Sambar powder

Ingredients :

2 cup dry red chillies - byadagi menasina kayi
1 cup hot chillies - guntur mensina kayi
1 cup urad dal
1 cup channa dal
1 cup coriander seeds
1/4 cup methi seeds
1 cup curry leaves
1/4 cup black peper
1/2 cup jeera 
4-5 sticks cinnamon
1/2 cup kallu hoovu
1 cup grated dry coconut

Preparation :

Heat a thick bottomed pan.

Dry fry each item separately.
Fry Channa daal, urad daal separately till they are golden brown.
Fry grated dry coconut lightly till they turn crisp.
Fry curry leaves till they are crisp.
Fry methi seeds and jeera till they are golden brown.
Fry peppers till they splutter.
Finally fry the chillies adding a teaspoon of oil.
Let everything sit for half an hour.

Now in a jar grind all the ingredients separately and put in a basin.
Then mix everything and once again grind in the mixer so that they all blend and mix thoroughly.

Keep in an airtight jar. It can be used upto 3-4 months by taking out a small portion for daily usage.

Hurigadale karadantu recipe | puthani hittina Karadantu North Karnataka style | besan karadantu recipe

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Shri Krishna Janmashtami is fast approaching. The preparations are on for making Chakli, Kodubale, Nippattu, Tengolu.....

Which sweet are you planning to make this time? Is it the usual Mysore Pak, Khobri Mithai? Or Five cups or seven cups?

Why not make a very different tasty yummy sweet for Krishna this year? One which is absolutely delicious, very very light on your tummy and waistline and hardly takes about 20-30 minutes?
It's called Karadantu but has nothing to do with Gokak Karadantu except for the fact that both are sweets from North Karnataka. My sister Geetha is an expert in making this sweet and I got the recipe from her...

Recipe? Here you go....





Preparation Time  20 Minutes
Cooking Time       20 Minutes

Serves : You decide!

Ingredients :

Hurigadale hittu           2 big cups

Sugar                         2 big cups
Elaichi powder             2 teaspoon
Grated dry coconut      2 tablespoon
Poppy seeds               2 teaspoon
Dry fruit mix pieces     1 cup
Ghee                          2 tablespoon
Water                         2 cups

Preparation :

• Apply ghee to a plate and keep aside.
• Lightly roast to a golden brown the dry fruits pieces, dry coconut powder and poppy seeds and set aside.
• In a thick bottomed kadai mix and heat sugar in water such that the water should stand one inch above sugar when you first pour in.
• Keep stirring to make syrup - paaka.
• Wait till it turns to ele paaka ( when you test with your two fingers it should come like a thread )
• Now switch off the gas and take down the kadai.
• Pour in all roasted dry fruits.
• Add grated coconut powder and poppy seeds.
• Start pouring in the roasted gram powder slowly and gradually into the paaka taking care not to form any lumps. The mixture should be light when you mix. It depends on the consistency of your syrup. If you feel that the mixture is turning hard, stop adding the roasted gram powder.
• Pour in the mixture into the plate, level it and cut into desired shapes. Let it cool.
• Take out the pieces. It tastes very good both when hot and cold.
• It can be eaten up to 8-10 days without refrigeration provided it lasts that long!

Bhelpuri

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You know the good old Bhelpuri has as many recipes as the eaters. And each one is unique and tastes equally good. In fact it can be prepared even without a recipe. Really.
Just take the core ingredient, the kadlepuri - puffed rice - add any fresh veggies you can put your hands on, toss in some savouries and a dash of sweet and sourness and lo and behold you will have people fighting over for it.
I have my own recipe for Bhelpuri. It represents me and how I want my life to be - sweet, hot, sour and tangy. Precisely.
So give a break to your recipe and try mine. I bet you would want to add this to your favorites.

Preparation time 30 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients :

For Sour/hot/meetha Chatni :

Jaggery 1 cup
Think tamarind juice 1 cup
Green chillies 4-6 depends on your taste
Black pepper 10-15
Jeera 1 tablespoon
Pudina - mint leaves a handful
Salt to taste

Vegetables:

Finely chopped onions 1 cup
Grated carrots 1 cup
Finely chopped cucumber 1 cup
Nicely cut tomatoes 1/2 cup
Finely chopped coriander 1/2 cup

Savouries :

Nippattu 4
Congress kadle beeja 1 cup
Ompudi ( thin sev) 1 cup
Chow chow mixture. 1 cup

Puffed rice - Bangalore Puri 2 liters

Preparation :

Grind all the ingredients of the meetha into nice thick chutney.

Note : Instead of mixing entire bhelpuri in one stroke, you can add in installments as and when required so that it tastes fresh and crunchy.

