Methkut/ Menthe Hit/Menthyada Hittu

Hot rice, ghee, salt a dash of lime, papad and methkut or menthe hit.

This is one of my favourites.

Methkut as in Marathi and Menthe hit as in Kannada is considered healthy and boy is it versatile.

In Karnataka it is used in almost anything rice, pohe/ awalakki (the thin variety), churmure/churmuri, in curds as an accompaniment.

This is how you make the powder.

Ingredients:

2 cups Channa dal/ split chick pea

A small bit of asafoetida/hing (if you are using powder use 1 tsp)

1 cup urid dal/ split black lentil

A few seeds Gahu/ wheat (optional)

Turmeric powder

1 tblsps Jeera /cumin seeds

Little less than 1 tblsps Dhania /coriander seed

Few seeds menthe/fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon rice

Method:

1. Wash the rice remove all the water and pat dry.

This is the important part don't lose patience and raise the flame!!

2. On low flame dry roast till light brown, the chana dal/ split chick pea.

3. Then dry roast the urid dal/ split black lentil, again till light brown.

4. If you are using wheat dry roast them till they splutter.

5. Dry roast the asafoetida/hing, Dhania/coriander seeds, jeera/cumin seeds, and menthe (for an added flavour my mom used to put one red chilli) till they you get an aroma, individually.

6. Lastly dry roast the rice grains till they are pinkish.

7. Add the turmeric and cool all the ingredients.

8. Dry grind in the mixer to a fine powder.

9. Sieve the powder use the fine powder as METHKUT OR MENTHE HIT.

Store in an airtight container on your kitchen shelf. Remember to use a dry spoon.

Eat with rice,salt and a dash of lime mixed together with papad and pickle.

P.S. The coarse stuff left over in the sieve can be mixed with finely chopped onion, tomato and curds as an Accompaniment (you can use the powder also). You could also add phodni/vagarni of oil, mustard, asafoetida/hing and green chillies and coriander. Serve with chapatti.

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