Category: Karnataka

A simple, refreshing drink, synonymous with Karnataka is Badam Milk. It simply denotes a
good drink at any time of the day/night, whether hot or cold.
Take 2 Badami (almonds), soak them in water.
Take 1 elakki (elachi, cardamom) crush the seeds well.
Take 2 strands of Kesari (saffron, Zaffran), powder it along with the elakki.
After the Badami has soaked for at least 10-15 minutes, slowly peel off the brown outer skin. Crush the white seeds well. Take a glass (or a mug) of milk, heat it to near boiling point (but not actually boiling). Put the crushed Badami (almond), elakki (elachi, cardamom), and Kesari (saffron, Zaffran) into the hot milk. Add 1 tea spoon of sugar, stir well.

Your favourite drink is ready. If you prefer it cold, chill it and then drink. In some stores, powdered almond or peeled almond is available. This will make the job easier. Also powdered elakki (elachi, cardamom) is available. This makes it easier to prepare Badam milk. It is often served in marriages and other functions, with sweet dishes such as Chiroti, Pheni etc.

There are some extremely good medicinal properties attributed to this drink. Taken before bedtime, it provides very peaceful, nice sleep. It also helps to heal boils in the mouth or throat area. For those who have acidity or ulcers in the stomach, if taken regularly it helps to provide the healing touch. It is also very helpful in reducing dry cough. In pregnant women, the saffron has good effect in preventing and checking the spread of infection. The list is long, and is simply positive. It is hardly surprising that the drink has become so
popular that every other corner store in Bangalore sells it.

ENJOY, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, THE DRINK FOR ALL AGES AND AT ALL TIMES

Ragi Mudde is indeed one of the simplest things to prepare. Take a large mouthed vessel, add a glass of water to it. Heat till the water boils, add salt to taste. Take a glass of ragi flour and mix it in a glass of cold water. Add the dissolved solution slowly to the boiling water, stirring it with a strong ladle (back end). Back home a strong wooden stick is used.

Keep whisking till the mudde (flour dough) becomes smooth and soft without gantu (lumps). Reduce the flame, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. The consistency must be semi solid like the wheat dough. When serving, wet your hand take out and make a ball and put it in the middle of a plate. Pour some sambar around it. Add a spoon of ghee/butter if you wish.

Make it into small marble sized balls, roll it in the sambar liquid and just gulp. Ragi mudde is not eaten by biting since the ragi tends to stick to the teeth. But some like it this way.

This is a very healthy dish both for the physically hard working as well as those with diabetes. It is indeed very healthy for children. It is high in protein, but very low in carbohydrates. Therefore, unlike rice or wheat, it is best for those with sugar complaints.

Eaten by farmers for long, its virtue has been known in recent years, by all in the state of Karnataka. It is almost synonymous with the best of traditional foods, simple, tasty, nutritious and wholesome.

Enjoy the nice, soft ragi mudde – loved by the young and the old.

‘P.S: It is not essential that the ragi flour be first dissolved in coldwater. The flour can be directly put it boiling water. But this needspractice and skill. It can be done by those familiar with the process. Otherwise, gantu (lumps) will emerge in the dough. Inside the lumps, raw flour will be left uncooked. It is essential to avoid this.

Courtesy: K. Raghunanadana

Saaru is the most common delicacy of Karnataka. Its nearest equivalent is the Rasam of the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Although these two are considered somewhat similar, there are considerable differences, which makes them taste similar yet different!

The process of making saaru consists of two distinct phases.

1. Making the powder (which is done once in several months)
2. Making Saaru using this powder (which is a daily routine, simpler too)

Making the powder

Saarina pudi (the Saaru powder) has three separate groups of ingredients which are fried and powdered separately, later mixed together.

