SUN DRIED SWEET POTATO ROUNDS (Genasina Happala, Shakkarkhand Papad)

Congrats!!!!!! to all...... on the last few moments of this year....... Good or Bad.... It has passed..... And the new has already arrived in few parts of this world.....Very beautifully welcomed, as I saw in the news...... At Australia & New Zealand..... Beautiful Fireworks......Oh! how splendid & colorful it all looked.....

All awaiting the new year, with lots of new hopes & aspirations..... in, to & from life .....

Hoping to see a better year..... minus all the bad that we faced this year.......

The recession...that led to the downfall of most of the small business... self employed..... The ever increasing cost of living...... which only sees the rich getting richer & the poor getting poorer..... & the middle class...not knowing where they are heading to...... may be the drains....
Many sad demises, some very close to heart...... some big names around..... some failures..... leading to sadness & drifts...... & many more....

Hoping to see the best...... with accounts prospering..... success to see further success.....peeps discovering the wealth of health, love & care, mistakes realized & set to correction......the newly weds expecting new births..............& many more..........

I personally pray to God, to help me retain all the good that I have & wanted, for me & my family............ God Bless!!!!!

Let us here at BLOGGYWOOD....... celebrate & build more & more cheer readers...... that keeps this part of our lives, LIVELY & ENTHUSIASTIC........... I would love to take this opportunity to thank all my new friends from Bloggywood...who are indeed a part of me now..... & hope to see many more.... in the days to come......

THANKS & WELCOME to ALL OLD & NEW CHEER READERS!!!!!!!!!

This time when dad went to Puttur, he found the sweet potato produce, going waste..... He thought of getting it into a good use.... As my aunt is allergic to it & my dad cannot eat them, as he is diabetic, he thought of a tea time snacky prep out of them....... That was the best, he
thought out of the produce going waste..... No doubts!!!!

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato (ಗೆಣಸು, शकरकंद) - 1 kg
Salt to Taste
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida (Heeng) powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil
Small Plastic Sheets - 2
Mat or Big Polythene sheets (to dry the papads)

Method:

Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly & steam cook. Once done, peel off the skin. Now grind the pulp in a mixer grinder without water, fine, as to get a soft & smooth paste. Then, empty the ground mixture into a wide mouthed vessel, oil your hands & knead the paste,
with all the above mentioned ingredients except oil...... into a soft dough (Consistency of a roti dough) Now make small lemon sized balls.

Then press or roll these small balls in between two slightly oiled, stiff plastic sheets, into thin rounds, with the help of a rolling pin.

Do not lift these rolled out rounds, with bare hands..... Just place them onto the sheet or mat, that would be used to dry these papads on.......& remove the plastic slowly, once the rolled round is placed on that sheet. Allow it to sun dry for minimum two days...... (Best under the scorching sun).

Then collect them & store in an airtight container, to be used for days to come.

Deep fry them as & when needed, & enjoy..... For those who are oil conscious, you can just place them in the microwave for 30 seconds....... & enjoy them oil free ......

It is a good Tea Time Snack..... And this goes to the
WYF:Tea time snack event announcement, held by Simple Indian Food........ I know this would be a last minute entry..... but better late than never...... I guess!!!!

Oh! BTW ..... remember those Cups & Mugs, I spoke about in my earlier post..... & my favorite Evening Tea set.????????????

Yes, that was the one...... Yes! It is no more..... I feel sad & sorry for the deceased mug!!!! Who killed it???? Who else..... My love ...... My Kuku , who masters the art of breaking my mugs & cups....... He broke one...few days back.....but I had not come across Malar's Kitchen Mishaps.... then..... If I had I would have captured the mug, rather every bits & pieces of the mug..... Because they were totally shattered around in my kitchen.... We were playing around & accidentally he hit the mug down...... Boooooom!!!!! It went....... but in vain...no snap as I was upset then..... After a few days he sent the other of the lovely pair.... on its way to join its soul mate......by breaking the handle of it..... What use would it be without the handle.....???? So the other went too....
They would be remembered forever.........May they REST IN PEACE!!!!!!!

But yes, he got me new ones to substitute, those favorites.....

I love these now..... God Bless them.... Know not how long would these last....... !!!!!!!!!!?????


