Hunise gojju or Puliyogare gojju - a homemade gojju to make that authentic Puliyogare

Hello all, sorry I went AWOL once again since the last post. But in my defense, I have not been too far away from blogging or food, on the contrary have been cooking up almost a storm especially during the long Memorial day weekend we had recently. If you follow me on fb or like sattvaa page you would have seen all the drool worthy pictures of elaborate meals that was going on in my kitchen. And those of you who visit here often and are generally familiar with what goes on in my life, yes you guessed it correctly, DD was home for the long weekend and hence all the extra cooking and eating. It was a last minute trip and she was happy to be home as we were to have her home. Other than a few small outings, three days went by in a flash and all three of us resembled a sloth after it has eaten a good meal, slower to talk, slower to walk.. you get the picture :-). We are now trying to become active in an attempt to lose part of those abundant calories we hoarded up in a matter of 3 innocent days:-) and hoping that they don't like us too much and make a permanent home in unwanted places.

To that end and also to celebrate our first summer weekend without rains, we hit the trails yesterday and today. It felt wonderful to be back amidst the lush greens, beautiful mountains and scenic lakes. It definitely helped in reducing the guilt feeling of eating all that unnecessarily extra calories last week :-) although it would take many, many honest hikes before it ever begins to even out. Weather is cool and skies are not blue yet, I can only imagine how much more gorgeous this view will be when summer is truly here but I am thankful for the cooler temperatures as I huff and puff up the mountain. This picture doesn't even come close to what it looked like or felt like from atop the ridge but that is the best an electronic gadget can do, enjoy.

So last weekend, one of the pictures I posted was that of the ever popular rice dish from Karnataka - Puliyogare. Also known as puliyodharai, puli sadam, pulihora or tamarind rice in other parts of south india. I made the gojju at home as I sent some of it off with DD so she can mix it any time with rice. The response and request for the home made gojju has been overwhelming ever since I posted the teaser on fb. I had no plans of writing a blog post because I am sure there isn't much in this simple hunise gojju (aka tamarind gojju) as we called it at home. Also, there were no pictures of the 'making of gojju' at all and a blog post is not a blog post without the step-wise pictures, agree? But here I am writing about it a week and half later partly as a way to record it on the blog and partly to help all of you who requested for the recipe. And yes, I did make another batch earlier today so I could take some pictures of the process for visual aid purposes :-).

If you are a South Indian, you will start nodding your head at precisely this point. All of us south Indians (bear in mind that there are exceptions to the rule always, but majority is what I am talking about here :-)) are in love with tamarind rice, no matter what it is called in local dialects. This tangy, sweet, flavorful rice is a staple at home, temples, weddings and all other occasions. It is easy to put together and always has an appeal whether you are making it for lunch box or for a get together. Some of the best tasting puliyogare are available in south Indian temples, not just in south india but here in US. Go visit Pittsburgh temple if you haven't and you will agree with me on this :-). The instant pickle and puliyogare in that temple kitchen have a way luring you to the temple as does the deity.

Temple puliyogare is very saatvik, devoid of too many spices, almost always hot rice mixed with a tamarind+jaggery paste and scantily dressed with a seasoning of peanuts, mustard and some dals. It always tastes divinely delicious. While this is one end of the spectrum, there is the other end with artisan puliyogare where purists scoff at you if you were to add peanuts directly into the rice, they handcraft this coveted rice recipe with roasted, deskinned, and halved peanuts before they are approved to go into the rice :-), and again this tastes delicious too. The one place I stand clear of puliyogare is at Indian restaurant lunch buffets, they just can't get it right. Some versions (especially Andhra Pulihora) have a low/no sesame seeds and adds green chilies to the seasoning, this is more of a 'make it today and eat it now' variety while nammamma's version always had freshly roasted and powdered sesame seeds. Sesame seeds in puliyogare is an association that my neurons have made and without that, puliyogare is not puliyogare for me :-). Puliyogare and mosaranna (curd/yogurt rice) is what you need to have if you are trying to befriend a true blue south indian, there is no going back after eating this made in heaven match.

Growing up, I can't remember a time when this gojju was out of stock in our kitchen. I remember it even from the days when there was no refrigerator and the gojju was packed in a dry box and kept in a cool, dark corner of the kitchen. Instructions were clear not to dip any wet spoons into it so we didn't spoil it. It was a very sought after dish not only to whip up a yummy puliyogare on a whim but also doubled as a side dish for hot chapati/roti or served as a lip smacking side with a bland pongal/huggi. It was omnipresent and omnipotent, we only had to be creative to use it in all the different ways and there was no dearth of creativity where food was concerned :-). Eat it with some cool mosaranna in summer and you will be a life time fan of this delicious combination. Nammamma used it as a quick go to when the vegetable basket was empty or one of us needed a lunch box and she was running late. All she had to do was mix it with some cooked rice and viola.. a delicious  puliyogare would be ready to go.

