~Buddy Hackett
And it was the same for me, well, most of the times! My Amma’s principle was very simple when it came to eating; respect the food that has been cooked for you. If you don’t like what is cooked for whole family then you as cook something yourself or go hungry! She would gently but firmly ask us to try every vegetable or fruits before saying no to them. Well, when I think of it now I can’t help but agree to her point as many a times what I thought to be uneatable turned out to be one of the tastiest foods I have ever tasted! Yeah, yeah… Mothers know best!
In spite of being stubborn and fussy eater for most of my childhood, my parents always made sure that my fussiness remained within four walls of our home as I was expected to behave and eat properly when we visited our friends and family! My Amma is known for her wonderful culinary skills among our family and friends. Her kitchen is a magical wonderland where she churns one pot of delicious food after another with ease and, of course, love! While everyone licked their plates clean, praising my amma’s culinary ingenuity, I for some strange reasons preferred and liked whatever my aunts or mom’s friends cooked! For me the simple dal or rasams cooked by them would always taste better than my amma’s cooking! As wise people rightly say “Ghar ki murgi dal barabar”, for some of us everything tastes better that is not home cooked!!!
And the saga would have continued if not for moving away from home and staying at hostel. First few days of hostel life was wonderful… if you don’t like what’s cooked in hostel mess, just hop to nearest restaurant and order your favourite food! Samosas or pizzas for breakfast? No problem… Big tub of ice cream for lunch? Go ahead… Gol gappa, Bhel puri or cups after cups of Cappuccinos for dinner? Who is stopping you????
Except, my stomach who stopped me and went on a strike after I put it into series of tortures! That was when I realised the true value of home cooked meals, especially the ones cooked by my mother. I learnt my lesson soon and started appreciating everything cooked by our loved ones. So my dear readers, if you are one of those lucky ones who are blessed to enjoy home cooked meals, especially cooked by your mother or loved ones, enjoy while you can! Trust me, nothing in this world can ever come close to the lovely food cooked by your mother or loved one that not only tastes delicious but is high in nutrition and love which is good for your health, heart and soul…
Apart from mom's cooking, other thing I missed after coming to UK is some familiar vegetables that are exclusive to Indian cooking. One such vegetable was Yellow Cucumber, also called as Dosakai in Telugu and Soutekai in Kannada. Few months back one giant Asian supermarket was launched in close by town and we have been fortunate to find some authentic south Indian vegetables and fruits on fresh vegetable and fruits section. Although these yellow cucumbers cost a bomb, I feel fortunate to get them fresh and readily available whenever my heart desires to eat something I grew up eating (and sometime hating!!! Now I know better!). These yellow cucumbers are generally spherical in shape and have shades of yellow & green coloured skin. It is commonly added in Sambar (Thick lentil soup with vegetable), Daal (Lentil soup) and also in making Pickles and Chutney. There is one another recipe from my native that makes the best use of this cucumber and it is called Soutekai Rotti.
The following recipe for Soutekai Rotti comes from my mom-in-law who makes one the best Soutekai Rotti which is quite different from what my Ajji and Amma make back at home. While my Ajji and Amma would grate the cucumber, my Atte grinds them along with rice soaked in water along with some spices. Lightly dry roasted coriander seeds, cumin seeds add heady aroma to the Rotti when cooked and the dry roasted red chillies gives this rotti a spicy twist. Handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped red onions and curry leaves lends some crunch, aroma and flavour to this already delicious rotti and ground fresh coconut simply enhances the flavour and takes the taste level to new height! If you are lucky enough to get hold of this yellow cucumber, give this recipe a try and see your heart, stomach and soul falling in love with this simple, delightful recipe! This goes to RCI: Udupi & Mangalorean Cuisine hosted by yours truly.
