Hesarubele/Moong Dal Payasa

One of the traditional sweets of Karnataka, usually everyone knows how to prepare prepare Herasubele/MoongDal payasa. Its very healthy,good for mouth ulcer and does not take much time to prepare.

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients:

• Hesarubele/Moong Dal - 1cup
• Water - 3-4 cups
• Jaggery - 1-1and Half Cup (Depends on sweetness like)
• Elakki/Cardamom -2-3
• Ghee - 2-3 sp
• Coconut - 1 cup (Grated)
• Cashews - 15
• Kishmish -15
• Rice -2sp

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker, add Hesarubele/Moongdal 1 cup and 2 cups water, cook until 2 whistles. Allow pressure to ease.
2. Mean while measure jaggey as according to your taste and dissolve in a sauce pan. No need to cook until paaka, just dissolving will do to get rid of dirt and sand like particles.Once jaggery dissolves just strain into a thick bottom vessel. 
3. In a mixer jar add grated coconut, 2 sp of rice and little amount of water and make a smooth paste.
4. Once the pressure is eased transfer the boiled moong dal into vessel containing Jaggery syrup and boil, also add coconut paste from step 3 and bring it to boil.
5. Once Payasa boiled for few mins add cardamom powder and cashews and kishmish which are fried in ghee. you can also directly add 2-3 sp of ghee into the dish.Add cardamom powder just when you are about to turnoff the flame.Serve hot or cold

Tomato Garlic Soup

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients:

• Tomato - 3 
• Garlic - 5-6 cloves
• Butter - 1sp
• Cornflour - 1sp
• Water -3 cups
• Pepper powder - 1/4 sp
• Sugar - 1/2 sp
• Salt - As per taste
• Fresh Cream - 2-3 sp (Optional)
• Fresh Basil leaves - For garnish

Method:

• Clean Tomatoes, Pressure cook tomatoes and garlic cloves with two cups of water till 1-2 whistles.Allow pressure to ease. Transfer tomatoes to other bowl containing cold water so that you can peel off its skin easily.
• In a mixer jar add de-skinned tomatoes, garlic pods add little amount of water to make smooth paste.
• Heat butter in a thick bottom pan, when it stars to melt strain the tomato garlic puree into the pan using a juice strainer. Add the required amount of water to dilute it to the soup consistency. you can use the water which you used to cook tomatoes.
• Make a paste of 1 sp cornflour and 4-5 sp water/milk and add to the pan and cook for 2-3 mins.
• Add 1/2 sp sugar, Salt as per taste and pepper powder.
• You can garnish with Fresh cream and Basil leaves, crispy bread cubes while serving.I have not garnished the soup in the pic nor used fresh cream.

Crispy Crackles

Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients:

• Rice Flour - 1Cup
• Water - 1 and 1/2 cup
• Jaggery - small amla size
• Salt - asper taste
• Red Chili Powder - 1sp
• Onion - 1
• Green Chili - 2
• Curry leaves - 1 twig
• Sompu/Ani Seeds - 1/4 sp
• White Til - 1/2 sp
• Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - 2sp (Finely Chopped)
• Oil - 1cup
• Roasted roughly broken peanuts - 3-4 sp (Optional)

Method:

• In a sauce pan add 1 sp rice flour and 3-4 sp water and mix to form paste with out forming lumps, now slowly add remaining water(dilute the paste) with continuous stir. For this add jaggery, salt about 1/2 sp and red chili powder and bring to boil.Add the rest of the flour and continue to cook for about 10 mins. mix well with a help of flat spoon ar spatula. Allow to cool for a while.
• Now for this mixture add, finely chopped Onion, Green Chili, Curry leaves, Coriander leaves/Cilantro, Sompu/Ani Seeds  and White Til knead well.
• Roll out small balls and make flat thin rounds similar to poori. Deep fry on medium flame until nice brown. Crispy Crackles are ready to serve. they make good snack on a rainy day. Amazing to go with Tea. Its so crispy that i bet you just cant stop for just 1 or 2.

