Rava Rotti - a traditional Karnataka dish

Breakfast, on most weekdays for me, is something quick and easy. I do try and make it as nutritious and protein packed as I can so that we have a healthy start to the day. It is on weekends that I am really able to try out elaborate dishes that sometimes also double up as brunch. This  rava rotti, though not an elaborate recipe by itself, does require some time, mostly because the dough needs to rest for a while. Packed with vegetables, this is quite a filling meal by itself, or paired with any simple chutney. I had it for the first time at a friend's house and it is there that I learned that this is a traditional dish from Karnataka.

What you need:
Rava/Sooji/semolina - 2 cups

Carrot - 1, grated

Cucumber - 1, skinned and grated

Spinach - 1/4 cup, chopped fine

Onion - 1/4 cup, chopped fine

Green chilli - 3, minced

Coriander and curry leaves - a little, chopped fine

Oil - 1 tbsp

Water 

Salt

Take the all the vegetables in a large bowl. Mix in the rava and salt. Add water, a little at a time and knead into a loose dough. Mix in 1 tbsp. of oil. Cover and leave aside for at least an hour, but if possible, for 3-4 hours. If the dough is not loose after the resting period, add some more water and knead again.

Take a banana leaf or any oiled surface to which the dough will not stick. Pinch out a large golf ball sized piece of dough. Place this on the oiled surface and pat into as large a circle as you can without tearing it. Turn this over onto a hot tawa. After a few seconds, peel off the banana leaf. Since I do not have access to fresh banana leaves, I used a special type of paper called holige paper, which is non-stick in nature and can be turned on to a hot surface without burning. Spoon some oil over the rotti and on the sides. Flip over and cook the other side as well. The rotti is done when the color changes from white to a creamish yellow shade and both sides have brown spots.

This is best eaten hot. It can be eaten as is or with peanut or coconut chutney or pickle.

Note:

• The addition of cucumber makes the rotti soft. If you do not add it, the rotti will turn brittle.
• It is important to rest the dough for at least an hour. The longer you let it rest, the softer your rottis will be.
• Any other greens of your choice can be added.

This is my entry to Week 4 of Blogging marathon #85 under the theme breakfast dishes from different places.

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Poha cutlet - an air fryer recipe

The air fryer, as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, is the latest addition to my kitchen. Ever since we bought it, we've been trying out various dishes in it. In most cases, we've been able to replicate the taste of the non-air fryer version of the dish and are overall, quite satisfied with the purchase. These cutlets are something that I've never tried before buying the air fryer and so, I do not have anything to compare it with. However, the air fryer version turned out nicely browned and crisp and tasted really good. It is kid approved as well and quite a few were polished off by the kid, despite the fact that she doesn't usually like poha.

What you need:
Rice flakes/poha/aval - 1 cup
Gram flour/Besan - 1/3 cup
Green chilli - 2, minced
Ginger - a small piece, julienned
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Curd - as required
Salt
Coriander - 1 tbsp, chopped fine
Groundnuts - 1/4 cup, coarsely ground

Take the rice flakes in a fine mesh colander and run cold water over it. Leave this aside to drain. I used thin poha, which only needed to be washed. If you use thick poha you may need to soak it for a few minutes and then drain it.
In a pan, dry roast the gram flour over a low flame until it turns aromatic.
Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add curd, a teaspoon at a time and mix, until you have a stiff dough. Make small balls out of this dough and flatten them using your hands to shape. I used a round cookie cutter to get even cutlets.
Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for  5 minutes. Brush some oil over the cutlets and place them in a single layer in the air fryer. Fry for five minutes, then turn them over, brush some more oil and fry for another five minutes. Remove from the air fryer when they are brown and crisp. Timing may vary depending on your appliance. Do keep watch afterthe eight minute mark.
Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.

