Green Gram and Fenugreek Dosa

Dosas are a staple of south Indian cuisine. As much as paneer butter masala and chicken tikka are synonymous with Indian food for the western world, India has as many types of cuinines as we have states.

India is a sort of Europe, if you will. We are made of several states, each with their own cuisine, language, culture and clothing. Just like Europe is made of several countries, each with their own language, and culture. India is an amalgamation of all these states. Some cuisines and languages are just more well-known than others.

South India is made of four states and the one I live in is Tamil Nadu. The food here consists of fermented rice flours and mostly curries that have very mild spices. Of course even in Tamil Nadu, there are several kinds of food. We have many, almost a dozen sub-cultures, and they each have their own cuisines! Its quite wonderful, in a way. For example, food from different cities might be different, within the same state!

Dosas are pretty predominant across Tamil Nadu. Different people make it differently. There are so many many variations of this. I have made several variations myself in this blog. Well, you can imagine my delight when I came across this book: Dosai by Chandra Padmanabhan. She is one of my favorite south Indian cookbook authors. Every recipe of hers is a keeper! This book is so amazing. Here's a lovely recipe from the book.

 

Paithum Paruppu and Vendayam Dosai 
(Green Gram and Fenugreek Dosa)
(recipe from Dosai by Chandra Padmanabhan)

Makes 10-12 dosais

1/4 cup husked green gram (mung dal)
2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 cup Parboiled Rice
1 1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
3-4 Green Chillies, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 Onion, finely chopped
5-6 Curry Leaves
Oil, as needed

Combine the dal and the fenugreek seeds. Wash well and soak in water for a couple of hours. Separately, wash the rice and soak for a couple of hours.

Drain and grind the dal, till light and fluffy, adding 1/2-3/4 cup water.

Drain the rice and grind to a smooth batter with 1-1 3/4 cups water.

Combine both the batters and add the salt and mix well. Set aside and allow to ferment for 4 hours.

When ready to make the dosas, add the cumin seeds, green chillies, coriander leaves, onion and curry leaves. Adjust the consistency by adding some water to make the batter of pouring consistency.

Prepare a tawa or flat top pan. To Prepare: Smear a thin layer of oil evenly on a tawa or griddle pan using a halved potato, or onion dipped in oil. Heat the tawa. When you sprinkle a few drops of water on it, it should sizzle.
With a clean wet cloth, wipe the tawa to remove excess oil. Lower heat and the tawa is now ready for cooking the dosai.

How to cook the dosai:
Pour a ladle of batter into the center of the tawa or griddle pan. Spread quickly using a circular motion with the back of the ladle to form a 6" round dosai.
Drizzle 1 tsp oil around the edges.
Raise heat and cook for 1-2 minutes, till the base is golden brown.
Turn over carefully and fry the other side, till crisp and golden. Remove from heat.
Wipe the tawa with a wet cloth after making each dosai so that it does not get over-heated.
Oil the tawa again if it becomes too dry.

Repeat for the remaining batter.

Serve hot with a chutney, podi and/or sambar.

Other dosais in this blog: Dosai, Peas Dosai,  Neer Dosai, Tomato Dosai, Pesarat, Adai, Vegetable Adai, Akki Roti and Ilai Vadam.

Milagai Inji Puli

Milagai Inji Puli or literally Tamarind-Chilli-Ginger, is a very famous south Indian side that tastes great with almost anything. Literally. Spread it on toast. Mix it in with rice. Add it to plain yogurt. So delicious. Here's a very simple recipe that's great to whip up and gets a lot of attention from guests.



Milagai Inji Puli
(Chilli Ginger Tamarind)

100 gms (about 1/4 cup) Ginger, cut into match sticks-sizes
5-6 Green Chillies, (use extra long ones. Snip off the top stem, slit halfway lengthwise,keep the chillies whole)
A lemon-sized ball of Tamarind, soaked in warm water and reserve the pulp
1 tbsp Sesame oil (I used Indian sesame oil - gingelly or til oil - but regular sesame oil is fine)
2-3 tsp Asafoetida (or according to taste)
A lemon sized ball of Jaggery
2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Turmeric Powder (optional)
Salt, to taste

Heat the oil in a deep pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter, add the asafoetida and the long green chillies. Stir fry for a couple of minutes. Next add the tamarind pulp and turmeric powder (if using). Let it come to a boil and then add the salt and jaggery. Continue to boil until the mixture thickens.

