Dosa
Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6.
Parboiled rice
|
¾ cup
|
White/brown rice, raw
|
2 cups
|
Urad daal
|
½ cup
|
Chana daal
|
¼ cup
|
Fenugreek or methi seeds
|
¼ cup
|
Salt
|
to taste
|
Cooking oil
| |
Butter (optional)
|
Soaking
The best time to begin the process of making dosas is around noon the day before serving.
Wash and soak the dosa rice and parboiled rice together in plenty of water. Wash and soak the daals and fenugreek seeds together in plenty of water. Let both soak for between 6 and 8 hours.
Grinding
After soaking, drain off the water and blend the soaked rice with enough fresh water to facilitate blending into a smooth, thick paste. Similarly blend the soaked daals, fenugreek seeds, and salt with the required quantity of water to make a smooth paste. Mix both pastes along with salt into a homogenous batter. The consistency of dosa batter should be as thick as that of pancake batter. Choose a tall container to ferment the batter in and cover it with a tight lid. Allow batter to ferment for at least 8 hours or overnight. The ideal temperature range for fermentation is 22 °C (71.6 °F).
Pour Out Your Dosa Batter
Lightly mix the batter. The texture should appear fluffy. If the batter is flat even after 8 hours of fermentation (possibly resulting from climatic conditions), add 1 tsp of cooking soda to the batter and mix thoroughly. Wait for 10 minutes for the mixture to ferment and lighten.
Heat a nonstick pan and pour a small quantity of the batter onto the centre. Spread it evenly and outward with a flat-bottomed steel cup or a deep ladle in a circular motion.
Add a few drops of oil on the dosa and around the edges. When it roasts to a golden brown, fill the center with potato palya, fold one half over the other, and remove from the pan.
Plain dosa is served with chutney.
Set dosas are poured thicker and smaller, just like pancakes. They are flipped over and browned slightly on the other side, and served soft. They may be served with curries, honey, chutney or anything that attracts your imagination. Three or four set dosas are served together in a plate.
To roast your dosa crisp, add some butter to the dosa when on the griddle.
Note
If the batter does not ferment or rise owing to cold weather, leave it covered tightly, for 6 to 8 hours in a warmer room where the temperature is controlled, like your bedroom – no kidding!
If the batter does not ferment or rise owing to cold weather, leave it covered tightly, for 6 to 8 hours in a warmer room where the temperature is controlled, like your bedroom – no kidding!
Potato Palya
Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6.
Potatoes, boiled and semi mashed
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4 large
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Cooking oil
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4 Tbsp
|
Mustard seeds
|
½ tsp
|
Cumin seeds
|
½ tsp
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Curry leaves
|
2 sprigs
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Green chillies, slit in the middle
|
4
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Chana daal
|
1 tsp
|
Onions, finely sliced
|
2 cups
|
Turmeric powder
|
¼ tsp
|
Water
|
½ cup
|
Ginger, freshly grated
|
1 tsp
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Coriander leaves, finely chopped
|
garnish
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Salt
|
to taste
|
Method
Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and heat until they pop or sputter. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, chana daal and chillies and fry until chillies are sautéed and the daal turns golden. Add onions and fry for about 2 minutes. Add turmeric powder and fry for a few seconds. Add ½ cup of water and salt to the frying mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. Add ginger and mashed potatoes and mix well. Leave on the stove for a couple of minutes. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with dosas, chapattis, and poories. You may even use the potato palya to make excellent grilled sandwiches.
Coconut Chutney
Ingredients
Makes approximately 4 to 6 servings.
Fresh grated coconut
|
1 cup
|
Fried gram
|
½ cup (or more)
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Green chilli
|
2 or per taste
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Garlic (optional)
|
2 cloves
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Ginger
|
½ inch piece
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Tamarind paste (optional)
|
½ Tbsp
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Curry leaves (optional)
|
from a sprig
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Coriander leaves
|
1 small bunch
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Mint leaves
|
handful
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Salt
|
to taste
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Water for blending
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Method
Blend all the ingredients together with the required quantity of water in a blender (remember not to make a very smooth paste).
Note:
Add coriander and mint leaves at the end instead of blending them together with the other ingredients. Blend for about 5 to 8 seconds only. This will leave specks of green coriander and mint in the chutney rather than making it look a uniform green.
Mint Chutney or Dip
Ingredients
Makes approximately 4 to 6 servings.
Green mint leaves with tender stems, fresh
|
1 cup
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Coriander leaves, fresh
|
1 cup
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Green chilli, fresh
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2 or per taste
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Coconut, fresh or dry
|
1 cup
|
Tamarind paste
|
1 Tbs
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Cumin seeds
|
1 tsp
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Garlic
|
2 to 4 cloves, or per taste
|
Salt
|
¾ tsp or to taste
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Sugar
|
1 tsp
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Water for grinding
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Method
Blend all the ingredients into a fine paste using minimal water. Serve as a dip with parathas, samosas, bhajias, or pakodas.
Note
Mint chutney sandwiches are popular at parties and picnics. Lightly butter one slice of bread and apply mint chutney to another slice. Serve plain or use cucumber and tomato slices as the sandwich filling. Substitute mustard and ketchup with mint chutney in veggie burgers and enjoy a new exquisite taste!
Peanut Chutney
Ingredients
Makes approximately 4 to 6 servings.
Roasted peanuts
|
2 cups
|
Fresh grated coconut (optional)
|
½ cup
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Green chilli or dried red chilli
|
2 or per taste
|
Mint leaves
|
2 sprigs
|
Tamarind paste
|
1½ Tbsp
|
Onion, chopped (optional)
|
1 small
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Garlic (optional)
|
2 cloves
|
Coriander leaves
|
1 small bunch
|
Salt
|
to taste
|
Water for grinding
|
Method
Sauté mint leaves and chillies for a couple of minutes with two to three drops of oil. You can also skip sautéing the mint and chilies, and instead add raw mint and chillies to the mixture. Blend this with peanuts, coconut, tamarind, garlic and salt, with enough water to make a rough paste. Add onion (optional), and coriander leaves and grind for just five more seconds. Serve with items such as idli, dosa, chapattis, upma.
Multipurpose Powder
Multipurpose powder may be used in preparations like sambaar, rasam*, tomato chutney, and a variety of dry vegetable dishes.
Ingredients
Makes approximately 300 grams or 1 cup of powder.
Byadgi chillies
|
50 grams or 10 to 15 pieces
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Fresh curry leaves
|
2 to 3 sprigs
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Chana daal
|
25 grams or 1 Tbsp
|
Urad daal
|
25 grams or 1 Tbsp
|
Toor daal
|
25 grams or 1 Tbsp
|
Moong daal
|
25 grams or 1 Tbsp
|
Coriander seeds
|
75 grams or 5 Tbsp
|
Mustard seeds
|
25 grams or 1 Tbsp
|
Fenugreek seeds
|
25 grams or 1 Tbsp
|
Cumin seeds
|
25 grams or 1 Tbsp
|
Black peppercorns
|
25 grams or 1 Tbsp
|
Oil
|
2 drops
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Asafoetida
|
1/4 tsp
|
Method
Dry roasting should be done separately as there are many ingredients with varying moisture contents and textures.
Dry roast (constantly stirring) or dry in the hot sun the chillies and curry leaves until they turn crisp. Put them in a dry bowl and then continue adding the other ingredients to the bowl as you dry roast them.
Dry roast the daals together, stirring constantly until they change color slightly.
Dry roast the corainder, mustard, fenugreek, and cumin seeds and black peppercorns together until they lose their moisture and begin to give off their aromas. Cool this mixture to room temperature and add to the bowl.
Add asafoetida and blend all of the ingredients into a fine powder. Do not open the blender immediately, as the fumes from the powder are strong and may irritate your eyes and nose. Cool and store in an airtight container.
Note
Dry red chillies have some moisture and will not blend into a fine powder unless they are sun dried for 3 to 4 hours, or lightly dry roasted in a wok while constantly stirring, for about 5 to 7 minutes. Use a medium-low flame to prevent the chillies from changing color.
* Rasam is a spicy watery soup, usually made with tomatoes or tamarind water. It is served piping hot with rice and ghee. Rasam with rice is one of the many courses served at a traditional South Indian meal.
Pressure cook the toor daal and potatoes with water and set aside.
Heat a deep pan or pot and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and heat until they pop or sputter. Add the curry leaves, followed by the asafoetida and onions, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add turmeric powder and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add half a cup of water and cook with the lid on for 3 minutes or until onions are half cooked. Add tamarind paste or juice, jaggery, and salt and boil for a minute. Add the ground masala and stir well. Simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the cooked daal and potatoes and bring to a boil. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and ghee (optional), and serve hot with idlis, dosas, medhu vadas, rice and chapattis.
Note
You may ignore the fresh coconut if not available. Sambaar tastes good even without it.
Onion–Potato Sambaar for Idlis
Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6.
Toor daal
|
1 cup
|
Baby potatoes washed and scrubbed OR
Regular potatoes diced
|
12 OR
3 medium
|
Water
|
4 cups
|
Baby onions, peeled OR
Regular pink or white onions, diced
|
1 cup
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Oil
|
3 Tbsp
|
Mustard seeds
|
½ tsp
|
Curry leaves
|
2 sprigs
|
Asafoetida
|
2 pinches
|
Turmeric powder
|
¼ tsp
|
Tamarind paste or juice
|
1 Tbsp or ¼ cup
|
Jaggery
|
1 inch cube OR
1 Tbsp crushed
|
Multipurpose masala powder
|
2 tsp
|
Freshly grated coconut
|
¼ cup
|
Salt
|
to taste
|
Coriander leaves, finely chopped
|
2 Tbsp
|
Ghee (optional)
|
2 Tbsp
|
Method
Blend multipurpose masala powder and coconut with some water and set aside.Pressure cook the toor daal and potatoes with water and set aside.
Heat a deep pan or pot and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and heat until they pop or sputter. Add the curry leaves, followed by the asafoetida and onions, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add turmeric powder and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add half a cup of water and cook with the lid on for 3 minutes or until onions are half cooked. Add tamarind paste or juice, jaggery, and salt and boil for a minute. Add the ground masala and stir well. Simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the cooked daal and potatoes and bring to a boil. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and ghee (optional), and serve hot with idlis, dosas, medhu vadas, rice and chapattis.
Note
You may ignore the fresh coconut if not available. Sambaar tastes good even without it.
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