Friday, June 24, 2011

Dideer Ragi Dosae - Instant Finger Millet Crepes

The name suggests that it is an instant dosae prepared using ragi flour ( finger millet flour). I follow my mother's dictum - "Taleya paathu kallai podu!" to serve the dosaes really hot, thin and crisp !
'Sight the head and throw the stone' is a scarey but straight translation of the above dictum! It is a colloquial expression to say that the griddle should  be set on the stove only when some one is ready to savour the dosae.
The batter should be mixed as and when required to get a crisp and delicious dosae.
Ragi flour - 2 cups
Rice flour - 2 tbsps
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Finely chopped onions - 1/4 cup
Finely chopped green chillies - 1 tsp
Finely chopped fresh ginger - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Chopped Curry leaves- 1/2 tsp
Oil - for cooking
1. Mix all the above ingredients with 2 cups of water to make the dosae batter. Add enough water to get the consistency of milk.
2. Grease the tava with 1/2 a tsp of oil and heat it.
3. Pour one tsp of batter on the tava to test the  heat. The dosaes will come out very well once one or two dosaes are done and  when the heat of the tava has reached  the right temperature.
4. Take a ladle full of the batter and splash it on the hot tava with a swirling motion. Pour the thin batter in such a way that large gaps are formed in the dosae.
5. Pour more batter little by little to fill the larger holes.
6. Dribble 1/2 tsp of oil all over the dosae and around the dosae.



7. The sides of the dosae will start curling upwards once it is cooked. Cook on the flip side for half a minute if you want to.



Remove the hot crispy wafer thin Dideer Ragi Dosae using a spatula .


Serve immediately with any one  of your favourite side dishes.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Kattarikai Gotsu - Eggplants In A Spicy Tamarind Sauce

This is a lip smacking dish from CHIDAMBARAM - one of the great temple towns in Tamil Nadu. Gotsu is a side dish to go with the Pongal and Samba Saadam which are offered to Lord Nataraja.
My sister - in - law is from Chidambaram and I learnt to prepare the  traditional kattarikai gotsu from her. She was very particular about using sesame oil in its preparation.

The Chidambaram Kattarikai is seedless and is the size of ones fist. The colour is deep purple all over. Bigger eggplants can also be used and the quantity of the ingredients can be adjusted accordingly. I have used the ones which were available here.
Eggplants - 4
Tamarind - the size of a gooseberry
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Jaggery ( crushed ) - 1/4 tsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsps
Bengal gram dal - 2 tbsps
Red chillies - 8
asafoetida - a small piece / 1 pinch
Cumin seeds - 1 /2 tsp
Back pepper - 1/4 tsp
Feureek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
1. Wash and wipe the eggplants thoroughly.
2. Rub the eggplants all over with a drop of sesame oil.
3. Grill the oiled eggplants one by one, directly placing them on a gas burner. Keep turning the eggplant till all the sides of the vegetable are done. The flavour is unique when grilled on direct fire.


(The eggplants can also be grilled in an electric oven or grill.)
4. Soak tamarind in warm water and extract a thick juice.
5.Heat a drop of oil and fry the asafoetida.
6. Now add the coriander seeds, bengal gram dal, red chillies, pepper and fenugreek seeds and roast till the ingrediants emanate a pleasant aroma.
7. Lastly add the cumin seeds and roast for one more minute.
8. Powder all the roasted and cooled ingredients and keep aside.
9. Peel the scalded skin of the eggplants and lightly mash the vegetable using the back of a ladle.


10. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
11. When the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves and then the turmeric powder.
12. Immediately add the tamarind juice, salt, jaggery and the mashed eggplants.
13. Cook till the raw smell of the tamarind disappears.
14. Make a paste with the powdered ingredients adding little water and add this to the boiling gotsu.


15. Cook till the gotsu thickens and switch off the flame.


Enjoy the flavoursome tangy and spicy Chidambaram Kattarikai Gotsu with pongal . It tastes good with dosais and chapaties too.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Vazhaikai Podi - Raw Banana Tossed In Lentil And Spice Powder

Preparing vazhaikai podi is as easy as eating a ripe banana! Raw banana cooks very fast and once you keep the 'podi' ( powder ) handy, a delicious vazhaikai podi can be dished out in no time. There are various recipes using different ingredients for preparing the podi, but I love my mother's podi the best.


Raw bananas - 2 ( medium size )
Tur dal - 4 tbsps
Red chillies - 6
Asafoetida - one small piece
Salt - 1 1/2 tsps
sesame oil - 2 tsps
Mustard seeds -1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
1. Wash and cut the raw bananas across into 2 inch thick pieces.
2. Add enough water just to cover the cut vegetable and cook till tender.


3. Drain and cool the cooked bananas.
4. Heat a drop of oil in a pan and add asafoetida.
5. Add tur dal and red chillies and roast till it emanates a pleasant aroma.


6. Cool and coarsely powder the roasted ingredients.
7. Remove the peel and crumble the cooked banana.
8. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
9. When the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves and decrease the flame.


10. Add the crumbled banana, the dal powder and salt and mix well,and switch off flame.


Enjoy the hot and spicy vazhaikai podi with rice and a dollop of ghee, just as you would enjoy chutney and rice.


Or relish it with rasam rice or curd rice.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Maavina Hannina Kadubu - Steamed Ripe Mango Cake

I had a young friendly neighbour who visited her native place quite often. The newly married girl always brought back various yummy goodies when she returned from her mother's place. My family loved the halasina happalas ( jack fruit crispies ) and the kashaayada pudi ( a pleasant smelling powder of mixed spices used in brewing a milk based beverage ) which she generously shared with us.
We always exchanged pleasantries along with the dishes we prepared.The memory of her steaming hot mouth watering halasina idlies/kadubus ( steamed jack fruit cakes ) inspired me to prepare these maavina hannina kadubus to celebrate the mango season.
Sweet ripe mango - 1
Powdered jaggery - 2 tbsps
Idly rava ( Broken par boiled rice) - 2 cups
Ghee - 1 tsp ( for greasing the moulds )
1. Peel and squeeze out the mango pulp into a bowl.



2. Add powdered jaggery and the idly rava and blend well to form a coarse wet mixture and allow it to stand for half an hour.

3. Grease the moulds ( I have used steel lotas / tumblers) with ghee and pack them loosely with the mango rava mixture.
4. Arrange them in a pressure cooker and steam for fifteen minutes with out the weight.
5. Invert the moulds on a flat plate and gently tap the bottom of the lota / tumbler to ease out the kadubus.


Enjoy the chewy crumbly sweet maavina hannina kadubu with a spoon of pure ghee.


If the chewy crumbly  rough texture is not preferred, mix in enough cold milk to the kadubu mixture to obtain a idly batter consistency. This will give the kadubus a soft and smooth texture.


 Either way the flavoursome maavina hannina kadubu tastes utterly delicious.