Now add the ginger and boil for a couple more minutes. Remove from stove and allow to cool.

This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Enjoy.

Idimee

Idimee is a fusion dish of Malaysian/ Burmese flavours of Mee Goreng and Indian idiyappam/ sevai or string hoppers. This was brought to India by the Chettiars, a successful business community in India.

This is easy to make and is a great one dish meal.

Mee Goreng

1 cup Idiyappam (I've linked to my recipe of it, but you can now even get store bought which just needs to be steamed. If you can, do try to make it at home. Its a bit of a lengthy process but worth it).
1/2 cup Carrots, julienned
1/2 cup Beans, julienned
1/2 Onion, sliced
1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
2 Green Chillies, chopped
1 Spring Onion, green and white parts chopped separately
4-5 tbsp Soy Sauce
Cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Cook the carrots and beans until tender but still firm. Saute the onions and green chillies and stir fry until translucent and caramelised. Add the whites of the spring onions and saute. Add the cooked carrots and beans and stir fry until crispy.

Add the idiyappam and toss to mix with the vegetables. On a low heat continue to fry the veggies and idiyappam. Add the soy sauce and mix through.

Serve hot sprinkled with the greens of the spring onions and the cilantro, if using.

Enjoy.

Spinach Rice

I recently went to a modern Andhra restaurant, Maya, in Chennai. Andhra Pradesh is a small state in southern India, whose cuisine is typically very spicy and loaded with masala, tamarind and ground spices.

This restaurant surprised me though. The food was mild, full of subtle flavors and delicious. The one dish that really stood out to me was the lovely spinach rice. I asked my waiter if he could give me the recipe and he, very graciously, told me the ingredients. So I made an attempt at it, and thankfully, it turned out exactly how I'd hoped. (I've added peas to this rice, in order to get in more veggies, but the original recipe didn't have it, so feel free to leave it out).

Spinach Rice (with Peas)

2 cups White or Brown Rice, cooked and cooled

4 cups Spinach, cleaned and washed

1 tbsp Mustard Seeds

1 tbsp Urad Dal/ Bengal Gram

1 large Onion, peeled and chopped fine

2-3 Green Chillies, slit (optional)

1/2 cup Green Peas, cooked (optional)

2 tsp Sesame Oil

Salt, to taste

Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and urad dal and stir until mustard seeds begin to pop. Add the onions and green chillies and cook until the onions are transparent. Now add the spinach. Continue stirring/ cooking until wilted.

Mix in the cooked rice, peas and salt and fold until fully combined with the spinach mixture.

Delicious! Even my I-won't-eat-anything-green daughter ate it without a complaint!

Idli

Idlis are a huge south Indian favorite! Steamed flour and lentil dumplings are a lovely comfort food for breakfast, lunch, a snack or even dinner. Usually the idlis are eaten with a spicy chutney, milagai podi (a spicy blend of roasted spices) or sambar.

Its difficult to find perfectly soft idlis, even in the heart of southern India. Here is a sure-fire recipe to get that perfect texture.


Idlis

(makes approximately 20 idlis)

2 cups Idli Rice. This is a special kind of rice, available in most Indian supermarkets.
3/4 cup Urad Dal
2 tbsp Rock Salt, or ordinary table salt.
Soak the rice and dal separately for 2 hours each.Strain and wash the dal well. Grind with minimal water for about 45 minutes, sprinkling water every 10 minutes and scraping down the sides. The dal will double in volume. Keep aside.

Now strain and wash the rice well. Grind with minimal water for about 30 minutes, sprinkling water every 10 minutes and scraping down the sides. The ground rice will have a coarser texture than the ground dal.
Mix the ground rice and dal together and add about 2 tablespoons of rock salt. Mix well while simultaneously dissolving the rock salt in the mixture.Keep aside covered in a warm place for about 8-10 hours, depending on the warmth. Warmer the better. The batter will double in volume.



Heat a deep steamer with about 2 inches of water at the bottom. Oil the idli plate (see picture), and add one ladle of batter for each idli. Place the idli plate into the steamer, making sure the water doesn't reach the pan. Close and steam for 10 minutes or until idlis are firm (when a skewer is inserted into the middle of the idli, it comes out clean).

Scoop out the idli with a spoon after it has slightly cooled down.
Enjoy with your favorite accompaniment.

