Mullu Sauthe Guliyappa / Cucumber Appe:

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.

 

Kendathadya/ Baked Cucumber-Rice cake:

Every adult has a nostalgic dish from their childhood. I have a “secret” love for this dish because of fond memories of my maternal Ajji (grandmother), who used to pamper me to the core and prepare many such dishes by using the fresh produce that she grew in her kitchen garden.

Kendathadya is a traditional recipe of our Coastal Karnataka region, a special baked dish made by putting “Kenda” (hot burning firewood) on top and at the bottom of the earthen pot or thick metal vessel. Creating an oven affects burning firewood at the top and bottom of the closed vessel containing the batter.

Here, Cucumber used is our heirloom (local) variety, known as Mullu southe, which is light in colour, watery, and flavourful. Soaked rice is mixed with grated Cucumber, jaggery syrup, and fresh coconut to make a flavorful cake with homemade ghee. 

In modern life, we don’t have access to traditional firewood chulha. So, I make this age-old recipe in my OTG and satisfy my craving year after year and relive my childhood while having it.

Ingredient:

Raw Rice/Dosa rice – 1 cup

Cooked rice – 1 serving spoon. ( Red boiled rice or white rice)

Well grown Cucumber – 2 cups (grated)

Coconut – ½ cup (fresh, grated)

Jaggery – ¾ cup (grated)

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Ghee –2 to 3 tbl spoons

Salt – as needed

Eno or Cooking soda – 1 tsp

Method:

-Wash and soak the rice for 3 to 4 hours.

-Make jaggery syrup by adding ¼ cup of water to the grated jaggery, boil until its raw smell goes away, strain the liquid and keep it ready.

-Peel the outer skin, make halves, remove the seeded inner core. Grate it. Mix salt and allow the Cucumber to release its water.

-Drain the water from the soaked rice and discard.

-Collect water from grated Cucumber by sieving it in a strainer and using it for grinding as needed.

-Grind drained rice into a slightly coarse paste by adding collected water from the Cucumber, cooked rice, grated coconut, jaggery syrup.

-At the last round, add grated Cucumber and whip once and remove. Add ghee, Eno fruit salt and give a nice whip. The batter should not be too runny or too thick.

-Pour this into greased, lined baking tin and bake this in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 40 to 50 minutes, and a knife comes out clean when you insert it into the baking cake.

-Serve Hot with a drop of ghee.

Note:

– Addition of Eno fruit salt is optional. If you wish for a softer and lighter cake, add Eno or cooking soda.

-Without Eno, it turns out to be a firm and dense cake. I sometimes don’t add Eno and enjoy my dense cake to relive my memories of Ajji.