1. Kothumbari beeja (dhaniya, coriander seeds) and red chilies in equal quantities by volume. Take 200 gms each of the two and fry them in a BaNale’ (kadayi, wok) with a few drops of oil. Use two long spoons at diagonally opposite ends, lift and drop the ingredients at regular intervals. Use both spoons/ladles to turn around the ingredients regularly. Use low fire and fry slowly until there is a distinct smell with the red chilies turn very shiny.  Stop just as it starts to smoke. Takeout and put in a plate for cooling.
2. Two teaspoons each of Saasuve’ (mustard seeds, Kadagu), Menthya (methi seeds, Uluva), MeNasu (kura MoLagu, whole black pepper), Jeerige (Jeera, cumin seeds), Gasagase’ (Kuskus, white poppy seeds).  Fry these with a teaspoon of oil, on slow fire. Continue till the mustard seeds and Jeera start to split and turn brown.Take out and put in a plate for cooling.
3. Two handfuls of Kari-bevina soppu (KariVepalai, curry leaves), one-two small pieces of Dalchinni chekke (pattai, cinnamon), a marble sized Hingu or half a teaspoonof its powder (Hing, Kayam, Asafetida) half teaspoon of Arishina (Manjal, haldi, turmeric powder). Wash and dry the Karibevina soppu and put it at the end; turn around for a minute or two and switch off. Put the Arishina after switching off and allow it to cool in the BaNale’ itself.

Using a dry grinder, powder ingredients of 1), then take out the powder. Powder the ingredients of 3) and then put the powder from 1). Turn in the grinder for a few minutes for them to mix.

Take out the ingredients. Powder the ingredients of 2), put the mixed powder from 3) and 1), continue to turn till the whole mixture mixes uniformly. The final powder will have a deep maroon (blackish brick red) colour and a fine flavour. Remember that in the first one-two days the hotness (khara, teekha, chili hot ) of the mixture is felt, but will mellow down
within a week. Therefore, wait before you make minor changes to the powder (adding fried red chilies to increase or add fried dhaniya seeds to decrease the “khara”).

The powder can be stored in a glass jar for about an year. With time the flavour reduces, so it is recommended normally for 6 month storage.

Making the Saaru

First boil 2-3 tablespoons of Togari BeLe’ (tovar daal, tora paripu, Tovar lentil) which is best done in a pressure cooker. In India, the best variety of Togari BeLe’ (Tovar dal) is grown in Amaravathi dist, Maharashtra. It can also be done quickly by adding more water and putting it in a rice cooker for 20-30 minutes.

After this is done, the BeLe’ (dal) is well cooked and can be mashed (some prefer it unmashed). Add 1/2 to 3/4 of salt (to taste), add 1-2 glasses of water and stir well. Add 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of the Saarina pudi (powder). At this point, it is common to cut a tomato and add (though not essential). Allow it to boil on low fire for at least 10 minutes.

Take a small marble sized HuNise’ HaNNu (PuLi, tamarind) and soak it in water for 5-10 minutes. Then squeeze it well, take out the waste (pith) and pour in the brownish solution to saaru. Put in a whole stem (8-10 leaves) of fresh Karibena soppu (karivepalai, curry leaves).

For oggaraNe’ (tarka, phodni, bagaar) put a spoon of ghee into a steel soutu (ladle) heat on low fire, put in 1/2 teaspoon of mustard and wait till they split. Put in a pinch of Hing (kayam or asafetida) or one or two pieces of Garlic peeled. Put in the oggaraNe and also put in freshly chopped Kothumbari soppu (Kothumalli, Hara Dhaniya, green coriander leaves).

The Saaru is normally the first item to go with rice. The rice must be a little soft to mix well with Saaru. A spoon of Thuppa (ghee or melted butter) It is also common to drink the top watery part of Saaru (thiLi), with meals. Its fine flavour is enhanced if it is hot and just a drop of ghee is put in before drinking. A great favourite among children is Saaru-Anna
(Saaru+rice) which is mild yet quite nutrious due to the BeLe’ (daal, Lentil) which provides protein.

