Pesto Dosai

Original source of recipe

Since it is not my original recipe and the above link already has a comprehensive description of the recipe, I do not want to repeate the ingredients and directions again.

Ever since I visited rocketbites, I was hooked on to the pesto dosai. So decided to make it on Valetine’s Day. Not that hubby and myself usually celebrate V’s day or have any particular attachment to that …… holiday(?)…festival(?)…celebration(?)…heck lets just call it a day. But considering my options(I had only dosa batter in my fridge, I had absolutely no inclination to grocery shop/slave in front of the stove, kids were cranky having skipped lunch and nap, so going out was ruled out), I decided that V’s day was good as any :) Ain’t I romantic?!

Anyways, I made slight variations. For some reason, when I read the original recipe, I imagined adding a slice of cheese. So I added cheese and doubled the quantity of spinach and mushroom. It was a super stuffed dosai and thanks to the cheese the stuffing didn’t fall out. I also added ½ tsp of fresh ground pepper and ½ tsp of red pepper flakes to the filling.

I had to mention this. Hubby had the dosai with idli milagai podi, which I took as a personal insult. For the record, the dosais were JUST RIGHT as is. And, yes, even if I didn’t come up with the recipe, I can still take offense. Standing in front for the stove for a whole 30 minutes gives me that right.

Spinach Kuzhipaniyaram

Noon, this is for you. Sorry I took so long.

Ingredients

For the batter

Credit for this recipe goes to Mrs.Revathy Shanmugam. I do make small alterations. I skip the coconut and add 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp asafoetida and 1 tsp channa daal to the seasoning.

Regular sona masoori or ponni rice – 2 cups
Idli rice – 2 cups
Whole urad daal – 1 cup
Sabudhana – ½ cup
Methi seeds – 1 tbsp
Salt – 2 tsp

For the flavoring
I picked up the idea to add spinach from Mrs.Mallika Badrinath.
Spinach – one bunch
Onion – 2,
Green chillis – 4
Curry leaves – 10 fresh leaves
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Urad Daal – 1 tsp

Directions

Wash and soak rice, urad daal, methi seeds in the same container for two hours.
Grind well using grinder. Sometimes I also use the Indian mixie. Come out pretty good.

At this point, add sabudhana that has been soaked for just 10 minutes to the rice and daal batter. Grind well.

Add salt to the batter and mix well.

Make sure that the batter is slightly thicker than the idli batter, because later you will be adding spinach and you don’t want the batter to be too watery.

Let it ferment over night.

At this point the better can either be used immediately or left in the fridge for later use.

Just before you are ready to make the kuzhi paniyaram, pressure cook spinach with out adding any water. Let the cooked spinach cool and blend it to a smooth puree.

Heat 1 tsp oil and add mustard. Onc eth mustard starts cracking, ass urad daal, channa daal, asafoetida, green chillies, grated ginger, curry leaves and onion.

Add just a pinch of salt for the onions to coo. Do not over cook the onions. You must be able to feel the cruch when you bite in to the paniyaram.

Let the seasoning cool.

Add the seasoning and the spinach to the batter. Mix well.

Heat the kuzhipaniyara chatti. I have a non stick one, so I just spray some oil.

Drop about one table spoon of the spinach batter in to each compartment in the chatti.

When half cooked, (you must be still able to see the uncooked batter on the top), turn the paniyarams over. The idea is that, when you turn the half cooked paniyaram, the batter oozes in to the compartment, forming a ball and both the sides are cooked.

Scoop the paniyarams out and serve hot.

Can be served with chutney or idli milagai podi or sambar or as is.

Shapes Upma

This is rice rava upma modified for a kidde lunch box.

Ingredients:

Idli Rava - 1 cup
Toor Daal - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1tsp
Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Dry Red Chilli - 1 no.
Curry Leaves - 5 nos
Salt - 1 tsp
Water - 3 cups
Olive Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Directions:

1. Coarsley grind toor daal, jeera, black pepper.
2. Mix with idli rava.
3. Heat oil in a kadai.
4. Tamper with mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.
5. Add water and let it come to a boil.
6. Add salt to boiling water.
7. Slowly add the idli rava. Stir continuously to make sure that there are no lumps.
8. Turn the heat down and cover the kadai with a lid.
9. Let the upma cook till all the water is absorbed.
10. Now turn off the stove, remove the kadai from heat and let the upma cool.
11. Once the upma is cool enough to handle, make it in to shapes using cookie cutters.
12. Place in a steaming vessel and steam cook for 7 min. I usually place them on idli plates and steam them in a pressure cooker(without the weight).
13. I usually serve this with pudhina(mint) chutney.

Make ahead

I always have a gallon sized ziploc full of idli rava + ground (toor daal,jeera, black pepper, red chilli) + sitting in my fridge. Idli rava is the standard ones available in grocery stores.

Story behind the food

Shapes upma excites Chula so that it slows down her usual-strong-anti-reaction to food. The first time I tried this, I made some basic shapes – circle, square, triangle and a star. I was so proud of my fun dinner, I put it on a plate and offered it to Chula with a blanket statement, "I do not want to see any circle/square/triangle/star. I want it all gone". She took one bite out of all the shapes and claimed that technically the shapes do not exist any more :) . So now a days I put a small plate in front of her and start with a story, ‘Once upon a time there was a little girl’ -> put down the appropriate shape and ask her to finish the piece -> ‘she had a little teddy bear’ -> Give her the teddy bear shape…so on and so forth.

Fun games

You can put the alphabets that form your child’s name and prompt child to spell the name and then ‘AAA-ABAAK’ the upma.

You can make upma in geometric shapes and make it a part of a theme. For example pick the week’s theme as shapes. Upma for day one, squre sandwiches for day two, circle parathas for day three etc.

Make a story out of the shapes.

How to make it a complete meal?

Chula has no problem with spice, so I usually serve it with mint chutney and a glass of salted buttermilk seasoned with mustard seeds and asafoetida.

For the tiffin box, pack along a container of flavored yogurt/hand full of grapes/hand full of dry roasted nuts.

Pudhina Chutney

This is my version of the traditional south indian style pudhina(mint) chutney. Pudhina is a part of our herb garden. We are big fans of pudhina at our house.(One of Chula's very early words, after 'amma' was 'podhana' :) ) So I try to incorporate pudhina in to lots of my dishes.
What is different?
I use coconut sparingly in all my cooking. Couple of reasons - because it is not very healthy and the dish spoils very soon if made with coconut. Instead I use roasted channa daal and few almonds to provide the creamy consistency and to compliment the taste of pudhina.

Ingredients
Pudhina - 1 bunch
Corriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
Urad Daal - 1tbsp
Dry Red Chilli - 2 nos.
Roasted Channa Daal - 2 tbsp
Almonds - 5 nos.
Tamarind Paste - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

Directions:

1. Clean and wash pudhina.
2. Heat oil in kadai.
3. Add corriander seeds and fry well.
4. Add urad daal.
5. When uraad daal is brown add dry red chillies.
6. When chillies are done, add asafoetida and washed pudhina.
7. Remove kadai from heat and add salt, tamrind, roasted channa daal and almond.
8. Let cool and grind well.