Mysorean Feast

This dasara was really lowkey since I commute about an hour to work each way every day and the parents were away. With a push and shove from mom, I finally did a golu but it was a bare-bones half-baked effort and really quite a let down even to me. So finally, on Ashthami, I decided that we should at least make the effort to put together a proper traditional Dasara meal. With the parents away, I naturally took on the onus of making a full Mysorean feast with traditional items prepared during Dasara. Our menu: Battani-menthyada soppu anna ( Methi-matar rice/ Peas and fenugreek leaves rice) Saaru Sundal Beans palya Gasagase payasa Aambode Yeriyappa Carrot kosambri Sautekayi kosambri Took much less time than I thought and I had the satisfaction of sitting down to a meal that satisfied me in having made an adequate effort :) Recipes - Gasagase payasa Ingredients 1 tsp raw rice 1.5 tbsp poppy seeds 1 handful fresh grated coconut 2.5 cups water 1 cup jaggery ( may need more; depends on the sweetness of the jaggery) 1/2 cup milk 1/2 tsp cardamom powder Dry roast the poppy seeds and raw rice together. Grind fine. Then add coconut and grind again. Add 1 cup water to the mix and strain through a fine sieve. Repeat the process 2-3 more times with the rest of the water, and keep aside the ground mixture. To the sieved water, add the jaggery and boil until the jaggery melts completely. Add the coconut mixture and the milk and simmer for a few minutes on medium flame. Add the cardamom powder and garnish with fried cashews if desired. Serve hot or cold. Serves 4-5 Yeriyappa ( Sweet dumplings) Ingredients 1 cup raw rice, soaked in warm water for 2-3 hours 1 cup jaggery 1 cup fresh grated coconut 1 tsp cardamom powder half cup of semolina ( rave) optional Grind the rice together with jaggery and fresh coconut. Add water and thin it out until it resembles thick dosa batter. Deep fry ladleful by ladleful in a wok until toffee brown on both sides. Eat hot. Adding the semolina makes it more crunchy, so if you want the middle portion softer, skip it. Makes about 8 Aambode Ingredients 1 cup chana dal, soaked for 2 hours 1 cup fresh grated coconut 1 inch ginger Handful curry leaves Pinch of asafoetida (heeng) 2 green chillies 1 dried red chilly Salt to taste Coarsely grind all the ingredients together without any added water. Shape into 1.5 inch balls, flatten and deep-fry on a medium flame until brown. Serve hot; store in airtight container. You can serve it dropped into the saaru as well. It works fabulously as a snack/ appetizer too. Makes 10-12 (Pictures will follow)