Balehannu Rasayana | Baalehannina Rasayana - Vegan Banana Salad

 Balehannu Rasayana is a delicacy from Karnataka and prepared for most festivals . 

Baalehannu is banana and rasayana means essence.  Very simple to make as there is no cooking involved and also not much of chopping and pre preparations. Rasayana is also known as Seehikarne or Seekarne .

If you haven't tried this delicious and flavorful vegan banana Salad, I suggest you must try this for sure and you will keep asking for more .

Rasayana is made for satyanarayana pooja , ganesh chaturthi or even during navaratri for prasadam.  A similar version called Kelyache shikran is made in Maharashtra using milk and bananas . Poonam's blog has the perfect recipe for Shikran . Click here for the recipe.

Balehannu Rasayana tastes very well with dosa , chapathi and neer dosa . Rasayana is made in 3 variants depending on how the family likes .

One variant makes use of coconut milk ,jaggery ,bananas and cardamom  powder and this is slightly liquid  in nature while the dry version used jaggery powder ,grated coconut and some cardamom powder mixed with chopped bananas. I have always liked the dry variant as I have very vivid childhood memories associated with this delicious recipe my Amma and periamma would make for me. I ate this for the very first time when my perima made it using Elaichi or Elakki bananas.  The natural cardamom flavor present in the bananas adds a lot of flavor to the Rasayana. 

The color of the rasayana depends on the color of jaggery being used . You can also sugar if you want but I prefer using jaggery as it is healthy and also adds a rustic flavor to the Rasayana. 

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - nil
Complexity - easy 
Serves - 3 to 4

Ingredients 

3 to 4 elaichi bananas or 2 regular bananas 
2 tbsp grated coconut
3 to 4 tsp jaggery powder 
Pinch of cardamom powder 

Prepare the rasayana just before serving as the bananas will turn back and lose the taste.  Also use firm and medium ripe bananas. Over ripe bananas are to be avoided

Method

• Remove the banana skin and chop into medium round slices 
• Toss the chopped banana slices with jaggery, cardamom powder and coconut and serve immediately.  DONOT REFRIGERATE.

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Bevvu Bella (Neem flowers Jaggery mix) & Ugadi special recipes

Bevvu (neem flowers ) bella (jaggery) is a traditional recipe prepared on the day of Ugadi and it is a must. The first thing that is served on Ugadi is this bevu Bella by the eldest member of the family.  Bevvu Bella , Panaka and Kosambri are prepared and offered to God which is then served as prasadam .

Yug means an Era and Aaadhi means Start ,so Yugadhi / Ugadi means a dawn of new era !

This bevvu Bella is a symbolic representation of our life where in we have accept both happiness and sorrow in our stride and take our live in a positive note . Jaggery is a representation of happy tidings while neem leaves denote some of bitter times we face in our life .

As I said ,Ugadi is the New Year's day as per the Indian Lunar Almanac and like any other occasion, the new year is celebrated in all glory . The house is cleaned ,the Pooja rooms are well decorated with Flowers, neem leaves and mango leaves which are all symbols of prosperity and happiness.  Beautiful rangolis are drawn in front of the portico.

Ugadi falls in the peak of summer ,hence neem leaves are used in abundance because of the so many medicinal properties it possess. The neem leaves are hung outside the main door as well as the Pooja room and it acts a natural disinfectant  and pest control to keep the tiny insects away .

What is  a festival without food ?? Like any other happy occasion there is lot of traditional food prepared on the special day of Ugadi and the meal is enjoyed by all the family members 

A typical Ugadi menu will have the following items . (Click the links below for recipe) .

Obbatu / poli/Holige is also made as part of the menu . This recipe will be up shortly on the blog.

Rice

Thovve/ Plain Dal

Southekaai Kosamri (cucumber salad)

Maavinkaai Uppinkaai (Mango pickle)

Majjige Huli (yogurt based curry) 

or

Mix Veg Sambar 

Beans Palya (Beans curry )

Or

Aloo Gadde Palya (Potato Curry)

Aam Vade (Dal Vada / Lentil Fritters )

Gass Gasse Payasa (Poppy seeds kheer)

Maavinkaai Chitranna (Mango Rice) 

Puliyogre (Tamarind Rice)

Tomato Rasam 

Curd /Yogurt

Preparation Time - 5 mins
Cooking Time - nil
Complexity - simple

Ingredients

3 to 4 tbsp powdered jaggery 

Few fresh neem flowers / dried flowers 

Method 

• Slightly crush the neem flowers with your fingers and mix it with the powdered jaggery . If you want you can add a tsp of honey and mix it .
• Offer it to the God along with panaka and kosambri and then distribute it among the family members. 

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Javvarsi Semiya Payasam | Sago Vermicelli Pudding | साबुदाना खीर

Any celebration is incomplete without a sweet treat.. what best way to celebrate the good news of my blog being selected under the top 200 Indian Food blogs by Feedspot . I thank Mr Anuj Agarwal and his team for this wonderful appreciation and listing of my blog in this space.
I know , I am little late in making this post as I was on a short break and could not immediately share this news with all of you .

