Tomato Dosa.

            Instant dosa can be prepared with tomatoes. Traditionally rice is soaked overnight and then it is ground into paste with tomatoes. Here, rice flour is mixed with pureed tomato for the batter. The batter is poured onto hot pan and cooked till the dosa turns crisp. Serve tomato dosa immediately with any pickle or chutney of your choice.

Makes: around 5 Tomato Dosas.

Ingredients:

Rice Flour 1/2 Cup
Ripe Tomato 1
Green Chile 1 – 2
Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida a big Pinch
Curry Leaves 8
Salt to taste
Oil as Required

Method of preparation:

Wash, remove stem and roughly chop the green chile.
Wash and grind the tomato along with green chile into smooth paste.

In a mixing bowl, mix together rice flour, ground tomato green chile paste, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and salt.
Add enough water to make it somewhat thin batter.

Heat a flat pan on medium high heat, apply few drops of oil with back of a spoon.
When pan gets hot, pour a ladle full of tomato dosa batter on pan in circular motions.
Make sure batter is thin enough that it makes small holes when it hits the hot pan.
Try to fill up any big holes and form into 6 – 7 inch diameter dosa.
Don’t spread the dosa with back of the ladle.

Fry till bottom side starts to turn golden brown.
Pour few drops of oil on top and turn on other side.
Reduce the heat a bit and cook on this side for around a minute before removing from heat.
Repeat the same with remaining tomato dosa batter.
Serve tomato dosa immediately with any chutney of your choice.
Notes: Make sure tomato dosa is little crisp before removing from heat.

Suggestions: If the tomato dosa doesn’t come out crisp, make sure the pan is hot all the time. Don’t spread the batter once it hits the pan. Let it take its time to cook and crisp up. If the dosa doesn’t come out of the pan, make sure dosa batter is not too thin. If dosa comes thick, make sure batter is not too thick, and adjust with water.
Variations: You can also add finely chopped onion and cilantro to the tomato dosa batter. Finely chopped cashews can also be added.
Other Names: Tomato Dosa

Poha Onion Chaat.

Poha / Flattened rice is either roasted or fried till crisp. Here poha is mixed with finely chopped onion along with other spices and herbs for quick and tasty spicy chaat. You need to serve the poha chaat immediately as a tea time snack.
Makes: around 4 Servings of Poha Onion Chaat.

Ingredients:

Poha /Aval 2 Cups
Onion 1 Small
Tender Green Chile 1 Small (optional)
Chaat Masala 1/4 tsp
Red Chile Powder 1/2 – 1 tsp
Dalia / Roasted Gram 1 tbsp
Roasted Peanuts 2 tbsps
Lemon Juice 1 tbsp
Cilantro a few sprigs
Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

Remove stems, wash, remove seeds and finely chop the green chile (if using).
Peel and finely chop the onion.
Clean, wash and finely chop cilantro.

Heat a flat pan on medium heat, add poha.
Fry till poha is crisp. Make sure poha doesn’t change color.
Remove from heat, add oil in the same pan while its still hot, add red chile powder and salt.
Immediately add the poha to the oil and toss well to coat the poha with red chile powder.

In a mixing bowl, add chopped onion, green chile, chaat masala, cilantro, lemon juice and salt.
Mix it thoroughly to combine all the flavors.
When ready to serve, stir the poha into the prepared mixture.
Finally stir in roasted peanuts, dalia and remove onto serving bowls.
Serve poha chaat immediately.
Notes: Don’t let the poha chaat sit for more than 5 minutes in which case it becomes soggy.

Suggestions: If the chaat is too spicy, stir in more lemon juice.
Variations: Grated raw mango can be added for texture and sourness.
Other Names: Poha Chaat, Atulukulu Mixture

Bangala Dumpa Samosa.

            Potatoes are boiled, peeled and chopped. Oil is tempered with spices and potatoes are briefly cooked with whole spices. A soft dough is made with maida. The potato mixture is stuffed in the dough and formed into samosa. The samosa are then deep fried till golden brown and served with chaat chutney.Makes: around 5 Potato Samosa with Whole Spices.

Ingredients:

Red Potatoes 2 Large
Green Peas 1/3 Cup
Green Chiles 2 – 3
Cilantro few Sprigs
Lemon Juice 1 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp
Whole Coriander Seeds 1/2 tsp
Whole Fennel Seeds 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tbsp + for Deep Frying

For Dough:

Maida 1/2 Cup
Ajwain a Pinch
Salt a big Pinch
Lemon Juice 1 tsp
Butter 1 Tbsp

Method of preparation:

Soak coriander seeds and fennel seeds in a tbsp or more of water for couple of minutes.
Wash, halve and boil the potatoes in enough water till potatoes are just soft but whole.
Cool the potatoes to room temperature, peel and chop up the potatoes.
Remove stems, wash and finely chop the green chiles.
Wash and finely chop the cilantro.
Wash peas under fresh water and keep aside.

Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan, add cumin seeds.
When cumin seeds start to sizzle and change color, add peas.
Fry till peas are soft and lightly browned.
Stir in green chiles and fry briefly.
Finally stir in chopped potatoes, soaked coriander and fennel seeds, turmeric powder and salt.
Cook on medium flame till potatoes are soft and start to fall apart.
Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and cilantro.

In a mixing bowl, mix together maida, ajwain, butter, lemon juice and a pinch of salt into soft non sticky dough using enough water.
Keep the dough covered for around 20 minutes.
Knead the dough well and divide it into around 2 – 3 portions.
Roll each portion into around 7 inch slightly oval shaped disc.

Cut the rolled out dough in half on its smallest diameter.
Apply a drop of water to half of the straight edge.
Fold the other half to overlap and form a cone.
Press to seal the edges and fill around 3 tbsps of the prepared potato mixture in the cone.

Apply a drop of water to the open end of the cone and press it together to seal the samosa.
Repeat the same with other half of the rolled out dough.
Repeat the same process with remaining dough.

Heat oil in a wok in medium – low heat.
Test the oil by dropping a small piece of dough.
If the dough takes couple of seconds to float, the oil is ready.
Slowly drop all the potato samosa into hot oil.
Fry on both sides till the potato samosa are light golden brown.
Remove the samosa onto absorbent paper and store tight for couple of weeks.
Serve potato samosa with any of these chaat chutneys.
Notes: Make sure to fry the samosa for a good amount of time on low – medium flame.

Suggestions: If the oil is too hot, samosa turns dark quickly without cooking. For much crispier version of samosa, remove the fried samosa from heat, cool down and deep fry again till dark golden brown.
Variations: You can also add a pinch of garam masala or chaat masala to the potato stuffing mixture.

Other Names: Potato Samosa with Whole Spices, Bangala Dumpa SamosaBangala Dumpa Samosa.

Jeedipappu Putnala Pappu Laddu.

          Cashews are roasted till golden brown and ground into very coarse powder. The cashew powder and chopped cashews are then mixed with dalia powder and sugar. This mixture is rolled into laddu with help of ghee.Makes: around 8 Easy Cashew Roasted Gram Laddu.

Ingredients:

Cashews 1/2 Cup
Dalia / Roasted Gram / Putnala Pappu 1/3 Cup
Sugar 1/2 Cup
Ghee 1 – 2 Tbsps

Method of preparation:

Grind roasted gram into fine powder using a spice blender.
Grind sugar into fine powder and keep aside.
Warm up the ghee and keep aside.

Heat a tsp of ghee in a pan, add cashews and roast them on low flame till golden brown in color.
Cool the cashews to room temperature.
Grind half the cashews into coarse powder and very finely chop the other half.

In a mixing bowl, add cashew powder, chopped cashews, roasted gram powder, sugar and remaining ghee.
Take a small handful of mixture and roll it into lime sized laddu with help of hands.
Add another tbsp of ghee if necessary.
Repeat the same with remaining mixture.
Store the cashew laddu tight in a dry jar and they stay fresh for couple of weeks.
Notes: Make sure to roast the cashews right.

Suggestions: Add a few tbsps of milk instead of ghee to roll the laddu.
Variations: You can also add roasted white or black sesame seeds to the cashew mixture.
Other Names: Easy Cashew Dalia Laddu, Jeedipappu Putnala Pappu Laddu

Peanut Brittle.

          This is a quick and tasty brittle made with peanuts. Raw peanuts are roasted till golden brown and ground into coarse powder. Sugar is melted into syrup without using any water. Peanuts powder is mixed with the syrup and poured on a greased plate to harden.
Makes: around 10 (2 x2 inch) pieces of Peanut Brittle.

Ingredients:

Peanut Powder 1/2 Cup
Sugar 1/2 Cup
Sesame Seeds 1 Tbsp
Ghee few Drops

Method of preparation:

Grease a glass flat dish with ghee.
Alternatively use the counter top in the kitchen to do the same.
Sprinkle the sesame seeds on the ghee.

Roast the raw peanuts on heavy bottomed pan till golden in color.
Cool the roasted peanuts to room temperature and grind them into coarse powder using a spice blender.

