Thursday, December 1, 2011

PUNJABI CHOLE



INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 and half cup chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans, Kabuli Chana)
  • 2 medium sized onions chopped
  • 3 medium sized tomatoes chopped
  • 1 tsp ginger paste or coarsely ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp chilly powder
  • 1 tsp amchur powder/dry mango powder
  • 2 slit green chillies
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • salt


Spices for the punjabi chole gravy:

  • 4-5 black cardamoms
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 5-6 peppercorns
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 and half tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
  • 1 and half tsp coriander seeds (dhania)
  • 1 and half tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
  • 2 red chillies


METHOD:


  1. Wash and soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight. Add enough amount of water as the chickpeas increase in size after soaking it.
  2. In a pressure cooker add the chickpeas, enough water, salt and pressure cook for 5-6 whistles. The chickpeas should be soft when you mash it with a spoon.
  3. In a pan, dry roast all the spices mentioned above till brown. Don’t burn them. On a slow or moderate flame you can roast the spices. Keep on tossing it otherwise they may get burnt.
  4. Once they are cooled, grind them into a fine powder.
  5. Now in the same pan, add oil. Once the oil becomes hot, add the chopped onions. Fry till they become transparent. Now add the ginger paste. Once the raw smell of the ginger disappears, then add the chopped tomatoes. Add a little salt so that the tomatoes gets cooked fast. Add the powdered spices to the onion-ginger-tomato mixture. Saute for a minute.
  6. Now add the boiled chickpeas with a little quantity of its broth. You can add more broth if you want more gravy. Check the salt first as the while boiling the chickpeas we added salt and we are using the same broth. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Finally, add the amchur powder. Garnish with chopped onions and cilantro leaves.
  7.  Serve the punjabi chole with kulchas, bhaturas, pooris, rotis, along with sliced onions and lime. Its tastes good with rice too.



Note:
cook the garbanzo beans in a bag of tea to get the enhanced flavour of perfect punjabi chole~~~
I added slices of potatoes since ran short of chole. It gave a good taste too without compremise~~~

Monday, November 21, 2011

SEPPENKILANGU FRY / TARO ROOT FRY

taro root fry

Ingredients:

  • Taro root - 1.5 lbs (around 9-10 roots)
  • Chilli powder - 4tbsp
  • Porial podi - 1 tbsp
  • rice flour - little
  • rava - a pinch for crispiness
  • besan flour - little (optional)
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Tamarind paste - 1 tsp or extract thick juice from a big gooseberry size tamarind
  • Asafoetida - a pinch
  • Oil for shallow fry
  • Salt - to taste

Method:



  1. Cook the taro roots with 2 tbsp salt in a pressure cooker for 3 or 4 whistles.
  2. When done, peel the skin and cut into 1/4" thick pieces.
  3. Mix the chilli powder,porial podi, turmeric powder, asafoetida, salt,all the flours in a wide bowl.
  4. coat the taro root pieces with the mixture and set it for 20 minutes..coat like you coat bread crumbs for cutlets.
  5. Heat oil in a pan for shallow fry. Coat the pieces in the spice mixture and place the pieces in the pan. Do not crowd the pan. Flip the pieces after around 4 mins or when it is dark and crispy.
  6. Add the tamarid juice and let it cook for couple of more minutes and till its roasted and crispy. 
  7. Fry until all the pieces are dark brown and crispy. Add more oil if needed for the next batch.
  8. Serve as a side with the simple and earthy dhal.


Note :

  • This taro root has a tendency to itch the tongue when served alone.. that's the reason we add tamarid juice to avoid the itchiness.
  • If you forget or dont like tamarind water.. you can add lime juice towards the end of the preparation and serve.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

BRINJAL DRUMSTICK KARA KULAMBHU

Last thursday Shopping to for Veggies was too good that I am still having couple of veggies remaining fresh inside the refridgerator. Among them were this wonderful Brinjis. Since I have done the porial variety more often which goes too good with rasam sadam, I wanted to do try my hands on a kulambhu variety.
I made sambhar couple of days ago with them for idlis and still have some remaining. So tried this KARA KULAMBHU. Smell and taste was A1 that too when served with soota appalam and brown rice! Gals, try out and make your kitchen aromatic with this wonderful kulambhu!