Without further ado,let me get to the recipe of this yummy sweet which is indeed a treat to the taste buds . Jawwarsi Semiya Paysam is a favorite of Vj as well as my dad, so it's made quite frequently at home and we all enjoy it warm .

Most people get scared to make Kheer / payasam using Sago because it tends to get gooey and soggy or at times just melts in the kheer.

Handling sago needs a little bit of care and once we get it right,then there is no more fear of handling sago /sabudana /jawwarsi.

 I have given some fail proof and fool proof tips which will help in getting the perfect Sago kheer.You may skip the use or vermicelli and make the kheer/payasam entirely with sabudana or jawwarsi as well.

Preparation time : 30 mins
Cooking time : 15 mins
Complexity : medium
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients

1/2 litre milk - boiled
3 teaspoons sago / sabudana / jawwarsi
1 tablespoon of vermicelly / semia / sevvayyan (optional)
few strands of saffron
few cashewnuts
1 tablespoon ghee /clarified butter
3/4th - 1 cup sugar - or a little more as needed.
1 tsp cardamom powder

Method

• Wash and soak the sago pearls for about 30 mins in water and drain . The sago pearls would have soaked the water and bloated up well.
• In a pan, heat some 1/2 tablespoon ghee , roast the vermicelli and sago until the vermicelli turns crisp and golden brown and the sago pearls are coated well with ghee. If you are not using vermicelli, then roast only the sago pearls in ghee.
• Now slowly add in the boiled milk and keep stirring and cook on low flame until the milk thickens . The sago turns glossy and gives a glass like appearance which is the indication that the sago is cooked well.
• Add the sugar, saffron strands and further cook for a while till the sugar dissolves well and the milk gets a lovely color due to the presence of saffron.
• Lastly,add the cardamom powder ,cashews roasted in ghee and turn off the stove.
• Serve it warm or chilled as per your liking and enjoy the yummy dessert.

Tips:

1. Soaking the sago in water and then roasting ensures that the sago pearls get cooked well and do not disintegrate in the kheer
2. On adding milk and cooking the sago and vermicelli,they turn glossy and beautiful ,indicating that the sago are perfectly cooked.

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Gajar Kheer | Carrot Payasam | Carrot Pudding

Kheer / Payasam needs no special introduction .Almost every Indian meal, be it South Indian or North Indian has a kheer or payasam in the menu . The list is endless when we consider the varities of Kheer or Payasams that are dished out in our country . We are experts in making kheer/pudding with all possible ingredients that blend with regular milk or coconut milk and sugar or jaggery.

Carrot payasam,is a very healthy variant of payasam/kheer/pudding made using fresh carrots. This payasam uses very little sugar as the carrots are naturally sweet and just a teaspoon of ghee for garnish which is also optional .

I generally make this gajar kheer when the spread is very heavy and this balances the dessert segment without much added sweetener or ghee.
This paysam can be made for any get togethers,,festivals or even as Prasad during Navratri,Gokulashtami etc

You can either use the orange ooty carrots or the Delhi Laal Gajar for making this payasam . Just before you cook the  carrots ensure that the carrots are washed well and peeled thoroughly. 

Classic Recipes using Carrot on my blog 

Carrot Pumpkin Soup
Carrot Rice 
Carrot Sambol (Srilankan recipe)
Carrot Kosambri 
Carrot Halwa

Preparation Time : 5-10 mins
Cooking Time : 20-25 mins
Serves : 3-4
Complexity : Simple

Ingredients
3-4 medium sized carrots - peeled and cut into halves
4-5 cashews/kaju/mindhiri paruppu (optional)
2 cups of milk ( 350-400 ml approx)
2-3 tablespoon sugar (adjust depending upon sweetness of carrot)
pistachios finely chopped
1 tsp elaichi powder
2-3 tsp fresh grated coconut.
1 tsp ghee

Method

Pressure cook the carrots and cashews in 1/2 cup milk  and cool for a while.

In a blender ,add the cooked carrots with milk,sugar,grated coconut and blend finely until its smooth and creamy.

You may add a little milk incase you find it difficult to blend.

Transfer the carrot mixture into a big vessel,add the remaining milk and mix well and simmer it on low flame until the mild raw flavor of the carrots are lost totally and you get a nice aroma.

Add the cardamom powder at this stage ,mix well and turn off.

Roast the pistachios in ghee and add it to  the payasam. 

You may serve this warm or chilled. I personally like it chilled as its very flavourful.

Note : You may substitute jaggery for sugar . Adjust the quantity of jaggery depending on  jaggery 's sweetness. 

