Utappam

This is yet another type of a Dosa.
The base of the Utappam is nothing but the usual dosa batter, but then when we add chopped vegetables or onins & make a thicker version of a dosa we call it Uttappam.
The Uttappam batter should be well fermented and more sour than the usual dosa batter. I usually make Uttappam with the leftover dosa batter.

These are the ingredients for the Dosa batter:
2 cup raw Rice
1 cup Urid dal

1 tab.sp. of beaten rice / poha (soaked along with rice & Urid)
1 tsp. Methi seeds
Salt

Method:

Soak the above ingredients for 4 to 6 hours.Grind to a smooth paste adding little water while grinding.

Add the salt and let it rest to ferment .This will take a few hours or even
over night.

Once it has fermented well keep the batter in the fridge for few hours.Add the fillings* mix well and make thick Dosas.

Sprinkle afew drops of oil on top.
Serve with Coconut chutney / Tomato ketchup or Sambaar.

Filling for the dosa / uttappam

3 Tomatos
2 onion
2 to 4 green chillies
10 to 12 curry leaves
1 tsp.grated ginger
Handful of coriyander leaves
Salt
Few pinches hing/Asefetida
Oil for frying

Method:

Chop finely all the above ingredients and add the hing/ asefetida, ginger, salt and mix well.

Pour onto a hot dosa frying pan and make thick Uttappams.Add a few drops of
oil on top.

Uttappam is ready when the bottom is light brown and the top is off white in color.
Serve hot with coconut , tomato chutney.

Tips:

I usually keep the fermented Dosa batter in the fridge for a few hours before Imix the fillings.
I have noticed when I did this the Uttappams made had small circular depressions & I have often heard people say thats how uttappam should be....
So try this out....

Next week will be about Onion & Cabbage Baje / Pakora,  So keep an eye on my blog!:)

Spinach Stir fry

I Dont remember having heard anyone say they dont like spinach!....Spinach cooked on its own or with meat or even as a salad is very tasty! These spinach leaves we get here are very tender & I don't know if you have
noticed it's the same as the palak we have in India.In India they often let it overgrow......anyway...

This is a very simple and quick preparation & I enjoy it with just rice and yoghurt.



Ingredients:
Spinach
Dried red chilly
Garlic
Oil

Method:
Chop the leaves.

Heat a tab. sp. of oil and add the red chilly & crushed garlic.

Let it fry on a low flame until light brown.

Add the spinach & salt & stir fry on high flame for a minute or two.


Tips:

• Once you have cooked this vegetable do not re-heat it( pl. check the internet for info.) nor serve kids below 6 months.
• Cook the leaves the day you have bought it and eat it once a week.
• Its even tastier if you add a potato and let it cook for a bit longer....
  

Parotta (Instant)

If two things could keep kids happy is serving them with freshly made parottas or patat (french fries). For me making parotta is a long process even though its a VERY tasty roti /chapati like bread with plenty of fat contents in it & I feel kids can afford to have it. Of course adults LOVE it too.

There are times when I have made this in no time. Like I told u making fresh parottas is a big process
(dont we all miss Saabu who did this for us? ) Even though I make them following the long procedure, I also make this instant Parottas when I have an unexpected guest visiting us with kids. So I am sure Mothers would welcome this recipe....

Ingredients:
1 x packet of ready made puff pastry like shown here .Freely available at the deep freeze section of any super market. 

I use one with butter(roomboter)

Method:
Thaw the contents of the packet for 10 to 15 minutes.

Dust the surface with some flour & place two puff pastry on eachother and using a rolling pin roll it into desired size.

Then fry the same on either sides until light brown using NO fat.

Remember this has enough butter in it.

Serve with an egg curry or just a simple dal with spinach.

DONE!

Slibtong / Common Sole / Nangu mien

Recently when I was buying my fish I saw this man in front of me ordering this fish which I have never bought. I asked him how to prepare this fish and he was too eager to tell me, remarking"erg Lekker!.meaning really nice" I looked up its name and knew it was called a common Sole in English and Nangu mien in the south of India. I have seen this small flat fish which often reminded me of a

tadpole(sorry!)
I remembered how the fish monger would ask my mum to try this fish but she never bought it and I often heard her remark that it was not a fleshy fish and was good for her cats and dogs:-) ...so I had never tasted this fish back home. I bought a few and did it exactly the way the man had told me I should, and
wow! yes it was one tasty fish! I wish my mum was around to tell her that & I am waiting to go home to make this for my sisters.....
I want you to try it too.....

Ingredients:
2 slibtong / Sole / Nangu
Butter
Black pepper
Salt

Method:

When you buy this fish,  insist they remove the skin for you. Just clean it and wipe the fish with a kitchen paper and sprinkle salt and generous pinches of crushed black pepper. Then fry the same in butter until brown on either side.This will take about 10 to 12 minutes.
Done!

Note to remember:

- Use lemon juice to clean your hands or even a bit of tooth paste to get rid
of all the raw smell of the fish.
-I have dipped the fish in fine semolina but this is an option.You can sprinkle a bit of white flour / maida or rice powder.
Its an expencive fish but is worth trying.