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This also goes to  Valli's Kid’s Delight event, guest hosted by PJ themed on Quick / Innovative Breakfast

 

Rava kesari

BM # 73
Theme : Festival Recipes
Recipe : Rava Kesari

I may have mentioned a few times many times in my previous posts that my mother is a wizard in the kitchen when it comes to sweet making. She has perfected the art of making Indian sweets and is a master at it. Kesari, though one of the relatively easier sweets to make in her repertoire, is one that she makes exceptionally well and with great ease. She generously adds ghee and cashews to her kesari and doesn't measure any of the ingredients. She puts in a bit of this and a pinch of that, the aromas rising tantalizingly all the while, but the best part of it is when she ladles out some of this hot kesari into a plate and hands it to you. While I don't possess her finesse or prowess in the kitchen, I still can make a decent kesari.


What you need :

Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1 cup
Sugar - 1.5 cups
Water - 2.5 cups
Food color(Yellow/Orange) - a few drops

Cardamom powder - a pinch
Ghee - 3 tbsp.
Cashews and raisins - a few, to garnish

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbsp. of the ghee and roast the rava in it over a low flame. The rava should not start to brown. When it gives out a good aroma, remove from heat, transfer it to a plate and leave it aside to cool.
Heat a teaspoon of ghee and roast the cashews and raisins separately in it until golden. Set aside to cool.
Heat water, sugar and the food color in the saucepan until the water starts to boil. Add cardamom powder and the roasted rava, little by little, stirring carefully all the while, to avoid lumps. Let it cook over a medium flame, stirring every now and then, until thick. Add in the rest of the ghee. Stir well and switch off the heat when the kesari looks shiny. Mix in  the roasted cashews and raisins.
In my family, we usually eat kesari by the spoonfuls. So we don't bother to cut it into squares, but if that's how you like it, you can choose to pour this out onto a greased tray and then cut it into squares.

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Badam katli

I have never believed in pressurizing my child to study or to excel in everything or in fact, anything that she does. I have always believed that children will do well if they are allowed to do what they are interested in. In the process, if they discover that they excel at something, that is a bonus. The unfortunate side effect of my beliefs is that, not many people agree with me. I am constantly asked if I send my child to xyz class or abc class. When I smile and say no, I often get incredulous looks that tell me that I am crazy not to send her to a place that everyone sends their child to. Oh well, it takes all sorts to make the world go round and unless my daughter expressly tells me that she is interested in taking up some hobby/sport/class, I am not sending her to one.
With that off my chest, I can now share with you this recipe for badam katli that I tried making using a really small quantity of badam as I wasn't sure if the outcome would be good. It did turn out good and the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you are trying to make a larger quantity.

What you need :
Almond(Badam) - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 3 tsp
Cardamom - 3 or 4 pods

Soak the almonds in hot water for an hour and then peel them. Grind the peeled almonds along with milk and cardamom to a smooth paste.
In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the almond mixture, sugar and ghee over a low flame until the mixture thickens and starts leaving the sides of the pan.
Quickly pour into a greased pan and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
When it is still warm, mark squares with a sharp knife. Cut when cool and store in an air tight container.


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Coconut laddoo

When Nestle launched Milkmaid in India, they held a contest for school children in which we had to come up with innovative recipes using Milkmaid. What I still remember about the whole thing is how absolutely enticing the coconut laddoos that appeared in the TV commercials for Milkmaid looked. The mom and daughter duo who starred in the commercial made the whole dessert making process look so uncomplicated. I wanted to make these laddoos for the contest, but for some reason, ended up making carrot halwa. Nothing innovative about warm off the stove gajar ka halwa.....so no prizes for guessing how that contest turned out for me. Anyway, years later, I tried out the Milkmaid coconut laddoo and must say that when they said easy, they really did mean easy. Mix, heat, stir, shape - that's all there is to it.

What you need:
Coconut flakes - 5 cups (I used sweetened flakes that I bought off the shelf at Target)
Milkmaid /condensed milk - 1 tin

Set aside about 3/4th of a cup of coconut flakes.
In a large saucepan (preferably nonstick to save you the hassle of cleaning), mix the remaining coconut flakes and the condensed milk. Switch on the heat and stir until it comes together and starts leaving the sides of the pan. Let it cool a bit and then shape into balls with wet or oiled hands. Roll each ball over the coconut flakes that you've set aside so they get a nice coating of the flakes.
And as easy as that, you have an ooh-inducing dessert. Dig in.
This is my first post for Week 1 of Blogging Marathon # 46 under the theme Indian desserts.
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