Aaam Panna

 I love Mangoes. Now who does not isnt  it?  I had been to my best friend's farm, and my daughter got to pluck mangoes.  They grow most of the varieties of mangoes in their farm, and they showered so much of love on us, that it was hard to take leave of them.Anyways the mangoes still needed a month to ripen. Hence she plucked only Totapuri  mangoes, which are sweet and sour. My husband loves totapuri, he is little partial to its sourness. I hate anything sour. Hence when my friend's mom, packed off fresh king size totapuri  from the tree, I was little worried that I should not be wasting it. So now the mammoth  task of using them before they spoil, made me think of recipes .Since it was given with so much  of love,  I dint want to share it with anyone also. So here is my first reciepe  "Aaam Panna"in which I used 3 gaint sized totapuris.

Totapuri Mango -3
Water- 1 1/2  liter
Black salt- 2 tsp.
Jeera powder -1/2 tsp
Pepper powder -1/4 tsp(optional)
Sugar -200 gms

Method:

• Wash the Totapuri  mangoes and boil them with around a liter and half drinking water in the pressure cooker.
• Keep the flame medium, and let it cook upto 3 whistles.
• After the cooker cools, remove the peel of the raw mangoes and throw away the seeds .
• Pour the  water in which the mangoes were cooked  in a separate vessel, do not throw it.
• Now take pulp of the mango, and puree it in the blender.
• Mix this pulp into the cooked water which was kept aside.
• Add blak salt , sugar, jeera and pepper powder to it, and stir well to mix.
• Adjust by adding more water if u want a thinner consistency.
• Adjust sugar, salt, jeera, pepper also, depending on how khatta meeta you want it to taste.
• Chill and serve.
• This stores well up to a month in the fridge, if it remains that is.

 I felt I was in Heaven  when  I was sipping  Aaam Panna, and reading  a book in my Balcony.

Ragi Hurihittu - My entry to Down the memory lane

 When I was young in summer holidays my Ajji, i.e Grand mom  would make Hurihittu. This is a typical old Mysore Delicacy.  Huri is roast, and hittu is flour hence the name hurihittuRecently I felt like eating it again, but the shop bought one, does not match anywhere to the home made one. We would mix it with jaggery and grated coconut with a pinch of ghee and make balls out of it. Mix it with water and jaggery to make a cool drink which was supposed to drive away pitta, make upma out of it. The list is endless.
I had assumed that making Hurihittu  is an elaborate process and cannot be done by mere mortal like me, A chance discussion with my husband's aunt Lalthu  Aunty, who is an encyclopedia of cooking made me realize that it can be done by me also.Thats the specialty of Lalthu  Aunty, she makes me feel that traditional dishes are not that difficult and can be made easily. I have learn t many dishes from her.
First I will explain the process of making Hurihittu. I made with just 1 kg of Ragi since this  was the  first time I was also trying this. And I got a bit more than 1kg of hurihittu.

Ingredients:
Ragi -1kg
Water -100ml
Salt-1tsp.

Procedure :

• Dissolve the salt in water.
• Take ragi in a shallow container, like kadai
• Sprinkle salt water on it.
• Let it rest for half an hour.
• Take around 150 gms of soaked ragi at a time and roast in another Kadai over medium flame.
• The ragi is done, if the wetness disappears and it becomes crisp.
• When you taste the Ragi , it becomes crisp and tasty.
• It might take around 7-8 minutes for the Ragi to become crisp.
• Roast the entire ragi soaked.
• If your Ragi is old and good, it leaves white flakes or else no problem, once you feel the Ragi is crisp , consider it done.
• Now cool the roasted ragi and make a fine powder in your Mixie. I made it little coarse since I have eaten it that way.
• The powdered Ragi will have a nice rustic aroma and is called Hurihittu.

Soaked ragi

Roasted Ragi

Ragi Hurihittu

Now to make delicacy out of this Hurihittu,

1. Ragi coconut balls
    Take a cup of Hurihittu, add 1/4 th cup fresh grated coconut,  grate a1/2 cup of Jaggery or 2 tbs spoon sugar,2 tsp ghee and sprinkle 2 tsp milk and press it to make  balls. They taste heavenly. And its very good for small kids.
My little one loved it, and ate as ragi chocolate.

2. Ragi Hurihittu Majiige,
    Take a glass of buttermilk and mix a tablespoon of hurihittu, add a pinch of salt , garnish with ginger and coriander add ice cubes and drink it. It is supposed to be very good for health  in summer.

We make upma also out of it. I will save it  for another post.

This my entry to to Gayathri's " Down the Memory Lane" event.