Tag: Dosa

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Perfect Dosa Idly Batter: Your Guide to Fluffy Idlis and Crispy Dosas

If you’ve ever craved the authentic taste of South Indian cuisine, you know that a good dosa and idly batter is the foundation of many delicious dishes. Making the perfect batter might seem daunting, but with a few simple steps and some patience, you can master the art at home. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you prepare a versatile batter that will yield fluffy idlis and crispy dosas.

Ingredients:

  1. 2 cups rice
  2. 1 cup urad dal (split black gram)
  3. 1/2 teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)

Method:

Begin by washing the rice and urad dal separately under running water until the water runs clear. This helps remove any impurities. In a large bowl, soak the rice in enough water to cover it by about 2 inches. In another bowl, soak the urad dal and methi seeds together. Let them soak overnight or for at least 5-6 hours

After soaking, drain the water from the urad dal and methi seeds. Transfer them to a wet grinder or a high-powered blender. Add a little water and grind until you get a smooth and fluffy batter. Transfer this to a large mixing bowl.

Next, drain the water from the rice and grind it to a slightly coarse paste, adding water as needed to facilitate the grinding process. The rice batter should have a bit of texture and should not be completely smooth.

Combine the rice batter with the urad dal batter in the mixing bowl. Add salt as per your taste and mix well to ensure both batters are well incorporated.

The fermentation process is crucial for achieving the right texture and taste. Cover the bowl with a lid or a clean cloth.

Place the batter in a warm spot to ferment. During warmer months, you can keep it in sunlight for 2-3 hours. Alternatively, you can place it in an oven or microwave (turned off) with the light on to create a warm environment. It typically takes about 6-8 hours for the batter to ferment fully.

You’ll know the batter is ready when it has doubled in size and has a slightly frothy, bubbly appearance. The batter should also have a pleasant, slightly sour aroma.

Tips for Perfect Dosas and Idlis:

For Dosas: Ensure the batter is slightly runnier. When pouring the batter on the hot tawa (griddle), spread it thinly to achieve crispiness.

For Idlis: The batter should be thick yet pourable. Grease the idli molds with a little oil, pour the batter, and steam for about 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the idlis comes out clean. you can also explore our other recipe of idli Fermented RAGI (Finger Millet) IDLIS- Gluten Free | Gut Friendly | Breakfast Recipe.

This homemade dosa and idly batter is versatile and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Just make sure to bring it to room temperature before using it. Whether you enjoy soft, fluffy idlis or golden, crispy dosas, this batter will help you recreate the authentic flavors of South Indian cuisine right in your kitchen. Give this recipe a try and let us know how it turns out! Share your experience and any tips you might have in the comments below.

If you try this recipe, do give us a shout out. Just click a picture and tag us on @masala.monk or use the hashtag #MasalaMonkRecipe and share on Instagram and Facebook. We would love to hear from you. 🙂Happy cooking!

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Idli Podi | Milagai Podi Recipe

If you have never heard of podi before, podi is a flavourful South Indian coarse spice powder condiment made with lentils, seeds and spices and served with Idlis. But for most fans, you can say podi is an emotion. It is like a flavour imbibed in every bite. Podi is a general South Indian word that means “powder”. In the Tamil language, the word milagai means red chilies and podi means powder. Idli podi is always served with ghee or sesame oil. There is a popular dish in South India where idlis are smeared with podi and ghee or sesame oil. But Idli Podi is not just limited to idlis. You can serve podi with paniyarams, sprinkle it on dosas, uttapams or make podi rice. Its main purpose is to add flavour to a meal, sometimes when certain spices are involved, podis can aid digestion too.

The flavour of podi is quite unique and tasty. There is a slight crunch in it that comes from roasted lentils. The nutty taste comes from sesame seeds with some smokiness and pungency from red chilies and other ingredients.

You can try serving podi with Ragi Idli. They pair beautifully with podi and other sautéed vegetables and makes a healthy, gluten free breakfast.

The recipe is pretty simple. You just have to roast the ingredients and grind everything together. There is some spiciness and heat in a typical milagai podi but you can control the heat as per your preference. There are variations to idli podi where some like to add dry coconut, curry leaves or peanuts.

There is another variation of idli podi called as gunpowder which is spicy and includes more red chilies as well as garlic.

The podi recipe that I am sharing with you is a recipe that I have been making for years now. There is always a jar of podi at my house. I like to add this powder in Masala Idli, sprinkle it on dosa, serve it with paniyarams or make podi rice with ghee. 

