Raw Jack fruit dosa | Gujje Dose | Halasinakayi dose | Sunshine Dosa | Kathal Dosa : Gluten free jack fruit crepes

Raw jack fruit dosa needs no fermentation and can be made in a jiffy. It's gluten free and vegan. You need jack fruits that is raw and firm. Please do not use tender jack fruit (baby jack fruit) to make this. Please refer to CookwithSmile blog. She has put tender jack fruit pictures.  We are using fully grown jack fruit that is yet to ripen. Look at the picture below.

The aroma of this dosa makes you want to eat more. The subtle flavor of jack fruit makes you salivate. Don't believe.., just make it once. You'll hunt for raw jack fruit to make them again and again.

We call it Sunshine Dosa at home because of the vibrant yellow color.

Here goes the recipe:

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: About a minute for each dosa
Serves: 4 adults (Makes about 18 to 20 dosas)


Ingredients:
2 cups raw rice (normal sona masoori/ponni would do)
4 cups raw jackfruit (remove the seeds & cut into small pieces)
1 tbsp fresh/frozen grated coconut, optional
salt according to taste.

Additional ingredients:
Few drops of coconut oil/cooking oil for each dosa.

Method:

• Soak the rice for at least 5 hours.

• De seed the jack fruit and chop them into small pieces.

• Grind the rice along with the jackfruit, coconut & make smooth paste out of it. The batter should be just like any other normal dosa batter.

• Add salt according to taste & start preparing the dosas immediately. (No fermentation required) Refer to the video below.  

• Serve the dosa with honey, chutney or any dip of your choice. Tender jack fruit sambar/koddel goes very well with this dosa.

PS: This is one of my revisited posts. 

Strawberry Sasive | Strawberries in coconut-mustard sauce

 Life is taking unexpected turns from the last few months or so. I'm still coming to terms with it. We are having not so good days and hoping that the ray of light is not far away. All I can say is, God is helping us and he will definitely be with us.

Hopefully, I will start blogging frequently from now on. We went strawberry picking and got a whole basket of strawberries home. So, I started experimenting and made lots of new recipes using strawberries. I'll try to post all of them. 

One of the first recipes that I tried was this strawberry sasive, I loved it thoroughly. 

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 5-7 mins

Serves:4-6

Ingredients:

Strawberries:6-8 nos, refer notes

Salt: As needed

Water: About 1/4 cup

Whisked yogurt: 1/4 cup
Jaggery: 2 tsp, optional

For coconut-mustard paste:

Fresh or frozen coconut: 1/4 cup, grated

Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp

Green chili: 2 nos, according to taste

Water: As needed

For tempering/oggarane:
Cooking Oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves: 3-5 nos, torn
Red chili: 1 no, broken (optional)

Method:
Wash the strawberries thoroughly and roughly chop them.
Add about 1/4 cup of water, salt, jaggery to the chopped strawberries and bring it to a boil.

Strawberries get cooked pretty fast. In less than 5 minutes, strawberries will be done.
Allow the strawberries to cool.
Make a fine paste of the items mentioned under the coconut paste. Add very little water. You could use the water used for boiling the strawberries.

Add the cooked strawberries to the coconut paste and crush it coarsely.
Scoop out the mixture to a bowl. Add the whisked yogurt. Mix well.

Prepare the tempering. Add oil in a small pan. When oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. When mustard seeds crackle, add the cumin seeds. When cumin seeds turn golden brown, add the curry leaves and red chili. Remove from the heat and pour it over the saasive prepared. Mix well and serve with steamed rice.

Notes:
Do not use very sour strawberries. Try to use sweeter ones. If the strawberries are very sour, try using 3 or 4 only. 

Uppu Huli Dose | Uppu Huli Dosa Recipe | Sweet n Sour Dosa Recipe : Step by step pictures

South Indians are famous for their dosas. We can make dosa with whatever we have at hand. The South Canara and the Malnad region of Karnataka have their own specialties of dosas. They make cucumber dosa, banana dosa, heerekai dosa, neer dosa and this uppu huli dosa regularly for their breakfast.

Uppu translates to salt, huli to sourness. This uppu huli dosa has all the ingredients that you put to your rasam. So, sometimes they put in rasam powder along with the tamarind to prepare this dosa.
This dosa is nutritious and makes a complete meal. It has vegetables, lentils and rice. Perfect one pot meal kinda dish. You can eat it with butter, ghee, a mild chutney/dip or as is :)

There are two ways in which mom-in-law prepares this. One with the normal dosa batter that she has handy or by grinding soaked rice, toor dal and roasted spices. I am showing you guys the first and the easy one here. Do not forget to refer notes. I have some important tips for you there!

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 1-2 mins for each dosa
Serves: 6-7

Ingredients: (Makes about 25-30 dosas)
Left over dosa batter: ~4 cups
Salt: As needed, refer notes
Jaggery | Brown sugar: 2 tbsp
Spinach: 2 cups, heaped
Onion: 1 large, finely chopped

For the spice paste:
Oil: 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds: 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn
Dry red chili: 4-6 nos, broken
Asafoetida: a big pinch
Grated coconut: 2 tbsp, fresh or frozen, refer notes
Thick tamarind extract: 2 tsp, refer notes

Other ingredients:
Oil: About 1/2 tsp for each dosa

Method:
Add oil to a small sauce pan and roast all the ingredients(except coconut and tamarind extract) mentioned for the spice paste until golden brown. Add the asafoetida towards the end.

Allow the spices to cool. Once cool blend all the spices along with coconut and tamarind extract to a smooth paste. Do not add too much water as the dosa batter will thin down.

Mix this spice mixture with the dosa batter. Throw in the salt, jaggery and mix.

Wash the spinach thoroughly and chop them fine. Chop the onions too.
Throw in the chopped spinach and onion. Mix well.

Allow the batter to rest for 5-10 mins.
Heat the griddle. Once hot, spoon a laddle full of batter on the griddle and spread it like a dosa. These will be like pancakes, a little thicker. Sprinkle oil on the sides of the dosa. Cook the dosa covered on a low-medium heat on both the sides for a minimum of 45secs to 1 min.
Once the dosa is cooked, serve it hot with a chutney or as is.
Repeat the same with the remaining batter.

Some of the chutney/dip recipes that go well with this dosa are:
Menthya gojju
Kadale bele chutney
Peanut-Mint Chutney

Notes:

• It is very important to cook the dosa on a low-medium heat. Because of the jaggery and the spices, the dosa will turn brown and even get burnt easily. So, take your time to cook them. I am stressing again
• You could add other leafy vegetables like methi leaves (fenugreek leaves), amaranth leaves, or even cabbage (finely shredded) to make this dosa. 
• Adjust the salt carefully as the left over dosa batter usually contains salt. 
• If the left over dosa batter is sour, then add less amount of tamarind. I do not recommend sour dosa batter for this dosa. It is better to have fresh batter. 

Heerekai Chutney | Ridge gourd Chutney | Thurai Chutney | Beerakaya Pachadi : South Indian Chutney Recipe

Wishing all my readers a very happy and a prosperous new year. Hope you all have a wonderful year.

The first week of  2015 was eventful. We hosted a Vishnu Sahasranama Chanting on 1st Jan at our house. I cooked palahara and the chanting went as planned. The very next morning, I got a call from my sis and bro. They informed me that our grand mom(mom's mom) passed away. I was heartbroken and speechless. I could not control my emotions. I will not write more as I can go on for hours about my relationship with her. RIP ajji is all I say.

Now back to the recipe.

Heerekai Chutney is a very simple and flavorful chutney that can be cooked under 20 mins. And the best part is, you can use the skin of the ridge gourd too for this chutney.

Preparation Time: 3 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Roughly chopped ridge gourd: 1 cup, with the skin
Green chilies: 3-4 nos, refer notes
Tamarind : 1/2 tsp, tightly packed
Salt: As needed
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Jaggery or brown sugar: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida: a small pinch
Curry leaves: 3-4 nos, torn
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Water: As needed
Grated coconut: 1/2 cup, fresh or frozen, refer notes

For tempering:
Coconut oil: 1 tsp, refer notes
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Urad dal | Black gram dal: 1 tsp
Asafoetida: a pinch
Curry leaves: 2 nos, torn

Method:
Add the ridge gourd, green chilies, tamarind, jaggery, curry leaves, asafoetida, coriander leaves, and turmeric to a sauce pan.

Add enough water to cover the vegetables and boil until the vegetables are tender and cooked. Turn off the heat.

Allow the mixture to cool. Once cool, grind it along with the coconut to make a smooth paste.
Scoop out the paste on to a serving bowl.

Prepare the tempering. Heat oil in a small sauce pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds. When mustard seeds crackle, add the black gram dal and roast till the dal turns golden brown. Throw in the curry leaves and when leaves wilt, add the asafoetida and turn off the heat.
Pour the tempering over the scooped chutney.
Mix well and serve it with chapathi/poori/rice or roti.

Notes:

• Instead of fresh or frozen coconut, you could use dry coconut powder that is available at Indian stores.
• I have used Serrano peppers and Indian green chilies for this chutney. 
• If you do not wish to use coconut oil, you could use any other cooking oil of your choice.
• Do not add too much water to cook the ridge gourd. Just add enough water so that you could use the boiled vegetable water for making the smooth paste. In that case, you don't waste any boiled vegetable water which is filled with nutrition and flavor.

Sutta badanekai bajji | Sutta badane gojju | South Indian Smoked eggplant Curry : Vegan eggplant side dish

.................a South Indian baingan bharta or Smoked eggplant curry!

This sutta badanekai gojju is my mom-in-law's recipe. She makes it often to go with rice. It uses very less ingredients and yet tastes delicious! It is quite healthy too. This could be used as a side dish to rice, roti, phulka or akki rotti.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: An hour for smoking the eggplant
Serves:2-3

Ingredients:
One large eggplant: about 1 pound
Finely chopped red onion: 1/2 cup
Finely chopped green chilli: 4-5 nos
Brown sugar/jaggery/bella: 1 tbsp
Tamarind water: 1/4th cup (extract from a small lime sized taramind)
Salt: As needed

For tempering:
Coconut oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-5 nos, torn
Hing/Asafoetida: a big pinch

Method:
Wash the eggplant & pat dry. Prick the eggplant using a knife at several places. Roast the eggplant on a stove top or in an oven. I normally roast it in the preheated oven at 375‭⁰F for about an hour.
Let it cool. Once cool, peel the skin & finely chop the flesh of the eggplant.

Add the chopped onion, green chilli, jaggery, tamarind water, salt to the chopped eggplant.

Get your hands dirty now. Mash the whole thing thoroughly until the spices mix well.

Let it sit aside for 30 mins for the flavors to develop.
Prepare the tempering. Heat the oil, once hot, drop in the mustard seeds & curry leaves. When the leaves wilt, add the asafoetida & turn off the heat.
Pour the tempering over the eggplant mixture. Mix well & serve.

Notes:

• You could roast the eggplant on the stove top. Stove top method of roasting the eggplant takes much less time than roasting in the oven.
• I do not add coriander leaves to this curry recipe as I do not want any other herbs to overpower this dish.

Southe Bajji/Southekai Chutney/Cucumber Chutney

I have mentioned here about my mom-in-law's chutney's. She is an expert in making different kinds of chutney. This is one of the many varieties of chutney she prepares. Bajji is a Tulu word for gojju.

This is a very simple chutney with just 4 ingredients & can be prepared in less than 5 mins! A great side dish for rice, dosa, idli or rotti!

Preparation Time: Max 5 mins

Cooking Time: 2 mins

Ingredients: (Serves 2-3)

For the chutney:

Cucumber peeled & chopped: Around 1 cup (refer notes)

Grated coconut: 3/4th cup, fresh or frozen

Lemon juice: 3/4th to 1 tsp

Green chillies: 3-4 nos

Salt: According to taste

For tempering:

Oil: 1 tsp

Mustard seeds: 1/4th tsp

Urad dal: 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves: 3-4 nos

Method:

Mix all the ingredients mentioned for the chutney. Add little water & make a coarse paste of it. Chutney should not be very fine! Adjust the salt. Scoop it out to a bowl. 

Prepare the tempering. Add oil in a small sauce pan. When oil is hot, throw in mustard seeds, followed by urad dal & curry leaves. When leaves wilt, pour in the tempering over the chutney prepared. 

Mix well & serve it with plain rice, idli or dosa!

Notes:

If cucumber is ripened, discard the seeds of the cucumber & then use it, otherwise use as is!

Sihi kumbalakai bolu huli | Pumpkin Sambar | Pumpkin Bolu huli : South Canara Recipe

The Udupi or South Canara cuisine is very vast. During every visit to my hubby's aunties house, I learn one new dish. One such dish learnt recently is bolu huli. My son loves the aroma of this sambar & everytime I make this, he is sure to say "amma(mom), what are you cooking? It is smelling very good!". He relishes it with matta rice(Kerala/Udupi red rice).

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients: (Makes around 5 cups of Sambar)

Pumpkin: 1.5 cups, diced

Toor dal: 1/2 cup cooked

Green chillies: 3 nos, adjust according to your family  needs
Turmeric: a pinch

Curry leaves: 5-6 nos, finely chopped

Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp, finely chopped

Asafoetida: a big pinch

Tamarind: 1 tsp, thick tamarind extract

Jaggery/Brown sugar: 1.5 tsp

Rasam powder: 1/2 tsp, optional

Salt: According to taste

Method:

• Add the diced pumpkin, turmeric, slit green chillies & 4 cups of water. Cook on med-high heat covered.
• When pumpkin is 3/4th done, add tamarind, jaggery, salt & cook on a med-low for another 5-7 mins. 
• Mash the cooked dal & dilute it with half a cup of water.
• Add the dal, curry leaves, asafoetida, rasam powder & coriander leaves. Boil on a medium heat for another 5 mins.
• Serve it hot with rice & fritters/papad or chutney.

Notes:

1. Adding a bit of rasam powder, gives a 'kick' to this bolu huli.
2. Do not skip asafoetida.It enchances the flavor.
3. You could make this bolu huli with other vegetables like egg plant or okra/ladies finger.

Sui/Butternut Squash Stew: Beginner Series

How do you feel when somebody calls you or mails you to get the recipe of a dish that he/she had tasted 5 years back? That is what I did to my hubby's aunt for the Sui recipe!I happened to eat Sui, a South Canara dish made with pumpkins many years before at my hubby's aunt's place. I loved it so much & after few days I completely forgot about it. After around five long years, I recalled about that dish & immediately called his aunt for the recipe. She was kind enough to give the recipe. I have made this many times after getting the recipe from her.

Don't go by the complicated name. Sui is a very simple yet amazingly flavorful dish. It is a perfect example of less is more! I do not know why it is called so. May be I should check with her again! 

Generally Sui is made with pumpkin, but I replaced with Butternut Squash.

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Butternut Squash: 3 cups, 1 inch cubed (peeled & de-seeded)

Water: 2 cups
Jaggery/Brown sugar: 1 to 1.5 tsp

Salt: According to taste

For spice paste:

Coconut: 3/4th cup
Raw rice: 1 tsp, optional (I did not add any!)

Cumin seeds: 1.5 tsp

Green chillies: 2-3 nos
For tempering:
Cooking oil: 1 tsp, preferably coconut oil
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: a sting
Asafoetida/Hing: a pinch
For garnish:
Coriander leaves/cilantro: 1 tbsp, finely chopped (optional)

Method:

Boil the cubed squash in 2 cups of water. Cook until tender & yet firm.

Meantime, make a fine paste of the ingredients mentioned for the spice paste. Add few tablespoons of water to make a smooth paste.

When the squash is almost done, add in the spice paste, salt & jaggery.

Reduce the heat to medium & cook for another 5-7 mins, until the flavors set in. Remove from heat.
Prepare the tempering. Add oil to a small sauce pan, when oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds followed by curry leaves. When leaves turn crisp, turn off the heat & add the asafoetida. Pour this tempering over the stew prepared & cover the stew with a lid. This is to ensure that the aroma of the tempering is held inside the stew

Let is sit for a minute or two. 
Garnish with coriander leaves & serve with rice or roti.

Notes:

• Adjust the consistency of the stew according to your needs.
• Rice is added for the spice paste to make the stew thick.
• If you feel the stew has turned thin, add 1.5 teaspoons of rice flour to 2 tbsp of water. Mix thoroughly & add it to the boiling stew. Reduced the heat to low & cook for another couple of minutes.