Masala Dosa

Dosa. That just says it all, doesn’t it? I’m yet to meet a South Indian who doesn't love dosa and the 100’s & 1000's of varieties of it. Almost every household would have this for breakfast at least twice a week. My mom used to make them small and thick and fluffy and that’s how we loved it whereas at my husband’s house they love it big, thin and crispy. I love both versions and never can have enough.

For those of you who have never heard of dosa’s before, as per the Wikipedia definition “Dosa is a fermented crepe made from rice batter and black lentils. It is a staple dish in South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. It is also popular in other parts of India, and other countries like Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Nepal, Malaysia and Singapore.”

Today’s recipe is one of the numerous varieties of dosa that’s out there – Masala Dosa. This is simply a thin and crispy dosa stuffed with a beautifully spiced potato filling. Did you know that Masala Dosa was listed as one of the World's 50 most delicious foods compiled by CNN Go.com?? I didn't but then there are some many things in this world I don’t know, so let’s just not go there! Anyways, this dish is a deliciously healthy and fulfilling meal and is quite simple to make if you ask me. It is a bit time consuming but the wait is definitely worth it!

The dosa batter recipe can be used as your base to make your everyday dosa's be it thick and soft & fluffy or thin and crispy, anyway you like it. The basic process is the same; the difference is in how you make the actual dosa. Mine is a very basic recipe and the very first time I've attempted this so I’m putting a disclaimer here. If I've made any mistakes or if you know of a way I can make this better, please feel free to pen your comments and I’ll gladly take them into account next time I make these. And yes, you can be certain there will be a next time! 

Please see my notes below for some handy tips.

MASALA DOSA

Dosa Batter

INGREDIENTS

2 cups uncooked Rice (refer notes)

1 cup Urad Dal (Uzhunnu)

1 cup Cooked Rice

1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds (Uluva)

Water as required

Salt as required

METHOD

1. Soak the raw rice, urad dal and fenugreek in enough water for at least 4-5 hours. I left it overnight.
2. Once ready to grind, wash and rinse the rice and dal mixture and place in a blender/mixie/grinder.
3. Add the cooked rice, just enough water and grind until smooth.
4. Add salt, pour into a pan. Cover and let the batter ferment for 8-9 hours. I again left it overnight in the oven(refer notes).
5. After it is fermented, the batter will rise and your dosa batter is ready to use.

NOTES

• I've used basmati rice for the batter but you can also use parboiled rice or idli rice.
• I used my Philips Mixie as I do not have a grinder and the dosas came out perfectly.
• If you are living in Christchurch or somewhere similar that is cold, you can add a pinch of baking soda to aid the fermentation. I didn't need to add this time but might need this in winter.
• I kept the batter in my oven, switched off & light on. You can also leave it on the water heater but I haven’t tried it.
• Use a reasonably large container to put the batter so it has room to ferment and rise. No need to use air tight container.
• This batter can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just leave outside for about 15-20 minutes if using a refrigerated batter.

Right, now while that is fermenting away you can make the potato masala filling for the dosa.

Potato Filling

INGREDIENTS

3 big Potatoes

1 medium sized Onion  

1 Carrot, grated               

 2 Green chilli

1 tblsp ginger paste (refer notes)

¼ tsp Turmeric powder

Salt

To temper:

3/4 tsp Mustard               

1 tsp Uzhunnu/Urad dal

5 Cashew nuts

Curry leaves

METHOD

1. Wash and pressure cook the potatoes with enough water to immerse them completely for about 3 whistles. Peel off the skin and mash it well. Keep aside.
2. Heat a pan with oil and temper with the items given under ‘to temper’. Let the cashews turn golden but take care not to burn.
3. Add the ginger paste, green chilli, onion, carrot and sauté well until the onion is translucent and soft. No need to brown the onions.
4. Add 1/4 cup water and turmeric and stir.
5. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, add oil if needed.

NOTES

Of course fresh ginger would certainly taste better here, but me being the lazy me opted for the quick and easy option to use ginger paste! J

Preparing the Masala Dosa

Heat your non-stick pan. No need for oil on your non-stick. But if using an iron skillet/tawa spread some oil to prevent the dosa from sticking.
Spread the dosa batter in a circular motion on the pan getting it as thin as you can. Work from the inside to out of the circle, thinning it as you go. 

Drizzle some oil or better yet ghee when the edges start browning and is cooked.
There’s no need to flip the dosa, just spread a ladle full of masala prepared in the middle and fold.

 

You can fold into half or as a triangle, your wish. Repeat with the rest of batter.

Take off the heat and serve hot with some chutney or sambar. Yum!!

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Creamy Zucchini Soup

I do like soups on the odd occasion but I would not say I am a huge fan. There are times when I've had a soup and its completely blown me away. Like that beautiful mushroom soup the cafe next door at the university used to do, but then for some unknown reason had to go and change their recipe and it was never as good as it was the first couple of times. That was just wrong! Or the wonderful chicken and noodle soup that's just absolutely perfect for the soul when you have a cold that just refuses to go away. And also times when I have had a soup that was just as bland as canned baby food!

