RICE PANCAKES OR NEER DOSA WITH COCONUT AND JAGGERY FILLING, PORTHA POLE

Ingredients

2 Cups of Idli Rice, Wash and soak it for 8 hours or overnight

Half Scraped Coconut

200 grams and to taste scraped jaggery

1/2 tsp cardamom powder.

Method:

Grind the rice adding water and little salt. It should be of watery consistency. Make the mixture of Coconut, Jaggery and Cardamom Powder. (add scraped jaggery, and cardamom powder to scraped coconut and mix well)

Heat a Dosa Pan. Take a small piece on onion and prick with fork. Dip the onion in oil and apply to pan all round. Take a ladle of batter and pour onto the pan and turn the pan all round. Close the lid for a minute and then remove the fried pancake (the edges will start leaving the pan) and place it on a plate with the bottom side facing up.

Take about two to three spoons of the coconut and jaggery mixture and place it in a straight line about 1/3 way of the pancake. Close two sides of the pancake . Now start rolling the pancake from the second side to the fourth side to form an roll with the filling in the middle.

Similarly form the other pancake rolls.

Beetroot Halwa

Ingredients:

2 Kilos of Beetroot Pulp (after extracting for wine) or 2.5 Kgs of Beetroot (cut, peeled and grated).

650 gms of Sugar

2 Cups of Milk

8 spoons of Ghee or clarified Butter

Few almonds (cut into thin slices)

Few Cashewnuts

Cardamom Powder

Method:

In a deep pan, add 2 spoons ghee and fry the cashew nuts lightly and remove. Then repeat the process with Almonds. Add the Beetroot pulp or grated beetroot. Add 2 more spoons ghee and cook till the rawness of the beetroot goes. Already boiled beetroot for wine will progress to next stage faster. When the beetroot has lost its rawness add the milk and on slow fire allow to cook. Keep stirring so it does not stick to bottom. After the milk has evaporated and beetroot has become soft add sugar and mix. The sugar will dissolve and you will get some more liquid. Add 4 spoons of ghee and cardamom powder and mix and fry well till the mixture comes together. Add the fried cashew nuts and almonds. Mix and remove.

I

Turmeric Leaves Patholi or Steamed Sweet Rice Cakes

Ingredients:

15 Turmeric Leaves

2 cups of boiled rice or ponni rice. Washed and soaked in water overnight.

Scraped Coconut

Scraped Jaggery

½ tsp Cardamom Powder

1 pinch nutmeg powder

Salt

Method:

Grind the rice with little salt in little water to form thick batter. Make a mixture of scraped coconut and jaggery (to taste). Add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder to mixture and keep aside. Apply the paste to a leaf (face of the leaf) very thinly. Leave 1 cm at the sides dry. Place a little of the mixture along the spine of the leaf. Fold the leaf and keep aside. Repeat this to all the leaves

Heat up a steamer or tondoor (with water in the bottom section). Place the rolls in the top section and steam for 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Peel and enjoy the rice cakes.

Sheera or Kesar Bhath

Ingredients:

1 Cup Semolina or Rava or Soji (Medium to Coarse)

Few Cashewnuts (10)

Few Raisins or Sultanas (10)

2 Cardamom Pods

2 Cloves

1 Cup Milk

1 Cup Water

Ghee or Clarified Butter

1 Cup Sugar

½ tsp Orange Colour

Saffron (few strings) to add to milk

2 Tblsp Oil

Method:

In a deep bottom pan, heat and add 2 tablespoon oil. When hot lightly fry the cashew nuts and remove. Then fry the raisins till they puff up and remove.

Fry the cardamom and cloves for 30 sec and then add Semolina and fry on very low flame. Fry for about 5 mins continuously stirring so that it does not burn. Fry till slightly brown. Add sugar and continue stirring for a minute or two. Add saffron to milk and stir.  Add water and mix well. Stir and then add milk and continue stirring. Add the cashew nuts and raisins. When it starts boiling reduce the flame. It will start thickening up. Add one spoon of ghee and keep stirring. Mix well and keep stirring. Add Orange Colour. Add one more spoon of ghee and keep stirring till the mixture leaves the side and come together. That’s it Sheera or Kesar Bhath. Allow it to cool a bit and then serve.

How to Prepare Burnt Sugar Syrup

 

Ingredients:

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Boiling Water

Method:

In a thick bottomed vessel heat the sugar or low to medium heat. When the sugar has melted and starts bubbling remove from stove and add half of the water. The mixture will start smoking. Stir to dissolve the sugar clumps that form. Place back on the stove and on low heat keep stirring to dissolve any balance sugar clumps.  Add rest of the water and heat for 5 minutes.

Remove from stove and allow to cool. Use for cakes, pudding, custard etc.

