Whole Moong Dosa ( Pesarittu ).

Whole Moong Dosa is known as Pesarittu. This is very famous dish from Andra Pradesh. Pesaru means Whole Moong in Telugu language.

Andra Pradesh has hot climate most of the months in the year. So they have their own type of food which helps them to keep cool. Pesarittu is such one of the dish which helps to keep the body cool. Pesarittu is mostly prepared using Whole Moong. 
We had tasted this Pesarittu dosa during our first visit to Hydrabad. Our elder son Ravi used to work in Sathyam in Hydrabad. So we had a chance to taste this Pesarittu in one of the famous restaurant Chutneys in Hydrabad. We had Mantri Pesarittu (that is what they call this type of moong dosa).  We were very curious to know about Mantri Pesarittu. When the server served  (after seeing what is filled in side) we started to laugh, because Whole Moong Dosa was filled with Upma. (Rava Uppittu).Mantri Pesarittu was nice.
Every one knows that Whole Moong is packed with protein and it is good for health. Whole Moong/Moong dal helps us to be full for a long time. It is one of the best legume for the vegetarians.
I have prepared this " Whole Moong Dosa " in both the ways.
1. Whole Moong Dosa with out Onion and 2. Whole moong dosa with onions.
This Dosa can be prepared quickly if you have soaked the ingredients previous day. It is good for kids and  you can pack them for their lunch box too. Good to have for breakfast, or in the evening or at night.
Let us see the Recipe now :

Things Needed :

Whole Moong : 2 Cups
Raw rice : 1/2 Cup
Ginger : An inch
Pepper Pods : 4 to 5
Salt : As Required.
Jeera /Cumin Seeds : 1 Teaspoon

Method :

1. Wash and soak whole moong and raw rice together for at least 3 to 4 hours.

2. Grind soaked ingredients with ginger pepper pods and little jeera.

3. Add very little water to grind. Grind it into paste and remove from the mixi jar.
4. Add required salt and mix it well. Add water only if required. (It should be idli dough consistency).

5. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Sprinkle little oil on the tava/pan.
6. Clean that with a kitchen tissue. Take a ladle full of dough and spread it around the pan.
7. Sprinkle little oil on the top and cover the dosa. Let it cook for a minute on low and medium heat.
8. Turn the other side and cook for  30 seconds.

9. Dosa is ready to serve. Serve with the side dish you have prepared.

10. Repeat the same with remaining dough.

2. Whole Moong dosa with onions :

Things Needed:
Whole Moong Dosa batter
Onions : 1 ( Medium size)
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 Table spoons.
Green chillies : 1
Curry leaves : 6 to 8.
Oil : 5 to 6 Table spoons.
Method :
1.Wash and cut coriander leaves, curry leaves and green chilly.
2. Remove the outer layer of onions and cut in to small.
3. Mix all the ingredients nicely with " Whole Moong Dosa batter" and keep it aside.

4. Keep a tava/pan on the fire and heat. Sprinkle oil on the top and clean.
5. Take a ladle full of dosa dough and put it on the tava. Spread it slowly. (not very thin).
6. Add oil on the top and cook for 1 minute. Turn the other side and cook for another 1 minute.
7. Whole Moong Onion dosa is ready to serve. Add little butter/ghee just before serving.

8. Repeat the same with remaining dough.

Note: 

You can prepare dosa as soon as you grind the dough/ You can also keep the dough for fermentation and then prepare dosas. Fermented dough helps the dosa to be thin and crisp. You should eat/serve hot dosas to enjoy at the best.
Use of onions is optional. You can also add grated coconut and grated ginger to the mixture before preparing dosa.  Cook on medium heat .  You can use non stick frying pan to prepare dosas.
You can use samolina (medium size rava ). instead of raw rice.  Using Rava is a great help to diabetic patients .U can also have this Rava Moong dosa when you are fasting . ( Like sankasti , yekadashi ).

Serves : 3 to 4.

Time : Soaking 3 to 4 hours + grinding 20 minutes+ preparing dosa 20 minutes.

Nellikai Chitrana (Gooseberry Chitrana)

Nellikai Chitrana is prepared with raw rice and can be eaten for lunch or dinner. You can also try this with wheat Semiya  or with Oats too.

