Spinach bajji - A dip and not a snack

There are so many words or terms that have totally different meaning in different languages. Growing up, we called all yogurt based dishes generally as bajji - a short form for moasaru bajji (mosaru = yogurt) to differentiate them from other chutneys. So this genre included varieties such as tomato bajji, cucumber bajji, carrot bajji, onion bajji or sometimes even a 'bolu' (or bald referring to its lack of any vegetables) bajji. Although the term 'raita' was used, it was considered suitable for more formal usage :-). Then I started seeing conflict and confusion when I said 'bajji' to some of my friends and later to BH. I realized 'bajji' meant the deep fried snacks for most of them (which was pakoda or bondas for me). Have I confused you or thrown in enough different vocabulary at you by now? Believe me when I say that it was not my intention and I was actually trying to clear up the air a little bit :-)

So back to 'bajji', 'mosaru bajji' or 'raita', this is generally thinner than regular chutney or pachadis and work very well as a dip or come in handy to mix with rice. Some of them are preferred as the perfect companion for a pulav or fried rice.  Most times, these dishes involve grinding coconut with a few spices and mixing it with the chopped raw vegetables along with yogurt. As there is minimal cooking involved(a break from the hot stove), and since it has yogurt in it, they are also prepared frequently during Summer. Infact, nammamma always made us eat the first morsel of rice with a bajji during Summer. She has a whole suite  of bajjis, pachadis, gojjus and tambulis in her repertoire and they used fare very frequently in our meals.

Although this is almost always made with yogurt, nammamma sometimes replaced yogurt with tamarind for tanginess. It tastes as well and keeps a little longer than the one made with yogurt, so go ahead and replace yogurt with a small piece of tamarind and grind it along with the rest of the ingredients. But I strongly recommend against using tamarind juice or tamarind concentrate as it spoils the taste. For the below mentioned quantity, a small 1X1 inch piece of tamarind cooked along with spinach & green chilies will work.

I know I am far away from Summer right now but the Palak bajji is something we enjoy anytime of the year. Simple to prepare, delicious to eat, it has all the goodness of the greens accentuated with a little bit of green chilies. I got some baby spinach last week and made this. This goes very well with akki rotti or dosas or Raagi mudde too.

What do you need to make Spinach bajji? 
3 packed cups spinach leaves
1/2 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
3-4 green chilies (adjust to taste)
1 Tsp salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt (preferably home made and a day old)
Seasoning:
1 Tsp oil
1/8 Tsp asafoetida powder
1/2 Tsp mustard
1/2 Tsp urad dal
1-2 pieces dry red chilies (optional)

How do you make Spinach bajji? 

• Heat a wide pan on medium heat, add spinach leaves and broken green chilies and saute for 30 seconds. 
• Cover & cook for 2-3 minutes until Spinach leaves are soft and cooked well. Switch off. 

• When completely cool, grind the cooked spinach, green chilies, salt & grated coconut to a smooth paste (Do not add water).
• Add yogurt and run the blender once to incorporate it well. Take it out to a bowl. 
• Heat oil in a small pan, add asafoetida, mustard, urad dal and red chilies (if using), let mustard pop and urad dal turn pink. Pour the sizzling seasoning on top of the spinach bajji. 
• Serve with rice or rotis. 

Notes:

• I like this a little bit spicy so add extra green chilies but make sure you balance with yogurt to get a good hint of tartness. 
• If you get big bunches of spinach, wash and pick only the leaves for this recipe.
• The consistency of the bajji is really a matter of personal preference, I make this bajji slightly thick so it coats the rice well when mixed with it, you can thin it down a little bit more with yogurt if you want to dip a bread or roti in it. 

Ginger tambuli - cool yogurt based side dish for the summer

Kannadiga homes such as the one I grew up in have lot of tambuli and bajji varieties. Bajji is usually referred to mosaru bajji with yogurt and not the fried onion bajji/bhajia, btw those are called pakodas. Tambuli is considered to have the cooling effect on your body and is a usual fare at home meals during the hot months.

We in the Pacific NW have been having beautiful weather for the last couple of weeks with glorious sun shines, warm temperatures and beautiful Rhododendron and Azaleas blooms covering the entire plant. The landscape here is so different from others we have lived in and makes a pretty sight all through the year. I love it all including the gray skies and rain showers, it reminds me of my visits to Chikmagalur, a small town nestled in the western ghats in Karnataka known for its coffee plantations. Chikmagalur is also part of the region known as Malnadu famous for its tasty food and unique recipes. My doddamma and family lived there and that is where I have tasted the best roasted jackfruit papad and horse gram papad. More about it in another post.

Tambulis are quintessential Malnadu recipes and Nammamma says eating hot rice with tambuli and ghee as the first morsel of food on a hot day is good for health. I can eat ginger tambuli for an entire meal as I love the ginger taste. Tambuli is usually thinner in consistency compared to chutneys but can be used as a dip or chutney by making it a little thicker.

Here is a very easy tambuli recipe with fresh ginger as the star ingredient.

What do you need to make ginger tambuli? 
1 cup peeled, chopped to bite size ginger
2 Tblsp coconut - fresh or frozen
1 cup fresh yogurt
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1 Tsp black pepper corns
3-5 fresh cilantro stalks
1 Tsp cooking oil
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)

For seasoning: 
1 Tsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 Tsp mustard seeds
1 Tsp cumin

How do you make ginger tambuli?

• Wash, clean the ginger roots, peel them and chop them into small pieces.
• Heat oil in a pan, add cumin and pepper corns, let them sizzle for a minute.
• Add the chopped ginger pieces and stirring frequently, fry until ginger turns light pink and the raw smell disappears, takes about 8-10 minutes on medium heat.
• Let it cool to room temperature. 
• Bring the fried ingredients, coconut, cilantro and salt to your grinder/blender and blend it to a smooth paste using the yogurt. 
• Adjust consistency to your taste by adding smoothly whisked yogurt.
• Prepare seasoning - heat ghee on medium heat, add mustard and cumin seeds, let the seeds crackle. Pour the seasoning on top of the tambuli. 
• Mix it in with rice or enjoy as a side dish/dip to your rotis.

Tips: 

• Choose fresh and tender ginger roots for best taste, do not use old/mature ginger as it tends to be stringy. 
• Cut ginger into thin pieces to help cook faster and evenly. 
• Fry ginger on low-medium heat as it has to get cooked thoroughly.