Ingredients :


  • Brinjal – Medium size 3
  • Sambar Onion – 10
  • Big Onion – ½
  • Tomato – 1
  • Coconut gratings – 1 tablespoon
  • Tamarind – small lemon size
  • Sambar Powder – 1 heaped tablespoon
  • Turmeric Powder – ½ teaspoon
  • Gingelly Oil – 2 tablespoon
  • Mustard – ½ teaspoon
  • Fenugreek – ½ teaspoon
  • Red Chillies – 2
  • Bengal Gram Dhal – 1 tablespoon
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Salt – 2 teaspoon or as per taste

Method:


  1. Soak tamarind and salt in water. Squeeze out the juice, add water and make 3 cups of tamarind water.
  2. Cut the brinjal into medium size pieces. Cut the tomato into four pieces. Cut the big onion lengthwise.
  3. Cut the sambar onion into two.
  4. In a kadai put one teaspoon oil and add big onion pieces and fry till it turns transparent. Add tomato pieces and fry till the tomatos mashed well. Add coconut gratings and sambar powder and fry for two minutes. Remove and cool it. When it is cooled, grind to a fine paste.
  5. Put the remaining oil in the kadai. When it is hot add mustard. When it pops up, add bengal gram dhal, red chillies broken into pieces, curry leaves. Then add fenugreek and fry till it turns light brown. Add cut sambar onions and fry well. Then add brinjal pieces and fry for two to three minutes. Add tamarind water along with turmeric powder.
  6. Bring to boil. Reduce the heat and cook till the brinjal is soft. Now add the ground paste along with a cup of water and stir well. Allow to cook in reduced heat for three to five minutes.

Tips: After grinding the coconut and tomato, you can wash the mixie with a cup of water and add that to the paste and make it semi liquid. If you add this liquid, it will blend with the kuzhambu well.

I tried a little different way. I kind of dry roasted the channa dhal, red chillies, and fenugeek and grinded it along with the onion,tomato fry.

Note: You can also prepare this Kuzhambu with drumstick, green banana, or in combination of brinjal, Drumstick, broad beans.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

PACHAI THAKALI MOAR KULAMBHU

As Winter is approaching, the leaves of the big trees coloring changing,my herb garden has this wonderful tomato plant having numerous vine tomatoes. But since the weather is not favouring my garden right now, the plant frosted and withered,leaving behind the cute cuddly tomatoes. When they were few , I used to bring in the semi ripped tomatoes inside and wait for it to turn ripe and make rasam out of them. 
But now, had large quantity of green tomatoes and pretty sure they will get rotten before they ripe. When wondering what to do with them, came across the idea of incorporating it to my usual recipe of moar kulambhu. The recipe turned out to be marvelous and hence sharing it with you all! 



Ingredients:
2 cups of decreamed thick and sour yoghurt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt- to taste.
Soak:
2 tsp coriander seeds
3 tsp of thuvar dal
3 tsp of raw rice in water for 20 mins...and:-
Grind with:
1 tbsp of grated coconut
1"piece of ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 green chillies.

To Season:
1tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp urad dal
4-5 redchillies,broken into 3 pieces each
A stalk of curry leaves.