Heat a heavy bottomed vessel like a thick pressure cooker on medium high heat.
Add sugar and stir till the sugar just melts without any particles left.
Immediately stir in the peanuts powder and remove from heat.
Immediately pour the mixture onto the greased plate and trowel to equally flatten the mixture.
You can also use a flat bowl greased with ghee to press the mixture uniformly.
Let the mixture cool completely to room temperature (around 5 minutes).
Break the solidified mixture into pieces or cut them into squares.
Store peanut brittle in a dry jar and it stays fresh for couple of months.
Notes: Make sure not to delay the process once the sugar melts.

Suggestions: If the sugar doesn’t melt quickly, increase the heat but make sure to stir and use a heavy bottomed vessel.
Variations: You can also look at the recipes made with peanuts here. 
Other Names: Peanut Brittle.

Vegetable Idli.

          Idli batter is prepared with idli rawa and urad dal. Choice of raw vegetables are finely chopped. Idli batter and the chopped vegetables are layered in the idli moulds and the idlis are steamed till soft and fluffy. Serve vegetable idli with any spicy chutney of your choice.Makes: around 4 – 8 Vegetable Idli

Ingredients:

Urad Dal 1/2 Cup
Idli Rawa 1 Cup

Carrots 4 Tbsps
Bell Pepper 4 Tbsps
Cilantro few Sprigs
Green Chiles 1
Ginger 1 inch Piece
Salt to taste
Ghee a Dollop

Method of preparation:

Wash and peel carrots.
Wash the bell pepper and cilantro.
Remove stems, wash and finely chop the green chiles.
Finely chop the carrots, bell pepper and cilantro.
Peel and mince the ginger.
Lightly crush the ginger and green chiles with a pinch of salt.
Mix all these ingredients in a small bowl.

Soak urad dal in water for 3 – 4 hours.
Soak idli rawa in water for around half an hour.
Grind the urad dal into smooth paste and remove onto a mixing bowl.
Squeeze out most of the water from the idli rawa and add the idli rawa to the urad dal paste.
Mix thoroughly and add few tbsps of water if the mixture is too thick.
Leave the batter aside and let the batter ferment for atleast 2 – 3 hours.

Grease the idly moulds with little ghee.
Place around a tbsp of the mixed vegetables in the idli mould.
Layer few tbsps of the idli batter on the vegetables.
Finally layer few tsps of the mixed vegetables on the idli batter.
Repeat the same with remaining moulds.
Steam the idly for 8 – 10 minutes and remove from heat.
Let the idlis stand outside for couple of minutes before removing the idlis from idli moulds.
Apply a drop of ghee to each idli to avoid them drying out before serving.
Serve vegetable idli with any spicy chutney of your choice.
Notes: Refrigerate the remaining batter for next time.

Suggestions: If the idli is still wet inside, steam them for couple more minutes to cook through.
Variations: You can also add your choice of vegetables like peas, potato, beans etc..
Other Names: Vegetable Idli

Grilled Corn Salad Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ears of corn, do not shuck (or 2 1/2 cups frozen corn for the non-grill option)
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 5-inch long zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 serrano chili pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (best if you toast whole cumin seeds then grind)
• 1/4 cup crumbly salty cheese such as feta or cotija (optional)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar or lime juice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

METHOD

1 Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Oil the grill grates. Rub a little olive oil over the bell pepper. Place the corn (in their husks) and red bell pepper directly on the grill grates. (See our method for grilling corn-on-the-cob.) Cover the grill.

Turn corn occasionally, so that every part of the husk is blackened. Turn the red bell pepper occasionally until the skin has blistered up all around it. This should take 15 to 20 minutes.

For the last 5 minutes or so, rub olive oil over the zucchini pieces and place the zucchini pieces directly on the grill grate, cut side down. Turn them over after a few minutes when they have some nice grill marks on them. Let them cook for just a minute or two on the other side.

1a - no grill version Alternatively you can prepare the vegetables on the stove-top. Shuck the corn and use a knife to remove the kernels from the cobs. If you don't have fresh corn, you can easily use frozen. Coat the bottom of a large, sturdy relatively stick-free (can use cast iron) pan with a little olive oil. Heat the pan to high. Spread out the corn kernels on the pan. If frozen, they will defrost almost immediately. Don't stir them that much, just let them cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to toast. When they get a little browned, remove them from the pan to a bowl. Lay the zucchini pieces on the pan and brown on both sides, do not over cook, remove from pan. The bell pepper does not need to be cooked, it can just be seeded and chopped fine.

