AKKI PAYASA / AKKI HUGGI

"Akki Payas/ Akki Huggi" is a North Karnataka rice variety, which is usually prepared during festivals/ functions along with Kadubu/Holige. Seeing the name payas/huggi, dont think that its a sweet dish. Main ingredients for this dish are rice and kusubi. Many of you would not have heard or seen these seeds. I had brought kusubi while coming from India, I dont think we get them here in US of A. See the picture below for Kusubi seeds, they are like sunflower seeds but white in colour.

Ingredients:-

Rice- 1 cup

Kusubi-1/2 cup

Water-4 cups

Salt to taste

Procedure:-

• Cook rice in cooker with 3 cups of water.
• Grind Kusubi by adding a cup of water, strain it to remove all the pulp, collect only kusubi haalu.
• Add this kusubi haalu to cooked rice and bring it to boil.
• Akki payasa is ready to serve!!

PIZZA -II

Click here for pizza recipe, everything is same as previous pizza but this time I used 1 cup of Marinara sauce instead of tomato sauce and chilly sauce.

SALAD

As I said earlier, me & my DH, we are raw veggie lovers. I make salad almost everyday. A bowl of salad is what I eat in the afternoon sometimes for lunch! I love salad anytime!


Ingredients:-

Broccoli
Cucumber
Tomato
Red Onion
Lettuce
Dried Prunes
Dried Apricot
Raisins
Mayo
White Vinegar
Ranch salad dresser
Cheese (optional)
Salt to taste

Procedure:-

• Slice all the above said veggies as much quantity as you want.
• Add required amount of mayo, ranch salad dresser and 1 tsp white vinegar.
• Add dried fruits like prunes, apricots, raisins etc.
• Add a pinch of salt, mix it well. Have it fresh.

BANANA WALNUT CAKE

Usually I used to bake cake by using ready mix, this time thought of making it from scratch. Its takes very less time, preparation time is hardly 10 minutes, baking time is 30 minutes. Lets get started!


To make 8" cake

Ingredients:-

All purpose flour- 1 1/4 cup
Banana (ripe & mashed)- 2 nos. medium
Softened Butter- 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp
Packed brown sugar- 1 cup
Eggs- 2 nos.
Baking Powder- 1 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
Milk- 3/4 cup
Chopped walnuts- 1/2 cup

Procedure:-

• In a bowl, mix softened butter, vanilla extract and packed brown sugar. Stir it until fluffy.
• Add eggs, baking soda, salt, baking powder and all purpose flour.
• Now add milk and finely mashed ripe bananas.
• Beat the mixture for about 5 minutes until it becomes soft and fluffy.
• Lastly, add chopped walnuts.
• Pour the batter to a greased and lightly floured 8" cake pan.
• Preheat oven at 350 degree F, place the pan in oven.
• Bake it for 30 minutes. Poke a knife to see whether its baked or not. If knife comes out clean, then its baked properly.
• Take out from oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

DUMROOT

Few days before halloween we had gone for apple picking, in the same farm pumpkin patch was there too, got to see many sorts of pumpkin smallest- biggest, different shapes, colors.......it was fun! After seeing all those orange colored eye catching pumpkins i picked one thinking of making Pie which Americans prepare during halloween. But somehow cld not do it ...poor pumpkin was laying in the kitchen corner for many days, rather i shd say months :) Thank God pumpkin won't perish easily.....finally ended up in making "Dumroot".

Ingredients:-

Grated pumpkin- 3 cups

Milk- 2 cups

Sugar- 1 cup or as required

Cardmom pwdr- 1/2 tsp

Clarified butter/ghee- 4 tbsp

Cashew, raisin, almond pcs- 2 tbsp

Procedure:-

• Heat clarified butter/ghee in a pan and fry cashew, almond, raisins, keep aside.
• Sqeeze and take out the water from grated pumpkin as much as possible.
• In remaining ghee, fry grated pumpkin for 10 minutes.
• Mean while, keep milk for boiling on another stove, boil till milk reduces to a cup.
• After frying grated pumpkin, add milk and keep stirring till all the milk evaporates.
• Now add sugar, cardmom powder. Stir till halwa leaves sides and bottom of pan.
• Turn off the heat. Add fried cashew, almond and raisins.
• Serve hot/chilled.

