Appo / Appe

As you move southwards whirl travelling in India the food landscape makes a paradigm shift. The cereal of choice is Rice, hence most food preparations use rice liberally. It's the main ingredient  in the basic batter used to make Idli, Dosa, Utappa, Appams, Puttu, Surnali, Ghavan, Neer Dosa, the famous Mangalorean Rotti ( the cereal part of the popular Kori Roti) . Even sweets have a rice base, Modak, Patholi, Rice vermicelli with coconut milk. The combinations and flavours are simply amazing. Understated, light and flavourful. Breakfasts at home are predominantly of these varieties. My GSB part rules the breakfast menu. And no one is complaining.

Today I felt like a special treat. So cute little appos , fried , with a chutney on the side.

You need to start with the basic dosa batter

1 measure of skinned urad dal
3 measures of rice.
Salt to taste

Pick wash and soak the dal and rice separately. After 3 hours , grind them separately to a smooth paste. Add salt and leave  to ferment overnight or for 6-8 hrs. This is the basic dosa batter. Can  be used to make dosas Utappa and appo.

I have added chopped onion and green chillies to the batter .  Salt and paper to taste.  Now grease an appo pan.

  Pour a spoonful of batter in each mould. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-7 mins. Carefully flip the appo and cook the other side too. Serve with coconut chutney.

You can use ready made Dosa batter or even the dry powder which needs to be re constituted with water and yoghurt. I often use the MTR powders. Just put in a little less water.

Moong Dal Fry

Rarely does nutritious and exciting go together. Indian food staples are defined according to the local available ingredients. For mothers the challenge is to use fresh ingredients , novel cooking styles yet deliver maximum nutrition. It's a tall order. Mothers today need a crash course in nutrition and dietetics . The what, how, how much and when of cooking is always under scrutiny. Dals in India are consumed in every state. The preparation varies from region to region. Dals or lentils are nutritious and keep well in their dry form. In the absence of vegetables , a meal of just Dal and. Rice cooked and served either separately or together ( as khichadi) can make a complete meal. Of all the Dals consumed in India, the Moong dal is the lightest. Little wonder then that it is part of the first solid meal a baby is given. As a soup even the sickest individual can digest it. Just the water in which this dal is cooked is great. Here is a simple way to cook it and serve it, be it on just a normal rainy day , or at a getogether.

ingredients
1 cup yellow moong dal
4 cups water
1 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 large onion chopped
1 large tomato chopped
3 dry red chillies
2 tablespoons ginger julienned
1/4 cup ghee/ oil
1 tblsp butter
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
Green coriander leaves to garnish

Pich, wash and soak the dal in 4 cups water, for an hour. In a pressure cooker place the dal with the water , haldi, salt and cook for 15 mins. Cool and mash or whisk the dal. In a pan , heat the oil and fry the dry red chillies, drain and keep aside. Next fry the ginger juliennes , keep aside. Now add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add the butter and let it melt and heat. Add in onions and fry till light golden. Add the chilli powder and garam masala powder. Next add the tomatoes. Cover and cook over a low flame till the tomatoes are soft and squished. Now heat the dal and pour in a serving dish. Pour the tempering over the dal. Garnish with the dry red chillies and ginger. You can also add the coriander leaves at this stage. Before serving mix the tempering with the dal.
This can be served with steamed rice, jeera rice, parathas, pooris or roti.

Dal Tadka

Sometimes the simplest dishes make the most nutritious meal and look stunning. Dal and rice with a simple aalu gobhi can any day win over a fancy dinner at a party. Most often , I end up eating this at home , before I go to a party. Not for me the long drawn cocktails and dinner served at 12 midnight. I'm a  happy bunny with my fragrant and delicious Dal Tadka and steamed rice.

Ingredients
1 cup toor dal / split pigeon lentils
salt to taste ( approx 1 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder
2 tablespoons ghee/ clarified butter
2 tsp jeera/ cumin seeds
a pinch of hing/ asafoetida
2 tsp red chilli powder ( I prefer to use the less spicy and very colourful kashmiri chilli powder)

Pick and wash the dal atleast thrice. Soak in water for about an hour. Place in a pressure cooker with the salt and haldi and twice the amount of water. Cook for 3 whistles. Then allow the pressure cooker to cool down before opening.

If not using a pressure cooker, place the dal, salt, haldi and water in a heavy bottommed pan. Bring to a boil , then cover and cook over a low flame for about 25-30 mins. Make sure the dal does not stick to the bottom.

When the dal is cooked you can either just mash it with a ladle or whisk it.
Heat the ghee in a small pan, add the hing, then the jeera . Once the jeera starts coming to the top of the ghee, take off the flame. Add chilli powder and quickly sprinkle a little water on it carefully.
To serve , place hot dal in a serving dish. Pour the tempered ghee over it. Serve with steamed rice or jeera rice or with pooris/ rotis/ parathas.

Cashew Masala Toast

Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination and re thinking our regular staples to come up with interesting ideas for snacks. Here I have taken the classic french toast, eliminated milk and sweet and made it into a indianized savoury. This recipe uses egg , but a eggless version is just as delicious. Do try out your own innovations too.

4 slices of bread ( Can use any firm bread)
2 eggs *
1 large sized onions finely chopped
1 green chilli finely chopped ( optional)
2 tblsp green corriander leaves finely chopped
2 tsp tomato ketchup or tomato chilli sauce
8 pcs cashews, broken and roasted
2 tblsp oil
salt and pepper to taste

* If eggless use a thin batter made with 2 tablespoons besan/ chick pea flour and 1/2 cup water.

Cut the bread slice into halves. Whisk the eggs . Add the chopped onions, chillies, corriander. sauce, salt and pepper to the egg ( or besan batter) . Add the cashew pieces. Heat oil in a skillet . Dip the bread slice in the mixture and place in the oil. Carefully place a spoonful of the chopped onions mixture on the bread. Repeat with all the slices. Cover and cook on a low flame till the egg/ besan sets. Flip and cook the other side. Serve hot.
This does not need any other side dish or relish/ chutneys/ sauce.

Oatmeal and whole wheat pancakes.

Pancakes are a huge breakfast favourite. They can be dressed up or down according to your mood and time available. But they are so easy to make. A pancake drizzled with some honey or jam or maple syrup just makes breakfast look exotic and fancy.

1 cup whole wheat flour 

1/2 cup quick oats 

1 cup milk

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

2 egg whites

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

2 tblsp sugar ( I prefer using raw sugar)a pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional : 1/2 cup of berries/ chocolate chips/ dried fruit or 1/4 cup sliced nuts. 

Mix together flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon powder. Separately whisk together milk , sugar and vanilla essence, then add in the yoghurt. Whisk egg whites and slowly add to the milk mixture. Gradually blend in the milk-egg mixture into the flour-oats mixture. Stir lightly so as to just about mix it. Do not beat or whisk together or the pancakes will not be fluffy and light. Sprinkle your favourite optional ingredients and give a quick light mix.

Heat a tawa or a non stick pan . brush with butter or oil. Spoon out 2 tablespoonfuls of the batter and gently spread in a thick circle. Cook till the sides look light brown , then flip over . 

Til ke Laddoo

This recipe comes with a warning. Once done, resist picking up a laddoo and popping into your mouth. Its extremely addictive. And as they say ..... no one can eat just one. 

There is a trick to making this laddoo of just the right texture. It has to be light , crisp and the sweetness just enough. Its easier than it sounds actually. Just the right proportion will give you a til laddoo worth flaunting. This recipe has been corrected till I finally got the right proportion. No, its not the recipe handed down by my mum, but something that has evolved over the years.

Ingredients:

500 gms polished til

350 gms gud or jaggery

1/2 cup mixed sliced nuts ( Almonds, Pistachios, Cashews)

2 tblsp small golden raisins

4 green cardamoms crushed

tblsp lemon juice

Heat a heavy bottommed pan and dry roast the til on a slow flame. The colour should not change, but the til puffs up slightly once it is well roasted. Keep aside and cool. Grate the gud and melt in the heavy bottommed pan. Add 2 tblsp water to help melt it. Once it melts, it starts bubbling. Cook on a low flame till the mixture turns golden brown. Add the lemon juice. In a small bowl of cold water , put in a drop full of the mixture. Pick the drop, roll in your fingers and drop it back into the ater. It will make a sound like a piece of gravel hitting metal. The syrup is now ready. Mix the raisins, nuts and til seeds and pour into the syrup. Mix well. Grease your palms with a little ghee and roll , lemon sized balls of the mixture. Allow to cool completely before storing. The laddoos will keep well for over a months, though they may not last that long. 

Prawns Masala

Some dishes are ridiculously easy to cook and yet look downright exotic . Some of these recipes handed down from my grandmother are even today on demand and enjoyed by all generations. One such lovely and absolutely delicious dish is Prwans Masala. Its so easy to cook and can still be the one dish that gets maximum number of ooohs and aaahs at a party. Beware: You need to cook it in a larger quantity than you would another entree. Guests go for seconds and thirds too.

So here goes
Ingredients
500 gms medium to large size prawns, shelled and de veined
2 onions finely chopped
2 tomatoes cut into medium size chunks
1 capsicum ( optional) , cut into medium size chunks
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chopped green chilli
1 tblsp each chopped ginger and garlic
2 tblsp oil
1 tsp each red chilli powder , haldi, garam masala, corriander powder
Salt to taste
Finely chopped green corriander leaves

Heat oil , add mustard seeds. Once they splutter add in the chillies, ginger and fry for a minute. Add the onions and cook till transluscent. Add garlic. Then mix the red chilli powder, haldi, corriander powder and garam masala with 4 tblsp water. Add this to the onion mix and cook till oil separates.Add salt to taste.  Add the tomatoes and capsicum. Cover and cook till the tomatoes have softened. Add the prawns and 1/4th cup water. Cover and cook. Once the prawns turn opaque, take off the lid and dry out the water. Add the green corriander leaves and mix well. Serve hot with Rotis/ Bread or steamed rice.