Beetroot tambuli - Cool, cool tambuli - Summer essentials

Summer is officially here, I don't mean the weather. With schools out and a 2 month 'no school' period, it really felt like Summer but the feeling was short lived as DD packed her bags and left for a 10 day trip, visiting her cousin and off to a summer camp. It is back to the usual run at work, come back and do 'non work' stuff at home for the two of us :-). I am dreading the day when the little girl goes off to college :-(.  My childhood summers are always associated with unrestricted play time - our gang used to be all over the place, running around in streets, putting up a play in someone's back yard with hand made costumes, accessories and make ups or belting out songs we had learnt.  There were 3 older girls in our neighborhood who always had exams a month or so after ours ended and they used to be so mad at us for making all the racket through out the day and into the long evening hours not allowing them to study in peace :-).  Then we didn't really care.. My daughter's Summers are way different than mine, especially this one looks more packed than her regular school time. Times have changed and I am just going with it always hoping that she is having a great time and making memories for later on.

Summers are also the time for leisurely enjoyment of food, while the heat doesn't let you stand in front of a stove for long, there is no dearth of cool, cool dishes that define Summer. Tambulis are quintessential Kannadiga fare. Sure, there are distant cousins of this genre in other cuisines but the distinct aroma of roasted cumin, pepper and either the herbs or spices used in Tambulis are very unique. If you visit the Malnad region (Chikmagalur belt and the western ghats) or South Karnataka (Mangalore, Udupi), you will see a lot of tambulis in everyday home meals. Most common Tambulis are usually made with herbs (doddapatre ~ Cuban Oregano) or spices (fenugreek, sesame seeds) etc. I have written about ginger tambuli here. These are considered coolants because of the yogurt in them and hence you will see them frequently during Summer.

If less is more think how much more more should be :-) ~ Frasier Crane from Frasier

But when you come to Tambulis, less is actually more. It uses a very few ingredients and dishes out a flavorful and yummy side dish. By altering the consistency, you can use this as a dip or something to mix your rice in. 

My favorite tambuli is the doddapatre (dodda~big and patre~leaf) tambuli, it has an exotic flavor. The leaves are used to make deep fried bajjis (a delicacy) and also used to treat common head aches. I had a thriving bush of doddapatre in a pot before we moved and the leaves used to be picked often as all my friends liked it, I am waiting for my baby doddapatre to grow tall and strong here before I pick them. Then I will treat you all to the Doddapatre tambuli. The closest to this flavor is oregano which you can find in most garden stores but the regular Italian Oregano is not as thick or sturdy as the doddapatre. I finally found out that there is a Cuban oregano which is the real doddapatre, haven't found in stores anywhere here though it seems to be available online.

In Mysore, we always had this herb in the side garden, it used to grow wild and we would have frequent tambuli treats :-). I have a friend here from Mysore who also misses her tambuli and while I was talking about it to another friend who happily eats them in her Bengaluru home, she told me to make beet root tambuli instead as it is commonly prepared in Malnad homes. I don't remember nammamma making this ever but I followed the same basic ingredients of tambuli and made it with beets. It tasted fantastic and a very attractive pink hue (my picture does no justice to how it looked) made my day and satisfied my cravings for a good Tambuli. The dish is slightly sweetish because of the beets so balance it by using a day old (preferably home made) yogurt. Here is the recipe for all of you to try.

What do you need to make Beets tambuli? 
1 medium sized beet (1.5 cup grated)
3/4 cup yogurt
1 Tsp cumin
3/4 Tsp black pepper
1/4 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
1/2 Tsp ghee or oil
3/4 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
Seasoning(optional):
1 Tsp oil
1/2 Tsp mustard
1/2 Tso cumin
4-5 curry leaves

How do you make Beets tambuli? 

• Wash, peel, remove ends and grate (medium size) the beet root. 
• Heat the ghee or oil in a wide pan, add pepper and cumin. Fry for 30 seconds. 
• Add the grated beet, salt and mix well. 
• Cover, lower the heat to simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes or until beets soften up and loses the raw smell. Stir occasionally to ensure it doesn't get burnt. 
• Switch off and let cool completely.
• Blend into a smooth paste, adding coconut and yogurt. 
• Take out into a serving bowl. 
• Heat oil for seasoning, add mustard, cumin and let pop. Add curry leaves, switch off and pour it over the tambuli.

Notes: 

• Tambuli is usually on the thinner side or has a runny consistency. Beets in this recipe add body, and I made it slightly thick today as we also used it as a dip. Adjust the consistency of the tambuli by adding buttermilk or water. 
• It is important to cook the beets well in this recipe until the raw smell is gone. You do not need water but make sure, you lower the heat and cover the pan so it cooks in the steam. 
• Use good quality yogurt (preferably home made) in this recipe. 