VEGGIE SUB

Subway!!!!! its one of my fav eatout in US. Me and my DH we both like veggie sub coz we are raw vegetable lovers! U can see in the picture, how veggies are oozing out ;) One foot long fills our stomach :) Its not only tasty, healthy and nutritious too. I got a footlong Italian wheat bread and made veggie sub!

Ingredients:-

Italian foot long bread- 1 no.

Red onion- 8 pcs sliced

Tomato- 8-10 pcs sliced

Lettuce- 1 cup chopped

Cucumber- 8 pcs sliced

Bell pepper- 8 pcs sliced

Mayo-4 tbsp

Ranch salad dresser- 2 tbsp

Shredded cheese- 1/2 cup

Procedure:-

• Cut the bread into 2 equal parts. And slit each part lengthwise.
• Apply mayo, place all the veggies, sprinkle shredded cheese, squeeze salad dresser as shown in picture.
• Heat it in microwave for 60 seconds.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper.
• Relish yummy veggie sub!!!!!!

BHINDI MASALA

Ingredients:-

Okra/ Bhindi- 1 lb
Chopped onion- 1 cup
Chopped tomato-1 cup
Ginger paste- 1 tsp
Garlic paste- 1 tsp
Coriander leaves- a fistful
Green chillies- 2 nos.
Red chilli pwdr- 1 tsp
Garam masala pwdr- 1 tsp
Turmeric pwdr- 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1tbsp

Procedure:-

• Cut okra, shallow fry them and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a wok, saute green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, onion. and tomato accordingly.
• Stir in all the powders and salt.
• Add fried okra, cook for 5-6 minutes, remove from heat.
• Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve with chapathi/roti.

CHOCO-CHIP COOKIES

Its baking season in US now, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year all the festive occassions are in line. Last week when I went for Grocery, there was no space to walk near "Baking Needs" aisle, everything was on sale, people were just grabbing cart full........ me too bought few things like brown sugar, choco-chips, vanilla extract, all purpose flour etc. without thinking what to make with them. After coming home saw a cookie recipe on choco-chips packet and tried it. Trust me, cookies came out very well, yum....yum....

Ingredients:-

All purpose flour- 2 & 1/4 cup

Packed light brown sugar- 3/4 cup

Granulated sugar- 3/4 cup

Vanilla extract- 1 tsp

Baking soda- 1 tsp

Salt -1/2 tsp

Eggs- 2 nos.

Softened butter - 1 cup(1/2 Lb)

Semi-sweet chocolate chips- 2 cups

Procedure:-

• Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
• Beat butter, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract together.
• Slowly add all purpose flour, salt and baking soda, stir well.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Drop this mix on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.
• Remove from cookie sheet after cooling slightly.
• Cookies are ready to eat!

BISI BELE BATH

Ingredients:-

Rice- 1 cup
Toor dal/ split pigeon peas- 1 cup
Water - 6 cups (1:3) for cooking
Chopped onion- 1cup
Cubed tomato- 1 cup
Chopped Beans- 1 cup
Green peas- 3/4 cup
Chopped Carrot-1 cup
chopped Capsicum -1 cup (optional)
Tamarind juice- 1 tbsp
Oil to saute
Salt to taste

For Masala:-
Coriander seeds/dhaniya- 1tbsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Cinnamon- 1"
Cloves- 2 nos.
Urad dal/ black gram- 1 tbsp
Chana dal/ bengal gram- 1 tbsp
Grated Dry coconut- 2 tbsp
Red chilli pwdr- 2 tsp

Procedure:-

• Pressure cook rice, toor dal and all the veggies together.
• Fry all the ingredients listed in masala list, make powder.
• Keep cooked rice and veggies on medium flame and stir in masala powder.
• Add tamarind juice and salt.
• Bring it to boil. Remove from heat.
• Serve hot with ghee, Chips/ Sandige.

