Masala Dosa

Ingredients
1. Dosa Batter
2. Ghee
3. Onion-thinly sliced- 1/2cup
4. Carrot,beetroot and potato cubed and cooked- 1/2 cup each
5. Ginger, grated- 1/2 tsp
6. Green Chillies, sliced- 1 tsp
7. Curry leaves- one strand
8. Coconut oil- 2 tsp
9. Mustard seeds to splutter

Preparation Method:
Masala Making:
1. In a wok, pour oil, splutter mustard seeds.
2. Add ginger,green chillies,curry leaves and onion.
3. Fry till onion becomes translucent.
4. Add the cooked vegetables, salt and mix well.
5. Pour 1/4 cup water, mix well and cook.

Dosa Making:
1. Spread dosa on the thava to fine crispiness with 1 tsp of ghee on top.
2. Toast till crispy.
3. Once done, take a table spoon full of masala and keep exactly at the centre of the dosa and fold the dosa into half.
4. Serve hot with sambar and chutney.

Ghee Roast

All you need is the dosa batter and ghee.

Preparation Method:
1. Spread the dosa batter on a non-stick pan in a round shape by circling the ladle in a round manner.
2. Pour 2 tsps of ghee on top.
3. Flip and toast them to extra crispy.
4. Serve hot with chutney and sambar.

Cilantro/Malliyela Dosa

Ingredients
1. Ponni/White Rice- 1 cup
2. Chilly Powder-1 1/2 tsp
3. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
4. Asafetida/Heeng- 1/2 tsp
5. Salt, to taste
6. Cilantro/coriander leaves- a bunch

Preparation Method:
1. Soak the rice in 2 cups of water for 4-5 hours.
2. Grind together all the ingredients except the leaves and make a fine paste in medium consistency.
3. Chop the leaves and mix well with the batter.
4. Spread the batter in the thava/non-stick pan in a round manner to get crispy dosas.
5. Pour some fresh coconut oil on top, flip and toast well.
6. Serve hot with a cube of butter on top.

Cheese Dosa/Pizza Dosa

This is a special dosa made of lots of cheese. Dosa topped with vegetables and different types of cheese exactly the same way as pizza with no baking.

Ingredients
1. Dosa batter
2. Very Thinly sliced onion
3. Thinly sliced carrot
4. Grated Mozzarella Cheese
5. Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Method:
1.In a non-stick pan, pour the batter in a medium thickness so that it gets cooked well and it resembles a pizza. It must not be too thick, the batter will be raw and wont get cooked well since we are not cooking flipping the other side.
2.Right after pouring the batter, spread the vegetables and the mozzarella cheese all over the dosa.
3.Close and cook for a minute.
4.Spread the parmesan cheese over it and cook open for 3o seconds.
5.Serve hot with chutney.

ChickPeas Masala/Kabuli Channa Masala/ White kadala Curry

Ingredients
1. Kabuli channa- 1 ½ cups
2. Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tsp
3. Chopped onion- 1
4. Tomato,cubed- 1
5. Green Chillies-3
6. Oil-2 tsp
7. Curry leaves- one strand
8. Mustard,to splutter
9. Meat Masala-1 tbsp
10. Chilly powder- ½ tsp
11. Coriander powder- 1 tsp
12. Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
13. Chopped Cilantro-1/2 cup
14. Salt, to taste


Preparation Method
1. Soak channa in water for 5 hours.
2. Wash and cook the channa in a pressure cooker for half an hour with salt and turmeric powder.
3. In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, and some curry leaves.
4. Add sliced onion and sauté till it becomes translucent.
5. Add green chillies,ginger-garlic paste , tomatoes and sauté for a minute.
6. Add all the powders and stir till the raw taste goes.
7. Add channa and some water from the cooker enough make thick gravy.
8. Close and cook for 15 minutes till all the flavors are absorbed by the channa.
9. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with appam,chapathi,idiyappam etc:

Pathrodo/ Chembila Ada/Yam leaf roll

Today, a fine thursday-evening sitting calm listening to some soft rocks, its heavily snowing outside and the temperature is negative 6 degree Celsius.

My husband would love to eat something hot and spicy in this chilled weather with a cup of hot tea. I just glanced my refrigerator-pockets for the veggies I have in-store.

Last time we went to the market(meijer, super-market), I saw a group of collard-green bunches in the vegetable section. It was so fresh and appealing, tempting me to cook something with them. I grabbed one from them and was the best purchase that day. Its there smiling at me, ready to go to the pot and get cooked and be the part of our dinner today.

I had taken the veins form them, washed several times and kept in a plastic bag.So its fresh and ready to cook. Gonna smear them with some batter to look pretty and beautiful to turn into yummy, healthy, tempting hot pathrodos, a very healthy dish which is basically of a konkani origin cuisine.

The name "pathrodo" came from the words 'pathra' meaning leaf and 'vada' fried dish .

Usually pathrodo is made with the yam leaf. the heart-shaped edible leaf of yam. It is widely available in all parts of India. Its gives a little Here, I usually get them from Patel brothers in Chicago Devon street. When it is used, A little itching feeling can come in the mouth, to get rid of this tamarind and heeng/asafetida is used in a good amount in this dish. But since its not so easy to go and get them, I could find out something to replace this particular leaf. Collard greens which is widely available here in the USA in most of the markets.

This is a very healthy dish since its made out of a freshy leafy vegetable and at the same time its cooked in steam. Dishes cooked in steam are the best than frying or cooking them with water.

It needs a little patience to make them, Today, I am in a perfect mood to cook something really yummy for my husband.

(Edited after cooking…….)
I could make perfect pathrodos this time. Really yummy and my husband enjoyed them eating them hot tea

Ingredients
1. White Rice/ Ponni Rice- 1 cup
2. Shredded cocnut- ¼ cup
3. Turmeric Powder- ¼ tsp
4. Chilly Powder- 3 tsp
5. Heeng/ Asafoetida- ¼ tsp
6. Tamarind paste- ½ tsp
7. Salt, to taste.
8. Collard Greens/ Yam leaf- a bunch (20 leaves)

Preparation Method.
1.Soak the rice in 3 cups of water overnight.
2.Grind together all the ingredients except the leaves into a thick paste,it must not be watery.

3.De-vein the leaves carefully and wash them very well, atleast 3-4 times without tearing them. If yam leaves are used, it must be kept in a plastic bag outside the refrigerator to make it yellow leaves to get rid of itching in the mouth once cooked.

4.Take those leaves one by one and wipe them with a tissue to drain out all the water content on them.
5.Now take the leaves one by one and smear them with the ground mixture.

6.Keep leaf one upon the other by smearing each leaf with some mixture.
7.Fold the two sides taking all the leaves together.

8.Now, roll this from one end to the other, making it a leaf roll packed and rolled together.

9.Keep them in a steamer and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the number of leaves in the roll. For -20-25 leaves the cooking time is 45 minutes after the steam starts coming. If the number of leaves is more and the roll becomes thick, the cooking time will vary and will be more.

10.Once cooked, open the lid and keep for 15 minutes so that the stickiness on the roll goes and it dries up.

11.Cut and keep them for sometime so that it cools down and the stickiness on each piece is gone.
12.Serve with some fresh coconut oil on top.

Kappa Puzhuk- Authentic dish from kerala using tapioca/ Yuca Root

Ingredients
1. Oil- 4 tsp
2. Tapioca- 1 kilo
3. Green chillies- 5-6
4. Shredded Coconut- 3 cups/1 coconut
5. Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
6. Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
7. Garlic pods- 5-6
8. Curry leaves- 2 strands
9. Salt,to taste
10. Shallots- 6-7

Preparation Method
1. Grind together green chillies, coconut, cumin seeds, garlic pods,turmeric powder,shallots,curry leaves and salt.
2. Cook tapioca in hot boiling water with salt and turmeric powder.
3. When cooked, sieve the water from the tapioca and keep aside for some time till all the water drizzles and get separated.
4. Donot cook tapioca closed or in a pressure cooker. The fumes coming from tapioca should escape.Otherwise its poisonous.
5. In a heavy bottom pan, add oil and transfer the cooked tapioca into it.
6. Add the ground mixture into it. Stir and mix well.
7. Add lots of curry leaves and some coconut oil on top.

Optional
1. Splutter some mustard seeds, dry red chillies and some curry leaves in a tsp of coconut oil and garnish.
2. Mix well while serving.
3. Serve hot with naadan chicken curry or fish curry.

Chuttaracha Chammanthi-Fried coconut chutney,Authentic Kerala cuisine

Ingredients
1. Shredded Coconut- 1 cup
2. Dry Red Chillies- 2
3. Shallots/ Kunjulli- 3-4, finely chopped
4. Coriander powder- 1 tsp
5. Tamarind Paste- 1/4 tsp
6. Salt, to taste
7. Coconut Oil- 1 tsp

Preparation Method
1. In a pan, heat oil and add coconut, chillies,shallots and salt.
2. Saute till coconut becomes dark brown and fully browned.
3. Take care not to burn the coconut, keep stirring till the end.

4. Add coriander powder and fry for a minute.
5. In a blender, add this mixture and the tamarind paste.
6. Blend without adding 2 tsps of water into a thick dry paste.
7. Chutney is ready and can be served with kerala rice or kanji.

Beetroot Pachadi-Beet cube salad in thick curd

Ingredients
1. Coconut Oil- 1 tsp
2. Mustard seeds, to splutter
3. Half an onion, finely chopped
4. Green chillies- 2, finely chopped
5. Half a Beetroot cubed into very small pieces
6. Ginger, grated- 1 tsp
7. Curry leaves, one strand
8. Salt, to taste
9. Thick curd- 1 1/2 cup

Preparation Method
1. Heat oil, splutter mustard seeds and some curry leaves.
2. Add onion, green chillies and saute till translucent.
3. Add beet,ginger,salt and some more curry leaves.
4. Saute till beets become soft. Donot add water to cook them.
5. Remove from flame.
6. Mix the curd with and 1/2 cup water.
7. Add this into the beet mix and stir well till all the flavors are mixed into curd.
8. Adjust salt according to the sourness of the curd used.
9. Serve as a side dish or as a salad with rice.
10. This is best served while having some fish eventhough curd should not be in-taken with fish.

Mushroom Manchurian

Ingredients
1.Onion-1, thinly sliced
2. Ginger-garlic paste- 1tbsp
3. Green chillies- 3, finely chopped
4. Soya sauce- 1 1/2 tbsp
5. Chilli sauce- 1 tbsp
6. Tomato sauce- 1 tsp
7. Spring onion- 3, finely chopped
8. Celery- 2 strands, chopped
9. Capsicum - 1, cut into cubes
10. Half an onion, cut into cubes
11. Vegetable oil- 1 tbsp
12. Button/ White Mushrooms- cut into 4 equal pieces.
13. Salt, to taste
14. Pepper powder- 1/4 tsp (optional)

Preparation Method
1. Heat oil in a pan, add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Saute.
2. Add sliced onion and half the spring onion and saute for sometime.
3. Add all the sauces and saute for half a minute.
4. Add the diced onion, capsicum and sliced mushroom and saute fora minute.
5. Add salt and pepper powder if required and add 5 tbsps of water.
6. Cover and cook for a minute. Mix well.
7. Garnish with the rest of spring onion.
8. Serve hot with fried rice.

Watermelon Punch

Watermelon juice with a splash of lime-juice adds an extra kick.Something very special. This drink reminds me of the cold store infront of my college which serves both sliced melons as well as the juice with an extra kick of lime juice during the hot-summer, which had a lot of cooling effect on us after the hectic walk down the lane. So this recipe and its credit entirely belongs to thatperson who used to serve this for us in that bakery. Thanks to that chettan.

Ingredients

1. Watermelon cut into small cubes- 3 cups

2. Lime juice- 2 tsps

3. Ice Cubes- 1 cup

4. Sugar- 1/2 a cup.

Preparation Method:

1. Blend together all the ingredients except lime juice.

2. add lime juice into it after all the ingredients are blend together.

3. Pour into a wine glass and serve chilled.

Pinacolada

Ingredients

1. Coconut Cream (available in store)- 1 cup

2. Fresh Thick Pineapple Juice or Store-bought pineapple pulp- 2 cups

3. Sugar- 1/2 cup

4. Ice Cubes- 10-12

5. A slice of pineapple (to decorate).

Preparation Method:

1. In a blender, beat together all the ingredients for a minute.

2. Pour into a wine glass and decorate with the pineapple slice.

3. Serve chilled.

Paneer Chilli

Ingredients

1. Paneer cubes- 2 cups

2. Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp

3. Salt,to taste

4. Cornflour- 1 tbsp

5. Soy sauce- 1 tsp,1 tbsp

6. Egg- 1

7. Pepper powder- 1 tsp

8. Ginger-garlic paste- 2 tsp

9. Vegetable oil- 2 tbsp

10. Diced Onion- 1/2 an onion

11. Capsicum/Bell pepper- 1/2 diced

12. Celery, chopped- 3 tbsp

13. Spring Onion, finely chopped- 2 tbsp

14. Green chilles- 2, chopped

15. Chilly sauce- 1 tsp, 2 tbsp

16. Onion-2 chopped

1. Coat paneer with chilly powder, salt, cornflour,1 tsp soy sauce, egg, pepper powder and ginger-garlic paste. Keep aside for half an hour.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add ginger-garlic paste,chilly powder,onion chopped and celery. Saute well.

3. In another pan, heat oil to deep fry paneer. Fry paneer till the coated cover gets cooked and crispy.

4. Add the fried paneer into the sauting pan and mix well, add the sauces, diced onin, bell peppers and mix well.

5. Add 1/2 cup water and boil. When the water starts reducing, add the cornflour mixed with 2 tsp water and stir continuously.

5. When it thickens well, switch off the flame and sprinkle spring onion. Serve hot with fried rice or parotta.