Things needed :

Raw Rice : 1 cup.
Water :  2 1/2 cup.
Oil : 1 Tea spoon.
Ghee : 1 Table spoon.
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon.
Urd Daal: 1/2 Tea spoon.
Coconut : 2 Table spoons. ( Fresh and grated ).
Salt: To taste.
Goose berries : 3 to 4 ( Medium Sized ).
Onions : 2
Curry leaves : 6 to 8.
Green chillies : 3 to 4
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 Table spoons.

Method :

1.Wash and cook rice. Leave it for cooling.
2. Cut coriander leaves, onions, curry leaves and green chillies in to small pieces.
3. Grate coconut. Grate goose berries.
4. Now take a big pan and keep it on the fire. Add oil and put mustard seeds and urd daal.
5. Let Mustard seeds spurt. Add cut  green chilies  and fry them for 1 minute.
6. Add cut onions and curry leaves and fry till they turn golden brown.
7. Now add cooked and cooled rice to the fried mixture.  Add salt to it. Mix it nicely.
8. Add grated coconut and grated goose berries to the rice and mix it.
9. Put off the gas and replace the prepared Goose berry chitranna to the serving bowl.
10. Add coriander leaves and a spoon full of ghee .  Mix it nicely
Note : Do not over cook  the rice . For Sona masoori use 2 1/2  cup water. If you are using Basmati rice use 1 1/2 cup  water.  ( 1 cup rice - 1 1/2 cup water). Do not use  too much of Nellikai ( goose berry ) . Can also use 1/2  a rind of lemon juice to chitranna to give a tangy taste. You can also use ground nuts, add it  while frying green chillies and fry them till they are golden colour.
Serves :2
Time : 10 Minutes if you have cooked rice .
Cooking Rice : At least 20 to 25 minutes. 

Oats Laddu

Oats Laddu is a sweet dish and its healthy and tasty too.  You can have them at any time of the day.

Things Needed :
Oats : 3 cups.
Sugar : 1 to 1/2 Cup.
Ghee : 3/4 Cup.
Dry fruits : 3 to 4 Table spoons.
Cardamom : 1 Tea spoon. ( 5 to 6 pods).

Method : Powder sugar with cardamom seeds and keep it aside. Now keep a pan on the fire . Put 2 to 3 table spoons of  ghee and fry dry fruits ( Cashew and raisins )  and remove from the pan . Now put  Oats to
the pan.  . Roast oats until raw smell disappear. (  nearly 5 minutes). Remove from the pan leave it for cooling.  Dry grind roasted oats to powder.  Now take a big bowl and mix ground oats, sugar, fried dry fruits  and little ghee and mix well. Take a handful of mixture and prepare all the laddus one by one.  If  you feel the mixture is too dry  add a spoon of ghee to the mixture.  Repeat the same and prepare all the Laddus.

Note : You can divide the Laddu mixture while adding the ghee. ( Adding little ghee to each portion will help us to reduce the use of more ghee ).  You can also use milk instead of ghee but remember these laddus will not remain for long. ( May be a day or two ). Using lots of dry fruits will increase the taste of Laddu. Also adding ghee ( mentioned above )  will help laddu to be very tasty. Can add dry coconut to the laddus  . It taste better. ( 1/2 copra - dry grind and make it into powder and then add to the mixture).

20 to 25 laddus can be prepared.

Palak - Methi Vada.

Palak - Methi Vada is a tasty snack and you can have them during Tea time and  also a starter.

Things Needed : 
Palak - 2 cups.
Methi Leaves -  1/2 cup.
Channa (Besan ) Powder : 1 Cup.
Red chilly Powder : 1 Tea spoon.
Green chilly : 2
Jeera : 1 Tea spoon.
Salt : according to taste.
Water : 1/2 cup.
Curry leaves : 8 to 10.
Onions : 1 to 2.
Oil : 2 cups .

Method :
Wash and cut  Paalak and Methi leaves. Cut onions in to small pieces.   Mix it together and add cut green chillies,, cut onions, red chilly powder mix it thoroughly adding 1 table spoon of oil to the mixture.
Take a big bowl and put channa powder ( Besan ) , salt , palak and methi mixture to it and mix it thoroughly adding little water to it and prepare thick dough.
Now keep a pan on he fire. Put oil and heat. Now take a handful of vada dough and pat it little and fry them on the medium flame.  Cook them  till they are brown and turn them and fry again for few seconds and remove from the fire . Repeat the same with the remaining dough. Serve Hot Vadas with any kind of chutney or ketchup.
Note : Do not add too much of Methi leaves since it gives a btter taste. Let the dough to be thick. Other wise the vada will take more oil and its not good for health.   Can add cashew nuts to the dough to have more taste. Can be cut it into pieces and then add it to the dough.
Serves 3 to 4

Uddina Hittu

Uddina Hittu (Uriddal curry ) is one of the traditional dish of South Canara. Urid dal is soaked and ground or powdered and then mixed with savoury butter milk. ( That is the way it has to be done).

