Tag: coastal karnataka

Balehannina Berati Payasa / Payasam by plantain preserve:

April 7, 2019

First, I want to wish a very very happy “Ugadi” to all my readers.  Ugadi marks the beginning of the new Hindu lunar Calendar, which is based on the change in the moon’s orbit. Ugadi is a Lunar New year for us.

On the eve of this festival I made our traditional payasam and enjoyed with my family.

“Berati” is nothing but preserved fruit pulp, which is cooked until it forms into thick mass and usually made when it is in abundance and stored for future use.

How to preserve jackfruit and Banana / Berati is already shared in my blog. 

In Coastal region we love jack and Banana in many forms. Berati Payasa (preserved Banana or Jack)  is one of them.

Now we will see traditionally how it is made:

Ingredients:

Berati / Banana preserve – 1 bowl

Coconut – 1 (To extract milk)

-OR-

Thin coconut milk – 2cups

Thick coconut milk – ½ cup

Salt – ½ tsp

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

For Seasoning:

Ghee – 1 tbl sp

Thin Coconut slices – 2 tbl sp

Cashew pieces – 2 tbl sp

OR

Toasted black sesame – 1 table spoon

Fresh coconut slices – 1 to 2 table spoons

Method:

  • Take out Berati from your freezer and keep aside for some time to attain room temperature.

  • Slice coconut by using small knife, chop these sliced pieces into small bits.
  • Toast black sesame and keep aside.
  • Take little ghee and fry coconut bits and keep aside.
  • If you want to, you can add ghee roasted cashew bits as well.
  • Grate coconut (coconut should be fresh), put one cup of water and grind this in a mixer jar and extract milk by sieving this ground mixture. This is thick coconut milk and you should keep this separately. We use this at the end stage of Payasa making.
  • Do this procedure a couple of times to get a thin extract and lastly discard coconut fibre.
  • If you are using readymade coconut milk, please skip this step.
  • Now take one thick bottomed vessel, put Berati, thin coconut milk and dissolve Berati and keep this on a gas stove to boil.
  • Usually while making Berati, we put Sugar, so no need of additional sugar.

  • Lastly add thick extract of coconut milk and give one boil. Don’t boil it much. Add Cardamom powder and mix.       
  • Remove from fire and add fried coconut pieces, toasted black sesame or cashew brittles to prepared Payasa.
  • Serve with lunch thali or as a dessert.

NOTE:

  • Traditionally only toasted sesame and coconut bits are added.
  • Vegans can omit ghee and roast all the items, instead of frying.

 

Surnoli: (Bread dosa/ Buttermilk dosa)

January 24, 2019

Surnoli is a traditional breakfast recipe of south canara; it is also called as bread dosa or buttermilk dosa. This is usually prepared if you have left over buttermilk or curds in excess. Usually we make this by adding jaggery.

Here I am giving both sweet and normal dosa version.

Ingredients:

Dosa rice – 3 cups

Fenugreek seeds – 2 tsp.

Beaten rice /poha – 1 ½ cup

Salt – to taste

Buttermilk /curd – 2 cups

Grated coconut – from half coconut or 2 fists full.

Eno fruit salt – 1 tsp. each (for sweet/normal version)

Grated jaggery – according to taste (2 to 3tbl sp) (For sweeter version)

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp. (for sweeter version)

Method:

  • Wash dosa rice, fenugreek and beaten rice twice; discard water. Pour curds and soak this for 3 to 4 hours.
  • Grind this in to a smooth paste by adding coconut and salt to an idly batter consistency (little thicker than normal dosa)
  • If butter milk is very sour add milk while grinding or else you can add water too (if batter is too thick)
  • Now divide this batter into two, take out one portion of batter into a steel vessel in which you keep it for fermenting. This is our normal dosa batter.
  • For sweeter version, add turmeric and jaggery to the mixer jar and grind until it is homogenous.
  • Remove this batter to another vessel and keep it for fermentation.
  • Next day morning add 1 tsp. Eno fruit salt to both the batter and leave it aside for 10 min.

  • Make a dosa by pouring one serving spoon of the batter on hot iron griddle, don’t spread.
  • You will see thousands of holes on upper surface, smear with butter(Vegan’s can avoid) and cook this in a low flame by closing it with a lid.
  • Cook this dosa only on one side and don’t flip.

    -Spongy bread dosa is ready to serve and indulge in it with homemade butter or any chutney. Here I have served this with Onion-coconut chutney.

Ubbu Rotti : ( In a Traditional way)

December 24, 2018

Made Ubbu Rotti for today’s lunch, one of the most laborious and very tasty dishes of south canara region. It is a simple rice flat bread and made by soaking Red rice. This is an age old, gluten free and healthy flat bread.

Ubbu Rotti is made as well as served in different styles. Each household has their own method even though the basic ingredient is the same Red rice which is also known as boiled rice or Kerala Matta rice.

In our household we make the Rotti by soaking Red rice and Idli rice in hot water and ground to smooth batter with salt. The ready batter is then cooked on a low heat to make a dough. Then it is pressed into discs by keeping in-between the two plantation leaves. In our native, people use clay tawa to cook the roti. I normally use my Iron Roti tawa. After cooking on both the sides, normally in villages, we put it on “Kenda” (hot burning firewood) to puff up nicely. Here I normally use direct gas flame to do the same. It is low in calorie as well as very healthy and tasty.

While serving, some families prefer chutney and some Malabar spinach gravy. It depends on one’s family preference. In our household, my Mom used to serve Garlic or Onion chutney and Mom -in -law used to serve with Raw mango chutney.

I have mentioned that it is laborious at the beginning itself. You must be thinking by now, why? It is very simple and straight forward and sounds easy as well. I am telling you, it is one of the most difficult recipes to master! Because it needs a lot of patience and time. Roti cooks really slow and vanishes very fast as well 😉 Once you get a hold of it, you can make it very easily. So, if you attempt and practice you will get the hang of it and can make easily.

Ingredients:

Boiled rice – 1 cup

Idli rice – 1 cup

Salt

Coconut oil – to apply

Method:

-Wash rice and soak it for one to two hours by adding hot boiling water and close the lid.

-Grind into smooth batter by adding enough water.

-Cook the batter( I normally add 1 tsp of coconut oil to batter to enhance the taste)  until it forms a dough consistency.

-Take out and cool a little and start making the discs.

-Take small banana leaves, wash and keep it ready as well as a roti presser or two wooden planks to press.

-Take a big lemon size dough and knead a little and form a round shape.

-Take one banana leaf, place it on a roti presser. Place the dough roundel over it and close it with another leaf and press the presser. If you are using plank, do it exactly like this by using the plank.

-Heat the griddle, place the discs (including banana leaf) over the hot iron griddle. Cook in a medium heat.

-Flip the sides couple of times, when roti cooks, leaf will become loose and at that moment, remove the leaf and discard it.

-continue to cook the roti, until you see the light brown spots. Now it is the time to place it on the direct fire and do it. Some would puff, some would not or partially puff.

-That is it. Remove, apply some coconut oil and enjoy with Onion/garlic chutney or Raw mango chutney or Malabar spinach curry.