Banana & Tender Coconut Cake

Ingredients:

• Ripe Banana - 2 or 1/3 rd cup
• Sugar - 3/4th cup
• Oil - 1/2 cup
• Tender coconut - 2 Tbsp
• Coconut water - 1/4 Tbsp
• Maida(all purpose flour) - 1.5 cup
• Baking powder - 1 TSP
• Baking soda - 1/2 TSP
• Pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. In a blender take sugar, cut bananas and tender-coconut. Without adding water, blend it in to smooth puree.
2. Sieve maida, baking soda and baking powder, keep aside.
3. Liberally grease a baking pan with butter; and place parchment/butter paper at the bottom of the cake-pan to avoid cake sticking to it. Set aside.
4. Transfer pureed banana & coconut into a large mixing bowl.
5. Add oil, coconut water to the mixing bowl. Beat the mixture to smooth fluff with help of a whisk/beater.
6. Now gradually add flour-mix while still beating the mixture and making sure there are no lumps.
7. With a help of a flat spatula, cut and fold cake dough for about 3 to 5 minutes.
8. Transfer cake batter to the prepared cake pan
9. Baking
• Oven baking:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Bake the cake for 30 to 50 minutes until done 
• Pressure cooker 
1. Remove the rubber-gasket/ring from the cooker’s lid, place the dinning table stand (metal frame to place the cake-pan) inside the cooker.
2. Preheat the pressure cooker for 10 minutes on medium-low
3. Place the cake pan into preheated cooker
4. Do NOT place the pressure-weight on the cooker.
5. Cook on a medium flame for 35-40 min
10. Cake is ready when the wooden (tooth) pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Remove the pan from the oven/cooker. Cool the pan for 10 minutes, remove and let it cool on a wire rack before frosting. 

Note:

• May add vanilla extract/essence or may add Cardamom powder (Step 6) for additional flavor and aroma
• Frosting: Take a cup of cream-cheese. Beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract with wire whisk until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth and creamy, another 2 more minutes. When the cake is completely cooled, spread frosting all over the cake before serving.

Hesaru Bele Chakkuli /Moong Dhal Murukku

Ingredients:

• Cooked Hesaru bele/Moong Dhal/green gram - 1 cup
• Akki Hittu/Rice Flour -2 cups
• Benne/Butter - 2 tblsp (room temperature)
• Kharadapuddi/Chili Powder - to taste
• Uppu/Salt - to taste
• Hing/Asafetida - a pinch
• Baking Soda - a pinch (Optional)
• Oil for Deep frying.

For Flavor :
Geera (Cumin) OR Ajwan OR White Thil (Sesame Seeds) - 1 tsp (Use either one of these)

 

 Method:

1. Cook moong dhal in pressure cooker for better result.
2. Mix all the ingredients to look like breadcrumbs.
3. Add water to form dough. Cover with a Wet Cloth or paper towel and keep aside for 30 minutes for flavors to blend in.
4. Heat oil on medium-high for frying.
5. Put the dough into the Murukku press ( with One-Star shaped hole) and Press the dough into a shape of Chakkuli on a wet-cloth or wet paper-towel. Always cover the raw dough with wet cloth/paper-towel.
6. Test the oil by dropping a small piece of dough to make sure the temperature is right for frying.
7. Carefully lift the edge of the wet cloth where in you have pressed the Chakkuli and let one Chakkuli drop into your other hand and let the Chakkuli slide into the hot oil from side of the fry-pan. Repeat with rest of already pressed Chakkuli
8. Flip the Chakkuli’s so that it is evenly fried.
9. Once done, remove the chakkuli's from oil onto a paper towel to drain extra oil.
10. Repeat steps 5, 7 - 9 with rest of dough.

Gasagase Payasa

Ingredients:
. Gasagase - 2 tbsp. [ Poppy seeds / Khus Khus]
. Badami/Almonds - 10 to 15
. Hallu/Milk ½ cup
. Kai Hallu / Coconut Milk - 2 cups
. Sakkare/Sugar - 3 tbsp (or according to taste) (Bella/Jaggary could be used instead)
. Ellaki/Cardamom/Elaichi pdr - from 2 pods

For seasoning and garnish:
. Badami Esallu/ Almond Slices
. Wanna Drakshi/Golden raisins (dry grapes)
. Thupa/Ghee - 2 tsp
. Kesari/Saffron

Method:
1. Wash and soak poppy seeds and almonds separately for at least 4 hours.
2,  Remove the almond skin and grind it in to paste along with soaked poppy seeds.
3. Heat the milk, as it comes to boil, mix almond/poppy paste. Let it boil for couple of minutes.
4. Stir-in coconut milk and sugar. Let it boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Keep stirring or else it will boil over.
5. Turn of the fire. Add Cardamom powder to the payasa and cover.
6. In a small seasoning pan, heat the ghee on low fire. Add almond slices and raisins. Once raisins puffs, turn off the heat and pour hot ghee. almonds and raisins over the payasa.
7. Garnish with Saffron and cover.
8. Serve warm or refrigerated(cold).

I prefer cold. Try this recipe and let me know. If you have different recipe, write it the comment below. Happy Cooking!!

Ragi Huri Hittina Unde /Ladoo

Ingredients: 

• Ragi Huri Hittu - 2 cups
• Coconut grated – 2 tbsp
• Jaggery grated – ½ cup
• Elachi (cardamom) – ½ tsp.
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Warm Milk – 1 cup ( as needed)
• Optional: roasted nuts ( peanut or cashew)

Method: 

1. Mix everything except milk in a bowl. 
2. Gradually add  little by little milk until the mixture holds together to form lime size ladoos/balls.

Prawns Ghassi

Ingredients :

• 1 kg medium-sized prawns/shrimps (deveined)
• 3 large onions chopped fine
• 2 cups fresh grated coconut
• 5 dry red chillies
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 1/2 tbsps black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsps garlic paste
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsps cooking oil
• Walnut-sized ball of tamarind, soaked in hot water and pulp removedChopped fresh coriander to garnish

Procedure :

• Roast the dry red chillies on a hot pan till they begin to release their aroma.
• Grind all the spices, coconut, 2 of the onions, garlic and tamarind pulp into a smooth, thick paste.
•  Do not add any water while grinding the masala.
• Heat the oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan on a medium flame. Add the remaining onion and fry till golden.
•  Add the wet masala paste and fry, stirring frequently, till the oil begins to separate from the masala.
• Add 1 1/2 cups of hot water to this masala and stir to mix well.
•  Bring to a boil, simmer and add the prawns. 
• Cook for 3 minutes and turn off fire.Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and serve with plain boiled rice.

Kaai vade/ Rice vade

Ingrediants:

1. Par boiled rice/kuchhige akki- 2 cups

2. white rice/Dosa rice/tindi akki-2 cups

3. Half grated coconut

4. Oil to fry

Preparations:

Soak the rice together overnight or for about 4 hrs.

Drain water and grind the rice along with grated coconut. You can add required amount of water  for grinding. Let the dough be slightly coarse. don't grind it to fine paste. It will not give that crispy bite if the dough is too fine.

Add salt to the dough . Now heat the dough over stove, turning repeatedly till dough becomes thick .

Take a clean plastic sheat or banana leaf, wipe oil on the surface.

Take the dough and make round balls and place it on the leaf and press with fingers and make round  patties.

Fry this patties in hot oil on both sides till it turns slightly red.

Serve with chutni or curry. Goes best with chicken sukka.

Mavina Hannina Sasive

Mavina Hannina Sasive is nothing but Ripe-Mango curry. It is a very common dish during summer/mango season. [Picture]

Ingredients: 

• 4 well ripped juicy mangoes
• Green chillies to your taste (2 or more)
• Jaggery/brown sugar – small piece/1 tsp
• Salt
• For seasoning: Oil, Mustard, 1 red chili & curry leaves.

