UGADI SPECIAL !!!!

Today is Ugadi Habba :) This is the first day of the Hindu calendar month Chaithra and always bin my favourite new year celebration coz am not too fond of the Jan new year. We eat beevu bella (jaggery and tender neem leaves/flowers) on this day and hope the coming year has both moments of joy and sorrow. Jaggery (sweetness) and Neem (sorrow and hardship), both representing conflicting aspects of life...our version of yin yang :))))

However, i ate more jaggery and less neem ;-))) and again lotsa jaggery in the end hoping the year end to be sweeter :)) Really missing akka today coz we have always celebrated all festivals together till date since kids. So after few calls to close friends and relatives I set to work with mom to prepare the day's delicacies. Please find them below. I was hopingto write the blog earlier in the day coz i know a few of you wud be interested to prepare it today. Sorry guys ...maybe u can make this for the nxt festival ok?Also, we had ugadi celebrations in office yesterday with everybody in ethnic (pic below) and a hearty lunch.

Dear Friends....Ugadi Habbada Hardhika Subhashayagalu!
Never let go of your dreams...coz Someday, Somewhere, Sometime you will find them for sure! Hopefully it will be this year :)))





HOLLIGE/OBBATTU

Ingrediants:
To make Dough:
Chiroti Rava (semolina flour) - 1 cup
Maida - 1 cup
Milk - 1/4 cup
Water as required
Ghee / Vegetable oil (Use ghee if ur not worried about calories ;-)
Method:1. Make a soft oily dough from the above. It should be softer than what you make for chapati.Keep this aside for 4 hours. If the dough does not set for 3-4 hrs you can never make holliges, trust me.

To make Filling:
Kadle Kaalu/Channa Dal - 1 cup
Togari Bele/Sambhar Dal - 2 cups (double of channa dal)
Jaggery (powdered) - 2 cups (same measure as togari bele)
Elakki/Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Method:1. Wash and Soak both dals for 2-3 hours. Cook the dals in boiling water until it becomes soft and dry.
2. Mix jaggery and cardamom to this and grind into a fine paste. Keep in mind tat you dont make the paste very watery coz then u wont be able to use it as a filling.Keep it a bit dry but at the same time you should be able to roll it into balls. This is called Oorna in kannada. Roll out the oorna into balls.

To make Holige:
1. Roll out the dough and fill it with one oorna ball.
2. Close the sides (this is a bit tricky) and press it like a chapati using your palms.
3. Serve Hot with ghee & kobari haalu



KOBARI HAALU

Ingrediants:
Fresh Coconut - 1/2 a chippu
Cardamom - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - as sweet as you want :)))
Water
Method:
1. Grind the coconut into a fine paste and add the rest to it. Pour this over your hot obbatu along with ghee and hog :)))

MASALA VADA

Ingrediants:
Channa Dal - 1 cup
Garlic - 1 whole
Ginger - 1/2 a root
Green Chillies - 6-7 (depending on how hot you need your vadas)
Jeerage/Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Onions - 2 (finely chopped)
Finely chopped Coriander/Cilantro leaves, Pudina/Mint and Sabakki (optional) soppu.
Salt to taste
A pinch of baking soda
Rice flour - 2-3 tsps
Oil for deep fry

Method:
1. Wash and soak dal for 3 hours.
2. Grind the soaked dal, garlic, ginger, chillies and jeerage coarsely. Mind tat u dont make into a fine paste. If u do then gone ASTE...no vadas for Ugadi for you :P
3. To this paste add onions, greens, salt, soda and rice flour. Note that the rice flour is only to get some crispyness to your vada.
4. Make equal portions of this mixture, flatten with ur palms and deep fry until brown.
5. Serve hot.

Tip: If there are leftover vadas which dont taste too good wen cold, then dont worry. Soak them with some yogourt/curds and eat them as dahi vadas..aste :))Infact i prefer the dahi ones than the crispy ones. These are yummier :P