Now I said earlier  it was a simple hunise gojju right? A little explanation is needed as to why I called it 'simple' while you can make an exotic puliyogare with it. In its bare, bare form hunise gojju is literally that - a gojju (semi solid gravy) made with tamarind, salt and jaggery. Obviously this doesn't make a puliyogare as we all know. So the gojju needs other spices and flavors added to it. Many people I know make and keep just the thread bare gojju as its shelf life is longer but nammamma usually added the spices and flavors into the gojju itself as it would also serve as a side dish. Also the point of making the gojju is to have this instant mix on hand and if you have to spend time on roasting and grinding spices later, it is not much of an instant mix, is it? My quantities are much less than what she made and usually gets over in a few batches of puliyogare, so i am not too worried about the shelf life. I will point out where to stop if you are planning to make just the hunise gojju. You can add the spice powder just when you are mixing it with rice.

Since I made it to send it off with DD for her lunches, I made the full blown version but packed the seasoning separately so the peanuts and dals retain the crunch when mixed with rice. While store bought mixes serve the purpose, home made version always is tastier because of the love that went into preparing it, definitely devoid of preservatives and is more flavorful.

Keep a container of this gojju in the refrigerator and I promise you will reach out for it for uses you wouldn't have thought of. Puliyogare is always a preferred travel food as it not only stays good for a couple of days but gets better as it ages :-). BH's favorite way of eating puliyogare is with a side of tangy yogurt and I put the blame/credit for this way of eating on Bengaluru Kadamba (a restaurant famous among other things for their puliyogare) which he frequented during his early working life. I sometimes like to eat it with some chopped onion or just a bowl of seasoned yogurt rice.

What do you need to make Hunise gojju?
125gms tamarind (I used half of the 250gms package I get from store)
6-7 cups water
1/2-3/4 cup grated jaggery (adjust the amount based on the tang from tamarind and your own liking for sweetness)
3 Tbsp saaru pudi
1 Tbsp Red chili powder
3/4 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 Tsp turmeric powder
6-8 curry leaves
Spice mix:
1 Tbsp chana dal
2.5 Tbsp sesame seeds (I prefer to use black sesame just for the enhanced color, you can use polished if this is not available)
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 Tsp fenugreek seeds
1 Tsp black pepper corn
1/2 Tsp cumin seeds
2 small dry red chilies (optional, ok to skip)
2 Tbsp grated dry coconut (Kobbari)

Seasoning (quantities depend on how much rice you are mixing with gojju):
1 Tbsp oil
chana dal
Urad dal
Peanuts
Curry leaves

Pots & Pans: 
Use a thick pan made from non reactive metal. You do not want to use cast iron or iron pans for making tamarind gojju. Use dry spatula to enhance the shelf life of the product.

How do you make gojju?

• Remove seeds and any thick veins from tamarind and loosen up the block. Tamarind I get here is very hard and made into a block to make exporting easier, so I like to open it up a little before soaking in water. If you get freshly dried tamarind, go ahead and use it as is. 
• Put the cleaned tamarind in a bowl, add about 6 cups of water and let it soak for atleast 6 hours. I always soak it overnight. 
• When it is soaked and soft, using the power of your finger and hands, squeeze the life out of tamarind and collect all the juice. I like to squeeze it over a sieve so the clear juice can be collected. 

• Add another cup of water and make sure you get all the juice possible :-). 
• Discard any remaining pith, seeds etc. 
• In a seasoning pan, add chana dal and start to dry roast it. Give  it a head start and once it starts to turn light pink, add the remaining ingredients except for sesame seeds and dry coconut. 
• Once the dal turns golden and you can smell the aroma of fenugreek & coriander, add sesame seeds and roast. Make sure you are stirring frequently. 

• Once sesame seeds start to pop (takes about a minute or less depending on the heat), switch off, add dry coconut and mix. Let this mixture cool on the side completely before making a powder of it. 

• Now pour the strained tamarind juice into the pan and heat it on medium heat. 

• Let it come to a boil before adding turmeric powder. 
• Let it keep boiling until the liquid reduces by half, thickens and loses the raw tamarind taste. It took me 20mins to get to this stage. 
• If you want to stop with a simple hunise gojju - version 1, add salt here, switch off and let it cool before storing. If you are following along to make spicy puliyogare gojju, read on.
• Add saaru pudi, salt and jaggery at this stage and let it cook for a few minutes. 

• You have reached hunise gojju - version 2 here, you can switch off, let cool and store. This version is great with chapati/roti etc as well. 
• If you are continuing as I did, add the powdered spice mix and mix it in. 
• As the mixture would have thickened, this is the stage where bubbles pop in and out of the pan, be careful around them and reduce heat. 
• Once the mixture reaches a dropping consistency, add oil, mix it in well and let it cook for 1-2mins before switching off. 

