Ragi Dosa With Spicy Onion Chutney

BM#14: Day7: "Last but not the least" post for this month's BM run dears.. So enjoy! It is Friday night and it is movie night. Hubby has gone to read bedtime stories for my little son and put him to bed. So I am quickly typing away for this post so I can go pick a movie to watch.
Ragi Dosa is a simple one to make. And it tastes a little better than mud. One might wonder how I can be so sure..Well, when I was young, I have eaten mud(I was partial to Red soil and Clay soil), brick and then some. It continued till I was in sixth grade. And I was doing it without the knowledge of my parents. 
So I know.  To offset the taste of Ragi, one needs a super spicy chutney. And this is where the "Spicy Onion Chutney" comes to play. 

Ingredients:
For the Dosa Batter:

• 3 Cup Finger Millet/Ragi Flour
• 3/4 Cup Shelled Whole Black Gram/Urad Dhal, soaked in water for 3-4 hours
• 2-3 Cups Water for grinding + mixing
• A pinch of Baking Soda
• Salt as needed

Procedure:

• Add the Ragi flour to the wide bowl. Grind the black gram to a fine paste with little water.It gets ground pretty quick and doesn't need much water. Pour it into the bowl.  Make a batter that is neither thick nor runny.Add a pinch of soda(in winter) and little salt. Stir and let it ferment overnight.

• The fermented batter swells a little bit and has an aroma.  

• Take a portion and add water. The batter should be runny but thicker than buttermilk. 

• Grease a tava lightly with oil. Pour a ladle of batter and spread it in a circular motion as you would for the pancake. Spray oil around the edges and over the batter. Cook for a minute on medium flame and flip. 

• Fold and serve with spicy onion chutney and cooling yogurt.

Note:

• The ratio for Ragi Flour to Black Gram is 4:1. Don't go overboard with the gram, because it makes the batter stick in the tava/griddle.
• While the batter doesn't have to double in volume like a normal dosa batter post fermentation, it is better to wait until it is properly fermented(with it telltale odor). Else the batter will stick to the tava/griddle.

Fiery Onion Chutney: 
Ingredients:

• 2 Medium Yellow Onion, Finely chopped
• 1 Stalk Curry Leaf
• 6-8 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp Mustard seeds
• Water as needed
• Salt as needed

For the Masala:

• 7 Dry Red Chili
• 6-7 Small Garlic Cloves (Refer the picture. If using big cloves, use 3)
• 1 Very Ripe Medium Tomato
• 1 Stalk Curry Leaf
• 2 Grated Coconut Balls/ 4 Tbsp Grated Coconut
• 1/2" Ginger
• 1-1/2 Tsp Coriander Seeds
• 1" Tamarind, seed removed

Procedure:

• Add all the ingredients under the Masala section into a blender.

• Grind it to a gritty mixture(90% ground).

• In a pan, heat the oil and add mustard seeds. When they start sputtering, add the chopped onions and curry leaves. Saute till browned.

• Add the ground masala paste to the pan and stir well.

• Add the water and salt as needed. Lid the pan and let it cook on a low-medium flame. Stir periodically.

• About 15-20 minutes later, the mixture starts coming together and a thin coat of oil separates from the  mixture. 

• The chutney is ready. Serve with warm Ragi Dosa.

Other Ragi Specialities from my kitchen: Ragi Hoppers:

Savory Ragi Noodles:

Enjoy!

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Mom's Adai (With Avial) "Rice N Lentil Dosa"

BM#14: Day6: This is a yet another favorite recipe of my childhood days. Mom used to make a large batch and keep the thick batter in the fridge for up-to a week so she could make it as often as me and my sister wanted it. This tastes best with Avial (Parboiled Vegetables in spiced Yogurt Gravy).  As with all the dosa making process, you will need a heavy-duty blender or an Indian Wet Grinder. The batter doesn't need resting time. The minute it is out of the grinder, it is good to go. After getting seasoned of-course!

Mom has sojourned to India. Just a week before she left I went to see her, begged her to make this for me just like old times. She was in the midst of finishing up some errands and getting ready for her trip but she made time to make this for me. The pictures are coming straight from her kitchen to you. Love you, Mom. You always put others needs and wants before yours. You are indeed a very special woman with a generous spirit. 

Ingredients(Makes a large batch, for ~60 crepes):
For Grinding:

• 3 Cups Idli Rice, soaked overnight or at-least for 6 hours
• 1 Cup Long Grain Rice (like Jasmine Rice) , soaked overnight or at-least for 6 hours
• 1 Cup Tuvar Dhal + Split Chickpeas(Bengal gram) + Split and hulled Black Gram (Urad dhal) + Split and hulled Green Gram (Moong Dhal) , soaked overnight or at-least for 6 hours
• 1 Tsp Fenugreek seeds, soaked along with the lentils and rice
• 4 or 5 Dry Red Chilies, broken
• 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and grated
• 1" Ginger, peeled and grated
• 1/3 Cup Grated Coconut
• 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder

Additions to the Batter:

• 1/4 Cup Packed Chopped Cilantro
• 1 Stalk Curry Leaves, roughly chopped

Seasonings for the Batter:

• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 Tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1/2 Tsp Split Black Gram
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• 2 Tbsp Oil

Procedure:

• Soak the lentils and rice together for at-least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

• Drain the rice-lentil mixture. Add it to the wet grinder. Add the broken Red Chhilies, Turmeric powder

• And the grated Garlic, Ginger, Coconut.Sprinkle about a Tsp of Salt. Add water periodically,as needed.

