Masala Dosa served with Brahmin style Sambar

Masala Dosa served with Brahmin style Sambar 

For the Dosa Batter

Ingredients

11/2 cups Rice

1/2 cup Urad dal / Split Black Gram

Salt to taste

Method

Separately soak rice and urad dal at least overnight in water. Grind the dal and rice. Leave it to ferment overnight. Add salt and mix it.

Potato Filling

Ingredients

2 large Potatoes boiled and chopped

2 Green chillies chopped

Few Curry Leaves

1 Dry Red Chilli broken into pieces

1/2 tsp Chana Dal /  Yellow Split peas

1/2 tsp Urid Dal / Split Black Gram

1/2 tsp Mustard seed

2 Pinches of Asafoetida

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

Few Coriander  Leaves chopped

Method

Take a wok, add oil, let it heat. Add the chana dal and urid dal, stir it for few seconds, add the mustard seeds, let it crackle. Add the red chilli and curry leaves, saute it for few seconds, add the asafoetida and stir it. Add the potatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, garnish with coriander leaves and keep it aside.

For the Masala Dosa

Ingredients

Batter

Potato Filling

Ghee for Drizzling on the Dosa

Method

Take a dosa skillet. Let the skillet warm up. Add a ladle full of batter and swirl and spread the batter on the skillet. Drizzle ghee on top and let it cook till it becomes light brown, add 2 tbsp of the filling and spread it. Fold the dosa into half. Serve it hot with Sambar and Coconut Chutney..

Brahmin Style Sambar 

Brahmin Style Sambar Powder

Ingredients

1 tbsp Toor Dal

1/2 tbsp Chana Dal

10 Red Dry Chillies

4 tbsp Coriander seeds

1/4 tbsp Fenugreek seeds

1/4 tbsp Pepper Corns

1/4 tbsp Turmeric powder

Method

Roast all the above ingredients except for the turmeric powder. Cool it. Add it in a grinder with the turmeric powder. Grind it in to a fine powder.

To make the Sambar

Ingredients

1/2 cup Toor dal washed and soaked

1 Potato peeled and cut into cubes

1 Tomato cut into cubes

1 Carrot cut into pieces

1/4 cup small Onions peeled

1/2 cup Pumpkin cut into cubes

2 Green chillies cut into pieces

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tbsp Sambar powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Fresh Coconut grated  or Desiccated Coconut powder

1 tsp Tamarind paste

1 tbsp Jaggery

For seasoning

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1 Red Dry Chilli broken into pieces

Few Curry leaves

2 Pinches of Asafoetida

2 tbsp Coconut Oil

Few Coriander leaves chopped

Method

Take a pot, add the dal, turmeric powder, salt and 4 cups of water. Let it boil on low flame for 15 minutes. Add the vegetables. Let it continue to boil till the vegetables and the dal is almost cooked. Add water if required. Add the coconut grated or powder, sambar powder, salt, tamarind paste and jaggary. Simmer for 10 minutes more. Meanwhile take a pan, add the oil. Heat it. Add the mustard seeds, red chilli, curry leaves and asafoetida. Sauté for few seconds. Add it into the Sambar. Simmer for 2 minutes more.  Add the coriander leaves and serve hot.

Pizza Uttappam

Pizza Uttappam 

Indo Western Fusion cooking... Italy meets South India.. Uttappam is a South Indian Dish and it is served with an Italian Pizza topping.. 

For the Pizza Sauce 

Ingredients

3 Ripe Tomatoes cut into cubes 

4 big size Garlic pod chopped

1 Onion chopped 

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Dry Mix Herbs

1/2 tsp Pepoer powder 

1 cup Tomato purée

1 tbsp Olive oil

Method

In a wok, add olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for a minute, add the onions. Sauté till translucent. Add the tomatoes, stir and cook it for 5 minutes. Add the tomato purée, salt, pepper powder, sugar and mix herbs, stir and let it simmer for 5 minutes more. Keep it aside. 

For the Dosa / Uttappam Batter

Ingredients 

3 cups Rice

1 cup Urid Dal / Split Black Gram 

1 tbsp Fenugreek seeds 

Salt to taste 

Method 

Wash and soak all the 3 above ingredients seprately overnight. Grind the ingredients in a grinder and keep it for fermenting for 8 hours. Add salt and if required then add water for the right consistency. 

P.S. I normally grind a kg of rice and 300 grams of dal and divide the batter as per my requirements into separate vessels and refrigerate it. 

We can also take 2:1 proportion of rice and dal. 3:1 proportion of rice and dal gives crispy dosas.

For the Pizza Uttapam

Ingredients

Pizza sauce

1 bowl of Dosa / Uttappam batter 

1 cup Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese mix grated 

2 tbsp Black Olives sliced 

2 tbsp Red picked chillies sliced 

1 Onion sliced

1 Green Capsicum sliced

1/2 Red Capsicum sliced

1/2 Yellow Capsicum sliced 

8 Mushrooms sliced 

Sprinkle of Pizza mix dried herbs 

Olive oil to drizzle 

Method

Take a pan, add one ladle full of batter in the pan, keep it on a low flame, sprinkle some cheese, add the pizza sauce on the batter, arrange the vegetables on by one on the pizza. Add some more cheese on top, drizzle some oil on top and sprinkle pizza mix. Cover and cook, for 2 to 3 minutes till the base has become brown and crispy. Serve hot. 

Maggi Noodles with Veggies and Eggs...

Maggi Noodles with Veggies and Eggs... 

It is a all time favourite dish of many. My husband claims that he lived on Maggi during his collage days, my daughter can have Maggi any time of the day. For me it is quick and easy to cook. I have cooked it in a desi way with Veggies and Eggs and seasoned it with Madras Curry powder.. 