Method: 

1. Wash mangoes well. Peel the mango skin and save it separately with a cup of water added to it.
2. In a think bottom vessel, put the peeled mangoes (along with the pit/seed), place it on the stove at medium-high heat.  
3. Squeeze juice from the skin and add the juice to the mangoes. Discard the skin/rind. 
4. Add slit green chili, salt and jiggery to the mangoes. 
5. Bring the mixture to boil and let it cook for ten more minutes until the mangoes are cooked. 
6. For seasoning: Heat oil, add mustard, red chili and curry leaves; Once mustard start to splatter, pour the mixture over the cooked mango gravy. 

Enjoy warm delicious gravy with rice or chapati

Boodhkumabalakayi Majjige Huli

This curry is good on a hot summer day. Also prepared when there is left over curds or butter milk.

Ingredients:

• Boodh-kumabalakayi/Ash Gourd / white pumpkin - 1/2 kg.
• Buttermilk - 2 to 3 cups
• Salt - to taste
• For masala
• Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp 
• Cumin/Jirige - 1/2 tsp
• Green chillies/Hasimensu - 3 to 4 (or to taste)
• Coriander leaves / Kothambari Soppu - a handful (washed and chopped)
• For seasoning:
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard/Sasive - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin/Jirige - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves/Karibevu - 5 to 6 leaves.
• Asafoetida / Hing - pinch

Method:

1. Remove the seeds and the skin of the kumabalakayi, cut it into inch and a half cubes
2. Transfer the washed kumabalakayi cubes into pressure cooker or steamer. 
3. Add a  cup of water and salt. Let it cook for one whistle and turn it off.
4. Meanwhile grind masala with bit of water (or buttermilk) into paste.
5. Once the pressure is released, add the ground masala to the cooked kumabalakayi and bring it to boil. 
6. Let it boil for 4 to 5 minutes than turn off the heat.
7. Whisk thick curds and water together ,or add buttermilk. 
8. For seasoning: Heat oil, add mustard, cumin, red chili and curry leaves; Once mustard start to splatter, pour the mixture over the curry. 
9. Server warm with rice.

Variation:

• Small piece of ginger may be added while grinding the masala
• 1/2 tbsp soaked Kadale Bele (Bengal Gram) - may be added while grinding the masala.

Limbe Sar

Limbe Sar / Lemon Juice curry is good for new-moms.

Ingredients:

• Lemon juice - 2 (to taste)
• Coconut - 1/2 cup (grated) 
• Cumin/Jirige- 1/2 tsp
• Coriander seed/KothambariBeeja - 1 tsp
• Red Chillies / Onna menasu - 4
• B.Pepper / Kal menasu - 4 to 5
• Turmeric/Haldi -1/2 tsp
• Suger - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• For Seasoning:
• Ghee /Purified Butter - 1 tsp
• Cumin/Jirige - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves/Karibavu - 6 or 7 leaves

Method:

1. Roast jirige, kothambari, OnnaMenasu, KalMenasu and coconut each separately with bit of Ghee/oil.
2. Grind the the roasted ingredients with haldi and water. 
3. Transfer the ground paste to a sauce pan, add water, sugar and salt. Cook it on medium heat
4. Let it for 4 to 5 minutes. 
5. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Amount of lemon juice depends.
6. Seasoning the curry: In a small sauce pan, heat  ghee, add Jirige and Karibavu. Once the leaves stops splattering, pour the whole mixing over the curry.
7. Optional: garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
8. Serve hot with rice and enjoy!

Rave Unde

Ingredients :
  

• Chiroti Rava - 3 cups
• Ghee - 6-7 tsp
• Dried Coconut - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1 and a half cup
• Cardamom - 2
• Raisins and Cashews - half a cup
• Milk - optional

Method :

• Fry Chiroti Rava with ghee.
• Add powdered  : dried coconut (kobbari) , cardamom, sugar to it.
• Add raisins and cashews to the same.
• Make small balls of the above mixture by adding milk in little quantity,if required.
• Rave Unde is ready to eat.

Note : raisins and cashews can be fried in ghee before using for better taste