Cucumber Dosa | Southekai Dose | Cucumber Crepes : Gluten free and vegan recipe.

Learn how to make cucumber dosa | southekayi dose or gluten free crepes,

Cucumber dosa doesn't need any fermentation. It's very quick to make, gluten free, vegan and healthy dosa recipe. The specialty of this dosa is, it stays soft for hours. You can pack this for lunch and also eat it cold or at room temperature.

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: About 90 secs for each dosa

Soaking Time: 3-5 hours

Makes about 20 dosas

Ingredients:

Rice: 2 cups, refer notes

Cucumber: 2 medium sized or 1.5 large, refer notes

Salt: As needed

Water: As needed

Oil: A few drops for each dosa

Method:

Wash the rice thoroughly and soak the rice in enough water for 3-5 hours.
Drain the water from the rice. Reserve the drained water.

First add half the cucumber cubes and half the soaked rice to the mixie or food processor.

Do not add water while grinding the rice. The cucumber oozes out enough water to grind the rice to a smooth paste.

Repeat the grinding process until all the rice and cucumber is ground to a smooth paste.
Scoop out the paste in a sauce pan or a mixing bowl. 

Add enough water (you can use the drained water here!) and salt. Mix well.
Let it sit for 10 mins (not really needed though)
Heat a griddle. I use a cast iron griddle to make my dosas. Make dosas similar to rava dosa or neer dosa. You can refer the video here. You need to cook only one side for this dosa.

Serve the dosa hot or at room temperature with a chutney/dip of your choice. 

Notes:

• I have used sona masoori rice, basmati rice, and ponni rice to make this dosa. You can use any rice of your choice. I however do not recommend boiled rice or idli rice.
• I use the whole cucumber as is with the skin and the seeds. You could peel the skin, if you want to. I roughly use about 2 to 2.5 cups of 1 inch cubed cucumbers. 
• Try to use a tender cucumber in which the seeds are soft.
• You can add green chili if you wish. I do not add.
• It is important to add the cucumber cubes to the mixie jar or food processor first, followed by soaked rice.

Cucumber Salad | Southekai kosambari : A South Indian Cucumber Salad

After I started my Project365 blog, I feel I started neglecting my first baby. It's been a while since I posted anything here. Sorry guys!

Today's recipe is a very easy & yet tasty salad recipe that uses minimal ingredients. It's known as kosambari in Kannada. We generally add soaked lentils along with the cucumber to make this salad. Since, our family doesn't prefer the lentils, I skipped them & just made it with  cucumber. Do try this simple & healthy salad.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 1 min
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
Tender cucumber: 2 nos
Salt: As needed

For the tempering:
Oil: 1-2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves: 2-3 nos, torn
Green chilli: 1 no, slit
Asafoetida/hing: a pinch

For the garnish:
Grated coconut: 1 tbsp, fresh or frozen
Lemon juice: 1 tsp

Method:
Wash the cucumber thoroughly & slice off the ends of the cucumber. Peel the skin & chop it very fine.
If the cucumber is not tender, discard the seeds.

Prepare the tempering in a small wok. Add oil. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds. When mustard seeds crackle, add the curry leaves & green chilli. When curry leaves wilt, turn off the heat & add the hing/asafoetida.

Pour this tempering over the cucumber.

Add the salt, grated coconut, lemon juice & mix well.

Serve it immediately.

Notes: 
As the cucumber oozes out a lot of water, it is advisable to make this salad just before serving. You could chop the cucumber in advance (if needed!). But add the salt, tempering & the garnish just before serving!

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!

Radish greens salad: A bowl of good health!

Savi-Ruchi crossed 250 recipe mark with this post & yet this is my first salad recipe!! Unbelievable but true. Now you know my family's craving for salads :( However I & my sister are an exception. We both love salads. Recently my sis joined me for lunch & we both enjoyed eating salads. I prepared this radish salad & the bowl of salad was over in less than 15mins.

