Leafy Paratha roti/oil roti and Kanji with Cherupayar!

Leafy Paratha roti/Oil roti is my contribution to "Tried and Tasted", a new event which is launched by Zlamushka from "Zlamushka's spicy kitchen" blog. This month we are scouting Cynthia of Tastes Like Home blog looking for her recipes. Thanks for hosting Z, it was fun cooking these rotis from her blog. Thanks to you too Cynthia, great recipe! :)


Tried and Tasted is an event which is just launched by Zlamushka. It's similar to our own Coffee's "Monthly Blog Patrolling", except Z chooses a blog each month for us to scout and cook dishes from. I chose Caribbean style Leafy Paratha roti from beautiful and multi-talented Cynthia, who is also a journalist and writes articles related to food and others as well. Thank you for posting this wonderful recipe Cynthia, we enjoyed it with spicy dry peas masala!:)
Please check out her colorful and always very informative blog about Caribbean traditions and food along with the recipe for leafy paratha roti as well, by clicking on the link below.
I always wanted to try Paratha roti or "Buss up shut" (Busted up shirt, by the way these rotis look after cooking!), so this event was a great opportunity for me to try these. Similar Malaysian Roti Canai I made before is here and Kari Ayam, a chicken curry which goes well with these rotis is here.

Leafy Paratha rotis, from Cynthia's blog:


Another look:

Enjoy!:)

*************************************************************************************************************************

I have chosen Kanji with Cherupayar from shn of "Mishmash" blog, as my entries to Raaga of "The Singing Chef", who is hosting MBP this month. This event is the brain child of Coffee of "The Spice Cafe" blog. Raaga's "Monthly blog patrolling" include a theme of "Salads and Soups" this month. Thanks for hosting Raaga and my thanks to you shn for these yummy treats! :)

I patrolled shn's blog for a unique but very traditional Kerala combo of soup and salad/stir-fry from Kerala of Kanji and Cherupayar for my entires and thoroughly enjoyed eating them both for lunch. That was one comforting food!
Can these be called soup and salad? Absolutely!! Sambhar is Lentil soup for non-Indians, Risotto is another dish comparable to this rice gruel, with no veggies added and lot thinner of course but topped with spicy Moong, Rasam has the similar texture and concept of a French onion soup, aren't they? Salad can be made with Lentils as well like here!

Kanji with Cherupayar Mezhukkupuratti(Rice soup with seasoned Moong salad):

Kanji is nothing but a delicious soup, made with Rose matta or any rice of your choice, cooked in lots of water (or stock, skip the salt if you use stock) salt until it looks like a thin gruel like soup. Cherupayar is a spicy, (seasoned with onion, chillies etc) soft cooked and drained Moong (Green gram) stir fry which is my absolute favorite to have on the side with plain yogurt and rice or any yogurt Kadhi style gravies. Here is my red chori stir-fry, another variations of beans to use in the same salad.
Although Kanji or Ganji as we call it in Kannada is routinely eaten in some parts of South Canara region of Karnataka, I had never tasted the Kanji before at all, so it was my first try! I loved the simplicity and the taste, great with spicy pickle. I added a pinch of cumin pd and crushed peppercorns to rice which made it tastier and always optional. If you want to make it for lunch, you could add some chicken and veggies to rice but traditional Kanji is always eaten plain.
Please click on the link above to check out the original recipes, read the tradition of kanji in Kerala and other very entertaining, fascinating and colorful with photos of Kerala posts about her formative years spent there in her blog, which I always enjoy reading. Thanks again for everything shn, hugs to you!:)

A closer shot! :)


Cherupayar Mezhukkupuratti or seasoned green Moong salad:

Another dish I tried and loved from shn's blog is "Potato stew or Kerala Eshtu", will link at FH later with a photo.See you all later! :)

DOSA GALORE; RAVE DOSE, MOONG, MASOOR AND BROWN RICE ADAI WITH KARELA MASALA!

My Dosa galore post goes to "Dosa Mela" and to Srivalli from "cooking for all 4 seasons", who calls herself a "dosa freak" and is calling all of us to send her loads of dosas!!:D
I added two more new dosas to your list Sri. Enjoy them all to your heart's content my friend! Hahaha!