Soutekai Rotti drizzled with Honey Soutekai Rotti (Spiced Yellow Cucumber Flat Bread)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 4-6 mins per Rotti
Makes: 12-15
Recipe Level: Medium
Spice Level: Medium to hot
Serving Suggestion: Usually it doesn’t need any accompaniment but you can serve with Honey or any Chutney of your choice
Recipe Source: MIL
Ingredients:
1 medium Yellow Cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into rough 1 inch cubes
2½ cups Rice, washed, rinsed and soaked in water for 4-6 hours
½ - ¾ cup fresh/frozen grated Coconut
½ golf sized Tamarind Pulp or ½ tbsp Tamarind Paste
1 large Red Onion, finely chopped
¼ cup Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
2 springs Curry Leaves, cut into thin stripes
Salt to taste
To Dry Roast:
1½ - 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
5-7 Dry Red Chillies, stalks removed and cut into 1 inch pieces (Adjust acc to taste)
½-1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Other Ingredients:
Little Ghee/Oil for frying
Special Utensils:
Preferably cast iron tawa or you can use non-stick tawa/griddle
Lid to cover tawa/griddle
Spatula
Method:
For Rotti Batter:
Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chillies on medium flame till the spices turn light golden red in colour, about 2 minutes. Let it cool slightly.
Transfer soaked rice, roasted spices, tamarind pulp/paste and cucumber cubes into a food processor or mixer grinder and grind them to thick batter (consistency should be that of an Idli batter) adding little water at time. Do this in 2-3 batches for better result. Transfer the contents into a large vessel and leave it covered on a warm place over night for the batter to ferment.
Next morning, grind coconut to fine paste adding very little water and add this to the prepared, fermented batter and mix well.
Also add finely chopped onions, curry leaves and coriander leaves along with salt to taste and mix them well. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes for the flavours to blend well before proceeding to make Rotti.
Proceed to make Rotti:
The best type of griddle or tawa for making this rotti is cast iron as it not only gives crisp texture to the rotti but also gives it a distinct taste. If you don’t have cast iron tawa then you can use normal non-stick griddle or pan.
Heat cast iron tawa/griddle on medium to high flame. Drizzle a tsp or two of oil and grease the tawa well. To grease the tawa, fold the paper towel into a wad and dip it into a bowl of cooking oil. Gently squeeze the wad to remove excess oil and rub it all over the griddle to grease it. Or, cut peeled onion in half. Pour a tsp of oil in the centre of griddle and use halved onion and rub it all over the griddle. Back in my native, we use dried yellow pumpkin stem to grease the griddle.
When tawa is hot enough reduce the heat to medium. Take about ¾ cup of batter in a ladle and pour it on the centre of tawa. Spread this batter into thick circle, of about 6-7 inch in diameter and about ¾-1 cm thick, with back of the ladle.
Cover the griddle with lid and let cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes.
Open the lid and drizzle a tsp or more of oil/Ghee on the surface of Rotti and also around its edges and let it cook for another minute till its upper surface is cooked well (it should look cooked and shouldn’t be soft or runny).
Using wooden (for non-stick griddle) or metal (for cast iron griddle) spatula, carefully remove the Rotti from griddle and flip it. Ideally, the cooked surface should have turned golden brown in colour and crisp. Allow other side to cook for a minute or two after flipping.
Once cooked on both sides, transfer the Rotti to clean and dry plate.
Repeat the same procedure to make Rotti. Grease the griddle (if using cast-iron tawa), pour the batter, spread it in circular motion, cover and cook, drizzle oil/ghee, flip and cook and serve!
Serve this spicy and delicious Soutekai Rotti as it is as it usually doesn’t require any side dish. I like to dip in little honey and eat or you can also serve some chutney of your choice and enjoy!
Notes:
It is best to serve Soutekai Rotti immediately as soon as they are taken out from tawa to enjoy the crisp and delicious Rotti.
You can also make a stack of Rotti and serve later, just like pancakes. Just ensure to keep the Rottis warm till you serve them in a closed dish. However, these Rottis will not be as crisp as the ones you serve immediately.
Reminder for RCI: Udupi & Managlorean Cuisine
After exploring many states and regions around our beloved motherland, this month I am honoured to take you all to my native land to sample and devour one of the finest cuisines. The RCI for the month of July’09 is RCI-Udupi & Mangalorean Cuisine! Let's explore the hidden gems of beautiful temple town of Udupi and gorgeous coastal city of Mangalore all this month. Deadline: 31st July, 2009
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Soutekai,Rotti,Coastal
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