Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Kharada kadalaekai - A spicy peanut munch

"Vadhyar kadai" was our favourite haunt which satiated our incessant craving for 'crunchy munchies' during our childhood days. Vadhyar was a kindly man with a spurt of friendly laughter which was ever ready to burst out of his mouth.The thought of 'bennae biscuit' and 'kharada kadalaekai' from his shop makes my mouth water even after so many years.
Kharada kadalaekai is one of the most popular Mysore ' munchies' usually sold in 'petti angadies' and Iyengar bakeries. Relishing the spicy pea nuts one by one from the paper cone while walking around the Dasara exhibition is a cherished memory now.


Peanuts (unroasted) - 250 gms

Chilly powder - 2 tbsps
Salt - 3/4 tbsp
Rice flour or Bengal gram flour - 2 tbsps
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Garlic (peeled) - 2 cloves( optional)
Oil - for frying

1. Grind chilly powder,salt, asafoetida, flour and garlic into a very thick paste adding just enough water.

2. Coat the pea nuts with the paste as evenly as possible and spread thinly on a plate.
3. Allow the paste to dry for fifteen to twenty minutes.
4. Heat oil in a kadai.
5. Sprinkle a handful of peanuts in the hot oil one by one, so that they do not clump together.
6. Gently fry till the nuts crackle.
7. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

8. The 'kharada kadalaekai' will become crisp after cooling down,ready to be stored in an air tight container.

Crunch and munch the kharada kadalaekai while reading a book or watching T.V. or while day - dreaming!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Kharada Avalakki - Spicy, crunchy beaten rice

A wooden cupboard with wire mesh doors stood in the corner of our kitchen with its four legs planted firmly in four stone bowls containing water. We took turns and watered the bowls as and when they dried up due to the heat of summer. We were determined to keep away the formidable ants from entering our dear cupboard which served us as our wishing table! The cupboard was a store house of delicious goodies which we enjoyed any time, in between meals or even during our meals.With the dreadful exams over, we had a gala time playing the whole day and hovering around the cupboard now and then for a small treat. With four voracious children around, mother had a tough time replenishing the cupboard.
Father often visited Bangalore on business, and he always carried back the best eats on his return. Plum cakes from the Nilgiris, baskets of fresh grapes from the farms on the high way, crunchy cucumbers from Ramanagaram, luscious water melons grown on the river bed near Chennapatna, flavoursome Maddur vadais - the list was endless.We adored the Kharada Avalakki which he bought from the famous Gundappa hotel at Bangalore. It was spicy, crunchy and an addictive savoury. The roasted whole cashew nuts and the flavour of ghee added to its rich aroma.
Even after marriage brought me to live in Bangalore, father always remembered to drop a packet of Kharada avalakki for me during his visits to the city.

Thick beaten rice ( Avalakki) - 250 gms
Cashew nuts (whole) - 100 gms
Copra ( Naturally dried coconut) slivered - 1/4 piece
Roasted gram - 50 gms
Curry leaves - a few
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Broken red chillies - 2
Oil for frying

1. Heat oil in a kadai

2. In another wide vessel mix salt, chilly powder, turmeric powder and asafoetida and keep aside.
3. Dip a colander with a handle in hot oil and add a scoop of beaten rice into it. The beaten rice will immediately puff up.
4. Immediately lift up the colander from hot oil and allow the oil to drain into the kadai.
5. Add the fried beaten rice into the vessel containing the spice mixture.
6. Fry all the beaten rice, scoop by scoop and add it to the spice vessel.
7. Finally fry the cashew nuts, copra slivers, curry leaves and broken red chillies one by one and add to the fried beaten rice, and switch off flame.
8. Blend all ingredients by shaking the vessel so that the salt and spice coat the avalakki evenly.
9. Finally mix in the fried gram and cool the avalakki.

Store the spicy crunchy kharada avalakki in an air tight container and relish it with tea or coffee .

