Likitha Nanaiah Kuttanda’s mother, Shambavi Konganda was a great cook. Following in her footsteps, homemaker Likitha’s hobbies also include reading, travelling, and a little bit of gardening. She shares her Horlick’s burfi recipe.
Horlicks Burfi
Ingredients:
¾ cup gram flour/ besan
¼ cup Horlicks
¼ cup ghee
½ cup oil
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water
Method:
Heat I tsp ghee in a non-stick pan. When it is hot, add in gram flour and roast it for two minutes.
Once it is roasted, remove from the heat and sieve it. Now add in Horlicks and mix well.
In the same pan, add the sugar and water, and mix well so the sugar is dissolved. Bring this to a boil and cook till one string consistency is reached.
Once it reaches one string consistency, add in besan and Horlicks mixture slowly so no lumps are formed.
Next, add the ghee and oil slowly and keep mixing on medium heat. Cook till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Pour this into a greased tray and let it cool down.
Kelettira Ankita Poovaiah is an IT professional working in Bangalore. Her hobbies include baking and cooking, especially non-vegetarian Kodava cuisine. Ankita is proud to have inherited these interests from her grandmother Balliamanda Kammavva. She shares two recipes – a mango pachadi, and a coffee pudding.
Mango Pachadi
Ingredients:
1 fully ripe mango
½ coconut
½ tsp mustard
5 cloves garlic
½ inch ginger
5 green chillis
1 tomato
1 onion
1 strand curry leaves
3 strands coriander leaves
3 tablespoons curd
For tempering:
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard
Method:
Grind coconut and mustard to a coarse paste.
Then add green chilli, onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, and coriander leaves. Grind this mixture for a minute
Add ripe mango pieces and grind for 7-8 seconds
For tempering , heat the oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves and fry for one to two minutes.
Turn off the flame, then add the above ground mixture.
Add curd and garnish with ripe mango pieces.
COFFEE PUDDING
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp coffee powder
5 tsp sugar
1 tsp butter
For caramel:
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp water
Method :
Heat milk and sugar in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then add the coffee powder.
Beat the eggs.
Mix the milk mixture (after it is cool) and eggs, and whisk for a while.
For caramel, heat a pan, add sugar and stir till golden in colour. Add water and stir.
To set the pudding, grease a bowl with butter and add the caramel. Pour in the milk and egg mixture.
Cover with foil and steam for 15 -20 minutes.
With a knife, release the sides of the pudding and remove to a pudding plate. Garnish with coffee powder if required. Keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
Summer holidays or lockdown, Cheranda Nali Appayya shares a simple and delicious way to keep children busy! They will definitely love to make and eat this pudding.
Coconut and Almond Pudding
Ingredients:
2 cups thick coconut milk
1 tin condensed milk
1 tbsp gelatin
A few almonds
A bar of chocolate
Method:
Mix the gelatin in ¼ cup of water and melt it over gentle heat until dissolved.
Combine all the ingredients and blend in a mixie.
Pour it into a dish and refrigerate for 6 hours, or until set.
Roast the almonds on low heat.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Dip the almonds in the melted chocolate and cool.
Arrange the chocolate coated almonds over the coconut pudding.
Namitha Achandira, who grew up in Muscat and lives in the United States, is rooted in Kodagu culture. Daughter of Dr Uday Achandira, Namitha has a Master of Fine Arts degree and works for an art and design institute. She is already popular in social media for her cookery and dance videos.
She has fond memories of her childhood vacations in India, and time spent with her grandmother, Kaiblira Muthamma. Spending time alongside her in the kitchen was a way to bond and learn more about Kodava cuisine and culture. Namitha shares a recipe for an all time favourite sweet, chiroti.
Chiroti
Ingredients:
For dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsps clarified butter or ghee
A pinch of salt
Water
For layering:
Butter
2-3 tbsps cornflour/ rice flour
For dusting:
Powdered sugar
Ground cardamom
Oil for deep frying
Method:
Combine the ingredients to make the dough. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Divide the dough into 5 balls of equal sizes and roll each one out into even sized discs.
Whisk the butter and flour until you achieve a creamy spread. Keep it aside.
Layer the rolled dough, using a generous smearing of the creamed butter and flour mixture between. You can also do this with 3 layers. More layers will lead to flakier and crispier chirotis.