Dalia/Broken Wheat Upma

Dalia is a good substitute for rice and tastes similar to rice when you have it along with sambar, rasam. Its tastes good with any dry sabzi too.Its good for Diabetes, weight control as its very high in fiber and a small amount of dalia will leave you with full.Thanks to my friend Nishitha who introduced me to dalia and since then i was having dalia with sambar or Rasam and i just happened to replace Semolina in Upma with Dalia and it tastes really good and healthy, so thought of sharing with you all.

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients:

• Dalia/Broken Wheat - 1 cup
• Onion - 1
• Green chilies - 6-7
• Carrot - 1
• Beans - 15
• Potato - 1
• Cauliflower florets - Few
• Methi Leaves - 1/2 cup
• Tomato - 1
• Oil - 3sp (To fry all vegetables)
• Mustard Seed - 1/2 sp
• Urad Dal - 1sp
• Channa Dal - 1sp
• Curry leaves- few
• Cilantro/Coriander leaves - finely chopped
• Salt - As per taste

The Combination of vegetables can be varied, i just used all these and taste was amazing. It takes time to clean all vegetables and to cut them to equal size but rest of the process will be very fast.

How to proceed :

• Take a cup of Dalia/Broken wheat in a pressure cooker, add 1 and half cup of water, Salt (1/2 sp) and cook until 3-4 whistles.Allow pressure to ease.
• Heat 3sp oil in a thick bottom pan, add mustard seeds allow them to splutter well.
• Add Urad dal, channa dal fry until light brown.
• Add Curry leaves and Slitted Green chilies.
• Add Onion and fry until transparent.
• Add finely chopped Carrot, Beans, Potato, Cauliflower florets, 1/4 sp salt saute well and cook until vegetables are soft.
• Add finely chopped tomato and cook. (You can avoid tomatoes and replace it with lemon juice when you turn off the flame)
• Add the cooked Dalia from step 1 to the vegetables mix well. 
• Add finely chopped Cilantro/Coriander leaves and serve hot.

Hirekai/Ridge Gourd Dosa

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients:

• Dosa Rice - 1cup
• Besan Flour - 1sp
• Red Chilies - 8
• Dhaniya/Coriander seeds - 1sp
• Jeera -1/2 sp
• Hing - pinch
• Salt - as per taste
• Cooking Soda - 1sp
• Hirekai/Ridge gourd - 1 
• Oil - 2-3 sp

Method:

• Soak Dosa rice for 5-6 hrs, drain the excess water, transfer to a mixer jar, add red chilies, dhaniya/coriander seeds, jeera, hing and small quantity of water to form smooth paste. Consistency should be that of regular dosa batter. Add salt and cooking soda and mix well.
• Wash Hirekai/Ridge Gourd, peel off skin, make very thin round slices.
• On a pre-heated griddle, add a spoon of oil, dip the ridge gourd slices in rice batter one by one and place it on pre heated griddle and roast. turn to the other side and roast as well by applying a spoon of oil. You can add a spoon of besan flour to rice batter but its optional. Something different than usual and good way to include ridge gourd in day to day diet. Serve hot with ghee and chutney.

Ragi/Finger Millet Dosa

Preparation - 15 mins
Pre - Preparation required.

Ingredients:

• Ragi/Finger Millet Flour - 1 Cup
• Urad Dal - 1/4 cup
• Meethi Seed - 1/2 - 1 sp
• Jeera - 1sp
• Salt - As per taste
• Cooking Soda - 1 pinch
• Oil -2-3 sp

Method:

• Soak Urad dal and Methi seeds for at least 6-7 hrs, transfer to a mixer jar, add required quantity of water to prepare thick smooth paste.For this add Ragi flour/Finger Millet flour in small quantity with continuous stirr for not allowing the formation of lump. Add Salt as per taste and pinch of baking soda and allow to ferment for 8 hrs or overnite.Consistency should be that of regular dosa batter. 
• After 8 hrs of fermentation add a spoon full of Jeera and finely chopped Green chilis, cilantro or onion and prepare dosa or you can even prepare plain dosa according to your taste.The below pic is of Plain crispy ragi dosa served along with Pudina chutney.
• we can even prepare ragi dosa by mixing ragi flour with water instantly but they are quite thick, i felt ragi dosa prepared according to above procedure are very thin and crisp. Tastes best when served hot dosa with ghee and any chutney of your choice.