( If the flavour of fried copra is not desired, raw slivers of copra can be used. Fried peanuts can be substituted or added along with cashew nuts)

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Bondas Galore - 2

We celebrate ' Bonda Time' on fun filled and relaxed Sundays or on other holidays. Piping hot bondas served straight from the kadai are a connoisseur's delight. It is really amusing to watch my grand children and their grand father playfully competing to pick up the hot bondas served in batches.
Here are a few more varieties of Bondas which my family relishes.

Rava - 250 gms or 1 glass
Sour Curds - 1 1/2 glasses
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Chopped green chillies - 1 tbsp
Chopped onions - 4 tbsps
Chopped fresh ginger - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Oil for frying
1. Dry roast semolina till it emanates a pleasant aroma.
2. Add all the chopped ingredients, salt, cumin seeds and curry leaves when the semolina is still a little warm.
3. Add sour curds little by little to make a thick bonda batter.It should be slightly thicker than the idly batter.
4. Rest it for about ten minutes and add more curds if necessary to adjust consistancy.
5. Add 2 tbsps of hot oil to the batter and blend well.
6. Heat the oil in a kadai .
7. Test the temperature by dropping a pinch of batter to it. If the batter rises up immediately the oil is ready for frying.
8. Drop 6 to 8 small dollops of the batter in the hot oil, reduce flame and fry the batch of rava bondas to a golden brown colour.
9. Increase flame before starting the next batch.
Relish the spicy crispy rava bondas with mint chutney
Fresh sandwich bread - 6 slices
Potatoes - 2 big
Onion - 1
Capsicum - 1 big
Tomatoes - 1 big
Peas - 1 cup
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Dania powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves (chopped) - 1 tbsp
Juice of 1 lime
Salt - 11/2 tsp
Cooking oil - 2 tbsps
Oil for frying

1. Cut the crusty edges of the bread and keep the slices aside. Chop the crust to tiny bits and keep aside.
2. Peel the skin of the potatoes and chop them to tiny cubess.
3. Chop onion, capsicum and tomato and keep them separately.
4. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add cumin seeds.
5. Add chopped onion and fry till it is glassy and pink in colour.
6. Add chopped potatoes and stir well.
7. Blend in the chilly powder, dania powder and salt.
8. Cover and cook in slow fire till the potatoes are soft.
9. Stir in the chopped capsicum and peas,Cover and cook till done.
10. Add the chopped tomatoes and the chopped bread crust and cook till the bread absorbs all liquid.
11. Blend in the lime juice and coriander leaves and allow this filling to cool.
12. Dip one prepared bread slice in water and press it in between your palms to remove water.
13. Place a ball of filling in the centre of the wet bread and fold all the edges over the filling to make perfect balls. You can use a piece of wet bread to patch up any exposed area. Prepare the rest of the bondas similarly, using the rest of the bread slices.
14. Fry the vegetable bread bondas in hot oil until golden red in colour and drain them on paper towels.
Enjoy the heavenly taste of vegetable bread bonda with tomato ketchup or mint chutney.

Fresh coconut gratings - 1 glass
Grated or powdered jaggery - 3/4 glass
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

Split black gram dal - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 a pinch
Oil for frying
1. Disslve jaggery in 1/2 a glass of hot water and strain.
2. Boil the jaggery water and fresh coconut gratings in low fire in a heavy bottomed vessel.
3. Cook stirring occassionally until all the water is evaporated.
4. Blend in the cardamom powder and allow the "poornam" to cool down well.
5. Soak the black gram dal for half an hour and grind it to a thick smooth paste, blending in the rice flour and salt in the last round. The batter should be thick enough to coat the filling well.
6. Heat ol in a kadai.
7. Take a lemon size ball of poornam, dip into the batter and coat well before dropping it into hot oil.
8. Cook Suhiams in batches of five or six , making sure that they do not stick to each other.
9. Since the poornam tends to leave a black residue in the oil, switch off fire and filter the oil after two or three batches are done.
Suhiams taste good even if they become cold. Pop one into your mouth and savour the taste as it melts in your mouth.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Bondas Galore - 1