Rasam Powder

Rasam, a lovely blend of spices, tamarind and lentils is a favorite in southern India. Usually mixed with rice, rasam also makes a great soup. I've posted the recipe for my favorite rasam earlier, and a simple rasam as well. This is the basic spice mix used to make rasam.

Rasam Powder

1 cup Coriander Seeds

1 cup Toor Dal

1/4 cup Black Peppercorn

1/4 cup Cumin Seeds

15-20 Dried Red Chillies

1 cup Curry Leaves

Roast the coriander seeds, toor dal, peppercorn, cumin seeds and red chillies.

Separately roast the curry leaves.

Grind together to reach the consistency of semolina (a coarse grain).

This powder can be stored in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Pongal

Pongal is a popular south Indian breakfast. It consists of lentils and rice cooked together and then seasoned with spices. Its usually eaten with a spicy curry of some sort, but tastes great with a sprinkling of sugar as well.

This is quite a meal on its own, and though its popular for breakfast, we tend to mix up all our foodstuffs here. Just like dosai, or upma, pongal makes for a great lunch or dinner as well.

Pongal

3 cups Rice
1 cup Moong Dal (Split Green Gram)
6 cups Water (or as needed)
1 tsp Black Peppercorns
2 tsp Cumin Seeds

Cook the rice, dal and water together with some salt.

Heat a pan with some oil. Add peppercorn and cumin and let them brown a little. Coarsely crush this into a powder.

Add the crushed spice mixture to the cooked rice and dal and mix well until fully combined.

Vangibath (Rice with Eggplant)

I'm not a huge fan of eggplant, and so have been putting off making this for a long time. I got this recipe from an aunt who swore that it comes out perfect every time. I kept thinking, yeah, but eggplant flavored rice? Hmm, I'll wait!

Well, I happened to get some great eggplant in the market, and so decided to just go ahead and try it. It really is wonderful! Another no-fail recipe!


Vangibath (Rice with Eggplant)

Cook 2 cups of Rice and set aside.

Grind together:
1 tbsp Fresh Cilantro
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1/2 dried Red Chilli
1 clove Garlic, chopped
2-3 Black Peppercorn
2 Cloves, and
1 pinch minced Ginger

Set aside.

Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a saucepan, and add:
a pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds, and
1/4 tsp Sesame Seeds

When the mustard seeds pop, add and saute:
1 small Eggplant, unpeeled and diced
1/2 Onion, diced
1/2 Tomato, diced, and
1/4 cup Peas, frozen or fresh

Saute until the onions are transparent. Add the ground ingredients, and:
1 tbsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Turmeric, and
2 Bay Leaves.

Continue to saute until the eggplant is soft. Separate the grains of cooked rice with a fork, and add to the saute pan. Mix thoroughly and cook 3-5 minutes on low heat. Garnish with coconut and chopped cilantro.

Pumpkin Curry

I seem to make a lot of pumpkin curries at home. Just thinking out loud. There's pumpkin pachadi, sour pumpkin curry, olan and parsi dhansak. And that's just on my blog. I do a lot of other pumpkin dishes at home, too. Hmm... Guess I like pumpkin. Do you?


Mathanalserry
(Pumpkin Curry, from Kerala)

1/4 Pumpkin, cut into pieces
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1/2 cup Toor Dal, cooked
2 tbsp Coconut
1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Sugar

Seasoning:
4-5 Curry Leaves
1-2 dried Red Chillies
2 tbsp Coconut

Cut the pumpkin in cubes and cook with chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Add the cooked dal. Continue cooking on a low flame.
Grind the coconut and cumin together and add it to to the cooking pumpkin.
Heat a small pan with oil and add the seasoning ingredients. When the coconut is slightly reddish, add the seasoning to the pumpkin. Stir to combine. Add the sugar and stir together for a few minutes before removing from heat. Serve warm.

Spiced Mashed Potatoes

A huge favorite in my house, these potatoes are light, flavorful and delicious.


Potato Podimas (Spiced Mashed Potatoes)

1 pound Potatoes
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
a pinch of Asafoetida
6 Green Chillies
1 tsp Ginger, minced
1/2 tsp Urad Dal (split Black Gram)
1 tsp Channa Dal (Red Gram Dal)
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
4 Curry Leaves
2-3 dried Red Chillies
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 bunch Cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Boil potatoes with turmeric and salt. Peel, mash and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter, add the urad dal, channa dal, asafeotida, turmeric, curry leaves, red chillies, ginger, lemon juice, salt and mashed potatoes. Stir to combine and cook together for a few minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Gram Flour Curry

This is a shortcut, quick curry made with gram flour and yogurt. Its delicious with rice and tastes a lot like a more (buttermilk) kozhambu.


