We had posted the traditional way of making Hittu/khotte or kadubu couple of years ago. Making the baskets for these is a time consuming work and takes some expertise. Any mistake and the idli batter comes out of the baskets and makes a mess. So here are some easy ways of making these delicious hittus.
In Banana leaves :
Usually(atleast at our place), hittu is prepared in jackfruit leaves. But these are hard to find everywhere. Instead, you can use banana leaves which can be found readily in many places. Here is a step by step pictorial of how this is prepared.
In Jackfruit leaves:
The traditional hittu requires 4 leaves. Here is an easy way to make this with only one leaf. Be very careful while steaming these.
Updated: In the above post, hittu is served with Muga Mole Randayi
very nice post..my grandma used to prepare this for us when we used to go for vacations…thanks for sharing ,u explained very nicely …thank you dear
Lovely pictorial! I can always expect to learn a new and unique cooking technique here.
I am curious to know about the curry that is in the pic. It looks yummy combo :).. Can you please let me know?
It is the muga mole randayi. I have updated the post with the link to randayi post, please have a look
HI SHILPA AND VARADA MAI
MANY MANY THANKS FOR SHOWING THE PICTORIAL REPRESENTATION .THIS SURELY LOOKS EASY.
SUDHA
Hi Shilpa,
Very nice pictorial explanation. Could you please also let us know what kind of gravy is there in the picture. That is very tempting.
What is the gravy on the side, Shilpa ?
Hi Shilpa,,
Suddenly reminded of grandma and hittilu with jackfruit tree. Thanks for the recipe. Does the flavour change for banana one?
Yes, slightly different taste, but definitely better than nothing 🙂
I love the hesaru saaru as a combo for the moode or kotte… In our house or for that matter most of them the kotte is prepared in the jackfruit leaves shaped as pyramid….. Mummy makes the pyramids well, but best pyramids are made by my brother… perfectly shaped & when cooked & ready to eat, they look so beautiful that u literally spend sometime enjoying the well shaped steamed dumplings…. 🙂
Ash…..
Asha, we have given the link to the traditional khottes in above post. This is for those who do not have time/leaves to make those pyramids 🙂
HI AAYIS..
…THIS IS ONE MY FAVORITE .IT LOOKS SO YUMMY…I JUST LOVE TO EAT WITH MACKEREL CURRY..
shilpa,
I really love ur traditional konkani postings, this banana leaves one will certainly be an easy one to make.Two things u need to clarify, Should we have to take tender jackfruit leaves, they broke off, when i tried to make the moulds at my native, thanjavur.Next i use beydagi chillies, while grinding and like the red colour it gives, but when it comes to chilly powder, what to do, at hyd, bydagi chilli powder is not available and mtr chilli powder does not have that colour.
Do not use tender leaves. Use dark green ones. After taking them from the tree, do not use them immediately. Wash in water and spread them on a clean cloth for 1-2hrs. Then make the baskets
That made me soooo nostalgic I want to leave for India, like today.. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
This is a very good idea Varadmayi. It never occured to me that we can do like this. Putting a leaf in the pedavan and cooking the idly batter is easy. But this type it comes out clean and neat and looks nice also. Easy to serve. No mess. I am very eager to prepare khotto like this. Thanks for the idea.
i had heard tht some fish items are also prepared this way. very nice pictorial..
Nice recipe… with good pics.
Wow. The second small leaf that you have shown, my grand ma makes similar ones in Goa. Especially how you have stiched the ends with twig. You brought back those lovely ‘ol memories!
Wow…the banana leaf one looks easier for a novice like me! Varadmayi you rock!! Even the single leaf one looks nice…will try that.
But single jackfruit leaf khotto will be smaller than the 4 leaf ones, na vey?
Yes Varsha, they are quite smaller. May not be a good idea in large scale, but definitely helps a lot for people like me who cook for few people. Saves a ton of time. We do make khotte on normal days too (not just for festivals). Aayi always makes the perfect baskets, but she told me these methods to make my life easier.
Pl let me know how to place single leaf kottige in the vessel,preferable with picture
Hi Shilpa,
Thanks for the lovely recipe. I have one question–the color of the the gravy in this post is a lovely reddish whereas it is pale yellow in the original post–why is that?
Thanks,
Sita
Because of the different type of chillies used.
Hi Shilpa,
I have been reading your blog off and on for some time now, and this is the first time I am commenting. The idlis look so so good. I had khotto idli for the first time this year at a place in Mumbai famous for its khotto idlis. It was so good. And now that I see the first pic in your post, I am drooling over it. The banana leaf method looks pretty easy. Where do you get banana/jackfruit leaves from here in US?
Check in any Mexican grocery stores for banana leaves. I haven’t seen jackfruit leaves here
Beautiful presentation. Being myself a grandmother at Mangalore, it was a happy sight ,our Khotto and Mooga Ghassi going really Global. An easier way of making Khotto is to just place two leaves of Jackfruit or two pieces of banana leaves in the normal Iddli Donno ( Katori ) or in the Idli stand , and just steam the normal way. You will get a khotto or idli flavoured with the relevant leaf. This is for people who do not get the usual shigir ( tiny sticks ) , or do not get the time to make the baskets.
Keep this blog rolling. All the very best.
Geetha
maida barfi WOW
Today i tried your recipie of maida barfi and the taste was WOW ,too good but i have one query that after i greased the dish with ghee , and when the maida mixture cooled down i found it hard to cut those.can you suggest me what to do next time.
Cut it before it cools down
I remember the day before my grandma would cook this for 18 cousins.. we all used to sit and make khottes with long thorns from the field. We used to turn the khotte towards to sky to see if there are any gaps 🙂
This a perfect alternative since we dont get jackfruit leaves here. My mom was thrilled with this idea.. we are going to try this out soon and make some hesaru bele tove to go with it. Thank you Shilpa… you are the best!
Hi Shilpa !
Banana leaves is something new to me . Good to know different styles of preparing khotto. What i liked best was preparing drona of jackfruit leaves using just ONE LEAF. using 4 leaves was a bit tedious. so thanks for this 1 leaf wonder. Thank you