Halbai

Hi,
Did you solve the puzzle? Well the children were baffled as their father had left them 17 camels and they were not supposed to kill any of them! Along came a family friend, who offered one of his camels to resolve their dillema. So the elder one took half of 18, that is 9 camels. The middle one got 6 camels and the youngest got 2. The remaining camel was promptly returned to the family friend!

Some of my friends have been asking me for sweet recipes. So here goes girls :) This dish is called Halbai, Halubai or Halabai. It is a type of halwa/burfi combo which is prepared from wheat or raagi.

Ingredients:
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1. Wheat flour / Atta - half kg or 2 cups (Alternately you could use raagi flour here)
2. Sugar - half kg or 2 cups
3. Milk - 1 glass - 150 ml
4. Grated coconut - 1 half of a coconut / 1 cup
5. Ghee - clarified butter - 2 tablespoons
6. Cardmom - 2 coarsely powdered
7. Cloves - 1 or 2 coarsely powdered
8. Dry fruits of your choice - 10 to 15 grams

Tools:
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1. A seive
2. A heavy bottom pan / non stick pan
3. Karchi / Magucho kai
4. A plate greased with ghee

Method of preparation:
=================
1. Soak the wheat flour in just enough water for an hour. Alternately you could use wheat soaked for 2-3 hours.
2. Grind the soaked wheat flour (or wheat) in just enough water and strain it through a seive to ensure that there are no lumps or bigger particles in the mix.
3. Grind the coconut in a little water and strain it through a seive to collect the coconut milk.
4. Take the wheat mixture in a non stick pan. Add milk, sugar, coconut milk, cardomom and clove powder to this and mix it.
5. Place the pan on medium heat and cook stirring continuously.
6. After it cooks for about 5 minutes, add the ghee and dry fruits of your choice and keep stirring it, till the mixture turns into a ball and starts leaving the edges.
7. Remove from heat and spread the mixture onto a plate greased with ghee.
8. After it cools down a bit, cut into shapes of your choice and relish it!
This can be stored for a couple of days.

You can use raagi flour instead of wheat in the same recipe. Try this and let me know your feedback :)

Happy cooking!
Priya

Rava Othu Shavige

Hi,

Welcome to my blog. I want to share some recipes and tips related to authentic Sanketi cuisine.

Sanketi's are a small community of Brahmins, now settled in Karnataka, who are well known for their intelligence :) , love of music, mathematics and cooking.

Let us start with a puzzle. An old man was lying in his death bed. He told his 3 sons to share his eternal possesions : 17 camels among them. He asked them to share the beasts in this way, a half to the eldest, a third to the second and a ninth to the youngest. They were not supposed to kill any beast. Do you know how they shared it?

Well, while your grey cells are busy with this puzzle, let me tell you about an interesting dish.

As any Mysorean will vouch for it, Othu Shavige, is a delicacy in its own right. It is a very popular Sanketi dish :)

This variation is prepared using Chiroti Rava (very fine sooji). This recipe serves 4 to 5.

Ingredients:
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1. Chiroti Rava - half a kg
2. Salt to taste
3. Water to soak

For garnishing:
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1. Curry leaves - 2 to 3 sprigs
2. Hing - a pinch
3. Groundnuts - 2 tablespoons
4. grated coconut - 1 small cup
5. Coriander leaves - a little
6. Mustard - half teaspoon
7. Channa dal - 1 teaspoon
8. Haldi - a pinch
9. Oil for seasoning
10. Green Chillies - 5 to 6 chopped
11. Lemon Juice - 1 to 2 lemons
12. Sugar - a pinch
13. Salt to taste

Tools:
====
A mould(press) called as "Shavige Oralu" or "Shavige MaNe" will be available at any utensil store. You get it in steel or brass. Earlier my grandmom used to use a wooden one.

Method of preparation:
================
1. Soak the Chiroti Rava overnight. Ensure that there is about an inch of water above the Rava.
2. Remove the excess water in the morning.
3. Add fresh water and salt and mix the Chiroti Rava to the consistency of Idli batter.
4. Grease the idli stand and shavige oralu with a little bit of oil.
5. Pour the batter into the idli stand and steam it like it idlis for 12-15 mins.
6. When these idlis are hot, put them in the mould (Shavige Oralu) and press these idlis. You can use a greased plate below the Shavige Oralu to collect the Shavige.
7. Allow this Shavige to cool for 5 mins while you prepare the garnishing.
8. Heat the oil in a small pan, add mustard, channa dal, hing, curry leaves, haldi, green chillies, ground nuts and roast them till the mustard crackles.
9. Now in a large plate, take the Shavige and loosen it a bit and spread it. Add the prepared granishing on it.
10. Add the salt (according to taste), lemon juice and sugar and mix this to the Shavige.
11. Mix all these well, taking care to ensure that the strands of the Shavige do not get cut a lot.
12. Now add grated coconut and coriander leaves in the end.

Lo, your Shavige is ready to eat :)

A sweeter variation:
==============
Garnishing:
========
1. Powdered sugar - 1 small cup according to taste
2. Grated coconut powder (preferably dry) - 1 small cup
3. Dry fruits of your choice, chopped (like kaju, kismis, badam, etc) - 2 tablespoons
4. Clarified butter, Ghee - 2 tablespoons
5. Cardomom powder - a pinch

13. Prepare the Shavige as usual with the mould. Steps 1 to 7 given before.
14. Heat the ghee in a small pan and add the chopped dry fruits and roast them a bit.
15. Add this to the cooled Shavige.
16. Add the powdered sugar, grated coconut and cardomom powder to the Shavige.
17. Mix all this well carefully.

Your sweet Shavige is ready :)

Were you able to solve the puzzle? Do let me know. Also let me know how you liked the Shavige. I'll tell you about more varities of Shavige you can try next time. :)

Till then happy cooking :)
Priya