Jack Fruit - Rava Halubai/ Pudding

Haalubai/pudding is one of the traditional dish of South Canara./Karnataka. It is a sweet dish prepared using raw rice, jaggery and coconut normally. Here I have tried this Halubai using jackfruits and rava instead of raw rice. Jack Fruit - Rava Halubai is soft and delicious and is one of the healthy traditional dish normally done during Nagara Panchami festival.

Nagara Panchami is one of the festival which falls in the month of Shravana.  On this day Snakes are worshiped by Hindus through out India and other parts of the world where Hindus live. People pray for snakes to get their blessings and welfare of the family. According to Garuda Purana offering prayers to snake on this day is auspicious and will usher good health and wealth in one's life. This day there is a custom that girls pray for their brother's health.
In Dakshina Kannada/Udupi/Mangalore /Malenadu region there is a traditional saying that one should not season the food, or prepare dosa or even keep oil for frying. Doing these frying, preparing dosa on hot tava and keeping a pan on the fire and seasoning will hurt the snake body and people who does might get a curse from the snake. There may be a reason to do these customs but it is said in this way.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

Jack Fruits : 10 to 15
Rava/Semolina : 2 Cups ( Small cup)
Jaggery /Bella : 1 Cup
Coconut : 1 Cup
Cardamom : 6 to 8 pods
Ghee 3 to 4 Tablespoons
Salt : A pinch
1 Cup Rava : 1 and 1/2 Cup Water. 

Method :

1. Grate coconut and remove the pods from jack fruits. Remove the pods from cardamom.

2. Grind it nicely till it turns like paste. Use required water to grind. Add jaggery and give a churn.
3. Shift the mixture to a bowl. Add a pinch of salt to it.

4. Dry roast medium size rava for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add ground jack fruit -coconut mixture to rava and mix all the ingredients nicely.

6. Stir till the batter turns thick. Add ghee little by little and stir.

7. The batter starts to get thick and leaves the pan.

8. Stir for another 5 more minutes and shift the ready jackfruit halubai to a ghee spread plate.

9. Spread it nicely and equally around the plate.

10. Leave it for cooling and then cut it according to your desired shape.

Note .

Dry roast rava/semolina. You can use chiroti rava instead of medium size rava. The water should be
 1 1/2 times more than rava. 1 Cup rava; 1 1/2 cup of water.  Adding more jaggery is optional. Adding more ghee is optional. We do eat this halubai with a spoon of ghee on the top. Adding cashews or any other nuts is purely optional.

Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : According  to your wish.
Purely South Canara Dish.                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Channa Dal Payasa / Kheer

Shravana the month of festival is here. It is a festival of nature. Naagapanchami , Nagara chowthi, Raksha bhandhan, Shri Krishna Janmastami, so and so many festivals in this month. It looks like almost all the days in this month people are busy with poojas, naivedya and pooja functions.

So every day you need to prepare some or the other sweet dishes for Neivedya to God/Goddess.
Here is one such sweet dish which is prepared for festivals, feast and other happy functions.
Channa dal/kadale bele payasa is one of the easiest dish which we can prepare and serve as neivedya.
I have used channa dal, avalakki/flattened rice, jaggery, cardamom and coconut
This Channa Dal Payasa is done during poojas, festivals and feast. It is cooked and then mixed with jaggery, coconut milk, cardamom, and avalakki./flattened rice. Some use cooked rice instead of avalakki.
This Channa Dal Payasa is one of the Traditional Dish from South Canara /Karnataka and we can prepare them for festivals, feast and parties.

Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

Channa Dal : 1 Cup
Avalakki /Aval/Poha : 1 small cup./2 handful.
Jaggery : 3/4 Cup
Cardamom : 5 to 6 Pods
Coconut : 1 Cup
Salt : A pinch.

Method :

1. Wash channa dal and pressure cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Let it cool.

2. Grate coconut and grind it with cardamom pods. Grind it nicely. Remove coconut mixture  in a bowl. Wash avalakki/flattened rice and keep it aside.

3. Keep a pan on the fire and put jaggery. Add a cup of water and mix it. Let jaggery melt and it turns as liquid. Sieve it with a siever and keep it aside.
. Let it get cool. Strain it keep cleaned jaggery aside.

4.Keep cooked dal on the fire and put cleaned jaggery water to it. Add washed avalakki and boil.
Let it boil nicely. Add a pinch of salt.

5. Now add ground coconut mixture and mix it well. Let it boil for at least 5 minutes.

6. Shift Channa Dal Payasa /Kheer to a serving bowl.
7. Keep a small pan on the fire and heat. Put a tablespoon of ghee and fry cashews and raisins till raisins get fluffy.

8. Add this ghee fried nuts to Payasa/kheer.
9. Serve ready payasa after a lunch/dinner as desert.

Note :
Channa Dal should be cooked softly to get the best payasa. Adding coconut milk instead of ground coconut is optional.
Use of fresh coconut milk is a must to get good taste. Use of more/less ghee is optional.
Using coconut milk adds to the taste. You can use cooked rice instead of avalakki. (Optional). You can also use little raw rice grains while grinding coconut. It adds to the thickness of payasa.
Adding boiled and cooled fresh milk to Payasa , just before serving is optional. It adds to the taste. Do not add hot milk. Payasa might get curdled.
Time : 30 Minutes 
Serves : 4 to 5 
Purely : South Canara Sweet Dish.