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Veg Dosa – Indian crispy Pancake with Vegetables

01 Feb

                 The food in India has different colors too!!. In North India, people like to have wheat based main food. Whereas in south India,  Rice is their main food. Every state and city has unique food, it is because they use the ingredients which is available locally. Every religion has its own special food associated and every family will have their own variation in recipes.( But Indian cooking is not as complicated as it is looks or feels,  because of vast recipes)

Though the food in India is varied among the state, one food which everyone likes in common and popular all over India is DOSA.  Dosa is rich in Carbohydrates and protein. It is considered as easy to make comfort food  in South India. The natural fermentation makes it special and one has to wait atleast 15 hours to get the batter ready. But once it is ready it can be saved in refridgerator for a week or so. Vegetable Dosa is  a slight variation from the traditional Dosa. However different toppings can be added on top of Dosa.

The Recipe….

Ingredients:

  1.  Parboiled rice – 2 cups ( Idli Rice)
  2. Raw Rice – 2 cups
  3. Urad dhal – 1 cup
  4. Fenugreek seeds – 1 tbs
  5. Oil – few spoons of oil
  6. Vegetables- grated carrots and any vegetable finely chopped and sauted
  7. Salt – as per taste

Method:

1. Soak rice together in water and let it soak for 2-3 hours.

2. Soak Urad dhal and Fenugreek for 2 hours.

3. Grind it separately in a grinder or a mixer.

4. Add salt and ferment it for overnight . It the room temp is low , let the batter sit in the warm oven till it gets fermented. Make sure that oven is switched off when the batter is inside. It lets the bacteria to ferment the batter.

5. Heat a Non stick pan and pour the batter and spread it in a circular motion. Add 1 spoon of oil over the edges . If Dosa is very thick turn it over and cook again.

6. Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side. Sprinkle some vegetables and it is ready to go with Chutneys and Sambhar.

Note: For making Dosa, particular type of parboiled rice is used. It is called as Idli Rice or Dosa Rice and it will be available in Indian grocery stores.

 
9 Comments

Posted in Breakfast

 

Pongalo Pongal – Indian Harvest Festival

15 Jan

 

I wish all my friends and viewers a Happy and prosperous New Year and Pongal.

Pongal is one of the main festivals in India. It is celebrated from January 14th – 16th. Though it is called by different names like Sankaranthi, Makara Sankaranthi, and Lohri  in diffeerent parts of India, the purpose is the same. Yes,  its Harvest time and people wish to thank the Sun God for abundant sun source to the growth of their crops, on this Harvest festival. As a part of the festive people in India wear new dresses and share the happiness by wishing relatives and friends. The main harvested crops during this season in South Indian is Rice,Sugarcane and Turmeric.

The Harvest festival is been celebrated in other parts of the world as well, like  Chuseok(korea), Niiname-Sai(Japan), Erntedank(Germany,Austria), Harvest Festival(UK), Thanks giving Day(US, Canada) and so on.[Source:Wikipedia]

As always there is a typical type of food that is connected with this festival and it is called Pongal. The food name and festival name are same.  The Tamil word Pongal means that, little spilling of boiling cooked rice  from the clay pot. people in their households make Pongal in an open area, field or garden, facing the sun god. All of them wait for the auspicious moment when the rice is almost cooked and spills out from the pot, it means prosperity and material abundance. Everyone says “Pongalo pongal” and thank Sun God .

The food Pongal can be of two types Sweet Pongal(Rice, Jaggery, lentils,milk) and Pongal(Rice,Milk).  However most of them also make Venpongal(Rice, Lentils). Apart from the famous Pongal food, other different types of vegetables,lentils, Rice, Vadai, Payasam are made and served in Banana leaf. At first the food is offered to Sun god with Pooja(Workship) and then rest of the family enjoy the healthy traditional south Indian food. 

 
10 Comments

Posted in others

 

Birthday cake at midnight….

23 Nov

Yesterday was a great day and We celebrated my Hubby’s B’day. Every year I would like to bake a different cake and suprise him with gifts at 12 in the midnight. This year I started baking bit late in the evening after he went to bed. It continued and was only ready little late in midnight. This was a different experience and even a little sound that comes out of kitchen will be noisy. So I did take care that, no one is disturbed in my cake making process. This time he did the cake cutting on his B’day evening.

He took a day off from his office and we went to test drive a car for our next renewal. The decision has not been arrived so far. Then, later we went to an Indian Restaurant. It was a fulfilling day for us. Riya wanted to wear a party dress to her KG for her dad’s B’day. She joinned us in the afternoon and grew curious to pull out one of the rose from cake.

The cake is a two layered cake with one layer is sponge cake and the other layer is Chocolate cake with a Fondant icing. Unusually this time I tried painting(with food colors) on the cake. It did work and would like to do it better next time.

Here is the recipe..

