Onion Podi Dosa

This was made for breakfast today. Just a simple and easy recipe. When Im lazy to prepare chutney, I do this.

Ingredients:
4 cups: 1cup = Long grain rice/idli rice : Urad dal
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Poha/Avval/Beaten Rice - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1 Tsp to ferment the batter
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Oil as required

Steps:
1. Rinse and soak the rice for 5 hours.
2. Rinse and soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds for 5 hours.
3. After 5 hours, drain the water from the dal and seeds and grind it in a mixer. Pour very little water at grind to a fine consistency. You'll see small bubbles forming on the dal batter. Remove and transfer in a steel container.
4. Pour little water in the poha so that it covers it. Let it soak.
5. Grind the rice using sufficient water to get a coarse batter. Transfer to the steel container.
6. Grind the poha with remaining rice to a coarse batter. Pour the batter in the stainless steel utensil.
7. Add 1 tsp salt and mix the batter well in anti-clockwise direction.
8. Place the container in a warm place.(near the oven, on top of the fridge, etc)
Tip : Due to cold temperature, the batter may not ferment. You can place the batter on/near one of the stove tops which you are not using. This will make the batter ferment well.
9. Leave the batter covered overnight or for 12 hours.
10. After 12 hours, batter will be fermented .i.e. you will see the batter risen to double the size. Its ready to use now or you can refrigate it to use later.
Note: Leaving the batter for more than 12 hours will give a sour taste to the batter. To avoid this refrigate it.
11. Heat a non-stick skillet, pour a laddle full of batter and spread the form in the form of a circle.
12. Pour little oil on the dosa and immediately spread the onion. Let it cook for a minute. Apply the podi(mixed with water) on the dosa.
13. Flip the dosa carefully and pour 2-3 drops of oil, and let if cook for another minute.
14. Flip over again and transfer to a plate.
Serve hot with chutney and/or sambar.

It is a very simple procedure, dont worry about the number of steps. :)

Apple sauce with Yogurt

I usually prefer oranges to apples. Decided to make something with apples, so googled for apple recipes. Found many recipes, selected this one cos of the time and effort. :) I havent picked up from one site, went thru some sites, so dont know whom to give the credit. :(

Anyways, here goes my simple apple with yogurt recipe.

Ingredients:
Apple - 1 peeled and cut in small pieces
Sugar - 1 Tbsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Yogurt - 1/2 cup

Steps:
1. Pour water in a pan and let it boil.
2. When water comes to a boil, add apple and sugar and stir for a minute.
3. Keep stirring frequently every 2 minutes until all the water evaporates. Remove from heat when there is no water left or very less water is left.
4. Let it cool.
5. Add yogurt in the apple sauce and refrigate for an hour before serving.
Serve cold.

Tip : Before adding yogurt, you can grind the apples in a blender/mixie to get the apple sauce.

I dint make the apple sauce, cos I found the apples by itself very tasty.. Planning to try the apple sauce. If you detest apples, try this for a change.

You can try either ways which you like.

Zebra Cake

I was searching for Marble cake recipe but ended up making an eggless Zebra Cake. It is taken from the site from Farida's blog. This cake looks awesome and tastes yum.. I did not use eggs as my DH is not eating eggs this month. I have substitued eggs with vegetable oil and vinegar. Next time I plan to use applesauce as an egg substitute.

You can check Farida's blog as she has given detailed step by step instructions along with pics. Im still trying my hands on camera, i must confess, im a slow learner, especially where an art like photography comes into 'picture'. Any tips on photography...

Adai Dosa

I got this recipe from my mom. She used to make Adai dosas for Sunday breakfast. This was one breakfast item which we all looked forward to eagerly, also one reason to wake up a little early on a Sunday morning.

Mom makes this the traditional way, using many ingredients, predominantly drumstick leaves for that authentic flavour. I loveeeeeeee Adai dosa with drumstick leaves. Here, I make a simple version of Adai...

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Tuvar dal - 1 cup

Urad dal - 1/2 cup

Channa dal - 2 cups

Red chilli - 10 - 14

Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

Onion - 1 finely chopped

Ginger - 1 tsp grated

Fennel seeds/Saunf - 2 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Salt and Oil as required

Steps:

1. Soak the rice and dals for 4 hours.

2. Using a blender/mixer, grind rice and dal along with cumin seeds, red chillies and salt to a coarse batter.

3. Let the batter ferment for an hour.

4. Add chopped onions, fennel seeds and curry leaves to the batter and mix well.

5. In a skillet, pour a ladle full of batter and make it a little thicker than dosa. If you make it thicker like an uttapam, it will take a lot of time to cook(tastes yummy).

6. Pour little oil on the edges and then flip over to the other side and let it cook for some more time. Serve hot with coconut chutney and jaggery.

Health Quotient: Its obvious this dosa is high on health quotient, cos of the lentils used. Would like to share info about fennel. Some believe that fennel has some diuretic effect, and may help reduce a problem with water retention. Fennel for some reduces the appetite and is therefore effective in weight loss. Click here to know more benefits.

Medu Vada

The recipe for this was given to me both by my mom and MIL. However, I found my MIL's version time-saving.

Ingredients:
Whole Urad Dal - 2 cups
Pepper - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Salt and Oil as required

Steps:
1. Soak the urad dal for 15 minutes.
2. Add pepper and grind the urad dal in a grinder/blender. Use very little water while grinding.
3. Add salt and onions and mix well.
4. Pour enough oil in a pan and heat it well. You can pour the batter using a spoon or grease your hands with oil and take a little batter, shape it like a doughnut and carefully put in the oil.
5. Cook on both the sides. Repeat the same until all the vadas are done.
Serve hot with chutney, sambar or curd.

Mysore Pak

This recipe is given by my MIL. It's a bit tricky, but it came out a succes in one try, im sure you can do it too. It was yummy.... Have a look..

Ingredients:
Besan/chickpeas flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 cups
Ghee - 1 Cup
Oil - 1 Cup

Steps:
1. Sift the besan using a sieve.
2. In a wide bottomed pan, add 1 glass water and sugar and keep stirring. You'll get a one-thread consistency in sometime. (Take a drop of the syrup between your thumb and finger)
3. In another pan, add oil and ghee, keep it in medium flame.
4. Once you get the sugar consistency, pour the besan little at a time in the sugar syrup and keep stirring continously.
5. Using a ladle, keep adding oil in the besan-sugar syrup mixture. You need to add oil at frequent intervals, making sure the mixture doesnt stick to the pan.
6. Within 6-7 minutes, you'll see the mixture is cooked, and you dont get the raw smell.
7. Immediately remove the mixture and pour it on a greased plate. Let it cool for 15 minutes.
Cut into the shape you want.