Kara Dosa (Spicy Dosa)

Here is a recipe I tried last night. The dosas came out so well that I couldn't wait to share it with you. The recipe was taken from the Shastha Foods recipe book. 

Ingredients

2 tbs - Coriander seeds

1/2 tsp - Cumin seeds

2 tsps - Tamarind paste

1/4 cup - Shredded coconut

5-6 (depending on your spice level) - Finely chopped red chilies 

1/2 tsp - Powdered pepper

Gingelly oil

Salt - to taste

Dosa Batter (Recipe given below)

Method for Kara Dosa

Saute all ingredients and grind. Add ground mixture to dosa batter and mix well. Make dosas and serve hot with the chutney of your choice.

Recipe for Idly/Dosa Batter

• 3 cups of parboiled rice/idli rice
• 1 cup whole black gram dal/urad dal
• 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
• Water for soaking and grinding.
• Salt to taste

Soak dal and fenugreek seeds together and soak the rice separately for about 4-5 hours.  Grind the dal first, adding small amounts of water, making sure it becomes a smooth paste. Grind rice into a smooth batter, adding water occasionally, and add to the dal mixture. Add salt, mix well and let the batter ferment(preferably overnight). In colder regions, it helps to place the batter in the oven and leave the light on, as the light gives enough warmth for the batter to rise. In case your oven does not have a light, preheat the oven at about 250 degrees Farenheit, switch off and place the dough inside. Once the dough has risen well, you can use the batter for making idlys. The freshly fermented batter will give you light and fluffy idlys. After two or three uses, you can use the same batter for your favourite dosas. If the batter feels too thick, dilute it with a little water.

Simple Coconut Chutney

Grated coconut

Green chilies

Ginger - sliced

Curry leaves (optional)

Salt

Method

Grind all ingredients together and voila you have a delicious chutney for your spicy dosa.

Chutneys are so versatile that you can easily pick and choose the ingredients that you want to add. The simplest chutney would be the coconut chutney, with green chillies and ginger. But if you want to experiment with flavours, feel free to add coriander leaves/mint leaves/onion/red chillies etc, according to your taste buds.

Gobi Manchurian

This is a recipe that I learned from my mother. I am not sure about its authenticity but both my mom and I have received accolades for it. I am giving the recipe for the cauliflower version but you can go ahead and try it with paneer or even chicken.

Ingredients For Frying

Cauliflower Florets (1 small cauliflower should be enough for an appetizer for 4 people)

Chickpea flour (Besan)

All Purpose Flour (Maida)

Chili Powder

Salt (to taste)

Ingredients for Manchurian

Onions - Finely chopped (1-2 big onions for a small cauliflower)

Garlic - Finely chopped (optional)

Soy Sauce to taste (low sodium soy sauce is available)

Chili Sauce to taste

White Vinegar to taste

Tomato Ketchup optional

Salt to taste

Oil

Green onions/Spring Onions for garnish

Method (Cauliflower)

Wash the flowerets & keep aside. Mix Besan and Maida (equal parts), Chili Powder and Salt to make a slightly thick batter (should coat the flowerets). Dip the flowerets in the batter and deep fry until crispy. Drain the oil on a paper towel and keep aside.

Method ( Manchurian)

In a wide pan, add little oil (start with 2 tablespoons & add more if required). Add chopped onions and sauté till tender. Add garlic if using. Add soy sauce, chili sauce and vinegar and mix well. Taste & add more if required. (Soy sauce is already salty, so make sure you don’t add salt before tasting the mixture). Once all the sauces are well blended, slowly add the fried cauliflower pieces. Mix well, making sure all the pieces are coated. Keep on low heat for at least 15-20 minutes (stirring occasionally), so all the flavours blend.

You can also place the completed dish in an oven for 10-15 minutes at about 250-300°F . Garnish and serve hot. Bon Appétit.
Recipe linked to Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter
 

Homemade Pizza

This recipe is from the renowned Indian cookbook author Tarla Dalal. I was a little doubtful if this would come out nicely. With doubt and all my limbs crossed, I set out to make the homemade pizza one Sunday. Here is what I did.

Ingredients for the pizza base

1 ½ cups - Whole wheat flour (Atta)

½ tsp - Yeast

1 tsp - Salt

1 tsp - Sugar
Water as required

Ingredients for the Puree

5 - Tomatoes

1 - Onion

2 cloves - Garlic

1 small piece - Ginger

Salt to taste

Sugar to taste

1 tsp - Maida (All purpose flour)

Ingredients for Toppings (mix it up according to your choice)

Green, red and yellow bell peppers (Julienned)

Cherry tomatoes (sliced)

Olives

Jalapenos

Mushrooms
Paneer

Cheese of your choice (Mozzarella works best though)

Method

Dough

Make soft (not sticky) dough and let it sit for two hours. Once the dough has risen well, take a small ball of it and roll it out to your desired size. Preheat the oven to 400°F .

Place the dough onto a baking sheet and poke the dough with a fork (to make small holes). Spread a little of the puree, the toppings and cheese and bake in at 400°F  for about 10-15 minutes.

Puree

Grind all the ingredients, except maida. Strain the ground pulp, add the maida and boil till the mixture thickens a bit.

It came out very well and I was ecstatic. Now that my confidence has gone up, I’m all set to try out new recipes. Will keep you all updated.

Paneer Pizza