My Mom is the Best!

Kesari Bhath (Dessert)

Ingredients

• 1 cup: Semolina (rava)
• 1 cup: Sugar
• 5 pcs: Almonds, slivered
• 5 pcs: Pistas, slivered
• 10-12 : Raisins
• 1/4 tsp: Cardamom powder
• 2 pinches: Saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
• Few drops yellow colour (optional)
• 3 tbsp: Ghee
• 2 1/2 cups: Water

Method

1. Heat ghee in a large heavy pan, add rava.
2. Stir and roast on low for 7-8 minutes or till aroma exudes.
3. Side by side, put water to boil, add sugar, Bring to a boil.
4. Add boiling water to the rava, little at a time stirring continuously. Take care to protect hands from the spluttering.
5. When well mixed, check rava grain between fingers and taste for sweetness.
6. Adjust sweetness, and add more boiling water if grain is hard.
7. Add the remaining ingredients, cover and simmer till ghee separates. Save a small amount of almonds and pistas for garnishing.
8. Add colour if desired and mix well.
9. Grease a katori or steel cup. Press hot bhath inside it, and unmould onto a plate.
10. Garnish with a few slivers of almonds and pistas, serve hot.

Bisi Bele Bath

Ingredients

• 11/2cups: Rice
• 1/2cup: Tur dal
• 2 no: Small brinjals
• 1 : Fresh Carrot
• 2 : Fresh Drumsticks
• A small piece of vegetable marrow
• A handful: Madras onions
• A pinch: Turmeric powder
• 6 : Red chillies
• 4 : Green chillies
• 2 tsp: Mustard
• 20 gm: Cashew nut
• curry leaves few
• Coriander leaves few
• Tamarind size of a lime
• Ghee for frying
• Salt to taste

For Powdering

• 1tsp: Fenugreek seeds
• 1tsp: Coriander seeds
• 6 : Red chillies
• Grated coconut

For Masala

• 4-5: Cardamoms
• 4-5: Cloves
• ½ tsp: Aniseeds
• 1tsp: Poppy seeds
• A small piece: Cinnamon

Method

1. Peel Madras onions.
2. Peel and cut vegetables into 1 inch pieces.
3. Wash rice and dal thoroughly. Place it in a container with 21/2 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric powder and chopped vegetables.
4. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the ingredients for powdering until fenugreek turns golden brown in colour. Powder and keep aside.
5. Heat some more oil and fry poppy seeds, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, aniseeds. Powder and keep aside.
6. Soak tamarind in a little water and extract juice.
7. Heat oil, add red and green chillies, mustard and curry leaves. When mustard crackles, add to rice and mix well. Add tamarind juice, salt to taste and mix thoroughly.
8. Heat a little ghee and fry cashew nuts until golden brown in colour.
9. Add to rice along with powdered ingredients and masala powder. Mix well. Remove from fire.
10. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and add some ghee just before serving.

Ondu glass tampada majige kodi…

Summer can turn into a huge dilemma when the heat turns unbearable, warming you till the bones.

Forget the thermometer. Hot is hot in Mysore in the summer. Whether the weather is dry and parched or humid and damp, one needs to battle the heat and stay cool, calm and collected during summer.

The secret to this is eating healthy and keeping the body cool, but there is always a chaos when thinking what the right food is to eat in the summer’s heat and not upsetting your digestive system. And yet wouldn’t want to miss on the ‘khara’ and spicy taste makers.

A simple tang to quench the thirst while adhering to your taste-buds would be a huge glass filled with chilled and frothy ‘majige’ can do wonders.

Mysore gets really famous with majige stalls during summer season to grab a glass, or one can try a simple recipe at home.

You need:

1 cup Fat-free plain yogurt, 1 cup water, 2 tbsp minced onion, 1 small peeled minced garlic, a small slice of ginger and salt.

Heat 1tsp oil, add 1/4 tsp mustard, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 2 curry leaves, few cilantro leaves,1/4 tsp pepper power. Stir until reddish and take it off the heat.

Add yogurt and the other ingredients in the first list and seasoning with 3-4 cubes of ice to a blender and blend well until frothy. Strain in to a tall glass, discard the solids and serve.

Bet this summer the refreshing majige would not only quench your thirst but keep you cool and healthy. Don’t you think?