A - Z Karnataka Recipe Series ~ L for Limbe Hannina Gojju

So far in my 'A - Z' Karnataka recipe series,
A - Akki Halbai
B - Biscuit Roti
C - Congress Kadalekayi
D - Davanagere Benne Dose
E - Ellu Pajji
F - Field Beans / Avarekalu Payasa
G - Girmit
H - Hitakida Avarekalu Huli
I - Iyengar Bakery Style Masala Toast
J - Jolada Vade
K - Kumbalakayi Idli

It's time for my 'L' dish and this gojju was my plan B to be honest. To start with, I did not have many recipes or ingredients to choose from for today's alphabet. The traditional and popular sweet dish laddu is called laadu in Kannada and in fact there is one north Karnataka laadu recipe that starts with the letter 'L'. I was fixated on it until my first attempt to make those traditional laadu turned out to be a disaster and I did not have enough sweetener for the next attempt. Then I had to resort to use 'limbe hannu' aka 'nimbe hannu' which is lemon in Kannada as we hardly are making any trips to Indian grocers these days. 

Among the few lemon recipes I could think of, gojju seemed to be the one exclusively linked to the regional cuisine of Karnataka and is a classic dish of the region. A gojju is a tasty gravy with loads of flavors, that is usually served with plain steamed rice. It can range from those varieties than can perk up a simple everyday meal to those that appear in a wedding feast. It is usually prepared using a single variety of vegetable / fruit. Bitter gourd, okra, cucumber, pineapple are the commonly used ones though today's version contains no vegetables. Toasted and ground spices and coconut form the base of a gojju. Well balanced flavors is the key to a good gojju and may be a little tricky if one is preparing it for the first time.

Balancing the sourness from the tamarind, sweetness from the jaggery and the heat from the chillies is the key to a tasty gojju, as I mentioned above. Tamarind is replaced with lemon juice in this particular gojju recipe. It is added at the end as cooking after the addition of lemon juice may turn the dish bitter. One should keep this fact in mind and add the other ingredients accordingly. If not sure, taste and add ingredients accordingly. 

Ingredients:

To toast and grind:
1 tbsp. split chickpeas / chana dal
1 tbsp. skinned black gram / urad dal
1.5 tbsp. coriander seeds
A pinch of fenugreek seeds
A pinch of black peppercorns
2 spicy variety dried red chillies 
4 less spicy variety chillies (I used Byadagi for color.)
A handful of grated, fresh coconut
For tempering:
1 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
A sprig of curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida powder
Other ingredients:
About 1.5 cup water or more
Salt to taste
2 - 3 tbsp. jaggery 
2 tsp. lemon juice
Chili powder if needed

Directions:
* Add split chickpeas and split black gram to a pan and toast until they start to change color. Next add coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black pepper corns, red chillies to pan and toast until coriander seeds turn a shade darker. Add coconut next and saute for a minute. Turn off the stove and let the ingredients cool. 

* Grind toasted ingredients to a fine paste adding water as needed.

* Heat oil in a pan / pot and add mustard seeds. When they start to splutter add curry leaves and asafoetida. 

* Add the ground paste, water, salt and jaggery to the pan. The water quantity depends upon the consistency preferred. Add more water than mentioned in the list if you prefer a gojju of thinner consistency.

* Bring the mixture to a boil. Lemon juice is added at the end and so adjust the seasonings as needed. Taste and add chili powder, if needed. Simmer the mixture for a couple of minutes more and turn off the stove. 

* Add lemon juice as needed and mix well. (Start with a tsp. lemon juice, mix into the gravy, taste and add as much as needed.)

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A - Z Rice Dishes ~ Y for Yellina Chitranna

A simple and quick rice option for the letter 'Y' today. I kept thinking in terms of a vegetarian version of yakhni pulao or something that starts with yellow until I remembered this rice. The humble lemon rice is called chitranna in Kannada while 'yellu' is sesame seeds. This rice is therefore a jazzed up version of the traditional lemon rice to be precise. Sesame seeds and fresh coconut add great flavor and taste to this already yummy rice and it makes a great festive meal option or even a lunchbox item if you have left over rice.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice (Sona masuri / Basmati)
1.5 tbsp. white sesame seeds / 3 tbsp. sesame powder
1 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. peanuts
2 dried red chillies, broken into bits or 2 green chillies, sliced lengthwise
1 tsp. split chickpeas / chana dal
1 tsp. black gram / urad dal
1 tsp. mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
2 -3 pinches of asafoetida powder
1/16 tsp. turmeric powder
A fistful of grated fresh coconut
3 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt to taste
 
Method:
* Dry toast the sesame seeds until they start to splutter. Let cool and grind finely. 
* Heat oil in a pan / kadai. Add peanuts, chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds start to sizzle and pop and the dals start to turn reddish, add chillies and saute for few seconds. Next add curry leaves, turmeric, asafoetida, ground sesame seeds and coconut. Saute for a couple of minutes on low flame and turn off the stove. 
* Add rice, salt and lemon / lime juice and mix well so that there are not any lumps in the rice. Taste the rice and adjust the salt or the lemon juice if needed. 
* Let the rice sit for at least 15 - 30 minutes for the flavors to incorporate. 
* It can be served on it's own or serve with some papad / chips.

Note:
* Salt and lemon flavors tone down a bit after the resting period and so add those ingredients accordingly or taste the rice again after 30 minutes and adjust the quantities. 
* In case if the rice turns out too salty / too sour just add some more rice and mix well to combine.

Recipes so far in A - Z Rice Dishes,  
A for Achaari Chole Pulao
B for Bhuna Khichuri
C for Chintapandu Pulihora
D for Dindigul Thalapakatti Veg Biryani
E for Ellorai / Ellotharai  
F for Fodnicha Bhaat 
G for Gongura Pulihora 
H for Hare Moong ki Chaaswaali Khichdi 
I for Iyengar Style Kadambam 
J for Jodhpuri Vegetable Pulao 
K for Kaju - Karivepaku Annam 
L for Lilva Khichdi
M for Mamidikaaya - Kobbari Pulihora 
N for Narali Bhaat
O for Oliya 
P for Peas Pulao 
Q for Qabooli Biryani 
R for Ram Pulao / Rajasthani Gatte Ka Pulao
S for Spinach layered Biryani
T for Tawa Pulao
U for Urad dal Khichdi
V for Varhadi Pulao 
W for Waghareli Khichdi
X for Xmas Rice Pudding

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 68.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Ginger Lemon Detox Drink

I was surprised to notice that a lot of food ingredients that are allowed in a detox diet are commonly used in Indian kitchens regularly, especially the spices that aid in digestion and kick start the metabolism. This detox drink for instance, consists of two powerful detoxing ingredients, ginger and lemon which are commonly found in most kitchens. 

I made this drink on my husband's request without realizing at that moment that it is detoxifying. Ginger is anti inflammatory and effective in relieving digestive problems.Whereas lemon water is believed to be a natural diuretic which helps in detoxifying the body. And besides the citrus fruit is high in vitamin C content. Start your day healthy with a glass of this ginger lemon drink or refrigerate and drink through out the day.
 
Ingredients:
2.5 to 3 cups of water
2 inch piece of ginger
1/2 lemon

Method:
* Peel the ginger and either grate it or cut into small pieces.
* Bring together ginger and water to a boil. Or water can be boiled and poured over the ginger and allowed to sit for few minutes.  
* Squeeze the lemon juice or add the lemon slices to the ginger water. Let it sit for a couple of minutes if slices were added.
* Filter out the ginger pieces and lemon slices. 
* Enjoy the drink warm or cold. (My husband loved it with a pinch of salt and black pepper addition.)


This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under 'detox recipes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Lemony Zucchini - Almond Pizza

I had noted down this recipe from a cook book that I had borrowed from my local library some time ago since the ingredients that went into making this pizza sounded interesting. This blogging marathon seemed like a perfect opportunity to try it and today I did. A different version than the regular tomato based one and it was like eating a cheese pizza with potent lemony flavor.  

