Sponge Dosa- Poha Dosa- Majjigattu

Sponge Dosa/Majjigattu/Poha Dosa: This is a very unique delicacy from coastal Andhra which is known as Rice Bowl. The rice fertile soil is home to the fine quality rice, coconut and Dairy too. This simple, yet delicious dosa is spongy in texture, melts in your mouth leaving you crave for more. It can be served with any chutney or even pickle and a dollop of ghee... Here is the recipe..

Ingredients:

Pressed rice/Poha/Atukulu- 1 cup

Raw Rice- 2 cups

Fenu Greek/methi seeds- 1 tsp

Sour curd/thick butter milk- 2-3 cups

Method:

1. Soak all the ingredients in sour curd/butter milk for 4-6 hours

2. Grind them to a super fine, smooth batter in a mixer grinder

3. Add salt and ferment it over night. You can also add salt before preparing the dosas too. The batter should look like a bubbly broth when fermented.

4. Heat a gridle/tawa, add a small tsp of oil, pour one big ladle full of batter, don't spread it. Cover it with a lid and let it cook till done.

5. You can see loads of pores appearing and the dosa bulging making it extremely spongy,  remove from the pan once done. No need to flip it.

6. Serve it with a chutney of your choice or a pickle and ghee..

Variations:  Dosa batter can me mixed with finely ground green chilly, coriander leaves paste, jeera. Dosas can be  topped with finely chopped onions to add a spicy tinge to them..

Tip: The trick to get spongy dosas is the right fermentation. Add some baking soda boiled in half a cup of water to the batter if it did not ferment well. 

Cucumber Dal- Dosakaya pappu..

 Dal/ pappu, an ideal combination of protein and veggies is an integral part of Andhra cuisine. The range and variety of dals that are made is amazing. Each dal has a unique flavour and is sure to bring heaven into your plate when served with fresh hot rice, a drop of ghee and a fried curd chilly/ papad. This tangy and mildly spicy cucumber dal is a favourite from the word go...
Here we go for the recipe:

Ingredients:

Vegetables:

One Cucumber  - Peeled and cubed
2-3 Tomatoes - Finely chopped
1 Onion- finely chopped
3-4 Green Chillies
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves

Seasoning:
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Asafoetida/5-6 crushed garlic pods
2-3 Dry red chillies
Oil
Dal:
1/2 to 2 cups of Pigeonpea Dal / Tuar Dal/Kandipappu
Tamarind pulp: Soak Tamarind in water, extract the pulp
Salt and red chilly powder to taste
Method:
1. Cook the dal in a pressure cooker till very soft, mash it and keep aside
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and cumin seeds, wait till they crackle, add dry red chillies, curry leaves, Asafoetida/garlic pods, turmeric and let them fry for a minute
3. Now add finely chopped onions, salt and chilly powder, let the onion fry till they are soft.
4. Add tomatoes at this stage, add the cucumber pieces once tomatoes become a bit soft.
5. Add the extracted tamarind pult and let the vegetables simmer well in the pulp
6. Add the mashed dal and mix it well, adjust salt and spice, let the dal boil till it reaches the right consistency
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with fresh steamed rice and a drop of ghee. 
8. Fried curd chilly or a papad will enhance the taste

Stuffed Brinjal- Gutti Vankaya

Stuffed Brinjal- Gutti Vankaya- Egg plants stuffed with freshly ground curry powder, delicately sauteed in oil to perfection. A delectable combo with plain white rice..Presenting a signature dish from the land of Telugus called Gutti Vankaya.. Here is  the recipe....

Vegetable:

Brinjal/Egg Plant- 1/2 kg ( Any variety of egg plant other than the big one can be used. The vegetables should be tender and soft without much seeds)- Slit the egg plants and place them in water.

Curry Powder:

1 Cup chana dal
1 cup urad dal
1/2-3/4 cup coriander seeds
1 tsp Fenugreek / methi seeds
1 tsp  cumin/jeera seeds 
10-12 red chillies/ 2-3 spoons of red chilly powder
Copra/dry coconut- 3 inch piece
sesame seeds- 1-2 tbsp
curry leaves- 5-6
Tamarind water- 1/2 cup ( Optional)
Salt to taste and a pinch of sugar.
oil

Procedure:

1. Heat 1 tbsp Oil in a pan/ kadhai and fry the dals, coriander seeds, Fenu greek ( methi) and cumin (jeera), dry coconut and red chillies to a golden brown color.

2. Then add sesame seeds and curry leaves, fry for a few more minutes till a great aroma emanates from the ingredients. Add chilly powder now if you are not using dry red chillies.

3. Cool the fried ingredients,  grind them to a  coarse powder ( neither very smooth nor very grainy). Add a bit of salt and sugar to the powder This powder can be stored in a jar for further use as well.

4. Add tamarind water to the powder and now the stuffing is ready. Add one tsp of oil to the powder if you are not using tamarind water. This is to make the powder bind well.

5. stuff the curry powder into the cut egg plant/  brinjal pieces.

6. Mix oil and water in 1:0.5 ratio in a pan/ kadai, place it on the stove, add the stuffed egg plant/  brinjal pieces into the oil. Cook it covered till both the stuffing/ masala and veggies are cooked. Stir them gently so that the pieces don't break, sprinkle a little water or add a little oil if you feel the curry is becoming dry and to prevent it from charring. You can even pressure cook the curry to 1-2 whistles and then cook till the water evaporates.