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Preparing a traditional dosa  batter is a time consuming and elaborate process of soaking, grinding and fermenting. Some foodies don't like fermenting the batter. I prefer Instant recipes too at times.  Let me tell you my quick way of making everyone's favorite  Masala Dosa . Ingredients: Rice Flour - 1 cup Urad Dal Flour/Split Black Gram Flour - 1/3 cup Besan/Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour - 1/4 cup Thin Poha/Flattened Rice - 1/3 cup Water - 2 1/2 cups Oil or Unsalted Butter Salt How to make Instant Masala Dosa: In a blender/grinder add rice flour, urad dal flour, besan, thin poha, little salt and 2 cups water. Blend/grind until all the ingredients are mixed well. Stir with a spoon or spatula and pulse the batter again for about a minute. This will aerate the batter a little. Set the batter aside for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, you'll notice the batter has thickened. Now add the remaining 1/2 cup water and beat the batter well. The batter consisten...

When it comes to South Indian crepes, most of us like the crisp Masala Dosa . My folks like the healthy variations too - Oats Masala Dosa and  Ragi Masala Dosa . But, its such a lengthy process. Instant dosa with no baking soda and no overnight fermentation is the most nutritious breakfast I can think of. Try these quick, gluten free finger millet savory crepes to kick start your day. Ingredients: Ragi/Nachni/Finger Millet Flour - 1/2 cup Rice Flour - 1/4 cup Urad Dal Flour - 1/4 cup Water - about 1 1/2 cups Oil or Butter or Ghee Salt How to make Instant Ragi Dosa: In a mixing bowl, add ragi flour, rice flour, urad dal flour and salt. Mix well. Now add water, little at a time and make a thin batter. I added about 1.5 cups water. Batter must not be too thick nor too runny. Heat a flat cast iron or non stick pan. Lightly grease the pan with cooking spray or ghee or butter. Do not add too much oil. Too much oil makes it difficult to spread the batter evenly...

Instant Rava Idli with Veggies Mornings are the busiest in every household. Our home is no different. A bowl of whole grain cereal is the easiest option for me. But on weekends, I don't mind cooking something traditional. This Karnataka style Rava Idli with carrots and peas is one of them. Unlike other South Indian breakfasts which require an elaborate process of soaking, grinding, fermenting, this Sooji Idli is a quick one. Plus, healthy! Ingredients: Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1 cup Yogurt/Curds/Dahi - 1 cup Grated Carrots/Gajar - 1/2 cup Green Peas (frozen) - 1/2 cup Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/4 cup Cashews/Kaju - 3 tbsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry Leaves/Kadipata - 6 Oil or Ghee - 3 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Salt How to make Instant Rava Idli with veggies: Heat a pan and dry roast semolina at low heat for 3 - 4 minutes. Roast until semolina color changes slightly and turns aromatic. Do not let...

Hey everyone!  Thanks for all the emails and the sweet messages. I missed you guys too.  Hope you all had a great start in 2014. We are in the middle of severe winter weather and as the news readers say "Winter Wonderland". As far as new year resolutions, mine are still the same as last year... eat healthy, eat high calorie food in moderation and stay fit. Talking of healthy, let me tell you about a quick 20 minutes Oats dosa I made this weekend.

As you all know, South Indian Idli Dosa are quite common at our place for breakfast.  Now, some might find these idli dosa recipes time consuming. For them, today's Mung Cheela is perfect, which does not require any fermentation. These protein rich savory pancakes with Potato Sabji is a good way to start your day. Ingredients: Mung Dal/Split Green Gram - 1/2 cup Green Chilies - 2 Ginger - half inch piece Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil How to make Mung Dal Cheela: Soak mung dal in plenty of water for about 4 hours or overnight. Wash the soaked dal well. Grind washed mung dal, green chilies, ginger, cumin and salt to a smooth, thick batter. Heat a flat cast iron pan for making cheela. Lightly grease the pan with cooking spray or oil. You can use butter or ghee as well. Pour a ladle full of batter on the hot pan and spread it in a circular motion to form a round dosa. Drizzle some more oil if required.  Roast both ...

When it comes to buying cookware, I am like a kid in a candy store. I love shopping for new kitchenware. But, my minimalistic nature sometimes stops me from picking unnecessary items. I don't like clutter in my kitchen. Anyways, this week I ordered a Danish pan online and here you are reading about a popular South Indian gluten free breakfast - savory mini pancakes called as Paddu or Paniyaram . In Konkani, these soft lentil and rice goodies are known as Appo or Appe . There are many ways of making Appe, both sweet and savory.  For today, lets eat Udid Methi Appe.

As I have mentioned earlier, Dosas are quite regular at our home. We love them both for breakfast and lunch. I keep looking for new ways to introduce more protein rich beans in our diet. Today's dosa is made of 15 Beans which are easily available as dry 15 Beans or 16 Beans or 21 Beans Soup packet. And Oats made it more nutritious. Let me tell you the different varieties of dry beans I used - Northern, Pinto, Large Lima, Yelloweye Bean, Garbanzo, Baby Lima, Green Split Pea, Kidney Bean, Cranberry Bean, Small White, Pink Bean, Small Red, Yellow Split Pea, Lentil, Navy, White Kidney Bean, Black Bean.

Our morning breakfasts are commonly idlis and dosas - Cucumber Dosa , Oats Masala Dosa , Paan Pole , Dudhe (Pumpkin) Idli and so on. A nutritious breakfast including various types of grains and vegetables, is a good way to start your day. Today's Ragi and Urad Dal dosa is also one of those. My Mother-in-law's South Kanara Dosa Recipe. These gluten free crisp crepes with a curry are perfect for lunch or dinner as well.  Our family favorite is Ragi Masala Dosa , with a simple Coconut Chutney and Potato Bhaji . Ingredients: Ragi/Nachni/Finger Millet Flour - 1/2 cup Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 1/4 cup Salt Oil How to prepare Ragi Dosa: Soak urad dal in water for 2 - 3 hours. Drain the water and wash the soaked dal well.  Grind urad dal to a fine, smooth paste adding water. In a bowl, add ground urad dal and add ragi flour little at a time. Stir well until ragi flour is mixed well. Add little water if required. Batter consistency is same as any crepe ...

South Indian Dosa or Crepes made of whole mung beans, rice and oats. Mung Bean with its skin on is highly nutritious and provides more fiber. Ingredients: Oats - 1/2 cup Idli Rice or Medium Grain Rice - 1/2 cup Mung Bean/Mung/Moog - 1/4 cup Toor Dal/Split Pigeon Peas - 1 tbsp Fenugreek/Methi Seeds - 1 tsp Salt Oil How to prepare Oats and Mung Dosa: Soak rice, mung beans, toor dal and methi seeds in water for 5 - 6 hours. Aromatic methi seeds impart a nice golden brown color to the dosas. Wash the soaked rice and lentils well. Grind soaked rice, lentils and oats to a smooth paste. I used Quick Oats. No need to soak oats. Cover and let the batter ferment overnight. You can also add 1/8 tsp baking soda if you like. Add salt to the batter and mix when you are ready to make dosas. Heat a pan and grease the pan with few drops of oil or cooking spray. Do not add too much oil or else the dosas wont be thin. Spread a ladle full of batter evenly as thin as possible. Roast both sides ...

Set Dosa is a South Indian recipe of soft, rice and lentil pancakes. These pancakes are generally served as a set of three small dosas with Coconut Chutney, Sambar and/or veg curry. Ingredients: Idli Rice or Medium Grain Rice - 1 cup Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 1/4 cup Fenugreek/Methi Seeds - 1 tsp Thin Parched Rice/Beaten Rice/Pohe - 1/2 cup Salt Oil or Ghee/Clarified Butter   How to prepare Set Dosa: Soak rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds for 6 - 8 hours in water. Wash soaked rice and dal well. Wash parched rice with water. Grind soaked rice, dal and parched rice to a slightly coarse paste. The batter consistency is thick and not runny. Let the batter ferment overnight. You can add 1/4 tsp of baking soda to the batter as well. After fermentation the batter will rise almost to double. Add salt to the batter and mix.   Heat a pan and grease the pan with oil or ghee. Pour a ladle full of batter to form a thick dosa. Do not spread. Flip the dosa when the batt...

Paan Pole or Paan Polo are soft, thin crepes of rice and coconut.  These crepes also known as Neer Dosa or Tandalache Ghavan , can be made with rice flour minus coconut.   Ingredients: Idli Rice or Medium Grain Rice - 1 cup Grated or Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/4 cup Salt Oil How to make soft Paan Pole: Soak rice for 6 - 8 hours. Wash soaked rice well. Grind rice and coconut to a very fine paste. Add 1 - 2 cups water and salt to the batter. The batter consistency is too thin. Heat a pan and grease the pan with cooking spray or oil. Pour a ladle full of batter and swirl the pan to spread the runny batter evenly. Flip the dosa when the edges start leaving the pan. Cook for about a minute or so.   Repeat the same for the batter. Serve Paan Pole with Coconut chutney or a curry.

Masala Dosa  is the most loved breakfast in my family.  Oats Masala Dosa is our new favorite.  We all know that Oats is a healthier grain than rice.  But for these dosas to turn crisp, some rice is definitely required.  After a few trials and errors, I came up with this recipe for a crispy and healthy Masala Dosa with Oats.

Idli is something I can eat all day long. One of my comfort foods. My Mom used to make it especially for me. In most Konkani homes, idlis are made in small steel bowls and a special idli cooker called as Pedawan . Next time when I visit my parents, I'll click some pics for you guys. Here in my kitchen, I use a steel idli cooker with the idli plates. All over Southern India, Idli Chutney Sambar is a well known breakfast item. Let me tell you how my Mom makes it. Ingredients: Raw Rice (Medium Grain) - 1 cup Split Urad Dal/Black Gram - 1/2 cup Salt Oil Pressure Cooker Idli How to cook South Indian Idli: Soak rice and urad dal in plenty of water in separate vessels for 6 - 8 hours. Wash soaked rice and dal well. Add little water at a time and grind urad dal to a smooth fine thick paste. Let the blender/grinder pulse the urad dal paste for another 40 - 60 seconds. This increases the fluffiness of the steamed idlis. Pour the ground urad paste in a big bowl. Next, ad...

We Konkanis prepare many kinds of Idlis for breakfast. So far, you have read about Dudde (Pumpkin) Idli and Tavshe (Cucumber) Idli . Here is another one - Rave Idli made of Semolina/Rava. This is especially made on auspicious occasions or fasts. Ingredients: Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 1/2 cup Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1 cup Baking Soda - 1/8 tsp (a pinch) Salt Oil How to cook Konkani Rave Idli: Soak Urad Dal for about 2 hours. Wash soaked dal well. Grind soaked dal with about 1 cup water to a smooth fine paste. Let the ground urad dal ferment overnight, preferably in a warm place.  Fermentation is not necessary. For instant idlis without fermentation, add more baking soda. Roast Rava at low flame until it turns aromatic, for 10 - 15 minutes. Let it cool. Grease the idli plates with little oil or cooking spray. Add the roasted rava, baking soda and salt to the fermented urad dal. Add enough water (about 1 cup) and mix well to remove lump...

Ingredients: Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1/2 cup Wheat Flour or All purpose flour (Maida) - 1/2 cup Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup Green chillies - 3 Cumin/Jeera seeds - 1 tsp Brown sugar or Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil Method: 1. In a mixing bowl, add semolina, wheat flour, coconut, finely chopped green chillies, cumin, brown sugar and salt. 2. Add about 1 1/2 cup water and mix well to avoid lumps.    3. Heat a pan and pour a ladle full of batter and spread it thin.  Drizzle oil and roast both sides till golden brown. 4. Serve instant dosa with chutney.

Uttappa or Uttappam is a South Indian gluten free savory pancake made of lentils and rice. Like an Italian pizza, it can be topped with multiple veggies - onions, tomatoes, green chilies, cilantro. Onions and carrots are my favorite toppings for this delicious pancake. Nowadays, cheese is also added as a topping. Ingredients: Idli Rice or Medium Grain Rice - 1 cup Urad dal/Split Black Gram - 1/3 cup Methi/Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves Green Chilies (optional) Onions Carrots Salt Oil How to cook South Indian Uttappam: Soak rice and urad dal separately for 4 - 5 hours. Soak Methi seeds with rice. Wash rice and urad dal. Grind urad dal to a very fine paste and rice slightly coarse, like semolina. Mix ground rice, ground urad dal, salt and ferment it overnight. The batter consistency is thinner than idli batter.  The batter will rise almost to its double after fermentation. Finely chop onions, green chilies, cilantro and c...

Dosas are always welcome in my family.. and crispy dosas top the list. Ingredients: Rice - 3 cups Mung Dal/Split Green Gram - 1 cup Chana Dal/Split Chickpeas - 1 cup Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 1 cup Curd/Yogurt - 5 tbsp Methi/Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil Method: 1. Soak rice and dals separately for 4 - 5 hours.  Add methi seeds with rice for soaking.  Wash the soaked dals and rice well. 2. Grind the dals and curd to a very fine paste.  Add more curd if required.  Grind rice slightly coarse, like Rava/Semolina. 3. Mix ground dals and ground rice, add salt and ferment it overnight. 4. Heat a pan and pour a ladle full of batter and spread it very thin.  Drizzle oil and roast both sides.  Serve crispy Dal dosa with chutney.

This is a dosa/crepe well known as  Pesarattu in Andhra Pradesh.   A crisp dosa made of whole Mung Bean and rice. Ingredients: Mung/Whole Green Gram - 1 cup Medium Grain Rice or Idli Rice - 1 cup Salt Oil How to cook Andhra Pesarattu Dosa: 1. Wash rice and mung with water and soak them together for 5 - 6 hours. 2. Grind soaked rice and mung into a fine paste.  Batter consistency is same as masala dosa.  Add salt and ferment it overnight. 3. Heat a pan and spread a ladle full of batter into a thin circular dosa.  Drizzle little oil and roast both sides till crisp.  Serve hot Mung Pesrattu with Coconut Chutney and/or Potato Bhaji .

Sweet, fruity watermelon pancakes with a hint of cardamom and coconut.  These dosas called as Kalingana Polo in Konkani is a North Canara speciality.  During the watermelon season, my Mom used to make these very often for breakfasts.  Here I am sharing our favorite breakfast recipe from my US kitchen.

Healthy veggie pancakes made of cabbage and protein rich chickpea flour (besan). Ingredients: Chopped Cabbage/Pata Gobi/Kobi - 4 cups Onion - 1 medium Rice Flour - 1/4 cup Besan/Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour - 1/2 cup Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Green Chillies - 4 Salt Oil Method: 1. Finely chop onions, cabbage and cilantro.  Medium chop green chillies. 2. Add chopped onions, cabbage, green chillies, cilantro, rice and salt in a mixing bowl.  Mix well.  Now add rice flour and gram flour.  Use about 1/2 cup water and mix well. 3. Heat a pan and add a ladle full of the cabbage mixture.  Spread it evenly and as thin as possible with hands or a spoon.  Roast both sides till the pancakes turn golden brown.  Drizzle little oil while roasting. 4. Serve Cabbage Dosa with ketchup or chutney.