Preparations:

Take curd and churn it to make buttermilk. Here I have not added any water as the curd which I have used is not that thick. So add water accordingly and make thick buttermilk.

In a mortar & pestle crush carom seeds and make a coarse powder.

Wash green chilies & ginger. Make a coarse paste of ginger & green chilies.

Remove the stems of red chilies and break them into small pieces.

Method:

Take buttermilk in a bowl and add carom seeds powder and salt. Mix well so that there are no lumps of carom seeds powder.

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When the oil is hot add fenugreek seeds followed by black gram and fry. Fry till the seeds start changing color. Then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ginger-green chili paste, curry leaves, asafoetida and red chili pieces. Fry all well and then add turmeric powder and mix. Now add this seasoning to the prepared buttermilk and mix well. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with plain rice and plain dal.

Points to Notice:

Let the curd be slightly sour, then the taste of this menti majjiga will be excellent.

When using sour curd adjust the green chilies to match the sourness of curd.

Carom seeds are good for stomach and cure digestive problems. As a variation, fry the carom seeds in little ghee and then powder it to get a different flavor.

Seasoning should not be over burnt. So, fry on low to medium heat as the taste of this dish lies in frying the seasoning. Frying the seasoning in ghee instead of oil is another option which also tastes good.

Prepare this dish at least one hour in advance to bring the flavors out of the carom seeds.