MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Dosa, Uttapa, Chutney, Subji

Pet Puja- South Indian Staple

Dosa-

Ingredients-

Rice -3 cups, Urad Dal( Split Black Gram)-1 cup, ½ teaspoon(tsp) Methi (Fenugreek) seeds, ½ tsp Arhar or Tur or Tuvar(Split Red Gram) dal, water, salt

Method-

Wash and rinse rice, methi n arhar dal and keep it to soak in water. Similarly, wash and rinse urad dal and soak separately. Let the rice n dal soak separately for about 3-4 hrs. Then remove water and grind rice with fenugreek n arhar with little water at a time to a fine granular paste. Afterwards, grind the urad dal similarly. Mix both pastes in a large utensil and cover with lid and allow to ferment. Fermentation will depend on temperature. If it is summertime, then 7-8 hours overnight fermentation is okay for

the mixture to rise. During winters, fermentation will take longer (tip- cover the utensil with a warm blanket to maintain temperature).

To make dosa, you take the required batter and add salt to taste and leave for half hour for salt to react with batter.

Preparation of  tawa or pan- Heat the tawa or pan, grease it, reduce the flame and sprinkle with water( take a whole onion which is sliced towards the free end and fix it to a fork from other tip, dip the cut surface of onion in oil and grease the tawa with this onion). Now take batter in spoon and spread, you can sprinkle oil on the Dosa and let it cook, the dosa will leave the tawa and then you can turn and cook.

For Uttapam- you put batter and allow it to be thicker than dosa and top it with finely chopped onions, coriander leaves and green chillies. Uttapam tastes good with butter. A variation of uttapam would be topping of finely chopped veggies like french beans, carrots, capsicums etc.

Aloo Subji

Ingredients-

Boiled potatoes- 5-6, medium onions- 2, oil for tempering, dried red chillies 2-3, curry patta, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, salt, coriander leaves for garnishing optional

Method-

Peel and chop the boiled potatoes, chop the onions, heat oil in an pan and temper with mustard, cumin, red chillies, curry patta, the add the onions, fry for about 3-4 mins and then add the potatoes along with turmeric powder and salt. Add little water, cover with lid and cook over reduced flame for 4-5 mins

This is the masala for the masala dosa.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients-

One cup fresh grated coconut, one tsp chutney dal, one tsp raosted groundnuts, one inch ginger piece, one green chilly, water, salt, oil, curry leaves, mustard seeds

Method-

Grind coconut, chutney dal, groundnuts, ginger, salt together to make a fine paste, add water as per required consistency. Remove in a bowl. Heat little oil and temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves, add this tempering to the chutney.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Green Chutney for Sandwiches

Green Chutney

This green chutney is made from all fresh ingredients and tastes very good as sandwich spread. The hard core Puneites will be able to relate this taste to that of the chutney in  the most familiar and famed Marzorin sandwiches. Even I had always tried to peep in the Marzorin kitchen to find the secret of this chutney. They had these nauwari(9 yard sari) clad women grinding huge amounts of this chutney on flat grinding stones and am sure that this was the secret. My recipe is quite close to the chutney as found in the vegetable sandwiches of Marzorin. 

I used to pack these vegetable sandwiches for my husband when we were posted in Delhi. His colleague would literally pounce and run away with the tiffin. The colleague's wife took the recipe from me and later complained that it did not turn out to be as tasty, she had the grouse that I had not disclosed some secret ingredient to her. Friends, I have experimented a lot to arrive at this particular recipe. It is a lot like my mother used to make. The tatses might be varying due to variations in adding salt, sugar, lemon juice or green chillies. My mother loved spice so she added more of chillies. I like sweet sour taste, so I add combo of sugar and lemon juice. The Marzorin chutney is a more sweeter version. You can suit your taste buds and make variations too.

Ingredients:
Fresh coconut grated- One cup
Coriander sprigs- 10-12
Garlic- 7-8 cloves
Green chillies- 1 or 2 as per taste
Lime juice - 1 teaspoon
Salt- To taste
Sugar- To taste
Water - 50 ml

Method:
Grind all the ingredients in chutney jar to a fine consistency.
The green chutney can be used in sandwiches as well as an accompaniment with fried snacks.