MASALA DOSA RECIPE | SOUTH INDIAN BREAKFAST RECIPES

Masala dosa is my favourite in my childhood days. I love the Potatoes cooked in a simple yet flavourful way that goes well as both stuffing for dosa and with puri/ poori. My dad takes us to restaurants only once in a blue moon. Even if we travel, my mom will pack idli or some variety rice. So we rarely get chance to restaurants. So if I get a chance, my order will be one and only the “masala dosa”.  And now, in contrast, now in Singapore, we eat out atleast 2-3 times a month, thanks to Aj. He is just like me in that case, love restaurant food and he is also like me when it comes to taste. His order for breakfast will be always poori, masala dosa. That’s it. Every single time. But at home he asks for my vegetable masala dosa. He always wants something special.
     I made it thick for making it possible to stuff the dosa. So if you want, you can adapt the same recipe for puri too, by adding a bit of water and leaving few pieces of the potatoes not mashed. Anyways I will also post a puri masala recipe in future, but just saying this can be used for puri too. My FIL actually likes it this way ~ thick and completely mashed potatoes for puri too. He says, see how it is mashed with no traces of potatoes at all, when we eat at Mathura restaurant at Mount road, Chennai. He loves that masala served there. It is so different from others. So here is my version of masala for dosai.

Masala dosa recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Breakfast
Prep Time: 10 mins    |  Cook time: 10 mins    |  Serves: 4

Dosa batter recipe/ Dosa batter recipe(easy version)

Ingredients

Potatoes	3, big sized
Onion	1
Carrot, finely chopped	2 tbslp
Green chilli	2
Finely chopped ginger	1 tblsp
Turmeric powder	1/8 tsp
Salt	3/4 - 1 tsp(adjust as per your taste)

 

To temper

Oil	1 tblsp
Mustard	3/4 tsp
urad dal	1 tsp
Channa dal	2 tsp
Cashew nuts	5
Curry leaves	1 sprig

 

Method

1. Wash and cut each potato into 4 and pressure cook with 1/2 cup water for 3 whistles. Peel off the skin and mash it well. Heat a pan with oil and temper with the items given under ‘to temper’ table in order. Let the cashews turn golden.
2. Add chopped ginger, green chilli, onion, carrot and fry well for a minute. Add 1/4 cup water and turmeric.
3. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Fry for 2-3 minutes, add oil if needed more.
4. Spread dosa (refer tips page – dosa tips) thin , drizzle some oil or best ghee and when it gets cooked, no need to flip, just spread a ladle full of masala prepared in the middle.

Notes

• Use 1/2 tsp ghee along with oil for each dosa , which makes the masal dosa smell divinely. Restrict yourself to one or two to take care of your health/ diet.
• Adding finely chopped ginger not only enhances the flavour, also helps in digesting the potato. If you finely chop, then you wont even get it to know while eating.
• If you don’t want that, you can also grind the ginger and green chilli with water mentioned in step 2 and use it.
• I use coconut oil for making this masala, which adds more flavour.

Fold the dosa into half, closing the masala filling and serve hot with chutney andtiffin sambar.

Technorati Tags: masala dosa,masala dosa recipe,masal dosai,south Indian masala dosa,South Indian,breakfast,breakfast recipes,south Indian breakfast recipes,recipe,recipes

       This is the first time I am trying veg momos. Tasted for first time as well. I had a wish to try this ever since my SIL posted this. But have been postponing trying this due to various reasons. Now since a reader requested this recipe in my recipe request page, I thought of posting it. Since this is the first time, I took some time to make this. But its quite easy. For me making a post became a pressure today, otherwise its easy. Perfect for your kids and your family. Its really delicious and I bet you wont stop eating just one. I have tried this with maida, you can also try this with wheat flour.
The stuffing I made is as the same as my spring roll stuffing, except I added chopped garlic today. Otherwise the same. Excuse the shape and size of the momos ;)

Veg Momos recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Oriental  |  Recipe Category: Snack
Prep Time: 10 mins    |  Cook time: 15 mins    |  Makes: 12

Ingredients

All purpose flour/ maida - 3/4 cup

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Water - As needed

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Salt - 3/4 tsp

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Oil - 2 tsp

For stuffing

Finely chopped cabbage - 1 cup

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Finely chopped Carrot - 1/4 cup

