Ash Gourd Halwa ( Boodukumbalakai Damroot)

Ash Gourd Halwa ( Boodukumbalakai Damroot)

This recipe is very popular in karnataka. Usually this is prepared during functions and very easy to prepare. Here is a quick look at recipe.

Ingredients for Ash Gourd Halwa ( Boodukumbalakai Damroot)

Ash gourd - cleaned and grated - 6 cups

Sugar - 2 1/2  cups (according to sweetness required

Saffron strands or Kesari - 1 tea spoon

Ghee (clarified butter) - 2 cups

Powdered cardamom - yelakki - 2 tea spoon

Broken Cashew - 1 cup

Preparation of Ash Gourd Halwa ( Boodukumbalakai Damroot) - Method

Take out the skin of ash gourd (picture given below). 

Grate it. Don't squeeze its water. Transfer grated ash gourd to a woke (kadahi or Bandle) . Cook this in medium flame , till its water evaporates. It takes around 20 - 30 minutes for this. Keep stirring in between. You need not stand in front of it. You can do other jobs. But in between don't forget to stir this. 

As water evaporates the volume of grated gourd reduces. When 95% of water is evaporated add sugar and saffron strands. Mix them well. This mixture starts thickening as it boils and looses water. It starts leaving the sides of woke. At this stage add ghee or clarified butter. Mix well again. As ghee starts separating from halwa , turn off flame.

Take a tampering ladle. Add a table spoon of ghee and roast cashews in it. Pour this on damroot. Add cardamom powder. Give a good mix . Serve when it is hot. Watch your sweet toothed hubby's face. You can see a glow radiating from his face and Pot Belly ;) . 

NOTE: Few add grated khova to this. This is optional. I prepare both types. Being a hardcore Mysorean I always use Nandini Khova which is fresh and tasty. (For this measurement you can add 1 cup khova while adding sugar.)

Read Ayurveda Health Benefits of Ash Gourd

Roasted Gram Chutney (Canteen Style)

I loved this chutney prepared in  Marimallappa's canteen in Mysore. I studied in this institution . I am sure all Marimallapites of our times definitely agree with me.

My brother used to eat 2 idlis with a serving bucket full of this chutney. And owner if the canteen was kind enough to serve this as much as we wished.

I wish I can travel back on time machine and enjoy this.

Here is the Recipe

Ingredients

Roasted gram (hurigadle or putani) - 1 cup

Freshly grated coconut - 1/3 cup

Green chillies - 2

Fresh curry leaves - 1/2 cup

Finely chopped Coriander leaves - 1 tea spoon

Sugar - 1pinch

Tamarind - 1cm

Asafetida - 1 pinch

Mustard - 1/2 tea spoon

Urad dal 1/2 tea spoon

Oil 2 tea spoons

Method of preparation

Dry roast curry leaves, tamarind, green chilli and roasted gram till they become fragrant. Allow this to cool.

Put everything along with grated coconut, corriander leaves, salt, a pinch of asfitida and sugar to mixer jar adding little water. If you like watery consistency, add more water and blend. 

Tampering

Place a tampering ladle on stove , add oil. When it is hot add mustard seeds . When mustard seeds splutter add urad dal and turn off stove. Allow urad dal to turn golden colour. Add asafetida and pour this on chutney. Enjoy with mallige idli or Mysore Masala Dosa.

Also view
Onion Chutney
Coconut Chutney
Raw Mango Chutney

Chana dal (chickpea lentils) salad (ಕಡ್ಲೆ ಬೇಳೆ ಕೋಸಂಬರಿ)

This is my favourite weight loss food, which brims with protein, vitamins and anti-oxidants. But very very low in calories. Since it has plenty of protein and fibers, it fills stomach and stays for a very long time. I usually eat this tangy dish before starting my meal. This helps me to cut carb portion. Here is the recipe. Just try it.

Ingredients

Soaked Chana dal 1 cup - (wash 1/2 cup chana dal. Soak it for 3 hours. Wash it again and drain the water. )

Fresh grated coconut 1/4 cup

Finely chopped coriander  2 tea spoon

Lemon juice 1 tea spoon

Asafetida 1 pinch

Finely chopped green chilly 1 (optional) or grounded black pepper

Salt to taste.

Take a bowl and mix all the ingredients well. Eat a cup of this before breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

Add this to your ayurvedic weight loss diet.

Lemon Rice With Green Peas

Lemon rice is a popular dish in India specially in South India. This tangy yellow coloured dish is favourite of many. Few prefer this with onion and garlic. But I prefer this recipe without these.

Ingredients

Lemon large size  2

Fresh Green peas 1/2 cup

Cooked rice. 1.5 cups

Turmeric  1/4 tea spoon

Groundnut (peanuts)  1/4 cup (Read Ayurveda Health Benefits of Peanuts or Ground Nut)

Green chilli 2

Finely chopped coriander  1/4 cup

Curry leaves 10 to 15

Mustard  half tea spoon

Cumin seeds (Jeera)  half tea spoon

Asafetida 1 pinch

Cooking oil 1 table spoon

Salt to taste

Spread rice in a large bowl. Keep a kadai or pan on stove. Add oil to it. Add mustard, cumin seeds (jeera) to oil. When they splutter add chopped chillies, curry leaves, ground nut and turmeric. When ground nuts start splitting , add fresh green peas. Mix well and cook by covering for 2 minutes. switch off stove. Pour this tampering on rice. Add salt, lemon juice and finely chopped coriander . Give this a good mix. Serve with curd rice and pickle. 