Mosaravalakki - creamy yogurt poha to celebrate the birth of baby Krishna

There was once a small kid named Gopal who lived in a village with his widowed mother, they were poor and hardly made ends meet with the mother's meager earnings. When Gopal grew up to be old enough to go to school, his mother had one of the neighboring village teacher take him as a student in his school. Gopal had to walk through dense forests to reach his teacher's house every day, as his mother couldn't leave work and go with him, the little boy had to walk all alone. When he returned home the first day he was tired and completely scared. He didn't want to go back to school because of the long walk in the dark forests and his mother told him to call out to Krishna and said he was Gopal's elder brother who lived in the forest. The next day Gopal came back home and excitedly explained to his mother that his brother Krishna had come and walked with him until the edge of the forest, the mother was completely flabbergasted. This continued for the entire school year and Gopal was a happy child learning well at his school.

As the school year came to an end, the teacher organized a lunch for the students and told them to bring something special from home to share with all their friends. When Gopal asked his mother, the poor lady was very sad as she had nothing to send with him, so in order to pacify the crying boy she told him to ask his brother for something. Gopal went on his way, met his brother in the forest just like everyday and told him about the school lunch. The elder brother went inside the forest and came back with a small covered pot. Gopal went merrily to the school and gave it to his teacher. The teacher looked at the small pot and realized it wasn't going to be sufficient even for a couple of boys let alone the entire school but didn't say anything to the child. When everyone sat down for lunch, the teacher opened the pot and found thick, creamy, sweet smelling yogurt inside. He wanted to distribute atleast a drop of it to each kid and started spooning it out to another dish with the intention of thinning it down by adding water. But to his utter surprise he found that the small pot never seemed to become empty. He had his wife bring huge containers and as they went on filling those containers, the little pot was still full seeming to smile divinely at them. Everyone had their fill with the yummy tasting yogurt and thanked little Gopal.

This is a story from my childhood favorite Amar Chitra Katha comic books. I have told this to my daughter countless number of times. For me Krishna is synonymous with avalakki (beaten rice or poha) and mosaru(yogurt). Mosaravalakki is thick yogurt mixed with paper thin avalakki and garnished with seasoning. This was one of the treasured childhood snacks. One of my doddamma's (mom's older sister) didn't eat rice in the night and most days this would be her dinner and mosaravalakki is always distributed to everyone and never eaten alone. We used to sit expectantly and patiently in the kitchen until she mixed it well and dropped big dollops of the creamy mosaravalakki into our palms, I used to lick slowly and try to extend the moment of bliss for as long as I could :-).

Today is celebrated as Gokulashtami (Gokula~ Lord Krishna's Childhood home, Ashtami~Eighth day of the calendar) or Krishnashtami all over India to mark the birth of Lord Krishna. I made the mosaravalakki as an offering to the God.

I pack this in place of regular yogurt rice for a change when we go on our trips, it stays well. Just carry extra yogurt to mix in before eating.

What do you need to make Mosaravalakki? 
4-5 cups thick yogurt (preferably homemade)
1 cup paper thin avalakki/beaten rice
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 Tsp sugar
Seasoning:
1 Tblsp oil
1 Tsp mustard
1 Tsp chana dal/kadle bele
1/2 Tsp urad dal/uddina bele
2 green chilies - chopped small
4-6 curry leaves
1/2 inch piece of ginger root - peeled and chopped into thin julienes

How do you make Mosaravalakki? 

• Take avalakki in a bowl and wash it under running water once and drain the water. 
• Whisk the yogurt, add salt, sugar and the washed avalakki and mix well.
• Heat oil in a pan, add all the ingredients under seasoning and let mustard pop and dals turn pink. 
• Pour the sizzling seasoning on top of the mixed mosaravalakki and mix it in. 

• Share and enjoy this simple yet unbeatable tasty dish.

Notes:

• Do not skimp on the yogurt, good yogurt takes this dish to its next level, remember it is mosaravalakki and takes lot of yogurt to get the creamy texture.
• If you do not have home made yogurt, use plain store bought yogurt.
• Use only the extra thin or paper thin avalakki in this recipe, the thinker varieties change the texture.
• It is sufficient to just wash the avalakki once in running water for it to become soft.
• While making the seasoning, make sure the chili pieces turn light brown. If you do not like spicy food, reduce/skip green chilies.
• You can add cashew nuts to the seasoning and roast it until they turn pink for a richer flavor, I kept it simple.
• You can add chopped cilantro instead of curry leaves and asafoetida instead of ginger for different flavors.
• The yogurt gets absorbed if you keep it longer, add more yogurt and mix it to bring the right consistency.

Bittergourd Raita - Addition to my BG recipes

We went on a slightly extended (Monday off) weekend trip to California to visit near & dear ones. DD had a great time with her cousins and was not in any mood to come back home as did we :-) but come we did and are back at work since yesterday. That explains my infrequent visits and comments on your spaces lately, hope to catch up on all the yummy posts out there quickly this week.