SHANKAR POLI

Ingredients:-

Maida/ All purpose flour- 1 cup
Sugar powder- 1 cup
Clarified butter/ ghee- 2 tbsp
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:-

• Mix maida, sugar pwdr, ghee and required amount of water to make stiff dough.
• Roll dough on a butter paper and cut in required shape.
• Deep fry in oil till they turn golden brown in colour.

FRIED POHA / CHIVDA

Ingredients:-

Thick poha/flattened rice- 1 cup
Curry leaves- 1 string
Cashew halves- 2 tbsp
Peanuts- 2 tbsp
Daliya/puthani- 2 tbsp
Red chilli pwdr- 1 tsp
Grated dry coconut- fistful
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:-

• Deep fry thick poha and add fried cashew, peanut, daliya and curry leaves.
• Add grated dry coconut, red chilli pwdr and salt, Mix well.
• Have it with evening tea.

P.S: (To maintain crispiness of poha store it in a air tight container).

GARGI

Ingredients:-

Jaggery - 2cups
Wheat flour- 2 cups
Poppy seeds- 1 tsp
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:-

• Prepare a dough of wheat flour by mixing required qty of water just like chapathi dough.
• Place a thick bottomed vessel on medium heat, pour a cup of water and add jaggery, make syrup of one string consistency. (keep stirring to avoid burning of jaggery at bottom of vessel)
• Allow syrup to cool a bit, but it shd not be fully cold. Add dough pieces (tear dough into small pieces) to the syrup and stir well until all the dough pieces blend with syrup and becomes thick batter.
• Add poppy seeds, let it settle for 2-3 hrs.
• Take small qty of batter and deep fry them in oil on medium flame till they turn brownish red color.
• Gargi is ready to eat!!

KODUBALE

This is my Mom-in-law's version of Kodubale, she is very famous among our relatives for her crispy n tasty kodubales.

Ingradients:-

Rice flour- 2 cups
Maida/all purpose flour- 1 cup
Fine sooji/rava- 1 cup
Daliya powder (Puthani/huragadale hittu)- 1/2 cup
Grated dry coconut- 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder- 3 tsp
Curry leaves- 1 string
Cilantro/Corinader leaves- a fistful
Cumin seeds/jeera-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Baking soda - a pinch
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:-

• Grind Dry coconut, curry leaves, cilantro, cumin seeds together.
• Dry mix all the flours, add salt, soda , and a tbsp of hot oil (which brings Crispyness).
• Add ground paste and required qty of water, make stiff dough.
• Take small qty of dough, roll it into a string and make round shape.
• Deep fry 20-25 kodubales together in oil.
• Store in a air tight container.

CHAKKULI / CHAKKALI

Chakkuli/ Chakkali is my all time favourite snack. My mom always used to ask me what i wish to eat on my Birthday, I always used to ask for Chakkali and Jamoon. Chakkali is a default snack during deepavali and Ugadi. My mom's version of chakkali is very tedious but here is the easiest way of making crispy chakkali.

Ingredients:-

Rice flour- 2 cups

Besan flour- 1 cup

White sesame seeds- 2 tsp

Ajwain- 1/2 tsp

Red chilli pwdr- 2 tsp

Oil- 1 tbsp for making dough

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Procedure:-

• Dry mix rice flour, besan, white sesame seeds, red chilli pwdr, salt and ajwain.
• Add 1 tbsp hot oil , it makes chakkali crispy.
• Prepare dough by adding required qty of water.

• Take a dough ball, place it in chakkali maker and press as shown in picture.

• Deep fry in oil till golden color.
• Store chakkali in air tight container.
  
  
  

SAJJAKAD HOLIGE

"Sajjakad Holige" is a North Karnataka spl holige. Usually during major festivals we make Bele Holige, for ugadi and dasara I made bele holige struggling so much to make Hoorana in blender as i dont have proper Indian style mixie here. So this time for a change made this sajjakad holige, no grinding no more struggle!

