Talippittu ( Bowl shape Akki Rotti )

Talipiitu is nothing but Rice rotti or akki rotti and it is one of the famous and favourite dish for many. It is one of the signature dish of Karnataka. The traditional way of cooking always rocks and it has great taste and we all love the taste.

Talipittu is one of the traditional dish and we have read in our story books written by great Kannada writers. In stories the son or son in law comes home and the mother /mother in law prepares this Talipittu and serves with butter, coconut chutney, chutney powder and even curd. We used to feel like eating Talipittu while reading the explanation of preparing this wonderful dish.

People prepare Talipittu / akki rotti in different style. And now a days its creative too. ( Adding veggies and leaves etc).

I have used Rice flour, onions, green chilly, ginger, fresh coconut, jeera, curry leaves and coriander leaves, 

I tried this rotti in  a deep fried pan. It is one of the way people prepare akki rotti in those days. It turns crisps and tasty too.
You can serve soft rotti to elders and the crispy to the youngsters. Making all age group happy in this way is easy and the slogan goes like this " Tummy full - Happy Smile ".
Let us see the recipe now.

Things Needed :

Rice flour : 2 Cups
Water : 3 cups.
Salt : As required
Onions : 2 (Medium size)
Curry leaves : Handful
Coconut : 1 bowl (1/2 of one coconut)
Coriander leaves : 1 Handful
Jeera : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ginger : 1 Tablespoon (Grated)
Green chilly : 2
Oil : 3 to 4 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Wash and cut onions, curry leaves, coriander leaves, green chilly and grate ginger.
2. Grate coconut and keep it aside

.

3. Keep water for boiling and add salt to it. Let it boil.
4. Add cut onions and coconut and mix it well.

5. Add rice flour and stir once and put off the fire.
6. Let it get bit cool. Mix the dough nicely. Add a tablespoon of oil and kneed the dough. Talipittu dough is ready. ( Add water if required and kneed it well).

7. Divide the dough into small portion.

8. Put 1/2 Teaspoon of oil to the deep frying pan and rub the oil all around it.
9. Take a small portion of the talipittu dough in a hand and spread it on the pan.
10. Dip your fingers in oil and spread the dough as you desire.

11. Keep this talipittu spread pan on the fire and cook on low and medium heat.
12. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of oil on the top of talipittu.

13. Let it get crispy and remove it from the pan. (No need to cook on other side).
Repeat the same with remaining dough.

14. Serve with butter and the side dish you have.

You can also prepare flat Talipittu :

Use the same Talipittu dough.
Butter paper or any plastic cover. (Cooking oil's cover).
Method :
1. Apply 1/2 teaspoon of oil on the butter paper. Spread it around.

2. Take a handful of talipittu dough and spread it in your finger. (Evenly).

3. Keep tava on the fire and heat. Put 1/2 Teaspoon of oil and spread it around. Let tava get heated.
4. Let the flame be low. Wet your hand (in water/or little oil) and slowly remove the talipittu.
5. Place it on the tava and cook on medium heat. Put little oil on the top. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Turn the other side and cook for 30 seconds or little more.
7. Tava prepared " Talipittu " is ready to serve.
8. Serve with the side dish of your choice.

Note :

Water should be boiled nicely. Cut the onions and other ingredients into thin pieces. Add water if required. The dough should be soft. (Easy to spread). Do not make the dough watery. It does not taste good. Adding more or less oil is optional. Adding more/less chilly is optional.
Time : 30  Minutes or little more . (another 5 to 10 minutes).
Serves : 3 To 4.

Lady's Finger Coconut Curry (Bendekai Kai rasa)

No Garlic or No Onions Lady;s finger Coconut Curry.
Bende Kai is lady's finger or bindi. This curry is a thick gravy prepared using coconut but without dal. This yummy curry is called as kai rasa since coconut is used.

It is one of the traditional dish of our South Canara.(South Karnataka, Karavali/Malenadu), and we can have this curry with idli, dosa, chapati, any kind of rotti or roti, pooris and even plain rice. It is also served as one of the side dish in feast and festivals.
Lets see some benefits of having Coconut in our diet.
Kalpa Vruksha or Coconut tree supplies all that we need to live. It is one of the wonder trees on the earth and coconut have so many health benefits. It is said that coconut helps to stabilize blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, healing hydration and even it replaces blood plasma in an injury. It is recognized as a immune booster, anti fungal, antibiotic, antiviral and anti bacterial remedy for thousands of years to the whole world. Coconut helps to improve the digestion and ward of wrinkles. It also stabilize the glucose levels in our body. Coconut helps to build cells and increases the metabolism in our body.
Tip : Do not cook (boil) for a long time if you add coconut to the sweets or curries. It might turn as bad cholesterol. (Even kheer or payasam also should not be boiled for a long time if coconut milk or coconut is added).  
I have used lady's finger and some spices and prepared this curry. It has no onions or garlic in it.

Things Needed :

To Cook

Bendekai?Lady's Finger : 1/2 Kg (or according to your requirement)
Tamarind Pulp : 2 Tablespoons
To roast/fry 
Red chilly : 5 to 6
Methi/Fenugrik seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1 Teaspoon
Coriander seeds : 1 Tablespoon
Curry leaves : 6 to 8
Ingh /Asafoetida : a pinch
To Grind : 
Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Fried/Roasted spices
To season :
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry leaves : 5 to 6
Ingh: a pinch
To Add :
Turmeric Powder : a pinch
Salt : as required
Jaggery : 1 Tablespoon

Method :

1. Wash and clean lady's finger, remove the moisture and cut it into small. (According to your wish).

2. Soak tamarind pulp in hot water and squeeze out the pulp. (A small marble size tamarind)
3. Grate coconut and keep it aside.