• Gojju usually thickens as it cools. Cool completely, store in a dry, airtight glass or porcelain container. If refrigerated, it lengthens the shelf life and also retains the flavor. 

How do you make Puliyogare?
Below instructions are for 1 cup cooked rice:

• Cook rice with a couple drops of oil so the grains are separate. 
• Spread cooked rice in a wide plate so it cools down. 
• Add 1 Tbsp gojju (adjust the quantity based on taste, it depends on the quality of saaru pudi and other spices you have used). I like to add gojju on the hot rice so the flavors release into the rice. But do not mix at this stage. 

• Add seasoning on top of the gojju, and let rice cool down completely.  

• Mix everything together with gentle fingers. Let it sit for an hour atleast before eating. 

• You may need to adjust/add salt as you add rice. Taste test and decide. 
• Puliyogare tastes best the next day. 

Notes: 

• Quantity of tamarind above makes enough gojju to serve puliyogare for 18-20 people or 3 people 5-6 times.
• I used my home made saaru pudi (linked above), you can use a store bought one or your favorite. Fresher the powder better the taste. 
• I added Kashmiri red chili powder which has a vibrant color but not very spicy. Adjust the amount of this or skip it altogether if you wish. 
• Jaggery is entirely your taste, we like our puliyogare to be sweet, sour and flavorful all at the same. Puliyogare is never spicy hot. 
• Don't worry too much over the consistency of the gojju, key is to make sure there is no raw tamarind smell and to make sure it doesn't burn at any stage. 
• If it gets slightly over cooked or gojju turns hard, nuke it in the microwave for 20-30secs before adding to the rice.
• I like to add a couple spoons of grated dry coconut while mixing the rice. This is optional and can be skipped.  
• I always make seasoning on very low heat so that dals retain their crunchiness for longer time after mixing in with rice. 
• Long storing can impact the flavor of puliyogare, if you feel your gojju is slightly lackluster, bring it to life by adding freshly ground sesame seeds. Dry roast a tbsp of sesame seeds, powder it and add it while mixing puliyogare. 

Vegetable fried rice - a continental favorite

Happy Women's day all you wonderful women out there!! More love, more empowerment to all of you. I am grateful for the influence and impact of several women in my life. I also want to acknowledge the role of many men that simply allowed me to be 'me'. If it hadn't been for a father who never once held me back from doing what I wanted to do, if it isn't for a husband who always supports every "crazy to good" ideas I come up with, if it isn't for the 2 brothers that never treat me differently because I am a girl (I know this for a fact because they never spared me in fights and treated me like one of their own:-)), I am sure my life would have been vastly different. I realize that my life is not the norm everywhere, wishing all the girls same opportunities to spread their wings and grow.

Finally spring break is here :-) and DD is home after more than 2 months. While it may not be spring break for all ages and in all parts of the world :-) I am sure you will share my joy this week. Lotsa love, food, laughter and stories..this week at home. For us, spring break seems to be here triple fold as DD came home with two of her friends. Home seems to be fuller, more alive and happier :-). The girls are having fun doing things on their own, driving in and around PNW and braving the unusually chilly weather.

I don't know how many of you notice the change in eating patterns when kids come home from school. With DD the change is very visible, almost 'in my face' kind of thing. There is no longer any fuss about the food, everything amma makes is delicious and she is almost always hungry. Looking at 3 of them this week has me really sad at whatever the school cafeterias serve as food. Even the simplest of the dishes make them happy and contented.

This fried rice is possibly one of the simplest recipes I have blogged but DD's explicit instructions this time is to make sure I blog it so she can use it when she starts to cook :-), so here I am, the dutiful mom catering to her wishes.

Long time ago (think a decade and half ago) when the Indian food diaspora was not bursting like it is today, all we had access to as quirky teenagers and 'acting' grown up young adults was Indian food at home and outside home. This was the time when the nation's obsession had not gone completely international on the food front. The number of restaurants was very small and the food choice just seemed like an extension of what we normally ate at home, forget the fancy American, Italian, Mexican food. One would go to a hotel (that is what we called them when we were kids) to eat a dose/dosa that had taken an oil bath or a plate of mirchi bajjis that you would not make at home on a daily basis.

But even in those days, one international (??) food had made its way surely into the food scene. Everyone from small road side cartwallahs to decent and trendy restaurants served a genre of food called Indo chinese food. This included the manchurians, crispy, spicy noodles and the very distinct fried rice. I have not visited china (unless you count the couple of lay overs in Hongkong :-)) and am not an expert at anything China, but I have a lot of friends, colleagues from the Chinese community, I would think that makes me somewhat of an authority :-). Indo-chinese food was and continues to be a craze in India even though people are getting exposed to other cuisines. What we know of chinese food in India is really a very Indianized version of the food, many dishes being unheard of and unknown in mainland China :-). But that is the beauty of good food, right? it evolves, morphs and adapts to suit the palate of the people that enjoy eating. I am pretty sure there is a cook's license akin to a poet's license and the creative freedom sets you free.

