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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.

Earlier I had blogged about Idli Fry . Here is another easy and fast snack made from leftover idlis . In Konkani, we call this as Idli Usli . You might know it as Idli Upma . Ingredients: Idli - 10 small Grated Coconut - about 3/4 cup Green Chilies - 6 Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Oil preferably Coconut Oil Salt How to make Idli Upma with leftover Idli: Crumble the idlis with hands to a powder. Add salt keeping in mind that idlis do have little salt. Mix and keep it aside.  Wash green chilies, curry leaves. Pat them dry to avoid oil spluttering. Slit the green chilies lengthwise. Heat 2 - 3 tbsp coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, green chilies, curry leaves and asafetida. When mustard seeds pop, add crumbled idlis and grated coconut. Sauté at low flame to mix all the ingredients for about 5 minutes. Simple yet tasty Idly Upma is ready. 

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...

Some days when I want to empty my fridge of those veggies reaching their expiry date, I cook one of these - mixed vegetable soups, coconut curries or a mixed vegetable rice like Bisibele Bhaath. One pot meal with rice, lentils and vegetables, from the southern state of Karnataka. I find this rice dish quite comforting on rainy, wintry days. Ingredients: Rice - 1/2 cup Split Pigeon Peas/Toor Dal - 1/2 cup Carrots - 2 medium Green/French Beans - about 10 Green Peas (frozen) - about 1/2 cup Drumsticks/Shevgyache Shenga - 1 Potato - 1 medium Onion - 1 medium Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Tamarind Paste - 1/2 tsp Jaggery/Gud/Gul - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil Dry Red Chilies (Byadagi variety) - 6 or 8 Split Black Gram/Urad Dal - 1 tsp Split Bengal Gram/Split Chick Peas/Chana Dal - 2 tsp Coriander Seeds/Dhania/Dhane - 4 tsp Fenugreek/Methi Seeds - 1/2 tsp Cloves/Long/Lavang - 4 Cinnamon/Dalchini - an inch piece Cardamom/Elaichi - seeds of 1 p...

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.

An easy, crunchy snack made with leftover idlis. Ingredients: Rice - 2 cups Split Urad Dal - 1 cup Salt Oil How to make Idli Fry: Wash rice and urad dal and soak them in water separately for about 6 hours. Grind urad dal into a very fine paste. Then grind rice coarsely, almost like rava. Mix ground urad dal and ground rice to form the idli batter, slightly thicker than dosa batter. Keep the batter in a warm place overnight for fermentation. The batter will rise to almost double. Add salt to the batter and mix well. Grease the idli plates with little oil and fill the batter only till 3/4th of each idli mold. If idli mold is not available, you can use a pressure cooker vessel. Steam the idlis in an idli cooker for about 12 - 15 min. Remove the lid and let it cool for about 5 min. Cut the idlis each into 3 or 4 pieces and deep fry in oil. Idli Fry is ready to serve with ketchup and/or chutney . Note:   Before pouring idli batter in t...

Like any Konkani household, I grew up eating Idlis and Dosas. Staying in Mumbai added Marathi delicacies too - Kande Pohe, Dadpe Pohe and so on. While I was in Mangalore, my mother-in-law taught me this special Konkani delicacy.  Tavshe Idli  is a slightly sweet idli made of cucumbers. But you can cook it minus sugar and enjoy with coconut chutney like any regular idli. Take your pick. What I love about this idli is that it does not involve any soaking, grinding, fermentation.

We Konkanis love dosas and idlis for breakfast. Surnali is a thick pancake made of rice and coconut. These pancakes are also made sweet adding jaggery, but we love the savory ones called as Cheppi Surnali .

Ingredients: Medium Grain Rice - 1 cup Grated Cucumber - 3/4 cup Grated Coconut - 1 cup Sugar - 1 tsp Salt Oil Method: 1. Soak rice in water for 4 - 5 hours. 2. Wash rice and grind to a fine paste using 1/2 cup water. 3. Add grated cucumber and salt to the rice paste.  Grated cucumber leaves some water.  Add that water too.  T he batter consistency must not be too thick or too watery.  Add more water if required. 4. Heat a nonstick pan and pour a ladle full of batter.  Spread it evenly to form a circular shape.  Cook both sides drizzling little oil. 5. Churan: Mix 1 cup grated coconut and 1 tsp sugar and churan is ready. 6. Serve hot Cucumber Pancakes with Churan or coconut Chutney.

An instant dosa/crepe made of Semolina and All purpose flour which does not require soaking or fermentation. A quick fix for breakfast or a light snack. Ingredients: Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1/2 cup Maida/All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup Onions (Finely chopped) - about 1/2 cup  Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp Green Chilies - 2  Water - about 2 1/2 cups Salt Oil How to prepare Instant Rava Dosa: Finely chop onions and medium chop green chilies. Mix Rava, Maida, onions, green chilies, water and salt in a mixing bowl. For tempering/tadka, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, turn off the heat. Pour this tadka to the dosa batter.  The consistency of the batter is thin. Heat a cast iron griddle or a nonstick pan. Grease the pan with cooking spray or few drops of oil. Pour a ladle full of batter and swirl the pan so that the batter spreads evenly. Roast both sides of the dosa to golden brown, drizzling few drops of oil. Roast the dosa longer t...

Masala Dosa is the most popular Indian crepe made with rice and lentils. Crisp Masala Dosa, Potato Bhaji, Coconut Chutney and Sambar make a fabulous South Indian Menu for brunch. This potato bhaji recipe tastes great with chapatis or puris as well. Ingredients: Potatoes - 4 big Onions - 2 medium Green Chilies - 8 Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp  Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - about 2 tbsp Ginger - 1/2 inch piece Oil - 3 tbsp Salt How to cook Aloo Sabzi for Masala Dosa: Boil the potatoes in enough water and let them cool. Peel the skin and dice them into bite size pieces. Finely chop ginger and cilantro. Slit the chilies lengthwise. Wash and pat the curry leaves dry. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida.  When mustard seeds pop, add onions, finely chopped ginger and chopped chilies. Add little s...

Who can say no to this delicious breakfast? Masala Dosa is a weekend brunch special at our place. I do some prep-work on Friday evenings like boiling potatoes, getting the batter ready and next day, cooking takes less time. We can eat both good food and spend time just lazing around. I am sure, you guys have some weekend ritual as well. Ingredients: Idli Rice - 1 cup Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 1/4 cup Toor Dal/Split Pigeon Peas - 1/8 cup Methi/Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil How to make South Indian Masala Dosa: Soak idli rice, urad dal, toor dal, methi seeds in plenty of water for about 8 hours. You can use any medium grain rice instead of idli rice. Wash the soaked rice and lentils well, about 5 - 6 times. Grind all these to a fine paste adding little water at a time. I divide it in 2 batches for grinding.  Batter consistency must be slightly thinner than idli batter, but thick enough to coat a spoon....