Majjiga pulusu

Majjigapulusu/buttermilk stew, dont know if I got the name right in English is usually not taken that serious a dish back home. For reasons known only to its despisers, this humble dish has gotten a not so grandiose reputation compared to its competitors. My mom used to say that her dad would simply loathe at dishes like Majjigapulusu, not that he liked any vegetarian dishes. "Majjigapulusu mohana kotta"  is the most hilarious yet sad usage for things not so nice. But for people who say "where did this come from? hmm I love Majjiagapulusu" I am with you. History aside, you can eat this with rice or the all healthy ragi mudda, and no surprise there I do love the second combination.  So here is the recipe for the delectful dish.
Ingredients
1. Buttermilk 1/2 a litre
2. salt to taste
3. coarsely diced 1/2 medium sized onion

For the paste:
7 green chillies if spicy ones more if not
3tbspns of rice soaked
1tspn of mustard seeds
4tbspns of fresh coconut shredded

For the seasoning
Curry leaves use generously
Mustard seeds
1-2 Dried red chillies
Oil ofcourse


Procedure
Now make a fine paste of the ingredients . Follow this order so that you can get a fine paste since all the ingredients are in small quantities it might be a bit hard to get a fine paste with the blender. First the mustard seeds go followed by rice, then chillies and finally coconut. You could add some water if needed to make a paste. For the buttermilk, you can either take 1 cup of yogurt beat it really well and then add the rest of water or just use plain store bought buttermilk. Now take 1-2 tbspn oil in a deep vessel, and then add the mustard seeds curryleaves folowed by red chillies to season. Saute the rice+mustard paste for a minute or two, add some water to make sure the rice hasn't formed any lumps, and then add the buttermilk. Add salt to your taste, and let it boil while covering with a lid. After about 10 minutes add the onions, you donot want the onions to over cook. The crunchiness adds to the taste.  wait another 5minutes and turn the heat off. There is your simple, home made fast food ready!
I know many of my friends who make this dish with besan/senagapindi, but try this one and tell me. Also for those who might get this question if it is okay to boil buttermilk it is perfectly okay as long as you make the mustard+rice paste fine. You will know why the fine paste when you make it.
I can say that majjigapulusu, can become your comfort food provided well made. May be sometime in the future I will give you another Seema favorite Chintacharu made from groundnuts. Hmm my mouth is watering already with the mention of that charu!
Bon appetite everybody!

p.s The number of adjectives used in this post will tell you how tasty this one can be (LOL)

The word is Mmmmmm Majjiga Pulusu

My Pretty Weekend buy

Just wanted to share my weekend shopping excitement! Kohls had some great sale going on and look what I found a beautiful Paisley designed Dinner ware. Inaugurated the new dinner ware the week end itself and I am so looking forward to make some gorgeous looking dishes and display them for you in the new bowls. Hmm life looks interesting when there is a change, and buying new things is no different than visiting new places to get a change in my life!! You agree? Take care you all.

Guess Ragi Halwa would look beautiful in this Paisley salad Plate

You can expect a delicious Biryani in this Bowl pretty soon

One more delicacy from Ananthapuram's cuisine

Ye all might have known about different pullagoora (Pulla+koora= pullagoora, gasadadavadesa sandhi.. hahaha LOL) from different regions.  Not to belittle any other dish from this region but this one definitely stands out among all other pullagooras. And to cut the story short it is Bendakaya Pullagoora. If made with tender okra/bendakaya this one can make one's day  slipperily happy. Slippery because thats how the final outcome will be. And combine it with sangati it will be all the more slippery. So slippery that you dont have to chew on.
True to its name, pullagoora is sour, but it doesnot stop there it is sour/spicy. So here is the simple procedure for the tasty dish.
Ingredients
bendakaya/okra   1/2kilo
Green chillies  (Thai variety will be good)
Lime sized tamarind
2 medium sized tomatoes
Salt

For the seasoning
Mustard seeds
Curry Leaves
1Onion medium diced
Dried red chillies


Wash the Okra, wipe them off with a dry cloth. Then cut them into medium sized pieces. Dice the tomatoes too medium sized. Soak the tamarind in just a little bit of water. Add a tea spoon of oil into a deep vessel, and when the oil is hot enough add the bendakaya/okra pieces and saute for about 1 minute just to get the slipperyness off a bit. Follow with Green chillies. Then add tomatoes add some salt and cook on slow heat covered with a lid.  After about 10 minutes add the soaked tamarind and let it cook until everything is soft and mashable. Once everything in the vessel is cooked all the way, mash the ingredients in it  with a pappu gitta.
Then season with the mustard seeds, curryleaves, dried red chillies and then finally onions.
Top it with  chopped cilantro and voila my yummy bendakaya pullakoora will be ready.
Eat it with hot rice or mudda/sangati for lunch you could just take a long afternoon nap right at the table. No I am not kidding especially when you eat it with Ragi mudda, there is no way you could just be active after having this heavy lunch. And yes I had this oh so yummy lunch when my dear friend Sa visited me last weekend. And she had a bonus too that afternoon, peanut chutney urf Oorimindi which is the staple as well as comfort food for us.  And last but not least we had perugu/curd with the sangati which is just the best way to feel drowsy after lunch.

Apart from other important things that I realized the importance of, living in the US made me realize how precious was my mom's cooking, especially dishes that we as kids took granted for. Cooking dishes like pullagoora just bring back all those fond memories of childhood.
Here are some pictures taken last week end before lunch!

 

Sweet Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day, though not something I had knowledge of until the year 2000, it has become something special in my life through the decade. The first valentine's day I ever celebrated, I gave my colleagues each one a rose, and all of them so happy decided to pool all the flowers together in a vase  and swap them everyday to each one's cube! And the flowers lasted almost a month to my surprise. A decade later, February 14th 2010 was and will be the most memorable Valentine's day in my life. All these years I made myself happy by giving gifts to people I felt were nice, good hearted  and ofcourse to my near and dear ones on that day. But something really special happened that day and now I have something most precious as a lifetime gift with me, my lovely googly second kid!! what else could I have asked for on that day? Not that he wouldnot be any less special if born on any other day, but for me that was definitely  an unexpected sweet surprise. Happy Valentine's day to you all and let the spirit of Love win over all the hate, and let us give our best of our hearts to those who are in need of Love!!
And here is one Sweet treat to all my readers " The one and only Oliga AKA Bobbattu/Holige/Bakshalu"