In any case, not being someone that frequented restaurants, my first bite of the Chinese fried rice was at a hotel infront of my office in namma Bengaluru. BH would stop during lunch time if he happened to be in my part of the city and we would try and catch some time together in the midst of schedules, projects and the deadlines. He being more worldly wise and definitely having visited this place many times before took me there for lunch one day and ordered the veggie fried rice. Crunchy vegetables exuding sesame oil flavor was a new taste on my tongue but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I was full by the time the bowl was half empty though. Those days, restaurants didnt encourage customers to take home the left overs and sadly I had to let it go waste :-(.

We didn't stock the necessary ingredients for making the rice at home in those days and so it became one of the frequent orders when we dined out. I make this often at home as we all love it. I wonder why it had stayed a restaurant food for such a long time given the simple ingredients list. We have a south indian joint here in town and he serves veggie fried rice along with his chettinad specials and dosa/idlis :-) and it is pretty good. So here is an easy to whip up and lip smacking vegetable fried rice.

What do you need to make fried rice? 
1.5 cups short grain rice (I used sona masoori)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1.5 Tbsp chili sauce
1 Tsp white vinegar (optional but recommended)
1/8 Tsp black pepper coarse ground
1.5 inch ginger made into a paste
2-3 cloves of garlic made into a paste
3/4 cup finely chopped green beans
3/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup thinly chopped cabbage
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
1/2 cup finely chopped assorted colored pepper (I haven't used any this time)
1 Tsp salt
3 Tbsp oil (preferably sesame oil for that authentic flavor)

How do you make fried rice? (as you will see, it is very easy and simple :-))

• Get the vegetables chopped and keep them ready
• Wash & soak rice for 20-30 mins 
• Heat 6 cups of water in a big pot and bring it to a gentle boil
• Drain the water from the soaked rice and add rice to the boiling water. Add a couple drops of oil and stir it in. 
• Lower the heat to medium and let it cook for about 10-12 minutes or until rice is just about done. 
• Switch off and drain all the water out. I let this water cool completely and use it to water my potted plants (nammamma said that it actually helps bring out the flavor in the curry leaves plant and I follow the advice)

• Run cold water on cooked rice, fluff it up with a fork and let it cool
• Heat a big wok and add sesame oil. Let it heat up almost to its smoking point. 
• Add chopped onion and saute for 30secs. 
• Add ginger and garlic paste followed by finely chopped carrots & beans
• Let them cook on high flame for a minute, add cabbage and half of the spring onions. 
• Stir the vegetables constantly on flame and let them turn slightly tender.

• Add the sauces and vinegar to the vegetable mixture along with salt. 
• Add coarsely crushed pepper. 
• Add cooked rice and stir them together. 
• Taste test and adjust spices & salt to your liking. 
• Garnish with reserved spring onions. 
• Serve hot/warm.

Notes: 

• BH and I added 1/2 Tsp/per serving of a green chili chutney to make a little hot for us
• The girls scrambled a couple of eggs with a dash of salt and pepper and added it to the rice. 
• A favorite way of serving this fried rice in India is along with a side of gobi manchurian, I didn't make them this time :-)
• Vegetables in this rice are cooked al dente and retain a crunch.
• Using a wide wok and keeping it on high flame is key to a well blended fried rice.
• Make sure rice is cooked so as the grains are separate and fluff

Gongura Pulihora (Spicy seasoned rice with sorrel leaves) - Summer comes to a close and a new year begins

We are literally baking here for the past few days, temperature is at its northern tip as far as PNW is concerned and us poor folks pampered year long with moderate temperatures are now whining and complaining as loudly and as often as we can. At our home, this is the time of the year we seriously think of getting an air conditioner but by the time we get off our seats and put the thoughts into action, the weather would have changed and temperature gotten normal :-), so has been the story for last 5 years and the same continues this year as well. I don't feel justified spending money on something that I would use for a minuscule percentage of the year, also we spend a big part of the day in air conditioned offices as the week starts where everything is cool and nice, so the AC has been just a passing thought until now, maybe as the glaciers start to melt and the heat becomes unbearable in a few years, we will give it some serious consideration :-). Until then, let me enjoy the abundant sunshine and the naturally available vitamin D. The plants and flowers outside seem to be in complete agreement with what I say. 

I have turned into an infrequent blogger recently and had not even checked the blog for comments or the facebook for reactions in a while. As I logged in today after a couple of weeks of inactivity, a very pleasant surprise awaited when I saw the FB likes is now up beyond the count of 1000. A small but definite milestone and surely a nudge for me to get back to active blogging :-). I promise I will do the best, thank you all for visiting, stopping by to say hello and spreading the word. The recipes I blog about are very close to heart and the stories that go with it are from personal experiences, it makes it all the more fun when strangers stop by to read it. I am in my 5th year of blogging, I do this mainly for my own selfish purposes using the blog space to chronicle the happenings of my life and to document the recipes I cook at home. The pictures are by no means top class but I hope they support the story I write around the recipe and most of all they are fruits of hard work. I feel genuinely happy when this little space gets some TLC and attention.

As I was looking at the stats on my pages, I also saw a few discussions about a recent episode of plagiarism. If you are active in the food blogging world, you probably have read/heard about it by now, I have been just slow to catch on. I don't intent to shame anyone personally but this blogger apparently became popular with hits in the scale of 100,000 on her youtube videos and the website within a span of mere months. Days of instant gratification and personal glory, right? Turns out that most of the recipes were lifted word by word from some of the well established food blogs without so much as an acknowledgement. With the modern tools and easy access to content at fingertips, all you need for a starter kit is a laptop, browser and some good search key words. What gets lost in this crazy craving for popularity is someone else's hard work and effort put into creating the original piece.

Food blogging is a strange world, if you were to take a recipe there isn't much that any of us are creating afresh but the presentations are morphing, the need to have food appealing to eyes is now a well recognized fact.  The recipes by themselves are mostly handed down from generations and enjoyed by many people. Outside of small variations,personal taste differences and the trend of fusion, the core of a recipe is generic across geographies. So if they are all the same, what is plagiarism in the food blogging world? Plagiarism is when you lift content (recipe, pictures, presentation) from another blogger's space without due permission, plagiarism is when you reproduce another blogger's content without any acknowledgement and claim it as your own. Every food blogger worth his or her salt has painstakingly spent time to document what is in the family for ages, been generous to share the recipes with everyone. You will appreciate the effort that goes into each blog piece only if you are a blogger yourself. Just to put things into perspective, it takes me about 5 hours on an average to get a blog post out from the time of cooking, picture taking, processing, thinking of a context to present the content, actually writing the blog, proof reading and publishing it. Some days, it just doesn't come together at all no matter how hard I try while on other days it flows like an easy normal delivery. I do it only because I am passionate about it. So if someone is using the content or pictures from my blog, I would expect them to have the courtesy to acknowledge it. What was heartening about this particular incident was that there was active protest from the bloggers that literally brought the plagiarizing youtube channel and the website down but what is not so good is that this youtube channel is back in business within the week claiming that all non-original content has been removed. I sincerely hope that is the case. Please help food bloggers by identifying stolen content if you see one.

Other than the high temperatures, for me personally it feels like summer is over with DD heading back to school and starting another year. Can't believe the little girl is no longer a little girl but a fine young lady we are extremely proud of. Her summer though short at home was eventful, full of new adventures, memorable with lot of life lessons. We mostly stood on the side lines as she ventured into unknown territories and faced challenges as she always does - with a smile on her face. For me, acknowledging the fact that she is growing up is easy but letting go when needed is the most difficult part and I am trying my best to overcome my urge to try and guide her every so often. I intend to keep at it and hopefully become good decent at it in a few years decades :-)

Both times when she came home from her new adventures, DD was so happy to come back to the familiar kitchen, her own old dining table and have home food. I made this gongura pulihora 2 weeks back when she came home after a 7 weeks stay away and took it to the airport as we went to receive her in the afternoon. The first thing she noticed was the aroma as she climbed into the car and as a spoon full of rice went into her mouth, all she said was, "Ummm..". I made it again a few days later since she liked it so much and even after a week of home food, she was happy to polish it off clean.

This pulihora is a Telugu version of puliyogare or tamarind rice and replaces tamarind with sour sorrel leaves. The tangy rice with the freshly roasted and powdered spices makes it a delectable home coming recipe. It is simple to make, genuine in flavors and brings that comfort feeling when you eat it. Gongura or sorrel leaves are the pride of Telugu cuisine, if you like these tangy leaves, you can get them easily in the stores (Indian or Asian groceries are the best places to find these) during summer. We make pachadi, pappu on a regular basis but the pulihora got added to the repertoire recently. If you are craving for something spicy and South Indian, if you love rice, this is a heavenly eat. It is easy to put together and tastes better as it ages (best eaten the day after or a few hours after making it). You can roast the gongura leaves and store them in refrigerator for later use.

Happy Independence day to all my fellow Indians and people of Indian origin across the globe!

What do you need to make Gongura pulihora? 
1 cup gongura leaves
1 cup cooked rice (use long grained rice such as sona masoori)
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1 Tbsp oil
Spice powder: 
1 Tbsp chana dal
1/2 Tsp urad dal
1/2 Tsp fenugreek seeds
1 Tsp white sesame seeds
1 Tsp coriander seeds
1/2 Tsp cumin
2-3 dry red chilies

Seasoning: 
1.5 Tbsp oil
1 Tsp mustard
1 Tbsp chana dal
1 Tsp urad dal
2 Tbsp peanuts
5-7 curry leaves (optional)
1 dry red chili broken into pieces
1/8 Tsp asafoetida
1/4 Tsp turmeric powder

How do you make Gongura Pulihora?

• Pick gongura leaves from the stems and discard the stems. 
• Wash the leaves in a couple of runs of water and spread them on a dish cloth or paper towel to remove all the moisture. Or pat dry the leaves if you are in a hurry. 
• Heat a Tbsp oil in a wide pan, add the leaves and fry them until they wilt and become a single soft mass, takes about 3 minutes on medium heat. 
• Switch off and take the cooked leaves onto a plate. This can be put into a zip lock bag and stored in the fridge for upto a month. 
• Cook 1 cup of rice in 2 cups of water and a drop of oil (oil helps to keep the rice grains fluffy)
• Once cooked spread the rice in a wide plate or mixing bowl and let it cool. 
• Dry roast all the ingredients listed under 'Spice powder', start with the dals & fenugreek and once they turn light pink, add coriander, cumin, sesame seeds and red chilies. Roast them until fragrant and the chili crisps up. 

• Let the mixture cool, then grind it to a powder with a slightly coarse texture. Add this on top of the rice along with salt. 
• Add the cooked gongura leaves on top of the rice. 
• Heat oil for seasoning, add mustard, peanuts, let them roast for 30 seconds. Add the dals, asafoetida, turmeric powder and curry leaves (if using). Stir it with a spoon and roast until the peanuts start to pop and the dals turn golden. 

• Pour the hot seasoning on top of the rice. 

• Once warm enough to handle, gently bring everything together with fingers. Don't put a lot of pressure or the rice will turn mushy. 
• Taste and adjust salt, gongura as needed. 

• Let this rice sit for atleast 30mins for the flavors to mingle together before serving. 

Notes: 

• The leaves can be roasted like described above and stored in the refrigerator for weeks. You can pull out the required quantity and use it in the pulihora, pappu or pachadi. 
• Spice powder can be made ahead of time too and in larger quantities but I prefer to make it fresh. 
• Add cashew nuts in place of or in addition to the peanuts for seasoning if you like. 
• The tanginess in Gongura leaves varies with the variety, taste the rice and adjust if you need more tang, do not add all the leaves at once. 
• I like to use whole leaves in this recipe as they look pretty in the final recipe, if you don't like it, go ahead and chop them before frying in oil. 
• Letting the rice to rest for a half hour is very important for the flavor to come together, allow time for this. 

Bisi Bele Bhaath - here comes an 'awe'thentic dish and recipe

The baby is growing up albeit at its own pace. I haven't had a chance to check if it is in the 90th percentile or not. As a mother, I am completely in awe of my baby, unconditionally in love with it. As mom, I want the best for my baby and at the same time love to hear compliments from others about how well my baby is doing. As always the initial years are hard, it does take a lot of effort from the mom to make the baby presentable day after day, week after week. I am told that as they grow up and become adults the hand holding comes down, though I am not so sure that will happen with this baby of mine. Sometimes we work in perfectly synchronized motion, I write and the baby shows off, people around stop by, put a gentle peck on the baby's cheek, the baby smiles and mom feels elated. But sometimes, there are no people, just the two of us trying to talk, trying to be coherent.

Whether it is presentable or not, bulky or thin, smart or not, social bee or introvert, I am constantly aware of the journey we have taken together so far and extremely proud of my baby. Though the pats and cheers make it seem worth while, I also draw immense personal satisfaction just by being there. Here is wishing a fabulous 5 to my blog baby as she completes the fourth year and steps into the 5th. Why am I calling it a 'her'? no logical reason, I am a she so maybe it is just a complex of familiarity. Anyways, Happy birthday Sattvaa!! and thank you my wonderful family, friends and readers that have stood by me and read all things (interesting or not) I put on this blog. I do recognize that me & my blog have sustained this far only because of all of you.

Hope you had a blast of a 2015, as we start 2016, here comes my warm wishes for a better year, more successful, more peaceful, more joyous New Year to all of you! Happy New Year!! 

