South Indian Food

Masala Dosa 

Ingredients :- 1 cup par-boiled rice, 1/4 cup black gram (urad dal), 3 Tbsp toor dal, 3 Tbsp semolina, 1 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek seeds), Salt - to taste.

Ingredients For the dosa masala :- 250 gm potatoes, 1 cup onions - finely sliced, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp chopped ginger, 2 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves, Green chillies - to taste, Salt - to taste, Oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 sprig of curry leaves.
Ingredients For Red Chutney :- 5-6 cloves garlic, A dash of ginger, 2 red chillies, 1/2 onion, chopped, 2 Tbsp fried chana dal, Salt to taste.

Method :- Soak all the ingredients except semolina for about four hours. Mix the semolina, salt and water.  Make a batter and keep it aside overnight to ferment. 

Method For the dosa masala :- Boil and peel the potatoes and mash them. Grind the garlic, coriander leaves, green chillies and onions to make a paste. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds to it. Saute the remaining onions in it. Add the paste and fry for some time. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, salt and curry leaves.
Method For the red chutney :- Roast the chana dal, until slightly browned. You could roast the onion, garlic and ginger for a minute also or just add them raw to the blender. Mix all ingredients and blend to form a paste.
Method For the dosa :- Heat a little oil in a pan and spread the dosa batter over it. Pour oil around the dosa and fry well. Smear the dosa with the red chutney. Place some filling in the dosa, fold and serve hot.

                                                                                             
Andhra Style Chicken Curry
Ingredients :- 3 Tbsp refined oil, 1 bay leaf, 3 green cardamom, 3 cloves, 1 small stick cinnamon, 1 onion, sliced, 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 kg chicken, cut into bite size pieces, 1 tsp turmeric, Salt, to taste, 2 cups water, 2 green chillies, slit, A handful of curry leaves, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 Tbsp cashew nuts - poppy seed paste (Soak 15 cashews and 1 Tbsp poppy seed in a cup of milk for an hour. Grind it into a paste.), 2 tsp chicken masala, 2 tsp kasoori methi, 1 tsp garam masala, 2 tsp dhaniya powder, Chopped coriander leaves, to ganrish.
Method :- In a wok add refined oil. Add a bay leaf, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon. Let them release the aroma. Now add onions. Saute till golden brown and then add the ginger-garlic paste. Mix and add the chicken pieces. Saute till they start to color a bit. Now add the turmeric and salt. Toss and add water. Add the green chilli and curry leaves. Let the curry simmer. Add the red chilli powder, cashew nut -poppy seed paste, chicken masala, kasoori methi, garam masala and dhaniya powder. Mix well and let the curry simmer till the chicken is cooked. Add more water if required. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.

Paal Payasam
Ingredients :-  50 gm rice,1 litre milk, 5 gm cardamom powder, 100 gm sugar, 50 ml ghee(clarified butter), 50 gm cashew nuts, 25 gm raisins

Method :- Wash and soak the rice for 1/2 an hour. Cook the rice in milk until soft. Add cardamom powder, sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Heat ghee in a pan and add the cashew nuts. When the cashew nuts are slightly golden, add the raisins and saute for 1 minute. Pour on the rice mixture and serve warm.

 

Rasam
Ingredients :- 100 gm toor dal, 100 gm tomatoes, 500 ml water, 25 gm tamarind,
Ingredients Rasam powder :- 10 gm peppercorns, 10 gm cumin seeds, 10 gm coriander seeds, 3 gm red chillies,
Ingredients Tempering :- 30 ml oil, 3 gm mustard seeds, 2 gm curry leaves, 3 garlic cloves, 10 gm sprigs of coriander leaves, Salt.
Method :- Crush garlic and chop tomatoes. Soak the tamarind and extract the pulp. Roast the ingredients for the powder and grind until fine. Boil the dal with tomatoes till the lentils are mashed and set aside. Heat oil and add mustard seeds, leave until it crackles. Add the crushed garlic, curry leaves and the coriander leaves. Mix the dal and water to get the required rasam consistency. Mix in the tamarind pulp. Add the rasam powder. Boil for 5 minutes on a low flame.