Ingredients:
1 pound pizza dough (Check recipe here.)
1 zucchini, shredded
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon / lime zest
1/2 cup / 2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp sliced almonds 

Method:
* Toss the zucchini with the salt in a colander and drain for about 30 minutes. Squeeze the shredded zucchini to remove as much as liquid as possible. Add the lemon / lime zest to it and mix well. 
* Preheat the oven to 450 deg F. Grease the pizza tray or baking sheet that is going to be used.
* Place the dough at the center of the tray. Form the dough into a flat thick circle by dimpling with fingertips. Then shape it into a 14 inch circle / 12x7 inch rectangle. (I used half pound dough and made a small sized one.)

* Spread the zucchini - lime mixture evenly over the prepared crust, leaving an 1/2 inch border at its edge.
* Top with the cheese and sliced almonds.
* Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 16 - 18 minutes.

Notes:
1. I had some leftover pizza dough when I baked the cheese pizza and I made use of it for this pizza. The original recipe uses a semolina based dough for the crust. I haven't tried it but here is the recipe for anyone who is interested. 
List of ingredients:
3/4 cup luke warm water
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 & 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
2 Tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp for greasing the bowl.
Preparation of pizza dough:
* Combine water, yeast, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir just until everything is dissolved. Cover and set aside the mixture for about 5 minutes at room temperature. The mixture would usually bubble and foam by the time.
* Stir in both flours and the oil. Transfer the mixture to a floured work space and work dough back and forth with the heels of your hands. Knead until smooth and elastic for about 8-10 minutes. If the dough is dry while kneading, add extra water in 1 Tbsp increments. I find that this recipe needs an extra tbsp of water.
* Grease a bowl and place the dough in the prepared bowl. Turn the dough so that all sides are coated with oil. Cover and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1.5 to 2 hours.

2. The original recipe uses a lemon that is cooked in water for about 25 minutes and drained. Then the inside pulp is removed, the rind is shredded and used in the recipe. I followed this method and found the flavor to be very potent. I like the lemon flavor to be subtle in any recipe and so I think lemon zest suits better here.

This is my Day 2 post under "Pizza" theme and check this page for other marathoners who are doing BM #35.

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Lemon Poha

A reader had queried what she can do using lemons apart from the regular pickle and rice. There are baked recipes that use lemons / limes, if one is interested. And there are of course lemonade and lemon curd. Coming to Indian context, one can use it as a flavoring agent in curries / some savory snacks, replace tamarind in dals with lemon juice like this one or prepare dishes like this lemon gojju, sevai or this capsicum - lime rice. (Note that lime and lemon juice and interchangeable in these recipes.) And if you have any other ideas, please leave them in comments.

And today's recipe is also one that uses lemon juice -  Lemon Poha for the letter "L". If you are among those who don't prefer bread / cereals as part of their breakfast, then here is a decent savory breakfast option from an Indian kitchen that can be put together in about 15 minutes that can serve 2 - 3 adults.

Ingredients:(2 -3 servings)
1 cup thick poha
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp peanuts
1 tsp Bengal gram / chanadal
1 tsp black gram / urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 green chillies, finely chopped
A pinch of asafoetida powder
Few curry leaves
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut (optional)
Small lemon ((1 to 1.5 Tbsp juice is enough.)
Salt to taste
Minced cilantro to garnish

Method:
* Wash the poha in a colander. Drain and let it sit for five minutes.
* Heat oil in a pan and add peanuts, chanadal, uraddal and mustard seeds. When the peanuts and dals start to turn reddish, add chillies, curry leaves, turmeric powder and asafoetida. Saute for a few seconds and then add poha, coconut and salt. Mix well once, cover and cook on medium flame for 5 - 7 minutes and turn off the stove. * Add the lemon juice as needed and cilantro. Mix well and serve.

Note:
1. The variety of thick poha I am acquainted with in India, needs soaking in water for about 4-5 minutes. Here in US, the poha I get needs no soaking and by mistake, if the poha is soaked, I end up with a mush. And so one has to decide to soak / wash poha depending upon the variety of the poha. And thin poha is not a substitute for this recipe.
2. Also the amount of lemon juice this recipe requires depends upon one's taste buds. I prefer a little over a Tbsp of lemon juice and not much for the quantity of poha I used. Note that poha doesn't need that much lemon / lime juice as the rice.