Susla A North Karnataka Delicacy

Susla is a famous tea time snack or breakfast recipe in North Karnataka. It is savoured with KT Chai. Here goes simple recipe.

Ingredients

Puffed rice ಕಡ್ಲೆಪುರಿ -  3 cups

Roasted chick pea (ಪುಟಾಣಿ, ಹುರಿಗಡಲೆ)- 1 cup , powdered

Onion - 2 finely chopped (optional)

Green chilli - 2 finely chopped

Curry leaves -10 to 15

Peanuts - 1/2 cup

Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup

Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tea spoon

Mustard - 1 tsp

Jeera or cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Asafetida - 1 pinch

Cooking oil - 20 ml

Salt to taste

Heat a kadai or woke. Put oil and heat it. Add mustard and jeera. When they splutter add green chilli, curry leaves, and peanuts. Roast everything well. Add onion and fry till the raw smell is lost. Add turmeric and asafetida. 

When onion is getting fried, take a big bowl of water and add puffed rice to it. Just wash it (don't soak it) squeeze water  and then transfer to woke. Add powdered puffed gram , finely chopped coriander, lemon juice, little sugar. Adjust salt. Mix well and cover the lid. Cook for 2 minutes. Serve it hot with hot chai.

Daal Methi

Dal Methi Ingredients

Tuvar dal or  yellow lentils - 1/2 cup

Masoor dal or orange lentils - 1/2 cup

Methi leaves or fenugreek leaves - 1 cup

Ginger -1 inch sliced into Julienne (Read Ayurveda Uses Benefits of Ginger) 

Onion - 2 medium size finely chopped (optional)

Garlic - 5 -6 cloves crushed (optional)

Tomatoes - 3 puried

Curry leaves -10

Jeera or cumin seeds -1 tea spoon

Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon

Red chilli - 2

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Green chilli - 1slit

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Amchoor powder - 1 tea spoon

Ghee - 4 tsp

Cooking Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste.

Wash and Soak both lentils for 30 minutes. Transfer lentils to a cooker add 3 cups of water, turmeric, salt and a tea spoon of ghee. Cook for 2 whistle . 

Heat a pan . Add oil and 1 tea spoon of ghee. When it is hot add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chillies. Add ginger , garlic and saute. Add onion and fry till it leaves oil. Add green chilli. Add tomato puree and cook well till oil separates. Add turmeric, chilli powder, amchoor powder , coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix well. Add finely chopped methi leaves mix well cover and cook for 10 mins.

Add cooked dal and adjust salt according to taste. Bring it to boil and remove from flame.

Heat a ladle, add remaining ghee and a tea spoon of red chilli powder.  Pour this seasoning on dal. Enjoy with roti , chapati, jeera rice or plain rice

Gooseberries and raw tamarind pickle

This pickle is speciality of Mysore region. It tastes good with anything and everything. Little ghee along with this pickle is heaven. It is very easy to make and does not contain any preservatives.

Ingredients:

•  1/2 kg Indian gooseberries or amla or bettada nallikai
• 1/2 kg unripe raw tamarind fruits or hunasekai
• 1/4 kg magali beru or swallowroots or Decalepis hamiltonii
• 1/4 kg mavinakai Shunti or mango ginger or Curcuma amada.
• Few green chillies
• Red chilli powder of your choice 300 GM's
• Mustard seeds 150 GM's
• Methi seeds or fenugreek seeds -2 tea spoon
• Solid Hing or asafoetida -1 tea spoon (Coarsely ground) (read Health Benefits of Hing or Asafoetida )
• Turmeric- 2 tea spoon
• Salt 400 GM's
• Water 3  litres

Mango Ginger or Mavinakai Shunti

Magali Beru or Swallowroot or Makali Beru

Method

1. First wash gooseberries, Swallowroots , Mango ginger, tamarind and green chillies. Spread them on a clean cloth to dry. 
2. Boil water with salt. Turn off the gas.Add tamarind to this and close the lid. Leave it to cool. This makes tamarind soft.
3. Dry roast fenugreek or methi seeds. 
4. In a mixer jar add mustard seeds, roasted methi seeds, turmeric and asafoetida and grind them to a fine powder. Add chilli powder and grind it again. Pickle masala powder is ready. 
5. Peel external skin of mango ginger and magali beru. Cut them into round slices. Remember to remove the hard fiber from the centre of swallow root or magali beru. 
6. Cut amla into medium pieces. Keep the seeds intact
7. Cut green chillies into 1 inch pieces
8. Squash the softened tamarind  in salt water till all its pulp gets into salt water. Now strain this water through a sieve to remove the fibers and seeds. Collect the juice in a big vessel. Now Tamarind juice is ready.
9. Take prepared pickle masala powder in a big mixie jar add required quantity of tamarind juice and grind it to a soft paste.
10. Mix this paste into tamarind juice and add all cut fruits and roots. Stir well to break the lumps of pickle masala paste. 
11. Store it an air tight container.

Enjoy with curds rice, dosa, idli or with freshly cooked hot rice.