Month: November 2021

Kesari bath:

November 29, 2021

Kesari bath is made in many ways. Traditionally, it is made with Bansi Rava, and that is how my husband likes it. Since it is our Anniversary, presenting one of the much-cherished desserts and an integral part of our wedding menu.

Today, I am celebrating five years of blogging and 23 years of our togetherness with the much-loved sweet of my Husband, Kesari bath.

It is a simple sweet, with minimal ingredients like Bansi Rava, Sugar, Saffron and ghee, garnished with ghee fried cashews and raisins. Earlier I used to eyeball the measurements and prepare. The traditional measure and this foolproof recipe, which we cherish, is by my friend Madhu.

For measurements, use any tumbler of your choice.

Ingredients:

Bansi Rava- 1cup

Water-3cup

Sugar – 1 ½ to 2 cups ( Acc to your sweet level)

Salt – ¼ tsp

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Saffron – 10 to 12 strings (soak it in hot water or milk)

Ghee- ½ cup or a little more, as needed.

Cashews 10-15

Dry grapes- 15-20

Method:

-Take a small cup, add saffron, pour little hot milk or water, and allow soak.

-Keep water to boil in a saucepan.

-In a pan, add a tablespoon of ghee, fry cashew and dry grapes and keep aside.

-In the same pan, roast Bansi Rava till a pleasant aroma comes and turns grainy.

-Add salt and pour boiling water and allow to cook on a low flame.

– Once Rava is cooked, add sugar stir well to make sure there is no lump.

-While stirring, In every small interval, add ghee and proceed to stir.

– After 10 minutes of stirring, you can add saffron laced milk and mix well.

– Keep adding ghee little by little and mix well. Cook this mixture until ghee starts leaving from the sides.  Finally, add cardamom powder,  dry fruits mix well.

Serve hot.

NOTE:

If you wish to make square pieces out of it, when the Kesari bath is done, Spread the content on a ghee applied plate.

Allow to cool, mark the shape, get the perfectly shaped pieces, and store them in an air-tight container.

Air potato French fry:

November 20, 2021

The trial of French fries by using Air potato was the best decision. It turned out super delicious and got a demand again and again from my family. If you caught hold of Air potato, don’t hesitate to try this out.

If you are new to the usage of Air potato, please go through my detailed description regarding the aerial tuber, how to cook etc., in “Understanding the roots and tubers.” And go down until Tubers, and you would find the Air potato under Number 8, and it is HERE. If you want to try the soup recipe, you can check my Air potato soup recipe over HERE.

Ingredients:

Air potato – 2

Corn flour – 1 – 2 tablespoons

Salt -to taste

Pepper -to taste

Red chilli powder – to taste

Oil – to deep fry

Method:

-Peel the outer skin, slice into ½ inch thickness, cut into fingers.

-Wash a couple of times, drain by spreading it on a kitchen towel.

-Heat oil, deep fry for a couple of minutes, remove, spread in a tissue, drain all the oil as much as possible.

-Sprinkle cornflour, coat nicely and keep this in a freezer for 30 minutes.

-Once again, deep fry until it is slightly brown, remove.

– Sprinkle salt, red chilli powder, pepper and serve with tomato ketchup.

Air potato onion soup:

November 14, 2021

I am fortunate enough to experiment with this rare tuber for Roots and Tubers 2020 calendar project—by Sahaja Samrudha noble cause of supporting farmers and introducing all the nutritious and most ignored products to the community at large.

Who doesn’t love soup? That too in winter months. This Air Potato onion soup recipe is earthy, delicious, healthy and soothing to our souls.

It uses simple everyday ingredients. In place of Air potato, one can use our regular potato. It doesn’t use fresh cream, so it is excellent for people with a sensitive gut. It is easily adaptable to make vegetarian or vegan.

If you are new to the usage of Air potato, please go through my detailed description regarding the aerial tuber, how to cook etc., in “Understanding the roots and tubers.” And go down until Tubers, and you would find the Air potato under Number 8, and it is HERE. 

Ingredient:

Air potato – 2 

Spring onion – 3 to 4 springs

Sweet corn – 2 tablespoons

Butter – 1 tablespoon

Garlic – 3 cloves

Seasoning – oregano or any preferred choice of yours.

Pepper powder – ½ tsp

Method:

-Peel potato, dice. Chop spring onion.