Once the layers are all stacked, roll it up into a tight log . Slice into even sized portions and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow the butter to harden.
Next, take each portion and flatten it out. Be gentle with it so that the layers are all intact. Fry in hot oil, drain and dust with powdered sugar and cardamom.
Crispy, flaky, and yummy chirotis will taste great with badam milk as well!
Cheranda Nali Appayya says her love of cooking and sharing of recipes was inculcated in her by her paternal grandmother, Cheppudira Kaveramma Muthanna.
Nali shares her recipe for a hot favourite in Kodagu, Kaima Unde Barthad.
Dry Fried Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 kg minced meat
2 onions
2-3 cloves garlic
1” piece ginger
6 green chillies
A small bunch of coriander leaves
½ tsp pepper
Juice of 1 small lime
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Salt to taste
2 cloves
1” piece of cinnamon
3 tbsp ghee
Method:
Wash the meat carefully.
Grind ginger and garlic.
Chop onions, coriander leaves and green chillies finely.
Put the minced meat in a mixie and give it one pulse. Do not grind it too much.
To the meat, add the fresh lime juice, turmeric, pepper, and salt to taste.
Add the chopped ingredients and mix together thoroughly.
Make even sized balls of the mixture and arrange them in a wide pan.
Put in the cinnamon and cloves, then pour the ghee over the meatballs.
Cover and cook it on low heat, without adding water.
Stir the meatballs occasionally.
When cooked through, uncover and fry meatballs to a golden brown.
Kodandera Mamatha Subbaiah is a journalist from Kodagu. She says no matter where you are in this world, the common experience that brings everyone together is delicious food.
Mamatha shares a recipe for a spicy fish pickle, made with one of Kodagu’s seasonal delicacies, the tiny paddy field fish known as koilé meen.
KOILE´ MEEN PAARA
Ingredients:
Koilé meen 1 kg
Ginger and garlic paste 250 grams of each
Cinnamon 5 sticks
Cloves 7
Cardamom 6 pods
Methi seeds 1 tsp
Mustard 1 tbsp
Salt 4 tbsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder 4 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1tsp
Curry leaves 10
Pickle masala powder 2 tbsp
Pepper powder 2 tbsp
Vinegar 5 tbsp
Oil for frying
Method:
In a wide pan, dry roast the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, methi seeds, and mustard. Cool and make a fine powder.
Clean and dry koilé meen, then deep fry.
Take out the fish, and to the same oil add the curry leaves, dry roasted spices, chilli powder, pepper, turmeric, pickle masala and salt.
Stir to mix, turn off the stove and add vinegar.
Finally add the fried fish and mix gently.
Mamatha’s notes: Salt and vinegar is a matter of taste. You can increase or decrease the quantities according to your preference.
Badeker’s pickle masala enhances the taste of this pickle.
Keethianda Shaleen Subbaiah is a fashion designer and owner of Panache, The Boutique. She is a textile enthusiast who likes hiking, travelling, exploring design, art, and different cultures.
Shaleen shares a spicy Chilli Chicken recipe.
Chilli Chicken
Ingredients
1/2 kg chicken
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ginger- garlic paste
2 tsp fruit vinegar
2 tbsp cooking oil
20 green chillis*
Handful curry leaves
10 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tsp soya sauce
1 lime/lemon
Method:
Wash the chicken and marinate with salt, turmeric powder and ginger- garlic paste, and keep it aside for half an hour.
Take around 10 green chillies ( *more can be added according to the spice level of ones preference) and grind it into a thick paste along with the vinegar.
Slit around 8 green chillies and keep it aside.
Mix the cornflour with 11/2 cups of water and keep it aside.
Heat the oil in a pan. Add curry leaves and garlic cloves, then the marinated chicken.
Add the chilli paste and slit chillies into the chicken.
Sauté the chicken for a few minutes with the chilli paste.
Add 2 cups of hot water and the cornflour mixture to the chicken.
Add 2 spoons of soya sauce and let the chicken cook with all these ingredients until it is soft.
Once it’s cooked, add a spoon of fresh lemon juice.
This Chilli Chicken is a semi gravy dish which can be served with votti, chapatis and also hot rice.
Fry up some chakkulies for a rainy evening snack! Cheranda Nali Appayya shares her recipe.
Method:
