Masala Motchai or Averekai Masala.

Masala Motchai or Averekai Masala.

This is a preparation of Madurai area in Tamilnadu. This is not an Udupi cuisine. I learnt it from a cookery programme on TV many years back. It is eaten as a snack or with rice or chapathi or poori. Hailing from Udupi, where to almost all dishes we add jaggery, even for this I add a little jaggery to balance the spicy taste.

Ingredients:

 # 1) Motchai kottai or Avare kalu – 1 cup.  2) Chana flour or Basen or Kadale hittu – 2-3 tsps. 3) Red chilli powder – 1 tsp.  4) Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp. 5) Cooking oil (I use coconut oil) – 2+2 tsps. 6) Salt as needed. 7) Mustard – 1 tsp. 8) Sombu or Fennel seeds- 1 tsp. 9) Onions, small(sambar onion) or medium pieces – ½ cup. 10) Ginger finely cut – 1 tsp. 11) Green chillies – 3-4, finely cut. 12) Garlic 4-6 pods – finely cut. 12) Curry leaves – few.  13) Coriander leaves – few. 14) Jaggery – ½ tsp or more, optional.

Ingredients:  Avare seeds, green chillies, garlic pods. Onion (small sambar onions preferred), Ginger,

Chana Flour, Red Chilli powder, Sombu, Turmeric powder,Coriander leaves and curry leaves.

Green chillies, Ginger & Garlic pods -all finely cut, small onions and cooked Avare seeds mixed with masala.

Method of preparation:

Cleaned and dried avare seeds or motchai kotte is cooked in a pressure cooker (one whistle) or rice cooker and cool it.

Mix well Kadale mav or Basen, chilli powder, salt, turmeric and 2 tsps of oil. To this add the cooked avare seeds and mix to give a nice coating of the masala.

In a kadai heat 2 tsps oil, add mustard, sombu, onions (preferably small ones) and fry till mustard spurts. Now add finely cut ginger, green chillies and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium flame when a nice aroma comes. At this time reduce flame and add masala coated motchai and mix and cook for 3-5 minutes. Adding jaggery is an option at this time.

                                                  

After frying all other items add masala coated Motchai to the Kadai to mix and cook for 3-5 minutes more.

Finally transfer to serving dish and garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves.

                                    

Final stage after garnishing with curry leaves and coriander leaves.

                              

Can be eaten as it is as a snack or with rice or chapathi.

Preparation time : About 20-25 minutes.

Serves 3 to 4 persons.

Special note: can make similar masala using Potato cubes instead of Avare kalu.

Green Grams Sprouts Gashi.

Green Grams Sprouts Gashi.

This is a special dish of Udupi called “Gashi”. It is a sweet and sour dish without toor dhal. We can make gashi using green gram (as it is or sprouted) or any of the seeds like kadale (brown variety), peas (fresh, dried green or yellow ones), soya beans, lobia (alasande beeja) etc. All seeds used need to be soaked in water over night.

Ingredients:

 1) Sprouted green grams – ½ to 3/4 cup. 2) Tamarind – ½ lime size  3) Jaggery – 1/2 tsp.  4) For Masala – Jeera seeds – 1 tsp  5) Red chillies (Byadgi) 3-4.  6) Coconut gratings 3 tablespoons. 7) Turmeric powder ½ tsp 8) salt – as needed.  9) Green chilli – one, optional. 10) For tadka – mustard – ¾ tsp, red chilli -1, curry leaves few, cooking oil – 2 tsps, asafoetida -1/2 tsp     

Ingredients: Green Gram Sprouts, red chillies, curry leaves, coconut, green chilli, jaggery,
tamarind,turmeric powder, jeera seeds, salt. And Tadka items seperately.

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Method:

In ½ tsp of cooking oil (coconut oil) mildly roast red chillies and finally add jeera seeds and coconut gratings and put off flame. Cool it and grind with some water to fine paste and keep it aside.    

Dissolve tamarind in water and dilute it to one cup and boil it in a kadai till raw smell goes. Add jaggery and stir to dissolve and add turmeric powder also. Add sprouted green grams and cook on low flame for 2-3 minutes. Add salt as needed. Now add the masala paste and again bring ti boil on a low flame.  Test taste it and if needed add more jaggery or salt as needed. Finally add one green chilli, obliquely cut into 2 or 3 pieces (to be squeezed and used later while eating, if anyone desires the dish to be more  spicy). Transfer it to a serving dish and garnish with mustard, red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida powder.

Boiling Tamarind water. 

Add Jaggery & Sprouts and cook.

   

Add ground masala & salt and then green chilli.

After Tadka, ready to serve..

Eat with hot white rice with some ghee, if preferred or with curd rice or with Idli, Dosa or chapathi.

Cooking time – 15 to 20 minutes.  Serves 2-3 persons.