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Finely chopped garlic - 1 tblsp

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Spring onion4 – 5 sprigs

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sugar - 1/4 tsp

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Pepper (black) - 1/2 tsp

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Soya sauce - 1 tsp

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Salt - 1/2 tsp

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Oil - 1 tblsp

Method

1. Mix flour, salt and oil  in a bowl and add water to make a smooth pliable dough. Just like our poori dough. Keep aside covered.
2. Heat a pan with oil, add garlic, and finely chopped white part of the spring onion. Give a stir in high flame. Add the chopped veggies, sugar and fry in high flame for a minute.
3. Add salt, pepper, soy sauce and mix well. Lastly add finely chopped green part of the spring onion and mix for a minute in medium flame. Switch off and keep aside.
4. I rolled the dough into a big disc and used a big lid to cut into smaller discs. After that I again roll to make it more thin. Keep some stuffing we prepared in the middle.
5. Fold it to make momo shapes. refer my video – click here. Though I have not made it perfect, it can help first timers like me :)
6. Steam it in a steamer spaced properly, for 5 minutes.

Notes

• Adding oil in the  dough gives softer outer layer.

  Serve hot with hot chilli sauce or you can try this tomato garlic dip.

Technorati Tags: veg momo recipe,veg momos recipe,momos recipe,momo

MUSHROOM BIRYANI RECIPE | GUEST POST FROM SHARMIS PASSIONS

      Mushroom biryani recipe !! Yes! You read it right. I never thought I would post mushroom recipes in my space ever. Because it took so much time for me to make up my mind to buy and try cooking that. Then few tried it flopped very much. Poor people who tasted my preparations. I don’t even know how to handle this veggie. Since my family also hate mushrooms, I can never try it out that often. So one day suddenly I asked Sharmi to do a guest post for Raks kitchen and she said OK the very next second I asked. Again suddenly it struck in my mind to ask a mushroom recipe to her, so that I can have at least one recipe here with mushrooms.

      I suggested her to make mushroom biryani and she said deal for it. Actually I asked her to do this later when ever she is free, relaxed and not to take it as a burden. But she made the post ready and sent me by mail within 2 weeks! I was so thrilled to see the beautiful pictures she showed and secretly admired her enthusiasm, as always .Thank you for the post Sharmi .

      Yes, I always wonder and appreciate her spirit towards blogging at Sharmis Passions, me being in contrast to her. Even after 5 years of blogging, I always make my post ready only the before day or same day when I am going to post it in blog. In fact, I have to admit that she have changed my attitude towards blogging, Mostly I get interest just by seeing her interest and dedication. Also she has helped me a lot in improving my photography, sometimes in codes, in presentation of my posts. Not only in blogging, more than that, she is one of those friends to whom I share everything comfortably.  I can write pages, but here is her post!

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      I am really very happy to write a guest post for one of the inspiring bloggers Raji of Raks Kitchen. She is one of the strong supporters for my space, a dear friend who gives me feedback every now and then, puts even the criticisms in the best possible way that makes me do even better. She is my all time inspiration in cooking!!

When she asked me to do a guest post with a mushroom recipe, I was surprised at the same time very happy so readily accepted it. I left the dish choice to her but should admit I was keeping my fingers crossed that any recipe other than dosa should be her choice and do you know why?! yes I struggle to click pictures of dosa and the feeling totally puts me down. I took a deep breath only after she asked for biryani :)

I made few adjustments to the veg biryani I make and came up with this recipe....should say it turned out great and had a thumps up from hubby. If anyone says I cook the perfect grains separated rice I owe all the appreciations to Raji as she gave me the exact measurements since then I am following it to the dot and it comes out perfect every time. Now lets get on to the mushroom biryani recipe...

Ingredients

Mushroom Biriyani Recipe 

• Basmati Rice - 1 and 1/4 cups
• Cleaned Button mushrooms - 3/4 cup chopped
• Onion - 1 big chopped lengthwise
• Tomato puree - from 2 medium sized tomato
• Thick Curd - 2  tbsp
• Ginger-Garlic paste - 2.5 tsp
• Garam Masala powder - 1.5 tsp
• Red Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Ghee - 1/2 tbsp
• Water - 2 cups
• Salt - to taste

To grind to a paste:

• Coriander leaves -  4 tbsp
• Mint leaves -  3 tbsp
• Green Chillies - 1
• Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

To temper:

• Cloves -2
• Cardamom -1
• Cinnamon - 1/4 inch piece
• Bayleaf -1 

Method

1.Grind the ingredients under 'to grind' with little water to a fine paste. Set aside.Soak basmati rice for atleast 15mins , set aside. Heat oil+ghee in a pressure cooker and add the items under 'to temper' then add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.

