Free Spirit Cooking: Mysore Bajji / Mysore Bonda

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You all must have read this post sometime last month. It was Mads who was introducing to the world about we, the *free-spirit-bloggers*...

..."Free-spirit Bloggers (FSB) is a closed-group of 8 bloggers. (Mads, Anu, DK, Nags, Lataji, Deepti, Mittu and myself) Every month, the FSB group will pick a theme and share eight appropriate tongue-ticking recipes with you by the month-end. Be it dishes/bakes, we’re all going to be sharing different recipes each but we will still be sticking to the central premise of the theme that month. Let me give you examples of the kind of exciting themes you can look forward to in the coming months – We each pick a personal favourite Chef and cook a signature dish of his/her’s. We each share a family heirloom recipe. We each choose a personal vice and create a dish/bake based on it (How about a slow-cooker dish from the lazy-bum? Or an eye-popping chocolate treat from the sinner?!!). You get the drift? It IS different. The themes chosen will just act as a guide and not suffocate those creative juices. It also gives each blogger the flexibility to cook/bake according to their personal choice, style and palette so every month, we churn out a potpourri of veritable recipes for you guys to devour from......" 

I had to miss the first edition of FSB as were in amidst of moving countries and as of today, still settling in Bangalore, what we call our new home. :-). I couldn't afford to miss the second one which was chosen by dear Nags.

Here is the challenge, in brief in her own words -

- I want us all to cook (or bake) up *savory* appetizers.
- The appetizer should be easy to make in bulk (think party for 50 people)
- Mark the preparation and cooking time separately in your post if you don't already
- You can make the preps over a day or more, but cooking or baking on final day should be relatively quick.
- It can be baked, deep fried, pan fried, steamed, all up to you.

Only two conditions is that it should be savory, an appetizer, and fit for a party.

Mysore Bajji [Mysore Bonda]

Now, that is an interesting one. Isn't it as we all are in constant look out for such recipes whenever we have to cook for a (potluck) party. Though I don't have yet, a kitchen which I can say as my own, I borrowed my mom's kitchen for couple of hours to make this appetizer. She always whips up this absolutely delicious bajji/bonda every time we ask for. It is deep-fried. It is savory. It is very easy to make in bulk - a perfect fit for any occasion. that said - it meets both the conditions of Nags challenge. :-)

Let's dig in then....shall we....

Mysore Bajji [Mysore Bonda]

Mysore bonda or Mysore bajji, as it is popularly known is one of the favorite snacks from Mysore cuisine. These are usually made for breakfast/brunch, so does my mom since we were little. It tastes the best when it is served with coconut chutney that is normally accompanied with idlis or dosas.

Recipe Adapted from my mom.

Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour (maida)

1/4 cup yogurt (perugu)

1/2 cup shredded coconut (fresh or frozen) (kobbari turumu)

1/2 tsp baking soda (soda uppu)

2-3 green chillies (pachi mirapakayalu)

1 inch ginger (allam)

salt - to taste (uppu)

neutral tasting oil such as canola - to deep fry (noone)

Preparation:

1. The night before you wish to make these bajjis - Soak flour, yogurt and add about 3/4 cup of water little by little and mix. Note: Donot add the water all-together. Make sure the consistency is like a loose (chapati) dough not like idli or dosa batter. You should be able to make a small ball out of it. Keep covered.

2. The next day, coarsely grind - 1/2 c shreded coconut with green chillies and ginger. 

3. In a medium-sized bowl mix well (without any lumps) - flour-yogurt mixture with coconut-green chilli-ginger paste, baking soda and salt.

4. Heat oil in a wok. To test if it is ready, make a very tiny ball of dough and drop it. it should fluff up and rise to the top.

5. Lightly water your hands and make small lemon sized balls out of the dough. Drop them into the oil, carefully. Fry them until golden brown. Put them on paper towels so that the excess oil is drained off. Serve with any chutney or just as-is.

This is how the mysore bajji looks, when split open - 

These can be made anytime of the day. All that needs to be done is soak the flour a night before. If you are short of time, use self raising flour to make the dough instead of the normal all purpose flour. No need to ferment then in yogurt and alternatively water can be used, though I would recommend yogurt for that slight tanginess.

Now, who wants to grab these little beauties right out of the screen and pop them into their mouths..I sure want to.

Don't forget to check out which of the tasty appetizers did the other FSB members make for you all - 

Mads 

Anu 

DK 

Nags 

Lataji 

Deepti 

Mittu

Enjoy..

cya all next time,
Siri

Did you like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow me on Facebook to be the first to know what I am are up to. Interested in just photo blogging? 365 days of Siri is my one other blog where I share a slice of my life through my lens. Cya all there. :-)

Amma's Recipes: Bhindi Fry, Roasted Eggplant Pachadi and Raw Mango Dal

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I said in my last post that we were in amidst of moving continents, I meant - "We were moving back to India, for good".. now that is a one bold move, Isn't it? Yes, indeed it is and after a week, we both still think - *the move* was one of the best things happened to us. For one real reason, we are close to the family & the freedom to do/start whatever we want. :-). But, I think if you really wanna come back like us, you should have a proper plan about how & what your are gonna do here. Or else all you will end up having is the regret that you have missed on a golden opportunity to settle in the supposed land of dreams - The USA.