Method:

  1. Precook the needed veggie with little tumeric and salt.
  2. Veggies like, patchai thakkali,Chow chow, white pumpkin, lady's finger can be used for this kulambhu.
  3. Soak and grind the ingredients as mentioned above; keep aside.  
  4. Whip yogurt lightly to make it to a uniform consistency and add to the ground  paste.Add salt.
  5. Boil the entire kulambhu for just few minutes.The curry frothes up in a few minutes. Switch the stove off. (if over boiled the yoghurt gets denaturated into water). 
  6. The curry should be semi-thick and not too watery in the final stage.Serves well with boiled rice. 
  7. Season with the seasoning ingredients at the end and serve with fried potatoes or rice appalam.
  8. Enjoy and don't forget to post your feedbacks! 
Pachai Thakkali Moar Kulambhu

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Sweet Chakarai pongal



Ingredients:

  • Rice : 1 cup
  • Moong dhall : 1/2 cup (fry on dry pan for 2 mins)
  • milk : 2 cups
  • jaggery : 6 to 7 coned jaggery approx 1 1/2 cup when powdered
  • cardamon powder : 1 tsp
  • raisins , cashew : few
  • edible camphor : less than a pinch
  • Ghee : 4 tbs or less
  • coconut : grated - 2 tbs


Method:

  1. Cook rice and dhall together with milk and water. 4 cups all together (2 cups milk + 2 cups water)
  2. Don't place the weight on the pressure pan as soon as you close. wait for the fast steam to erupt and the close.
  3. dilute the jaggery with very little water and filter out the dust.
  4. fry grated coconut in little ghee. fry raisins, cashews in ghee. keep them ready.
  5. once rice cooked, mash well and add to jaggery. cook on low flame.
  6. Add coconut,raisins,cashew n pinch of edilble camphor and mix well. 
  7. once ready, swtich the flame off and add cardamon and hot hot sweet pongal ready to serve! 

Saturday, July 23, 2011

OATS PANNIYARAM

With plenty of oats left in my pantry cupboard, I wanted to incoprate it in my dishes so end of the day, I am satisfied in serving the family with a healthy dish.


Ingredients

  • left over dosa batter (or) rice flour : 1 cup
  • Quick oats : 1 cup (If you dont have quick instant cooking oats,regular rolled oats is also OK like I used here.)Grinded the rolled oats into a coarse powder.
  • Onion : 1 big
  • Green chillies : 4
  • coriander : little
  • curry leaves : 1 string
  • ginger : little
  • curd : 1/4 cup
  • mustard seeds : 1 tsp
  • chana dhal : 2 tbsp
  • little oil for seasoning
  • shredded carrot : few

Method:

  1. Grind rolled oats to a course powder and mix with left over batter or rice flour.
  2. If adding rice flour, add 1/2 cup curd or else not needed. Allow it to soak for 10 minutes.
  3. Chop onion , green chillies and ginger. Add little oil on a pan,add the seasonings.
  4. Soak Channa Dhal for sometime and add it to the batter.
  5. Fry onion green chillies,ginger and grated carrot for few minutes. Add it to the batter.
  6. Heat the paniyaram pan and pour the batter and cook it to soft spongy panniyaram and ready to be served with tasty chutney or can be eaten as it is. 
  7. I CREATED A NEW RECIPE OUT OF THE NEW IDEA...DAHI OATS PANNIYARAM. Felt it was a good replacement for the calorie cautious Thayir Vadai (Dahi Vadai). Try it out and please post your feedbacks! Enjoy your weekend!
Dahi Oats Panniyaram

    Friday, July 22, 2011

    MOST PREFERD DESSERT : PAAL KOVA

    Finally friends I get the time and appropariate pictures to post the most wanted and favourite recipe among my near and dear ones. Paal Kova. It is just so easy when u have a microwave and don't have to stand the long hours in front of the stove!
    So get your paper and pen and start noting down and prepare the dessert and bring the pride to your home too!
    Paal Kova.

    Ingredients:


    • 1 can Sweetened condensed milk (14 ounce)
    • 3 tsbp Yogurt
    • 9 tsp Ghee
    • 1 tsbp unsalted nut (cashew/almond/walnut) of your choice.Here I used walnuts.