Here in Bangalore and other places I have seen people having mentya hittu for the first serve and eat it in the beginning of the lunch. (Loaded with groundnut oil to mix mentya hittu).
Eating urid dal might be good for the health since it is loaded with protein. One should know that very little quantity of urid flour. The flavour adds to the taste and good for health. Urid dal gojju is eaten with coconut oil and balakada menasu/majjige menasu/moru molagai (Butter milk soaked, salted and dried chilly.
Let us see the recipe now :  I have used the fresh ground urid dal for the gojju. 

Things Needed : 

Ground urid dal dough : 1 Tablespoon

Green chilly : 1

Curd /butter milk : 1 cup.

Salt : to taste.

For seasoning :

Coconut oil : 2 Table spoons.

Mustard seeds : 1/4 Tea spoon .

Curry leaves : 5 to 6.

Coriander Leaves : 1 Table spoon.
Ingh : a pinch.
Balakada menasu: buttermilk soaked salted and dried chilly : 2 to 3 

Method : 

1. Wash and cut green chilly, curry leaves and coriander leaves.
2. Put a tablespoon of ground urid dal to a bowl. Cut green chilly and add it to the mixture.
3. Put a cup of curd /butter milk to that bowl and add salt.
4. Add curd /butter milk and mix it well.

5. Keep a pan and put a teaspoon of coconut oil. Put balaka menasu/sun dried green chilly.
6. Fry them on low flame till they turn slightly black. (crisp).
7. Remove fried chilly from the pan.

8. Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and put mustard seeds and ingh. Let mustard splutter.
9. Add ingh and curry leaves. Put off the fire and put this seasoning to Urdi dal gojju.

10. Add cut coriander leaves and then serve with coconut oil.

Note :

Do not add more urid dough. The dish might turn bitter. Use of savoury butter milk is always preferable. Adding more chilly is optional.
You can use fresh curd instead of butter milk. Add water to curd and make it liquid form and then use it. Use of fresh butter milk is more healthy.

Tips: Do not prepare the dish on regular basis , since curd and Urd together may cause hyper tension and increase the Blood pleasure level.
Time : 10 Minutes.
Serves 2 to 3. 

Aloo - Tomato Pav Bhaji.

Aloo Tomato Pav Bhaji is easy and quick to prepare and its yemmy too . Can eat for break fast , evening snack or  for dinner too.
Things required .
Pav  : 2 packs.
Butter : 4 to 5 Table spoons.
 For Bhaji
Tomatoes : 4 to 5 .
Potatoes : 5 to 6 ( Medium sized ).
Green chillies : 2 to 3
Ginger : 1/2 Table spoon.
Coriander Leaves : 2 Table spoon.
Pav - Bhaji Masala:  1 Tea spoon.
Red Chilly Powder : 1/2 Tea spoon.
Jeera : ( Cumin Seeds ) : 1/2 Tea spoon.
Salt : as required.
Oil: 1 Table spoon.
Onions : 2 ( small ) .
Method :
Wash and boil Potatoes until they are soft.( Can pressure cook also and its easy ). Keep it aside.    Remove the skin and smash potatoes when they are cool. Wash tomatoes and cut them in to small pieces, grate ginger, cut green chillies and coriander leaves. Cut onions and keep it aside.
Now keep a pan on the fire. Add oil and heat. Add jeera, grated ginger and  cut green chillies and then fry them for 10 seconds. Add cut tomatoes and fry them till they turn soft. Add  Pav bhaji masala . Mix well and  add smashed potatoes and mix nicely. Add salt and coriander leaves to it. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook on low fire. for 4 to 5 minutes.  Now replace the Bhaji to a serving bowl and add a spoon of butter on the top. ( Tea spoon of butter will do).
Now keep a pan on the fire again. Cut Pav in between and make two pieces and apply butter and roast them on hot tava. Roast both sides of  Pav. ( apply little butter on the other side of the pav when you turn to cook on the other side).  Serve  Hot roasted Pav with Bhaji and . Keep little cut onions by the side of the bhaji.
Note :  Roast both sides of the pav to get good taste. Can serve the half  lemon  while serving . Can add carrots and capsicum if you wish. Cook them till soft and mix while adding potatoes to the bhaji.
Serves 2 to 3

Jola mattu Raagi Rotti.

