Perfect udad dhal vada Buy whole white udad dhal not the half ones for best results. Follow either of these 2 methods before grinding. Wash the dhal only once. First method is- soak in water for 30 mts & drain well for 45 mts. Then grind. The second is immerse in just enough(to comfortably soak) water for 1 hour in the fridge. I find both these tips equally good. Grinder is the best. But mixie also gives very good results if you add water in teaspoons gradually. Grind to a fine frothy mixture.(you should be able to make balls with your hand-it should not be slimy) adding water very little by little. To be on the safer side I grind green chillies, ginger, salt & hing separately &add to the dough before removing ( this will make the dough a liitle lose-remember!). When making vadai :- usually a flat wooden ladle is given along with nonstick dosaikkal etc.It has to be 2-2 1/2." wide at the end.There smear a little oil+water mixture - keep lemon size vadaimavu - pat it to a small vadai - put a hole in the centre with the back of a spoon - slide itinto the oil with the help of the sides of a palette knife - it just slips into the oil. You can easily make 5,6 vadais for one batch. The vadai retains the shape very well. CV
To remove bitterness from bitter gourd To remove bitter taste from bitter gourd cut it and dip it in salted warm water or rub it with lime, salt and curd.
Kitchen Tips *MINT MAGIC: Place mint leaves in an ice cube tray. Fill with water and freeze. You can use them in drinks or to add flavour to any other dish *ADD TASTE TO ICE CREAM: Dried milk cake after boiling with milk can be added to ice creams. *STERILISING PICKLE BOTTLES: Before putting pickle in the bottle burn some asafoetida (hing) and give smoke to the bottle. It will preserve the pickle for a long time. *BREAK IT EASY: To break the asafoetida easily, keep it in the microwave oven for 30 to 35 second depending ont he size. It will become crispy and can be powdered easily. *Tomato cut vertically remain crispier in the salad. * Soak urad dal in water for an hour and immediately grind and fry the vadas. it will consume lee oil. * To prevent milk from curdling, add apinch of cooking soda to it while boiling. DURGA RAVI MUSCAT
Side dish for rava dosa Hi friends, Can anyone help with side dishes for rava dosa..some chutney which is not coconut based...am trying to avoid coconut as much as possible. Cheers:thumbsup
side dish for rava dasa Hi Sunita You can try this chutney which goes well with not only rava dosa but also normal dosa,idly, vada etc Ingredients 1. Onions -2 2. Tomatoes-3 3. Redchillies-3 4. Salt 5. Oil -3tbsp Method Chop onions and tomatoes and grind it nicely along with redchillies and required amount of salt. Pour this grinded mixture in a Kadai and saute well adding oil at intervels. If you want the chutney very hot you can add more redchillies or redchilli powder. Please try it and let me know Regards priya
Chutneys for dosa Hi Sunitha, I found these 3 chutneys which are not coconut-based in a cook book recently. I am not able to remember the name of the book, though I have jotted down the receipes in my diary. hope u will like them. 1. Mint and onion chutney: 2 tbsp oil 1 large onion chopped 1/4 cup mint 1 green chilly, seeded 1 tbsp lemon juice salt Heat oil and fry till onions are soft and not brown. Allow to cool. Put onions and rest of ingredients in a food processor and blend till smooth. Put into a airtight container and refridgerate for 3-4 weeks. 2. Apple chutney: 1 tbsp oil 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1/4 tsp methi seeds 1/4 tsp turmeric Pinch of asafoetida 2 large apples peeled and finely chopped 1/2-3/4 tsp red chilly powder salt 3 tbsp soft light brown sugar Heat oil over medium heat and fry the mustard. When they pop, add methi seeds, turmeric, asafoetida, and immediately follow with apples. Stir and mix and add chilly powder, salt and sugar. It will start to break slightly. Cover and simmer till apple is tender, stirring frequently (about 5-6 minutes). Allow chutney to cool and store in airtight jar. It can be stored in fridge for 4-6 weeks. 3. Date sauce 1/2 cup stoned dates 2 tbsp raisins 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp red chilly powder 1 heaped tsp tamarind concentrate or 3 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 cup cold water 3/4 tsp salt 1 tsp soft brown sugar Put all ingredients in a food processor and add half water. Switch on and when ingredients are half ground add remaining water and blend till smooth. Pour sauce into strainer and push it through metal spoon and discard mixture on sieve. Regards Jaya
