other with the list of recipes if needed. Like many, I made an umpteen number of recipe lists / plans on paper in advance though only a handful recipes were ready when the marathon started. However when marathon started, everything fell in place on it's own (kinda) and I enjoyed the process immensely.

And I am ending this BM with these crispy zucchini biscottis, that I had bookmarked earlier from Harini's place. My earlier eggless biscotti experiment from a cookbook kind of fell flat and so when I saw this recipe I wanted to give it a try and I was not disappointed.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup oatmeal flour (or grind any oats you have.)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

A pinch of salt

1 Tbsp yogurt

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp oil (I used canola oil)

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 cup peeled and grated carrot

1/2 cup peeled and grated zucchini

1 Tbsp of raisins / dried cranberries

Method:

* Preheat the oven to 190° C / 375 deg F.

* Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt. dried fruits and cinnamon powder in a mixing bowl.

* Add grated veggies, oil, yogurt and sugar in another bowl and whisk them well until the sugar is dissolved.

* Grease a baking tray with oil or line it with a parchment paper or aluminium foil.

* Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well to form a stiff dough.

* Grease your hands generously with oil or dust them with dry flour. Work with the dough and shape it into a rectangle of about 4 inches wide and 3/4 inch thickness on the greased baking tray.

* Bake it for 25 minutes at 190°C / 375°F . (I baked for about 20 minutes.)

* Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely for 15 minutes.

* Slice the loaf crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces using a sharp knife.

* Place the cut side up and arrange the slices on a baking tray. Bake it at 190°C for 7-8 minutes till they become slightly brown. Turn them to other side and bake again for 6-7 minutes at190°C.

* They needed to be put on broil for a minute to get crisp. However don't be tempted to broil more than one minute or else you will end up with burnt ones.

My A - Z journey during this blogging marathon, under the following themes mentioned.

Street Food / Condiments / Pictorial / Others Theme:

A - Aloo Bonda

B - Bhel Puri

C - Cheddar Cheese Sauce

E - Erra Karam Dosa

H - How to Blanch Tomato 

P - Pongal Ready Mix 

S - Salsa 

W - Watermelon Milkshake

Baking / Microwave Cooking:

D - Dhokla

J - Jam filled Muffins

L - Lime Crinkle Cookies 

O - Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies 

V - Vegan Braided Bread 

International / Fusion Recipes:

F - Farfalle in Lime and Cheese Sauce

I - Irish Bread

N - Nazook

Q - Quinoa Pilaf

T -  Taco Shells

X - Xoriatiki

Regional Recipes:

G - Gutti Vankaya Koora

K - Kanda Koora 

M - Methi Muthiya

R - Rava Dosa

U - Urad dal Chutney

Y - Yogurt Idly

Logo courtesy : Preeti

 

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Y ~ Yogurt Idly

 

Event: Blogging Marathon #32

Theme: Regional Recipe #6

 

I came across this interesting recipe in a weekly magazine at my mother's place when I was in India. It was a "Idli Special" week and they had given twist to the mundane idlis in each recipe and I noted down a couple which caught my fancy. This particular one was a yummy twist to the traditional south Indian style dahi vadas. A wonderful idea to jazz up those plain old idlis or to finish off the left overs without any complaints. 

 

Ingredients:

20 - 25 button idlis / mini idlis

3 cups yogurt

Salt to taste

2 green chillies

1 tbsp cashews

2 tbsp fresh shredded coconut 

1 tbsp each to garnish - minced cilantro, grated carrot and grated fresh coconut

For tadka:

2 tsp oil, 1 tsp brown mustard seeds, few curry leaves, 2 red chillies broken into bits and  pinch of asafoetida

 

Method:

1. Prepare the idlis in button idly tray and keep them aside. Or cut the regular idlis into small chunks. If you are using the left over idlis, remember to re-steam them or heat them covered in a microwave for few seconds. If you dunk the refrigerated idlis directly into the yogurt mixture, the natural fluffiness / sponginess of the idlis is lost and it is hard to enjoy the final product.
2. Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds. When they start to sizzle and pop, add the remaining tadka ingredients and turn off the stove. Keep it aside.

3. Add salt to the yogurt and whisk well. You can add a pinch of sugar too if you prefer.

4. Grind green chillies, cashew and coconut together adding a little bit yogurt if needed.

5. Add the ground paste, idlis and the tadka to the whisked yogurt and mix well. Let it sit for 30 minutes so that the idlis soak the flavors in the mean time.

6. Garnish with cilantro, carrot and coconut before serving.

 

 

Logo courtesy : Preeti

 

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X ~ Xoriatiki

 

 Xoriatiki ~ Greek Style Peasant Salad

Event: Blogging Marathon #32
Theme: International / Fusion Recipe #6

When A - Z marathon was announced, the one letter I thought I would have hard time finding a dish was "X".  I instantly went on an online search and surprisingly found a simple recipe within a short time. And so this Greek salad called xoriatiki was my first decided recipe of this marathon. Xoriatiki or Horiatiki Salata is a rustic, country style salad comprising of fresh, crisp cucumbers, plump kalamata olives, red onions, vibrant, juicy tomatoes and crumbly feta cheese. It is dressed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and oregano. The American versions of it may contain green bell peppers and lettuce. Greeks pair this salad with a rustic, hard crusted bread like papara.

Ingredients:
1 Cucumber - peeled and cut into half moons
2 tomatoes - cut into chunks
1/2 small red onion - sliced thin
20 kalamata olives
100 gm Feta cheese - crumbled or cubed
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (We used lemon juice.)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt to season

Method:
* Combine cucumber, tomatoes and onion in a salad bowl. 
* Mix oregano, olive oil and lemon juice / red wine vinegar in a small bowl.
* Before serving, toss in olives and place cheese over top.
* Drizzle the dressing over the top, season with salt and toss.
* Serve immediately with a crusty bread on the side if preferred.

Logo courtesy : Preeti
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W ~ WaterMelon MilkShake

Event: Blogging Marathon #32
Theme: Free Choice

In this marathon, we had an option of posting two recipes of our choice given that they don't fall under the already assigned themes. I had decided upon a walnut recipe only to realize at the last moment that it involved baking. I wasn't planning to cook anything elaborate as the last minute frenzy kicked in and went hunting in my refrigerator for any "W" thing I could use. I luckily spotted some watermelon in my freezer and so this recipe happened which is a perfect thirst quencher on a hot day. It had a beautiful pale pink color which my camera couldn't capture well. 
There is no exact recipe when it comes to milkshakes and you can adjust the following ingredients according to preference. Or even add vanilla ice cream to prepare the milkshake. Just blend everything until smooth and serve immediately.

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen watermelon cubes
1 cup cold milk
Sugar if needed
1 tsp vanilla essence

 
Logo courtesy : Preeti

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