One other added bonus staying back home is that - I can eat my mom's food whenever I want, whatever I want. No need to wait for one whole year, to eagerly wait to come back home and no more secretly praying for the dreadful *day-of-return-to-US* not to arrive. :-)

Now, isn't it natural that I would feature some of my mom's classic recipes here on my blog, after all the main purpose of maintaining a blog is to chronicle the recipes that actually work. Trust me, many a times, I myself check out my recipe index for recipe ideas. Hence this section - "Amma's Recipes", so that you and I both can  savor and also have all her recipes written down somewhere.

P.S - All of these are/will be made my mother and I am playing the role of mere photographer here. No props, No artificial lighting, Photos taken, straight from the utensils in which my mom serves us dinner. I hope you all will love these as much I do and did from past many many years. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment, I will clarify with my mom and answer at the earliest.

Today's dinner thali - Bhindi Fry, Raw Mango dal. Roasted Eggplant Pachadi with steamed rice, ghee, oora mirapakayalu (sun dried green chillies) and yogurt.

It looks something like this....

Enjoy....

1. Bhindi (Okra) Fry

Preparation:

1. Wash and dry about bhindis. Cut them lengthwise, into 1-2 inch pieces (as shown in the pic above).

2. Heat enough oil and deep fry the cut bhindis. Using a slotted spoon, put them on paper towels, so that the excess oil is drained off. Keep aside.

3. Heat 1/2 tsp oil and add 1 tsp of each -  urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds with 2-3 slit green chillies, few curry leaves, 1/4 cup peanuts, a whole garlic clove which is pressed down with knife (no need to mince), deep fried bhindi, 1/8 tsp of turmeric, salt to taste and 1/2 tsp or more of red chilli powder. Saute for no more than a minute. Mix well.

4. Finally, add 1 cup of shredded coconut and immediately turn off the heat. Mix well once again and after couple of minutes, it is ready to Serve. 

2. Roasted Eggplant Pachadi

Preparation:

1. Oil 2 big eggplants and roast them on a medium flame until it becomes a bit mush. Cool a bit. Drop them in cold water and then remove outer charred (almost black) skin. Make sure there are clean (with no worms) inside out.

2. Coarsely grind -- (5 green chillies + 1 tsp cumin seeds + salt to taste + 1/4 tsp of turmeric) 

3. Add in the eggplant with the (green chilli + cumin) mixture. Mix well. Keep aside.

4.  Heat 1/2 tsp oil and add 1 tsp of each -  urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds with few curry leaves and 1-2 red chillies. Add this poppu to the eggplant mixture. Mix and Serve. 

3. Raw Mango Dal

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut a fresh raw mango into pieces. Make sure you discard the seed in the middle. Boil the mango pieces with about 1/2 cup water until its completely cooked. Using a spoon, mash into a pulp.

2. Pressure cook 1 cup of toor dal until 3 or 4 whistles. Once the pressure is off, slightly churn the dal.

3. On a low flame, mix churned dal with mashed mango pulp with 2-3 slit green chillies, few curry leaves, 1/4 tsp turmeric, salt to taste and 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder.

4. Heat 1 tsp of oil and add 1 tsp of each - urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds with 2 red chillies and a whole garlic clove, pressed down once with side of the knife. (no need to mince). Add in the dal and mix everything. Serve with steamed rice and ooru merapakayalu (sun dried green chillies).

Bon Appetit everybody..

until next time,
Siri

Mom's Ven Pongal (Khara Pongal or Ghee Pongal) with Madras Tomato Chutney

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We will be in a whole new yet our own world - in less than 15 days. Many many exciting  things and lots of last-minute traveling happening at our end, hence this short, unintentional break from blogging.

So friends, after a lot of contemplation, after staying in US for 6 long years, we are finally relocating back to India. On one side, I am butterflies-in-my-stomach-excited, but I also feel sad at the very thought that we might not come back here. :-(. But, did you know what Mr.JB says - Never Say Never. So, I am hopeful that someday we will get to visit here yet again and meet all my lovely friends I have made over the past few years. :-).

That said, it has been months ago that we planned our 10-day trip to Hawaii and finally, we did go there in the first week of April, for our first anniversary.