Instead of tomato, it is common to use finely cut onions. Also used are green beans (HuraLi Kaayi) broken into three-four pieces. However, quite a few KaLugalu (KaLdhanya, whole unbroken lentils) go well with saaru. The most common of these is Avare’ KaaLu (Lilva) which is a raging favourite in Karnataka (Jan-March is its season). Also HuruLi (horse gram which is a flat bean and is brick red in colour) goes well with saaru and is a great favourite in the rainy season.

Another popular item is soppina saaru (spinach saaru) which uses either menthyada soppu (green methi leaves) or some typical varieties of greens such as Dantina soppu, Honagone’soppu (sorry equivalents in other languages not known). Any vegetable or whole grain needs to be cooked in saaru before the tamarind water is put in. The acidic nature of tamarind slows down the cooking rate. Not many vegetables go well with Saaru, which on its own right is a very nice dish both as a soup and as something to go with rice. If only needed as a soup, there is no need to put Tuvar daal, simply cook a tomato and follow rest of the procedure (this is also called MoLag-TaNNi or in English “Mulaugtawni”).

ENJOY WHAT MANY SOUTH INDIANS EAT AS THE FIRST COURSE OF THEIR MEAL.

Courtesy: K. Raghunandana

This is one of the most common items, often bought from stores. It is also easy to make at
home, though a bit slow. For those who need the *homely* taste and also those who have
kids etc here is the recipe which *does not* use oil and can give the Khaara
(hot/eravu/teekha) to your taste.
Cut 25 fresh limes (must be semi-ripe at best, but preferably on the green side)and put them
in a large mouthed jar/vessel which has a cover. It is necessary to wash and dry lime and
also this jar/vessel thoroughly, before starting. While putting the cut pieces, sprinkle salt as
you put the pieces layer by layer. Also, after putting salt on each layer, cut a lemon,
squeeze its juice uniformly. For about 25 limes the juice of 5 limes must be sufficient. After
a day, turn itaround with a clean spoon (it is better this turn-around is done daily).
The next day, cut pieces of Haagalakaayi (Karela, pavakkai), to almost 1 cm squares and
put them along. You can also cut and put Maavinakai shunti (mango flavoured ginger),
green chilies cut to 1cm length, or chopped green-beans if you wish. Remember to trun it
around daily, add a small pinch of turmeric (arishina/haldi). The turmeric added must be
really minimum, but is necessary as a preservative. Remember to sprinkle a little salt after
putting vegetables. It must be mentioned that the whole of this paragraph is an option, many
do not like adding anything to the lime pickles, which in its own right, has fine taste.
After 15 days, take a handful of Menthya (methi seeds) dry fry them along with a small
teaspoon-ful of mustard and hing. After it is cooled, grind them well in a dry grinder and
add red chili powder to taste. Then mix it and add these to the well turned, salted limes
(with/without vegetables etc). Turn it around.
After another week of turning around, the pickle will be ready for use. Now take it out and
put it into bottles of convenient size. Any additional salt, hing, chili powder etc., can be
added before bottling them. After bottling, ensure that it settles, leaving the red pasty layer
on top (i.e the cut pieces should stay submerged). The juice squeezed in initially, decides
the amount of pasty layer. For those who like the uppinakaayi rasa (this pasty-tasty part) a
liberal amount of squeezed juice is advised, but it will also need a proportionally
additional amount of salt to taste. While using, ensure that you use a dry spoon, remember
to keep the mouth of the bottle clean and closed after use. It is not necessary to refrigerate
the pickles but these days most people do, more as a precautionary step.
It is important to wash and clean and dry everything thoroughly. Any trace of water reduces
the shelf life, so it better to take extra care in doing the whole process in a clean,
systematic way. Once done, the pickles easily last well over an year. For children and
those who need less of chili, the chili proportion can be reduced. A favourite with curd
rice, the lime pickle goes equally well with dose’ (dosa), idli, bread toast or for that matter
anything that needs a spicy-tasty side-dish.
P.S: For a good reddish colour the powder from Byadagi menashinakayi (red chili from
Byaadagi, North Karnataka), is used. This may not always be available. It is good to
remember that Byadagi chili gives good colour but has less khara (teekha/eravu). Any chili
powder basically does the job, colour is just a matter of aesthetics and has very little to do
with the taste of the pickle.

