Rave unDe

Rave unDe

"Rave unDe" is a sweet dish made from semolina/suji. It is loaded with the goodness of ghee, dry fruits and milk. It is traditional to have this dish on the festival day of "Shiv Raathri".

Besan Laadu

Besan Laadu

"Besan Laadu" is a sweet dish made from roasted besan(gram flour/chikpea flour). It is loaded with the goodness of ghee and almonds. Go ahead and indulge in the taste of this simple yet stunning dish!

Ragi Hurittu

Ragi Hurittu

For centuries, the region of Karnataka has been the highest producer of Ragi(Finger millet). There are a couple of dozen dishes prepared out of Ragi in this region! Ragi is a very rich source of nutrition, especially calcium and iron. Its high dietary fibre content helps in slow digestion and hence is a suggested diet for diabetics. It is also used as a healthy substitute to milk-powder based food for infants of six months and above.

"Ragi Hurittu" is made from finger millet which is soaked and shadow dried, then roasted and ground. There are many ways to consume Ragi hurittu:

*Take 2 spoons of Ragi hurittu in a glass, add about 2 spoons of powdered jaggery, add water, stir well, and your healthy cool drink is ready to rejuvenate you!

*Take about a cup of Ragi hurittu, add about half a cup of freshly grated coconut, mix about 4 spoons of coarsely crushed jaggery, add tiny drops of milk or water and roll it into a ball. A healthy snack is ready to be packed.

*If you are the kind that do not like sweet dishes, then mix about 2 spoons of Ragi hurittu with a glass of buttermilk, add in a pinch of salt and gulp it away...

*Alternatively, mix about 2 spoons of Ragi hurittu in a cup full of water and stir well to make a solution. Heat a glass of water in a pan, add the solution of Ragi Hutittu slowly by constantly stirring the water. Add a pinch of salt, a pinch of coarsely powdered pepper and a pinch of coarsely powdered cumin to it and continue to cook on low flame. Bring it to a boil. Voila! a tasty and healthy "Ragi Malt / Ragi Ganji"(Porridge) is ready.

Avalakki Puri UnDe

Avalakki Puri UnDe

"Avalakki Puri UnDe" is a sweet dish made using avalakki puri, groundnut, roasted bengal gram, sesame seeds, copra and jaggery.

This dish is part of the festive decor during "VaramahaLakshimi Habba", "Ganesha Habba" etc. It is customary to give this dish along with "Chakkali" as a return-gift during weddings.

There is an interesting story behind this dish. As kids, we were asked to help "Ajji"(Grand mom) to make this dish. In the final stages of the preparation, the hot unDe is put into a Jaradi (sieve) and we have to gently roll it around, so that we get a smooth finishing to the unDe. But, sometimes, they used to split-open... and that's what we kids wanted.. we used to shout out with joy "Nakki Bidthu"("It Smiled") and put it into our mouth and gobble it up!! The hot unDe tastes so yummy... There was so much joy and laughter when we made these dishes at home. They were prepared and stored for our 4 pm after-the-school snacks.

Kadale Beejada UnDe

Kadale Beejada UnDe

"Kadale Beejada UnDe" is a sweet dish made up of ground nut, roasted bengal gram, sesame seeds, copra and jaggery.

It is one of the popular dishes made during ceremonies and festivals in South India. For the "VaraMahaLakshmi Festival" it is used as part of the festive decor and is a must-have dish!

Antina UnDe / Dry fruits Laddu

Antina UnDe

"Antina UnDe / Dry fruits Laddu" is a sweet dish prepared using dry fruits like almonds, cashews, raisins, walnuts, dates, fig along with edible gum, poppy seeds, ghee and jaggery.

It is a rich food loaded with nutrition. Dry fruits, especially dates, is an excellent source of iron. Edible gum is said to be good for females as it helps strengthen their backs. Young girls are given one UnDe / Laddu each day at the time of puberty(starting on 90th day, for about 3 months) and women are given one UnDe / Laddu each day as part of their postnatal diet(starting on 40th day, for about 3 months) to compensate for the blood loss.

This dish can be prepared by omitting the edible gum, and can be consumed by both men and women as a tasty snack.