Coconut Dosa (Kayi Dose)

Ingredients:
Rice – 2 cups
Fresh coconut grating– ¾ cup
Salt – 1 tsp

Method:
Soak the rice for 4-6 hours. Grind it with some water till it is smooth. Add the coconut gratings and salt and grind to a paste. Add more water if required. No need for fermentation. The consistency is thinner than the regular dosa batter…so use a small cup to pour the batter in a circle on a heated and oil smeared pan/tava. Don’t roast this dosa…it tastes good when it is soft.

Note: if the dosa becomes too soft to lift off the tava, don’t fret! Just make a paste of rice flour with water and add it to the batter till you hit the right consistency.

These dosas are yummy with coconut taste and a spicy coconut chutney on the side.

Cucumber Dosa (Southekayi Dose)

Rice – 2 cups
Cucumber (peeled and chopped) – 1 small
Salt – 1 tsp

Soak the rice for 4-6 hours. Grind it with some water till it is smooth. Add the chopped cucumbers and salt and grind to a paste. Add water if required. No need for fermentation.
The consistency is thinne than the regular dosa batter…so use a small cup to pour the batter in a circle on a heated and oil smeared pan/tava.

Note: depending on the cucmber size or the rice quality, if the dosa becomes too soft to lift off the tava, don’t fret! Just make a paste of rice flour with water and add it to the batter till you hit the right consistency.

These dosas are yummy with a hint of cucumber taste and a spicy coconut chutney on the side.

Eggplant/Brinjal Chutney

The eggplant used for this is the dark purple Indian eggplant which is oval in shape. Normally the ones we find in the Indian stores are real small, but I try to pick the biggest of the lot!

Ingredients:

Fresh grated coconut – 1 cup
Roasted green chillies – 3-5
Tamarind- a tiny bit
Salt to taste
Roasted Eggplants – 2 medium sz


Method:

The eggplants need to be put directly on the gas stove (if you have one) till the skin is charred and when poked with a finger you feel that it is soft and cooked. If you don’t have a gas stove you can put it under the broiler and keep turning it now and then till it is uniformly done. Peel the skin and slit open the eggplant/brinjal. Then chop it up into tiny bits or squeeze with your fingers.

Grind the top 4 ingredients into a smooth paste with some water. Add the eggplant and pulse together everything. Don’t make it a smooth paste…it is good to have a little texture. Season with a little oil, crushed garlic/ a pinch of hing, mustard, red chillies and curry leaves. Serve as a side with Dosa/Rice/Kadabus.

Radish Chutney

Ingredients:

Fresh grated coconut – 1 cup
Roasted green chillies – 3-5
Tamarind- a tiny bit
Salt to taste
Radish (cut into small pieces) – 1 medium


Method:

Grind the top 4 ingredients into a smooth paste with some water. Add the chopped radish and pulse together everything. Radish should not be ground to a paste…it is good to have little chunks of it. Season with a little oil, hing, mustard, red chillies and curry leaves.

BisiBeleBhath

This is one of our family favorite and healthy recipe. Also easy to make.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Toordal - 1 cup

Vegetables: Green beans, carrots, potato, peas, any squash - cut into pieces about 2 cups

For Bisibelebhath powder:

Channa dal: 2tbsp, Urad dal: 1 tbsp,Coriander seeds: 1tbsp, Poppey seeds:1 tbsp, Cumin : 1/2 tsp, Methi/Fenugreek seeds: 1/4 tsp;cinnamon, cloves:3-4, dried coconut: 3tbsp, red chillies: 5-7,

Toast everything (but the last 2) in low flame and after turning off the heat add the coconut and red chillies. Powder everything. This can be stored for a month outside or upto 3 months when refridgerated.

Wash the rice and dal together and add about 4-5 cups of water. Add all the cut vegetables, salt and turmeric powder and pressure cook. Make a mixture of some tamarind water (or tamarind paste diluted in water) with the bhath powder and add to the cooked rice and dal and keep stirring it in low flame. Add more water if required.

Seasoning:

Oil, Mustard(1tsp), urad dal (11/2 tsp), channa dal(11/2 tsp), Cashewnuts(a handful), hing(a pinch) red chillies (2-3)and curry leaves.

Heat oil and add all dals and cashewnuts and fry till golden in color. Add hing, red chillies(broken) and curry leaves. Add the seasoning to BisibeleBhath and serve hot with some ghee on top and papad.

Modaka or Kadabu recipe

For Modaka :
1. Rice : 1cup
2. Coconut: 2 tbsp
3. Salt
4. Turmeric (a pinch; optional)

Soak rice overnight. Then grind rice along with the rest of the ingredients. Spray PAM on a non-stick pan and pour the mixture. On medium heat keep stirring till it hardens enough to be moulded. Take off the heat and let cool.

Filling Ingredients:

Coconut: 1/2 cup

Jaggery or Brown sugar: as reqd

cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp

Poppey seeds: 1 tbsp

ghee: 1 tsp

In a pan add all the ingredients and keep stirring on medium heat. The mixture becomes watery as the jaggery melts and hardens a bit later. Turn off the heat.

Now smear your palm with oil and take a small ball of the modaka dough and shape it into a bowl. Add some of the filling and cover it in the shape of an onion. Place the modakas on a buttered container. cover and steam it like idlis for about 15 mins. Modaka is ready.Serve with ghee.

Gojju powder recipe

Ingredients:
1. Urad Dal : 2 tbsp
2. Methi: 1/4 tsp
3. While Sesame: 1/2 tsp
4. Cumin: 1/2 tsp
5. Red chillies: 4-6
6. Dried/fresh cocunut : 1/2 cup

Method: Dry roast all the ingredients except coconut and make a powder. If you need to store (or make it ahead of time) this powder, used dried coconut.