Ingredients:-
Outer layer:-
Maida- 2 cups
Oil-1 tbsp
Salt a pinch

For Hoorana/ Stuffing:-
Rava/sooji(medium)- 1 cup
Jaggery -1 cup
Water- 2 cups

Procedure:-

• Mix maida, 1 tbsp oil, a pinch salt and required qty of water and make soft thin dough, cover and keep aside for an hour.
• Fry Rava on medium flame.(as we fry for upma).
• Bring 2 cups of water to boil, add rava, keep stirring to avoid lumps. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Add powdered jaggery, stir well, cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, allow this hoorana to cool.
• Take a small qty of maida dough and stuff rava hoorana, roll it on a butter sheet.
• Put holige on hot griddle, oil the top surface of holige, roast for 1 minute and then turn upside down, roast for 1 more minute.
• Follow the same for the rest.(Click here to see stuffing, rolling etc)

DEEPAVALI HABBA

DAL TADKA

Ingredients:-


Toor dal/ Split pigeon peas- 1 cup
Ginger paste-1/2 tsp
Garlic paste- 1/2 tsp
Green chillies- 3 nos.
Onion- 1 No.
Tomato- 1 no.
Cilantro- fistful
Curry leaves- 1 string
Cumin seeds/ jeera - 1/2 tsp
Red chili pwdr- 1/2 tsp
Oil to saute
Salt to taste


Procedure:-

• Cook Dal in cooker and keep aside.


• Saute Jeera, curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste.


• Add Chopped green chillies and onion, fry for 2-3 minutes.


• Add chopped tomato and fry.


• Add cooked dal, bring it to boil.


• Add red chilli pwdr, salt.


• Sprinkle chopped cilantro.


• Serve with chapathi/roti/rice.

PARATHA

Ingredients:-

All pupose flour/ maida- 4 cups
Egg (beat before adding)-1 no.
Curd- 1 tbsp
Oil -1 tbsp
Sugar- 1/2 tsp
Salt a pinch

Procedure:-

• Mix all the ingredients together, add required amount of water, make dough.
• Smear oil on the dough, keep it covered for an hour.
• Divide dough into even size dough balls.
• Roll it into flat circle, again roll it like a coil as shown in picture.
• Roll the coil again, do it 2-3 times to get soft layered paratha.
• Put the paratha on hot griddle, turn upside down when bubbles appear on the surface.
• Bake it for 1-2 minutes, remove from griddle.
• Serve hot with any side dish of your liking.

MIXED VEGGIE

Ingredients:-

Chopped/ cubed Potato- 1 cup
Cubed Green pepper/Capsicum-1 cup
Cubed egg plant- 1 cup
Chopped cabbage- 1 cup
Chopped onion- 1cup
Chopped tomato-1/2 cup
Ginger paste-1 tsp
Garlic paste- 1 tsp
Slit green chillies- 4 nos.
Red chilli pwdr- 1 tsp
Garam Masala pwdr- 1 tsp
Turmeric pwdr- a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil to saute

Procedure:-

• Saute Ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and onion, fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add chopped potato, cabbage, egg plant, capsicum and tomato , fry for 3-4 minutes.
• Add 1/2 cup of water and cook till veggies become tender.
• Stir in red chilli pwdr, garam masala pwdr, turmeric and salt.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
• Serve with roti/chapathi.

CARROT KHEER

Ingredients:-

Carrot - 5 nos.
Milk - 1 ltr
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Almond- 10 nos.
Cashew- 10 nos.
Cardmom pwdr- 1/4 tsp

Procedure:-

• Chop carrots into big pieces and cook till soft. (either in cooker or in a vessel).
• Keep milk for boiling.
• Grind cooked carrot, almond and cashews together into a smooth paste.
• When milk thickens a bit ( when it becomes 3/4 ltr) add sugar and ground paste, stir well, bring it to boil.
• Stir in cardmom powder.
• Serve hot or cold (by refrigerating it).