2 Let the corn cool down for a few minutes and pull back the husks. Stand the corn husks vertically, tip facing down, in a large shallow bowl or baking dish. Use a sharp knife to make long, downward strokes, removing the kernels from the cob, as you work your way around the cob.

Once the bell pepper has cooled a bit, remove the outer peel. Cut open the pepper, remove the seeds and stem. Chop the bell pepper into small pieces.

Slice the slightly browned zucchini again lengthwise and chop into small pieces.

3 Place grilled or toasted corn kernels, chopped bell pepper, chopped zucchini, red onion, cilantro, and serrano (if using) into a large bowl. Add the cumin, olive oil, vinegar or lime juice, and crumbly cheese (if using). Mix gently. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Yield: Serves 4.

Basic Tomato Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot or 1/2 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 small stalk of celery, including the green tops, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, including the juice, or 1 3/4 pound of fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD

1 Heat olive oil in a large wide skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and parsley. Stir to coat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened and cooked through.

 

2 Remove cover and add the minced garlic. Increase the heat to medium high. Cook for garlic for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, including the juice and shredding them with your fingers if you are using canned whole tomatoes. Add the tomato paste and the basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered until thickened, about 15 minutes. If you want you can push the sauce through a food mill, or blend it with an immersion blender, to give it a smooth consistency.

Makes 2 1/2 cups of sauce.

Skillet Tortilla Pizza Recipe

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• Flour tortillas (about 8-inches diameter)
• Grated mozzarella cheese
• Tomato sauce
• Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

METHOD

1 Heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle on medium high to high heat. Place a flour tortilla in the center of the skillet. When the tortillas begins to puff up or form air bubbles, flip it and turn the heat down to medium low. Pierce the air bubbles with a knife tip or the tines of a fork to deflate them a bit.

2 Sprinkle the top of the tortilla with a thin layer of grated mozzarella cheese. Once the cheese is about half-way melted, spoon on a thin layer of tomato sauce, using the back of the spoon to spread over the cheese. Sprinkle the top of the tomato sauce with a little more cheese.

3 Once the edges of the tortilla are browning, indicating that the bottom of the tortilla is getting nice and brown, remove the pan from the heat. Cover the top of the pan with a cover for about a minute or so, so the cheese on top can melt with the residual heat from the pan.

4 Sprinkle with fresh sliced basil. Remove to a plate and cut with a pizza cutting wheel or sharp knife.

Serve immediately.

Yield: Each tortilla pizza serves one.

How to Grill Pizza Recipe

Make pizza dough from scratch using our pizza dough recipe. Alternatively, you may be able to find prepared pizza dough, in the frozen foods section, at your local supermarket.

INGREDIENTS

• Pizza dough (if using our pizza dough recipe note that it makes enough dough for 2 pizzas)
• Olive oil
• Standard toppings of tomato sauce, herbs, cheese (mozzarella is the best), and maybe some thinly sliced onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, or pepperoni
• Some flour or corn meal for dusting the cookie sheet or pizza peel

METHOD

1 Make the pizza dough or use prepared pizza dough.

2 Prepare the grill for high direct heat. Prepare a small bowl with olive oil for greasing the grill grates and for brushing the pizza. Prepare the toppings so they are ready to go on the pizza - tomato sauce, cheese, and anything else you wish.

3 Shape the pizza dough by flattening it with your hands on a slightly floured surface. Either use your fingers to stretch the dough out, or hold up the edges of the dough with your fingers, letting the dough hang and stretch, while working around the edges of the dough. Once you've stretched the dough, let it sit for 5 minutes and then push out the edges with your fingers again, until you have a nice round shape, about 12-inches in diameter. Do not make a raised rim, it will interfere with the grilling process.

Note that if you are preparing the pizza dough for a party, you can make several pizza dough rounds, stack them separated by parchment paper, and keep them in the refrigerator for up to two hours before cooking.

4 Once the grill is hot (you can hold your hands an inch over the grates for no more than 2 seconds), dip a tightly folded up paper towel in olive oil and use tongs to wipe the grill grates. Then place a pizza dough round on a lightly floured (or you can use cornmeal) rimless cookie sheet (or pizza peel if you have one). Let the dough slide off the cookie sheet onto the hot grill grates. Close the lid of the grill and let cook for 2 minutes.

5 After 2 minutes, open the grill and check underneath the dough to see if it is getting browned. If it is on one side, but not another, use a spatula or tongs to rotate the dough 90 degrees and cook for another minute. If it is not beginning to brown, cover the grill and continue to cook a minute at a time until the bottom has begun to brown. It should only take a couple minutes if you have a hot grill. The top of the pizza dough will start bubbling up with air pockets.