Spruitjes / Brussels Sprout

This is one vegetable either you love it or hate it!.I love it and it should be cooked just enough to be crunchy. If you overcook, it tastes & smells awful. Its like a small cabbage. You need to remove quite a bit of its outer
leaves when you cook it. I will show you an easy way to make this vegetable.

If you want your children to eat any vegetables you need to start feeding them as young as 6 months old babies. Cook the vegetables(any) with a potato & puree it adding a tab.sp. of milk and try feedin them...that age they are ready to eat anything and very soon you will realise they love what you aren feeding them.

What a joy!

Ingredients:
250 gms. Brussels sprouts
Salt
a good knob of Butter
Few pinches of Nut meg powder
1/4 glass of water.

Method:

Remove the outer skin of the Brussels sprout add the water & salt and bring to boil.

Close pan with its lid and let it simmer on a low flame for 5 to 6 minutes.

Switch off the gas and after 10 minutes drain all the water & immediately add the knob of butter and the nutmeg powder and give it a good stir

Done!This is the only way I would like to have this vegetable.

Tips:
I usually drain the water after I have cooked this vegetable. But steaming this
vegetable is the best as this vegetable has cholesterol lowering benefit.

Ada Pradhaman / Payasam / Kheer

Who can resist this dessert/payasam / kheer ! Even myself, a diabetic, won't or can't!....its sooo good you just want to have it and have it and even after days you can talk and talk about its taste!.

This recipe is dedicated to the late grandmother of Sumi Ajith. We (Sumi & myself) had made this for an Onam lunch years back perhaps in 2008 for over 200 people which was such a hit and believe me I still have people coming up to me to remind me of this glorious pradhaman or payasam we had served for the lunch.

I wanted to share this recipe, so I asked Sumi who willingly agreed i could display the same on my blog so here we go....

Ingredients:
200 grams of Rice Ada

400 grams of Jaggery  (make a surup using half a cup of water). We used palm sugar.

3 to 4 tab.sp. of Ghee 

Milk of one Coconut or use 200 ml of Kara coconut milk

1 tsp. Cardamon powder 

1 tsp.Chukku powder / ginger powder 

1 Tab.sp Cashew & raisins.

1-2 tab.sp Coconut pieces cut into small pieces 

Method:
Boil Ada in plenty of water until its soft then drain & keep aside.

Boil the jaggery in half a cup of water , strain & keep aside.

Fry the coconut pieces until brown the kismis & the cashew pieces in Ghee and keep aside.

Take milk out of the fresh coconut and divide into three, using not more than a cup of warm water in all.

Take 1-2 tab.sp. of Ghee and add to the cooked ada and stir well on a low flame.

Then add the strained jaggery to ada and stir well.

Add here 1/3rd of the milk.(or use half of the canned coconut milk)

Let this simmer for a while and then add the rest of the coconut milk, stirring gradually. Simmer for at least 5 to 10 minutes.

When the payasam thickens add the cardamom & ginger powder.Stir well.

Now add the fried coconut pieces, cashews & the raisins.

Stir well & the Ada pradhaman is ready.

(The quantity of jaggery and ghee can be changed according to your taste)

ENJOY!

Tips:

• Not all packets of rice ada is really rice, they are made with white flour / maida 
• If you dont have rice ada at home, buy the transparent rice noodles from the Chinese store and crush and break it as small as you can. This works perfectly well for an ada pradaman.
• I have used palm sugar instead of Jaggery here & Instead of the fresh coconut milk the Kara brand coconut milk. & Home made ghee.
• Mind you, Ada pradhaman tasts best if made at least hours ahead of the serving and tastes its best if served warm on a banana leaf!!!!!

Stoofperen/ Cooking Pear

I want to show you something my Mother in law often made this time of the year which she would serve with a Dutch dinner. If you have gone through recipes I have placed before the 'hutspot" goes perfectly well with this dish and it is also SO easy to make. Is also tasty if served with full cream.

This cooked pear is almost like a Jam or pear preserve. However, it is made
from the special stoof peren / cooking pear used for cooking purpose
found all through the year. Dont know if it's tasty if ripened. It can be

preserved in the fridge for few weeks or even frozen.It goes well with all
kinds of food. I serve this when I make any European food.
At the super market it' s available at the vegetable section.They are usually
small, hard and never sold ripe.

I have used Winter wine as this wine has all herbs and add a great flavour
to the dish.If you do not want to use wine, you dont have to, instead u can
use wine vinigar or just a few table spoons of white vinigar.

Ingredients:
12 cooking pears
2 laurel leaves
6 cloves
1 cup of Winter wine / red wine / wine vinigar/or 2 to 3 tab. spoons
ofvinigar
1 cup of sugar
1 or 2 cups of water
A pinch of salt

Method:
Peel the pears and place them in a pan and add all the ingredients. 

Bring to boil on high flame and when it begins to boil lower the flame and simmer for half an hour until the pears are soft.

Cool and preserve.

That's it....that easy!!