    Method:
    1. Take a microwave safe bowl preferably glass which is slightly wide and big. It should be wide to ensure that the milk doesn’t boil over it.  Combine condensed milk, yogurt and 3 tsp of ghee at this point.
    2. Mix well and microwave for 4 minutes.
    3. At end of 4 minutes, give a standing time of 1 minute.  (This is mainly done to let the bubbling settle orelse it will splash on your face) The bowl will be very hot so carefully remove using a towel.
    4. It will appear slightly curdled, use a spoon and mix gently.
    5. Add 2 tsp of ghee now and microwave for 2 minutes.
    6. Again after that give 1 minute standing time and get it out. . You have to stir gently, the bottom portion will look slightly brown and upper portion will be pale yellow.  Add  2 tsp ghee and then cook for another 2 minutes.
    7. Give 1 minute standing time.  Now you will see that the whole content turning brown.
    8. Stir gently, add last set of 2 tsp ghee and cook for 2 minutes.
    9. Again give 1 minute standing time. When it comes out it will be bubbling and very hot, handle carefully. Let stay for few minutes.
    10. Mix the crushed walnuts.
    Notes:
    • Yield- 1/2 kg / 1 pound / 1 1/2 cups Halwa.  Roughly 10 pieces.
    •  Microwave settings differ,so adjust the timing by increasing if the power is low.
    • Can also be done with low sweetened milk and reduce the ghee for diet conscious readers.
    • To get unsweetened kova for other recipes that need so, can prepare the same with evaporated milk.

    Tuesday, July 19, 2011

    ALOO BHINDHI SABZI



    Ingredients:

    • 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
    • 1/4 kg bhindi/okra/bendakaya, trim ends, cut into 1? pieces
    • 2 tomatoes, chopped fine
    • 1/2 onion cut to big chunks
    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 tsp grated ginger
    • big pinch of asafoetida/hing/inguvva
    • 1 tsp red chilli pwd
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
    • 1/2 tbsp coriander pwd
    • large pinch cumin pwd
    • little curd
    • salt to taste
    • coriander leaves for garnish
    • 1 1/2 tbsps oil



    Method:


    1. In a ovenware, pour curd, add little salt,turmeric powder,garam masala powder,chilli powder and oil and mix to a paste.
    2. Add okra and potatos and mix well so that the veggies are well covered with the curd paste.
    3. MArinate for 20 minutes and in the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
    4. Place the veggies in the oven and allow it to bake to tender and if possible little brownish.
    5. Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the grated ginger, asafoetida,onion chunks and fry.
    6. Add coriander pwd, turmeric pwd, cumin pwd, red chilli pwd and a tbsp of water and saute for 15-20 seconds.
    7. Add the baked veggies and salt.
    8. Cover with lid and cook on medium flame for 4-5 mts, tossing in between.
    9. Cook without lid and cook till the veggies are mixed well with onion n tomatoes.
    10. This is a dry saute dish
    11. Garnish with coriander leaves and place lid and let it rest for a few mts before serving. Serve hot with phulkas, parathas or puris.


    NOTE:
    The same kind of Sabzi (dry version ) can be made with brinjal and capsicum.
    Keep the tomato onion ,spices base the same. just replace okra with brinjal or capsicum.
    I have tried all the three versions and they are just awesome for Rotis.
    Okra Aloo Sabzi
    Aloo n Brinjal sabzi

    Friday, July 15, 2011

    Dhal Makhani (with /without onion)

    Ingredients:
    • ½ cup urad dal (whole black lentils)
    • 1 tbsp rajma (kidney beans)
    • 1/2 cup fresh cream
    • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
    • ½ cup onions, finely chopped(optional)
    • 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
    • 1 teaspoon chilli powder
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
    • 2 teaspoons coriander (dhania) powder
    • 3/4 cup fresh tomato (pulp)
    • 1 teaspoon oil
    • salt to taste
    • For the garnish: 2 tablespoons chopped coriander
    Method:
    1. Clean, wash and soak the whole urad and rajma overnight. Drain and keep aside.
    2. Combine the dals, and salt with 2 cups of water and pressure cook till the dals are overcooked. Whisk well till the dal is almost mashed.
    3. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the onions if u prefer else just start to add ginger-garlic paste. If adding onion saute till the onions turn golden brown.
    4. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and tomato pulp with 1/2 cup of water and saute for 5 to 7 minutes.
    5. Add this to the dal mixture and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes till the dal is thick and creamy.
    6. Add the cream towards the end after turning off the stove.
    7. Serve hot, garnished with the coriander. 
    Dhal Makhani .





