Jowar/Sorghum Dosa:

My experiment turned out to a super hit, crispy dosa. As usual, I followed my regular dosa batter recipe by replacing dosa rice with Jowar grains.

Jowar or Sorghum is a gluten-free grain loaded with nutrients and fibre, great in taste. When it is high fibre, it becomes useful for anyone who follows a healthy diet. Being a complex carbohydrate, Jowar gets digested slowly, reduces appetite making it an ideal whole grain option for weight management.

If you are looking for ways to reduce the rice intake, this recipe for you – Enjoy in any form of dosa, like crisp or fluffy. Cone or masala filled, with chutney or sambar.

Ingredient:

Jowar grains -1 cup

Idly rice -1 cup

Urad dal – ½ cup

Bengal gram/Chana dal – 1 TBL sp

Fenugreek /methi seeds – 1 tsp.

Beaten rice – ¼ cup

  Method:

-Wash all these ingredients a couple of times. Soak this insufficient water for 3 to 4 hours.

-Drain water from the rice and keep it aside. This water should be used while grinding according to the requirement.

-Grind soaked rice –dal mixture by adding salt into a very fine /smooth batter using a wet grinder or mixer grinder.

-Now, Mix the batter, adjust the consistency, keep this ground batter for fermentation in a big vessel to allow room for puffed/fermented batter.

– It will take anywhere between 8 to 16 hours (according to the outside weather)

-Next morning, mix the batter, check the consistency, adjust and prepare dosas and enjoy.

Note: In Bangalore, I usually soak my lentils around morning, grinding happens around afternoon 2 to 3 pm, and until the following day, I keep the batter for fermentation.

 

Brown rice – Horse gram Laddu :

This Laddu happened by chance. I have heard “Keddasa” unique festival from our region. But, I never knew the details, how to celebrate and its significance until recently. My interest in digging and reading about it started after seeing my Instagram friend, Akshatha’s post regarding Keddasa – a unique practice of our Tulu Nadu.

Farmers of our region observe Keddasa or Keddaso to honour mother earth and obtain her blessings in the next harvest. They believed that the earth goddess would grant crops in abundance by following the tradition.

Keddasa is observed typically in February, the end of the winter and believed that the earth goddess becomes fertile for farming. Rituals spread in 3 days; those three days are considered a rest for any farming activity to provide rest to mother earth. In this duration, a different offering is also a part of the custom.

A unique dish, known as Kudu -Ari, is made other than the offering. The literal transition of kudu is horse gram, and Ari is Rice. Roasted, powdered horse gram – rice is seasoned with other roasted items; it varies from family to family, such as roasted coconut, peanuts, sesame, Jaggery. Sometimes, the whole moong as well. The perfect way to look after our bone health during the winter months n the name of tradition. How beautiful. To make this Brown rice – Horse gram laddu, I took the inspiration from another traditional unde, known as Thambittu unde, which I shared in my blog, and the recipe is HERE. It is indeed a perfect energy ball or mid-day snack in the winter months, and I loved it.

How I did – Took one small tumbler as a measurement cup.

Here Ready laddu mixture was around 277 grams, and I took 250 grams of Jaggery, and it turned out perfect for our preferred sweet level. You can take equal or a little less.

Ingredients:

Red boiled rice/ matta rice – 1 cup

Peanuts – ½ cup

Horse gram – ¼ cup

Coconut – 1 cup

Sesame seeds – 2 tablespoons

Cardamom powder – 1tsp

Powdered Jaggery – Equal quantity as laddu mixture or little less.

Ghee – 2 to 4 tablespoons

Method:

-Wash rice once or twice, drain the water, let it air dry until it is dry.

-Wash horse gram and let it air dry until it is dry.

-Heat one thick bottomed wok/vessel, add dried rice little by little and roast; it will pop a little and texture will become brittle and a little puffy. Do this procedure in 3 to 4 batches and cool it.

-Dry roast Horse gram as well. When it cools down, make powder in a mixer jar; Sieve this powder and keep it aside.

 

-Now dry roast, sesame seeds, peanuts,  grated coconut until it emits fragrance. Keep aside.

-I did crush the peanuts by using whip mode by using a mixer jar.

-Mix everything, measure the content. If it is 2 cups, take 2 cups of grated Jaggery or a little less than that. If you have a measuring scale, you can measure as well.

-Boil Jaggery put in one cup of water when it melts; sieve this solution to remove any impurities. (Pictorial guide is here)

-Take this liquid and boil further till it reaches one thread consistency. At this stage, you will hear “Tup” “Tup” bubbling sound, too (this is the clue which I have received from the elders)

-When it reaches one thread consistency, mix in the prepared content, ghee, and cardamom powder.

-Mix nicely. At this stage, the mixture will be too wet to handle. So, keep aside for 10 o 15 minutes till the mixture becomes a little dry and ready to handle. When you feel it is ready, take a small amount in hand, make Laddu, and keep it aside.

-When all the mixture gets over, and you have finished the process, store these laddus in an airtight container. This Laddu stays good for long, even at room temperature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plantain flower Proso millet dosa :

I have discussed plantain flower, traditionally, how to chop, how to use etc., in my earlier blog post, which included my mom’s best chutney recipe. We all know the banana flower is rich in fibre, antioxidants, iron, potassium, calcium, vitamins, and other minerals. It is used mainly to treat constipation and anaemia in villages of our native in and around Mangalore and is part of our day to day cooking.

 I Tried the recipe long ago, liked and finalised it with the recipe for my millet calendar project, which was published in 2019 and filing the recipe under Diabetic friendly recipe in my blog.

Ingredients:

Proso millet – 1 cup

Dosa Rice – 1 cup

Urad dal -1/4 cup

Chana dal – ¼ cup

Methi – 1 tsp

Poha – ½ cup

Jaggery – 1 tsp

Salt

Tamarind – 1tsp

Red chillies – 4

Coconut – ½ cup

Plantain flower – 1

Method:

-Wash, soak millet, rice, chana and urad dal, methi and poha for 3 hrs.

-Take one bowl of water with added one serving spoon of buttermilk.

-Chop whole plantain flower, soak in buttermilk water, drain. You can check the process here as well.

– cook the drained banana flower by adding tamarind water, salt, red chillies, jaggery.

-Cool the cooked mixture, grind with soaked items by adding coconut into a smooth paste.

-Ferment and make dosas like any regular dosas and serve with chutney.

NOTE: It can be made as a vegan, instead of buttermilk, use tamarind water and instead of ghee, you can use any vegetable oil. 

 

Millet –banana stem dosa:

Every part of the banana plant has its benefits to our health. Banana stem is one such thing, which is high in fibre and filled with nutritious water. It is perfect for Human gut as well as the kidney.

The juice of the banana stem helps in flushing out toxins as well as to prevent kidney stone formation as well. Overall it acts as a healing food for the human body. In coastal Karnataka, we do use plantain stem or flower in various recipes. I have already shared our traditional Dosa recipe, and it is here, and previously I have shared Raw salad, curd salad and Rasam recipe.

When Plantain stem and millet combine, it is a perfect balance and can be a diet food or whoever is cutting down their rice intake due to their health issues. This dosa turns crispy and goes very well with any side dish of your choice. Tried and did this for my millet calendar project, published in 2017 and filing the recipe under Diabetic friendly recipe in my blog.

Ingredients:

Foxtail Millet – 2 cups

Rice – ¾ cup

Urad dal – ¼ cup

Banana stem – from 6” piece

Methi – ¼ tsp

Poha – ½ cup

Buttermilk – 1 cup

Method:

-Wash millet, rice and urad dal together. Add poha.

-Soak in buttermilk for 2 to 3 hours.

– To chop banana stem, remove the outer cover and make slices of inner pith.

-While slicing, you will find little thread-like fibre, discard that by drawing by hand.

-After slicing into round pieces of dice and use this for grinding.

-Grind soaked items with banana stem and salt.

– Ferment overnight and next day morning you can prepare Dosas.

Note: You can use any millet instead of foxtail. Taste doesn’t change.

Khara Neer Dosey / Savoury Neer dosa :

Neer dosey is an integral part of coastal breakfast. I usually prepare Neer dosey or my own version of Healthy neer dosey. Leftover neer dosey would turn into another dish, with sweet seasoning for an evening with a cup of tea. Khara neer dosey is one more variety of dosa from our region. 

Khara neer dosey is also known as Khara Thellavu /savoury neer dosey which is nothing but a spicy version of normal white neer dosey. It is quick, no fermentation is required. Soak the rice, grind, maintain the right consistency, use a well-seasoned cast-iron tawa to get the super-soft, authentic taste.

Ingredients needed:

Dosa rice -2 cups

Red chillies – 4 to 5

Onion – 1 big  Or Coconut – 1 bowl

Coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon (optional)

Cumin – 1 tsp (optional)

Hing – generous pinch

Salt

Iron griddle /tawa.

Method:

-Wash and soak Dosa rice at night or 2 to 3-hour soaking is needed.

-In the morning grind this soaked rice into fine paste by adding chillies, chopped onion OR Coconut, coriander, cumin, salt with water (I use soaking water while grinding, it gives pleasant aroma for the Dosa) and salt as per requirement.

– Make batter into pourable consistency like this and check for the salt.

-Now keep Iron griddle for heat, smear oil and keep it ready. 

-Pour one serving spoon of batter-like how we make Rawa Dosa, you can see it in the picture below.

-Now close the lid by keeping the gas on full flame.

-After two minutes, remove the lid and keep the gas in simmer, the edges of the Dosa rise a little, like this.

-Now flip this Dosa on the plate, leave for 2 minutes, then fold like this.

-Now keep repeating this with the remaining batter and stack one over the other or take one big plate and stalk one opposite another alternately.

-Serve this Dosa with Coconut and grated jaggery mixture or coconut chutney or as you wish.

 

Menthe Idli /Fenugreek sweet idli:

We Indians do not need any introduction for methi. Methi seeds are an integral part of our day to day cooking and has an important role in our cooking, even though it is used in a minuscule portion.

Fenugreek or Methi is a power packed, nutritionally rich and produces heat in our body. Hence, the usage of methi is recommended in winter months to keep our body warm and disease free. Traditionally methi has been used as a seed as well as greens. It plays a main part in post-partum/ after delivery diet of Indian ladies. It is believed that it helps in breast milk production.

Today, I am going to share our age old, traditional recipe, which I used to relish during my childhood.

It is a semi sweet idli and tastes really good with methi flavour and is usually served with coconut – ginger chutney, to give it a bit of a kick.

Ingredients:

Dosa rice – 2 cups

Methi – 1 fistful ( approx. 2 tablespoons)

Jaggery –  2 / 2 block  ( according to the taste)

Poha – ½ cup

turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:

-Soak methi and rice separately for 4 hrs , after washing it properly.

-Grind methi into a fine paste, by adding sufficient water.

-Add soaked rice into it, add salt, jaggery and grind, until rice turns into small grainy texture. Like a small rava consistency.

-After grinding, remove the batter, it should be a little watery. Now add turmeric, poha into the batter, mix properly, leave overnight or until it ferments. It takes a little longer in cold regions.

-Next day, mix nicely, make idlies in an idli mould, like a regular idli.

-Serve with coconut – ginger chutney.

Chutney in brief: Fresh coconut, roasted red chillies, fresh ginger, little tamarind, and salt.

 

Rajamudi rice Pundi:

Pundi/Unde/mudde is nothing but steamed rice dumpling from south canara/Mangalore region. It is our traditional Breakfast recipe. After steaming, we have two to three options to have this super healthy dish. One is with liquid jaggery combined with ghee, or pundi can be drizzled with coconut oil and dipped in an onion flavoured coconut chutney. Last but not the least, by soaking in a masala gravy, known as Unde bendi.

Traditionally we use Red boiled rice to prepare. Here I have used fragrant Rajamudi variety of red rice, that was earlier grown exclusively for the “Maharajas of Mysore” . It is high in fibre, antioxidants, and Iron. It is unpolished and grains are beautiful with the mix and match of pinkish red lines, which has  a nice aroma and it surely enhances the flavour of the Pundi.

I did this particular trial for Rice Calendar 2019. Unique effort by Save Our Rice Campaign and Sahaja Samrudha to Popularize traditional Rice and Recipes.

Save Our rice campaign is proud to proclaim that it has successfully mainstreamed around 100 different varieties of traditional rice across the country. Each rice variety is unique and differs in its taste, colour, texture, and cooking quality and contains some special properties like being medicinal, scented, sticky and so on.

It is one of the four recipes ,which I have shared with and got to be a part of this project in a very small way.

Ingredients:

Rajamudi rice – 2 cups

Salt

Coconut oil – 1 tablespoon

Coconut – ½ cup (grated)

Method:

-Wash, soak rice for 3 to 4 hours

-Grind rice into little grainy texture by adding salt.

-Put ground batter, oil, coconut in thick kadai, cook this into ball like mass.

-Cool a bit, take little cooked dough at a time, and make roundels.

– Place this in an idli steamer and cook for 20-30  minutes and enjoy with chutney or liquid jaggery mixed with little ghee.

Unde/Pundi Bendi/ dumpling in masala gravy:

Here, we ned to break pundi into big chunks and keep it ready.

For Masala: Take one bowl of grated coconut, roasted red chillies – 2 to 4 , 1 tsp of coriander, ¼ tsp of cumin, 2 cloves of garlic, little tamarind, and grind into smooth paste.

In a wok, heat 2 tsp of coconut oil, splutter mustard,1  broken red chilli and add curry leaves. Add half finely chopped onion and fry until it turns brown.

 

Now, add ground masala paste into the seasoning and adjust the consistency, add salt, pinch of jaggery and boil.

When it starts to boil, add broken chunks, and further boil for 5 more minutes or until it reaches the thick consistency.

Serve hot and enjoy.

 

 

 

Mangalore style Traditional Chakkuli/Chakli:

Today, I am going to post my mom’s chakli recipe – which used to be made on the same day of the festival/ pooja to offer as an offering to the god. This recipe does not need much planning. In our tradition, offerings to the deity should be done on the same day. It cannot be made beforehand nor readymade from the shop.

Here, you can take any tumbler as a measuring device.

Dosa rice – 1 cup

Urad dal – ½ cup

Poha or Sabudana – 1 tablespoon

Salt

Butter – small lemon size

Sesame seeds – 1 to 2 tsp

Method:

-Wash, soak dosa rice for an at least 2 hours.

-Dry roast urad dal until light brown and poha or Sabudana until crisp. Cool and make a fine powder.

-Sieve and collect those rough powder, repeat the grinding process to get fine powder. Keep it aside.

-Now, take soaked rice, grind into smooth paste with very minimal water and required salt.

-Now mix rice batter, sieved powder, butter, sesame seeds and make a smooth dough by adding required water, if needed.

-Heat coconut oil or any vegetable oil, prepare chakli’s by using chakli press. Drain excess oil, cool and store in a sir tight container.

Nugge soppu/Moringa leaves Pathrode:

Pathrode is a much-loved Mangalorean delicacy made with colocasia leaves and spice batter. We also make two versions of Pathrode, one is masala batter smeared, rolled, and steamed. Other one is by chopping the greens, mixed with masala laced batter, wrapped in wilted banana leaves , and steam cooked. This version can be prepared by using many other greens as well as banana blossom or flower as well.

After steaming these flat steamed dumplings/ pathrode’s, they can be enjoyed in many ways. We usually steam cook this, the previous evening and relish hot Pathrode paired with fresh coconut oil when it is hot. Next day, we normally, break those dumplings by using hand, prepare 2 types of seasoning. One is Sweet- with coconut and jaggery. Other one is – without jaggery, by adding onion. This version is my childhood favourite and even now, I cherish it to the core.

In the evening, if Pathrode is left, we even make Pathrode bendi. It is nothing but big chunks of Pathrode, dropped in masala gravy , simmered, and cooked. It is the most loved version in my husband’s family.

I would share all the possible relishing methods in this post. First, we should look into the main preparation,

Ingredients:

Moringa leaves – 1 big bowl

Rice – 2 cups (1 cup red boiled rice or Kerala matta rice +1 cup dosa rice) OR only dosa rice

Coconut – from half coconut

Red chillies – 10 -12 ( Byadagi variety)

Coriander – 2 tablespoons

Cumin – 1 tsp

Tamarind – 1 big lemon size

Hing – 1 peanut size (optional)

Salt

Jaggery – 2 teaspoons

Coconut oil – 2 teaspoons

Method:

-Soak rice for 3 to 4 hours after washing it. 

-separate moringa leaves from the twig, wash, drain, chop and keep aside.

-In the meantime, wilt banana leaves over a gas flame, wipe in a wet cloth and keep them ready.

-Make masala by adding coconut, coriander, cumin, hing, salt, jaggery, and red chillies. Add soaked, drained rice, and grind into a batter. A batter needs to be thick in consistency. Add very minimal water, and grind.

