CHANA- BAMBOO SHOOTS PALYA WITH COORGI AKKI ROTTI AND A CHUTNEY!
After all the good feed backs on IDLI FAIR , let me steer you swiftly but surely to...
A classic coffee estate recipe from my Grandmother. Little background now: Coffee plants need lot of water and shade to retain the moisture. For that purpose, we usually plant Orange groves, Mango, Guava, Cashew trees,Jackfruit trees and Bamboos inbetween coffee plants. Bamboos ( Kalale` or Kanile' as we call it in Kannada) are fast growing,a foot a day, are sure favorites!
The second you feel the bamboo breeze on your face when you enter the big gate, you know you are in the estate :D...Since some parts always have flowing water, we also grow Cardamom plants!! Where there is humidity and wetland, you can bet your last paisa on loads of big leeches! YIKES!!!! I DESPISE THEM!!!!
To make this dish in India,when Bamboos are about a foot long, you cut, chop them,soak in water for three days changing the water everyday to lessen the odor since they do have strong odor. I never ate them as a child because of that( I LOVE it now!).Every summer vacation we would be in the estate, my ajji would start on this process immediately because my mother loved it.She would use two kinds of spice powders, one with 16+ ingredients & other with 6+ ! I cannot reproduce them ,so I do the easy way.. :)
Fortunately,we have canned and sliced bamboo shoots in international section here. All you have to do is drain and cook! Ofcourse, it NEVER matches the flavor of the original.Wish I had eaten the real thing then.No matter how long you cook the bamboo shoots, they never lose their crispness which I love along with soft cooked brown chana!! Mmmmmmm!!! Slurp!!!! There is also a Ridge Gourd chutney which goes very well with Rice Rottis if you would like to try. Recipe is given below.
You always serve this with Plantation style cooked rice(anna) rottis ,also called Coorgi style akki rottis ! NOT the rice flour rotti most of us make. Coffee planters cannot live without these rottis and ofcourse,coffee with Chicory blend ! These two things are always ready to be served in every coffee planters home everyday , as sure as Death and Taxes as they say!! :D
YOU NEED:
2 Cans of Bamboo Shoots (6 ozs each)
1 Cup soaked Brown Chana
Turmeric ,Cilantro
SEASON:
1 Tbsp Oil and Ghee
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Curry Leaves
2 Red chilles
1 tsp chopped Garlic
1 Onion chopped
Tamarind or(2 tomatoes,skip this if brown gravy is desired)
MASALA POWDER: Roast and Grind;
3 tbsp Coriander Seeds
2 tsp Cumin Seeds
2-3 Dry Red Chillies
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds (Methi)
1-2 tsp Peppercorns
1" Cinnamon (Dalchini)
2 tsp Rice
COCONUT PASTE:
To grind without roasting;
3 tbsp Dry or fresh Coconut
1 tsp Poppy Seeds
2 tsp Dalia ( chutney dal)
1/4 Onion
Curry and cilantro leaves
1 small garlic
HOW TO:
1. Pressure cook bamboo and Chana with 1-2 cups water ,turmeric, until soft but not mushy.Roast and pd masala , keep aside.Use only the amount of pd you need to suit your taste.Grind coconut paste without roasting with some water, keep aside.
2. Season with above ingredients, when onion is brown, add cooked bamboo mixture, Cilantro, and 2-3 tsp or more of masala pd,tamarind juice or tomatoes,salt. Boil.
3. When you see the oil on top, turn down the heat to the minimum. Add coconut paste, simmer gently until raw smell of coconut goes and gravy thickens.
4. Tastes better the next day ! Serve with akki rottis. Recipe below!!
The final look of my grandmother's delicious and authentic ajji mane Kalale` Palya with akki rotti !!! Enjoy:)
COORGI style (or coffee Plantation style) AKKI ROTTI:
Cook 2 cups of long grain rice like you usually cook. Cool the rice and knead with 1/2-1 cup of rice flour or as much as you need to make a firm non sticky dough with 1 tsp salt until you get a big firm ball. If sticky, add more rice flour but too much flour makes it tough.When done correctly, it should puff like phulka, crisp outside and soft inside! Divide into 6-7 rounds.
Heat a tava (Henchu). Meanwhile, take a plastic or non-stick foil like I do, press the round on top to make
6" diameter rotti as shown. I spray oil on foil first to spread easily,but traditionally no oil is used at all. They use little water to dip their hands to make rottis which is hard for me to do.Place them on a clean towel until you are ready to bake.
Bake on tava until you see the brown spots ,flip and cook the other side. I cook until halfway done ,cool and keep them in a tortilla warmer. When ready to eat, I place a grill on top of the burner directly on high heat, place a roti until it puffs up and little crispy. Serve immediately with gravy and ghee:)
Here's the Ridge Gourd Chutney or Heerekai chutney in Kannada for Rice Rottis:
Another dish from my grandmother which goes very well with Akki rottis.Whole fresh ridge gourd is chopped,cooked and ground with spices and yogurt. Garnished with cilantro and raw chopped onion. Yes! I said raw chopped Onions.YUM!!
How To Make This Chutney:
Chop and cook one ridge gourd with skin and all in little water until soft and cool it.Add some salt and put it in the blender.Heat a pan and fry 2 tsp channa dal, 1 tsp Urad dal, 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp Cumin seeds, 2-3 green or red chillies.Grind all the above with 1/4 cup coconut, 1-2 slices of raw onion, 1 garlic, few cilantro, few curry leaves,1 tbsp yellow roasted chana dal (Hurigadale) and 1/4 cup or more plain yogurt to a smooth paste.
Pour into a bowl,adjust the salt and add 1/2 finely chopped sweet onion and cilantro.
Season: Heat 1 tbsp oil,add mustard seeds, 1 red chilli and curry leaves, add to the chutney and serve with Rice Rottis.
(Forgot to add on the plate and the coriander seeds, onion, garlic and cumin seeds in the photo, hope you add them!! :D)
Hope you do try these delightful dishes and share a little bit of Bamboo breeze of Coffee Estate with me !!!
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