Tips for making Idli Podi

  1. Always use fresh spices and lentils to make podi. 
  2. It is always better to soak lentils for an hour in warm water and dry them with cotton kitchen towel before roasting. 
  3. I always add sesame seeds to make podi. It gives a great flavour and also is super nutritious. You can skip it if you like. You can use either black or white sesame seeds. 
  4. Rinse curry leaves with fresh water and then pat dry them with a kitchen towel. 
  5. Do not roast sesame seeds for long or it will taste bitter. 

Let’s see how you can make this flavour bomb.

Recipe: makes approx 200 grams

Ingredients: 

  • Urad dal: 1/2 cup
  • Channa dal: 1/4th cup
  • Curry leaves: 1/2 cup
  • Sesame seeds: 1/4th cup
  • Dried Red Chillies: 12-15 (add more if you like)
  • Mustard seeds: 2 tsps
  • Hing/Asafetida: 1/4th tsp
  • Oil: 2 tbsps
  • Salt as per taste

Method: 

  • Wash and soak both the lentils separately for an hour in warm water. This step is optional. You can just wash the lentils, pat dry and roast them but soaking helps to soften the lentils and makes them easy to digest.
  • Bring a wide heavy bottom pan to medium heat. Add sesame seeds and roast them till they become slightly brown and start crackling and popping. Set aside in a large plate.
  • Roast curry leaves till the leaves become crisp and shrink in size. Set aside.
  • Now add washed, soaked and towel dried urad dal. Roast till golden brown and fragrant. Set aside. 
  • Add channa dal and roast. Chana dal takes longer to roast. It should get browned or golden. For uniform cooking and color, keep on stirring them often.
  • Now add a tbsp of oil and roast dry red chilies on a low flame. Roast till you get a pungent smoky aroma from chilies. Set aside
  • Next add mustard seeds and roast them till they start crackling and popping in the pan. Set aside.
  • Lastly, add a tbsp of oil and cook asafoetida or hing in it for 10-15 seconds. Mix it with the other roasted ingredients.
  • Once everything is well roasted, put it all in a blender. Add salt to taste and grind well. Grind in intervals of some seconds to a coarse powder. Do not grind in one go for long as the sesame seeds will release oil.
  • Store Podi in an airtight glass jar. The powder will last you almost a year.

Happy Cooking!! 🙂

Do give this recipe a shot. If you try this recipe, do give us a shout out. Just click a picture and tag us on @masala.monk or use the hashtag #MasalaMonkRecipe and share on Instagram and Facebook. We would love to hear from you. 🙂

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Kuzhi Vegetable Paniyarams Recipe

Vegetable Paniyaram or Appe/Appam as it is commonly known is a South Indian breakfast recipe made from idli/dosa batter and known as kuzhi Paniyaram in Tamil, Paddu in Kannada, and Gunta Ponugulu in Telugu. It’s the best way to use idli dosa batter if the batter has turned sour after a couple of days. It is perfect for kids too as it is extremely healthy, has a good dose of vegetables and looks colourful and attractive. My kid loves it and often asks for it especially in his school tiffin. He would take extra to school as requested by his friends. 🙂

Some years back my uncle gifted this cast iron Paniyaram pan (appe pan) to me and it has been my most treasured kitchen possessions. Since then my obsession with appe pan started and I make not only paniyarams in it but also fritters, little pancake balls, patties, bread rolls, falafel, kofte and dahi bhallas. Basically, anything that you need to shallow or deep fry can be made in appe pan with much less oil. 

I like the instant version of Vegetable Paniyaram – it is quick to make with leftover idli/dosabatter. The last few cups of idli batter might not always yield soft idlis or make soggy dosas. I add mixed sautéed veggies with some spices into the leftover idli batter and it turns into flavourful paniyarams which I often serve with Coconut Chutney or Kara Chutney.  They are really crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Check out this recipe below. If you have leftover Idli batter you can use that. In the recipe below I’ll share with you the recipe of fresh batter

Recipe: makes 20-25 paniyarams 

Ingredients 

For the Batter

  1. White Split Urad Dal: 1/2 cup
  2. Bengal Gram/Channa Dal: 1/8th cup
  3. Fenugreek Seeds: 1 tsp
  4. Rice: 1 cup
  5. Flattened Rice/Poha: 1/4th cup
  6. Water as required for the batter
  7. Rock Salt: 1 tsp

For Paniyarams 

  1. Mixed Chopped or Grated Vegetables: 1 cup (I used onion, capsicum, carrot)
  2. Minced Ginger: 1 tsp
  3. Asafoetida/Hing: a pinch
  4. Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
  5. Curry Leaves: Handful
  6. Oil/Ghee for Cooking
  7. Salt to taste
  8. Green chilies: 2 (optional)