-Heat butter, sauté Spring onion and garlic, add potato, sweet corn and fry for a while.

-Add salt, preferred herbs as a seasoning, pepper and mix everything. Add sufficient water and cook.

-Churn the content, adjust the consistency by adding water. Boil, adjust the seasoning and serve.

Taro Root/ Arbi Fry:

November 9, 2021

A perfect side dish to enjoy with humble curd rice or Rasam rice. It is flavourful, healthy, and easy to make a side dish.

Now prepare the Taro root or Arbi;  if you are new to the usage of Arbi, please go through my detailed description of handling Arbi, how to cook etc., in “Understanding the roots and tubers.” And go down until Tubers, and you would find the Taro/Arbi under Number 7, and it is HERE.

Now, the procedure for Arbi Fry:

Ingredients:

Arbi root – ¼ kg

Salt – as needed

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Red chilli powder – 1tsp

Tamarind powder or paste – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – ½  – 1 tsp

Hing – one pinch

Garam masala powder – ½ – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 – 2 springs

Oil – 2 – 3 tablespoons

Rice flour – 1 to 2 tablespoons

Method:

-Wash the Arbi root, cook for one whistle in a pressure cooker. Peel the skin and slice it ( ½ inch thick pieces).

-Take one bowl, put these slices, all the masalas from salt to garam masala from the ingredient list. Let it sit for half an hour to 1 hour.

-Take one iron skillet, heat oil, put curry leaves, then marinate taro, toss-up and down in a slow flame.

When it is slightly crisp, sprinkle some rice flour and toss further and enjoy with your meal to make it crispier.

Tips: For example, while roasting Arbi, adding little rice flour when 3/4 is done gives it a crisp texture and does not get sticky and mushy. And the necessity to use excess oil also does not arise, thus making it healthier.

 

 

Mullu Sauthe Guliyappa / Cucumber Appe:

November 1, 2021

Like Kendathadya, this is one more recipe, which I love and cherish the fond memories of my childhood. This recipe is usually made with heirloom cucumber of our region, which is flavorful and watery compared to commercially available salad cucumber.

Ajji, my maternal grandma or my aunt used to prepare this dish for the evening snack. It used to be real fun, sitting in front of the wood fire, chatting with ajji, holding the plate full of two types of Guliyappa. One is the sweeter version with added jaggery, and the other is savoury, with added onion, chilli, and curry leaves. It is pure bliss, and we never recreate the moment of such a warm, comfortable atmosphere in today’s world.

Now, we would see the procedure of making Sweet and Savory version –

Ingredients:

Dosa rice – 1 + 1 cup

Cucumber – 1 Big

Fresh grated Coconut – ½ + ½ cup

Salt

Jaggery – ½ cup (grated)

Onion – 1 medium

Curry leaves

Green chilli

Method:

-Wash, Soak rice in two bowls separately for 3 to 4 hours. Drain soaked water before grinding. (We are using an oozed water out of cucumber for grinding rice)

-Make jaggery syrup by boiling grated jaggery with very little water, sieve the liquid to remove all the impurities.

-Take one big cucumber, peel the skin, make halves, remove the inner core and seeds and grate it. Mix salt to the gratings, leave aside for 5 minutes.

When cucumber oozes its water, strain it through a sieve by extracting all oozed water and collecting it for grinding rice.

-Now, grind the batter for a sweeter version, take one set of drained rice, add ½ cup of Coconut, jaggery syrup, required amount of cucumber water and grind into not so smooth batter.

-To this batter, add tightly packed one cup of cucumber gratings and whip the mixer grinder to mix it thoroughly with the batter.

-Remove this batter to one vessel and allow to rest for 2 to 3 hours. (Resting the batter would help to make Guliyappa softer and flavorful)

-Now, it is time to make batter for the Savory version. Grind the same as the sweet version without adding jaggery. After adding and mixing the cucumber gratings, add chopped onion, green chilli and curry leaves.

-Remove this batter to one vessel and allow to rest for 2 to 3 hours. (Resting the batter would help to make Guliyappa softer and flavorful)

-After the resting period, heat the Appe/ Paddu pan, pour little ghee into each mould. When the paddu pan is hot, pour the batter, cook in a low flame, turn around, cook both sides properly, and enjoy the flavourful and delicious Sweet and Savoury Cucumber Guliyappa.