A special occasion such as this calls for a super special recipe, don't you agree? Here is a very special and close to the heart dish from nammamma's kitchen. It is not an exaggeration to say that I literally grew up eating this dish since it is so popular and 'world famous' in Mysore that you would have it regularly :-). It is wholesome (has carbs, proteins and nutrient rich veggies), addictively tasty (you can never have one bowl of it and stop, also because it is always made in large quantities and you end up eating it for 3 meals of the day), stays well and gets better as it settles and cools down, made with a couple of vessels making cleaning extremely efficient and on & on & on.. This is a dream come true for moms as they can get a healthy meal on the table for their family and get away cooking only once during the day :-). Even with all these describable features and words, I really can't express what bisi bele bhaath means to me and many, many Kannadiga folks around the world. It is comfort in a bowl that magically teleports you back to home (wherever it is) and sits you among loved ones.

Bisi bele bhaath literally means 'hot lentil rice', for such a non descriptive name it comes with flavors that are mind boggling and uniquely different from anything else you may have tried before. We shortened the name and always called it bibebha or Bcubed or BBB. I used to make this so often a few years back that all my friends and guests have had it atleast once :-), then came a dry period and I didn't make it for over a year. It started a few weeks back with BH asking for Bisi bele bhaath. I kept pushing it off with various (rather very flimsy) excuses. The truth was that I wanted to make the 'real deal' so I could show off on the blog :-). Finally with DD home for holidays, I just didn't have the heart to put off the ask any longer. So before we left for our vacation last weekend, it was a day of BBB along with traditionally delicious ambodes. BH was happy beyond words (yes, he just slept off the rest of the afternoon).

The key to a good BBB is the powder you use, its freshness, ingredients and the balance of the flavors. Rest of it is cooked dal, rice and vegetables. I prefer making fresh powder but sometimes use store bought powder when pressed for time.

There are some dos and don'ts when it comes to BBB, especially the vegetables. At the outset, let me clarify that this is not sambar bhaath or bisi bela which are close yet galaxies away from BBB. I have eaten many versions of BBB but always come back to the version from nammamma's kitchen. Vegetables such as okra, eggplants, radish, pumpkins, onions, garlic, corn are never added to BBB, also there is no ginger or cilantro in this dish. I sometimes add bell peppers but they are skippable unless you love the strong flavor of bell peppers. Nammamma never used cardamom or nutmeg in her BBB powder as the flavor is overpowering and I continue with that tradition. I like cooked peanuts over green peas or lima beans in BBB and hence add them to the dal while cooking.

Kohlrabi due to its bland taste and 'no smell' virtue is a preferred vegetable in BBB. You can use chayote squash in place of or in addition to kohlrabi, but remember chayote squash takes much less cooking time.  If you don't get either, use only beans, carrots and potatoes. I like to cook vegetables separately so they don't become mushy and I add them to the hot water starting with the hardest vegetable first.

BBB is eaten with a side of raita and the most common one you will find in Mysore homes is made of onion & tomato. Though chips and boondi are hailed as perfect crunchy accompaniments for BBB and are pushed by the darshinis in Mysore and Bengaloru, my love has always been and will be ambode. This is a lentil heavy food nirvana that you can't easily come out of any time soon :-). My rice to dal ratio is 1:1.5. I like the consistency of BBB. I have seen some folks use equal proportion or more of rice than dal, it is a personal preference. For a BBB which sets nicely as it cools, use the ratio I have given below.

If this preparation seems daunting, here are a few short cuts for busy lives (that crave for good food). While nothing beats the freshly home made BBB powder, these come close to it and will certainly satisfy your craving.
1. You can use store bought spice powders to save some time. I have used a combination of MTR BBB powder and vangibhath powder to make an utterly delicious BBB. Don't use just the BBB powder as it tends to thicken BBB way too much almost making it dry out like cement as it cools. Use a mixture of the 2 powders - (2 BBB for 1 Vangibhaath powder ratio)
2. If you have a pressure cooker with multiple vessels that go in, use it to cook dal, rice and vegetables at the same time. Cut bigger pieces of vegetables so they don't disintegrate. Bring them together following the rest of the process.
3. Soak dal for an hour to speed up its cooking, add dal, rice, and vegetables along with spice powder, salt and tamarind water into the pressure cooker and let it cook. Once pressure releases, open the lid and adjust any spices, let it come to a boil. Season it and add a Tsp of ghee.

This recipe is hard core Mysorean, too much of nammamma and way too many memories for me to handle. I need to go and sleep now :-). Have a blessed year!