    Thursday, July 14, 2011

    INSTANT MINT PULAV



    Ingredients:

    • 1 bunch of mint- Rinsed and leaves and tender stems plucked
    • 2 cups of Basmati rice, washed and soaked in 4 cups of water
    • 3 green chillies
    • Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
    • Cloves 2
    • Cinnamon 1
    • Ghee/oil : 1 tblsp

    Method:



    1. Cut the mint leaves and keep them ready
    2. Heat oil /ghee and add cumin,cloves n cinnamon to splutter..
    3. Add mint leaves and fry just for a sec.
    4. Add a pinch of sugar to maintain the greenery.
    5. Add the washed basmathi rice n fry for some minutes.
    6. Add enough water and boil till the rice is half cooked.
    7. Add salt for the pulav and cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
    8. The Pulav is ready to be served with tasty raita of your choice.
    Tasty instant pulav with raita

    Friday, July 8, 2011

    SAMBHAR RICE

    One weekend, we wanted a quick yet nutrisious lunch. Thats when I decided to make Sambhar Sadam. It has all the veggies required and dhal,rice ..etc.
    So here goes my wonderful tasty lunch,ready to be shared!
    Ingredients

    • Rice : 1 cup
    • Thur dhal :  1/2 cup
    • Mixture of veggies : 1 cup
    • Small onions : 7
    • Tamarind paste : 1 1/2 Tsp
    • Coriander seeds : 1 Tblsp
    • Red chilles : 4
    • Pepper : few
    • Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
    • Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
    • hing : little
    • Curry leaves : few
    • ghee : little to taste
    • oil : little for fry onions
    • salt : to taste
    • grated coconut : 1 tblsp
    • sambhar powder : 2 Tbsp

    Method:
    1.  Wash the rice and soak for 10 minutes.
    2.  Cook the rice and lentil in a pressure cooker with 5 cups of water for 10 minutes.
    3. When the rice is cooked, add the tamarind paste mixed in water, sambhar powder, turmeric powder, asofoetida,grated coconut and the mixed vegetables, cook on low heat until the vegetables are cooked, stirring often. Add salt.
    4.  In a small sauce pan heat the ghee add the mustard seeds, dry chillies,gram dhalcurry leaves and the sliced onions, sauté until the onions turn brown and add to the rice mixture.
    5. Fry coriander seeds, red chillies, cumin seeds, pepper and add coconut towards the end. Once cooled, grind into fine powder and add at the end of the preparation.
    6. Stir well, pour hot ghee over and serve warm with Pappadams.

    Sambhar Rice

    Wednesday, July 6, 2011

    OATS PAKKORA

    Ingredients:
    • Oats: 1 cup
    • Besan Flour: 1/4 cup,powdered
    • Rice flour: 1/4 cup
    • Onion :1,chopped finely
    • Green chilly: 2,chopped
    • Ginger: little
    • Salt to taste
    • Oil for frying
    • Few curry leaves
    • Garlic: few cloves
    • Butter/ ghee : little
    Method:
    1. Chop finely the onion,green chillies,ginger,garlic and curry leaves.
    2. Soak the oats in water for 30 minutes.
    3. Now to the soaked oats add besan and rice flour and mix well.
    4. Also add the chopped onion,green chillies,curry leaves,ginger and garlic and mix well.
    5. Add salt to taste and also the butter and mix well again.
    6. Now fry them in oil on medium flame.
    7. Fry till they become light golden brown in colour.
    8. Place them on tissue to drain out the excess oil.




