Peserette Dosai - Gorgeous Green Goodness!

How many times do you find yourself craving for a hale and hearty snack which is quick to make and fills you to a smile? I do it all the time! Often at those times, I make Peserette Dosai - a healthy, protein-packed dosai full of fresh Moong dal and Spinach. Not does this look gorgeously green - it's a festival for your tastebuds! Try it!

Peserette Dosai - The 2nd best thing to Dosai, after Rice dosai!

Ingredients (Makes about 10 Dosai):

• 250-300 Grams Split Moong Dal (with the skin).
• 2 Cups of Spinach - Coarsely chopped.
• 5 Green Chillies.
• Salt to Taste.
• For the stuffing: Chopped Tomato, Chopped Onion, Chopped Chillies & Julienned Ginger.
• Oil or Ghee (preferably Ghee) for making the dosai.

Like I said, Gorgeous, Green, Goodness - A healthy, anytime snack!

Preparation:

• Soak the Moong Dal in a litre of water for 5 hours. We know that the Moong Dal is ready when it looks slightly puffy and is easily chewable raw.
• Drain the water off the moong dal and make a batter for Dosai by blending together the Moong Dal, Spinach, Green Chillies and Salt. Adjust the consistency to a semi-thick dosa-like batter by adding the drained moong water into the batter or while blending.
• The batter can be made upto 12 hours in advance. But fresh batter yeilds nice and hearty dosais. Also keep into consideration that this batter does not need to be fermented - it can directly go to your tawa.
• Make the dosai from the batter like regular dosai and add Ghee to get the right level of done-ness. If you like your dosai crispy - cook long. 
• You know you're ready when the edges are starting to leave the tawa. You can always check the bottom of dosai for a rich golden-green colour to know that it's done.
• While the dosai can be had plain or sada - I like to stuff mine seconds before they're done with generous portions of chopped onions, tomatos, green-chillies and juliennes of ginger. Fold the stuffings into dosai and serve hot with a bowl of coconut chutney or a pickle of your choice!

Tips: As in with any dosai, you can always play with stuffing - I recently discovered that sweet corn and just about little grated cheese goes terrific with this dosai!

A Simple Watermelon Salad

It's fun to see how something as simple (and delicious!) as a Watermelon can be taken to fantastic new heights by a few ingredients. While the main highlight of this salad is indeed Watermelon - grab a bite and suddenly you're talking Gourmet! I've tried a variation of this salad at Cafe Suzette (excellent food btw.) in Mumbai and that's what got my mind ticking for this recipe :-)

Looks good, Tastes better - The Super-Simple Watermelon Salad!

Ingredients (for 1-2 servings):

• 2 Cups of Watermelon - Diced into Bite sized cubes. 
• 1 Spoon of Feta Cheese - Crumbled.
• 1-2 Spoons of Roasted Flax Seeds.
• Herbs: Mint or Coriander Leaves - I used fresh coriander leaves here.
• Seasoning: Salt / Pepper to taste.
• A drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

With Feta Cheese and Flax Seeds - this salad is testimony to magic :-)

Preparation:

• Being a relatively simple salad - I tried my best to present it well for visual appeal! I cut a disk of water melon and rounded it with triangles for a nice visual presentation!
• Top off the Watermelon cubes (or triangles like me!) with crumbled Feta cheese. 
• Season (go slow on salt because Feta is salty) with Salt and Pepper. Garnish with Herbs and Roasted Flax Seeds (they take this salad to next level!).
• Drizzle a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Serve! This salad best goes when slightly chilled.

Enjoy!

Spicy Vegetable Stew

We made Idi-appams. We make Stew!

If anything, Life's should be like a bowl of Stew - Delicious, Spicy and Full of Goodies!

Ingredients (for 4-5 people):

1 Cup Chopped Carrots
1 Cup Chopped Onions
1 Cup Chopped Cauliflower
1 Cup of Sweet Corn
1 Cup of Chopped French Beans
1 Cup of Chopped Broccoli
1 Table Spoon of Chopped Ginger
1 Table Spoon Chopped Chilly
1 Stick of Cinnamon (whole)
20-25 Whole Peppercorns (whoop!)
5-6 Curry Leaves
3-5 Cloves
1 Bay Leaf
1 Can of Full Fat Coconut Milk
2 Table Spoons of Coconut Oil (absolutely must, yet optional)

This is how we bring together a beautiful, spicy, savoury Stew.

 Preparation:

1. Take a deep bottomed Pan (or better a Wok) and heat Coconut Oil in it. Enjoy the wonderful aroma!
2. Add your spices now - pepper corns, cinammon, cloves and bay leaf and saute gently. Add green chillies and saute. Add ginger and saute. Add curry leaves and saute. Add onions and saute until they're translucent. Please follow this order and process 1-by-1 for really getting the most of your spices and making a delicious Stew.
3. Add about 2-3 cups of water - roughly as much to cover all your vegetables. Season with Salt and cover the lid. Let everything cook with a closed lid for about 10 minutes.
4. Add coconut milk once your vegetables are done and bring everything to a nice boil. That's it!
5. Serve Hot with Idi-appams (or appams) and relish the goodness with friends and family! :-)

Tip: Follow my Step #2 of Preparation to get best results. Experience speaks, literally!

