MAKARA SANKRANTHI --"BHOGI HABBA"

Friends ,

                    Let me start with the festival ' Sankranti ' which is coming up very shortly.It usually falls on 14th Janauary of every year. This is the Festival of Harvest. As it is related to the newly grown crops , it is celebrated in a grand manner in villages. Farmers worship the freshly cut crops and heaps of grains , offer it to Gods before selling or using them.

          The festival is celebrated with different names in different states of India around same time of the year like Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Onam in Kerala, Makara Sankranti in Karnataka and Maharashtra etc.

        The previous day of the festival is "bhogihabba" .We wake up early. Oil bath is taken on this day. Preparation is made for an elaborate brunch with the fresh produce and grains. 

The seasonal vegetables  like Avarekalu (Papdi Lilva Beans available in frozen section of Indian grocery stores), sweet pumpkin, and Chapparada avare (flat Lilva beans) are used on this day. Akki rotti  and Avarekalu badane Kai (eggplant,Papdi Lilva Beans subzi) palya ,pumpkin raita are usually prepared on this day along with usual habbada(festival) items.

Recipes for the above follows:

AKKI ROTTI

 INGREDIENTS:

Rice Flour: 1 Cup

Fresh Coconut (Grated): 2 tbsp

Cooked Avarekal

(Papdi Lilva beans): 1 cup

Jeerge 

(Jeera or Cumin Seeds): 1 tsp

Green Chilly (Finely Chopped): 

1 or 2 medium as per spice level.

Water: 1 cup or less

Salt: to taste

METHOD OF PREPARATION(AKKI ROTTI)

Take rice flour in a mixing bowl .To this add grated fresh coconut ,chopped coriander leaves , jeerge, green chillies, one cup softly cooked avarekalu and of course salt . Mix them with optimum water .The dough should neither be watery or dry. Now make small balls of the dough. Smear a Kadai or bandli with some oil.Keep one dough ball in the center of the bandli and go on spreading the dough with fingers to the edges of bandli(non stick frying pan). The thinner it spreads the crispier the roti becomes. If you like soft and thick roti spread it thickly. Put some more oil over this. Close it with lid and cook on a high flame for one min. Then remove the lid and cook for some more time on a low flame. When the edges become golden brown remove it with a spatula (dosa remover) . This is usually eaten with kobri chutney.

KOBRI CHUTNEY (COCONUT CHUTNEY)

     INGREDIENTS:

Fresh grated Coconut: 1 Cup

Hurigadale 
(Roasted Dahlia) :2 tbsp

Kothambri soppu 

(finely chopped Cilantro): 2 tbsp

Salt: to taste

Tamarind Juice: 1/2 tsp

Bella (Jaggery/Gud): a little (1/4 tsp)

Oil:1 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Asafetida(Hing):pinch

Method of Preparation( Kobri Chutney)

Take grated coconut, hurigadale (Roasted Dahlia,available in Indian grocery stores), few coriander leaves, green chillies, salt, tamarind juice and jaggery in a food processor. Grind the above ingredients with water into a not so fine paste. Then season it with oil , mustard seeds  and asafetida .

        AVAREKAL BADHNEKAI PALYA

AVAREKAL BADHNEKAI PALYA

Ingredients

Badhnekai                     
(Brinjal or Eggplant) :3-4 medium
Fresh Coconut (Grated): 2 tbsp

Cooked Avarekal

(Papdi Lilva beans): 1 cup
Sambhar Powder: 1 and 1/2 tsp

Salt: to taste

Bella (Jaggery/Gud): a little (1/4 tsp)

Oil:2 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Karibevu Leaves(Black Neem Leaves):few

Arshna(Turmeric powder):a pinch

Method of Preparation(Avarekalu Badhnekai Palya):

Cook Avare Kalu with some salt in pressure cooker or microwave. Keep chopped badhnekai (eggplant) in water with some arshna added to it.

Take oil in a Kadai. When hot add mustard seeds, Karibevu, arshna powder and chopped brinjal to it. When it is cooked add avarekalu  and sambar powder, salt and a little bit of jaggery.Mix well.It goes well with Akki Rotti and also with rice. Note Sambhar Powder recipe is as follows.

SAMBAR  POWDER

INGREDIENTS:

Bombay Dhania/Green Dhania 

(Coriander Seeds):3 measure

Andhra Red Chilly: 3 measures

Byadagi Red Chilly: 3 measures

Kadle Bele (Chana Dal): 1/2 measure

Uddin Bele (Urad Dal):1/2 measure

Menthya seeds (Fenugreek seeds):1/4 measure

Cinnamon sticks: 3"-5"

Cloves:15-20 #

METHOD OF PREPARATION(SAMBHAR POWDER)

Roast each of them separately on a moderate flame with very little(few drops) of oil.Dry grind them and store in an air tight container. It stays fresh for few months.

SWEET PUMPKIN RAITA

Ingredients

SWEET PUMPKIN RAITA

Vegetable :chopped sweet pumpkin

Fresh Coconut:1 tbsp

Jeera (Cumin Seeds):1/2 tsp

Green Chilly:1-2

Oil:2 tsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Black Neem Leaves(Kari Bevu):
2-3 leaves

(optional but recommended)

Cilantro(Coriander Leaves):1/4 cup

Thick sweet Yogurt(Gatti Mosuru):
2 cups or more.

Method of preparation(Raita):

Make a coarse paste of coconut, Jeera and green chilly. Place it on top of the cooked sweet pumpkin. Make a vagarne(Seasoning) of mustard seeds, and karbevu. Add it on the paste. Add salt and cilantro. Add thick sweet curd(Yogurt) in the end and mix well.