Gram Flour (Besan) Pachadi

1 tbsp Gram Flour
1 cup Yogurt
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal/ split Black Gram
2 Green Chillies
4-5 Curry Leaves
a pinch of Asoefetida
2 tbsp Rasam Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt, to taste
a spring of Coriander Leaves, chopped, for garnish

Mix salt, gram flour and yogurt. Heat some oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, green chillies, asoefetida and curry leaves. Heat for 2 minutes.

Add the rasam powder and turmeric powder. Stir and remove from heat.

Vathal Kozhambu

Vathal kozhambu is a south Indian curry of vegetables simmered in a tamarind based broth with a variety of spices. It is usually served with cooked rice. Spicy and tangy and delicious! Here, I've made the basic curry without vegetables, but feel free to add your choice of cooked vegetables. The common vegetables used are okra, eggplant and onions.


Vathal Kozhambu
1 tbsp Gingelly Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
3-4 Curry Leaves
1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1/2 Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic
1/2 Tomato
1 tbsp Chilli Powder
2 tbsp Coriander Powder
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Coconut Milk
A lime-sized amount of Tamarind concentrate, dissolved in 1 cup Water

Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and fenugreek seeds. Add the onion, garlic and tomato and saute until it becomes a brownish paste.

Add the coriander powder, chilli powder, tamarind water and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil.

When it starts to boil, turn off the heat and add the coconut milk. Stir to combine. Serve hot with cooked rice.

Spinach Kozhambu

Kuzhambu is a spicy curry, originating from south India, made with a combination of vegetables or fish/ chicken. Usually they do not have lentils, but this one does and is milder than most other kozhambus. When the kozhambu is made with yogurt, its called More (Buttermilk) Kozhambu and is a wonderful addition to rice on a hot day.


Spinach Kuzhambu

2 bunches Spinach
1/4 cup Toor Dal (Pigeon Peas)
2 Onions, chopped
4 cloves Garlic
2 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
2 tsp Fennel Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tomato, chopped
2 Green Chillies, slit
1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 small piece Cinnamon

Clean and chop spinach.

Grind together chilli powder, coriander powder, 1 tsp fennel seeds, cumin seeds, one onion and a little water. Keep aside.

Cook the dal in some water, until tender.

In a little oil, add the fenugreek seeds, cinnamon, remaining fennel seeds and chopped onion and saute. Add spinach and saute well. Add the ground spices, the cooked dal, about 2 cups of water, salt and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot with cooked rice.

Other kuzhambus in this blog: Tomato More Kozhambu, Puli Kozhambu, Vethal Kozhambu.

Simple Rasam

When I wanted a quick rasam and didn't have time to grind my own spice powders and stew over the tamarind, I would use this easy recipe. The rasam still tastes great, but you spent half the time making it!



Easy Rasam
1/2 cup Moong Dal, cooked with turmeric and salt
1 tsp Rasam Powder (available in Indian stores. If you want to make your own, here's a nice video!)
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 pinch Asoefetida
3 Tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
3-4 Curry Leaves
1 clove Garlic
2 tbsp Cilantro Leaves, for garnish

Heat about 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan, add the cumin, asoefetida and tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are mushy. Add the rasam powder and enough water to cook the tomatoes (about 2 cups). Add the cooked dal.

For the seasoning, heat some oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and garlic clove. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add the seasoning to the rasam. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with cooked rice.

Other rasams on this blog: Mysore Rasam and Beetroot Rasam.

Bell Pepper Curry

This is another in a series of recipes from my mother in law. As I said earlier she is an amazing cook, and can whip up dishes in a matter of minutes. I'm sure, though, that if I asked her to reproduce this exact recipe, she won't be able to, because she really doesn't cook by numbers. I loved this curry the day she made it for us and it really tastes great with rotis.


Capsicum Curry

1 Bay Leaf
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
1 Tomato, chopped
Turmeric Powder
Chilli Powder
Salt, to taste
Dhania Powder
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
Sugar
Coriander Leaves, for garnish
Grind together:
3 tbsp Coconut, shredded
1/4 tsp Saunf

In a little oil, saute the bay leaf, garlic and onion until onion turns yellow. Add tomato, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and dhania.