Ingredients 

4 pieces of Veg Maggi Noodles

4 Eggs

1/4 cup of each Vegetables chopped 

Carrot

Capsicum 

French beans 

Cauliflower or Broccoli 

Onion

Tomato

1 tsp Garlic chopped

1 tsp Green chillies chopped

2 tsp Curry powder

2 Maggi Masala sachets

Salt to taste 

1 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Butter 

Few Coriander Leaves chopped for garnishing 

Method

Take a wok, add oil and butter. Let the butter melt. Add the garlic and chillies. Sauté it for a minute, add the onions. Sauté it till brown in colour. Add the vegetables one by one and stir it, add the curry powder, Maggi masala and salt. Stir it. Take Maggi, crush it and add it to the vegetables, stir it. Add 3 cup of water, stir it. Cover and cook, stirring in between  till it is done, and little water is left in the wok. Break the eggs on top, cover and cook till the eggs are done, switch off the flame and garnish it with coriander leaves.

Happy Valentine with Chocolate Strawberry Rose Cupcake...

Happy Valentine with Chocolate Strawberry Rose Cupcake...
Humorous Anniversary...❤️❤️
It was a small funny incident which happened 2 years back on my anniversary day, I had just woken up from my sleep, I saw my husband walking in side the room towards me, trying to tell me some thing and he was very excited.  I was in my own world. There was a big bunch in his hand which I though was a big bunch of roses, I very happily went to take it from in his hand and was wondering that in 18 years of our married life he never got me any surprise gifts, how come today he got roses that too early in the morning... I became very... very happy.  But no, it was not roses,  it was a big bunch of fenugreek leaves and spring onions which he had picked up on the way back after dropping our daughter to school. He wanted me to make Meethi Aloo for lunch... He loves to shop for vegetables and he loves to eat... So for Valentine's Day Strawberry roses for him...

Chocolate Strawberry Rose Cupcake
Strawberry filling
Ingredients
5 medium size strawberries  sliced
1/4  cup Sugar
1 tbsp Cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp Water

Method
Put the  strawberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly and cook for 5 minutes,  then add the sugar and cornstarch mix. Stir  4 to 5 minutes more until mixture thicken slightly. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.

Chocolate Strawberry Rose Cupcake  
Ingredients
1 cup All purpose Flour
2 tbsp Coco powder
1/2 cup Powder Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 cup Oil
2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 cup Milk + 1 tbsp Vinegar ( Mix)
    OR
1/2 cup Curd + 1/2 cup Milk ( Mix )
Any Frosting
6 Strawberry Roses
1 tbsp of Golden Sugar sprinkles

Method
In a large bowl sieve together flour, coco, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Keep it aside. Take oil and sugar. Beat it well till the sugar in cooperates with the oil. Add vanilla essence and Milk vinegar OR Milk Curd. Beat it once more. Add the flour mix 1/2 cup  at a time and beat it until  you get a thick batter. If the batter is too thick then add 1 or 2 tbsp milk. The batter should be thick dropping consistency. Arrange the cupcake liners. Fill in 2/3 rd of the cup cake liners. Bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes or till done. Insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean it is done. Cool the cupcake completely. Make a hole in each cupcake in the centre  and spoon the strawberry filling in each. Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes. Decorate with strawberry rose and some golden sprinkles.

Roti Jala served with Pickled Chicken

Roti Jala served with Pickled Chicken 

Roti Jala is a traditional flat, net, lacy bread from Malaysia and is served with any curry. I have made Malaysian Pickled Chicken to go with Roti Jala. 

Roti Jala

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups  All Purpose Flour

1 tetra pack Coconut Milk or more 

1 Egg Beaten

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder 

Melted Ghee for Brushing (Optional) 

Method 

Take a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and turmeric powder, mix it. Add the egg and coconut milk little at a time and whisk in to a thin batter. Heat a frying pan. Keep the flame on low heat and brush the pan lightly with ghee. Drizzle the batter from a squeeze bottle on the pan to create a net pattern. Cook until it is  light golden on the base. Turn and lightly cook the other side, take it out on a plate and repeat with remaining batter. When cool, fold roti in to half from both the sides and then roll from the other end. Serve with pickled chicken. 

Pickled Chicken 

For the Ground Spices 

Ingredients 

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Coriander seeds

10 Cloves

2 Cardomom 

1 small stick Cinnamom 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder

Method 

Dry roast all the above ingredients except Turmeric and Nutmeg. Cool the ingredients, add the turmeric powder and nutmeg and grind it into a fine powder. 

For Marinating the Chicken 

Ingredients 

10 medium size Chicken pieces

Spice powder

Salt to taste

Method

Mix all the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and marinate it for 1 hour. 

For the Wet Spices 

Ingredients 

2 Onions cut into thick slices

1 tsp Ginger chopped

1 tsp Garlic 

1 Lemon Grass Stalk chopped 

5 Red Dry Chillies soaked in water

Method 

 In a blender blend chillies, onions, ginger, garlic and lemongrass into a paste. Add very little water if required to make the paste. 

For the Pickled Chicken 

Ingredients 

Marinated Chicken pieces 

Wet Paste 

3 tbsp Vinegar 

1/2 tbsp Sugar 

Salt to taste 

½ cup Chicken stock

2 tbsp Ghee 

Few  Mint and Coriander leaves for garnishing 

Method 

 Heat ghee in a wok on medium heat, add the wet paste. Stir fry the paste for 3 minutes or till the oil has separated from the paste. Add the marinated chicken and fry for 10 minutes. Add the stock, stir and cover the wok. Simmer until the chicken has cooked. Add vinegar, salt and sugar. Stir and simmer for another 2 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and mint leaves. Serve with Roti Jala.