• When the mixture is 90% ground then it is ready. The batter should not be smooth like a paste. Add the chopped Cilantro and Curry Leaves.

• In a pan, add the 2 Tbsp Oil and add the mustard seeds and split black gram. When the mustard seeds sputter and the gram is browned, add the chopped onions. Brown it as well. Cool it a bit and add to the batter.

• Stir the batter to incorporate. Check for salt and add more if needed.

• Grease a tava/griddle lightly and pour a ladle-ful of batter in the middle. Spread it. Spray oil around the edges and over the dosa. Cook for about 1-1/2 minutes on one side on a medium flame. Flip and cook the other side. If the batter is too thick and difficult to spread, add a little water.

• Move it to a plate. Repeat.  The leftover batter can be stored up-to a week.

• Serve "warm/hot" Adai with Avial. Yes, Adai tastes best when hot off the pan. 

Version2 of Adai: MIL Style - MIL mentioned that the very same batter used for making this ball pancakes/paniyaaram can be used for making Adai. Click here for recipe.

My Other Childhood Tiffin Favorites:
String Hoppers:

Rice Hoppers With Coconut Milk and Tomato Chutney:

Enjoy!

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Udipi Paan Polo/Soyi Polo/Neer Dosa With Cauliflower And Peas Kurma

BM#14: Day5:This is one of my favorite dosa recipe. It is so delicate like a butterfly wing. Stuff it into your mouth and it practically disintegrates. The base recipe is from here. So simple and splendid! Goes well with pretty much anything but I always eat this with Cauliflower and Peas Kurma,(recipe in this post as well). So you are getting a 2-in-1 recipe post today. :)

Ingredients:
For the Paan Polo/Neer Dosa:

• 1 Cup Short-grained Rice ( I use "Sona Masuri" or "Kolam Rice")
• 6-7 Grated Coconut Balls/Few pieces of fresh coconut without the brown rinds or 1/2 Cup Grated Coconut
• 2 Cups Water (For Mixing and Grinding)  + little more (if needed)
• 1/2 Tsp Salt

Procedure:

• If using coconut pieces, grate the coconut.

• Mix the soaked rice and grated coconut.

• Grind the rice + coconut mixture in a heavy-duty blender.

• The batter should be runny with bubbles on top.

• Heat a non-stick pan and using a mister spray "very little" oil. Don't overdo it. It makes the dosa slimy. Since it is very thin it doesn't need much.

• Once the pan is hot enough, take a ladle-ful of batter and pour.

• Quickly swirl the batter and cover all the empty spots with little batter.

• Lid the pan and cook for a minute or two on medium low. The edges lift off from the pan once it is cooked.

• Carefully lift the dosa, fold it and serve it hot with piping hot cauliflower and peas

Cauliflower And Green Peas Kurma:

Ingredients:

• 1 Head of Cauliflower, cleaned and cut into small florets
• 1/2 Cup Green Peas
• a handful of Chopped Green Bell Pepper
• 3 Ripe Roma Tomatoes
• a pinch of Turmeric Powder
• 1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
• 1" Cinnamon Stick
• 1/2 Tsp Fennel Seeds + 1/2 Tsp Cumin seeds, roughly ground in a mortar and pestle
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• a few grinds of Black Pepper 
• Oil as needed
• Salt as needed

For the Masala:

• 1 Medium Onion, roughly chopped
• 1" Ginger,peeled and chopped
• 4 Garlic cloves, skinned and halved
• 4 Hot Green Chilies or more/less
• 1 Stalk Curry Leaves
• a Handful of cashews

Procedure:

• Saute the masala ingredients until the onions are well and truly browned. Set aside to cool.

• Cut the cauliflower into florets.

• In a wide pan, add some oil, the ground spices, cinnamon stick. Once the spices are fried, add the tomatoes, T.powder and Coriander powder. Saute well and add little water. Let the tomatoes cook for about 5 minutes on medium flame.

• Add the cauliflower and ground masala.

• Throw in the green peas, add 2 cups water. Salt the mixture and let it cook for 12-15minutes on a medium flame.

• Add the milk and if needed, add more chili powder or pepper powder. Cook for 5 more minutes.

• The end result should look like the below pictures. Tender vegetables in a gravy that is not too runny nor too thick.

• Move the curry to a serving bowl.

• Serve it with hot Paan Polo/Neer Dosa.

Another favorite soft dosa is the Red Matta Rice Dosa "Sponge Dosa":

Enjoy!

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