Rave dose, restaurant style!!
I accidentally found this recipe or the way of making restaurant style Rava dosa while I was surfing on the net one day. Vahchef Sunjay Thumma, has become my favorite chef on the "youtube" world since then for showing us the authentic dishes as they cook in the restaurants. His way of making rava dosa absolutely fascinated me. Just look at the result! (Click on all the photos to enlarge them to see better pictures)


I was skeptical at first. When I tried his way sprinkling the very thin dosa batter with a lacy pattern using your hand on a electric griddle, which is perfect to make a huge, thin, crispy rava dosa, I was in for a delightful surprise! It looked exactly like they serve in the restaurant, crispy and tasted delicious. I changed the recipe a bit, added the dry spices instead of fresh to keep the batter smooth and easy to sprinkle, didn't use the raw onion. Here is how I made it with some changes of my own, I thank chef Thumma for showing us the secret of restaurant style Rava dosa and other dishes too!:)

To watch Vahchef's "Rava Dosa" video demo, click here.
The Vendy award (award for the best street Vendor of New York)2007, runner up; The dosa man, Tiru kumar!! Watch him here and here and here!

To make Rava dosa:
1. Mix 1 cup fine rava/Semolina/cream of wheat, 1/4 cup plain flour, 1 cup rice flour, salt, 1 tsp of cumin powder, 1/2 tsp each of garlic pd, ginger pd, chilli pd, 1 tbsp onion pd with enough water (3 or more cups) or buttermilk to make a very thin batter with buttermilk consistency. (Watch the video to see how thin and how to sprinkle the batter on the griddle).
2. Heat the non-stick electric griddle on moderately high/375F to 400F heat, sprinkle the batter with your hand or use a plastic Mustard or Ketchup bottle to squeeze the batter out like I did (cut the tip off if the hole too small) and let it get crispy golden on the bottom, no flipping required. Drizzle oil or ghee on top. Serve right away. (Mix the batter well or shake the bottle every time you use it. Rava tends to sink in the bottom)

Tastes excellent just with thin and spicy coconut chutney to dip in. I served it with Sambhar, coconut chutney and some homemade ghee. Hope you try.

Spicy green Moong, Masoor dal and brown rice Adai:
I love Adai because of the ease of making them without fermentation and very nutritious as well. I keep adding different pulses and beans, this is one of those with Masoor dal, green Moong and brown rice. It has a beautiful pinkish green color inside. Adjust the spices to your taste.



To make Adai:

1. Soak 1/2 cup whole green Moong in water overnight. Next morning, add 1/2 cup Masoor dal (split red lentils) and 1 cup Brown rice to the same water and let it soak for 2 hrs.
2. After 2 hrs, drain the water and grind all these in batches with enough water, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 1/4tsp turmeric, 2-3 red dry chillies or chill pd, salt, few curry leaves until you get smooth batter of pourable consistency.
3. Take the batter out into a bowl, add 1 tbsp chopped cilantro and a pinch of baking soda.
4. You can use this batter right way to make dosas or chill in the fridge to use later. Add soda just before making dosas.
5. Heat a iron tawa or non-stick griddle, add some oil, spread a ladleful of batter to a circle. Drizzle some ghee or oil on top, flip and cook both sides until crisp and golden.

Serve with red Chutney powder (roasted dry coconut, red chillies, garlic or garlic pd, salt, hing, cumin seeds, ground) and ghee.

Now presenting my Dosa/Pancake/Griddle cake/Crepe Museum!! ;D

These are all the Dosas, Crepes, pancakes, griddle cakes I have made and posted in both of my blogs so far, I am sure I will make some more of these in future!:D

Alrighty, let me link to each of them; from top left to right. Have fun! :)

1. Kerala Aapam (Rice-coconut milk pancakes),
2. Roti Jala (Malaysian flour pancakes),
3. Mysore Masale Dose,
4. Avalakki dose (Flattened rice flakes pancakes),
5. Thari dose (crushed rice-coconut milk steamed pancakes),
6. Thatte dose, plain and with veggies and dal (savory plate pancakes),
7. Uddina bele-Menthya dose (Urad dal-fenugreek seeds dosa),
8. Uttappa (vegetable pancake),
9. Rava dose (Semolina/cream of wheat pancakes),
10. Adai (Brown rice and multi dal dosas),
11. Adai masale dose (spicy brown rice dal dose),
12. Spicy Corn-Zucchini griddle cakes,
13. Zucchini pancakes,
14. All American pancakes,
15. Butternut squash griddle cakes,
16. Soy flour-veggies pancakes,
17. Patishapta (flour-coconut pancakes),
18. Chocolate Crepes,
19. Halasina hannu dose (Jackfruit pancakes),
20. Kayi-bellada dose (Molasses-coconut pancakes).

