Sada Dosa (South Indian Recipe)

Dosa, a crisp and thin crepe made of rice and urad dal batter, is an extremely popular dish in south India. Making a homemade dosa involves three simple stages with the batter: soaking, grinding and fermenting. You may make different kinds of dosas with the same batter. For example, a masala dosa, mysore masala dosa, paper dosa, cheese dosa, paneer dosa etc. You can do numerous dosa variations by using few simple additional ingredients.

Soaking time: 4 hours
Fermentation time: 6 to 7 hours
Prep time:  15 Minutes
Cooking time: 30 to 35 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups parboiled rice
• 1/2 cup urad dal (split black urad dal)
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• Oil and ghee for frying
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds in water for 4 hours and then drain. At the same time, soak  rice in water for 4 hours and then drain.
2. Blend the urad dal and fenugreek seeds together in a mixer until you have a smooth paste-like consistency. Add water little by little, as required.
3. Blend the rice in a mixer adding a little water, as required.
4. Combine both pastes together in a bowl, cover it and keep aside to ferment (6 to 7 hours).
5. Once the batter is fermented, add salt to the batter and mix it well. Thin with water, if necessary, before proceeding.
6. To make the dosas, set a griddle or cast iron skillet over medium heat and brush with 1 teaspoon of oil.
7. Ladle 1/4 cup batter in the center of griddle, using the bottom of ladle, and quickly spread the batter outward in a circular motion to a diameter of about 7 to 8 inches. Drizzle oil or ghee over the top.
8. Leave the dosa batter to brown gradually until the outer edges begin to look dry. Cook on one side only. With a spatula, carefully loosen the dosa from the griddle. The bottom should be crisp and browned.
9. Continue making dosas, one at a time.
10. Serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar and aloo bhaji on the side.

Check out the recipes for Coconut Chutney, Sambar and Aloo Bhaji on my blog!

Dosa with chutney, aloo Bhaji and sambar:

Sada dosa

Badshahi Khichdi

Khichdi, a dal and rice medley cooked with spices is a simply, yet cozy, meal - great during the winter. Badshah khichdi, literally translated to mean a king's version, is the same khichdi, but cooked with layered cabbage and vegetables similar to lasagna. While this recipe involves a lot of ingredients, it is rather simple and much may be done while the rice and dal are cooking. I learned this dish from one of my friends (Vandana). You may eat this khichdi as it is or it may be served with yogurt. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

For Khichdi:

• 3/4 cup toovar dal
• 3/4 cup rice
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Salt to taste

For Cabbage Vegetable:

• 8 cups cabbage
• 2 teaspoon green chili paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dhanajeera powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• 2 tablespoons oil

For Mixed Vegetables:

• 4 cups frozen mixed vegetables (or you may get fresh vegetables: corn, green peas, carrots and string green beans)
• 2 teaspoons green chili paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dhanajeera powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• 2 tablespoons oil

For Tempering the Khichdi:

• 1 teaspoon ghee
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Pinch of hing

Garnishing:

• Fresh green coriander leaves, chopped
• 4-5 green chilies cut into pieces about 1-1/2 inch long and fried

Directions:

1. Clean, wash and soak the rice and toovar dal in water for 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
2. In a pressure cooker, add dal, rice, salt, turmeric powder, ghee and about 3 cups of hot water. Mix well and pressure cook for 4 whistles. (Allow the pressurized steam to escape before opening the lid)
3. In the mean time, prepare the vegetables while the khichdi is cooking. For the cabbage, heat oil in pan and add mustard seeds. When they start crackling, add cumin seeds and hing. Then, add the cabbage, all the spices except salt, chili and ginger paste. Mix it well and when the cabbage is half cooked, add salt to it and mix. Do not overcook the cabbage so as to keep it a little crunchy.
4. For the mixed vegetables, follow the same procedure as #3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start crackling, add cumin seeds and hing. Then, add the mixed vegetables, all the spices except salt, green chili and ginger paste. Mix it well and when vegetables are half cooked, add salt to it, continue to mix and cook.
5. In a pan with oil, fry the green chilis with a sprinkle of salt and dhanajeera powder and mix.
6. Now, to assemble the dish I used a fluted bakeware mold. If you don't have one, you may assemble it in any transparent dish or bowl. First, grease the mold. Then, make the first layer of cabbage (1/2 of the portion). Second, a mixed vegetable layer (1/2 of the portion). Third, a 1/2 layer portion of khichdi. Repeat the same procedure again for layers four to six. 
7. In a small pan, heat ghee. Then, add mustard seeds and when they start to crackle, add cumin seeds and hing. Pour the tempering onto the khichdi. Press with a spatula.
8. Lastly, put a plate on top of the mold and flip it over so the plate is on the bottom. Remove the mold and serve hot with green chilies and yogurt or raita!!! Enjoy!

Mold

Amritsari Kulcha

A delicious brunch of Amritsari kulcha is a popular dish amongst people in northern part of India. I was in Amritsar, Punjab last year and during my stay I had kulcha with raita or yogurt everyday! I didn't have any curry with it, but you may for a fuller meal. If so, you may eat with chole or dal makhani. You may easily prepare these delicious kulchas and enjoy them at home at any time. Here is a straight-from-Punjab recipe for Amritsari kulchas!

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 (8 kulchas)

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 4 cups all purpose flour (maida)
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 9 teaspoons ghee
• Salt to taste

For the filling:

• 2 large potatoes, boiled and grated
• 3 green chilis, chopped
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoon coarsely ground coriander seeds
• 1-1/2 teaspoons red chili powder
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Mix the all purpose flour (maida) with salt, baking soda, ghee, and yogurt. Use a little water, if needed, to make the dough softer.
2. Put the dough on a clean surface and knead well. Initially, if the dough feels sticky, do not worry as you work the dough it tends to get less sticky. Make 8 soft balls with the well kneaded dough and set aside covered for 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Boil 2 large potatoes, cool and peel them. Grate the potatoes, add salt, lime juice, chopped green chilies, grated ginger and garam masala. Mix it well and keep aside.
4. Grease the dough with some ghee and flatten it. Or, use a rolling pin, roll the dough to a 3 to 4 inch diameter.
5. Place the potato filling (1/8 part) on the dough and bring the sides together. Press them well to join it in the middle. Make a smooth ball and use your fingers to flatten it gently or use a rolling pin. Roll the dough to form an even 5 to 6 inch diameter kulcha. Follow the same procedure for rest of the dough and filling.
6. Sprinkle some ground coriander seeds and press them in well, Also, sprinkle some coriander leaves and red chili powder.
7. Preheat the oven to 500F degrees. I used a pizza tray for baking the kulcha, but you may use a similar baking tray or pan appropriately sized. Gently place each kulcha on the baking tray and put in the oven. Bake the kulchas for 5 to 6 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Cooking them on high heat makes the kulchas cook evenly while remaining soft. Slow baking will make them hard and crisp.
8. Remove when done and apply some ghee.
9. Serve with any curries (i.e. chole) or just chilled yogurt or raita.

Bake it in a pizza tray