In a big bowl put in 2 tablespoons of meetha, a pinch of salt, a handful of all the nicely chopped vegetables and mix well.
Now mix crushed nippattu, Congress and chow chow and mix again.
Then add the kadlepuri and mix lightly.
Serve on the plate and garnish with ompudi and finely chopped coriander.


PS : During mango season you can add finely chopped pieces of Totapuri mango for additional taste.

Godhi Tambittu / Thambittu Deepa / Godhi Hittina Tambittu Arathi Recipe

How the time flies. It seems just yesterday that I was doing my first Mangala Gowri pooja and here today both my daughter and daughter-in-law are doing the pooja together.

Recipe video :

And the most important part of the Mangala Gowri pooja is making godhi hittu - wheat flour - tambittu. When I was doing pooja my co-sisters would do the tambittu and I had never dwelled deep into the recipe as I was busy performing pooja and running to the office.
Today I sought help from my friend Padmaja, who is an expert in making soft holige - puran poli - bele obbattu, who gave me this quick and easy recipe. By the way you can check here the best recipe for making soft bele obbattu. Follow this recipe to the T and your obbattus would be a real treat.

And here is the recipe for godhi tambittu. Ooops... Did I mention that these tambittu are so so yummy and delicious that you would have great difficulty in controlling yourself to stop gobbling one after another. If you want to distribute them as prasada, make sure to prepare more else nothing would be left when the guests arrive. And when the first guest starts eating, nothing would be left for the last guest! Or else train yourself into a great lesson of self control.

Preparation time   10 minutes
Cooking Time       20 minutes

Ingredients :  

Pounded Unde Bella      4 cups
Wheat flour                  4 cups
Desi ghee                     1 cup
Water

Preparation :

• In a thick bottomed kadai dry roast the atta till the raw smell goes and it starts giving a nice aroma. 
• Then add ghee and fry for a minute or two. Shift the roasted flour to a plate. 
• Now in the same kadai put bella - jaggery with 2 cups of water. 
• Keep stirring till jaggery melts and it becomes antu paaka - sticky syrup - and switch off the gas. 
• Don't leave for long else tambittu becomes hard. 
• Then add the roasted flour and mix well. Within a few minutes it thickens into nice soft tambittu. 
• Let it cool. 
• Now prepare the tambittu deepas, gopura or unde.

This tambittu is generally prepared for pooja diyas during mangala gowri and other festivals in Shravana. If you want to eat tambittu during non-festival season, you can add fried dry fruits, fried grated dry coconut and elaichi powder to enhance the taste.

Ellu Chigali & Hurigadale Tambittu | Ellu Unde & Puthani Tambittu | Sesame seeds Laddu and Fried gram Laddu recipe

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Ellu Chigali & Hurigadale Tambittu | Ellu Unde & Puthani Tambittu | Sesame seeds Laddu and Fried gram Laddu recipe



These are the most famous delicious sweets prepared in North Karnataka during Nagara Panchami festival. They are very very easy to prepare, taste extremely delicious and can be stored even without refrigeration for more than a fortnight.
So this time try these delicacies with this easy and quick recipe.



Recipe video :

Prep time      : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes

Serves - It depends!!!
 

Ingredients :

• Fried gram powder 4 cups
• Ground Jaggery 3 cups - increase or decrease depending upon the sweetness you like
• Ghee 2 cups
• Grated dry coconut 1 tablespoon
• Fried sesame seeds 1 tablespoon
• Elaichi powder 3/4 tablespoon

Preparation :

• In a thick bottomed kadai, heat a tablespoon of ghee and lightly fry the grated dry coconut to a light golden brown and keep it aside.
• In the same kadai heat the remaining ghee and add the jaggery.
• Once the jaggery melts, turn down the heat, add the roasted dry coconut, fried sesame seeds and the elaichi powder.
• Switch off the gas and add the fried gram powder and mix well.
• Prepare round balls - unde - when the mix is hot, because once it gets cold the mixture becomes hard.
• Relish hot yummy laddus.
• Once the undes become cold, store in an airtight jar.
  

Step by step images of the Recipe :

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Ellu Chigali

Preparation Time    30 minutes

Cooking Time         20 minutes

Serves - It Depends!!

Ingredients :

Nylon ellu ( Nylon sesame seeds ) 4 cups

Pounded Unde Bella ( Jaggery )    3 cups - It may vary depending upon how sweet you want your undes

Preparation :

• In a thick bottomed kadai toast the sesame seeds till light golden.
• Let them cool.
• Once cool, coarsely grind the sesame seeds, transfer to a wide bowl.
• Mix the pounded ground to this sesame powder.
• Now transfer this mixture to mixie jar and grind into nice mix.
• It becomes oily and sticky and soft.
• Now roll into undes - laddus.
• Keep in an airtight jar.
• They can be savoured without refrigeration for up to 15-20 days, provided they last for so many days!!!