Instructions 

  • Wash and soak urad dal, channa dal and 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds for 3-4 hours. 
  • Wash and soak rice and poha for 3-4 hours.
  • First grind the dals using water. Add water gradually to make a smooth thick but flowing consistency batter. 
  • Now grind rice and poha, again by adding little water at a time to make thick but flowing consistency batter.
  • Mix both the batters in a steel or a glass bowl. Add rock salt. Mix well. Leave it for fermentation for atleast 8 hours or more at a warm place. The batter will rise and will become airy with tiny bubbles. If it hasn’t then leave for some more time. 
  • In a pan, add a tbsp of oil. Add some mustard seeds & hing. Let mustard seeds splutter. Now add some finely chopped green chilies if using, curry leaves and minced ginger. Cook for few seconds then add finely chopped vegetables of your choice.
  • Season it with some salt. Cook for 2 minutes on medium flame or till they soften a bit. Allow it to cool. Then add the sauteed vegetables to the fermented batter and mix gently.
  • Now your batter is ready. The consistency of the batter is similar to idli batter. If it’s thick, add a bit of water. Check for salt. Heat Paniyaram pan to medium heat. Brush it with ghee or oil in each cavity and fill it with batter. Leave some space for paniyarams to rise.
  • Cover with a lid and cook on medium to low flame for 3 minutes or when the top has set, and edges have browned.
  • Then with a help of a skewer or a knife flip the paniyarams and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes. 
  • Serve immediately with chutney of your choice. 

Tips:

  • Cook appe on low-medium heat or else you will end up with raw batter in the middle.
  • You may use any combination of veggies minced broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, or greens like methi or drumstick leaves works too.
  • Use a paniyaram pan that has been seasoned well and used in the past. If not the paniyarams will stick to the pan.

Do give this recipe a shot. I am sure this will be your child’s and your family’s new favourite. If you try this recipe, do give us a shout out. Just click a picture and tag us on @masala.monk or use the hashtag #MasalaMonkRecipe and share on Instagram and Facebook. We would love to hear from you. 🙂

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Kara Chutney- South Indian Chutney- Idlis | Dosa

Chutneys are special when it comes to Indian cuisine. India is the origin of different varieties of regional chutneys. They are super versatile. You can relish it as a condiment, use it as an ingredient, and even as a spread. Not just that, chutneys enhance flavor, provide texture contrast, preserve ingredients and hold cultural significance.

South Indian cuisine is not just about coconut chutney. There is so much variety and one such variety is Kara Chutney which originated in Tamil Nadu where kara means spicy. This chutney is typically made with onion, garlic, tomatoes and red chilies. This chutney because of its spiciness and lot of other flavours pairs perfectly well with foods that do not have lot of complicated flavour combinations like idli, dosa, appams. 

I am a hardcore chutney fan. I need variation when it comes to having chutneys with idli or dosa, even if it is a slight one. And this kara chutney is like an explosion of flavour in your mouth. It is delicious to the core. In fact it is my favourite chutney from South Indian cuisine. You can obviously make it less spicy by adding lesser dried chilies. I also like this Spicy Tangy Peanut Chutney which also pairs great with dosas and idlis. It is made with no onion or garlic. You can give this a try too. 

Originally kara chutney does not contain any coconut but I like to add a little bit to cut down on spice and also I feel coconut kind of balances all the other overpowering flavours of garlic, onion, lentils and tomatoes.

Let’s see how to make Kara Chutney my style with step by step recipe. 

Recipe: serves 4

Ingredients 

  • Onion: 1/2 cup
  • Channa Dal/Bengal gram: 1 tbsp
  • White Split Urad Dal: 1 tbsp
  • Arhar Dal: 1 tbsp
  • Tomatoes: 1 cup
  • Garlic: 2 cloves
  • Dried Red Chillies: 2 (you can increase or reduce as per your liking)
  • Coconut: 2 tbsps
  • Tamarind: 1/2 tsp
  • Water: 1/2 cup
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil: 2 tbsp (I used groundnut oil)

For Tempering

  • Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
  • Curry Leaves: 1 sprig
  • Asafoetida/Hing: a pinch
  • Oil: 1 tsp

Instructions 

  • In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Now add all the lentils. Roast till fragrant and lightlish brown in colour. Take it out and set aside.
  • Now add a tbsp of oil and add roughly chopped garlic. Sauté till rawness goes.
  • Then add onion and dry red chilies. Cook onions till they become translucent. 
  • Now add roughly chopped tomatoes, salt and the fried lentils. Cook everything till tomatoes get mushy and soft. 
  • Switch off the flame and allow to cool. Then in a blender, add tamarind, coconut and 1/4th cup of water and give a blitz. 
  • Remove the lid, scrape the sides and then add remaining water. Blend again till it becomes a smooth paste. You can add little more water if required.
  • For tempering: Heat a tsp of oil. Add mustard seeds and a pinch of hing. Allow it to splutter. Switch off the flame and then add curry leaves. Let the leaves rest in the oil for a few seconds and then pour it over the chutney and mix well.
  • Check for saltiness and tanginess. If you want it more tangy, at this stage you can add little bit of lemon juice. 
  • Serve kara chutney with idli, dosa or uttapam. This spicy chutney also goes well with paniyarams.