Soups are my usual go to when I need to use up some veggies hiding in the fridge and I have no idea how to use them in a curry or might not have enough to make a thoran (Kerala stir fry). Also I feel they are perfectly comforting for the dark and grey weather we are having in New Zealand at the moment.

I think I may have found another recipe to add to my list of favorite soups.This zucchini/courgette soup is just perfect for that midweek meal that takes under 30 minutes to whip up and its one pot dish so less mess to clean up afterwards. Need I say more??

There are many many ways you can change this soup to suit your taste buds. I found that just using black pepper as per the original recipe did not spice it up enough for me so I added some additional green chilies to take it up a notch and loved the hint of chili with the creamy soup.  I'd skip the chilies when making this for the kids, or better yet just add them in after you've kept some soup aside for the little ones. If you're battling a cold or a flu adding some ginger and turmeric into this soup can also help you feel better and might be just as magical as that chicken soup!

This is a simple recipe that is also quite healthy if you ditch the cheese and olive oil or maybe use it sparingly. Serve it hot or cold paired with some delicious toast for a scrumptious light lunch or dinner.

Creamy Zucchini Soup
Adapted from: Skinny Taste

Ingredients:
1 small onion diced
4 cloves garlic
4 medium zucchini, skin on cut in large chunks
500 ml Vegetable stock (or more if you want a thinner soup)
2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
3 green chilies, sliced (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Olive oil (optional)

Method:
1. Combine vegetable stock, onion, garlic, chilies and zucchini in a large pot over medium heat and bring to a boil.
2. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to blend in a mixie/blender. Or if you have an immersion blender just purée with an immersion blender directly, no need to cool.
4. Add the sour cream and purée again until smooth.
5. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust to taste.
6. Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese and drizzle some olive oil. Serve hot.

Notes:

• It doesn't matter how you cut the zucchini since you’re cooking it until it’s very soft and then puréeing it.
• You can also use chicken stock and might just taste even better. I used vegetable as we are meat free during lent.
• If you don't have sour  cream, you can use fresh cream too. Add it in at step 4 but return to the stove on low heat until hot but not boiling.
• You can add more stock or water if you don't like your soup too thick.

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Parmesan Crusted Fish Bites

When Isaac grew out of his picky eater phase I could not thank God enough. But then two days later, Lucas, who has always been my perfect eater, started turning up his nose at food. OMG! I don’t know what started it or triggered it, but just like that one day he decided he was not going to be my perfect eater and was just going to put me through the drama I used to have with Isaac all over again. I give up! What is up with these kids? Aren’t they supposed to eat more as they grow older? With my boys they seem to eat less as they grow up!!! Grrrrrrrrr

So its back to the drawing board for me. I have to come up with different and interesting recipes that he will like at least enough to take a couple of bites out of. The funny thing is that they both have entirely different tastes. For example, Lucas likes fish whereas Isaac will throw up if I gave him anything but those store bought fish fingers.  Isaac likes chicken but Lucas will just chew the chicken for a bit, get all the juices out and just spit out the meat…. Oyez, lucky me! J

So for most of the part any recipes that I put up from now on will be Lucas’ favourites and hopefully something Issac might eat too. Today’s recipe is a fish one and I know it’s a winner coz both my kids managed to eat a couple of pieces.. This parmesan crusted fish bites were delish. Yes, I had a couple too and so did my husband! J For adults, I’d recommend pairing it with a spicy sauce like Southwest or Chipotle sauce and for kids just ketchup should be fine. This was very simple and quick to make and since it was baked, quite healthy. Serve it with some steamed veges and rice on the side and there you’ve got a completely balanced nutritious meal for your baby!

You can use any white, flaky fish fillets here like cod, tilapia etc. I used Terakihi as that’s what I had on hand. I used Parmesan cheese as it has a strong sharp flavour that is perfect for flavouring fish. And also you can use regular breadcrumbs if you do not have Panko in your pantry. Panko is just Japanese breadcrumbs, pretty much the same as regular breadcrumbs but I think the bits are a bit bigger and coarser than regular ones.

This is such a simple and effortless dish that if you have all your ingredients ready to go, you can make this entire meal in 30 minutes start to finish. J

Parmesan Crusted Fish Bites

Recipe Source: Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients:

8 oz fish fillets (thawed), cut into nugget pieces
1 cup panko (bread crumbs)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the fish into 1.5-2 inches pieces, pat fry with paper towels. Set on a dish.
2. Spread panko in a thin layer on rimmed baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, until light brown. Transfer the panko to a shallow dish and mix in the Parmesan cheese and salt. Drizzle the oil and mix well. Set out the flour and eggs in separate dishes. Place a wire rack on the baking sheet, lightly coat with cooking spray.
3. In small batches, coat the fish in flour, shaking off any excess, dip in egg, and lastly coat well with panko. Transfer to the rack. Bake the fish until desired tenderness, about 15 minutes, turning when halfway through. Serve the fish nuggets with ketchup.

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