thanks Dear Jaya and Priya Thanks a lot for the recipes. Jaya ,will try your recipes and see. Priya,I have already tried a different version of your recipe.In my version,I first crackle mustard in oil,then add red chillies,tomatoes and onions cut lenghtwise with turmeric powder and salt.Once the tomatoes and onions become really soft ,I switch off the stove,allow this to cool and then grind.This is my MIL's recipe.Some times she even adds pottukadalai(dalia) to this and grinds it and then smears this on one side of dosa just like we do masala dosai. Thanks for this new version. Cheers:thumbsup
Try this version of Onion-Tomato chutney Hi Sunitha, Next time you make rava dosa - try this version of tomato chutney. Heat little oil, add 1/2 handful urad dhal(split/full), 1/2 hadful channa dhal and 4 to 5 red chillies (according to how much hot you need). Fry till all of it gets slightly brown. Keep it separately. Now in little more oil, add one chopped onion and fry till it turns pinkish. Then in some more oil add one chopped tomato and saute till it becomes juicy. Blend in a mixie the fried chillies & dhals first. Then add onion and blend it together. Finally add the tomatoes with a little salt and blend it in. In little oil, splutter the mustard seeds and asafoetida and add to the blended chutney. This chutney goes very well with idlis too, if you make it a little more spicy. Love, Rathi.
Thanks Rathi Thanks Rathi, will try this next time I make rava dosa. Your recipe reminded me of my mother's urad dhal chutney she often makes with Adai and idli.She roasts urad dhal( about 2 tbsp) with 1-2 red chillies.To this she adds a quarter onion(chopped) and 1-2 garlic cloves.After frying these slightly,she adds about a cup of grated coconut,slightly roasts it.Then grinds the whole mixture in a mixie with water,a pinch of asafoetida,tamarind and salt.This is a very yummy chutney. Thanks once again for the recipe. Cheers:thumbsup
Useful Cooking Tips To reduce fat in the chicken by about 10 grams per serving, remove the skin before marinating it. If you have forgotten to soak pulses like chana overnight, just put the chana in a flask full of boiling water for an hour. They are ready for cooking. To make a soft fluffy omelet heat a non-stick pan and add a little more butter than usual. Now beat the egg and stir briskly (even while frying) with a fork. This way more air goes in your omelet, making it light and fluffy. Cook till done and serve hot. Coconut milk when kept overnight in the fridge forms a white layer on top. This layer can be used as fat instead of oil for frying mutton or chicken. Add a little oil and turmeric powder to the dal before placing it in the cooker. It will get done in ten minutes flat. Adding a cupful of grated carrot or beetroot to the coconut while making coconut burfi will give you natural colouring and nutritional benefits. To refresh stale bread, sprinkle it with water, wrap it in a foil and heat it in the oven on 200 ºC for about five to ten minutes. Adding a spoonful of curd to ladyfingers while cooking will ensure that they do not stick to the vessel or turn black. Sprinkle a bit of salt in the frying pan before adding chicken. It will cut down on the amount of grease splattering. Peel and cut potatoes and boil them in water to which a little vinegar is added. They will be done in no time and will retain the texture as well. While grinding the batter for idlis replace 1/5 quantity of rice with pressed rice (poha). This will make the idlis fluffier. Place rolled puris in the fridge for ten minutes before frying them, they will consume less oil and will be crisper. To make dosas more crisp, add a little fenugreek seeds to the lentil and rice mixture while soaking. Rather than using food colors, use a mixture of limewater and turmeric to get (almost) tandoori color. Always add salt to the water while boiling vegetables. This enhances their natural flavour and diminishes the need to add salt at the table.