Office Humour.... Humour in my workplace....

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It has been quite some time since I wrote in my blog other than sharing my recipes. I took VRS last year and so naturally got very busy! Today I want to share some funny anecdotes from my work life, the funny incidents that happened in my office in LIC. So sit back and enjoy...

Have you noticed? There is hardly any difference between the demeanour of a nursery child going to school and a forty plus lady going to office. Given a choice both would rather be left alone and would love to stay at home.And I fully endorse that feeling. Friday evening is the best time of the week and Sunday evening just flies off and I would give anything to Sun if he sleeps off for another week or 48 hours at least. But you know He is never accommodative!

But in spite of this procrastination, we have to go, because we have chosen to go and there are moments in the mundane office hours, some incidents, some innocent comments or wild and witty humour that lifts your mood and lingers like that taste of chocolate on your tongue, which you keep recalling and which gives a nostalgic smile to your lips.

white sauce pasta recipe | pasta recipe in white sauce | creamy white pasta sauce recipe

chitrannaa.blogspot.com

Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time      20 minutes

Serves 4 

Ingredients :

Ready to cook whole wheat pasta            2 cups 
Salt                                                      2 teaspoon
Water to cook pasta

Long and thinly cut vegetables : 
Carrots                                                1/4 cup
Green capsicum                                    1/4 cup
Red capsicum                                       1/4 cup
Baby corn                                            1/4 cup

Broccoli  florets                                    1/4 cup
Sweet corns                                        1 cup

Corn flour                                           2 tablespoon 
Milk                                                    2 cups 
Butter                                                3 tablespoon 
Finely chopped garlic                           1 teaspoon
Oregano                                             1/2 teaspoon

Dry basil leaves                                  1/2 teaspoon
Black pepper powder                          1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli flakes                                  1 teaspoon
Grated cheese                                    2 tablespoon
Groundnut oil                                     1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Preparation

• In a thick bottomed kadai or cooker boil 2 liters of water and add the raw pasta and salt to the boiling water. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes till the pasta turn firm yet soft.
• Drain the excess water and set aside.
• In a thick bottomed kadai add 1 tablespoon oil and add all the veggies and a little salt and saute for 4-5 minutes. See that they are lightly fried and retain their colour and crunchiness. Then transfer them to a bowl.
• Heat 3 tablespoon butter in the kadai, add finely chopped garlic and saute for a minute.
• Add the corn flour and continue to stir for 2 minutes.
• Then add milk little by little stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed. Continue to stir till the sauce thickens. If you feel that it has become very thick, you can add more milk. Remember though that even though you are adding very little corn flour it thickens very fast so depending upon your requirement add or reduce the quantity of corn flour.
• Now add oregano, pepper powder, basil leaves,chilli flakes and salt and mix well.
• After checking the consistency of the sauce add sauteed veggies and cooked pasta and stir well.
• Again check the consistency and add a little milk if you prefer.
• Serve hot garnishing with grated cheese.

how to make roti | how to make soft chapati | phulka recipe

Art of Cooking Tip # 9

How to prepare soft,fluffy and light Chapatis?

Chapati, the regular healthy staple food is prepared by everyone everyday.

But do your chapatis have many soft layers?

Whether your chapatis looks like poori - round - fluffy and light?

Whether your chapatis can be broken in just three fingers?

Whether your chapatis are soft like Obbattu - puran poli?

Whether your chapatis remain as soft and light even after 10-12 hours after cooking?

If your answer is in the negative to any of the above questions, then here is the solution.

• 
  
• Prepare the soft dough at least one hour before you roll them.
• Knead the dough well at least for 5-10 minutes.
• Finally smear a little groundnut oil and keep the dough well covered for an hour.
• Now make small balls, dust some atta and roll them round.
• Put and spread a few drops of oil, sprinkle a little atta on it as shown in the picture.
• Fold it and again smear a little oil and sprinkle some more atta and fold

  

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  into a triangle.
• Do this for all the balls.

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• Now while rolling the chapati, it should be remembered that chapatis are to be lightly ROLLED and NOT PRESSED with the rolling pin. This is very important.
• Remember while cooking chapati the fire should be always high.
• Put the chapati on the tawa, just when the color changes, turn it.
• Again within a minute or two reverse it.
• Put a little oil, turn it and smear a little oil on the other side also.
• It will turn round like a poori. 
• Take it with your hands, holding the edge lightly press on the kitchen slab so that the layers get separated because of the oil and the atta inside. 
• Repeat this for all the chapatis.
• Put them in a wide vessel and lightly apply ghee.
• Every time a chapati is cooked, the hot chapati should invariably go below and the ones cooked earlier should come on top. This should continue till all chapatis are cooked. 
• Serve hot with sabji.

