Dosa with Leftover Rice

Our Moms and Grandmoms have always nailed it when it comes to making the best of leftovers and not letting anything go waste. Agree? Here's a simple Dosa recipe made with leftover rice.

DOSA WITH LEFTOVER RICE

& GINGER CHUTNEY

Ingredients: (Makes about 9-10 dosas)

Leftover rice - 1 cup

Sooji - 1 cup

Yogurt - 1 cup

Curry leaves - a few (optional)

Green chilies - 1 medium (optional)

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Whisk together Sooji and yogurt. Blend it along with the cooked rice, curry leaves and green chili in a mixer to a smooth batter.

2. Let the batter rest for at least 2 hours before use.

3. After the resting period, add a little salt and whisk the batter well. Add water to adjust consistency.

4. Prepare dosas as you always do.

Serve with Ginger chutney

Ginger Chutney:

1.5 inches Ginger, roughly chopped

2 dried red chilies

Urad dal/Black gram - 1 tbsp

Tamarind  - 1 small lemon size

Salt to taste

Oil - 1/2 tsp

Jaggery - 1 tsp (optional)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a small pan and roast ginger, red chilies and Urad dal till the dal is golden brown.

2. Add the tamarind bits in the end and saute a little. Let cool a bit.

3. Grind to a smooth chutney in a blender along with salt to taste and jaggery (optional).

Check for salt and serve with any dish of choice.

Carrot - Cabbage Chutney

In a quest to look for non-raw food, working with chutneys and raitas is one of the biggest challenges. In that search, I came across this recipe at https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/carrot-chutney-recipe/ for Carrot chutney which suited my purpose.
I tweaked it a bit and added cabbage for good measure as well.

CARROT-CABBAGE CHUTNEY

Ingredients:
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tso
Carrots, roughly chopped - 1 cup
Cabbage, roughly chopped - 1/4 cup
Green chili - 1, medium
Dry red chili - 1 medium
Asafoetida (Hing) pwd - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Tamarind - 1 pea size
Coconut, dessicated (readymade one works best than fresh) - 1/4 cup
For Tempering:
Sesame oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves, a few
Method:
1. Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a kadhai, add the urad and chana dal, green chili and red chili along with hing. Fry a bit till lentils turn golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
2. Add another 1/2 tsp oil, now add in the carrots, salt and cover-cook for 7-8 minutes or till carrots are semi-soft.
3. Now add the cabbage as well and cook for 5 mins more.
3. Remove, let cool and grind to a paste. Transfer to a bowl.
4. For tempering, heat 1/2 tsp oil, add mustard seeds and let splutter. Add the urad dal and curry leaves and pour over the chutney.
Serve as accompaniment with Idli, dosas, or chapatis too.

Stuffed Atta Pancake

Weekday nights are the most challenging of all. What to make that will be jhatpat and healthy too? Something different than the regular fare yet not requiring too much work?
Rehash a bit of the usual with a little unusual. Here's a quick and easy to make Stuffed Atta Dosa /Pancake/Cheela made interesting with some veggies.

STUFFED ATTA CHEELA/DOSA

Ingredients: 

For the batter: (Makes about 15 medium dosas)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup semolina
1/2 cup slightly sour curds

2 tbsps Carrot, finely chopped

2 tbsps Capsicum, finely chopped

2 Green chilies, finely chopped

1 medium Onion, finely chopped (optional)

1 tsp Curry powder or Garam masala

1/2 tsp Chili powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste
Water as required

For the stuffing:

1 cup Grated Paneer
1 medium onion, finely chopped

Salt to taste

Idli chili powder, to taste OR Garam masala

Any other chopped vegetables of choice

Fresh coriander, finely chopped

Method:

1. Prepare stuffing of choice.. Chose grated paneer seasoned with Idli chili powder.

2. For the batter, mix wheat flour with semolina + finely chopped capsicum, carrots, green chilies and onions.

3. Add garam masala, chili powder, turmeric pwd and salt to taste.

4. Make a medium thick batter (dosa consistency) using thecurds(better if sour) and sufficient water as needed. Rest for 10 mins.

