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Showing posts with label south indian breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label south indian breakfast. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

MLA Dosa ( Pesarattu / Green Moong Dosa with a filling of Upma )

Many many moons ago when I first stepped onto the Hyderabad soil, I had hardly bargained for the surprises in store. The language, the culture, the food and even the obnoxious auto-wallahs came as a shocker to me. However with the passage of time, I was able to make peace with everything except the food. Used to the mild and less than runny dals, I just could not fathom pairing my rice with rasam ( glorified tamarind water as I called it ), oily shriveled fries and curd. It was tough and the pickle become my only solace except for the weekends when they served Chicken/egg curry. Being on a student budget, Biryani seemed to be a rare luxury that could only be savored on special occasions. Sadly, the scenario did not change much even after I got a job and moved on to a better (read 'more posh') hostel. The cooks were sourced from Andhra and they catered to a South Indian majority.

However, there was a silver lining to this gastronomic cultural shock. And that was the availability of the South Indian tiffin centers that sold Idli/Dosa/Upma during most times of the day. So, if on a particular day we felt nauseated by looking at the hostel menu, we ended up eating a masala dosa for lunch/dinner. It was during one such visit to a joint that I ordered the MLA dosa on a whim. The name had piqued my curiosity but the grandiose imagery that I had conjured up in my mind disappeared the moment it arrived at the table. I realized that I had been tricked into ordering the Pesarattu which I had been avoiding like the plague. I glanced at my roomie with the most innocent 'Puppy eyes' look that I could manage. But she was happily digging into her Choley Bhature and was quite oblivious to my distress.

Left with no option, I gingerly broke a piece of the Pesarattu, wrapped it around some of the upma, dipped it in some spicy chutney and popped it into my mouth with a bundle of misgivings. And was pleasantly surprised !! Turned out that my fears were completely unfounded and it tasted quite mild actually if I were to discount the spicy chutney. I was happy to have discovered yet another ally amongst the inscrutable South Indian menu.

While it took me a few trails and finally the help of my Andhra neighbor to nail this recipe, I am still in the dark about the real story behind the discovery of this dish. Whether it is the popular one about this dosa being a favorite on the Raj Bhavan canteen menu to the more credible one about a sycophant who combined the two favorites to please a member of the Legislature, each one has enough spice to keep one guessing. Try it out for yourself even as figure out the one that captures your imagination.

Read on for the recipe -

















Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

For the Pesarattu -

  • 1 cup whole green moong dal ( even split ones will do )
  • a fistful of poha/avalakki/chiwda/chuda
  • 1 green chili
  • a small piece of ginger
  • 1-2 pinch cumin seeds
  • salt to taste

For the Upma -
  • 1 cup rawa ( I use Bombay rawa )
  • 1 tsp channa dal
  • 1 tsp urad dal
  • 1/3 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 small onion
  • 1-2 green chilis
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • a pinch of asafotida
  • 1/2 tsp ginger juliennes
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tsp ghee 

Others -

  • Oil for making the dosa
  • chopped onions for garnishing (optional)


Preparation - Wash and soak the moong dal overnight. Rub it to loosen the skin. Remove about 50-60 perecent of the skin for a better taste.

Transfer the moong dal, poha, chili, ginger, cumin and salt into a mixer jar. Grind into a fine paste with a consistency that is similar to the dosa batter.

Cooking - Heat 1 tsp ghee in a wok. Add the rawa and fry till it gives off a sweet smell. Remove and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil. Add the asafoetida, mustard seeds and broken green chili. Once it gets spluttering, add the dals and fry a bit. Then add the chopped onions and curry leaves. Fry till onion is translucent.

Add 2 cups water and bring it to a boil. Add the salt and then the roasted rawa.

Cook till all the water is absorbed. Remove from the flame. Cover and keep aside.

Heat a dosa tawa. Take some of the green moong batter and spread it a little thick.

Once it is a little done, scrape off some of the batter for crispy and thin dosa.

Drizzle the oil on the sides. Place some upma in the center and garnish with onion/ginger/carrot . Fold and remove from the tawa.


















Serve hot with onion-tamarind chutney !!

















