Kadbu

Ingredients

• - steamed rice cake
• - Oil or ghee as required
• - Spices as required
• - Salt to taste

Method

1. Make rice batter: Soak 2 cups raw rice for 4 hours. Drain and grind to a smooth thick batter. Add salt and ferment overnight.
2. Add coconut milk: Stir in half cup thick coconut milk to the fermented batter. Mix well.
3. Add flavourings: Mix in 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 finely chopped green chillies and a pinch of asafoetida into the batter.
4. Prepare kadbu vessel: Use a small round vessel or paniyaram pan. Grease with oil or ghee generously.
5. Fill vessel: Fill the greased vessel or each cavity three-quarters full with the batter.
6. Prepare steamer: Fill steamer with water and bring to a rolling boil.
7. Steam: Place filled vessels in steamer. Cover tightly and steam for 12-15 minutes.
8. Check doneness: Insert a toothpick — it should come out clean. Kadbu should be spongy and cooked through.
9. Rest briefly: Let cool 3-4 minutes before unmoulding.
10. Serve: Kadbu (also called gunta ponganalu in some regions) is a soft steamed Karnataka rice cake. Serve with coconut chutney and sambar.