Kadalebele/Channa dal Chutney

Preparation Time - 30 min

Ingredients :

• Kadalebele/Channa Dal - 2-3 sp
• Coconut - 2-3 sp
• Pudina/Mint leaves - 1 cup/1 small bunch
• Red Chili - 6-7
• Tamarind juice 1sp
• Bella/Jaggery - small amla size
• Jeera - 1/4 sp
• Hing - a pinch
• Salt - 1/2 sp
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Oil - 2-3 sp
• Mustard seed - 1/2 sp
• Urad dal -1/2 sp

Method:

• Heat a pan, dry roast Kadalebele/channa dal to a light brown, transfer to a plate, similarly dry roast grated coconut, pudina/mint leaves, red chilies Separately and transfer to mixer jar.
• Now add Tamarind juice, Jaggery, Jeera, Ginger, Hing, Salt and required quantity of water and prepare Chutney.
• For Tampering, heat 2-3sp oil in a pan, add mustard seed, urad dal and curry leaves, mix well and serve. Goes well with Roti.

Sabbakki/Sago/Sabodana Dosa

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients

• Sabbakki/Sago - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 3/4 cup
• Chiroti Rava/Small Semolina - 2 sp
• Curd - 2 cup
• Green Chili - 3-4 sp (Finely Chopped)
• Spring Onion - 1/2 cup (Finely Chopped, optional)
• Carrot - 3-4 sp (Grated)
• Onion - 1 small
• Coriander leaves/Cilantro - 3-4 sp
• Grated  Coconut - 4-5 sp
• Salt - as per requirement
• Cooking Soda - 2pinch
• Oil - 3-4 sp
• Ghee - 1sp

Method:

• First finely chop Onion, Green chili, Cilantro, Spring Onion (Optional). Grate Carrot, and coconut.
• Soak Sabbakki/Sago for at-least 3-4 hrs, drain the excess water and keep it ready.
• In a big mixing bowl add soaked Sago, Rice flour, 2 sp Rava/Semolina and curd mix gently.
• Now add finely chopped Green chili, Onion, Spring Onion, Cilantro, grated carrot, coconut, salt to taste about 1 sp, and a pinch of cooking soda, mix well. Add water if required to make it to dosa consistency. No fermentation is required. you can directly mix and prepare dosa and ideal to prepare when you wake up late on Sunday morning.
• Spread a spoon full of dough on a pre- heated griddle, add a spoon of oil, roast well turn to other side and roast on a medium flame. Serve hot with ghee and chutney or with chutney powder.

Instant Dosa

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients:

• Chiroti Rava/Small Semolina - 1 Cup
• Besan Flour - 3 Sp
• Oats - 4-5 sp
• Curd - 1 cup
• Grated Carrot - 1/2 cup (approx3-4 sp)
• Onion - 1 (Finely Chopped)
• Capsicum - 1/2 cup (Finely Chopped)
• Green Chili -5-6
• Spring Onion - 1/4 Cup (Optional)
• Fresh Cilantro - 3-4sp
• Oil -1/2 cup
• Ghee/Butter - to serve
• Water - As per requirement
• Baking Soda - a pinch
• Salt - As per taste

Method:

             In a Bowl add, Rava/Semolina, Oats, Besan Flour, Salt, Soda, Grated Carrot, finely chopped Onion, Capsicum, Spring Onion and Fresh Cilantro, Green Chili, add Curd in small increments and mix well without forming any lumps, add water to make it to dosa consistency. Spread it similar to dosa on a pre-heated griddle, add a spoon of oil at the edges, cover plate and cook on medium flame, now turn to other side and roast. Serve hot with Ghee/Butter along with any Chutney or even with Tomato Ketchup.