Note - If you are very particular about the bright green color, use a few coriander leaves for making the gravy. 

Monday, September 15, 2014

Drumstick leaves Uttapam (Murungai Keerai Uttapa)

Uttapams are quite versatile when it comes to the flavours that one can infuse in them. They work great with everything ranging from Chinese (schezwan/manchurian) toppings to even Italian ones (cheese, peppers and herbs). But the recipe I am sharing today is a very simple one that takes the flavors from the nutrient loaded drumstick leaves. Apart from their medicinal/nutritional qualities, these leaves also happen to be quite aromatic.

Read on for the simple recipe -






Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

  • 2 cups thick dosa batter ( I use the I.D. brand)
  • 1 medium sized onion (finely chopped)
  • 2/3 cup drumstick leaves
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 3-4 tsp oil
  • salt to taste

Preparation - Add salt and chili powder to the batter. Adjust water if required. This is a thick batter so take care not to dilute it too much.

Wash the leaves that you have already plucked from the stems. Be careful to discard leaves that have the tiny insects/eggs sticking to them. (You can do this by immersing them in  warm water to which salt has been added)

Cooking - Heat a non-stick pan. Drizzle some oil and then add a ladle of the batter. Do not spread too much. Top up with the drumstick leaves and chopped onions.

Cover with a lid for about a minute or two. Remove the lid and check if it has firmed up. If yes, flip it over.

Add a little oil from the sides if required. Again cover with a lid and cook for 1-2 mins. Remove from the wok.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients. 

Serve hot with chutney.



Monday, August 4, 2014

Brown Rice Pongal

Have been trying to incorporate either brown rice or cracked wheat (daliya) into my diet at least 4 times a week. While I have got the hang of daliya, brown rice is still not my cup of tea ( or grain ). I find it tough to like brown rice but I still keep trying various recipes. This one however is something that I really loved. A typical Ven Pongal made with brown rice, the flavour of ghee, curry leaves, asafoetida and jeera is just sufficient to mask that unappealing smell of brown rice. The heat from the chilis is also a plus. Hopefully I can now stick to having brown rice twice a week without failing.

Read on for the easy recipe -

















Preparation Time - 15 mins


Ingredients -

  • 1/2 cup brown rice
  • 1/3 cup yellow moong dal
  • 1 broken red chili
  • 1/2 green chili
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 pinch carom seeds
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • 2 generous pinch asafoetida
  • 1 1/2 tsp ghee
  • salt to taste
  • 3 cups hot water


Cooking - Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker.  Add red chili, green chili, cumin, carom seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. Fry for 30 seconds.

Wash and add the brown rice and moong dal. Fry for 2-3 minutes or till a fragrance comes.

Add the hot water and salt. Close lid and cook for 4 whistles.  Allow steam to escape before opening.

Serve hot with roasted papad and yogurt.



Monday, January 27, 2014

Oats Pongal

My son's liking for this simple and wholesome rice dish has turned me into a faithful fan (read follower). Easy to make and quite comforting, I have been cooking it regularly in the last weeks. With my current obsession with oats, i felt tempted to add some to the regular pongal. Turned out to be quite nice. Also, adding oats greatly increases the soluble fiber content of this dish which helps reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL) and keeps one's heart healthy . Read on for the recipe:

















Preparation Time - 15 mins


Ingredients - 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup yellow moong dal, 1/2 cup quick oats, 8-9 cashews, 1 tsp peppercorn, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 pinch carom seeds, 1/2 inch ginger (cut into juliennes), 3-4 tsp ghee, salt to taste, 41/2 cups water.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp ghee in a pressure cooker. Add the cashew and lightly fry them. remove and keep aside.

Add cumin, carom seeds, peppercorn and ginger. Wash and add the rice and moong dal. Fry for 2-3 minutes or till a fragrance comes.

Add the hot water, fried cashews (keep aside a few for the garnish) and salt. Close lid and cook for 2-3 whistles.

Allow steam to escape before opening. Put on the stove again. Add another 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water (only if required) and the quick cooking oats. Cook for 3 minutes.

Sprinkle the remaining ghee and stir in.

Garnish with a few cashews and serve hot.





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