After days of looking around for it, I got to taste the new Maggi Pastas..... I liked both the flavors... Yummy!!!!! I had once tasted the pasta that they served at Domino's Pizza...... but Yuck!!!! I personally did not like them.......

But this is without doubts...here to stay..... like their noodles.....the yummy pazzzzzzzta!!!!!!!!

And all said & done, let us all hope for a beautiful tomorrow.......

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

HAPPY CELEBRATIONS!!!!!!

UNTIL WE MEET NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!!!!!

CELEBRATE DIWALI WITH DIWALI DELICACIES...

It's Diwali Time "FINALLY"..... The most, 'sought & looked forward to' festival is the festival of lights.... Everybody from young to old, from the poor to the wealthy, men or women... one & all, await this festival of lights... with much hope... to literally see some change....of the light overcoming the darkness in their life & around them. Many seek the light, that they hoped for after the darkness in their life & for many others it is again total darkness after the gleaming lights are off.

Once again hopes are weaved for the next year, of lights & joy. Some may not like it for their own reasons... but none can ignore this festival....

It is DIWALI again.... let us all celebrate joy & laughter around us, memories to last for your lifetime & even the satisfaction of making someone happy....

"MAKE IT A POINT TO GIVE... ONE CANNOT FATHOM THE 'JOY' IT BRINGS, EVEN AFTER EXPERIENCING IT"

One need not be a millionaire to "GIVE".... Give anything you are capable of with a smile :-)
... MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY.....In my case.... I am quite addicted to it now.... I love experiencing the joy & satisfaction it brings along with some pride. It brings pain sometimes, when I'm not able to. And believe me, "I HATE THAT FEELING".

This Diwali I made an old lady selling Diyas at Bashyam Circle Grounds, happy. Who did u make happy??????????

And when we speak of DIWALI, no Diwali without sweet delicacies.........

When I joined my mom & dad 2 days back, we prepared several delicacies of which other favorites are Akki Unde (ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಉಂಡೆ, Rice Ball) & Karajjikai (ಕರಜ್ಜಿಕೈ, Gujiya).

Karajjikai is a favorite in Karnataka, prepared with dessicated coconut filling. In the Northern parts of India it is prepared with Khova filling & called as Gujiya, which is popularly prepared at times of the festival of Teej in Bihar.

KARAJJIKAI (Gujiya, Arch shaped Crunchy Snack):

Ingredients:

Dough:

All Purpose Flour (maida) - 1/2 kg
Sugar Powder - 1 tsp
Salt to Taste
Hot Oil - 2 tsp
Water as Required

Filling:

White Sesame Seeds (Bili Ellu, Til)
Dessicated Coconut - 1/4 kg
Powdered Sugar - 2 cups
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Mix maida, hot oil, salt & one tsp powdered sugar with enough water to knead the flour into a soft dough of roti consistency & keep aside.

Meanwhile prepare a mix of the filling ingredients in another bowl & keep aside.

Now prepare lemon sized balls of the dough & roll it to the size of a poori, with the help of a rolling pin.

Place a tsp full of the filling mix & seal the dough by pasting the sides, by mere pressing.Seal it thoroughly & take care to see that it does not have any loose ends opened.

Once done, shape the sealed dough with the help of a designed cutter, by cutting the edge giving it an arch shape.

PS: One can also use the Karajjikai moulds available in the market for this purpose.

Keep it aside & continue the process till all the dough is consumed. Now deep fry these gujiyas till lighter shade of golden brown.

Remove them on an absorbent paper & allow them to cool. Once done store them in an air tight container.

Another my personal favorite is Akki Unde, because of its texture. It is very hard & crunchy. I always loved it, since childhood. I used these to fool peeps who were not aware of the texture of this snack. Peeps were like " Oh! these are going to break my teeth". But I must say, & all those peeps who tasted this are a witness to this that, once tasted you get addicted to the yummy taste of these balls. You would only stop, once your jaws ache.

We often offer people around to taste these & judge their teeth based on how confident they are chewing these crunchy balls. Very popular among Mangalorean Christians as these are their Christmas Favorites.



