Rice Pancakes and Coriander Chutney (Dosa N Chutney)

There are various types of Dosas/Rice Pancakes; crisp, fluffy, spongy, wafer thin, thick, large, small, These are not your crisp and wafer thin type of Dosa; but a spongy and holey one variation. My son loves these and calls them “Holey Dosas”; as you see a large number of holes in them. You can have your ‘Dosa’ with any side dish. Most popular are coconut chutney, coriander chutney, tomato chutney, potato bhaji, sambar etc. I made ours with a Coriander Chutney.  Do try them.

Recipe :
5 cups of rice (I used the ‘Rozana’ Basmati rice).
1 cup urid dal
1 teaspoon yeast
Sugar – 3-4 tablespoons
Salt to taste.

Wash and soak the Rice and Dal separately for at least 4/5 hours or overnight. Grind to a fine batter adding water as required. Transfer the batter in a deep vessel, add sugar, salt and yeast. (Dissolve the yeast in ½ cup luke warm water and wait till it bubbles. Then add to batter. This to ensure that yeast is good).

Take an onion and peel it. Flatten it at the bottom and just make 5/6 cuts on the surface of the outer layer. Put this onion on the surface of the batter and cover with a lid. After 2 hours the batter will have risen and the onion floating on the surface will have disappeared into the batter. (This is an indication that your batter has risen. If not wait for sometime more time till this happens).

Remove the onion from the batter and wash it. Take a cupful of oil and keep aside. Pierce a fork into the top surface of the onion and soak it into the oil. (You are going to use the onion to lighly coat the Tawa/skillet with oil).

Heat a tawa/skillet. Rub the tawa/skillet with the soaked onion so that a thin film of oil coats it. Drop a large ladle full of batter on the tawa/skillet and immediately cover it with a lid and let the dosa cook on medium heat till done and you see no raw batter on the surface.
Between dosas, grease the tawa or skillet lightly with oil/onion and then pour the batter.

Best had directly from pan to plate with side-dish of your choice.

So there you are, a ‘Holey Dosa’, which leaves no hole in your wallet ;).

Idli, Sambhar and Chutney….

I’m sure you’ve heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The truth is, it is; and there is a very good reason for it. Researchers have proved that people who eat breakfast have a better chance of losing weight, and keeping it off. When you skip meals, you’re so hungry by lunchtime that you eat the entire cow!…ha ha.

Are you tired of eating the same boring bowl of sugar-coated cereal for breakfast every morning, or maybe you’ve slipped into the bad habit of completely skipping breakfast? ‘Bring On the Chef In You’, will soon be bringing you healthy breakfast ideas; that can be made quickly and are nutritious. Think outside the (cereal) box when it comes to breakfast food. Don’t let yourself get into the rut of thinking you don’t even need to bother with breakfast. Here are some reasons why breakfast is important:

• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day
• People that eat breakfast generally aren’t as likely to be overweight as those that don’t
• Breakfast provides the energy your body needs to start your day
• When you eat breakfast, you replenish your body’s stores after sleeping all night
• Students who eat a healthy breakfast have higher overall grades
• Employees who eat breakfast perform better on the job

So read on…… Breakfast idea number 1; and do check out our Blog for more……..

Idli :

Basmati rice – 2 cups
Urid Dal -1/2 cup
Boiled rice – ½ cup
½ teaspoon yeast
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
Salt to taste

Clean and wash the rice and dal and soak for 4-5 hours. Put in a blender and grind and keep aside. Mix yeast in 1 tablespoon of luke-warm water to dissolve and wait till it bubbles. Then add to the batter along with salt and sugar and mix well. Allow to ferment for 3-4 hours. To check if the batter has fully risen, remove the outer skin of an onion and make small four slits on the onion surface. Put it in the batter, it will float on the surface. When the batter rises the onion will sink in the flour. Put water in a steamer, put the batter in idli moulds which can be lined with a thin film of oil with a tissue. Steam for 20-25 minutes. When done, cool and remove from moulds. This makes about 35-40 small sized idlis; and they vanish quickly from the table; so don’t think they are toooo many. {For lunch we had the remaining Idlis with a spicy Irish Lamb Stew}. Serve hot with green chutney and sambhar, recipe of which is given below.

Green Chutney :

1-1/2 cup fresh coconut – grated
A small bunch of coriander leaves
Few mint leaves
4-5 green chillies (more if you need it spicier)
Marble sized tamarind
2 cloves of garlic
1” piece of ginger
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small onion
Salt to taste
A pinch of sugar

Grind all together in a blender. Don’t make it too fine but let it be a bit coarse. (Optional – can give a bagar of ½ onion, mustard seeds, curry leaves and 1 whole red chillie)

Vegetable Sambhar :

1 cup Dal (tur)
Mixed vegetables of your choice 1-1/2 cup (used potato, banana, carrot, yam, brinjal, beans, drumsticks)
1 Onion
2 green chillies
Sambhar/Rasam powder (used Rasam) – 2/12 teaspoons {Available in all asian grocery stores)
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Tomatoes – 1 large
Tamarind – lime sized
Ginger – 1” – crushed
Garlic – 4-5 cloves – peeled and crushed
Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
2 whole red chillies – torn into bits
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish.

Wash dal and keep aside. Cut vegetables into chunks – wash and keep aside.

In a pressure cooker, add a little oil and put mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add sliced onion, curry leaves, crushed ginger, crushed garlic, red chillie, green chillie, tomato and sauté for sometime. Then add sambhar powder, dal and sauté for a minute or two. Add water, tamarind, salt to taste, the cut veggies and pressure cook till the first whistle.

Put the heat off and let the sambhar simmer in the pressure cooker for 10-15 minutes. Open the cooker only after it is cooled. Garnish with finely cut coriander leaves and serve warm with Idli and Chutney.