Step by step guide

How to make Mogekaayi tellevu

Make tellevu batter

1. Take 1 cup of rice in a bowl. (Unpolished rice is used here, so looks slightly brown / red).

2. Rinse the rice 3 to 4 times or until clean and soak in enough water for 3 hours.

3. Take 1 tablespoon thick flattened rice (Avalakki / poha) in a bowl, rinse it 3 to 4 times or until clean and soak in enough water.

You can soak the flattened rice along with rice or in a separate bowl.

If you are using thin flattened rice (Avalakki / poha), soaking is not required. You can just rinse and add it to the rice while grinding.

4. After 3 hours, chop Mogekaayi to thin slices. Tightly packed 1 cup is sufficient. It is fine if few pieces are less or more.

From remaining Mogekaayi you can make huli (lentil-vegetable stew / sambar) or beverage or tellevu on another day.

5. Now drain all the water from the soaked rice and flattened rice and add to a grinder or mixer or blender. Add chopped Mogekaayi as well.

6. Add water as required and grind to a smooth and slightly thin batter. Add water in parts. I added total 1/2 cup of water for 1 cup rice to get the right consistency of tellevu batter.

Adding water depends on type of rice used and how juicy Mogekaayi is. So add water in phases.
Tellevu batter should be of slightly thin consistency.

7. Take the batter in a bowl. Cover and keep overnight. Let the batter settle.

Make Tellevu

8. Next morning or before making tellevu, add 1/4 teaspoon jaggery, and salt as required. Mix well.

9. Heat an iron tawa on medium flame.

10. While the tawa is heating, take 2 long pieces of banana leaf and rinse thoroughly with clean water.

11. Take one long piece of banana leaf and make chutti. I.e. fold a piece of banana leaf and tie at one end.

12. Take another long piece of banana leaf and fold into 3 or 4 and keep aside. This is baale keele, meaning a thin piece of banana leaf.

13. Once tawa is hot, spread 2 drops of oil all over the tawa evenly using chutti. You can use even spoon or spatula to spread oil.

It is little difficult to spread evenly with spoon. So chutti is used.

14. Now take tellevu batter in a spoon or ladle and pour on the side of tawa. Quickly take baale keele and spread the batter evenly and thinly all over the tawa. (Watch video in video section of this recipe.)

you need to be really quick as batter would start cooking as soon as you pour. And, tellevu has to be thin.

15. Cook the tellevu on low to medium heat to crispy or medium to high heat to make it little soft. Regulate the heat as required.

You can close the tawa with lid for better and faster cooking of tellevu.

16. Remove the tellevu when you see batter on the top is cooked well and the base has become slightly golden.

If you prefer, you can flip the tellevu and cook the top side for a couple of seconds before removing.

17. This way, make all tellevu.

18. Serve tellevu hot with any curry or coconut chutney or huli (vegetable-lentil stew / sambar) or chutney powder or liquid jaggey with butter.