5. Heat pan, pour a ladle-ful of batter and cook on both sides using little oil till golden brown. Transfer to a plate.

6. Place stuffing on one end and roll. Cut into desired lengths or keep as a whole and serve hot.

Quick fix Sambhar

          Sambhar, the perfect accompaniment for Idlis and dosas. But if you are in a rush and need to put together a sambhar for your family or guests, give this quick recipe a go!! 

SHORTCUT SAMBHAR

Ingredients :
Split Pigeon peas (Arahar dal) or Masoor Dal - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Tomatoes - 2 (medium)
Sambhar Onion - 2
Coriander seeds = 1 tsp
Dry Red Chili - 1 medium or Readymade Sambhar powder
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves
Curry leaves
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek (Methi) seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) powder - 1/4 tsp, optional

Method : 
1. Grind tomatoes, onions, dry red chili (avoid if using sambhar powder) and coriander seeds to a paste using sufficient water.
2. Pressure cook arahar dal with turmeric powder till done. 
3. Add 1 cup water to a saucepan along with the ground paste (and sambhar powder if using it) and salt to taste. Let simmer on medium heat till it leaves the raw aroma.
4. Mash the cooked dal with a little water and add it to the simmering mix with coriander and curry leaves.
5. Prepare tempering by heating sesame oil, add mustard seeds, let splutter. Add the methi seeds taking care not to let it become too brown. Use a pinch hing powder as well if you need some extra aroma. Add to the sambhar and check for salt. Remove and serve hot.

Sambhar (Type I)

Sambhar, the ultimate accompaniment for Dosas and Idlis. Sambhar, a lentil preparation that's prepared in so many forms across South India. Some use tamarind, some use only tomatoes, Udupi style, made with ground spices or just ready-made Sambhar powder, the list is almost endless and delicious.

Following are 2 variations that we usually make at home, one by grinding fresh spices and the other slightly simpler as it uses Sambhar powder.

SAMBHAR

TYPE I (Using Ground spices)
[Type II using Sambhar powder can be found here]

Ingredients :
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds (Sabut Dhaniya) - 2 tsps
Dry Red Chilies - 3
Asafoetida powder (Hing) - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek (Methi) seeds - 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsps
Tomato - 1 small
Split Bengal gram (Chana dal) - 1 1/2 tsps
Split Pigeon peas (Arahar dal) - 1/2 cup
Boiled/Blanched vegetables of your choice - typically drumsticks, capsicum, white radish or Knol Khol(Kohl Rabi). If using capsicum, you can directly cook it in tamarind water, no need to pre-cook.
Tamarind - lemon size portion
Salt to taste

Tempering :
Mustard seeds (Rai) - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek (Methi)seeds - 1/2 tsp
Sesame (Til) Oil - 1 tsp
Asafoetida powder (Hing) - pinch
Curry leaves - as required

Method :
1. Pressure cook arahar dal with a little turmeric powder. Extract tamarind juice using water as required, we need about 1 1/2 cups.

2. Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a small pan and roast coriander seeds, dry red chilies, fenugreek seeds and chana dal till golden brown. Take care not to over-roast.

3. Now add hing and coconut bits. Stir once and remove. Let cool. Grind in a mixer along with 1 small tomato. Keep aside.

4. Use a thick-bottomed saucepan and add the tamarind extract to it. Add salt to taste, curry leaves and if using capsicum, add it as well. Let simmer on low flame till raw aroma leaves the tamarind extract. (roughly 7-10 minutes). If using other cooked vegetables(minus capsicum) add them at this point.

5. Add the ground spices paste and stir. Check salt. Now add the cooked pigeon peas/Arahar dal and stir well so it becomes a homogeneous mixture.
Note : If consistency is slightly runny, dissolve 1 tsp rice flour in 2 tsps water and add to the sambhar. Let simmer for 5-6 minutes more and switch off the gas flame.

