Menthula ( Vendaya) Dosa

Ingredients
Raw rice  – 1 cup
Boiled (idli) rice – 1 cup
Tuvar Dal – 1 to 1.5 Tbsp
Methi seeds – 1 to 1.5 Tsp
Salt to taste
Oil

Get Cooking

1. Soak the rice, tuvar dal, methi seeds for about an hour or so.
2. Grind the soaked ingredients into a smooth idli-like batter.
3. Allow fermenting.
4. Pour a ladle of fermented batter on a greased heated griddle (tawa).
5.  Cover and cook the dosa till it turns brown on the underside taking care not to burn it.
6. Serve with chutney, sambhar

Tips
The dosa poured onto the griddle must be spread thick like uttapam.
Check if dosa is cooked through by touching the top of the dosa, the batter will not stick to the finger. Take care, you can moisten your finger with water before touching the dosa.
You may turn the dosa over and cook for a minute or so too.
Friends have said they use urad dal instead of the tuvar dal mentioned. This is my grandma’s recipe 🙂

 

Vankaya Oorupindi

Ingredients
Brinjal (big one) – 1
Asafoetida powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli – 4-6
Tamarind – a small ball say the size of a quarter.
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida
Salt – to taste
Oil

Get Cooking!
1. Grill the brinjal till you are sure that it is cooked well.
2. Peel the skin off (Check if it is cooked well inside).
3.  Sauté the red chilli (ginger, peppercorns, green chillies)
4. Grind  the tamarind, red chilli and salt coarsely.
5. Add the peeled, grilled brinjal & whip it to mix evenly.
5. Temper some mustard seeds, urad dal. Add asafoetida, curry leaves. Add this to the ground mix and whip once.
5. Serve with hot rice & ghee 🙂

 

Tips
You may saute some tomatoes & add to the mixer to add some nutrition/flavour.
You may also reduce the red chillies, add some black peppercorns instead.
I also add ginger, green chillies.
Grilling the tomatoes also gives a different taste to sautéing them.

 

Somasi

Ingredients
For the filling
Fried gram dal
Raisins
Poppy seeds
Sugar
For the wrap
Chirotti rava
Salt

& Oil for frying
Tools
Somasi maker

Or serrated roller cutter / plain old pizza cutter

Get Cooking!

1. Dry grind the fried gram dal, poppy seeds, raisins to a coarse powder.
2. Mix in sugar. Use about 3/4 the quantity of sugar for the ground powder. Keep aside.
3. Mix in a little salt to the chirroti rava & make into a dough like you do for making puris. (A bit dry). Set aside for a while.
4. Roll the flour into thin flat puris.
5. Place the puri on the cutter. Place the powder filling in one half of the puri.
6. Close the cutter & cut into a closed Somasi ready to be fried. ( or if using the cutters, wet the edges, close into a semi circle. Cut using the roller). Remove the excess dough around & this can be reused in making the somasi. Make sure the edges are closed properly.
   
7. Heat oil in a Kadai/wok.
8. Fry the somasi till golden brown and place on a tissue to absorb excess oil.

Tips

The filling is according to taste & availability of ingredients. I used roasted Badam, cashew nuts too. You could use dates, other nuts, grated dry coconut.Replace sugar with jaggery.

For the wrap you may use maida( flour) or whole wheat flour too. The chirroti rava helps in making the sweet crisp.

I have eaten these which had been dipped in sugar syrup. Mum taught me to make it sans the sugar syrup ( also less messy while eating).

Cobara (Coconut) Podi

Ingredients
Cobara (dry coconut) – grated finely
Red Chillies
Black pepper corns
Chenna dal
Urad dal
Mustard Seeds
Tamarind
Salt
Asafoetida
Oil

Get Grinding! 😉

1. Keep the grated coconut aside.
2. Saute the mustard seeds, red chillies, black pepper corns in a little oil. Keep aside.
3. Roast the dals till they are golden brown in a few drops of oil.
4. Grind the mustard seeds, chillies, black pepper corns, dals and a little tamarind to a powder.
5. Mix the ground spices with the coconut, salt and some asafoetida.
6. Once the powder has cooled down, store in an air-tight container.
7. Serve with hot rice & ghee or can be taken with dosas/idlis

Majiga Thirapaatha

Been called the lazy person’s or diet Mor Kozhambu/ Majiga pulusu

Ingredients
Buttermilk/beaten yogurt
Besan (kadalai maavu/sena pindi) 1-2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds
Red chillies
Broken urad dal
Asafoetida
Curry leaves
oil for sautéing

Get Cooking!
1. Beat the besan, salt, turmeric powder into the watery buttermilk & keep aside.
2. In a pan, season the mustard seeds, chillies, urad dal, curry leaves & asafoetida.
3. Pour in the buttermilk mixture.
4. Switch off the heat when the mixture just about comes to a boil.

Tips!

You may add vathal or mor milagai in the seasoning.