AKKI ROTTI AND RAGI ROTTI with Coconut chutney and Paneer peas gravy

Akki rotti or rice flour rotti and Ragi rotti are very popular and heatlhy breakfast dishes in Karnataka. The preparation method is the same for both. Very time consuming so prepare on a Sunday morning till you perfect it.  I prepared these for breakfast today.

I have served with coconut chutney and peas paneer gravy to a get a balanced meal.

Ingredients:

1. Rice flour/ Ragi flour – 2 cups
2. Water – 3 cups
3. Coconut oil – 1 teaspoon
4. Chopped onion   – 3 table spoon (optional)
5. Grated coconut   – 3 tablespoon (optional)
6. Green chili  – 2 finely chopped
7. Coriander leaves – 2 teaspoons finely chopped
8. Curry leaves – 2 teaspoons finely chopped
9. Ginger – 1 teaspoon finely chopped
10. Salt        – 1 teaspoon
11. Perungayam   – ½ teaspoon
12. Banana leaf –  4 to 5 (10 inch square pieces)

Method:

• In a heavy bottomed pan bring 3 cups water to boil. Lower the flame. Add salt and ½ teaspoon oil and slowly fold in the flour. Mix well to a smooth ball and take off the stove. Cover and leave to cool.
• Once the dough is cool add chopped onion, grated coconut, chopped coriander, curry leaves, ginger, green chili and Perungayam. Mix well and divide into orange sized balls.
• Wash and wipe the banana leaf and grease with a little coconut oil and spread the dough into 3 mm thin rounds.
• Heat tawa on high flame and invert the prepared roti along with the banana leaf. Remove the leaf carefully.

Cook the rotti on a medium flame on both sides till brown dots appear. Serve hot with coconut chutney and any gravy of your choice.

 

Coconut chutney:

Ingredients:

1. Grated coconut – 1 cup
2. Green chili – 2
3. Curry leaves       – 5 leaves
4. Goose berry – 1 (seeded)
5. Channa dal – 1 table spoon
6. Perungayam – a small piece
7. Red chili – 2
8. Til oil – 1 teaspoon
9. Salt – ½ teaspoon

For seasoning:

1. Til oil – 1 teaspoon
2. Mustards seeds  – 1 teaspoon
3. Urad dal             – 1 teaspoon

Method:

• Heat 1 teaspoon oil and fry channa dal perungayam and red chili  till golden brown.
• Add all other ingredients and grind to a paste adding till water.
• Season with mustard and urad dal fried in 1 teaspoon oil.

Paneer and peas in Tomato gravy.

Ingredients:

1. Tomato – 3 cut into chunks and pureed
2. Peas – 1 cup
3. Paneer – ½ cup (cubed)
4. Ghee – 2 teaspoons
5. Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
6. Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon
7. Kasuri methi – 1 table spoon
8. Garam masala powder – ½ teaspoon
9. Thick curd (beaten) – 1 tablespoon
10. Turmeric powder -1/2 teaspoon
11. Perungayam                – ¼ teaspoon
12. Salt – ¾ teaspoon

Method:

• Cut tomatoes into big chunks sauté for a few minutes and grind to a puree. You can also leave the tomatoes in hot water and remove skin and grind to a puree.
• Heat ghee in a kadai add peas and paneer and sauté on low flame. Add turmeric powder and perungayam.
• Add the tomato puree, salt and ½ cup water cover and cook for 5 minutes on a low flame.
• Add all other ingredients and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes on low flame.

This gravy is a low  fat version of Paneer mutter. Can be served with Chapathis and ghee rice as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thavalai Adai

Thavalai Adai is a variation of adai. It is steamed in a vengala paanai or handi instead of tawa.

This dish must be prepared leisurely and served hot.

 

Ingredients

• Boiled Rice : 3 cups
• Toordal       : 1 cup
• Channa dal : 1 cup
• Urad dal      : 1 cup
• Coconut      : 1/2 cup ( grated)
• Red chillies : 4 nos
• Curry leaves : 2 twigs
• Oil                 : 2 table spoons
• Salt to taste

 

Method

1. Wash and soak boiled rice for 1 hour. Wash and soak the dals separately.
2. Coarsely grind boiled rice, add the dals, red chillies and grind to a coarse and thick batter.
3. Add salt, coconut and roughly chopped curry leaves and mix well.
4. Heat a vengala paanai ( Bronze pot) on medium flame and spread 2 teaspoons oil.
5. Spread two table spoons of batter into thick adai and make a hole in center.
6. Cover the paanai with a shallow bowl filled with one glass of water.
7. Cook over low flame for 3 to 4 minutes. Once vapour rises from the bowl the adai will be cooked well.
8. Remove carefully with a spoon. Prepare all the adais in the same way.
9. Serve hot with Avial, Pulikaichal or vethal kuzhambu.

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Thayir Paniyaram

Tiffin/Palaharam in Tamil Nadu was once usually served in the evening as snacks.  That snack has been upgraded to breakfast fare, served with atleast one vegetable-lentil/coconut based side dish, thogayal/ chutney and curd. (If like my appa, you subsist on 95% vegetable diet, you will add a salad/soup).  In the not so distant past, people  ate what we eat for lunch as breakfast, a practice that is not uncommon even today. You know you are in Tamil Nadu if you see people waking up at 5am to eat a gigantic lunch at 9am.