6. For tempering, heat 1 tsp oil and add mustard seeds, let crackle. Add methi seeds and give it a very quick stir taking care not to let the methi become too brown else it will spoil the overall taste. Add hing and curry leaves. Remove and pour over the sambhar.

Transfer Sambhar to the serving bowl and garnish with dhaniya leaves. Serve as desired.

Sambhar (Type II)

Picking up from the earlier recipe for Sambhar using fresh ground spices, the second method is using ready made Sambhar powder. Since we are using a dry powder this variation needs little extra portion of lentils (Arahar dal) to add to the texture, consistency and quantity, but cooking time is reduced.

SAMBHAR

TYPE II (Using Sambhar powder)
[Type I using ground spices can be found here ]

Ingredients :

Tamarind - lemon size
Boiled/Blanched vegetables of your choice - typically drumsticks, capsicum, white radish or Knol Khol(Kohl Rabi). If using capsicum, you can directly cook it in tamarind water, no need to pre-cook.
Salt to taste
Sambhar Powder - 2 tsps
Split pigeon peas (Arahar dal) - 3/4 cup (Pressure cooked)
Curry leaves for garnishing

Tempering :
Mustard seeds (Rai) - 1 tsp
Hing - 1.4 tsp
Fenugreek (Methi) seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp

Method :

1. Extract about 1 1/2 cups of tamarind juice. Add it to a thick-bottomed sauce pan.

2. Add salt to taste, curry leaves and sambhar powder at this stage itself. If using capsicum, add it in as well. Let simmer on low flame till raw aroma leaves the tamarind juice. (roughly 7-10 minutes). If using other cooked vegetables(minus capsicum) add them at this point.

3. Add the cooked arahar dal and stir till the dal is well mixed with the tamarind extract. Let simmer for 10 more minutes and remove from the fire.

4. Prepare tempering by heating 1 tsp oil, add mustard seeds and let crackle. Now add hing and finally methi seeds taking care not to let the seeds become too brown. Pour over the sambhar and transfer to a serving bowl.
Garnish with chopped fresh dhaniya and serve.

Crisp Dosas

Crisp dosas aren't exactly rocket science !! All it takes is the correct ratio of ingredients and right amount of resting time..

DOSA

(Makes roughly 15 standard-size dosas)
Ingredients :

Raw rice - 2 cups
Whole, white urad dal - 1/4 cup
Flattened Rice - 1/2 cup

Methi (Fenugreek) seeds - 1/4 tsp

Sabudana (Sago) - 1/4 cup

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup (optional)

Salt to taste

Usually we tend to use the leftover idli batter for dosas as well, after adding a little water for a thinner consistency. However, if you wish to have real soft yet crispy dosas, then making a little extra effort to use the above ingredients and the following method will pay off wonderfully!!!

Method : 

1. Wash and soak rice and urad dal. Soak along with methi seeds for 1 hour.

2. Wash the flattened rice very lightly, just enough to remove impurities and in another bowl, soak along with sabudana for 1 hour. 

3. Grind this to a fine batter using the water used for soaking. A mixer works well for this batter. 

4. Transfer to a bowl or vessel, add salt to taste and mix well. Leave aside for 6 to 8 hours to ferment. 

5. Prepare dosas as desired.

Chinese Style Stuffed Dosa

Tired of the normal dosas, I decided to experiment with some different stuffing. With some cabbage and carrots in the fridge, the first thought was Chinese!! A dash of this and a sprinkle of that...not a bad idea.... What can one not do when you have the right sauces at home :)


                                            CHINESE STYLE STUFFED WHEAT DOSA

Ingredients :

For Dosa :

Wheat flour - 2 cups
Soya flour - 2 tbsps
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Maida - 1/4 cup
Curd - 1/2 cup (whisked)
Water as required
Salt to taste

For Stuffing :

Shredded Cabbage - 1 cup
Grated Carrot - 1/2 cup
Chopped Capsicum - 1/4 cup
Grated Paneer - 1/2 cup
Schezwan Sauce - 2 tbsps
Red Chili Sauce - 1 tsp
Soya Sauce - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsps

Method : 

1. Mix together the flours and salt to taste, gradually add the whisked curds and stir well leaving no lumps. Add enough water to make a thin dosa batter. Leave aside for 5 minutes.

