White Dhokla

Recently, I was invited to a cookery demonstration of authentic Gujarati dishes by two wonderful Gujarati ladies. While the demo was in process (i.e. steaming and heating was underway), she enlightened us with some tips and some other recipes of Gujarat.
She spoke of this “white” dhokla which later on I learnt that, it is also called as “Khatta” (meaning “sour” in Hindi) Dhokla. We all made a note of this recipe too. I felt that this could be easily named as “Idli” with a twist ! - Because the main batter used in the recipe is the Idli batter (Udad dal and Rice).

People from the south of India can easily try this out as normally idlis are prepared at least once a week in their homes. Incidentally, I had just prepared idly batter and had kept it for fermentation before leaving for the demo !

The next day, before steaming the idlis, I kept aside one cup of the batter to try out this new recipe. Believe me, it turned out super soft and fluffy and delicious. I also shared this with my neighbour who loved it.

So from one idli batter, you can prepare two different dishes – one from Southern India and one from Western India (Gujarat) ! Isn't that wonderful ?

In the meantime, I shall try out the two recipes which was demonstrated and shall put them up in my blog. So watch out for the recipes in my next posts.

Ingredients:

Idli Batter 1 cup Sour Curd 2 tbsp Green chilies (chopped) 1 or 2 Ginger (chopped) 1inch piece Asafetida A pinch Oil 1 tbsp Soda 1/4 tsp Salt As per taste Crushed pepper 1 tsp
Method: Take a bowl, add all the above ingredients except crushed pepper and mix it well and keep aside. Take a greased “thali” / steel plate and pour the above prepared mixture into it and give the plate a gentle shake so that the mixture is evenly spread. Now sprinkle the crushed pepper on top of the spread mixture. Lastly, place the plate in a pressure cooker (without the whistle) or a steamer and steam the contents for about 12-15 mins. Remove and allow it to cool. When slightly cooled, cut it into squares or diamond shapes and serve as it is or with any chutney of your choice.
Ingredients (except crushed pepper) added After additon of soda (or eno) The mixture poured into a greased plate and crushed pepper sprinkled on top - ready for steaming  Removed from the steamer Dhoklas cut into squares
Preparation time: 10 mins Cooking time: 12-15 mins Makes : about 20 squares (depending upon the size)
Note : Preparation of idli batter : One measure Udad dal (split black gram) and 2 measures raw rice. Wash and soak them separately in water for about 8 -10 hours or keep it overnight. Next day, drain the water. First, grind udad dal to a smooth paste and then rice coarsely. Mix them thoroughly. Add salt and mix again and keep it overnight for fermentation. The idli batter is ready for preparing idlis or white dhoklas. In this recipe, I used eno (1 level tsp) instead of soda. I used a steel plate measuring 8 inches in diameter. While pouring the batter in the plate, ensure that it is only three fourths filled - leaving room for the batter to rise while steaming.

Spicy Green Gram Idli (Sanna Khotto)

This spicy idli is not a breakfast dish. It is served as a side-dish with a teaspoon of coconut oil dribbled on top of the pieces. ( If you are averse to coconut oil, you can omit it. It still tastes great.)  We “Amchis” (Konkani speaking people) call it “Sanna Khotto” and we love our coconut oil on specific dishes (to name a few - Pathrado, Humman etc) and this is one of them. Traditionally, it is prepared with rice only or with rice and green gram and is steamed in cups stitched with leaves from jack-fruit tree and the cup prepared in this way, is known as “Khotto”.  This can also be steamed like normal idlis in greased idli cups.

I have omitted rice totally in this recipe and steamed it in a greased steel plate. It tasted wonderful.

Ingredients:

Green gram (Moong)	¾ cup
Coconut gratings	½ cup
Roasted red chilies	4-5
Tamarind pallet	Marble size
Asafetida (hing)	¼ tsp
Salt	As per taste
Oil	For smearing the plate

Method:

1. Wash and soak the green gram for about 2-3 hours and then drain the water.
2. Grind the soaked green gram along with coconut gratings, roasted red chilies, tamarind, asafetida and salt with very little water to a coarse (like semolina) paste.
3. Grease a steel plate with oil and spread the ground mixture evenly in it and steam it in a pressure cooker (without the whistle) or in a steamer for about 35 - 40 mins or until done.
4. When slightly cooled, cut it into squares.
5. Serve hot.