Today is another Blog hop Wednesday post and I am really enjoying my trysts with hitherto unknown blogs because of this event. Radhika paired me with Roshni of Roshni's kitchen this time and I have been going back and forth on what I would make from her blog as I found so many interesting recipes :-). Roshni, you have a wonderful space and I will definitely be trying out other recipes in the near future.

For today though I chose Roshni's bitter gourd raita since it had 2 of my favorite ingredients - bitter gourd and coconut :-). I make a similar raita with okra but never thought of making it with bitter gourd. Thanks for the recipe Roshni, this is a keeper definitely. We all enjoyed the crispy bitter gourd in cool yogurt.

Here is Roshni's bitter gourd raita with slight modifications. I made the frying of bitter gourd oil free and hands free by baking it instead of pan frying.

What do you need to make bitter gourd raita? 
2 medium sized bitter gourds
1 Tblsp grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
1 Tsp cumin seeds
2 green chilis
3/4 cup yogurt
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
For Seasoning:
1 Tblsp oil
1 small shallot or red onion - about 1.5 Tblsp thinly chopped
1 Tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1/8 Tsp asafoetida

How do you make bitter gourd raita?

• Wash and lightly scrape the ridge of bitter gourd, remove the ends and cut into thin disks.
• If the bitter gourd is big and has seeds inside, you can scoop out the seeds from the disks easily with a slight push using fingers. If the gourd is tender, skip this step. 
• Spread the cut bitter gourd in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake for an hour (or until it crisps up) at 350F removing it once at 30 minutes to flip them over. 
• Grind coconut, green chilies, salt and cumin into a a coarse paste with a Tblsp of water and then add the yogurt and blend into a smooth paste. 
• Heat a Tblsp of oil, add asafoetida, mustard and curry leaves. Let the mustard splutter, add the chopped onions and fry  till it softens. 

• Mix the baked crispy bitter gourd rings, ground paste and fried seasoning in a bowl, let it sit for 10 minutes and enjoy with rice or roti. 

Notes: 

• If you are not a fan of the bitterness of the gourd, mix the cut pieces in a Tsp oil, pinch of turmeric and 1/2 Tsp salt, keep aside for 30 minutes. Wash and use. This reduces the bitterness a lot. 
• Peeling the outer ridges reduces the bitterness of the dish. 

This yummy bitter gourd raita goes to Radhika's Blog Hope Wednesday

Dahi vada or Peruggarelu

Vada or vade (as we call it in Kannada) was meant for specific occasions at home. Nammamma never deviated from this unwritten rule and never made urad dal vades on other days. So it was only when we went to restaurants which was so infrequent that we would get to taste this sinfully delicious stuff. As we grew up, she made concessions and when I started experimenting in the kitchen, I was allowed to make them but call them urad dal bondas instead and was not allowed to make the hole in the center which is so characteristic of vadas :-).

However at my in-laws place, there is no such restriction on making these vadas any time and I was completely blown over the first time amma prepared them after I got married. Her dahi vadas or peruggarilu (perugu~curd/yogurt and garelu~vadas) are to die for and she gets the same melt in the mouth consistency every single time she makes it. It is featured on birthdays, festivals and any occasion or no occasion at all :-).

When amma makes these at home, it takes center stage and she usually makes one rice item which kind of gets a typical step motherly treatment during lunch/dinner as all the attention is on the peruggarelu. And we in our family have different preferences when it comes to eating it. DD likes a sprinkle of boondi (a savory deep fried snack made with chick pea flour) for crunch while I like it with a dash of red chili powder and BH loves to top it with both :-).

As I love these peruggarelu, I have conveniently forgotten nammamma's rule and switched over to amma's practice. With both BH and DD having inherited the love for peruggarelu, we enjoy making and eating it. I made these dahi vadas 2 weeks back when we had guests home but couldn't get to posting it due to travel and work and everything else happening in life :-). When I started my post today, the pictures beckoned me and I didn't have to think about any other dish. My friends from North India like to eat it with a dollop of thick tamarind-date chutney on top.

Dahi vadas are made with Urad dal or black gram. Some people like to use a coarsely ground dough for making dahi vada while I prefer my completely smooth batter. A pre-requisite is to have good dahi or yogurt that is not sour.