2. For the stuffing, heat oil in a pan. Add the cabbage and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the carrot and sauté for 2 more minutes. Do not cook too much, we need the vegetables 1/4th crunchy.

3. Now add the capsicum. Add the Schezwan sauce and Red chili sauce and mix well.

4. Tip in the paneer and mix again. Add the soya sauce and salt to taste. Be careful with salt as the sauces would have some salt in them already. Sauté for just 1 minute more and remove.

5. Heat a dosa tawa and grease with a little oil. If the dosa batter is a bit thick add little more water. Pour a ladle-ful batter on to the tawa and spread evenly. Cook with a little oil till cooked and golden brown on both sides.
Note : Always make a small tester dosa first to make sure it comes out OK. If too sticky or if it tears, add a little rice flour.

6. Place the stuffing on one end of the dosa and roll carefully. Serve hot with spicy ketchup.

Stuffed Kuzhi Paniyaaram (Appams)

A variation of the plain Kuzhi Paniyaaram , stuffed with left-over vegetables...

Stuffed Kuzhi Paniyaarams (Appams)

Ingredients : 

Thick leftover Dosa batter (sour the better) - 1 cup
Chopped Green chilies - 2
Salt to taste
Chopped ginger - 1 tsp
Peppercorns - 1 tsp (whole or slightly crushed)
Hing - a pinch
Chopped curry leaves
Oil to fry

Filling :
Any leftover subzi (vegetables)

Method :

1. Heat an Appam stand on medium flame and pour a little oil in all the holes.

2. In a bowl, mix together the dosa batter along with chopped green chilies, peppercorns, hing, curry leaves, salt to taste and chopped ginger. Do not add any water as we need a thick consistency. If the dosa batter is slightly runny, add enough rice flour to thicken it. If you have done this, check for salt again.

3. Carefully pour a bit of the batter first using a small ladle or tablespoon into each of the holes, drop a few pieces of the vegetables and top off with some more batter covering up to 3/4th of the appam cup.
Lower the flame at this point if you feel the oil is too agitated. Cooking this on a high flame right away will cause the appams to become brown quickly without the insides actually getting cooked.

4. Using a clean knife or fork, carefully turn over the appam to let the other side cook. Once both sides are golden brown, remove and drain excess oil.

Serve hot with ketchup or spicy green chutney.

Spongy Dosas and Idlis

Idlis and dosas are staple foods of South India, with not just the states but even districts having their own version and variation for the same.
Getting the batter right is crucial for both, which involves - correct proportioning of the ingredients, soaking them for just the right amount of time, grinding them to the correct texture, and then letting the batter rest to ferment.

I list below the typical ingredients and methods we follow for spongy dosas and soft idlis. Drool away!!! [ Click here for Dosa recipe...]

                                                                           IDLI

(Makes roughly 15-20 idlis)
Ingredients :

Idli or boiled rice - 2 cups
Whole, washed Urad dal - 1/2 cup (Mum finds Tata I-shakti dal best for this purpose)
Flat poha or flattened rice - 2 tbsps
Sabudana (Sago) - 2 tbsps
Methi (Fenugreek) seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method : 

1. Wash and soak the rice separately for 2 hours

2. Fifteen minutes before you wish to begin grinding the batter, wash the urad dal only once, and soak in 1 1/2 cups of water, along with lightly washed and cleaned flattened rice, methi seeds and sago.

Note : The traditional wet grinder works best for preparing batter in bigger proportions, also because urad dal needs to be ground to a fine paste and can heat up a standard mixer if run for long. But of course, one can make do with a mixer if grinder isn't available.

3. Grind the ural dal, flattened rice, sago and methi seeds first, gradually adding the entire 1 1/2 cups water used for soaking them. The batter should have a spongy consistency and should increase in volume as you keep up the grinding process.
Once done, transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl or vessel.

4. Now grind the rice, this batter can be slightly grainy, only up to a fine semolina texture. Once this is done too, add to the urad dal batter. Mix the two well together. Leave aside till the dough rises, then refrigerate.
It's recommended not to add salt right away, instead add it just before preparing the idlis. This will prevent the batter from becoming sour soon.
To prepare idlis, grease the idli plates lightly with oil, pour a ladle-ful of the batter in each slot and steam cook for about 15 minutes on a medium flame. Then reduce the flame and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove the idli plates, let cool a bit, then sprinkle water around the idlis to help remove them easily. Serve hot with chutney :)


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Paneer Dosa (with a twist !)

This weekend I started out to make paneer dosas, by preparing a stuffing mixture and then placing it on the dosa, similar to the masala dosa. But then an idea struck me; what if I mix all the stuffing ingredients in the mixer instead of by hand??
So I added the paneer, some greens and spices to a mixer jar and ground it. I had expected a crumbly mixture, but ended up with a smooth paste !!! Now how to spread this on the dosa??
Aha! I found a way out and this is what I did.....

PANEER DOSA (with a twist)

Ingredients :

Dosa batter - 500 gm
Paneer - 100 gm
Coriander leaves(chopped) - 1 cup
Mint leaves (chopped) - 1/2 cup
Salt - a pinch (as dosa batter will already have some)
Garam masala or tawa fry masala - 1 tsp

Method :

1. Defrost the paneer if it's just taken out from the refrigerator or freezer compartment. (I tend to wash and soak it for a while in plain water for about 10 minutes)

2. Crumble it with your hands and keep aside. In a mixer jar, drop in the chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves and grind them. This will create space to add the rest of the items.

3. Now add the paneer, pinch of salt and the masala powder of your choice. Grind again to get a smooth paste. 

4. Mix the dosa batter well, add the paneer mixture to it and mix again using a wire beater so no lumps are left. Check for salt and adjust as required.

5. Warm a dosa tawa on medium heat. Pour a ladle of batter and spread it to form a thin dosa. Use little oil and let brown on both sides. Serve hot.

Using paneer this way added an unexpected softness to the dosa and improved the taste by leaps and bounds. I used a leftover block of paneer which was slightly sour to taste which actually turned out to be an advantage as it matched the sourness in the dosa batter as well, especially when mixed with the masalas and greens.!!

TIP : If you wish to avoid the masala powder, you can use 1 or 2 green chillies or black pepper instead. You can also add about 2 tbsps shredded fresh coconut to make it taste richer. It's all in the experimentation :)

Ragi adai

Ragi or finger millet is extremely rich in iron and calcium, but low on fat and calories. In many rural areas, ragi porridge, made with ragi flour, buttermilk and salt is consumed as breakfast which provides immense and instant energy for the day !!! Ragi is a source of heat energy, hence adding buttermilk equalizes this effect.
Ragi adai is a perfect dish for the health conscious, but that said, does not compromise on taste either!!!

RAGI ADAI

Ingredients :
Urad dal - 1/4 cup
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Chana dal - 1/4 cup
Ragi flour - 1/4 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves
Salt - to taste
Green chillies - 2

Method :
1. Soak the lentils together for about 3 hours.

2. Grind to a coarse paste, along with curry leaves and green chillies.

3. Add ragi and rice flour, salt and grind a little more, but not finely.

4. Add water to adjust consistency. Prepare crispy adais, just like dosas, but slightly thicker. Serve hot with curd, pickle or chutney.

TIP : You can add your desired variations to this, such as fresh chopped methi (fenugreek) leaves, drumstick leaves, etc.