White chutney for dosa

This chutney used to be prepared by my mum quite regularly, however I never bothered writing it down. Once I moved to Cebu, and started making dosas, I wanted to make this chutney. Based on my memory of the taste, I re-created it. And what can I say I nailed it. :-)

So last week I posted the recipe of dosas, and after that I posted the recipe of the potato bhaji that goes so well with it and today I am posting the recipe for a chutney that accompanies the dosa and bhaji and completes it.

Click Pole/Dosa for the recipe.

Click Masala dosa bhaji for the recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Coconut - 1/2 cup
2. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
3. Green chilies - 2 nos
4. Tamarind - 2 to 3 small bits or 1/2 tbsp paste
5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Onion - 1/2 of a small one
7. Salt

Tempering:

1. Oil
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Curry leaves - a few

Method:

1. Grind all the ingredients mentioned with very little water to a coarse paste.
2. In a pan, heat oil and temper mustard seeds, when they stop crackling add the curry leaves.
3. Then add the ground paste and mix well. Let it cook on the flame for two minutes. 
4. Serve with hot dosas.

Dosa bhaji (Potato bhaji)

Last week I had posted the recipe for dosas and this week I am posting two recipes that go well with it. Today's recipe is credited to my mum-in-law. She used to make this lovely potato bhaji with dosas every Friday, since Fridays are no meat days in their home. It is extremely simple to make this recipe and tastes heavenly with the dosas and some chutney.

Ingredients:

1. Boiled potatoes - 4 medium sized
2. Onions - 2 large sized, sliced thinly
3. Ginger - half inch piece, grated
4. Green chilly - 3 -4 nos, finely chopped
5. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
6. Salt

Tempering:

1. Urad daal - 1/4 tsp
2. Chana daal - 1/4 tsp
3. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
5. Curry leaves - a few 
6. Oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add all the ingredients mentioned in - Tempering, in that order.
2. Add the onions, salt and chilies. Fry till the onions turn translucent.
3. Add the grated ginger and turmeric. Mix well.
4. Roughly mash the potatoes and add them to the pan, and mixing the contents of the pan well.
5. Sprinkle water if needed so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Don't pour water, if required keep sprinkling till all the contents are well mixed.
6. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves. This is optional.

Recipe for dosas is here. You may also find it under the label of bread and breakfast.

Pole (poh-lay) or dosas

We love variety in our plates, and Alex and I gulp down dosas, as though they are going out of fashion. That may be because I never made them, and the only opportunity we got to eat this awesome treat was either when Alex's mum or my mum prepared it. Both my mums encouraged me many times to try this as it was sooooooo simple. And yet I never gave in. Even after I moved to Manila and now Cebu, I never gave this preparation a second thought. Then one day, I had a Tamil- Telugu family move into my neighborhood. I was over-joyed at the thought of having Indian neighbors. And one evening as David and I were sitting at Sudha's (my neighbor) house, she asked him if he was hungry. And David said he was, so she quickly went to the kitchen and got him a dosa within five to six minutes. David ate that and then asked for more. You can imagine my awe, that was inspired by this simple and humble dosa. The fact that it took so little time to make something so lovely was the big draw for me.

That is when I started making dosas with a enthusiasm that is bordering psychotic. This episode happened in mid-December 2014. Since then, I have dosa batter in my fridge on any given day. For many days, David ate nothing but dosas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and just like that he has decided to give dosas a break.

However, Alex and I have gotten used to eating dosas for breakfast. They are quick to make and an healthy option and go so well with chutney and sambhar or potato bhaji.

This is the simplest thing to cook besides rice and yet it took me so long to start making them. But better late than never I guess.

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 3 measures
2. Urad daal - 1 measure
3. Methi seeds (fenugreek) - few seeds.
4. Salt - to taste
5. Oil - for pan frying

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice and fenugreek seeds together in a bowl with enough water to cover the rice.
2. In another bowl, wash and soak urad daal. Soak for 2 - 3 hours.
3. Grind the rice and daal separately in a mixer to a smooth fine paste using little water. The consistency should be thick and creamy.  
4. Empty the batter into a vessel, where the batter occupies half of the vessel, leaving room for it to rise. It will increase in quantity by at least half so use a large enough vessel. 
5. Do not add salt at this stage.
6. Leave it over-night or at least eight to nine hours to ferment.
7. When the wait time is over. Mix the batter well and adjust consistency by adding water if required. Add salt.
8. Heat a flat pan, pour a little oil and then laddle the batter onto the pan, just like a pancake. Cook on simmer till the edges start to loosen and leave the pan. You may add oil on the top of the dosa and turn it over so it cooks on the other side too. This should take about thirty seconds.
9. You can make as many dosas as you want and then store the remaining batter in the fridge. It stays upto a week.
10. Once done, serve it hot with your choice of chutney and sambhar.

Click the following links for recipes that go well with Pole pronounced poh-lay, in konkani or Dosa

• Tomato coconut chutney
• White chutney for dosa
• Dosa bhaji (Potato bhaji)

Chicken Stew - straight from Kerala

Cooking, according to me should be a simple affair. I am not a fan of food that needs hours of labor. Of course I go the extra mile on special days and that could be once a year. But mostly I prefer cooking that is hassle free, before and after meal. Today's chicken stew is just that a simple chicken dish that will melt in your mouth with every bite. Very delicate flavors with a blend of whole spices, garlic, ginger and onion.

The recipe I share with you today was something my elder sister - Anita, cooked on special occasions. Well if you count me visiting her special. She cooked the same recipe with mutton as I personally prefer mutton and so does everyone in my family. However, my husband is not fond of mutton and hence whenever I make this stew it is always made with chicken. Let me assure you if you prefer mutton, then please try this recipe with mutton, it will be just as delicious if not more. This is a family winner!

                                                                              

Ingredients:

1. Chicken /Mutton - 1 kg
2. Potatoes - 3 medium sized
3. Oil - 3 tbsp
4. Onion - 2 large
5. Garlic - 2 tbsp
6. Ginger - 1 inch piece
7. Green chilly - 3 nos.
8. Curry leaves - two sprigs
9. Coconut milk - 200 ml
10. Vinegar - 2 tbsp
11. Salt and Water - as required

Spice Mix:

1. Peppercorns - 1/2 tbsp
2. Cardamom - 5 nos
3. Cloves -6 nos
4. Cinnamon - 2 inch stick
5. Turmeric

Method:

1. Wash and cut the meat into curry pieces. Keep aside.
2. Peel and cut the potatoes into wedges. Soak in water till they are ready to be used.
3. Chop onions, slice garlic and grate/slice ginger. Chop the green chillies.
4. In a pan heat oil, add the spice mix except turmeric. After about a minute add the onions, garlic and ginger. Fry till the onions are soft and light brown. Add the chillies.
5. Add the chicken and let the meat fry till it is browned. 
6. Add the potatoes, vinegar, salt and turmeric. Mix well Add half a cup or 100 ml of hot water. 
7. Cook on slow flame with a lid for about 15 minutes or till the meat is done.
8. Lastly add the coconut milk, once the gravy starts boiling check for salt and consistency. Adjust if required and turn off the flame.

Chicken stew goes well with appams, and dosas. For those of us who don't have appams or dosas, well we'll make do with pulao.