AKKI UNDE ( Crunchy Munchy's):

Ingredients:

Raw White Rice - 3 cups
Jaggery - 1/4 kg
Salt to Taste
Coconut Milk - 2 cup

Method:

Wash & soak rice overnight. Grind the rice with milk to the consistency of dosa batter. Meanwhile mash the jaggery & keep aside. Once the batter is half done add the jaggery & grind till you get a finely smooth batter. Now add salt & mix well.

Empty the batter into a wok or a thick bottomed vessel & place it on low flame, sirring contiuously, till you get a thick dough of roti consistency.

Turn off the flame & remove this dough into an airtight container or box.

PS: It is kept aside in an airtight box, to avoid it from cooling down.

Now remove only a small portion of the dough & mix it well to get a lumps free, smooth texture. Make small marble sized balls & keep aside.

Repeat the process to consume the entire dough.

Now deep fry these balls till chocolate brown.

Remove it onto an absorbent paper & allow it to cool. Store in an airtight container & munch...munch...munch.....

ENJOY THIS DIWALI MUNCHING THIS DELICIOUS DELICACY....HAPPY DIWALI to one & all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Karajjikai & Akki Unde goes to Priya's Feast (Announcing Diwali 2009 Contest)

AVALAKKI UPKARI (Bajil Oggarane,Seasoned Beaten Rice)

Beaten Rice varies from very thin to thick varieties. It is called as Poha in Hindi, Avalakki in Kannada, Chooda (चूडा) in Bihar & Jharkhand.

In Bihar it is the first meal that people have on the day of Sankranthi. Only after they have Dahi Chooda (Beaten Rice with Curd), that they would continue with their day.

At Mangalore popularly called as Bajil in Tulu, is a favorite breakfast. Usually people have a combo of Sajjige Bajil, which is a combination of Upma & Khara or Spicy Bajil. I personally love it a lot. When ever I make a trip to Mangalore, I always make it a point to savour this preparation in any of the hotels for my breakfast.

This spicy bajil is a very simple & easy preparation for break fast.

Ingredients:

Thin Variety of Beaten Rice - 1 1/2 cups
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Dry Red Chilli - 1, broken
Curry Leaves - 1 twig, washed clean
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Salt to Taste
Sugar - 2 tsp (I like it a bit sweet, change it accordingly)
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Chana Dal - 1 tsp
{I keep a mix of both}
Ground Nuts (optional) - 1 1/2 tsp
Cooking Oil - 1/4 tbsp
Fresh Coconut - 1/2 cup

Method:

Seive the beaten rice so as to do away with its residue powder or the dust.

Now heat oil in a pan or wok. Add mustard seeds & allow it to splutter. Now add the broken chilli & saute for a minute. Add the dals or lentils & ground nut & fry till it turns golden brown . Then add curry leaves & cover & once done add chopped onions & fry till translucent.



Now add all the powders. And stir fry. Add salt & sugar & stir fry for a minute. Now add fresh coconut & just stir once.

PS: The coconut needs to have its moisture to dampen the beaten rice.



Remove from fire & add the beaten rice into the fried masala. Now mix all the ingredients, with your hand, so that it blends well. And serve with upma or all by itself.

Neer Coconut Chutney

.K! Peeps may wonder as to what does neer coconut chutney mean? It's the watery chutney we prepare in mangalore to go with the mangalore idlis which are very soft. It's termed as mallige idli in Bangalore. In Mangalore we usually prepare idlis in an idli vessel called as TUNDRU, in which the batter would be poured into small sized bowls called as VAATI. Here @ B'lore we find it easy & time saving in a pressure cooker. Hmm... started of with chutney, but ended up with idlis. That's the magic of M'lore idlis :-p

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut - 1-2 tbspns
Green Chillies - 2-3
Ginger - 1"
Mustard Seeds - 1tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 twig
Urad Dal - 1tsp
Chana Dal - 1tsp
Dry Red Chillies - 2
Salt To Taste
Oil - 1tsp
Water as required to make a paste

Method:

Grind the coconut, green chillies & ginger in mixer grinder. Shift the paste into a bowl. Add some more water to make it watery. Add salt to taste. Now heat oil in a tempering bowl, add mustard seeds & allow it to splutter. Then add curry leaves, broken dry red chillies & the dals. Let the dals turn light brown. Do not burn them all. Now add this tempering to the chutney. Mix well & serve as a side dish for your idlis.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy!!!!!!!!!