OGGANI BAJJI-BREAKFAST/SNACK DISH

Every region in India has its unique eating habits and recipes depending on the area, region cultural background and other factors. Whenever I go to visit a new place I try to find out the recipes unique to those places. So when we went to hubby’s friends marriage, I found that they had a very unique breakfast recipe which I hadn’t heard of before. Its made using puffed rice and whats more it is eaten with mirchi bajji. Mirchi bajji… first thing in the morning….I don’t know why they don’t get acidity problems. Jokes apart, I tried making that recipe with hubby dear’s help and it came out pretty well and can be safely eaten as an evening snack (even as a breakfast if you are adventurous enough). This breakfast dish is prepared in rayalaseema area of Andhra Pradesh, which is incidentally also famous for its local bomb manufacturing. That probably explains their preference for eating something as spicy as a bomb first thing in the morning.

Oggani Bajji:

This breakfast dish is called oggani bajji…. Oggani referring to the tempered puffed rice and the bajji… well obviously the mirchi bajji. If you love spicy food, this one is definitely for you. This recipe would serve around 3 people.

You would require:

Puffed rice: 4 cups

For tempering:

Oil: 2-3 tbsp
Onion:1 medium chopped finely
Bengal gram dal/senaga pappu/chana dal : 1 tsp
Urad dal/minappa pappu :1 tsp
Mustard seeds/ avalu : ½ tsp
Cumin seeds/jeera : 1 tsp
Dry red chillies : 3-4
Hing/asafetida : ½ tsp
Green chillies : 4-5 or according to taste
Curry leaves : few.
Garlic pods: 5-6(optional)
Turmeric: ½ tsp.
Lemon-1 medium sized
Salt : to taste.
Chutney powder or curry powder of your choice.

Soak the puffed rice in water in which salt has been added for 15-20 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a vessel. You can use any normal steel vessel for this purpose.

Once the oil heats up, add the Bengal gram dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, jeera and hing. Keep stirring.

Add the garlic pods and stir for a minute. Now add the chopped onions and fry for a minute. Add the green chillies and fry.

Add the curry leaves ,turmeric and juice of half a lemon. Add salt to taste. (You can also add lemon juice after adding the onions. This will make the onions crisper)

Now add the drained puff rice, and keep stirring on low flame for 4-5 minutes to make sure that the puffed rice absorbs all the flavours of the tempering and spices.

Check seasoning and add the coriander leaves just before switching off the stove.

Serve with chutney powder of curry powder of your choice and mirchi bajji.

(Looking for a nice mirchi bajji recipe? Watch out this space for a yummy mirchi bajji recipe :P….Coming soon……)