Avalakki Upkari | Udupi cuisine

Udupi cuisine is a cuisine of South India. It forms an important part of Tuluva-Mangalorean cuisine and takes its name from Udupi, a city on the southwest coast of India in the Tulunadu region.

This Udupi style preparation of flattened rice is one of the easiest dish you make in less than 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

1. Thin poha/Thin flattened rice - 3 cups
2. Onion - 1 small sized
3. Green chilies - 2
4. Dried red chilies - 2
5. Peanuts - handful
6. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon 
7. Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Coconut grated- 1/2 cup
9. Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp chopped
10. Oil - 1 tablespoon
11. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan and roast peanuts. Set aside. 
2. Add 1 teaspoon of oil in the same pan and splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
3. Add slit green chilies, dried red chilies, curry leaves, salt and chopped onions. Saute till onions turn soft. 
4. Switch off the flame and add poha, grated coconut, roasted peanuts and around 2 tablespoon of water. Mix well till everything is well combined. Check for seasoning and add more salt if required.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve. 

Note: Adding couple of tablespoons of water to poha will make it soft and easy to chew. 

I made this recipe as part of the "Shh Cooking Secretly" event. This is an event started by Priya of Priya's Versatile Recipe and now being taken forward by Mayuri of Mayuri's Jikoni.  At the beginning of the month a theme is chosen by one of the participants and all the participants are grouped in pairs. The participants will exchange 2 secret ingredients with their partners who are suppose to prepare a dish that matches the theme of that month. 

This month's theme is "Udupi Cuisine" and it was chosen by Jayashree Trao of "EverGreenDishes". My partner for this month is Aruna SarasChandra and she shared Green chilies and Coconut as my secret ingredients and I shared her Fenugreek and coconut as her ingredients. She made Udupi Saaru, an Udupi style preparation of Tomato Rasam. Do visit her blog "Vasu's Veg Kitchen" to find this  recipe.

Potato Sagu | Karnataka Style Potato Bhaji

Ingredients:

1. Potato - 2 large
2. Onion - 1 small
3. Tomato - 1 
4. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
5. Cumin seeds/ Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Chana dal - 1 teaspoon
8. Green chili - 2-4
9. Besan/Gram flour - 1 tablespoon
10. Hing/Asafoetida - 3 pinch
11. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
12. Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp chopped
13. Oil - 2 tablespoon
14. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and boil the potatoes till they turn soft. You can pressure cook for 2 whistles. Once cooked, remove the skin and mash the potatoes.
2. Take a pan for sauteing and heat 2 tbsp of oil.
3. Splutter mustard and cumin seeds. 
4. Add urad dal and chana dal and saute till they turn brown.
5. Add hing, slit green chilies, curry leaves and chopped onion. Add salt and saute till onions turn translucent.
6. Add chopped tomatoes and saute for 2-3 min.
7. Add 2 tablespoon of water to besan and mix well to remove any clumps.
8. Reduce the flame and add besan water and mix well.
9. Add mashed potatoes, salt and water to get desired consistency. Start by adding 1 cup water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and turn off the flame.

Serve with poori/chapathi. 

Masala Kadala | Masala Peanuts

Ingredients:

1. Peanuts (roasted) - 2 cups
2. Besan/Gram flour - 1/2 cup
3. Rice flour - 3 tbsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
5. Kashmiri chili powder - 1 tsp
6. Fennel seeds/Saunf - 1 teaspoon
7. Garlic cloves - 4
8. Asafoetida/Hing - 1/8 tsp
9. Oil - for deep frying
10. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Roast the peanuts on stove top or using a microwave. Check out this method of roasting peanuts in microwave. 
2. Crush the fennel seeds and make a paste of garlic.
3. In a mixing bowl, take roasted peanuts, besan, 2 tablespoon rice flour, turmeric powder, chili powder, crushed fennel, garlic paste, hing and add salt as per taste.
4. Sprinkle water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix everything together. Add enough water till the flour is all wet and the peanuts are well coated.
5. Heat oil for deep frying on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add peanuts in batches and deep fry till they turn golden brown.

Note: If you want more reddish colored masala peanuts, omit the turmeric powder and increase the quantity of Kashmiri Chili powder.

Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup
2. Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup
3. Sugar - 1/2 cup
4. Baking powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp
5. Oil - 1/4 cup
6. Egg - 1 
7. Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
8. Coffee powder - instant - 1 tsp (optional)
9. Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and coffee powder and set aside.
2. Take the mixing bowl and add egg, sugar, oil.and vanilla essence. Beat well till everything is well combined.
3. Add the flour mixture and mix gently to form a dough.
4. Preheat oven to 350 deg F(180 deg C) and place a parchment paper on the baking tray.
5. Take small portion of the dough and make a ball. Place the ball in baking tray and flatten it using a fork. Makes around 15 medium sized cookies.
6. Bake for 12 min and allow it cool for 10 minutes.

Delicious chocolate cookies is ready to serve.

Ragi Rotti

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1. Ragi flour/Finger Millet flour - 2 cups
2. Rice flour - 2 tbsp
3. Grated carrots - 1 cup
4. Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
5. Onion - chopped - 1 small
6. Green chili - 1 or as per your spice level
7. Curry leaves - 5-6
8. Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1 teaspoon
9. Coriander leaves/Cilantro - 1 handful
10. Salt to taste
11. Oil around 3 tbsp for making rottis

Method:

1. Take a large mixing bowl and add all the ingredients except oil.
2. Sprinkle water little by little and mix well to form a dough.
3.  Heat the skillet on medium flame. Take a piece of parchment paper and apply little oil on it.
4. Take a large lemon sized piece of dough and flatten into thin disc on greased parchment paper by pressing it with your palm.
5. Take the rotti along with parchment paper and place on hot skillet with the rotti side facing down. Carefully remove the parchment paper.
6. Apply little oil on rotti. Cover and cook each side for 5-6 minutes on low-medium flame.
7. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Note:

• For pressing the dough, you can use banana leaf instead of parchment paper.
• To easily separate the parchment paper from rotti, grease the parchment paper well with oil before pressing the rotti.
• Another way to flatten the dough is directly on the hot tawa. You need to dip your hand in cold water every time you press the dough.  Please have a look at the video recipe to see how to do this.

I made this recipe as part of the "Shh Cooking Secretly" event. This is an event started by Priya of Priya's Versatile Recipe and now being taken forward by Mayuri of Mayuri's Jikoni.  At the beginning of the month a theme is chosen by one of the participants and all the participants are grouped in pairs. The participants will exchange 2 secret ingredients with their partners who are suppose to prepare a dish that matches the theme of that month. 

This month's theme is "Millet Magic" and it was chosen by Aruna SarasChandra of "Vasu's Veg Kitchen". My partner for this month is Kalyani Sri and she shared Ragi and Green Chili as my secret ingredients and I shared her Kodo Millet and Asafoetida as her ingredients. She made Kodo Millet Pongal. Do visit her blog "Sizzling TasteBuds" to find this delicious and healthy pongal recipe.

Atta Murukku | Whole Wheat Murukku

Ingredients:

1. Wheat flour - 2 cups
2. Black sesame seeds - 1 tsp
3. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp
5. Red chili powder - 1 tsp
6. Hot oil - 2 tbsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil for deep frying

Method: 

1. Take wheat flour in a clean white cotton cloth and tie in a bundle.
2. Steam it in a steamer for 15 minutes.
3. After steaming, the flour forms a big lump. Powder it in mixer-grinder to form a fine powder.
4. Take the steamed flour in a mixing bowl and add salt, chili powder, cumin seeds, black sesame seeds, asafoetida and 2 tablespoon hot oil. 
5. Mix everything together and add enough water to make a dough.
6. Use a star plate of murukku maker and deep fry murukku on medium flame. 
7. Wait for the murukku to cool down and enjoy these soft, crunchy and delicious snack.

Check out the video recipe on youtube.