How to prepare Moong dal / hesarubele dosa

Moong dal dosa is a kind of quick fix breakfast menu though loaded with vitamins and other power packed nutrients with body cooling properties. Hence it makes to my weekly list of breakfast do. Also it can be so easily done without compromising on the taste. It has rich falvours of ginger and jeera smeared with ghee.  Now you know the robust flavours which are so inviting.

Just soak and grind with readily available ingredients, your dosa batter is ready without any fermentation. While your moong is soaking in hot water you can get your chutney done. Now you know how is it a quick fix? Let's get started 

 

Ingredients: 

3 - cups of moong dal /  hesarubele soaked in hot water. This will soften the dal quickly if you are in a hurry 

3 - tsp of jeera 

2" - fresh ginger 

4 - green chillies. Increase / decrease as per your taste 

2 - tsp Ghee    

Salt as per taste 

 

Grind together all ingredients with rock salt except ghee into a fine paste adding little water

 

The batter should not be too runny 

 

Heat a griddle, once hot our in a ladle full if the dosa batter 

 

Spread the batter into a circle. Smear ghee on top and sides of the dosa to get a good roasted / crispy dosa

 

After you see the bottom getting light brownish color, flip the dosa

 

The other side of the dosa should be done 2-3 seconds.:

 

You can relish this crispy bites of nutritious dosa with coriander / tomato chutney 

 

Read More

How to prepare Paneer grilled sandwich

This tops the list of my son's favourite snack. The crunchy crip combined with goodness of panner and whole wheat bread seems nutritious as well. So I end up with this snack very often, sometimes as a breakfast too. Very simple ingredients go a great way in cooking, just stir up some onions and tomatoes along with paneer and you are done. Variations can be made to this sandwich by adding additional flavours/ herbs such as oregano or using some mint / spianch leaves which should work well too. For now let's head to a simple grilled paneer sandwich.

 

 

Ingredients : 

4 slices - whole wheat bread / bread of your choice. 

3-4 tsp - butter 

200 gms - paneer, crumbled into soft granules 

2 onions - finely chopped 

1 tomatoe - finely chopped 

Salt as chillie powder as per taste

 

Method : 

In a pan heat a tsp of butter, once it is hot add onions and sauté until transparent

 

Add in the tomatoes and fry for a minute

 

Add in salt as chillie powder as much as you like and give a good mix 

 

Fry until the raw smell of chilli powder leaves and switch off the flame

 

Butter the bread inside out to get a crisp sandwich

 

Fill the panner mixture into 2 slices 

 

Cover up with the other 2 and give a good press 

 

Place them in the pre heated toaster. This should be done in a minute or two. Keep an eye on the toaster, to avoid getting a burnt sandwich

 

Slice them in between it have it full as you wish. This is a very filling snack too.

Read More

How to prepare Ash gourd / winter melon / budkumbalakayi dosa

Ash gourd also known as white gourd, winter melon, white pumpkin, wax gourd, petha, safed kaddu, boodida gummadikaya, pooshnikai. Loaded with nutrients. It's an excellent source of vitamin B1 (thiamine), a good source of vitamin B3 (niacin), and vitamin C. It is also rich in many minerals like calcium. Its high potassium content makes this a good vegetable for maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

Containing almost 96% water, this gourd is a dietitian's delight. Be sure to include this vegetable in your weght-loss diet. 

Do you need more information to use ash gourd in you kitchen after reading the above information.  

So quickly let's learn to make this easy recipe. I love this dosa for the spongy smooth texture it gives and my son loves it too. If you are the ones like my husband who wants thin and crisp dosa, you can make it by adding little more water to the batter by making it to running consistency. Both tastes good.

 

Ingredients: 

1 cup - dosa rice 

1/2 cup - urad dal / uddina bele 

2 tsp - puffed rice / avalakki 

1 tsp - methi seeds / menthya Kalu  

2 portion of white gourd  

Salt as per taste

 

 

Soak rice, uddina bele,menthya and avalakki for about 6-7 hours

 

Grind the soaked mixture to a fine paste mixing little water & without adding salt

Allow it to ferment overnight. Ideally start soaking by late afternoon, grind in the night and ferment overnight. In the morning grate pumpkin and squeeze out the water and set aside. Donot discard the water, instead try drinking it is tasty and good for health too

 

Add only the pulp to the fermented dosa batter add salt and give a good mix. The batter should be thick to get soft fluffy dosas.

