MYSORE MASALA DOSA

INGREDIENTS:

INGREDIENTS FOR IDLI BATTER:
Idli rice	2 cups
Orid dal(whole)	½ cup
Methi seeds	1 tsp
Salt	As per taste
Oil	As required
Butter	3-4 tbsp

INGREDIENTS FOR POTATO MASALA:
Onion	1 medium – chopped
Potatoes	2 large
Green chilies	2-3 - finely chopped
Ginger	1 tsp finely chopped
Mustard	½ tsp
Orid dal	½ tsp
Chana dal	½ tsp
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Coriander leaves	2 tbsp
Oil	1 tsp
Salt	to taste

INGREDIENTS FOR RED CHUTNEY:
Dry red chili	3-4
Chana dal	2-3 tbsp
Salt	¼ tsp
Onion/ Shallot	1 small

METHOD:

Preparing dosa batter:

• Take rice and orid dal in 2 separate bowls. Also add methi seeds to orid dal. Wash the rice and dal thoroughly for 2-3 times and soak them separately for 3-4 hours in water.
• In a mixer-grinder jar, grind orid dal to smooth paste adding water. Transfer the orid paste to a large mixing bowl. Now grind the rice to smooth paste and mix the rice paste with orid dal.  
• Let the batter ferment in room temperature overnight (8-10 hrs). After fermentation, add salt and mix the batter well.

Preparing potato masala:

• Cook potatoes in pressure cooker for 2 whistles. As pressure settles, open the cooker and let it cool down. Peel the skin off the potatoes and cut into cubes. Keep aside.
• In a pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add orid dal, chana dal, curry leaves, chopped ginger and green chilies. Fry for a while.
• Then add chopped onion and fry till onions are transparent. Now add cubed potatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Mix well and saute for 2-3 mins.
• Add ¼ cup of water. Cook for 2 minutes (till the water gets absorbed) and remove from flame. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Preparing spicy chutney:

• Heat ½ tbsp oil in a pan and roast chana dal and dry red chilies. Once dals are golden, transfer it to mixer jar. In the same pan, add chopped onions or shallots and saute until translucent.
• Add the sautéed onions and salt to the mixer jar and blend everything to a smooth chutney consistency.
• Transfer to bowl and keep aside.

Assembling the mysore masala dosa:

• Heat tawa or griddle on med flame. Pour a ladle full of batter and spread the batter on pan in circular motion to make thin dosa.  Sprinkle few drops of ghee or oil.
• Let the dosa cook on the top side. Now add 1 tbsp of chutney and ½ tsp of butter. Mix and spread the chutney all around the dosa.
• Now add a scoop of potato filling on top and fold the dosa.
• Serve the dosa hot with  chutney or sambar.

GREEN PEAS MASALA

INGREDIENTS:

Green peas (frozen)	1 cup
Onion	1 medium – chopped
Tomato	1 medium – chopped
Ginger	½ inch piece – chopped
Green chili	1-2
Coriander leaves	¼ cup
Salt	As per taste
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Garam masala powder	1 tsp
Kasoori methi	½ tsp
Cashew nut	5-6
Yoghurt	2 tbsp
Milk	¼ cup
Oil	1 tbsp

METHOD:

• Soak cashew nuts in warm water for 10 mins and then grind the soaked cashews with yoghurt in a mixer-grinder jar to a smooth paste. Instead of cashews, melon seeds can be used. Keep aside the ground paste.
• In a pan, heat ½ tbsp of oil and add chopped onion, ginger and green chili. Saute until onions turn translucent.
• Now add chopped tomatoes and saute till tomatoes turn slightly mushy. Add the coriander leaves and saute for another min and turn off the heat.
• Let the mixture cool down and then grind onion- tomato-coriander mixture into a smooth paste.
• In the same pan, heat the remaining ½ tbsp oil and add the ground onion-tomato -coriander paste.
• Saute on med flame until the paste is well cooked and oil starts to separate slightly. Now add cashew-yoghurt paste, turmeric powder and garam masala.
• Mix well and saute for 1-2 mins. Add green peas, salt and ½ cup warm water. Mix well and cook until the green peas are done.
• Add ¼ cup of milk or 2 tbsp of cream and crushed kasuri methi. Mix and let the gravy boil for another min. 
• Turn off the flame and garnish with few coriander leaves.
• Serve the green peas masala warm with roti or phulkas.

DAL TADKA

INGREDIENTS:

Toor dal	½ cup
Chana dal	¼ cup
Masoor dal	2 tbsp
Salt	As per taste
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Red chili powder	½ tsp
Onion	1 small finely chopped
Tomato	1 small chopped
Ginger	½ inch chopped
Green chili	1-2
Cumin seeds	½ tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Dry red chili	1 – broken into half
Oil	1 tbsp
Ghee	½ tbsp
Asafetida	A pinch
Coriander leaves	2 tbsp - chopped

METHOD:

• In a bowl, add toor dal, chana dal and masoor dal and wash them thoroughly. Soak them in 1.5 cup water for 20-30 mins.
• In a pressure cooker, heat 1 tbsp of oil and add chopped onions. Sauté the onions till they turn translucent.
• Now add chopped ginger and green chili. Saute for another min. Add chopped tomatoes, salt, ¼ tsp turmeric powder and ½ tsp red chili powder.
• Mix well and saute until tomatoes turn slightly mushy. Add the soaked dal along with the water and close the cooker. Cook for 3-4 whistles in medium flame.
• Once pressure releases, open the cooker and slightly mash the dal. Mix in the chopped coriander leaves and keep the dal aside.
• In a small tadka pan, heat ½ tbsp ghee. Add curry leaves, dry red chili, cumin seeds and asafetida. As cumin seeds splutter, add the tadka to dal and mix well.
• Serve the dal warm with rice or roti.

