From Manjitha

From Manjitha ..... with Love..

What comes below, is one of the traditional food of Badugas community, almost all the villages in Nilgiris have seen this.But today, its hard to see those grains which we use for preparing the dish. The grains we call Bathha and the dish Atchikke, the grains can be stored for as many years as possible, as today hardly anyone cultivates it, we get it from Hasanoor( a place near Sathy).

My granny says Nilgiris Grain(Bathha) is the best for making Atchikke and she has fifty years old grains in her storage( does grains keep sooo long?) the grains can also be used for making porridge and Bathha Hittu ( Grain Cakes/dumplings). Whatever the varities are, my all time favourit is Atchikke - a delicious sweet, at home many have asked me what on earth makes me to eat Atchikke, when I'm in Manjitha, i tought not to trouble my granny for Atchikke, but my tongue couldn't stop asking my granny for those sweet , delicious Atchikke.


Pounding the Bathha and Removing the husk

The dish may look simple, Ironic is its method of peperation. The grains after sun drying has to be washed twice and then pan broiled, Oh! Those tiny green grains spluttering on the pan, its a real joy pan broiling it, then comes the pounding process. Its long, its hard and its tiring, where the pounding process doubled or tripled depending on the size of grains, after pounding the outer skin is removed, and then the process is verymuch simple.

Yes, the process after pounding is as simple as eating. Soaking those pounded grains in hot water and mixing with sugar and with grated coconuts and onto the serving plate. Before, spooning everything into the mouth, a final finish goes in, which is a mixture of powdered cardamom, fried grams, poppy seeds and some chopped bananas.Its a warm food, tough its summer in Manjitha, i couldnt stop with a single plate, and my grannies storage contains more grains ( Bathha) for the days to come. My palate is curious to taste many traditonal foods from the badugas cuisine, and Manjitha has it all.