This is one of the widely known snacks of Karnataka, perhaps also popular in other parts
of South India. It is fairly easy to prepare, but needs some initial patience and effort. A trial
on a week-end is suggested. KODU means Horn (like that of a cow) and BALE means
Bangle, the best one is made by grand-mother.
Ingredients
Rice flour (slightly coarse, gives more crispy touch)
red chili powder
Jeera (cumin seeds)
Hing (asafetida)
grated coconut
dried & crushed curry leaves
white sesame seeds
butter
salt to taste
Oil to fry
Proportion is for 500 gms of rice flour, put in a handful of each of the other ingredients
(except chili powder, ooh, just a table spoon of that would do).

Method
Mix the rice flour, red chili powder, salt, butter (one quarter piece of the commercially
available pack), and all the above ingredients in the dry form. Knead with hand to ensure
that butter gets uniformly mixed in the dry flour. At this stage some people prefer to put 1
or 2 red chilies in hot oil, take out after 1 minute, cool, powdered by hand and mix with the
dry flour. This gives a traditional flavor to KODUBALE. Also, freshly grated coconut
gives a much better taste than the dry coconut powder available in stores. If using fresh
coconut, save the coconut water, to mix the dough. This enhances the taste.
Frying procedure : The proper method is not to mix water to the flour all at once, but to
sprinkle, enough to make a handful of wet dough at a time, finish that and proceed again.
So, mix water to a portion of the dough (preferably at the centre), mix it to a semi-wet
paste (not as wet as a chappathi/bread dough – remember – rice flour does not have the
stickiness of wheat and stays together more loosely, held by ingredients). Take a lemon
sized ball and start rolling on a cutting board. The consistency should be sufficient to roll,
but not too wet/soggy. If the water is less, the rolled rod breaks. If this happens, add a little
water (coconut water if you have). Remember, do not put too much pressure on the semi-
wet dough, but gently roll to form a smooth natural rod, rolling sideways to get an even
thickness of about the small finger on your hand. When the rolled rod becomes 4 inches
long, slowly turn around the ends, join them to form a circle (like a bangle). The correct
consistency is that at the points of bending, small cracks may appear, but the roll will not
break. Carefully hold it at the circumference and slide it along Wok-edge into hot oil. Use
medium flame to heat the Wok (BaNale or Kadayi). Sunflower oil is preferable to others
since it does not have any odour of its own. Back home, the popular medium is unrefined
groundnut oil (coconut oil is popular in S. Canara dist).
Put in 5 to 6 Kodubale at a time and deep fry slowly till brown. Use the back of stainless
steel spoon or a wooden rod to lift them thro’ the centre hole.To test consistency, break one
after cooling; it must be crispy with crumbs at the center. If the butter is too much, the
KODUBALE breaks into pieces after getting into the hot oil. If the water is too much, the
KODUBALE becomes smooth and soft. Lack of butter makes it pretty hard, which, many
people do like. Adjust your proportion, Khara (chili powder) etc by tasting one, then
proceed with the further batches. It can be kept in bottles for 15 days to a month and eaten
at tea time (all the time – for kids :-), as experienced people will tell you). The right thing
to have on a rainy day; if it is a little on the hotter side (taste-wise) it will go very well
with beer 🙂
If you have a tough time/run out on your patience, beat the lemon sized balls into flat round
pieces like mini pappadums and fry. If you have decided to do this, add roasted groundnut
seeds and Purikadale (bhoonja chana) to bring a distinct taste. This is also called Nippattu
in Kannada (I know the Telugu people have a name for this, but can’t remember).
KODUBALE, KODUBALE, KAASIGONDU KODUBALE (Kodubale – for a penny each)
is a song of the good-old times. May not be as cheap now, but still is sold in all the
bakeries – isn’t it 🙂

