PARANGI KAI ( RAW PAPAYA) CHUTNEY

My daughters  liked this sweet-hot chatni I used to make out of  parangi kai or thothapuri mavinkai (thothapuri raw mango).  I had learnt this when I attended the course on fruit preservation conducted by The Ministry of agriculture in Bhopal 35 years ago.

But nowadays  raw papayas have become a rarity since nobody grows the trees in their garden (and garden  itself has become a rarity),  and they are rarely available in shops.  Even papaya vendor has failed to get one for me. But last week I was lucky to get one unexpectedly from a cousin who offered one to me  which she had grown in her  garden.  I was quick  enough to grab it and was equally quick to make this chutney. You can try this if you a can get a papaya or make this with raw mangoes during the season.

This is how a fully raw papaya looks when cut. You have to choose one like this. So shall I go ahead with the ingredients and procedure?

Ingredients:

Raw papaya                   1 kg
Sugar                             1 kg
Onion                            50 gms ( 1 medium sized)
Garlic                            5 gms (4-5 pods)
Ginger                           20 gms.
Salt                                20gms.(2 1/2 teaspoons)
Red chili powder          10 gms. (2-3  teaspoons)
Jeera powder                 1 teaspoon
Garam masala               5 gms or 1 teaspoon (made of cloves, cinnamon and cardomom)
Pepper powder              3/4 teaspoon
Citric acid                     1 teaspoon
Dry fruits                      50 gms (optional)
Glacial acetic acid        2 teaspoons
        OR
Vinegar                         1/2 cup
Water                            1 cup

Procedure:

Wash and peel papaya.  Grate it. Add grated onion, ginger or garlic.  Add water and cook till it becomes a bit soft. Or you can even microwave it for about  5 minutes. When soft, add citric acid, sugar, salt, red chili powder and dry fruits.  Cook till it thickens. Then add all the other spices and mix well. Remove from fire and add acetic acid.

Now a days I dont get acetic acid, so I use white vinegar which is dilute acetic acid.  So, if you add vinegar, there is still water content in this and so you have to boil till the end point.

To know the end point:

1.Best thing is to use a chemical thermometer. When the content reaches a temperature of 222 Degrees Fahrenheit or 105 degrees celcius,  you can remove it from fire.   OR

2. You can do what is called a plate test. Here add the contents on a plate and tilt it a bit. If the drops of liquid or syrup do not flow fast, it means that it is done.            OR

3. If the syrup has reached one string consistency, it means it is ready to be poured into bottles. 

How to fill in bottles:  After reaching the end point, note that the chutney still has liquid content in it.

Place wide mouthed bottles (eg.jam bottles) in a plate filled with water. Keep a long spoon in the bottle. Pour the hot chutney into the bottle immediately after removing fire. It is important that that the bottle is under water and has a spoon in it, since they absorb heat or else the bottles may break due to sudden exposure to heat. Fill to the brim. Place the lid over the bottles till the contents cool. Then close them tightly.

This chutney goes well with phulkas, chapatis, different types of dosaes, and even bread.  The chutney stays for a few months, even without refrigerating. From one kg of papaya, you can make about three bottles (usual jam bottles) of chutney.

SPICY AKKI - KAI DOSAE (RICE-COCONUT)

This is a recipe I learnt from a friend.  This is a very simple and very tasty snack. You can say it has all-in-one taste,  in the sense that it has all the required  tastes... sweet, sour, salt and spicy.  And hence, can be had without any accompaniments. This is also an instant dosae except that the rice and avalakki is to be soaked for about two hours.

You need to take:

Rice (ordinary)                                         1 cup
Avalakki/poha/beaten rice                       1/2 cup
Grated coconut                                        1/2 cup
Water                                                       2-3 cups
Cumin                                                      1 teaspoon
Dhania seeds                                          1-2 teaspoons
Tamarind paste                                        1 teaspoon (thick)
Jaggery powder                                       2 teaspoons
Salt                                                          1 teaspoon
Red chillies                                              2-3 (if byaDagi) and 1-2 (if Guntur)
Raw green menthya or
 palak or dhania                                       1 cup chopped (optional)

Procedure:

Soak rice and avalakki for about 2 hours. Drain water and grind together to a smooth paste all the ingredients except the greens. While grinding add water as per requirement.  Add chopped greens. The batter for this dosae is a bit thinner than the usual dosae batter.

Heat tava. Grease it and pour half cup of the batter and spread it to a round shape. Put half a teaspoon of oil round the dosae. When done, reverse and add half tea spoon more of oil. Remove when done and serve hot and eat hot :)

These dosaes are quite thin and you can make about 8 dosaes from this quauntity of batter.

HAYAGREEVA

This is a protein rich, easy to make, delicious sweet dish of Karnataka.  Needs no pre-planning since the ingredients are mostly readily available in our kitchens. Usually made during festivals, but it is quite rare. Never to be found in restaurants! 

There is an interesting mythological story behind this dish. The name Hayagriva comes after the God Hayagriva, a horse headed avatar of God Vishnu.  Haya-greeva, (horse-neck) also known as Haya-vadana (horse-face) is worshiped as a God of knowledge and wisdom.  The story goes that the Saint-composer Sri Vadirajaru used to offer this sweet daily to Vishnu by keeping it on his head and Vishnu used to come in the form of a beautiful white horse and consumed the offering !

This is how you can make it:

Ingredients:

Bengal gram dal                   1 cup
Water                                    2-3cups
Jaggery                                 3/4 to 1 cup (Powdered)
Ghee                                     1-2 teaspoons
Cashew nut pieces               1 table spoon
Raisins                                  1 table spoon
Almond pieces                      1 table spoon
Dry coconut pieces               1 table spoon (optional)
Poppy seeds                         1 teaspoon
Cardamom                             4-5 (powdered)

Procedure:

Take dal and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker/pressure pan and cook till dal is very soft. It will be good if the dal retains its shape and so take care that the dal is not overcooked. Now add jaggery, and a little more water and bring the mixture to boil.  Boil for about 4-5 minutes and turn off the stove when the mixture is still liquidy. Because on cooling it becomes thick. Now add add ghee  and cardamom and mix well. 

Fry cashew, almond and coconut  pieces and raisins in ghee. Dry roast poppy seeds.  Garnish the dish with these.

 Tastes better after 4-5 hours. You can warm and serve. This quantity

 serves about 4.  Can be served along with the main menu or had just as a sweet dish anytime.