Chutney Sandwich in Yoghurt

 

Ingredients

6 to 8 bread slices (cut off the sides)

¼ Cup Coconut Chutney for Sandwich

1 Cup Tamarind and Dates Chutney

1 tsp Chaat Masala

3 Tblsp Nylon Sev

1 Kilo Yoghurt (slightly beaten)

Salt or Sugar to taste for the yoghurt

Few Coriander leaves for garnishing

Coconut Chutney:

A bunch of Coriander Leaves

4 Tblsp Scraped Coconut

1 green chilli

Small piece ginger

¼ tsp salt

Water

All above to be ground to make chutney

Tamarind & Dates Chutney:

1 Piece Jaggery (50 gms)

6 dry dates

25 gms Tamarind

2 red chillies

Juice of half Lemon

½ tsp Salt

Ground with little water to make chutney

Method:

Apply coconut chutney to bread slice to make 3 to 4 sandwich. Cut each sandwich into 4 parts. Place the sandwich in a flat serving dish leaving a gap between each sandwich part. Pour the beaten yoghurt on top of the sandwich and also between the sandwich pieces to form two levels. Sprinkle chaat Masala on top of the yoghurt, then one tablespoon of tamarind & dates chutney on top of the sandwich pieces. Now sprinkle the nylon sev all over the yoghurt and finally the coriander leaves.

Xmas Sweets (Kuswar) – Rava (Semolina) Ladoo

 

Ingredients:

500 Gms Fine Rava or Semolina

500 gms Castor sugar (powdered )

1 cup Ghee (clarified butter)

1 tsp cardamom powder

¼ tsp Nutmeg Powder

2 spoons raisins

1 Cup Warm Milk

Method:

In a deep pan fry the Rava (Semolina), add sugar and keep frying till brown. Add the cardamom and nutmeg powder. Remove into a vessel or large tray.

Heat ¾ of the ghee and fry the raisins slightly. Add to mixture. Mix well.

Add Warm milk and form ladoos. Grease your palm with ghee to form the ladoos.

Store in air tight containers.

Vorn or Moong Dal Payasam

Vorn or Payasam (Sweet dish made from Moong Dal, Rice, Coconut Milk & Jaggery)

Ingredients:

1/4 Kg Moong Dal (Green Gram Dal) without skin

1 Coconut (Milk) – taken the traditional way- by grinding the scraped coconut with water and squeezed out the coconut milk. You can also use Maggi or Nestle Coconut Milk Powder. Also canned coconut milk can be used. I used 2 cans of 425 ml. One as thick milk, the other diluted by adding another two cans of water to make 3 cans of thin milk.

50 gms Rice flour (smooth paste by adding water) or 50 gms of raw rice soaked for 1 to 2 hours and ground in blender to a smooth paste.

Some pieces of Cashewnuts (25 gms)

Some raisins (25 gms)

Some sliced almonds (optional)

200 grams Jaggery (scraped)

Salt (a pinch)

1/4 tsp Cardamon Powder

Method:

Wash the Moong dal a couple of times and then boil this in a pan with two cups of water. When dal is cooked add thin coconut milk and bring to boil. Add the jaggery and a pinch of salt. When jaggery has dissolved add the other ingredients – raisins, cashewnuts, almonds. Boil for a couple of minutes. Then on very low flame add the rice flour paste little by little, stirring all the time. This will prevent from lumps forming.  Again when it starts boiling, again on low flame add the thick coconut milk, this will prevent from the coconut milk getting curdled due to high heat. Mix well and allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the cardamon powder and mix well. Remove from flame.

Enjoy this traditional Mangalorean Sweet!!

Mani (Sweet Dish made from Rice, Coconut Milk & Jaggery)

Mani (Sweet dish made from Rice, Coconut Milk & Jaggery)

Ingredients:

½ Kg Raw Rice/Basmati Rice (soaked in water for 2 hours)

1 Coconut (Milk) – taken the traditional way- by grinding the scraped coconut with water and squeezed out the coconut milk. You can also use Maggi or Nestle Coconut Milk Powder. Should have around 1.5 litres of Milk.

Ghee or Clarified Butter

Some pieces of Cashewnuts

Some raisins

Some sliced almonds

400 grams Jaggery (scraped)

Salt  (1.5 tsp New Zealand- not so salty)

1 tsp Cardamon Powder

Method:

Grind the rice with coconut milk and mix the remaining coconut milk, Jaggery, Salt. Keep a vessel on  fire, add 3 tablespoons of ghee and pour the mixture in this. Bring to boil, keeping stirring all the time. When it thickens add more ghee and continue stirring. This will take between 30 to 45 minutes. If it starts sticking to the bottom of the vessel add more ghee. When it becomes nice and sticky add the other ingredients – raisins, cashewnuts, almonds & cardamom powder. When the mixture starts leaving the sides of the vessel and the ladle, pour the mixture into trays (previously greased with ghee) and flatter with butter knife. Pour little ghee on top and flatten it. A

Allow it to cool completely and then cut it into diamond shapes and then place it in refrigerator for an hour and serve.

Enjoy this traditional Mangalorean Sweet!!