Bonda is a versatile dish which can easily fit into any meal plan.It is a star among the many side dishes served with lunch or dinner on festive occasions . It is served as an evening snack (tiffin) with coffee in weddings. It is a non messy dish which comes in handy to welcome guests. It is a much sought after starter in parties. Children love this snack when served at their birthday parties.
Each region comes out with a specific recipe for preparing delicious Bondas. Here are a few of the most common ones which I prepare at home


Split black gram dal - 1 cup
Chopped green chillies- 1 tsp
Finely chopped fresh ginger - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Coarsely crushed black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Chopped ( not grated) fresh coconut - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying
1. Soak dal for half an hour and grind to a thick and smooth paste.
2. Mix in the salt, and blend all other ingredients together.
3. Heat a liberal quantity of oil in a kadai. If the oil is less the bondas will stick together or they will "sit" at the bottom of the kadai and get burnt.
4. Scoop out a ball of batter and gently drop into the hot oil.
5. Dip your hands in a bowl of water every time, before scooping out the bonda batter so that it easily slides into the oil.
6. Slide in six scoops of batter and reduce flame and spray hot oil over the bondas using the perforated ladle.
7. Flip the bondas when the bottom of the bondas start changing colour.
8.Cook till the bondas become evenly golden brown in colour on all sides.
9. Remove the bondas and drain on a paper towel.
Relish the piping hot Mysore Bondas with coconut chutney.
Maida ( Plain flour) - 1 cup
Sour curds - 1 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Chopped onoin- 2 tbsps
Minced green chillies - 1/4 tsp
Minced fresh ginger - 1/4 tsp
Minced coconut (Optional) - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - a few

1. Blend all the ingredients into a smooth batter.
2. Add more curds if required to get a thick idly batter consistency.
3. Heat oil and drop the batter in small scoops.
4. Fry the bondas till they are golden brown in colour, adjusting the intensity of the flame.
Relish Mangalooru Bondas with flavoursom coconut and fried gram chutney.

This bonda is cooked with a potato filling and is also known as Alu Bonda.
Potatoes -4 big ones
Mustard seeds - 1 pinch
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Dania powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Grated fresh ginger - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Coriander leaves - a few
Cashew nuts - a few
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Juice of one lime.
Oil - 2 tbsps
1. Cook potatoes in a pressure cooker.
2. Remove the skin and crumble the potatoes when cooled.
3. Mix salt into the lime juice in a cup and keep aside.
4. Heap chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder on top of the crumbled potatoes at one point.
5. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
6. When the mustard splutters add cashew nuts and roast them to a golden colour.
7. Add cumin seeds, grated ginger and then the curry leaves followed by asafoetida.
8. Pour the hot oil and seasoning over the heap of spice powders on the potato.
9. Add salt and lime juice mixture, chopped coriander leaves and blend well.
10. Make lemon size balls out of the potato filling and keep aside.
Besan ( Bengal gram dal flour) - 2 cups
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Curds - 1 tbsp
oil - for frying
1. Blend all the ingredients together except oil, adding the required amount of water to make a thick batter.
2. Heat 2 table spoons of oil separately and pour into the batter and blend well.
3. Allow the batter to stand for 20 minutes.
4. Heat the oil in a kadai for frying the bondas.
5.Coat a potato ball completely with the batter by dipping it into the prepared batter, and drop it gently into the hot oil.
6. Drop in 6 to 8 batter coated potato balls into the hot oil and reduce flame.
7. Splash hot oil on top of the bondas using the perforated ladle.
8. Gently cook the bondas turning them over now and then until they become golden brown in colour.
9. Remove when done and drain on a paper towel.
Relish the sizzling hot Bombay Bondas with mint chutney or any other chutney or sauce of your choice.