RICE APPE

Traditional appes made with rice.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes. Cooking Time: 40 minutes.
Fermenting Time: Overnight.
Soaking Time: 2 hours.

Makes 20 to 24 appes.

1 cup raw rice (chawal)
1/4 cup urad dal(split black gram )
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
2 tbsp chopped onions
1 tsp mustard seeds (rai/ sarson)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 green chillies, chopped
8 to 10 curry leaves (kadi patta)
a pinch asafoetida (hing)
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
oil for cooking

To serve
coconut chutney

1. Wash and soak the rice and urad dal in lukewarm water for at least 2 hours.
2. Drain and grind to a smooth paste with 1/2 cup of water.
3. Cover and set aside overnight to ferment.
4. Next day, heat the oil in a small kadhai, add the crushed peanuts and chopped onion and stir for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida.
5. When the mustard and cumin seeds crackle, add this to the fermented batter.
6. Add salt and a little water if required and mix to form a thick batter.
7. Heat the appe mould on a medium flame and grease it with a little oil.
8. Pour a spoonful of the batter into each mould.
9. Cook till the outer surface becomes golden brown and then turn each appe upside down using a fork so as to cook the other side.
10. Remove and repeat with the remaining batter.
11. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

DOSA

The preparation which has put South India on every culinary hot spot of the world. Served traditionally with sambhar and chutney.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes.
Cooking Time: 20 minutes.
Fermenting Time: 4 hours.
Soaking Time: 2 hours.

Makes 8 dosas.

1 cup raw rice (chawal)
1/3 cup urad dal (split black gram)
2 tbsp cooked rice (chawal)
2 tbsp beaten rice (poha)
5 to 7 fenugreek seeds (methi)
salt to taste
oil for cooking

To serve
coconut chutney
sambhar

1. Wash the raw rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds. Soak in a little water along with the beaten rice and cooked rice for at least 2 hours.
2. Grind to a smooth paste with a little water. Cover and keep aside for at least 4 hours. Add salt and mix well.
3. Heat a non-stick tava and grease it lightly with oil. When hot, pour a ladelful of the batter, spread using a circular motion to make a thin dosa and cook on one side.
4. Pour a little oil along the edges while cooking. When crispy, fold over and serve hot.
5. Repeat with the remaining batter.
6. Serve with coconut chutney and sambhar.

VARIATION : MASALA DOSA
When the dosa is cooked, put some potato bhaji on it. Roll to form a cylindrical shape and serve hot.

SHEPU SWEET IDLIS

SHEPU SWEET IDLIS

All time favourite with a sprinkling of iron strength! Dill, besides making this recipe colourful and interesting also loads it up with iron.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes. Cooking Time: 15 minutes. Makes 15 idlis.

Ingredients
½ cup finely chopped dill (shepu) leaves
2 cups raw rice, soaked for 4 hours, drained
¼ cup freshly grated coconut
½ cup thick rice flakes (poha)
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup crushed jaggery (gur)
1 tsp fruit salt
salt to taste

1. Grind the soaked rice with the grated coconut to a thick smooth paste, adding a little water.
2. Wash the rice flakes, drain and add the buttermilk. Set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Grind the rice flakes in buttermilk to a smooth paste, add the jaggery and grind further till smooth. Add this to the rice batter.
4. Add the chopped dill leaves and salt and mix well.
5. Check the consistency and now add a little water only if required so as to get a thick batter.
6. Add the fruit salt to the batter and sprinkle a little water over it.
7. When the fruit salt starts bubbling, mix gently.
8. Spoon out the batter into greased idli moulds and steam for 8 to 10 minutes.
9. Serve hot.

RAWA IDLI

Soft and spongy rawa idlis can be made in a jiffy for a quick and satiating breakfast.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes. Cooking Time: 7 to 8 minutes. Makes 12 idlis.

For the batter
1 cup rawa(semolina)
¼ cup curds (dahi)
1 cup water
1 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
salt to taste

For the tempering
½ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
a pinch asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp urad dal (split black lentils)
1 tbsp broken cashewnuts
4 to 6 curry leaves(kadi patta)
2 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp oil
½ tsp ghee

Other ingredients
¾ tsp fruit salt
oil for greasing

For the batter
1. Combine all ingredients together, other than the fruit salt and leave aside for 10 minutes.

For the tempering
1. Combine the oil, ghee, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and asafoetida in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes.
2. Add the cashewnuts, curry leaves, green chillies and microwave for 1 more minute.

How to proceed
1. Pour 1 cup of water in the base of a microwave safe idli steamer and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Grease the idli moulds using little oil.
2. Add the tempering and the fruit salt to the batter and mix well.
3. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter into each greased cavity of the idli moulds and microwave, covered, on HIGH for 2 minutes.
4. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 8 more idlis.
5. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.

Masala Wadai

Crisp on the outside and soft inside, these authentic South Indian wadai are also known as dal wadas in the west. Served with coconut chutney, they make a delicious snack. While frying the wadai you have to start with hot oil, and then reduce the flame in order to cook the dal without over browning the outer surface.

Serves 10

1 cup Bengal gram dal (chana dal)
2 whole dry red chillies
2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
½ cup finely chopped onions
4 tbsp chopped coriander
½ cup grated fresh coconut
2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
salt to taste
oil for deep frying


1.Pick, wash and soak the dal overnight. Drain.
2.Grind the dal with the dry red chillies, green chillies and cumin seeds and a little water to get a thick coarse paste
3.Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
4.Shape into small wadais and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown. Ensure that the wadai are cooked in the centre.
5.Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with coconut chutney.

Kand Na Pakoda

Thin slices of purple yam coated with a gram flour batter and deep fried makes for unusual and subtle-flavoured pakodas. The crushed coriander and peppercorns sprinkled on the batter coated slices of kand impart a nice crunch and flavour as you bite into the pakoda.

Makes 20

250 grams purple yam (kand)
a pinch black salt (sanchal)
a pinch asafoetida (hing)
½ tsp chilli powder
juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp coriander (dhania) seeds, crushed
¼ tsp black pepper, crushed
oil for deep frying

For the batter
¾ cup besan (Bengal gram flour)
¼ cup rice flour (chawal ka atta)
¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
¼ tsp chilli powder
a pinch turmeric powder (haldi)
a pinch of soda bi-carb (optional)
1 tbsp hot oil
salt to taste

For the batter
Mix all the ingredients together with a little water to make a thick batter.

How to proceed
1.Wash and peel the purple yam. Cut into 50 mm thin slices.
2.Sprinkle the black salt, asafoetida, chilli powder and lemon juice on the yam slices and keep aside.
3.Dip each slice of yam in the batter.
4.Sprinkle a pinch of crushed coriander seeds and pepper on top of the batter-coated kand slices.
5.Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot.

Onion Pakoda

An all-time favourite, known in western India as ‘kanda bhajia’. The trick to making crisp onion pakodas is to refrain from adding any water to the mixture. The water released by the onions after applying salt is enough to bind the ingredients together.

Makes 24

2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 to 2 green chillies chopped
¼ tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
¾ cup besan (Bengal gram flour)
2 tbsp hot oil
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

1.Cut the onions into thin slices, apply salt and keep aside for 10 minutes.
2.Sprinkle besan and add all the remaining ingredients except the oil for frying, and mix well.
3.Divide this mixture into 24 equal portions. Form small, uneven clusters and drop each portion into hot oil.
4.Deep fry in till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot.