August 30, 2006

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 !!!

55 comments:

Prema Sundar said...

I have read abt estates in novels and seen them in some movies.. but never been there nor tasted a dish made of bamboo shoots. A very different recipe..an interesting one too.Thanks for sharing the recipe and ur thoughts abt coffee estate...

Meena Kandlakuti said...

Aasha iam reading for first time about bamboo dish.It really looks great.I will try this for sure.Do i get babmboos easily out? thanks for sharing this special dish and for bamboo information.

Vineela said...

Hi Asha ,
Looks delicious.My grandmom used to make "biyyappu rotte" akkiroti.
i will try your bamboo shoots palya.
THANKS for sharing.
Vineela

Priya Bhaskaran said...

Asha, that's a nice write up about your estate and recipe:) I have seem bamboo tress but never ate them:( Does this available in the US stores? Its totally a new recipe:)

Pavani said...

Hi Asha,
I've never tried bamboo shoots before. Sounds and looks yummy. How do bamboo shoots taste? Sweet or savory? I want to try this recipe..
Thanks for sharing a very authentic recipe.
Pavani

Nee said...

Looks lovely Asha! Though the akki rotis do seem like quite a bit of work for a novice like myself. I've never made anything with bamboo - will definitely give the palya a try - can it be eaten with regular rotis too (or dosas)?

Nee

FH said...

Thanks Prema,I had a blast as a child in the estates! Good memories!

Meena, I am glad to share this recipe. In any upscale grocery store,in international section, you will see them ina small 4 ozs cans. Easily available in chinese stores,I guess.

Vineela, thanks! I have come to
love Andhra food because of your recipes!:) Hope you will try the bamboo shoots...

FH said...

Priya, thanks!We use only the baby bamboo shoots when they are just out of the ground! Once they are more than a foot,they are tough enough to build houses!! Yes, they are very easily available US in any grocery or chinese stores in cans.

Thank you Pavani, glad to share the best kept secret recipe from the estates! They are saltishly savoury and absorb any masala easily and crunchy and juicy to bite.

Definitely Nee, you could eat this palya with any rice bread Idli,dosa etc.or even may be chapatis! We always serve with akki rotti though which is not hard if you make them more than once! Hope you will give it try :)

Rajesh &Shankari said...

This is a neat & unique dish. I was not aware that Indians used bamboo shoots in their cooking, thanks for introducing us to the world of estates!

Krithika said...

Chana with bamboo shoots is a new combination. Thanks for sharing. BTW, your idli fair looks mouth-watering ! Are you planning to hold one in our city :-)

Anonymous said...

I love bamboo shoots Asha. But my husband can't even stand the smell of it. So after my mariage, I stopped cooking them. Only when I go to my mom's place, I get to eat them :(. Your dish looks very lovely. Something that I would love to eat. The rottis are my favourite. I make them often.

Your presentation is lovely :)

Latha said...

Wow Asha. Looks really delicious. I have never heard off this combination of channa and bamboo shoots.So unique! The curry looks wholesome and delicious. Will give it a try soon.
Thanks,
Latha

Sudha said...

Asha, the bamboo shoot curry is very new to me..i havent tasted them at all..but the photos looks so good that feel like having them stright...akki roti, i learnt to make them when i was in blore..WOW..what a lovely dish asha..thanks for sharing...

FH said...

Thanks Shankari! Our plantation laborers used to gather red ants and used to fry them to eat, did you know that??!!YUP!! all kinds of weird peeps in our land. NO!! WE DIDNOT eat ants,just bamboo shoots !! :D

Krithika, DO NOT remind me of idlis for a while! I feel like they are chasing meeeeee....:)
Sure why not, tell me where and when for the fair..just kidding!!!

I really hope you will try this palya Latha, it's delicious..not saying this because it's mine..I mean it ,do try :)You can use your own masala if you like,flavor is in the combo..

FH said...

AWWW...Shilpa! I wish I could send some to you..I mean it...
Canned,sliced bamboo doesn't smell at all,but has SOME flavor like the real thing.Try it, sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has do, You know!! Cook it and see he can take a bite too!He might like it!
Arvind, like my mom,is also a planter's kid from 'UDAYA RAVI' estate near Sakleshpura, so he loooves it! Hope you will try! :)

Sudha, I am happy to share with you.It's good hear that atleast you have tasted akki rotti like mine before.I love them, very old world!! Aren't they?

saakshi said...

Hey Asha, I love your blog.....and yes i will post more recipes....i've been so busy with guests lately, i have loads of recipes to share but barely enough time to sit and type it out. Please bear with me for some more time, will definitely post soon.

FH said...

Hi Saakshi, hello there! Wondering what happened to you. It's okay, take your time and catch up with us. I know it takes up lot of time,but do try and post whenever you can. :)

Menu Today said...

Hi Asha,
I can visualise from your write up about coffee estates... I never tried any dish with Bamboo. It looks yummy.. This version of Akki Roti also new to me. Thanks for sharing.

