CUCUMBER MOR KOOTU

I love curd-based gravies in any cuisine. Hence mor kootu is my favorite dish in the South Indian cuisine. I have tried this gravy with raw banana,greens and even pumpkin. Mor is Tamil word for buttermilk and kootu implies gravy. This dish,is a perfect accompaniment for any spicy preparations like kara kuzhambu, puliyogare,biryani, bisi bela bath.

 

 

 

 

 

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INGREDIENTS

 

CUCUMBER- 1 

 

BUTTERMILK- 1 1/2 CUP

 

SALT TO TASTE

 

CHOPPED CORIANDER LEAVES

 

 

INGREDIENTS TO GRIND

 

COCONUT GRATINGS- 1/2 CUP

 

GREEN CHILLIES- 2 NOS

 

CUMIN SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

 

 

FOR SEASONING

 

COCONUT OIL- 3 TSP

 

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

 

URAD DAL- 3/4 TSP

 

ASAFOETIDA- 1/2 TSP

 

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

 

RED CHILI- 1 

PROCEDURE

Wash cucumber thoroughly. I always love the crunch,hence I always retain the peel. Chop the cucumber with peel to small pieces and keep it aside.

Whisk curd using little water to a smooth mixture and keep it aside.

In a pan add a tsp of oil and saute the chopped cucumber for a minute till it becomes soft.

Over the sauteed veggie,add the whisked curd and salt and simmer in mild heat .

Now combine the ground paste to the curd mixture and boil for a minute and switch off.

Prolonged boiling will curdle the gravy. Hence,once the coconut paste blends with the curd switch off immediately.

Prepare the seasoning and add it to the cooked cucumber gravy and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

SNAKEGOURD SEED CHUTNEY

 Next to raw banana peel chutney,this ingenious chutney,impressed me a lot. I never knew,even the seeds can be productively transformed to a yummy chutney. This chutney has immense health benefits as well. Make sure to choose only tender snake gourd; as the mature ones will have hard seeds and can't be utilized in chutney

 

 

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INGREDIENTS

 

SNAKE GOURD SEEDS-  1 CUP

URAD DAL- 4 TSP

GRAM DAL- 4 TSP

METHI SEEDS / FENUGREEK SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 3 SPRIGS

GROUNDNUT- 5 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 6 NOS

TAMARIND- GOOSEBERRY SIZE

CUMIN SEEDS- 1 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

ASAFOETIDA- 1/2 TSP

OIL- 3 TSP

PROCEDURE

 Scoop out the seeds from the veggie and keep it aside.

 

 Heat oil in a pan and fry the lentils,curry leaves,asafoetida,cumin seeds,tamarind,red chilliesand        keep   it aside.

 

 In the same pan add  fenugreek seeds and fry till the nice aroma emanates and switch off. Add the     roasted fenugreek seeds,salt to the other roasted ingredients and blend to fine powder.

Wash the scooped seeds and fry it in oil till it becomes soft.

Transfer the sauteed seeds to the blender with powdered ingredients. Add water and blend to fine paste. 

AVALAKKI BISIBELA BATH

 Bisi bela huli anna / Bisibela bath is an authentic rice dish in the Karnataka cuisine. This dish comprises of : rice,toor dal, slew of veggies :carrot,beans,shallots,onions, drumstick,green peas tamarind syrup and the key ingredient- Biaibela bath powder. No wedding menu in Karnataka is complete without this flavorsome rice dish. In this recipe,I have elucidated the procedure followed, in my mom's ancestral home. Even today,in my Grand aunt's place,this dish is prepared without veggies. They proclaim this version  as the 'authentic' one. Hence,I thought of replicating the procedure in my avalakki version. Avalakki is Kannada word for flattened rice.

As we all know,flattened rice / poha / aval / avalakki is a healthy and best breakfast option. Hence,after trying out many interesting recipes,I zeroed in on this recipe. Since flattened rice is very light,it doesn't require any cooking. Thus,I would call this - instant version of the authentic bisi bela bath recipe

 

 

 

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INGREDIENTS

 

FLATENNED RICE / AVALAKKI- 2 1/2 CUPS

TOOR DAL- 3/4 CUP

TAMARIND- GOOSEBERRY SIZE

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

 

BISIBELA BATH POWDER

CORIANDER SEEDS- 1 TBSP

GRAM DAL- 4 TSP

URAD DAL- 4 TSP

CLOVES- 2 NOS

CINNAMON- 1

MARATI MOGU- 2 NOS

PEPPERCORN CORNS- 1/2 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

FENUGREEK SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 6 NOS

ASAFOETIDA- 1/2 TSP 

 

COCONUT GRATINGS-  1/2 CUP

FOR SEASONING

OIL- 1 TBSP

GHEE- 4 TSP

MUSTARD- 1 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

GROUNDNUTS- 1 TBSP

METHOD

For preparing bisibala bath powder,roast the ingredients cited in the list in a teaspoon of oil and powder in a blender and keep it aside.

Wash flattened rice thoroughly and soak it in 3 cups of water for 20 minutes.

Steam cook toor dal in pressure cooker and keep it aside. 

 

Soak tamarind in warm water and extract syrup. In a pan boil tamarind syrup till the raw smell evades.

 

Now add in 4 tsp of  bisibela bath powder to the syrup and stir in mild heat for a of minute and switch off.

 

Remove the pressure cooker lid and add the softened flattened rice to this and mix well.

 

Now transfer the tamarind mixture to the cooker and stir in mild heat for couple of minutes and switch off.

 

Prepare the seasoning and add it to the contents in the cooker and mix well.

 

Serve with raita, fryums or chips.