Pachi Mirapakaya Karam Dosa | Dosa with Curried Green Chili Spread ~ 101 Dosa Varieties!

Making Dosas with different Karam (Curried Masalas) is what Athamma makes most days for breakfast. She makes with ripe chilies, green chilies and so many other varieties as well. This version was something that's made with green chilies mixed with other spices like cumin, garlic etc. This surely spikes your morning like nothing else can.

We make this karam and store it for a week and use it on different dishes like Dosas, Idlis and sometimes on Bread as well.

As I am writing this, I am checking on the next set of dishes that I should be making for this Navarathri Pooja. I am almost done what I should be making. Hoping to have you all join me to make this a great festival season.

Pachi Mirapakaya Karam Dosa

Ingredients Needed

For the Karam:

Green Chilies, chopped - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 5 -6 cloves
Salt to taste
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Curry leaves
Mustard Seeds, Urad Dal for seasoning

Dosa Batter for making Dosas


How to make the Karam:

Wash and chop the chillies. Heat a pan with a tsp of oil. Saute the chilies, garlic and cumin together until the green chilies are lightly browned.

Allow to cool and grind to a coarse paste, add water by a teaspoon if required to get the paste done. The paste would not be very smooth.

Heat a pan with oil, season with mustard seeds, Urad dal, curry leaves, add the ground masala and saute well.

Heat the tawa and make dosas. Cook on both sides. Spread a spoon of the masala on the dosa and sprinkle oil. Fold and serve with chutneys of choice.

Ven Pongal Recipe | How to make Ven Pongal Step by Step Recipe

When it comes to a typical South Indian breakfast, Ven pongal or Pongali as we say in Telugu, features side by side to Idlis and Dosas. Now when I go to restaurants, it's a hard choice to select which one to eat, among the Pooris, Idlis, Dosas and of course this very tempting Khara Ven Pongal. So I normally order whichever one I would want to eat and hope others would order the rest so that I can taste! Athamma would invariably order this Ven pongal and I get to taste it and know that the dish tastes awesome. If you have had a prasadham from temple, you will know how well this dish is made. One can never beat the Kovil ven pongal prasadam.

With all the love and affection this dish gets at home, I have mostly followed by method of roasting the spices and then cooking it as I have shown in the first Ven pongal recipe. There are couple more methods of making a ven pongal. In my first method, I had arrived at my own recipe where I used garlic, which is not usually added. Still it always  makes it a heavenly meal.

Today's recipe is the second way of making Ven Pongal. Every time I make it, hubby dear says it's not spicy referring to the peppery taste that comes from a temple prasadam. Later I remembered our office cook who makes the most yummiest pongal, and she is your typical measurement by look and instinct person. It's extremely hard to get measurement from her as she hardly knows the count. She does everything from experience and only knows by andaz. She resorted to using this method of adding powdered pepper, saying everybody is removing the whole peppers she adds. Later while browsing through Meenashki Amma's Samathu Paaru, I read that she has listed out some four varieties of making Khara Pongal and found that she also uses similar way. I was happy that unknowingly I had been following a prescribed method.

Khara Pongal tastes great with the coarse peppercorn and ghee. Please don't go stingy on the ghee part, though I use half cooking oil also. As you might know, the Temple prasadam is always full of ghee and it's fine to include that once in a while.

Soaking Time : 10 - 15 mins
Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time - 10 mins
Method of cooking : Pressure Cooker
Cuisine : Tamil Nadu, South Indian Recipe

Khara Ven Pongal - Method 2

Ingredients Needed:

For the Pongal

Raw Rice - 1 cup
Split green gram / Moong dal / Pasiparupu* - 1/2 cup
Water - 3 & 1/2 cups**
Salt to taste


* We also refer split green gram as Split yellow Moong dal
** The amount of water depends on the rice you use, normally for Ven pongal more water is added since this dish is more of a runny types. Even after adding more water, once it's cooked if you allow it to rest, it gets to that nice soft texture.

For the Seasoning:

Ghee - 3 - 4 tsps
Cooking Oil - 2 - 3 tsps
Whole pepper corns, - 1/4 tsp (abt 10 nos), powdered coarsely
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Whole cashews - 7 , broken into tiny bits
Curry leaves few
Ginger - 1" (can be added as grated or as big chunks)

How to make Kara Ven Pongal

To make the Pongal:

Wash the rice and soak for 10 mins. Meanwhile dry roast the moong dal for 5 mins on high, when you start getting the aroma, remove, allow it to cool and add to the rice to soak. Wash again once the time is up.

Take this soaked rice and dal in a pressure cooker, measure 3 & 1/2 cups of water, add salt. Cover with lid and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Remove and keep aside for the pressure to release.

Tip- When you are in a hurry, you can easily remove the pressure by putting a spoon under the whistle, thereby slowly releasing the pressure. Take caution not to remove the whistle in haste, wait for the pressure to completely fall down, before opening the lid. Remember the food will be still cooking in and will burst out if you do it hastily. Please don't attempt this method if you don't know the physics.

To make the seasoning:

Coarsely powder the peppercorn, make sure you don't powder it fine. We don't want it completely powdered, it should be like how it's in the picture, even more bigger if you can't stand the pepper spice.

Heat the ghee, oil in a small pan. add the cashew bits, allow it to get roasted well, then add the whole cumin, pepper, garlic, then finally the curry leaves. Take care since the curry leaves will have water and it might splutter out.

Pour this seasoning on the cooked pongal. Mix well couple of times. At this stage, the pongal might look soggy, but when you add the seasoning and mix couple of times, you will get that typical look of that soft, well done pongal.

Cover for couple of mins for the season to steep in.

Notes:  This can be completely made with just ghee, will be more tastier. By making cashews into tiny bits, you get to mix it more and adds crunch. Green chilies can also be used if wanted.

This is mostly served with Coconut Chutney in Tamil Nadu along with either Vegetable Samber or Vengaya Sambar. I mostly make Groundnut Chutney.

Since this is my neivedhyam on Saturday, we offer this to God and no tasting is done before that.

Other Pongal Recipes

Savory Pongals
Ven Pongal Recipe 1
Whole Green Moong Dal Rice Porridge | Pasipayar Ven Pongal | Pesalu Pulagam

Sweet Pongals
Bellamannam / Sakkarai Pongal
Broken Wheat Sweet Porridge | Samba Godhuma Sakkara Pongal
Sakara Pongal with Sprouted Whole Moong Dal

Kidney Bean Sandwich Indian Style | Masala Rajma on Sandwich Toast

I know Breakfast Mela is coming to a closure soon, as always I still have a long list of dishes I am yet to prepare. Athamma had soaked these Kidney beans / Rajma for a salad but we didn't get to make it. So since I had planned bread for breakfast I decided to make a stuffing with rajma instead of cheese and jam. Well there are takers for a sandwich only if it's made in the Indian Style, so naturally the stuffing had to be spiced up.

When I think of these spiced lentil spread for sandwich, I remember those potato mint spread I used to make years ago. Though I have quite forgotten what actually went into that now, I would try to recreate that again. But for now let me settle down with a toast that is very delicious.

This goes for my Breakfast Mela 

I also remembered on time that I could send this to another favorite event of mine, My Legume Love Affair 35 hosted by Smitha, an event started by Susan

Kidney Bean Sandwich Indian Style | Masala Rajma on Sandwich Toast

Rajma / Kidney Bean - 1/2 cup
Onions - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1/2 cup
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 /2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Garam Masala a pinch
Butter - 1/2 tsp

Bread Slices - 8
Butter for toasting.

Method Prepare:

Wash and soak the rajma overnight. sometimes this doesn't get soaked well, so you might have to soak it a little longer. then pressure cook the beans till it is tender.

Then heat a non stick pan, add 1 tsp oil, saute the finely minced onions, saute till it turns colour. Then add ginger garlic paste. cook for couple of minutes.

Then add tomato puree and continue cooking well. Add all the other spices except butter. Cook on high for the spices to get done.

Add 1/2 cup water and bring to boil. Gently mash the beans and mix well. Cook till all the moisture is gone, the beans get into a thick sauce. Add the butter and simmer for 5 mins.

Meanwhile heat a griddle/tawa, grease the bread slices with butter. Toast on both sides. Scoop the stuffing over one slice, place the other slice on this and press well.

Toast the sandwich for couple of minutes until it becomes crispy.

Hope you are sending in your breakfast mela entries soon!

Ganji Dosa with Ulli Karam, Aloo Masala | Porridge Crepes with Onion Spice paste, Potato Curry ~ 101 Dosa Varieties!

It was typically one of those moments when you felt you had the gold pot in your hand. Well not really a gold pot but rather a recipe that brings back golden memories. This happened when I was talking to Amma on her latest Dosa recipe that she was telling me. In passing she mentioned, "You know you always said you loved those Dosas that your Ammamma made, well to what I remember this was what she used to make". It was all said so casually that I might have missed if I hadn't paid attention to what she was saying.

I plead guilty of being distracted at times when either Amma or Athamma are in their recipe narrations. Not that I am not interested but in the sense I hardly can remember so many recipes that they tell me. Nor is my memory so accurate to recite a recipe with its proportion just like that. Well I was glad that I was paying attention because I had to make this Dosa and to finally write this post.

I can still remember that aroma whiffing out of my grandmom's chimney! During our summer holidays when we visit them, we used sleep on the terrace. They allow us to sleep late, hoping that we will be up when the hot sun shines on us. But much before that, I used to wake up with that delicious aroma of Dosa being made. I am not sure I can aptly put in words the way it smells. But imagine getting up from dreams to land into heaven again!

The Dosas look pristine white, so delicate and soft, yet taste so heavenly. Served with Groundnut Chutney that can only taste as good as it can be, if ground in mortar and pestle. The best combo I have ever eaten, the dosas would be porous and soft, with smoke infused smell as it was cooked on a stove that used wood, it leaves a unforgettable mark in your memory

Those days, as there were no grinders, the batter was made by pounding rice. The powder is then mixed with water and left to ferment. Amma says her mother used to make porridge with the final left out grains that doesn't get pound into fine powder. This porridge was then mixed into the batter.

We can call this Kanji Dosa with Onion paste with Kalagu Curry in Tamil.

Potato is called as Bangaladumpa in some parts of Andhra.

Ganji Dosa with Ulli Karam, Aloo Masala

Ingredients Needed :

Gaji Dosa

Raw rice - 2 cups
Urad dal - 50 gms
Methi / Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for making dosas
Rice flour - 1 tsp

Ulli Karam

To make paste enough for 4 dosas

Onions 1 medium
Green Chilis - 2 medium
coconut -  1/3 cup
Jaggary - 1 tsp

To make the Potato Masala

Method to prepare:

To make the Gaji Dosa/ Porridge Dosa

Wash and soak the raw rice for 4 hrs. Once done, grind the rice and ferment overnight.

Next morning make rice porridge with 1 tsp of rice flour. Allow it to cool and mix it to the fermented batter.

To make the Ulli Karam

Take green chili, onions in a bowl and boil till the chillies turn colour. Then cool the ingredients, add coconut, jaggary, salt and grind everything together


Make Potato Curry and keep it ready

To Make the Dosas

Heat a tawa and grease oil over it. Scoop a ladle of batter and spread into thin crepes, Sprinkle oil on sides.

Spread a spoon of the Ulli karam all over the dosa. Scoop the potato masala in the middle and roll the dosa as you do with the regular masala dosa.

Another entry for my Breakfast Mela!

Onion Dosa | Indian Crepe with Onions ~ 101 Dosa Varieties!

As a self professed hard core lover of Dosas of all types, I can't but get excited when I am trying a new Dosa variety. It was my aim to cover 101 types of Dosas, though I have only about 35 of them till date. This Onion dosa had always being on top of my mind, ever since I read about it in a paper cutting that has been with me for years now. But reading the recipe, I realised that the instructions weren't clear, which got me relook at my own instructions wanting to make sure my readers don't get into such soup! In the end I had to tweak the recipe as per our taste.

I had posted this in Beyondcurries When we choose the theme as Indian Breads. I looked up to know what gets covered as part of Indian Breads, I was pleasantly surprised to see that even crepes or Dosas are part of Indian Bread. So I was keen on expanding my knowledge by trying yet another type. This dosa is very similar to the regular Adai that is prepared, though its taste is elevated by adding onions and other ingredients.

I was particularly looking for one that doesn't require fermentation or long hours of soaking. Having a full time job, imagine the hassle you will have, if you have to worry about soaking the dals for hours and then again fermenting it. It surely ends up as a regular lengthy process.

Whenever I make Dosas that are instant, of course not as instant as Goduma Dosa or Rava Dosa which only needs 15 mins of soaking time, these are instant in sense you don't have to worry whether they ferment well or not. Of course the down side of this is that, you don't always have a crispy crepe in process. But then for a Dosa lover, any dosa is fine by standards.

You can still get these dosas crisp by adding Rice flour and making the batter really thin. But that again takes practice in spreading the batter properly. So forgot the hassle and enjoy as such. This dosa is one good variety to try if you are bored of the usual ones.

With the Breakfast Mela, I thought I should work on my list again to make it close to 101 Dosa varieties if not the entire number.

Onion Dosa ~ Onion Crepes

Soaking Time : For the dals 4- 5 hours
Fermenting Time / Resting Time for the batter : 30 - 60 mins
Preparation Time for batter : 10 mins
Yields : 10 medium dosas or more

Ingredients Needed:

Channa Dal - 50 gms
Toor Dal - 50 gms
Raw Rice - 50 gms
Fresh Coconut grated - 50 gms
Onions - 2 medium
Dry Red Chili - 4 nos (as per taste)
Salt to taste
Tamarind - small gooseberry
Fresh Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Oil for cooking the dosas

Procedure

Wash and soak the dals and rice for 4- 5 hours. Grind to fine paste and let to rest for 1 hour.
Soak Tamarind separately in a bowl till soft and extract pulp.
Grind Onions, Red chilis, coconut, coriander leaves to fine paste.
Then mix this onion paste, tamarind pulp, salt to the ground batter.
Heat a tawa or pan with oil, pour one ladleful of batter and spread as a dosa. Sprinkle oil on top.
Cook on one side and flip on the other side.

Coconut Chutney

Notes

The batter should be thin and cooked on medium flame so that the dosa comes out crispy.
The batter can be soaked for longer hours too but after grinding you can store it in the fridge.
Red chilies can be increased as per taste.
I have used only about 50 gms of all, yet after soaking and grinding I had more batter than I thought. So adjust accordingly to your requirement keeping in mind the proportions.

Carrot Idli | How to dress up Idlis | Indian Breakfast Recipes

Well this is not exactly a dish with cooked Idlis, but rather with the batter that is a day or two old. Normally when we grind Idli batter, the idlis are made the same day, else it tends to get sour, especially in this summer. So that's when we think of doing these dressing up the idlis before they are steamed, which makes it more interesting. If you see my previous post on Plain Onion Idli or Sauteed Masala Idli, it is a quick way to dress up a soured idli batter.

It was typically one of those days when I didn't have an idea on what to make for us. With Kid's lunch or breakfast, if I haven't planned ahead, somehow I end up making something they like and they are packed off to school. Then comes the thought of breakfast for the adults at home. Sometime back I had used grated carrot to make Carrot Coconut Idli with Idli Rava, but somehow I had felt the carrot wasn't enough in the batter. So this time decided to make something new by adding pureed carrot to the batter and seasoning it.

It was a rush hour and I just couldn't find time to take pictures step by step, but I really wished I did, seeing the end result. The idlis turned out so pretty, very colourful. 

Carrot Idli ~ Dressed up Idli with Carrot puree

Ingredients Needed:

Idli batter - enough to make 8 idlis
Carrot puree - made from 2 big carrots, almost 1 & 1/2 puree
Onions - 1 medium
Green Chilis - 2 medium

For seasoning

Mustard seeds, urad dal  - 1/2 tsp
Channa Dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves -  4 -5 nos
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

Method to prepare:

Check this post to know how to make Idlis
Wash and roughly chop the carrots and puree them using little water.
Mix the carrot puree to the idli batter. Add the finely chopped onions and green chilies.
Heat a pan with oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, let it splutter. Then add channa dal and curry leaves.
When the dals are browned lightly, add it to the batter and mix well.
Grease your Idli plate with oil/ghee, pour a ladle full of this batter into the moulds and steam them as you would do with your regular idlis. I did for about 15 mins.
Once done, allow them to cool down a bit before removing them from plates.
Serve with your favorite chutney.

Other Idli varieties

How to make Idlis
14 Idlies and Sambar
Kanchipuram Idli
Carrot Coconut Idli with Idli Rava
Idly in microwave
Masala Idli
Plain Onion Idli
Sauteed Masala Idli

Interesting Chutneys that makes a great combo

Plain and Sauteed Onion Idlis | How to dress up Idlis | Indian Breakfast Recipes

The one main reason that I love about this place I live, is its unpredictable weather. Not that I have lived in other places, still as a statement that holds true! Yesterday it rained and it is hard for me to capture the beauty that flowed from because of the rains and the thoughts that came to mind.

I really wanted to live just for that moment and nothing else really mattered. The worries, the apprehensions and so many other things that is part of everyday mundane life. While I was thinking about it, I realized that its been a while since I updated what my kids are up to these days. Thankfully both Peddu and Chinnu leave to school, somehow even when they make a fuss about not wanting to go.

Mornings were always the most hectic period of the day, it somehow become even more than before. Now we have three kids to pack and send to school. We are reeling down on the pressure but we are positive we will manage. As it is about 2 hours in the morning. At least for the boys, it is only the breakfast I have to worry about. Konda carries her lunch. So that is another constant worry as to what to make.

Boys have been sweet enough to ask me only for Dosa or Poha. Chinnu keeps saying Avoul Avoul is what he wants. And yes I guess I forgot to mention, both of them have developed deep love for Drumstick. Everyday they want Drumstick Sambar. With Rice, Dosa and loads of Drumstick. I think end of their affair, we will end up not liking Drumstick!

Talking about their latest fancies, both of them like to play with Wheat dough. Last night, Peddu took a big pinch of the dough flatten it like the biscuit I really made, showed it to me and said "See I made like the bikie you make for me, I love that bikie Amma, very much". with a twinkle in his eyes. He sure know how to melt me with words!

Coming to this Idli variation I got to today, this was something Amma made weeks ago. I stopped making Idlis because kids refuse to eat them. Amma knowing how much we miss Idlis, made this for us. This is very much like how you make Uthappams. When the Idle batter has gone a bit sour, spice it with different things.

Amma makes many varieties with Idlis, like stuffed idlis, Masala Idlis, Spiced Idlies, well the list is endless. I should say your imagination can get wild!

I really don't have a name for this version, but lets call it simply as Onion Idlis

Plain Onion Idlis

Ingredients Needed:

Idli batter - 4  cups
Onions - 2 medium
Finely chopped Green chillies – 2
Coriander leaves – a few
Curry Leaves handful
Salt – a little
Method to prepare :

In a bowl, take the batter and add the finely chopped onions, green chilies, coriander leaves and curry leaves. Mix well.

In a greased idli molds, fill with one scoop of this batter and steam for 15 mins or till done.

Serve hot with sambar or chutney.

Sautéed Onion Idlis

Idli batter - 4  cups
Onions - 1 medium
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram – 1 tsp
Finely chopped Green chillies – 2
Coriander leaves – a few
Curry Leaves handful
Salt – a little
Oil – 2 tsp

Procedure:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, Urad dal and Bengal gram.

When the mustard starts spluttering add onion, green chillies and curry leaves one by one and fry till onion turn light brown.

Remove from heat, pour into the idli batter, stir in the chopped coriander and add salt if required.

Pour a ladleful on a greased idli plate. Steam for 15 mins or till done.

Serve hot with sambar or chutney.

If you are looking for colour, you can add turmeric. We normally that to spice the dosa and not with idli. But Yellow Idlis will look good too.

Seviyan Recipe for Birthday celebration | Sweet Vermicelli | Typical South Indian Style - 3

Tuesday's breakfast menu was Masala Dosa, Coriander Coconut Chutney, Amma's podi, Chinna vengai pachadi (Shallot Onions Chutney) and Seviyan.

I have already posted how we make Masala Dosa and Amma's Podi. Will be posting the other recipes soon.

The day was special to us as it was Konda's birthday. She celebrated her 9th birthday. The birthday girl was busy walking the ramp with the different dresses that she got from her Aunts and from us. She was also planning to dance to the tunes along with her cousins as it was couple of years back.

Since the kids wanted Pizza, I didn't plan for a special dinner. Special for the kids is anyways is the regular Paneer Butter Masala with Parottas, which I already made on Saturday. so decided that it was going to be just pizzas ordered in. Though I thought of taking a picture of the Paneer Pizza that we ordered, before I could even think about it, it disappeared!

Starting with the breakfast, I made the famous Masala Dosa of Tamil Nadu, where Potato masala is stuffed inside the dosa and served with a variety of Chutneys and Sambar. Potato Masala that I made was thick for it to be stuffed in. For a change I made Coriander Coconut Chutney, Onion Chutney along with Amma's podi. Our regular stock of Amma's podi got exhausted and I got a fresh batch made by Amma.

Keeping with our custom of making a sweet on birthdays, I was wondering what to make that will be enough to feed 12 people with couple of servings. Seviyan or Semiya Payasam came to mind. This is my favorite sweet when Amma makes. I don't make it so frequently and confirmed that my guests like this.

As you got to use more milk to get that richness, I was contemplating on quantity of milk, I remembered the tin of condensed milk lying around. I had plans of making Eggless Chocolate Cake with it. But since my oven is not in a working condition, it will be a while for me to attempt it. I decided that the best way to use up the tin is to make the Seviyan.

Seviyan | Sweet Vermicelli

Condensed Milk - 400 gms (1 tin)
Vermicelli / Semiya - 2 cups (200 gms)
Whole Milk - 1 liter
Water - 3 -4 glasses
Sugar - 4 tsp
Cardamom powder - 2 pinches
Cashew nuts - handful
Raisins- handful
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp

Method to prepare:

In a pan, roast the nuts and raisins in ghee. Remove and in the same ghee add the vermicelli. Roast till they turn colour a bit.

In another pan, boil the milk. When the milk boils over and simmered for 10 minutes, add the roasted vermicelli and water. Cook in low flame till the seviyan is cooked. Ensure you don't over cook the seviyan.

At this stage add the sugar and cardamom powder. Continue cooking over low flame, when you check the semiya is cooked well. slowly add the condensed milk into the pan, stir well.

Finally add the roasted nuts and raisins.

Notes: Normally to give more richness to the Payasa, we may just add small quantity of condensed milk. But this is completely made with it. Hence it is extremely rich and very filling. You may dilute the proportion to suit your taste.

Another important thing to note is to ensure you don't over cook the vermicelli, since it has the tendency to absorb more milk and the porridge becomes very thick.

Reduce the quantity used for making for lesser number, this yielded me enough to serve app 10 - 12 people.

Check out how my kids had Mehendi done on their hands 




I hope you enjoyed my series on traditional South Indian Breakfasts. My relatives have left today, hopefully they enjoyed their stay. Do suggest if you want any more such series here.

Traditional Breakfast ~ Typical South Indian Style - 2

While Sunday was the typical Channa Masala with Puri, along with Sakkara Pongal, today was another typical South Indian Breakfast ~ soft as pillow pristine Idlis, Sambar (typically made for Idlis), Coconut Chutney, Idli Karam and Idli Podi.

The sambar that is made for Idli is different from the regular one. Will be posting the recipe soon. Idli Karam and Podi will be featured in the book.

Catch you soon with other recipes..enjoy your week ahead!

Traditional Breakfast ~ Typical South Indian Style

We woke up to an unexpected shower of rain! Last night we were so excited seeing signs of drizzling that came our way! We ran out trilled at the prospect of raining visiting us. Only to be greeted with a clear sky but a ground scantly covered with rain drops. It was hubby who with all excitement called out to me as if it was pouring! Well you can imagine the need of rains in our parts of the world. We tried taking deep breath to smell that exquisite smell you get to sense after a shower. Unfortunately we no longer live in a rustic place to experience that. It smelled more of oil and petrol reeked motors, zipping fast past us as we stood witnessing the beauty that was unfolding before us.

But then we had a surprise in the morning. Looked like it rained through the night and morning was so cool and wonderful. Hubby dear left to receive his sisters family.The train unexpectedly was delayed by an hour and by the time they came home, I was able to get the breakfast ready. 

Hubby dear was teasing Amma saying she will get upset if I usurped the show by making all the dishes myself. So he told me that I should be generous to let Amma make her signature Kesari Bath. Well I knew how much loves the way Amma makes it. Though my nieces and nephew love the way I make, I knew I can't stand a chance when competing with Amma. True to word, it tured out really awesome. Kids had a field day just eating that and nothing else!

Rest of the dishes I managed to make before our guests arrival.

Ven Pongal (What I made today was the way it is made normally in Tamil Nadu)
Groundnut Chutney ~ Andhra Special
Onion Sambar ~ Vengaya Sambar
Medu Vada
Kesari Bhath

Kadambam Dosa, Mixed Lentil Crape ~ 101 Dosa Varieties!

Maybe I have already written about it. Yet reading Manisha's post on memories, kindled me so much that all those memories came flooding in. If you are regular here, then you would know my memories are all always associated with food. I may sound so obsessed with food, but then hey I am! The other day I was chatting with a friend, who said she didn't want to come across as being obsessed with just food and nothing else. Well I said that's the only reason why I ended up creating so many blogs but in this you will get to read what food I cook everyday to feed my family.

With hardly any time to cook fancy stuff, we get so carried away. Be it new or those treasures from childhood days. Every time I meet my parents, somehow food creeps into our discussions and Dad will remember something. Amma would then remark, "Aww, its been so long since I made it!" And then of course, there are few dishes that she makes only for particular occasions. Like the Borugulu undrallu / Poha Laddu that's made for Navaratri or the Poli for Ugadi. It took lot of efforts from my side to convince her otherwise. But during childhood, I have always longed for those days to come.

Another favorite dish was the delicious Adais that Amma makes. What's was so special about these you ask? Well I have always been in love with Adais. And Dad never liked it. So it rarely found its way to our table when he was at home. Since his job involved traveling during my childhood, Amma used to make it for us then. Apart from the fact that I used to feel guilty for liking something Dad didn't like, I had my brother for company. We used to feel bad for enjoying without Daddy. But I guess our love for these Adais were more than our guilt struck conscious. Though we complained why Dad never like these delicious crapes, which we devoured with coconut chutney!

But as my bad luck would have it, hubby dear doesn't like it too. For all that Dosa lover I am, I am bound by resistrictions in not making the many varieties I want to. And ever since then, when I sniff these Adais at a place that I may cross or see this on the menu card, I remember all those nights spent longing at my Amma's side in the kitchen, watching her make those delicious Adais. Not to help things, almost all south Indian bloggers feature these! Each one as tempting as the other, I am left slobbering incapable of making it!

So memories of those nights keep me company, when every time it used to be the same, the griddle would not heat up enough or the batter wouldn't be thin enough to get those thin crapes. The first few would not be given to us. When thin paper crapes made their way, its usually to my plate, topped with ghee and cooked over slow flame. The white coconut chutney, tempered with curry leaves, crunchy Urad dal, yum they make such perfect dip for these Adais. Sree used to tell Amma that she has to make a big bowl of chutney as we used to whip it clean. So much so that Amma would not have anything left for her.

Memories, memories are what carry us forward. And I feel so cherished because my parents always made us feel so special, no matter what happened. Even now they do!

Later when Amma realized that we always miss Dad during such dinners, she started making it on regular days, with something special for him. He used to see us enjoy and keep smiling at us. I think those Adais tasted awesome more because of that!

Its been a while since I made these. It was rectified with Athamma remembering these and said we should. As expected, we had the Dosa batter on hand too. While authentic Adai has a different proportions, this version is more healthy as we have included as many lentils and legumes as we could! Its packed with protein and great taste.

Since too many ingredients have gone in, the ladle used is very small. Measures about 15 gms appx (1 tbsp). Everything included yielded about 8 - 10 doses of regular size. Also as many dals have been used, this is called Kadambam, which in Tamil means a mix of different things and usually refers to flowers.

Kadambam Dosa, Mixed Lentil Crape or Pancake!

Ingredients Needed:

Urad dal - 1 & 1/2 tbsp
Channa Dal / Bengal Gram - 1 tbsp
Pesara pappu / Yellow moong dal - 1 tbsp
Dried Soy bean - 1 tbsp
Shelled Raw Ground nut - 1 tbsp
Toor dal - 1 tbsp
Rajma / Kidney Beans - 1 tbsp
Dried Peas - 1 tbsp
Idly Rice - 1 tbsp
Fried Gram Dal / Pottu kadalai - 1 tbsp
Dried Corns kernels about 10 nos
Almonds / Badam - 4 nos
Fenugreek Seeds / Methi - 5 - 6 nos
Salt to taste
Oil for making dosas

Method to prepare:

• Wash and soak all lentils in enough water for at least 6 hrs. Since hard lentils are also used, soaking for long helps.
• After 6 hrs, drain the water and grind in a grinder as you do with your regular dosa batter. The stones might fumble for a while. But pat them gentle, by adding water slowly. Let it grind to a smooth paste, by adding just enough water to get the consistency of the dosa batter.
• Remove to a big bowl and allow it to ferment for 2 hrs. Then refridgerate till use.
• I had the batter done by 7.30 in the night. It was kept in room temperature till 10.30 or so. It went into the fridge and took it out by 7 in the morning. It was all fine when I made it by 9.30 am.
• Heat a dosa tawa. If you are using a non stick tawa, there is no need to spray or apply oil. Check for thinness. The crapes come out well only if its thin and can be easily spread.
• So add little more water if required. Once the tawa is hot, simmer to medium, pour one ladle full of batter and spread in a circular shape. Sprinkle oil and allow it to get cooked on all sides. Let the flame be in medium else your dosas will not be crispy.
  

Notes:

• Normally people don't like lentil dosas because its soft and not the crispy ones like the rice based dosa. But when its cooked in low flame and spread very thin, you will get crispy ones.
• If you are ok with adding a little more of rice flour, then you can add about a tbsp of rice flour.
• If your kids are fine with these, you can also add ghee over it and serve.
• Finely chopped onions, cumin seeds make a great topping for these lentil dosas.

Sending these to dear Manisha for her event on Memories, though she says she wants us to cook something we haven't eaten for over a decade, I am still sending this. After all whats fun if we don't break the rule!..:)..I hope Manisha won't say to these lovely crapes!

And also to Sia, who is hosting another favorite event of mine, MLLA15 at Monsoon Spice, an event started by lovely Susan, The Well Seasoned Cook!

Microwaved Mor Kali and Rava Laddo revisted for Indian Cooking Challenge!

Inspiration at times seems very late in coming. Especially when its with cooking in Microwave. My own event, Microwave Easy Cooking was basically to help us discover the wonders of cooking in Microwave and having more time on hand to do other things. But if you know how it goes, having those glass bowls handy is such a risky thing with kids being around all the time in the kitchen. I almost think my boys will learn cooking soon. They always want to be carried to see what's getting cooked.

Like last night I was making dosas for them, while having the Idlis steamed for the rest of us. All of them wanted only dosa. In a week its almost 3 times that I give them dosa, still they only want it again. Anyway hubby dear was carrying Chinnu, he wanted to know what was on the stove. I lifted the lid and showed the pristine while idlis, he was so excited that he asked that for dinner too.

Coming back to the recipe on hand, I had planned on making the Mor Kali last night but kids refused to sleep before 10 and after that I was too tired to even think about making it. So got up early this morning and proceeded making it. Being in TN so long, I have heard and seen this eaten so often at friends place, though I have never made it myself. I even had the recipe written down, planning to make it in Microwave but never came around. What really surprised me that this never came to mind when Simran wanted to host breezy breakfast. Believe this Mor Kali is as breezy as it can get!

Cooking on stove, you got to be vigilant ensuring it doesn't get burnt. You got to keep stirring it frequently. Even for the measurement I prepared, it was supposed to take more than 15 mints. But in MW, it just took about 6 mins. Imagine having your breakfast getting ready in 10 mins. Of course you need to have all ingredients on hand.

Also these are normally tempered with Red Chilies, but I used Mor Milagai, (Sun dried chilies soaked in curds/yogurt) for added taste

Preparation time: 2 -3 mins
Cooking time in MW - 5 mins.

Ingredients Needed

Rice Flour - 1 cup
Butter Milk - 3 cups ( 2 tbsp of curds)
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

Seasoning

Red Chilies/ Sun Dried Chilies - 2 -3 medium
Mustard Seeds, Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 4 -5 leaves.

Method to prepare:

In a deep bottom bowl, add about a tsp of oil, drop in chilies, curry leaves along with Mustard and Urad dal. Stir well and micro for 1 min. If you think its needed, stir in between. End of the minute, my kitchen was filled with the wonderful aroma of sun dried chilies being fried along with curry leaves.

Take the curds/yogurt, add salt and beat well. Then add water to get thick butter milk.

In a bowl take rice flour and slowly add the buttermilk and mix well to get a lump less batter. The consistency can be more or less a dropping liquid .

Grease a square or rectangle microwave safe bowl with little oil. Pour the rice batter into it. Add the tempering to this batter and mix well.

Micro for 5 mins. In intervals of 2 mins, keep stirring. Once done, check if the kali is getting struck to the ladle.

Grease a bowl and transfer to it. Pat it well and unmold it for the click!

Notes: The curds/Yogurt I used wasn't sour, Athamma felt had it been a bit more sour it would have been even more tasty! So maybe increase the curds used which can also be sour.

You have your breakfast ready? Hurry up today is the last day. Sending this Mor Kali to dear Simran, who is going to have quite a few dishes to help her out busy mornings!

Finally as things would always happen, I procrastinated making Rava Laddos for the Indian Cooking Challenge till the last moment. Though I had planned to make it with powdered semolina, ended up making the same way again!

Will be back with the round up of all Rava Laddoos made by the members! So watch out!

Soya Bean in Rice Dosa and Uttappam ~ 101 Dosa Varieties!

Weekends always seem to fly right of the window or so it seems. Especially when I have the Saturday also off, I plan for so many things, ultimately most of it would be still pending. First it was Chinnu was down with fever, but luckily he recovered after one dose of crocin. Since he was fine on Saturday, we sent them to playschool. So we were surprised getting a call from them, asking me to pick up Peddu as he was down with fever. We thought they got mixed up with names, but it was Peddu who got it from his brother. He slept back home and was up by 2.30. The first thing he asks was where Chinnu was. He won't agree when we said he was at school. He refused to eat saying he wants Chinnu. So I had no option but to take him back to school. The moment we reached the door, he turned to me and said Bye Amma, good night! Well I hurried back fast lest they thought I was a weepy mother!

Athamma came back from her vacation and we spent the rest of the day filling her up with her grandchildren antics through the week. And we even took them for lunch to the restaurant. Only to know that they are ever the naughtiest kids around. They won't sit for even a minute!


I know I had planned for many a different Dosa variety and a hoard of breakfast items. Looks like I have fallen behind. Anyway here comes a version which makes use of Soya beans. For those of you, who want to include soya in your diet, this is a neat way to do it and very tasty too!

This is very simple recipe if you have soya bean soaked and of course rice as the regular one.

Ingredients Needed:

Raw Rice - 50 gms
Soya Bean - 25 gms
Urud Dal - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

Makes about 6 medium size dosas

For Uttappam:

Onions - 1 medium
Green Chillies - 1
Coriander Leaves


Method to Prepare:

Wash and soak Rice and Urad Dal together. Soak Soya bean separately. Since dried Soya bean was used, soaked all for about 6 hrs.

Then grind everything to get a smooth batter. Let it ferment overnight.

You can follow the same process that you do as your regular dosa.

Uttappam can be made by adding the onions, chilies and coriander. Just ensure you have a thin batter and cook this in sim, that way you get crispy dosa or uttappam.

This makes a great change and very healthy too!