Heerekai Bhajji

Heerekai Bhajji is a traditional deep-fried savory snack from Mysoorean cuisine. Its is made with heerekai (Chinese okra or ridge gourd) dipped in a mildly spicy chick pea batter. 

Often when I pay a visit to my aunts place, I demand to make heerekai bhajji which is treat for all my family members. My aunt taught me how to make this deep-fried snack which is extremely crisp on outside; soft, juicy and tender on inside. 

Ingredients

1 Heerekai ( Chinese okra or Ridge gourd), circular and thinly sliced

1 cup gram flour (chick pea flour)

1/2 tsp Cyan e pepper

3/4 cup water

1/4 Asafoetida

Salt

Oil for deep frying

Method

• In a large mixing bowl; mix gram flour, cayane pepper, asafoetida, water and salt.  Mix well without lumps 

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed dish for deep frying

• Dip heerekai in chick pea batter and gently leave it in hot oil

• Fry evenly in medium heat until it turns brown and crisp
• Use an absorbent paper to drain excess oil

• Serve hot with green chutney or coconut chutney

Heerekai Thove (Ridge gourd -Lentils Curry)

Heerekai Thove is a popular recipe southern part Karnataka. Often my mom makes this recipe for chapathi and rice. 

Thove (or tovve) is a very light lentil based curry with no masala. There are different variations in thovve which is made with or without adding vegetables.  It is a simple dal to make especially when you don't have spices at home.

Ingredients

1 cup Toor Dal

1 kg Heerekai (chinese okra or ridge gourd), cubed

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 Onion, diced

1 Tomato, diced

4 Green Chilies, cut lengthwise

1 sprig of curry leaves

1/4 tsp pepper powder

Salt

2 tsp Oil

Method

1. Cook toor dal with 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes
2. Heat oil in a pan, when it is smoky; add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chilies and curry leave. Saute for few seconds and then add heerekai, onions and tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes. Transfer these ingredients to pressure cooker.
3. Add pepper and adjust salt as per taste . Again cook in pressure cooker for 1 whistle
4. Serve hot with rice or chapathi

Rava Ladoo

Rava Ladoo is a sweet ball made from semolina (rava or sooji) made during festive occasions. This dessert recipe is extremely easy and come in very handy for last minute preparations during festivals. 

 This year for Janmashtami, I had been planning to make easy sweet. Just a couple of weeks ago, I made Kesari Bath for Varamahalakshmi festival. I decided to make rava ladoo for Krishna Jayanthi and  made this ladoo for the first time on Janmashtami. 

The ingredients for this recipe is easily available in your kitchen pantry and steps for this recipe is very simple.

Ingredients

1 cup Semolina (rava)

3/4 cup Sugar

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

1/4 cup Cashew nuts

1/2 cup Ghee

1/4 cup Milk

Method

• Roast rava in a pan with 1 tsp of ghee. Saute in low heat for 5-8 minutes until ghee is completely absorbed by rava

• Add sugar and fry for a minute. Also add ghee and cardamom powder. Transfer the contents to a plate or mixing bowl

• In the same pan, heat 1 tsp of ghee and roast cashew nuts until it turns golden brown

• Now, add cashew nuts  to roasted rava-sugar mixture. Add another 2 tsp of ghee and mix well
• Add 1 tsp of milk to small portion of rava-sugar mixture. Mix well and roll it into 1 inch ball

• Repeat above step to roll remaining balls. Add milk as required

• Store it in cool and dry place in an air tight container

Note: 

• Don't add excess milk. Use it in small portions while rolling ladoo's individually
• I used only 4 tsp of ghee, you can add more ghee to add richness to ladoo
• Freshly grated coconut can also be added.

Uppu Seedai

Uppu Seedai (crispy rice balls)is a festive savory snack made exclusively for Gokulashtami. It is made with rice flour, urad dal flour along with special condiments. Seedai (crispy rice balls) comes both in sweet and savory versions. This recipe is the  savory version.

I made this snack for the first time for specially for Krishna Janmashtami. I learnt this recipe from fellow bloggers and that's how I got introduced to this recipe. It is a deep-fried snack and highly addictive. It looks like rice stones and texture wise- it is very crunchy. In this recipe, I have added cumin seeds and red chili powder. Traditionally, these two ingredients are not added. 

