Cucumber - Jaggery Dosa & Guli Appa

Cucumber/Mullu southekai as we call it, is mainly used in salads and eaten raw. We do make use of it in curries, idli, roti or dosa.

Here I have prepared Sweet Dosa, using Cucumber, Bottle gourd and the normal dosa ingredients with jaggery.

Cucumber Jaggery Dosa turns soft once it is fully fermented. Soak rice for 2 to 3 hours and grind it with cucumber and strictly no water. The batter should be thick and you can add water if needed once you start preparing dosa the next day morning or after 5 to 5 hours.
This is one of the South Canara /Udupi recipe which my doddamma and amma used to prepare. Dosa turns soft and fluffy and very nice to have them for breakfast or as snack.
Let us see some benefits of having breakfast in the morning.
Breakfast is one of the best meal for the day. It gives energy for the whole day. It helps to strengthen  metabolism and helps you to concentrate at work.Eating breakfast is good for health. It helps for better memory and concentration, lowers the bad cholesterol and helps in increasing good cholesterol.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

Raw Rice : 2 Cups
Urid dal : 1/2 Cup
Methi /Fenugrik seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Fresh grated coconut : 2 Tablespoons
Cucumber : 2 (Very small ones or 1 medium size)
Grated bottle gourd : 1 Small bowl. (1/2 bottle gourd of medium size)
Jaggery : 2 Tablespoons./Powdered
Salt : As required
Oil/ghee : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Wash and soak raw rice, urid dal and methi seeds together for 2 to 3 hours.

2. Grate coconut. Wash cucumber and cut into small pieces. Grate bottle gourd.

3. Now grind soaked rice-dal mixture with coconut,grated bottle gourd and cucumber till paste.

4. Add jaggery to the dough. Grind it for 2 minutes. Remove from mixi jar to a big bowl and add salt. Mix it well and let it ferment nicely till next morning/Overnight.

5. Mix the dough nicely.

6. Next morning see that dough is fermented well. Dough should be like normal dosa consistency.
7. Keep a pan on the fire and add very little oil and clean it with a kitchen tissue.
8. Take a ladle full of Cucumber jaggery dosa dough and pour it on the hot pan.

9. Do not spread much. Add oil on the top, cover and cook on medium flame for a minute.
10. Remove the cover and turn the dosa on the other side and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

11. Remove it from the pan. Dosa is ready to serve.

12. Serve it with a spoon of fresh ghee on the top of hot Cucumber jaggery dosa and a side dish of your wish.

Note :
The dough has to be fermented well or you will not get good dosas. So you need to see the dough is fermented well. Use of jaggery more /less is optional. Thick dosas taste better. Spreading and making it thin might tare and it will not come out of the pan. Let the flame be low while pouring the dough to the pan and then increase the flame to medium flame). I have used organic jaggery. Powder the jaggery and then add it. ( It is easy to grind powdered jaggery). Adding bottle gourd is optional. ( I have added grated bottle gourd while grinding along with cucumber). Time : Soaking the ingredients 3 hours + grinding 10 minutes and fermentation over night/6 to 7 hours.
Dosa preparation : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4 .

You can also prepare Guli appa /guntponglu/kuli appam/paddu using the same dough. I added little grated carrots on the top of Guli appa.

EErulli Gojju /Onion Curry

Eerulli/onion is one of the vegetable that loved and used by most of the people. 

When you fall sick your tongue lose its taste and you don't feel like eating or you feel some thing spicy should be tried to make your taste bud to makes you hungry. Here is one such curry which you can enjoy, when you feel that you need to have some thing spicy, easy, quick and simple.
This is one of the curry I liked my sister in law Leelakka. She is one of the best cook whom I have come across. She used to prepare tasty curries, patrodes and many more dishes. Though she gets lots of help from others around while cooking and we do get irritated by her nature. But once the dishes are ready all our irritation disappear and we do enjoy the dish very much.
Coming back to EErulli gojju/curry, I have used onions/eerulli, fresh fried spices, jaggery and tamarind.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

To Cook :
Onions : 2 to 3 (Medium sized)

To Add :
Tamarind : One marble size
Jaggery : 2 Tablespoons
Salt : As required
Turmeric Powder : A pinch

To Season : 
Coconut Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh/ Asafoetida : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8

Spices to Fry :
Coconut Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Methi seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1 Teaspoon
Coriander Seeds : 2 Tablespoons
Sesame seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon (Optional)
Byadagi chilly : 5 to 6
Ingh/Asafoetida : A little
Curry leaves : 6 to 8

To Grind :
Fresh grated coconut : 2 Tablespoons
Fried Spices

Method :

1. Remove the outer layer of onions and cut into small pieces.
2. Soak tamarind in hot water and squeeze out the pulp after 5 minutes.

3. Grate coconut and keep it aside.
4. Keep a pan on the fire and put 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Add methi seeds and fry till they turn slightly golden brown.
5. Add urid dal and fry till they turn golden brown. Add sesame seeds and red chilly and fry for another 2 minutes. (low flame).

6. Add  coriander seeds and fry nicely. Add ingh and curry leaves. Put off the fire.

7. Grind coconut and fried spices once they are cool. Remove it from mixi jar.

8. Keep a bigger pan on the fire and add a tablespoon of oil. Add mustard seeds and urid dal.
9. Let mustard seeds splutter. Add curry leaves and ingh. Add cut onions and fry nicely for 2 minutes.
10. Add turmeric powder, tamarind pulp, salt and jaggery. Mix it well and let it cook for 2 minutes.

11. Add ground coconut - spice mixture and mix it well. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

12. Shift the curry to a serving dish. Serve with hot rice or any main dish of you desire.

Note : 

No need to add coriander leaves. The curry taste yum with the spices. Do not add any other spices or any other masala powder to get the original taste. This curry can be boiled nicely and made into thick paste to use it next day. (It taste yum). Adding more /less jaggery is optional. We udupians like little more sweet in some curries. Fresh fried spice taste best and that should be done here to get the best taste.
Time : 20 Minutes 
Serves : 2 to 3. 

Pigeon Peas Cutlet

Pigeon Pea/togari kalu/whole green toor is available plenty in the market. Normally it is the season of pigeon peas during the winter. You do get good tender peas and we can prepare many dishes using pigeon peas.

I have prepared pigeon peas and cluster beans dry curry for the afternoon lunch and little curry was left and as usual just used this remaining dry curry with some potatoes and prepared Cutlets for the evening and it was just beautiful to have it as snack.

No Onion Or No garlic in this " Pigeon Peas Cutlet".

Let us see the recipe now :

Things needed :

Pigeon Peas Dry Curry : 1 Bowl
Potatoes : 2 to 3
Coriander leaves : One handful
Ginger : An inch
Bread slices : 3 to 4
Jeera/cumin seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Garam Masala : 1/2 Teaspoon
Red chilly Powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Rava /Semolina : Chiroti rava /Thin variety of rava : 1/2 Cup
Salt : As required
Oil : To Fry (1 Cup)

Method :
1. Wash and boil potatoes and remove its skin and smash it nicely.

2. Wash and cut coriander leaves into thin pieces. Wash ginger, remove the outer layer and wash it again. Grate it and keep it aside.
3. Powder bread crumbs and put it in a bowl.
4. Now put all the ingredients in a big bowl and mix it nicely. (Smashed potatoes, cut coriander leaves, grated ginger, powdered bread crumbs, salt, garam masala, chilly powder and jeera).

5. Divide the dough into small ball size.

6. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil let it heat.
7. Take a small portion of the cutlet mixture and give a shape of your desire.

8. Dip them in raw rava/semolina  and fry in medium hot oil.
9. Fry the cutlet nicely on both sides.

     Remove it from oil and put it on a kitchen tissue.

10. Serve Hot Cutlets with ketchup/any type of chutney

11. Repeat the same with remaining dough.

12.You can also shallow fry these Pigeon Peas Cutlets. (Healthy Option).

Note :

I have deep fried these cutlets. You can shallow fry them on tava. (Optional).

Do not overcook potatoes. You can use flattened rice/Avalakki instead of bread. I have used brown bread. You can powder the bread slices with a mixi dry grinder. You can also add onions and garlic to cutlet dough. I have not added.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4.
 Indian Food .
Pigeon Peas -Cluster beans Dry Curry