Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Kothumai mavu dosai (Wheat flour dosai)

Kothumai mavu dosai (Wheat Dosai) - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins
We might get bored to eat same idli dosai daily so weekly once or once in 10 days we can try other dosai varieties. Already i have published kadalai mavu (Bengal gram flour) and kezhvargu mavu (Ragi) dosai in this blog. If you don't have flour for making idli dosai you can try this out. Initially it might be difficult but, don't worry we can always the flout consistency and bring out a nice thin dosai. During initial stage i will be afraid to try this because if it becomes thick and soft my husband won't eat it. Now after trying out i learnt how to adjust the flour and make dosai.

Note :- First try in small quantity i.e take a small measuring cup and use.

Ingredients:-
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Maida flour - 1 tbsp
Rice flour - 1/2 or 3/4 cup ( first add 1/2 cup if you want still thin we can always add the flour in later stage)
Salt - to taste
Onion - 1 (chopped to small cubes)
Ginger - 1 inch (chopped finely)
Chili - 1 (chopped finely)
Pepper - powder 1/2 tsp
Cumin seed - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 string chopped finely
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Preparation method:-
Heat a tawa with oil. Add mustard to splutter, urad dhal, onion, chili, little salt and fry till the onion is slightly cooked.
Transfer the cooked ingredients to a vessel. Now add the flour (wheat, maida and rice flour) mix well along with ginger, curry leaves, pepper, cumin, salt and with onion.
Add little water and make to paste so that we can avoid lumps. If you add all the water in beginning it will be difficult to get rid of lumps.
When the paste is fine add water to make batter consistency. This batter should be little more thin than normal dosai batter.
En-Anubhavam

Heat dosai tawa and pour the batter in the circle form. Remember you have to pour batter from outer part (you cannot pour the batter like normal dosai in middle and spread the flour to big circle) of circle and fill the inner part with little more batter.

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More holes will be present which will make the dosai cook well. Pour little oil round. When it starts browning the dosai carefully and roast other side also.

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This will be very tasty. If you want it to be little more crispy slight increase the rice flour.


Try it out. If didn't come well don't worry adjust the batter consistency or flour and try again. Surely you will become an expert in making crispy wheat dosai.

Vendakai varuval (Lady's finger fry)

Vendakai varuval (Lady's finger fry) - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins
Lady's finger - some might like this vegetable very much some night not due to stick nature. Usually i hate lady's finger curry before marriage and now i started taking it. I will make curry which is not sticky :-). But the vendakai varuval is my all time favourite. When mom makes for side dish during lunch time it will be almost over before we start our lunch. So when to try this keep an additional vegetable dry curry.
En Anubhavam



Ingredients:-
Lady's finger (Vendaikai) - chopped to small cylindrical pieces of 1/2 inch thickness 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Chili - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram flour (Kadalai mavu) - 2 tbsp
Rice flour (Arisi mavu)  - 1 and half tbsp
Water - If required
Asafoetida (Perungayam) - a pinch
Oil - to deep fry

Preparation method:-
First in a bowl mix bengal gram flour, rice flour, chili powder, salt, asfoetida and check the spice and salt level. You can keep this mixture permanently in an airtight box so that you can use it for fries and for making baji when you have a surprise visitor's.
In a deep fry tawa heat required amount of oil to fry lady's finger.
Take a bowl add little chopped lady's finger and add the flour mixture as required using a spoon (don't ever hurry while cooking in kitchen. If you want the menu to be tasty you have to spend time). Let the flour mixture coat the vegetable.
En Anubhavam

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When the oil is hot bring down the flame and add the lady's finger and fry slowly till it becomes brown. If you cook in high flame the lady finger will become brown quickly but it wont be cooked well inside.
En Anubhavam

Transfer this to a plate with tissue paper to remove excess oil.
Repeat the lady's finger and flour mixing process and fry it.
When it is cool it will be crispy and every one will love it.
Even it is too hot to try out fried items occasionally you can try. Enjoy

Pudina (Mint) Soup

Pudhina (Mint) Soup - Preparation time 15 mins
Pudhina is usually very good for health and rich in iron. It improves digestion. We used to make pudhina rice, thogayal and add to vegetable pulavo. Try making soup you will like it.

Ingredients:-
Pudina leaves - 1 cup (cleaned and washed)
Onion - 1 (chopped to strings)
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Toor dhal pressure cooked - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tspn
Turmeric - 1/4 tspn
Green chili - 1 or 2
Saunf - 1 tspn
Water - 250 ml

Preparation method:-
Heat oil in a tawa. Add saunf and fry till nice aroma comes. Now add onion and fry for few minutes, add tomato, pudhina, turmeric, green chili and sortae till the vegetables are cooked.  
Add little water, salt and cook till the vegetables are soft.
Mix the cooked toor dhal paste to remaining water and add to boiled vegetable.
When done using strainer or filter filter the water and serve as clear soup along with salt and pepper.
If  you like as thick soup you can mash well and then filter it.
Surely it will increase your appetite.