Bharta (Baigan Barta)

Bharta is made with grilled, mashed eggplant – badnekai. It is usually made during Sankranti. It is my brother’s favorite recipe! Ingredients: Baingan (badanekai) 250 gms, carrots 100gms, fresh green grams, green chillis, til, gural powder ,cumin seeds and salt. Process: Roast til and cumin seeds and powder it. Also roast green chillis in oil. [...]

Lima beans

Lima beans is my mom’s favourite “kaal” and again it is another high protein recipe. Here goes the recipe Ingredients: Fresh or frozen lima beans1 cup, 1 finely chopped medium sized onion, 1 tea spoon ginger garlic paste, 1/2 table spoon ground green chilli paste,1 table spoon garam masala, 1/2 cup grated fresh coconut, 1/4 cup [...]

Kadle Kalu – brown or green whole grams or harbhara usal

Kadli kaal as it is pronounced in Dharwad is basically the same as chana masala sabji from the north. We make it a little differently. Ingredients: Kadle kaalu 1 cup, 1 medium sized onion chopped into small pieces, 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped and pounded, 1 table spoon cooking oil, red chilli powder or green [...]

Hurli kattin saaru

Kattin saar is basically a curry made of the “kat” or stock obtained by cooking lentils like chana dal, black eyed peas (alsandi) or even hurli! Did you know that? So anytime you make hurli or alsandi kaalu, you can make kattin saar. Doesn’t always have to be in conjunction with chana daal preparation. Ingredients: [...]

Hurli kalu – Horse gram ( hulge or kulith)

Hurali kaal or horse gram is another high protein recipe. It is said that this is fed to race horses so they get a lot of strength! Ingredients: Hurli kalu 1 cup, 1 medium sized onion chopped into small pieces, 2-3 cloves of garlic diced and crushed, 1 table spoon cooking oil, masale khara 1 [...]

Madki (Matki) kalu

Sprouted lentils or bean sprouts are called Madaki or matki kaalu. It is also called usali or usal. The process of sprouting takes about 2-3 days. These days you find sprout makers in the grocery stores but I’ve never used that. The idea is to create an environment where germination takes place and the sprouts [...]

Alsandi Kattin Saar

Tili saaru or kattin saaru is typically made when we make holige, kadabu or any of the desserts with chana dal. However you can also make it with alsandi kattu or hurali kattu. The liquid that you drain out after cooking alsandi or hurali kaalu is used as “kat”. This is a kind of vegetable [...]

Alsandi (chavli) kalu – Black eyed peas

Alsandi kaalu or black eyed peas is another of my favourite kaalu’s and here is the recipe. Ingredients: Alsandi kalu 1 cup, 1 medium sized onion cut into small pieces, 2-3 cloves of garlic cut and pounded, 1 table spoon cooking oil, masale khara 1 table spoon, cumin powder 1 tea spoon, dhania powder 2 [...]

Pundi palle

You really have to be a hard-core north Karnatak-ian to know this palle . Or you might have heard the following: Ganapati Ganapati Moraya! Pundi palle sorya! We do get this in NJ sometimes. It is called Bimli Jute in English. The botanical name of this is Hibiscus Cannabinus. This plant is mostly found in [...]

Methy with half cooked or soaked dal – udar bele

Menthe palle with udar byali is another tasty recipe and simple too. Ingredients: 2 cups Fresh methy leaves cleaned and coarsely cut(not finely cut),2 cups half cooked or soaked turdal (soaked in water for 1 hour), finely cut and pound 5-6 peeled cloves of garlic, 1 medium sized onion finely cut (optional), 1 or 2 [...]