Modaka or Kadabu recipe

For Modaka :
1. Rice : 1cup
2. Coconut: 2 tbsp
3. Salt
4. Turmeric (a pinch; optional)

Soak rice overnight. Then grind rice along with the rest of the ingredients. Spray PAM on a non-stick pan and pour the mixture. On medium heat keep stirring till it hardens enough to be moulded. Take off the heat and let cool.

Filling Ingredients:

Coconut: 1/2 cup

Jaggery or Brown sugar: as reqd

cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp

Poppey seeds: 1 tbsp

ghee: 1 tsp

In a pan add all the ingredients and keep stirring on medium heat. The mixture becomes watery as the jaggery melts and hardens a bit later. Turn off the heat.

Now smear your palm with oil and take a small ball of the modaka dough and shape it into a bowl. Add some of the filling and cover it in the shape of an onion. Place the modakas on a buttered container. cover and steam it like idlis for about 15 mins. Modaka is ready.Serve with ghee.

Gojju powder recipe

Ingredients:
1. Urad Dal : 2 tbsp
2. Methi: 1/4 tsp
3. While Sesame: 1/2 tsp
4. Cumin: 1/2 tsp
5. Red chillies: 4-6
6. Dried/fresh cocunut : 1/2 cup

Method: Dry roast all the ingredients except coconut and make a powder. If you need to store (or make it ahead of time) this powder, used dried coconut.

Bendekayi(Okra) gojju

Ingredients:

1. Okra

2. lemon sized tamarind

3. oil (to fry and for seasoning)

4. Asafoetida

5. Mustard

6. curry leaves

7. Jaggery or brown sugar

8. Turmeric

9. Gojju powder

Method:

Cut Okra into pieces and fry in some oil till cooked. Keep aside. In a pan heat oil, add mustard, asafoetida, curry leaves and when the mustard starts splattering, add the tamarind juice, gojju powder, jaggery, salt, turmeric and let boil well. Once it starts boiling the juice thickens. Taste to see if it needs more salt or jaggery. Add the fried Okra. Serve with hot rice!

Broken Wheat (Godi) Payasa

Ingredients:
1. Broken Wheat - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 11/2 cups
3. Milk (2%)- 4 cups
4. Saffron - few strands
5. Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
6. raisins, cashews/slivered almonds
7. ghee - 2 tbsp

Cook the broken wheat with 3 cups milk in a pressure cooker. Keep it on medium flame and add saffron, cardamom powder, sugar and the rest of the milk. You can use whole milk or half and half for a thicker and creamier payasa. heat the ghee in a small kadai and add the cashews. After it becomes slightly golden in color add the raisins. When the raisins become plump and shiny take it off the heat and add to the payasa.
Enjoy!