I am falling short of adjectives to describe to you guys - about how beautiful and mesmerizing the islands of Hawaii are. Everybody likes the beach the most, I suppose but for me, Kaui was the best. It is called the"Garden Island" because of its lush, green, mostly untouched & uninhabited surroundings. I felt a weird sense of peace within myself by just looking at the majestic canynos, sugarcane/coffee fields and the weather itself is so cool. :-). But, the TH loved Maui the most as it is mostly sunny with lovely blue skies.

Well, each of the islands have something new and unique to offer and it is a place to be visited atleast once in a life time.

Waikiki Beach, Honululu

Hula dancer, performing for a Japan fundraiser at Honululu.

Our 10 days of Hawaii trip included a 7 day cruise on the "Pride Of America" cruise ship. Never before, we went on a cruise. This was our first one. We were a bit apprehensive at first to spend 7 days & nights on sea but then the excitement won over the fear. I am so glad we did this as it will be one of the memorable experiences for sure. :-)

If you are like us who wish to visit 4 main islands of Hawaii (Oahu, Maui, Big Island and Kaui) all in just one week, then I would strongly recommend to island hop via a cruise. No hassle of flying and booking hotels in every island. From whale watching to witnessing Kilauea Volcano or for some dramatic views of the Napali Coastline, all can be done during the day time and as the night falls, you can return back to the ship, ready for sail to the next one.

More Hawaii pics - on my photo blog.

Being a foodie and a vegetarian, I suspected we would have limited choice when it comes to food on the ship. I would say I was partially right. Having said that, we were quite impressed at the variety of options available to us. There was a special booth called "Curry Kitchen" and there they were - fried pappadams, to pieces of naan with sometimes aloo-gobhi curry or palak-tofu curry or rajma & basmati rice of course. For breakfast, we had hashbrowns, made-to-order omlettes, oatmeal with lots & lots of fresh fruits (hey! we are in Hawaii, remember ;-)).

An extra special mention about the dessert section - Oh my my, they had brownies, lemon mousse, white chocolate mousse, apricot bread & many many more which I can't remember right now. & they all tasted so delicious. I must have put on some extra pounds just because of these desserts.

But, by the end of our vacation, my hands were itching to cook a warm south-indian meal and devour on it. We wanted stuffed eggplant, mirchi ka salan, keerai masial or the very best my mama's vegetable biryani with aloo kurma. We wanted them all. But We couldn't until we came back home on last Saturday at 12 in the midnight. We were so hungry that I had to make a proper meal for ourselves at that odd hour and made some simple cauliflower poriyal, rasam and rice. Yes, at 1 AM. :-)

The very next day, as our Sunday morning breakfast I made this very popular Ven Pongal (or Khara Pongal) with Madras Tomato Chutney.

I am sure our tummies thanked us for this simple yet delicious meal. :-)

Mom's Ven Pongal (or) Khara Pongal

Recipe Source - My Mom

Ingredients -

1 cup rice (I used sona masoori variety)
1 cup split moong dal
1 tsp black pepper corns
1 tsp of cumin seeds
2 tsp of ghee
2 green chillies, split lengthwise
1 tbsp of cashew nuts & few curry leaves(optional - I have not used these in this recipe)
Salt -to taste

For tempering -

1 tsp each of - urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds,\
2 red chillies

Preparation -

1. Pressure cook (1 cup of rice +1 cup of split mung dal ) with 5 cups of water until 3 whistles. Let the pressure release and cool down a bit.

2. Grind (I use a coffee grinder for spice powders - best 9$ ever spent) - the black peppercorns and cumin seeds into a fine powder.

3. Heat ghee in a pan on a low-medium heat, add urad dal, mustard seeds, red chilli (broken at the end tail), cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add slit green chillies, cashew nuts & curry leaves (optional)and fry for couple of seconds. Add in a tsp (or more as per your taste) of the (blackpepper + cumin) powder & little salt. Stir in the dal-rice mixture and Mix well. Add a tiny amount of water if desired.

4. Adjust seasoning one last time, put 1 more tsp of ghee on the top and close the pan with a lid.

5. After the ghee melts into the warm pongal, mix and serve immediately. that is when it tastes best.

The best accompaniment for this Ven Pongal is a spicy chutney. Don't you all agree? Here is a version of tomato chutney which I often make at home.

Madras Tomato Chutney, Take 2 with a better picture

I am sending this as entry to MLLA 34, this month guest hosted by Jaya (a.k.a Desi Soccer Mom), orginally conceptualized by Susan.

Hope to see you all back real soon. Not sure when as there is a lot of packing, cleaning and moving to do. and I might not cook for a while as I will be hogging all of my mom's food.

There are some exciting and fun times ahead (I hope) and we both are looking forward for all of them :-).

P.S - I will be updating my photo blog (365 days of Siri) on a regular basis, please do stop by there and say a hello for me, Will ya. :-)

until next time,
Siri