What do you need to make Dahi-vada? 
For the Garelu/vadas - Makes about 20-24 vadas depending on the size:
1 cup urad dal/black gram dal
1/2 cup water for grinding
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
4-5 black pepper corns
oil to deep fry

For the Parugu/Dahi: 
2 cups of thick yogurt
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp sugar
1/2 cup water

For the perugu popu/Dahi seasoning:
1 Tsp cooking oil
1 Tsp mustard
1 Tsp cumin seeds
2-3 dry chilies

How do you make Dahi-vada? 
Prepare Dahi/perugu

• Mix yogurt and water and whisk it till smooth.
• Add salt and sugar and mix it well. 
• Prepare seasoning by heating oil - add mustard, cumin and red chilies. Let the seeds crackle.
• Pour it over the yougurt mixture, mix well and pour it into a wide basin that will hold your vadas when soaked. 

Prepare Vadas:

• Soak urad dal for an hour, wash it in 2 changes of water, drain the water. 
• Grind it to a smooth batter by using little amounts of water at intervals, take care to use as little water as needed to run your blender/mixer. 
• Towards the end of grinding, add the pepper corn and let it blend with the batter. 
• Take out the batter, mix salt in.
• Heat oil in a wide frying pan on medium heat. 
• Wet your fingers with water, scoop out a lemon sized batter, flatten it a little on your palms and gently ease it into the hot oil. 
• After 2 minutes, turn the vadas over and let both sides turn golden brown. 

• Drain the vadas, drop them slowly into a bowl of cold water and let it stand for 45secs to a minute. 

• Lift the vadas one by one, squeeze them gently between palms taking care not to break them and drop them into the yogurt vessel. 
• Spoon some yogurt on top of the vadas. 

• Repeat for all of the batter. 
• Let the vadas soak for atleast 20-30 minutes for them to become soft. 

• Serve plumped up dahi vadas with a scoop of the yogurt mixture and any topping of your choice. 
• Forget about deep frying, dieting and just binge on the bliss for a day, remember to hit the gym extra hard the next day :-)

Tips: 

• Do not soak urad dal for more than an hour, your vadas tend to absorb more oil if you do. 
• Use as little water as needed during grinding for a thick batter. 
• Use cold water while grinding to help your mixer/blender motor.
• Dropping the hot finished vadas into cold water helps remove the oil on top and eliminate the resulting bitterness when soaked in yogurt. 
• Do not leave the vadas in cold water for more than a minute and do not squeeze them too hard. 
• Use a wide pan for the yogurt as the vadas occupy space once they soak up the yogurt. 

Serving suggestions: 

• Spoon out dahi vadas in to a serving bowl along with a scoop of the yogurt, top it with a variety of ingredients to enhance the taste from red chili powder to tamarind-date chutney to boondhi or let your imagination take over.

Tomato Pachadi - Yogurt based side dish

This weekend, weather was beautiful and we started our small summer garden. BH was very motivated by the Sun shining in the sky and started the yard work. We have a few small plants that are starting and some seeds that need to sprout. Taught Flora her boundaries so she won't jump over the seedlings. She was happy to be out too and the whole time was jumping, licking our faces and trying to smell every single tool and seed packet we had, she is one curious dog.

Two summers before, we had a bounty of vegetables including tomatoes which I had to freeze in bags after distributing to friends. I didn't buy any until the next February or so. Then last summer, we planted a toned down summer garden as we were getting ready to relocate and asked friends to tend to the plants and pick the vegetables until end of Summer after we left. It is already another year and we are looking forward to growing our backyard veggies once again in the new place. Due to the unfamiliar weather pattern and soil, we decided to take it slowly.

While I am waiting for my own harvest of vegetables, I brought home a whole bunch of fresh looking, non waxy tomatoes the other day. I love tomatoes for their versatility, there is so much you can do with a good tomato. Chose to do a very simple pachadi - a yogurt based side dish that is both slightly sweet and spicy. It goes very well with rice or rotis or idli/dose. It is a very good addition to meals for the Summer months. Though it is called pachadi, it doesn't require any grinding/blending of ingredients, this one comes from Amma's kitchen.

What do you need for Tomato pachadi?
3 firm, ripe tomatoes
1 Tblsp chopped onions
1 cup fresh yogurt
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp coriander powder
1 Tsp cooking oil
1 Tsp mustard seeds
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1 red chili broken into 2
2-3 twigs of fresh cilantro chopped fine
1/2 Tsp crushed jaggery or brown sugar

How do you make Tomato pachadi? 

• Chop tomatoes into bite size pieces
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and cumin seeds, let them crackle.
• Add the red chili pieces followed by chopped onion.
• When onion turns slightly pink and soft, add tomatoes, salt, jaggery/brown sugar, cover and cook for 5 minutes

• When tomatoes turn soft and mushy, add the coriander powder, fry for a minute and switch off.

• Let it cool completely before adding smoothly whisked yogurt and chopped cilantro.

• Tomato pachadi is ready to be served with your meal. 

Variation: 

• You can add 1/2 Tsp red chili powder for spice.
• Skip jaggery/brown sugar if you do not like it. 

Tips: 

• Use fresh yogurt that has not turned sour.