Ingredients

1 cup Rice flour

1 1/2 tsp Urad Dal flour

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/2 tsp Red chili powder

1/2 tsp Sesame seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp Ghee or butter (at room temperature)

water

Oil  for deep frying

Method

• Mix rice flour, urad dal flour, asafoetida, red chili powder, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, ghee and salt

• Add about 3/4 cup - 1 cup of  water to knead the dough. It should be soft and pliable

• Now roll the dough into small balls. Approximately 1 cm or 2 cm.
                             
• Spread the rolled balls on a absorbent paper for 5 to 10 minutes and leave it for air dry
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel for deep frying. Drop handful of  balls to the oil and fry in medium flame until it turns brown color

• Use absorbent paper to drain excess oil

• After it has completely cooled store it in a air tight container

Thayir Oats

Thayir sadam literally means curd rice or yogurt rice.  Typically in any South-Indian meal, thayir sadam is served at the end. It is also offered to god and served as prasadam in temples.

Thayir sadam is my favorite comfort food of all. It is usually made with already cooked rice and yogurt which is seasoned with mustard seeds, green chilies, curry leaves, bengal gram, asafoetida, pomogranate and grapes.  The recipe below has a little twist to it. Instead of rice, I used oats in preparing this recipe.

Cooking time : 30 min | Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 cup Traditional oats

2 cups Yogurt

1 cup water

salt

For seasoning

2 tsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Bengal gram 

1 sprig of curry leaves

2 Green chilies, finely chopped

1 Red Chilies

1 tsp Ginger, grated

2-3 sprigs of Cilantro

Method

• Boil water in a large pot. Add oats and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes until oats are completely cooked and water completely reduces. Cool this mixture completely

• Now heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, Bengal gram, red chilies and curry leaves. When it starts to sizzle, pour the seasoning to the cooled cooked oats
• Add yogurt, freshly grated ginger, cilantro, green chilies and adjust salt as per taste. Mix well

• Serve with lemon or mango pickle (optional)

You may also like:
Thayir Semiya
Thayir Sadham

Grilled Sausage Skewers

Juicy and mouthwatering sausages are grilled to perfection. Crisp and intensely glazed vegetables with paprika add a lot of taste to this recipe. 

This is hardly a recipe and need no preparation. All you need is store bought completely cooked sausage and some vegetables for grilling.

Ingredients

4 Sausages, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Bell peppers, cut into inch squares
1 Red Onion, cut into squares
8-10 skewers

For Paprika glaze
2 tsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Taco seasoning

Method

•  Soak skewers in water for 45 minutes
• Thread sausages, bell peppers, and onions alternatively

• In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients under paprika glaze

• Place skewers on a preheated griddle or on a grill. Smear paprika glaze all over vegetables and sausage

• Serve hot with a side of salad

Kesari Bath | Sooji Ka Halwa

Kesari Bath is a traditional sweet recipe in Karnataka. Its one of the sweet recipes made quiet often at homes. Its also served for breakfast with Upma and you will find it in almost all fast-food menu items. 

Kesari Bath is made mainly with 4 ingredients- chiroti rava (fine sooji), milk, sugar and ghee. Also, either cloves or cardamon is used for flavoring along with dried fruits and saffron. 

I made this recipe for Varamahalakshmi festival. And its the first time, I made it with chiroti rava which came out very well. I was very happy with the outcome of this recipe. 

Ingredients

1 cup Chiroti Rava (fine sooji)

1 cup sugar

1 cup Ghee

2 cups Milk

1/2 cup cashew nuts

4 cloves

pinch of saffron strands

Method

• In a sauce pan, roast chiroti rava until it starts to turn golden brown. Transfer rava to a plate
• Add a tsp of ghee and roast cashew nuts until it turns golden brown. Transfer it to the same plate as above
• Now boil the milk
• Add sugar, saffron strands, cashewnuts and cloves. Stir well until sugar completely dissolves in milk
• Lower the flame and slowly add rave to the sauce pan while stirring slowly in one direction to avoid formation of lumps
• Add ghee and mix everything together
• Serve hot