Idi-Appam - Rice String Hoppers

By now it may be quite evident that I love south-Indian fare! Surprisingly, not too long ago I tried Idi-appam for the first time and it was an Eureka moment for me! These soft, mushy, warm, light, fluffy little hoppers left me speechless and wanting for more. I knew I had to give them a try. I knew I would get them right. And I did! Indeed!!!

A Feast for your Eyes and a Delight for your taste-buds! Gorgeous Idi-appams with Stew and Chutney.

Ingredients (makes about 20 delicious little hoppers!):

• 250 Grams Rice Flour
• 100-125 Ml of Water
• Salt to taste
• 1-2 Spoons of Coconut Oil for Kneading
• Grated Coconut for Garnish - optional

Step-by-Step we make it happen! A very easy, delicious recipe for Idi-appams!

Preparation:

• In a large Pot, boil water with salt.
• Take the water off the heat and add Rice Flour in 3 parts, mixing gently ensuring no lumps are formed. Take care while doing this since the water will be really hot.
• Once all the flour is incorporated - add more flour if desired to get the consistency of bread-like dough. Keep stirring all the while with a whisk or a spoon. Cover with a lid and let the hot dough steam all inside for 15 mins.
• Once cooled, wet your hands with some Coconut oil and knead the beautiful, milky-white dough for 5 minutes until its smooth and feels well-binded and slightly elastic.
• Take your Chakli Press or Idi Appam Press Mould (with appropriate thin hole sieve) and oil the insides with coconut oil. Fill it thoroughly with the dough and seal well.
• These are best steamed in an Idli tray. Take a Idli tray and oil mildly (optional). Carefully and gently begin pressing the Idi Appam press in clockwise motion ensuring consistent contents in each idli mold. This may take a bit of practice but it's very easy - I got it right the very first time!!
• Add a pinchful of grated fresh coconut as garnish and steam them in pressure cooker (without the whistle) for 12-15 minutes.
• Once done, scoop them out gently and serve piping hot with Chutney(s) and Nice and Spicy Bowl of Vegetable Coconut Stew (coming soon!!).
• Don't keep a count of how many of these gorgeous little things you gulp - the best things in life aren't worth keeping a tab of! Enjoy with family and friends!

Tip: You can make Idi-Appams of a variety of flours like Raagi, whole Wheat, etc - they all taste uniquely delicious and are light to eat and digest.

The 60 Second Dessert - Chocolate Kiwi Bites

Don't we all wish that we had a fairy wand which would do stuff in seconds? Well I don't know if that stuff exists but there's certainly something like a 60-second Dessert! All you need is 2 ingredients here and nothing more!

Curiously Delicious - Kiwi Chocolate Bites!

Ingredients (for 8 pops):

• 2 Kiwis. Preferably ripe and not soft ones.
• 1 Cup of Dark Chocolate.
• Popsicle sticks.

Cut, Slice, Dip - Easy and Fun. Oh, and Eat!

Preparation:

• Peel and slice Kiwis into 1/2 inch slices. Ideally, 1 Kiwi should give you about 4 slices.
• Gently insert a Popsicle stick in the edge through the center till the Kiwi bite feels firm to hold.
• Pop chocolate into a microwave and ensure it's melted well.
• Dip the Kiwi into chocolate or coat it with chocolate evenly and let it dry on a non-stick plate or parchment paper.
• Cool for an hour or two in a Fridge and Enjoy!

Tip: Try a combination (or a layer) of White Chocolate here, works equally well! Be creative with your fruits - Strawberries work well!

Countryside Vegetable Soup!

A photograph very close to my heart!

I'm a big fan of soups. I find them comforting and filling. This one soup is something I make often on Sundays and everyone loves it. The whole idea is to assemble a quick soup which is delicious, filling and healthy! I dont follow a lot of rules but ensure that the soup is thick and full of chunky bits. Try this one!

Ingredients:

• Assorted Vegetables for Soup - I used 1 whole Cauliflower, 2 Tomatoes, 4 Carrots, and 1/2 Cup of Sweet Corn. Feel free to adjust things according to availability!
• Assorted Vegetables for Chunks - Broccoli, Corn and Carrot - boiled and cut into bite sized cubes - 1 cup.
• 10-12 Leaves of Sweet Basil.
• 6 Cloves of Garlic.
• 2-3 Table Spoons of Milk.
• Salt and Pepper to Taste.

Preparation:

• Wash and chop your veggies thoroughly. I didn't peel veggies but if you are - then peel them AFTER washing. Although I dont recommend since it takes away a lot of taste and nutrients.
• Heat 2 table spoons of Olive Oil in a deep pan and Toss the Garlic - saute for 30 seconds and then add all the vegetables and basil.
• Once evenly coated in oil - add the Milk and 1 cup of water (or vegetable stock, if you have some).
• Season with Salt and Pepper. Cover the pan and bring it to a boil. 
• After about 15 mins - everything will be tender and well cooked.
• Remove the Vegetables and blend them into a fine soup into your Blender, while still hot. Remember to cover top of blender with a towel and dont use naked hands or the steam may hurt you.
• Strain the fine pureed soup in a mesh (not too thin) and put it back into the Pan.
• Add some water to adjust to your consistency and bring it to a nice boil. Add the boiled, chunky veggies (Broccoli, corn & carrot) and serve warm with a leaf of basil on top as a wonderful garnish.

Tip: Always serve a nice slice of toasted bread (and rub some garlic on it!) with your soup. A drizzle of olive oil adds love to any soup! :-)