Read The Best Of Samaithu Paar Online
Authors: S Meenakshi Ammal
The Best Of Samaithu Paar (7 page)
HEAT
D
OSAI
(GODHUMAI DOSAI)
Mix the wheat flour and rice flour together with the salt in the buttermilk. Add enough water to prepare a batter the consistency of thick buttermilk. Chop the ginger and green chillies. Mix the cumin seeds, asafoetida water, curry leaves and chopped ginger and green chillies in the batter. Allow the batter to stand for about 2 hours.
Heat a flat pan or ‘tava’ on a low flame. Smear 1 tsp of oil with a soft rag on the ‘tava’. Pour ⅕ cup of batter on the ‘tava’ and spread into a circle. When the dosai cooks, small holes will appear on the surface. Pour 1 tsp of oil around the dosai and 1 tsp on the surface. Continue to cook over a low flame. When the side facing downwards turns golden, flip the dosai and cook till the other side also turns golden. If necessary, use more oil to cook the dosai. When ready, slide off on to a plate. Continue till all the batter is used up.
Ingredients
Wheat flour
1 cup
Rice flour
1 cup
Salt
2 tsp
Buttermilk
(Sour) ½ cup
Ginger
1"-2" piece
Green chillies
2-3
Cumin seeds ½
tsp
Asafoetida water
1 tsp
Curry leaves
(Broken) 2-3 tbsp
Oil or ghee
As required
To serve
4 persons
Note:
The dosais can also be prepared with a mixture of refined wheat flour and rice flour (in equal quantities).
A mixture of ghee and oil can be used to enhance the flavour.
Chopped onions can replace cumin seeds for variety.
Mix the batter well before preparing the dosais as the water will rise to the top when the batter is left to stand.
EMOLINA
D
OSAI
(RAVA DOSAI)
Mix the semolina, rice flour and salt in the buttermilk along with water and prepare a batter. Allow the batter to stand for at least 2 hours. The semolina should soak well, otherwise the dosais will stick to the pan. Preferably, to prepare dosais in the morning, prepare the batter the previous evening. If the dosais are to be prepared in the evening, prepare the batter that morning.
Cut the ginger and green chillies. Add along with the mustard and curry leaves to the batter just before preparing the dosais.
Cook the dosais like the wheat
dosais
. Use a mixture of ghee and oil when cooking rava dosais. Oil will need to be used liberally as the dosais should be crisp.
Ingredients
Semolina
2 cups
Rice flour
¼ cup
Salt
1½tsp
Buttermilk
(Sour) ½ cup
Ginger
l"-2" piece
Green chillies
2-3
Mustard seeds
1 tsp
Curry leaves
(Broken) 2-3 tbsp
Oil or ghee
As required
To serve
4 persons
Note:
Ragi flour, maize or corn flour, or rice flour—all soaked separately—can be used as well to prepare dosais.
A mixture of rice flour, refined wheat flour (maida) and semolina (2 cups, 1 cup and ½ cup respectively) can also be used.
HEAT
F
LOUR
J
AGGERY
D
OSAI
(GODHUMAI VELLA DOSAI)
Heat the water and dissolve the jaggery in it. Remove from fire and let it become lukewarm. Add the wheat flour and rice flour. Mix well, taking care to break all the lumps. Grate coconut finely and add. Powder cardamom and mix.
Heat a flat pan or ‘tava’. Smear it with 1 tsp of oil. Take ⅕ cup of the batter and spread on the pan as a thick cake. Pour oil around it and on top. When the base is cooked to a reddish brown colour, turn it slowly with a flat ladle. Pour 1 tsp of ghee or vanaspati on top and around. Remove when the other side is cooked as well. Cook the dosai over a low flame otherwise it will get scorched due to the jaggery.
Ingredients
Jaggery
(Powdered) ¾-1 cup
Water
2 cups
Wheat flour
2 cups
Rice flour
¼ cup
Coconut
¼-½ (Medium)
Green cardamoms
5-6
Oil, ghee or vanaspati
As required
To serve
4 persons
Note:
Wheat flour can be replaced with maize flour or ragi flour.
OTHAPPAM
Soak the rice for 2 to 3 hours. Separately soak the red gram dhal with the fenugreek seeds also for 2 to 3 hours. Wash the soaked rice and dhal. Grind the rice into a rough paste. (Not as rough as the idli batter but not as smooth as for dosais either.) Grind the dhal and fenugreek seeds together into a soft spongy mass. Mix with the rice dough along with the salt. Keep overnight. Prepare the oothappams the next day.
Heat a flat pan or ‘tava’. Smear 1 tsp of oil and pour out ⅕ cup of batter. Spread into a thick round cake. Turn and cook both sides to a reddish brown, adding another spoon of oil.
Ingredients
Par-boiled rice
2 cups
Red gram dhal
1 cup
Fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp
Salt
¼ cup
Oil
As required
To serve
4 persons
Note:
If you want to use only 1 cup of rice, then soak all the ingredients together (i.e., rice, ½ cup red gram dhal and ½ tbsp fenugreek seeds). Grind together. Add salt and mix.
Raw rice may be used as well. For 1½ cups of raw rice, use 1 cup of red gram dhal. But oothappams prepared with raw rice are not as tasty as those prepared with par- boiled rice.
Chopped onions or tomatoes or both can be sprinkled on one side for variety.
DAI
Wash the rice and the three dhals. Soak altogether for at least 2 to 3 hours. Grind into a rough paste-like dough with the salt, red chillies, five or six green chillies (whole) and asafoetida. (The paste should be as coarse a mixture as that of semolina and water.)
Grate coconut. Pinch coriander leaves and curry leaves. Chop ginger and remaining green chillies. Mix grated coconut, coriander and curry leaves, and chopped ginger and green chillies into the ground paste.
Heat a flat pan or ‘tava’. Smear the heated pan with 1 tsp of oil all over. Pour ⅕ cup of dough in the centre. Draw it into a circle, either with your hand or a flat ladle. The ‘adai’ should not be very thin. Make a small hole in the middle of the ‘adai’ with a spoon. Pour 1 tsp of oil right round. Pour another spoon of oil into the hole in the centre and over the ‘adai’. When one side turns golden brown, turn and toss and cook the other side, pouring 1 tsp of oil. Remove from fire and serve hot. Continue till all the batter is used up.
Ingredients
Par-boiled rice
2 cups
Red gram dhal
⅓ cup
Bengal gram dhal
⅓ cup
Black gram dhal
⅓ cup
Salt
¼ cup
Dry red chillies
5-6
Green chillies
8-10
Asafoetida powder
A pinch or to taste
Coconut
½ (Medium)
Coriander leaves
3-4 tbsp
Curry leaves
12-15
Ginger
1"-2" piece
Oil
As required
To serve
4 persons
Note:
Finely chopped onions, drumstick leaves, cabbage, cauliflower or cucumber may be mixed with the dough. When onions are used, it is not necessary to use coconut.
‘Adais’ can be made with raw rice as well. If raw rice is being used, grind it in a mill. The rice flour should have the coarseness of semolina. Knead into dough with tepid water. For 2 cups of rice flour, soak and grind 1 cup of the three dhals combined. Grind the dhals with salt, chillies and asafoetida. Knead the ground dhals into the rice dough and prepare into ‘adai’.
AGGERY
A
DAI
Cut the coconut into fine little bits. Powder cardamom. Roast the lentil beans a little and cook in water. Drain any excess water. Powder the jaggery. Heat the water in a wide mouthed vessel. Add the jaggery and boil. When the jaggery is completely dissolved and the water boils vigorously pour in the rice flour and stir continuously. Add cooked lentil beans and coconut. When the flour is half-cooked and becomes a mass, remove from fire. Mix cardamom powder. (Cooked lentil beans and coconut may be added at this stage also.)
Spread a greased plantain leaf over a single idli tray. Take a little of the cooked flour and flatten it out with your palm like a thick ‘vadai’ (¼ inch thick). Make a hole in the centre. Arrange on the tray. Boil water in a pan or pressure cooker. Insert the single idli tray. Close the lid. Steam and cook the ‘adais’ for about 10 minutes. When the ‘adais’ are cooked, remove from tray on to a plate. (To check if the ‘adais’ have cooked, insert a fork into one. If the batter does not stick, then the ‘adais’ are cooked.) Continue till all the batter is used up. Serve hot with butter.
Ingredients
Coconut
½ (Medium)
Green cardamoms
10-12
Lentil beans
½-¾ cup
Jaggery
4 cups
Water
10 cups
Rice flour
(Roasted) 4 cups
To serve
4 persons
ESARAT
(GREEN GRAM DHAL DOSAI)
Wash rice and dhal. Soak together for 2 to 3 hours. Strain the water. Grind to a paste adding salt, green chillies and ginger. The batter should be of a medium consistency like that prepared for oothappams. Set the batter aside to ferment for at least 8 hours. If you want to prepare the dosai immediately, add the sour buttermilk. Take care not to make the batter too watery.
Heat a flat pan or ‘tava’. Grease the ‘tava’ with 1 tsp oil. Mix the batter well and pour ⅕ cup of batter on to the pan. Spread the batter in a circular motion to make a round dosai. Pour 1-1½ tsp of oil around and over the dosai. Cook till one side turns golden brown. Flip and cook the other side, pouring another teaspoon of oil around and over the dosai. Remove from fire and serve hot.
Ingredients
Green gram dhal
2 cups
Rice
¼ cup
Salt
2 tsp
Green chillies
6-8
Ginger
1" piece
Buttermilk
(Sour) ¼ cup (Optional)
Oil
As required
To serve
4 persons
Note:
A little asafoetida water, mustard seasoning (½ tsp) and pinched curry leaves may also be added to the batter before preparing the dosais.