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This post was originally published in March 2017 with some really amateur clicks when I did not know much about food styling and photography.  Today (1/10/2022) as part of the Foodies_Redoingoldposts  group activity, I got the opportunity to click some decent photos of the recipe and also update the write up . Hope you all enjoy reading and viewing the modified content. 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#74

Maanga Pachadi | Maavinkaai Pachidi ( Raw mango dip)- Tamil New Year Delicacy

Maanga Pachadi/Maavinkaai pachadi ( Raw Mango dip) is a traditional recipe prepared for Tamil New Year which falls in the Month of April.

Dried Neem flowers (vepam poo) is fried in ghee and added to the pachadi when making it for New year. On other occasions it can be optional.

This pachadi has a burst of flavours like sourness from the mango,sweetness from the jaggery, spice from red chillies, bitterness from the neem flowers/curry leaves and savoury from the salt which are a symbolic representation of our human life which is also a mixed bag of ups and downs.

A similar kind of concoction called UGADI Pachadi is made in Andhra and Karnataka having the same significance,

April - May is the peak season for both raw as well as ripe mangoes also this is the time when summer is also at its peak showering its wrath on us .

As always, our food culture is based on the seasonal produce to suit the weather conditions. 

Raw Mangoes are a power house of nutrients and has a lot of health benefits.  Vit A and vit E are in abundance along with vit C . Consuming mangoes in summer takes care of digestive system ,bloating,  diarrhea and maintains the metabolic activity of the body .

Raw mango when consumed with jaggery helps in preventing of heat stroke and nose bleed which is very common in summer . 

Various recipes which make use of Raw Mango 

Aam Panna ( a refreshing summer drink ) 

Maavinkaai Chitranna (Mango Rice )

Maangai Thokku ( Mango spicy preserve ) 

Maangai Thuvayal ( Mango chutney) 

Maangai Pisaral ( Instant mango pickle) 

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Serves : 2-3
Complexity : medium

Ingredients
1 medium sized raw mango
3/4 cup grated jaggery ( 1cup is approx 200gms)
2-3 dry red chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp oil
pinch of haldi
pinch of asafoetida
salt as per taste

Method
Peel the mango and chop into small cubes. Dissolve the jaggery in some hot water and filter it for any impurities.
In a kadai,heat the oil,temper the mustard seeds,dry red chillies,asafoetida and add the mango pieces and saute it till oil coats over the mango.

Add a pinch of salt,haldi and about 1/2 cup water and let the mangoes cook until soft. Mash the mango pieces using the back of a ladle to get a nice gooey mass.

Now,add the jaggery water and let the mixture come to a rolling boil. Keep stirring the mixture at regular intervals .The mixture will begin to thicken slowly . The color of the pachadi depends on the color of the jaggery.  I normally use organic jaggery and it gives me a deep brown color . 

After about 5-10 mins, the mixture turns saucy. Turn off the stove at this stage and let it cool down. The neem flowers if being used can be roasted in a spoon of ghee and added at this stage.

Store in a dry container and use a dry spoon. If refrigerated you can use for 4-5 days.

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Carrot Kosambri / Carrot Koshimbhir - Vegan Salad

Kosambri (Kannada) ,Koshimbir(Marathi),Kosumalli (Tamil) is an Indian Salad made out of  fresh carrots or cucumber .Some times a handful of soaked Moong Dhall/ Yellow Lentils is added for extra flavor and taste. 

I generally donot like to add moong dhall to my kosambri . I prefer to taste the carrots and relish the mild dressing of fresh coconut scraping and the seasoning of mustard , lentils and green chillies along with asafoetida .

Its a common practice in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to have this as a part of menu for special occasions like weddings,festivals,poojas at temples or a special function at home. Ugadi /Gudi Padwa meal is incomplete without a kosambri .

If carrots are not in season then Vellarikaai Kosmalli / Southekaai Kosambri is served.

Carrot Sambol is the Srilankan version of Carrot Kosambri with some mild variation.

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Cooking Time : Nil
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients

250 gms carrot - grated
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
Kothmir/ Hara Dhaniya /Cilantro / Corriander leaves 
few nos. Curry leaves / kadipatha/karivepilai
Salt
pinch of sugar
Tempering
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Udad dhall
1 tsp Channa Dhall
2-3 dry red chillies
pinch of asafoetida

Method

• Squeeze out the water from the grated carrot and put it in a huge serving bowl.
• Prepare the seasoning using mustard seeds,udad dhall,chana dhall.Once all of these splutter,add the red chillies ,curry leaves and asafoetida.
• Pour it on the carrots.
• Add the grated coconut,salt,sugar and toss well. 
• Finally garnish with fresh corriander and serve.

Note:

• Salt tends to leave water and make the salad soggy,so add the salt just before serving.
• If you would like to add moong dhall,soak it for about 15-20 mins in warm water and then add it to the carrots and toss well.
• For those who love the flavor of lime,you can squeeze about a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and toss well. Do this just before serving to avoid the salad from turning soggy.
• Carrot can be substituted with cucumber or you can take half proportion of each i.e carrot and cucumber and make this salad.

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