-Mix chopped moringa leaves with the batter, add coconut oil, and adjust the consistency, it should be semi-solid but pourable. 

-Pour the mixture, fold it, and steam cook in an idli steamer for one hr on a low flame. You can leave these overnight in an idli steamer itself.

-At night, you can remove a couple of pathrode, and relish hot Pathrode paired with fresh coconut oil when it is hot. This is an experience in itself 😀 

Next day morning, 

For Sweet Oggarane/ seasoning:

Take 2 pathrode’s, break them into pieces and keep them aside.

To make coconut jaggery mixture,  take a fistful of grated coconut, 2 to 3 tablespoons of grated jaggery and mix by hand.

For seasoning, take  2 tsp of coconut oil, splutter mustard, urad dal, one broken red chilli, fry until it turns red, and add a spring of curry leaves.

Mix in crushed Pathrode, coconut jaggery mixture and mix everything and allow it to heat and jaggery to melt and hold the flavour.

For Khara Oggarane/ Seasoning:

Take 2 pathrode’s, break them and keep them aside.

Chop one small onion little fresh coconut gratings.

For seasoning, take  2 tsp of coconut oil, splutter mustard, urad dal, 1 broken red chilli, fry until it turns red, and add a spring of curry leaves.

-Add chopped onion, fry until it turns transparent, mix in crushed Pathrode, coconut gratings and, mix everything and allow it to heat as well as to hold the flavour.

Now comes the,

 Pathrode Bendi/ dumpling in masala gravy:

Here, we must break Pathrode into big chunks and keep it ready.

For Masala: Take one bowl of grated coconut, roasted red chillies – 3 to 4 , 1 tsp of coriander, ¼ tsp of cumin, and two cloves of garlic and grind into a smooth paste.

Heat 2 tsp of coconut oil in a wok, splutter mustard, and one broken red chilli, and add curry leaves. Add half the finely chopped onion and fry until it turns brown.

Now, add ground masala paste into the seasoning and adjust the consistency; add salt and a pinch of jaggery and boil.

When it starts to boil, add Pathrode chunks, and boil for five more minutes or until it reaches a thick consistency.

Serve hot, and enjoy.

Sprouted Ragi Idli:

We all know, Ragi is extremely healthy plant-based grain, which is fibre rich, calcium rich and what not? It is a new age “Super food” which was earlier considered as a staple, poor man’s food, or farmer’s diet.

Ragi also known as finger millet or Nachni. Interesting part is, when we sprout the ragi, its nutritional benefits increases 10 folds.

Soaking and sprouting ragi is easy to digest, high in calcium, protein, low in glycaemic index as well as high in vitamin B12, which is a boon to vegetarians. Ragi has the natural property to balance sugar levels in our body, hence it is an extremely  good option for all the age groups, including diabetics.

 Some people do not like ragi for varied reasons, it may be due to its bland taste or something else. If that is the case, one can try to sneak in Ragi in various forms, combining with the other grains in cooking or while baking.

Here, I have tried to make sprouted Ragi idli with mixing rice. When it is combined with sambar or chutney it tastes delicious and my family likes it a lot.

Preparation goes like this-

Ingredients:

Whole Ragi -1 cup

Idli rice – 2 cups ( you can use normal rice as well)

Urad dal – 1 cup

Poha – 1 cup (loosely packed)

Salt

Method:

-Wash Ragi, soak overnight, drain and keep aside to sprout, In Bangalore weather it takes almost a day or day and a half. After sprouting it swells and becomes 1 ½ cup.

-Next day, wash , soak  Idli rice in one vessel. In another vessel, Urad dal and poha. Soak for 3 to 4 hrs.

-According to your weather, opt the timing to grind. Ragi batter ferments little quick, compared to normal idli batter. SO, keep that in mind as well.

-I normally opt for a wet grinder to make idli or dosa batter.

-While grinding, first grind urad dal into fine batter, then add sprouted ragi, it takes little longer to grind. While halfway through add soaked idli rice, salt and grind the batter into small rava consistency.

-Remove from the wet grinder, adjust the consistency of the batter, mix nicely, and keep aside to ferment.

-Next day morning, steam idlies like a Regular idli and enjoy with little hot coconut chutney or any vegetable sambar.