Fry till mushy. Add chopped bell pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Add the ground masala. When it boils, add a little sugar. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Okra Buttermilk Curry

This is a mild curry that's great with rice and/or rotis.


Okra Buttermilk Curry

200 g Okra
500 g Yogurt
1/2 tsp Turmeric
50 ml Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
4 Red Chillies
2 sprigs Curry Leaves
2 Onions, sliced
2 Green Chillies, cut lengthwise
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp Coconut Oil

Cut the okra into 1.5 cm long pieces. Whip curd with turmeric and keep aside.

Heat oil and season with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds pop, add the onions and green chillies. Saute well.

Add the okra and fry well. Finally add the whipped yogurt, salt to taste and simmer on low heat.

South Indian Tandoori Chicken

This is my husband's recipe for his beloved grill! He's come up with this after lots of trials and tests. This doesn't compare to the tandoori chicken in restaurants in the way it looks, but as far as he and his buddies are concerned, it tastes far better! So, this is great for those BBQ parties!


Tandoori Chicken - south Indian style!
2 lbs Chicken, mixed pieces with bone, but without skin
1 Onion
1 small piece Ginger
3 tbsp Yogurt
3 tbsp Vinegar
2 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt, as needed
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Curry Powder
1 Lemon
2 cloves Garlic

Grind the onion, garlic and ginger to a paste. Clean the chicken and make 3-4 shallow cuts. In a large plate, beat the yogurt. Into this, add the coriander and cumin powder, the onion garlic mixture, salt, vinegar and lemon juice.

Mix to form a thin paste. Apply into the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate for 4 hours, covered in the refrigerator. Grill on a barbecue. I've tried to bake this in the oven and it tastes pretty good, though not as good as the grill. If baking, bake at 400 deg F for 20-25 minutes, and then broil for 5 minutes until brown.

Puli Kuzhambu

This is a very common south Indian curry, made with a base of tangy tamarind and a vegetable and/or onions. Its very popular and most often served with rice.


Vendakkai Puli Kuzhmabu
(Okra in a tamarind-based curry)

1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
2 tbsp Coriander Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
6 cloves Garlic, chopped
6 shallots, cut in half
1 Tomato, chopped
Gingelly Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
3-4 Curry Leaves
2 g Okra, cleaned
1/2 tbsp Tamarind Concentrate dissolved in water OR 1 cup tamarind water
Salt, to taste
1/2 tbsp Sugar

Heat the gingelly oil and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, fenugreek and garlic. When brown, add the shallots and saute till the onions are a little yellow. Add the okra and fry for a few minutes.

Add the tomato and saute again for a few minutes. Now add the turmeric, coriander powder, chilli powder and salt. Fry till mushy. Add the tamarind water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until it reduces to half the amount. Add the sugar at the very end, a few minutes before removing from heat.

Serve hot with rice.

Yams

This recipe is a huge favorite of mine. I found it in a wonderful cookbook, Flavours of the Spice Coast by Mrs. K M Mathew. If you are the kind of cookbook fiend that I am, then go out and buy this book!


Kerala Yam
(adapted from here)

2 cups Yam, diced
4 cups Water
2 tsp Shallots
3 dried Red Chillies
1/2 tsp Peppercorns
6 cloves Garlic
4 Curry Leaves
2 tsp Oil
Salt, to taste

Cook yam with the water, and add salt to taste. Drain.

Crush onions, red chillies, garlic, peppercorn, curry leaves together. Heat oil and saute the crushed ingredients.

Add the cooked yam pieces and when gently coated, remove from oil. Serve warm.

Mustard Curry

The abundance of mustard in this dishes gives it a spicy flavor that's just wonderful. Especially when combined with rasam and rice. This curry can be made with either mochai (fava beans), peas or green beans. They all taste equally good.


Mustard Curry (Kadugu Kootu)
2 cups Peas OR Fava Beans (mochai) OR Green Beans, cooked
1/2 cup Shredded coconut
6 dried Red Chillies
2 1/2 cups Water
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt, to taste

Seasoning:
1 tbsp Ghee Or Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
3-4 Curry Leaves
2 dried Red Chillies

Grind the coconut, dried red chilli, mustard seeds and chilli powder. Keep aside.

Heat a pan and add the ground coconut mixture and the cooked vegetable and salt. Cook until the raw smell of the mustard disappears.

Heat the ghee/ oil in another pan. Add the seasoning ingredients. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the seasoning to the cooking vegetables. Mix well and remove from heat.