No breakfast is repeated for atleast a month at Amma’s. Yes, she is that rare breed of modern day Tamilian not to have Idli/Dosa Maavu forever in the fridge, because she makes them just once in a month. And she doesn’t even go beyond the South Indian cuisine much as far as breakfast is concerned.  This isn’t surprising considering the agriculture obsessed South Indian culture that not just worships the grains but prepares them using a wide range of techniques. At times the breakfast may just consist of steamed or roasted vegetables served with suitable sides.  Variety needs inspiration, and it is a value to be incorporated from the earlier generation. Even on the standard Iyengar diet that excludes entire food groups including many vegetables, my Patti put together meals that were diverse with  fresh experiences in flavour and texture. Cooking techniques, not just the spices, were used to render different flavours.

Thayir paniyaram is one such inspired recipe, created by altering the method of cooking for an existing dish (no prizes for guessing, but you may try).

tbsp=tablespoon, tsp=teaspoon, cup=standard metric cup measuring 250ml

Ingredients

• Par Boiled rice – 1 cup
• Urad dal – 1 tablespoon
• Grated coconut – 2 tbsp (heaped)
• Curry leaves – 1 twig
• Red chillies – 2
• Sour Curd (Yogurt) – 1 cup
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

1. Wash and drain the par boiled rice and urad dal. Add to the sour curd(yogurt) and soak overnight for 6-8 hours.
2. Grind to a smooth batter adding grated coconut, red chillies and salt. Add curry leaves towards the end of grinding the batter.  The batter must be thick but of pouring consistency (similar to cake batter).
3. Heat the paniyaram pan, add a drop of oil to each of the moulds and pour the batter.
4. Cover and cook over a medium flame. When the paniyarams start to puff up and  separate from the pan, turn them over and cook the other side. Transfer to serving dish. Repeat for the rest of the batter.

I served it with Green Tomato Chutney and Poricha Kuzhambu.

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Venn Pongal

A Saatvik dish

Preparation time 5 minutes, Cooking time 8 minutes, Serves 2

Ingredients

Raw Rice 1 and a 1/2 cup

Moong dal 1/2 cup

Black Peppercorns 1 teaspoon

Jeera 1 teaspoon

Ghee 3 tablespoon

Finely chopped ginger 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves a few

Cashewnuts 10

Salt 3/4 teaspoon

Wash the rice and moong dal together . Add 5 cups water and pressure cook for around 8 minutes. In the meantime, coarsely grind the pepper and jeera. Chop the cashew in pieces and fry in ghee till golden. Take off the stove and add pepper, jeera powder, cashew, ginger and curry leaves.After the pressure is released add the fried ingredients and mix well.

Serve hot with Sambar or Gothsu.

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Rava Idli

Rava Idlis can be extremely delicious – can actually be super quick unlike popular perception.

Preparation time – 10 minutes, Cooking time-6minutes, Serves 4

Ingredients

Rava 2 cups

Curds 1 and1/2 cups

Oil 2 tablespoons

Ghee 2 teaspoons

To be finely chopped

Green chillies 2 nos

Coriander 6 twigs

Curry leaves 2 twigs

For seasoning – 1 teaspoon each of urad dal, channa dal, and mustard seeds

Baking soda 1/2teaspoon

Salt 3/4teaspoon

Method

Spread rava on a microwave safe plate and microwave in high mode for 90 seconds. You can alternatively also dry roast the rava for a little over a minute in a kadai.

Heat oil in a kadai add mustard seeds first, and then add the dals. When the dals turn golden add finely chopped chillies, corriander and curry leaves. Cook on a medium fire for 2 minutes. Add the rava mix well and turn off the gas.

Add ghee, baking soda,salt and curds to the rava mixture and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons water to the batter.Pour the batter in greased idly trays and steam in a pressure cooker for 6 minutes (without weight). Take out the idlies after 5 minutes.

Serve hot with Mulagai Podi (South Indian Gun Powder) or any chutney of your choice.

Tip: You can refrigerate the rava mixture in a food grade air tight container for about four to five days. Take desired quantities of the mixture and add ghee/ curds whenever you need to make yummy rava idlis. Can also be steamed in a microwave idli container.

Update: Sent to RCI Karnataka hosted by Asha at Foodie’s Hope.

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Delicious Tricolour Pancakes

Stumbled upon this mouth watering recipe during one of my many kitchen experiments. Try this delicious dish which is something between a South Indian Quick Dosa and a tasty Pancakes.

Ideal for a quick, yet, nutritious breakfast.

Ingredients

Maida 1cup

Cornflour 1cup

Milk 1cup

Water 3/4cup

Salt to taste

Grated carrot 1/2cup

Finely chopped spring onion 1/2cup

Finely chopped green chilly 2 nos.

Oil 1/4cup

Method

Mix all ingredients except oil. Beat well till the lumps dissolve to get the batter.

Heat a Nonstick tawa in medium fire. Spread the batter quickly and evenly, just as you would while making dosas. Sprinkle 1tsp oil. When cooked turn the pancake and cook till done.

Maintaining heat of the tawa at just the right level is very important to get this dish right.

Serve hot with any Chutney or Sauce.

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