Vidya said...

Asha, Thanks for dropping by my blog... and the biggest co-incidence is that I have been bugging a Kodava friend to get me her mother's recipe for akki-rotti... thanks.. that saved me a lot of time and trouble.. bamboo shoots arent easy to come by in my neck of the woods, but I did have a good lust after reading your entry!

And your recipe for Roti Canai tasted awesome.. I used to love that when I used to live in Singapore (it was called Roti-prata there)... mine turned out quite dry, not fluffy at all... any suggestions on how to improve it next time??

I tried your Kari-Ayam (with Roti Canai) for dinner... being a veggie, i used paneer instead of chicken.. the result was quite good...

Cyberkitty said...

Yummy, but will I actually get down to making the dish ?

indianadoc said...

good combo...and interestingly kodava akki roti is very much the same as malabari pathiri...obviously we are very close neighbours!!

indianadoc said...

Asha, that is a wonderful presentation...kodava roti wd taste very much like the malabar pathiri,i suppose...thanx for sharing the recipe!

FH said...

Hello MT, Glad you got to visualise, that's exactly what I was trying to do!! :) This rotti is crisp and soft at the same time,good to scoop up all the gravy...YUM!! Try ithem.

Hi Cyberkitty, experimenting with the unfamiliar dishes are most fun, isn't it? Take few hrs. one day and make it, see if you like the new sensation! My next post will be Chicken Satay from Indonesia and Malaysia which I have never tried before!!
Hope you will try ! :D

FH said...

Welcome Vidya!nice to meet you!!
You are the only one who really tried my recipes and commented!! Thank you so much for that :)
For Roti Canai, you could add 2 or more tbsp butter,2 tbsp of condensed milk and little more baking pd to make it soft.And lot of layers to be soft, ofcourse!
Mine also little dry anyway,got scared of 7 tbsp of butter I was supposed add as in the book!
Glad you liked Kari Ayam, add 1 tsp lemon grass next time as I was adviced by real M'sians.
I grew up as a vegetarian, somewhere along the way, I converted!! Life happens :D

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha --

Wow, the bamboo with chana and rotis look just wonderful! I will definitely be trying this -- thanks for sharing the neat story and recipes :)

Deepa Culinary World said...

Hi Asha,

Thanks for seeing my blogger.I saw ur also it is also likes very delicious.

This chana-bamboo dish likes very yummy.I will try it in day.I think it will me very good for roti.Good job Asha.

whenever u get cnence visit mine also.

FH said...

Hi Shynee, thanks! I guess we are alike in many ways. Malabar region I think has tea estates, isn't it?
I am not a Kodava, but mother and husband are coffee planters kids.So lot of similarities with Coorgis. I have been to OOTY tea estates, loved it!!
Thanks again for visiting, neighbour!!

FH said...

Thanks Linda, I am so glad you liked it. I thought why not share some of the my childhood and recipes with such wonderful group of ladies !!
I consider myself fortunate when I come across somebody's mom's & grandma's recipes, keep them close to my heart!!

Welcome to my blog Deepa! Happy to know you, and thank you! I will come by your's for sure. Hope you will try the recipes :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha, you do have a great blog a foodie's delight....just love your recipes..:)

Nabeela said...

wow...you have a GREAT blog going here! I loved all your recipes..they look so tasty and indian...I'm bookmarking your site to try many of the recipes...will let you know how they turn out

FH said...

Thanks Lera,glad you liked them and hope you will try some of them too :)

Welcome to my blog Nabeela! I love traditional recipes, always looking out for them in other's blogs too ! Let me know how they came out so I can improve if needed! I am really proud of some of my grandma's recipes and very happy to share them!!Thank you for visiting...

Jayashree said...

This recipe is totally new to me, Asha.....didn't know that bamboo shoots could be used to make a dish.
Thank u for stopping by my blog.

FH said...

Thanks Jayashree, hope you will try the new flavor of bamboo shoots!!

Vaishali said...

Such a unique recipe, Asha. I love bamboo shoots pickle that my MIL gets from a Mangalore store in Bangalore (That rhymes!). Would love to try out this curry when I lay my hands on fresh bamboo next time.

FH said...

Thank GOD for you, Vaishali! You and Shilpa are the only two who knew about Bamboo shoots :) I was begginning to think I am the weird one here! :D

Bamboo pickles are new to me and a very good idea!! I will make some next time. Thanks!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the easy to follow akki roti recipe. I made it in 20 minutes after coming from work. It was a big hit in our family. It was soft and puffed up like you said. Please post more recipes from Coorg.

FH said...

Hi Vidya, good to hear that you really made the rotti and enjoyed it !! Yes ! I will post some plantation dishes.I am not Coorgi, but lot of similar dishes are prepared betn us. Thanks and come again!

Unknown said...