Though the radish leaves are a little bitter & a tad pungent ,they are edible & tasty too. Radish greens are the most nutritious part of the plant

Serves: 3-4 
Preparation Time: 10mins

Ingredients: 
Tender radish leaves: 2.5 cups, finely chopped
Red onion: 1, medium sized, finely chopped(Around 1/3rd cup)
Cucumber: 1/2 cup (Finely chopped)
Salt: According to taste
Pepper: 1/4 tsp, optional

For the salad dressing:
Olive oil: 1 tsp
Lemon juice: 2 tsp

For garnishing: 
Roasted sesame seeds: 2 tsp

Method: 
Mix together the raddish leaves, red onion & cucumber & refrigirate.
Just before serving, sprinkle the salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice & toss well.
Garnish with roasted sesame seeds & dig in!

Notes:

• Go ahead & add other veggies like grated carrots, grated radish or even some grated raw mango!
• To add crunchiness to the salad, add roasted nuts or sweet corn.
• There is no hard rule as to what proportion should the veggies be. Throw in whatever you like & enjoy.

Rave rotti(Semolina Roti)

This dish is requested by a reader of mine & she wanted me to publish it as early as possible. So.., here it goes for you & also to others who want to give it a try.


Ingredients:

Chiroti rava or small rava/semolina: 3.5 cups
Akki hittu/Rice flour: 1/2 cup
Anna/Cooked rice: A fistful/ondu hidi (optional, makes the rotti soft)
Carrot: 1/2 cup grated

Erulli/Onion: 1 medium sized (finely chopped, optional but recommended as this would give a crunchy effect to the dish)

Curry leaves: as much as you want (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves: a fistful (finely chopped)
Grated coconut: 3-4 tbsp
Salt: According to taste
Jeera/Jeerige/Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Mosaru/Curd/Yogurt: 1/2 cup (shouldn't be very sour)
Grated cucumber: 1/2 cup (this gives a totally different flavor to the rotti, but if you don't like you can discard it too)
Finely chopped green chillies: As much as you want (I normally do not add this, as my family likes it less or rather no spicy)

Oil: 1 tbsp for each rotti

Water: Roughly around 1 cup (use cucumber water as much as possible)

Method:

• Blend the cooked rice to make a smooth paste.
  
• Mix all the above ingredients mentioned. Make a dough similar to rice rotti dough.
• Pat it on the tava or a banana leaf, cook on both sides & serve with coconut chutney.

Notes:

1. If you want the rotti to be soft, decrease the rawa & increase the rice flour.
2. Do not pat the rotti very thin, keep it medium like parathas.
3. Add the oil generously as it helps in roasting the rotti better.
4. Feel free to add leafy vegetables like methi, dill to this rotti for different flavors & nutrients.

Southekayi Guliyappa (Cucumber rice balls)

Some of my friends have commented that I have reduced the number of posts/month. Sorry pals, I was busy with other activities. I hope to publish atleast once a week. Also, thanks for being regular to my blog.

Today's dish is....
Southekayi guliyappa (I know the title says it, he he)
This is a Udupi/Mangalorean delicacy. Adding vegetables to dosas, idli & paddu(guliyappa/gundpongalu/appe) is quite common in these regions. The abundant availability of cucumbers(yellow cucumbers popularly known as mangalore southe) would have made those creative ladies to come up with many dishes with cucumber as the main ingredient. You can see many versions of cucumber dosa, cucumber idli, cucumber rotti being prepared in their households. These Mangalore southe will be available with them 24/7 & on all 365 days a year. People preserve their home grown cucumbers until the next crop is ready :)

Southekayi guliyappa is a very simple breakfast/tiffin/snack item that doesn't need any fermentation & also no side dish to go along with. There are sweet & savory version of the cucumber guliyappa. I prefer a savory one & hence giving you the recipe of the same ;) Sweet version is also equally tasty & loved by the sweet toothed people (not my type...)

