Diwali Special- Manjol Eeretha Ghatti/ Sweet Rice Dumpling Steamed in Turmeric leaves

Diwali and no Manjol Eeretha Ghatti......no way....Diwali is incomplete without this for us Mangaloreans.

Aroma of turmeric leaves being steamed is unforgettable.

I had a hard time getting a nice picture of the ghatti...this was best among the worst....though ghatti tastes amazing.....they are not great lookers ...but who cares ....taste matters ....right....

Ingredients
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• 15 turmeric leaves

For outer covering

• 2 cups brown rice/rosematta(washed and soaked for 5 hrs)
• salt to taste

For sweet filling

• 2 cups coconut
• 1 1/2 cup jaggery
• few tablespoons of water (optional)
• 2 tsp cardamom powder

Method

For outer covering:-

1.Grind the soaked rice and salt using little water to a fine, moist and thick dough.Keep this aside 

Prepare Filling:-

1.Place a pan on medium flame,add jaggery, when it melts add the coconut,few tablespoon of water and cardamom powder and mix well,cook till you get a thick but moist filling.

2. Wash the turmeric leaves and wipe with dry cloth.

3. Apply the rice dough on the turmeric leaves, flatten it with your wet hands.

4. Place the sweet filling on the dough.

5. Fold the leaf.

6.Place it in a hot idli steamer, repeat the same with other leaves.Steam for 45 minutes.
7. Take off the flame, remove the dumpling from turmeric leaves and serve with homemade ghee.

Diwali Special - Karanji

After I got married and moved to Bahrain ,I was heart broken...that was the first time I was away from my family...I missed home like crazy...did not have any friends or neighbors....I was surprised that I did not lose my mind in the first 2 years. In course of time I did make friends...mingled with my neighbors.....but there was still something missing. Then one fine day an Indian restaurant-' Navaratna 'opened very close to our house.....this was when I got to meet the Navaratna family.....Ratna Aunty , Acchu, Amit and Ganesh Uncle....there are no words to describe what this family meant to me....if I love Bahrain...its because of this family. Ratna Aunty was like a mother...best friend...filled with wisdom...

Acchu......my sister.....my friend......gossip partner....

Amit .....my eating partner :))....

Ganesh Uncle...father.......hardworking....organised..

Not to forget ...Nowphal Bhai......my brother .

I had the best days of my life with this Family.

I can never forget the day I left Bahrain....it is still so fresh on my mind.....In the airport...when I turned back to say goodbye .....I saw Ratna Aunty, Acchu and Amit ..........my heart had never felt so heavy.

I have learnt a lot of things from Ratna aunty...this Karanji was one. Every Diwali Ratna Aunty and Acchu used to make close to 100 Karanjis....I was lucky to be part of 2 such Karanji making Diwalis in Bahrain. I did show off my Karanji making skills when I came back to Bangalore...my family was blown off.

Ingredients
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For outer crust

• 1 cup Flour (maida)
• 4 tbsp Semolina (fine)
• 2 tbsp oil
• pinch salt
• 1/3 cup lukewarm water

For Stuffing

• 1 cup fine Semolina
• 1/2 cup dry coconut (desiccated)
• 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar (adjust to taste)
• 1 tbsp Black Sesame seeds
• 4 tbsp Cashew nuts (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp Raisins
• 2 tbsp ghee
• Few drops of Vanilla

Oil for deep frying the Karanji

Method

1. Prepare the dough for outer crust: In a bowl mix flour, semolina,salt ad oil. Add little water at a time and make a smooth and soft dough.Cover and keep aside.
2. Prepare the filling: Place a pan on medium flame, add ghee, when ghee is hot add cashew nuts and raisins and fry for few seconds,now add sesame seeds and semolina and roast for 2 minutes. Add desiccated coconut and vanilla and roast. Do not let the mixture brown, you will know its ready when you touch the mixture and its feels very hot. take off the flame and add powdered sugar. check the sweetness.
3. Make a thick paste with 4 tbsp flour and water, this is used to glue the karanji together.
4. Now make small balls of dough. Roll each ball ,dusting with little flour to thin almost transparent chappatis. Take 1 tbsp of filling and place in middle of the rolled out chappati. Apply maida paste around the edges and fold to half (press the karanji to removed trapped air).Press the edges and using a pizza cutter,cut off the excess dough in the edge to form a proper semi circle.Keep this covered with paper or dry cloth.
5. Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the dough and filling.
6. Heat oil on medium high flame,check if the oil is ready by dropping a small piece of dough into the oil, if it sizzles a little then floats up,you can start frying the karanjis till they turn light golden brown.
7. Place on absorbent paper. let it cool completely before storing in air tight container.

Diwali Special - Karada Kaddi / Kara Sev

Karada Kaddi ...translated .....Spicy Stick.

You tell my mom to cook for 100 people ...she will do it in a jiffy....but ...you tell her to make snacks or sweets .....she will run a mile away from you...She has never been a snack or sweet person(loves to eat them...but not make them)...she believes...."When you can get it in any store, why go through the trouble of making it"...so this duty of making sweets ...snacks...desserts for festivals or parties comes to me.

I had bookmarked recipes for kara sev from many of my fellow bloggers ...but I settled down with my Granny's recipe for karada kaddi...she showed me her hand for measurements...explained the whole procedure in 1 minute and left to sit on her easy chair and  watch her favorite serial. I made the Kara Kaddi

in the afternoon...the whole batch was finished by evening(I was hoping it will last till diwali). It was so crispy and fresh.....never going for store bought Kara sev ever again. Will be making it again next week for my hubby who loves munching on these...

Ingredients
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• 3 cups Besan (Gram flour)
• 4 tbsp rice flour
• Pinch Hing (asafoetida) 
• Pinch Soda powder (optional)
• 2 tsp Red chilli powder
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp Ajwain seeds
• 3 green chillies 
• oil for deep frying

Method

1. Grind green chillies and ajwain in small mixie jar to a coarse pasted. Add 1 cup water and grind again.Pass this through a sieve. Use this water to knead the dough.
2. In a bowl mix besan, rice flour, salt, soda powder, hing,red chilli powder, melted butter and oil. Add the green chilli - ajwain water and form a sticky dough. Use as much water required (you don't have to use up all the water)
3. Heat oil in a pan. Oil the Sev press and fill it with the prepared dough.and press into hot oil.make one circle of sev. fry on both sides till golden brown or till the sound and bubbles subside.
4. Remove from oil and place it on absorbent paper.
5. Repeat the same with rest of the dough.
6. Let the sev cool down completely before breaking to medium size pieces and store in air tight container.

Diwali Special- Tukdi /Shankerpalli

One of the most simplest  snacks ....very few ingredients.....can make it quick.....and tastes great. These Tukdis/Shankerpalli are like - Deep Fried Short Bread Cookies.

This is the sweet version...we also make spicy Tukdis which are thinner than this.My daughter can just munch on this the whole day.

Ingredients
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• 3 1/2(or as needed) cups Flour (Maida)
• 200grms Butter (unsalted and softened)
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar (adjust to taste)
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp Cardamom powder
• Water to make dough
• Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar in a bowl till well combined, light and fluffy.
2. Add flour (maida) and cardamom powder and combine. A soft but crumbly dough will be formed.
3. Now add little water at a time and form a soft dough(you must be able to roll it out easily.)
4. Let the dough sit for few minutes.
5. Take a big boll of dough roll out like chappatis. Using a pizza cutter cut diagonal strips and then cut horizontally to form diamond shapes.
6. Deep fry this in hot oil till they turn golden brown.
7. Serve as a tea time snack.