What do you need to make bisi bele Bhaath? 
For BBB powder:
1/2 cup chana dal
1/3 cup urad dal
3/4 cup coriander seeds
20 byadagi red chilies (milder in spice and brighter on color)
10-12 Guntur red chilies (spicier chilies)
10 maratha moggu
8 cloves
4 - 1 inch pieces of cinnamon
1Tsp black pepper
1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp mustard
1 Tsp fenugreek
1/4 Tsp mace/javitri
1 Tbsp gasagase/poppy seeds
1 sprig (8-10) curry leaves
1/2 cup grated dry coconut/kobbari

For Bisi Bele Bhaath: 
1 cup rice
1.5 cups toor dal/arhar dal/split pigeon peas
1 lemon sized tamarind
1 Tbsp salt - divided use (adjust to taste)
2 medium sized potatoes
1 medium sized kohl rabi
2 medium sized carrots
15-20 green beans
1/4 cup raw peanuts/green peas/edamame/lima beans
1/2 Tsp turmeric powder
3 Tbsp oil - divided use
1 & 1/4 Tsp ghee/clarified butter

Seasoning: 
1 Tsp mustard
6-8 curry leaves
2 Tbsp peanuts (use cashew nuts if you like them better)
1-2 pieces broken dry red chilies

How do you make Bisi bele bhaath? 
Making the powder: 

• Take a heavy bottom pan/kadai and heat it on medium heat. 
• Add chana dal & urad dal and roast them until they are light pink, keep stirring to avoid burning of dals. Takes about 2.5 - 3 minutes.

• Add coriander seeds, curry leaves and dry red chilies and roast for another minute until you smell the roasted coriander. 
• Add dry coconut, poppy seeds to the pan. Mix it a couple of times and take all ingredients onto a wide plate to cool. 

• Add 1/4 Tsp ghee in to the pan, add all the remaining spices (fenugreek, cumin, pepper, cloves, maratha moggu, cinnamon, mace and mustard) and roast them on medium heat for 1-1.5 minutes until you can smell the spices. 

• Remove from heat and add it to the plate to cool down. 
• Once cool, take it in a blender and make a fine powder of all the roasted ingredients. 

• Keep this in an dry, air tight container until ready to use. 

Bisi Bele Bhaath preparation: 

• Wash tamarind and soak it in 2 cups of warm water for 20 minutes. Squeeze out the pulp, pith and seeds (if any) and collect the tamarind extract in a bowl.  

• Wash all vegetables and pat dry them. 
• String green beans, remove the 2 ends and break/cut into 1.5 inch long pieces
• Peel carrots, remove ends and cut them into 1 inch long and 1/4 inch thick pieces
• Peel, remove ends and cut kohlrabi into bite sized pieces
• Peel and chop potatoes into bite sized pieces. 

• Wash toor dal in running water, add to a pressure cooker along with 2 drops of oil and 3 cups of water and pressure cook until the dal is soft and mushy (takes about 5-6 whistles or 15 minutes on low after the first whistle). 
• If you are using raw peanuts, add them along with dal. 

• Heat a big pot (in which you will bring BBB together), add 2.5-3 cups of water, pinch of turmeric powder and 1/2 Tsp salt. 
• Add kohl rabi first, let it cook for a couple of minutes before adding carrots and potatoes. Let them cook for a couple of minutes before adding green beans. Let the vegetables cook for a total of 8-10 minutes (depends on the size you have cut them) on medium heat. Switch off and keep it reserved for later use. 
• If you are using green peas or lima beans, cook them along with vegetables. 

• Wash rice in 2 changes of water, add 4 cups of water and cook either in a pressure cooker, rice cooker or open vessel. You want to get soft cooked rice. 
• Chop tomatoes into small pieces. 
• Chop bell peppers (if using) into strips. 

How to assemble BBB? 

• Heat a pan with 1 Tbsp oil, add tomatoes and bell pepper and a pinch of salt. Let them soften up a bit. 
• Use a big pot with a heavy bottom so you can stir the contents easily as you add them. 
• Add cooked vegetables along with the broth into it. 
• Mash cooked dal with a spoon and add it in. 

• Add the tamarind extract, salt and turmeric and let it come to a gentle boil. 
• Stir in cooked tomatoes and bell peppers. 
• Add the BBB powder and mix it in. It should be off pouring consistency at this time. Add water to adjust and let it come to a good boil. 

• Mash cooked rice slightly and add it into the pot and give a good mix so everything is coated with the masala. 
• Test taste once and adjust BBB powder, tamarind, salt if needed. 
• Add ghee at this time.

• Keep stirring frequently so it doesn't get stuck to the bottom and let it cook for 20-30 minutes. 
• Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard and peanuts. Let them pop. Add curry leaves and dry red chilies. 
• Pour the seasoning over the BBB, cover and let it rest for atleast 30 minutes before serving. It tastes better as it cools down. 

Notes: 

• The consistency of BBB when you switch off the stove should be juicy and succulent. It solidifies as it cools. 
• Maratha moggu is an essential ingredient for the powder, the ones I get here are not very fresh and I compensate by adding a few extra. If you get fresh & aromatic MM, you can reduce the quantity by a couple.  
• Adding just a spoon of ghee makes BBB taste delicious, try not to skip this. 
• Adjust red chilies based on their spiciness and your tolerance. I currently have a variety that is extremely hot so I use it sparingly.