Ravi, I use rice four. The secret however is to use 1/4th of the rice four (one cup of rice
flour and 1/4 the cup of) kadalepoppu roasted and ground in dry grinder. You should also
use 1-4 teaspoons of butter or oil, a pinch of baking soda, and salt. Also, red chilies
roasted in a drop of oil and powdered coarsely. Mix every thing with water and roll and
fry. I bet you know what to do after this! EAT

This is a very tasty, crunchy yet soft, saltish snack widely made popular by Udipi
restaurants. Unripe banana (BaaLe’ Kaayi) is widely available the world over, and this
simple, quick, dish can be prepared in minutes.
Ingredients
4-5 BaaLe’ Kaayi (unripe, green bananas – firm and green)
kadale’ hittu (besan flour, chickpea flour)
rice flour
hasi kharada pudi (red chili powder)
1/4 litre of cooking oil (groundnut oil or sunflower oil depends on individual preference)
a small marble sized tamarind
salt to taste.

Method
Take a bowl of water and soak the tamrind. Lightly squeeze the
tamarind to make a weak solution of tamarind water. Take the green bananas, lightly peel
the skin (optional, since many prefer to retain the skin which is very high in fibre content),
cut the end tips. Make thin slices (about the thickness of a coin) lengthwise. Put the
rectangular cut pieces in the tamarind solution (this solution prevents pieces from turning
black).
Take 150 gms of kadale’ hittu (besan flour, chickpea flour) and 50 gms of rice flour (besan
gives the colour while rice flour gives the crispness). Add 1/2 teaspoon of red chili
powder. Add a few drops of oil (to give a crunchy outer crust), add salt to taste and mix it
with hand, adding water slowly. Stop adding water when it becomes a thick paste that
drops as you take hand out of the bowl, but does not run-off the hand. Some people prefer
to add paprika powder to get some “extra-hot” colour but this is purely optional.
Take oil in a BaNale’ (kadaayi, wok), heat it on medium-low fire. After the oil is hot but
not fuming (can also be tested by putting a drop of the mixed flour and seeing that it comes
up to surface bubbling, within 1-2 seconds). Take the cut banana pieces from the tamarind
solution, dip it in the pasty dough to cover it fully and then slide them into the BaNale’. At
this stage the dough’s consistency can be checked. If it is too thick, the pieces dont get
covered well and if too thin, dough runs off leaving the pieces exposed. At least 4 or 5 of
them can be put in one round. Allow them to fry, turn around, till they are deep brown in
colour. Take them out, serve them with coconut chutney. The unique taste of BaaLe` kaayi
(raw plantain/banana) has a sweetish hint. It is an excellent vegetarian equivalent to the
fish fingers, both in consistency and taste. It is very popular in the rainy season.
Useful hints: The same procedure can be used to make bajji from a variety of other
vegetables. Some of the popular vegetables for bajji are – onion (cut in circular pieces),
potato (again cut circularly), DoNNa MeNasina Kaayi (green pepper), Heere’ Kaayi
(ripple gourd available in Indian/Chinese stores), large green chilies (MeNasina kaayi
bajji) which are very popular in rural areas, several American gourds. Even greens can be
used to make bajji, the most popular being sappaseege’ soppu (Dil – available in most
supermarkets), and menthyada soppu (Methi leaves). The greens must be washed, dried,
cut and directly mixed with the dough. One teaspoon of greem mixed dough can be slid into
oil to make a bajji. Bajjis make an excellent snack with afternoon/evening tea or coffee.
ENJOY THIS NICE ONE FROM COASTAL KARNATAKA – OTHER BAJJIS ARE
POPULAR IN VARIOUS OTHER REGIONS, BUT THEY ALL TASTE GREAT.

