South Indian Dosa

Ingredients :

•  Rice – 2 cups
•  Udad dal – 1 cup
•  Oil for shallow frying
•  Water – enough for grinding the batter
•  Salt to taste

Method :

1.  Wash and soak the rice and udad dal separately for 6-8 hours.
2.  Drain the water and keep aside.
3.  Grind the urad dal to a thick consistency, adding water.
4.  You will know when to stop when you see the batter bubbling up a little.
5.  Now grind the rice.
6.  Mix the two batters stirring clockwise and anti-clockwise.
7.  Add salt and cover. Leave it to ferment overnight.
8.  Stir well, add water if the batter is too thick. Add salt if required.
9.  Prepare the non-stick pan by heating it.
10.  Grease the pan with a little oil.
11.  Spread the dosa batter evenly on the pan.
12.  Cook the dosa till one side is crisp and brown.

Coconut Rice

Ingredients :

•  Long grain rice – 1 cup
•  Coconut milk – 1 cup
•  Broken cashew bits – 1 tbsp
•  Green chilies, slit - 3
•  Stalk curry leaves - 1
•  Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
•  Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
•  Horsebean – 1 tsp
•  Grated fresh coconut – 2 tbsp
•  Coriander, chopped – 1 tbsp
•  Oil – 2 tbsp
•  Salt to taste
•  Lemon to taste

Method :

Method for coconut milk:

1.  Soak 1 grated coconut in 2 1/2 cups water for 1 hour. Grind in a blender using same water.
2.  Strain to extract the milk. Repeat process with the residue twice. Press out till residue is crumbly.
3.  Use milk as mentioned later in recipe.
4.  Makes 3 cups milk.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients :

•  Grated coconut – 1
•  Green chili – 4
•  Ginger – ½ inch piece
•  Roasted chana – 2 tbsp
•  Curd – 1 cup
•  Salt to taste
•  Coriander leaves – ½ cup (optional)

For the tempering :

•  Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
•  Udad dal – ½ tsp
•  Curry leaves – a few
•  Red chili – 1
•  Oil – 1 tsp

Method :

1.  Grind the ingredients except the curd in the mixture to a paste.
2.  After grinding, add the curd and mix properly.
3.  For the tempering, heat the oil in a pan.
4.  Add the mustard seeds.
5.  As the seeds start spluttering, lower the flame.
6.  Add all the other ingredients and let them splutter for a few seconds.
7.  Temper the grinded chutney with this.
8.  Cool it in the refrigerator a bit.
9.  Serve with any South-Indian dish. Preparation Time Serves

Chakkar Pongal

Ingredients :

• Long grain rice – 2 cup
• Split green gram (without skin) – 1 cup
• Fresh coconut cut, small pieces or shredded coconut – ½ cup
• Ghee – ¾ cup
• Sugar – 2 ½ cup
• Cardamoms - 6
• Raisins and cashews – 4 tbsp
• Milk – 2 cup
• Water - 2 ½ cup

Method :

1.  Dry roast the split green gram on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes till it becomes light pink and a nice aroma arises.
2.  Cook the rice and split green gram in 2 cups milk with 2 ½ cups water in rice cooker or on stove in a pan.
3.  In the meantime, while it is cooking melt the 3 tablespoons of ghee and fry the raisins and cashews on medium heat till cashews turn light golden, drain them and fry coconut pieces or shredded coconut in the same ghee till golden. Set all these seasoning aside.
4. Crush the cardamom to powder.
5.  When the rice gets cooked, remove the rice and place it in a pan large enough to hold it and the sugar. Add sugar, cook on medium heat till all  the sugar is absorbed. Stir it often to avoid burning.
6.  After the sugar has been absorbed add ½ cup ghee and turn off the stove.
7.  Add the fried coconut, cashews, raisins and cardamom powder. Stir it and let it stay on the stove for 2 or 3 minutes.
8.  Afterwards remove from heat.
9.  Serve warm.

Appam

Ingredients :

Boiled rice – 200 gms
Horse bean – 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - ¼ tsp
Salt - ¼ tsp
Coconut milk or tender coconut water - 1 cup
Baking soda - ¼ tsp

Method :

1.  Soak par boiled rice, horse bean and fenugreek seeds for 3-4 hours and grind nicely.
2.  Leave this flour overnight to get sour.
3.  Add coconut milk/tender coconut water, salt and baking soda to the flour.
4.  Heat a thick pan.
5.  Pour a laddle of flour inside the pan. Shake the pan in a circular motion so that the flour spreads and expands along the edges or spread it with the help of the laddle.
6.  Cook covered for a few minutes until the appam becomes soft.