Ragi/Finger Millet and Jola /Sorghum are from millet grains. Milelts are healthy grains and is good for our health. They are gluten free . I have used Ragi and Jola flours to prepare Rotti.

Rotti is a flat bread done on the flat tava. I have used  Finger millet, Millet/Sorghum/ Jovar and Rice flours.
Let us see the other names of Jola/Millet/Sorghum/Jovar in other languages.
Millet/Sorghum/Jovar is known as Thenai - Panjabi, Juar -Bengali, /Gujarati and Hindi. Kannada it is known as Jola, Cholam - Tamil and Malayalam, Jwari in Marati. In Oriya it is known as Janha and Jonnalu in Telugu.
 Let us see the recipe now :
Ragi - Jola Rotti is good to have for breakfast, at snack time and even dinner.

Things Needed :

Ragi Hittu - 1 cup
Jolada Hittu - 1 cup.
Onions : 2
Green chilly : 2
Ginger : 1 /2  to 1 Teaspoon.( Grated).
Coconut : 2 to 3 Tablespoons.
Salt : to taste.
Oil : 2 to 3 Tablespoons.
Water : As required.
Coriander leaves: 3 to 4 Tablespoons.
Curry Leaves: 2 to 3 Tablespoons.

Method : 

1 Wash and cut curry leaves, coriander leaves and green chilly into small pieces.
2. Remove the outer layer of onions and wash it. Cut into small pieces.
3. Remove the outer layer of ginger and wash it again. Grate it and keep it aside.
4. Grate coconut and keep it aside.
5. Take a big bowl and put  the three flours and mix it well.
6. Add all the cut ingredients and add a cup of boiling water.  Leave it for 5 minutes.
7. Add salt and required water and mix the batter nicely. Add grated coconut and ginger.
8. Mix it again and the batter is ready to prepare Rotti. ( The consistency should be little thicker than idly batter).
9.Keep a tava on the fire. Heat and clean it with a kitchen tissue or clean wet cloth.
10. Add a teaspoon of oil. Take a handful of batter and spread it around and give a round shape.
11. Wet your hand and spread the rotti evenly with your palm. \
12. Add a teaspoon of oil on the top and cover the rotti. ( Let the fire be very low while spreading the dough).
13. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes and turn the other side and cook for 1 minute. (Medium flame).

14. Ragi - Jola Rotti is ready to serve.
15. Serve it with  the side dish of your choice. Top up with a slice of butter

Note : 

The dough should be bit loose. So that you can spread the dough easily. Wet your hand before spreading, that helps you to spread easily. Adding rice flour is optional. It gives a crisp texture to rotti. Adding more oil while cooking rotti is optional. Adding more chilly is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes
Serves : 2 to 3 .

Peas Kootu .( Batani Kootu).

Peas Kootu is a curry and can be eaten with rice, chapatis, pooris ,dosa or idlis.

Ingredients :
Peas : 1 Cup.
Green chillies : 2 to 3.
Ginger : Small piece.( 1/2 inch)
Coriander Leaves : 2 table spoons.
Cloves : 2 to 3.
Coconut : 2 Table spoons.( fresh and grated).
Channa Seeds. ( Hurikadale or Pottu kadale): 1 Table spoon.
Salt : To taste.
Oil. : 1 Tea spoon.
Jeera : 1 Tea spoon.
Turmeric powder:   pinch.
Water : 1 Cup .

Method :
Wash and boil peas until it is soft. Mix coriander leaves, coconut, green chillies, ginger, cloves, channa seeds and 1/2 spoon of jeera . Now grind this mixture using little water until its paste.  Keep the mixture aside.
Now keep a pan on the fire. Put oil and heat. Put jeera and fry for 10 seconds. Put boiled peas and ground mixture. Add salt and turmeric powder.  Mix well and boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in between . Add little coriander leaves and serve the Peas Curry with chapatis or pooris.
Notes: You can also add carrots and beans along with peas.  You can also add 1/2 lemon juice to the curry.
Boil the curry on the low flame and stir in between , so that curry will not get burnt.
Serves : 3 to 4.