This is one of the traditional dishes of Karnataka, which is also popular in parts of Tamil
Nadu (in a slightly varied version though, and is called Mor KoLambu). It is a simple,
tasty, low fat, semi liquid, commonly mixed and eaten with rice. In its simplest form it has
no vegetables at all, but there are a select variety of vegetables, each of which add a
distinct taste to this exquisite dish. Only a single vegetable is used in this unique dish.
Ingredients
HuLi Majjige with a little of HuLi Mosaru (sour curds or yogurt kept out of fridge for 1 day
or so, with butter milk)
green chilies 5/6 (hasi meNasina kayi)
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds (jeerige’)
2 spoons of Dhaniya (Kothumbari beeja) or a few cut pieces of Dhaniya leaves
(kothumbari soppu)
half a spoon of mustard (Saasuve’)
two spoons of Kadale beLe” (Chana dal/ bengal gram) soaked in water for half-an-hour
a pinch of turmeric powder (AriSinada pudi)
a pinch of hing (asafetida)
one half of a coconut (grated fresh) or one handful of the dry variety can be soaked in water
for half-an-hour and used
small piece (strawberry sized) of ginger
two seeds of whole black pepper.

Method
Grind the ingredients in a pestle (or dry grinder). Add half a litre of Majjige (buttermilk +
sour yogurt) to it and allow it to warm up. Add salt to taste, and water to make the mixture
fairly thick but semi-liquid. Just as it starts to boil, switch off the heat, add a few curry
leaves (Kari-bevina soppu). For oggarane (phodni/tarka) first heat a spoon of oil, add
mustard seeds, after they split take off the heat, add one-half broken red chili. After it
cools, add it to the boiling hot Majjige HuLi.
Adding vegetables
Only one vegetable gets into the Majjige HuLi. This is necessary to maintain the unique
flavour combination of that vegetable and Majjge’ HuLi.
1. BENDE KAAYI (Bhindi/Okhra): Wipe each okhra with a semi-wet cloth. Allow it to
dry. Cut them into really small pieces of not over half an inch. In a separate BaNale’ (Wok
or fry pan) keep a few spoons of oil, heat it and then put the okhra (Bende’ kaayi) and
continue frying on low fire. In about 5/10 minutes they will fry fairly well changing colour,
to avoid the ends getting burnt, low fire and continuous stirring is needed. Add little
amounts of oil, if needed. After frying, transfer them into the Majjige’ Huli, and start the
heating process.
2. BADANE’ KAAYI (Baingon/egg plant): The thin, longer variety is preferable, but the
fat version can be used if cut properly. Cut them first into half (circumference-cut), then
each cylidrical piece into further half, another half will make each quarter of the
cylindrical piece (the ideal size), the length being no more than 1and1/2 to 2 inches
maximum. Keep a bowl of water and put the cut pieces into this water.This prevents
browning of the cut edges and keeps the edges clean and whitish. Then use a BaNale’ (Wok
or fry pan) to fry them with 2 spoons of oil. If eggplant is the longer variety, closing the lid
will allow easier cooking and needs less oil. But the fat variety of egg plant has more
moisture, so will become soggy and watery if lid is closed. It therefore needs an open pan
frying and more oil.
3. Soppu (Spinach): This is the simplest of all since it has be just cut into small pieces and
put into the Majjige HuLi.
4. BOODA KUMBALA KAAYI (Ash-gourd): One of the classic vegetables that blends
ideally with Majjige HuLi. The Ash gourd is usually cut into large pieces of 2 inch square.
These pieces come out naturally as one cuts the gourd, takes away the seeds and starts
cutting them into rectangular pieces after removing the thick, hard skin. The pieces are
direclty put into the Majjige HuLi and as heated the watery pieces absorb the soury/salty
juices making it a wonderful experience when you eat them. This is also the most common
vegetable used in ceremonial occassions (marriages etc.,).
5. Cucumber: Somewhat like the Ashgourd but not quite as good is the cucumber. All
water-based vegetles need to be cut into larger pieces, else they melt away as they are
boiled. Even here just remove the skin and cut the cucumber into large pieces of 2 inches,
cut cylindrically first and then just split into half once. Add the pieces directly to the
Majjige’ HuLi.
6. DoNNe MeNasina Kaayi (green pepper): One of the good vegetables that adds its
distinct flavour to the Majjige HuLi. Cut it into larger pieces and put it directly, before
starting the heating process. Alternately, the pieces can be boiled/cooked in plain water
and then added to the Majjige HuLi at the boiling point.
ENJOY, THE UNIQUE FLAVOUR OF KARNATAKA – ITS SIMPLE AND HEALTHY
FOOD.