Sponge cake Ingredients:

1. Egg – 7 eggs
2. Corn starch – 1/2 cup
3. All Purpose flour – 1 cup
4. Powdered Sugar – 1 cup
5. Butter melted – 1/2 cup
6. vanilla essence – a little more than usual.
Sponge cake  Method:
1. Whisk Egg whites and Yellow in a separate bowl until frothy.
2. Now mix all the ingredients one by one gently.
3. Sift the flour and corn starch on the egg mixture slowly and mix it gently.
(The egg is the only raising agent. No Baking soda or Baking powder in this cake.)
4. Preheat the oven and bake it at 170 C for 30 minutes.
Chocolate cake Ingredients:
1. All purpose flour – 2 cups
2. Corn starch – 1 cup
3. Egg – 2
4. Cocoa – 1/2 cup
5. Warm Milk – 2 cups
6. Sugar – 2 cups
7. Butter – 1/2 cup
8. Sunflower oil – 1/2 cup
9. Baking soda – 1 1/2 tsp
Chocolate cake Method:
1. Whisk Butter and sugar first and then add eggs one be one and whisk it.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients one by one and bring it to a smooth batter consistency.
3. Preheat the oven and bake this mixture for 40 minutes at 160- 170 C.
Fondant icing and painting Ingredients
1. Marshmallows – 300gm
2. water – 3 Tbs
3. Sugar powdered – 500 gm
4. food colors – choose your favourite colours
Fondant icing and paintingMethod:
1. Add the marshamallows in a bowl and microwave high for 2 minutes by mixing it couple of times in between.
2. Now add the powdered sugar little at a time and mix it well.
3. Dust a little of sugar on the working area and knead this dough well by adding powdered sugar.
4. Now roll it with rolling pin in to thin layer of 2 mm thickness and spread it over the cake and cut the remaining if any.
5. Take a clean brush and dip the colors of your choice and paint your favourite design and enjoy the cake.

 
10 Comments

Posted in Cake

 

Aloo Tikki (Potato Patties) & St.Martin’s day

16 Nov

Last Thursday on Nov 11th,  Riya’s Kindergarten Team, have remembered St.Martin’s day . The parents and children have been invited to a beautiful children playground, which is located on top of the hill close to Kindergarten. It was amazing to listen to the Music band and songs from little voices. The parents too did join with them. The Interesting part was everyone marching with the Latern lamps and singing St.Martins songs.

Being an Indian, I always like to present and highlight Indian food to foriegners when I am invited to a get together. Aloo tikki is a Indian appetizer made with potatoes and some spices. It is a crispy, crunchy and soft spicy delicacy. Everytime when I present a food with Potatoes to my Western friends, it was a big hit and this time too.

Here goes the Recipe..

Ingredients:

  1. Potato – 250 gms, boiled, peeled and smashed
  2. Cumin ground- 1/2 tsp
  3. Garam masala – 1/2 tsp
  4. Chat Masala – 1/2 tsp
  5. Chilli ground – 1/4 tsp
  6. Corriander ground – 1/2 tsp
  7. Green chillies – 1, finely chopped, (add more if you like have hot)
  8. Groundnuts – 1/4 cup coarsely ground
  9. Raisins – 2 Tbs
  10. Corriander leaves – few sprigs, finely chooped
  11. Salt for taste
  12. Oil – few Tbs
  13. Bread crumbs – 1/4 cup

Method:

  1. Add the smashed potatoes and add all the rest of ingredients except oil and Breadcrumbs.
  2. Make small balls out of this potato mixture and slightly flatten .
  3. Now coat the patties in the breadcrumbs on both sides and keep it ready.
  4. Heat the griddle or a flat pan. Apply few drops of oil to the pan.
  5. Now add  Potato patties to the pan and cook in a medium flame for 3-4 min on both sides.
  6. When it is golden brown color on both the sides remove from the pan and serve it with Indian chutneys and dips. Coriander and mint dips goes well with this.

Some pictures from St.Martins’ day 2010….

Wow!! Cute Cat Latern. The children and teachers should have put lot of effort to make this beautiful one.

This Skeleton has come directly from Halloween …

Hey!! Look at it. Mine is so beautiful.

Children singing songs with the paper latern electric lamps.  These Latern’s are sophisticated and safe for the little ones to carry and play with.

 
6 Comments

Posted in Starters, others

 

Almond Sweets

09 Nov

I am glad to write this recipe, as some my friends has requested it. Here it goes….

Ingredients:

  1. Whole Almonds – 300gms
  2. Sugar – 250 gms
  3. Milk – 1 1/2 cup (or)  1 cup Water
  4. Rose Essence – little
  5. Red color – a pinch (add little red to get pink color)
  6. Green colour very little
  7. Powdered Sugar – 1/4 cup
  8. Shortening(any) – a little( to help making the shapes)

Method:

  1. Soak the almonds in hot water for 1/2 an hour. It will help to peel of the skin.
  2. Add the peeled almonds and milk to a blender and blend it to a smooth paste.
  3. Heat a nonstick  pan in a medium flame and add almond paste.
  4. Cook it in a medium heat until all the water content is evapourated and the almond paste resembles as a dough.
  5. Now add the Essence and before adding red colour save a  little for adding green color for stems and leaves.
  6. Add red colour mix it lightly to have a blend in colours.
  7. Allow it cool for 10 minutes and then shape it in to a ball.  When making balls add little shortening and  your palms and roll the balls in powdered sugar.
  8. Mix a pinch of green colour and shape into green stalk and leaves and arrange it to the top of the balls.

For this measure you can make around 45 – 50  gooseberry sized apples.

 
13 Comments

Posted in Dessert, Sweet

 
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