For more such recipes here you go .....

THALI PEETH

Jolada Rotti and Ennegai Palya

Kerala Paratha with Mixed Vegetable Curry

veg biryani in cooker | how to make vegetable biryani recipe in cooker | Veg biryani recipe in Kannada

Preparation time     30 minutes
Cooking time            30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

Basmathi rice              4 cups
Ghee                              4 tablespoon
Groundnut oil              1 cup
Thick fresh curd          1 big cup
Pulav patta                   2-3
Cinnamon                     2-3 small pieces
Cardamom                    5
Black pepper                ½ teaspoon
Jeera                               1 teaspoon

Clove                              5
Saffron strands soaked in water .       a few

Vegetables

Fresh peas or dry pieces soaked overnight          1 small cup
Cubed potatoes                                                1/2 cup
Carrots cut into long pieces.                              ½ 
Beans cut into long pieces                                ½  cup
Cauliflower florets                                            ½   cup
Finely chopped onion                                       1    cup
Onions cut into long pieces                               2    cups
Finely chopped coriander                                  a few
Coarsely chopped mint leaves                           20-25

Spices

Garlic Ginger paste                                         1 tablespoon
Jeera powder                                                1 tablespoon
Red chilli power                                             1 tablespoon
Biriyani masala powder                                   1 tablespoon
Turmeric                                                      ½ tablespoon
Salt to taste

Recipe video :

Preparation  :

Caramelising the onions : 

• Heat groundnut oil in a thick bottomed pan
• Add the long pieces of onions and fry on a low flame
• Keep stirring regularly
• When the onions turn golden brown strain them out.
• Let them cool by spreading them loosely on tissue paper.

Biryani preparation :

• Veg Biriyani needs water in the ratio of 1:1.3 so that the grains are cooked separately.
• Wash the basmati rice, strain water and keep for 30 minutes.
• The veg biriyani has to be cooked directly in cooker on a very low heat.
• Heat the cooker
• Put 3 tablespoons of ghee
• Put Bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper and jeera and saute for a few seconds
• Add finely chopped onions and saute till onions become translucent
• Add garlic Ginger paste and mix well
• Put in all the vegetables including peas and saute for a few minutes
• When the veggies become a little soft, add curds.

• Then add red chilli powder, jeera power, turmeric powder, biriyani masala powder, salt and mix well and spread evenly.
• Put in half of the caramelised onion, finely chopped coriander, coarsely chopped mint leaves.
• Now spread the soaked basmati rice evenly covering the vegetables.
• Sprinkle a teaspoon on biriyani masala, balance half of the caramelised onion, 1 tablespoon of ghee, few more coriander and mint leaves, pour water into the cooker on all sides, add soaked saffron and cover the lid and put the weight.
• Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes on a very low heat. There is no need to wait for the whistles or cook on high heat as it will burn the biriyani in the bottom.
• When steam clears, mix the biriyani well and serve hot with raita.

My dog Pogo on Skype with my daughter

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Ever since he had entered our home on 11.11.11, Pogo my pug had been the darling of the family. Whenever we look at him, involuntarily a smile appears on our face. Whenever he sees us, be it even after a gap of just five minutes, he wags his tail happily, looking at us adoringly with his round brown eyes.
He is just our shadow. Never for a moment he prefers to stay, play or sleep alone. That feeling of companionship he gives to us is a great stress buster.
As dependant as he appears to be on us, he had never been a bother when we have to go out of the house for long spells and leave him alone. 

Of course he looks forlornly at us from the window pulling out heartstrings but he never complains. He is such a smart guy that from whichever part of the home he may be and at whatever time, the moment the door lock opens he will be there, either to receive or ready to come out with us.
Even if we go out for a minute on any small errands,he loves to accompany us. But when we have to leave him while going out, the trick is to tell him that we are going out for five minutes. The moment he hears the word five minutes, he understands that he is not invited and stops in his track.
The incident that I'm going to show now called for this brief introduction!

Rashmi had been the US on a month long trip in 2015. Closely as he is attached to her, he was missing her a lot. Whenever we uttered her name, his ears would straighten and he would look around expectantly. Of course, she also missed him a lot and one day decided to have a Skype call with him.
And here comes the video of their adorable interaction. Pogo was thrilled hearing her voice and started searching for her at every corner of the laptop as she spoke with him, finally scolding her for hiding!
Look at this beautiful interaction that touches your heart.
And don't forget to share this post if you have a smile on your face as you watch it!