Note: Store the leftover chutney is refrigerator and consume within a week.

You should definitely try this chutney if you are a fan of South Indian cuisine. Do let me know in the comments if you do. Would love to hear from you.

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Healthy Tangy Spicy Peanut Chutney- No Onion, No Garlic

Peanut Chutney also known as Groundnut Chutney is a flavourful, delicious Indian chutney.  It is an easy and a tasty chutney made with peanuts and is served popularly along with South Indian breakfast dishes. The texture of this chutney is thick and creamy with of course great blend of flavours. Among all the other Indian chutneys, this groundnut chutney is quite unique, given that there is no addition of coconut, onion or garlic. 

It is made with just few everyday ingredients and is flavour bomb. You can serve this chutney with idlis, dosas, Indian savoury pancakes, pakoras, flatbreads or wraps. It is excellent to brighten up your meal and add a lot flavour to your dish. 

This Indian peanut chutney is protein-packed and boost the nutrition profile of your everyday breakfast meal and it is naturally vegan too. I made this Iron Rich Pancake for breakfast. It is made with chickpea flour and sattu, both of which are great sources of protein as well. But I wanted to add more protein to my vegetarian meal, so I decided to make this Peanut Chutney. One bite of this and the flavours just blew my mind. You guys have to try this to believe it. You can also try pairing this chutney with this Semolina pancakes or this Karnataka style Coconut dosa.

I kept this recipe in some way traditional by using raw peanuts which are roasted and then ground with other ingredients. I have also kept the skin of the peanuts. Peanut skins have the highest antioxidant levels compared to other parts of the peanut, and roasted peanut with skins have a high antioxidant capacity. 

The traditional version is usually made with only 6 ingredients such as roasted peanuts, garlic, green chilies, cumin seeds, salt and tamarind. All of these are ground with water to a smooth chutney & most often it is not tempered.

The traditional version is great too but I’ll share with you a way to add maximum punch with minimal ingredients that you will actually always make this peanut chutney without onion and garlic. This flavourful chutney can also be taken in any vrat. So save this recipe for your next Navratri fast.

How to make Peanut Chutney?

Ingredients 

  1. Raw Peanuts: 1/2 cup
  2. Roma Tomato: 1 medium size
  3. Dry Red Chillies: 3 (you can increase or decrease chilli as per your liking)
  4. Salt to taste
  5. Groundnut oil: 1 tbsp
  6. Lemon juice: 2 tbsps or to taste
  7. Water: 1/4th cup or as required

For Tempering 

  1. Groundnut oil: 1 tbsp
  2. Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
  3. Curry leaves: 5-6

Instructions

  • In a flat bottom pan, heat 1 tbsp oil to a medium heat. Add raw peanuts and roast till they change colour and become fragrant. 
  • Once peanuts are roasted, in the same pan add roughly chopped tomato, salt and dried chilli. Cook on a medium to low flame till tomato becomes mushy. If the need be, you can sprinkle some water to cook tomato.
  • Remove from heat and allow it to cool a little. Then add everything to a mixer grinder. Add lemon juice and 1/8th cup of water. 
  • Give it a blitz. Now add remaining water and blend till it becomes smooth and creamy. You can add more water if required but don’t add too much. Add little at a time. 
  • Empty the chutney into a bowl. For tempering, heat a tbsp of oil. Add mustard seeds and asafoetida/hing. Let mustard seeds splutter. Turn off the flame. 
  • Now add curry leaves and swirl it around. Let curry leaves rest in oil for 15-20 seconds then add this tempering to the chutney and mix well.
  • Check for salt and lemon juice. Adjust as per your liking. Your chutney is ready to serve.

Notes: 

  1. You can adjust the consistency by adding less or more water, but do not make the consistency runny or thin.
  2. Store your peanut chutney in an air-tight container. Refrigerate and use within a week.
  3. To make groundnut chutney, always use fresh dry peanuts. Do not use peanuts that have gone rancid.
  4. In case raw peanuts are not available, you can make this chutney with roasted salted peanuts. In that case, please be mindful of additional salt. 
  5. You can replace lemon juice with tamarind. Rinse or soak the tamarind in some water before you blend it with the remaining ingredients.

I genuinely encourage you to try this recipe because it is absolutely delicious. Do let me know in the comments section if try this recipe. Happy eating! 🙂