Bottle Gourd Dosa

Ingredients:

Bottle Gourd Juice 1 Cup
Rice Flour 3/4 Cup
Fine Sooji 1/4 Cup
Green Chile 2 – 3
Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp
Cilantro Few Sprigs
Salt to taste
Oil as Required

Method of preparation:

Wash, remove stem and roughly chop the green chiles.
Coarsely grind the green chiles using a grinder.
Wash, lightly scrape and roughly chop the bottle gourd.
Grind the bottle gourd with few tablespoons of water into smooth paste.
Clean, separate leaves, wash and finely chop the cilantro.

In a mixing bowl, mix together rice flour, ground bottle gourd, green chile paste, sooji, cumin seeds, cilantro, curry leaves and salt.
Add enough water to make it somewhat thin batter.

Heat a flat pan on medium high heat, apply few drops of oil with back of a spoon.
When pan gets hot, pour a ladle full of bottle gourd dosa batter on pan in circular motions.
Make sure batter is thin enough that it makes small holes when it hits the hot pan.
Try to fill up any big holes and form into 6 – 7 inch diameter dosa.
Don’t spread the dosa with back of the ladle.

Fry till bottom side starts to turn golden brown.
Pour few drops of oil on top and turn on other side.
Reduce the heat a bit and cook on this side for around a minute before removing from heat.
Repeat the same with remaining bottle gourd gourd dosa batter.
Serve bottle gourd dosa immediately with sambar or with any chutney of your choice.
Notes: Make sure lauki dosa is little crisp before removing from heat.

Suggestions: If the lauki dosa doesn’t come out crisp, make sure the pan is hot all the time. Don’t spread the batter once it hits the pan. Let it take its time to cook and crisp up. If the dosa doesn’t come out of the pan, make sure dosa batter is not too thin. If dosa comes thick, make sure batter is not too thick by adjusting with water.
Variations: You can also add finely chopped onion or grated carrot to the bottle gourd dosa batter.

Kanchipuram Idli

Ingredients:

Urad Dal 1/2 Cup
Idli Rice 1 Cup
Raw Rice 1/2 Cup
Green Chiles 2
Ginger 1 inch Piece
Yogurt 1 Tbsp
Salt to taste

Talimpu:

Cumin Seeds 1/4 tsp
Mustard Seeds 1/4 tsp
Chana Dal 1/4 tsp
Black Peppercorns a few
Chopped Raw Cashews 2
Curry Leaves 5
Oil 1 tsp

Method of preparation:

Soak urad dal in water for 3 – 4 hours.
Soak both idli rice and raw rice in water for around 6 hours.
Grind the both urad dal and rice separately into smooth paste.
In a mixing bowl, combine the urad dal paste and rice paste.
Let the batter ferment for good 6 – 8 hours in a warm place.

Wash, remove stems and finely chop the green chiles.
Peel and mince the ginger.
Lightly crush the ginger and green chiles.

Heat oil in a pan, add all talimpu ingredients in order.
When chana dal changes color, add ginger and green chiles.
Fry briefly and remove the tempering from heat.

Then, add the yogurt, salt and the above tempering to the idly batter bowl.
Mix well and let it stand for around an hour.

Grease the idly moulds with little ghee.
Place a cashew first and fill the moulds with kanchipuram idli batter.
Steam the idli for around 8 – 10 minutes.
Let them cool off a bit before removing the idli from mould.
Serve kanchipuram idli with tomato chutney.
Notes: Make sure to to soak the rice well to aid in easy grinding.

Suggestions: Usually the kanchipuram idli batter is steamed in a wide deep pans or cups rather than using the regular idly moulds.
Variations: You can also add urad dal and asafoetida to the tempering

Spinach Dosa

Ingredients:

Spinach Leaves 1 Cup Packed
Rice Flour 1/4 Cup
Sooji 1 Tbsp
Besan 1 Tbsp
Cumin Seeds 1/4 tsp
Green Chiles 2
Curry Leaves 3
Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

Remove stems, wash and roughly chop green chiles.
Coarsely grind the green chiles along with salt.

Separate spinach leaves from its stems and wash them thoroughly.
If curry leaves are big, tear them into pieces.
Blanch the spinach leaves in hot water for couple of minutes.
Strain the spinach leaves and grind them into smooth paste adding little water and salt.

In a mixing bowl, mix together rice flour, besan, sooji, spinach leaves paste, cumin seeds, green chili paste, curry leaves and salt.
Add enough water to make it somewhat thin batter.

Heat a flat pan on medium high heat, apply few drops of oil with back of a spoon.
When pan gets hot, pour a ladle full of spinach dosa batter on pan in circular motions.
Make sure batter is thin enough that it makes small holes when it hits the hot pan.
Try to fill up any big holes and form into around 5 inch diameter dosa.
Don’t spread the dosa with back of the ladle.

Ffry till bottom side starts to turn golden brown.
Pour few drops of oil on top and turn on other side.
Reduce the heat a bit and cook on this side for around a minute before removing from heat.
Repeat the same with remaining spinach dosa batter.
Serve spinach dosa with sambar or with any chutney of your choice.
Notes: Make sure spinach dosa is little crisp before removing from heat.

Suggestions: If the dosa doesn’t come out of the pan, make sure dosa batter is not too thin. If dosa comes thick, make sure batter is not too thick, and adjust with water.
Variations: You can also add finely chopped onion or chopped nuts like cashews to the batter.

Cabbage Idli

Ingredients:

Steamed Plain Idli 4
Cabbage 1/4 of Small Head
Onion 1
Ginger 1 inch Piece
Green Chiles 2 – 3
Dalia / Roasted Gram 1 Tbsp
Tamarind Extract a Dash
Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp
Cilantro few Sprigs
Salt to taste

Talimpu:

Mustard Seeds 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves 5
Oil 2 tsps

Method of preparation:

Peel, wash and mince the ginger.
Slice the onion and cabbage.
Remove stems, wash and finely chop the green chiles.
Grind roasted gram into fine powder.
Wash, clean and finely chop cilantro.
Chop steamed idli into big chunks.

Heat oil in a pan, add all talimpu ingredients in order.
When mustard seeds start spluttering, add ginger and green chiles.
Stir briefly and add onion, cabbage and salt.
Cook covered for couple of seconds for cabbage to soften, add turmeric powder and tamarind extract.
Uncover and stir fry for couple of seconds to brown the edges of the cabbage.
Stir in chopped idly, dalia powder, cilantro and salt.
Serve cabbage idli immediately.
Notes: Make sure cabbage is cooked well but having a little crunch.

Suggestions: Prepare the batter for steaming idli as listed in this recipe.
Variations: You can also add cashews to the talimpu.

Rice Flour Wada

Ingredients:

Rice Flour 1 cup
Moong Dal 2 tbsps
Red Onion 1
Green Chillies 3
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method of preparation:

Finely chop green chillies and onion.

Heat a cup of water in vessel, add moong dal and bring to boil.
Remove from heat and keep it aside.

In a deep bowl, mix rice flour, boiled moong dal, chopped onion, green chillies and salt into soft dough using the hot water left in moong dal vessel.
Make small golf sized balls with the dough and flat them on palm.
Make a hole in the middle and deep fry until golden brown.
Serve hot.

Mysore Bonda

Ingredients:

Plain Flour/ Maida 3 cups
Plain Yogurt 1 cup
Salt few pinches
Oil for deep frying

Method of preparation:

In a bowl, mix plain flour, yogurt, salt together with required amount of water.
The flour mixture needs to be flowy but tight.
Leave the flour mixture covered for atleast 3 hours.

Heat oil in wok until smoking hot, take golf sized balls out of the mixture and place slowly in oil.
Fry on both sides until golden brown.
Serve hot with chutney.

Masala Chana Dal Fritters / Senagapappu Masala Vada

Ingredients:

Chana Dal 1 cup
Onion 1 small
Cloves 1
Cinnamon 1/2 inch piece
Coriander Seeds 1 tbsp
Whole Red Chiles 3
Curry Leaves 8-10
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method of preparation:

Peel, wash and finely chop onion.
Wash and tear curry leaves into small pieces.
Grind clove, cinnamon, coriander seeds and red chiles into fine powder.

Wash and soak chana dal for 3 hours.
Drain the water and grind the soaked chana dal coarsely adding least amount of water.

Combine the ground chana dal with chopped onion, curry leaves, ground masala powder and salt.
Take 1- 1 1/2 inch sized ball out of above chana dal mixture.
Place the ball on left hand and press it lightly to form a 2 inch disk.

Heat oil in deep vessel on medium high heat.
Deep fry the disks until golden brown on both the sides.
Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot.