16 Bean Adai/16 Bean Pancakes..

The normal Adai is something which is made with three kinds of lentils and is know to be rich in protein.
This 16 Bean Adai is a treat which i came across in Saffron Trail. I have made this adai a couple of times and v as a family loved this dish!!
A high protein food,different in its own way just makes a heartwarming dish.
Thought i would share the recipe:

Ingredients:

16 Bean Soup Mix-1 Cup

Brown rice(long grain)-1 Cup

Whole urad dhall/muzhu ulundhu -a handful

Red Chillies-5 to 6 nos.

Green Chillies-2 nos.

Ginger-1/2 inch piece

Curry leaves-few

Asafoetida/Peringayam-a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil to make adais

Procedure:

1.Wash the beans and the urad dhall and soak for abt 2 hrs and then soak the rice along with it for another 2 hrs.

2.Grind the soaked mixture into a coarse batter along with the red and green chillies, ginger, asafoetida and salt adding the curry leaves towards the end.

3.The batter need not ferment unlike dosa batter and the adai can be made right away.

4.Heat a tawa or griddle and spread a ladle full of batter in circles to make the adai and make a small hole in the centre for it to cook well.

5.Apply half tsp of oil around the adai and in the center while it cooks.

6.Flip over and cook on both sides till golden brown in colour.

7.Serve hot with a dollop of butter, jaggery, mor kuzhambu, avial or milagai podi yennai.

Godhuma Dosai/Wheat Flour Pancakes..

Dosa is a very common and staple food of South India and is very tasty too!!
It is similar to the pancakes we get in the US but the flour used for the dosa batter is predominantly rice and whole black lentils.
There are so many methods of making dosa and so many varieties too, each special and tasty in their own way.
One such dosa is the Godhumai or whole wheat flour Dosa which does not need any soaking,grinding or fermenting and can be made instantly.
This is made during times of fasting or vratham among the Tambrams and has a sweet and a spicy version too.The recipe which i am going to share here is the spicy godhuma dosa.Here it goes:

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour-2 Cups

Rice Flour-1/4 Cup(optnl)

Red Chilly powder-1 Tsp

Water-3 to 4 Cups approximately

Salt to taste

Oil to make dosas

For Tempering:

Mustard seeds-1 Tsp

Cumin seeds-1 Tsp

Asafoetida/Hing-1/2 Tsp

Oil-1 Tsp

Curry leaves-a few

Procedure:

1.Mix wheat flour, rice flour, salt, red chilly powder well and add water little by little to form a thin batter without any lumps.
 
2.The batter should not be too thick like the normal dosa batter or should be too watery either for the dosa to come out crispy.

3.Now for the tempering, heat 1 tsp of oil  and add the rest of the items under tempering and pour it in the batter.

4.Mix well and set aside for 20 minutes.

5.Heat a tawa or griddle and when it is hot(very important for the tawa to get heated well) pour the batter in a scattered manner.

6.Now, if the batter is too thick,then it will stay in a place and not spread and if it is too thin,it will start breaking as soon as we pour the batter.

7.Grease it with a little oil around the corners and wait for it to turn brown and flip over the other side and cook for a few minutes till it becomes crisp.

8.Clean the griddle with a wet cloth and and stir the batter well each time before making the next dosa.

9.This dosa tastes good with anything like milagai podi or gun powder, coconut or tomato chutney and believe me, kids love this dosa with sauce or ketchup!!

Note:The batter consistency for this dosa is very important and it is best when eaten hot, otherwise tends to become soggy.

Restaurant Style Venpongal and Tomato Gotsu..

There are lot of things which make us feel nostalgic and and one such thing for me is having hot steaming venpongal and coconut chutney for breakfast in Hotel Annapoorna Gowrishankar in Coimbatore, a city in South India.
And for all ya coimbatoreans out here, im sure you'll are missing the Annapoorna Vengpongal like i do too!!
This is a South Indian breakfast delicacy eaten with coconut chutney, tomato gotsu or puli gotsu.
A small addition to the recipe makes a big diference in the dish and thus makes it restaurant style.
Last but not the least, my recipe would be incomplete if i fail to credit my brother-in-law for his expertise in making this particular combo.Cannot forgot our Phili trip and the Venpongal Tomato Gotsu you had made for us!!
Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Raw Rice-1 Cup

Paasi Paruppu/Moong Dhall-1 and 1/4 Cups

Milk-1 Cup

Water to cook-2 Cups(can be adjusted accordingly)

Salt to taste

For Tempering:

Ghee-2 Tbsp

Whole or broken cashews-10 Pieces

Melagu/Whole black pepper-2 Tbsp

Jeeragam/Cumin seeds-2 Tbsp

Pepper powder-1 Tsp (optnl)

Green chillies-2 Nos.(optnl)

Ginger-1 Tbsp (crushed or grated)

Asafoetida/Peringayam-1 Tsp

Curry leaves-a sprig

Procedure:

1.Wash the rice and dhall, drain it and spread on a paper towel or cloth for all the water to get absorbed.

2.Dry roast the above for a few mins till the  rice becomes white in color and aromatic,but not brown, and pressure cook the same for two whistles along with the milk and water, adding salt.

3.And now for the tadka, heat ghee in a pan and add all the items under tempering and saute for a few mins and pour it on top of the pongal.

4.Mix well and serve it hot with ghee on top.

Note:The pongal can also be cooked with only water,but adding milk gives it a very rich taste and makes it the Restaurant Style Pongal!!
To save time,the tempering can also be done in the beginning and then cooked along with the rice and dhall.This yields the same result.

Ingredients for Tomato/Gotsu:

1.Tomatoes-5 medium finely chopped
( i use a combination of whole tomatoes and tomato paste for the red colour)

2.Onions-2 medium finely chopped(optional)

3.Mustard seeds-1 Tsp

4.Urad dhall-1 Tsp

5.Channa dhall-1 Tsp

6.Green chillies-5 small

7.Dry red Chilly-1 no.

8.Curry leaves-a sprig

9.Ginger-an inch finely chopped or grated

10.Red Chilly Powder-1Tsp

11.Rasam Powder-1 Tsp

12.Turmeric-a pinch

13.Asafoetida/Peringayam-a pinch

14.Oil-1 Tbsp

15.Salt to taste

Procedure:

1.Heat oil in a sauce pan and add the mustard seeds, urad dhall, channa dhall, dry red chilly, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric powder.

2.Now add  the chopped onions, fry them untill transparent and then add the tomatoes and tomato paste if using.

3.Let it cook for a few minutes till the raw smell goes and then add salt, chilly powder, rasam powder and little water.

4.Cook covered on medium flame for a five minutes till the onions and tomatoes absorb the flavour from the spice powders.

5.The Gotsu has to be watery and not thick so do not overcook it.

6.Yummy tomato gotsu is ready to be eaten with hot venpongal!!