    Tuesday, July 5, 2011

    ALOO GOBI MATTAR SABZI



    Ingredients:

    • 2no Potatoes(medium size)
    • 1/2 cup Greenpeas
    • 10nos Cauliflower florets
    • 1no onion
    • 2nos green chillies(slit opened)
    • 2nos Bay leaves
    • 1no Cinnamon sticks(big)
    • 2nos Cloves
    • 1no Cardamom
    • 2tsp Coriander leaves (chopped)
    • Salt
    • Oil
    Grinding:
    • 1tsp fennel seed
    • 2tsp poppy seeds
    • 1tomato
    • 1no cinnamon stick
    • 3nos cloves
    • 2tsp Coriander seeds
    • 1tsp peppercorns
    • 1tsp Cumin seeds
    • 2nos Red chillies
    • 1/4cup Grated coconut
    Method:
    Aloo Gobi Mattar Sabzi


    1. Grind finely all the ingredients under to grind list as fine paste with enough water.
    2. Chop finely the onions, peel the skin of potatoes n cut them into small cubes.
    3. Soak the cauliflower pieces with salt in hot water for 10 minutes.
    4. Microwave steam potatoes and cauliflower separately.
    5. Heat oil in a kadai, add the bay leaves,  cloves, cardamom n let them fry.
    6. Add the finely chopped Onions with 2 pinch of salt, cook until they turns translucent.
    7. Add the slit opened green chilies as well as green peas, potatoes cubes n soaked cauliflower pieces n cook for a while.
    8. Once the veggies r slightly cooked, add the grounded paste n stir them continously until the oil get separates, keep the flame in simmer.
    9. Add enough water to turns them as gravy.
    10. Cook them well until the vegetables get well cooked.
    11. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves .

    Monday, June 27, 2011

    PEERKANGAI (RIDGE GOURD) THUVAYAL

    Fry Ridge Gourd Skin till tender.
    Fry little urad dhall,red chillies and grind with coconut,salt and tamarid


    Ridge gourd skin thuvayal ready

    Saturday, June 25, 2011

    ORANGE RASAM



    Orange Rasam

    INGREDIENTS:

    • 1/2 cup Orange juice (freshly squeezed or Tropicana Juice)
    • 1 no Tomato (crushed)
    • 1/2 tsp Rasam powder
    • 2nos Garlic cloves (crushed)(optional)
    • 1/2 inch ginger(optional..i didnt use it today)
    • 1/4 cup Cooked dal
    • 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder
    • 2 nos Dry red chillies
    • Few curry leaves
    • Salt
    • 1/2tsp Ghee or oil 



    METHOD:

    1. With little water, boil,tomatoes,garlic for a minute or so.
    2. Take the cooked dal with rasam powder,crushed tomato,crushed garlic, salt along with enough water.
    3. heat the ghee, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida powder, red chillies,curry leaves and fry until they turns brown.
    4. Add the tomato - dal water.
    5. Turn off the stove once they starts boiling add the orange juice after a minute or so..
    6. Serve hot with rice!!
     

    Wednesday, June 22, 2011

    RidgeGourd Bhaaji (Peerkangai Sabzi)

    Ingredients:
    • 1 Ridge Gourd ( Dodka)
    • 1 small onion finely chopped
    • 1/2 tomato finely chopped
    • 3 tsp oil
    • 1/4 cup Chana Dal
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 5 to 6 curry leaves
    • 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
    • 1 tsp Coriander Powder
    • 1 tsp Garam Masala
    • 1 small piece of Jaggery
    • Salt to taste




    Method:


    1) Wash ridge gourd and peel its sharp edges and hard skin. Cut in to small bite size pieces.


    2) Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, pinch of hing, curry leaves, chopped onion and saute till it becomes translucent.


    3) Add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell from ginger garlic goes away.


