Whole Moong Dosa and Instant Mango Pickle - Maanga Curry

I am used to having filling breakfast like idli/dosa/pongal. Oats porridge, cornflakes ,muffins or energy bars can't find place at breakfast table. I like to have variety in breakfast at the same time making it healthy too. These whole moong dosa do appear in our breakfast table once in a fortnight. The soaking time is less compared to our usual dosa. Also no fermentation required. Split moong dal can also be used in place of whole moong, though the taste will be different. I prefer whole moong for the fibre content. This is similar to Andhra pesarattu. I believe, in Pesarattu, only whole moong is used.

you will need
1 cup raw rice
1 cup whole moong
1 inch piece ginger
3 green chillies
few curry leaves
2 medium sized onions (optional)

Yields 12 dosas.

Wash and soak raw rice and whole moong for 4-5 hours. Grind them along with ginger, green chillies and curry leaves, to a not too smooth batter. You can grind this in the mixer grinder also and batter can be slightly coarse too.

Before making the dosas, mix in the finely chopped onions to the batter. I haven't added this time. Of course adding onions enhances the taste. Make slightly thick dosas and cook both sides. You can cook it either soft or crisp according to your taste.

I served with fresh instant mango pickle. During summer, when raw mangoes are freely available, this pickle was part of our meal on almost all days. Its very easy to make and there is not much of a recipe for that. the pickle needs only 15 minutes of standing time after it is made to start consuming. Didn't I tell you its instant. I usually don't add too much of chilly powder since my husband usually eats it like a veggie side. when served during feasts, usually it will have a red color because of the chilly powder. I wonder now a days, the caterers do add a pinch of red color to give that fiery touch to it.

For the pickle, you need
1 raw, slightly sour mango
salt to taste
2 tspn of chilli powder (adjust to taste)
a big pinch of hing
1 tspn mustard seeds
2 tblspn of gingely oil

chop the mangoes into bite sized pieces. Heat oil in a small pan/karandi. When hot add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add hing, chilli powder and salt. Remove from immediately to retain the red color of chilli. Mix into the chopped mango. Mix well. Leave it for 15 minutes for the flavors to blend in.
It goes very well with curd rice and practically with anything at my home.

I am sending the plate of moong dosa to showcase at Dil Se's Breakfast table , to MLLA 13 guest hosted at TongueTicklers , an event started by Susan and to Padma's Dosa Corner

The jar of instant pickle makes it to Mango Mela at Valli's

Urulaikizhangu Roast - Potato Roast

Urulaikizhangu Roast - Potato Roast

The market is flooded with a great variety of colourful vegetables. But one never returns without the brown round insipid looking tuber in the shopping bag every time one goes to the green grocer. The same tuber when combined with our favourite spices turns out to be a fire brand elevating our spirits to the highest heavens. Potatoes! The darling vegetable of every connoisseur! Urulaikizhangu (potato) roast tops the list of a menu plan for any special occasion.

Urulaikizhangu roast is simple and easy to prepare, yet it is a delicacy which steals the hearts of young and old alike. Roast prepared with baby potatoes is a star attraction in dinner parties. My grand children like to finish off their meal with only a bowl of potato roast.
Since my potatoes were slightly bigger than the usual baby potatoes, I have halved them before spicing them up.

INGREDIENTS:
Baby potatoes – 1kg
Salt – 3/4 tbsp
Sambar powder (this one!) – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Split black gram dal (urad dal) – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Cooking oil – 4 tbsp

METHOD:
1. Wash the baby potatoes well. Take some water in a pressure cooker. Take the potatoes in a separate vessel, and place the vessel in the pressure cooker, over the water. Avoid adding water directly along with the potatoes. Cook for one whistle on High Flame, and one on Medium Flame, and then switch off the cooker.
2. Thoroughly cool and then peel the potatoes, one by one, taking care not to mash them up.
3. Leave it in the fridge for half an hour until they cool down and become a bit firm.
4. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add mustard seeds.
5. When it splutters add the black gram dal.
6. When the dal turns golden in colour, reduce the flame.
7. Add curry leaves, turmeric powder, sambar powder and the salt.
8. Now drop in the cold potatoes and gently turn them around with a spatula, until they are entirely coated with the oil and spices.
9. Increase flame and stir for a few more minutes.
10. Now again decrease flame and let the potatoes get roasted slowly.
11. Roast until they acquire the desired crispness (about 40 minutes). Stir now and then for even roasting and to prevent the potatoes from getting burnt.

Relish the urulaikizhangu roast while still hot and sizzling. Crispy spicy crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside - it is sure to take you to soaring heights!

Variation: These can be made with regular potatoes as well, by chopping them into small pieces. They need not even be pressure cooked, and you can simply begin with Step 4. This takes longer to get cooked and roasted, but tastes wonderful.

Note from Dibs: Almost every cuisine has some form of roasted potato or the other, and I have tasted many of them! An aloo bhajja, a hash brown, or the urulaikizhangu roast, are all distinctly different – not just because of the spices – but the manner in which they are cooked!

There are potato roasts, and then there are the ultimate potato roasts! I have made this recipe several times, and while every time the results are good, it takes patience with cooking on a low flame, and practice with making sure all parts of the potato get sufficient time to sit at the bottom of the vessel, to get that absolutely ultimate - perfect even golden roast - wonderfully crispy outside, soft and well cooked inside!

And then …if I’m feeling very lazy, I just pop the potatos in the oven at step 10. This tastes great as well – but then it is not just quite the same!

Dry Fruits Bar for "Show me your breakfast" event

I bought a pack of assorted dry fruits and nuts and thought of trying breakfast bars with it. It turned out very tasty.

Today's breakfast is Dry fruits bar, chopped strawberries and a glass of milk!

Ingredients:
Assorted dry fruits(cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachio, hazel nuts, roasted chick peas, raisins, dry figs, dried apricots, banana chips, dried cranberries and/or any other nuts/dry fruits you like)-1 cup(approximately 1.5 tbs each dry fruit)
Dates(Seedless)-10
Cardamom-1/2 tsp

Method:
Blend all the ingredients together till the mixture becomes slightly wet from the natural oil present in the nuts. Shape them into bars.

Sending this to Show me your Breakfast! - July 10th event.