I loved reading about plantations, especially after my trip a few days ago. I did a lot of walking around, asking questions, saw those orange trees inbetween the coffee plantations, the pepper climbing furiously on the silver oaks, the cardamom plants....and your post just takes me back to all of it -it's indeed a beautiful life...
and yes we too make bamboo shoot pickles-called mahanikazhangu or something like that, but i used to always screw up my nose when that jar was brought out :)

FH said...

Welcome Nandita! thank you and yes! Estates are beautiful, but if you are city bred, you feel like running away after a week :)
My mom would make us spend 2 months, every summer vacation!!
Glad you got to see what I was trying to explain!! I will make bamboo pickle next time I get my hands on that canned bamboo!!

OH! if you ever travel btn Belur and Moodigere, on the left after few miles from Belur, when you see 'KOGODU', that's our estate and it goes almost upto 'Cheekana Halli', next estate! Look out for that!!

Anonymous said...

first time i checked out your site! the akki roti sure is authentic coorg!
i shall be able to post a recipe for 'pandi curry' which is a fab combination for akki roti!

talking about kogodu... had been there in winter... it is amazingly beautiful. in kodagu proper, there is only one place that i could find which prepared authentic coor food. it is not a family place but we can parcel it . it is worth it. it is called 'westside'.. something or the other, best to ask the local waiters or taxi drivers!!!

unnati.

Anonymous said...

great recipe for akki roti. have made pandi curry and that is a perfect combination.

maybe i shall be able to post a pandi curry recipe after todays meal.

FH said...

Welcome to my blog, Unnati!! Love your name!! I assume that you are from coorg or a real coorgi!! I am thrilled to know that you do know what I am talking abt!:))

I would love to visit your blog for Pandi curry!! But you don't have link to it,please let know!!

I am sure there are some little reataurant in Madikeri which has paputtu and stuff! You just have to find them, you are right!

Hope you will link so I can savor your Pandi curry!! Thanks and come back !!

Smitha said...

hey Asha,

I tried your raddish gojju with raagi mudde and it was just yummy, but the gojju i tried out came out green unlike the one in your blog, it was white in color !!! Anyways the taste was superb !!!!

Sorry for leaving the comment here for that recipe.I tried searching your recipe and did not find it it in your blog to comment there. Sorry Again.

Smitha

FH said...

I am soo glad you tried and liked it, Smitha! Radish gojju is delicious , isn't it? Color doesn't matter,green may be bcos of green chllies and cilantro! Tastes the same or even better!

It's okay to comment here! Next time notice the month of dish posted to find it and click on the Archive of that month!This dish is in Sept!Thanks again and try more!:))

Anonymous said...

Looks like another lovely meal. Of course, I don't expect any less of you!

FH said...

HAHAHA!! Thank you Kristen!:))

Hope you like Bamboo shoots!!

Anonymous said...

Hi does anyone know of a company called Sarthi which sells bamboo shoot pickle...don't know if it is out of B'lore.A friend has been searching this for 15 years.Something her late father always brought back. I want to get it for her

FH said...

Never heard of Sarthi at all Anon. I make my own Bamboo shoot pickle at home with canned shoots but it would be nice to get it at the store. Good luck with search!:))

Coorg said...

this is the good post bamboo shoots palya is is very tasty and it's rare to have, we can get once a year. it's very delicious.

Unknown said...

Hi Asha,

I am also from Coorg. Thank you very much for the recipes. I tried akki roti and chutney. It came out well...( family comments). Bamboo shoots are available once in a year, usually during rainy season. I have heard that selling of bamboo shoots is banned........

THANKS A LOT for sharing the recipes of Coorg.

Anonymous said...

Hey thanks for the menu, I had fresh kalale in hand and was wondering how to go about. Thanks for the wonderful menu it was good.
The kalale felt kind of crispy, guess thats how it should be.
I believe we can make pickles too, any idea.

Jaisimha

FH said...

Hi Jai, Kalale always has a crispy bite to it even though it's cooked well, that's the beauty of it. Yes, we can make Pickle too, just add the same ingredients to it as regular pickle you make. I have a recipe here. Kalale pickle might not last for a long time, keep in the fridge and use it within 15 days. Enjoy! :)

Here is the Kalale pickle recipe:

http://www.foodieshope.org/2006/07/some-of-you-mentioned-bamboo-shoots.html

FH said...

Thanks Coorg and Shashi, love Bamboo shoots. My grandmother's place has fresh ones which she uses often which is a 3 day process. We get Bamboo shoots in cans here in USA which doesn't have much flavor but something is better than nothing, right? :D

aastha shukla said...

The insides of the bamboo are rich in tabishir (persian) or banslochan (hindi - literally, bamboo eyes).
Traditionally in N India, expecting and lactating mothers were advised banslochan, good for bones and for absorption of calcium etc.
My mother in law had them all- along during her six pregnancies. She never had backache or osteoporosis or fibroid. She died recently at the age of 90.

FH said...

Great info Aaasta, didn't know that. I love fresh Bamboo shoots my grand mother used to cook with. Here,only get in cans which is no way near tastes like the real thing.