Pesarattu - Moong dal dosa

If you’re from Andhra or have visited Andhra anytime, then you know this awesome dosa for sure! You can’t miss this in any of the hotels..... a hot an crispy dosa topped with finely copped onions served with chutney.... it has all the goodness and appetizing flavor of moong dal.
Well, Dee who was in Hyderabad for a couple of years before marriage had this in his wish list from a long time. I too have tried this pesarattu when I’d been to Hyderabad. Being an avid fan of dosas of any kind, I had fallen for this one as well...
And recently when I saw this recipe in some blog, I couldn’t resist from making it at home. As I browsed through, there were two prominent versions - one with whole moong dal and the other with split moong dal. I was confused as to which would be the best, and so tried out both the versions. And well, both of them were just slightly different and both tasted great.
Here’s the recipe....

Pesarattu

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 2 min for each dosa Serves : 4-5 Ingredients: For batter: Moong dal (split//whole) - 4 cups Dosa Rice - 1cup Curry leaves - 1 small bunch Green chilies - 2-3, depending on taste (optional) Ginger - 1" cube Coriander leaves - a small bunch Salt - 1 tsp or as per taste Water Other ingredients: Cumin seeds - 2-3 tsp Onion - 2-3 medium sized Green chilies - 2-3, depending on taste (optional) Cooking oil - for smearing on dosa Method: Batter: • Wash and soak rice and dal in enough water for 3-4 hours or overnight (I generally soak it overnight) • Next morning, grind the soaked rice and dal with some water and other ingredients mentioned in the ‘For batter’ section in a wet grinder / mixer • Add water if necessary and grind the batter to a medium fine paste • Transfer the batter to a vessel • Add cumin seeds and mix well Dosa: • Chop onions and green chilies finely • Heat a non stick griddle/tawa • Now take a ladle of the batter and spread it on the tawa like normal dosa. Pour the batter in the middle of the tawa and quickly smear it with the back of the ladle to spread it as thin as possible • Immediately spread a couple of spoons of the chopped onion and chili roughly evenly on the spread dosa • Smear a teaspoon of oil and cover it with a plate/lid • After half a minute, open the lid • Allow it to crisp if you like it that way • Take it out of the tawa, roll it so that the onion pieces do not fall off and serve straight to the plate • Enjoy the bisi-bisi pesarattu dosa with coconut-ginger chutney Tips n Tricks: • Ensure that the mixture is thin enough for easy spreading on the tawa • Do not compromise on the onion topping. It is that which makes this dosa even special

Beetroot Chutney

Often it so happens that one beetroot will remain unused in the fridge. All its companions would have been used for a palya or so, but somehow this one would be orphaned! And in a house with 5+ people, making palya or so with one beetroot is pointless! So usually this one little thing stays abandoned for days.....
This is one item that can be prepared without much effort and still serves 4-5 with just one beetroot. It tastes great with rice as well as a side dish. And it is way healthier than the full coconut chutney.....

Beetroot Chutney

Preparation time : 5 min Cooking time : 5 min Serves : 4-5 Ingredients: Beetroot - 1, medium sized Coconut - 1 Tbsp, grated Green chilies - 5-6, depending on taste Fried gram dal - 2 tsp Curry leaves - 2 sprigs Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp, chopped Cooking oil - 2 tsp Jaggery - a small pinch (optional) Tamarind - a small marble sized ball Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste For Tempering: Cooking oil - 1 tsp Curry leaves - A few sprigs Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Asafetida - a pinch, powdered Method: • Peel and chop beetroot • Roast green chilies, curry leaves and asafetida in a tsp of oil • Add chopped beetroot and cook slightly (for 4-5 min) • Let the beetroot cool slightly • Grind the above with all other ingredients, adding a little water if needed • Transfer the ground chutney to a serving bowl For tempering / tadka: • Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard and allow to splutter • Add asafetida and curry leaves • Garnish the chutney with tadka Tips n Tricks: • Do not make the chutney too smooth – a little coarse consistency will give a better taste

Instant KodubaLe - Crispy, spicy deep fried rings

‘KodubaLe’ is a traditional Karnataka snack that requires a lot of preparation for the flour, and an elaborate process. It requires precise quantities of ingredients, lest you mess it up!
However, this version presented here is an instant one, and is quite different from the traditional one. It has a sour tinge in taste, due to use of curd. I t can be prepared easily, without much process and preparation..... And it gets over fast too!

Instant KodubaLe

Preparation time : 15 min Cooking time : 20 min Makes : 25-30 Ingredients: Rice flour - 2 cups Split moong dal - ¾th cup Sour curd - 2 cups Water - 2 cups Coriander - 1 Tbsp. finely chopped Green chilies - 5-6, finely chopped Salt - ½ tsp, or as per taste Cooking Oil - to deep fry Method: • In a heavy bottomed pan, boil water • Add salt and curd and let boil • Add chopped coriander, green chilies and split moong dal and let the moong dal cook slightly • Now add rice flour and continuously stir, avoiding lumps • Cook for a couple of minutes more. The resulting dough should be similar to that of papad dough - soft, but non sticky • Take a small portion of the dough and knead slightly. Take small lemon sized balls and roll a stick out of it. Use oil to smear your hands with, if it feels sticky • Now close in the rolled stick into a circle, to form a small bangle sized ring • Repeat the same with rest of the dough • Meanwhile heat oil in a skillet and deep fry 8-10 at a time in medium heat • Turn it over a couple of times, ensuring the rings are evenly done into golden brown color • Remove from oil, drain on a kitchen towel and serve hot/warm • If you want to store it for later, keep it open and allow to cool completely, before you put it into an airtight container Tips n Tricks: • To avoid your palms getting burnt while kneading the hot dough, fill it in thick polythene and cover it in a towel / thick cloth and knead it over it. This way a smooth and soft dough will be ready in a jiffy Variations: • Chopped onion, ginger can be added to the dough; but this variant cannot be stored and should be consumed on the same day or the next