Ingredients:
Raw rice: 3 cups (preferably use sona masoori or ponni rice)
Grated cucumber: Around 1.5 cups (remove the seeds if the cucumber is ripened)
(I use normal green cucumbers as I dont get yellow cucumbers here. It tastes good with green ones too)Grated coconut: 1 tbsp (fresh or frozen, optional)
Finely chopped onion: 1/2 cup (1 medium onion)
Curry leaves: 3 tbsp (finely chopped)
Green chilli: 3 no (finely chopped)
Salt: According to taste
Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp (finely chopped)



Method:

• Soak the rice in water for about 4-5hours.
• Drain the water & prepare a smooth paste out of it. Donot add much water as the grated cucumber oozes out water.
• Squeeze out the water from the grated cucumber.
• Add all the above mentioned ingredients(including grated cucumber) to the rice paste. Mix it well. Adjust the batter by adding the cucumber water. (Batter should be of dropping consistency & not pouring)
• Heat the appe/guliyappa pan. Add few drops of oil to each mould. Add 2 tbsp of the batter to each mould & cook it on a low heat for 2-3minutes. Turn the guliyappa & cook on the other side too.
• Serve it straight from the pan drizzled with some home made ghee.

Tips:

1. Rub the ends of the cucumber well. Also, it is better to taste the cucumber before adding it to the batter. Some cucumbers will be bitter. If the cucumber is bitter, then discard them & use another cucumber.
2. Ensure the batter is of normal idli batter consistency.
3. Eat these appe/guliyappa hot or atleast warm. If this guliyappa is consumed after it reaches room temperature, it becomes chewy.
4. Use tender cucumber for better results.

Southekayi Majjige Huli (Cucumber Yogurt Curry)

Majjige Huli is a kannada word & the literal translation of this would be thin yogurt curry. Our family has mixed likings for majjige huli. Me & my sister are ardent fans of it whereas my father doesnt like this. My granny agrees to eat this only with mudde(finger millet balls) and my hubby treats this as as just another sambar/curry. Now, coming to my son's choice, at present, he doesnt like it. My mom understood everybody's needs & used to satisfy everyone. There used to be mudde (for herself, dad and granny) and ambode(deep fried chana dal snack) for others along with majjige huli. Few other times, there used to be Majjige menasu (dried fried green chilli), as well.

I leave the choice to you, you can either prepare mudde(finger millet balls), ambode or majjige menasu along with majjige huli or simply relish the dish with rice & papad or pickle.


Ingredients:

1 medium sized old cucumber/mangalore southekayi

1 cup curd (it should be little sour)

½ inch ginger (grated)

1 tbsp channa dal soaked in water for 30mins

3-4 curry leaves

1/4th cup coriander leaves/cliantro

¼ tsp fenugreek/methi seeds

1 cup grated coconut

3 green chillies

Salt according to taste

1 broken red chilli

½ tsp mustard seeds

A generous pinch of hing/asafoetida

1 tsp oil

Method:

• Peel the skin & remove the seeds of the old cucumber. Chop it into 1 inch sized cubes. Add little water & cook the vegetable until soft.


• Meantime, make a fine paste of coconut, green chilli, ginger, methi seeds, coriander leaves & soaked channa dal.


• Add salt & the paste to the cooked vegetables & boil it.


• Beat the curd for 30 secs, add equal amount of water & make thin butter milk out of it.


• Add this butter milk to the boiling mixture & reduce the flame.


• Cook this for 5 minutes (the mixture should just start to boil). Ensure to switch off the flame immediately (don’t over boil the mixture as it contains butter milk)


• Prepare the tempering in a separate pan, by adding oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, broken red chilli & hing (in the same order mentioned). Pour this over the mixture prepared.


• Serve it hot with rice & majjige menasu (fried chilli)

PS: This curry is best to be consumed hot as it has butter milk, the curry may turn sour if it is not used for 4-5 hours (again depends on the outside temperature…)

This recipe goes to Neha of "Tasty recipes" who is guest hosting "AFAM-Cucumber", an event started by Maheswari.