This is a traditional dish usually prepared during the beginning of the mango season (early
spring) when sour, unripe mango (kuchcha) becomes available. They are used when the
mango is big but pulp has not yet started turning yellow.
Ingredients
2-3 green unripe mangoes
Handful of peanuts (kadalekaayi beeja)
7-8 cashewnuts (godambi)
2-3 teaspoonful of bengal gram (Kadale’ beLe’ or Chana daal)
4-5 green chilies
a handful of chopped kothumbari soppu (dhaniya leaves, coriander leaves)
8-10 curry leaves (karibevina soppu, karivapalai)
a pinch of arishina (haldi, Manjal, turmeric)
a pinch of hing (asafetida)
a teaspoon of Saasuve’ (mustard)
A handful of grated coconut (preferably freshly grated, but the dry variety from stores may
be used if it is the unsweetened variety).
1 lb or 1/2 Kg of plain rice (long grain, not basmati or jasmine).

Method
Keep the rice in a rice cooker, with a little short on water, so that when cooked, the rice
will be non-sticky and separate.
Cut the mangoes, remove the seed. Grate the green mango pieces. It is essential that the
mangoes are not ripe and are sour to taste. If they are not sour, use half a piece of lime’s
juice to make up for the sour taste. After grating the mangoes, keep the pulp aside. Take the
grated coconut and a teaspoon of mustard, 3-4 green chilies, in a dry grinder, grind them
well. This should provide a fine, freshly ground mustard flavour. Add the mango pulp,
grind for a short period, take the paste out and keep it aside.
In a separate banale” (wok) or non-stick vessel, take 2-3 table spoons of oil, warm it up on
a low fire. Add the Kadale’ beLe’, groundnut seeds, fry them well, add godambi (optional),
after the whole thing starts to turn golden brown, add the chopped coriander leaves and
curry leaves. Add a pinch of turmeric (arishina) and a pinch of hing (asafetida). For hot
flavour half a piece of red chili can be added. Move all the things to the edge
(circumference) and keep the middle part clear. Add just one teaspoon of oil, add the
ground paste (coconut,green chili, mustard and mango pulp) to this centre part and slowly
turn around for a minute or two till the musky green colour of mango pulp changes to a
milder green. The key is to mellow the fresh sour taste but “not to overcook” which can
completely change the sour taste to a bitter taste. Switch off the fire mix all the things
(centre and circumference) and allow it to cool. Spread the cooked rice evenly on top of it,
allow all of it to cool. Add salt to taste, and turn around the whole thing by hand (softly) so
that the rice mixes well and evenly with the paste and the fried ingredients. Add 1 spoon of
ghee while turning around, to give a fine flavour. Allow it to sit for an hour or two before
serving. This rice can be reheated in a microwave before serving.
Useful hints: The same procedure can be followed to make nimbehannina chitranna (lemon
rice). Instead of the mango, the juice of one/two lime can be squeezed in to provide the
sour taste. He’raLe’ kaayi (jumbo lime) or cranburry or cooking apple can be used instead
of mango, to provide different flavours of sour taste, depending on the season. All of them
make equally fine rice dish.
Usually prepared on festivals, special holidays, or at times at a special request by the
pregnant women ..(Bayake) 🙂
Enjoy this fine saltish sour delicacy from Karnataka. It makes a great change from the bland
bread/cornflakes routine for many.