BEGUN BHAJA

INGREDIENTS:

Eggplant	1 medium size
Salt	To taste
Turmeric powder	½ tsp
Red chili powder	1 tsp
Garam masala powder	1tsp
Amchur powder	1 tsp
Rice flour	3 tbsp
Oil	As required

METHOD:

• Wash and pat dry the eggplant. Cut the eggplant into ½ inch thick round slices.
• Soak the eggplant slices in salted water for 15 mins. Remove the eggplant slices from salted water and lightly pat dry.
• In a small bowl, mix well salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder and amchur powder.
• Rub the spice mix on both the sides of eggplant and marinate for 10-15 mins.  In a plate, spread 3 tbsp of rice flour and coat each slice in rice flour.
• Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the eggplant slices on both sides until crisp and golden brown.
• Strain the fried slices from oil to kitchen tissue to remove excess oil.
• Serve the begun bhaja warm.

VEPPILAIKATTI

INGREDIENTS:

Citron leaves	40-50 leaves
Dry red chili	10-15
Salt	As per taste
Asafetida	1 tsp

METHOD:

• Wipe the citron leaves clean with a wet cloth or tissue. Then wipe it dry using another clean cloth or tissue so that there is no moisture in the leaves.

• Remove the veins (thick stem in middle of leaf) of all the citron leaves by tearing each leaf.

• In a kadai, dry roast 10-15 dry red chili until the chilies are roasted. Please adjust the quantity of chilies as per your spice level. Transfer the roasted chilies to a plate and let it cool down.

• Once chilies are cooled, add them to a mixer- grinder jar along with salt and asafetida. Grind it to a fine powder and keep the spice powder aside in a plate.
• Now in the same jar, add the torn leaves and grind it into fine powder. The leaves have lot of fiber, so you may notice lot of thin fiber strands when the leaves are powdered which is totally fine.

• Now mix well the powdered leaves with the spice powder either using spoon or mix it in the grinder jar by pulsing it once or twice.
• Once everything is mixed well, transfer it in an air tight container in the powdered form or make small roundels of the veppila katti and then store.  Refrigerate the veppila katti and always use a dry spoon.
• Enjoy the veppila katti with curd rice!

KAYA ERISSERY

INGREDIENTS:

Raw plantains	1 large
Kala chana	¼ cup
Salt	As per taste
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Black pepper powder	1 tsp
Coconut	3 tbsp + 1 tbsp  (grated)
Cumin seeds	½ tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Orid dal	½ tsp
Mustard seeds	½ tsp
Coconut oil	1 tbsp

METHOD:

• Wash and soak ¼ cup of kala chana in water for 6-8 hours or overnight. After soaking drain out the water and rinse the chana once more.
• Pressure cook the soaked chana in a cup of water for 4 whistles. 
• Meanwhile, wash the raw plantain thoroughly and trim both the ends. Cut the plantains into ½ inch thick semicircle pieces.  Keep aside the plantains in cold water to avoid discoloration.
• Once pressure releases from the cooker, open the cooker. Drain the water out and add the cut plantain pieces to the cooker. Also add salt, turmeric powder, and black pepper powder.
•  Cover the cooker and let everything (chana, plantain and spices) cook for 1 whistle.
• Grind 3 tbsp of grated coconut with cumin seeds into a smooth paste.
• After the pressure settles, open the pressure cooker and add the ground coconut paste and bring it to boil. Turn off the heat and keep aside.
• In a small tadka pan, heat coconut oil and add orid dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves and 1 tbsp of grated coconut. Fry until the mustard seeds splutter and coconut is roasted golden brown.
• Add the tempering to cooked erissery and mix well. Transfer to a bowl and serve with rice.

AMARAKKAI THORAN

INGREDIENTS:

Amarakkai / Broad beans	2 cups (chopped)
Salt	As per taste
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Oil	½ tbsp
Orid dal	½ tsp
Mustard seeds	½ tsp
Dry red chili	1 broken into half
Coconut	2-3 tbsp grated

METHOD:

• Trim both the ends of the beans and also remove the veins from the beans. Wash thoroughly and chop the beans finely.
• In a pan, cook the chopped beans with salt, turmeric powder and ½ cup water. Once cooked, keep aside.
• In a small tadka pan, heat ½ tbsp of oil. Add mustard seeds, orid dal, and broken red chili. As the seeds splutter, add the tempering to the cooked beans.
• Also add 2-3 tbsp of grated coconut. Mix everything well and transfer to serving bowl.
• Serve warm along with rice and sambar.