Traditional Huggi - Udupi Style

Huggi is a traditional dish prepared during Dhanurmasa / From December 14 to January 14. This is mid winter season in India. The food we intake is based on Indian culture and is connected with healthy food habits.

Huggi /Pongal is traditionally prepared using raw rice, moong dal and jaggery. Eating rice and moong dal helps to digest the food easily. Rice is full of fiber and moong dal is loaded with proteins. And jaggery helps in taking care of digestion, acidity gas and other things. In olden days people used the food according to the seasons. Seasonal food help us stay healthy because they do loaded with vitamins and minerals. More over it takes care of our body with its nutritional values.
Udupi style of Huggi is not that sweet or loaded with ghee. Raw rice and moong dal is cooked separately or together, then added little ghee and little jaggery. Cardamom, nutmug and clove is powdered and added to huggi. It helps the food we eat, to digest well.
Let us see the recipe Now :
Sweet Huggi is normally prepared with rice and moong dal. Once upon a time Udupi region people used to grow the paddy a lot. So rice must have become the main grain. Rice is digested easily and the hot weather helps us to stay fit.
Huggi is normally eaten with Huli Gojju ./ Tamarind - Jaggery mixture.

Things Needed :

Raw Rice : ( Any good quality rice ) : 1 Cup
Moong dal : 1/2 Cup
Ghee : 1 Tablespoon
Jaggery : 2 Tablespoons
Salt : A little
Cardamom : 4 to 5
Cloves : 2
Nut Meg : Jaikai : A little

Method :

1. Wash and cook raw rice and moong dal together or separately. Let it cool. Grate coconut and keep it aside.

2. Keep a pan on the fire and put jaggery. Melt it with little water. Once it is boiling and completely melted sieve it and keep the clean jaggery aside. Powder cloves, cardamom pods and nut meg.

3. Keep another pan on the fire and put moong dal and rice together to the pan. Add a pinch of salt and cleaned jaggery. Mix it well and let it cook nicely for 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Add a tablespoon of ghee and powdered spice mixture. ( cardamom pods, cloves and nut meg).
5. Stir slowly and mix all the ingredients nicely. Add grated coconut on the top.

6. Shift ready Traditional Huggi to a serving dish. Add little more coconut on the top.

 7. Serve with Huli Gojju  /Tamarind - jaggery mixture .

Note :

Adding cashews and raisins is optional. I have not added.Adding more ghee is optional. I have added ghee just before serving. No need to add more jaggery. Traditional Huggi does contain less sweet.
Time 30 Minutes.
Serves : 4 to 5.

Badam Poori

Badam Poori is a delicious sweet dish. It is  sweet  friedfritter. It can be relished as desert. People do eat with Rabdi. ( Thick Milk contain sugar ).

I wanted to try this Badam Poori from a long time. So here are Badam Pooris done. It is delicious, yummy and superb.
Badam Pooris are crispy, crunchy sweets if they come out well. No need to dip them in sugar syrup for a long time. Just dip them and take it away.
I have used Maida /All purpose flour, sugar, badam/almonds and some cardamom. Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

Maida : 2 Cups
Sugar : 2 Cups
Badam /Almonds : 10 to 15
Cardamom : 6 to 8
Dry Coconut gratings : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Ghee : 2 Tablespoons
Oil :For frying : 1 to 1/2 Cup :
Salt : A pinch

Method :

1. Mix maida /all purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of ghee and little salt.

2. Add water and prepare chapati dough. ( It should be thick consistency). Keep it aside.

3. Powder almonds/badam and keep it aside. ( Dry grind coarsely ).
4. Powder cardamom and keep it aside.
5. Keep a pan and put sugar and a glass of water. Keep it on low flame. Stir in between.

6. It should get thick syrup consistency. ( Little more than one string consistency). Add powdered cardamom.

7. Now kneed maida dough nicely and divide them into small portion. ( Small ball size ).
8. Roll them into poori shape and place a spoon of badam powder on it. Spread it around.

9. Fold it into half then quarter. Press a little at the edge with fork or finger,

10. Repeat the same pooris and keep it aside.
11. Now keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil and let it get hot. (Medium flame).
12. Add 2 to 3 pooris in hot oil and fry on low flame. (Reduce the flame to low). It helps badam poori to be crispy.
13.Fry on both sides and take it out and put it in sugar syrup. Just leave them for a minute, ( Turn both sides to get sufficient syrup on both sides).

14. Take it out and arrange them on a plate.

15. Repeat the same frying and dipping in sugar syrup process. Arrange them nicely and add dry coconut on the top. ( Optional ).

16. When it cools it taste better. Serve as a desert or munch at any time of the day.

Note :

Bind the edges nicely so that almonds will not come out of poori. Fry them on low flame to get poori to be crispy. Crispiness stays only for a day or 2. Then pooris turn soft. Instead of dipping them in sugar syrup you  can prepare coconut sugar mixture and put them on hot poori once it is fried. (Optional ).
Remained sugar syrup can be used for some sweet dishes to prepare. ( Re use ).
Adding ghee helps the poori to be crisp.
Time : 40 Minutes.
Serves : 40 to 50 Pooris.