Are you still awake?! WAKE UP!! Hahaha!!

***************************************************************************************************



Karela Masala is my second entry to Pooja of "creative Pooja" blog's "Vegetable of the week" event. She has chosen "Bitter Gourd/Karela" as her vegetable for this month. You can have this too from me Pooja!:))




Karela/Bitter Gourd masala:
I somehow manage to eat few tbsps of Bitter gourd dish every time I make Bitter Gourd dishes although when cooked and balanced with spices, it won't be as bitter to taste. My husband loves Karela dishes, so I do buy just two of them to cook whenever I can get them in the Indian store. This Karela masala dish comes with a delicious gravy, goes well with rice rottis usually or rice if you can handle it! :D


To make Karela masala:
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan. When hot,put in 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, few curry leaves, 1 red chilli.
2. Add in 1 medium onion,chopped, fry for 2 min. Add in 2 finely chopped garlic, 1/4 tsp turmeric pd, pinch of salt, stir fry for a minute.
3. To this, add 2 cups of slightly peeled and chopped Bitter gourd pieces and fry until it gets a reddish color on the edges. Add salt and 1 tbsp tamarind juice.
4. Pour in 1/2 cup tomato sauce or 2 chopped Tomatoes, 1 tbsp coriander seeds powder, 2 tsp cumin seeds powder, 1/2 tsp chilli pd, 1 tbsp or more to of powdered Jaggery. stir fry and simmer until oil shows on top. Add some water it's too thick and simmer again.
5. Adjust the heat and sourness in the gravy, tastes good the next day. Add 1 tsp of ghee on top and few tbsps of chopped cilantro, mix and serve.

Long beans Kootu, Eggplant Pachadi, Karela Masala served with plantation style Akki/rice rotti:


Recipes for the other dishes you see on the Thali are here:
For Yardlong beans Kootu dish, click here or you can use this kootu masala to cook with Yardlong beans too. Yardlong beans are also called Mangaluru beans in Kannada.
For Eggplant chutney/Pachadi/bajji recipe, click here.
To make coffee plantation "style" Akki/rice rotti, click here.

That's "all" I have this week, Phew! :D

TENDLI STIR-FRY WITH RICE ROTTI

Tendli stir-fry/subzi ,an easy and quick side dish is my contribution to Nupur from 'One Hot Stove" blog's "A to Z Indian Vegetables"s event.This week's letter is "T ". Thanks you Nupur!:)

Tendlis:

There are many names for this vegetable.Some of them are Tendli,Tindora,Kovakka,Ivy gourd and Tondekai in Kannada etc.I don't usually get these in any regular US grocery stores but are available in Indian stores.I grab them whenever I can get my hands on them at the Indian grocers and make this stir-fry!:)

Tendli Subzi:


Whatever you choose to call this veg,it's a delicious and so quick to make veggie.Well..they are a blander than other veggies ,so little more spices than usual are needed to make them taste good.They are good accompaniment to any Parathas,Rice rotis and as a side dish with plain rice and Sambhar.Because this dish is so simple to make,I didn't take any step by step photos.

Here is how I made it:


You need:
About 2-3 cups of sliced Tendlis,cut each into halves,salt,chilli pd,1 tsp garam masala,1 tbsp Coriander pd,1 tsp cumin seeds pd,1 tsp Lemon juice,cilantro.
For seasoning:1 tbsp oil,1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1/2 tsp cumin seeds,1-2 red dry chillies,few curry leaves,1 tsp each Urad dal and Chana dal,1 small onion finely chopped.

How to:
1. Heat a non-stick pan,add all the seasoning ingredients.When onions are reddish,add sliced Tendlis and stir-fry on medium heat.
2. Fry these until thee skin puckers a bit.I like them just a little bit soft but still crunchy to bite.
3. Add salt and all the other dry masala and stir fry sprinkling some water if you need it to prevent burning the veggies.
4. Cover and cook for 2-3 mins,adjust the spices.Add cilantro and lemon juice and serve with rotis etc.

Tondekai Palya-Akki Rotti:



That's it.Enjoy!:))