 

Heat a griddle, once it is piping hot scoop out a ladle full of batter and pour over the griddle. Drizzle some oil around and over the dosa very slightly 

 

Donot spread if you need spongy and fluffy dosa. Spreading the batter will make dosa crisp and thin. Choose your variety

 

Flip it after 2 minutes to see the roasted color on the other side

Serve hot with chutney of your choice.

Read More

How to prepare White Chickpea / Kabuli Channa / Kabuli Kadale husli / fry / sundal

Chickpea / Kabuli husli is a recipe which can be had any time of the day on any occasion along with lunch as a side dish or as a snack . I have listed this as a festival recipe since this has no onions / garlic and is done on Ganesh Chaturthi. I prefer cooking the same on the visarjana  day (bidding adieu to Lord Ganesh)to distribute it as prasadam. It is very simple to make with minimal ingredients and less effort, loved by most of the people especially kids.

Ingredients :

1 cup - Kabuli channa soaked in water overnight or atleast for 6-7 hours

2 tsp - cooking oil

1/2 tsp - mustard seeds

3-4 - slit green chillies 

Handful - Fresh finely chopped coriander leaves

1/2 cup - Freshly grated coconut

Salt as per taste (rock & fine)

Method:

Pressure cook kabuli channa with rock salt for up to 3 whistles. This chickpeas will take slightly more time to get cooked so cook for 3 whistles. Do not over cook, the chickpeas should be soft but not mushy. 



 Allow the cooker to cool

 Strain the water completely

 Start the seasoning by heating 2 tsp of oil, throw in the mustard seeds let it splutter, add chillies and fry for a while

 Add the cooked chickpeas and give it a good mix and fry for a minute 

 Add fine salt powder, note that we have already added rock salt while pressure cooking the chickpeas. 

 Finish off by adding grated coconut and finely chipped coriander

 Give it a good mix and switch off the flame.

Read More

How to prepare Hayagriva - Bengal gram / channa dal / kadalebele halwa

Hayagriva is a sweet recipe from Udupi (part of Mangalore - India). This is mostly served as prasadam in temples or made on festivals specially for the deity. My mind is still afresh with the memories of the very first time I had this sweet when I was still very young and my father had done this sweet on a festival day. It was beaming with the robust smell of ghee, mixed with dal, coconuts and jaggery. Recently on Varamahalksmi festival - the festival of Goddesses Laksmi I prepared Hayagriva, overwhelmed with the turn out thought I should blog this traditional recipe. I'm still wondering why the sweet I loved so much since childhood took so many years for me to try?. Never mind, now we shall proceed towards the ingredients required to make Hayagriva.

                               

Ingredients:

1 cup - Channa dal / Bengal gram dal / kadalebele soaked in water for at least 2-3 hours

1 cup - jiggery

1/2 cup - freshly grated coconut or you can use dry copra both works well

5-6 tsp ghee

Handful of nuts - cahews, badam, raisins

1/2 tsp - fresh cardamom powder

                                                  

                                       

      

Method:

Pressure cook the dal up to 3 whistles. The dal should become soft into mashable consistency

Once the cooker cools, strain the water and mash the dal. Don't make a fine paste, just mash it lightly

 In a thick bottom pan, heat 1 tsp ghee and fry all the dry fruits separately and set them aside

In the same pan, heat the remaining ghee, once hot pour the mashed dal and stir continuously.

 Allow it boil and thicken

 Once you see the dal getting thick, add jaggery. This recipe needs 1 cup of jaggery for 1 cup of dal. You can alter the sweetness as per your taste

 Keep stirring, else it will get burnt. After the jaggery gets fully mixed with the dal add in the grated coconut. You can use grated copra / kobbari which works fine too.

Stir it for about 2-3 minutes until there is not much of liquid as you see in the below pic. Then add cardamom powder and all fried dry nuts. 

 Hayagriva is ready to serve. Tastes best when served hot. 

Read More