Check here to know what other marathoners of BM#25 are cooking.

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Lemon Gojju

Gojju is a frequently appearing item on our menu but still I was surprised to hear read about this lemon gojju in a Kannada cookbook at a friend's home. Gojjus are always assumed to be a melange of flavors and so particularly when the essential ones were missing in the recipe, it was quite intriguing and I had to try it. :) Except for the name, it doesn't bear any resemblance to the popular gojjus and surprisingly, it has it's own pleasing qualities.

And this lemon gojju is going to be my "Cooking with Fruits" themed first day entry for the Blogging Marathon #9, second round.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chanadal / Bengalgram

1/4 cup fresh, shredded coconut

A handful of cilantro leaves

A small piece of ginger

6 - 8 dried red chillies

Salt to taste

Lemon juice as needed (I used juice from 1 & 1/2 lemons.)

For tadka: 1 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida / hing, few curry leaves and a pinch of turmeric powder

Method:

1. Lightly toast the chanadal and red chillies together and let cool.

2. Grind chanadal, coconut, chillies, ginger and cilantro together into a fine paste adding water as needed.

3. Heat oil in a saute pan / kadai and add the tadka ingredients in the order mentioned. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the ground paste, salt and enough water to reach the desired consistency. Heat the mixture and bring to a boil. The mixture thickens as cooking progresses and so add water accordingly. Lower the heat and cook until the raw smell disappears.

4. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice as needed.

Serve with warm rice.

This is going to Susan's MLLA, 40th edition hosted by me this month. And a gentle reminder to fellow bloggers. If anyone have posted or planning to post any legume recipes this month, I request to send them in for the event. Basically all dals and derivatives  regularly used in our kitchens count. Though the legume list is a comprehensive one, here is a smaller one to give an idea as to what count. 

Toor/ pigeon peas, urad/ black gram, moong- yellow and green variety, black eyed peas, chori beans, chana/ garbanzo, rajma/ kidney beans, chanadal, masoor dal, black beans, navy beans, peas, cannellini beans, pinto beans, split green peas, peanuts, soybeans, dalia/ roasted chickpeas, besan, tofu, soya chunks

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Lemony Tomato Dal

According to ayurveda, replacing tamarind with lemon in everyday cooking reaps health benefits and this dal is based on that school of thought. Tamarind happens to be a basic ingredient in preparation of any traditional Andhra style dal and lemon replaces tamarind in this simple and healthy dal recipe. A pleasant variation to try when you want something new or when one runs out of tamarind. The recipe for this home style, delicious dal comes from my cousin's wife. 

Ingredients for 4 servings:
3/4 cup toordal / lentils
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
3 tomatoes (I used plum tomatoes)
6 Serrano peppers, sliced lengthwise
Salt to taste
1 big juicy lemon (or as per taste)
For tadka: 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, few curry leaves, a pinch of asafoetida
Minced cilantro for garnish

Cooking:
* Wash the toordal and cook it adding turmeric powder and about 1.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Alternatively, the dal can be cooked on stovetop till done.
* Heat oil in a kadai or thick-bottomed cooking vessel and add the tadka ingredients. When they start to pop and splutter add the green chillies and tomatoes. Stir them once, cover the pan and cook on low flame. Keep stirring once or twice in between till the tomatoes turn mushy.
* Add the cooked dal and salt to the kadai. Mix well and let it simmer for a couple of minutes more so that the flavors mingle. Turn off the stove.
* Add the lemon/lime juice as needed and stir well once more.
* Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot steamed rice /rotis.

This goes to Susan's MLLA -  30th edition hosted by Priya Mitharwal.

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Potatoes with Lemon

Among the umpteen ways of cooking potato, here is one which is our favorite. Not a typical ginger - garlic-garam masala type of curry but a simple one with minimum required ingredients thrown in. Cooked and mashed potatoes are drizzled with just enough lemon juice and lightly seasoned.

Ingredients: Six medium sized Potatoes (I had about 2 cups of mashed potatoes) 2 or 3 green chillies Juice of half a slice of lemon (or as needed) Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Salt For seasoning - 2 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp of chana dal, 1 tsp mustard seeds, few curry leaves The cooking part: Peel the potatoes and chop into big chunks. Cook them adding the turmeric powder, in a pressure cooker or in a big pot with enough water till the potatoes are done. Using a blender or a mortar and pestle, mash the green chillies into a paste. Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan and add the seasoning ingredients. When chanadal starts to turn red and the mustard seeds start to pop, add the potatoes, green chili paste, salt and lemon juice to the pan. Mash the potatoes with the back of a ladle or a spoon a little bit and mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Taste and check whether if more lemon juice need to be added. Remember that the curry should not be very sour. Stirring once or twice, let it sit for about five minutes and then turn off the stove. Serve with hot rice and ghee or rotis. This goes to - A potato feast hosted by DK of Culinary Bazaar. Jihva - Lemon hosted by Coffee of The spice cafe. Ode to potatoes hosted by Sia of Monspoon Spice. Post a Comment

Lemon Pickle

You find it hard to prepare most of the Indian pickles, once you are outside of India. It is not easy to create the same magic that has been happening in Indian kitchens for ages, mainly because of the availability factor. With lemons, it is a different story. Compared to other vegetables / fruits used to prepare pickles, lemons are widely available and are cheap. Preparation of lemon pickle is easy and hasslefree.
The only two things important are picking juicy, bright yellow, thin skinned lemons without blemishes and taking care to use DRY utensils / work surface through out the process to increase the pickle's shelf life (like any other pickle). No trace of water anywhere is the key for not getting the pickle spoiled.

Ingredients:
Lemons - 12
Salt - 6 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1-2 tsp

We used seven lemons for the pieces and five lemons for the juice.
Wash and wipe the lemons dry. This step is very important as said above. Take a lemon and chop into four wedges by cutting lengthwise twice. Then chop each wedge into two. So, you would end up with 8 pieces by cutting each lemon. Repeat the same with the other six lemons.


Now about the five lemons meant for juice. It is better if they are at room temperature. Roll each lemon on counter top or any hard surface with your palm for atleast 30 seconds. Cut these lemons crosswise and squeeze all the juice. If possible, remove the seeds.
Take a big, dry bowl and put the cut lemon pieces in it. Add salt and turmeric powder and mix well. Pour the squeezed lemon juice into it and again stir.

Collect this in a ceramic or glass jar/ bottle and tightly close the lid.
Let it remain for 4-6 weeks. Yes, 4-6 weeks. We need to be patient about this. But keep stirring once or twice every alternate day. You must be able to keep on moving the contents in the jar from bottom to top so that all the lemon pieces are marinated uniformly in its own juice.
After about 6 weeks, the lemon pieces would be tender enough to eat. Though they would be softer as time passes.

We call this uppu nimmakaya (salty lemon pickle). This forms the basis for the hot lemon pickle. It also can be eaten as a side dish. We preserve this salty, sour lemon pickle to eat with especially yogurt rice. The combination of a bowl of curd / yogurt rice and this mouthwatering lemon pickle is extremely delicious.

HOT LEMON PICKLE:
To go with rice and ghee or rotis, we prepare the hot lemon pickle using the above pickle. We usually prepare the hot pickle in a small quantity so that we can have it fresh prepared whenever we need it.

Ingredients:
Lemon pickle (above) - 1 cup
Chillie powder - 1.5 tsp or accordingly
Oil - 2 Tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - A few pinches

Take the sour lemon pickle in a bowl and add the chillie powder.
Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds and asafoetida. When mustard seeds start to splutter, turn off the stove and let it cool down completely.
Add this oil mixture to the lemon and chillie powder and mix well.
Serve with rice or rotis.

Note:
Adjust the quantity of salt as needed.
Like any other Indian pickle, this one also need no refrigeration.

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