2.Then add onion and saute till its golden brown. Then add tomato puree saute till raw smell leaves, then add coriander mint paste and saute till raw smell leaves.

3.Then add red chilli powder, garam masala powder, required salt and saute till the masalas is well blended. Then add mushroom and saute for 2mins until water leaves and it starts softening. Then add curd.

4.Once the masala is nicely blended with the mushrooms , add basmati rice - give a quick stir.

5.Then add required water and pressure cook for 3 whistles(After the first whistle lower the flame). Once pressure releases, fluff the rice with a fork carefully without breaking the rice.

Serve hot with onion raita - the best combination.

My Notes

• If you like the lemon flavour, squeeze lemon juice once the biryani is done.

• You can also use 1/2 cup of coconut milk which gives a nice flavour but adjust water level accordingly .

• I usually use 1:1and 1/2 cups of water ratio so have given the measures accordingly. But you can use the measurement according to the variety of basmati rice. I use India Gate Basmati rice.

• Enjoy it hot with onion raita.

Technorati Tags: mushroom biryani recipe,mushroom biriyani,recipe,mushroom recipes

CHANNA SUNDAL RECIPE (KONDAKADALAI SUNDAL)

Ganesh chaturthi / Vinayagar chaturthi is only 2 days away and here is the channa sundal recipe we make for the festival. You can make the same with black channa too. I love both channa white and the brown/black. I often make channa masala or pindi channa for Aj. Sundal I make only very rarely. But I love it. This year we are not celebrating the festival as paati passed away, so made it last week and clicked too. Very simple recipe, but flavourful one. Channa or konadakadalai is how we call. But when I was studying in Trichy, many of my friends call kondakadalai as Sundal as such. It was funny for me for a while but then when I heard it from others too, then realized some people also call kondakadalai as sundal! .

Channa sundal recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Snack
Prep Time: 12 hours soaking time    |  Cook time: 20 mins    |  Serves: 3

Ingredients

Channa/ Kondakadalai	1/2 cup
Coconut, scraped	3 tblsp
Salt	3/4 tsp

 

To Temper

Oil	1 tsp
Mustard	3/4 tsp
Urad dal	1 tsp
Red chilli	2
Asafoetida	1 pinch
Curry leaves	1 sprig

 

Method

1. Soak channa overnight and pressure cook it with salt and water just to immerse it for 4 – 5 whistles.
2. Heat kadai with oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table. Add the cooked channa drained from water.
3. Stir fry for 2 minutes until moisture evaporates and add the grated coconut and fry for a minute. Transfer to the serving bowl.

Notes

• You can add onion after tempering. Also you can replace red chillies with green chillies.
  
• You can grind green chilli and coconut and add it at last instead of tempering and adding grated coconut towards end.
• I added salt while cooking. This prevents over cooking of channa. Sometimes if the soaking hour is less, then adding salt will prevent channa from cooking properly. In such cases, add salt after cooking channa.

Delicious sundal is ready… Its very healthy guilt free snack!



Updated :

I am sending this sundal to Priti of Indian Khanna’s  Festive food event.

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ULUNDU KOZHUKATTAI RECIPE WITH VIDEO | GANESH CHATURTHI RECIPES

     This is one of my old posts, I posted the recipes for sweet and uppu/ ulundu kozhukattai recipes together. The post is too long with all the pictures and two videos. So I thought of updating everything as separate posts, so that it will be easy to browse. Ulundu kozhukattai is my favourite and when we eat sweet and uppu kozhukattai alternatively, it will taste heavenly. Ulundu kozhukattai is very flavourful, as well as healthy. Here is how my mom/MIL makes this.