4. Keep a pan and dry roast/fry (1/2 Teaspoon of oil),methi seeds, urid dal till they turn slightly golden.
5. Add coriander seeds and red chilly and roast for another 1 minute. Add curry leaves and asafoetida. Remove from the pan.

6. Add grated coconut and grind it with roasted spice and required water till paste and remove from the jar and keep it aside.

7. Keep a pan and heat. Add a teaspoon of oil and mustard seeds and let it splutter.
8. Add curry leaves and ingh. Add cut lady's finger and fry nicely till they turn slightly greenish.
9. Add tamarind pulp, turmeric powder, jaggery and salt. Mix it slowly and let lady's finger cook on medium flame. (Till soft).
10. Add ground coconut mixture and mix it nicely and let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from the pan and shift it to the serving dish.

11. Serve with the main dish, that you have prepared.
12. Adding cut coriander leaves and a teaspoon of ghee adds to the taste.

Note :

Check lady's finger while cutting to make sure there is no worm inside the vegetable. Frying lady's finger helps to get the clear curry. (or it might turn sticky). Cooking in tamarind pulp helps the curry to get rid of sticky content of Lady's finger. Adding oil to fry the spice is optional. Adding methi/fenugrik seeds to the curry is to get good aroma and reduce the cholesterol level of the curry.
Adding onions or garlic is optional. Adding more or less chilly is also optional.
Time : 20 minutes
Serves : 4.

Carrot -Curd -Coconut Upma

Ready to Serve Uppittu (Upma)

Upma or Uppittu is easy to prepare and it is one of the quick preparation food item. Many of us like Upma. I have seen many people eating Upma in Hotel. Even I like Upma. It is tasty and spicy.

Upma can be done in different ways and with different ingredients. You can use medium rava or bansi rava (little bigger than medium rava), Rice rawa (akki tari) or even Awalakki -Uppittu, Sabakki (Sabudhan) Uppitu, Shavige Uppittu, Godi tari (wheat rava) Uppittu etc. Adding lots of vegetables or brinjal (vanghi bath) , or capsicum, onions gives and adds to the taste and gives satisfaction to the tongue bud. Preparing Vanghi (brinjal) needs some special spices. It is spicy and taste good.
Let us see some benefits of using Rava in your daily diet.
Rava or Semolina is prepared using Durum (hard variety) wheat and it is good substitute for rice. Rava is good for people who wants to shed their extra weight.  It  is good for diabetics. It is digested slowly. It is low in fat and high in carbohydrate food.It is low in sodium and cholesterol. It is high in fiber. It is considered as a balanced diet. It has very less of saturated fats. It is loaded with Vitamin B complex and high in Vitamin E. It contain good amount of minerals like potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and calcium.

With all these benefits we can also use Rava in preparing cakes and cookies and Semolina is good for people who are suffering from fever.
You  should also know Some people are allergic to Semolina (Rava).

I have used Medium size rava , carrots, curd and coconut. Adding curd to Upma gives a good texture and adds to the taste.We can have this Upma for breakfast, as evening snack or even for dinner.
Carrot, curd coconut  Upma can be prepared on special fasting days. No onions are used in this Upma.

Things needed :

Medium size Rava (Semolina) : 1  Cups
Carrots : Grated : 1 Cup
Curd :(or Butter milk) : 1/2 Cup
Oil : 2 to 4 Table spoons
Coconut : 2 to 3 Table spoons
Green Chilly : 2 to 3
 Curry Leaves : 8 to 10
Ginger : a small piece
Salt : To taste
Water : 1 3/4 Cup.
Ghee : 1 to 2 Table spoons.
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon
Urid dal : 1 Tea spoon
Jaggery : 1 Table spoon.

Method : 

1. Wash and grate carrots and ginger and coconut. Cut green chilly and keep it aside.

2. Keep water for boiling.
3. Keep a big pan and add oil.and heat. Put mustard seeds and Urad dal. Let mustard seeds splutter,

 4. Add green chilly and curry leaves. Fry for 10 seconds.
5. Add Rava and fry nicely till the raw smell disappear. (do it on low flame).

6. Add salt and boiling water and stir slowly and mix it well. Add curd and mix it well.

 

 

7. Add grated carrots, jaggery and ginger and stir on low flame till the consistency get thick and it cooks well. Cover for 2 minutes.

 

8. Put of the gas and add Ghee and coconut. Mix it again nicely and Shift the Ready Carrot, Curd, Coconut Upma to a serving dish.

 

  

9. Serve with a banana and a cup of Coffee..

 

 

 Note :

You must fry rava nicely. Do it on low flame. Adding Jaggery is optional. Adding more chilly or other vegetables are also optional.
You can also use onions. Fry onions in a spoon of oil and then add it before you add hot water.
You  can also add more water (1 rava = 2 cups water) to make it little more moisture. (It will be soft which some people like in that way).  You can also use any cooking oil you prefer. I have used coconut oil. Adding more ghee also optional.

Time : 20 minutes
Serves : 4.