Joladha Rotti Oota I Jowar Rotti Thali

If you have ever dined at the Kamath group of hotels in Bangalore, a chain of restaurants famous for their Joladha Rotti oota, this post should bring back memories of their lavish meal. It's been a while since I ate there and have been craving some Joladha rotti. Since the theme for BM#74 is Thalis & Spreads I decided to make a mini Joladha rotti oota thali. In the restaurant the varieties of sides are abundant and served on a banana leaf. I made only 2 of the main side dishes and 2 of the smaller accompaniments. 

Joladha Rotti is a staple of Northern Karnataka. Making it is an art learnt over time. I for one, have not learnt how to make it yet. Jowar flour is gluten free , so there is absolutely no binding in the prepared dough, which makes rolling the rottis near impossible. I stuck to the safe side and cheated a little by adding a little wheat flour to keep the dough together and my sanity intact! 

You will need: 

1.5 cups Jowar flour

1/2 cup Wheat flour

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp salt

Water as required 

Combine ingredients in a bowl and add water little at a time to form a soft cohesive dough. Jowar flour makes a very soft dough. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes. 

Break off a small piece of dough and roll into a disc. Preheat a griddle on medium heat. Place rolled Rotti on the hot pan. Dampen a piece of cloth or a paper towel, squeeze out excess water and gently press all over the Rotti. This will help the Rotti puff up a little and cook evenly. Cook for a minute and flip to cook on the other side. If you use only Jowar flour, the Rotti remains almost a pale off white with a few light brown spots. Since I used wheat flour too, it browned further. 

Once done, remove from the pan and apply a generous dollop of butter. Serve while still warm. 

Badnekayi Ennegayi:

This is the most important accompaniment for the Rotti. Baby eggplants are cooked in a flavorful gravy. Ive made this one plenty of times before, follow this link for the recipe. 

Hesarakalu Husli: (Green Gram stir fry)

Husli is a type of stir fry. This one is made with Green Gram and is a very typical side dish in a Joladha Rotti oota. There are many versions to this dish, this is our favorite. You can sprout the gram and use it too. 

You will need:

1 cup Green gram(whole moong)

1 tbsp oil 

1 tsp Mustard seeds 

1/4 tsp Asafoetida ( Hing) 

1 small Onion, finely chopped

1 Tomato, finely chopped

2 Green Chillies, slit

½ tsp Ginger, finely chopped

½ tsp Turmeric Powder

½ tsp Coriander Powder

½ tsp Jeera Powder

½ tsp Red Chilli Powder

1-2 tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped

Wash and soak moong for a hour. Pressure cook for 2 whistles until done. The gram should hold shape. 

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, when it splutters add curry leaves. Add the green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds and then add the chopped onions and ginger. Cook until onions are soft, then add the tomato and the spices and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes until tomato has softened a little. Meanwhile drain the moong. Add this and combine well. Season with salt. Cook for a minute or two and turn off heat. Add chopped cilantro. 

Red Garlic Chutney: 

8 Byadige Red chilies (Kashmir red chilies) 

12 Guntur red chilies 

6 pods Garlic 

Salt to taste 

Soak red chilies overnight in hot water or for atleast 6-8 hours. Drain them and blend with the garlic, salt and little water to a smooth paste. Store in an air-tight container and use as needed. Refrigerate leftover chutney. 

Shenga Pudi: Peanut Garlic powder 

2 cups Peanuts

1/2 cup Dalia (Hurgadale) 

15 cloves of Garlic *

12 Guntur dry red chilies 

8 Byadige dry red chilies 

A few curry leaves

Marble size piece of Tamarind 

Salt to taste 

2 tsp Oil 

Dry roast the peanuts in a pan until the skins begin to peel and have brown spots on them. Set aside. Dry roast the Dalia too. 

In the another pan, heat the oil. Add the curry leaves and fry until crisp. Add the dry red chillies and Tamarind. Cook until they are crisp. Then add the garlic and cook for a few minutes. The garlic will remain soft. Add the peanuts and Dalia and give it a quick toss. Cool the mix and then pulse to a coarse powder in a blender. Store in an air tight container and this will last for months. Spicy and garlicky, it's the perfect accompaniment for dosas and idlis too. 

 Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#74