    4) Add coriander powder, mix and add chopped tomatoes.


    5) Add red chilli powder and garam masala, mix, add soaked chana dal, mix, cover and cook for 10 mts. Add small piece of jaggery. ( Its optional)


    6) Add ridgegourd, add salt, mix, cover and cook till it gets done.


    7) Garnish with coriander leaves.





    Notes:
    •  Don't Discard the skin of the ridge gourd after you peel them.They turn out into wonderful Peerkangai Thuvayal which will follow in my later blogs... 
    • This Thuvyal will go well with hot rice and pappad.
    • Be careful when you choose your ridge gourd. Some Gourds are bitter.As you cut the gourd for preparation, taste a piece of it to see if its bitter.. if so discard that Ridge gourd as your dish itself will turn bitter.
    • A teaspoon of sabzi masala can be substituted for the separate masalas added.
    • Goes well with Chapathi/rice/pooris.
    RidgeGourd Bhaaji


    Friday, June 17, 2011

    MYSORE MASALA DOSA



    Ingredients:
    For Dosa batter:
    • 4 cups Raw rice(sona masuri or any equivalent regular rice)
    • 2 cups Boiled rice(par boiled rice or idli rice)
    • 1 1/2 cups poha(flattened rice)
    • a handful Whole round Urad dal
    • 1 tsp Methi seeds
    For Potato masala:
    1. 2 large potatoes,boiled
    2. 1 medium Onion chopped(optional)
    3. 3-4 green chillies,slitted
    4. 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
    5. 1 tbsp chana dal
    6. 1 tsp urad dal
    7. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
    8. 2 tbsp chopped coriander
    9. 8-10 chopped curry leaves
    10. salt
    For red(Onion-garlic) Chutney: (can be substituted with red channa chilly mix for onion/garlic haters)
    • 1 Big Onion chopped
    • 8-10 garlic pods
    • 1 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1 tsp tamarind pulp
    • salt to taste

    Method:

    Step 1 : Potato Masala
    • Mash the boiled potatoes and keep it aside.
    • Heat oil in a pan,crackle mustard seeds and fry chana dal,urad dal till brown.
    • Add slitted green chillies,curry leaves and onions and fry until they turn pinkish in color.
    • Add haldi,salt and mashed potato to it and give a nice stir and cook it for a couple of minutes.
    • Add coriander to it and mix properly and keep it aside to cool down.
    • Adding “Maa ingi” gives extra flavour to the masala

    Step 2 : Red(Onion-garlic) Chutney
    • Grind Onion,garlic,red chilli powder,tamarind pulp and salt into a very fine paste.
    • For those who dont prefer this paste, fry 6 red chilles,1 Tblsp Channa dhal and urad dhall and grind with little coconut.


    Step 3 : Dosa Batter


    • Soak both the types of rice,methi,poha in a big vessel for 6-7 hours.Soak urad dal separately for the same time.(minimum of 4-5 hrs)
    • Grind urad dal into a very fine and smooth batter.
    • Grind the rice mixture to a very smooth batter.Mix both the batter's and add salt to it and mix properly.Ferment it overnight.
    • Mix batter well.Pour a big ladle of batter onto a medium hot pan into a thick dosa,it should be thicker than the regular dosa.
    • Pour 1 tbsp oil approx over it.
    • Let it initially cook on low flame for 1-2 mins.Increase the flame later and cook for a couple of mins until you see brown/red patches.(No need to turn the dosa).
    • Pour some ghee in the center and spread some red chutney all over evenly and place potato masala on one side and fold the dosa.You can even close it from two sides or three sides like we get in hotels.
    • Serve it directly.It should be served on to the plate immediately to enjoy the flavor and crispiness of the dosa.
    • Red Chutney over cooking hot Dosa just before serving
    • Reduce the flame for one minute and then start preparing the next dosa.Do not pour the batter on high flame.

    Serve it hot right off from the flame with coconut chutney and coriander-mint chutney.