6 Once the pizza dough has browned lightly on one side, use your cookie sheet or pizza peel to remove it from the grill. Use a spatula to flip the dough over so that the grilled side is now up. Keep the grill covered so it retains its heat for the next step.

7 Paint the grilled surface of the pizza with a little olive oil, then cover with 1 ladle of sauce – no more, or you'll end up with a soggy pizza. Sprinkle on your toppings, ending with Mozarella cheese (if using), and if using meat, put that over the cheese. Remember to go light on the toppings, or your pizza will be heavy and soggy.

8 Slide the topped pizza back onto the grill. If you are using a gas grill, reduce the heat. If working with a charcoal grill, close the vents on the cover almost all the way. Close the lid and cook for 2-3 minutes more, or until the bottom begins to char and the cheese is bubbly. Pull off the grate with a spatula onto a cutting board or other flat surface and let rest for a couple minutes before cutting into slices.

Slice and serve!

Homemade Pizza Recipe

• Prep time: 2 hours
• Cook time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Pizza Dough: Makes enough dough for two 10-12 inch pizzas

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F-115°F)
• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast (check the expiration date on the package)
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose but bread flour will give you a crisper crust)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Pizza Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Cornmeal (to slide the pizza onto the pizza stone)

• Tomato sauce (purée)
• Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, shredded
• Feta cheese
• Mushrooms, thinly sliced
• Bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, thinly sliced
• Italian sausage, cooked ahead
• Chopped fresh basil
• Pesto
• Pepperoni, thinly sliced
• Onions, thinly sliced
• Sliced ham

Special equipment needed

• A pizza stone, highly recommended if you want your pizza dough to be crusty
• A pizza peel or a flat baking sheet
• A pizza wheel for cutting the pizza, not required, but easier to deal with than a knife

METHOD

Making the Pizza Dough

1 In the large bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer (such as a Kitchen Aid), add the warm water. Sprinkle on the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Stir to dissolve completely if needed at the end of 5 minutes.

2 Attach a mixing paddle to the mixer. Mix in the olive oil, flour, salt and sugar on low speed for about a minute. Remove the mixing paddle and replace with a dough hook. Knead using the mixer and dough hook, on low to medium speed, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If you don't have a mixer, you can mix and knead by hand. If the dough seems a little too wet, sprinkle on a bit more flour.

 
3 Place ball of dough in a bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that it gets coated with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place (75-85°F) until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or several hours longer, a longer rise will improve the flavor). If you don't have a warm spot in the house you can heat the oven to 150 degrees, and then turn off the oven. Let the oven cool till it is just a little warm, then place the bowl of dough in this warmed oven to rise.

At this point, if you want to make ahead, you can freeze the dough in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Preparing the Pizzas

1 Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.

2 Remove the plastic cover from the dough and punch the dough down so it deflates a bit. Divide the dough in half. Form two round balls of dough. Place each in its own bowl, cover with plastic and let sit for 10 minutes.

3 Prepare your desired toppings. Note that you are not going to want to load up each pizza with a lot of toppings as the crust will end up not crisp that way. About a third a cup each of tomato sauce and cheese would be sufficient for one pizza. One to two mushrooms thinly sliced will cover a pizza.

 

4 Working one ball of dough at a time, take one ball of dough and flatten it with your hands on a slightly floured work surface. Starting at the center and working outwards, use your fingertips to press the dough to 1/2-inch thick. Turn and stretch the dough until it will not stretch further. Let the dough relax 5 minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired diameter - 10 to 12 inches. Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker. You can pinch the very edges if you want to form a lip.

5 Brush the top of the dough with olive oil (to prevent it from getting soggy from the toppings). Use your finger tips to press down and make dents along the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Let rest another 5 minutes.

Repeat with the second ball of dough.

 

6 Lightly sprinkle your pizza peel (or flat baking sheet) with corn meal. Transfer one prepared flattened dough to the pizza peel. If the dough has lost its shape in the transfer, lightly shape it to the desired dimensions.

 

7 Spoon on the tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and place your desired toppings on the pizza.

8 Sprinkle some cornmeal on the baking stone in the oven (watch your hands, the oven is hot!). Gently shake the peel to see if the dough will easily slide, if not, gently lift up the edges of the pizza and add a bit more cornmeal. Slide the pizza off of the peel and on to the baking stone in the oven. Bake pizza one at a time until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden, about 10-15 minutes. If you want, toward the end of the cooking time you can sprinkle on a little more cheese.

Yield: Makes 2 10-12-inch pizzas.