Mangalorean Bafat Powder Pulav/Biryani

My husband is from Mangalore so every now and then I get introduced to a new Mangalorean dish that I like and this is one of them. Bafat powder is a very famous household ground spices in Mangalore. It is mainly used in non-vegetarian dishes usually but it tastes great with vegetables too.

Ingredients:
Oil - 2 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 2 inches piece
Clove - 5
Cardamom - 3
Bay Leaves - 3 small
Cashewnut - 12 halves
Chilies - 2 slit
Onion - 1 cup finely chopped
Tomato - 2 finely chopped
Beans - 1/4 cup
Carrot - 1/4 cup
Corn - 1/4 cup
Peas - 1/4 cup
Bafat Powder - 2 tbsp
Rice - 1 cup washed
Water - 2 1/2 cups

Method:
Bring a large thick bottomed pan to heat (I use the pressure cooker) add oil and once the oil is heated up add these ingredients in the same order jeera, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves and cashew nuts. Once the cashew turns brown add chilies and onion and fry till onion is translucent you can add a pinch of salt to speedup the process. Once done add tomatoes and fry till tomatoes are soft and mushy. Now add the vegetables and try till it is 1/4th cooked. Add salt and bafat powder to the mix and simmer. Add the rice to water this mixture and stir well. Add salt according to taste and close the pan and let it cook. In cooker wait for 2 whistles and in the pan make sure that all the water is absorbed after 20 minutes and switch it off. Stir well and serve optionally with raita. 

Bisi Bele Bath (Hot Lentil Rice)

BisiBeleBath (BBB) is an authentic dish from a South Indian state called Karnataka and it is very popular all over South India. It's literal translation is hot lentil rice and it is exactly just that. It is usually served with yogurt and cucumber salad or potato chips.

Things you need:
White Rice: 1 Cup
Toor Dal (Split Pigeon Pea): 1 Cup
Groundnuts: one fist full
French Beans : 10-12 cut 1 inch long
Carrot: 2-3 Cut 1 inch long
Lima Beans: 1/4 cup (I use frozen)
Green peas: 1/4 cup (frozen or fresh)
Tamarind Paste: 1/2 tsp
Jaggery: 1/2 tsp
Dry Coconut: 1/4 cup (grated)
Cilantro: 8-10 strands cut
Oil: 2 tbsp
Mustard: 1 pinch
Cashew Nut: 8-10 broken
Curry Leaves: 4-5
Asafoetida : tiny pinch
Salt: as per taste
Bisi Bele Bath Powder: 2-3 Tbsp (MTR sells this in almost all major cities in and outside Karnataka)

Choose a large thick bottomed pot to make this dish. Add dal, groundnuts and water to the pot and bring it to boil, when the Dal is half way through add the vegetables. Keep adding hot boiling water to the pot whenever needed. After 2 minutes of adding the vegetables add the  rice (washed). Now let this mixture cook till its 90% done, once all these ingredients are cooked add the tamarind paste, jaggery, cilantro, salt, dry coconut and BBB powder to it and stir it in well. Taste the mixture to make sure it has enough of all, if needed add more.

Now heat up a small pot with 2tbsp oil in it, add mustard, Curry leaves, cashewnuts and asafoetida and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Add this to the prepared mixture and give it a nice stir and let it simmer for few more minutes then switch the heat off and cover the pot. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This dish is best served hot and can be re-heated in the microwave easily.

Kesaribath (Semolina/Suji/Rava Pudding)

This dish is delicacy in some places of India but where I grew up (Bangalore) this was available in almost every restaurant everyday and every household made it at least once in a week.

Things you need:
Semolina (fine or medium) - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 2 1/4 cups
Cashew nuts - 5-6 (raw or roasted) cut into small bits
Golden Raisins - 10-12
Ghee/clarified butter - 1/2 Cup melted
Oil - 1 Tbsp (you can skip this and add ghee instead)
Saffron or yellow food color - 1 small pinch

Dry roast the Semolina/Suji/Rava till the aroma is prominent in a pan (I prefer nonstick) that you will be using for cooking. Once done transfer the roasted semolina into a large plate and let it cool. We will be using the same pan again so wipe it down to make sure no semolina is sticking to the pan. Add oil and ghee to the pan and bring it to heat, once the ghee is melted completely add cashew nuts (if you are using roasted cashews then add them just before adding water) roast the cashew nuts until they are golden brown and add the raisins they will just puff up and become a small ball. Once this is done add water to the pan, be careful as you are adding room temperature water into a hot pan so it will sizzle be swift, add the color to the water. Until the water comes to a boil, go back to the plate of semolina and add the sugar to that plate and mix it well so that the sugar blends in with the semolina. Now, when the water comes to a boil bring the plate close to the pan and pour the mixture into the boiling water while continuously stirring the mixture to make sure no lumps are formed. Once all the Semolina and sugar is added to the pan keep stirring for a while, if you think its getting too thick then you can add a little boiling water to it and stir it in. You will notice that the oil and ghee are floating on the top now but don't worry it will get absorbed soon. Switch the heat off after a few minutes of stirring and close the pan with a lid. Let it sit for 4-5 minutes and it is ready to be served.

For variations you can add cut pineapples to the pudding just make sure it is not too sour.

Southekai(Cucumber) Rotti

My neighbor used to make these yummy cucumber rottis and every time she made them she would send some home for me. I am a big fan of these rottis, they are so fragrant and delicious yet so easy to make them. With basic cooking knowledge I was able to get them right in my first attempt.

Things you need: (to make 6 medium sized rottis)
Rice Flour - Approx 1 1/2 cups (or more as needed)
Cucumber - 1 (approx 10 inch long)
Onion -1 medium sized finely chopped
Green Chillis - 3 finely chopped
Cumin (Jeera) - 2 pinches
Coconut- grated (fresh or de-frosted)
Cilantro (Coriander leaves) - 8 stocks cut finely
Salt - according to taste

Wash and peel the cucumber. Grate it directly into the mixing bowl so you don't lose any of its precious moisture. Add all the other prepped ingredients apart from the rice flour to the bowl  make sure you add salt the last. Give all the ingredients in the bowl a quick mix with your fingers not start adding rice flour to the bowl and blend all the ingredients into the flour with your fingers. Go on till you get a soft dough consistency. It should not be too tight or too runny. We can add more rice flour if its runny, but if its too thick you will have to grate more cucumber into it. So, be careful while adding rice flour, do it in small portions. Also, the more you mix the more moisture forms from the salt and onions so keep kneading the dough till you get the right consistency.

Once the dough is divide them into 6 (change the number according to the size of the rotti you need) equal parts and make them into round balls. Start heating a pan that you will be using to shallow fry these in. Take an aluminum foil big enough to fit your flattened product and oil the surface. Place one ball of the dough in center and spread/flatten them with your hand until it is evenly thin once ready place a little oil on the pan and flip this foil with the flattened dough facing the pan. Let it fry for a couple of minutes before peeling the foil off. Once the foil is removed flip the rotti and fry on the other side with some oil. After both sides are cooked evenly your rotti is ready to be eaten with chutney or pickle or just enjoy the rotti on its own. I bet it will be super delicious by itself.