Ulundu Kozhukattai recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Snack
Prep Time: 30 mins    |  Cook time: 30 mins    |  Makes: 25

Ingredients

Urad dal	1/2 cup
Green chillies	4-5 nos.
Grated coconut	1/2 cup
Salt	as needed
Mustard	For seasoning 1 tsp
Asafoetida	1/4 tsp
Oil	1 tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig

 

INGREDIENTS FOR  OUTER LAYER

Idiyappam flour	1 cup
Water	1 &1/3 cup,or as needed
Sesame oil	1 tsp
Salt	If needed

      Yes, the readymade idiyappam flour available at grocery stores is the handy and best for the kozhukattai outer layer..and the result is a very soft kozhukatais.

Method:

1. Boil water with oil(add salt if the flour doesn't have salt in it..mine had salt in it so I dint add any salt)
2. Take the flour in a broad vessel.
3. Add the boiling water little by little and mix with the help of a ladle.
4. Let it cool for about 5 min ,it may be warm, still knead with your hands to make a smooth dough.The consistency should be like our chapatti dough...non sticky..
5. Keep covered till you use to prevent drying.

Method

1. Soak the urad dal for an hour.In a mixer, grind green chilies with salt and half the asafoetida and lastly add well drained urad dal and run the mixer only twice or thrice.(Use juice/inch option) to a coarse consistency.
2. Take care that Urad dal should not be ground smooth.In a greased idly plate, steam this mixture in idly pot for 5-8 minutes. Cool down and crumble it.
3. In a broad pan/kadai,heat the oil and season with mustard,asafoetida and curry leaves.Then add the steamed mixture and fry in medium flame till the mixture becomes dry..(3 min) 
4. Lastly add grated coconut and fry for a minute.This mixture should be fluffy.. Adding coconut is optional, but it enhances the taste very well.

Notes

• Keep the dough always closed and try to finish making the kozhukattais as soon as possible as keeping for long time may lead to cracking/dry kozhukattais.
• Boil water well,the dough should get cooked 3/4th,then only the dough will be not sticky and also soft after cooking.
• Adding oil in the water/while making dough gives softer kozhukattais.
• Grease your hands generously each time you make kozhukattai,to get it smooth.

Your stuffing is ready and use a spoon to fill it in the kozhukattais. Soft and moist kozhukattais will be ready by steaming them in a greased idli plates for 5-8 minutes!

HOW TO MAKE KOZHUKATTAI VIDEO

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KADALAI PARUPPU POORANAM (SWEET POORANAM) FOR MOTHAGAM

        This is one of my old post re-posting for easy reference. We always make sweet pooranam with channa dal. We also add coconut to it. I have seen either people making channa dal pooranam / kadalai paruppu pooranam or coconut pooranam, but our version is a mixed version. We love this to eat as such. My brother Sen loves this a lot like anything. Even Vj loves this. I am not a big fan before, now a days I don’t know I like everything ;) So here is our version of kadalai paruppu pooranam.

Kadalai paruppu pooranam recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Sweet
Prep Time: 10 mins    |  Cook time: 20 mins    |  Makes: 25 

Ingredients

Channa dal/ kadalai paruppu	1/2 cup
Jaggery	3/4 - 1 cup
Coconut	1/2 cup
Elachi	2 , powdered

METHOD

1. Pressure cook channa dal upto 3 whistles, cool down and grind in blender or mash it with masher just to make it a paste and keep aside.
2. Take jaggery in a heavy bottomed vessel. Then pour water just enough to immerse jaggery.Heat it and when jaggery dissolves completely,filter it in a metal strainer to remove impurities if any. 
3. Then again start heating the jaggery syrup. When it starts boiling, at one stage, the syrup will get frothy.At this stage add the ground dhal paste and coconut. Stir continuously without forming any lumps.Add elachi powder and mix thoroughly. 
4. Note that water we are adding should be very less.The lesser we add water to jaggery, sooner the stuffing will get ready.Keep Stirring well till the mixture starts leaving the sides of the vessel. 

NOTES

If you reduce the channa dal or coconut amount mentioned for any reason,accordingly reduce the jaggery also,otherwise the mixture may turn sticky!

For ganesh chaturthi, we do this the before day and refrigerate. My MIL even makes equal sized balls and keep ready so that the next day its less work.

If you reduce the channa dal or coconut amount mentioned for any reason,accordingly reduce the jaggery also,otherwise the mixture may turn sticky!

Transfer the content to a dry air tight container. You can Keep this in refrigerator upto 10 -12days.
 

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