Mixed Lentil Adai Dosa with a twist

The Adai dosa comes out to be quite thicker than the usual one because of the mix of lentils that go into it. This makes for a perfect open wrap to fill in with whatever one fancies. It is also a very healthy way of eating lentils as they are soaked which helps in optimal absorption of protein when our body processes the food.

I made Adai dosas the other day and some fresh mushrooms and capsicum in the fridge inspired me with this filling:

(makes for two wraps):

4 button mushrooms
1 medium capsicum
red chilly flakes
white pepper (optional)
Parmesan cheese (grated, optional)
salt to taste

Finely chop veggies. In a pan, heat some oil and add the capsicum followed by the mushrooms after a couple of minutes. Add chilly flakes, salt and the crushed white pepper if you want to and let sit on a low flame until the liquid released by mushrooms evaporates.

Spread the filling onto half of a hot dosa straight off the pan, top with grated cheese and watch the cheese melt :) Fold the remaining half of the dosa over the filling (as if this needs to be told).

Now the dosa needs preparation at least 8 hours in advance. A great recipe for Adai dosa can be found on this blog: http://spillthespices.blogspot.com/2012/02/adai-mixed-lentil-dosa-dal-dosa.html .

My dosas turned out like this:

And with the filling:

A version of broccoli rice

Came up with this version of Broccoli rice recently. Stir fry, minimalistic, and as others found it, delicious.
One cup of boiled rice
About 8-10 florets of broccoli depending upon their size
1/5 th cup white shallots
1 1/2 tsp chilly flakes
1 1/2 tsp crushed white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic paste, freshly ground
Olive oil for cooking
Salt to taste
Finely slice shallots, remove broccoli stems and finely chop florets. I boiled the stems separately and minced them to add to the rice.
As goes the usual sequence the olive oil is to be heated, garlic paste added, burn it a bit at this stage and keep aside. Now add the onions, they will take long to turn pink or not turn pink at all assuming they are white shallots. So let them fry for about two minutes, then add broccoli, let fry for a couple minutes, add the rice. Add in the salt, chilly flakes and pepper and the burnt garlic. Mix well and you're done.
The broccoli lends distinct taste to the dish but the magic ingredient is the white pepper. Taste the dish before adding pepper and find out for yourself. I had thought of adding some lemon juice but believe me it is not needed.

Banana Kaju Katli

Kaju Katli is a dry Indian sweet. A simple quick recipe I found in a local magazine.

What:

2 large ripe bananas (not too soft)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered cashewnut
1/2 cup full cream milk
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2 tsp finely chopped pistachios
Few strings of saffron mixed with warm milk, optional.

How:

Roughly chop bananas and blend in a blender along with all ingredients except for the saffron and pistachios.
Pour in a nonstick pan and cook on low to medium heat, stirring constantly.
This should become slightly less thick than soft dough so it can be rolled out.
Take off the heat and stir to make sure the mixture is smooth. Add powdered sugar if needed.
Roll out on a plastic sheet in a large round shape, no thinner than 3 mm.
Garnish with the saffron and pistachios.
Cut into square or diamond shaped pieces.

Red pumpkin in coconut gravy (Mathan Erissery)

This is just to make a copy of this recipe I found on http://beyondcurries.blogspot.in. Because it is something which can be made for everyday meals I wouldn't want to lose this. A new way of making red pumpkin. Reminds me of some vegetable dishes I had tasted in Coorg.

Called as Mathan Erissery, this recipe is a speciality of Tamil residents in Pallakkad, Kerala. "It is not an everyday dish owing to the rich coconut gravy but occupies a special place as it is generally served during important occasions like 'Vishu' (Kerala New Year) or household ceremonies".

Ingredients:
2 cups Red Pumpkin, diced into 1.5 cm cubes
About 2 cups of Water
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Ground to smooth paste:
½ cup Coconut, freshly scraped
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2 Dry Red Chillies (or more as per taste)
½ cup Water

Tadka/Tempering:
1 tbsp Coconut, freshly scraped
1 tsp + 1 tsp Coconut Oil
1 spring Curry Leaves
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Dehusked Split Black Gram Dal/Urad Dal

Preparation:

1. Cook the red pumpkin in enough water to cover it alongwith half the salt and turmeric powder till cooked through but firm in shape.
2. While the pumpkin is cooking prepare the coconut paste. Grind the coconut, cumin seeds and red chillies adding water little by little to chutney consistency (fairly smooth paste). The paste should not be watery.
3. When the pumpkin is cooked through stir with a ladle so that the pumpkins mix with the water, and some of them break into pieces. Add the ground paste and bring to a boil. Stir so that the gravy and the vegetables come together rather than remain separate.
4. Heat a seasoning wok with a drop of coconut oil. Add the coconut kept for tempering and roast till golden. Scrape the roasted coconut into the prepared gravy. Clean out the wok and heat 1tsp. of the oil. When hot add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the urad dal and fry till pink. Add the curry leaves and when it crackles pour the seasoning into the gravy. Drizzle the other tsp. of raw coconut oil over the gravy. Mix well and adjust the salt.

Serving Suggestion:

1. Take a ladle of rice. If not vegan, drizzle a tsp. of ghee over the rice. Top with a ladle of erissery (or more as it is pretty irrestible!). Mix, take in the aroma, savour and enjoy:)! Erissery is best accompanied by appalams or pappadams (Rice and lentil fritters)

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Special Notes/Tips:

• ¼th cup of cooked pigeon peas (arhar/tuvar dal) may be added to the cooked pumpkins but this is optional and used when one runs short of the vegetable.
• Erissery is a Kerala speciality and is prepared with minor variations from region to region. The recipe above is essentially how Palakkad Iyers prepare the dish. However one many add a few sambar onions to the paste or a fistful of cooked black eyed peas to the pumpkins for variation.
• Do not forget the raw coconut oil in the end. It adds quite a punch!

Veggie pancake wrap, Indian style

This one's inspired by Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe (besan pancake, http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/besan-pancake-with-sprouts-and-paneer-foodfood.aspx) but with touches from me, Maharashtrian style.


Ingredients:


For the wrap:

Gram flour	1 cup
Jauwar flour	1/2 cup
Rice flour	1/2 cup
Ajwain	3 tsp
Ginger, green chilly paste	2 tsp or to taste
Red chilly powder	1 tsp or to taste
Salt	to taste

For the stuffing:

Green capsicum, onion, tomato, coriander finely chopped            1 1/2 cups

Sprouts           1 cup, boiled

Salt                  to taste

Mint chutney 3-4 tsp, optional

To Do:

Saute the veggies on a tadka of ghee and cumin and cook for 5 minutes until just tender. Add coriander.

Make a thickish batter of the ingredients for the wrap. Lay it out in ladlefuls as for a dosa and let be done until crispy underneath. Don’t turn it. Spread the green chutney if you have it and add the stuffing. Fold, and serve hot optionally with some butter/ghee/cheese on top, along with tomato ketchup or amsul chutney.

Balinese vegetarian soup from Sanjeev Kapoor

Made this at home a couple of times. Quick, light, healthy and very comforting.


http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/balinese-vegetable-soup---flavours-of-the-orient.aspx

Malvani Fish Sukat - Amul secret recipes (Food Food)

Malvani Fish Sukat

This recipe was shared in the series Amul Secret Recipes on Food Food channel. King fish could be replaced by Bombay duck.

Ingredients:

King fish (surmai)	Cleaned and cut into 6-8 medium-sized pieces
Fresh coconut (grated)	2 cups
Onion (finely chopped)	2 cups
Fresh coriander (finely chopped)	2 cups
Green chillies (deseeded)	5-6
Garlic cloves	12
Kokum	6 pieces
Cooking oil	1 tablespoon
Seasoning:
Red chilli powder	For marination and curry
Turmeric powder	For marination and curry
Salt	To taste
Malvani masala powder	3-4 teaspoons

Cooking Steps:

Rub turmeric powder, salt and red chilli powder on to the fish and set aside. Coarsely grind the chillies and garlic together.

For the curry:

Heat oil in a saucepan; add onion and sauté until pink. Add the chilly-garlic paste and kokum, followed by seasoning powders. 

Mix the grated coconut, coriander and the seasoning in a mixing bowl. Add half of this mixture to the pan, arrange the fish on top and layer the remaining coconut mixture above it.

Cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes until the fish is cooked. Now lower the flame to a minimum and cook for another 30 minutes so the juices blend together as they are secreted and you have a smashing dish ready.

Serve hot with rice or appams.

My vegetarian variant:

Use potatoes, cauliflower, baby corn, mushrooms and other suitable veggies instead of the fish. I admit these are hardly a match to the flavour of the aquatic beings, but that won’t stop me from trying this dish vegetarian style!