Ingredients

Ingredients ground to a coarse paste

 

              Ground paste spread evenly on a greased steel plate

Steaming under process

Just removed from the steamer

Cut into square shapes when slightly cooled

Placed in a serving bowl

Makes: 16 pieces

Note:

• Chopped onions can be added if desired to the ground mixture instead of asafetida.
• Another variation is:  chopped spinach when added to the ground mixture also enhances its taste.

‘Kanangaa Daadau” Sweet Potato Snack

“Kanangaa” means Sweet Potato in Konkani language.  This humble tuber is available throughout the year and is also easy to prepare and is healthy too.  Recent research recommends sweet potato instead of the regular potato to diabetic patients.

My late sister-in-law had introduced me to this simple and tasty dish. The actual recipe is prepared by boiling the sweet potato and then mashing them to a pulp. And the final “tadka” or seasoning  given on top. It’s as simple as that.

I have made a slight change in the recipe i.e. instead of mashing them I have cut them into cubes as I feel it is more appealing. It is generally said that “you eat with your eyes first”! But, when I am in a hurry, I simply mash it as I know for sure that the taste remains the same (either in cubed or mashed form) !

Kanangaa Daadau

Steamed Sweet Potato

Steamed and cubed Sweet Potato

Ingredients:

Sweet potato (boiled or steamed)	1 large
Salt	As per taste
For seasoning
Oil	3 tsps
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Green chilies (chopped)	1
Asafetida	A pinch
For Garnish
Corriander leaves (chopped)	1 tbsp
Grated coconut (optional)	1 tbsp
Lime juice	1 tsp

Method:

1. Cut the boiled or steamed Sweet potato when cooled into cubes and keep aside.
2. Heat a non-stick pan or kadai.  Add oil and mustard seeds and salt. When the mustard seeds starts spluttering, lower the heat and add the chopped (or slit)green chilies, curry leaves and asafetida.
3. Now add the boiled and cubed sweet potatoes (keeping the flame low) and mix it gently (so as to prevent the sweet potatoes from getting mashed) for a minute or two.
4. Remove from flame and garnish with lime juice, coriander leaves and grated coconut.
5. Serve hot.

Serves: 2

Note:

This is a very tasty and healthy evening snack for children as well as adults alike.

Palak "Patradau" (Spinach Rolls)

This is a typical Mangalorean (Konkani) dish – something to die for (at least for some)!! It is generally made out of colocasia leaves. Some of these leaves, even after cooking, leave an itchy sensation in the throat after consuming it.

My problem was that no matter how good the leaves were, my husband always felt that it is irritating his throat - with the result, I had almost stopped making this dish. Then one fine day, when he brought fresh Palak (spinach) from the market, (the leaves were huge) and my husband just jokingly said maybe you should try making pathradau out of palak rather than colocasia leaves.

Since then, I have been making this dish out of palak.

Ingredients:

Palak (spinach) leaves	40
Green gram whole	1 cup
Raw rice	¼ cup
Grated Coconut	1 cup
Dry Red chillies	3-4
Tamarind pellet	the size of a bean
Asafoetida	¼ tsp
Salt	to taste

Method :

• Wash and soak the green gram for about two hours.
• Pick and wash only the large size leaves (cut off the stem) and dry them on a towel.
• Grind the soaked green gram along with raw rice, grated coconut, dry red chilies,
• tamarind pellet, asafoetida and salt using least amount of water to a smooth paste.
• On the chopping board, place a spinach leaf with its backside up and the stalk end
• towards you. Smear the ground paste evenly all over the surface. Then place
• another leaf over it and repeat the smearing process till 7-8 leaves. Then fold the
• sides inwards and smear the paste on the fold. Then roll gently but firmly from the
• stalk end to the tip in the form of a cylinder.
• When the rolls are done, place them on a greased plate and steam them for about 25-30 mins or till done.
• When cooled, cut it into thick slices and serve immediately.

Note :

From 40 leaves, I made 5 rolls (each containing 8 leaves)

These can be eaten as it is or to make it tastier, it can be rolled in semolina and shallow fried in a pan on both sides till golden brown.

Kothmeer Wadi (Coriander Cutlet)

Here’s wishing everybody a very Happy New Year !

I am writing my blog after a long break. Actually, my computer had a break-down ! The hard disc had crashed and due to which I lost a lot of my text documents (including my recipes). I will now have to retype them all over again. Luckily, all the photos were saved. I now have a new hard disc and so here I am !

Kothmeer Wadi - Steamed Roll

Kothmeer Wadi - Lightly fried slices

Kothmeer Wadi as the name suggests, is a typical Maharashtrian dish. This is very tasty dish/snack It is generally prepared when coriander leaves are available in plenty. I prepared this last week and thought I shall share this with you.

Ingredients :

Channa Dal (yellow split gram)	¾ cup
Corriander leaves	1 big bunch
Cummin (jeera) seeds	1 tsp
Green chillies	3- 4
Coconut scrapings (optional)	2 tbsps
Asafoetida	a pinch
Salt	to taste

Method

1. Clean and wash channa dal ( yellow split gram) and soak it in water for two hours. Drain. Then grind it coarsely without adding water.
2. Clean and wash coriander leaves (use the stems too if they are tender) and drain and chop it finely and keep aside.
3. Grind cumin, garlic, green chillies, asafoetida and coconut scrapings (if using) with a little water to a fine paste.
4. Now mix the (1, 2, & 3) ground gram, chopped coriander leaves, and the ground paste. Add salt.
5. Mix well.
6. Take half the quantity of this mixture and roll it with hand to form a thick roll as in the above picture. Alternatively, this mixture can be tightly filled upto the brim in a coffee mug (lined with a little oil) and the mug overturned with a sharpjerk to get a neat roll.

7. Once all the rolls are made (roughly 2-3 rolls) steam them (without the whistle) in a cooker for 15 minutes
   
8. When cooled, cut each roll into ¾” slices.
9. Fry these slices on both sides with a little oil in a frying pan till lightly brown.
10. Serve hot.

Note:

These slices, when cooled can be preserved in the fridge for a few days. The slices need not be fried all at once.

This dish can be served as a side dish or as a snack by itself.

Cucumber Idli

My first blog post!! My daughter encouraged me to create this blog and start archiving some of the traditional konkani dishes ( and others). Suggestions and comments would be greatly appreciated.



My mother used to make "Cucumber Muddhe" (Dumplings), which was a traditional konkani evening snack. She also taught me to make "Dahi Idli" (Yoghurt RiceCakes).
I have combined both to create my own recipe. And thus, on a fateful Sunday evening, was born the Cucumber Idli.

Preparation Time: 15-20 min
Cooking Time: 10-12 min

Ingredients

Cucumber	1
Fine Sooji	1 cup
Curds (Slightly sour)	1 cup
Green chilies (chopped)	2
Ginger (chopped)	1” piece
Baking-soda or Eno	1 tsp
Salt	1 tsp or as per taste
Oil (for greasing)	1 tsp

Method

1. Grind roughly the chopped green chilies and ginger along with the salt.
2. Grate the cucumber and keep aside. Discard the seeds if they are not tender.
3. In a vessel mix the grated cucumber and the chilly-ginger-salt mix.
4. To this mixture, add the sour curd and eno/baking soda and mix well.
The mixture will froth slightly.
5. Grease a plate/thali with the oil and pour the mix into it.
6. Steam this in a cooker (without the whistle) for 10-12 mins.
7. When slightly cooled, cut it into pieces. Serve hot.

Notes
Bansi Rawa can be used instead of fine sooji.
Coriander leaves and Curry leaves can also be added to the mixture.
Chutney is optional, the idli should be eaten hot with a dollop of white butter.

This does not keep well for more than a day in tropical climates, refrigerate if you are not consuming it on the same day. To re-heat, place it in a water bath for about 7-8 min.

FYI

My recipe also appeared in the CityPlus Weekly Issue, (Koramangala) Bangalore edition (3rd Apr 2009)

If you don't know some of the Indian ingredients used here, you may find this glossary useful.